Successful Blog

I Want to Make a Difference, Too

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How This Post Came To Be

A young man named Jesse asked to be a contributor, I read his post and I thought about it. It’s one young, newlywed blogger with cystic fibrosis talking about his life. The post he sent wasn’t the usual contributor post. It was more like a Sunday night Bloggy Question, except it wasn’t hypothetical.

We talked on the telephone about why he wrote it. Jesse said he hoped he might get feedback. He assured me that he was open to honest, even negative responses. He wants to know what people really think. I told him that he might not get any feedback at all. Jesse said he was ready for that too.

If he was brave enough to put himself forward like that, I am brave enough to support that. –Liz

I Want to Make a Difference, Too

Guest Writer: Jesse Petersen

I am at a point in my journey in life where things are finally settling down. Life is what the average American would call “good.” To me, though it is great. What is it that lead me to pen this article for this audience? It’s time to get to the meat and potatoes of my heart today:

I want to make a difference.

A major contributor to my state of mind is a general feeling of easy distraction/unhappiness. Mind you, I am a newlywed. I am VERY happy. Things have never, ever been this good. My health is increasing for the first time in my life, instead of the other way; I am secure; I have the support of my best friend when I come home every night; and things at work are going really good.

So why, the heck am I unhappy?! It is not even unhappiness. It is a distracted unfulfilled potential. I am not in the position I want because I have not jumped through the hoops yet. I don’t know, but my boss is trying to get me there.

I want to make a difference.

That sentence is a paragraph in and of itself, and deserving of a second appearance. It speaks volumes about a central yearning of the heart. Is it selfish to want to make a difference? I am not saying that I want to become rich, or famous, or busy. I am just a 28 year old guy with cystic fibrosis, a wife, a very nice apartment in a very nice development, with a wonderful family and a supportive chuch family who wants to make a difference.

Is it hopeless to think that I possess something that other people would want?

The world is full of success stories. Many of those stories belong to Liz’s readers, and I would venture a guess that quite a few people are reading this because they want to hear what successful people did to attain the status of “successful.”

What is my idea or what knowledge do I have or need to get in order to make a difference? Is there a roadmap to finding your influence, or does it smack you in the face one day? Is it just a Holy Grail, never to be found? When I find it, will it make a difference in me?

Jesse Petersen writes at Gitr’s WoW Blog

Thank you, Jesse, for saying that.
–ME “Liz” Strauss

About Spam in my Spam Filter

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Today It Was 309

Every morning as one of my start up routines I sift through my spam filter — to remove false positives. It’s bad enough that comments get caught there. I don’t want them to get eaten.

This spam cleaning ritual is extending my horizon.

I meeting some interesting people.

  • spammers with unusual names — Best regards
  • alien spammers with names I cannot pronounce — ixfwq.
  • lazy spammers whose sole message is one character — 2 or x, or /
  • efficient spammers who can pack what seems like 10,000 links into one message
  • spammers who try flattery “Thanks, guy, for a great site!” They tend to assume I’m a guy or amigo.
  • spammers who pretend to be looking for information
  • spammers who lie outright, “Great site. I’m bookmarking it right now!”
  • spammers who apologize “Sorry, but I need the money.”
  • shy spammers who only leave links without a message
  • celebrities who take to time spam me

I know where to go to find

  • hotel rooms available around the world
  • play poker
  • learn blackjack
  • win at slots
  • enjoy all of the amenities of a casino online
  • a range of pharmaceuticals
  • a variety of physical . . um, er . . . enhancements

In another life when I change my ringtone, I’ll have to try the one that sounds like a mosquito.

Spammers can teach how to get a mortgage loan, get the best shoes, finance my car, spruce up my blog, find quotes and other useful information. I can get enrolled for a college education, learn to garden, fix my home, and get household insurance. This past two weeks lead to a whole list of prom dresses and christmas list ideas. It’s a regular spam shopping mall behind my front page.

Then there’s the porn, oh my! Please someone write a plug in with parental controls for spam catchers. I’m not sure I’m old enough to read the titles in the name lines. I know I’m not ready for Granny’s sex life, but cartoon porn! C’mon I’m a visual thinker . . . I can do without images of Mickey and Minnie at 4:30a.m.!

I imagine great uses for this technology when I think as a mother. Clean out all of that ad spam and let me leave messages for my own and my kid’s spam dash board . . . mine would be filled with my calendar. His would be gentle reminders that said . . .

  • Sweeheart, clean your room.
  • Darling, don’t forget that spelling test.
  • Tuesday is take out the trash day. You’re so good at that!
  • Excuse me, the dishes are still waiting for you in the kitchen.
  • Remember, Mr. Streetwise, that gorgeous girl you’re talking to online (w00h00t!) — I know you showed me the photo –could really be a 65-year-old ugly, wrinkly online predator with one eye, a tattoo, and a taste for boys who don’t like to take out the trash or clean the kitchen.
  • Hey Guy, you have a dentist appointment on Wednesday.
  • Dad’s birthday is coming up. Have you decided yet what to get him?
  • Honey, change your underwear.
  • Ok, Mastermind, time for bed.

Now that’s spam that any mother could love.

Don’t get me wrong. I think spam is evil, but a nice girl can dream of a better day . . . can’t she? I’m still working on some sort of copywriting game using the spam ads as examples of bad advertising. If you have ideas email me. . . .

–ME “Liz” Strauss

The Mic Is On: Do you Remember the Time When. . .? What’s Your Favorite Family Story?

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It’s Like Open Mic Only Different

Here’s how it works.

open mike night

It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME
The rules are simple — be nice.

There are always first timers and new things to talk about. It’s sort of half “Cheers” part “Friends” and part video game. You don’t know how much fun it is until you try it.

What’s your favorite family story? You have several, don’t you? They are each as different as a snowflake.

We might also talk about

  • what happened this holiday season that will become a repeated story
  • our most embarrassing story
  • stories that make us roll on the floor laughing
  • how our memories differ from those of our family members

AND THE EVER POPULAR,
Basil the code-writing donkey, and Milton the Skinny Moose.

Snowflake

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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The Mic Is On: What’s Your Favorite Food?

Open Mic 7pm Chgo Time: We’re Talking Family Stories

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That’s Not How I Remember It . . .

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YES, the mic will be open again tonight. So start collecting your thoughts. Remember, you get to bring what you want to talk about.

The rules are simple — be nice.

There are always first timers and new things to talk about. It’s sort of half “Cheers” part “Friends” and part video game. You don’t know how much fun it is until you try it.

Tonight we’re reminiscing — talking about our favorite family stories.

We might also talk about

  • what happened this holiday season that will become a repeated story
  • our most embarrassing story
  • stories that make us roll on the floor laughing
  • how our memories differ from those of our family members

AND THE EVER POPULAR,
Basil the code-writing donkey, and Milton the Skinny Moose.

It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles
The Mic Is On: What’s Your Favorite Food?

NBC Don’t Change My New Year’s Eve Plans!!!

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Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should

Now, I’m no great football fan, but I know a thing or two about people and plans.

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The game between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers has been changed from Sunday afternoon to Sunday night.

This from the NBC Sports Website
The Chicago Bears will host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football on NBC, Dec. 31, in the final flex game for the 2006 season.

[ . . . ]

NBC’s coverage starts with Football Night in America at 7 p.m. ET. Kickoff is at 8:15.

During Week 17, the decision to move a game-time start can be cut to six days — the league has said the idea is to aim for a night game with playoff implications. Only games originally scheduled for Sunday afternoon are eligible for a swing to Sunday night.

Did no one care that Sunday night is NewYear’s Eve?

What about . . .

  • the folks with season tickets who have other plans?
  • the folks who’ve spent money on romantic evenings?
  • the woman I just heard crying on sports radio about her wedding that was planned for after the game with her family of football fans?
  • the guys who planned to propose in grand fashion that evening?
  • the people who wanted to watch the game that afternoon with their families?
  • the folks who had plans to attend and now can’t?

Who was NBC choosing for? In 1968, NBC chose to cut the Super Bowl to start a movie. That disaster is now called the Heidi Game.

I find this decision beyond “business amazing.” It’s stunning in it’s thoughtlessness. It asks the audience to change their life at NBC’s whim. The rules say that they can do this. Just because they can, doesn’t make it a good idea.

Please help me understand this. I’m truly baffled here.

–ME “Liz” Strauss