Is Bloggers Boot Camp for You?

I’ve been blogging for almost 8 years. In that amount of time, I‘ve put them up, taken them down, restarted, deleted renamed and rewrote several.
Once, I had a blog that I faithfully posted on three times a week, (The Radical Write) and on a dare, took the challenge to post once a day for a year (One Lap Around the Sun.)

BLOGGERS BOOT CAMP, written by Charlie White of Mashable.com and John Biggs of Crunchgear.com. takes blogging to the next level by showing you how to set up your blog, post several times a day every day, how to find your sources and a plethora of helpful hints.
This is well beyond what I'm interested in, but I decided to see what they had to say, figuring the very least that could happen is that I’d become a better, slightly more focused blogger.
The book is laid out like a workbook, with wide margins for writing notes and ideas. I generally hold books in sacred regard, choosing not to highlight or write in them. This one practically screams write in me. So I did and dog-eared a dozen and a half pages of information that I want to re-read and absorb every drop of information; from Chapter 3 Target Practice “Writing begets more writing”, Chapter 5 What to Write About and making the most of previous posts to Chapter 8 Building Traffic, Making Money and Measuring Success. White and Biggs take their years of impressive experience from several fields and combine it to give you a current, thought provoking look into the professional realm of blogging.
BLOGGERS BOOT CAMP is filled with timely and useful information but it is at times overwhelming. I am not someone who blogs full time, nor am I a journalist. But if you're putting together a website for news, marketing or public relations this book is definitely worth a look.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Amazon Vine program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 

Weather Alert Radio

ETON American Red Cross FR-X2 Hand Turbine NOAA AM/FM Weather Alert Radio I come from a long line of outdoorsmen. I also happen to believe in having the right tool for the right job. That’s where the ETON American Red Cross FR-X2 Hand Turbine NOAA AM/FM Weather Alert Radio comes in. Whether on land or sea, this solar and hand turbine powered AM, FM, weather radio is a must have. It comes with a USB smart phone charger, which allows you to charge your phone no matter if you have access to electricity or not. The LED flashlight can easily replace the battery operated one I used to use and comes with a handy carrying strap. “It’s like the Swiss Army Knife of radios,” said my assistant. Additionally, the FRX2 has a DC-input (mini-USB) for AC power and a headphone output port for individual radio listening, something my green ETON FR160GR Microlink doesn’t have. The case is hard plastic and seems more fragile than the less expensive matt green FR160. What I would like even more, is a meter of some sort to show how charged the unit is. But, overall I’d recommend it to all my traveling friends and as a really nice unit to have on hand in case of emergency.

Pleasing Peugeot Pepper Mill

I’ve had a lot of pepper mills in my life, some tall, some wood, some acrylic. When I find one I like, I used it everyday. With many of them, they became useless or broke under the stress of daily use.
I prefer wooden pepper mills for this very reason, and the harder the wood the better for the sheer longevity factor. The Peugeot Peppermill has some real heft to it, it’s not too light, made from beech wood and has a soap-smooth matt finish that doesn’t show fingerprints. It’s pleasing to hold and a pleasure to grind. The horizontal crank at the top appears to be brushed aluminum and feels sturdy. The grinder turns clockwise for fine or counterclockwise for coarsely ground. The grinding mechanism is guaranteed for life.
The pepper it came with is flavorful and pungent. Each turn of the crank delivers nearly 1/8 of a teaspoon of pepper, which is far more than most of mine gave.
It makes an aesthetic elegance to any dining table. I would recommend this to everyone who enjoys freshly ground pepper.

I began reading the Max Allan Collins' Triple Play: A Nathan Heller Casebook with the first short, Dying in the Post War World.
Collin's second story, kisses of Death employed the use of the iconic Marilyn Monroe which put an interesting spin on the tale.
 I enjoy most crime novels, but prefer suspense and thrillers.I found the language a bit dated, but accurate for each short. Because this case book retells three of the most spectacular crimes of the twentieth century which, there isn't a lot of suspense.
 I enjoyed the portrayal of Nathan Heller because he just keeps plugging away and doesn't seem to get ruffled easily. Because of Heller, I enjoyed the stories. Because they're shorts, they read quickly. I'll recommend Triple Play to anyone interested detective stories.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Amazon Vine program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 

Strong Branding, Weak Flavor

I received my box of gourmet Marley Coffee through the Amazon Vine program. I’ve been a big fan of coffee ever since I had to wake up at 4 am to bus tables at the Ramada Inn Hotel when I was a teenager. Back then, drinking coffee saved my job. In the 30 years since then, I’ve come to appreciate the multiple nuances about the classic brew. While I don’t consider myself a coffee snob, I know what I like.
One Love, according to the package, is Organic coffee and Fair Trade Certified, and a piece of the family dream,  which I don’t mind standing up for. I still harbor a fondness for the music of the Marley men, and it was with great anticipation that I tossed a pod of One Love into my coffee maker.  For me the coffee was more on the light side of medium. Actually, it tasted on the light side of light.  I prefer a dark bold flavor but don’t mind a good medium roast. The package also said Exotic Floral and Berry. Try as I might, I just couldn’t pick the Floral and Berry notes or much of a coffee flavor and strangely, no real fragrance. Honestly, I could take it or leave it. I wouldn't recommend this.