WordPress – give me advertising & domain names!

I want it my way, and I want it now, and I want it free!

Okay, I know I’m being picky, and probably a little cheap given web hosting is only $4 or $5 a month.  However, I’ve been blogging on and off for a little while, and I do so mostly for my own benefit.  So I’m not really that psyched to pay for it.  If I were doing it for a living, great.  I’d be happy to pay much more.

And I think that WordPress is the greatest blogging software out there.  I used the hosted/free version which limits me a little, but I’m fine with that about 90% of the time.  Because it’s hosted by them, I don’t have to worry about ANYTHING.  It’s easy to set up, fewer features make for fewer problems, I’ve spent literally ZERO time troubleshooting WordPress, and that’s HUGE in my book – so I only have 2 complaints:

1.  Let me put advertisements on my pages!  Seriously.  Keep a portion of the revenues.  My site would probably bring in, what, $15 a YEAR?  So what’s the big deal?  Since you provide me with free hosting, let me advertise and you keep a portion.  Blogger lets me put advertising on my blog.  Why won’t you?

2.  Let me use my own domain name!   Once again, Blogger lets me do this for free, so why would you guys charge me?

I don’t use blogger inspite of the 2 above reasons  because it just isn’t robust enough, and the fatal flaw is that I can’t export my blog should I ever want to switch.  I don’t/won’t/can’t understand this approach.  It’s my content, not theirs.  They shouldn’t hijack it.

Cmon WordPress.  You have great software, most of the blogging community is in agreement with that one.  Just give me these last 2 features!

Managing my health, online

Gotta love Google (will you guys just hire me already?).

GoogleHealth has been throwing out teasers for a while.  Their service would allow an individual to manage or see their own health records all in one spot, online.  The trick will be getting the doctors and hospitals to make that data accessible, and as long as Google can put all their efforts into security (so my private health data remains private), I’m in.  I have no idea when my last tetnaus shot was, and can’t remember what I’ve done when.

If they do it correctly, Google can knock this one out of the park.

A personal problem

I’m having somewhat of an embarrassing problem, and for those that know me, I don’t embarrass easily.

I’m some what of an exercise addict.  I have tons of energy and get stressed out easily.  Exercise is the only thing that brings my energy and stress to manageable levels.  I feel better about myself, I obsess less, I’m less grouchy and irritable, and generally a nicer person to be around (not to mention what it does for the appearance of my butt).

I spend probably half my workout time in a spinning class, and the other half my workout time outside in some manner, running, hiking, or road biking.   When I’m outside, I obviously don’t have access to a mirror.  In my spin class, I usually sit so the mirror is next to me instead of in front of me – I have ZERO desire to see myself all sweaty and blotchy and frizzy.

ANYWAY, a while ago, I had to sit in a different seat in my spin class since the class was almost at capacity.  So there I am, in front of the mirror.  I ride hard that day, and at the end of the class, I sit up on my bike, stretch my hands over my head, and glance at myself in the mirror.  To my horror, I realize that MY NIPPLES HAVE SWEAT THROUGH MY SHIRT.  I have huge wet RINGS around my nipples, and it looks like I’m lactating!  I am not pregnant, I have no other shirt, and it is glaringly obvious.  All of a sudden I feel all eyes on me.  I know the whole class is staring at me, probably trying hard not to laugh.  Someone is breathing hard and I’m convinced that this person is suppressing a guffaw.  My face instantly goes red, I quickly dismount, grab my towel and water bottle, hold them in front of my wet boobs, and I leave.

Next day I’m in class again, and the same thing happens!  I sweat a lot, so my shirt is fairly wet, but my breasts are dry except for my wet nipples.  HUGE wet spot around my nipples!  Next day I go for a run outside.  When I get home, same thing.  I’m sweating through a lined jog bra and a t-shirt.
I am not exaggerating here.  I’m not imagining it either.

I’m so embarrassed.   I’m going to have to put maxipads over my nipples when I exercise.

Margaritas, ab muscles, and Pavlov

I have a hypothesis and am looking for someone to validate it for me.

Pavlov was a founder of classical conditioning.  His experiements showed that if you repeatedly rang a bell before presenting a dog with food, the dog would salivate.  Pretty soon you could stop presenting the dog with food, but the dog would still salivate at the sound of the bell.

Why can’t this work for abdominal muscles?  I’ll drink a margarita, then do crunches.  Margarita, crunches.  Margarita, crunches.  Pretty soon I can stop doing the crunches and my abdominal muscles will still respond after I do abs.

Anyone care to give it a shot?

How drinking makes you smarter

It’s darwinian really.

As the lions pick off the weakest of the herd, thus removing the weaker genes from the herd’s gene pool and strengthening the genes of the future generations of the herd, so goes drinking.

Drinking eliminates the weakest brain cells, thus strengthening the whole.  Drink more!

Bacon Grease Hot!

Colorado is HOT.

I always love it when those from warmer climates claim they couldn’t reside in Colorado because it’s too cold.  Boston is cold.  North Carolina is cold!  Sometimes, Florida is actually colder than Colorado (thanks to that nasty little water thing called humidity).

But for the last week, it’s been so hot in Colorado that a cup full of bacon grease has yet to congeal.  Yes, it’s been on my kitchen counter for a week.   What’s your point?

It’s so hot that I layed on the floor butt naked eating frozen green peas (even ice cream was melting too fast).

Cold showers never felt so good.

Gigya –

I just read about Gigya, an interesting new product that takes allows you to customize your email layout, look, and feel, like you can your myspace pages.

I haven’t had time to check it out yet.  If you do, let me know what you think.