The Athleticism of Flipping

I received a notice from HubPages that I have reached a milestone on their site with my first anniversary there. They reminded me that the first anniversary is known, in the U.S. anyway, as the Paper Anniversary. They suggested that to celebrate this paper anniversary, I get myself something with that motif, such as a book I have been wanting to read, for example. Not a bad idea, that.

But I am expanding in electronic areas right now, and paper is less of a factor for me at this phase of my life, than it has ever been before.

So much for a paper present to self. What I really want is something that only I can actually give myself. It is the volume of individual articles I need to write to launch five new websites. That's my ideal gift-to-self. That's really what I need most right now.

My first anniversary on HubPages is not much to celebrate, since I have published very little there. But with my one-year-off Paper Anniversary of being a website flipper, I should be able to celebrate with any paper I might want. In fact, that green paper that flipping is supposed to generate for me is going to be the first reason to celebrate anniversaries in quite some time, for me.

I launched on HubPages a year ago thinking it would be a necessary step in establishing the Internet presence required to publicize and promote my book on the life of David Cooper. But with the stalling of that major project for lack of investment capital, I have very little to show for my first year on HubPages. Now, with the prospect of url flipping actually generating the income I will need to fully promote the book, as well as that needed to flush out some far more diligent paid researchers in a few geographic areas, I could be looking at quite a celebration of my site-flipping paper anniversary.

So here's to the hoped-for success of linking all of these components together in the coming year to really have something worthwhile to celebrate on my Cotton Anniversary with HubPages. I am hoisting a toast right now, to anniversaries, and to energetic and exuberant flipping. May the athletics begin.

Project Webski

The process I have dubbed "Project Webski" has begun. Its roots, at least as far as its name is concerned, goes back to my early cabinet building days, working for Robby Knight. I adopted a persona in those days, as a Russian immigrant, complete with a thick Russian accent, which I must say was fairly convincing and a lot of fun for both me and those who worked with me at the time. My persona, Danski, not only had a thick accent, but also twisted various word usages in ways common to those learning a second language, with comically misused metaphors and twisted mixtures of the two separate cultural traditions.

David Wilson and James Lowrance joked and carried on about poor Danski, the Russian immigrant, for hours and days of cabinet building, finishing, and installing. Danski's somewhat frequent retort was the copied line (from where, I can't even remember), to "Bite my tractor!"

Now Danski's conversion to American capitalism has been completed, as he marks off his territory and proceeds to determine if he has so much as a clueski as to how it works.

Danski's first steps have been taken, with the purchase of an initial handful of URLs with which to begin his business of building a Web empire. In thirty days we may be able to determine if his homework was solidly absorbed and he actually has a clueski. In 90 days we may be able to tell if it is going to build or flop completely. By six months we should be able to say, one way or the other, if Project Webski is a plan looking for a place to grow, or a place to die.

blogging and Slogging

Closing in on the launch of a website (or two), I am nervous about getting the darned thing right. Funny thing to be nervous about, I guess.

Most of the time when I think of blogging, it seems like a waste of otherwise valuable time. But seeing as how I have done so much with my time over the past 40 odd years, I suppose that's a pretty ridiculous appraisal of the situation.

Website ideas are plentiful, but then again, I've never had much of a shortage if ideas. Seems like the most obvious are the old car site, the health site, the political site (maybe), the UFO site, and the English language site at the top of the priorities list. We'll see.

Dismal month at WebAnswers, starting off even worse but gaining momentum late to save me from a complete disaster. After looking for all the world like I was closing in on a check every month, now it looks like it will be a battle to be sure to get one every other month. Crap.

I am reading the James Oliver Curwood novel, Kazan, to Phen, just as Dad used to do to Jeanne and me as kids. What a trip down memory lane to read that story again, this time from a completely different perspective, and sharing it in a way that might become memorable to someone now a few months shy of the ripe old age of five. "Life's a bitch and then you die," has been a frequent thought pattern for me lately, but Phen keeps me from just allowing the whole thing to fold in on itself.

I wish blogging felt better. Like it was actually accomplishing something, for instance.

Blog-a-thon loser

While I'm not going to be incontention to win any blog-a-thons, I still want to continue with this little project. It has hope, if nothing more. I certainly won't be getting blogged down under the weight of all my work here.

What is this manna stuff, anyway?

While I did not attend that prestigious seat of learning, Wassa Manna U. (I went to a lesser school), I still have the right to call 'em as I see 'em.

My use of the word, manna, is perhaps questionable, But the way I use it will probably be acceptable to even (especially) my harshest critics. Manna from heaven is the usual phrase. But my manna is the same kind as found in expressions like "manna-faced liar," and "manna for brains." It reverberates with the same resonance as "No manna, Sherlock!" and "Can't tell manna from Shinola."

Manna! I could go on like this for …well, a couple of minutes, max, but the point is, my manna don't stink (up the joint, it is hoped). And while we are hoping, we should all hope that the manna doesn't hit the fan, at least not while the darned thing is pointed in our direction. Those oscillating fans can be pretty tricky when you deal with as much manna as I dish out.

So, anyway, this is the place (for the moment) where you can check out my manna. How heaven ever got into the equation is a mystery to me, but I am on the lookout for the culprit responsible, whoever he is. Any association of my manna and heavenly distributions is purely coincidental, and I apologize for the inconvenient association. And the time has come for me to start distributing some manna, or get off the pot.

web monetization project begun

Well, it is underway. As of today, I have published my first posted "hub" on HubPages, at dannoman.hubpages.com. It is monetized for AdSense, and is supposed to be monetized for the Hubpages ad program as well. So, my first monetized step into the greater world of web wide, has been tentatively taken from the safety of WebAnswers, to the adventure of HubPages. Hmmm. I wonder how long it is going to take me to make this blog worth monetizing, too.

Pre-K Begins

This week, in retrospect, has been one of the more monumental in my grandson's young life, and an interesting one for my daughter and me as well.

While my son and his family had to endure a stretch with no air conditioning in a South Texas heat wave, my grandson, Phenton, completed his first week of school. Pre-K, that is. What a momentous time it is to be cut loose from that first apron string. It is one of the joys of life to be able to live these times through the eyes of someone so young, and remember what we can of the time when we were there, too.

Grandparenting gives a perspective that is one step further removed in a way, but one permutation closer in another. Sometimes a parent, particularly a young one, will miss some of the significance, and may be unable to see as completely through the eyes of a young child, as can a grandparent, whose life experience has taught a great deal more. This is a wonderful time for a grandparent.

On day one, Mommy and Papa had to accompany little Phen into the cafeteria, and stay for about a half hour. Day two saw Mommy back at work, with Papa doing the escort service, this time for a few minutes less. On Day four Phen, with all the rest of his classmates, too, was able to walk into the building in single file with none of us parental types tagging along. A big moment for all concerned, accompanied in those who stood and watched from behind, by a sigh representing something between relief and anxiety.

Mana Maker

Danno's Mana may not flow from heaven (who's to say?), but as long as it continues to flow I figure I've still got a shot at working things out. My son planted the seed. Now let's see if the darn thing grows.

Even though the soil is a bit overworked (who isn't these days?), it looks like this thing is trying to germinate. Grow, baby, grow!