The Life of Baron

ChaCha

2011-02-17T16:09:00.002-05:00

I had a question from Zach over at http://ducks2nucks.blogspot.com/ and http://evanztories.blogspot.com/ about how to get a job with ChaCha. (For those of you who don't know, ChaCha is a service which you can text questions to, and they will answer them for free. Text: 242-242)

The process is simple, really, just go over to http://becomeaguide.chacha.com/, fill out some info, take a test (or two? Sorry, it's been awhile) and they'll send you some email, and if you do well enough on the tests, then you can become a guide. I'm just an expeditor (unfortunately, since Expeditors get paid pretty poorly; only 2 cents per question answered) but there are other positions like Generalists and Specialists, who each answer questions that require more research and get paid 10 cents per query.

Anyways, I haven't really done a lot with it lately since I've been focusing more on blogging, but it has potential to make money, especially if you're just sitting around the house and you want to spend that time learning trivia while making a little change. I will note though that I've done the math, and if you want to make 6 dollars an hour, you have to answer a question every 12 seconds; once every 8 seconds for 9 dollars (USD). So yeah, this could be really profitable if you can think quickly, but not so much if you aren't answering questions quickly (which is really bull, because 4 out of 5 times I text in, I get some bogus answer because the expeditor didn't take time to actually think about my question). *All these calculations are based off of being an Expeditor; I was not fortunate enough to make position of Generalist or Specialist*

Sorry about not being on a lot lately; I rarely have time any more... My schedule is pretty crazy. And it doesn't help that a certain imbecile who probably has sex with farm animals in his spare time and enjoys lying has been harassing me lately. But anyways, thanks for everyone's continued support!

Oh and while we're on the topic of making money, Here's my FreebieJeebies link! See this previous post if you want more information. Remember, credit for referrals aren't given unless you do one of the offers! (And it's really worth your time to do so; if you can get other people who follow your blog to do the same, then you could get some pretty sweet swag for little cost)

I'm Back!

2011-02-13T14:41:00.000-05:00

Well this has been quite a hectic week, but now that play's over with, and it's looking like I'll actually have some free time again! Anyways, they have this contest coming up where you get to direct your own play, and I think I'd really love to do that... Just not sure what the hell to write about. Of course, it would have to be funny as hell since everyone I know would be watching it.

Did I mention Steve Martin wrote it?

On a side note, man I really need better ways of making money. ChaCha doesn't pay out that much, and I'm currently trying to be a KGB agent. Any ideas? Though I guess I don't have it too bad, seeing how a good friend of mine doesn't have a place to say since her brother broke the roof, leaving asbestos all over. Hmm I hope she doesn't get mesothelioma... She'll probably need one of those aforementioned silly lawyers.

A Short Hiatus

2011-02-07T22:33:00.000-05:00

Hey guys,

I'm really sorry to all of my faithful followers, but I'm not going to have any time at all this week for blogging due to the theatre production that I'm in going on this weekend, plus my already hectic schedule.

I'll be sure to have Sunday and I'll be back and updating then.

Mac Problems

2011-02-06T01:29:00.000-05:00

So I'm thinking about upgrading my Mac's RAM, it's been running kind of slow lately. Earlier, it pretty much crashed, and I almost lost 3 pages of work on an essay I had been writing, but thankfully Word is pretty cool and saved me on that. But anyways, I've been feeling the creative juices lately, and I think it would be really awesome if I could actually create a sort of tablet or something, but unfortunately I have no knowledge of the hardware of computers. And although I might be able to implement some sort of operating system, that could take awhile; much longer than what I have time for. So for now, I'll just sit along the Seine and just sing, sing, sing...

Why do I get the feeling that one day this will be the face of some sort of robot plan to overthrow the human race? Ehh, probably just because I just watched I, Robot. *shuddah*

Well I'm off to get some sleep. But o hey, just so you guys know, I've had 2 people sign up for freebiejeebies, but it doesn't count for me unless you actually do one of the offers.

Once again, here's my freebiejeebies link

Picasso at the Lapin Agile

2011-02-04T20:31:00.001-05:00

Have any of you ever heard of this play? It's the play I'm currently involved in that we will be putting on in exactly one week. I'm feeling pretty tired though, and it's been a long day, so I think I'll just leave this post short.

It was written by Steve Martin, btdubs. Oh and I play Elvis in case anyone's curious.

Also, here's my freebiejeebies referral link.

[See previous post if you don't know what's up with that]

Poll Results #2/FreebieJeebies

2011-02-03T22:00:00.001-05:00

Thanks to all who voted on the current poll, here's the results: [I could've sworn I had more votes at one time, so I don't know, I think something went awry with the poll mechanism a bit ago..?]
Would you pick a free iPad or MacBook Air?
1. 64GB iPad - 11 votes - 50%
2. 11" 64GB MacBook Air - 11 votes - 50%

I did this in lieu of a site I found a little while ago: freebiejeebies. Now I did a good bit of research on it, and from everything I've seen, it's completely legit. It works like this: they give away flashy products in exchange for getting people to do (usually free, if not it's ~10 to 20 bucks) offers. Anyways, I'm trying to get a free Xbox 360 Elite for–what I'm hoping won't be too hard to get–10 referrals. I swear, in no way is this a scam, I'm just trying to bring in something to the blog community that we can use to benefit one another [I mean, this has huge potential if bloggers reblog about this].

Here's my freebiejeebies referral link

**do note that the referrer doesn't receive any credit unless

the person s/he refers completes one of the offers**

I think there was even a 12 month Xbox Live subscription card for only 2 referrals - very easy to achieve, and something I'm sure would benefit just about every one of you. There's plenty of other prizes that you could choose as well.

So please, I would appreciate it so much if you guys could show me a little support. It would only take a little bit of your time and it would just be awesome for me. Hell, you might even get something for free yourself.

Typing

2011-02-02T18:53:00.001-05:00

So I recently found out that I type at a speed of ~110 words per minute. What's up! So I thought I'd just type about a small observation that I observed in an observational manner some time ago: I only hit the space bar with my left thumb. It's really clear on my MacBook Pro because it's slightly more shiny when you look at it in the light than anywhere else on the bar. So is this just me or do others do this, too?

Man, my right thumb must feel unimportant...

I know, kinda lame post today. Not every post can be a gem though, eh? Anyways, I'm planning a little something something for you guys coming up soon, so make sure you don't take sandpaper to your unborn children just yet.

Edit: also, I think I'm going to add a list of great blogs in the sidebar; if you want to be put in, leave a comment and explain why you think you should be added.

I'm Back!!

2011-02-01T10:32:00.004-05:00

Awyeah, I finally got internet set up [after being on the phone for an hour with some indian dudes who are hard as f**k to understand], I got my new room set up, and most importantly, I have a sexy new desk. But anyways, sorry for my absence from blogging, these past few days have been hellish at best. I really do have to say though, DON'T EVER BUY A BELKIN ROUTER. In no way was my experience satisfying - from getting it out of the box, to calling customer support when their product wasn't working, it was all really an annoying experience.

Today, I thought I'd do some definitions. For those of you who don't know, blog used to be "web blog" which, over time, shortened to blog. Also, I found recently out what baron meant [call me an idiot, but I thought it was a pilot]. It really means "a member of the lowest grade of nobility." But I found another definition that I like a lot better, since I'm not at all wealthy/aristocratic. [Revised definition in title!] [Definitions from dictionary.reference.com]

Apparently this is what a baron looks like.

Well I got out of classes today thanks to [unapparent] inclement weather, so I'm off to catch up on coursework. Actually, I was going to take the day off anyways as I'm feeling a bit under the weather, so things worked out well for me today!

Moving Day

2011-01-28T22:59:00.000-05:00

Woo! Moving Day! I gots me a new apartment, what's up! I've been spending the whole day getting stuff from my last apartment to my new, bigger one, and in this I did a lot of driving back and forth. So today I thought I'd talk about driving, or rather the biggest things about it that annoy the hell out of me.

The number one thing that I hate most when I drive is when people tailgate me. You know, where they can't be bothered to wait twenty damned seconds longer to get to their destination, so they decide to ride 2 inches from my ass. It makes me nervous as hell, self-conscious, and ultimately it affects my driving. Hell, today I almost got into an accident because I was distracted by the self-righteous ass two inches behind me, and nearly failed to notice that the man in front of me had stopped.

I'm feeling tired from a long day of work, so I'm just going to stop at that pet peeve of driving, maybe more tomorrow... So what do you guys think about tailgating basterds? Any personal tips on dealing with the stress/how to deal with them in general?

HJGTJUUUEWSDFLKAFLDSA;

2011-01-27T23:36:00.001-05:00

Oh don't mind the title, it's just me banging my head against the keyboard... You know, cause I don't have any time. But that's okay, cause this is what I wanted, and should have expected with a full schedule replete with challenging courses. So I'm sorry, but today I won't be able to check out my fellow bloggers' blogs due to a lack of time. I thought I'd feature a couple of my favorite blogs (and most faithful followers) though, for your entertainment purposes:

A Beer for the Shower - definitely my favorite. These guys always have original, well-written thoughts and stories.

16 bit is not cool - another one of my favorites, this guy always has interesting, witty, well-written posts - usually about old school games.

I felt like this post needed a picture.

Feel free to leave your blog URL in the comment section; I'm always looking for great new blogs to follow!

Originality

2011-01-26T22:04:00.000-05:00

I don't know why people I know seem to think I'm so original... In all honesty, a good 75% of the things I say are unoriginal. I remember reading a quote some time ago about the secret to being original was hiding one's source (I'm wanting to say that was a past president, but I'm not entirely sure, and I can't find it again). Anyways, I'm not really quite so sure where I'm trying to go with this... But my lack of originality makes me feel downright shitty. I mean, there's billions of human beings - dead and alive. The things I've felt, the things I've thought have surely been thought ~~thousands~~ millions, maybe even billions of times before.

[insert unoriginal picture here]

[insert witty comment constructed of phrases i've previously heard here]

I just thought I'd rant a little today, seeing as how I don't have any ideas to blog about currently, and I didn't want to post someone else's greatness. So what are your thoughts on originality, etm.?

PSA: The Cloak

2011-01-25T23:23:00.001-05:00

Hey guys,

Sorry but again today's just another short post. Here's something to go along with American patriotism in lieu of tonight's State of the Union address: (and also one of my all time favourite youtube videos:)

MY CHALUPAS I DEFEND!!!

I'm going to have more time tomorrow night to catch up on other peoples' blogs etm., so feel free to leave a comment with your blog and I'll check it out!

Just a Quick Post Today...

2011-01-24T22:10:00.001-05:00

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the birthday wishes!! As to how it was, it was pretty great! I got to spend some time with my girl and go to a hibachi restaurant later on (for those of you who don't know, it's where they have Japanese chefs cooking the food right in front of you), but I guess all in all I didn't do anything too spectacular; I never seem to on my birthdays. Weird, I know, but I can't remember the last time I've had any sort of birthday party (if ever).

Anyways, I'm really busy, as I have 2 more challenging courses than I did last semester, so I've been really busy with that; on top of it, I'm moving this Friday, so I've been having fun with all those shenanigans of getting ready. So just a sorry in advance, I won't be able to check out a lot of your blogs this week, but leave a comment with your blog URL and I'll be sure to check it out when I get time; I'm always looking for great new blogs!! :D

Is muh birfday :3

2011-01-23T14:47:00.000-05:00

Hey guys,

Not a long post today, since it's my birthday and obviously I don't want to spend too much time in front of the computer. But I'd just like to say thank you to each and every one of you who have contributed to this blog thus far; I'm very happy to have finally broken 100 subscribers, and almost 2000 page views! :D

What this post is all about <3

Really, thank you guys. Your support is really appreciated.

Yahoo!

2011-01-22T19:06:00.001-05:00

Luckily, Blogger.com lets me blog without having to pay for a domain name/web hosting service/etc. However, if you're interested in creating your own site, I recommend Yahoo Domains. A good friend of mine is currently building his own site, and he told me how easy it was to do with Yahoo, so I thought I'd share. For only 9.95 a month it lets you have your own website, great tools to build it, and a business email to go with it.

Anyways, I could use some ideas for more things to blog about. Any suggestions? :3

PSA: My Favorite YouTubers

2011-01-21T22:54:00.001-05:00

Tonight I thought that I'd do another PSA (public service announcement) of sorts, about the best, in my opinion, youtubers. Ray William Johnson does a great show, Equals Three, with news episodes twice a week where he reviews funny/interesting viral videos. Another great one is Mystery Guitar Man, who does simply amazing things with music and added videos, usually with looping/stop motion/etc.

Mystery Guitar Man - "Vuvuzela Symphony" :D

And finally, JulianSmith87: with doing generally funny videos, he's definitely one of my favorite youtubers. Some people say he's a bit strange, but... I love his work >:3

Julian Smith - "Malk"

...a slight pet-peeve to me, too. JUSS SAYIN.

So what do you guys think of them? And who's your favorite youtuber?

Dastardly Man, eh?

2011-01-20T23:10:00.000-05:00

So I'm not too interested in news, but I heard about this one story and I just had to blog about it... So there was this guy, and he got AIDS. And for whatever reason, he went out and slept with women just to infect them. Well he was doing this to multiple women at the same time, so eventually someone caught on and brought him to court.

The AIDS ribbon

[Because every great post needs a picture.]

So he was brought to court, and they found him guilty. The charge? Attempted murder with a LETHAL WEAPON.

Dropbox; Free Online Storage

2011-01-19T23:05:00.000-05:00

This is a great and free way to back up your files online. It's simple: just download the dropbox application, then it makes a folder on your computer, and you can drag and drop files into it; from there, it syncs with your online account and you can access it from any computer with internet access. They also have a nice iPhone/iPod Touch application that I find quite useful.

I really like their free service; you get 2GB for free, but there's options for more storage for a fee (50GB for $9.99 a month/$99.00 a year or 100GB for $19.99 a month/$199.00 a year).

Here's the link in case anyone's interested :3 http://db.tt/M0egFiV

The Train

2011-01-18T22:05:00.000-05:00

Oh man, what a great day! Riding the train for 10 hours, getting home at 4:30AM, then sleeping for an hour or so before going back to the grind of life! <end sarcasm> Blah. Those trains aren't very comfortable to sleep on, let me tell you... And although it's usually annoying having to sit next to someone you don't know (especially those with bad cases of body odor...), the cheap commute keeps me coming back, as it's an easy way to go see my folks in New York.

Mmm look at those seats. Now with liners to keep your head from getting lice and stuff!

AWESOME.

Whenever I ride the train, I'll usually sit next to someone and he or she will be like "Yeah, this is my first time on the train" while I've been on it maybe ~10 times by now. So what about you guys? Any fellow trade-riders afoot?

[On a side note, I was bored while on the train so I texted ChaCha and asked them what I should do since I was bored; they said to see how many people I could convince that I was a celebrity. Definitely something I'm going to try next time >:D]

Phones

2011-01-17T17:49:00.000-05:00

These little devices keep growing more and more into our [or at least my] way of life. It's strange thinking about how enthralled I am by my iPhone 4 today, and how little so I was by my prepaid AT&T GoPhone just earlier last year. I used my GoPhone for little more than calling and the occasional texting, but now it seems like I'm always connected to my friends via texting, facebook, etc. ...perhaps a little too much...

Soooo pretty ^_^

Anyways, what do you guys think about this slice of our modern-day technology?

P.S. sorry about the short post today; I'm off to catch the train in a few minutes!

A Hunting Trip of Sorts

2011-01-16T18:50:00.001-05:00

Today... I went hunting. Man, do I feel extra manly.

...Okay, maybe I wasn't actually hunting per say, but I did go mint hunting today. You see, I went to Olive Garden this evening, and it's sort of a tradition of mine to challenge myself and see how many mints I can get. Last time, I finished with 52 mints. But this time... I made out with a whopping 98 mints >:D

All my mints ^_^

The ironic part of it though, is that my waitress only accounted for about 15 of these mints (even when I vividly hinted to her that her tip would be very dependent upon how many mints I got); I got a good 80% of those from another waiter (of course I ask just about every waiter I see for some), who was so kind as to bring me 61 in a to-go box, plus another good handful before that.

Call me childish but... it's the little things. :3 So how about my fellow bloggers? Any strange traditions with you? Dare I say, MINT HUNTING?! (No one? Never mind...)

Poll Results #1

2011-01-15T15:51:00.001-05:00

Thanks to all who voted on my first poll! Here's the results:
Out of 30 people who voted, here's where each went to:
1. Xbox360 - 12 Votes - 40%
2. PS3 - 5 Votes - 16%
3. Wii - 3 Votes - 10%
4. Other - 10 Votes - 33%

My (obvious) intents for this poll were to find out (1.) what gaming system my fellow bloggers liked best and (2.) help me decide on what gaming system to get. So I'm feeling pretty sure that I want the Xbox360 at this point. It has the best controller of the 7th Generation consoles, in my opinion anyways, and it has a bit of good looking games out by now (especially Portal 2 - Oh my god I can NOT wait for that game :D). And although there aren't many good games out for Kinect yet, I think it has a good amount of potential. And for those who say "the PS3 has better quality," I don't have an HD TV, so I'm sure either would look equally great on my TV.

IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL :'D

So I'd like to know... Why did each of you pick the poll option? And why? (Also, what [and why] do you guys say... 360 or PS3 for me?)

Edit: Also, I'm messing around with the design again... what do you guys think of this?

PSA: The Hush Sound

2011-01-14T19:11:00.000-05:00

I think I'm going to start doing sort of public service announcements [PSAs] of awesome stuff that I think everyone should know about. To start, I would like to introduce everyone to The Hush Sound, definitely my all-time favorite band. Unfortunately, they are currently on a hiatus and have only released 3 albums. When I sold my iPod Touch a few months back to get an iPhone 3GS [which, subsequently, I'm currently trying to sell...] I saw that all of my top 25 most played songs were by them, with Wine Red -- perhaps my most favorite song of theirs -- getting well over 5 thousand play counts. Here it is, for those interested~ (I won't clutter the page with more than one video, but if you're interested in seeing more of them, some other great songs by them are: Momentum, The Boys Are Too Refined, and Sweet Tangerine)

Aww... Poor old man ;_;

I guess I'll also make this a sort of "let's get to know each other" too, seeing how I've had my blog up for a week already. (by the way, thanks to everyone who's starting it off great with 51 followers and almost a 1000 views :D whoo!!!!).

Anyways, what are some of your favorite artists?

Robot Unicorn Attack

2011-01-13T17:04:00.000-05:00

Wooh! Midterms are over! That means it's time to kick back and play some ROBOT UNICORN ATTACK!! Perhaps the greatest game the internet has to offer. The simplicity of gameplay is great, and the music is hilarious. Ehh, you all have probably already heard about it but in case you haven't tried it out, it's a great game: Robot Unicorn Attack

Make your wishes come true!

Great game. 9/10 I must say though, those damn dolphins mess me up every single time...

Until next time, chase your dreams fellow bloggers!

Silly Lawyers

2011-01-12T20:17:00.000-05:00

Alright, if you've ever turned on a TV before, then I'm sure you've seen one of the lawyers' commercials that are like "If you got Hepatitis B, give us a call. We'll sue that prostitute for everything she's worth" [or something like that...]

Well anyways, I was watching a show the other day, and an ad came on with some [I'm pretty sure they were] mesothelioma lawyers, and they said something like "If you have been exposed to asbestos and it has led to injury or death, give us a call..." ...wow. These guys are lawyers, right? I can't believe they said that.

So what are some of the worst [or best] commercials you guys have seen?

Oh, and I messed around with the layout a little bit... What do you guys think?