Ack its lasik day!

I get lasik surgery today at 2:30 and I'm a tad worried. I trust the surgeon (and his track record) so my job will be to hold still during the procedure. I've heard this can be tough to do because the room is pretty cold so I'm bringing layers. Yep - 4 of them to be exact ;)

The doc advised a lot of eye downtime post-surgery, which will be hard for me. I work on the computer and BOTH Dexter and Lost are new on dvd. Plus I started a book on Word of Mouth marketting over a month ago that I haven't even made it halfway through. I also won a copy of Hungry from Angela and haven't even started reading it because I dislike reading a new book without finishing the previous.
Here are some brainstorming ideas for what I can do that won't hurt my eyesight post-surgery:

1. Tinker with recipes.
2. Repaint living room bookcases
3. Plant that herb kit I got a bit ago
4. Listen to books on tape
5. Sleep
6. Avoid computer, tv, books
7. Photograph stuff I can craigslist and eBay (free listings end Sept 7!)
8. Clean out that closet which became a repository for electronics packaging.

Any other suggestions for avoiding eyes strain whilst recouping from surgery? Google says this weekend will be super sunny and warm. I'm supposed to avoid sweating and very bright lights so I'm staying indoors!

ARod so hated Cameron Diaz tops on-line Virus Charts, How Google helps your Mom

Cameron Diaz will Malware Your PC!

According to McAfee, googling Cameron Diaz gives you a 1 in 10 chance of ending up on a website of mal-intent. Even worse - googling "Free" has a maximum risk of 21.3%! On the bright side, people interested in politics should have relatively clean computers:

"President Barack Obama (#49) and Sarah Palin (#50) are not among the most risky personalities to search; they ranked in the bottom of this year's results, moving even lower on the list compared to last year." Source

I'll just stick to imdb.

My tattoo. Except not.

Last week Google rolled out a "search within a website" feature which definitely lives up to the K.I.S.S. standard - type "at website name" at the end of any search and have it look at that website first. Lets google "staples at randomanny" Man do I love that store or what!?

The old way of searching a site "site:randomanny.com staples" still yields better results but is harder to remember.

Just for kicks - here is the Google page of cool ways it can search: http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/features.html

Mmmmm Ted Taco

Yesterday, Google unleased the most Powerful Call Your Mom tool ever! Now you can have Google call you, then call a different number and connect your call. I immediately tried calling my parents in Dominican Republic but its 11 cents a minute, still making calling cards cheaper. It turns out google calling is only free in the US and Canada.

I have an Ooma and most people have cell phones with unlimited nationwide calling so I'm not sure why you need Google to handle the call connection for you.

The only thing I can think of is if you want someone to call you but don't want to do the actual dialing....?

$4 Movie Tickets through Fandango!

The next Harry Potter and Resident Evil are coming out soon so you better order a ticket through Fandango and save some loot!

First you sign up at Groupon.

Then you go to this Groupon page to order the ticket.

Sadly the $4 price only applies to one ticket so make sure your friends order their own!

How to rebate with PARAGO

In order to be a Staples premiere member you must spend $1000 in a year AFTER coupons. This is a mean feat for couponners like me.

Luckily companies like SAGE put out their Peachtree software for free after rebates twice a year. The rebates are worth $135 each so I keep a close eye on mine.

1. Submit the rebate on-line at http://rebateshq.com/

2. Scan everything mailed in and circle important information with a highlighter

3. Wait for e-mailed rejection notice. Ignore the offer to e-mail or on-line chat with an operator. Definitely do not call any 1-800 numbers they suggest when informing you of the rejection.

4. Call the number they have listed with the BBB - (972) 538-7200

Last year I made the mistake of calling the 1-800 number and it took almost two months of talking to overseas reps to get paid. The second time my rebate (miraculously) went through without a hitch. This time I called the Texan number and it was resolved within two minutes with an updated status on the website.

3am but its done :)

Mandi keeps asking what I've been working on recently so here is my latest "completed" project (as of 5 minutes ago) - raulpenaranda.com. The objectives were clean, dark, simple lines and a website that could be viewed on cellphones.

So what else has kept me on the computer but away from Ye Olde Blog this lovely August? I did a print ad for a local real estate agent - nothing fancy - just a bunch of squares with pictures and text. I designed a 28 page local newspaper with a bunch of tiny little ads in that as well. I eBayed a few things and attempted to create a website solely in Flash but it crashed every five minutes. I freelanced a couple of days a week at my former job. I'm working on http://prism.montclair.edu/bones/ and doing some translation stuff there as well as design. Its a lot of fun although I keep messing with this silly idea for a splash page instead of translating.

So I was very busy and suddenly I'm not! The last two weeks were ridiculously full of deadlines but now that they are done, I feel so fulfilled. I really enjoy my work and love the pride that comes from knowing you have done a good job!

Plus now that stuff is done I get to bill! Yay l00t ;)

OSHA-fying the Home Office

That's a Tall Monitor

So I've been working in the home office ALOT lately and ended up with shoulder, neck and knee pain. Yesterday I finally decided to OSHAfy the place and see what happened.

1. Office Chair - the Raising
It turns out I've had my chair too low my whole life. Instead of stretching my legs or crossing them on the chair, now I can comfortably put them on the ground. My knees already feel better.

I use my pc tower as a catch-all for post-its :D

2. Played Musical Monitor
I put my monitor in a more unnattractive space. Now I don't need to contort my body in order to face the corner. Plus the Wacom's placement means my arm has plenty of space of rest, instead of just hanging off the table. This immediately eliminated my right shoulder pain.

Look at all those wires :(

3. Then it was time for Monitor - the Raising
Today I got a monitor lift. Having such a tall monitor feels odd but I don't need to look down at the bottom of my screen. My monitor is 23" so I did a lot of head tilting. I hope an elevated monitor will take away my neck pain.

Yes its grody, but its also five years old!

4. The keyboard I forgot to photograph
I replaced my generic Dell with an ergonomic one with a built in wrist rest. I love that red Kensington rest but its so old and I spilled water on it last week, resulting in those stains on the bottom left. I wouldn't buy another fabric coverred wrist rest - look at how pristine the rubber right side is, despite getting plenty of use!

Here's what's coming next in order to make this a more comfortable place:

Improve the lighting.
This room doesn't have overhead lighting so I've been having a ton of eye strain lately. There is a floor lamp on my left and desk lamps on the right but I really need one behind me as well. So that's next.

Floor foot rest
I've never used one so I want to try it out in store and maybe stack a box under my feet to see if I like it first.

Lumbar Support
This is something else I'd like to try out in store first. I have mild scoliosis and want to make sure something is comfortable for my body shape before purchasing.

So baby steps, but I really need this stuff if I'm going to be working such long hours in here.

Graphic from here: http://www.osha.gov/Publications/videoDisplay/videoDisplay.html

Does Staples screw up your orders too?

We don't need no stinking packaging!

Look at what Staples shipped to me today. My $60 keyboard arrived without a box or any type of packaging. The seal on this box was broken and dirty. This was obviously a returned item.

WTF were they thinking?

Can you make out how dented this box is? Inside this packaging was the generic plastic keyboard cover and that was also bent but did not photograph well.

What all items should ship like.

I also received my $30 monitor lift on the same UPS truck. What a difference! The box is in perfect shape and large enough to have fit my keyboard as well. So Staples obviously orders boxes large enough to ship keyboards, they just chose not to use them. Lets face it - given the choice between protecting a $60 electronic item or a $30 plastic item, I would have gone for the keyboard.

Pristine, just like I like my orders!

I've had problems with Staples delivery in the past. I love Staples and will continue shopping there but wish there were a way for them to slow down and mail things correctly. I received this order within 24 hours of placing it and delivery was free, which is great! However I would have happily waited an extra few days if it meant I got an unopened keyboard in proper packaging.

Day 26 - Your definition of love

Bad place to get stuck

I don't know anymore.

Back in high school I read somewhere that love meant having one cupcake and giving the person you loved the half with more icing. As an Extreme Sweet Tooth Romantic, this struck a chord with me and I held on to that definition for over a decade.

These days I believe self-love is the most important type of all. Children don't benefit from a mother who is hungry for feeding them, or emotionally starved from always tending to their needs.

Until you take the time to learn how to care for yourself, you won't be a suitable partner or parent.

After all, you can't draw from an empty well.

Day 25 - Something you would do if no one stopped you or if you knew you wouldn’t fail

Damn Icarus and the lesson he taught us - I would fly! When I was a kid I called local pilotting schools and the rates were pretty affordable. Of course that was before I found out you needed good vision to fly.

On a more serious note, I would figure out how to freelance forever. Despite my "August is Work Less!" proclamation, I've been working just as much, if not more this month. I've knocked out three freelance projects so far and am immersed in a different three right now.

I told a friend last week that if you decide to work from home you better love it because that is all that you will do. I even have a hard time stopping to watch a movie or visit family without feeling guilty about work I could be doing. You never fully stop working if its always waiting in the next room.

Now this would be FANTABULOUS if people paid freelancers promptly. Non-profits will always pay months after a project is done, friends pay before its done and friends of friends? Take a while.

I need to draft contracts with percentages due at signing and completion. Last month I figured out how to avoid getting annoying work calls after 11pm, this month I need to figure out how to bill people professionally and nicely.

Basically, if I understood how to operate a small business I would do it forever.