The furr balls

This is how I affectionately refer to our pets. The fur balls. We have one digg and three cats. Each is very unique and tries our patience in a way that is totally their own.
We have:
Beau Bear the golden retriever who is extremely upset if dinnertime is not actively touching him. He also had no manners. We're working on that.

We have Bella, the small one who often disregards our rules and has no appreciation whatsoever for my wife's undying love and affection. She thinks the world revolves around her.

We have Brisa who is more than a little eccentric and aggressively affectionate when she wants to be.

And then there's Mumford. He is a happy-go-lucky adventurer with little concern (much less fear) for what occurs. Attempts to teach him manners and rules are useless. He is the most care free, fearless cat I have ever seen.

Quick CMS chat

I haven't been using Blogger for a while. I believe I have moved on to bigger and better things. These days I spend most of my time developing in Wordpress which is the most popular and, in my humble opinion, the best content management system on the web.

Admittedly though, I have no real issues with Blogger. In fact I think quite highly of it. My first experience with blogging began right here. My mom still manages a successful blog over here on Blogger.

I've also had experience with quite a few other CMS's over the past few years and am very interested in the topic. If you have any thoughts on this I'd love to hear them. Please share below.

Latest and Greatest

I thought it might be a nice time to share a few updates on how things have been going this summer. It has been a very eventful one, for sure.

But since it has been so incredibly packed full I am going to have to give the high-speed, detail free version. So here goes:

Beau Bear had an itch.

I got soaked at the Jackson Blues Fest.

We saw a deer in someone's yard.

We replaced the sliding back door.

Ash made a really delicious meal.

Jason graduated from kollij.

A cat attacked my foot.

We burned a wagon.

We worked on the house (a LOT).

Mother-in-law taught us all to dance.

I ate the best burgers of all time.

We adopted Dr. Puddingstone.

And I am exhausted.

That pretty much covers it. Good day to you all.

Stupid Causes

There are many causes I support. There are many I do not. As I'm sure you know, sharing affiliations to such causes in non-constructive, provocative ways is a very popular pastime of many people on social networking sites such as Facebook. Personally, I am tired of being subjected to hundreds of ignorant, obnoxious posts from people who have no original thought of their own but want everyone to know where they stand.

This is why I created Stupid Causes. It is a part of my personal effort to pledge my own allegiances on social networks in an amusing way while subtly mocking the constant controversy clowns who will have no idea they are the butt of my joke.

Of course, some of you will think this is kind of mean. Some of you will think this isn't even funny at all. Most of you will think I have way too much time on my hands. But regardless, if there are any of you out there who are tired of the onslaught of political commentary from the woefully un-informed, then I ask that you join me in my effort by sharing some of the causes below on Facebook. Also, I encourage you to make your own or leave comments behind of similar causes I could promote here.

I hope you enjoy.

Jackson B2B Meetup

Lately I have been attending the Jackson B2B Meetup group's two, weekly meetings. It is an excellent group and I feel privileged to be able to attend. I have found it to very educational and an excellent networking opportunity.

Today was my turn at the meeting to make a 10 minute presentation about myself and my company, Great Lakes Internet Marketing. I have been pretty excited about this for over a month now.

To prepare for this occasion, I reflected a lot on what I wanted to talk about and came up with the idea for illustrating the power we as individuals have to help support local businesses we think highly of, with very little effort. To help demonstrate this I created this infographic called "How To Really Say Thank You". I hope you like it and that you will also reflect a little on what you can do to help local businesses, besides giving them your money. Enjoy, and feel free to share.

Top 10 Albums from the 1980's

The 1980's may not have been the best for movies, but there was a lot of great music released in this highly innovative and transitional decade. Metal got ridiculously fast, the electric organ and the synthesizer got more then their fair share of airtime and an extremely wide array of diverse styles entered the scene.

So, here are my Top 10 Best Albums from the 1980's

1. Graceland - Paul Simon
   
   Probably the single most important album to me, ever. I had this on a cassette tape when I was probably around 8 years old and it has stayed with me ever since. Graceland moves me in a way that no other album ever has.
2. Ride the Lightning - Metallica
   
   My favorite Metallica album by a hair. This album is so amazing that you could probably take out three of the best songs and it would STILL be one of the greatest albums ever made.
3. Master of Puppets - Metallica
   
   This is the only album that comes close to touching Ride the Lightning. Master of Puppets features some unbelievable songs and is one that I challenge anyone to choose a favorite from. They are ALL amazing.
4. Blizzard of Oz - Ozzy Osbourne
   
   I have always thought Ozzy Osbourne amazing in the way that he has defied the odds for his entire career. I don't know how he does it but he just seems to be immune to all the common rock star tragedies. Blizzard of Ozz strikes me as the first and most profound example of this. He breaks away from a hugely successful band to start a solo career. I'll be conservative here by saying that rarely ends well. But from the VERY BEGINNING of this legendary album all doubt is swept away. Every bit of it is incredible from start to finish. I can't help asking myself how this crazy, drugged up buffoon (sorry Ozzy) pulled this off. What's more, he kept it up. The following album, Diary of a Madman BARELY missed out on this list.
5. Joshua Tree - U2
   
   This is another band I cannot choose a favorite song from. If I had to I think I might go with "Where the Streets Have No Name" but there are just so many and some of the very best came from Joshua Tree.
6. Kill 'Em All - Metallica
   
   The first Metallica album took metal music to new heights. To this day I do not think the speed and energy of this have ever been surpassed. Probably never will.
7. Appetite for Destruction - Guns & Roses
   
   G&R made an incredible, lasting mark on rock music history with Appetite for Destruction. Solid gold hits from start to finish. And not just hits for that year. They are ALL still hits TODAY.
8. Rum, Sodomy and the Lash - The Pogues
   
   If you haven't listened to The Pogues I highly recommend you give them a try. Shane McGowan was such an interesting character. The contrast of this homely, drunken Irishman and other stars of the time like Axl Rose and Prince demonstrates just how diverse the eighties really were.
9. ...And Justice for All - Metallica
   
   Yes, another Metallica album. Seriously, though, it is really good. Especially for guitar people. It marks an end of an era for Metallica as the '90s came along shortly after with shorter (and slower) songs. ...And Justice For All was like that last bite of a sweet dessert on Fat Tuesday.  
10. Labour of Love - UB40
    
    My mom always loved this album so we grew up hearing it a lot. I guess it kind of grew on me. Not surprising since it was actually very good.

Great Lakes Internet Marketing

My dive into self employment
Most of my acquaintances are now aware that I have started my own Internet Marketing business. Some may have wondered why I took this leap, leaving behind a good job and risking everything on something completely new. Well, this was not what I would call an easy decision. But this is what I decided to do and I am committed to making Great Lakes Internet Marketing successful.

This was, for any who may wonder, a calculated decision. I have been studying marketing and Internet technology for a long time now and am very passionate about it. So late last summer I made up my mind that this was ultimately what I wanted to do. I began working with a friend and together we spent the next three months laying the groundwork for our company which I feel is now to the point where I can devote all of my attention to it.

Now I am actively seeking any business owners who may be interested in the services we provide. We offer website development, search engine optimization, website hosting, social media marketing, blog management, e-mail marketing and marketing strategy development. If you know of anyone who would like to see their business grow or be more efficiently and effectively promoted then please contact me.

Fun Metrics

The Numbers I Live By
Not sure if this makes any sense to anyone, but I am just reflecting on all the metrics I encounter in my daily life that excite me. I'm sure if we all reflect a little we may be able to think of some. Let me know what numbers you watch. Stock prices? Church attendance? Sales reports? Commissions? Comments?

For me, there are lots of numbers I enjoy watching:

1. Google Analytics - Analyzing the traffic to all the sites I manage passes a lot of time fast. Not a day goes by that I don't scrutinize these numbers.
2. AdSense - I have a few monetized sites that are making some change here and there. Not big numbers yet, but I find it fun to watch.
3. Twitter Followers - I manage a lot of Twitter accounts and watching the numbers grow there is pretty cool. Learning what makes them grow faster is stimulating.
4. Political polls - These can be pretty ridiculous and also incredibly meaningless, but nonetheless, I am very interested in this Republican race going on now and any numbers relating to it interest me.
5. Video views - I also manage a large number of online video accounts and it is fun to watch them get attention. New subscribers and new comments are thrilling, but take a lot of effort and some great content to obtain.
6. Backlinks - A backlink is a link from someone else's website to yours and is extremely valuable for improving your website's search engine rankings. You never know when something on your site may be picked up by others and it is thrilling when it happens.
7. Social sharing - Checking how many Likes, Tweets, Plus 1's and so on your content is getting can really get exciting when things begin to take off.
8. Calls / Texts - Not something I really watch numbers on actually, but I enjoy hearing from my family and friends and I often gauge a day roughly on how many notifications my phone is getting.
9. Meals - The higher this number, the better the day. Some days I miss breakfast, some days lunch, some days even dinner. A good day includes three good meals. I am always working harder to improve my eating habits and can see the benefit of doing so very plainly in my daily life.
10. Sleep - I know how much sleep I need to make it through the day. I am often gauging how much later I can stay awake based upon how sleep deprived I am. More sleep is better and towards the end of the day, I am always looking at the time and thinking how much sleep I will be getting and how much I need for the next day.

So there you have it. These are the numbers I pay attention to. What numbers do you watch?

Michigan Wolverines go 10 and 2 - Video Blog

Go Michigan!

This is my follow-up video blog for my previous Michigan Football prediction post which I made early in the season. To basically sum it up, I was incorrect on which 2 games Michigan was going to lose but I did correctly predict their final record which was 10-2. Extremely happy that they prevailed over our evil arch-rivals to the South in the final game of the season. Woohoo! We are back to being a competitive Big 10 team!

So....did you make any football predictions this season that came true?

Top Ten WWII Movies

My ten favorite WWII films

1. Life is Beautiful
   Probably the most touching movie I have ever seen and also the most likely to make you cry. This is an all around fantastic film that everyone should love. It is a foreign film and is subtitled throughout but you barely notice. This movie inspires me.
   
   
   
2. Schindler's List
   Perhaps the definitive WWII movie. An artistic masterpiece from Steven Spielberg.
   
   
   
3. Saving Private Ryan
   Another amazing film from Steven Spielberg. A great story full of action and lots of appearances from big stars.
   
   
   
4. The Scarlet and the Black
   Solid performance from Gregory Peck in a thrilling story about the Vatican during the second world war.
   
   
   
5. I Am David
   Brilliant story that is adventurous while at the same time deeply touching. About a boy traversing Europe alone in search of his mother.
   
   
   
6. The Best Years of Our Lives
   Well written film detailing the trials and challenges endured by WWII soldiers as they return home from the war. Recommended by the WWII veterans and experts I know as you can read about on Larry Martin's blog.
   
   
   
7. Saints and Soldiers
   Lesser know film about some WWII soldiers lost in enemy territory. Great story with really good characters.
   
   
   
8. The Bridge on the River Kwai
   Excellent work from Alec Guinness, as usual on this great tale of british soldiers taken prisoner by the Japanese.
   
   
   
9. Inglorious Basterds
   Quentin Tarantino plays with history in a comical romp about a troupe of Nazi killers who assassinate Hitler. B.J. Novak even has a small role.
   
   
   
10. The Fighting Seabees
    This is actually a really good movie starring John Wayne that I may never have seen if my dad had not been a Seabee for almost 20 years.
    
    

I hope you all enjoyed this list. Please feel free to share your own favorite WWII films below.