Author: Alan Brill

All about SEO

I have recently done a number of new blog posts, and I thought my work was done for now.  Then I was invited to a new Pinterest group board – All about SEO.  Being the computer geek that I am, I could not resist the offer.

Not a computer website

Now, I know that this website did not start as a computer website, however, I have done a number of blog posts that reflect on computer issues because in blogging about anything, computer issues arise.  It is like having a blog about cookie recipes, and finding that you are blogging about computer issues.

I am an Amazon Affiliate.  I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.  Please see my affiliate disclaimer.

Cookie time

Come to think of it, I joined a group board for cookie recipes.  Everything looked so delicious, how could I resist?  Anyway, I do what I usually do when confronted with a life issue, I blog about it.

Life happens

Well now, I have to come up with something for the new Pinterest group board.  This isn’t the first time Pinterest has encouraged me to enter a field that I love, but had no idea that I would be involved in at Pinterest.  I have joined a bird group board.  You know something, sometimes life just happens.

Keywords

SEO are initials that stand for Search Engine Optimization.  Bloggers sometimes try to do blog posts that contain keywords so that the post will get ranked higher on search engines.  An example is if Google puts the website post on page one of a Google search (people are likely to find it and read it) versus Google putting the post on page 37 of the Google web search.

Do you really want to be on page 37 of a Google search?

Let’s get real. Does anyone go to page 37 of a Google search.  You do a web search and you look at what came up on the first page.  Maybe if you’re really determined you might go to page two.  Hell will freeze over before you get to page 37.  Be honest, have you ever gone to page 37?  Maybe I did once, but that was when I was running Windows 95.  And that was a long time ago.

Bloggers want page one

If you’re a blogger and you want to get serious hits, you want to be on the first page of a Google search.  Well, how do you do that?  The answer is SEO (Search Engine Optimization).  If you can optimize your keywords, you stand a much better chance of landing on page one of a Google search, than page 37 of a Google search.  Suddenly, it makes sense to do SEO.

The big problem

Here’s the problem.  SEO is for computers.  It is built on algorithms.  We are humans.  We write blogs for other humans.  SEO would be perfect if we were doing blogs for computers.

What humans need

We humans need creativity, inspiration and motivation to write really good blog posts.  At least I do.  I have found that the fastest way to destroy creativity, inspiration and motivation is to spend significant time doing SEO.

Jaxxy for SEO

In all fairness there are some great software platforms for doing SEO.  One such software is Jaxxy.  It is great.  In fact, I get so into Jaxxy that I often forget what I was going to blog about.  Jaxxy motivates me to keep using Jaxxy.  It soon occurred to me that if I continued to focus on SEO, I would never write a blog post.  I needed to find another way.

The other way

Actually, it was easier than you might think.  Just forget about SEO.  Just write really cool and fun blog posts.  If I would like to read what I write, there is a good chance that other people would enjoy it too.

Occasionally even I check keywords

Sometimes I check to see if anyone might actually use one of my keywords, and I do a simple Google search.  Most of the time, I don’t.  I just write cool and fun things.  It works for me.  If I’m motivated and inspired to be creative, the blog post will be cool and fun to read.  This is because it was cool and fun to write.

I am an Amazon Affiliate.  I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.  Please see my affiliate disclaimer.

Algorithms and humans

I found something interesting about writing blog posts.  The algorithms are trying to determine what is cool and fun.  The algorithms only use SEO to help them determine what is cool and fun for humans to read.  Using SEO is like trying to get into the head of a computer that’s trying to figure out what works for humans.  Just be human, and you will rank in Google.

Catchy title

When writing a title for a blog post, just come up with a catchy title.  A cool and fun title works.  It attracts humans, and also computers that are trying to figure out what cool and fun thing humans are looking for when they do a web search.

Thinking is good

Think about it.  Do you really want to destroy your creativity, inspiration and motivation if you don’t need to?  Just write cool and fun stuff.

Comments

If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below and check out the Freebies and Products pages.

A good or bad idea

I’ve been wondering whether installing the new WordPress 5.0 (software that makes websites look like websites) was a good or bad idea.  The new Gutenberg block editor gave me the answer when I tried to put a new product on my Product page.  Clearly, it was not one of my better ideas.

To link or not to link

Gutenberg would not let me put the needed product links for the gel overlay.  It tried to put the link elsewhere on the Product page.  I use Block editor.  I use Classic editor.

What a mess

Gutenberg tried to mess up the text on the Product page.  It froze.  It crashed.  It did everything but put the link where I wanted it to put the link.  It lost the link.  I found the link elsewhere on the page.

I am an Amazon Affiliate.  I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.  Please see my affiliate disclaimer.

But it floats

It has a floating menu with the link.  It floats everywhere except where I want it.  I tried different links.  Amazon provides a short and full size link.  All to no avail.

The missing link

I could not put in the link to the affiliate disclaimer page.  I could not link the Amazon product.

Frustration

In my frustration, I decided to try placing the image without the text.

Computer code here I come

This required me to enter the HTML code editor.  I am not great with computer code.  I am still working on it.  But I entered the HTML computer code editor.  In the past entering computer code was relatively easy.  You entered Visual or Text (for code).

Now for something completely different

Now Gutenberg has an “other” menu which you must look through to find how you enter code.  It has three dots.  I found the place for the HTML computer code and inserted it.

It’s all about the image

Now this provides an image of the gel overlay.  If you click on the image, it will take you to Amazon and you can purchase the gel overlay.  I still do not have the text links, but you can purchase the product.

Work on the text links

I will be working on the text links in the future and I hope that WordPress 5.0, and Gutenberg allow me to put in the text links.  For now, at least you can purchase the product by clicking the image.

It is not fully stable, but then how many of us are?

This is a limited success and Gutenberg needs more work.  It is not fully stable.  It is still a work in progress.  Wordpress has released it as part of WordPress 5.0, but working with it seems more like working with a beta product.

I am an Amazon Affiliate.  I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.  Please see my affiliate disclaimer.

Someday soon?

Someday they will fix it.  Hopefully, it will be sooner than later.  It often bothers me when websites don’t work the way they are supposed to work.

Don’t blame the webmaster

I often find myself blaming the webmaster, but this is not the webmaster’s fault.  This is poorly designed web software.  Better luck next time.  I will continue to cajole Gutenberg to work, but it may take time.

Questions

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave your questions and/or comments below.

Second time is not always a charm

This is my second post using the new WordPress 5.0.  I wish I could say everything went smoothly.  It did not.

Gutenberg is Mr. Freeze

Once when I tried to edit a post with the new word editor Gutenberg, the whole thing froze and crashed.  Another time it seems to have made my iPad keyboard lock so I could not enter numbers.

When in doubt, reboot

Rebooting solved the problems.  But I should not have to reboot to fix Gutenberg’s problems.  Anyway, with some cajoling, I was able to get it to work, but it took much more time than it should have.

What smell?

One day, I started to hear complaints about the smell of my gel overlay.  The gel overlay is about a 3 inch mattress like covering that goes over the actual mattress in a hospital bed.  It apparently smelled of urine.

Allergies

In truth, I have a number of of environmental allergies (grass, trees, dust, mold, ragweed, and sycamore) that led me to go to an allergist.  I have stopped going to the allergist.

Gilenya side effect

My Multiple Sclerosis medicine (Gilenya) has had the effect of reducing my allergies, and I now suffer only a few days a year with allergies. Anyway, my nose is often stuffed a little, and I don’t have a good sense of smell.  If others tell me that I smell of urine, I generally accept their assessment.

Time to accept defeat

After trying to open the cover of the old gel overlay, and clean out the odor, albeit unsuccessfully, we gave up on the old gel overlay, and decided to buy a new gel overlay.  We kept the cover of the old gel overlay, just to maintain a cover over the mattress in order to protect the mattress from becoming wet.

Diamonds may be forever, but gel overlays are not

The old gel overlay was a Kloss, which was paid for by Medicare.  These gel overlays only last about a year and a half, and I have no real complaints about the old gel overlay.  However, it was about time for a new one.

Housecalls on call

I called Housecalls, which is a service of my hospital, and they arrange for home visits from my doctor.  I have recommended them before, and I again recommend them or a similar service, from your local hospital.

Years to go

I was advised that it would be another 2 years before Medicare would approve payment for another gel overlay.  This means I would have to incur the cost of a new gel overlay out of pocket.

Inexpensive gel overlay

My aide and my wife, decided to get a Drive gel overlay.  This is the Drive Medical Premium Guard Gel Mattress Overlay, 3.5″x34″x76 by Drive Medical.  Check it out on my Products page.  It is one of the less expensive gel overlays, but it works well.  It is not waterproof, but most are not waterproof.

Water resistant

This new Drive gel overlay is water resistant.  This should be sufficient under most conditions.  It is not a perfect solution, but then perfection usually comes at a high price, if at all.

Break in time

I was surprised how quickly the new Drive gel overlay was broken in.  Usually, it takes months for the new gel overlay to be broken in, but this took a week or so to break in.  This means it became comfortable in about a week.

Expect some sag

All or most of these gel overlays sag in the middle.  This one also sags in the middle, but less so than most.  Considering the cost, this is surprising good.

Measurements count

Make sure the measurements are correct for your bed and mattress before you buy.  I have twin size bed.

Recommended Drive gel overlay

I am including the Drive gel overlay in my recommended products and it should appear shortly on my products page.  Please check out this Drive gel overlay for your hospital bed.

Comments

I hope this post has been of help.  If there are are any comments and/or questions please leave them below.

I should know better

OK, here I go again.  Doing what I should never do, but plunging in head first where brave people dare to tread.

WordPress Five

WordPress, the back end of websites built throughout the world, has been updated to WordPress 5.0.  There are warnings all over the web that the new editor known as Gutenberg is broken with the new Divi theme update, Elementor, and Brizzy.  Mr. Disabled, Fearless and Clueless has once again jumped into the shark tank.

I am an Amazon Affiliate.  I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.  Please see my affiliate disclaimer.

It is all about the new theme

Not knowing what I was doing, and being unable to stop myself from seeing the new WordPress default theme 2019, I updated to WordPress 5.0.  This is the first new post I have done with the new Block editor Gutenberg, and I am still using WordPress theme 2016.  I am crossing my fingers and hoping this works.  (Talk about a wing and a prayer.)

A long time coming

I have not received any Ocupational Therapy (OT) or Physical Therapy (PT) for two years.  This happened when I could no longer reliably stand.  I probably could have stood earlier in the day, but as my Multiple Sclerosis fatigue kicks in, I am less and less able to reliably stand later in the day.

Leave me in bed

It became much easier to just leave me in bed and do diaper changes.  Occasionally, I would come out of bed and sit in my lift chair for three hours.

New doctor

My new doctor (general practitioner) has put in for OT for me.  In the past, my old doctor would do the same, but nothing would come of it.  Please consult with your doctor before attempting OT.  Your condition may vary.

Rhode Island, here he comes

My old doctor has moved to Rhode Island, I do not live in Rhode Island, and a new doctor was assigned.  I am part of Housecalls, which means that the doctor comes to my house because I am bedridden.  I am a paraplegic.  Housecalls is a very good program and it is worth checking to see if a hospital near you offers a similar program.

I say yes to OT

Anyway, one day, to my surprise I get a phone call that some people are going to try to set up OT for me.  I say yes, and then I get another phone call that they were successful and then I get another call from An Ocupaional Therapist that she is coming to see me.

Again, I say yes to OT

Again, I say yes, and she shows up with a much younger man who she calls “a shadow”.  The shadow makes a list of all my medications, while she goes through my ID.  She needs ID like my drivers license.  She also needs my new Medicare card, and my Medicare supplement card.

Hand strength

She and the shadow check my arm and hand strength.  I have to squeeze their hands.  They determine that my upper body strength is good, which it is.  My lower body strength is lousy.  But OT usually deals with the upper body strength.

More PT, less OT

Realistically, I need PT more than I need OT.  PT deals with the whole body, and in my case, that means mostly lower body, which is my weakest part.

Medicare to the rescue, maybe

This is where Medicare issues come into play. Medicare will apparently pay as long as you progress.  However, with an illness like Multiple Sclerosis, the likelihood of progressing is minimal.   It is more of an issue of maintaining your current condition.

Some progress

You may progress somewhat, but then you reach a point where you plateau, and you are really trying to just maintain your situation.  Medicare apparently does not like this.  They want you to keep progressing and that is what they will pay for.

Jimmo

In the Jimmo case, Medicare came to a settlement where they would pay for such maintenance in cases involving illnesses like Multiple Sclerosis.  (On January 24, 2013, the U. S. District Court for the District of Vermont approved a settlement agreement in the case of Jimmo v. Sebelius, Case 5:11-cv-00017-cr, filed Jan. 18, 2011).

Easier said than done

It is apparently hard to get approval for such a maintenance program, which is why some switch from OT to PT and back again, otherwise Medicare will not pay.  This is where I would like to say that I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.  However, this would not be entirely true.  In fact, I am a lawyer.

I am an Amazon Affiliate.  I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.  Please see my affiliate disclaimer.

Your condition may differ

However, your condition may differ and I would suggest that you consult a lawyer for your particular condition and the stage of development of your condition.  Anyway, after I finish with OT, I plan on checking to see if I can get PT.

Caller ID

Two days later, I get a call from a different phone.  Yes, I have Caller ID.  Apparently, the OT is not going to come to my house for this visit.  Instead, the shadow is coming.

Shadow is coming

The shadow arrives and we talk about the electronic equipment that I have in bed with me, like my laptop and iPad.  Meanwhile, I am doing stretching exercises with a big rubber ribbon.   Then he gives me a weight which I do lifting exercises with one hand then the next.

I’m a righty

Both my hands are strong, but I am a righty, and my right hand is a little stronger than my left hand.  This means that I can keep going with my right hand, but I need to rest occasionally when I use my left hand.  We also talked about Amazon and Amazon Prime, which gives me free two day shipping, music, books, magazines, and videos.

The other OT

Shortly, thereafter, he left the house.  However, before he left, he mentioned that most of my remaining sessions would be with the OT and that she would be calling in the future.

Questions and Comments

I hope that helps you with your treatment or someone you know, and if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below.  Thank you.

What theme is behind door number one?

I have recently been looking into web design.  This post may be a bit technical, but I’ll try to keep it as simple as possible.  A theme has to do with the underlying mechanics of a website.

What foundation?

It is the foundation that a website is built upon.  Different themes have different capabilities and some allow for beautiful headers and some not so good headers.   Some look great on the web and some not so good.  I am currently using the theme called 2016.  It is a WordPress theme, and is good for blogging, which is most of what I do.

Cool websites

I look at other websites and I see all the cool things that they can do, and I wonder, why not my website?  They say how simple it is to change your website theme.  Gee, why can’t I do this?

Why I can’t change themes

I’ll tell you why I can’t do this.  It is because it is not so easy to change themes.  Sure, it is not such a problem when you have little or no content on your website.  However, as your website grows, it becomes much more difficult to transport things to your new website theme.

WordPress

WordPress seems to be the control panel behind the website and the theme is the frame upon which you built your website.  I am not a web designer by trade and mostly, I do not know what I am doing with a theme.

Ascent

When I was just starting out, I changed my theme from Ascent to 2016.  I did this mostly because I had no idea what I was doing on the web.  I had very little content on my website, and I foolishly and fearlessly changed the theme.

Why change?

Mostly, I changed the theme because I did not understand the Ascent theme, and I was clueless about it.  So I changed the theme to something I could understand.  The theme 2016 was a theme I understood.  It was an older blogger type theme and since I was going to write a blog, it made sense to me.

Shiny objects

Sure I might one day be taken by the shiny objects in the web, but here was a theme I understood and could work with.  Well the shiny objects of the web have gotten to me again and I started looking for a new website theme.

Fan club

I am a fan of Suzi Whitford who has startamomblog.  I think the world of her and she is super smart.  Look, when you’re disabled and you are looking to go viral on the web, there really isn’t much help out there for a handicapped blogger.  A special thank you to Kyle and Carson at Wealthy Affiliate, without whom I would never been able to do anything on the web.  Also, a big thank you to Allison Lindstrom with Blogging to Win, without whom I never would have been able to monetize the site.

Here comes Astra

Anyway, Suzi said that she was considering changing her recommended web theme to Astra, because a previous theme she was using was no longer supported. Doing this is easy if you’re starting your website with a new theme, but not so easy if you have a more established website with a ton of content.

Change themes

Anyway, I decided to change my theme to Astra. I downloaded Astra, activated it, and it was instant catastrophe!  I really need to know what I am doing.

What happened?

My header was gone.  Letters were all crushed together and my website was horrible.  I took one look at this and I decided it was time to go back to 2016.  At least, I understood 2016.

Back to the Future

I reinstalled 2016, and to my relief my website was back.

It’s all about the Metadata

But, was my metadata back?  Now, metadata is something I only vaguely comprehend.  It is apparently the underlying web infrastructure information of my website.

Rank on Google

I figured if I ranked on Google, my metadata was probably alright.  On Friday, I received an email from Wealthy Affiliate saying a prior post had ranked on Google.  If I ranked on Google, my metadata was probably alright.

Someday not so soon

I may someday change my theme, but not today, and probably not for awhile, because I’m going to need much more training.

This post may contain affiliate links.  I receive a commission from affiliate sales, at no additional cost to you.

Faith in KardiaMobile

Most of the time I recommend a product because I own the the product and have been happy with it.  But sometimes I recommend a product because I have heard so much about the product from others that I have faith in the word of others.  Such is the case with KardiaMobile.  It is Alivecor® KardiaMobile EKG Monitor | Wireless EKG | Captures Heart Rate, Rhythm & Symptoms for Early Detection of AFib | For Smartphones & Tablets | FDA Cleared.  I had heard such good things that I just had to recommend it to my readers.  Before taking an EKG, please consult first with your physician.

Heart issues

Nowadays, many people have heart issues ranging from a variety of reasons ranging from smoking to genetics.  Not only handicapped people have heart problems.  People who lack much physical activity, such as handicapped people, have a higher risk of heart issues.  People who exercise regularly or substantially have a 30 to 40 percent lower risk of heart issues.

I buy KardiaMobile

Actually, I decided to buy KardiaMobile for my wife, but I have been using it too.  You can buy it too!  Please go to my Products page.  It is easy and convenient to use.  First, you download the KardiaMobile app.  I did this on my iPad 4.  I know it is old and should replace it.  In my house, old electronics just live on and on until they break, often because they fell out of the bed.  I, as mentioned in previous posts, am a paraplegic.  I am bedridden.

Sign-in and service

After a simple sign-in process, yes you will need to make up a password, KardiaMobile is ready.  You begin with the premium service for 30 days.  After that it is $9.99 a month or $99 a year for annual premium service.

What do you get with both Basic and Premium service?

Both Basic service, which is free, and Premium service include:  take recordings anywhere, anytime; instant EKG analysis; detect normal heart rhythm or AFib; email and print unlimited EKG readings; blood pressure tracking; and weight tracking.

What does Premium service add?

The Premium service adds:  unlimited cloud storage and history; medication tracking; customized monthly reports emailed to you home to share with your doctor (in US only); and SmartRhythm monitoring and notifications for Apple Watch®.

Basic or Premium, it’s your choice

You may continue to use KardiaMobile without purchasing the Premium service.  Personally, I am still trying it out and will make a decision on this later this month.

Guest feature

I set up KardiaMobile.  I took numerous EKG recordings of myself (only one of my wife), and all resulted in normal readings. It has a guest feature which allowed me to take my readings, even though I was setting it up for my wife.

Consult your doctor

It can help your doctor adjust medications and plan future treatment.  Discuss this with your doctor.

The case for the case

I bought KardiaMobile during a Black Friday sale and I received a free case which ordinarily would have cost about $30, free.  It is a cool case and closes magnetically.

Conclusion

I strongly recommend this product to my readers who are concerned about a heart issues.  It can help you and your doctor plan a healthier future.

Rich Pins

I’m really excited that I was able to add rich pins to my Pinterest account.  Frankly, I feel that I have no idea what I’m doing with rich pins. In fact, I had seen a post on the internet that rich pins are dead and that Pinterest was no longer using rich pins.  I was thinking oh boy that’s good because I have no idea about rich pins.

Clueless on Pinterest

As time went on I continued to have this sneaking suspicion that something was happening on Pinterest that I was completely clueless about.

Work in progress

Pinterest is a work in progress, but then, so am I and so is this website.  But don’t I just love it.  Yes, I do.  So I started to do some investigating, which led me to conclude that rich pins may have changed its format, but not its name.

Yoast to the rescue

I went to the rich pins validatior on Pinterest,  I have Yoast SEO installed on my website, and I went to General to make sure everything is enabled. I went to Social and Facebook.  Apparently, you need to go to Facebook to get what you need for Pinterest.  I think I mentioned that I have no idea what I’m doing.

URL and Validate

I went to my Freebies page and entered in the URL.  I hit Validate and shortly thereafter I received an email from Pinterest that Rich Pins has been validated.  I really wish I knew what I did, but it worked.  I previously used All In One SEO, but have recently switched to Yoast SEO, which appears to be more social media friendly.

Time to exercise

Here I go on to exercise.  As a paraplegic, exercising is not easy.  There is no one to get exercise equipment for me.  I’ve had to develop my own exercise routine.  The hospital bed I am in has a soft mattress and gel overlay, which means that I get no support from it.  Before attempting any exercise routine, please consult first with your physician.

Bars or Rails

The bed has bars or rails on either side, and this is how I get my exercise.  I pull myself from one side of the bed to the other side and this gives me exercise.  I try to move my legs, but I’m always unsuccessful in that effort.  I try to exercise my butt muscles, however, this is often an exercise in frustration.

Hand press

I also press my hands together and push.  This helps my hand and arm muscles.

One side or the other of the bed

I pull myself from one side of the hospital bed to the other with two hands and sometimes with only one hand.  I try to do as many repetitions as I can without damaging the bed.

Pulling myself up

I try to pull myself up.  This is not easy and sometimes results in me being in a bad position in bed .  I often need to pull myself up (that is closer to the headrest in the bed).

The Aide needed an Aide

I once had an aide who tried to pull me up, but she almost broke her back trying to do this.  Typically, when I have a diaper change, I try to pull myself up to the headrest by grabbing the metal rail on the side of the hospital bed, as I turn over.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I hope these exercise tips have helped you.  Keep exercising.  Do not wear yourself out.  Get advice from your doctor.  Stay healthy.

Web design

Before I get to the substance of this post, let me mention that website design is easier said than done.  My second Freebie, Questions for Doctor, seemed good, but it didn’t appear quite right.  Eventually, I figured out what was wrong.

Put the name of the website on the Freebie

I had forgotten to put the name of the website on the Freebie.  It should be easy enough to fix, or so I thought.  I use a graphics program called Canva to create my Freebies.

Consider an iPad

I also use an iPad to do most of my web design, Pinterest pins and web posts.  The iPad seems to anticipate my next word and helps me write my posts.  This is a great help for a handicap person like me.  If you are handicapped, consider getting an iPad to help you write to friends and family.

Canva issues

Apparently, I had created the Freebie using Canva version 2.0, but Canva for iPad was now up to Canva 3.0.  Of course, graphics created with Canva 2.0 cannot be edited with 3.0.  Canva is having some real problems with iPad.  I can no longer turn my iPad horizontally to use Canva.

Android to the rescue

Canva is aware of these problems, and is working on it but that doesn’t really help me.  I had to use my Android phone with a tiny screen to do graphics editing.  This was not easy.  Then I had to replace the old Freebie with the new image on the website and the one in the email.  Well, I did it.

Oh yes, the screwdriver

Back to the Irwin screwdriver, it is a little lifesaver. Not only can I put batteries in toys, see my previous post – Toyland, it helps me with many other things.  I can tighten my over bed table and fix many things with it.  The Irwin screwdriver can be found on my products page.

The power of 8 bits

It has 8 bits which means that one screwdriver doubles as 8 screwdrivers.  I do not have the space in bed for an 8 piece screwdriver set, but there is room for one stubbie screwdriver.  You unscrew the yellow portion to reveat the 8 bits.  It is like having 8 screwdrivers in one.

A little bit goes a long way

Granted, the bits are small, but not tiny, and not always easy to pull out, but it seems to magnetically pop into place.  This holds in place well when you are using it.

The magic or magnet is inside

I hope this helps people who are handicapped have access to a multitude of screwdriver bits.  The bits are inside the screwdriver.  Actually, this may be helpful to people that are not handicapped as well.

The link is coming soon

I will be placing a link to the Irwin screwdriver on my products page shortly.  Please watch for it.

Happy Turkey Day

Meanwhile, I want to wish everyone a great Thanksgiving day.  A neighbor was kind enough to bring over some turkey.  I wish everyone the best Thanksgiving day.

Website maintenance

Before I get into the substance of this blog post, let me just tell you what I’ve been up to lately.  It’s been project clean up the website.

To link or not to link

For example, the Freebies worked, but Freebie number one (the Weekly Pill Reminder) had a link, while Freebie number two (the Questions for Doctor) had a box under it.  Both worked fine, but it looked weird that one had a link while the other had a box.

Think inside the box

Now both have boxes. You may look at this and think it was really nothing more than a cosmetic change.

It’s all about cosmetics and computer code

However, on a website even a cosmetic change means a whole lot of computer code.  I had to take down Freebie number one, that’s right wipe it out completely, and reinstall it on the website.  Strangely, it would not work until I saved the new install twice to the website.  Hey, website design isn’t as easy as it looks.

Clean up the vertical box

Then my next part of the project was to clean up the email address on the vertical Newsletter sign up boxes.  Apparently, there was not enough space in the vertical sign up box for the word “address”.   It only partially displayed and looked peculiar.

Appearance is so important

Website design is nothing if not about a good appearance.  If a website looks professional, people are much more likely to trust it and click on it.  I finally changed that by deleting the word “address” on all the pages.  Now the website looks good and works.

The old driver returns

It took awhile but I finally got a driver for the van.  This was the driver who helped me get the new air conditioner compressor installed in the van.

Why can’t I eat on either side of my mouth?

After my usual get ready to go out routine, off we went to the dentist.  Now I have an extraction on the left lower side of my mouth, and the temporary on the right side came out.  In fact, the temporary came out the same day it was put in when I ate a turkey sandwich about 4 hours after the temporary was inserted.

Temporaries are temporary

Well, it was only a temporary and eventually it will have to come out anyway.  The extraction on the lower left side was healing and I was able to eat some soft foods on the left side.  The temporary was on the lower right side, so I had to struggle to eat on the left and right side of my mouth.

Another cracked tooth

The dentist started to work on the temporary on the lower right side and actually got the new temporary to fit well when he noticed that my tooth was cracked.  I had two new x-rays taken and the dentist determined that I would need another extraction.  At first he was going to send me to the Oral Surgeon for the extraction, but later decided to do the extraction next visit himself.  This, of course, makes it much easier for me, because it means no additional trip to the Oral Surgeon.

It’s all about the website

Meanwhile, I was telling the dentist about this website.  Why not do some advertising while I’m at the dentist’s office?   I also told him he could follow me on Pinterest.  That’s me, motivated and inspired, even with multiple sclerosis fatigue.

The way home

Then I set up a new appointment for next month.  We stopped off for some gasoline.  The ride home was largely uneventful until the van stalled.  My guess is that the new gasoline did not mix well with the old gasoline.  Anyway, the van started right up and we continued on our way home.

Am I regressing and what am I doing with a toy?

O.K., you are wondering how this could be from an old handicapped guy who is old enough to collect social security.  What could I be doing playing with toys?  Well, I am not exactly playing with the toys.

The kids of cousins

We have cousins and the cousins have children, and these children, who we love and adore, play with toys, which means we are buying toys.  Now, most toys today are not Ragady Ann and Andy.  They are battery driven techno-toys.

Power toys

This means you are buying batteries and figuring out how these things are supposed to work.  Now, because you do not want to rip everything apart before the child and the child’s parents even see the toy, you do not open all the bags that come with the toy.  Unfortunately for you, this often means you do not open the bag that has the instruction manual.  Therefore, you must figure out what you are supposed to do to get the toy to work without any guidance whatsoever.

Divine Inspiration

Assuming you do not have divine inspiration, you will likely be as befuddled and confused as I was.  The toy in question is the Crayola Touchup Tracing Pro toy.  Since you are trying not to open the bag, with the instructions, you will try to take some solace in the name of the toy.  Since this a tracing toy, you will look for the tracing paper, but lo and behold you will not find any.  Instead, you will see drawings on paper that might be traced.  It might be a good idea to get some paper.

A bright light

Now for the hard part, this toy has a light.  It takes three AA batteries, but of course it does not come with batteries.  Either you have to buy new batteries for the toy or you have to be lucky like I was and happen to have a package of new batteries.

It’s all screwed up

You might think now I just pop in the batteries and I am set. You would of course, be wrong, because there are two tiny little screws that hold the battery compartment closed.  At first, I thought it would be necessary to get a tiny little screwdriver.  This would be a major undertaking for me since I am a bedridden paraplegic in bed.

Stubby to the rescue

I keep an Irwin stubby screwdriver with me on the eating table in front of me.  This screwdriver has eight big bits.  Fortunately, to my surprise, the smaller Phillips head screwdriver bit actually fit the small screws on the toy.

Bedridden again

Of course, I am in bed and even with a screwdriver bit that fits, I needed to contort my body in order to unscrew the battery compartment. Fortunately, the screws were held in place by a washer and did not roll away on the floor.

Put in the batteries

I inserted the three batteries and then closed and screwed shut the battery compartment.  This is actually better than most toys where the screws would be rolling away on the floor.  However, this is still difficult for a handicapped person who is nearly flat on his back in bed.  But then the things we will do for family.