Twenty Four At Heart

Good News, Bad News, And Weird News

My life is SO not normal.

Weird news:

Multiple people are sending me photos of their basters.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

I can't even tell you how much this amuses me.  In fact, it makes my day because hahahahahaha!

I think YOU should take a photo of your baster and send it to me too.  It can be a phone pic or whatever you want.  Baster photos make me laugh.  Please keep your baster shots rated PG-ish though in case I decide to share them.  (I really see no reason why I would need x-rated baster photos, do you?)  If you want to be creative with your baster - all the better.

Ha ha!

More sort-of weird news:

This is a blurry phone photo of Fawn:

It's not Fawn's fault she's blurry, it's mine.

By the way, HI FAWN!!

Anyway, Fawn works at my favorite tea shop.  I drink a lot of loose leaf tea (mainly iced).  I buy it in large quantities so I only need to buy it every few months.  Yesterday, as soon as I walked in the door Fawn said, "Jasmine Oolong" which is my favorite tea.

I was very impressed.  Fawn remembered and I haven't been in the store for months.

Then Fawn nonchalantly mentioned she laughed so hard she spit her coffee out the day prior while reading my Baster Post.  I was embarrassed.  I'm happy she thought it was funny.  

But ...

Hello reader - meet your blogger who in her real-life-hasn't-showered-disgustingness!

This is the reason why I was such a slob:

I had a worker man (with a big tool) show up at my house early yesterday morning.  He didn't leave until afternoon.  I didn't want to shower with him in the house.  (Also?  I didn't want to shower with HIM.  I have poor grammar today!)  When he finally left I thought, "I'll just run and get more tea because I'm addicted and I can't live a day without it.  I'll keep my fingers crossed I don't see anyone I know because I'm SLOBBED OUT."

And then, I walked into the tea shop and smiley, friendly, Fawn recognized me on sight.

I think it's okay though.  I think Fawn is understanding of my slobbery-ness.  

Good News:  Fawn even gave me a delicious iced tea "on the house."  It was such a nice thing for her to do!

I like Fawn.  If any of you happen to be at the Mission Viejo Shops, you should stop into anonymous tea store and say hi to Fawn.  Tell her hi from me!  (I'm not posting the name of the store in case it would get Fawn in trouble ... but there's only one tea store at that mall.)

Bad News:

A teen son doesn't find it amusing when he sees his mom posted about Worker Man's Big Tool on Facebook.  (Which was a total accident by the way - it was a message intended for some Twitter friends but I just started using Hootsuite and I don't know what I'm doing.  I accidentally posted it to Facebook.)

It must be humiliating to have me for a mom.  

More Bad News:  I'm not sure my site re-design is going to be done as soon as I hoped.  Several of you have mentioned you want to purchase prints as holiday gifts now, so ... here's the scoop:

Good News:  My older prints will continue to be up (click here) until mid to late December.  You can order any of them, just the way you always have.  I will give you a few days notice when my "old" site is about to go down.  (I don't have the exact date yet.)

Good News:  I'm going to give you a sneak-peek at my new (still being built) photo site.  You can find many of my newer photos in galleries by clicking here.  And yes, you can now order prints from the new site.  

I'm able to offer many more products/sizes on the new site.  I also now have, what I consider to be, the top photo lab in the country printing for me.  Prices on some items are lower (and on some items higher) than on my "old" site.  The prices are dependent on what I'm charged.

Because I'm still getting the kinks out, and because the site isn't finished - I will be checking and approving every order myself as orders are placed.  I want everything to run smoothly even if there's still a lot of work to do behind the scenes.  (I appreciate you understanding I'm moving forward before everything is "perfect" and completed at the request of readers.)  If you have any questions, or a problem placing an order, please let me know so I can help.

I will post more details for you about what's going on with the new site, soon.  If you want a photo you don't see posted, just let me know and I'll do my best to have it available for you within 24 hours. I'm in the process of transitioning over my most popular photos ....

Thank you, as always, for being the best readers in the entire world!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Winners and Other Stuff

•  Thank you to everyone who participated in my give-away yesterday.

The winners are:

DrLori71 with her comment:  If I win I'd love to buy myself something. But I'll probably just end up buying more Legos for my boys lol.

And -

Annette with her comment:  Perhaps a new pan to replace the one I burned up!

Congratulations - you each will receive a $50 Amazon gift card!  

In other news -

•  The programming of my bionic arm and shoulder has been corrected.  That's right, I'm no longer corrupted.  In addition, I now have two new programs added to my arm.  All five of my programs have been adjusted to be more effective than what I've had since I became bionic.

So far, it seems to be helping quite a bit.

I also have a very interesting new side effect from the bionics ... I'll tell you all about it next week in a separate post.  It might involve at least one nipple.

•  Several of you have contacted me wanting prints for the holidays.  The goal is to have my new site (including the photo ordering piece of it) up and running by the end of November.  I'll be spending most of today working on uploading photos to the new site in preparation to go live.  Thank you so much for your patience.

•  I re-visited a haunt from my childhood this week with a visit to Descanso Gardens.  I'll have more about this special place next week.  

For today, I'll share just a few photos from my visit there.

Garden bench in a nook created by vines.  

Heaven!

I think I could "hide" in the nook for hours.  I might read, or I might just HIDE!

Also, I was pleasantly surprised to discover beautiful fall colors here in Southern California.

Fall leaves

Fall foliage isn't something we get a lot of here.  I think it's SO pretty!

Of course, there were a ton of beautiful flowers in the gardens also.  I didn't have nearly the time I wanted to explore, but I was able to find several I considered photo worthy.

Orange, yellow, and red rose

So much beauty!

I can't wait to make a return trip when I can spend a little longer roaming the gardens.

Congratulations again to today's winners.

I hope all of my readers have a great weekend!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Give-Away!!

I had plans for a creative give-away today.

I want to thank all of you for hanging in there with me during my fifteen days without a computer.  (But who's counting, right?)

I'm still doing a give-away, but the creativity part of the deal has been put on hold.

Why?

•  I didn't anticipate having to go up to L.A. for a very lengthy day yesterday.  (They really need to develop a high speed train from The OC . . . because SHEESH the traffic!)

•  I didn't anticipate having to take Briefcase to the hospital for some testing before dawn this morning.  (He's fine - his doc just had an early morning opening for some routine testing.)

•  I didn't anticipate having my bionic arm re-programmed incorrectly by Romeo's replacement this week.  (Romeo has left me ... how could he?  Even funnier, Dr. Painless asked me if I felt like a jilted lover. Ha!)

Incorrect re-programming means my bionic arm isn't working - so ouch!!  Also, I suddenly have to re-arrange my week for a second trip for reprogramming.  Currently I get an error message informing me I've been corrupted ... which would be hilariously funny if I wasn't in pain.  

Also?  It's much more fun having Romeo stimulate me vs. his female replacement.

•  I didn't anticipate heading into a pain flare-up midday yesterday.  Such perfect timing since my electrodes are down and can't offset the pain.

Can YOU be creative while on Percocet?  Because I just see blurrrrrrrr...!

I will be doing some posts on potential gift ideas as the holidays approach.  If possible, I'll tie in a few more give-aways in the process.

For today,

I'm going to keep it simple but useful.

I'm offering up TWO $50 Amazon gift cards.

You can order almost anything from Amazon ... books, music, food, home furnishings, cameras, photography equipment, etc.!!  You can also re-gift them for the holidays if you'd like.

I don't do "complicated" give-aways so here are my very simple rules:

  •  Every comment you leave counts as an entry.

  •  You may enter as many times as you'd like.

  •  You're only eligible to win ONE of the two gift cards.

  •  I'll pick the winners using Random Integer software.

  •  Entries will be closed at 8 pm Pacific time today, Thursday.

  •  Winners will be announced on Friday.

(Spam comments will be deleted and disqualified.)

Any comment will do, but if you're having trouble coming up with ideas -

I'd love to hear what's on your wish list for the holidays this year.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Light at the end of the Tunnel

I (dare I say it??) have a working computer again!!

Wheeeeeeeeeee!!

Laguna Beach sunset.

I got it back from Apple last night.

They, successfully, transferred my contacts, email accounts, and music from my old laptop.

However,

I still have to transfer Lightroom and Photoshop over before I have access to my photos.  I can now check email, hop on Twitter and write ...

But I still can't edit photos.

(The sunset photo you see above is one I had saved in iPhoto for some strange reason.  (I don't usually use iPhoto.)

Anyway ....

I hope to be somewhat "back together" by Monday.

Thank you for hanging in there with me.

I hope you have a great weekend!

© Twenty Four At Heart

And Then I Won an Award ...

I've awarded myself the First-Ever-Award-For-Being-A-Blogger-Without-A-Computer.

I'm on Day #15 of blogging without a computer.

I do deserve an award for that, don't I?

I have so much to get you caught up on if Apple ever returns my laptop to me.

(Assuming, of course, it actually works once I get it!)

The most frustrating part of this entire ordeal is the fact I can't upload photos.

I feel so out of touch with all of you.

Are things going well in your life?

Are you having a good week?

I've decided I'll do some sort of giveaway next week, assuming I have a working computer by then.

It will be my thank you for your patience.

You've been SO much more patient than I've been.

I've turned into a three year old again, ranting and stomping my feet in frustration.

I think I'll put myself into self-imposed exile until I can act more mature.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Steve Jobs Dies and Apple Goes to Hell??

I want to preface today's post by saying I have been, for quite some time, one of the biggest Apple fans on earth.  In addition, although I never met Steve Jobs the man; I was a huge fan of Steve Jobs the genius.

That being said ...

My MacBook died on my first day in Boston, two weeks ago.

I work on the Internet - I need a computer.

By laptop standards, I know my MacBook (at three years of age) was old.

(As an aside:  Yes, my laptop was backed up.  I backup my computer consistently.  I also store all my photos on an external hard drive.)

I waited six days to see an Apple Genius because my trip back east didn't allow for me to do so earlier.

For six days my frustration grew.

I'm a writer who couldn't write.

I'm a photographer who couldn't upload and/or edit photos.

I'm in the middle of a site re-design, and I'm unable to communicate with my web designer.

I have companies negotiating advertising space with me, and I can't respond to them.

My hands have been tied behind my back.

I don't blame Apple for any of the above.

But ...

When I finally did meet with an Apple Genius, six days into utter frustration, I was given incorrect information.  He told me I could upgrade the RAM on my laptop and solve a lot of my problems.  He was wrong.  My MacBook, it turns out, was too old to be upgraded.

He should have known better.  After all, he had my computer right in front of him and was "examining" it.  You don't expect a "Genius" to give out incorrect information.

Another computer-less day went by until I learned I was given incorrect information.  (The Genius had referred me to a separate company for RAM upgrading.  They were the ones to inform me my laptop was not able to be upgraded.) 

I then made a second appointment with Apple, during which my first "Genius's" information was corrected and I was informed I was stuck in computer-less hell.

A few hours later, I ordered a new MacBook Pro from Apple.  I was told I needed to place the order online because the stores don't carry MacBook Pros with upgraded RAM.  

Ok then.  

I had to borrow a laptop to place my order.

Fine.

When the order was finally placed, I was told the computer would ship from China and take about a week to arrive.

Days went by -

Days I could not work, could not write, could not edit or upload photos.

The laptop arrived a couple days early.  

Yay!  

I was ecstatic.  At this point, I had been without a computer for TWELVE DAYS.

I opened the shiny new MacBook Pro.  I couldn't WAIT to have a working laptop again.  I had so much work to get caught up on!  It asked me if I would like to transfer the info from my old computer to my new one via "Migration Assistant."

I pressed "yes."

Both laptops immediately became inoperable as Migration Assistant said it was "transferring information." 

Information migrated/transferred all day on Day#12 and Day #13.  

Soon I was back in the Apple store.

"Is it normal for Migration Assistant to take two full days?" I asked the Apple employee.

(I had been researching online and the "worst" case of Migration Assistant I had heard of had only taken one and a half days.)

"Yes," smiled the Apple employee.

Then he added, "It should be done running in the next two to three hours."  He also informed me it would have gone faster if I had bought a "firewire," but at this point it would be done shortly.

Twenty four hours later, (Day #14 without a computer), I was back in the Apple store, again requesting help.

"Migration Assistant is still running," I informed the Apple employee.  "It's been three full days - I need a working computer.  What do I do?  Should I buy a firewire?"

"A firewire will do you no good," Apple employee #Infinity told me.  "Your old computer won't work with a firewire."

::  Frustration  ::

Incorrect "Genius" information again?

Honestly, I've never been told the wrong thing by an Apple Genius prior to the last two weeks.  Now?  Every Apple employee/Genius has a different story, a different (incorrect) solution to my computer woes.

 On Wednesday morning I was back at Apple, yet again.  Two different Apple employees (one was a "Genius") got involved discussing "my" situation.   After a lengthy discussion, I was given instructions to buy an ethernet cable and told what to do.  (Apple doesn't carry ethernet wires, in case you're wondering.  Buying an ethernet cable involved going to a separate store.)

The Apple employees assured me my data would be migrated to the new computer "in no time" once I connected an ethernet cable.  

By noon I was back AGAIN (my third visit in 24 hours) to report the migration via ethernet cable had NOT worked either.  I was passed to three different employees.

I'm somewhat ashamed to admit it, by the time I was re-explaining "my" situation to the third Apple employee of that visit (the sixth of the day), I started crying right in the store.  My tears were tears of pure, unbridled, frustration.

Also?

This is how I spent my birthday - in Apple HELL.

"It's okay," the employee told me.  "I've cried in an Apple store before too - computer problems are so frustrating."

(By the way, my closest Apple store is a half hour drive away ... I drove there and back twice on my birthday and countless times in the last week.  Apple - you owe me hours of my life back.)

The final solution?

In complete frustration, I told Apple Employee #Infinity I don't want to see either laptop again until the migration of data has been completed.  I left both computers with Apple.  They tell me I'll have both computers back (with the data migrated) by close of business on the evening of DAY #FIFTEEN.

And oh yes, they're charging me $99 to do the migration, but at this point I don't even care.  I've never been so computer-frustrated in my life.

Happy Birthday to me.

P.S.  This post was brought to you by a laptop I borrowed for one hour.

P.P.S.  I'm sorry Steve.  I hope this post didn't make you roll over in your grave - or rise from the dead to yell at incompetent Apple employees.  (Which I TOTALLY think you should do!!)

© Twenty Four At Heart 

Alive and Frustrated

I'm just checking in to let you know I didn't die (yet).

My new laptop arrived early on Monday.  (I was not expecting it to arrive until the end of the day on Thursday.)

Yay!

What great customer service!

I turned it on and it asked if I wanted "Migration Assistant" to move everything from my old computer to the new one.

"Apple is SO fantastic!" I thought as I told my new laptop YES.

Those Apple people are damn clever!

Press ONE button and everything from the old computer goes to the new computer.

Magical!

But?

But, they should have warned me Migration Assistant would run for DAYS making both my new, and OLD, computer inoperable until it's done.  (I'm on Day #2 right now ... how many days will it take??)

And yes, there is a better way.

If I had known what a huge PROCESS this whole migration was, I would have bought a firewire and I could have done it in a fraction of the time.  Instead, Migration Assistant is working wirelessly on my crappy home Internet system and it could not be any slooooooower.

I stopped into the Apple store and asked them if it's normal for it to take so long.  The answer? 

Well, yes, if you're stupid enough to attempt it wirelessly.

Ahem ... said The Blonde Woman.

(Ok, ok, they might not have said stupid - but!)

In any case, I borrowed a computer just so I could let you know what's going on and why I've been unusually quiet.

Tomorrow, WEDNESDAY, is my birthday!

I'm turning Twenty Four (at Heart) - again!!

All I want for my birthday is Migration Assistant to finish (successfully) and allow me to use my new laptop.

I'll be back as soon as I have a working computer - !!

© Twenty Four At Heart

New England

I've been back in California for one full day now.

So far, since I returned, I've done the following:

  •  Tried to sleep, and failed miserably, thank you mega-steroids.

  •  Fought with my dying/dead/failed laptop for hours - upon hours, upon hours, in an effort to get a minimal amount of work done.

  •  Ordered a NEW laptop which should arrive sometime next week.  (Happy early birthday to me?)

  •  Fainted a few times at the cost of laptops.

  •  Thanked the Pain Management Gods for emergency doses of steroids and the desperately needed pain relief they're temporarily providing.  (Thank you also to Dr. Painless for encouraging me to do what I love and finding ways to help me do just that.)

  •  Reviewed some exciting plans for Twenty Four At Heart's upcoming update/redesign.  (Hopefully, coming soon to a blog near you - !)

  •  Been overwhelmed with gratitude and amazement upon discovering over 11,000 of you are now following my photography on Google Plus.  (Thank you - so much!!)  

**  Thank you also to famed photographer Thomas Hawk who published my name again this week on his coveted list of Kick Ass Photographers.  He's an AWESOME, supportive, mentor to so many photographers.  **

Well,

Okay then ....

My daughter called to tell me I "got out of Boston just in time" because they're expecting snow during the next 24 hours.

(She's not very happy about the idea of snow in October.  Or, to be honest, snow in general.  Have I mentioned she'll be moving back to California by the first of the year?)

I honestly don't know what I would have done if it had snowed while I was there.  

I'm not snow-savvy, to put it mildly.

The weather was a little brisk, but so beautiful for my visit.

Boston sunset.

And yes, I did come home with one thousand new photos.

Why do you ask?

(Pain management?  Say what ....?)

I promise I won't make you look at all of my New England photos.

This one's a favorite though:

Boston in the fall.

Fall has always been my favorite season, even though colors don't change here in Orange County.  Being in New England for five days, in October, was such a treat.

Pumpkins on the steps of a Boston brownstone.

I must have squealed with delight a million times as I submerged myself in New England charm.

I was especially excited my daughter took me to visit the town of Salem.

Salem ... as in witches (!!), churches, graveyards, etc.

!!!

I'll have more about Salem in upcoming posts, but I wanted to leave you with this photo of the church in Salem.  (Make sure to notice the "witch" in the photo - she's walking down the street toward the church.)

Salem, MA

What could be more fun for a California girl than visiting Salem just prior to Halloween?

© Twenty Four At Heart

Feeling Fallish!

Boston has been spectacular so far!

My laptop, however, is not well ... at all.

I have an Apple Genius appointment made for next Tuesday when I return.  In the meantime, I've been unable to upload and/or access most of my photos.  Sometimes I can get into certain programs (like the one I use to write to you), and sometimes I can't.  

It's extremely frustrating - especially since I'm not at home and don't have time to deal with it while I'm here. 

I'll try to get posts up whenever I can, but if I'm absent you'll know it's due to *&$% technical difficulties.

So ...

I haven't stopped for more than a minute since I've been here.  I have so much to tell you about - beautiful trees, crisp fall weather, witches and graveyards in the town of Salem, amazing food, amazing blisters (!!) from walking miles upon miles upon miles.

My arm is (of course) in a pain flare-up, as it always is when I travel.

It's pretty bad.

The good news is - I've had worse flare-ups and I'm doing my best to keep this one from sending me completely over the edge.  (If it's worse today, I'll begin the "emergency" steroids I have with me.)

Weather-wise ...

I'm not freezing - but it does get pretty damn cold when the wind whips up.

And at night.

And in the morning.

It's fun though.

Boston has so much charm.

The trees are beautiful!

(Boston itself is still green, but the trees outside of the city are GORGEOUS.)

The city, at night, takes my breath away.

I'm taking a lot of photos, even though I can't upload them yet due to my computer technical difficulties.

I feel so fallish because it's SO fallish here.

Fall in a basket.

I can't wait to tell you more about this trip,

And share photos too!

Hang in there with me -

In a few days my laptop will be fixed or I'll be forced to get a new one!

(May the Computer Gods have mercy!)

© Twenty Four At Heart

Selfie Sunday

Every two weeks, Google Plus has "Selfie Sunday."  Participating photographers post a self portrait.  People are quite elaborate, setting up tripods, time release cables, etc. all in an effort to take their own photo.

I could have done that, and maybe I will next time -

But today, I took a self portrait the (sort of) easy way.

Self portrait - Suzanne Haggerty

© Twenty Four At Heart

Confessions of a Horrible Blogger

Hello Internet ...!

I've been posting daily, but I haven't been a very attentive blogger.

My daughter is visiting from Boston right now and I've found myself doing the bare minimum to get by in the wild-world-of-the-web.  She's only here for a few more days, and then I'll resume a more normal routine.

Several of you have asked to buy photos I haven't yet posted to my photo site.  I apologize for the delay, and promise to get my more recent photos uploaded in just a few days.  I wanted to let you know she's visiting and that's why I've fallen so behind.

She and I have been busy doing girl things.

Monochrome photo of my daughter looking out at the (Pacific) ocean.

We've been shopping, and visiting, and walking along the beach(es).  She's been very homesick for our beaches.  

Oh, and "good Mexican food" also ....

(burp!)

In a few weeks I'll be making a trip to Boston to visit her.  It's a trip I planned nearly a year ago, long before she scheduled this trip to California.  I'm hoping to see some fall leaves when I go.  We don't get much in the way of fall leaves here.

My big concern is the fact I don't own a coat, and don't want to buy one for such a short visit to the east coast.  Will I freeze my ass off?  Probably.

I just bought some non-sandals in preparation for going east.  She tells me I'd "freeze" if I wore flip flops in Boston at the end of October.

Pffffft ....!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Funny Things Happen In My Life

I have the strangest things happen to me.

Last weekend my mom commented her life has been "so calm and normal" compared to mine.  She made the statement as if she were questioning whether or not I'm really her daughter.  I look a lot like her, so I think I am.

My mom shakes her head a lot at me.  How is it possible she has a daughter who swears and acknowledges she's had sex before?  She taught me to be a lady.  Never mind, I've had three kids - I'm supposed to still be a virgin.

My mom's list goes on and on - bemusement and befuddlement.

Speaking of being a lady:

•  Apparently, yesterday a porn site linked to a humor post I wrote (quite awhile ago) about drawing a face on my nipple.  What that post has to do with porn, is beyond me - but hello thousands upon thousands of very disappointed porn readers.  

* Waving to disappointed porn readers worldwide! *

I had no idea so many of you existed ....

Porn readers, that is.

I'm apparently very naive regarding the world's porn habits.

Also?

Hi mom!

•  Yesterday, I also received a tweet from someone I had referred (as a patient) to Dr. Painless:

Hey @twentyfour I could call him Dr. Patience, but I'd rather call him Dr. Hotness! Whoa!!!

Apparently, she finally made it in to see him?

Several more "he's so hot" tweets followed.

Dr. Painless is hot?

Have I been in too much pain to notice?

Possibly I lost my vagina in the car accident along with my arm?

I'll have to check him out next week when I see him.

(And no, I will never be able to look at him the same way again ....)

•  Next, I opened the mail only to find one of my readers had sent me a Magic Magnetic Sex-Button.

No, I don't play with it - I'm supposed to wear it.

(Hello again mom!  It isn't my fault someone sent me a sex button!)  

Hmmmm - maybe I didn't describe it correctly.

I don't wear it there ...

It's a "magnetic button" I'm supposed to attach to my clothes.

Oh wait ...

That still doesn't sound right, does it?

Think:  campaign button, only different.

It's a "joke" button and the reader who bought it instantly thought of me when she came across it.

Ahem ...?

(OK, I admit it made me laugh!)

I'm really, really excited by the audience my photos are getting on G+, but along with that comes some very interesting emails and comments.

Like ...

* Being told I'm purtee and sexxxxi.

* A man in a middle eastern country told me I had photoshopped lights and reflections into a night photo I took last weekend.  I explained to him, I wouldn't know how to photoshop something like that - the photo is indeed "real."

I'm pretty sure he didn't believe me because then he started leaving me long, deep, meaningful, quotes about life.  (Which I didn't understand, because apparently I'm not quite deep enough.)

Also?

•  People are speaking Bulgarian and other languages to me on G+.  I have to use Google Translate to know whether they're complimenting my photos, criticizing them, or telling me I'm purtee and/or sexxxxi.  

I think it's pretty cool people all over the world are connecting.

But still,

Sometimes I wonder -

As I wave to disappointed porn readers, set the Magnetic Sex-Related Button aside, and pull up a web- based Bulgarian translator ...

Is everyone's life like this??

© Twenty Four At Heart

Fearless Friday

I think I'm going to start writing Fearless Friday's along with Photography Friday's.  (You know, just on the Friday's when I feel like it ....)

I've been getting a lot of questions from readers lately.  Usually if one person has a question, other people are wondering the same thing.

So ...

Keep sending in questions if you have them and I'll do my best to answer as many of them as fearlessly as I can.

Here goes:

•  I circled you on G+, but how do I let you know without sounding like a stalker?  First of all, I love me a good stalker.  Second, all you need to do is leave a comment on one of my G+ photo posts, or send me a private message if you'd prefer, and tell me you're one of my blog readers.  (Hi, I read 24. Or: Hi, I'm one of your readers.)  If you want, you can just follow me/my photography all quiet and secret-ish.  I get a notice when people follow me, but to be honest I rarely have time to look at the notifications.  I assume my friends/readers/people I know will "talk" to me and then I'll circle them.

Warning:  I don't write on G+ very often ... right now it's primarily my photography place.  Some of my photos will show up there and here - some will only be on G+.

•  What do you think of medicinal marijuana?  Do you smoke it?  Is it helping?  No, I don't smoke it.  Smoking anything is bad for your lungs.  The Weed Doc (who is actually a real-live anesthesiologist), told me to use a vaporizer and so I do.  A vaporizer is a new-ish invention and it gives you the pain-reducing effects without smoking.  I haven't tried eating pot brownies/cookies/etc. because digesting it affects your body a little differently and takes longer to work.  I don't use weed often for the same reason I try to avoid most pain killers.  I like to be alert, and mentally present, in my life.  I use it when I need it, and yes - so far it seems to help (but not eliminate) pain.

•  There's a marijuana clinic in Money Town?  There was.  It got shut down yesterday.  I'll have to drive a little farther next time.

•  Did using marijuana make you paranoid?  Believe it or not, pot is a lot different than it was years back when the dinosaurs roamed.  For one, it's a lot stronger - they grow all sorts of "hybrids" now.  Also, there are a lot of different types.  Some types are more likely to cause a paranoid side effect than others.  I'm not using those types, so I've been fine.  

•  Can I put you in my Friends circle on G+ even though we've never met?  Yes, you can.  I would be honored.  You can, in fact, put me in any circle you want.  I don't see what circle I'm put in, only you do.

•  Why would you lay down in the middle of a road to take a photo?  Well, let me show you where the road was:

My canyon - Orange County, CA.

There is nothing there.  Nothing! 

Ever.  

(Except ...?  For this one time, apparently!)

•  I'm on G+, now what do I do?  Well, G+ is not Facebook so I suggest you think of it differently from the very beginning.  You can make it what you want.  But ....

I really suggest you follow strangers.  Yes, strangers.  You can make a circle for each of your interests and put total strangers in it.  Find the "experts" in whatever it is you like and see what people "in the know" are saying.  You don't have to share a thing about yourself with them.  Look at it as a learning experience.

(You can also have a circle for friends, for family, etc.  Each circle only sees what you want them to see.  You probably don't want to bore all your circles/interests with news about running out of coffee filters or your home life.)

For me, I followed a lot of the top photographers in the world.  I learn by looking at their photos.  Sometimes they publish interesting posts related to photography, but I learn a lot just by looking at what/how they're shooting too.  I'm nosy - it's fun.  Surprisingly, some of those "strangers" are now becoming friends.

You can also have a "hangout" and talk/videochat with people of similar interests.  You don't even have to tell them where you live - in case they're secretly an ax murderer.

If you're looking for fantastic photographers, I'd be more than happy to share a few of my favorites with my readers.  Just let me know ....

•  Last, I've received several photography-related questions.  I'll try to put the questions and answers together and write a "Photography Friday" post soon.

Thank you all for being so great and so supportive!

(Once again, you can find me on G+ by clicking here.)

xo

© Twenty Four At Heart

Squeeee!! (Also, Get Your Ass on G+)

Yesterday morning, when I first checked-in on email/Twitter/G+, I noticed the number of my G+ followers had gone up overnight.  I thought it was a little odd since I wasn't posting any photos while I slept.  (At least, not as far as I know!)

It seemed even odder when I got on G+ and realized my G+ followers now outnumber my Twitter followers.

Then I found out why ...

Thomas Hawk, who I just mentioned in my post yesterday, published a list (his circle) of "250 Kick Ass Photographers."  My name was on his list.  People who would never otherwise hear of me, are now following me/my photos.  

I need to go on a little tangent -

  •  Holy shit folks!  Thomas Hawk!!

  •  I told you he was nice.

  •  Yes, I DO know I still have a lot to learn about photography.  (The more I learn, the more I realize I need to learn ....)

•  I'm honored, and at the same time humbled, by being mentioned on the same list as so many photographers I really, really, admire.

  •  Being able to "share circles" on G+ is the coolest invention since sliced bread!  (You can follow all the same photographers, or whatever, as your friends - with just one click!)

  •  Those of you who have been reading me for any length of time know what I've gone through in recent years.  The terrible car accident, the resulting eight surgeries, the loss of use of my dominant/right arm, the chronic severe pain I will live with for the rest of my life, my new "bionic" arm, the loss of my ability to hold a camera for years - it goes on and on.  

It's been five years of fighting and overcoming odds and fighting more (and more, and more!)  ... and Thomas Hawk put me on his Kick Ass Photographer List.  For other people, this might be a "little" thing - for me, it's huge.  

(He has no idea, except maybe now he will - if he sees this post.)

After all I've gone through, how is it even possible?  

I am the woman who would never hold a camera again ....

I really hope you'll come join me on G+!  It's the new happenin' place.  

You can follow me on G+ here, and while you're at it - you should also follow Thomas Hawk and his amazing photography.

© Twenty Four At Heart

The Stories Will Be Coming ...

Yay - my blog is back!

I think ...?

Let me try posting a photo -

Tour bus filled with sunburned tourists in Beverly Hills.

Did it work?

Can you see it?

I spent yesterday cleaning house, where "house" means my laptop and "cleaning" means deleting and moving files.

As you can imagine, I have a lot of photos.  I'm also a music junkie which means more files.  I keep crashing my laptop by attempting to put too much on it.  (Also, it's three years old and the average lifespan of a laptop is two years.  I'm on borrowed time and I think it's tired of me using and abusing it so much.)

I bought, yet another, external hard drive yesterday and spent a good chunk of the day moving files, etc.

If any of you would like to buy me a Drobo, I could really use one.  (A drobo is a file storage device, in case you aren't familiar with it.)

I've had a lot of adventures lately.

For today, I will share the following:

•  When someone hugs you from behind (unaware you're damaged and disabled), they might rip your injured arm right out of your body and leave it on the ground.  At the time, you will do your best not to scream in pain.  You will try to act normal even though the sensation is similar to being shredded alive with knives.  (Not to mention, you no longer have an arm!)  Then you might walk around out of your fucking mind in pain for a few days to follow.  

Hypothetically.

•  If you're interested in photography, and ever have an opportunity to learn from Scott Kelby, you should.  The man is not only a master of his craft, but also highly entertaining.

•  There were models at the photography seminar I went to.  One extremely hot male model was named Alvin.  Yes, ALVIN - like the chipmunk.  He was so drool-worthy, I could forget his chipmunk-y name in a millisecond if only I could  jump his bones  meet him.  (Alvin, who?)

•  Did I just say type that?

•  Alvin took his shirt off, but I hardly remember that part.

•  Venice Beach has medicinal marijuana shops everywhere and they're dirty and sketchy looking.

•  Orange County has a "famous" doctor, located in a very exclusive neighborhood, who will be happy to give you a medical marijuana license for more than twice the cost of the Venice Beach doctors.

•  I've encountered "Hollywood" celebrities my entire life and they mean nothing to me.  Nothing.  On the other hand, when Thomas Hawk marks one of my photos with a + or leaves me a comment saying something positive about a shot I took, it can turn a bad day into a good one.  And when Scott Kelby sends me a private message on Google Plus?  I positively swoon ...  

Who knew I was so easy?

© Twenty Four At Heart

Beverly Hills and L.A. Live and ...

I spent most of yesterday in Beverly Hills.

I took photos of Rodeo Drive, etc. to share with you.

At the end of the day, I drove into the heart of Los Angeles to check into a hotel.  I spent the night at the Marriott at L.A. Live. 

The Marriott treated me very nicely, giving me a huge suite.  I'm amazed by it.  (And it's a free room I got from using Briefcase's Marriott points.)  It's decorated in a very modern style.

I took photos from my window to show you the amazing view.

Next, I decided to do a little photo editing.  After all, I had an entire evening alone ahead of me.

But ...?

My laptop CRASHED.

I'm sobbing.

(Not really, but sorta.)

I'm managing to eek out this mini-post for you via unconventional means.  

I will be in Los Angeles all day today ...

A very, very, long day too.

I'm attending a photography seminar given by Scott Kelby.

(I'm really looking forward to it, but attending means I will be computer-less for yet another day.)

I hope to have a post for you tomorrow, but if I don't - you'll know why.  It might be Wednesday before I'm able to get my hands on a working computer.

What in the world did we do before we had such great technology?  It's hard now to be without it even for a few days ....

© Twenty Four At Heart

Important Questions; Half-Ass Answers

I'm answering questions from readers today.  

These are questions I've had emailed to me, or perhaps left in my comments section recently.  If you aren't interested in one question, just skip to the next and see if you can find something more to your liking.

•  Is it expensive to get a blog/business name trademarked?  No, it isn't.  You can do it yourself.  I had a lawyer handle it for me because he was also handling some other legalities for Twenty Four At Heart at the same time.

•  Do you have to rinse the salt water from your pool off the dogs after they swim?  Um, no we usually don't.  They don't have any skin problems either.  They do look all fluffy and cute after they dry off though.  (The salt content in our pool isn't any higher than it needs to be.)  They do sometimes battle swimmer's ear - especially our Golden Retriever.

•  You've never been to a Farmer's Market before?  Yes, I've been to many Farmer's Markets before - I had just never been to the one at the OC Great Park before.  (It's great!)

•  Will dermaplaning cause you to grow whisker stubble?  No, it won't.  The explanation is long, but the soft little hairs that grow on women's faces are different than the hair on men's faces or women's legs.  It is recommended you get a dermaplaning facial every 3-4 weeks for the best results.

*  Was dermaplaning done in a doctor's office?  Yes, dermaplaning must be done in a physician's office.  It cannot be done (legally) in a salon.  A dermatologist or plastic surgeon's office is your best bet.

•  Did dermaplaning irritate your skin?  No, my skin is extremely sensitive and it was not at all red or irritated.  In fact, a "regular" facial often bothers my skin and dermaplaning did not.  (Dermaplaning on a regular basis would bother my wallet though.)

•  I want to fly out and take photography lessons from you, can I?  I was shocked the first time I got this request, but I get it a lot now.  I do give private lessons, but I've discouraged people from spending a lot of money on travel to come here.  

But ...  

Several of you really seem to want to do this.  I'm considering putting together a weekend photography workshop.  I'm trying to find a way to make it affordable.  I don't have details worked out yet, but I'm interested in hearing suggestions.  I'm also interested in hearing from you if it sounds like something you'd like to participate in.

•  What's in your camera bag?  

Ahh ... a lot.  

But, because of my bionic arm, I usually only have two lenses with me at any given time.  I've accumulated a lot of photography equipment, however.  

If you're just starting off I still stick by the advice I gave over a year ago.  

On the other hand, here's a recap of what I've used a lot this summer:

     •  Canon 7D  (Which I love, but I will be eager to get a MarkIII if they come out with one soon.  Yes, I want to have two bodies to use.)

    •  Black Rapid RS-W1 Women's Camera Strap - a must with my bum arm

    •  Lowepro Fastpack 350 camera backpack

    •  Speedlite 580 EX II, with a diffuser

    •  Canon 24mm/1.4 lens

    •  Canon 24-105/1.4lens

    •  Canon 10-22/3.5

    •  Canon 70-200/2.8

I do use other lenses too, but the ones listed above are the ones I've used the most during my travels, etc., this summer.  

•  Is your blog going to change now that you've incorporated?  Twenty Four At Heart is always changing because it's a reflection of me, and my life.  Twenty Four At Heart is going to be getting a "facelift," in upcoming weeks - but it's long overdue and was already in the plans.  The content here will continue to be as random as ever.

•  How's your arm?  Aack - I'd love to say perfect, but it's not.  I've been experiencing quite a pain flare-up for the last week.  Pain and disability are something I will deal with for the remainder of my life.  I do really appreciate all the support you've given me though.  I get strength from you, always, when I seem to need it most.  

I am so grateful to each of you.

•  What mode do you shoot in?  Well, that depends on what I'm shooting.  The majority of time I shoot on manual and I shoot RAW.  But not always - it depends what I'm shooting and what the circumstances are surrounding me at that moment.

•  What's the latest with the kid at your son's school?  This is the (bad) soap opera that just won't go away.  In one form or another, it keeps haunting us.  As of today, Problem Kid is out of the country and not attending college with my son this semester.  I believe he's received some mental health care.  There's a lot more to this story, but that's where it stands as of right now.

I think that answers a lot of questions for today.  If you're interested in a Photography Workshop weekend, or have suggestions on ways to make it affordable - let me know.  (A lot of people requesting this are from out of state.)  

If today's post made you think of even more questions, feel free to leave them.

© Twenty Four At Heart

The Importance of Owning a Trademark

I know this is a little "off topic" for me, but it's an important post and it needs to be written.

On Friday I was contacted by someone saying they were also "24 at Heart."  Their email was signed with a link to a blog of the same name.

I was getting ready to head out the door when the email arrived, and my immediate thought was, "What the hell?"

Then I googled "24 at heart" and Google sent me to myself - which is kind of funny when you think about it.

(By the way, a lot of you google 24 at heart instead of Twenty Four At Heart every day to find me.  I know this, because I get a report showing me what "searches" are made bringing people here.)

As many of you know, I began writing Twenty Four At Heart over three years ago.  When I did, I purchased TwentyFourAtHeart.com, .org, .info, and a host of other dot-somethings so no one else could accidentally (or purposely) use the same name.  At the time, I also looked at purchasing 24atHeart.com, .org, .info, etc., but to be honest I couldn't justify spending a lot of money on a website I was just beginning.  

By the way, those names were all available for purchase when I looked.

Also?

At the time, I was in a bad place (surgery after surgery) and had no idea Twenty Four At Heart would grow into what it has become.  In fact, I couldn't have imagined, in my wildest dreams, I would own a business of the same name just three years later.

In the last year, it has become clear Twenty Four At Heart has grown into its own entity.  Last winter I talked to my lawyer (Keith Bremer) about what steps I needed to take to protect myself, and my business.  We began taking the steps necessary to formalize Twenty Four At Heart into a corporation and to trademark the name.

Over the course of the last few months, both of those steps were finalized.

I was not happy with the news someone else was using "my" name (in any variation).  This was magnified when I realized this same person had "24 at Heart Photography" on their Google Profile.  I've been very active with a lot of top photographers on Google Plus and my photos are all copyrighted with the Twenty Four At Heart name.  

I really did not want/need this type of confusion in my professional life on top of the physical challenges I face every day.

Now, before everyone gets up in arms on my behalf ...

I'd like to point out I *think* this situation was unintentional on behalf of the other party.

Of course, I don't know this person so I can't say for sure  - 

(Although, it is eerily coincidental especially when you throw in the photography piece.)

In any case, I emailed the other party, explained I was not trying to create a problem for her, but informed her I own the trademark.

I then contacted my lawyers and they promptly got back to me.  How many lawyers do that on a Friday evening after 5:00?  

(Best lawyers ever -  Bremer Whyte.)

By the way, this self-proclaimed "Christian" then called me a "mean" "sad" "bitter" person on her blog.

(That is a whole different issue called libel ....... but I won't get into that today.)

Initially, I wasn't going to write about this situation but I decided it's important for people to understand what happened.  If you write a blog, or are starting a business, it's very important to protect yourself legally.  I realize, in our economy, no one wants to spend money on lawyers, right?

But ...

It doesn't matter if someone intentionally, or unintentionally, "takes" your name.  It doesn't matter if you, or they, "had it first."

What does matter, is who owns the name.

Trademarking is important unless you're prepared to give up the name of your blog/business to someone else.  I should have trademarked the name Twenty Four At Heart three years ago, but I'm lucky I began taking the steps to formalize my business in early 2011.  If I hadn't, anyone could start selling photos, or doing whatever, under the name Twenty Four At Heart (or a slight/confusing variation of it).  

Trademarking was just one of the legal steps I took to protect my business, but it was an important one.  

(I was asked by someone last week if trademarking and copyrighting are the same thing.  No, they are not.  Copyrighting your writing and/or photos is an entirely different topic.  Trademarking allows you to "own" your blog/business name.)

One of my friends made the following comment to me on Twitter last Friday:

Protecting your business does not make you a bitch, it makes you a business owner.

I'm closing comments on this post due to some of the legal issues still swirling around this situation.

I am, however, urging all of you to protect yourselves and your businesses through proper legal channels.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Can You See Me Now?

A woman named Darryle Pollack read one of her blog posts out loud at the conference last week.

I've met Darryle before, and the day after she spoke we spent about an hour together in deep discussion.

Darryle's post was about women becoming invisible in our society as they age.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about her words, or our conversation, since.  I'm a little younger than Darryle, but I'll be following in her footsteps in a blink of an eye.  (Yes, time does rush past faster than a speeding bullet ....)

Darryle is someone I admire and respect.  

She really got me thinking.

Let's back up for a minute, to a day earlier in the conference.

Readership numbers are something bloggers don't generally discuss with each other.  Most bloggers consider it rude, and guard their "numbers" as closely as they do their weight.

However, I've always considered myself a "small" blogger because ...

Well, because I'm not The Pioneer Woman or Dooce.

And by those standards, I AM a small blogger.

However,

In talking with several bloggers, I realized the readership numbers I think of as "small" for Twenty Four At Heart are actually pretty decent.  In addition, my readership exceeds that of many popular "mom" blogs.  A few blogs I think of as being famous actually have a much smaller audience than Twenty Four At Heart.

It was a very surprising revelation.

I'm not sharing this information to you to brag, or to pat myself on the back.  After all, it's you, not me, creating the page views.

Instead,

A question began nagging at me -

Why are they ("mom" bloggers with smaller audiences than I have) getting the vast majority of private invitations to brand parties, why are they getting so many more business opportunities, why are they considered the Important People to the brands and marketing people?

I decided to talk to a few of the marketing people in the expo hall, and ask them.

I was shocked when one of the brand/marketing experts told me they don't have "very reliable" tools for measuring the reach of any particular blog.  Yes, they have tools - but they realize those tools often give them very unreliable information.

Not being a "mommy blogger" apparently immediately takes me off everybody's radar.

But should it?

Am I, because I'm not a young mom blogger, invisible?

Invisible on the private party lists.

Invisible on the pr/marketing lists.

Invisible even to many of my blogging peers (who would not, I suppose, think to invite me along when they make plans because I'm OLDER).  

I mention this, because in blogging networking is often everything.  

If you aren't THERE, if you're never invited - you're missing out on amazing opportunities.

Marketing companies are targeting young moms with blogs.  I don't think it even occurs to many of them to take a look at people who are not blogging about their families and/or do not have kids to blog about in the first place.

Now, don't get me wrong -

I do get a lot of PR/Advertising pitches.

Most pitches I receive are on products/ideas related to baby/young kid products which, clearly, do not relate to me at this point in my life.  (My youngest of three children is now 16 years old.)  

Having a background in PR, I understand the logic behind wanting to attract young buyers and build a lifetime loyalty to your brand.  Nonetheless, two minutes of research would provide them with the information to realize my blog isn't the right forum for their baby/young kid products.  When I get these pitches, I know I was just part of a mass emailing campaign.

Alternately, if the pitches I receive aren't about young kid/family products they tend to be about arthritis/alzheimers/vaginal dryness.  These pitches come from marketers who have done enough research to realize I'm not "young."

I wish I were joking, but I'm not.

Many of the brands at last week's conference would be ideal for my audience, but I've never heard from them.

The advertising/pr agencies have serious flaws in their marketing strategies and they are missing out on huge opportunities.  Has it ever occurred to them to target women in their late thirties and up?

I'm not "old" and I'm not "young."

I do, however, have an audience of extremely intelligent and largely affluent readers.  In addition, my readers trust me because they know I tell it like I see it.

(There is absolutely no chance my integrity will ever be compromised by a brand.)

At my not young and not old age, I also have more discretionary income than I did when my three kids were young.

The "baby boomers" are a HUGE buying force, but are largely being ignored and/or misunderstood by marketing companies.

I'm not interested in products for the elderly because I'm not elderly.

Nor am I interested in products aimed at toddlers.

Do I like wine?

Do I like chocolate? 

Do I like yogurt?  

Do I like FOOD in general?  

Do I like to travel?

Do I have an interest in beauty products?

Do I have an interest in health products?

Do I like creature comforts?

Do I send greeting cards?

Do I use technology products?

Do I like photography equipment and other "hobby" products?

Do I like to cook and have an interest in kitchen products?

Do I clean my house/my teeth/my clothes?

Do I ever redecorate my house and have an interest in furnishings, etc?

Do I like activities such as exercise, parties, boat trips, and adventures of all sorts?

YES I DO.

I did not stop doing any of those things when I turned 40.

In fact, I have more time (as well as more discretionary income) to enjoy all of the above than I ever have before.

This is not a "sour grapes" post about BlogHer.  

I attended the conference; I had a great time.  

I was nonstop busy in San Diego with events and (open to everyone) parties, friends, and conversations with marketing folks.

But ....

I'm wondering -

Did anyone there really SEE me?

More importantly,

Can they see me now?

© Twenty Four At Heart

More BlogHer Moments ...

Whew!

I've been insanely hectic for weeks with my vacation, the conference, and (oh yes!) returning home to house guests!

I don't think I told you I returned to a house full of people, did I?

Have I mentioned I also lost my voice by the time I arrived back in The OC?

There's never a dull moment in my life ....

Most of today's photos aren't even re-formatted for the web.  Forgive me, but I wanted to share a few more photos from the conference with you, regardless.

Most of you probably know who Bob Harper is?  

I feel it's my duty to let you know, he is way hotter in person than he appears to be on TV.  (Oh my!)

This is Mo, from One Ping Only:

Mo is, in addition to being beautiful, one of the nicest people on the Internet.  I consider her to be an "old" friend.  (I met her online when I first began blogging.)  I've also now attended three BlogHer conferences with her.  Mo is the type of person I know I can count on - always.  I love her!

One of my favorite photos from the conference is of Amy and Adam:

Amy and I have been friends for a long time.  

Adam?  

Well, I think Adam is very shy and it's taken me awhile longer to get to know him.  He did give me a business card with a photo of himself (mainly) naked though.  That helped a little ...

This is Robin:

I met Robin just last week.  (Robin blogs at Bellaventa.)  Have you ever met someone and instantly liked them?  Well, that's how I felt about Robin.  

This is Shawn from Backpacking Dad:

As you can see, Shawn is also very shy.  Blogging seems to attract very shy men.

Ahem ....

I thought this turned out to be such a pretty photo of my friend, Julie:

Doesn't she look gorgeous?

I wish I could wear my hair short like she does.

For me, one of the biggest thrills of the conference was meeting a man named John Carter.
John is an employee of a marketing company and was working for Hersheys at the conference.

When I walked into the Hersheys suite, John jumped for joy.  

(Well, not really ... but sort of!)

It turns out John is a Twenty Four At Heart reader and knew all sorts of things about my life, my accident, my photography ...

He asked the Hersheys pro photographer to take his photo with me.

Then he made me a s'more and didn't even grimace as I talked to him with marshmallows and chocolate in my teeth.

Quite sincerely, meeting John was one of the highlights of the conference.

I have the nicest readers in the universe!

© Twenty Four At Heart

A BlogHer 2011 Overview

* Warning:  I'm going to show you some pretty crappy quality photos in today's post.  Some are iPhone photos, some were taken while I was a little ... inebriated.  Most, were taken very hastily and with little or no thought put towards camera settings! *

I'm back home today, and it sure feels great after the last several weeks of travel.

So much has happened ....

I know some of you are very interested in the BlogHer conference, so I thought I'd share a little about it today.  I'll probably have more specifics for you in upcoming posts.

For people who don't already know, BlogHer11 was the huge (3,600+ people) blogging conference I just returned from in San Diego.  

There were sessions held on every topic imaginable (writing skills, food photography, connecting with brands, video blogging, pitching book ideas to publishers, twitter/social media, humor blogging, etc., etc., etc.)  

In addition, there were parties, lunches, dinners, and "events" taking place.

[Lunch with some of the greatest women on the Internet.  Thank you to JSix Restaurant for providing us with a "free lunch."  I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough.  (They even grow their own vegetables!  Also, everything they served us was absolutely DELICIOUS!)  Thank you also to San Diego Momma and The Little Hen House for organizing such a great event!]

The San Diego Convention Center was filled to the brim with brands marketing their products to bloggers.  

The sponsors had all sorts of creative ideas to get our attention.

Most of them were also giving away samples of their product(s) and/or coupons to use.

Yes, I did come home with a ton of free stuff ....

This year, I spent more time than I have at previous conferences talking to brands about marketing.

From a personal perspective, I enjoyed the conference more than I thought I would.  

For me, however, the most meaningful moments always come from spending time with blogging friends.

 

* Frederick/Mochadad  *

* Neil/Citizen of the Month *

* Diane/Momo Fali *

 

* Me, Georgia, from I am Bossy and  Tanis  from Attack of the Redneck Mommy*

I'll have more photos and info on the conference soon!

© Twenty Four At Heart

San Diego

I'm completely exhausted from the whirlwind of these last three weeks.

San Diego has been showing off all her glory while I've been here though.

© Twenty Four At Heart

BlogHer 2011

I'm having a great time in San Diego.

I had somehow forgotten how utterly hectic this conference is.

Every second of every day there's so much to do, so many people to meet, etc.

Of course, I'll share more details once I get the time.

For now, I wanted to let you know:

1)  I'm having a lot of fun.

2)  I'm insanely busy.

3)  My arm is having a horrible pain flare-up (probably from getting my luggage here).

4)  Therefore, I'm drugged up and may remember nothing from these few days ....

5)  I'm exhausted, but I'm so glad I came.

© Twenty Four At Heart

I'm CHARMING

I'm in San Diego, with 3,000+ other bloggers, attending a conference.

A lot of people go absolutely berserk buying clothes, and shoes, and technology gadgets for this conference.  Everyone wants to impress everyone else I suppose.  (Seriously, I've had bloggers tell me about the thousands of dollars they've spent on clothes!)

I didn't buy anything for it.

Nothing.

I just couldn't get excited about the conference ahead of time.  

(Maybe because I was preoccupied with having my kids home, vacation time, etc.?)

I'm only wearing one "sorta" new item while I'm in San Diego.  I can't even say I purchased it for the conference, because I didn't.

It's a charm necklace I purchased from Brighton awhile back.

 It begins with a red heart charm, then:  24 at [heart], followed by a camera charm with another little heart attached to the camera.

I've been wearing the necklace a lot since I originally purchased it.  It looks nice, goes with most everything, and is a great conversation starter ...

(Yes, I've gained both readers and photography clients from people asking me about my necklace.  I'm basically walking around with advertising around my neck!)

The heart you see after the word "at" is my favorite charm on the necklace.

Why?

Well, the rectangle opens up ...

And, when it does -

You realize it's a little laptop with "www.com" written on the screen.

How cute is that? 

© Twenty Four At Heart

Tuesday Transition

I have so much to blog about, but as I forewarned you - I'm doing a lot of traveling which is making it difficult to find time to write.

* Me (hair in ponytail!) in Lahaina on the island of Maui - photo taken by Briefcase. *

I know, I know ...

You feel terribly sorry for me ... travel stress going to and from Hawaii.

* Blurry iPhone photo from Maui *

What a catastrophe my life is, right?  

I have a really shocking travel story to share with you as soon as I get the chance.

I also have some interesting photos to post in upcoming days.

Today is a transition day as I unpack from Hawaii and prepare to leave for BlogHer11 (the world's biggest blogging conference) tomorrow.  

* Pre-Hawaii pedicure ... will it hold up for another week or two? *

Next week my life will (hopefully) begin to settle down into a more normal routine.

Hawaii was wonderful, of course.

How could it not be?

I'll be honest,

As of today, I'm not looking forward to attending BlogHer.

I signed up to attend the conference a year ago, and now I find myself less than enthused to go.

The reasons why are a soap opera unto themselves, and for the time being I'm going to keep them to myself.  I'm hoping, once I do arrive at the conference, I end up getting everything out of it I originally hoped for.  (Regardless, I'll let you know either way.)

The days in Hawaii were lazy.  

Every morning I sipped coffee on our lanai, listening to the waves crash just a few feet away.  

I spent my time walking, hiking, reading, swimming, taking photos, hanging out on the beaches, being amused by sea turtles, etc.  

(My Internet access was very sketchy which was probably a blessing.) 

Every evening we indulged in fresh sashimi and other appetizers, along with libations, out on our lanai.  

Most nights we barbequed dinner on the beach as the sun set.  

Have I mentioned how beautiful it is in Hawaii?

Occasionally, we treated ourselves to a meal out.

It was great to have some very concentrated "family time" with all three of my kids present.

I fell asleep each night with the large sliding glass window of my bedroom open.  The sea breeze and the crashing waves lulled me to sleep. 

Oh, how I wish I could live just feet from the ocean every day!

Now, instead, I'm doing a couple quick loads of laundry and heading down to San Diego.  I will be blogging as I continue my travels.  

I return to Orange County next Monday.

I appreciate your patience as I take you along on my journey!

© Twenty Four At Heart

I'll Be Thinking of You While I'm Gone

I'm going to be traveling a lot for the next few weeks.

I've pre-written some posts for you, and they've been set up to automatically publish when scheduled.  (In fact, I've got the next two Fridays all set with Photography Fridays covering the topics of camera bags one Friday, and how much I touch up photos in the next.)

I've also sneaked in a couple of my old, but favorite, posts.  I thought my newer readers might not have read some of them.  (You don't mind a good repeat now and then do you?)

I'll also keep in touch when/if I can with a few posts from my travels.

My goal is to have a post up every day for you, but if I miss a day you'll know not to worry.

As always, the weekends will just be photo posts.

First stop?

Hawaii.

And yes, I will be taking my camera!

Aloha!

© Twenty Four At Heart

An Announcement ...

I'm very pleased, and excited, to make an announcement today.

Twenty Four At Heart is now "officially" a company, not just a haphazard combined blog and photography business.

This news doesn't change anything for you, my readers.

It does, however, help me on several fronts from a business standpoint.

It's just amazing to me, nearly five years post car accident, to see where I am now.

Needless to say,

I wish with all my heart the car accident and my resulting disability/chronic pain could be erased from the equation, but they can't be.

There's no question, I began writing here as a result of the accident.

Twenty Four At Heart, L.L.C. (the actual name of the business) has been an enormous positive born out of many, horrific, negatives.

When I first began blogging, I couldn't have imagined being where I am now just three years later.

Life is many things, but it's so rarely what we expect.

There are not enough words to express my gratitude.

Thank you so much for your support.

And now ...

I think I'm going to go celebrate!

xo

Suzanne

© Twenty Four At Heart

Why My Head is Ready to Explode ...

* Due to excessive spam comments, I've temporarily activated comment moderation.  You can still leave a comment for me, it will just take a little longer to be visible. *

I'm feeling a little (!!) stressed.

I was staring at my blank laptop screen, trying to come up with something entertaining to share with you today.  

Instead items from my "to-do" list keep running through my brain at an alarming rate.

The good news?

Yesterday afternoon and evening was taken up by the LAST high school summer league baseball game.

Don't get me wrong, I love baseball and I love watching my son play.

But, it has been nonstop games since last fall.  We get a month (or so) off now.  I'm overjoyed.  (I think I just gained an extra 15+ hours in each week ... not that I'm counting or anything.) 

My daughter flies home from the east coast in a couple days.  I'm very excited to see her, but I'm also trying to get a lot done prior to her arrival.

Add in a hefty dose of pain from my bionic arm, some legal-stuff which needs attending to RIGHT NOW, a vacation on the horizon, and the world's largest blogging conference just two and a half weeks away ....

Well, I've got a lot on my plate at the moment.

I hope you'll hang in there with me even if my posts get a little half-assed as I'm dealing with it all.

I've got some really good stuff to share with you over the next few weeks ...

© Twenty Four At Heart

Falling Down The (Google+) Rabbit Hole

I've been getting a lot of questions emailed to me from readers lately.  (On photography, on camera bags, on places to visit in Orange County, etc., etc.)  I'm going to attempt to address several of these questions publicly in blog posts.

Often, if one person has questions, others do too.

Today, I'm going to address Google+ questions I've already received.  It seems like everybody in the blogging/tech/photography world is talking about Google+.

I'm writing as a newbie to Google+, with only a little experience and a lot of learning ahead of me.  Google+ is so new, everyone is a newbie at this point!

That being said, I've found myself "lost" on Google+ for hours at a time as I explore it.  Part of my attraction is similar to the novelty of a new toy.  In time, that attraction might wear off.  

(As background, I'm not a huge Facebook fan and find myself using Twitter much more than Facebook for social media.  I don't know why, but Facebook just bores me.  Maybe because I simply don't care what my boyfriend from 7th grade is doing with his life?)

I see so much potential with Google+.  Whether or not it ever achieves that potential, remains to be seen.

So, what is Google+?

At first glance, it looks like Facebook which I assume most of you have experienced.

The immediate difference is that on Google+ you put people into "circles."

As an example, I have circles for the following categories so far:

•  Family

•  Friends

•  Acquaintances

•  Bloggers

•  Photographers

•  Twitter

•  The OC

•  Readers

•  Photography Clients

•  Not Sure Who The Hell These People Are

I've put several people in more than one circle.

So far, I have very few family and friends on Google+.

I haven't invited them either.

It isn't that I won't eventually enjoy having my friends/family on Google+, but right now it's beta and I don't know if they would have patience as the kinks get worked out.

The advantages of circles are many.

For instance, yesterday I "met" hundreds of photographers.  I've put them all in one circle.  If I have a photography question, I'll ask it there.  My other circles won't need to be bothered with it - they won't even see me ask the question.

On Facebook, I would never have friended hundreds of photographers I've never met.  In fact, I wouldn't have even known most of them existed.  Google+ is different than Facebook, in that, it's ideal for meeting people you share a common interest with. 

It's just so much MORE than Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/LinkedIn.  There's room for business, family, friends, hobbies - all in the same place.  You don't have to expose any single group to information which they have no interest in.

Aunt Betty doesn't need to hear about your drunken Girl's Night Out, and your work contacts don't have to be bored to death with photos of your family.

If I want to brag about my son's recent home run (not likely!) I'll save my bragging just for people in my family circle.  My photography friends probably won't ever know (or care) that I have a son who plays baseball.

Circles allow you to compartmentalize areas of your life.

Are you a cliquey person?

You can have your clique in one circle to share everything with, but then step out of your comfort zone by including many new people in a different circle.  Why would you want to include people, possibly total strangers, on Google+?

Well, for one thing you might learn a lot of new and interesting things from them.

Also,

Your new best friend might be someone you haven't even met yet.

And/or that person you don't think you have anything in common with might be your next-best contact for a dream job.

Circles can, of course, overlap.

You can make posts "public" to everyone,

And/or post things just for one or two (or three, or four) circles to see.

(Yesterday my friend Neil voiced concern he might not see my photos since he's not in my photographer's circle.  I explained I would keep most of my photos public and visible to everyone.)

How did I "meet" so many new photographers in just one day?

Well, there's something called "sparks" on Google+.

You can list an area of interest such as blogging, writing, photography, hula hooping, or whatever as one of your sparks.  Then when you click on the category you've listed, you get recent news and information on that topic.

I listed photography as one of my sparks, and that led me to an article - which led me to a photographer, which led me to more photographers, which led me to a very, very, long list of photographers on Google+.

I started following them and putting them in my photographer's circle.  They reciprocated.  Just like that, I found a photography community to learn and share with.

If you're a foodie ...

You could do the same with the spark "recipes" or "cooking."

If you're into fitness, the topics are all right there waiting for you.

The possibilities for networking/sharing information with like minded people, and yes - even becoming friends with strangers, seems endless.

Sound impossible?

When I began blogging I knew NO ONE in the writing/blogging/photography space.

Now I have many good "real life" friends who I initially met online.

It happens all the time.

Likewise, the business/networking possibilities seem endless.

Are there kinks to be worked out?

Yes, there are.  

Given a little time, I'm sure Google+ will continue to improve.

So far, the biggest concern I've heard voiced is regarding the legalities of giving Google rights to your photos by posting them.

Personally, I'm only posting low resolution photos and every photo I share is stamped with a copyright mark and my business name watermarked right on it.  If anyone, including Google, "steals" my photos, they'll look like crap when printed.

I may feel differently down the road, but so far Google+ is a hit with me.

Have you tried it?

What do you like or dislike about it?

If you haven't tried it, do you have questions or concerns to be addressed before you do?

© Twenty Four At Heart

Weird, Weird, Weekend

I woke up in the middle of the night on Friday, with off-the-chart pain shooting through the back side of my shoulder, down my disabled arm, and also affecting the upper right quadrant of my back.  It felt like lightening bolts of jagged glass traveling through my body.

(Possibly an alien has taken up residence in my damaged parts?)

I don't know what caused this sudden onset of pain.

I didn't "do" anything unusual.

It's a new and horrible different type of pain than what I usually have and it hasn't let up since.  It's severe enough to make me feel sick to my stomach.  (And yes, severe pain CAN do that.)  It's also making me gasp/moan/wince out loud from time to time.  This is very unusual for me.  Those of you who know me, know I usually just get extremely quiet when I'm in a lot of pain.

Anyway, I tell you this not in a bid for sympathy but rather, as a preface to this post.  I'm on Dilaudid which is a very strong pain narcotic.  It makes my head spin this way and then that way, and then way over there too.  I don't take it often, so I'm not used to it.

In other words, who knows what I might misspell write today ....

I will try to provide a few snippets from my weekend anyway.

•  I listened to two OC women discussing their designer flip flops at length.  One was pro Vera Wang and the other was pro Tory Burch.  It was a pretty heated discussion and the entire time I was looking at their shoes and thinking, "Really??  They're just flip flops!"  I don't mean to question people's priorities, but ...?

•  I brought Mike's Hard Lemonade, in a thermos, to a high school baseball game.  (For my parent friends, not for the players.)  That's probably against some type of school rule, don't you think?  But it was hot and it was an extra long game.  Also, several parents appreciated the fact I brought it.  (And no, I didn't even have any myself because I'm on pain meds.)

•  I spent most of Saturday at the hospital emergency room with my youngest son.  We thought he had possibly broken his hand in his baseball game.  It was really (!!) swollen and sore after it got jammed when he was sliding.

After hours and hours waiting around, we learned it's NOT broken - just sprained.  

While we were at the ER, several high school football players (my son's friends) came in for treatment too.  There seems to be an epidemic of high school athletes getting hurt.

My son left looking like this:

We're glad it's a removable splint so he can shower, etc.  Casts in the summer are so uncomfortable. 

In better news, at least he scored a run when he did it - right? 

•  It's been really hot here ....

•  I'm now on Google +, which is Google's newest social marketing invention (designed to take over the world).  It's in a beta form right now, and you have to be invited to join.  I think Google introduced it by "invitation only" intentionally to make people really, really, want to be invited to join.

It worked! 

No one invited me the first ten days it was in existence and I felt sad.  (Ten whole days - !!)  It reminded me of being left out by The Mean Girls in high school.  Then, all in one day, I got several invitations to join.  

Thank you!  (You know who you are!)  

So far, I like Google + a lot.  (Also known as G+.)  I haven't had as much time as I'd like to become familiar with it yet, but I see a lot of potential already.  It's like facebook and twitter, but better in so many ways.  I'm looking forward to digging deeper, to learn more, over the next few days.  I do have a few invitations to give away, but I'm not quite sure how to do that.  (I'm sure it's not difficult, I just haven't had the time to explore yet.)  If you're a huge techy, and/or addicted to social networking, etc., let me know and if I can get you an invitation I will.  

•  I went for a five mile walk at the beach on Saturday afternoon.  I was in San Clemente again where the trains run right along the beach.

•  I had an "incident" regarding a BlogHer corporate sponsor over the weekend.  The story isn't worth telling here, but it did take up some of my weekend time.  By the way, if you will be at BlogHer11 (in San Diego/beginning of August) please let me know so I can meet you.  There will be 3,000 bloggers there and it will be difficult to find people without a little pre-planning and effort.  

• I made "Beer Can Chicken" for the first time this weekend.  I'll have more about that experience soon, in a separate post.

•  I watched The Holiday while drugged up on pain meds.  I can't say I recommend it, but Jack Black did a good job with his part.  On the other hand, I might laugh every time I see him regardless of what he's doing.

•  Lastly, I wanted to show you this photo.  I don't know why I love it so much, but it's definitely one of my favorite photos lately.

I hope you like it too!

© Twenty Four At Heart 

My Technology "Must Haves" For Travel

I'm sorry my posts have been so photo-intensive lately.

It's summer ....

Summer means it's difficult to find a quiet moment alone to write.

Summer means I'm driving my teen(s) all over Southern California non-stop.

Summer means frequent trips to the beach, house guests, summer league baseball games, and a lot of pool time.

Summer means late nights, and an occasional lazy morning.

Summer, therefore, seems to mean fewer words and more photos in my posts.

I know a lot of you are planning trips this summer.

Maybe you have a weekend jaunt in mind, or perhaps you've planned a big vacation.

I might even see a few of you at BlogHer11 in a few weeks?

Obviously, what you pack for travel depends on where you're going.

I thought today I'd share a few of my favorite technology-related things to travel with.  I'm a blogger and obsessive photographer.  I'm rarely unplugged ....

Maybe my (unsponsored) list will help you with your packing?

My List Of Technology "Must Haves" For Travel:

•  Camera (of course!)  If I can't take a lot with me, I'll pack one decent multi-purpose lens (possibly my 18-200mm or 50mm?) to go with my camera body (a Canon 7D), a lens cleaning kit, possibly a filter or two, spare compact flash drives and always an extra battery.  Don't forget a charger for the camera battery!

(Also, here's a good question ... Do you like run-on sentences??  I seem to be full of them lately!)

•  My phone.  I know this is an obvious item, but when I travel I also make sure my iPhone has a Mophie Juice Pack attached.  I'm way too phone dependent.  I don't want my phone battery to run low right when I need it.  By the way, I always seem to need it. (My phone is also my alarm clock, my map, my calendar, my travel guide, etc., etc!)

•  An "everything bag" for the plane/car.  I've mentioned this item before.  This year I'll be carrying the Baggalini Only Bag with me.  It will store all my travel-on items except for my camera.

•  My iPod and my (very small) Sony wireless travel stereo speaker system.  Okay, go ahead and laugh at me, but I love music.  Small, travel, speakers can allow you to listen to music in your hotel room/condo/wherever without ear buds.  They also allow you to share whatever you're listening to.  (And yes, I just might hula with Briefcase, on my lanai, while listening to Hawaiian music this summer!)

•  My Kindle.  It's next to impossible for me to get undisturbed reading time at home.  When I'm on a plane or in a hotel I thrive on quality reading time!

•  My New Trent Power Pack.  Did I mention I hate to be unplugged?  I mean, unless I'm planning to be unplugged.  I'm all about avoiding low batteries!

•  My MacBook.  It might be fine for you to leave your laptop at home, but mine is part of my anatomy.  The sky will fall if I take a lot of photos and can't upload them instantly.

•  Voltage adaptors, if necessary.

•  Chargers for everything, of course.  So easy to forget - but so essential!

**  I also always have business cards with me.  You never know when a casual conversation with a stranger will turn into a potential photography client and/or advertiser/sponsor and/or reader.  **

 © Twenty Four At Heart

Because It's Friday

Because it is Friday . . . And because I still do not have my computer back to write with . . . Or to share photos . . . And/or to maintain my sanity . . . . And also because apostrophes just stopped working on the keyboard I am trying to type on . . . I am going to give away one $50.00 Amazon gift card. Just because. All you need to do is leave me a comment to be entered. You may leave as many comments as you like. Each comment counts as one entry. Comments will be closed at 9 p.m. Pacific time tonight. The winner will be picked using random integer software and announced on Monday. Good luck!

You Know It's Not a Good Day When ...

I'm borrowing a laptop so I can say hello to all of you today.

If I'm worse than usual at getting back to your emails and comments, I hope you'll understand I don't have access to a computer right now.

The built-in mouse on my MacBook was acting up.

Acting up, as in, I had to pound on it to make it work.  I took it in to see an Apple Genius yesterday.  He was a nice Genius.  He immediately noticed my screensaver and told me it was an "incredible" photo.

"I took that photo," I said smiling, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. 

(And of course that led to a conversation about photography.) 

The Genius did say I might need an intervention though.

I think he came to that conclusion when he told me he'd have to keep my laptop for a few days and I started howling, "Nooooooooooooooooooooo!!  You can't take it awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!"

Then I might have begged, pleaded, offered sexual favors, and requested speedy service.

Ahem.

But, that isn't the only thing that was a "blip" in my yesterday.

I got a speeding ticket in the morning too.

It's the first ticket, of any kind, I've had since I was 20 years old.

So ...

That means it's been four years, right?

I couldn't even argue the ticket.

I deserved it.

I was going just a few miles over the speed limit ... not too bad.

Then I decided to pass someone who was in front of me.

I sped up a lot even more, passed the slower car and pulled back into my lane again.  I promptly came face to face with Mr. Officer's radar gun.

Shit.

To make matters worse, he was a nice cop.

I could have convinced myself I was angry if he'd been a dick about it.

"I'm sorry," I told him.  "I'm late for an appointment and I was going too fast."

"Just a little too fast," he replied regretfully.

He hung his head as if it ruined his day to give me a ticket.

The man looked absolutely dejected.

I wondered if I should flash some cleavage.  

I mean, I have a lot of cleavage to spare, and it's definitely helped me out of a jam before.

But?

He was just such a nice guy.

I didn't feel like it would be fair to hypnotize him with my spell-provoking cleavage.

I could tell he felt really bad about giving me a ticket though, just not bad enough to let me off.  He said my driving record is "commendable" and then he made me sign on the dotted line, making it not-so-commendable-anymore.

Sigh.

I hear you can do traffic school online now to get tickets erased off your record.  Is that true?

Doing it online would be right up my alley ....

If I had my computer back, that is.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Edging Back to Life

I can finally say I'm improving and coming out of this latest pain flare-up.

I apologize for being so out of it lately.

Two flare-ups in one month - it has sucked.

(It's like being vaporized and then trying to put your own molecules back together again.)

Since readership is always lighter on Fridays, I'm going to keep today's post light too.  

•  A few of you requested I put yesterday's sunflower photo up for sale.  It's now in the "2011" album on my photo site.  Sorry I didn't think to upload it sooner.  (Remember, photos are also available as standouts or on canvas - please contact me via email if that is your preference.)

•  RC, my college-aged son, is home for the summer.  He loves to cook and he's an excellent cook.  It drives me a little crazy though because he's always grabbing the steak knives to use as paring knives.  I decided to fix the problem:

So far, my little sticky-note has worked like magic!

•  Yesterday afternoon I grabbed an iced coffee at Starbucks.  While I was there my favorite barista told me about a "known" child molester (three time offender with girls under the age of 13) who has been coming in every morning.  Due to Megan's Law, apparently everyone in his neighborhood is aware of who he is.  I'm over the age of 13, my daughter is over the age of 13, and I'm completely creeped out.  Why do repeat offenders get out of prison?

•  I took my iced coffee and sat on a bench by the lake.  It was such a nice day I thought I'd read email, etc., out in the sunshine.  

Not a bad location for a Starbucks!

•  While I was there, this young lady came by to say hi to me:

•  She was followed by this guy:

•  I'm spending this morning working with a lawyer on matters regarding Twenty Four At Heart.  Just writing those words kind of blows me away.  I never could have imagined when I began this little blog it would evolve to the point of needing its legal interests tended to.

•  Now that I'm coming off my most recent pain flare-up, I find myself really looking forward to the weekend.  I've been out of the pool, and away from my camera, for a week.  (Thank goodness for my phone camera - it's prevented total photography withdrawals.)  I can't wait to get back to the things which bring me joy in life.  I will probably start off swimming using my legs only, and shooting photos with my lightest lens.

But still ...

I can't wait.

Life is not worth living if you take away all the things that bring you joy.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Your Questions; My Answers

It's no secret I'm not great at getting back to people on comments and emails.

It isn't that I don't have great intentions.

It isn't that I never do ...

It's just, I suck.

Sorry, about that.  

I'd promise to do better, and I'd mean it (but then I probably wouldn't do better).  

Therefore, I'll refrain from making promises.

I do read all your emails and comments.

I thought today I'd answer some questions I've gotten recently from readers.  If one person is asking, there are probably other people wondering too.

Here goes:

•  How many of your stories are TRUE and how many aren't?  The "stories" I write are true, any identifying details of the people I write about are fictional.  (This same info is also stated on my sidebar.)  I don't write about anyone, in any way that would be recognizable to those who know me or know the same people I do.  There's a reason writers use the term "creative license."  

[Oh wait, once in awhile I do write about people, and use their real names and real details - but only if I've obtained their permission.]

•  OMG, what happens if your friend's wife reads the post about her?  See the above, and then take a deep breath and relax.  I do actually think before I write.  Also, I think TWICE before I hit "publish."

•  Why aren't you responding to my requests to write about my good cause.  I get this question a lot.  First of all, I get hundreds of PR/Marketing/Good Cause requests from people/companies/associations every week.  (Somehow, I got on everybody's mailing list.)  Most people want my time, my work, my blog space and aren't willing to pay for it.  Some of them have great causes I'd be willing to publicize for free if I thought they appealed to the majority of my readers.  My audience varies greatly in demographics.  (I know you think your cause appeals to every person who reads me.  No offense intended, but I know my readers better than you do.)  

•  What if Phoebe's babies fall in the pool?  She builds a nest in the same place every year.  I used to worry about the same thing, but it's never happened.  By the way, I watched her babies learn to fly (very humorous!) earlier this week.  They have now, officially, flown the nest.

•  Are you rich?  No, are you?  

•  How much money do you make?  How much money do YOU make?

•  Will you be at BlogHer [Beginning August 4th/San Diego]?  Yes, I will be.  I hope to meet as many of you as possible.

•  How does Briefcase feel about your blog?  Good question, I think it might depend on what I published the day you ask him. 

•  I'd like to take photography lessons from you, do you give them?  I've given a few lessons and I'm willing to do more on a limited basis.  (Limited basis because of my arm.)

•  What's your favorite beach photo of all the ones you've taken?

I recently had this one enlarged and put on canvas:

It turned out stunning.  

It's definitely been my favorite for the last several months, but my "favorite" is subject to change on a moment's notice.

•  Could you please just email me one of your photos?  I only want to use it as a screensaver.  (I've also had people inform me digital photos are "free" and don't cost anything for me to take, and then request I please email them the one/s they want.)

I could, and probably will, write an entire post on this subject at some point.  For now, suffice it to say, a single lens can cost a couple thousand dollars ... good quality digital photography is not "free" and neither are my photos.  

•  I'm dying to know what company in Orange County your son got a job with.  I understand you can't put it on your blog but could you just email and tell me?  No, I'm sorry I can't.

•  How do you function so drugged up?  Um, I'm not "drugged up" very often.  I apologize if I've given you that impression.  Yes, I live with constant pain.  I'm on non-narcotic drugs to help me live my day to day life.  Those medications don't interfere with my ability to function or make me "drugged up" at all.  

Most days I take a grand total of one (o-n-e) narcotic pain pill in the evenings.  (By the end of the day, I can't take the pain any longer, even with gritted teeth and clenched fists.)  When I have a bad pain episode/flare-up I take additional narcotic pain meds as needed, but I try to take as little as possible.  I have to be able to get PR to and from school, etc., etc.  I need to be able to function.

By the way, Dr. Painless is perfectly fine with me taking way more pain meds than I do.  It's a choice on my part to be as mentally "present" in my life as possible.

Also?  

Pain-level-wise I could pop pain pills from the minute I wake up.  I don't.

[B.A. (before accident) I always had a very high pain tolerance.   

Make sure and remind me of that during my next pain flare-up.

No don't, I'd probably throw something at you if you did!

Kidding!

Sorta ...]

•  Are you suing the dumbfuck that gave you the drugs you're allergic to and landed you in the hospital after your bionic surgery?  No comment.  And that does not mean "yes" and that does not mean "no."  It simply means, no comment.  But, thanks for asking.

•  Is there any news on PK, the kid who was bothering your son at college?  PK is undergoing psychological treatment in Peru.  My son is home for the summer and his girlfriend, Pretty, will be coming to California and staying with us for a visit soon.  She's never been to California and I look forward to showing her around.

I could keep answering questions for days, but I think that's enough for now.

Thanks for asking the questions!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Chronic Pain, Part I

I've been very hesitant to write this two-part post, but I've decided to forge ahead even though I'm sure I'll get flack about it.  I'm writing it, fully aware, I'll lose readers by doing so.  

I really hope you'll take the time to read it even if the worst pain you've ever experienced is a stubbed toe.

After all, how do you know, really know, it won't be about you or someone you love someday?  (Remember, I had a perfectly "normal" life until a man ran a stop and totaled his car into mine.)

I'm writing this post as a layman, not as a medical expert.

I'm writing this post based on my experience, post car accident/post eight surgeries/post being disabled.  It also incorporates information explained to me by medical professionals I trust.

I'm writing this post in the hope it will bring understanding to many people who don't understand.

Because ... so many people don't understand.

And yes, that even includes many of my own friends and family members.

I recently got a lot of very supportive comments and individual emails when I wrote about experiencing a particularly brutal pain flare up I've been going through.  I truly appreciate them, and the thoughts behind them, so much.  (I'm relieved to say I'm finally improving from this particular pain episode.)  

After writing the initial post, I also got some pretty insensitive/calloused/rude emails from people who clearly don't understand chronic pain, but like to assume they do.  Some of those people like to send emails with fake names and fake email addresses.  (Really people?  If you believe it enough to write it, own it.)

I took a total of about 30 seconds to make this chart to show you what my pain would look like if it could be graphed.  Zero would be where a "normal" person would hang out most of the time.  Six is where a person lives who is awakened at night because their pain is too severe to sleep.  Level ten is the worst pain imaginable.

For a long, long, time (years) I lived at Level 9-10.  

It was the most horrible thing imaginable.

Normal for me now is a pain level between 6 - 8. 

Thanks to Dr. Painless, I now sometimes sleep through the night with the help of drugs.  Prior to beginning treatment with Dr. Painless, I hadn't slept through the night in over four years.  Oftentimes, even with drugs, I still don't.  

No, I don't suffer from insomnia.  

Yes, I do suffer from severe chronic pain.

Do you have any idea, putting the despair of living with constant pain aside, how impossible difficult it is to function, long-term, without sleep?  

What I'm trying to convey to you is that a good day for me is pain at Level Six.  And yes, Level Six is a pain level worse than the majority of people will ever experience in their lives.  Those who do experience a Level Six will usually only experience it for a very short period of time, perhaps for a night or two after a surgery.  

I've had to learn to live with Level Six (or higher) being my constant -my norm, every day.  Yes - not being able to sleep, because my pain is too severe, is normal for me post-accident.  (And if you're reading this Dr. Painless, thank you for making sleep possible for me some nights now, even though it requires drugs for me to do so.)

When I have a "flare-up," my pain level literally goes through the roof.  Sometimes it escalates quickly, and sometimes it escalates over a period of 24-48 hours.  Regardless, it becomes completely debilitating.  The pain chart only goes to Level Ten but when I'm at Level Ten, I'm convinced I'm really at a non-existent Level Fifteen because ohshitithurtssomuchcan'tsomeonepleasejustmakeitstoprightthisminute.

Level Ten is when even breathing hurts.  Level Ten is when I'm curled in a ball, concentrating on forcing myself to breathe, and waiting ... waiting for it to decrease even the slightest bit, quite possibly to Level-Nine-And-A- Half.  Level 10 is when I'm perfectly quiet because the pain is far, far, beyond tears.  

Level Nine and/or Ten is also when I might bite your head off if you look at me the wrong way or start telling me how I should feel or what I should do about it.  (Dr. Painless is the exception; he gets paid extremely well to do exactly THAT.)  If you're ignorant enough to insinuate I'm responsible for feeling such anguish, you will receive death stares from me even if you're hundreds of miles away.

In other words, if you aren't the one experiencing Level 10 pain,

And if you aren't my personal doctor,

With five years worth of facts regarding ....

My initial injuries,

With detailed knowledge of what was involved in all eight of my surgeries,

With intimate understanding of my permanent disability,

And extensive understanding of my bionic arm/shoulder/electrodes/abdominal generator,

Along with, pervasive knowledge of the instructions I've been given regarding what activities I should, and should not, do in my daily life,

Not to mention, an in depth knowledge of all the types of pain medication I'm on ...

Then you have no business telling me how I SHOULD feel or what you think I SHOULD do or why you feel it's MY FAULT I live in pain.

I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but I'm really not.

I share my story on the Internet because it helps me to write about what I'm going through.  Writing is therapeutic.

I share my story because it helps other people, who live with constant pain, to know they aren't alone.

I share my story because it helps thousands of people increase their knowledge about chronic pain. 

Support, kindness, love and good intentions are always welcome.

Unconstructive, negative bullshit is not.

You can find Part II of this post by clicking here.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Important Business

Every once in awhile I have to take a day to handle blog business.  If today is your first day visiting here, I apologize, and hope you'll come back to visit again tomorrow.

First of all, I want to thank all of you who have expressed an interest in my photos.  So many of you have purchased them for your homes, or as gifts for people you care about.  I am tremendously touched.  It brings me so much joy to know others are enjoying my photography. 

I've had a lot of questions come up regarding photo orders lately so I wanted to explain a few things today.  I realize not all of you are interested in this topic, and I apologize for that.  However, enough people have inquired - I need to take a day to address it.

Yes, you can still order prints from me the same way you always have.  Just click on the camera button on my sidebar - easy!

However -

Several people wanted to know how they could go about buying the hummingbird standout I featured in a giveaway last week.  The solution wasn't as easy as it sounds since I had it specially made.  (I, unfortunately, can't offer them through my Pro Account with Shutterfly because they don't make them.)  

Remember, a standout DOES NOT require any type of frame, thus saving you the cost of framing it.

Also, I've had a few requests for canvas prints.  Let me tell you, I love when my favorite photos are printed on canvas.  They come out just as beautiful as a very expensive painting, if not more so.  (In fact, I have several canvas prints hanging in my own home.) 

A canvas print DOES require framing (unless you really don't care about such things).  A canvas print is definitely the way to go on larger size prints - anything above an 8 x 10.

I'm still searching for the best vehicle to offer both standouts and canvas prints for those of you who want them.  Until I find the perfect way to offer both, I have a temporary solution.

I've installed a PayPal button on my sidebar.  It says "Buy Now" and it's yellow.  Do you see it?  Right above the button is a pull down menu with pricing for the following:

8 x 10 standout, 8 x 10 canvas print, 11 x 14 canvas print, 16 x 20 canvas print, 20 x 30 canvas print

(None of the above items are cheap.  I'm sorry about that.  They are more expensive items to make and the cost can't be helped.  They are, however, BEAUTIFUL.  If you're considering a large print for your home, I highly recommend turning it into a piece of art by having it printed on canvas.  And yes, personally, I do prefer canvas to a standout - but they both are nice and I have both hanging in my own home.)

The PayPal button provides you with a safe way to purchase any of the above items from me.  What it doesn't do, is tell me WHICH of my photos you want to order.  As an example, if you want to order an ocean-scape in a canvas print you will have to do two things.  First, email me ([email protected]) and tell me exactly which photo you want made into a standout or canvas print ...  Two, pay for it via the PayPal button.  

There's a shipping charge in addition to the cost of the photo because standouts and canvas prints have to be packaged very carefully to avoid in-transit damage.  (If you're ordering from outside of the United States, additional shipping charges will most likely apply.)

I will, personally, handle each order and have the finished product drop-shipped directly to you when it's completed.  Turn around time is surprisingly quick on these items.  I've been very pleased with the fast turn around times and superb quality I've experienced so far.  I have a fantastic company handling these for me.  In the future, I hope to work out a way for you to order directly from them.

So ...

As an example, for the several of you who wanted to purchase the hummingbird standout this is what you need to do:

1)  Email me and inform me you are ordering the hummingbird at sunset standout.

2)  Pay for it with the PayPal button on the sidebar.

Once payment has been received, I will personally handle your order and make sure it's delivered perfectly to you.

If you want a standout or canvas print of any of my other photos, you will do the exact same thing - let me know what you want by emailing me, and pay for it via the PayPal button on my sidebar.  (For regular prints, you will use the camera button on my sidebar just like you always have.)

Easy enough?

If you have any questions, let me know.

I aim to please.

And thank you again - so much!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Hummingbirds

Wow!

I never knew hummingbirds were so popular.

I'm working out options for those of you who have requested to purchase the hummingbird standout photo from last week.

Details soon!

(And thank you, as always, for your interest in my photos!)

* Today's photo is available in the Miscellaneous Album on my photo site. *

© Twenty Four At Heart

Fantastic Friday!

I am SO ready for the weekend, how about you?

First of all, the winner of yesterday's giveaway is:

MissMolly, with comment #40.

Congratulations MissMolly!

I keep wanting to sing "Good Golly Miss Molly" now!

Thank you to everyone who participated.  I really wish I could send everyone who entered a photo, but I can't.

This was a fun giveaway to do.  I think I'll do something similar again in the future.  Maybe next time I'll do an ocean/beach scene on canvas.  Landscape photography printed on canvas turns out as beautiful as a painting when properly done.  (And I have someone who does the most beautiful work!)

In the interest of keeping today light and breezy ....

Wait - does that sound like a feminine hygiene commercial?

Let me try again ...

In the interest of having a fun and easy Friday, I'm going to share some random photos from the week.  You might have seen some of these on Twitter and/or Instagram if you follow me in either of those places.

Random child playing on the beach.  

Why does it always touch my heart to see children playing on the beach?

(Well, except for the ones who run over my towel when I'm napping and kick sand in my face.  Those kids bug me.)

 

The sun breaking through the clouds at the end of yesterday's baseball game after a few "sprinkles" of rain.  I thought this photo came out so pretty considering it's just an iPhone photo.

We have a lot of lizards in Southern California.  I never think twice about them, but my recent house guests were surprised to see them.  (By the way, all lizards are not geckos and the above lizard is NOT a gecko.  The gecko/lizard confusion has been a big one since the Geico commercials began.)  This particular lizard tried to make a dash into our house, but I thwarted its efforts.

I have a "no lizards in the house" policy.  Well, except for my son's once-upon-a-time pet gecko which really was a gecko.  It was named Gecko (!) and we allowed it to live indoors in a terrarium for a short while before returning it to its natural habitat.  It ate crickets.  That is an entirely separate blog post.

South Orange County has some of the most expensive gas in California:

If my neighborhood wasn't so mountain-y-ish I'd be riding my bike everywhere I go.

I made a purchase for the house recently:

It's a new lamp (from Restoration Hardware) to replace a very old, and recently broken, lamp.  (My walls are not yellow even though they look yellow in the above photo.  I had a filter on my lens when I took the picture.) 

The old lamp broke accidentally when someone was playing:

He loves his giraffe.  

He loves his giraffe very, very, much.

© Twenty Four At Heart

From Me To YOU!

One of my photos has been selling very well these last couple weeks.

In fact, my own mom tried to buy it for her house and I had to stop the order when I realized what she was up to.  

You see, my mom has a tremendous affinity for hummingbirds.  My parents live (retired) on about 13 acres up in Oregon.  My mom puts multiple hummingbird feeders up every spring and summer.  She's had a love for these beautiful birds her entire life and passed the trait along to me.

Knowing how much she loves hummingbirds, I had already planned to gift my mom with this photo:

I ordered it for her sized as an 8 x 10, in what is called a photo standout.  While I was at it, I ordered an extra one to give away to one of you.

From the front it's cropped a little and looks like this:

(Sorry, the above is not the greatest photo-of-a-photo.  Also, the "real" thing doesn't have my watermark on it.)

A standout, however, is like a box - thus, it stands out.

The sides are black.  The standout doesn't need to be framed.

It even has "holes" in the back to mount it, making it easy-peasy to hang.

A standout photo makes an awesome gift, or better yet - keep it for yourself!

I have ONE to give away and all you have to do is leave a comment to be entered to win.  This is an unsponsored giveaway, meaning it's my gift to you just because.

•  You may enter as many times as you'd like.  (Your email address will only be seen by me.)

•  You may enter even if you live outside the United States.

•  Contest closes at 9 p.m. Pacific time tonight.

•  Winner will be chosen using Random.org and announced tomorrow.

Good luck!

© Twenty Four At Heart

My Giveaway Has Been Postponed in Honor of Vaginal Dryness

I know I promised a giveaway today, but I've had to postpone it until tomorrow.

Urgent business found its way to my inbox yesterday afternoon and I feel it has to be addressed immediately.

I received a PR pitch yesterday and I've been terribly traumatized by it.  It was unlike any of the other bazillion PR pitches I receive every day.

The subject line of the email read:  

Pamper yourself or your mom with the comfort she deserves this Mother's Day!

Rather than describe the contents of the email, here it is for you to read yourself  (I've highlighted the areas which particularly traumatized me!)  My comments are in regular print, and the email itself is in dark bold print:

Hi , Life moves too quickly. Help rejuvenate your mom with a day at the spa, indulge her with chocolates and flowers, help her relax and slow down from her fast-paced world full of deadlines, commitments and obligations. And help her be more comfortable with XXXX, A Long Lasting Vaginal Moisturizer.

(Why not just put some vag moisturizer in Mom's box of chocolates this Mother's Day?  Or hide it in her bouquet of flowers?  Can you imagine Mom opening up her box of vaginal moisturizer at your family's fancy Mother's Day brunch this year?  "Thank you kids, it's the best gift EVER!")

We all know how busy a mom’s life can be but this Mothers Day take time to educate your mom about the treatment options available for vaginal dryness.

(My mom has never uttered the word vagina in her entire life and I'm pretty sure she doesn't know what one is.  If I took the time to "educate" her about vaginal dryness treatments, I'd first have to define VAGINA for her.  After I defined VAG, I'd then have to tell her she doesn't need to have a dried out vag if she'd just let me "educate" her.  I can't imagine a more touching Mother's Day!)

Nearly every woman will experience vaginal dryness sometime in her life, oftentimes making even daily activities unbearable.

(I hate it when that happens!  Oh wait ... it hasn't ever happened!  When was the last time you couldn't do the laundry because your vagina was dried out?  Or the dishes for that matter?  "Sorry dear, I'm going to skip washing the dinner dishes tonight due to my dry vag."  Or maybe, "Sorry readers, my vagina was too dried out to write a post today!")

It is most often associated with the normal decline or fluctuation of the female hormone estrogen. This fluctuation can be triggered by childbirth, breastfeeding or menopause. Dryness can also be caused by stress, certain medications, or excessive exercise.

(If your mom excessively exercises her vagina, it will dry out.  Is that what they're saying?  Do any of us REALLY want to think about that?  I think not.)

Estrogen free, XXXX Long Lasting Vaginal Moisturizer goes to work immediately to provide soothing and long lasting moisture.

(How many times have they mentioned long lasting now?  How long is fake vaginal moisture supposed to last?  Hours?  Days?  Weeks?  Months?  Does it petrify your vagina while it's in there?)

As the cells of the vaginal wall are regenerated, dry cells are cleared and XXXX is eliminated naturally.

(In other words, wear a pantiliner when you use it because it will drip right out of you along with some "dry cells"!!!!  That's quite a Mother's Day thought, isn't it?  Ewww!)

As with dry skin on your face and hands, regular moisturizing treatment may be necessary to prevent dryness from recurring.

(I get it now!  It's just like HAND LOTION!  We should all moisturize our vagina's regularly just like our hands.  Thank you for enlightening me!) 

This Mothers Day take time for yourself or time to educate a woman you love about vaginal dryness ...! 

As it turns out, I might have been the first blogger to tweet about this PR pitch yesterday - but many others soon followed.  It is, honestly, the worst PR pitch I've ever received and I've gotten hundreds, if not thousands, of PR pitches.  It also begs the question, how did the PR company decide which bloggers they suspect of having moms with dried out vaginas?

P.S.  Apparently, spell check does not recognize VAG as a word.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Nastyass Honey Badger

Are you easily offended?

You're probably not if you're one of my readers.

But if you are ...?

Don't watch the video I'm sharing today.  It has "bad" words in it.  (Um, nothing you haven't heard me say before!)

I've had a stressful week and this made me laugh and laugh.

 

Thank you to my friend Palinode for sharing.  (Palinode has a REAL name, and I even know what it is, but I'm not telling.  On the other hand, calling him Palinode is good enough for me - so it should be good enough for you too!)

© Twenty Four At Heart

Why American Women Should Boycott American Men

There is *someone* who keeps leaving spam comments on Twenty Four At Heart.  He's made his rounds through the blogosphere, leaving the identical comment on blog, after blog, after blog.  I'm not sure if he's skipped a single author of a blog anywhere in the universe.  He doesn't care if the blog author is male or female.

Mr. Troll has made at least three stops here, each time leaving his signature comment touting the reasons why American men should boycott American women.  

Oh, and there was also the time he came by "screaming" (all caps!) obscenities at everyone who was making fun of him in my comments section.

(By the way, you - my wonderful readers, wrote some hilarious responses to him!)

The best thing to do when a "troll" seeks attention is to ignore him.  I've deleted his comments as soon as I've seem them.  I've also blocked his IP address, but he keeps coming back with new ones.

However ....

He got me really thinking with his comment.  I very quickly realized American women should actually be the ones to boycott American men.

By just changing a few words in Mr. Troll's comment I arrived at the following:

•  I am an American woman, and I have decided to boycott American men. In a nutshell, American men are the most likely to cheat on you, to divorce you, to get fat, to steal half of your money in the divorce courts, they don’t know how to cook or clean, and want you to have their children.  (Oftentimes, ruining your vagina in the process!)  Therefore, what intelligent woman would want to get involved with American men? American men are generally immature, selfish, extremely arrogant and self-centered, mentally unstable, irresponsible, and highly unchaste. The behavior of most American men is utterly disgusting, to say the least. American men are inferior to foreign men (especially in bed), and American women should boycott American men, and date/marry only foreign men. BOYCOTT AMERICAN MEN!  •

In addition, I'd like to add the following ...

•  Despite scientific evidence to the contrary, there can be no doubt American men DO have periods.  The moodiness, the irritability, the anxiety, the overeating, the angry outbursts, the beer-belly-bloating ... shit, who needs that?

•  American men go through manopause.  In America, it's called a mid-life crisis and it's frequently accompanied by the purchase of a sports car and a much younger woman.  (And yes, the younger women are "purchased" through gifts, etc.  You don't really think a young'un is interested in Mr. Middle Aged Man for himself, do you?)

•  American men work too much and their entire identity is wrapped up in their jobs.

•  American men sit on couches watching ESPN for most of their lives.

•  American men want their wife to be their maid, mother, nurse, chef, laundress, and sex tigress all on a moment's notice.  Don't, however, expect them to reciprocate unless you want to be accused of nagging or (gasp!) being a bitch.

•  American men consider their belches, and particularly their farts, to be an art form.  

I'm sure you have some thoughts of your own to add.

Ready?

Set?

Go ...!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Every Ending is Also a Beginning

So here we are at the end of 2010.

I could tell you it was the best year of my life, but in truth - it wasn't.

I could tell you it was the worst year of my life, but that wouldn't be accurate either.  There were days when it felt pretty awful, but the year in its entirety doesn't deserve that title.

It was a year of good and bad, of triumphs and frustration, of happiness, humor, getting turned on, humiliation, more humiliation, and sadness.  

There were hurts and losses, and yes - betrayals which were too deep and painful to write about here.

There were also moments of accomplishment and joy.  Whether I shared the positives or the negatives, I could feel your overwhelming support.  In fact, there were amazing triumphs you made happen for me.

I thank you for that.

Some people, mistakenly, think blogging is a form of one-way communication.

They're wrong.

There is a community which has developed around Twenty Four At Heart.  It's a community of young and old, male and female.  It's a community of intelligent, accepting, individuals who aren't afraid of a good laugh now and then.  Some of you I've met in person, some of you I've only met via email or Twitter.  Some of you are new here and some of you have been here since the beginning.

I didn't know it would be like this when I began blogging.  I really had no idea I would soon care about people all over the world - many of whom I had yet to meet.  I didn't know many of those same people would also come to care about me.  This simple fact touches me deeply again and again.

I have learned so much from you.

Thank you so much for choosing to spend time here and letting me share my life with you.

Please be safe tonight as you ring in the New Year!

xo

Suzanne

© Twenty Four At Heart

Romeo, Part II

I humiliated myself in front of Romeo recently.

My regular readers, I'm sure, aren't surprised in the least.

Humiliation is something I do frequently well.

My newer readers are asking, "Who's Romeo?"

Romeo is the good looking Expert Stimulator who turns me on.  (And up.  And down.  And re-programs me.)  

Romeo is the technical expert for my bionic arm and the 24 electrodes in my arm and shoulder.

He's also just-walked-out-of-a-magazine gorgeous.  Smokin' hot.

Let me tell you what happened ...

I had an appointment to see Romeo first, followed by an appointment with my doctor.  (Same building - same office although Romeo doesn't work for Dr. Painless.)

The waiting room was packed when I arrived, and it quickly became clear I was in for a long wait.

After about 40 minutes of waiting, the receptionist - while on a phone call - turned and looked at me and said, "She's here; I'll tell her."  Then she hung up and informed me Romeo was stuck in traffic but would be arriving soon.

"He's definitely worth waiting for," she quipped.  Then she gave me a look communicating just how much she admires Romeo's body charm.

(Romeo has this affect on woman worldwide - I'm not the only cougar one who drools a little when he walks into the room.)

A short while later I was in one of the examining rooms with Romeo.

I want you to know, up until this time, I had always been very calm, cool, and collected around Romeo.  Oh, I might have giggled once or a zillion times twice when he talked about turning me on, but for the most part I was a very professional, studious, patient.

I know, it's very unlike me, isn't it?

It took a lot of effort to suppress my personality to that extreme.

Anyway, Romeo was giving me an additional two programs on this particular visit.  We began chatting.  He turned me on.  Then off.  Then I asked him to turn me on again because I could.  He explained things to me, I asked questions ... everything was on the up and up until he said something about my recent complimentary trip to the spa.

?????

I wondered how Romeo could possibly know about my trip to the spa.

"I've been reading your blog, I even went back and read some of your archives" Romeo said blushing.

::  Stunned silence  ::

"Oh my God!" I thought, "He's blushing!  He read what I wrote about him in the Romeo post."

If you'll recall I wrote things like:

... unable to tear my eyes away from the gorgeous hunk of Italian man in front of me ...

And -

Romeo has lots and lots of sexiness wrapped up into one drool-worthy package.  Yum.

And -

He turned me on repeatedly.  Sometimes the feelings were more intense; sometimes the feelings built slowly.  Once or twice, things got a little more intense than I could handle.

Memories of what I wrote made me blush too.  

Profusely.

I wanted to die; I was so embarrassed.

"Oh, you read what I wrote about you in the Romeo post," I said - wanting desperately to come up with words to explain it away.

"Romeo post?" he asked.  "You wrote a post about me?"

Oh shit ......!  

He hadn't, in fact, read the Romeo post.  

Yet.

Foot in mouth, anyone?

It was too late, of course.  There was no doubt in my mind Romeo would be reading exactly what I wrote about him as soon as he had the opportunity.

Why was he blushing then?  I wondered.  Then I realized he could have read posts about my brazilian bikini waxes or any number of other subjects that might make him blush.

"Do you have a sense of humor?" I asked.

Smoldering, green, bedroom eyes pierced mine.

"Ah, um, I ... um ..," I stammered.

Right then one of the doctors walked in the room to say hi to me.

"We've all been reading your blog every day," she said cheerfully.  (Yes, those were the first words out of her mouth.)

"Ahhhhhh ....!"  I answered, feeling as if a giant spotlight had emerged from the ceiling to shine light on the inner workings of my brain.

My eyes darted around the room, trying to find an avenue of escape.

(I know it doesn't make sense because I do write on the Internet, but I'm still shocked - and I do mean SHOCKED - when I find out people in my every day life are reading 24.)

I quickly changed the subject to arm-related topics.

Quite awhile later, after seeing Dr. Painless, I was finally done with my visit.

When I got home, I went back and re-read the Romeo post.

Then I blushed a lot (!!) more.

Next, I tried to block the afternoon out of my mind.  I decided, the next time I met with Romeo, I would simply pretend our conversation never happened.  He had probably already forgotten the entire discussion anyway.

I should have known better.

The next morning I woke up to an email from Romeo.

He had read the post I wrote about him.

"You are very talented," his email said.  

Talented?

At what?

(And now, I'm blushing again.)

© Twenty Four At Heart

Winners and Updates

**  The winner of the Stella & Dot jewelry tote is Sandra with comment #29  **

Aaand ....

As a total surprise, Skinsations Spa asked me to use my fancy-dancy software program to pick one more winner for the LeAine Dehmer Clinical Skincare Starter Kit.  That's right, they decided to give out one more kit valued at $199!  The winner is Maura with comment #21.

A huge thank you to both LeAine from Skinsations Spa and Missy from Stella & Dot for sponsoring such fabulous holiday giveaways this week.  

Wow - around $500 worth of stuff was given away this week and that doesn't include the spa and skincare product discounts made available to my readers.

Woot!

In other news - a lot has been happening while I've been busy with the giveaways.

Here's a quick, end of the week, summary.  I'll fill you in with more details on some of these items next week:

•  I was reprogrammed by Romeo last Monday and I now have THREE programs to choose from in my bionic arm.  Just call me Cyborg!

•  I'm feeling better with each passing day - thank you to those of you who have inquired.

•  I totally, completely, humiliated myself this week and it might have something to do with Romeo.  I know you're shocked.

•  I ordered photo holiday cards this year and now I glance at them every day, but I haven't addressed a single one.

•  I received my doc's permission to begin using my DSLR (big) camera again!  I'm SO excited, but my arm is weak from the surgery and down time.  I'll have to slowly build back up to using my heavier lenses.  Hopefully I'll get some photo time this weekend!

•  We picked out our Christmas tree.  It's about 12 feet tall and will be delivered tonight.  I'll try to get some photos once we get it decorated.

•  I feel very fat after all these weeks on prednisone and I can't wait to get off The Drug From Hell.  (Zillions of side effects, anyone?)  Not much longer ....

•  I do not want to hear how you've already baked dozens of cookies, addressed holiday cards, finished all your gift shopping, decorated your house inside and out, and celebrated Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa (and every other holiday) to perfection.

•  However, I will listen to you talk about all of the above if you come do all those things for me too!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Jewelry Tote Giveaway!

Whew!

All these holiday giveaways are a lot of work.  They make me feel sort of like Santa though - which is SO fun!

By the way, I have an exciting, unexpected, announcement to make tomorrow!

Today, for my third giveaway, I have another Stella & Dot product.  Once again, this giveaway is sponsored by my reader, Missy.  (Thank you Missy - you are awesome!)

This jewelry roll is the perfect, compact, way to transport your jewelry when you travel.  It also makes for an awesome gift.  It's not only stylish and practical, but it's really a quality-made product too.

I wish I'd had this when I went to New York and Boston last summer.  I had to wear so many different outfits for so many different functions.  I transported all the matching (costume) jewelry in a big ziploc bag.  I'm klassee like that!  Necklaces got tangled with earrings and bracelets.  It was a nightmare.  

This next photo isn't the greatest (sorry, I was rushing yesterday when I took it!), but it gives you an idea of what the tote looks like when you unroll it.

The interior is soft suede.

The jewelry roll  has an inner, removable, pouch for special treasures.

There's an attached polish cloth (shown flipped up in the above photo), a ring bar, and two zippered pouches to keep your jewelry safe and scratch free. 

(For those of you who might have an interest, Stella & Dot sells jewelry totes in additional sizes and one other color option also.)

** Also - Missy has just informed me, of the following -  She will do a random drawing for 24 readers who place orders with her for any Stella & Dot products between now and December 15th.  The winner will get a free Bloom Flower Ring (color dependent on availability) which normally retails for $44.00.  You can click on the links in this post to get to her site.  **

The jewelry roll featured in today's giveaway retails for $44.00 before tax and shipping.

I have ONE to give away today.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment.  You may leave as many comments as you'd like.  I will close comments at 8 p.m., Pacific time, tonight.  The winner will be picked using Random Integer Generator software and announced tomorrow.

Good luck!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Pamper Yourself - Giveaway!!

** In honor of the holiday season, I'm hosting THREE giveaways this week!  You can still enter to win a beautiful necklace by clicking here.  Please continue to check back all week for other exciting giveaways! **

If you visited last week, you read about my amazing (!) complimentary experience at Skinsations Spa (here and here).  I was treated like a star by LeAine Dehmer who, in fact, is a facialist to many celebrites.

LeAine wanted to do something special for 24 readers, and since I'm all about YOU, I jumped at the chance.

•  I will be giving away one LeAine Dehmer Clinical Skincare Starter Kit today, valued at $199!  The starter kit includes a cleanser, moisturizer, eye make up remover, moisture enterlock, skin breather and a mask plus a daily sunscreen and sponges.  Skinsations Spa will send the winner a starter kit based on their particular skin type.

LeAine gave me one of her starter kits, for my own use, when I visited with her and I love her products.  My skin is very sensitive, and her products have worked great for me.  

LeAine's starter kits make for an incredible gift too.

•  In addition, LeAine is offering a 20% discount on all spa services over 60 minutes in length if they are purchased or booked by December 15th.  Call (714) 731-7300 and use "24 Reader" as your discount code.  Skinsations Spa is located in the city of Tustin, here in Orange County.

•  LeAine is also offering a 20% discount on all LeAine Dehmer Clinical Skincare Products if they are purchased by December 15th.  Her website is not set up for discounts at this time so you will need to call the spa directly at (714) 731-7300 and use "24 Reader" as a discount code to receive this amazing offer.  The spa will ship the products directly to you.  (I might take advantage of this myself!)

To enter to win the Starter Kit (worth $ 199.00!), you just need to leave a comment today.  You will get one entry for every comment you leave.  You can leave as many comments as you'd like.  I will close comments and pick a winner using Random Integer Generator software at 8 p.m., Pacific time tonight.  The winner will be announced tomorrow.

For additional deals/promotions you can connect with Skinsations Spa on Facebook.

Thank you, LeAine, for offering such an awesome giveaway and fantastic discounts to Twenty Four At Heart readers!

Good luck everybody!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Stella & Dot Necklace Giveaway

**  I will be hosting THREE giveaways this week!  Be sure to check in every day!  **

One of my local readers is a stylist for Stella & Dot jewelry and has offered to do two giveaways here on 24 this week.

This is Missy and if you read the comments here on 24, you're probably familiar with her.  

(And no, I'm not getting any discounts or free stuff for doing this giveaway - Missy offered to give you a couple things for the holidays and I said "great!")

Missy sells pretty things like this gorgeous Petra Braided bracelet.  It sells for $98.00.

I bought this bracelet for myself awhile back.  It looks awesome with everything from a little black dress, to jeans and a sweater.  I love it!

I'm currently obsessed with the Rivera Coin Necklace too.  (I didn't do a very good job of photographing it, so you may want to click on the link to see a better photo of it.)  I'm giving it as a gift to my mother-in-law for Christmas this year.  It sells for $79.00.  I want one, I want one, I want one ...!

I, personally, own the Summer Soiree Bracelet in Coral.  It was given to me as a gift, and I love wearing it by itself or stacked with other bracelets.  (Retail price $29.00.)

Sigh!

I genuinely love so many of the Stella & Dot pieces, which is why I was thrilled Missy offered to give away the Clover Key Necklace to one of you this week.  It sells for $54.00 before tax and shipping.

It's one of my favorite Stella & Dot necklaces.  (And no, I don't have one myself - yet!)

Here's a closer look:

I think I should add, this necklace looks much NICER in person than it does in photographs.  (I'm clearly not a product photographer.)  It is really pretty!  If you can bare to part with it, it would make an awesome gift for someone on your holiday list.

All you have to do to enter to win the necklace, is leave me a comment.  (One entry per comment.)  You may enter as many times as you like and yes, I will ship outside of the United States.  I will leave comments open until 8 p.m. Pacific time tomorrow, Tuesday.  I will announce the winner on Wednesday.  The winner will be picked using Random Integer Generator software.

A huge thank you to Missy for offering this necklace as a giveaway on Twenty Four At Heart.

Good luck everybody!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Grateful

I wanted to take a moment and thank you for visiting Twenty Four At Heart.

I'm grateful to each and every one of you who takes the time to stop by.

I wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

© Twenty Four At Heart