…I was traveling and wandering around the web this morning and I went to some interesting places, and I went to some wonderful places, and I even went to some places that made me start bawling! I’m serious, I’m not kidding you. I was flat-out bawling - the dog got nervous! Really.

Guess which site made me bawl? A page on ebay. Yep. For real. You’ll see, just come along….

Here’s where it all started…with the daily email from Squidoo highlighting the Lens of the Day. (Have I talked to ya’ll about Squidoo here? I need to do that. I’ll get on that ASAP, ok? For now, let’s get back to my meanderings…) The lens picked for showcasing today is called How to Prevent Lost Luggage. The URL of said lens is http://squidoo.com/lost-luggage - just seeing the URL made me giggle, feel warm fuzzies, and have all kinds of memories come flooding back to me! ‘Well, now - that’s silly!” …you say?

Let me tell you where I’m coming from, and then maybe you’ll be saying, “Aww…” instead! My mother and my late Uncle Pat used to be in business together. They started out with a business that was just, well…business. There were some fun parts to it for me as a child, but, it was still just ‘business’. We’ll talk a little more about that in a minute. Then they added on another whole business to their business! And this was the mega-fun part! This was during the Atari heyday when every kid on the block knew all there was to know about Atari and Atari games. We lived it, we breathed it, we dreamed about it when our mothers made us shut it off and go to bed! And guess what the new business was! Yep - video games!

Uncle Pat went into my mother’s office one morning and said, “Judi, we’re going to make video games!” And with that, his HERO status went up about a thousand notches to us kids! Ha! They named the company, APOLLO VIDEO GAMES, after the Greek God, Apollo. And well, here’s where our story comes full circle - my very favorite Apollo video game was…..dun dun dun….LOST LUGGAGE! Yep, it was called Lost Luggage! And I still have a cassette tape of the promo song for it! I just went and listened to it, while lying on my bed and sobbing. And you can hear a children’s television show on in the background before the song starts. Bittersweet.

So as I read that email this morning, and clicked over to Victoria’s Squidoo lens about lost luggage, I was thinking, “wouldn’t it be cool if I could play that song for her?” I went over and read through her lens, and then I got to thinking, “I wonder if there are any Apollo footprints online?” I wondered if there were any type of remnants of my mom’s and uncle’s two businesses online somewhere, somehow, even though that was long before the World Wide Web….

Let me tell you about the first business…the ‘business-y’ one….it was called National Career Consultants. They produced filmstrips about careers and those were then distributed/sold to high schools across the country. (I may have that a bit wrong - I was just a rotten little punk back then, you know. Momma - feel free to correct me in the comments.) The cool part of that business was that we often got to be in the films! I was a child movie star! Yes, it’s true! Ha!

So my curiosity this morning led me to first search for National Career Consultants. And this is what I found: National Career Consultants, Inc. - a company in Fort Wayne, Indiana with the same name. I am not entirely certain how similar, if at all, their business model is, though. That was a little interesting and fun to find.

The next step in my journey led me here: Apollo Video Games - a company that markets the stand-up version of video games. And it looks like their actual company name is Apollo Amusement, and they just use Apollo Video Games for their URL and website name. That was a little interesting and fun to find.

And then - a stroke of pure genius hit me - from where, I do not know. Lisa and genius don’t usually go together in a sentence. Anyhoo - I got the thought to search for ‘vintage’ games. And me, oh my, did I ever strike a goldmine! And guess which goldmine I struck first! You guessed it - Lost Luggage! That was the first of the games to come up! I found an ebay listing for our little game, Lost Luggage.

And that is when the bawling commenced! Now are you seeing it all - clear as mud? The dog left the room, I’m not kidding. Haha! Just seeing the game itself, and our sweet, precious logo - set me OFF! Go look: Apollo Lost Luggage vintage video game. Our family is from the Dallas area, and the seller just happens to be in Dallas. And the game looks to be in pretty good condition and is selling for only $10 Buy It Now. Cool! Someone buy it - Micky, David, John - somebody snap that sucker up! Why do I want it? I don’t know - because, it’s easier to hold onto than that big, obnoxious sign? Because maybe I can buy an Atari and play it? Because I can keep it in a dresser drawer and pull it out to look at it fondly once in a while? Who knows! But, I don’t have any cash! Wah! Someone!!! At least buy it for yourselves, so I’ll be happy, ok? Ok.

And then, of course, I kept looking. And I found more! More! Somebody in Georgia is selling Infiltrate for $5. And this guy, Swap Meet Dave, in New Jersey - has quite a few games, among them some Apollo games. I emailed him and asked him to hold all Apollo games for me and that I, or my sentimental brothers or cousins, would come up with the cash within a month. Ha! I got an automatic email reply that he is out of town until the 29th, anyway - so that buys us a little time right there!

I was thinking that the girl who started this all, Victoria, with her Squidoo lens, would just love to have the song on her lens. But then, I thought, no - I’ll make a tribute page on my site. And who knows - I might make a Squidoo lens, too!

I ache so much every year at Thanksgiving and especially Christmas, for Uncle Pat! Uncle Pat was Christmas, you know? And it just hasn’t been the same since he left us. Crap - now I’m crying again! Would you quit crying on your blog, dammit?! Anyway, this was a fun journey to take at this time of year, when the COOLEST GEEK EVER is so on my mind, in my heart, and all around me!

And you know what - if I know Uncle Pat, he is just ABSOLUTELY tickled pink and pleased as punch to know that ‘he’ is on the internet!  I’m sure if he were on this plane, he would be just as big a web junkie as I am!  Heck - maybe worse!

It’s time to play Show Me Your Desk! It’s a new meme, put together by my friend, Eve. Eve blogs at Confessions of a Housewife. This meme is really perfect for me right now, because, I recently cleaned my desk (and some of my office, too) and took pictures, intending to blog them. Hey - cleaning your desk is newsworthy, isn’t it? Anyhoo, I never got to it, so Eve gave me all the gumption I needed today to finally post the picture of my rather odd desk, that I dearly love!

Yep, here it is, the desk of Lisa Marie Mary:

It is an old glass-topped table that Mark got off of a job, before we even got together - back in July 1992. He says it used to be a dining room table. He has tried to get me to get rid of it many, many times, but, I absolutely love it and have so far refused to part with it!

So there you have it - my desk! Now ya’ll get on over to Eve’s site and check out everyone else’s desk! And hey - show us your desk, too!

A very helpful step you can take to ensure your success as a work at home mom is to set up a nice home office.  Many of us start out working from a laptop on the kitchen table, or on the home computer in a corner of the family room. The problem with this setup is that the constant interruptions make it hard to get a lot (and sometimes any) work done. It’s time for your very own home office.

If you have an extra room in the house, it is of course ideal to have an entire room dedicated as your home office, but if that’s not an option, don’t worry about it. Find a room in your house that currently serves a different purpose and set up your home office in it. A spare bedroom, your own bedroom, or even the laundry room are all viable options. Try to find a room with a door you can close and where you can expect to work quietly for at least a few hours per day. It will do wonders for your productivity.  I can’t wait until my husband closes in my office.  I currently have two open doorways - they will become a wall and a door.  I will not only have quiet and privacy, but, an extra wall for bookshelves.

Set up some sort of system for your filing and paperwork. This includes paper files including contracts with clients, marketing and learning materials (CDs, DVDs, and binders), as well as electronic files. A file cabinet or even several storage bins will work well for your paper files. A bookshelf works great for marketing materials. As for your electronic files, set up different sections and folders on your hard drive and in your email software for them. Get in the habit of filing and straightening up your desk and work area before you finish your workday. It will be much easier to get started in the morning if a clean desk welcomes you.

Speaking of desks… You will need some sort of desk and chair in your office. Since you will likely spend quite a few hours each day in front of your computer, be sure to choose a desk and chair that are both comfortable and ergonomic. The last thing you want is a sore back after a long day at “work”.

Other than that, keep your office friendly and welcoming. You want this to be a place you are comfortable and happy in – so feel free to decorate and make it your own. Put up pictures of the kids or those from your last vacation. Hang up a motivational poster. Whatever motivates you to work goes. At the same time, keep distractions to a minimum. That means no TV or radio in the room if it will make you less productive. Find a good balance and before you know it, you’ll have a home office set up that you love to work in.

I’m working on building some Squidoo lenses for Wendy Piersall, founder of eMomsatHome.com. eMoms at Home is the best online magazine for work at home parents - I know I have learned so much there!

So I was exploring the internet for information that I would like to include in the Squidoo lenses, and I found this great interview with Wendy by Brad Baldwin. They were at a conference together in Utah when they sat down to have this talk.

I really liked this interview - it was the perfect length (not too long and not too short) and just gives us as viewers the perfect peek into Wendy’s online world and paints a picture of the successes she has achieved and continues to achieve with eMoms.

Just click here to see the video:

eMoms at Home Founder, Wendy Piersall

(I tried to embed the video here, but, it just was not working!)

The really cool thing about eMoms recently is that Wendy has expanded it to include multiple content channels! When you go to the main page (eMomsatHome.com), you will see the channels at the top of the page. Another cool thing is that there are lots of dads involved in the community over there, one of whom, Derek, is in charge of one of the content channels. There are lots of dads working at home, too, and it’s great to have them involved in what have typically been WAHM communities. I love getting the male perspective on all things work at home.

You know what I think it is? What I think is happening? The internet marketing community has been predominantly male in years past - and the WAHM community, has obviously been predominantly female. (Yes, I even have to say predominantly there, because, I know of at least one dad, in particular, who has been involved with WAHM’s for a number of years.)

And what I’ve seen happening over the last, maybe, two to three years - is these worlds colliding, overlapping, and best of all, gaining valuable insight and knowledge from each other! It has been so exciting to watch. The best of WAHM’s and the best of male Internet Marketers collaborating and creating a whole new community - that of the Work At Home Parent!

And Wendy definitely has her finger on the pulse of that! If you are looking to break into the online world of business, or expand your knowledge of online business - Wendy’s online magazine is the place to be!

What are you doing on this fine Tuesday evening? I’m having a rockin’ cool time! I’m Skype-chatting with my friend, Loretta, hanging out in a couple message boards, like Punkymoms and others, and Twittering with friends - and …watching one of my favorite movies, Meet Joe Black! Here, have a look:

And did you know how difficult it is to take a picture of your computer monitor at night? I’ve taken plenty of pics of it in the daytime with no problem, but, at night - man! I turned the flash off and it still didn’t help. And that is how we wound up with a pic of the creep instead of the incredibly sexy Brad Pitt or that lovely Claire Forlani, or even better yet - the incredibly handsome Anthony Hopkins. That creep just creeps me out, too. I’m sure it is just the roles he’s had, but, he gives me the heebie jeebies.

Anthony Hopkins, though, I could seriously listen to him all night! I just love him! And Robert Duvall - I think they’re my most favorite older guys. It’s hard to tell, though, because, I like a lot of those older guys - Al Pacino, Robert Deniro, and the like….

And let’s not even mention Huey Lewis - oh no, we musn’t go there…*swoooon*

I’m telling you, though, I’m just loving this whole setup - the text chatting, the blogging, the message boarding, movie watching - all of it at the same time.

Life is really good some days, you know?

My baby girl is at the school sock hop! I think this makes it her first official school dance! Oh my goodness, yes - it does! She is in the fifth grade!

Isn’t she cute? That is her on the first day of school this year!  She was very excited to get back to school!

Anyway - she and her girlfriend came over here and curled their hair, put on a little makeup (just a touch, thank goodness, my sweetpea is very good at makeup and doesn’t over do it) and tried on a few different outfits. Then they walked over to the friend’s house so that her parents could take them up there.

It’s kind of weird that it is on a Monday night, but, this is a super short week, so I guess it’s ok. They only have school today and tomorrow. And then they are off for Thanksgiving.

The Sock Hop is from 6pm-8pm. Awww…my baby at her first dance. My sweet little precious baby girl.

She looked so pretty, too. Her hair is really thick, so the curlers put just the right amount of curl in the ends of it. And then she put on some jeans with a pretty blouse and a lovely, soft blazer from her late Aunt Charlene. It’s a little too small, but, neither she nor I care - because we miss Aunt Charlene so much and we just loved the gifts she gave us - they were always so precious. She is just going to roll up the sleeves a little bit.

It is so lovely to think of Aunt Charlene being ‘at the dance’ with her like that. And my sweet girl just looked so smart - just sharp, you know? I’m so proud of her. She’s not at all pushing her femininity (yet! ack!) - she is just letting it speak quietly for itself.

I think she kind of reminded me of a magazine editor tonight. Smart and lovely - but, in a very subdued, quiet way. While the people around her are loud with it, she is drawing the attention, because of her seeming inattention to it. Do you know what I mean?

I’m so crying now - thinking of my Aunt Charlene and my precious baby girl - and how much they love each other. And how they can be together for this, her first dance.

Precious, absolutely precious.

Or, “There are too many damn words on the internet!”

See, here’s the deal.  Lately, I have been so damn distractable!  Sure, sure, that’s not a word.  I don’t mind, it fits what I want to say so nicely.  I’m like a seven year old kid at FAO Schwartz for the very first time.  I can’t stop looking.  And looking.  And looking.

And I cannot focus and do what I need to do - which is maintain my family of blogs.  I need to write.  I need to blog.  I need blinders on - word blinders.  Do you think they make those?

I have always distracted easily, don’t get me wrong.  I can hear my mother in my head going, “Lately? What are you talking about?”  Ha!  I know, I know, Momma - I am highly distractable - but, lately it has been unbelievably bad - yes, even for me.

So if someone could just come along and erase the internet just for a few days, so I can get back on track, that would be great.  Thanks a lot.

I’m so excited, ya’ll! One of the other things that I’ve been doing online to make money at home is working for ChaCha.com, a human-powered search engine. It’s really fun.

One of my biggest complaints, making me nervous to even work for them recently - has been that the application is a Java-based app that runs in Internet Explorer! Ugh!

I couldn’t wrap my brains around why Scott Jones - a brilliant, millionaire businessman - would be running his latest company on a browser notorious for security breaches. I mean, this guy is awesome - he’s done so much! Check this out:

Scott Jones, CEO & Co-Founder

All this guy does is come up with amazing ideas and create successful companies around them. Ever heard of voice mail? Well, when Scott was only 25, his company Boston Technology invented the system used by nearly all the telephone companies around the globe. He started Escient, later transformed into Gracenote, which led the development of music recognition technology. He also founded IndyRobotics, which built one of the world’s premier self-driving vehicles. And now he’s created ChaCha. What’s next for Scott? We can only imagine.

Amazing - the guy is truly amazing! I love reading about go-getters like this, with brains that never turn off!

And now - I have no worries when I log into help people search on ChaCha.com, because, I’m no longer compromising my machine with potential access by low-life types. And that thrills me to no end, because, I actually really enjoy this job! I meet a lot of interesting people and I learn a lot of new things!

The other super-cool news on the ChaCha front is that they just received $10 million in funding!! Wow! That’s totally awesome! You can read all about that here: ChaCha Receives $10 million in funding

So I’ve been back to searching the last day or two and I’m having so much fun!

Go ChaCha!

I missed four whole days of posting here. Well, I’m not giving up yet! No way, no how. I’m going to just forge on ahead, in spite of my flakiness! I am actually falling asleep sitting up here at my desk, so this post will have ZERO substance to it. I wanted ya’ll to know that right now. Or maybe you already guessed. Heh. And I might just miss tomorrow - a certain princess who resides in my castle is turning eleven tomorrow and has activities at school. And another monster who calls this dwelling home is sick with a bad cough, so will undoubtedly need attention, if not a trip to the doc-in-a-box.

But for today - I have posted! Hear me roar!

My two favorite sites for social networking are two completely different apples. They really are like night and day.

The first one is MySpace - naysayers be damned! I love MySpace! The important thing that you have to remember when it comes to MySpace is that it is called a social networking site for a reason. It is all about connecting with people! It is not about marketing! If you can remember that, you may come to love it as much as I do. I have not only made a host of new friends there, but, also have reconnected with a lot of people from my past. Neighbors, schoolmates, even my cousins! My boys both have MySpace pages and I keep them on my top friends so that I can keep an eye on them! And of course, I keep up with my beloved Punkymoms there, too! I’m telling you - I just love it!

Now - is it possible to market on MySpace? Somewhat. Take me for instance, the majority of my friends on there are moms. And for Halloween I was helping to sell a really cool Halloween recipe ebook. Did I tell my MySpace friends about it? Sure! I’m definitely not going to tell my friends about crap - and ask them to fork over money for it! So they know if I’m bringing it up, I have complete faith in it.

My daughter and I even had some fun making some of the recipes - I video taped her, and then I posted the video to MySpace! It was fun - the making of the recipes, filming my sweet daughter, and sharing it with my friends.

So if you just remember that MySpace is number one, about being social, you will do alright there.

Another thing that is really good about MySpace is that it is an awesome traffic generator! Let’s say that I am really proud of this post here on Lisa Marie Mary, and I’m worried that not enough people will see it. I can post about it on MySpace in my blog, and maybe even post a bulletin about it, if I haven’t posted too many lately! You definitely do not want to abuse the bulletin system - that gets downright annoying. And gets you knocked off of people’s friends lists. And if it is just too obnoxious, you’ll get reported, as well.

People can slam it all they want, but, I would be lost without MySpace - it is how I connect with so many different people!

Now, moving on the next apple, er, uh…site. It is one that I also really love! It’s called Squidoo. It is owned and operated by Seth Godin, a phenomenal marketer, who not only lets you market on Squidoo, he encourages it!

You can see my lensmaster page here: Lisa Marie Mary on Squidoo.

I just absolutely love Squidoo! It has all the aspects of social networking, but, you are allowed to market and promote pretty much anything you want - in lots of ways.

Say you don’t really have anything of your own to promote. No problem! Squidoo provides money-making modules for you! Perhaps you are the biggest Star Trek fan ever! And you know all kinds of thing about the show and the cast. Get in there and start filling out your lens, then add some of the Squidoo-provided money-makers, and you’re off! But, if you’ve got your own ebook, or your own blog, or even your own personalized letters for kids - you are free to promote those, too!

You will see that I’ve got quite a few lenses going on my lensmaster page. I’ve got a whole handful of lenses that I haven’t even activated yet. And each lens is always growing and changing. That is what keeps it fresh and what keeps your rankings doing well.

I owe every single bit of my Squidoo knowledge and comfort level and even passion to one great (not to mention pretty and sweet!) marketer named Tiffany Dow. She wrote an awesome how-to ebook all about Squidoo a little over a year ago. The book is so amazingly helpful and detailed! She walks you through, step-by-step, setting up your lenses. She knows all the tricks and she shares them in this book. Her ebook is so good that it was endorsed not only by Seth Godin, but, also by John Reese!  Those are definitely two marketing names that I trust!  I printed out my copy and put it on rings and it is so worn out, I might have to print it out again. I use it all the time in setting up new lenses.

The ebook is called Social Networking on Squidoo, and it is worth every penny I paid for it - and more! That is my affiliate link - I will earn some money if you buy through my link, but, every single thing that Tiffany puts together is gold, and this is no exception! (She’s got an awesome PLR site, PLR Mini Mart - I’m never disappointed with her articles! And that one’s not an affiliate link!)

I’m sure I’ll be blogging about both of these sites more here in the future, but, this gives you a little taste of my experience with them!