Comments in moderation

Creating, , ,

When I sign in to WP to create a blog post there are comments waiting to be moderated. Most often they are spam- enlarge this, shrink that, make money this way or make money in half the time it takes you to read this. Junk. There was a time when I got some decent spam. I mean it. They used obscure text as subject lines. I found myself mining them for long forgotten words or wacky twists and turns of a phrase. I never opened them. I just swiped the value I could from them before I hit spam button and sent them to spam prison.  They go to prison, right?

Spammers just don’t live up to their predecessors. It is a very disappointing turn of events.

Occasionally I ask for things and don’t get what I wanted. Someone asks me for something and I fail to respond accordingly. We have expectations that are dashed beyond hope. Then we have to figure out what to do all over again.

Sigh. Double sigh, Sighing one more time for effect. Or is it affect? Never mind.

Creation is a messy thing. It doesn’t always end up as high art. Spammers and friends disappoint with a mediocre response. A piece of writing is flat. A photo looks terrible. Like Michelangelo I chisel at a piece of stone hoping to release an angel.

Today may suck. Tomorrow may be better. Or not, but I keep chiseling. My angel needs to get out. And spammers… give me something worthwhile. I mean it.

The 4-Hour Workweek, or How I discovered I Am a Creative Vagabond

books, Inspiration, ,

Originally published in July 2007

The 4-Hour Workweek, Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich, by Timothy Ferriss is the hot, new thing to hit the marketplace.

Ferriss has created an interesting vagabond lifestyle. This book is the practical side of the Secret phenomenon. It also reminded me of all the Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie types of books I read in my twenties. You are asked to think outside of the normal way you approach your life. Ferriss asks the reader to disregard the notion of efficient living and instead to become more effective at it. You could do that by simply delegating time consuming tasks, checking your email less often and examining what are the priorities in your life. He has created his business to be automated and therefore completely mobile allowing him to have the lifestyle he wants.

The vagabond lifestyle is not for me. I am a home base, nesting kind of person. The beauty of this concept is I don’t have to be Tim Ferriss. However, I do like the idea of a mobile business that would allow me the opportunity to travel if and when I wanted. It would also allow me the time to work on the projects that require time but may not have an immediate payoff. Continue reading The 4-Hour Workweek, or How I discovered I Am a Creative Vagabond →