Revellian

Thoughts and Fiction of Bobby Revell

Posts Tagged blogging

Garry Conn Helped Me Save my Blog

Jun 7

Posted by Bobby Revell in hacking, wordpress

Wow…today is an amazing day here at Revellian Dot Com – I could never express just how great a day it is! Earlier, well actually yesterday on July 07 at around 9:30 PM, my site disappeared. It was replaced with a site comprised of Indian Writing. I was shocked to say the least as I thought my site had been hacked. It is a horrible feeling to think your site has been stolen. Initially, I called my host (Bluehost), and they told me that I had been hacked and there was nothing I could do. I had a knot in my stomach that sat like a hand grenade in the deepest trenches of my bowels; the sudden realization that everything you’ve worked on for years – wiped out in seconds by some evil hacker – what a horrifying feeling.

To be absolutely straightforward and honest, I must tell you that there are only a few people I thought of whom I completely trusted to check out my situation: Garry Conn and Andy Bailey – two guys that really know what they are doing. I also thought of contacting Brown Baron, Mike Wheeler, Bush Mackel, Mark Sierra or Madhur Kapoor – five other guys whom I consider experts on the subject. I am a psychic even if you do not believe in psychics, and I just knew instantly who would be available at that very instant: Garry Conn. He was logged onto Googletalk – so I asked for help. Garry stepped in and started asking questions, like how to log into my Wordpress account.

It’s a really big deal to just divulge your most private of information to someone, but I know anyone of these 7 guys are trustworthy, which is really saying a lot. It’s nice to know people! Let’s get to the nitty gritty. I contacted Garry Conn, and he responded instantly. What was so awesome is that Garry has 3-way calling, so we called my host together – what a great feeling to have an expert on the line with you. The first guy we talked to from Blue Host was Darren (at least I think that was his name). Garry asked him several questions and told him he believed my site wasn’t hacked, but was instead a problem with my C-Panel (the backend of Blue Host). The guy was really unhelpful and basically told us to fix it ourselves. Garry was insistent that the problem was not a Wordpress issue, but was a server side issue on their behalf. I actually have two domains, one of which is not being used, but both were pointing at a strange site.

We finally talked to a superior, who actually helped. In the midst of telling us what the problem might be, the higher ranking Blue host employee discovered the problem which stemmed from them having multiple customers on the same server. In my case, the idea of having my blog hacked by some form of code injection really scared me – this is why I asked for help. Garry handled the entire situation with absolute professionalism. I really didn’t even know what to say, but Garry did – he basically commanded the guy and finally the problem was resolved. So, my site was not hacked.

In the process, I learned that I have too many plug ins and a bunch of database tables that are unneeded. I am currently cleaning all that junk out of my system. Garry said he doesn’t use any plug ins at all. I learned some valuable information in the process. If you use a plug in, contact the author and ask if if it changes your database or if it only adds something on the surface. Sometimes, plug ins do things to your database that cannot be undone – so be extremely careful when adding one. He showed me a page on the Wordpress codex, Wordpress Database Decription. There are only 10 tables necessary for any Wordpress blog. I am cleaning out all the ones which are not needed. Before you get into deleting any unnecessary tables, be sure to back them up beforehand. If you have any questions, contact one of us for help.

I had a fantastic conversation with Garry via the phone. We talked about everything from blogging, politics to life itself – a great conversation. I could go on forever about all this, but I just want to thank Garry Conn. He really helped me out and it means the world to me. There really are great people out there, and I consider Garry to be one of the best. My blogging spirit has been renewed. Be sure to visit Garry at Garry Conn dot com and check out his incredible make money on line ideas. He wrote a great post entitled Garry Conn dot Com is Fixed! Come Check it Out! which explains some turmoil he went through during a server crisis. Maybe I could have fixed it myself; maybe someone else could have helped me; all I know is that Garry Conn is the one who did it. When you face losing everything, and you get it back with no problems – what a great feeling. Thanks Garry!:mrgreen:

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Bobby’s Batch #15 – Nomadic Digital Outcast

Jun 3

Posted by Bobby Revell in Bobby's Batch, social networking

It’s been a while since I wrote a batch, where I give links to some deserving writers. I usually write this on Sundays but since I’m still a free citizen, I’ll do it whenever I wish. I wanted to have at least 10 links, but I’m far too tired. I will be back on schedule for doing this next Sunday and will have even more selected posts. I won Andy Bailey’s weekly contest and received my new iPod headphones…thanks Andy! Be sure to pay Andy a visit, and join in on his next contest. While you’re there, read some of his cool posts.

I am an Outcast

One thing I know about myself, since birth (yes, I remember being born – a horrifying experience), is that I never really fit in. I’m an outcast on so many levels. Put me and 99 other people in a room and I’ll be the one standing alone while everyone gathers in little groups of 4 or 5. I’m really terrible with meaningless small talk, and am perfectly content not being part of the crowd. I naturally gravitate towards blogging because I can say all those things I normally wouldn’t say in real life if you didn’t know me very well – trust me, I am a very difficult person to get to know.

While growing up, I always had a few friends, but never more than 2 or 3. Some people have hundreds of “friends” in their real lives, much like bloggers with 20,000 friends on Facebook or MySpace. I always hung out with other people who didn’t fit in because we had that in common. We were social rejects who refused to be part of all things normal. If everybody did something, I would make sure I didn’t. I approach blogging much the same way. When I first began blogging, I quickly learned how most just followed others, copied others and so forth. I used to have a vendetta against make money blogs, mostly because 99% of them are redundant, regurgitated, unoriginal, passionless, uninspired drivel – plagiarized from the “successful” ones. I personally don’t read any of the most popular blogs with 25,000+ subscribers. If you’ve read them once, there’s no reason to go back except for an occasional tidbit if needed. After a while, I gave up criticizing them – I have better thing to do. I just don’t read them – much like an offensively lame TV show – I just don’t watch it.

I’m such an outcast – even among my outcast friends – an outcast forming his own rebellion within a group of outcasts; a loner among loners. Reflecting on my teen years, I wonder: What’s a 15 year old kid, who practices guitar 10 hours per day and studies Zen, yoga and martial arts going to discuss with other kids who worry about their haircuts and what brand of shoes they wear? I remember as a seven year old boy, noticing how people grouped together and began their life long category of personhood. Are you a jock, geek, loser, dopehead or what? What category do you fall in? What group do you belong to? In college, I was faced with joining a fraternity, which I opposed with absolute disdain. Why would I join an exclusive group? What is exactly is an exclusive group? It’s doesn’t mean it’s a good or special group – it’s about exclusion. If you’re not in the group, you’re excluded from it. That’s why I despised those people who belonged. Well, I really didn’t dislike the people, just the idea of exclusivity. If I have to join a club to be your friend, then I will not be your friend. I don’t want to “fit in”. I prefer to think of people as individuals, not associated with a group of individuals. The blogosphere seems much like a high school where people are divided up into cliques – some snobbish, some friendly.

I know…I’m a cynical skeptic as well as an outcast. If you know me really well, I’m a goof who jokes sarcastically. If you don’t know me really well, I’m a quiet person. In my daily life, I listen much more than I speak. It’s amazing when you know people really well, who know nothing about you. I’m that guy at work everybody confides in and says nasty things about others to…oh my, the secrets I know. I guess that’s because I keep it all to myself, don’t tell anyone what they say and never add fuel to the fire – so they trust me.

I became interested in politics over the past few years and feel like such an outsider it’s ridiculous. I’ve come to the conclusion that the U.S. government is nothing more than a corrupted special interest group – I’m so disgusted I cannot take it anymore. We are supposed to choose where we fit in: conservative or liberal; I don’t fit in either group and never will. That’s how I feel about the Internet – I really don’t fit in anywhere; thus, I fit in everywhere. It’s quite lonely to be an individual these days. Now for this week’s links:

Wandering through BlogExplosion, MyBlogLog, and EntreCard – from Aldon Hynes of the Orient Lounge is a very interesting post (among many). I wrote the main part of this batch #15 last week and was surprised when I read Aldon’s post – the premise is quite similar, though mine is probably more negative. I know exactly how he feels. Make sure you read this very insightful article.

Retribution – from Why Paisley. This post pissed me off because her hosting service changed her domain name (the removal of the dash between why and paisley) and gave her no options. I suppose it could happen to anyone. She lost all her page rank and as far as I know, the change prevents her from doing a 301 redirect because she can no longer access the old domain. If she had psychic powers, she could have preemptively redirected before all this happened – but that’s a little much for any host to ask for. Because she is such a brilliant writer, it really bothered me to see this happen. Please read her great article and fix any links you have to her.

Facing Faults and Fears – My long time friend Becca aka Wonder Woman wrote a this great article about how caring and helping others can often keep you from taking care of yourself. It’s a quite wonderful and somber sentiment I strongly relate to.

Congress Wants to Make It Easier for People to Steal Your Content – From Dan at DCR Blogs. Here we go again with congress protecting criminals. I am all about political activism and this is very important for every American to do. Check out this article.

Hide and Seek – My friend J.C. from the blog Jasmin’s Heart has a guest writer, Jim Murdoch, who authored this post. It is a brilliant look into creativity and poetry – I found it very inspiring.

The Adventures of Marie Cambridge – Story Game 4 – I was fortunate enough to be invited by Teeni to participate in her cool writing project where several writers get to add a paragraph (my contribution is the 3rd from the top). Where else but the blogosphere would I get to hang out with an army of vegan women?

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25 Comments

What Makes a Great Blog Article

May 31

Posted by Bobby Revell in blogging, blogging ethics, blogging tips, writing

Hello folks, I know I’ve been taking quite a long blogging break, but it’s not because I haven’t been writing. I actually wrote 17 new articles, but after reading them, I’ve decided to wait for the right moment to publish as most of them were created out of emotion and cynical anger. It got me thinking about what really makes a great blog article – not to you, but what makes a great article to me; after all, anything any of us write is just a matter pf personal taste and opinion.

If a post gets tons of comments, does that mean it’s good? Absolutely not. If a blog has 35,000+ subscribers, it must be really good…right? Hell no. Some of the best articles I’ve ever read have few if any comments at all. Some of the best posts written often go unread. If a person becomes president, they must be really smart as well as a truly great reader…right? Haha…of course not, just look at George W. Bush (I couldn’t resist a jab at George). I’d go as far to say many famous people are undeserving of fame, but that’s another story. Am I saying the highest rated blogs aren’t really that good? In many cases…yes. And here’s my favorite: If a blogger makes a million dollars per month blogging, does that mean they’re good or can help you do the same? Don’t be silly…the answer is almost always no. Then again, I don’t read money blogs very often – they are boring and unoriginal for the most part.

If there is one thing I can say in all honesty, is that my blog is very original and I write from a very opinionated stance; however, it is usually to incite good commentary and to make people think. Many bloggers do what I call re-reporting the news, where they report general stories most of us have already read. If you are doing that, I recommend adding your own personal opinion, particularly if you are emotionally invested. Using news sources like the Associated press, Reuters or many others to get stories is a good idea, but only if you have something to add to it. I approach blogging like this sometimes.

Here are some general points to add zest, fire and passion to your articles:

  • Get mad about something. It’s ok to to passionately express anger, but don’t do it to personally hurt someone.
  • Take a position on an issue and defend it. I’ve often taken a position I disagreed with and argued for it. Why would I do that? To learn. I often find myself changing my entire outlook on a given subject.
  • Don’t be afraid of insulting or offending others (or even yourself)…be brave. I love it even more if someone proves me wrong – that’s when I truly learn something.
  • If a subject seems taboo, tackle it head on. I have a love/hate relationship with religion and politics, so they are my hot button topics. Don’t be afraid to learn about any opposing viewpoints, especially if they really offend you!
  • Reevaluate yourself everyday. Reevaluate your most proudly held opinions…you may learn something new. I do this every day. Change and adaptation are the cornerstones of this technological society.
  • Don’t be afraid to learn and succeed even if it means you change as a person. Take yourself out of your own comfort zone. A meaningful and great article is more likely to happen this way.
  • Above all, try to do something beneficial for humanity and society, not for yourself. This defines true greatness in all areas of life.

The Democratizing Effect of Blogging

Those of you who know me well, know I’ve written much on the effect blogging has on humanity. It is the most powerful form of communication…period. The reason why, is because it is written, rather than seen or heard. It’s amazing how well you get to know people through blogging. When you meet people in everyday life, you usually don’t get to understand a person as well as when you read what they have written. Blogging is a pure expression of freedom. If you are blogging, you are free to write – so take advantage of it. One day, every human being on Earth will be represented on line by a blog or website.

Try Something New

This has to be my number one good idea. Write about something you’ve never tried before. When I started blogging, I really didn’t have any solid political opinions. I wrote about it anyway, and in the process have learned much as well as developed new opinions that seem to change like the wind. I’ve read over fifty political books from differing sides because of my new found interest! I believe if you have an opinion about something and stagnantly stick to it, you don’t learn anything. Right now…go write a post about something you have never attempted or tackle something serious. It will be great…I promise.

I want to thank everyone who has been visiting during my break, it’s amazing how great people can be. I must return the energy to you. Now…excuse me while I go read a ton of blogs and leave a ton of comments.

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Bobby’s Batch #14 – The Power of Blogging

Apr 27

Posted by Bobby Revell in Bobby's Batch, social networking

What I love most about blogging is how it brings people together from all over Earth. We are all much more alike than we are different. This past week has been painful and spiritually draining, mostly because I see and understand the world’s problems – I sometimes wish I didn’t. I believe that many things like race, religion, politics, patriotism, class, nationalism and many other forms of separatist identification destroy relationships between people in many ways. All these things are as irrelevant as the brand of clothes we wear when compared to our need for each other. We are powerfully interconnected and blogging makes the world so much smaller.

I’ve often thought that the only way people will come together would be if Earth came under attack by aliens from outer space. If the people of Earth faced such a situation, we would come together as one, overlooking foolish differences. We could find that love, which seems to be missing in this world. I see blogging as the most powerful form of communication for us all. I choose to blog because I believe it does bring us all together. While our governments fight, terrorism grows and wars are waged, people in every country are becoming friends; that is powerful, beautiful and majestic.

I say rise above your beliefs and love all people. Try hard to not label others. Love is and will always be the answer to all the worlds problems – not bombs, guns and totalitarian government control (which is exactly where America is headed). The masses of normal people have absolutely no idea how powerful they are and how much impact they can personally have. Take action and do something great for someone in need or for this world:)

Peace and love,

Bobby Revell

Remember that giving is the best part of blogging! Here are this weeks links:

Zeitgeist The Movie – One of the most important films ever made. Take two hours and watch it – it’s free. I mentioned it before, but will keep reminding people to see it. It exposes the myth of 9-11 and the financial institutions of the world. It is extraordinary, powerfully riveting and extremely important to see. It may help wake you up to something you have never seen before. Please watch it, I beg you!

Vaguetarian Tea Room – My very good friend Teeni has moved from her old wordpress.com address to her brand spanking new domain! I am very excited for her because I know how great it is to own your own site and be your own webmaster. To be a real friend, I will go through my older posts where I linked to her and correct each url. Congratulations Teeni, you new blog looks fantastic!

Rubeina, my very first friend from Mauritius! She has a fairly new blog with some great articles – be sure to pay her a visit. She is very intelligent, friendly and an aspiring young guitarist…yay! I found two fine articles from her I wanted to mention here:

  1. 5 Firefox Add-ons to make Directory Submissions faster – A very cool breakdown of useful Firefox addons, check em out!
  2. Defensive Mode – A wonderful post explaining how she feels about working in the corporate world as opposed to really going for your dreams. I really feel connected to her sentiment because I think similarly. I got a lot of bad advice while in high school and made many mistakes. I list a related post below:

Jobs and Careers: My Journey to Happiness – This is one of my favorite posts written by me. It explains what happened to me when I went to work for a huge corporation as a guitar designer/builder. No matter how hard I worked, I was nobody and would have remained nobody as long as I worked there. It’s a heartbreaking post about how my life was almost destroyed because of corporate politics.

I made another new friend, Catatonic Kid from Australia. She is a brilliant and philosophical writer with much insight into life’s dilemmas. I found two posts I wanted to link to here that are important to read:

  1. The Walls We Build: Fighting terrorism or fighting fear? – A well stated and eloquent piece about our perception of terrorism. She mentions something many of us have forgotten: other wars have been started against unseen or unidentifiable enemies even before 9-11. This is a great article.
  2. Roadkill Kippers and Karmic Reward: How to say ‘takecare’ and mean it. – I have suffered from severe depression for years but finally have a handle on it. This post is powerful, meaningful and has a great message about reaching out to others.

Create Your Own Graffiti – I thought someone had kidnapped my good friend the Brown Baron, but he has been putting up a few posts, and this one is very cool. This is one blogger I have missed like crazy. I hope all is well Baron:)

My Purrfect Phoebe! – My friend Marzie has put up the cutest pictures of her Persian kitty yet! If you are looking for a smile and some uplifting cheer, take a look at Phoebe – she is unbelievably precious. The popularity of Marzie’s blog has exploded and is almost intimidating, but she is so friendly and caring it is truly astonishing – something very special and magical indeed!

Blogspot Template – Looking for a cool new template for your blogspot blog? These are some of the best I’ve seen. They have everything including 2 and 3 column and fresh wordpress like themes. They look great!

I wanted to give a special shout out to a few friends I don’t mention enough but deserve some very special limelight:

Bobo – Thanks for talking to me so much when I have been down, it means so much to me:)

Jamilla – I am so proud to win your contest, you are a true friend and lift my spirits so much:)

Zubli – Thanks so much for being a great friend. You’ve been through some extremely difficult hurdles, but you know your real friends are behind you always:)

I have so many people to thank, it will require an extensive post I am already working on – I hope to have it up soon:)

The awesome picture is from LI Biz Blog – Fix it: Energy

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18 Comments

Bobby’s Batch #13 – Niche Free

Apr 20

Posted by Bobby Revell in Bobby's Batch, social networking

Being niche free means absolute freedom to write about whatever I want. I am truly thankful that I chose to not take this blog in that direction; however, I may one day start something like that. Being niche free means:

  • I don’t worry about stats or how much traffic I have
  • I link to an extremely wide variety of blogs
  • I receive links from many different types of blogs
  • I am here for friendship above all other ideals

I have built a strong blog with many readers, and a fair amount of traffic. That’s why I have made one of my most important goals to share with others, especially those who are just starting out or struggling for a link. Sure, any blogger can take a viral approach like link trains and such, but these links really don’t mean anything. I personally don’t want 5000 links from people who don’t actually read my blog – that’s why I no longer participate in anything viral. I am extremely proud of my diminishing Technorati authority – down from 900 to a little over 300. If I wanted, I could easily pump it back up but see no reason.

I see people linking to these prominent blogs and I cannot understand it. They don’t link to you, so why waste your time helping people who already have all they need? It’s like giving Donald Trump a Christmas present.

If you adjust content to improve stats you destroy your own validity. I remember when I first got into SEO, it really changed my content in a not-so-good way. Later on, after I gave SEO less attention, all my blogging stress went away. Then again, I am more of a writer than a tech freak. I have friends from nearly every niche and every country, which is a fantastic goal.

Being niche free means I don’t discriminate against any blogger because they write completely unrelated content. People who write highly focused niche sites rarely visit me because of that very reason. I really notice that since I started using Entrecard. Sure it’s brought me a lot of traffic, but most of it is a one second visit, just to drop a card. Overall, it’s not bringing in people who really read. Most folks are only out to gain for themselves, which is at the root of many world problems. I will reject no Entrecard ads unless the site promotes pornography, racism or something similar.

I give out 80% more links than I receive, and will not stop any time soon.

My goals in blogging have changed somewhat and I’ve gone through many phases. I’ve tried everything in blogging in someway or another but I am really happy with where I’m at – just being a writer who loves to learn. Here’s this weeks batch:

Bloodstone Chapter 1 – A fifteen chapter tale by Floog, one of the best writers I’ve ever seen in blogging. The story is long for a blog but is worth reading (though I haven’t yet finished yet…haha!). He definitely has the skill to become a famous author and I hope he does. Floog, Please put this in an e-book!

Flipping Blog Scams MMO Niche is Full of Jerks – Garry Conn comes unglued at the seams in an explosive fulguration of brutal honesty with this much needed post. I completely understand his angst and agree with him 100%. I hold Garry’s integrity in high regard, and am very glad he wrote this. I became somewhat disgusted by the way many MMO (make money online) sites operate. Many of them have pathetic content, write on a third grade level, are filled with disgusting greed, will use you, rip you off and then say nasty things about you. All the sites Garry mentioned deserve being told and put in their place.

You People Make Me Sick – Ed Philly wrote a scathing article where he explodes like a nuclear inferno. Because his site is written from scratch, I couldn’t figure out how to link to a post, but is no problem – the article is on the front page. Ed, if you give me the correct url, I will fix this. WARNING: This article does contain volatile profanity, but I completely understand why he wrote it. I like to see people let it all out and he does it like no other!

Avoiding Copyright Infringement in Your Underwear (or Swimsuit) – DCR Blogs wrote this informative and entertaining piece. He has an uncanny ability to add humor into many of his posts, even when getting serious, something we should all learn to do! I love that weird picture Dan!

Greencard Soldiers – Menopauseprincess wrote this disturbing post about how the Bush administration is trading citizenship for fighting in the war. I had no idea they were doing this and think it’s wrong. Be sure to check it out.

The Yiddish Handbook: 40 Words You Should Know – an invaluable resource for fiction writers.

The Best Gross, Unpleasant, and Otherwise Strange Dating Sites from Vat19 is one freaky post. I was shocked to see how bizarre these dating sites are. It is hilarious!

Invisible Executive Order Deserves a Closer Look: This is a great post from Rational Outrage about the new Bush executive order. They can legally freeze assets of anyone who “threatens the stabilization effort in Iraq”. However, the order could easily be abused. Definitely take the time to read this. I believe Bush has destroyed our civil liberties and the middle class – I cannot wait to see him gone. Just look at how horrible the American economy and value of the dollar is now. I strongly suggest you do not vote for McCain.

24eyes – The Premium RSS Dashboard on the Internet – This cool and powerful web 2.0 application allows you to read all the news from every source on one page. If you’re a news junkie like me, this is very useful.

I usually have more links than this but I am tired – so I’m exercising my right to be lazy :mrgreen:

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24 Comments

Bobby’s Batch #12 – My Date With a Deceptive Lying Witch

Apr 6

Posted by Bobby Revell in Bobby's Batch, social networking

There are only two things I know for sure:

1. I have dated many bizarre women with ulterior motives; some so strange, it seems like an impossibility of purely abstract fiction. I hope to meet one normal woman who doesn’t lie, cheat, steal, do drugs, have unprotected sex with numerous partners, hide extra children in the back room or have other boyfriends. Is that too much to ask for?

2. I will eventually die.

After my previous post of heartbreaking sadness, I felt I should explain a little. I am not sad or depressed in any way. I am however frustrated. Hey, you would cry too if you dated these people. I have dated the most mentally unstable women on Earth – just by chance. It’s like I won the deceptive lying witch lottery…read on:

Deceptive Lying Witch

Deceptive Lying Witch

One need look no further than the last woman I dated. Last month, I met a very nice woman who works as a bank teller. It started with a little flirtatious conversation and one of her coworkers telling me how single she was. I thought there was no way for her to be as bad as the last date I had – that really would be impossible.

We went out to dinner a few times, having much fun and some great conversation. When going on a date, I am like a boxer with a powerful defense. I test her intentions, looking for common signs of one who lies and so forth. I’ve been through hell, thus I do not allow myself to fall for someone very easily. I am completely honest and will lie under no circumstance. I used to lie a little (ok, maybe a lot), but learned from my mistakes. Nothing is worse than to be called out on a big fat lie.

She asked me over to her house for dinner. I was extremely apprehensive; however, I accepted. I had faith that she might really be nice and honest. She made it clear that she was truly interested in me. She tended to agree with everything I said. Every opinion I had about life, politics, relationships – she seemed to be in complete agreement with. That bothered me a little. I like people who will disagree with me and stand up for their own beliefs. It remained on my mind but I chose to let it slide, thinking I was over-analyzing her.

I arrived at her home around 7:00 pm. She answered the door in spandex, aerobic exercise apparel, covered in sweat stains. She smelled quite aromatic. She told me that because dinner was almost ready, she would not take a shower beforehand. I told myself, “It’s no big deal.” Then, I met her seven year old daughter, who she failed to tell me about. That was also fine with me – I didn’t mind at all. I don’t care if she has kids, I just prefer her to tell me about them. She had told me that she didn’t.

Things were a bit uncomfortable. I could sense something strange about to happen…lol. I kept telling myself, “It’s all in your head…stop freaking out.” The back door opened and in walked a strange man covered in automotive grease. He scowled at me and gave me a very sarcastic half-smile.

My date said, “Bobby, this is my boyfriend, Jake (not his real name). Jake, meet my new friend Bobby.”

Yay! She has a boyfriend – just as I had hoped…NOT. Jake rolled his eyes and then washed up for dinner. She whispered in my ear, “Don’t worry. Jake goes to work at midnight. Then we’ll be alone.”

How great was this situation? I get to spend five grueling hours with her and Jake – my idea of a fantastic date. I was really looking forward to getting to know Jake. I wanted to ask him, “So…does it bother you that your girlfriend brings dates home to meet you? How often do you have sex with her? Can I watch? Are you insane? Do you have herpes? Have you two been on the Jerry Springer show?”

I said, “Wow…my contact lens is really hurting my eye. Let me run out to my car and get my lens case so I can take this thing out.”

I ran to my car, hopped in and drove off…BYE-BYE. I immediately turned my cell phone off so she (or Jake) couldn’t call me. Whew…I felt like I just survived a war. Though this date was bizarre and extremely unusual, it’s the second time the exact same thing happened. That’s right! It has happened before. The last time, it was also with a woman who worked in a bank. The only difference is that she had a husband and a boyfriend – both of whom were at her house (I live in the twilight zone)! This is why I am so careful about who I date.

Next time, I will have my friend Vladamir (the KGB operative pictured above) administer my date a polygraph examination along with an entire array of tests, such as one for sexually transmitted diseases. I will also do a criminal background test. All of this must be completed before we go out…hahahahaha.

Enough is enough…get to the f*cking links already!

  • Whiteboy Style – My friend Ed Philly has his handmade site rolling again after a short hiatus. If you’re in the mood for some “Offensive Humor at it’s best”, be sure to pay him a visit. Ed wrote his site from scratch using HTML – WOW…what a rare thing these days!
  • At Goes To Salem: Emila’s beautiful artwork of a cat named At. She actually gave it to someone for free. Emila is a wonderful person and spectacular artist.
  • Expelled: Setu’s very weird tale. It defies categorization – falling between nightmare, hallucination and bizarre reality. If you enjoy cool short stories, this one is a must read.
  • Story Game – The Adventures of Marie Cambridge – Marie and Her Ex: Teeni’s multi-authored short story with a sarcastic and wicked ending. I really enjoyed it.
  • I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For Ice Creme: also from Teeni. She shows you how to make ice-creme without using milk. She says it came out quite delicious. It must be good because all women know good ice-creme when they get it (especially chocolate)…hehe.
  • Our Love Story: Marzie’s heartwarming story of true love. She and her husband prove that it is possible to find the right person and live happily ever after. It is this kind of story that gives hope to those of us who haven’t…yet (like me)!
  • “Save” yourself first!: Yasmine’s must read article about religious hypocrisy and how all of us can rise above it. Very thought provoking.
  • The Most Compelling Blockbuster: Sean Rasmussen’s inspiring article that all of us should read…it’s fantastic. While you’re there, be sure to download his free e-book, Mindset Mastery. He put a lot of work into it and it is well worth reading.
  • Lies At the Top: American, Iraqi & Afghan Casualties Not Counted: Euroyank reveals some extremely disturbing truths in how casualties are actually counted in the current war. You must read this.
  • 5 Tips to optimize your site for Search Engines: Madhur Kapoor presents 5 basic tips to help you optimize your site.
  • How to repair MySQL Tables: Also from Madhur. I found this gem looking through his archives. A solid, step by step guide for repairing your wordpress MySQL tables.
  • How to extract names and email addresses from your WP database: Andy Bailey’s very useful article about how to derive names and email addresses from your Wordpress database. It’s complete in detail and easy to understand.
  • Why don’t they understand?: Also from Andy. This features some hilarious problems he ran into repairing computers. While you’re there, enter his new contest.
  • Striking the Right Balance Between Family and Business: Todd Morris wrote this positive article about striking that right balance.
  • What’s Wrong With “The Secret”: Todd Morris pointed me to this article that I found interesting. It’s about the movie “The Secret”. Check it out.
  • The Secret – Exposing The Truth and How it was Conceived: This is an article I wrote (that’s right, I’m promoting myself) about “The Secret”. Don’t get me wrong, there is some useful information in the movie. It was however, designed to make millions for the author – never forget that.
  • Computer Humor: My new friend Dunn compiled some very funny computer humor in this post. Go get yourself some comic relief.

*The witch is Pamela Kempthorne.

*The polygraph picture is from Polygraph Training.

* I love both of these pictures.

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Bobby’s Batch #11 – Dedication To The Fanciful Muse

Mar 23

Posted by Bobby Revell in Bobby's Batch, social networking

I’ve been taking a short blogging break, but only for a few days. I must take occasional time off to prevent madness and insanity. Happy Easter to all who celebrate and I hope the Easter Bunny brings wonderful baskets to everyone. Hey…I want a chocolate bunny too!

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Now, how many of you have ever become burned out from blogging? Have you ever thought about throwing in the towel? Before you ever even consider it, I want to introduce you to someone who blogs for the love of writing. She has been through much in her long run and is only getting better. She doesn’t care about irrelevant things such as stats or how popular she is; however, when it comes to writing excellence, imagination, passion and integrity – she is a shining star! Read on.

I raise a well deserved toast (of root beer…hehe, no alcohol here) to my wonderful friend, Square1, brilliant author of The Fanciful Muse. If any one person deserves acclaim, it is her. Read forward and see why:

Square1 always makes it difficult to choose as every post is great. I hadn’t noticed before, but she has been blogging since 1997 (wow, that is a long time)! She has become one of my all time favorite bloggers and there are many reasons for this. As you can see, Square1 is very special to me personally. Besides what she does in writing, it’s what she doesn’t do that impresses me just as much. She doesn’t even lift a finger to gain traffic for herself and spends her time giving instead. This is one of my personal blogging principles, and reading her work has helped me define it even further. She has helped educate me about the Muslim faith also, something everyone should learn more about.

Her first post (as far as I know) was Dreams and Whispers, a beautiful poem published March 14, 1997 (what were you doing back then? I first heard of blogging in 2005!). I’ve spent quite a bit of time at her blog, and am fortunate to have met her. From the first time I visited her (just a few moths ago), she has been such a good friend to me and everyone who gets to know her. She is a tremendous writer in every way; poetry, prose, fiction, writing analysis and deep insight into her personal philosophies.

This week is no exception, every post is fantastic. I loved her short poem Robbed – compact and powerful. Also, I really enjoyed her personal post, If I Could… There are far too many posts to list. I suggest that you read many of her articles and you’ll be glad you did.

I dedicate this post to Square1 and praise her incredible perseverance and talent. This is my eleventh batch of posts and her eleventh year of blogging! It’s such a cool coincidence that I just noticed the “eleven” connection. Here’s to you Square1 and to many more years to come – you are an inspiration to me. I consider you one of the best. Have a wonderful year! Yay!

Now to a very new blogger I mentioned in my previous batch. As many of you know, one of my favorite things to do is find and write about talented writers. My new friend Moyrn of UnEloquence Mortalized is in my humble opinion, one of the the most talented young writers I have ever met. At the ripe old age of 17, her writing is nothing short of incredible. Go read several posts and see what I mean.

Moyrn is also the author of Tomes of the False Gods – a blog dedicated to poetry, prose and other assorted musings. I read this entire blog and so should you. She wrote a perplexing poem entitled, Brown Stain, which is a poetic metaphor for what was left of a coffee drop. There is much behind the words…very much. Her newest short story, The False Encounter was quite wonderful and very well crafted. Praise be to Joonigod!

Laila posted “Hemaya” Anti-Drug Campaign – this is an important article about drugs and how they are destroying the lives of young people, often before their lives really even start. After knowing 19 people who died because of drugs and alcohol (all before they reached the age of 35), there is no subject more important.

If you have a blogspot blog and want a top commentators widget, there is finally one available. I know ton’s of bloggers going crazy for this long awaited addition. The easiest way to get it is from Top Commenter’s Widget for Blogger Blogs! Amanda Fazani from Blogger Buster simplified the idea which is based on Yahoo Pipes. Check it out!

Todd from Success With Todd posted a great article, The Power of Rewarding Yourself. This blog features many subjects and is loosely focused on personal development and marketing – allowing ample room for both fun and variety!

Mike from Things By Mike posted the extremely useful A couple tips for Wordpress newbies. As you may know, there are several plug ins for a blogroll / links page available for self-hosted wordpress blogs. Well, they kinda suck for lack of a better phrase. Mike shows you how to create one from scratch…step by step, including the CSS. Thanks Mike!

I want to thank my friend Christy from Christy’s Coffee Break for bringing attention to something that literally shocked me with Obama Is Satan? I Had No Idea! Hey, neither did I…hahaha! She also had a very cool post showing The Face Of Johann Sebastian Bach. Using computer based facial reconstruction, Bach’s face was uncovered. He looks nothing like anyone could have imagined…go check it out!

Last but not least, I wrote an extremely strange poem entitled Eleven last year which is indicative of my peculiar style of writing. If you can decipher the poem’s meaning, let me know! It falls under the “Zen-horror-philosophy” genre which is my invention and truly defines me. I further play with the concept in Silent Dreams of Nothingness.

I had to add this one on at the last minute. Debbie Dolphin, on her new blog Miss Moneypenny CPU put together a very funny post, Happy Easter Egg Hunt with some really weird eggs as well as a bizarre video where some giggling eggs are boiled and then they dyed alive!

I can’t find the originator of the chocolate bunny picture, it is on literally dozens of blogs. If you created it, let me know. I’ve seen it around and thought it was humorous.

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Bobby’s Batch #10 – Hanging Ten With Blogging Excellence

Mar 16

Posted by Bobby Revell in Bobby's Batch, social networking

I have so many thoughts this wonderful Sunday, it is difficult to contain them all…so I give up and let them explode across my inner hemispheres. I wish to tell everyone what is on my mind today: The true power of blogging.

Blogging brings people together from every part of this big beautiful planet. All people are welcome here to my home. I accept all of you. I will not judge you in any way. I will never judge one’s doctrines or race – we are one.

I accept you all. You could be Muslim, Christian, Jewish, a practitioner of Zoroastrianism, worshiper of Zeus, agnostic, Ashiest, psychic mystic or one who just loves their kitten – I accept you and will not critique your beliefs. I am a spiritual existentialist and welcome you all with open arms. Let love, not hatred rule our lives.

With so much negativity surrounding the Islamic faith, I feel I must say something. First, I am not Muslim nor am I Christian; or, for that matter, follow no precise religion. I do however believe in God – in my own way.

I am of course against any extremist form of doctrine. I am against terrorism and the people who wish to kill others in the name of their beliefs. I am against all killing. I am against the death penalty. I am against Christians who use faith to rob people of their money. I am against a government who lies to it’s own people. I am against dishonesty and all forms of hatred.

Having said that, I must proclaim that the Muslim people I personally know are some of the warmest, loving, caring, giving and wonderful human beings I have ever known. It is the small percentage of extremists that tarnish the faith. The same is true of any religion. There will always be a percentage of folks who commit acts of hatred and evil.

I raise a toast to all of you who unconditionally love all people. This is the power of blogging. The force of humanity joining as one and living together in peace.

Peace and Love to everyone,

Bobby Revell

On that wonderful note I shall start this week’s festivities. Each week I write this post and I love doing it. Every link I give is a gift. I don’t do it for the thanks or for myself. I do it to show appreciation for your work. Now, let us hang ten with the Silver Surfer and some of the blogosphere’s cosmic coolness!

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I happened upon two young, extremely artistic writers from India who really inspired me. They are my stars this week and deserve to be read:

The first is a brilliant young female writer, Moyrn from the blog UnEloquence Mortalized. I was astonished by her graceful and imaginative expressiveness. Actually, I was blown away. What an incredible gift she possesses! Her creation, Away, Into… is beautiful, haunting and filled with breathtaking imagery. Her new post Swish, and bubbles! left me utterly speechless. It is beyond fantastic!

Next is the incredible Setu from the blog V.O.I.D. It was quite an experience to read his brooding and hypnotic prose. I found his writing dark, wondrous and distinctive in voice. His atmospheric tale Dead End is powerful and dreamlike…(I felt high after reading it). I am thankful to have come across his writing! Wow. It is great to have met two incredible writers. That is the true power of blogging.

A serious tech blogger I met several months ago, Aditya Mukhergee from Geekaholic wrote a post entitled Reactive blogging and why less is good. How cool is it that I was thinking about the subject and somehow was transported directly to his blog – as if by magic. Though my own blog is not very geeky (perhaps in some ways it is) I really connected with his post – an enlightening article indeed!

I ran across Bob’s Thoughts in my Blogrush widget. He had a fine post about the new method of Trading Drugs? You might have heard about the prescription medications used to get off of drugs. It’s a very interesting post! I don’t use Blogrush to gain traffic, I use it to find awesome blogs.

The wonderful Laila published a very funny post about Internet Addiction that may be very helpful to those of you in need of professional help! Hi, my name is Bobby and I am a blogoholic.

Eric Speedcat Hollydale wrote a really great introspective post where he shares different stages of his life in Life By Five. Eric can write with imagination and heart and really surprised me with this article. I think the best is yet to come from this incredibly unique blogger!

I found a fascinating writer sparkling in imagination. He if Floog author of the avant-garde And Dream of Sheep. This is truly great and I was enthralled from beginning to end. A mesmerizing trip through the walls of sleep!

The super friendly Garry Conn is definitely one of the most helpful bloggers ever. If you have ever thought about having a blog designed just for you, check out his offerings on Professional WordPress Blog Design Services. Garry knows Wordpress inside and out and his designs are superb. He even has a phone number you can call 24-7 to help anyone with questions…how great is that!

My blogging buddy, the videogame and tech addicted Bush Mackel took us for a wonderful pictorial tag-a-long through a day in My First 12 of 12. Of course, the real star his extremely photogenic and smiling son Mac! Also, I couldn’t resist but give a plug to Bush’s very cool and informative site Learn Stuff On Line. He shows you all about home theater setup and many other subjects. Definitely worth checking out!

A last minute addition: Janice’s son Amos is celebrating his 2nd birthday…YAY! Happy Birthday Amos! Be sure to stop by and see the cute birthday pictures of this handsome little fella!

The picture is from Marvel.com – Silver Surfer

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