Old Fat Lady in Yellowstone

Rising into the clouds as we ascended the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, the cool of the air resonantly causes me to appreciate my aspirations. White mists kissing the mountainsides and sweet cool rain as we enter Cooke City Montana. I know this experience just by itself is a delight to Michael's florida eyes. We haven't made it into Yellowstone yet, but today, the mountain canyon aired wonder of Cooke City is enough for him.




In the morning, we wade through a stream of motorcycles (it's bike week in Sturgis)to gain entry to the park, and then a short drive to our first hike - Trout Lake. It's only a mile in, and yet with the altitude, old fat lady is at once having great difficulty acclimating to the altitude. I struggle & strain to get my fat blobbed body moving but with awe-inspiring reward.


Wildly enervated after the hike, we're all primed to kiss Yellowstone good morning with fervor, and head over to Tower Fall. Sparkling in morning sunlight and international viewers, Michael, Boo and I smiled, waved and then headed for points south - gotta set camp and do it quick! I theorized that it would be raining by 1pm and I wasn't off by much.

We ventured through Hayden Valley, perusing the herd of buffers (bison)and we were able to glom on to one of the last campsites at Lewis Lake before the afternoon rains set it. During our entire visit this seemed a steady weather pattern - beautiful mornings, then afternoon rains.



All at once, Michael became "camp handy", while I fixed a couple of chianti coolers, he wanted to cook, in a flash this handsome man became an expert in carrie's famous hearty chili and we gorged ourselves in wine spritzing chili camp bliss. No stars though, stars at night under the campfire never happened for us, even with the full moon looming, we had no starry nights.



I told Michael that 1872 Graffiti was the only reason that the Canyon was famous and lead him up to Artist Point for the spectacular view of the Lower Falls - I think it was the first "wow" we got out of him :) Boo and Michael took the trail to the brink o'da falls, this was something that Old Fat Lady clearly couldn't do, I hadn't been able to catch my breath yet, elevation 7700ft. Michael hated the sulphur caldron & the mudpots - too stinky, lol.



I suppose it was a bit selfish of me, but we spent most of the rest of our days feasting on Lake Yellowstone - with hikes around Storm Point, Elephant Back Trail, even a trip to the lake after sunset to catch the full moon rise - which was lost in cloud cover. But Yellowstone Lake is like the essence of who I am somehow, a high mountain sensitive water being - ever playful, ever changing. Not a person at all, and yet it personifies my gentle heart.


Old Faithful was our last full day of fun, Michael and I sat anticipating the Giant Spouting while Boo took a 7 mile hike to Mallard Lake. Having had enough of the "lame boiling water" as the boy in front of us had commented to his mom, Michael too opted for lunch rather than an extended Geyser walking tour. Boo cracked his ankle on his hike (he's better now) and then a torrential rainstorm sank Michael's tent, furthering our impetus to head homewards.

Overall, I'd say that Old Fat Lady had a great time with her pals, and yet, my sleeping difficulties, and the wholly excruciating fibromyalgia pains lead me to wonder if I'll ever wriggle & writhe inside a tent again.

Transformers Revenge Toys: Things to Know

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Toys have hit the streets and are the most popular toys so far among the summer blockbuster movies. There are so many toys to choose from, parents may become completely confused by the myriad choices. Here is a "Parent's Guide" and some insights to the toy classes or categories that should help.

Hasbro Toys is the originator of the Transformers toy series, that originally began in 1984 with a companion animated television show. Since that time the toys have become legendary and this summer's Revenge of the Fallen is no exception.

The Hasbro Transformers toy series are classified into several different scale categories. Here are some helpful designations:

Leader Class: Currently the largest Autobots (good guys) and Decepticons (bad guys) out there, when they're standing tall in their robot form, they'll be about 12" in height.

Voyager Class: Perhaps the most popular series in the toy line, because they're sturdier and large enough to be very playable. They're approximately 8" in height.

Deluxe Class: Kids love this class, probably because they match the size & scale of your kids other action figures like G.I. Joe, Star Wars and others, and they're very affordable. Approximately 6"

Legends Series: These are the littlest sized guys - 2-3" height - great for carrying in your pocket or for hiding that you're a kid in an adult package.

Other toy manufacturers have joined in the fray as well, creating "Robot Replicas" which are just the robot model and don't "transform" into their vehicle shapes. Fast Action Battlers are another variety, about 6" tall and they do transform. Yet another concept is the "Gravity Bots". These 4 to 5 inch robots look like they've been generated in a high gravity environment, making them short & stout as they transform into their vehicle shapes.

Those are the basics for most of the Transformers Revenge of the Fallen toys that are out there. Be sure to check them all out at:
http://www.squidoo.com/Transformers-revenge-toys

Wall-e Toys: Innovation Overflowing For Movie Release

The selection of Wall-e Movie Toys is truly extraordinary for the film's release on June 27, 2008. Disney and Pixar have teamed up with Thinkway in the development of several interactive and remote control toys that recreate all of the robotic fun for this wonderful family CG film.

Thinkway's U-Command WallE leads the robotic pack with Super Technology allowing over 1000 combined interactions of expressive motions, sounds and lights. Another innovative entry is the 4.5" Transforming Wall-E toy, which imitates several movie moments when timid WallE huddles into a retreating cube self.

Wall-E's romance in the movie is a sleek vegetation hunting Eve and her toys are also available in remote control, RC, and interactive units.

In addition to the typical movie release of action figures, birthday party supplies, this film's toys are something to behold. Your kids will be thrilled! Find them all at squidoo.com

Small Business Marketing That Makes Good Sense

Recently, I was wading through Google, looking for a coffee shop in my area that sold Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee beans. I had already ordered them online, and found that my shipment would take another two weeks to receive after a mix-up. My findings were astonishing - out of over 500 coffee shops and cafe's in Chicagoland, a very few had their own websites.

I located several "white pages" type directories, listing all of the coffee shops, their addresses, phone numbers, even local maps. But I needed to see their inventory, and find out if they were saavy enough to carry my precious island delight. But Where were their web pages? non-existent.

This finding has propelled me into a new business - Pizzaz Design. I've long made Squidoo web pages or lenses to market affiliate products for various companies with some marvelous success. Now my motivation has changed to connect the world of Small Business to the net, not only as a matter of personal convenience (gotta find my beans!), but also because it is truly time.

Because of my experience with Squidoo, I've developed an amazing set of graphic, html, SEO content and marketing skills which formulate the foundation of Pizzaz Design. Many small business owners struggle in our current economy and often find it difficult to purchase complete web site designs, which typically can cost between $500 and $1000. Pizzaz Design's can match the skills of full website designers with shorter publishing times and affordability that's in reach of any marketing budget.

Since squidoo's format includes pre-built sections or 'modules' for the addition of text, graphics, RSS, product and other out going links; they afford incredible flexibility and ease of web page development. Their free-flowing web page creation tools allow Pizzaz Design to create dynamic single small business Marketing Pages for just $75.00 as our introductory offer. Amazing, isn't it?

I'm excited about this new potential. I've even decided that a Pizzaz Web Page will be free for the first coffee shop that I can locate that actually has Jamaican Blue Mountain beans in stock. Visit us today: www.squidoo.com/business-sample PizzazDesign @att.net

UB Funkeys - Speed Racer Now In Stock!

UB Funkeys are the wildest rage in kids computer game toys. They're cute little characters that open a whole funkey world of fun on your PC! The Latest - The New Speed Racer Movie has a set of Funkeys all its own, with dedicated worlds within "Funkeytown" in which to play! Just released this week are: Speed Racer Trixie, Snake Oiler and Racer X, in addition to the Speed Racer Funkeys Starter Kit.

Due to their long anticipated release, these Funkeys are certain to be out of stock in no time - make sure to order today! Find All the Latest Funkeys Toys at http://www.squidoo.com/ub-funkeys .

Squidoo Marketing: From Google Page One Into Oblivion - Is it Hopeless?

The combination of two coinciding web happenings in March have been deadly for my affiliate marketing on Squidoo.com. I've lost thousands of page visits and resulting affiliate sales. Earlier this month, Squidoo.com revamped their format with a bright new design and the addition of dazzling Glam.com ads. I like the new ads - they add visual interest to the 'lenses' (A term used for Squidoo webpages, as they focus on a given topic). But it seems that Google's sensitivies may have been affected by this maneuver.

It also appears that at the same general time, Google revised their algorithm for page ranking. This may have been due to the recent changes in their Adsense fee structure, or complaints of SEO tactics out of hand. It also may have been a response to pressure from investors in order to increase revenues in light of the recent volatile stock prices. Whatever the reason, the affect to me has been the same - Most of my Squidoo pages have been set adrift in Net Oblivion.

OR, as I've been pondering my losses, Is There a Different Reason? Could it be that Google Love has been lost due to the premiere placement of Glam.com ads on most of Squidoo's 450,000+ lenspages? 450K pages where once Adsense ruled? The more I ponder this recent change, the more likely it seems. It appears where once Google favored Squidoo lenses and their topical diversity and depth, now, Squidoo lenspages flounder and compete along with the rest of the internet world.

What's odd about this, is that two of my lenspages - Enchanted Movie Dolls and Bee Movie Toys have remained somewhere within the first two pages of the Google Index. While my most popular UB Funkeys Toys lens has lost its first page index for its title/keyword search terms. There's simply no explanation for the variance.

Also, in the past, Google would give a favored index placement to Squidoo pages within a couple of days of publishing, again, that no longer seems the case. My newest "Hot Topics" lenses: Skelanimals, Indiana Jones 4 Crystal Skull Toys, Dash Express GPS, and Kung Fu Panda Toys are lanquishing on the net, with only a casual glance from Yahoo visitors. Other lenspage webmasters are complaining too, and still there seems no viable answer to this marketing conundrum.

I understand there's good reason to guard against spam within Squidoo and the net at large, or that SEO tactics can overwhelm Google's interest in providing the most relevant websites to searches, but there has to be a balance.

Squidoo's webmasters provide a valuable web service - creating thousands of 'At A Glance' lenses with useful and highly relevant content on nearly any topic one could name. Google's Adsense ads on nearly 500K Squidoo pages remain, although not as prominently as before - but it still should be worth something - don't you think?

View all my Squidoo lenspages at: http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/rockycha

Time to Get the Party In Motion!

Heads up! Just 10 days left until the big party night! In and amidst your Christmas happenings, we all have to start planning for New Year's Eve. My plans are always about Poker Night on this last of 365. But here are some suggestions for less subdued happenings:

My Best Advice: Head for someplace warmer - it's chilly frosty snowy in Chicagoland.... I'm thinkin Orlando or Miami is the place to be. Las Vegas is another idea for partyin' in high style.

Barring any funds for travel, check out Hoosier Beer Geek For a Huge Party in Indianapolis.

Thinkin about hosting your own bash? Here is the best advice to get you started: New Year's Eve Party Supply Headquarters
That's the site that has decorations, dishes & flatware, games, books, even appetizers to make your big bash a big smash!