Do It Myself Blog – Glenda Watson Hyatt

My first video message to you, my readers and friends:

No matter how little was in the cupboard come this time of year, Mom always found four cans of soup or boxes of jello for us four to donate to food hampers at our respective schools.

In elementary school, taking something for the food hamper gave me a sense of pride and duty. I was doing my small part to help someone who had less than we did.

(Aside story: One year – I was in Grade 3 or 4 – a day or two before Christmas holidays, there was a heavy snow fall during the day. The short school buses were very late in picking up the special ed students. A few teachers, including Mom, stayed with the children at school, mere blocks from where I write this now. We sang Christmas carols and played games while the snow continued falling outside. With suppertime nearing and some children requiring their evening medication, the teachers were on the verge of dipping into the large food hamper to feed us when the buses arrived. Everyone made it safely home that night.)

The ritual of donating to the food hamper continued through high school with a lunchtime sock-up. Admission was one can of food.

In my adult years, living on my own, I continued the tradition. The one year that I did have a job, I arranged an office collection for the university’s student food bank.

I missed a few years for a variety of reasons; mainly because a drop box wasn’t located close by. Those years I felt like a piece of Christmas was missing. I hadn’t done my part.

Those missed years were redeemed this year. Wanting to do more than a can of soup or a package of jello, I initially thought of donating a few complete dinners to the Union Gospel Mission. Then a voice said feed 100 people. I put the challenge out on Twitter.

To all of you who bought copies of The Best of…The Left Thumb Blogger: Volume I and cups of coffee, thank you for giving me that piece of Christmas. Together, you have ensured 100 people in dire need will enjoy a warm Christmas dinner.

I am amazed and warmed by how my online community extended its arms to my local community. A very sincere thank you.

Perhaps this will become a new tradition? 

Sally had been dreading today’s meeting with her new client Mr. Poe for weeks. She was meeting him in his home. He was a recluse; a rich recluse. She couldn’t pinpoint it, but something about the address made her feel extremely uneasy.If she wanted this lucrative contract, then she had to meet him on his terms.

Sally arranged with her boyfriend, who would be writing in a nearby a cafe around the corner, to text message OK every fifteen minutes. If he didn’t receive a message, he’d come running.

Having been assured by Mr. Poe that his place was, indeed, accessible – his mother was in a wheelchair when she lived with him for a few years before passing away – Sally put final touches on her presentation and got ready to leave her home office. Of course, being the end of October, the weather was rainy and windy, which didn’t help to motivate Sally to head out to her van. The thought of being paid handsomely when the project was done was the only thing that pushed her out the front door.

She found a parking space right in front of Mr. Poe’s home. She wouldn’t get too soaked wheeling from her van to the home. Thank good for small mercies! Before exiting her van, she text message her boyfriend to let him she had made it that far and to begin the clock on the first fifteen minutes.

Wheeling up the decrepit wooden ramp, Sally hoped her front wheels didn’t find any holes that she missed seeing. Is the money really worth it, she wondered. Reaching the porch, the door automatically opened. Sally cautiously wheeled into the darkened foyer; her cell phone at the ready on her lap.

Out of nowhere a ghost-like aberration appeared at Sally’s eye level, scaring Sally right out of her skin. With her body trembling and her heart beating loudly in her throat, she wanted to run! Her hand was shaking too much to grab for her phone.

Welcome, we have been expecting you, the aberration voiced. There is no need to be frightened, my dear. Follow me. It then became a guiding light down an amazingly wide hallway.

Hesitantly Sally followed…

What happens next is up to you! Add to the story by leaving a comment below or by finishing the story on your blog.

Late breaking news!

TechCrunch has announced the upcoming launch of the Blogger & Podcaster Media Network, giving small-time bloggers and podcasters the opportunity to earn a big-time income!

The Blogger & Podcaster Media Network (BPMN) is organizing  thousands of small- and medium-sized bloggers into a single entity with critical mass and providing a uniquely powerful promotional solution to marketers. Putting power and money into the hands of the smaller blogger who comprise the blogosphere’s majority is the BPMN’s goal.

The BPMN aggregates blogs and podcasts into one directory, making it easy for the non-blogging-type to quickly find relevant content, and then sells space to advertisers. Unlike Google’s AdSense that does not publish what percentage of revenue they share, the BPMN projects to return 70% of net revenues back to its members. And no ads need appear on the blogs themselves!

The revenue sharing is in the form of an affiliate program. According to BPMN CEO Larry Genkin, "Beyond what they generate directly, members will also share in the revenue generated by bloggers and podcasters they’ve referred into the BPMN. On average, each member referred in to the BPMN will yield the referring member $500-$1,000 annually. With over 100 million bloggers worldwide and more than
170,000 being added daily, a six-figure income is truly within reach."

And, this is not an American-only opportunity. Bloggers worldwide have the same opportunity to earn a decent income from the BPMN’s affiliate program! Any active blogger or podcaster who creates content at least on a monthly basis and does not post spam, pornographic, distasteful or hateful material is eligible.

The only two obligations are that each member agrees to link to The Blogger & Podcaster Guide and the the first $5 of earned commissions each month will go to The Blogger & Podcaster Network to help offset operating costs. Other than that, there are no costs to join and no exclusivity or cancellation requirements. Members may join any other network that serves their needs and may cancel membership in the BPMN at any time.

Other benefits include:

• All members signing up by December 31, 2008 receive stock should the BPMN have a successful IPO or is acquired for large sum of money.
• Members will receive exclusive deals and promotions provided by BPMN partners. At launch this will include $2,000 in services from PR Newswire, a powerful promotional service.
• Members will have access to healthcare coverage, enabling them to focus on their blogs/podcasts full-time while still protecting their families. (The specifics are still being worked out.)

The Blogger & Podcaster Media Network is being rolled out in phases. The first phase is getting members quickly signed up en masse so advertisers look to the BPMN when deciding their 2009 budgets.

When does registration for the Blogger & Podcaster Network start? Today! You can register to join right now!

When registering, please kindly enter my name Glenda Watson Hyatt in the "Referred By" field. Then begin inviting your friends and colleagues to register. From my understanding, further details will be emailed to you when they become available.

This opportunity could put me well on my way to becoming the Six-Figure Left Thumb Blogger! Will you join me?

The dishwasher is on its final cycle before I need to stop it before the dry cycle. Why pay for hydro to dry the dishes? So, now is a good time to share what I am thankful for, before the turkey’s seretoin fully kicks in: 

• I am thankful for spending this afternoon with my Mom and my husband, and sharing a delicious turkey dinner with both of them. After being so far from Mom since I left for university on January 1, 1988, I am enjoying having her living a few miles away. Only time will tell how long she stay in Tswassessen. For now, I am cherishing the time we do spend together
• I am thankful for my wonderfully supportive husband Darrell. I have learned so much and have done so much since marrying him. I enjoy simply being around him.
• With so many people losing their homes, I am even more thankful for our beautiful home.
• I am thankful that our kitchen cupboards are filled. It may not be gourmet food, but we definitely will not go hungry.
• I am thankful for my health and for my body working as well as it does and that I am capable of doing so much. I’m particularly thankful for my amazing left thumb!
• And, I am especially thankful for all of you – my readers, friends and fans throughout the blogosphere and beyond. I truly appreciate your friendship, connection and support. Thank you.

I invite you to join in Canadian Thanksgiving by sharing, in a comment below, what your are most thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!