I've read a few blog posts about the New York Times and other papers charging for online content and started pondering -- would I pay for their news? Sadly, probably not. Unless I wanted a specific article I had heard about elsewhere and needed it for a specific reason.To recap some of the status updates I've posted in the last few weeks:
Dec. 21: wonders what her dog is thinking when he stares at her SO intently. (Comment from Sarah Jo Brenner: Dog: I bet she'd be good with ketchup... lol)
Dec. 21: Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option. (Stolen from Krysta Harding.)
Showing posts with label facebook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label facebook. Show all posts
Yes. It is.
It's also crazy to bake dog treats more often than human cookies. Or to coo nicknames at your dog so much that he not only responds to BlackJack, but also to "little guy," "jackers" and "cook-a-chew." And sometimes "bugaboo," but that's more of a winter nickname.
But Tweet BlackJack does. And, I was amazed, so do lots of other critters. BlackJack is following 23 dogs and cats, a bird and Ashton Kutcher. And he has 14 followers, which at this point is more than I have. If you are hankering to know what the little guy is up to, all you have to do is look to your right, just below the donation widget.
(For those who are wondering, I have two Twitter accounts, a blog, a Facebook account complete with a new nickname, a LinkedIn account, an Etsy account and a MySpace account. Although the MySpace account is solely there for journalistic purposes. No wonder I don't have a social life...)
It's also crazy to bake dog treats more often than human cookies. Or to coo nicknames at your dog so much that he not only responds to BlackJack, but also to "little guy," "jackers" and "cook-a-chew." And sometimes "bugaboo," but that's more of a winter nickname.
But Tweet BlackJack does. And, I was amazed, so do lots of other critters. BlackJack is following 23 dogs and cats, a bird and Ashton Kutcher. And he has 14 followers, which at this point is more than I have. If you are hankering to know what the little guy is up to, all you have to do is look to your right, just below the donation widget.
(For those who are wondering, I have two Twitter accounts, a blog, a Facebook account complete with a new nickname, a LinkedIn account, an Etsy account and a MySpace account. Although the MySpace account is solely there for journalistic purposes. No wonder I don't have a social life...)
I started planning this wine-tasting for the Breast Cancer 3-Day months ago. I asked complete strangers on Etsy.com to donate raffle items, made three brassiere purses, schemed on how to display said purses, and designed programs, raffle tickets and fliers. And for at least the last three weeks, that was all I could talk about (just ask my Facebook status updates. All about brassiere purses. And wine.)
And I was proud of the results. Several Etsy artists were supportive. My aunt drove in from Springfield and Aaron drove up from Plano to help me with the wine-tasting Friday night. I didn’t know about half of the 18 people who came, so at least some of my publicity efforts must have been successful. There was one breast-cancer survivor who thanked my aunt and me for our work, which was a nice reminder of why exactly I’m going to all this trouble in the first place.
The Corkscrew Pointe owner, John, was nice enough to offer me 10 percent of the sales of people who mention my fundraiser for the next three months.
But when I got home, before I fell into bed, I counted up all the money from the evening. $465, including $50 in cash I brought as change. When I took out the change money, plus the $100 for the wine and another $100 for the food (including some excellent tarts from Tarts & Truffles on the Woodstock Square), I was left with $215. $215 after weeks of work.
And that means I’ve raised a total of $620. Only $1,680 to go until I reach the $2,300 minimum goal. Sigh.
And I was proud of the results. Several Etsy artists were supportive. My aunt drove in from Springfield and Aaron drove up from Plano to help me with the wine-tasting Friday night. I didn’t know about half of the 18 people who came, so at least some of my publicity efforts must have been successful. There was one breast-cancer survivor who thanked my aunt and me for our work, which was a nice reminder of why exactly I’m going to all this trouble in the first place.
The Corkscrew Pointe owner, John, was nice enough to offer me 10 percent of the sales of people who mention my fundraiser for the next three months.
(That’s right. If you buy wine from Corkscrew Pointe, 1402 N. Riverside Drive, McHenry, between now and Aug. 1, simply mention that you’d like part of the proceeds to go to breast cancer research, and I’ll get 10 percent of your total purchase.)
But when I got home, before I fell into bed, I counted up all the money from the evening. $465, including $50 in cash I brought as change. When I took out the change money, plus the $100 for the wine and another $100 for the food (including some excellent tarts from Tarts & Truffles on the Woodstock Square), I was left with $215. $215 after weeks of work.
And that means I’ve raised a total of $620. Only $1,680 to go until I reach the $2,300 minimum goal. Sigh.
25 Random Things About Jill
1. I am a rock-solid Democrat. Although once, in a moment of desperation, I applied to be a spokesperson for Republicans in the Indiana state legislature and claimed to have voted for George W. Bush. It made me nauseous. I did not take the job.
2. I was a White House intern in the fall of 2000. The Monica Lewinsky jokes got old quickly, but when Bill Clinton touched my hand, I kind of got it.
3. I have never won a trophy. A few metals, yes, several certificates, yes, but no trophy.
4. My favorite little dog, BlackJack, was an impulse purchase made with my ex-husband when I was half-drunk.
5. I wish I could say my ex-husband was an impulse made when half-drunk, but no, I thought that one through and did it anyway. (Sigh.)
6. I want to get married again, though. And sometimes the idea of being a stay-at-home mom is really appealing. Giving birth, however, scares the daylights out of me.
7. I love pasta. My specialty is macaroni and cheese, although I’ll admit it’s not popular with 9-year-olds.
8. My mom constantly questions the quality of people to whom I give my cell phone number. The fact that the former mobster was calling from an undisclosed location did little to quell her concern. (I cover courts for a newspaper. Comes with the territory.)
9. I recently got my first letter from a prison inmate. It freaked out my roommate, but I found its contents rather disappointing. Nothing exciting in it at all.
10. I really want to sell you my engagement ring. It’s not cursed, really. People, not inanimate objects, ruin marriages.
11. My first job out of college was in a little town called Hoopeston. The Baptist congregation there took up a $1,000 collection to try to pay some Wiccans to not open a “school” in town. (It didn’t work). The best things about the town were the high school mascot (The Cornjerker) and the Sweetheart Pageant (all the runners up in the state Miss America pageant competed against each other to see what they faced in the national arena).
12. I sometimes daydream about how my life would be different if I were a millionaire. I’d probably be (more?) blunt and wear jeans to work more often.
13. I recycle most of the time (unless it involves washing out slimy containers. Then I figure I’m wasting more water than the resources I’d save by recycling.)
14. I no longer believe everything is possible. Admitting that makes me sad, but it also makes me realize how truly amazing some of the people in my life are.
15. I’ve lost my wanderlust a little over the years, but I still long to travel far more than time and money will allow. (Have I mentioned lately I’m going to New Orleans next week? Very exciting.)
16. I have never broken a bone or been hospitalized.
17. I compulsively check my e-mail about every hour or so.
18. About a year ago, I replaced my Mountain Dew habit for a coffee habit.
19. I still can’t control my shopping habit
20. Years after I first read it in college, my favorite book is still “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”
21. I wish I could write the great American novel, but my first few meager attempts are not too promising.
22. I really think people who make more money and have a better education than me should have figured out how to fix the economy already. Really, what are they doing to justify their inflated egos?
23. I have little patience for people with inflated egos. A small twist of fate and all of us could find ourselves homeless and friendless. (OK, maybe for some it would take a large twist of fate. But really.)
24. I have become obsessed with the color pink since I got involved with the Breast Cancer 3-Day. My toes presently are painted pink.
25. I long to know more about my ancestors and am somewhat disappointed with the bad handwriting and spelling problems that I’ve found in historical documents. Can you imagine how many ways Duchnowski has been spelled over the years?
1. I am a rock-solid Democrat. Although once, in a moment of desperation, I applied to be a spokesperson for Republicans in the Indiana state legislature and claimed to have voted for George W. Bush. It made me nauseous. I did not take the job.
2. I was a White House intern in the fall of 2000. The Monica Lewinsky jokes got old quickly, but when Bill Clinton touched my hand, I kind of got it.
3. I have never won a trophy. A few metals, yes, several certificates, yes, but no trophy.
4. My favorite little dog, BlackJack, was an impulse purchase made with my ex-husband when I was half-drunk.
5. I wish I could say my ex-husband was an impulse made when half-drunk, but no, I thought that one through and did it anyway. (Sigh.)
6. I want to get married again, though. And sometimes the idea of being a stay-at-home mom is really appealing. Giving birth, however, scares the daylights out of me.
7. I love pasta. My specialty is macaroni and cheese, although I’ll admit it’s not popular with 9-year-olds.
8. My mom constantly questions the quality of people to whom I give my cell phone number. The fact that the former mobster was calling from an undisclosed location did little to quell her concern. (I cover courts for a newspaper. Comes with the territory.)
9. I recently got my first letter from a prison inmate. It freaked out my roommate, but I found its contents rather disappointing. Nothing exciting in it at all.
10. I really want to sell you my engagement ring. It’s not cursed, really. People, not inanimate objects, ruin marriages.
11. My first job out of college was in a little town called Hoopeston. The Baptist congregation there took up a $1,000 collection to try to pay some Wiccans to not open a “school” in town. (It didn’t work). The best things about the town were the high school mascot (The Cornjerker) and the Sweetheart Pageant (all the runners up in the state Miss America pageant competed against each other to see what they faced in the national arena).
12. I sometimes daydream about how my life would be different if I were a millionaire. I’d probably be (more?) blunt and wear jeans to work more often.
13. I recycle most of the time (unless it involves washing out slimy containers. Then I figure I’m wasting more water than the resources I’d save by recycling.)
14. I no longer believe everything is possible. Admitting that makes me sad, but it also makes me realize how truly amazing some of the people in my life are.
15. I’ve lost my wanderlust a little over the years, but I still long to travel far more than time and money will allow. (Have I mentioned lately I’m going to New Orleans next week? Very exciting.)
16. I have never broken a bone or been hospitalized.
17. I compulsively check my e-mail about every hour or so.
18. About a year ago, I replaced my Mountain Dew habit for a coffee habit.
19. I still can’t control my shopping habit
20. Years after I first read it in college, my favorite book is still “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”
21. I wish I could write the great American novel, but my first few meager attempts are not too promising.
22. I really think people who make more money and have a better education than me should have figured out how to fix the economy already. Really, what are they doing to justify their inflated egos?
23. I have little patience for people with inflated egos. A small twist of fate and all of us could find ourselves homeless and friendless. (OK, maybe for some it would take a large twist of fate. But really.)
24. I have become obsessed with the color pink since I got involved with the Breast Cancer 3-Day. My toes presently are painted pink.
25. I long to know more about my ancestors and am somewhat disappointed with the bad handwriting and spelling problems that I’ve found in historical documents. Can you imagine how many ways Duchnowski has been spelled over the years?
The fact that's I'm starting this blog is twinged with hypocrisy. I initially resisted joining MySpace (which I rarely log into) and Facebook (which I visit multiple times a day) partially because I didn't understand why grown-ups needed to join online networks seemingly designed to extend high-school social jockeying onto the Interweb. Really, don't we have enough things to worry about without pretending to be friends with hundred of people we haven't talked with in months? And who wants to be the person who only has 25 Facebook friends?
Now that I'm addicted to Facebook and begrudingly have joined Twitter and LinkedIn, I'll take the Fifth with those questions.
But I do think starting a blog can involve 1) an inflated notion of how much other people are interested in the mundane details of your life, and 2) distracting others from "quality" or "higher forms" of reading. Why spew personal rambling across digital space when people really should be reading The New York Times, Newsweek, classic literature and a few non-fiction tomes on foreign lands? And really, why spend all this time building a "virtual world" for yourself when there's a real world full of live people, dogs, walking trails, libraries and charities events just outside your door?
So yeah, I guess what I'm saying is that if you decide to never read my blog again, I won't hold it against you.
Now that I'm addicted to Facebook and begrudingly have joined Twitter and LinkedIn, I'll take the Fifth with those questions.
But I do think starting a blog can involve 1) an inflated notion of how much other people are interested in the mundane details of your life, and 2) distracting others from "quality" or "higher forms" of reading. Why spew personal rambling across digital space when people really should be reading The New York Times, Newsweek, classic literature and a few non-fiction tomes on foreign lands? And really, why spend all this time building a "virtual world" for yourself when there's a real world full of live people, dogs, walking trails, libraries and charities events just outside your door?
So yeah, I guess what I'm saying is that if you decide to never read my blog again, I won't hold it against you.
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