Pinterest & Social Media at it’s Finest
It’s been crazier than normal lately. Been to Mexico with GREAT friends, home for 2 days, and off to Corpus Christi with 23 of my favorite high school students for TISCA – Texas Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association sanctioned swim meet. WHEW – all in the last week! On to more FUN things. Like Thanksgiving. Like prepping for Thanksgiving – ugh. And my new “I have a few minutes, so let me jump on the internet” past-time, PINTEREST. Gee, thanks Clair – this is a social media marketer’s and crafter’s DREAM…and it’s so simple.
I can blow more time looking at peoples “pins.” This, in my book, is so much more interesting than Facebook right now. A lot of my friends feel the need to tell me that they are going to bed, washing clothes, shopping for bras, God-forbid grocery shopping. Tell me something interesting – I’m tired of all the BORING POSTS. It’s NOT interesting to me, and trust me – I’m pretty easy to entertain. Tell me what you did for YOU, what your kids did that day that was special, upcoming plans/trips., a great recipe, a cute craft for Thanksgiving, a new product…something INTERESTING. Here comes the Pinterest plug. Think sticky-note heaven.
NO – I am NOT paid by Pinterest, with my social media marketing business and website design, that would be a reasonable question. It’s just a really cool site, especially if you lean a bit towards the crafty/cooking side. People “pin” things of “interest” (thus the PINTEREST name) in short little blurbs. If it catches your eye, click on it. If not, keep going. It looks a bit like a newspaper, with little boxes FULL of information. AND it’s different every time you long in. I saw this “hair” idea where the girl had “dampened her hair, and rubbed drawing chalk on it for color, then curled it.” Offers color, yet washes out. Alexandra would be all over that. Then I saw these cute little teacher gift-like ideas. Nice. Cheap & easy, and more importantly it’ll look amazing and be useful. Teachers don’t need anymore junk to sit on their desks unless it is uses precious space wisely! Just a plug for my teacher friends.
There’s one hitch….you have to be invited. Yes, by invitation only. I’ve been on the invite list since I was in Mexico on the 14th. UGH! People can invite you, or you can wait for the PINTEREST people to invite you. INVITE ME…..it’s really bugging me! Great site though – check it out. I know enough about this “social media marketing” to know these people are NOT TRYING TO MARKET anything because it’s taking too long and they are missing the opportunity to direct traffic to their site. They don’t NEED to be concerned, they clearly have TONS of traffic. People just share, to share. I’m sure there are a few marketers out there, but hey – you have to take some good with the bad.
This chandelier I’m sharing was something that someone “pinned” to the site from the DIY network. So “Katie” was on DIY’s site, and thought enough of this (and the how to directions) that she posted it, shared the link and the picture, and it caught my eye. Niiiiice. I tell all my clients that social media is taking over. People share SO much, and to me, this is worth-while sharing. I see where the research and marketing funds are going, and it makes sense. But seriously, some people abuse Facebook. Who cares if you are going to the grocery store. Tell me what cool things you are going to make with the grocery items. Chances are, I’ll see you at the dang store. HA!
Anyway, check it out. Neat site. I try to share the new ones that are kind of cool. Back to work. I have to crank out a “penile enhancement and surgery” site. Yep, you read it right…..
End of an Radio Era
Mark Stevens & Jim Pruett - Radio Gawds
Last week, Mark Stevens of Stevens and Pruett – Radio Gawds from 101 KLOL, left this Earth. WOW – what an end to an era. Those of us that have lived in Houston in the late 70′s and 80′s (40ish), grew up with these guys. Even though I’ve always listened to country music, I always woke up to those clowns and listened to them when I was getting ready for school OR on the way to the pool. Coach Nelson, Klein High School swim coach in the 1980′s, listened to Stevens & Pruett on the deck during morning practices. Can I just say – that would NOT be allowed on any campus anywhere now. MAYBE college. HA!
They were bawdy, gross, suggestive……to me, they were the Howard Stern of Houston radio. They were hilarious. I remember being shocked. I remember wondering what on earth they were talking about. I’m not really sure my parents knew I was listening to them. Right after we got married, Gary and I got an invitation to the Stevens & Pruett “Holiday Ball” – one of the “Leather and Lace” Balls. We said, “SURE!” Boy – was I NOT prepared for that one. Fresh out of A&M, I had blinders on. I’m pretty sure some of my friends would say that I still do. I wore a really cute, black-n-white, gingham check short formal. One of the girls we went with…….well, let’s just say, had VERY interesting view of “formal.” This was a BLACK (being the operative) tie event. She wore the Victoria’s Secret body stocking with a blazer over it. ONLY a blazer. I guess I was a bit over dressed. I saw things that night that support the comment, “I grew up with Stevens & Pruett.”
As luck would have it, we are TOTALLY blessed with awesome neighbors one of our neighbors just happened to be Jim Pruett’s son. What a hoot! Just a calmer, fly-under-the-radar, version of Jim. I remember the day our oldest came home from Jim’s son’s house and said, “I just shot guns with Sam’s granddad.” We just stopped and said, “What?” At this time we did not know that Jim Pruett owns a gun store in Houston called “Jim Pruett’s Guns and Ammo” – over off 290 in Houston. They’ve just moved into a new location and are currently planning a Grand Opening of sorts. Will keep you posted on dates.
This Houston gun store has personality plus. Just like Jim. With barbed wire decorating the walls and all the guns hung on chain link fencing for your viewing pleasure, it’s totally worth a visit. The staff is entertaining to say the least, and incredibly knowledgeable on your gun and ammunition needs. They even have an on site gunsmith that can handle just about anything. Jim has collected quite a few military “antiques” and has them displayed in his “museum” of sorts and LOVES to tell you about them.
Jim Pruett’s Guns and Ammo has all makes and models of guns, including military style weapons. He boasts the tag-line, ” Your Anti-Terrorist Headquarters.” Upon visiting the store the first time, and meeting the staff, one thing was very evident. They are all about safety. While everyone has to fill out the required gun permit, they have another questionnaire on top of the required one. Another statement that is said quite often is “guns don’t kill. People do.” That is SO true. While we were visiting, I bet 5 police officers came in to buy things like sights, holsters, and other items. That’s impressive. To have the confidence of the Houston Police Department, says something about the gun store and their staff.
Jim & Joy Pruett should be really proud of what they’ve built store-wise. The staff acts like family, very protective of the Pruetts – just like Mark Stevens was. God rest his soul!
Moving at the Speed of Life
Moving at the speed of life………..think about it. That’s what we all do, right? Our local news station uses that phrase on their commercials and I think it is so true. You HAVE to live (or move) at the speed of life. The speed of my life sometimes seems unmanageable. Like the speed in which my kids are growing up. I’m getting older too, but my goodness, those kids are growing like weeds. We just attended our oldest’s Spring Sports Banquet where he received his Varsity letter jacket as a freshman. That was a HUGE deal when I was in high school (more on this topic later). Now we are going to get his learner’s permit for driving – guess I’ll need to start collecting auto insurance quotes. When did all of this happen? Moving at the speed of life……..
Easter came and went with a visit from the in-laws, including my sister-in-law and her family. Her kids are SO CUTE – we don’t get to see them near enough. She decided to stay in a hotel, even though we could sleep my husband’s parents, my 3 kids, and her 4 in our house IN BEDS. I really think they thought they’d need to take a break from our “speed of life.” Multiple practices by multiple kids, at multiple pools – I guess our “speed of life” does move along at a pretty good clip. It COULD tire someone out that is not used to it. Ha! Gotta keep moving……..
Work is incredibly busy – tough juggling sick kids, the swim schedule (high school and club swimming for 2 of the kids), and work……..and a husband, a dog that breathes VERY heavy all the time…did I mention she breathes very heavy ALL THE TIME? Like she’s been on a run or something. She’s old and we love her! Between the dogs, 3-5-8 year olds literally running through the house, constant activity in the kitchen (which needs new countertops – might as well remodel the kitchen really), the GREAT meals (ones we cooked AND sushi at Sasu)…..we all did great to survive. It’s like you need to take a vacation from a vacation, does that make sense? Moving at the speed of life…..
Now that it’s spring time I’m reminded of how much TIME the yard, garage and landscaping takes. Time that is VERY limited. I want to install some time of patio cover so we can better enjoy our yard AND our SLOWER moments at home. You know, take advantage of it when we do have some down time. In my constant pursuit of making my life (our lives) easier, I thought I’d clean the garage out last Tuesday evening. It was really nice outside. So I tell my son, “Go open the garage door.” Easy enough, right? It got stuck. My husband, using all his strength….and that’s a lot, tried to open it, bent the rails and it jammed. Two wheels popped off the track and we can’t get it up or down. As any multi-tasking mom would do, we found the number of a client of ours, Certified Overhead Garage Door, and asked if they would come out. Not only did the tech come out at 8pm, he fixed the garage door, fixed the garage door opener (which had blown out WEEKS ago), AND…get this…..is a handyman on the weekends (can take care of the “dog-attacked” door frame. THAT’S GOOD LUCK. I can’t say enough about Dillon and Certified Overhead Garage Door – plug plug. Nice, prompt, played with the dog AND explained what he was doing to my 8 year old. And did you catch the part about doing it fast? Moving at the speed of life………
Now back to my SEO job – working on a pretty cool company’s site that I’ll let you know about next week. I like to share clients when I think someone might could use the information. Like for broken garage doors……….insurance, you know. The things that break or involved kids! More later……on letter jackets!
Post Spring Break SEO Blues
OK – back at it! Right? After a week at Lake Livingston, a beautiful woody, quiet lake, outside of Houston, I’m back it. I did pretty good NOT working while at the Lake. It was a little cold one morning, and my eyes wandered over to my computer. Seriously, I only took it in case our web-designer needed info on a site we are trying to finish up for TPG Software.
One morning, the kids weren’t awake yet, so I figured I was safe and jumped on the WiFi to peruse the news. BIG MISTAKE. Bus accident outside of San Antonio. Need an accident attorney , is all I can think. Here I go, I’m addicted and I can’t help it. My mind starts playing the word games I know so well as SEO. Oh man……. I need to check my sites, I’m behind. I’ve got to blog blog blog for SEO purposes.
Blogging is SO important these days (for link building), as is social marketing. It’s a lot to keep up with. Trust me. I’m trying to keep up with quit a few sites, not including any I manage for “free.” Sorry…back to the bus accident. It’s worth staying on top of though – we are seeing good movement on sites with some minor social marketing and good strong blogging.
We finished up our trip at the lake with no major catastrophes……well one cousin fell in the lake. We all lost bets because we (my sis, her hubby and mine) all thought it would be my youngest. IT WASN’T. HA! We got home on Thursday, rushed out the door to the Black Eyed Peas at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo with the kids, and Friday morning I decided to cut in new flower beds in an attempt to remodel my backyard. I really need to be remodeling some on the INSIDE of my house – when I do, I’m going to call one of my clients, Home Remedy of Houston – a reliable Houston Remodeling company . They are SO NICE! Anyway…….back to business.
Monday rolls around. I don’t even remember where I was 2 Fridays ago, my big kids have new swim schedules, which means new carpools, and the littlest is playing baseball. Thus the Post Spring Break SEO Blues. There is so much I need to do. I need to check some titles and tags, run reports, BLOG and tweet.
Spring Break is a good concept but I’m really thinking I’d rather have the extra week during the summer OR at Christmas……..Getting back into the swing of things can be tough. It’s Wednesday and I’m exhausted! Good luck to you and I hope you aren’t struggling with the Spring Break Blues!
Houston Gun Shop
I am cracking up. I try to not to get political here, but I just have to today. I was actually reading the Houston Business Journal a minute ago and read an article on the front page about a gun shop. My interest was totally peaked because we’ve finished our newest website for a Houston Gun Shop – Jim Pruett’s Guns and Ammo – so naturally I’m very intrigued with gun stores now, especially the gun shops in Houston.
The reason I’m cracking up is because the title of the article is “Gun Shop gets a straight shot of stimulation.” It seems Obama’s stimulus package for small businesses is aiding a local gun store in its expansion. They are moving in to an old Circuit City (which is HUGE) – this move is giving them an 844% increase in square footage. Since Obama has been in office, this store has seen its business grow 600%. Now do you REALLY think he meant for a GUN STORE to have that kind of growth? I know some of you are saying, “Sure he did. They are a small business.” I’m still smiling.
Jim Pruett’s Guns and Ammo is rockin’ along also. They are moving into a larger space this spring some time. Check out their new website – it shows all the brands of guns they sell, the types of clothes (it’s called Tactical Apparel), it even has a Stevens and Pruett page – remember the Rock Gawds of 101 KLOL? Yes, it’s the same Jim Pruett. We are started to collect old pictures and post them on the site. They also have a new Fan Page that reflects the new site url – you can get there by http://houstongundealer.com or www.jimpruett.net – both url’s will get you to the same place. Facebook wise – if you don’t have a Facebook page you can see their page at www.facebook.com/houstonguns .
It’s been a really fun site to work on for so many reasons. One being that Jim Pruett’s energy level has NOT changed a bit since the 80′s. I visited the store on fact finding missions a few times and got to handle an AK-47 – didn’t know THOSE were legal. Now I have ammo against my oldest son. He is SO into guns – hunting guns – that I can fire off stats, and talk “ammunition” now.
This houston gun store carries all types of handguns, military style rifles, and has quite a collection of OLD war guns (called militaria – see my vocabulary has even grown) displayed “museum” style. It is an experience in itself – definitely worth a trip over. Another vocab word I learned is “less-than-lethal.” Mr. Pruett’s daughter-in-law carried quite the container of pepper spray. But for something more exciting, you can peruse the tasers.
The really nice thing is that they REALLY care and ask questions of the gun buyer. Questions over and beyond the scope of the “gun application.” They teach CHL – concealed handgun license – classes as well as defensive handgun classes. They DO care that you learn how to use your gun.
I’m really looking forward to watching this site grow traffic wise, fan wise, and the Facebook page – well that’s up to you. Become a fan – NOT a business plug – it’s a riot watching what people post. Go ahead – try it!
And I guess I should thank Obama for allowing these Houston gun stores to grow – to borrow from the article – now THAT’S a shot of stimulation………still smiling here!
Trains, TVs, Pianos and Swimming
Woke up this morning to news reports of a train derailment in Santa Fe, Texas. That really not that far from here. We live pretty close to some tracks and I always think – how fast would officials move through an HUGE subdivision like mine telling neighbors to “shelter in place”. We don’t have train accidents that much. AND we live close to Nalco Industries. Seems there are always train cars being loaded and unloaded. Through my job, I’m aware that train accidents (or rail accidents) fall under a very interesting law called FELA. FELA stands for Federal Employers Liability. The way I understand it is that there are very specific laws regarding what employers must do to keep their workers safe. WOW – this is VERY different than a workmans’ compensation claim. It is up to the injured worker to prove that the employer/rail owner failed to provide an unsafe workplace. Think about this – FELA covers injuries on the tracks, on the trains themselves, as well as injuries in the railyard. That’s a ton of different places injuries/accidents could happen. 20 cars derailed in this accident this morning……..that would have tied up traffic on Hwy 90 for DAYS. Issues would need to be handled by an experienced lawyer – luckily we’ve developed a wonderful working relationship with the attorneys at Burwell Nebout Trial Lawyers – they handle FELA cases in Galveston, Texas City as well as Houston. See – your job pays off sometimes. If I need an attorney, I know who to call!
Our old tv, bless it’s heart, is on it’s last leg. Luckily I have a client that sells all the newest and prettiest LCD televisions. The pictures are INCREDIBLE. J&K Electronics make buying a tv in Houston, easy. Especially LCD tvs. NOW, for my other half and I to decide on what size and what brand…hmm . That might take a while. In the mean time, I’m going to haul my pc that’s in need of a little repair and RnR. The pros at J&K also offer pc repair services. So I guess we’ll take the laptop for repair and look at some tv’s while we are there. Add one for this weekend’s list.
Pianos……….where do I start? We have a VERY old, one octave short, upright piano from my grandparents. My mom learned on it, I learned on it, and my kiddos have banged around on it. Literally. My youngest, at about 3, took a plastic bat to the keys. Chipped off the tips of the keys. Nice huh? My husband HATES the piano – not the piano instrument – just this piano in particular. It looks old. My daughter cries every time I suggest getting rid of it. I’ve checked with Fort Bend Music Center, my piano moving and sales experts and friends, and it’s not worth fixing it. Heartbreaking! But WOW – have you looked at new pianos lately. Fort Bend Music Center has some VERY cool upright as well as baby grand pianos for sale. Guess I’ll have to pay them for their piano moving services – maybe I can donate the piano. Suggestions? Add it to the list……
And swimming………MAJOR champs meet this weekend in the Woodlands. BEAUTIFUL facility – nice for spectators, BAD for parents with TWO kids. I’ll have to sit in the middle. Both big kids should do well. High School season is over for Chase, and Alexandra is due a VERY good swim or two. Watching some swimming and catching up with a friend that I never get to see anymore due to our kids’ schedules. Friday – Sunday at the Woodlands. Add it to the list……..
SEO – Keyword Strategies
I’m constantly pondering blog posts……..I just like posting. It gives me a break from some of the more mundane tasks of my daily SEO job. If done right, blogging can be tied in to these SEO tasks.
Today my main goal is to finish a large gun store project. It’s been fun learning about all the types of guns and what gun people like to buy. I have the complete confidence that my new friends at Jim Pruett’s Guns & Ammo (old site) Store will sell you the right gun for the right task………….NOW………how do I convey this in website text? How do I convince YOU, the reader, that this is a reputable gun dealer in Houston and not some hole in the ground (with TEXT not pictures – Google doesn’t care much about pictures – but that’s another post idea)? Buying a gun is a big deal – understanding what you need to be safe (like a gun safety class) or knowing that you HAVE to have a CHL (concealed handgun license) to carry one in the state of Texas (and other states). I’ve been in the store – I know the owner, again – it’s important that I convince the reader of the website who presumably is in the market for a handgun or some other type of defense weapon (my new favorite is the term LESS THAN LETHAL weapons – ha!).
Little keyword strategies (or games as I tell my friends) like the “how many ways can I say hand gun?” Well, I could say: handguns or hand guns – it’s sort of like on our own Bizopia website (or is it web site)…let’s not forget “internet site, custom site, custom website, custom web site…….” Again, I can do this for days. I do.
A good SEO person will come up with their very own strategy – one that would probably drive someone else up the wall. Games or keyword research can be done in so many different ways – it just has to be done at some point. Preferably BEFORE the site goes to design. Even though some of the search engines “ignore keywords” – that just means the meta-tag for keywords – NOT the text……..and other parts of site structure (that’s another post). You have to be careful of keyword stuffing though…..remember, in the end, the search engines don’t buy anything – it’s the customer. If the text doesn’t read easily and correctly, no one is going to try to read it anyway, right? It still takes a human to do the shopping and pay the bills last time I checked.
One category of keywords that really gets me going is the whole attorney – lawyer thing. Come on, can’t we just pick one? I’ve done a few attorney websites’ structure and it’s tough, because you know that certain people will use the search keyword ATTORNEY while others will use LAWYER. It’s simply the point of SEO – it’s a bit psychological, I guess. Some words just sound better with lawyer (or the phrase is older) – who knows REALLY? It’s all about what people search. You have to do your research. For example: Houston Personal Injury Attorney or Houston Personal Injury Lawyer? Which is it? Well, personally, I think you should go after both.
More later on SEO and keyword strategies……..going back to work on a FELA website, and go figure – it’s a LAWYER website…….oops – no an ATTORNEY website 
These REALLY great guys in the Houston/Texas City area……..(I know, another post-ha!)
Pants on the Ground
TOO FUNNY. Did you watch American Idol tonight? The 62 year old dude that came on at the end of American Idol tonight was a riot. He sang a song called “Pants on the Ground”….talking about how kids should pull their pants up. “With your hat to the side….” I was laughing SO FREAKIN’ hard. Mary J Blige was laughing so hard she was crying! Immediately we grabbed our phones and twittered………ha! At least SOMEONE other than ME thinks the pants hanging half way down someone’s butt is NOT attractive. We’ll see this guy again, trust me! Check him out on youtube.
You know American Idol is constantly trying to find the next “IT” factor. I’m not sure this guy is the next “it”, but he sure was cute! It was good to laugh that hard at the end of a long, hard day. I drove in circles with carpools or lack there of, and worked on a penguin project with the youngest.
I ended the work day today with a GREAT meeting with Doctors Clinic Houston. This is a well run, well staffed organization. We had sandwiches (that were AWESOME btw from Murphy’s Deli) and moved straight into our website design meeting. Dr. T is great – he’s definitely the marketing mind behind this. As a Houston Chiropractor, I wouldn’t hesitate to visit one of his medical clinics especially to see him. Fun crowd – believe me, in today’s world of “medicine” and “insurance” – who wouldn’t want to go to a “fun” clinic?
I was informed on Medical Facials and Medical Spa Treatments in Houston. I had NO IDEA medical clinics did this kind of thing in Houston. They offer all types of services from Family Medicine for Houston to Employment physicals.
I also learned about DOT drug screens. Did you know that truck drivers have to submit REGULAR drug screens to the DOT (department of transportation). These screens have to be conducted at a facility “registered” with the state. Who knew?
This Old House
The Raggedy Mom – ever wonder why I chose the Raggedy Mom as a url? As a SEO and copywriter for Bizopia, a Houston Website Design & SEO company, I play with words all day long. My brain is working 24/7 and I am constantly thinking about how to help my clients in some way or another. My husband would probably beg to differ with me on this topic, but really, I’m thinking about blogging and word play constantly. This has brought a whole new way I think about the news, conversations that I have with people and things I see on television.
For example, I was watching HGTV and this girl was climbing all over this old Victorian house and painting the gingerbread (yes that’s what it is called). All I could think about was that the contractor should have an account with Flexible Lifeline Systems, a fall protection company. When I was initially working on their site, I didn’t know all of these cool anchorage connectors and full body harnesses even existed. That girl should have been harnessed to the top of the house – I was scared FOR her!
What’s another one? Oh – the TERRIBLE auto accident involving the Morton Ranch students……it’s was bad, but before I heard that all of the kids had died in the accident, I immediately thought of “who would I call if I needed help?” I would call Brian Jensen at the Law Offices of Brian Jensen. He is a client that is a Houston Car Accident attorney. The guys down at Burwell Nebout Trial Lawyers – they are a hoot and a half – represent people in Houston, Galveston, Texas City – really anywhere in the Houston area – they represent Houston Car Accident involvees. Is that a word?
AND – we need a new television TERRIBLY. The tv in our den is probably 18-19 years old now. We don’t even talk in terms of who would we call if it breaks and we were to need tv repair in Houston (but we’d call J&K Electronics). We just talk in terms of who is going to help us get it out of here – ha! We WILL buy our new tv from J&K Electronics though. When you work with and for some companies and people you get attached to what they do, how they run their business – and for me, I go through the “I would rather pay a smaller company than Walmart or Best Buy” – I don’t know anyone there. But I do know they guys at J&K.
See – I’m all over everything…….
Houston Business Insurance Quotes
With my husbands knee surgery this morning, insurance is on my mind. We all need insurance – but MAN O MAN – it’ expensive. Houston business insurance, health insurance, liability insurance…..car insurance, pet insurance? Just thought I’d throw that one in there – ha! Trying to sift through Houston business insurance quotes is a daunting task. You can purchase business insurance for nearly every operation and risk your business faces. In fact, with so many options available, it is hard to determine what type of coverage you need.
We own our own small business (Bizopia – Houston Website & SEO). When it came time to purchase insurance, we were shocked at the cost. My husband had to carry general liability, workers compensation, health & medical (optional) and auto insurance for Houston employees. To save some of the headache, he opted going through a broker to shop quotes. This saved some time and stress, however, deciding which business insurance quote to use is difficult.
There are several things to do when shopping for Houston business insurance quotes. Learn about the different policies available to you. Do you homework. Part of your research means knowing your business. Access your business from top to bottom so you’re fully aware of what type of business insurance best suits you. And it’s extremely important to trust your agent with the welfare of your business. But, at the same time, check in regularly and keep on top of any changes in policy or rate. The business world is unpredictable so tweaking your policy may be imperative.
Last Minute Appeal????
Seems I’ve only been writing about rain and swimming lately. So here’s something new. Normally, first thing I do when I get to work is peruse the news across the nation to see if something sparks my interest for blogging. Well – this sure did – on Law.com:
“In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal Wednesday morning to hear the last-minute appeal of a Tennessee death row inmate, two justices clashed — one with some bite — over whether an execution after a lengthy delay is cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment.”
Now, it may just me being too hard today because I have a head cold and not much oxygen is getting through to my brain, but come on…….two judges clashing over cruel and unusual punishment of a death-row inmate? Now, I’m not really sure what makes me more angry – the fact that they are spending my tax dollars “clashing” over how someone was treated on death row OR the fact that they are NOT addressing that the person ON DEATH ROW did something obviously TERRIBLE or they wouldn’t be where they are.
Luckily in my life I haven’t had to deal with attorneys – other than my best friend who is one, but she’s harmless:-). I have had the pleasure and have gotten to know some attorneys through my job – via their websites and questions/interviews that I have to conduct to get correct information posted on their sites. Lester Van Slyke, Fort Bend County Attorney is one that is pretty cool – should one ever NEED an attorney. He specializes in Fort Bend Divorce, DWIs and Criminal Law. Fort Bend is growing so fast….more and more “big city” things seem to be happening. More crime. More divorces. More custody battles. Mr. Van Slyke can legally handle all of these things.
He’s a good old fashioned, man – officing in the Richmond/Rosenberg area – very close to the court house and Sandy McGee’s. With movers and shakers moving to the Fort Bend area (including Sugar Land, Richmond, and Rosenberg), seems there are quite a few high-profile divorces going on and Mr. Van Slyke is right there in the middle of it with all the big whig city attorneys.
If I had to hire a dwi, divorce or criminal attorney in Fort Bend County, I’d want a seasoned attorney, with old fashioned standards, and that is in touch with current changes in laws and technology. It’s a fast world, I would want things handled as fast and as thoroughly as possible. I would feel totally at ease using Mr. Van Slyke. Good guy! Check out his website at www.vanslyke-law.com.
Teens and Guns!
Went up into my oldest’s room yesterday…….mistake! The cricket cage stunk BAD b/c of rotten potatoes (long story) and the Chinese Water Dragon needed water – he’s a WATER DRAGON!!!! OH well……It was the guns and gun cases that I was stepping over that hacked me off. It’s not like these guns would do a ton of damage – but my youngest COULD use them to threaten someone – ha! Seriously, my official teenager is VERY good about keeping the ammo locked up and the guns not loaded…….if he had a gun safe though, he could put all of his hunting items (pellet guns, air pistol handgun, shells, knives, etc) in a locked gun safe.
It JUST so happens that we have designed a website and I do the SEO for Lone Star Gun Safes, here in Houston. I had NO IDEA Houston gun safes, gun vaults for those non-gun people out there, were so pretty. Seriously, they are gorgeous. Lone Star Gun Safe, Houston Champion Gun Safe Dealer, offers quite a few brands of safes, including Browning, Champion Gun Safes, Graffunder, Superior and Heritage gun safes. These things are velvet lined – I guarantee you that most women don’t have their jewelry in storage places this nice. They have shelves, locks, most are fire-water resistent. I’m impressed. The handgun safes would be great for jewelry storage too!
Now – what I need is a simple (lightweight gun safe) so that I can stick it in a corner for all of Chase’s “gun stuff” and knives…….kids. Now if someone could suggest an organization method for all of Grant’s Star Wars guys…………………
So how’s your tv?
OK – we’ve been needing a new tv for a long time now. The one we have is a dinosaur – sales contest prize from the early 90′s. We actually bought furniture for the tv. Now it’s the age of flat screen tvs and no more armoires. Even Rachael Ray has done a show on “what to do with your old armoires.” Nice.
So – basically my choice is to buy a new television OR try to have the one we have fixed. The tv now is missing the power button and can only be turned on by the remote which is constantly being hidden by our youngest. It takes a while for the color to brighten up. My luck and this sucker is going to go out on the ONLY Saturday where A&M plays on national television (if that ever happens).
I’m sort of lucky. In the Houston SEO business that I’m in, I get to meet a lot of great businesses. You get to know the owners and movers and shakers of each business. One of these businesses in J&K Electronics. We’ve worked with the owner, Gus, on building a brand new website for Houston’s TV Repair expert. He’s the biggest. Nice guy. Using Bizopia’s Search Engine Optimization strategies, I have to pick the client’s brain on exactly what they offer as services. This is NOT always easy. But it was with J&K Electronics.
I learned about DLP, LCD & Plasma tvs………all of which can be repaired by my tv repair in Houston friends at J&K Electronics. I also learned that my tv has a really bad picture compared to these new televisions. Go figure. So my dilema is, do I give up my beautiful armoire and get a new flat screen from Gus, OR do I buy a flat screen to fit the armoire, OR do I ask J&K Electronics to fix my current set?
What to do?
Driving in Houston
No one expects to get into an auto accident when they get into their car and start up the engine. Getting into an auto accident is the last thing on a person’s mind when rushing to work, or going to the grocery store or taking the kids to soccer practice. The truth is, an auto accident can happen to anyone at any time, especially in Houston, one of the biggest and most traffic-congested cities in the country. No one is immune from the carelessness of other drivers.
A Houston auto accident lawyer is the first person you should call if you’re having problems receiving compensation to repair your vehicle or pay for medical bills.A Houston auto accident lawyer will be well-versed in the often complicated ins and outs of the legal system. Everyone knows the costs to repair a vehicle following an auto accident can be astronomical, not to mention the inconvenience of being without a vehicle for a week, two weeks, or even longer.
A Houston auto accident lawyer will fight to get you the fair compensation you’re entitled to. Drivers are required by law to have at least liability insurance for their vehicles, but many people unfortunately disregard the law and drive without insurance. If your vehicle is hit by a driver without insurance, the road to a fast and fair settlement will likely get bumpy.This is when a Houston auto accident lawyer can step in and fight for you to get the compensation you need and deserve and get you back on the road.
Houston PC Repair
Personal computers are everywhere in Houston. Chances are you have one at home – maybe even more than one. You probably use your PC just about every day. It would be hard to imagine life without it. You rely on your PC for work, school and fun.
But what would happen if your PC malfunctioned and you couldn’t use it to do the things you really need to get done?
You need the help of someone in Houston with the proper knowledge and skill in PC repair.
A Houston PC repair specialist can help get your machine up and running again so you can get up and running again.
In this day and age when just about everything we do relies on computers, a PC repair expert in Houston is your best bet for a quick return to the information highway following a PC breakdown.
Houston Hot Shot Delivery
Got a load to haul but just don’t know how to get it done? Got an important piece of equipment that needs to be moved across town as soon as possible, but you just don’t have a way of getting it there? A Houston hot shot delivery service can help.
For local delivery in the Houston area without the hassle of doing it yourself, hot shot delivery service may just be the solution to your transportation problems you’ve been looking for. Using a Houston hot shot trucking service bypasses the need to employ an oversized and overpriced semi-trailer to haul your important goods or equipment.
Houston hot shot delivery companies use smaller, more efficient hauling equipment to fit the needs of any hauling job, big or small. They employ professional, knowledgeable drivers capable of safely and efficiently moving heavy or light equipment, packages and goods wherever and whenever you need them to go.
A Houston hot shot trucking company can provide a wide variety of hauling services when your business needs it the most. Getting your goods or equipment to the right place on time is key to keeping your business moving in the right direction.
Let a Houston hot shot delivery company keep your business moving forward with a wide variety of hauling
services to meet the demands of a business world constantly in motion.
Who needs Fall Protection?
As I was floating down the Comal River in New Braunfels, Texas, I noticed the Schlitterbahn’s latest major attraction……THE SWING. My seven year old was asking me, “Mommy, how do you know that you are not going to fall when you are swinging?” As a Houston SEO Strategist and copywriter, I’m quite familiar with Andy and the guys over at Flexible Lifelines (www.fall-arrest.com) . I just kept thinking, as I’m watching, “Man, I hope they have GREAT fall protection equipment.” I mean – these guys are climbing up poles with a little strap attached to them checking all the connection points. WOW! You have to trust what someone in a different job than you orders to protect you from falling. I would trust Flexible Lifelines to give me what I need. I mean, falling from 150 feet or more……you’re not exactly going to get up and walk off. You have to have the best of the best.
Until I was writing copy for Flexible Lifelines, I never really thought about fall protection for someone working on top of an airplane or railcar. I had thought about window washers, and people working on skyscrapers as needing assistance. But what about people that work on our water towers? Roller Coasters? Highway signs. Fall protection is needed in many many places.
This is job is pretty cool – it’s challenging me to think about some random things that I would otherwise not be exposed to.
