I try to keep the sidebar and footer here free of blog clutter. It’s so easy to get sucked into the clutter of sidebar “junk”… you know the things I mean. Banners, buttons, blinkies, and linkage to everything on the planet. Sometimes you just want to give the sidebar a good dose of Fenphedra to slim it down a bit. I recently did a quick clean up here on the sidebar and I think we’re still doing okay. Ads are minimal, I kept the Twitter bar up since I’m currently in total love with Twitter, and other than that it’s pretty free and clear of stuff. When was the last time you de-junked your sidebar

I am one very sad geek right now. I really want that new keyboard, and some other cool gizmos and software. But, we are saving pennies for our moving fund. I can start scarping together coupon money … but even then with the rising cost of fuel and food I think I will be literally scraping together pennies. You know the little copper things that are worth one cent!! A trip to the grocery store the other day cost me $70 and I hardly got anything at all. It’s getting a little crazy out there in the financial world. From what the news said foreclosures are at an all time high, food prices are insane, and more people are walking to work because they just can’t afford to put gas in their car to get their.

I am feeling very ungadgety this week. Is that even a word? I don’t know why, I just feel like I’m so out of the loop gadget wise. I don’t have a shiny PDA or a Blackberry…. but, then again what do I need a BB for when I hardly ever leave the house? LOL I mean if I go somewhere it would be just as easy for me to take the laptop along if I needed to be in contact or work on something. Right?

Please tell me that I’m not missing out on the uber-good-goodness of all the BB rage? I want one, but at the same time I don’t want one because I feel like that money would be better spent elsewhere. Maybe on a Kindle, or some Wii games… or Aerosmith Guitar Hero…. oh yeah, there’s moving costs to pay too I suppose if we have to be all grown up and responsible like. Darn responsibilities.

What makes people say that to other people? Sorry if you heard me ask that on Twitter too. I was told tonight that I should write a book. A book about working from home, a book about raising boys, and and and … you get the point. But, seriously. I don’t feel qualified to write a book. Sure, I can write an internet report, or a blog post, or a blog, or some web copy… but a BOOK!? That thing with binding and pages? From my speedily typing fingers? I just don’t think that I could pull it off.

Would I like to write a book? Well, duh. Of course I’d like to write a book. Who wouldn’t want to have publishing success? I actually wanted to go into journalism and publishing many moons ago. I wanted to work in the magazine industry and publish small business success. Those were dreams in a box, someday I might visit them again.

But, this evening really had me pondering. And with services like Author House out there just about anyone truly can publish a book at any time and about anything. All you have to do is write it. Put the pages together. Edit. Publish. Sell. It’s no longer a reserved privilege for a chosen few. You can have that dream if you so choose to take it.

No worries. I’m not going to make a writing splash anytime soon. I’m honored that anyone out there in the world even thinks there’s even a tiny interesting tidbit about me that qualifies me to write anything more than a grocery list.

I Think Media posted a list of 15 things that might just make you a geek. Let’s see how I match up for girly geekdom.

1. You might be a geek if you’d rather tweet on twitter than have a conversation with someone across the room.

I just posted my love for twitter… so I suppose I’m busted already! http://twitter.com/retta719

2. You might be a geek if you tweet that you’ve fallen and bumped your head instead of telling someone in the next room.

I am guilty of telling people online MANY things before telling people in real life. Oopsies.

3. You might be a geek if you take pictures of your food to share with your friends online!

I admit I’ve done that, but it was for a recipe posting!

4. You might be a geek if your friends call you to fix their computer and you can.

I cannot fix your computer. I can’t fix my computer. Does this make me not geek qualified?!

5. You might be a geek if you sleep with your laptop or PDA/Phone next to you in bed.

You have no proof. (checks to be sure webcam is off)

6. You might be a geek if you know that PHP and tweet are not drugs.

I snorted tea reading that LOL

7. You might be a geek if you collect web site domains.

Um… shh don’t tell the hubby, but I just bought another one yesterday.

8. You might be a geek if you would prefer to spend a Saturday night watching your 52″ LCD HDTV rather than going out with your buddies.

Leave the house? People still do that?

9. You might be a geek if you have worked with people you’ve never met or that are in times zones with over a 3 hour difference.

On a daily basis! Duh.

10. You might be a geek if you’ve never met your clients face-to-face.

I’d love to meet them face to face though, because my clients are the awesome.

11. You might be a geek if you’ve ever had a conference call in your pajamas or from bed on your laptop.

I thought it was business casual?

12. You might be a geek if you have a cell phone or PDA, no land line, and can’t understand why everyone else doesn’t do the same thing.

I actually have digital phone with my cable through cox cable right now. Switching to Vonage though.

13. You might be a geek if you have a photo stream of pictures of your life on Flickr.

I love my some flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/terrapin719/

14. You might be a geek if you know where all the wi-fi hot spots are in your home town and most airports and/or know where to find a list of them online.

Well, that depends on what you mean by hometown. And why am I leaving the house again? I have all the internet I need right here.

15. You might be a geek if you can work from any where in the world as long as you have an internet connection.

Is there any other way to live? I don’t think I could change the way I do things at this point. I’ve been working from my internet connection for 7.5 years now. I love it. I love the people I’ve met online. I love my clients. I love helping people grow their businesses!

Okay, this isn’t geeky or gadgety, but it’s totally earth cool. I’ve mentioned moving, and I’m sure you’re thinking, “just shut up and move already woman!” But I was looking at rentals this afternoon and one of the ads in the sidebar actually got my attention. Now, there’s a miracle in itself. Getting me to look at an ad with all my ad blindness and whatnot.

The ad was for Used Cardboard Boxes. The cheapest, easiest, most earth friendly way to get boxes. You don’t have to cut down a tree to use recycled cardboard afterall. So, this is very cool. And their prices beat a lot of the leading moving places that would be around town… like oh say Uhaul just off the top of my head who charges a small fortune if you want boxes.

So, I’m clicking around looking at what they have available and they have kits. I pink puffy heart kits. You can get the “average joe 3 bedroom moving package” and includes all your boxes, tape, sharpies, and even the box cutters. Well, here’s the list ….. there’s a lot!

# 36 Medium Boxes (approx 2 cubic feet)
# 20 Large Boxes (approx 3-3.5 cubic feet)
# 8 X-Large Boxes (4.5+ cubic feet)
# 5 Rolls Packing Tape (2 inch x 55 yards)
# 1 Heavy Duty, Side Load Tape Dispenser
# 12 Pounds of Packing Paper
(approx 200 sheets of 36 x 24 inches)
# 3 Sharpie® Markers
# 3 Safe Box Openers

And that all gets delivered to you via FREE shipping. Wait? I don’t have to go to the grocery store and beg for boxes? I don’t have to go deal with some cranky man at the Uhaul rental location? I think I’m in love with Used Cardboard Boxes.

I decided that we’re going to start packing since we have to move soon no matter what. And since I was in the process of rearranging the office, I’m starting in the office! Which, normally is something we would do last since I need the computer and all the goodies for working. But, all this other stuff? The bookshelves, the cd’s, DVD’s, and general stuff can all get boxed up and out of my way. Who knows it might even make work more productive for me. Less clutter and all that.

We have no idea where we’re moving to just yet, but I am determined that it will not be stressful. Some guy my husband works with said he knew a rental near him and that it was “real cheap.” Yeah. Real cheap meant that the Grohe faucets and the sinks weren’t installed, and the walls weren’t finished. And from what I understand you couldn’t go outside after dark, because it was a bad idea. Um, fail.

We’ll hopefully be looking at one place this week, maybe two depending on schedules. The hubby is still on crazy overtime hours, so he doesn’t get home until late some night. Between that, kids, school, and the van being in the garage still we don’t get out much!