Desert Pond

Author: Erica

  • No Age Limit on Road Rage

    Toy Truck
    © Scott Rothstein | Dreamstime

    While attempting to enter a freeway from the service lane, a friend of mine experienced a most surprising incident of road rage.

    Only after he told me his story did I realize that I am probably guilty of gauging the possibility of irritating the drivers near me to the point of danger purely by age. The younger they are, the less likely I am to honk my horn or wave my hands in the air wildly as a sign that I think they just pulled a really, stupid move.

    Apparently, my thinking is a bit naive.

    The service lane my friend was on merges with the entrance ramp to the freeway. He made all the right moves to signal his intent to merge but could see a minivan coming up behind him. It was obvious the minivan had no intention of letting my friend merge – at least not easily. He kept the nose of his bumper just at the tail end of my friend’s car. (I won’t say where, exactly, this incident occurred but suffice it to say that drivers there are not known for passive and friendly driving.)

    In a split-second decision, my friend chose to merge anyway, stepping on the gas to gain that extra foot or so needed to clear the nose of the minivan. He must have misjudged because he ended up clipping the minivan’s front head-light.

    I can hear my friend now. “Crap.” (my parents read this blog)

    Not wanting to block the on ramp, he continued to enter the freeway and then pulled over on the shoulder expecting Minivan Man to pull up behind him.

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  • Robot Mop – My New Best Friend

    Robot Mop
    iRobot Roomba Floor Washer

    Meet my robot mop.  She’s short and round and cleans my floors for free – 24/7,  if asked.  She never complains, has completely freed my back from having to sweep, vacuum and mop large amounts of tile floor, and sits quietly in the corner when not in use.

    My parents have used an iRobot vacuum for over a year now and have raved about it since they brought “her” home.  She’s been dubbed “Bridget” by my niece and they love to watch her roam the floors sucking up any dirt she might find.

    So, while visiting my parents over the holidays, Dad and I got into a discussion about the one he has in his garage, too, to keep his workshop area clean.  This led to quite some time investigating the iRobot site and my “oohing” and “ahhing” over all of the cool products – especially the robot floor washer.

    You see, when you live in Arizona, tile floors are a pretty big deal.  They help keep your house cool and are easier to keep clean with all of the dust that floats through our air and, well, I think they’re just part of our normal desert decor.  They look really cool – until you have to clean them.  And, of course, I had to get a nice, light beige floor tile.  It can take me well over three hours a week just to do the tile floors, between sweeping or vacuuming and then mopping.

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  • Making Friends Online

    There’s a lot of value in writing online.   One of the best benefits, though?  Making friends online.  I have friends all over the world.  Amazing, since the only country I’ve ever been to outside the United States is Canada.  (In itself, that’s odd considering I live only a few short hours from Mexico…)

    If you’re trying to make your way as an internet marketer, it’s easy to come across people online who are going through the same things you are.  Reading, learning, creating, writing….struggling.  There’s a lot of research that goes into putting quality work online.  Then – you find one with whom you just click.  You think alike, share ideas, coach each other, pull each other, and push at each other to keep moving.

    Emails whiz across the ether, over oceans, across deserts from one end of the world to another.   Sometimes the emails are bits of info – a new idea, a new website, a new tool we can use in our work.  Sometimes, they’re just funny because we’re tired, can’t think straight or really need a break.

    My online IM partner is a man in Spain I have never met.  I know him only through his words.  I know he is funny, intelligent and creative.  I’ve often thought our emails back and forth would make a great blog all in their own.  There are lots of internet marketing lessons in those emails.  Life lessons, too- valuable, pull-yourself-apart, put-yourself-back-together lessons.

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  • Diaper Cake Ideas

    I have found some great diaper cake ideas, for boys and girls, and built a collection of them, along with photos, at a few new sites on the web. These are the cutest things and although I never had one at any of my baby showers, I can see why they make a great gift. My boys aren’t so old that I don’t remember how many diapers we seemed to go through in a day!

    If you’re looking for a great baby shower gift or want to make a diaper cake, these resources will help you out with pictures, instructions and more:

    Diaper Cake Ideas
    Best Diaper Cakes for Baby Showers
    How to Make a Diaper Cake Step by Step
    Baby Shower Centerpiece Ideas
    Diaper Cakes for Boys
    Diaper Cake Ideas (yes, I did it twice!)

    There are many ways to use a diaper cake either as a decoration for a baby shower or purely as a gift to an expectant mother. Some are simple but beautiful and decorated with bows in baby colors, dots, or stripes. Others are adorned with all kinds of baby gifts, toys and toiletries. Many are filled with baby lotions, powders and baby bath soap.

    You can also find diaper cakes in all kinds of themes – diaper cakes for boys, girls, multiples. Diaper cakes with monkeys, giraffes, cars, trains, flowers, princess themes. Even diaper cakes done up in the colors of your favorite college football team.

    They’re not difficult to make, in fact, they’re actually quite fun and the best part is picking all of the neat ways in which you can decorate a diaper cake.

    Enjoy!

  • Guys Are Visual and Why I Get That Now

    Part of an email to a friend last week:

    “I just realized something…and I don’t know why this didn’t sink in before but just as I was reading your question my son came to me with the traditional “Mom, can you come look at something?” and I’m thinking to myself, “Why must the kids always make me come look at something?”

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