Some Make Money is giving away $50 for some linkage. Follow the directions below and go post a comment about it here for a chance at a portrait of Grant.

** Start Copy Here **

We all know how important getting link backs is and with this chain, you can get the ball rolling! You don’t have to be an established blogger to take part in this chain.

Here are the rules:
1. Copy this post from the point where it says “Start Copy Here” to the point where it says “End Copy Here”
2. Add yourself and 5 of your favorite bloggers to the end of the list.
3. Post this on your blog

Enkay Blog | Ms. Danielle | Cash For Comments | BetShopBoy | JohnCow | Mr. Gary Lee | Jon Lee | Dosh Dosh | Some Make Money | The King Kong Blog | RomanDock | Michael Kwan | Ed Lau | Jane May | Sam Breadstone | Windows Tips, Tricks and Hacks | ProBlogger | The Beef Jerky Blog | The Prize Blog | Online Coupon Codes | Jamaipanese | Rugjeff | ShadowScope | The News Press Net | JohnWaraas | Online Opportunity | Sara | Gaje Master | Graphic Design | romandock dot com | RevieWOW | Drunken Housewife | Sparemoolah | Anton | LR2 | JugglingCats | SkyWindows | Fracas | Blogitude.com | Oh… Really? | Reality Me! | Domestic Psychology | Swank Blather |

**End Copy Here**

     This thing’s been going ’round and ’round, and I read several of these blogs at least a few times a week (if not daily).  So … Let’s get on with it.

-Start Copy-

It’s very simple. When this is passed on to you, copy the whole thing, skim the list and put a * star beside those that you like. (Check out especially the * starred ones.)

Add the next number (1. 2. 3. 4. 5., etc.) and write your own blogging tip for other bloggers. Try to make your tip general.

After that, tag 10 other people. Link love some friends!

Just think– if 10 people start this, the 10 people pass it onto another 10 people, you have 100 links already!

1. Look, read, and learn. ****
http://www.neonscent.com/
2. Be, EXCELLENT to each other. ****
http://www.bushmackel.com/
3. Don’t let money change ya! *****
http://www.therandomforest.info/
4. Always reply to your comments. ***
http://chattiekat.com/
5. Blog about what you know & love. *
http://sugar-queens-dream.blogspot.com/
6. Alt tag your images for added search engine exposure. *
http://fracas.wordpress.com/
7. You can’t please everyone — just write what you feel. *
http://www.blogitude.com/

-End Copy-

Fracas said it best:

I am tagging: Because this meme is helpful and if done, can provide links to those who choose to do it, I’m not pointing the finger at anyone in particular but offering it up to anyone who wants to do it. If you want, also feel free to nab the graphic I’ve created to add a bit of fun. Just remember that if you’re doing the meme, you should make sure you carry over the links to the people on the list. Otherwise, their tiPs aren’t getting a fair shake.

Although… that said… I’m gonna tag one person: Anton.

GirlieGeek tagged me a while back to do this shameless meme, but I’ve been in the dark ages for a while and I’m just now getting to it.

I’m supposed to give 8 totally random facts about who Diva is.

So, here we go:

1.  Diva is a very young grandmother at the ripe old age of 36.  Tyler is a two year old -mohawk sportin - curtain crawler and is truly the love of my life! 

2.  Diva digs travel.  I found a super swell job back in 2000 and stayed here.  It affords me the luxury of travelling both the U.S. and Europe.  I’ve been everywhere I’ve ever thought I might want to go and then some.

Diva just found out today she’s going on a European hoooo-haaaaa in October with stops in Germany, Budapest, Italy and France.  I friggin love my job!

3. Diva does karaoke.   I’m a junkie.  I go to Vegas, I karaoke.  I go to NYC, I karaoke.  Everywhere I go, the camera goes with.  Why, to add to my karaoke scrapbook that was started in 1998.

4.  Diva worked her way through school as an adult.  I was a complete idiot in my younger years and didn’t figure I needed an ed-u-ma-cation cuz I was a-gettin married and he’d take care of me.  Sha, right.  In 2000, I went back to school and graduated in 2006.  Go me!

5.  Diva is on the road to freedom.  By the time I reach the big 4-0:  both of my kids will have graduated high school, I will have my MBA, I will lose a bunch more weight (fingers crossed here), and I will be footloose and fancy free.

6.  Diva loves a super cool cat named Tony.  I’m about to get hitched in September. Pretty cool, huh?

7.  Diva and her bridal party are going to trash our dresses immediately after the wedding/reception.  We haven’t quite figured out said method, but I’m sure it will include rescue scuba divers and a two story dock on Norris.   Zacque, grab your camera.  Mark, grab the scuba gear.

8.  I am an offical member of the Knoxville Zoo.  My Tyler is a lover of the camels, therefore, we venture to the zoological gardens often.  I figured out that it was going to be cheaper in the long-run to have a grandparent annual pass, so I could take the boy to see the animals anytime we want to go.

Diva chooses to tag the following kiddies:

Fracas (because she tagged me, paybacks are a bitch)

Mushy (because he drinks to everything)

And anyone else who’s bored and would like to do it.

So I’m not forwarding it to anyone.  But if someone wants to do it, add your blog and location to the bottom of this list, and send it on.

A Secular Franciscan Life - Billings, Montana, USA
Erica’s Blog - Brooklyn, New York, USA
Groanin’ Jock - Montrose, Scotland, Great Britain
The Kat House - Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
blogitude.com (Mark Steel) - Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
WhoreChurch - Tennessee, USA
blogitude.com (Diva Howe) - Knoxville, Tennessee, USA 

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
My father had an ear for the beach tune back in the day. I was promptly named Rhonda after that catchy ditty “Help Me, Rhonda”.

Thanks, Daddy. Without fail, at least once a day, somebody will serenade me.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Wow, remarkably, it’s been about three and a half minutes since I cried. Which is amazing because Diva is a big cry-baby.

DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
No. Especially when I’m in a hurry. My hand writing is all fat and bubble like.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
I don’t do lunch meat. California veggie sandwich for me, please. Avocado, sprouts, cucumber, pepper cheese all topped off with salt, pepper and vinaigrette.

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
I have plenty of children running around. Two of them are actual products of my pain and suffering through 9 months of hell. Two of them are mine by proxy, and I love them very much. The youngest, the boy, my grandson, is currently undergoing the morphization into the terrible twos

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I’m sure I would be. I can appreciate a sarcastic and extremely snide bitty.

DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Absolutely not.

DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Indeed I do.

WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
I’m not sure I have it in me to go flying off of a perfectly good bridge or platform anymore. I’m turning wimpy in my old age.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
I’m a sucker for Rice or Corn Chex.

DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Flip-flops don’t have laces

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
No. I’m a wuss, physically and emotionally.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Double Chocolate Malted Crunch from Thrifty.

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
If they are nice or mean or stuck up or snotty or sweet.

RED OR PINK?
Pink everything.

WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
I have no will power.

WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
I miss my mom and my sister. They are too far away and I only get to see them now and then.

WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
khaki capris and brown Jesus sandals

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
A pack of crackers and coffee for breakfast.

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The fan blowing in our common area

IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Pink. One of the bright ones though.

FAVORITE SMELLS?
My grandbaby when he is fresh and clean after his bath.

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Amanda.

FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
UT VOL ball, NASCAR

FAVORITE HAIR COLOR[S]?
Blondish, with some brownish and redish mixed up in there.

FAVORITE EYE COLOR?
Mine are blue.

DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Nope. I’m supposed to but they drive me completely insane.

FAVORITE FOOD?
When I get to pick, it’s almost always the same. Taquitos. It’s hard to screw up a taquito. Slap some chicken and onions and stuff in a rolled tortilla, fry the hell out of it, serve with guacamole, sour cream and pico. It’s a mini art form.

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Love a good horror flick.

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
I was twitchin for some original Star Wars and the postal employee just happened to bring it to me the other day from Netflix.

WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Brown tank

SUMMER OR WINTER?
I have decided I hate summer in East Tennessee almost as much as I hate winter in East Tennessee. I basically just hate the climate here year round.

HUGS OR KISSES?
Can’t I have both?

FAVORITE DESSERT?
I love me some Crème’ Brulee.

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
I never bothered to learn how to read.

WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Its one of those liquid filled numbers.

WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
Laid on the couch and watched Boston Legal.

FAVORITE SOUND[S]?
Rain on the roof/porch. Love to hear the tree frogs too.

ROLLING STONES OR THE BEATLES?
I like them both about the same. I’d rather hear The Doors if I have a choice.

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Germany

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
You bet I do. I’m working on becoming leader of the Darkside.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Cottage Hospital in beautiful Santa Barbara, California

WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
I’m not forwarding this. I’m not asking anyone to complete this. I’m just sitting here at work, bored as hell.

Her Royal Hotness at The Kat House has tagged me yet again… If she doesn’t stop that, I’m gonna start thinking she likes me or something…

So I’m gonna morph this LALOLKFATYK (Learn A Lot Of Little Known Facts About Those You Know) meme into something a little more useful.  Add your blog and location to the bottom of this list, and send it on. 

A Secular Franciscan Life - Billings, Montana, USA
Erica’s Blog - Brooklyn, New York, USA
Groanin’ Jock - Montrose, Scotland, Great Britain
The Kat House - Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
blogitude.com (Mark Steel) - Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
It’s biblical… Because I was, after all, born and ritually abus…errr, raised… a strong Southern Baptist.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Guys don’t cry.  Sure, right.  I’d challenge any guy not to cry when a woman he’s known his entire life has a stroke at 80-something.  Worse yet, I didn’t find out for a couple of weeks — yesterday.

DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Which one?  I write with both hands.  Each one has at least a couple of styles.  They’re always legible… but out of five styles, there are a couple that I like, and a couple that I don’t.  heh

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Thin-sliced Cajun-style roast beef from the supermarket deli…

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Accordingly to a crazy who will henceforth be known as “Chastity” (because it’s a cruel joke) and a complete nutjob known only as Laney (who, as it turns out, is a Male skinhead-wannabe), yes I do… But no, I do not have children.

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
We’d prolly piss each other off.

DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
No, never.  *rolls eyes*

DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
I don’t know — I’ve never checked.

WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Not anymore.  The last time, I hit it on the way down, went into a spin and screwed my back up pretty good for a few weeks…

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
One they don’t make anymore: Fruit & Fiber Date, Raisin & Walnut.

DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Never.  I have engineered my shoes so that I never have to tie and untie them.  But I hate slip-ons…

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
When I get bored, I move pool tables.  ’nuff said.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Häagen Dazs® Triple Chocolate with the truffle bits…

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
The eyes have it…

RED OR PINK?
Depends what we’re talking about, now doesn’t it?

WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
Impatience, which is caused by looking forward and dwelling on a final outcome.

WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My grandfather.  He died when I was three, and I remember him like it was yesterday.

WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? 
Faded blue jeans and black dress shoes.

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
The last bits of spaghetti & metaballs from Pizza Palace…

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The sound of the air conditioner.

IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Charcoal.

FAVORITE SMELLS?
The scent of a special someone when I curled up behind her and breathed against the back of her neck… The smell of a certain house in South Knoxville where the elderly women who live there have always accepted me with open arms… The smell of Cornhusker’s Lotion, and Zippo fluid, which always remind me of my grandfather…

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Tish.

FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
World Cup Football (Soccer), although, I don’t watch it often.

FAVORITE HAIR COLOR[S]?
Dark brown, near black…

FAVORITE EYE COLOR?
Brown and deep…

DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Sometimes… Well, most of the time, really.

FAVORITE FOOD?
I love food, but if I had to say what meal is consistently perfect and just makes me feel really good to eat:  It’s going to Ali Baba’s Timeout Deli on Kingston Pike and ordering King Solomon’s Chicken with the middle-eastern vegetable of the day (especially the potatos) and a hummos plate.  There is absolutely no doubt that their hummos is the best in the world.

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Depends on the mood.

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
I watched Shaun of the Dead again… heh  That’s currently my pick for the best Zombie movie ever made.  The fact that it’s so typically English adds to the hilarity.

WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
White.

SUMMER OR WINTER?
Winter.  I can always put on more clothes to get warm… but when it’s too hot, even getting naked doesn’t help.

HUGS OR KISSES?
Long kisses…

FAVORITE DESSERT?
A really rich, baked cheesecake…

MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
To what?

LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
A good two-thirds of the population of Washington DC don’t respond to anything…

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Ummm, I’m not reading a book right now… I’m doing this meme.

WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
I don’t have a mousepad — I use the couch, my jeans, the cat…

WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
I very, very rarely watch television.

FAVORITE SOUND[S]?
The sound of distant breaking glass… Soft jazz echoing through city streets… Spectacular thunderstorms….

ROLLING STONES OR THE BEATLES?
Depends on the year, and the mood.

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Sydney, Australia, which is pretty much dead opposite of where I am.

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
The “Special Purpose” that Steve Martin had in The Jerk.  *snicker*

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Fort Sanders Regional Hospital - Knoxville, TN.  Been around the world, and back again.

WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
Ya know, I don’t know.  I don’t really mind either way.  But hey, I’m gonna tag three people here, just because I feel like being a ‘tard.  The whole point, to me, is to use these random annoyances to spread the help get the word out about some pretty cool blogs that I read on a regular basis…

Rantz?  Consider yourself tagged.  So, uhh…. who else can I annoy?  Fracas, because I haven’t annoyed her much lately!  You’re tagged.  ;-)  Oh, and WhoreChurch, who probably won’t do it, but I’d love to see if he’ll prove me wrong.  *snicker*

     I arrived at Bailey’s just after 6PM to find Doug McCaughan (of Reality Me!) pulling in at the same time with his son Tommy.   We entered to find Michael Silence (No Silence Here) and Mushy (Mushy’s Moochings and others).
     Over the next few minutes, Tish (The Kat House), Rich Halley (Shots Across the Bow), Les Jones (lesjones.com) and Lissa Kay (Oh… Really?) showed up.

     A little later, the last of us headed to Oak Ridge to see The Atomic Horns at the Eagle’s Club — featuring none other than Barry (Inn of the Last Home) on keyboards.  There aren’t many “full bands” around the area these days, and these guys & gals were really fun — a mixture of soul, rock, disco and funk from the previous thirty years.  The ode to the Blues Brothers was hilarious. 

     Here’s a photo of Tish from The Kat House and Mushy from Mushy’s Moochings, standing there side-by-side, as if they were a couple or something.

     Notably absent: Diva, who messaged me at 11:21PM to ask whether or not these people really existed.  LOL

     Saturday Night, 6PM.  Barley’s in the Old City.  Come on down!

     I hate memes.  But, hey, what the Hell.  I was tagged by a little brown-eyed cutie, and everyone knows how I like those… 

     Fracas, Jason and Kim:  Tag, you’re it…

A-Attached or Single?
     Single, Single, Single and Single.  Not that I’m opposed to being attached, but I’m apparently not very good at it…

B-Best Friend:
     Swanky, Dave and a bunch of Pirates.

C-Cake or Pie:
     What’s a Cheesecake considered these days?  There was some controversey over that a few years ago… Of course, it was also by people who are upset by the color of shoes one wears after Labor Day… So who cares?

D-Drink of Choice:
     Bombay Sapphire & Tonic with a splash of Lime.  Oh, not that kind?  St. Peter’s Cream Stout.  Oh, not that either?  Fine.  Unsweetened iced tea, then.

E-Essential Item:
     My pocket knife, which a rather large, Chinese-made lock-blade, has been attached my person for about ten years.  It has served as cutting instrument, a punch, a screwdriver, a hammer, a pry-bar, a wire stripper, a rock (figure that out), and on at least one occasion, a defensive weapon.

F-Favorite Color:
     Grey.

G-Gummi Bears or Worms?
     I don’t generally eat sweets.  But, every now and again, I’ll go to Sam’s Club and get a 10-pound bag of Gummi Bears … They’ll be gone inside of a week.  They’re easier to eat than the worms.
     That said, however, I love sour stuff.  The sour worms are pretty incredible…

H-Hometown:
     Knoxvegas, TN, born right there at Ft. Sanders.

I-Indulgence:
     …sex…

J-January or February:
     Knoxville enjoys a couple weeks of 80 degree weather in February… Then it promptly drips back to what can only be described as “colder than Hell” for the next month and a half…

K-Kids:
     Ummm … no thanks.

L-Life is incomplete without:
     …sex…

M-Marriage Date:
     Which one?  No, you cannot have my ATM pin.

N-Number of Siblings:
     One brother, in a family that could care less, really.

O-Oranges or Apples?
     Oranges all the way.  I need citrus!

P-Phobias/Fears:
     I’m not afraid of much of anything… But large crowds full of assholes do scare me.

Q-Favorite Quote:
     “Hockey is a lot like chess on ice. Or it would be, if the excitement of chess was based on when the guy with the white pieces shoves his bishop up the other guy’s ass and breaks his neck with a big wooden stick.”
— Stewart King

R-Reasons to smile:
     Brown-eyed girls … sex …

S-Season:
     In the Fall, all wardrobes are applicable.  I don’t have to pack clothes away… I like that.

T-Tag Three:
     Fracas (http://fracas.wordpress.com/)
     Jason (http://www.collegecritic.net/)
     Kim (http://bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com/)

U-Unknown Fact About Me:
     I was actually a pretty decent artist when I was in High School.  The world kinda beat that outta me… 

W-Worst Habit:
     My filthy f$*&ing mouth…

X-X-rays or Ultrasounds?
     How about neither?  I can pop a bone back myself, and certainly don’t plan on getting pregnant. 

Y-Your Favorite Foods:
     Hot Indian, Thai or Malay Curries rule all.

Z-Zodiac:
     Taurus … Headstrong and full of bullshit.

     There’s no doubt about it … everybody’s website needs a good search engine ranking, especially if you’re trying to run a web-based business.  But when you’re running a blog, full of personal thoughts and random ideas, it can be a daunting task to figure out what niche your blog fits into.
     Hell, take us, for example … We’ve got tech articles.  We have “what’s going on in my life” articles.  We have political and current events articles.  And, past that, we have a lot of things with varying degrees of humor (I say varying degress because regardless of how funny the eight of us might find it, many people will have absolutely no clue what the Hell we’re on about).

     My favorites are the “What the hell?” articles.  The screwing-with-google-on-a-regular-basis (and especially Joseph Ferrante) articles, we’ve had some pretty decent results… especially since we’re traveled enough to get same-day-indexing. 
     These things work, ladies and gentlemen, and don’t let any wannabe SEO firm tell you otherwise.

     However … When you’re out of a specific niche, social rankings come heavily into play.

     Mybloglog has been given us a ton of traffic, for instance.  I was introduced to BlogCatalog last night, and that’s pretty cool.  Fuelmyblog has been freaking tremendous.  Linking to your site from a MySpace blog also helps.  And if you’ve got a lot of bloggers in your community (like we do here in Knoxville), reciprocating links with your neighbors is a Hell of a good way to bolster some new visitors.
     Digg, Tehcnorati, del.icio.us and such are useful, but unless you’re getting the traffic in there to start adding to those sites, they’re not gonna help all that much.  But what you can do is join any number of social organizations, such as Dosh Dosh’s Technorati Favorites Exchange, where you’ll actaully stand a chance of improving your Technorati rank — which definitely improves your readership and your ability to sell advertising.

     Actually, Dosh Dosh’s article made me take pause.  I’ve been pretty good about adding local blogs to my Favorites sections of those types of social networking sites.  As long as there’s some reciprocity, it can really help increase the rank of all of the sites involved.
     Now, if only us locals could organize and effort to reciprocate links, then, uh… Like I said, it only stands to help us all.  ;-)  [ *makes mental note to get Instapundit onboard ... heh* ]

     For a few weeks now, Fracas has been pointing out the fact that plenty of people are searching for Shyamali Malakar, and crotch shots, and ending up at her blog.
     Just a few minutes ago, she did a pretty decent post about the whole Shyamali hysteria… Seriously, the girl has attained a level of geek-obsession higher than anyone I can ever remember — even after livinh through the Sam Fox, Amy Weber, Teri Hatcher, Alicia Silverstone, Kate Moss, Gillian Anderson and Callista “Ally McBony” Flockheart years (those were prior obsessions, not my picks).

     Fracas is also doing the “FuelMyBlog” thing. She’s entered the Design a Widget competition over there, and done a helluva job, too, but they haven’t updated the competition page with it just yet.

     Nice job, Fracas!

      Now let’s see if we can channel teh Internets your way a little…

     Ya know, though, Fracas, I still think doing one with Shyamali and ALT’ing it “Shyamali Malakar Nude” would get some serious traffic headed in your direction…

     (God, after writing this, I feel so dirty…)