falconer

I ended up at Wordpress as a result of a default action.  Inspired Author morphed into a Wordpress entity and dragged me along for the ride.   And I have been interested in Wordpress.  But I also have not suffered a draft notice since 1970.  And I ducked it by joining the Navy.

I really don’t understand Wordpress, who sends me regular e-mails to moderate my illegitimate offspring.  Which I have done except that the latest flurry of activity is in a language I do not understand.  I have pleaded for english subtitles, to no avail.  So I opened the venue and approve everything, hoping that I am not sanctioning profanity or some other foul purpose.

The situation strikes me as funny because it just deepens my lack of understanding regarding how Wordpress operates and ignorance is certainly bliss because it is my most active blog!

I cannot get a clue, or a translation.  So if you have any understanding of what I am missing, or the particular issue I have tickled; put it in a comment in english and let me in on the joke.

I have wanted to join Word Press and *BAM* it is done! I have a blog at “Inspired Author” and have had it for some time: ?Inspired Author? Now I have a WordPress “Inspired Author,” sans all my posts. I am experiencing mixed emotions.

I love libraries and fell into this one through my computer screen. And looking up, a difficult thing to do while looking at a screen, there was a very beautiful ceiling. The ceiling appeared as if Michelangelo had just completed it. The effect is called Papervision 3D Panorama, a full 360 degree view in every direction.

After settling down I found I could control the view and look at everything in the room. Even the crew of photographers at one end of the room. And an Italian looking fellow next to them in that uniquely European pose, wearing a sports coat without having his arms in the sleeves, how cool. The entire scene has a tiny watermark in the upper right corner that says “papervision.” I stumbled in to the scene like falling through the looking glass.

The shelves were ornately detailed with gold and filled with books. The room had people in it, yet my perspective rolled and pitched about with them with each movement of the computer control. Wow, the sixties came back to me in an odd way with that effect.

It is indeed a wonderful room. There is actually a balcony at the second floor height of the room, encircling the entire room. And it is packed solid with shelves full of books. The shelves and woodwork are burnished to a warm, glowing luster. I would be concerned about touching anything in the room.

A closer look reveals cording and stanchions holding the public away from the shelves and ornamentation. The picture is static and I am moving. Some of the people in the room appear as ghosts because they moved during the photographic process. That would look sinister except for the bright sunshine pouring into the room from both sides.

The ceiling is bright with color and opens up into the sunlit window alcoves, each a full two stories in height. There is a main scene in the middle of the ceiling flanked by numerous other small scenes forming a geometric pattern into the library walls. The three dimensional aspect of the ceiling is almost startling, certainly so when one first sees it.

The only definition of the room is Papervision 3D | Panorama. You must see it.
Go to: http://charlieii.stumbleupon.com see it in my favorites.

Is there a litmus test for my AdSense being established/operating/engaged? It would help immensely to know if our relationship has been consummated. Sounds crass to assume that seeing a few coins in my pay-pal account is the only way to rightly know one is a properly spoken for blogger, seeking ad revenue. Even a wink would be nice.

After many passes at AdSense in order to be verified, and unsuccessfully so, a blogger could just wonder what rational act establishes one’s blog with AdSense. Is the publisher identification number enough? Or is it still a series of one night stands the blogger is on, yet thinking he is in the family? I have a friend that awoke one morning with a name carved in his back and the ad revenue queen long gone. I doubt he will ever get over that affair.

Hold on, I may have found someone to help. Pretend that I am right now handing you a business card for the guy that helps bloggers of all stripes:

http://isaacyassar.blogspot.com/ Drop by his “office” and check out the waiting room. He has a good collection of “magazines” for beginners. Probably just the one answering your question. He can go deep pretty quickly, at least so for me. So check out his waiting room tutorials first. You may stay busy there for awhile. I visited once and he responded on my own website. Probably because I subscribed to his newsletter. In any case he saw a minor flaw in my site I was not aware of and mentioned it. Suggesting a tutorial in his waiting room. I used it without even talking to him and it improved my site ten times.

Isaac is an advocate that the beginner can talk to. And he advises making the best of your site to gain ad revenue. No one should work for free or expose their fellow correspondents for free either. AdSense charges per click. How often have you shared ideas with someone on the internet with an ad whirring overhead, or below, or left and right of your text? Even if you find a quiet place for a conversation, the avenue on your way there was a barrage of offers and ads, shouldn’t they be yours? at least some of them?

http://www.problogger.net looked like a good port during a storm. Just as I was becoming jaded with the whole business, or lack of it, re: blogging; I ran across these two disparate sources. While there may be a connection between them I found them while stumbling about in different neighborhoods. Of importance to me is that there is usable information at both locations. Don’t give up on the hope of ad revenue, look these sites up and survey them. You can subscribe to Isaac’s site and I’m sure ProBlogger as well. See you in the Blogosphere.

The sounds of the engines began to sound like conversation, muffled, yet meaningful. The distance from home hit him. A distance so large it could be easy to get lost in, even for the Navy’s latest fighter aircraft. He felt acutely that he was, worlds away from his beginning.

The forced draft blowers whined in unison, just below him, as the flight operations began. He could feel their vibration on the cold bulkhead his sleeping rack was bolted to. All that iron, on the water, being furiously pushed away from all that he loved and was familiar with. He felt it in the pit of his stomach.

There would not be a real morning. A recording of reveille would sound as the lighting snapped on, with that odd squeaking sound of bare feet on immaculate linoleum installed on a steel deck. Conversation wouldn’t start right away. The sailor’s etiquette of unloading men stacked in shelves three high would work itself out first. But the quiet wouldn’t last for long.

This day there would be quarters on the hanger deck for four main machinery room. Usually the “black gang” (engine room personnel) headed down the steep stairs called a ladder that ended up in the unbelievably hot engine room that held two boilers and the number four main engine.

The boiler tenders and machinist’s mates weren’t much for tradition and not used to forming up for inspection. Ray Searles held a greasy concoction of bacon and bread he swiped from the mess decks as he was on his way to the hanger bay. As he took formation it was behind his back and he was on the next to the last line of men. As the inspection team headed away from him he would eat the sandwich, as it came closer sweeping across the formation toward him, he would stow it again behind his back, assuming the group’s “parade rest” instructions.

Behind him a small spot of grease formed. He timed his consumption of the greasy mess perfectly. Finishing it just before the officer stood before him and then moved on to the next man. The sailor behind him watched closely, admiring Searles’ rhythm as he syncopated with what would have otherwise been a dull exercise.

The observer was focused, wondering what would happen to the daring sailor and the sandwich that was beginning to smell so good. And all he could think of, thousands of miles from home and next to battle ready fighter aircraft was, why didn’t I get a sandwich?

A good cigar and a cup of strong black coffee. With some winsome jazz piano tinkling softly in the not so far away background. It is evening and dark on the back porch. And the moon is just beginning to shine through the tops of the tall pine trees. Bright enough to begin making shadows through the tree limbs.

The musical background is supplied graciously by a radio station that has been around since 1964. Jones College radio, like many college radio stations, is non-profit and almost free of any musical interruption. The station calls its music beautiful and is agreeably so. By its own description: “Instrumentals and standards of yesterday and today.” The call letters are WKTV. The dial position is 90.9 and its town is Jacksonville. But it can be heard to Daytona Beach, Florida, and North into Georgia. The station reports regularly of being heard in exotic ports of call, by way of the internet. http://www.live365.com/index.live and a short search will reward you with Jones College music via your computer.

Perhaps you have to be at least fifty years old to really appreciate this radio station. The order of play is ingeniously crafted with selections that can stay in the background of your day yet tenderly tug at your memories. Using that unique facet of music that corresponds with specific times, places, and most magnificently; with people of your heart. Jones College Radio is a wonderful companion. Pouring out a stream of pleasant memories without saying a word. Eddies of places, faces, and special friendships. Flowing by to ease your day and soften your evenings. You will soon find this public servant to be an essential one.

It is an aural history and landscape. And the transitions from one play to the next one sometimes promote a change from one emotion to another. In the familiar way you would consider one time frame in your life and the friends within that frame and then move to another time and other friends. This music source does it carefully and with style, as if being mindful of your precious memories.

I have finished my cigar and the coffee is gone. The evening is beginning to chill just a little bit. Bringing in the aroma of the woods and pine trees. This is turning into a beautiful evening with beautiful music. “Green Sleeves” is playing, a soft accompaniment with which I bid you, a good night.

WOW. It looked so promising last night. And I just might be suffering a simple case of cold feet this morning. But the simple in simpleology turned out to be anything but that.

The simple became complex. And the complex came in a pop-up format with various offers and counter-offers. Some were one time offers that will never, ever, be seen again. Written on pages that self-destruct like the mission impossible devices. You must act now! or then, the offers are lost to all of mankind–or maybe just me.

I was supplied with a free forty-five page syllabus in PDF form and offered a wonderful book for free as well. When I went for the book I found it was at the end of the yellow brick road. I declined the journey. Then, a flurry of pop-ups, like the flying monkeys in The “Wizard Of Oz” came at me with more offers than Billy Mays. I ducked them all and logged back into the simple site to check out my new, “free,” simple “cockpit” that came with my free offer. Sadly, I found that all my controls were marked “locked.” Probably because I wouldn’t “put out.” I departed the new plane that promised trips to exotic locales and I am patiently waiting for a bus.

Originally, and without any fanfare, I discovered MintArticles. Or,
http://mintarticles.com/
I can submit articles through them, directly accessed by AdSense; supplying my own website. It is very easy to use and is just starting up. On that site I found good information on how to operate a blog. My interest is in bloggers that don’t take advantage of the ad revenue possibilities of their social network, AdSense certainly wants in on it. You must have a publishing I.D. from AdSense, but you can get that for the asking. MintArticles has made the publishing process so much easier with large icons and simple instructions, it is very much point and shoot. My apologies to anyone I caused any difficulty, I certainly did not mean to.

That cool, brilliant white and sweet continuous stream of deliciousness. Had to be terminated in order for you to eat it. So the Dairy Queen would put a stop to it with a flourish that made a small curled loop at the top. The beautiful frozen dessert iconography that seduced you into licking it first.

You could have it any way you wanted it. But first it was bright white, cold and sweet. Add peanuts and hot fudge; or to be a purist, have it in its virgin state. What glory to have a double in a cone on a hot, summer day. You stood in line with your community. Waiting patiently like a good citizen,with moms and pops, grandmas and grandpas, cool teenagers and the kids. Some of the kids could not see over the counter and the lady at the counter would come around it and serve them. And you had to be wary of the dreaded brain-freeze/ headache. Closing one eye, you were getting a valuable childhood parable about not being greedy.

If some doo-wop music is played, I don’t care if it is Freddy Fender’s back up sound tracks. Time turns around and fades back on me. Back to a drive-in and when cars all had that faint smell of hot engine oil.

It was a drive-up greasy spoon with a basic menu, all of it fried. It was important to be seen there at some point on a Saturday night, early or late, or both. Its funny how the courting ritual can become associated with the smell of fried foods.

Fights started there. Peel-outs and grudge matches too. True love kindled and blazed in the cars parked there. And sadly could end the very next Saturday. There was crying, shouting, laughing, and radio sing-alongs all going on at the same time. The cacophony was delicious.

There were cars with just girls in them, and cars with just boys in them. Circling each other, pleading and shouting was going on. Which more often than not resulted in the girls hitting the exit and speeding off down the main road. With the boys not far behind, who harassed them at the very next stop light.

That was Saturday night. Sum and total. For years it was enough to see and be seen. Working a Saturday afternoon away tuning-up and cleaning up the heap to sit in the drive-in and for the most part, watch. Sounds dull, but every minute we thought something was just about to happen. And then, it was time to roll on home.

It would be late, the drive-in owner would be cutting the lights and running off the hangers-on. The dew had fallen and I could smell the wet grass and asphalt. Riding home would be a story of its own. Like an old hound dog with his head out a car side window, I could “taste” my way home as the cold and dew heightened the smell of the countryside. I could taste the farm fields, the feed store and the creek as I click-clacked over its bridge.

Amazing how all that forces its way back on the wings of an old song. I can even see the bugs gathering at night around the drive-in’s outdoor lighting strips and bulbs. In a rural community those lights could be seen from a long way off and was one of the few promises of excitement for anybody looking for some. The music pouring out of our car radios also hinted at excitement, but in the end, we just went home.

Somewhere, and lately, while I traveled life’s road I had a startling moment. I realized that complexity, the details, are what I have really been up against. The more I know about something the less intimidating it is. A large part of individual success is the gaining of understanding and mastering the details. In this case, the blog. I cannot leave it a mystery and expect success with it. Even if revenue is not involved.

But to the unscrupulous that same complexity can be used as a hustle. Remember that Bernard L. Madoff was called a genius and he is merely a crook, a swindler, a confidence man. His claim was to have handily mastered a complexity. Yet even the financially astute failed to survey the evidence of the fundamental shortcomings of the man’s program. What they did know they denied.

So it follows that if I want to have my own blog, I will have to face its complexity properly. That complexity can be overcome if I work at understanding as much as I can, not expect a “free lunch,” and bring what I do know to the table. I have heard that called due diligence, or, cowboy logic.

I already have some help. A blog community from BlogEvolve mentored me with fundamentals. Saving me time, errors and money. Spend some time making friends. Mine showed up immediately, which I am grateful for. It is the best insurance against mistakes you can have.

There is also another complexity, that baffled me and I am just beginning to realize what it is. Because I am just initiated, let me use the term “entity.” Which could be Google or the websites that provide me a clean canvas to paint my blog on. In naiveness I gave each of them personalities, even occasionally considered them antagonistic towards me. However, at best they are indifferent. And rightfully so. For the most part each one is a formula, a software program. Oh happy days! None of them can really be mad at me, or subjectively judge me. So with that, I will work at gaining a grasp on how they operate. Keeping in mind it just may be a man in a white lab coat, with a clipboard, flipping a coin. And I’m not mad, really.