wine on the keyboard

September 2008

Box Collector

by Kay~Kacey on 9/30/2008

I collect many things. Teacups. Rocks and minerals all polished up shiny that I have scattered around my desk. Glass paperweights. Reading glasses. Camera lenses. :mrgreen:

But one weird thing I seem to collect? Boxes.

box collection

Really. I have a hard time throwing away some boxes. Like the ones computer equipment comes in. Or camera lens boxes. Well, boxes from anything techie. Why am I keeping them? Not a clue. That Toshiba laptop box? It’s not even for my laptop. I think it’s either for my dad’s laptop or one of the boys at college. Yet I still have the box. I did manage to throw away the box from my beloved iMac desktop just the other week. It was big. I figured I wasn’t going to return the computer, why was I keeping it? Of course you could say the same thing about all those other boxes I’ve collected and saved… 🙄

There was the time, in a fit of cleaning, I threw away a bunch of boxes. Right after the trash guys came, I realized I’d thrown away a box that I hadn’t taken the UPC code off of…for a $50 !!! rebate. Yes, that was an expensive cleaning day.

Oh, and weird things that SuperGuy collects? Pieces of wood. I swear he collects pieces of wood. They are all in my garage that I can’t park in!

How about you? Do you “collect” anything weird like this? Do you save boxes? Gift bags from presents you’ve received? Really, tell me about something weird you collect so I’ll feel better.

I might even go pitch some of those boxes. Heck, at least the one for the laptop I don’t even own! :mad2: Though you can be darn sure I’ll make sure I don’t have any outstanding rebate forms that I need the UPC code for before I do any housecleaning!

What is Twitter

by Kay~Kacey on 9/29/2008

Are you one of those “what the heck is Twitter, anyway?” people? I was too. I signed up. Logged in. Got overwhelmed and didn’t go back for months. I didn’t get the whole mircoblogging thing.

twitter front page

So, for you, those who like me who just kind of scratch your head and ask “what IS Twitter?”, I’ll try to explain a bit. I might even get you to check it out. To realize the potential. To get in on the fun.

(this is a long post, so I split it into two sections. Click on the more key if you need to to see the second half of the post.)

Easy Guide to Twitter:

Twitter is a microblogging platform. You have 140 characters to say what you want to say. No more, but you can use less. Twitter isn’t only about letting people know what you’re doing, what you’re eating, what the weather is…though people do filter in those brief comments about their lives. Twitter is about finding other like minded individuals and following them. It’s about instant access to information. It’s another building block in your online community.

Go to Twitter.com and sign up for an account. It’s quick, it’s easy. Use your real name, your pseudonym, your business name, or a name you’re know as online, depending on what/who you’re trying to connect to. A lot of people use their blog name.

twitter sign up

Okay, all signed up? Go to your settings page and upload a photo for your avatar. No, you don’t have to, but it sure makes it easier to keep track of people on twitter when they have a unique avatar.

twitter avatar

Go to some of your favorite blogs and see if they have a follow me on twitter link. Click on it and follow them. You’ll now see their updates. Easy, right?

Go to Twitter and type your first update into the box. Just type away. 140 characters. Go for it. Everyone following you will see what you said.

twitter page

This is what you’ll see. A list of updates from people you follow. (sorry for the blurry screen capture)

What’s this whole @ thing about?

You’ll see updates like this:

mentalmama @kaceyskeyboard How was your walk today?

This means Mental Mama has commented to me, but anyone following me will see the update.

What’s with Direct Messages?

Our same beloved Mental Mama could have sent the message to me directly:

d kaceyskeyboard You slacker I know you haven’t walked today. Wuss.

With a direct message, only the person it was sent to will see it. So I don’t have to hurt Mental Mama for yelling at me publicly. 😉

I also have the Twitterific app installed on my iPhone and I can keep up with Twitter when I’m on the road. You don’t know how entertaining that can be on long road trips!

Now Some Really Cool Ways to Use Twitter. [click to continue…]

September Photo of the Month Reminder

by Kay~Kacey on 9/28/2008

If my gentle reminder on my post Weather Thoughts was too subtle 😉 I thought I’d put up another reminder post. September’s theme is weather. Anything you can relate to weather. Like this:

hand knit socks

My hand knit socks. I love LOVE me a pair of hand knit socks. So warm. It’s just about that time of year. Soon. Really soon. (see how obscurely your photo can relate to weather??)

So, it’s time to send me links to your entry for the September Photo of the Month Contest.

1) leave a link here or email me a link to your entry using the Contact button up on my menu bar.
2) I must get the link before midnight on the 30th
3) One entry per person
4) The theme is weather

I post the photos at the beginning of October along with a poll to vote for your favorite. SuperGuy is in a tizzy. He can’t figure out an entry for this one. (can males be in a tizzy?? It’s kind of a female type term, isn’t it? Oh, wait, now did I make a sexist remark? I’ll be quiet now…)

I think I’ll go back to my knitting. I find it almost as calming as walking.

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