More Blogging Olympics - Plus a Breaking Bad Recap

Artwork by Wes Molebash

Yesterday, I made you guys aware of a competition going on at RobShep.com that I'm involved in called the Blogging All-Star Challenge.

So far, the race is neck-and-neck. Many of you have voted already, but we still need your help.

If you haven't voted yet, you can go cast your vote for Team Ricky HERE. If you have already voted, first off, thank you. Second, we can still use your help as you try and rally as much support from your friends and cyberbuddies on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest and any other internet domain where you spend time socializing.

For crying out loud. Rob has Jon Acuff on his squad. Are you kidding me? That guy can tweet about a booger he picked that looks like Elvis and get 40 million retweets! There's no way this competition should be close...but it totally is, and it's because you guys are awesome.

So keep up the good work, and remember, it's not over until the end of the week.

As a quick aside, I wanted to remind you guys to check out my weekly recap of the latest episode of Breaking Bad -- here.

To inspire you to keep chugging along and to evoke a bit of laughter, here's an incredible video put together by fellow Team Ricky member Tor Constantino:

The Blogging All-Star Challenge

Ricky vs. Rob: The Epic Battle of the Century...or at least this week.

A few weeks ago, Ricky Anderson emailed me to inform me he'd picked me for his All-Star team. I dusted off the cleats and found my old glove, just in time to find out that we were not going to be playing softball (much to my dismay), but instead, we were going to be taking part in an online popularity contest.

Here's the deal.

Rob Shepherd and Ricky have both selected a list of their favorite bloggers on the whole wide world webernets.

It should be noted that Ricky, a guy I just met on the internet a few months ago and have never met in person, picked me. Rob, a guy who I have personally known for over 18 years, did not. I'm not bitter about that. Not at all.

Moving right along.

An Idiot's Guide to the Galaxy: FREE giveaway until Sunday night!

A few months ago, I wrote and released my free e-book, An Idiot's Guide to the Galaxy. It's been available for free for all my e-mail subscribers.

As of Sunday at midnight, this will no longer be the case.

The plan is to take the book, revamp it, polish it up, and re-deliver it to you in a brand new way. The upgraded version will have new stories, as well as entries from other bloggers you may already know and love.

When it's ready for launch, AIGTTG will be re-released as a Kindle book for $2.99.

In the meantime, you should go ahead and download the free version today, while it's still available. Not sold yet?

Here's the first chapter, so you can decide for yourself if it's something you might be interested in.

Spoiler alert: You will be.

Friday Funhouse: July 27, 2012

Here's what went down this past week on TheIsleOfMan.Net:

On Monday, I admitted I'd have serious trouble living without cable TV

On Tuesday, I shared my latest Breaking Bad recap, plus a pregnancy update

On Wednesday, I gave tips on how to be a Rockstar Blogger

On Thursday, we talked movie selection for a birthing

Also, one more thing.

I've mentioned it a couple times, but I want to remind you guys that my e-book, An Idiot's Guide to the Galaxy:

...will only be available for FREE for three more days. As of Sunday at midnight, this will no longer be the case.

Here's why:

I'm revamping the book in a big way. In addition to polishing up the original entries, I'm going to be adding entries from some of your other favorite bloggers.

After the additional and incredible content is added, I'm going to be submitting AIGTTG to Amazon as a Kindle book. It will resale for a mere $2.99.

I'm excited about it. You should be too. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, be sure to download the FREE version of the book, HERE, before it's no longer available.

Now, on to the goodies:

Movies to Bring to a Birthing

That's not baby. It's somebody else's. Cute kid, though.

My own baby has not left the comfort of his mother's womb and entered into the world. He's still stubbornly hanging on, enjoying his last few days (possibly weeks) inside the safety of amniotic fluid.

In the meantime, we're still making as many plans and preparations as possible, so that we'll be ready when the time actually comes.

I've asked everyone I know for tips on what to do, what to bring, etc., etc. Surprisingly, one of the most popular answers has been: "Make sure you bring movies. It takes a long time. You'll want something to do."

That still sounds weird to me, but I'm a rookie. You guys are the experts, so I'll go along with it.

With that said, I need to figure out which movies we should bring. We'll most likely bring our Kindle Fire and will just use Netflix or Hulu to stream movies.

I'm thinking the prerequisites are: 

- Funny and/or lighthearted. We wanna keep things light in the delivery room.

- All age appropriate. I dunno who's gonna be coming in and out of that room, so it needs to be clean.

Based on all that, any suggestions? 

How to Achieve Rockstar Status as a Blogger

Photo used courtesy of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

We live in a statistics and performance-driven society. The blogging community is not immune to that. In fact, the “blogosphere” is practically dominated by numbers.

How many visitors did your blog receive today? How many unique pageviews did you get? What about comments?

There are countless blog posts and website articles about how to drive more traffic to your blog. As a new blogger, it can all be overwhelming.

It can be intimidating when you look at some of the websites of the “rockstar” bloggers. You hear about their statistics, and it feels daunting. These guys (and lovely ladies) have more people tweeting individual blog posts than you have visitors in an entire week.

It’s humbling, at best.

Breaking Bad Recap: plus a pregnancy update!

Last week, I proudly announced to you guys that I was going to start writing for TV Asylum, specifically doing recaps for one of my favorite TV shows of all time: Breaking Bad.

Today, TVA is running my recap of the latest episode of this, the fifth season.

It would make my heart happy if you took a few minutes to read the article HERE. Also, while you're over at TV Asylum reading my recap post, I'd be doubly happy if you left a comment. It only takes a few seconds, but it makes authors feel like people give a crap about what they do.

You give a crap about what I do, don't you?

Excellent.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Kim is still pregnant. I'm sure a lot of you have been curious about that, so I thought I'd give you a quick update.

This is week 37. Aidan is now fully formed, and if he were born today, we've been told he'd be as close to being perfectly healthy as possible. 

The nursery is finished, save for one trivial accessory: a baby.

The walls are painted, the crib is up, the rocking chair is in place, I even made Kim a custom nursing stool out of a tree stump. The overnight bag is packed (for the most part). We've made lists. The babyseat is installed. 

We're good to go.

It's cool that you guys have been along for the whole journey. I can't wait till he gets here, so I can share stories and pictures with you.

Are you getting watery-eyed?

Cut it out. Go read my article at TV Asylum.

I Don't Think I Could Live without Cable

Photo used courtesy of Creative Commons user redjar

There are a lot of things I could do without, if I had to.

In the past few months, I've had to seriously evaluate all of that. After losing my job, I sat down with Kim, looked at the budget, and we tried to decide if there was any extraneous "fluff" that could afford to go by the wayside.

One of the things we scrutinized the most closely was cable television.

Friday Funhouse: July 20, 2012

Let's cut to the chase:

- On Monday, I answered the questions you asked me last week.

- On Tuesday, I made an announcement about my new job situation.

- On Wednesday, I guest posted at TheThingAboutFlying.com about Lamaze class.

- On Thursday, we talked about living a life with no regrets. 

Later today, I'll be seeing The Dark Knight Rises. Have you seen it yet? Feel free to leave a spoiler review in the comment section below!

Living a Life with No Regrets Means No More Procrastinating

Photo used courtesy of Creative Commons user Jason A. Howie

"A year from now, you'll wish you had started."


This was a quote that I saw recently while wasting time on Pinterest. It didn't make sense, at first, but something about called to me.

I read it again.


Then it sunk in and really hit me. It made me think: "What do I wish I would have started a year ago?"

The answer is not a short one.

• I wish I'd started my diet a year ago. I'd be in shape now. My clothes would fit better. I'd be further along in the process and able to eat a wider variety of foods. I'd be less miserable.
• I wish I'd started reading my Bible every day a year ago. I'd be in the habit. I'd be used to it. I'd have a closer walk with God.
• I wish I'd started seriously working on my graphic design business a year ago. I'd have more clients. I'd have a more vast portfolio. I'd be closer to having it pay my bills with no worries of depleting my savings account.
• I wish I'd started exercising regularly a year ago. I'd be on a routine. I'd hate running less. I'd feel better about myself.

I wish I could go back in time, but I can't. It is what it is at this point, but in a year from now, I don't want to look back and say "I wish I'd started." I want to say, "I'm glad I did."


What things do you wish you'd started a year ago?

Guest post for TheThingAboutFlying.com: 'How Lamaze Class Blew Up My Brain'

Have you ever been to Lamaze class?

It's crazy. If you're a father or a father-soon-to-be, you know exactly what I mean.

A week ago, Kim and I took a full day Lamaze class, crash course in birthing a baby. I wrote a blog post about it that is running at TheThingAboutFlying.com, today.

I'd love it if you'd check it out, and you can do that HERE!

I Have a Job. Thanks for Asking.

Photo via Creative Commons user hufse

In March, I was informed that I was not going to be extended a contract for the upcoming year, due to low-enrollment.

Since that point, I've polished up the old resume. I applied for countless jobs. I've made calls. I've sent e-mails. I've stressed. I've worried.

I very nearly fell apart.

During all of it, nothing ever seemed to come together. I received no positive feedback. Every time I thought I had something positive, it ended up being just another false alarm and a disappointment.

So I gave up, and that's when things started to turn around.

Ask Me Anything: The Answers!

Photo by Flickr user Alexander Rachmann

Last week, I opened up the floor to you, my awesome readers, and I allowed you to ask me anything that was on your mind.

I have to admit, it was a vulnerable experience. "What if no one asks me anything? I'll look stupid." Yep. I thought that to myself.

Luckily, this was not the case. If anything, it was quite he contrary. Not only did you guys ask questions, but you asked some really good ones. I appreciated that.

Here are my answers:

Friday Funhouse: July 13, 2012

It's Fridaaaayyyyyy!!!!

Here's what you missed this week at TheIsleOfMan.Net, if you were too busy to check in every day.

- On Monday, I explained why I didn't "LIKE" your Facebook status about Jesus.

- On Tuesday, I was honest about how I got fat, and why I decided to go back on a diet.

- On Wednesday and Thursday, I let you guys ask me anything you wanted to.

Which bring us to today, where we examine the boldest and brightest that the internet had to offer in the way of incredible pictures and videos.

Before we get to that, I wanted to shamelessly toot my own horn for a second. (I'll be quick, I promise.)

As most of you are aware, I recently went into business for myself, doing primarily graphic design. The business is called kr graphix, and the official homepage can be found at www.krgraphix.com. The Facebook fan page is located at: www.facebook.com/krgraphix. If you could refer the website to friends and family, and "LIKE" the fan page on Facebook, it would mean a great deal to me. If you or anyone you know is in need of a website or any other kind of graphics work, please hit me up!

Enough banter. Onto the Funhouse!

Ask Me Anything

Photo by Flick user Alexander Rachmann

This blog is about being vulnerable, and I think I do a decent job with that.

With that end in mind, I'm opening up the floor to you, the readers. Asking the questions is usually my job. Whether it's my interviews with other bloggers or just the end of each blog post, it's generally been my role to pose the inquisitions.

But now it's your turn.

Why I Went Back On A Diet

Photo by Flickr user puuikibeach

One of the things I read about when we first found that Kim was pregnant, was the phenomenon concerning something called "sympathy weight gain."

This process involves the husband of an expecting mother actually gaining weight right along with his partner, as she packs on the pounds to provide for the gestating life inside of her.

I thought it was stupid. Just because my wife is gaining weight doesn't mean I have to get fat. That's avoidable. I would avoid it.

I didn't.

Why I Didn't 'LIKE' Your Status about Jesus: and how I managed to remain a Christian anyway

We've all seen them. The pictures of where two sets of footsteps became one. The statuses that you have to "Like," or else it means you're not a very good Christian.

For example:

Above, is a typical example of a picture that would be posted on Facebook, followed by the disclaimer: "Post this if you love Jesus."

Most of the people who post things like this do, in fact, mean well. I believe that. 

Here's the problem:

Friday Funhouse: July 6, 2012

Happy Friday!

Before we get into the funniest pics and vids from the past week in the internet, I want to encourage you guys to visit my friends at MendMark.com, a Christian-run clothing company that makes some very cool shirts (among other wardrobe items). Here's one of their more awesome products:

I have the shirt myself. I wear it all the time. It's comfortable, it looks cool, and I can feel good about the message that's being projected by it. Their stuff is awesome and affordable, so hit them up today.

Here's a quick rundown of what you missed this past week, if you weren't faithfully checking in to TheIsleOfMan.Net:

- On Monday, I talked about how Kim and I rid ourselves of pesky fruit flies

- On Tuesday, I gave my spoiler-free review of 'The Amazing Spider-man'

- On Wednesday, we all shared a good laugh at the expense of a 'Fireworks Fail' video

Which brings us to today:

Homemade Fireworks Gone Wrong

Photo by Flickr user Jeff Tabaco

Happy 4th of July!! Hope you all are safe today and have a wonderful holiday. And if you're not American, no worries. Today, we'll let you pretend like you are!

Here's a reminder not to play with fireworks:




It was DEFINITELY too much magnesium!

TheIsleOfMan.Net Movie Review: 'The Amazing Spider-man'

"With great power comes great responsibility."


That line pretty much sums up the onus that was placed on Sony Pictures when they decided to reboot Spider-man, a movie franchise that has already spun out three movies (featuring Tobey Maguire as the lead) and made quite a good deal of revenue at the box office.

I have to say, though, that when they announced the new take on the series, I welcomed the news.

Call me "Debbie Downer," but I didn't love the first Spider-man trilogy. I particularly loathed the third installment, but who didn't?

So, last night, I hit up the midnight showing with fairly high hopes.

Here's what I thought:

How to Get Rid of Nasty Fruit Flies

Photo by Flickr user mschmidt62

Those of you who are signed up to the e-mail list received a unique, e-mailed blog post, in your inbox, on Wednesday, about fruit flies.

The short version is that our house was infested with fruit flies about a week ago.

It was gross. They were everywhere, and we had no idea where they came from or how to get rid of the annoying jerks.

I appreciated the e-mails I received from many of you who had some great suggestions on how to get rid of the pests.

I'm glad to say that, as of today, most of the fruit flies are gone. (Happy Dance!!)

How'd we get there?