Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Optimistic

Well... things are looking up.

Just spoke to my client regarding the sleep apnea site and he ordered more work which may prove to be ever more lucrative. If I can just keep my self-destructive nature from allowing me to shoot myself in my own proverbial foot...

This guy is unreal... I don't know what made him choose me or why he so tenaciously insists that he'd rather have me than others he could choose, but he's got to be the most diplomatic easygoing person I have ever known. That is very atypical in his position... president of not one but several companies! Always has 1000 things going on, yet it does not appear to faze him at all!

Monday, February 27, 2006

Long strange trip

I have made a decision that a lot of people aren't very happy with, but it is mine to make nonetheless.

I'm putting my music up on the web... and not charging for downloads.

I have already had my lyrics online for years, so people need to just get over it.

If I'm meant to be wealthy I will be: but not at the expense of my reasoning.

How many more people will hear my music if I give it away for free than if I demand money for it? I am much more interested in having my music span the globe than I am in a petty monetary reward.

I fully believe that my methodology is sound. I will not explain it in detail here, but would be delighted to expound upon its virtues to anyone who cares to email me privately about it.

Well, off to get some work done. Websites don't build themselves!

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Email to WSVN (local FOX affiliate)

The subject line on the email was "myspace.com story rebuttal"

Hello,

I saw a teaser on your upcoming program, and was dismayed by the heavy negative slant on this story.

I am a myspace user, as are most of my kids. While protection is good... awareness is better.
Meaning: there is no substitute for teaching your children the perils of this world prior to their having to encounter such things.
In a perfect world there would be no evil, but alas... there is... and turning a blind eye does not diminish its veracity.

When you seek to curtail your children's activities it leads to two things:
1. The child does not feel trusted and conversely finds it difficult to trust others, and
2. The feeling of "damned if I do, damned if I don't" will lead that same child (who might have been the most upstanding and honest child ever) to lie and hide things from parents.

I believe in allowing my children a sense of privacy, while keeping an eye (quietly) on their activities.
As a result, my children allow me into their world and know they can turn to me with any question no matter how oddball or off-the-wall it might seem.
Online, I allow them nearly complete freedom.

I don't allow my children to go wherever they want to and do whatever they please in the physical realm, but I do allow them that freedom online, because they are learning how to express themselves there. HOWEVER there are those red flags and negative instances which I won't belabor because WSVN has already done so in their segment on the subject.
I would say that anything hate-related should definitely be investigated - but then the apples don't fall far from the tree, do they?

I think it is important that you show the good side of myspace.com such as the Pay it Forward group and other positive groups designed to assist others and offer advice.
I created such a group myself in response to a perceived need. There is a balance.
For every loser, pervert or creep you find on myspace there is also an angel there, working to make this world a little kinder and friendlier.
Please don't forget that in the "dirty laundry" game.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you'll consider what I've said and make a sincere effort to look at "the flip side" of the situation your report covers.
I'd be glad to write the piece for ya, LOL

Sincerely,
Mrs. Lydia Shelley
Hollywood FL viewer

--
www.rainbow-websites.com

Friday, February 17, 2006

Glitches in the systems

I'm wondering if there's some kinda virus going 'round hitting big servers today or something, cuz jamwave.com is all messed up (fan clubs aren't showing, full charts aren't showing) and gmail just went down, too! What next?

Not that I'm complaining... only spots 1-10 on the country chart are showing, and I HAVE ALL TEN OF THEM, LOL!

Thursday, February 16, 2006

What's Your Hidden Talent?




Your Hidden Talent



You have the power to persuade and influence others.

You're the type of person who can turn a whole room around.

The potential for great leadership is there, as long as you don't abuse it.

Always remember, you have a lot more power over people than you might think!

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Letter to Jagermeister

Actually, I wrote to their promo company with this one:

I was singing at Club M in Hollywood Florida last night, when I choked. I mean REALLY choked. Broke up coughing: after the first song! "Holy crap!" I thought... "I'd better find my cough drops!" But lo and behold, there were none. Sorrowfully, I shook my head and told the disappointed assemblage that I could no longer perform. "Oh," said Ed... the host, "have you ever tried Jagermeister?" Which I had not, as I live under a rock and rarely creep out into the world... so I gave it a try. ONE SHOT - and I was able to perform a flawless set, my vocals perfect. Yes, I could definitely promote any product that will do that! Jagermeister: THE vocal elixir. No doubt about it.

BTW... I made a new email address. It's lydia@jager.com

And to bands of all sizes and styles, check out the promotional kick you get from Jagermeister!

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Emotional

I am very emotional right now, and I don't know whether it is related to hormones or to the immense transitional period I've jumped into. Probably a bit of both.

I'm finding my dream client is turning out to be a nightmare, and my old, dusty dreams of doing something with my music have taken a quantum leap out of the box and into the present.

More and more I am finding it difficult to focus on anything that is not related to my music or charitable efforts... yet I must generate income. Do I dare go play $100/night gigs around town? At my age? Will they come hear me play, or will I feel bad for taking the owner's money after playing to an empty room?

Just playing 12-15 nights/month would cover my overhead. Anything beyond that could be put into recording, equipment for performance, costuming (my clothes suck!) or even the kids' college funds (currently nonexistent)

I love building websites, but not for the corporate world. Does that make sense? I am much more interested in nonprofits and the creative community. I suppose from now on I could pass sites I'd prefer not to do along to other designers...

In all honesty I'd like to maintain a certain "attitude" among my clientele. Is that too much to expect? Am I too idealistic? It really bugs me that one of the people I'm doing work for evicts people from low-income housing in order to convert those apts to condos for sale.

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Full Circle

It's funny how life works. I walked away from my music again and again, yet everything I do leads me back to it again and again. You would think that by now I'd get it through my thick skull that there's a message there, LOL.

Recent case in point: offering to do free websites for bands, musicians, artists and photographers led me to begin playing again, and now I'm actually making plans to perform publicly more than just at an open mic. night or two.

It's amazing... at my age... to be doing this, but I've discovered on myspace and jamwave that I'm the rule rather than the exception in this case. I've met some really talented artists and begun to enjoy a whole new dimension to my life.

I guess I'm a long way from being depressed... but the memory of that "black dog" as Mikel puts it, will always dog my steps and I know it's never far away despite the best of circumstances. It's been a long time since I truly gave in to it, and I hope it will be a long time before I do again, if ever.