This Jessica-Hickok-SugarCube blog has moved (somewhat) and the RSS feed has changed! Please update your RSS feed for this blog to: http://feeds.feedburner.com/sugarcube. The web site address has NOT changed, it still remains at www.jessicahickok.com.
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I get sucked into that show “Snapped” on the Oxygen Network. Don’t ask, it’s not one that I want to explain. So as I sit here watching Snapped reruns, I have got to thinking about what makes me snap. Understand that when I snap, I just yell, scream, cry and cuss (and blog). I don’t typically think of grabbing a gun. And after some time passes, I usually get over it. But nonetheless, I believe the title “Snapped” is a better blog post title than something like “My List of Pet Peeves” or “List of Annoying Things”. Whatever…
I can now combine two of my passions…blogging and scrapbooking. Not that I’ve done much of either lately, but I consider myself a geeky multi-tasker, so why not put them both together in the same application? The ScrapBlog site is a little cumbersome to use, but I had fun pulling together my pictures, arranging, tweaking them, using colors, background and stickers, w00t! Ok, you’re right, I need to get out more often.
My husband just recently got a new phone. He dumped the 4 year old Motorola Razr and upgraded to a Blackberry Pearl (which really is a nice phone). Which means that he now has unlimited internet access, e-mail and text messaging. Where I saw this as the unlimited bliss of NOW HE CAN’T IGNORE ME. If I call and he ignores it, that is one thing. But how often can you ignore incessant e-mails, text messages and Twitter updates? He can’t. 
I say all of this jokingly because I know that he usually doesn’t ignore me on purpose, he’s just busy with work. But on the flip side of that coin, he also said “with unlimited text messaging, I can go back to following you on Twitter and now you have NO excuses for not updating me with your blood sugar readings via SugarStats.” Crap. This silly Blackberry is forcing me to get back to my good habits.
So, here I go. An effort to get back to my good habits, I am now going to get back to checking my blood sugars via Web 2.0. What I’m talking about is keeping better track of my blood sugar readings. I can’t keep relying on the good ole One Touch Ultra glucometer to keep track for me. I started using SugarStats awhile ago when it was still in private beta testing. I am not sure why I quit using it other than laziness. SugarStats is really a good Web 2.0 program that keeps track of my sugar readings and meds intake. You can e-mail out reports to your doctor or your Mom. (Yes, even at 30 years old she still constantly asks me what my blood sugars are doing). And SugarStats also adds my sugar logs to my Twitter account. This way, all of you following me on Twitter have to hold me accountable too!
I guess also, I need to get back into my good habit of blogging daily. I get a little lazy in that too. Oh well, I try. I’m working on getting back to my good habits, wish me luck.
I hate ice storms.
The thing is, this one caught us by surprise over last year’s big ice storm. Luckily we didn’t lose power, but we lost several tree limbs. Ty and I live on 6 acres just outside the city and we have TONS of trees. Well, they came crashing down with 2” of ice.
I think the funniest thing is that we didn’t plan on this ice storm. We just woke up on Monday morning to rain and flipped on the TV to hear that schools were closed. What?!
The good thing is that since we didn’t anticipate the storm’s coming, we didn’t have time to worry about it and get all nervous. But believe me…the thought of no power for 12 days (like last time) makes me sooooo nervous to begin with!
Springfield weather is so weird anyway that it will most likely be sunny and 60 degrees this next week. They always say…just wait a little while, the weather will change.
Obviously from the lack of recent blog posts, I’m sure you can boil it down to the fact that I’ve just been really busy. You’ve been there right? No sleep, tired fingers, and the piles keep growing. So here is what I’ve been up to lately:
1) The JDRF. Yes I am beginning to see my passion for bringing the JDRF to the Springfield area come to fruition. We had our first meeting last Tuesday night. It was just a “meeting of the minds” to gauge people’s interest in bringing this charity to the Ozarks. It was a successful meeting and great to meet such passionate people; some a little more than I expected. But I must say this group surprised me. Although there were only 10 of us, there is no doubt a support group is desperately needed and these 10 people will make this group happen. We will triple in size in 6 months; you wait and see. We are meeting again in February.
2) My family. I have begun being a single mom. No, my husband is still here (I haven’t got that pissed at him yet!) but his work changed his hours so he is now working on the weekend so that it is just me and the kids all day. Legos and trains and XBox are now my best friends.
3) My job. It takes a lot to close out 2007 in property management and real estate. I’ve been frantically putting together the year end reports for 17 of our Investors with Dizmang Properties. But this is just the beginning. If that is all I had to do then it would be no big deal. But, when you add in all of the tenant problems, keeping my boss on schedule, web site development, computer issues, finding new investment properties, planning for 2008, blogging, and keeping my nails polished it is just hard to keep up.
4) Transaction Desk. The Donald and I have been teaching training classes at The Board of REALTORS on the new transaction management system. It’s been really nice to see the majority of Agents embracing this system. The Transaction Desk blog has been requiring time as well as everything else, but it is truly satisfying to see agents using it. It is also satisfying to see that The Donald finally got a haircut. Seeing him up there training all those agents with hair sticking out everywhere….well glad he got it done.
With all that I appreciate all the ones who have supported me. I have so many projects that I want to complete; if I could never sleep I would get so much more done! All this said, I love my job, I love my life, and I love my family. I would not want to change a thing. Life is really special to me, I just need to back up to see how good I’ve really got it some days.
There is my blog. Then there is my MicroBlog (aka Twitter). So what goes in between? My Tumblr account. I am so impressed with Tumblr and their ability to easily put all my stuff online so easily. It also works really good with my Flip Video camera. Easily post video directly from the Flip. Ironically, as I am writing this blog post, my friend just Twittered this “I wish I could post pics to twitter”. Try Tumblr. How fun!
I love my Vienna RSS reader for Mac. I’m addicted to it and I’m constantly finding something new that is inspiring. Except for this blog post…I couldn’t find anything that inspired me to write an amazing post now.
So this is what you get: my excitement over a new web site that I found thru the Lifehacker RSS feed that brought me to this visual dictionary web site.
Being in the real estate and property management business, do you know how many meetings I have sat thru and listen to “The Donald” drone on about parts of a house or the pieces to a toilet to some idiot claiming to be a maintenance man, but actually he has no clue? (The so-called “maintenance man” is clueless, not my boss, he actually knows a few things). It would have been great if we had run into this visual dictionary web site several months ago, where my boss could have easily showed the guy what he was talking about if he just pulled up the site. But now that we’ve run into this site, we probably won’t use it that much since we have an awesome maintenance guy in Steve. He really knows what he is doing and isn’t like the other morons we’ve hired in the past. Then again, Steve might use the site to explain a few things to our boss.
As I prepare to go to the National Association of REALTORS annual convention next week, I can’t help but get excited about it being in Las Vegas. I immediately think of Blackjack when I think of casinos and gambling. Not that I do much gambling (although it is in my genes…thanks Grandma!), I don’t really get into it unless I am with my friends who get into it as a group. But when I think of Blackjack, I want to throw my hands in the air and yell “Twenty-One!”
And when I say “Twenty-One” I think of at least 21 projects I’ve currently got running, at least 21 irons in the fire, at least 21 big fish to fry….you catch my drift. This isn’t a To-Do list, just a list of projects with sooooo many To-Do lists following each item!
1. Prepare for upcoming real estate convention in Las Vegas.
2. Write Transaction Desk Training Modules
3. Develop Transaction Desk Blog for GSBOR
4. Plan for Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays
5. Run For Eric Web Site
6. Bringing JDRF chapter to Springfield
7. Get business accounts set up for SugarCube Productions
8. Find land for investors to purchase for new subdivision.
9. Finish writing my eBook and get posted.
10. Mobile web site for Dizmang Properties
11. Finish converting old home movies to DVD
12. Update personal budgets and plans
13. Edit and Produce November video for Kevin & Liz at Alice 95.5
14. Learn Adobe CS3
15. Figure out green screen editing in Final Cut Express
16. Help Rod Buckner get his blog started
17. Upgrade to Tenant Pro 7 at the office.
18. Late Nite Lawyer
19. Spearhead house-flip project for the home on Grand Street.
20. Figure out a way to beat Jake in a game of Battleship!
21. Learn to be thankful for the opportunity to keep busy with the above mentioned projects!
Of course, there are so many other things that could be added to this list. But right now, I’m enjoying life and the way things are going. What’s on your projects list?
I’m all about incredible ideas and life hacks that can save money. I run into them all of the time and always think that I like the idea, but never end up actually using it (or remembering it). But this one I will. I stumbled across this site that gave an awesome battery hack. Here’s the deal, purchase a 2-pack of Energizer 12v (A23) batteries as pictured. It will cost you approximately $2. Then you open up the batteries and tucked inside are eight 1.5v button cell batteries! Those things retail for around $4 a piece!! So spend $2 to get around $40 worth of batteries. Amazing!
Please watch the video, I think that you too will be shocked and will absolutely love the whole idea. Power to the people! (Literally).
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