Anthropods

Lately, I've really been trying to take notice of the simple, but beautiful things all around us. I've truly learned to appreciate the beauty in wildlife (even if it is just right outside of my office).

My office has a HUGE window with beautiful trees outside of it. I LOVE it! ...especially on sunny days. So, last week I noticed a HUGE spiderweb and a spider right outside of the window! It was the coolest thing! I had never really stopped to look at a spiderweb before. It's so amazing how they are made!

This is my desk & that is where Wilbur's web is located.

So, my coworker and I decided to name the spider Wilbur. He is SO cool looking and the web he made is so awesome. It stretches from one tree to another. It's about 5 feet long. Wilbur stays in the middle most of the time.

This is Wilbur.

On Friday, he had a fly and was wrapping it up with his web. After he wrapped it up, he just held onto it for awhile. I never saw what he ended up doing with it, but I'm sure he ate it.

So, the weekend came and went and we had some rain. When I came into my office on Monday morning, I noticed that Wilbur AND his web were GONE! I wasn't too sure what had happened to him, but I'm sure the rain and wind had something to do with it. It made me kind of sad. BUT, when I came into work on Tuesday... HE WAS BACK! ...with a new web and all! But it was raining like CRAZY on Tuesday so I was worried that he wouldn't make it through the day. ...and SURE enough - the crazy wind and rain washed him and most of his web away. It sounds stupid but it made me sad. In some way, I was rooting for Wilbur.

So... the next day when I came to work - HE WAS BACK (AGAIN)! and his web looked bigger & better than EVER! I swear, this has to be thee most resilient spider EVER! I admire that. Spider or not, it just makes me think about life... if you ever get knocked down, you gotta just brush yourself off and get back up.

THEN...today, I was sitting outside on my break (it's a BEAUTIFUL day out!) and I was just watching these ants go up and down a tree. It was amazing! They were carrying "food" of some sort up the tree. I noticed this one ant in particular. He was smaller than most of the other ants and he was carrying a really big piece! All these other ants kept going to him and trying to take it from him and he kept fighting them off!

He would just try to get around them every time! He was tough. Definitely a fighter. I admired that! So, as I sat there I noticed more and more ants trying to take his food. So, I stepped in (lol). I flicked 2 of the ants off so that he could continue on his path up the tree... and thats exactly what he did. So, I help the little guy get to the top.

Anyways... I've been enjoying my anthropods lately. Life lessons are all around. :)

TV/Movie Crushes

We all have our celebrity crushes. Here are my top 3 from TV/Movies:

Ben Covington - Felicity (Scott Speedman) 1998.

Jordan Catalano - My So-Called Life (Jared Leto) 1994.

Jake Ryan - Sixteen Candles (Michael Schoeffling) 1984.

Revenge

I've been thinking ...a lot. We all have flaws and I am constantly trying to work on mine & become a better person. One of the biggest problems I have is not being able to let things go.

When someone hurts me, I just can't let it go. If they were someone I honestly cared about and they hurt me... it is a HUGE deal to me because I don't have too many close friends. But, once someone hurts me, I will have to hurt them...some way, some how. I HATE that I am like that, but I can't help it! I once read that it has to do with me being a Capricorn.

EVERYTHING I have ever read about Capricorns... 100% pertains to me! For example:

You never want to cross a Capricorn! But, if you do...BEWARE. It may take twenty years, it may take thirty years, but paying you back will never be erased from their agenda. They don't believe life is fair and that you will get the punishment you so richly deserve. They believe the scales must be balanced. They're not prepared to leave it to karma.
Unlike Scorpio, Capricorns find it unnatural to go around plotting theatrical methods of revenge. It offends their sense of dignity. However, as Capricorns know, the world turns; and if an opportunity should present itself to get revenge--months, years, or even decades later... they will most certainly take that offer and even the score!

Sounds sick, but it really is true. I really want to learn to not hold on to the pain and that feeling of being SO hurt. I need to just let it go.. and if I can do that, then I'm sure I wouldn't feel the need to seek revenge if I could let it go.

Rest Peacefully Greg

I lost a really good friend in July. Totally devastated me. It was a thursday night...I had went to bed at like 9, 9:30 since I had work early in the morning. My phone rang at like 1:30AM and it was my friend Natalie. I was too tired to answer so I just let it ring. Then I thought about it for a sec. Why would Nat be calling me at 1:30AM on a thursday night??? So, I called her back ...my heart was already beating. ...and she answered the phone crying. My heart DROPPED to my stomach in anticipation of which of our friends names she was going to say. I just asked "who is it?" and she told me :'( I really hate those calls. I have had far too many of them.

I was pretty much in shock for like an hour. Then it hit me. I got up and just started BAWLING! I cried in my room, my bathroom, my living room, my kitchen... I just couldn't stop crying!

The last time I saw him was AT my apartment! He had taken care of me after a drunken night and tucked me into bed before leaving. ...even leaving me this for when I woke up:

Anyone that knows Greg, knows what a sweetheart he was. He was such an amazing artist and friend.

I am going to leave the rest of this post to pictures of Greg and I .

I love you G-Hop. Always.

September 2011

I have not posted anything in a REALLY long time! I really want to make a conscious effort to try to keep this thing updated.

Since I last posted, not TOO much has happened. I still live in the same place. I have been living there for 9 months now. I love it. I seriously look forward to going home to my little apartment every day! It's just so ...me. Yeah, it can get kinda lonely at times, but I have Howie (my stuffed animal). I know if sounds silly, but sleeping with him at night is really comforting!

I still work for Local Splash. I am now help out in recruiting, among other things. I kind of do it all. I recruit people, take care of the break room/vending machines, do graphics projects, admin work, client presentations, etc. It's pretty awesome. I'm so much happier in this position. Everyone on this side of the office is so down to earth and cool.

I'm also a lot more healthier since my transition to this side of the office. I don't leave work upset anymore, therefor I don't feel the need to drink as much. I've been working out a lot more and just feeling better overall.

I now have a great group of friends in my life and really couldn't be happier. I had a friend out here who I did a lot for. I was always there for her. Since she didn't have any family out here, I tried my best to make her feel like she did. I made her a video on her birthday of her family wishing her a happy birthday and even made her her favorite family dish for dinner on the night of her birthday. I always listened to her and was always there for her. Sometimes I think people take advantage of my kindness, which sucks. But, I am who I am. She was kinda snippy to people at work. Everyone would always ask me what her deal was an I ALWAYS always stood up for her. I just don't think she realized how she was coming off. SO... I told her one day "You know, you are kind of rude to me at work sometimes...I know you are under a lot of stress but you do it to other people too. They always ask me what the deal is." I wasn't saying it in a mean way. I just don't think she understood how she comes off to people. A lot of people think she is rude. But, she's not. So, after I told her that, she flipped out - saying I'm just sensitive, etc. She walked out of the restaurant and ended our friendship... just... like... that. I couldn't believe it. I was NOTHING but a good friend to her. I swear people never cease to amaze me! But hey... may the bridges you burn, light your way...

I also lost a really good friend...shortly after the fiasco above. I will talk about that in another post. He deserves his own entry.

I am really going to try to keep this updated. We are pretty much caught up from the last time I posted. Much love to you.

Hair

My hair is FINALLY getting long! YAY!!!

My life (in pictures)

My life as of late...

Album Nolan bought me. SO GOOD!

Hip Hop = my heart!

My desk. SWAMPED with work!

My AMAZING birthday gift from Jessica!

Moving...my shoes.

I think I was a rabbit in another life.

99% of my fridge is veggies.

Ladies, this soap is AMAZING!

Traffic. Everyday to & from work.

SPICY Ahi Tuna Salad!

The gym at my apartment! LOVE when no one is in there!

Mahi Mahi I made into tacos!

Local Splash Leverages YouTube's Success for Local Business Search Results

Orange County-Based Firm Capitalizes on YouTube's Visibility to Skyrocket SEO for Local Clients

SANTA ANA, CA--(Marketwire - 12/21/10) - Local search engine optimization (SEO) firm Local Splash announced its newest service today, submission of clients to the popular online video-sharing destination YouTube to enhance organic search results. The Santa Ana-based firm, which recently earned recognition from Inc. 500 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the nation, focuses on gaining clients top rankings in local organic search results via its full suite of unique SEO solutions.

"Submitting to YouTube is just one example of how we stay ahead of the curve in the evolving field of local SEO," says Local Splash CEO Steve Yeich. "Adding the third most popular website on the Internet to our list of destinations is an obvious win in enhancing our clients' online visibility."

Local Splash's local video ad experts merge business information into a short, keyword-enhanced video presentation for local business' websites and business profiles. Adding a video component to SEO campaigns quickly gets websites highly ranked organic listings, as YouTube and other video-sharing websites have become popular in search engine results. In addition to submitting the video ads to YouTube, Local Splash adds clients' commercials to Google Places for optimum SEO impact.

"Our new YouTube submission service will ensure our clients remain in top-ranking positions," says David Rodecker, Founder and CTO of Local Splash. "When potential customers search on Google, Yahoo! or Bing, the clients' video ads will get them indexed more quickly and magnify online presence, keeping them higher in the rankings and increasing their opportunities for new business."

To encourage utilization of this powerful new tool, Local Splash is offering clients a $99 set-up fee to create and submit a local video ad through the end of December. Aside from the video ad integration, Local Splash offers a full suite of services to place businesses in local search results, including maps, organic, mobile and pay-per-click results.

Local Splash is committed to venturing a step ahead of technology and marketing best practices, and it remains the premier provider of high rankings for local businesses in popular search engines. Leading the SEO industry with a legitimate guarantee, Local Splash promises clients not found on the first page of a major search engine in the first six weeks of a campaign the choice to suspend subsequent payment until Local Splash gets them there.

About Local Splash: Local Splash is part of Relevant Ads, Inc., and is headquartered in Santa Ana, California. Its proprietary technology and process secure high local search engine placement for local businesses and national chains with a local presence. To learn more about Local Splash and its local SEO services, visit www.localsplash.com.