Domestic Geek

I've been doing a lot of reading on search engine optimization (SEO) during this job-hunting period. Since it seems that a lot of companies are requiring SEO skills of anyone their hire to do any web work, I wanted to see if it was something I really wanted to learn. The truth is, SEO is an animal unto itself. It takes a lot of knowledge to get the search engines working for your business. It's not enough to get clicks to your site, you need to be able to reach the people that will actually buy and use your products or services. If these companies were smart, they'd obtain the services of a company that specializes in Search Engine Marketing.

Apogee Search is one of those companies. They have recently joined an organization named SEMPO whose goal is to educate and foster awareness of SEM and its role in marketing. SEMPO has the sponsorship of search engine giants Google and Yahoo. Anyone who has surfed the Internet recently is aware of many of the unsavory tactics going on to boost search engine rankings. Apogee hopes their involvement in SEMPO will promote fair and ethical practices in the SEM field:

Apogee Search is in full agreement with SEMPO's recent moves toward establishing standards of behavior that will hopefully aid in cleaning up the dirty underside of the Search Engine Optimization and Pay-Per-Click industry. Apogee Search CEO/President William Leake, a frequent international lecturer and guest speaker on topics such as "Avoiding Search Engine Marketing Malpractice" has long believed that SEMPO could play a more positive role in advancing the overall industry.

For something as important to a business as optimizing their sites for search engines, they really do need to leave it to the professionals. I'll keep the folks at Apogee Search in mind when I get my own online business going in the future.

I'm surfing around the blogosphere this morning before I move on to a craft project I want to work on. I have things I want to say and stupid blogger errors out every time I try to leave a comment. This SUCKS! You know I'm not going to go back later and try to comment again. The moment is lost.

I guess the Mercury Retrograde is in full effect now!

Over at Jesser.org yesterday, Jess posted about a place called Chedd's. They make gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. At the moment they only have locations in downtown Denver and over in Littleton. If I'm ever in those areas, I may check them out. I hope they put one closer to my side of town, though, because I'm intrigued. I love grilled cheese sandwiches. Mimi's made a pretty good one that I tried for that brief stint that I worked there, but it was on the expensive side.

I've been in a little bit of a funk this morning. Laura writing about our CollegeAmerica experience this morning in conjunction with just finding an old digital diary I kept at that time (things I couldn't/didn't want on my blog because it was too personal and friends and family read it) made me realize really how stagnant my life has been. That whole period of my life was six years ago and things are just as bad, in fact they are worse, than they were then. I knew then that I was in a bad rut. I kept telling myself what I needed to do to get out of it.

Why am I so afraid and resistant to the changes I need to make to really get what I want and be happy? I've written before about how I believe that your thoughts create your reality. I catch myself in the midst of negative thinking all the time. I wish I knew when I started doing that, but it needs to stop right now. I look at all the stuff I need to do around here and think, "I'll never get all of this finished." So, I never start and it never gets finished. I think, "Nobody is going to ever want to hire me again" and I create that. "I'll never have the money to do..." whatever it is and I don't have any money. I know thinking positively is a practiced skill. I have a lot of good in my life and the only thing stopping me from getting more good things is me.

I've decided to start another blog where I can start documenting the progress and changes I'm making. I will not allow woe there. I'll link to it when I get it up and running. I'm thinking of using wordpress so that I can become more familiar with that platform. I still have dreams of doing some kind of my own business. Making blogs pretty is fun. Once I find a day job, maybe I can do some freelance blog design as extra cash. I don't want to do it as my sole source of income.

As for good news, I have an interview on Monday at Marcus' place of employment for their prepress department. Although Marcus at one time said we could never work for the same company again, this could work. He wouldn't be my boss and my hours might possibly be different from his. I definitely wouldn't see much of him. So, send positive job-getting vibes my way, please. Thanks!

OK, I've got to go check the mail for my last unemployment check and go get some rabbit food. I'll be back later!

Wait...that's a little strong. I don't hate cats, I just really dislike them. What I hate? Irresponsible cat owners. I set a stinky trash bag out on the back porch. As soon as Marcus left for work, I went back to get dressed to take the garbage down to the dumpster. I open the back door and what do I find (not 15 minutes later)? The cats have torn the trash bag open and scattered the refuse everywhere! Coffee grinds, pumpkin guts, egg shells...Man, I was PISSED! If you're going to own a cat, keep it inside. I hate cats that roam. I hate finding shit in my bark, I hate cats clawing at my screen trying to get to my bird, I hate cats jumping on my car and setting off my alarm, I hate cats climbing the big tree next to us and running around on my roof. To make matters worse, a lot of the "pet" cats around here hook up with other pet cats, then we have tons of feral cats. If you're going to own a cat, get it fixed. Then the well-meaning lady across the street dumps food out in the middle of the street to feed the feral cats and it makes the problems even worse because all those darned cats hang around their food source. You can't call animal control because they won't do anything about it. I wish I had a high pressure water hose. I'd use it a lot during the day. Maybe a good strong dose of water every time they come near here would make them hang out elsewhere.