Wow, I hardly had time to upkeep my blog. Work has slowed down a bit now, which is not necessarily a good thing, but has left me lots of time to update my site and my blog! For my clients and friends, hello again! I know, you all emailed me and asked when I would be posting more poetry, sorry I have nothing for you today my darling fans!
During 2008 I wrote several grant proposals for individuals seeking funding for NHS research. That was exhausting, time consuming, and data intensive work. One funding proposal I wrote was in regards to handwashing training for international nurses working in impoverished countries. I was very sad while completing the research proposal as it taught me that 3.5 million children every year in third world countries die from preventable diarrhoeal diseases---simply because they lack soap and clean water and handwashing training. Thankfully, there are many international nurses and physicians willing to put their own lives on the line to help create a better world for impoverished persons, and I was really proud to play a small part in their ability to do so.
I also completed hundreds of web based articles, ranging from more Forex technical writings to massage therapy training.
The end of 2007 and most of 2008 was a very hard time for me, personally. The week of Thanksgiving 2007 my sister, at 27 years old, went into a coma from a medication combination and died five days later. In July of 2008, my aunt, at age 38, died in her sleep from sleep apnea complications. In October of 2008, my grandpa, at age 89, died from complications due to a subdermal hemmorage. I was at his side when he died and administered CPR, but was unable to resecutate him. To say the least it has been a time of struggle and sadness for my family.
Please, friends and collegues and clients, check your medications and ensure that they do not have deadly combinations. If you suffer from sleep apnea, understand that there is a very low morbidity rate associated with this complication, but it does exist and you should contact your doctor. Learn CPR and emergency first aid, as this knowledge helped me act when I was caring for my grandpa. I did not save him, but at least I was able to try! You can learn first aid and CPR from your local Red Cross facility!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Friday, May 11, 2007
FX Club Foreign Exchange Money Trading
OK...today I signed up to trade money with FX Club brokerage firm. I am starting out with a whopping 100$. Here is my plan....
100$ means you actually control a margin of 1000$
So, I plan on making 3-5 trades per day of that amount.
I will not sell any amount if I am losing money. I will only sell if I am making a profit of at least 5$.
I know this does not seem like a large amount of money, however, I am not a rich person (Few writers, aside from Stephen King, are--and Lord knows I'm no Stephen King!).
With each profit I make I will increase my investments.
If you are not familiar with foreign exchange money trading it is fairly simple. Money has a different value based on the economic viability of a nation. So you trade USD for other money, and then trade that money for other money. You gain money based on the spread---the difference between the buy and sell prices. It is KINDA like stock trading only not quite.
But what the heck, FX Club is giving me 100$ to play with, so if I lose I'm not losing my money---I'm losing theirs. Can you beat that kind of deal? I think not. The coolest thing is if I earn money, I get to keep what I earn.
My dream would be to earn enough money to buy a home. I am tired of renting! Of course, it would take a few years to do that, but who knows? Stranger things have happened! If I could make an extra 100$ to 200$ a month, then I will put that money away for my kids. They are all going to be wanting cars very soon.
100$ means you actually control a margin of 1000$
So, I plan on making 3-5 trades per day of that amount.
I will not sell any amount if I am losing money. I will only sell if I am making a profit of at least 5$.
I know this does not seem like a large amount of money, however, I am not a rich person (Few writers, aside from Stephen King, are--and Lord knows I'm no Stephen King!).
With each profit I make I will increase my investments.
If you are not familiar with foreign exchange money trading it is fairly simple. Money has a different value based on the economic viability of a nation. So you trade USD for other money, and then trade that money for other money. You gain money based on the spread---the difference between the buy and sell prices. It is KINDA like stock trading only not quite.
But what the heck, FX Club is giving me 100$ to play with, so if I lose I'm not losing my money---I'm losing theirs. Can you beat that kind of deal? I think not. The coolest thing is if I earn money, I get to keep what I earn.
My dream would be to earn enough money to buy a home. I am tired of renting! Of course, it would take a few years to do that, but who knows? Stranger things have happened! If I could make an extra 100$ to 200$ a month, then I will put that money away for my kids. They are all going to be wanting cars very soon.
My Interview with fellow blogger LMA
Here is an interview I had with Little Miss Attitude. This is part of an 'interview ring' If you want to be interviewed by me, just leave a comment and I will send you five questions of my choice. Lets get to know one another! Her questions are in regular text and my responses are in italics.
My friend LMA can be found at http://littlemissattitude.blogspot.com/
1) You see on CNN that a real-live UFO has landed...oh, say on the Mall in Washington, D.C....making it official that there is other intelligent life in the universe. What is your first reaction?
I'd probably be excited, scared, and happy. Then I could stick in my bible bashing baptist step dad's face. In a nice way of course. He's a good guy, just confused.....Well, I suppose I would get my camcorder, digital camera, and shotgun...just in case. I mean you never know if they are nice aliens or not. Or if they are turning everyone into zombie like slaves as an attempt to take over the world. Or if they are going to mine our world and eat us. On the other hand, they could be really cool dudes. With gifts of chocolate.
2) Where is your favorite place to read? Why there?
In bed or on the couch. Because I live in a really small house! Plus, in the winter I can't read outside, and in the summer I get too hot.
3) Think back to when you were in elementary school. What was your very favorite thing about school? What did you just hate about it?
I liked reading and I knew all the answers to everything. No, seriously. Then everyone beat me up about it. Jerks.
4) You've just won two million dollars in a lottery. But there's a catch (figures, doesn't it?). In order to keep half the money, tax-free, you have to give the other half away to one or more non-profit organizations. Where would you give that million? Would you give it all to one organization, or would you divide it up?
You know, I hate giving money to organisations. I would rather start my own. One that fills in the gaps for the average family who needs help every now and then.
But, since I have to give it too an organisation, I would go with battered persons--including wife on husband abuse--and hungry/homeless families. In the USA.
5) Okay...this one takes a bit of an introduction. When I was a little girl, my grandmother lived down the street from a woman who spent her days going down to the city dump, where she would fill the wagon she pulled with glass bottles (I think they were all glass, way back then) and other likely items that she liked to collect. She brought them home and built full-sized buildings out of the bottles and used some of the buildings to house the collections of other items she accumulated. Now, the Bottle Village that she built (or what's left of it after the 1994 Northridge earthquake) is world-famous and Mrs. Prisbey is considered to have been a classic folk artist, mentioned in the same breath as people like Simon Rodia, who built the Watts Towers.
With that introduction, my question is, what interesting or unique place and/or person (famous or obscure) did you grow up near?
Well I grew up in the Umpqua National Forest and surrounding areas. We have tons of cool things with a few hours drive, like Crater Lake, the Oregon Vortex, Mercury Mines, The Narrows (white water rafting), and so on....but little known story...there is this tree with huge gazankas. Yes. I mean HUGE boobs. It actually looks like the shape of a woman. every few years kids go and paint it up too look like a naked woman. It's eloquently named the Boob Tree. I haven't been out that way in years but I totally should go see if it is still standing and take pics.
My friend LMA can be found at http://littlemissattitude.blogspot.com/
1) You see on CNN that a real-live UFO has landed...oh, say on the Mall in Washington, D.C....making it official that there is other intelligent life in the universe. What is your first reaction?
I'd probably be excited, scared, and happy. Then I could stick in my bible bashing baptist step dad's face. In a nice way of course. He's a good guy, just confused.....Well, I suppose I would get my camcorder, digital camera, and shotgun...just in case. I mean you never know if they are nice aliens or not. Or if they are turning everyone into zombie like slaves as an attempt to take over the world. Or if they are going to mine our world and eat us. On the other hand, they could be really cool dudes. With gifts of chocolate.
2) Where is your favorite place to read? Why there?
In bed or on the couch. Because I live in a really small house! Plus, in the winter I can't read outside, and in the summer I get too hot.
3) Think back to when you were in elementary school. What was your very favorite thing about school? What did you just hate about it?
I liked reading and I knew all the answers to everything. No, seriously. Then everyone beat me up about it. Jerks.
4) You've just won two million dollars in a lottery. But there's a catch (figures, doesn't it?). In order to keep half the money, tax-free, you have to give the other half away to one or more non-profit organizations. Where would you give that million? Would you give it all to one organization, or would you divide it up?
You know, I hate giving money to organisations. I would rather start my own. One that fills in the gaps for the average family who needs help every now and then.
But, since I have to give it too an organisation, I would go with battered persons--including wife on husband abuse--and hungry/homeless families. In the USA.
5) Okay...this one takes a bit of an introduction. When I was a little girl, my grandmother lived down the street from a woman who spent her days going down to the city dump, where she would fill the wagon she pulled with glass bottles (I think they were all glass, way back then) and other likely items that she liked to collect. She brought them home and built full-sized buildings out of the bottles and used some of the buildings to house the collections of other items she accumulated. Now, the Bottle Village that she built (or what's left of it after the 1994 Northridge earthquake) is world-famous and Mrs. Prisbey is considered to have been a classic folk artist, mentioned in the same breath as people like Simon Rodia, who built the Watts Towers.
With that introduction, my question is, what interesting or unique place and/or person (famous or obscure) did you grow up near?
Well I grew up in the Umpqua National Forest and surrounding areas. We have tons of cool things with a few hours drive, like Crater Lake, the Oregon Vortex, Mercury Mines, The Narrows (white water rafting), and so on....but little known story...there is this tree with huge gazankas. Yes. I mean HUGE boobs. It actually looks like the shape of a woman. every few years kids go and paint it up too look like a naked woman. It's eloquently named the Boob Tree. I haven't been out that way in years but I totally should go see if it is still standing and take pics.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
The Verses of Ely-Anor
The Verses of Ely-Anor
by Rita Fae Harris
This item rated Teen Teen by its creator.
Paperback book $9.79
Download $4.69
Buy now at http://www.lulu.com/content/852341
Product Details:
Printed: 163 pages, 6" x 9", perfect binding, 60# cream interior paper, black and white interior ink , 100# white exterior paper, full-color exterior ink
Copyright: © 2007 Rita Fae Harris Standard Copyright License
Language: English
Country: United States
Version: 1
The tale follows Ellie, a simply librarian, who is thrust into an unseen universe of might and magic, of dragons and demons. Only her selfless love for others and her stoic resolve to survive will save her from the darkness she faces. An alien being seeks to control her, to use her as his weapon. An ancient warrior speaks to Ellie's mind, and a forgotten goddess comes to thier aid.
Will Ellie be able to save the ones she loves from a certain fate? Will the alien creature use her inate powers to control the many universes? Will Ellie's inner ancient spirit rise, or fall away into memory?
by Rita Fae Harris
This item rated Teen Teen by its creator.
Paperback book $9.79
Download $4.69
Buy now at http://www.lulu.com/content/852341
Product Details:
Printed: 163 pages, 6" x 9", perfect binding, 60# cream interior paper, black and white interior ink , 100# white exterior paper, full-color exterior ink
Copyright: © 2007 Rita Fae Harris Standard Copyright License
Language: English
Country: United States
Version: 1
The tale follows Ellie, a simply librarian, who is thrust into an unseen universe of might and magic, of dragons and demons. Only her selfless love for others and her stoic resolve to survive will save her from the darkness she faces. An alien being seeks to control her, to use her as his weapon. An ancient warrior speaks to Ellie's mind, and a forgotten goddess comes to thier aid.
Will Ellie be able to save the ones she loves from a certain fate? Will the alien creature use her inate powers to control the many universes? Will Ellie's inner ancient spirit rise, or fall away into memory?
A journey of both the mind and spirit, into places unknown, begins with the opening of a simple box. Alien beings made of glass, an ice elemental who fancies herself a goddess, and the spirit of an Ancient warrior must battle to save one small librarian. The librarian girl is prophesized to fight the essence of evil, Dragon, in the final battle. First, however, she must discover and awaken the goddess that sleeps within the deepest recesses of her soul.
Excerpt:
For a moment, Ellie could only stare at the strange creature, and absorb the odd tawny and crimson colors of his crystalline body. Everything had occurred so quickly that she could not grasp reality; her sense of self was sand between her fingers. She was praying, somewhere, deep in herself, but those words held no meaning to her. They were only babble. She wanted to succumb to her fear, to crawl and cringe beneath this demon’s feet and beg it for mercy.
It was studying her, she could tell. She was not sure how she knew this; do bacteria know when they are under the microscope? She knew.
The crystal thing turned to her. “You think I am evil, a demon perhaps? Something out of a story book or movie? That may be so, I often wonder at my own existence. Are you listening?”
Ellie nodded her head, slowly, reluctantly.
He was suddenly kneeling beside her, and taking her torn fingertips gingerly in his glass hands. The crystal man bent close to her face, his shimmering liquid skin wavered in front of her. She could feel him staring into her. The Betrayer lay something of a kiss upon her brow. It kissed her earlobe, and Ellie felt ice against her skin.
“Then listen very carefully.” It whispered to her, and Ellie felt its bitter cold tendrils entering her ears.
Eleanor Brigit Smithy screamed.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Writer's Block is Exhausting.
Writer's block is a pain in the hind end. It cramps your style. It makes you judge yourself. It makes you wonder if writing is what you should be doing. If I worked in a factory or manufacturing, I would be bored but at least I would know exactly what to do and when to do it.
Writing is a solitary art. There are a bunch of websites, tricks and tips to overcome writers block, but at the end of the day it is only you and the keyboard (Or pen and paper).
The problem is that there is no one to kick you in the butt and say GET TO WORK! There is no whistle bell for when you should start and stop working. I tried using the alarm clock, but that just irritated me because I pretty much hate clocks.
Inspiration comes at the oddest of times. Worse yet, writer's block only comes when I really need inspiration! I shouldn't even be writing this blog right now. I should be working because I have assigned work due by the end of the week.
Not finishing that work means not getting paid for that work.
Not getting paid means we aren't going to eat next week.
Not eating next week is a bad thing.
Now, I wish I had a muse. Not the imaginary muse, but a real life muse standing right next to me. One who orders me to get to work. One who tells me exactly what to write, how to write it, and pushes me to get it done.
Luckily for me the closest thing to a muse I have is my family!
Writing is a solitary art. There are a bunch of websites, tricks and tips to overcome writers block, but at the end of the day it is only you and the keyboard (Or pen and paper).
The problem is that there is no one to kick you in the butt and say GET TO WORK! There is no whistle bell for when you should start and stop working. I tried using the alarm clock, but that just irritated me because I pretty much hate clocks.
Inspiration comes at the oddest of times. Worse yet, writer's block only comes when I really need inspiration! I shouldn't even be writing this blog right now. I should be working because I have assigned work due by the end of the week.
Not finishing that work means not getting paid for that work.
Not getting paid means we aren't going to eat next week.
Not eating next week is a bad thing.
Now, I wish I had a muse. Not the imaginary muse, but a real life muse standing right next to me. One who orders me to get to work. One who tells me exactly what to write, how to write it, and pushes me to get it done.
Luckily for me the closest thing to a muse I have is my family!
Things coming up for me.....
Well, my friend Kim Griffin and I have been working on a book of dark poetry we will be publishing at LULU.COM. We are hoping to have it up for sale in September 2007, but first I have to figure out how to make a gosh darn pdf file look the way I want the gosh darn pdf file too look! grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr......
The poems are not for the faint of heart. I wanted to convey the darker, more secretive side of life. Those things we feel but we never say. The pains we hide and the demons in our hearts we try so desperately to control.
Seriously, writing the poetry was the easy part. Now I have to think about the format, organization, the images, the way the book will look and feel when my readers have it in their hands....
Kim is awesome, her artwork is displayed at the right. She is a great photographer and illustrator and I am sooo lucky to have her on board! Kim's art is really what is making the book. The poems convey feelings, the art conveys the imagery.
Resizing the photography and artistry to fit on the page with the poetry has become a bit of a struggle, but I am certain that we will be triumphant!
It is also hard to find the time to work on the arrangement, as far as how it is most eye-appealing and not jarring to read the poetry either over the image, beside the image, above or below the image.
So my props go out to the book editors/designers who do this for a living. There is so much more too making a book than I ever thought possible!
The poems are not for the faint of heart. I wanted to convey the darker, more secretive side of life. Those things we feel but we never say. The pains we hide and the demons in our hearts we try so desperately to control.
Seriously, writing the poetry was the easy part. Now I have to think about the format, organization, the images, the way the book will look and feel when my readers have it in their hands....
Kim is awesome, her artwork is displayed at the right. She is a great photographer and illustrator and I am sooo lucky to have her on board! Kim's art is really what is making the book. The poems convey feelings, the art conveys the imagery.
Resizing the photography and artistry to fit on the page with the poetry has become a bit of a struggle, but I am certain that we will be triumphant!
It is also hard to find the time to work on the arrangement, as far as how it is most eye-appealing and not jarring to read the poetry either over the image, beside the image, above or below the image.
So my props go out to the book editors/designers who do this for a living. There is so much more too making a book than I ever thought possible!
Monday, May 7, 2007
Google Co Founder Larry Page
Larry Page and Sergey Brin revolutionized the way we search on the Internet. Their Google search engine is an expansive directory, and one of the most profitable businesses on the Internet. Here are some interesting facts about Larry Page.
Larry Page’s technological savvy stems from his family’s love of technology. His father was a computer science professor, and his mother taught computer programming.
Larry Page’s parents met at University of Michigan. Page’s Michigan roots run deep. In his 2005 University of Michigan address, Page quotes his father as having said 'Well, I'll pay for any school you want to go to-as long as it's Michigan.’
Pioneering and innovation run in Larry Page’s ancestry. The B'nai B'rith Magazine reports that Larry Page’s maternal grandfather was an early Jewish immigrant into Israel who settled in the desert town of Arad.
Larry’s first computer was an Exidy Sorcerer—in 1978! The Sorcerer boasted 2 MHz processor speed and about 8K in RAM. That is about as fast as a third-grader’s calculator nowadays!
A love and affinity for technology began early for Page. He was the first child in his grade school to turn in a word-processed homework assignment-when he was seven years old.
Larry Page loves inventors and inventions. He is particularly fond of the works of Nicola Tesla. If you don’t know who Nicola Tesla is, Google him!
Google was originally dubbed BackRub, and developed while Larry Page and Sergey Brin were doctoral students at Stanford. It is a good thing Larry Page and his co-founder changed the name. BackRub just doesn’t have the same marketing appeal.
Larry Page never graduated from the Stanford doctoral program. Google took off so quickly and rapidly --boasting 20% monthly growth the first year--and the young inventor simply did not have the time to graduate.
Larry Page’s education credentials are a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering University of Michigan and a Masters degree at Stanford University.
Even before he co-founded Google, Page was working on his leadership skills. While attending University of Michigan, Larry Page served as president of the University's Eta Kappa Nu Honor Society.
Page was the first recipient of the University of Michigan Alumni Society Recent Engineering Graduate Award. He is a member of the National Advisory Committee (NAC) of the University of Michigan College of Engineering, and still serves as University of Michigan alumni.
Larry Page’s love for knowledge and invention did not end with his degrees. He was named a World Economic Forum Global Leader for Tomorrow in 2002 as well as a "Young Innovator Who Will Create the Future" by MIT's Technology Review magazine.
Larry Page is a valuable and recognized member of the technology industry. He has been a speaker at the Technology, Entertainment and Design Conference, The Wall Street Journal Technology Summit and the World Economic Forum and the Commonwealth Club.
Larry Page also serves as a trustee for the X PRIZE Foundation Board. X PRIZE. The mission of the X PRIZE Foundation is to develop competitions to create breakthroughs in space and related technologies for the benefit of humanity. Most recently, the X PRIZE offered a $10 million ANSARI X PRIZE purse to stimulate the development of a new generation of privately owned and operated spaceships.
Page is quoted by the X PRIZE Foundation as saying: "The ANSARI X PRIZE team has challenged, motivated and encouraged talented small teams to accomplish breakthroughs that benefit humanity." Page can be viewed as a down to earth guy with his eye on outer space. Believable, since Page and his co-founder already conquered Earth through inventions such as GoogleEarth.
The name Google is actually a play on googol, the mathematical term referring to 1 followed by 100 zeros.
Jokingly, Lucas Pereira once said “You idiots, you spelled [Googol] wrong!” Larry Page commented that “this was good, because google.com was available and googol.com was not.”
Larry Page likes to have fun and be creative. He served on the University of Michigan’s 1993 "Maize & Blue" University of Michigan Solar Car on the Electronics Team. The car won the Sunrayce in 1993.
Many report that Larry Page once built an inkjet printer out of Legos™. Yet according to Brad DeLong, Larry Page says that “Actually, they weren't even legos. The point was to save money by building cheaper disk-drive cases. They were knock-off duplos from CostCo.”
In an article with the San Francisco Chronicle, Larry Page states that he is most fond of Lego Mindstorms™ -- Lego building kits with little computers in them. Look out world, soon Legos™ will come programmed with Google search engines. Maybe that will help us figure out how to put the Lego™ kits together.
Microsoft could take a few tips from Larry Page. In an interview with Peter Jennings on ABC News, the Google co-founder is quoted stating “"We have a mantra: 'Don't be evil,' which is to do the best things we know how for our users, for our customers, for everyone," Page said. "So I think if we were known for that, it would be a wonderful thing." Way cool, dude.
Larry Page drives a Toyota Prius. Not the kind of car you would expect from the co-founder of a multi-billion dollar corporation, but one you would expect from a nice Michigan boy.
Speaking of billions of dollars, in 2005 Forbes magazine ranked Larry Page as the 55th richest man in the world with an estimated $7 billion dollar worth.
In 2006, Forbes ranked Larry as the 27th richest person, with a net worth of an estimated $14 billion. Larry was 33 years old in 2006, and in one year his estimated net worth nearly doubled.
Yet with all this income, fame, and technology at his disposal, Larry Page is true to his roots in invention and philanthropy. The Washington Post reports that Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are fighting poverty and disease in Africa, addressing energy and environmental issues, and assisting nonprofit groups by giving away free online advertising, and devoting $1 billion in a 20-year corporate commitment.
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