Remember the days of no Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Google +, etc?

I remember the first time I heard about Twitter. My wonderful cousin Serenity *ahem* http://serenitybohon.com/ asked me if I knew about it. I said, what is Twitter?

A few years later I'm 10,040 tweets in, following 811 people, with 738 followers of my own, and listed 56 times. Oh internet, I really do like you most of the time.

I didn't have a goal in mind, and still don't mind you, that first day I created my profile. I can't remember now what my first tweet was. But I am sure there is some nifty tool out there that could tell me what I tweeted the first time. I do remember having no idea what I was doing. But it didn't take long to get the hang of it. I'm known to say that Twitter is my news source, and I'm serious. It really is. I learn what's happening in the world, very quickly with Twitter.

It took me a while, but I learned that connecting with people and sharing ideas, thoughts, funny stories, or even simple mundane details of my day, was a very cool thing. I didn't ask anyone to follow me. I think if the goal is to have many followers, the idea is to build relationships.
I just engaged with who I was interested in connecting with. I did apply what I consider important Twitter etiquette, the courteous "Follow Back" when someone began following me. It's very easy to decide later on, that the person or business is not for me, and simply click "UnFolllow". It's not personal. It's okay to unfollow someone. If someone "retweets" something that I have shared, a thank you is definitely in order.
 
I've met some really cool people in person that I would have never met if it hadn't been for Twitter. While I think people should be careful when meeting someone they haven't met before but have connected with online, if the setting is right, it's definitely a great thing. A group of people meeting, especially when a few of them already know each other, is okay. I also think that if the person has honest tweets, being true to themselves and what they believe in, when you meet them in real life, it just gets better.

I also think it's a really cool reminder, as I have a short conversation with someone in London, that we are all connected.

Remember the days of  no Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Google +, etc?

Yeah I don't either. We've come a long way baby!

See you soon friend,
Tiffany

PS @apiphany tweets often, if she's not too busy. Sometimes she takes a break too. Give Twitter a Go, I think you might like it!

Overheard at the Social Media Club

A few close friends and I decided to get together and have a social media club session, primarily for helping one of our own get her blog the way she wanted it as far as layout, rss feeds, etc.

When my friends get together you can count on these things to be so:
1. enough food to feed a small country

2. enough wine/beer for that small country to partake after they eat, or during

3. Cheese in gargantuan proportions, and many kinds

4. hilarity to the point of my stomach hurting from laughing so hard, yet all the while knowing that if I tried to explain to someone that wasn't there, it would end up being a "you had to be there" story.

5. love and support

The love is ever present, we support each others goals and dreams, no matter what.

As I found myself laughing as usual over the various discussions going on around me, I started taking notes. I mean we were all sitting around laptops at the table anyway, it's not like I wasn't paying attention to my friends. I was just, ahem, blogging.

And now for the notes.

Overheard at the Social Media Club........

Have you ever seen Yen Kitty? It's the cutest thing ever.
This is a little kitty that has a rainbow coming out of his nether regions that really, to summarize it in a nutshell, is just plain cute. I had never seen him before

So what do you guys think about Google + ?
There was a huge hear-hear! in reply to this one


http://www.botw.org/ <-------go here, The Best of the Web
Very cool, didn't know it existed

Search Submit Blog to Google, you can add your URL to google, may take a few weeks to show up in searches......
I didn't know this either, but here's the link if you're interested: http://www.google.com/addurl/?continue=%2Faddurl

Can you show me how to add the Like button for facebook to my blog?
There was some intense discussion and hand motions during this one, I promptly stayed as quiet as possible in order to allow them to concentrate.
Answer: It has to be generated from Facebook. Go to developers.facebook.com , Port Concepts, Social Plug-Ins, Like Button , and then just use the Standard Layout site for now.

As my peeps were "working" I was casually walking around taking pictures of various items, as is customary.
"What are we supposed to do?"
"Don't look at me, I'm not here, I don't have a camera, just carry on"
"I feel watched"
"Just pretend like I'm not here"

Did you try the cheese?
I tried the cheese. That cheese is the best thing I've had in my mouth in years. (quoting exactly folks)

But did you try the BACON?
I tried the bacon, and may need 911 later. Oh.My.God.

'Oh sh** I can get me a twenty dollar mani-pedi!' (my friend that uttered the phrase is funny anyway, but when this exclamation comes from him, I die) He's pretty much our go-to guy for anything internet, all things web, and new and upcoming gadgets. I'm pretty sure he can build a planet, given the right tools.

So where do you go to buy domains?
GoDaddy.com

"Do you use that one I got you?" "um, what is it again?" "Because I pointed it to your blog for you" "tiffanydavis.net"
Um that's not right, this is some kind of Hollywood thing. Which could be me, but it's not, just sayin.

**please note, it's not tiffanydavis.net. I haven't received word back on what it actually is. Stay tuned for further developments.

I like your shirt, where did you get it?
uh...the internet. I think it's theshirtguys.com or something. I'll look it up. Wait, I don't think that's it. Checking.....wearscience.com/design/robot ....yeah that's it.

I read my friends blog post about going to the Farmers Market where she then shared that she got some fabulous fresh basil, one of my favorite smells.

Meanwhile, Daybreakers is playing in the background for those that are not participating in the social media discussions, loud enough for France and surrounding countries to hear. *sharing is caring

I believe this is the same bottle of wine I brought back from Paris, I said, to no one in particular, as I was musing to myself in the kitchen.

"I don't have a business card, so yeah you know those PR cards, I want to get one of those with all of my info, and then have it tattoed on my wrist so they can scan it with their phone"
What?
(he's dead serious too)

"OMG I want a baby panda!" (as they look at my Friday facebook post)

So are we all in Google + ? Cuz we're gettin ready to Hang OUT ya'll!
There's a nifty little video chat option in Google + called "Hanging Out", try it. It's fun!

"So read my blog post so far".....Title: "10 Social Distortions Cause by the Consumption of Cheese"

Annnnnd the previously mentioned movie playing in the background can now be heard by small third world countries. *note to self, bring earplugs at the next gathering*

Hey does anyone want to do Community Theatre with me?
"no. I love you. but. no"

"I don't feel comfortable smiling, if I'm not actually smiling about something"

Hey can you set up my RSS feed on my blog?
Can I sit? (removal of the enduser and doing it yourself is often warranted)

random: "I'll eat coconut meat, but I don't like Coconut shavings on things"

You know really, friend, there is no way to capture everything being said at one of these gatherings. This is just a little peek into my world, it can get crazy in there, but oh man do I love these people.

See you soon friend,
Tiffany

PS For some tasty breakfast ideas, visit my friends new blog here http://wildjennostyle.blogspot.com/ she's just starting to do what she's always wanted to do, share the recipe, the food, and her life. I say YAY to that!

Your blog is your signature

"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a  typewriter and bleed" -- Ernest Hemingway

I know that sounds a little maudlin, but it's from Hemingway, we fully support just about any quote from him, yes?

In my friend circle there has been some discussion of late on what a good blog post is, and what creates enough "want" in the reader to not only click the posted link, but to actually read the post until the last written line. This lead to some interesting discussion about the blogging world, amongst some of my favorite people.

To quote Brian, a best friend for so long I've lost count:
"Honest writing is not necessarily about truth. Honest writing is about making the reader believe that where you are taking them is worth it."

I dig that, and I sign off on the concept one-hundred percent.

I've often told my friend, "Share you. Share yourself and your own story, at times. Your fans love it when you do that, and I believe your stats can back up what I'm saying. This, in no way, means that any story you write, is not meaningful or interesting. But when you peel back the layers, and roll up your sleeves, and type out "I'm here and this is me", they're going to click that 'like' button like there's a monetary gift given for it"

To paraphrase a recent post from my friend who obviously is listening;
"my muse, Tiffany, always trying to keep me on my literary path, and reminding me that some of the blog followers actually enjoy it when I’m totally real, talking about just me and what I think"

Yes, my friend, that's what I said and am still saying.

My blog, is an online journal of sorts. I read posts that go back a year or so just to see what I was thinking at the time. I don't share often, in social media. Usually when I do, it's because someone has nudged me to do so. I love it when people take the time to read, and comment. It's much appreciated. But I don't have a goal in mind, I'm just babbling away, as is customary.

But for my friends that DO have a goal in mind, their recipe blog having several times-ten followers, or their story-esque style blog having the masses read, enjoy and click 'like' to let you know they've stopped by, the bottom line is this:

Get real. Tell us your thoughts. Show us how to make pulled-pork tacos with ranchero sauce. And do this using the best, imaginative words you can muster. Take us to the country you visited outside of these United States, and let us smell the delicious smells, and taste the french wine, and look directly at the pink skies of Paris, France. We should CRAVE pork tacos after you post. And we should be googling flights to Europe after you discuss the narrow streets of Paris and the wonderment of using the Metro to get around without having to driving ourselves.

Another good friend, Daniel, who I am pretty sure hung the moon and made it sparkle, wrote:

I think that most people just want one of four things when they read:

1) to laugh. They don't want character development. They don't want understanding. They just want something quick and funny. If you can make it funny AND lewd, then you're really on to something. *I laughed at lewd, you should meet D sometime, he's awesome in the truest sense of the word.

2) to have someone to cry with. We all feel sadness, regret, upset, and anger from time to time. We often want to know that someone feels just like we do. So we can relate. So we can feel not so alone.

3) to smile. They want to feel good. About themselves. About the world around them. About mankind. About everything.

4) information. If what you're writing doesn't fit into one of those three categories, then it's purely informational. As information, people just want it. They don't want background or follow up. They just want the answer. Don't give me the history of the Computer Virus, just tell me how to get this thing off my computer.


Amen bro.

So I'll end with this. Your blog is your signature. If I click the link, it should give me an idea of who you are, and what you want, like, and dislike.

And if you post baby pandas playing in the snow? I may advise you that you're the best thing since sliced bread was invented. I'm just sayin.

You see?



That's all for now my friend,
See you soon!
Tiffany

PS Breakfast brisket tacos will seriously make you re-think everything you've ever eaten up until now. I think they are a religious experience, judging from the "Oh My GOD" responses I've heard muttered while my friends are tasting for the first time. Get one as soon as you can. Or stop by......I'll make you a believer.

I dreamed a better version of myself

I dreamed a better version of myself.

Today, I remembered the dream.

Tomorrow, I begin the revision to todays rough draft.

The day after tomorrow, I will revise again.

An eraser will not be used, but a red pen, gently slashing through what I was, so that I can see.

The day after that, begins the new revision of the day before.

I don't know when the final copy will be published. It is in the writing, and revising, that I live.

I'll make notes on the side of each paragraph, reminding me that things could be added, here and there.

But no erasing.

I dreamed a better version of myself.

Tiffany

I share a birthday with Vincent Van Gogh, who once said:

"I dream my paintings, then I paint my dreams"

That's what I'm doing my friend.

Lunch Can Be Awesome Too

I don't consider myself a "foodie" but I love reading about new recipes. I don't watch cooking shows that much at all, unless I'm in some sort of waiting room, then I can become entranced by them. Very little time for TV in the summer, there's too much to do!

I love to cook though. I always have. In trying to remember when this started, I'm thinking it was my Grandma. She used to say things like, "oh just a pinch", or just add a dash of that. I don't think any of us can make cornbread the way she did for my Grandpa almost every day. She never wrote down what she did unfortunately. I think we do have quite a few recipes that she had, but the magic cornbread wasn't one of them.

I wrote about my biological Fathers love for cooking and the lengths he would go to, to find that one necessary, hard-to-find ingredient here http://tinyurl.com/2cfveph . I've been told that I am like him in a few ways, this is definitely one of them.

I recently learned that Spanish Saffron is a very expensive little item! But as I stood there staring at the bottle (that head 4 tiny packages of saffron threads mind you) with the $19 price tag, I thought, but I can't substitute, I want to make this the correct way or what's the point? Needless to say, I bought it, and the recipe turned out beautifully. That recipe, vegetable paella, can be found here http://tinyurl.com/62z62ng . I've made it twice, and have adopted it as one of my favorite meals.

Since I am about to embark on a different nutritional journey with Dr.Fuhrmans "Eat To Live" very soon, I am using the ingredients I have in my refrigerator now to finish them out. A lot of what I have is fine even for the Eat To Live concept, but cheese (or any kind of dairy) is not included so today, I ate cheese. I LOVE cheese. I didn't eat much, but I think I made the prettiest salad ever.

And it was delicious!

The Salad:

Tore Romaine lettuce leaves, added fresh spinach leaves, placed in large bowl. Sprinkled strawberries, raspberries and blackberries in. Chopped red onion, sliced mushrooms, shelled sunflower seeds, and shredded Reggiano cheese. The dressing was the juice of one medium size lemon, 1/4 c. grape seed oil, a teaspoon of thyme, and a dash of cracked black pepper. (Olive Oil would be fine too)

The favorite part in the picture is the empty chair, that's where one invites a friend to enjoy lunch with them. Breakfast at Tiffany's is way cool.

But lunch can be awesome too.

See you soon friend,
Tiffany

In Review: The Travelers Gift

As I begin to type this out, not even sure if I'm going to post it, I'm already in such a huge state of awe that I can't imagine doing this book justice. I've mentioned before, that I don't blog a review of a book or movie, giving exact details of what happens from beginning to end, leaving the reader with the advantage of not having to read the book or see the movie at all because I've shared the entire story with them on the page.

I'm mostly thinking of these ramblings I do as "notes to myself" ....or something like that. A virtual diary? I think that's it. But I love that you stop by and read my musings.
If you haven't guessed by now that I've added Andy Andrews to my top ten favorite author list, make that top five actually, this post should clear that up once and for all.
I read The Noticer, and said, he can't top that. I read The Butterfly Effect, and said, that little book is going on the coffee table, where it will remain forevermore.

And now I've read The Travelers Gift. I've never read a book where I was left with; I will carry this book with me wherever I go, from this day forward. It fits nicely in my purse, and it's not that heavy being a paperback. You think I'm kidding?

David Ponder reaches the lowest point of his life within a few pages of the beginning of this story. Or so he thinks. I bonded with him immediately out of just simple human compassion. Thinking out loud a few times, "dude that just sucks". (chuckle) When it rains it pours, and all that jazz, you know? He can't seem to win. But oh that lucky, lucky man. He's the Traveler, and his gift comes in the form of a visit to seven, very influential people, throughout our history. At the end of his short visit with each of them, he's given a gift. A piece of paper, with one of seven keys to success written on it.

With Andy Andrews extremely witty style of writing, it's not as if David mysteriously appears in a flash of light, says "wazzup" to the person he's visiting, and asks them to toss him the paper so he can sprint away with it clutched in his hand. That's way too mundane, and simple. But I want you to read it. So that's all I will say here.

A few things I've learned now that the last page has been turned, and I've stared at the back cover for a while. I've never thought that I had a little Anne Frank in me, but I do, and have had, for a long time. This will be the one person that I reveal that David has the great fortune to visit.

Anne shares this during their visit:

"They call me PollyAnna. They say that I live in a dream world, that I do not face reality. This is not true. I know that the war is horrible. I understand that we are in terrible danger here. I do not deny the reality of our situation. I deny the finality of it. This, too, shall pass" ....."but most of all, both of us must remember that life itself is a privilege, but to live life to it's fullest--well that is a choice!"

I don't know if anyone has ever called me PollyAnna per se. But I've been accused of this way of thinking many times. "How can you still smile after that happened to you?" or, "How can you be so forgiving, so happy all of the time?" Just a few examples....you get the idea.

My answer has always been this: Because I choose to smile, and I choose to forgive, and I choose to be happy. I don't wake up every single day singing like Snow White and leaping around my house like a deer in the meadow, let's keep it real people. HA! But even when I know my enthusiasm annoys at times, I don't change a single thing. You know what usually happens, if the stars are aligned? I bring that friend out of their funk, or bad mood. I don't push, I pull. Very, gently. Sometimes I need to be pulled. And sometimes I won't allow it. I want to be in a mood for a little bit. See? I'm human, and not always cheerful. It's just that those moments are so few and far between that I almost don't recognize them, or myself, when I'm in the middle of one.

Oh you have no idea how I want to just SPILL this entire story right now, it's an amazing one.

Tomorrow morning when I get up, I'm going to yell "CHARGE!!!!!!"

And you won't know what that means until.....you read the book.

I love enticing you to walk towards my latest favorite read. I hope I've said enough here to do just that.

See you soon friend,
Tiffany

PS If you were able to visit someone as David is able to, with Time Travel, who would you choose? I've been asking myself  this question since I turned the last page. Alexander Graham Bell maybe. Well, I'm in telecommunications after all.

I like being who I am today

I feel refocused, rehydrated, rejuvenated. That's quite a few "re's" eh? I always feel this way after I get back to Dallas from a visit home, to see my family. I did the smart thing this time, of driving home on a Friday rather than the Sunday before I go back to work. A good two days of pulling everything back together before Monday wakes me up with, "time to be the adult and do the adult things again" is a must.
I always reflect on the trip when I leave, usually beginning on the drive home, and actually for a few days after I get here.
A few mishaps along the way this time, but of course, I didn't let them bother me. Have we met? You know I don't do negativity. My phone met its untimely death as I pulled into my Dads driveway. Au revoir Mytouch 3G slide, I tried to have a relationship with you, even replaced you twice, but we just weren't meant to me. Do you know how much it can drive one crazy to hear text messages coming into one's phone and you can't see them?
Ah well. C'est la vie. Hello Samsung Galaxy, you are so handsome. I like you. Now if I can just get used to that touchscreen.....
The day before I left I was involved in a minor car accident. That's always fun, yes? *shaking my head no*. Here's the good news:
I have insurance, she had insurance. No one was hurt, and both cars had minimal damage. Nothing shattered, no lights broken, nothing rubbing against tires, or rims, etc. Just a slightly bent front part of the hood, with a slight dent. Oh and kudos to the Kirksville MO police, they were timely and very helpful.
After speaking with my insurance agent, I s l o w l y pulled away to drive back to my moms house. I thought, well that's what I get for rising before anyone else to go get coffee and drive the town of my early childhood without taking anyone with me. I just like doing that so much. Quiet time, music playing, as I drive down the street where I used to run to catch the bus for school. Every time I do this I'm reminded how small the street looks to me now, when, back then, it seemed huge. My sisters and I refer to this house just by the number, 814. Many great memories here, and even the house itself looks a little smaller to me now. We used to get ready in the mornings for school, knowing that when we heard Paul Harvey come on the radio, it was time to go. "Good Morning Americans, it's Friiiiiiday!" He said that every Friday morning. I loved listening to him. My Grandpa did too, I think of him every time Paul Harvey is mentioned.
So Sunday arrived and has almost left in a vapor, I have no idea where today went.

But, I have the memories of the trip home, and my folded laundry to smile about as I go to sleep. Don't laugh, laundry being done is monumental in my world.

I learned one thing, that I think I've actually known all along, but it seems so clear now, on my trip. I like being who I am, today. The adult I've grown to become, with a little of the child mixed in, that I used to be. If you're struggling with who you are, or your direction in life, remember this: Embrace yourself. You become the better version of you,  every single day.

Oh and Monday? I'm ready, bring it on.

See you soon friend,
Tiffany

PS My mom showed me a book that she's been reading, and following mind you, for the last two months. She looks fabulous, so I've added this, http://www.drfuhrman.com/weightloss/about.aspx , to my list. Why NOT Eat To Live, it's all about nutrition. So for breakfast, Oatmeal it is!