Family Weekend...

Been a long day here with three out of five of the girls. Two of the girls slept over friends houses so we had enough of a break to take the remaining girls out for dinner and icecream. Dad of the group, that would be me, just had a bacon cheese burger at the nearest Dairy Queen which is about ten miles from the homestead in Worcester. Earlier in the day we sat at home watching War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise. The kids liked it, I knew how it ended so I had to keep my mouth shut on the ending which was killing me! Not that the kids are not learning about viruses and bugs on the microscopic level at school but Daddy had to explain at length what killed the invading aliens in the end.

Anywho, the two little ones crashed and burned into bed at seven thirty. The batteries of their little bodies just ran out of juice. My eight year old came home from her second home two houses down and she is crashed out on the couch right now. The oldest daughter is with friends on a camping weekend that could stretch into the long weekend. Mom went to bed early having her own batteries worn down too. So here I am typing away.

I've written several books in times like these. The house is finally quiet and I can create characters and conflict and turmoil and emotions to stir the mind. Most of the writers I know have the same feelings about the craft. It has to be quiet. Try that with five daughters in the house...not going to happen often. I'm still trying to get it published but not having much luck with it. I have a few friends that went the self publishing route and that didn't work out to well for them. If you have a book that is worth the work to get noticed then keep on trying to reach out to someone that can print your work the old fashioned way. Some of these self publishing houses tell a great story but then never back it up and leave the author hanging. I'm going to keep working on the traditional route. I may never find a publisher but then again if I don't try I won't either.

So I'm blogging to keep my fingers going and my mind focused and not having much luck here either. The site is building slowly and I know this is not an instant gratification outlet. For the most part I am pretty happy with how the site is doing. I've been at it for three months and according to my friends at Technorati I have eleven links. I can Google my nickname Papamoka and come up with a dozen pages of ten links or more each. I talk about every issue that comes up and give my honest opinion. Straight Talk is growing slowly. I want it to be unique and opinionated from my perspective but I will be the first one to say that I am an idiot. My opinions change from day to day. I learn, I change. Financially, the site sucks but that is what it is. I cleaned house on the advertisers that generated zero revenue. Not that the rest of them are benefiting the site either but according to the aggreements you have to go by you can not point out the advertisers that pay in anyway, form or intention. I love my T-Shirt guys but if you are not buying the product then they are not paying for the space. Catch twenty two so to speak.

Some advertisers work on a pay per click and others strictly work on a pay per sale. I'm not having much luck with either. I was on Crooks and Liars tonight and even they have a donation site so I am thinking seriously about going that route. Then again I was on another that blatantly pointed out his sponsors so I am a very much confused blogger.

This site is a side business for me. I'm a writer. I can spin some good articles out in no time at all on any subject and I enjoy doing it. It all eventually comes down to traffic on your site. I get on average according to my Google Adsense account about 76 hits a day. Not just from the US either, people all over the world are reading this blog. I've seen hits from Russia, Mexico, Germany, Singapore, Argentina, Great Britain, a ton from Canada and the list goes on and on. Which reminds me that my site counter isn't working right. It isn't picking up all the hits. Work, work, work...

I'm off to surf the net to find the fast forward button on traffic to your website. Legally of course. Tomorow I'm taking the girls that are home out to the cemetary to plant some flowers for my Mom and Dad and my wifes Mom. Icecream may come up as an avenue of entertainment for the long Memorial Day weekend again.
Papamoka

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