I've been reading John Chow's blog for several years now.  The site is a classic example of someone taking their passion and monetizing the crap out of it.  His blog alone makes upwards of $40,000 a month, mostly in advertising revenue.  When he published his book Make Money Online: Roadmap of a dog com mogul [not an affiliate link - I live in Colorado so my Amazon account was unceremoniously canceled] co-written with Michael Kwan, a frequent guest blogger, there was no question I'd buy it.  I have a small stack of books written by my favorite bloggers and I hope they'll buy mine someday.

The book starts and ends with the most important message:  Don't wait for ANYTHING to happen before you start.  Start now. Today.  In fact, the message in Chapter One contains my single favorite phrase from the entire book:

Responsible people don't need to have all their ducks in a row because they are able to work through a series of disorganized fowl.

I don't know if Michael or John came up with "disorganized fowl" but that's the funniest damn line I've read in a long time and yes, I will plagiarize it, probably in the next week or so.

The second chapter covers John's personal story.  Unfortunately, it starts from his early days on the internet, rather than showing new readers his true meager beginnings.  Some of my favorite posts on JCDC were the videos he made when he visited his childhood home.  This guy really started with nothing.  I think the book readers would have appreciated having that perspective.

In chapter three, Blogging 101, John hits my own key message on this blog:

But don't forget to have fun too.  Life without fun it just not worth it.

Amen, brother!

By chapter five, WordPress Basics, it hit me what the book was missing, probably because this is something I do for a living.  Editing.  The writing is great, and having two authors maintain a consistent voice is tricky and these two pull it off seamlessly.  However, there are references to things like Feedburner without any explanation as to what Feedburner is or does.  It just pops up out of nowhere on page 39.  When this happens, it is usually because an earlier version had the explanation but then it was (poorly) edited into a different section (viola, page 49).  The same thing happens with "dofollow" and "nofollow" references.  If this book is meant to provide a roadmap, the noobs are going to trip up and the experienced bloggers will feel like they hit a speed bump but they probably won't know why.  A good editor can remove these hiccups without changing the message or the voice of the book.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I have to mention the multiple references to Google penalties for duplicate content.  There are two schools of thought on this one, and I subscribe to the school that believes Google does not have an algorithm for finding and penalizing duplicate content.  The "penalty" comes from creating your own competition, which is usually a bad strategy and John does mention that in the book.  I'm not fond of perpetrating the fear that Google will hurt you if you repeat yourself.  Obviously you should always create fabulous original content 24 hours a day but in the event you rinse and repeat on occasion, Google doesn't care.

Okay back to the book.  The chapter on branding is crucial.  Once you've settled on your brand, you have to promote the crap out of it any way you can.  And for God's sake do not use your name as the brand (I know, but my name doesn't appear on any of my OTHER sites, just this one that doesn't have any traffic).  John makes it clear that having himself as the brand doesn't lend itself to eventual cash-out, which is why he is milking his brand for every penny while he can.

The last four chapters of the book address what to do once you actually have traffic; and how John utilizes private ad sales to crush anything he could do with AdSense.  For your average blogger, this is going to be out of reach but it's still solid advice if you can hit that level of traffic.

Would I recommend this book?  Of course!  I think it would have been better if it were twice as long.  The book touches on basics for beginners and has some advanced techniques for folks like myself who are already blogging but wanted some more insight into exactly what it is John does.  The real reason I bought this book is because I like John's online persona.  He's built himself up to be a regular good guy with an evil twist.  If he's anything like that in real life, I'm a huge fan!

I never quite realize how much the seasons affect me until springtime. I LOVE SPRING! Its name describes how I have been feeling for the past several weeks:

To be released from a constrained position, as by resilient or elastic force or from the action of a spring.

That elastic force reminds me that I enjoy things other than warm, wintery comfort food. I enjoy yard work, reading, playing the piano and washing the dogs. I enjoy writing and tinkering with things around the house. Why it's so damn hard to recall those things in the winter, I don't know.

I've started some new online projects and even though things are taking twice as long as I thought, I don't really care.

The force of nature that awakens the earth with the lengthening kiss of the sun has awakened me with it.

I subscribe to 66 RSS feeds.  Of course I don't have time to read them all every day.  The ones I do take time to read without fail are the ones listed on the left side of these posts.

It's not unusual that I have that "slapped in the face" feeling when I read these – and I don't mean that in a negative way.  A virtual slap in the face isn't so bad; and boy did I have a big one when I read Seth Godin's post today, Evolution of every medium.  It's short, so I'm just going to share it with you here – but if you get a chance to read Seth, online or in print, you'll be better off for it.

Evolution of every medium

I have always thought there is a wide chasm between being cheap and being frugal.  I grew up in a family of four on a teacher's salary.  I was never keenly aware that we were poor.  We lived in rural areas and had no exposure to shopping malls.  Of course this was long before the internet was anything that kids were using.  In those days being frugal and being cheap were nestled together, since life had fewer options.  I'm grateful for being raised that way, and more grateful that I've been able to shed the cheapness and keep the frugality.  I find distinct differences now between the two.  For example:

• Cheap leaves a 10% tip for a great meal.
• Frugal leaves at least 20% and doesn't eat out as often.
• Cheap buys a new $20 shirt on sale for $10.
• Frugal buys a used $50 shirt for $10.
• Cheap cuts corners.
• Frugal rounds them.

There are so many reasons to be frugal and so many not to be cheap that this post has to be Part 1 of 1+x (math reference, see below).  I'll never get to it all in a single post.  Instead, I want to tell you about one of my favorite, repeatable frugal experiences.

I was in a thrift store doing holiday shopping (believe it or not, NEW gifts are frowned upon in my family – they simply do not support the production of new goods, a topic for another post).  Because I regularly shop in thrift stores, I can attest to this happening at least once a month.  I found THE PERFECT ITEM!  It's always unexpected.  You look down and THERE IT IS staring at you from a pile of … well, other people's trash.

This time it was a gift for my sister, the math whiz.  She has a Master's Degree in Mathematics and she edits math textbooks for a living.  Meanwhile, I can barely add and subtract.  She tells me math jokes and I can do nothing but stare blankly at her while she's laughing her ass off.  This is what she's getting for Christmas:

And can you believe this little gem is still in print? It cost me all of $1.99 but when it comes to having fun with my sister, it's priceless!  Merry Christmas, sis!

The last three weeks have been so frustrating I can hardly stand myself.  A combination of really pissy things happened all in a row.  One of my good friends was diagnosed with leukemia.  Then I awkwardly tried to reconnect with another good friend.  (Awkward on my part – I tried to be reserved about it and then unabashedly fell all over myself, from which I am still trying to recover).   Then the asshats at my job started to get festive.  Then I had lunch with my grandpa at his assisted-living center.  All the while, I'm having these very surreal dreams that stick to my brain like duct tape during the day and I can hardly think of anything else.  When I step back and try to figure out what is really going on with my precarious mental state, it seems like:

• I don't want to die.
• I don't even want to get really old.
• I don't want to work with asshats.
• I don't want to lose the few friends that I have.

What if the choices I've made are the ones that get me exactly what I don't want?  Even though I would say I don't choose to die, I did choose to be a smoker for 20 years.  On the other hand, that could be useful in terms of not getting really old.

Layering the dreams on top of this is really creepy because in the dream, I meet up with my (now awkwardly renewed) friend on a  steep cliff and there are other people in my life milling around aimlessly, like they do in dreams.  Then I experience something that has only happened to me once before, when I had to put my dog down a few years ago (I told you it was creepy).  At the moment she died, I swear to you that I felt her soul pass through mine.  It made me draw in a sharp breath and I  thought I might have a heart attack right there and go with her.  There's no good way to describe the feeling.  It was intensely painful and intensely joyous at the same time.  Well, in my dream the same thing happens when I meet up with my friend.

The first time I had the dream, I decided I should get back in touch – maybe there was something going on that I was supposed to help with.  But things are going great with my friend and I'm still having that dream regularly.  I try not to read too much into those things, but like I said, this one is really tough to shake off.

So I do what I am best at – pretending.  I pretend everything is fine and I pretend to like my job and I pretend that I'm not terrified of getting old and I pretend to be the happy, successful woman that everyone likes.  And when I wake up in the middle of the night feeling like my heart is going to jump right out of my throat, I pretend it doesn't mean anything.

It’s been a rough 90 days, integrating back into the working world.  At least one day a week, I have to really hunker down and fight off the urge to quit.  Once you quit a high-paying job, like I did last year, it’s much easier to do it a second time.  When I don’t find myself downright pissed off, I try to laugh at the Dilbertness of it all.

Yeah, that’s hard.  It’s just not that funny when it’s your life.

The best part of the new job is that my boss went to a lot of effort to find me a place to sit where there is almost no foot traffic.  I’ve realized that I am far more sensitive to everything than I want to be and having a quiet spot is truly priceless.  I don’t have this weird need for "face time" like so many of my peers – maybe because I don’t buy in to the career path theory.  I really want to be under the radar as much as possible.  No recognition; no reward; just getting the job done.

There are good moments and I’ve made some new friends.  But mostly I’m refilling my bank account and hoping I can stick with it long enough to feed myself for a while after I quit again.  I told my husband I would try to stay for five years, but after the first five days I realized that probably wouldn’t happen.

The commute averages 70 minutes a day, round trip.  It’s a lot of stop-and-go highway traffic.  I don’t really mind it, but that kind of driving makes me nervous about having little fender-bender accidents.  I listen to NPR and try not to give the bird to the countless people who cut me off and then honk at me for good measure.  I’m not an aggressive driver, but that’s more due to the car I drive than my own personality.  There is a reason I chose a four-cylinder engine – it’s for your safety as well as mine.

There is a bit about working that makes everything else surreal, particularly when you head upwards of 60 hours a week.  At first I could do no more than eat and sleep and work.  It was all-consuming.  Now it’s just consuming.  Some days I can eat, sleep, work and read.  Today, I ate, slept, worked and wrote.  

Today is a good day.

Ask me how I know.

I rarely have to swallow my pride. I liked to think of myself as being far more self-aware than the rest of those pride-swallowers out there.

Then the economy disappeared, and then I started a very long search for a job, and then I realized my best opportunity would be to go back to work for the company I unceremoniously left a year ago.

And now I have to swallow my pride and let me tell you, it tastes like a big ol’ shit sandwich.

When I left that company, I gave the usual notice and didn’t burn any bridges. I didn’t leave for greener pastures and I told them that. I’ve been self-employed since I left, but the term is somewhat of a misnomer if you were to look at my tax return. I kept in touch with several good friends, one of whom is going to be my new boss. So, you’d think it wouldn’t be that difficult to go back.

Wrongo.

It feels humiliating. It feels like people expected me to go do some really Big Thing when I left and by coming back they will all see that I Am A Failure. Oh wait – that’s not what PEOPLE expected – that’s what I expected.

I didn’t do some really Big Thing. I did a lot of Small Things and went from being unbelievably stressed out to content. It’s been one of the best years of my entire life, in large part because I didn’t have a job.

Now that I have to go back to exactly where I was a year ago, a landslide of very sharp and heavy rocks has just buried my soul. The part where I feel lucky to find employment right now is missing. I know I need to find it, and find it quick. If you’ve seen it, leave me a note.

I’ve never been a huge spender, but there are some things I really miss.

5.  Towels.  I only have one matching set and they are getting raggy.  Of course they still work, so I can’t really justify going out and getting new ones just to make the bathroom look pretty.  But I’d really like to retire the ones we’re using to the dogs and get some that are big, soft, and have all their threads where they were meant to be.

4.  Underthings.  See Towels.

3.  A professional haircut.  Yes, I’ve been cutting my own hair.  It’s a mess but you can’t really tell unless you happen to be in the business.  I pity the person who gets to clean it up.

2.  A car wash.  I used to buy a car wash a few times a month when I’d fill up with gas.  I haven’t done that in at least a year now.  When it rains, I try to get the car outside to wash off the grime.  Unfortunately, it hasn’t rained in Denver for a loooong time now.

1.  Shoes.  Just a few pairs.  I haven’t bought shoes in almost two years.  I’m talking about dress shoes – I have one pair each of black, brown and blue.  I’d love a red pair.  With a pointy toe.  Kitten heel.  Size 9.  Wide. 

My grandma passed away 10 years ago, and my grandpa has been doing a good job of living independently since then. For a guy who was born in 1922, he’s still pretty sharp and he’s darn funny.

I’ve been packing the strangest things. I think there’s something about having lived through the Great Depression that has left a generation of people who save everthing just in case it might come in handy in 2011. I’m not allowed to throw these things away. On Monday he wrestled a piece of cardboard away from me as I was headed for the trashbag. "Wait! I can use that!" Needless to say, I acquiesed immediately. Few things are less fun than wresling with an 86-year-old man.

As I was trying to organize and pack yet another "miscellaneous drawer", I found an empty paper-towel tube. Bearing in mind the cardboard experience, I looked it over carefully. On the outside was written, "Head of Christ".

Yes, imagine my surprise.

Unfortunately, the tube was empty. I went through the rest of the drawer looking for His Head. Nothing! Knowing I couldn’t just throw it away, I had to say these dreaded seven words:

"Grandpa, I’ve lost the Head of Christ."

Did I mention he’s a bit hard of hearing?

"WHAT????" he asked. Now, I can’t tell if this is shock at what I’ve said, or just that he didn’t hear it.

"Grandpa, I’ve lost THE HEAD OF CHRIST!" I yelled. This time I showed him the empty tube, looking through the vast interior that did not contain His, or any, head.

"The WHAT???" he asked, again. Then the lightbulb came on, almost as blinding as if His Head had actually appeared.

"OH! That was for the prints of my drawing," he said, pointing towards the portrait of Jesus that he made several decades ago. My grandpa is a very talented artist, and had just drawn Jesus from the neck up. Several family members wanted a copy, so he had stored extra prints rolled up inside this tube. Of course.

We’re saving the tube for 2011, but the fact that it’s marked Head of Christ may limit its potential.

I met (virtually) Zen master Mary Jaksch last year when I had the good luck to find her blog, Goodlife Zen.  I was intrigued by the topics she wrote about and the active community of commenters.  Since that time, Mary has been given the coveted position of Chief Editor at Leo Babauta’s Write to Done blog while still writing for her own blog and guest posting around the internet.  I don’t know how she manages to do all this and stay sane, but her latest guest post on Zen Habits , How to Find Islands of Ease in the Chaos of Life, gives us a look into some of her methods.

Finding this article couldn’t have come at a better time for me (synchronicity, anyone?) because I have been unusually preoccupied with things that I don’t even like to think about.  Things like why haven’t I had a single interview after sending out more than 50 resume’s.  Things like what will I do once my retirement fund has been spent paying bills.  These thoughts have started to tear at my sense of connectivity with the greater universe.

Reading Mary’s article has started to stich that sense back together a bit.  Putting her suggestions into practice will not be easy for me, but the truth of what she says is so obvious that even a stubborn goose like myself can see it.  I’m actually going to shut down my computer after posting this and take my dogs for a walk on this beautiful, 60-degree day in Denver!