We're getting ready to move into a friend's house for at least part of August.  It's closer to where HT is working, and the house is empty while it's on the market.  It's a nice, rural little house, and it'll serve well as a base while we look at rentals around Concord (NH).

HT's new job has good pay, great benefits, and lots of opportunities for advancement.  This may be his best job, ever.

That said, I'll continue working on my businesses with vigor, so we can move back to the seacoast as soon as possible.  We really love it at the beach and are reluctant to move inland to Concord, but... well, that's what we'll do, for now.  (HT says that his ideal career is probably beach bum.)

Between hard work and semi-isolation at the new house (it's in the middle of nowhere), I'm not sure how much I'll be online, except when I'm uploading new products.  Site updates will be on auto-pilot, mostly, and I may be rather flaky about email for a few weeks.

But, I'll also have some new art-related products soon.  I'm toying with a new distribution concept for my Santa Flamingo products, too. 

We're moving this weekend, so this may be my last newsy post for awhile.

Once again, Fiona will be on the radio on Thursday night this week (Toginet.com, on the Ghost Chronicles show). 

And, if you're going to Dragon*Con during the Labor Day weekend, look for workshops by Fiona Broome, including an ATC workshop and ATC swap.  I'm predicting fun!

Someone visiting from Britain -- and his partner -- are going to need an inexpensive (but nice) B&B to stay in at the start of August.  The area covered will include Boston and Haverhill.

Any suggestions?  I'll be calling Circles of Wisdom (New Age shop in Haverhill) to see what they suggest, but if you know something -- especially around 495 or 93 -- holler.

Thanks!

Today's quote of the day seems appropriate.  It's how I often feel.  In my mind, I'm still almost a kid and life is one big, very cool adventure!



Before I forget: If you'll be in the New England area on August 9th and you're a fan of the British TV show, "Most Haunted," you can join David Wells (one of the show's stars), plus Gavin Cromwell and some noted American ghost hunters (including me) to see a real ghost investigation.

We'll be at the haunted Buttonwoods estate (formerly owned by the Saltonstalls) in Haverhill, MA. The haunted Federal-style mansion was built in 1814, and the site also has a strong Native American history. For more info about the ghost investigation, see the New England Ghost Project's events list.


Meanwhile, HT has accepted a job offer in Concord, NH, and he starts work on Monday. We'll be moving to that area around the weekend of the 27th.  We're just a teensy bit busy right now...! *chuckle*"

My free 14-page report, How to create and use polls with WordPress, is now online: http://www.lulu.com/content/3108876

If you've wondered how to add polls to your WordPress site, these are very non-technical instructions with a bazillion screenshots.  Get your own copy and tell your friends.  Anyone can download a free copy!

So, I've just finished polishing the final edition of my WordPress 2.5.x ebook... the one about installing themes.  And, I'm nearly finished with my free tutorial on how to use polls with WordPress 2.5.x.  (My goal is to have it online today.)

WordPress 2.6 just came out. 

Arrrrghhhhh!  It had better not be significantly different... not so different that I have to rewrite the book, anyway.

Update: The dashboard looks tidier, and that's all I'm seeing in terms of obvious, visual differences.

Whew!

I finally opened a local bank account.  (Just in time, with the headlines about Washington Mutual, where we banked in TX.) 

With each step -- getting settled and putting down roots -- I'm feeling a bit more 'here' now. 

Meanwhile, we're both in work-work mode, getting a lot accomplished, but working 10+ hour days.  I'll have two new (non-art) products available in the next couple of weeks.  HT is launching a couple of projects, too.

We love being here, and every day is so satisfying!

P.S. If you need 'plain vanilla' HTML affiliate links to Amazon.com products, this site is one of the most useful I've found.

It's almost the middle of July.  I'm wearing a flannel shirt (over skimpy nightclothes) to keep warm while I check email, etc.  Since we moved here, we've run the a/c for one full day, plus about 30 minutes during each of three random, hot-ish days.

After Houston, I can't begin to tell you how much we're enjoying this.  It's not just the fresh air, but the savings.  I mean, I can stay comfy for free, with the windows open, or I can pay over $200/month for a/c bills. (And that was for a small-ish apartment.)   Hmm... let me think about that for, oh, less than a second! *chortle*

Sure, we know people who love Houston and the hotter climates in general.  HT and I are not among them.  Every day, we say, "Ah! This is what we moved here for!"  Sea breezes are a bonus.

I know I'll gripe about the winter, but that's just a few months of the year.  Lower utility bills + lower grocery bills + more outdoor recreation + ocean views = bliss!

Everything is going really well. 

Okay, there was a slight hiccup, mid-week.  I mean, when someone calls you and says, "I wanted you to hear this from me, first," you know that it's far removed from a conversation that starts, "I have the coolest news...!"

Yes, I'm being a bit cryptic.  It's personal... just something that I needed to acknowledge. 

Other than that... HT just designed a CD cover for a friend's album, and it looks tremendous.  And, speaking in the third person:  Fiona just finished the third lesson in the new free course at Hollow Hill, and she's on the radio again tonight.  Busy, busy!

Meanwhile, almost every day, we look at each other and say how glad we are to be here.  Sure, I'll be relieved when we are in a more permanent place to live, but I'm so happy to be in New England, I feel a bit ungrateful wishing for more.  Moving here was one of the best things we've ever done.  It wasn't easy and we're still getting settled, but... it's been so worthwhile.

By the end of August, I should be able to get out and see more people.  Right now, we're still getting our career stuff back on track.  I'm keeping stats and the numbers are looking very good.  I'm learning more every day about what works (and what doesn't), and... well, it's cool to see how this is growing.

Yesterday was glorious!  BBQ plus lots of business talk with Kevin (and some with Dara Jane).  At about 9 p.m., we were part of the crowd sitting on the grass at the East Promenade, watching the most perfect fireworks display.  Then, we went back to Kevin's for more food and comedy videos.  All in all, a really grand day, and now I'm back at work.  Life is busy but good!

As an author, there are few thrills equal to visiting my current book's page at Amazon, and seeing "Only 3 left in stock--order soon (more on the way)."

In other news... Melissa (aka art_lurker) makes the cutest figures in the world.  Go. Look. Give one of them a home.

On Tuesday, after a full day of last-minute painting and framing, my son was here for cooking lessons and dinner.  He's a great kid and I'm so proud of him.  I made dragon balls and chicken taco pie, as predicted.  Everything was yummy and I sent him home with leftovers.

(I'm enormously proud of all of my children, for different reasons.  For example, I'm delighted for my oldest child and her wonderful sweetie, who celebrated their one-year-together anniversary yesterday.)

Meanwhile, HT and I concluded the framing marathon yesterday and hung the paintings in random locations around the bank at York Harbor.  Will they sell?  Will anyone even notice them?  Only time will tell.  At least this got me into paint-paint-paint mode, and some of my paintings are really good. (Yes, I still need to put the photos online. Maybe later today. Maybe over the weekend.)  This show has been one of my main projects since we moved here, and I'm glad to be able to say, "Whew! That's done!"

Another landmark yesterday:  HT rec'd the formal, written job offer from the Concord (NH) job, plus a stack of paperwork to complete.  He'll probably do the drug screening thing this morning, and then go to the office to hand-deliver the paperwork. 

So, last night we celebrated with pizza and ice cream, and watched "I, Robot" on TV.  It was a good conclusion to a slightly frantic, stressful week.  And, there was enough food left so I'm eating cold pizza for breakfast. Yum!  (I love cold pizza for breakfast. Seriously.)

This morning, I've already recorded my affirmations for level 2 of Holosync.  It took me forever to decide what to say, and even now, I'm not sure that I made the best choices... but I can't be stalled by indecision. 

Today, I need to catch up on a few things related to my biggest non-art website, and do more promotion for the new edition of my WordPress themes book.  Over the weekend, I need to pause and re-prioritize.  So much has changed in the past month, and I've been too busy to reorganize.  Now, it's time!

Mostly, I'm slowing the pace a bit.  Tomorrow, we'll be at the Portland (Maine) home of Dr. Kevin Ross Emery, celebrating his birthday and watching the fireworks.  Kevin's been a friend since forever, and we're working on several collaborative projects.

Also, Fiona will be co-hosting the Ghost Chronicles radio show for most of July.  Details will be at HollowHill.com, soon.

It's a whirlwind.  Even more than usual.  I'm sleeping four hours, then up working, then sleeping, then working, rinse/lather/repeat.  I still need two completed paintings for the show I'm hanging, oh, tomorrow.  (Yes, as in Wednesday.)

Monday's lesson was:  Acrylics are not my media of choice for landscape paintings.  I really need the workability of oils for the skies that are becoming my signature feature.

Thus, I am faced with the prospect of hanging wet paintings at the show, and hoping that no one touches them... at least for a few days.  I know that I'm not the first artist to be painted into this corner (so to speak), but I'm still angst-ing over it.  I'm also painting with a drying medium that should speed up the process.  *crosses fingers*

Tonight, my son is visiting at dinner, to learn to make Chicken Taco Pie and what we called "dragon balls" when he was growing up.  The latter are actually falafel, which I serve in small balls with various sauces including sweet & sour, and ketchup.  Easy, yummy and nutritious!

Also, I've been arguing with another bout of "frozen shoulder" since around January.  (No, I don't talk about this.  I get really bored with health topics, and they give attention to the wrong kind of energy.  Also, I am not someone who allows pain and limitations to be more than minor speed bumps in my life.)  That said...

Work-work-work... which means I had to do this meme, seen at iarwain's LJ:

The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed.

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you love.
4) Cross out the ones you started but didn't finish
5) Add a * to the ones you've only seen the movie of
6) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who’ve only read 6 and force books upon them

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling (most)

Oprah and Suze Orman are giving away free copies of  the book, "Women & Money."  Yes, all 274 pages of it.  Free.  No strings attached.

But... you must download your copy by 7 p.m. tonight (Friday, June 27th). 

Go to this webpage and scroll down to the download link.  (If that webpage link didn't work, here it is to cut-and-paste, if necessary.)
http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200802/tows_past_20080213.jhtml?promocode=HP14

(It took me two tries to download it.  Their server is probably really busy.)

The new edition of Sites that Soar! is online and selling.  It's nearly 1/3 larger than the previous version.  Over 70 pages of step-by-step instructions, screenshots, cut-and-paste ways to tweak your website, and a bazillion links to free (or inexpensive) tools, plugins, and other resources.  (I spent three hours just adding the links!)

This book is written for people who are using WordPress 2.5.x with magazine-style themes.  It'll save you hours... probably days... of trying to figure this stuff out on your own.  I tell you what works, and what doesn't, and how to fix it.

I'm exhausted, so I'm getting offline shortly.  I'll update the support site (http://SitesThatSoar.com/wordpress/ ) tomorrow.

If you're an affiliate, the book's slightly higher price means you'll earn a little more from each sale. (You'll still earn 50% of every book sold from  your referral.)

Also, if you reviewed the earlier edition of the book but didn't receive the email with the free link to the new edition, let me know and I'll send that to you tomorrow.  (I'm not sure if E-Junkie sent the update notice to everyone who'd rec'd the earlier edition, or just the people who'd purchased it.)

It's been a good but exhausting day!

If you have never read How to Be Creative, do so now, either at his blog or in the free ebook.  This is imperative.  (It's by Hugh MacLeod, the guy who draws cartoons on the back of business cards.)   http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/000932.html

If you've already read it, see Hugh's latest chapter:  http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/004592.html

It seemed total synchronicity when he said, "If you are successful, it'll never come from the direction you predicted. Same is true if you fail."

We're truly enjoying living in a climate where the evenings are in the 50s and the days are warm enough to enjoy the beach.  I didn't appreciate this area enough, until I was away from it and living in a/c, day and night, most of the year.

I get up early and listen to the birds through the open windows.  I watch the sunrise and savor the colors, and sometimes go out for a walk... or hop in the car and go to the beach to paint.

This is so utterly amazing!

Meanwhile, yesterday was another radio show for Fiona.  Doors keep opening for that pen name, despite my intentions to be a full-time artist.  I may have to accept that the Universe has clear plans for me, and it involves a greater commitment to... well, whatever it is that Fiona is supposed to be doing.  I've tried to shrug this off since I was a kid, and it keeps rebounding into my life like flubber or something. 

The good news is, living here provides me with greater peace of mind... and greater clarity. 

Remember my TV, the one I loved so much I actually put it in my car and drove it to Houston when I moved there?  The same one I gave away -- to the family that had lost everything in a freak fire after a lightning hit -- as we were loading our cars to drive to New England?

It was a large, bulky, beauty of a TV with great color.  I've missed it badly.  I love movies, and have my favorites with me... which I couldn't watch because we had no TV.  (Goodwill no longer carries TVs, and yard sales had only offered junky ones at high-ish prices.)  I couldn't justify the price of a new one... not until we're settled in more permanent digs.

So... at yesterday's yard sales, I saw a TV almost exactly like my old one.  Seriously.  From ten feet away, it's identical.  Different brand name (JVC), period.

The price was $30 and I had already spent most of my yard sale allowance, so I offered $20 to the owner.  He accepted, but when I went to pay, I had only $18 in paper money.  I started counting my change, and he said, "Today, it's $18."

I gleefully brought the TV home, plugged it in, and... it seems a little better than my old one.  Works beautifully.  Great color.  Big-ish screen, wonderful sound, and all that good stuff.  Even the remote works.

I hooked up my DVD player, and watched a couple of movies.

This experience is a glorious affirmation about ownership, the Universe, and keeping things in flow.

It's a story worth sharing.

As of ten minutes ago, I've resolved my differences with my publisher.  The regional ghost books are getting back on track.  Yaaayyyy!

Yesterday's trip to York Harbor beach resulted in two more plein air (on location, painted outdoors) paintings.  One still needs some tweaking (though it could hang as-is and I'm considering it complete right now) , but the little one (5" x 7") that I did as a warm-up is sweet and already in a frame.

(I will get some photos online, soon.  Right now, production is my first priority.  Besides, it's too overcast to take photos this morning.)

It also turns out that the bank -- where my paintings will hang for two months -- revised the numbers.  They need only nine paintings.  (A couple of my canvases are huge.)

As of this morning, I have eight paintings completed.  They're a good mix, mostly featuring local scenes that should appeal to locals and tourists alike.  (The bank is in the middle of York Harbor and gets a lot of tourist traffic.  In the past, I've sold there successfully.)

Even better, I don't need to hang the art until July 2nd.  I was thinking that I had to hang them the weekend before the 1st, and it's the first Wednesday, instead.   That gives me an extra four days to work.

So, I only need to complete one more painting in the next week and a half.  That takes the pressure off me, big time.

And, in other, random good news: Fiona will be co-hosting Ghost Chronicles International again next Tuesday afternoon.  I've almost finished the new edition of my WordPress book; it'll be nearly double the size of the previous one.  HT is working on a couple of how-to ebooks, too.  And, I figured my weekly numbers this morning, and my income is up this week. 

Life is very good!