Inside the Mind of Suz

I absolutely love my dear cat, Puddles. I doubt that’ll ever change. However, there are things she does that I frown upon.

She committed one of those no-no’s just now: deciding to camp out on the kitchen table! Some people allow their cats to roam tables and counter tops in their homes. Not me!

So, before I shooed her off the dinner table, I took this picture:

She’s just too much!

P.S. I’d like everyone to notice the amazing filter I applied to this picture, courtesy of CameraBag. I freakin’ love that app! So far, I seem to be using Helga and LoLo the most. The above shot of Puddles was a Helga production. Nice, huh?

Everyone remembers some of the early iPhone app ads, especially the one spotlighting Shazam, the app that identifies songs for you that you may not recognize or know the name of.

I’m not going to lie. Cool apps like that are part of the reason I dumped my Sidekick and got an iPhone. There’s just so much you can do on the iPhone! You get as much out of it as you decide to put in (or purchase).

Thankfully, in the case of Shazam, the app is completely free. I’ve had it downloaded for a while, but really haven’t used it. That was until today.

The latest iPod Touch commercial (More Fun – “The Funnest iPod ever”) that promotes all the new Games in the app store uses a song that I’ve never heard of. I know Apple uses under-the-radar songs for their ads, but I was curious as to which one they used in this commercial. I know I could have just Googled it, but this was the perfect opportunity to test out the app. Besides, how ironic would it have been if Shazam hadn’t been able to identify this song?

Well, I didn’t have to worry about it. I held up my phone to the TV and after a few seconds, it vibrated and tracked down the song for me. The song is “No You Girls” by Franz Ferdinand. Well done, Shazam, well done.

P.S. Notice how I used a LinkShare link in here? The plugin is already coming in handy!

The other day, I said that I was going to take a look at the LinkShare Link Lookup WordPress plugin. I feel like it’d come in handy on the blogs I run for musicians since I’m part of the iTunes partner program. It’s such a hassle to have to log-in, find the song/album I’m looking for, copy (edit) the code, and place it in its corresponding blog.

This plugin will allow the blogger to click an icon on the post page that will bring up a pop-up that allows you to insert a link or code directly to your post or page. Here is a description:

Just click on the red arrows on the top right of the write posts page. This opens a side bar that lets you search the LinkShare databases for commission paying links in two different ways. The first lets you convert a URL from the advertiser’s site into a commission paying link. The second lets you search for items by keywords.

I’m going to try it out right now. Let’s see… I’m currently diggin’ the resurgance of Kelly Clarkson, so I’m going to try to look her up.

I tried method two, opting to choose a keyword for my search. First of all, I think only allowing one search term is ridiculous, and secondly, the results returned weren’t exactly Kelly songs. I got a bunch of results that were from A Tribute to Kelly Clarkson, as well as some karaoke singles. So, the only “real” Kelly result I found was her collaboration of “Because of You” with Reba McEntire on Reba’s 50 Greatest Hits album. I clicked the “add image” link and nothing happened. Same with the “add text” link. Nothing was inserted into this post. So, a big FAIL for that method.

The first option was to take a URL from the iTunes store and paste it into the sidebar. From there, you click a button that encrypts the link with your affiliate code so you can use it on your site. I looked up Kelly’s new album “All I Ever Wanted” and copied the Pre-Order link from iTunes. LinkShake Link Lookup did generate a link for me and here it is: Pre-Order Kelly Clarkson’s new album, All I Ever Wanted! It’s the Limited Edition Deluxe version, yo.

So, I guess the plugin only half works for me. The method that I really wanted to use, search and automatic placement into my post/page sucked. That was really disappointing. Being able to stay within my WordPress admin area while searching and placing LinkShare products into my posts would have been awesome.

However, it still is easier to do it this way rather than log-in to the LinkShare portal, IMO. Combine that with the Amazon Reloaded for WordPress plugin, and I can still get the product’s image rather easily. So, I think I’ll keep this plugin and hope they fix whatever reason the keyword search option doesn’t not work properly.

Like most blog owners, I keep track of who’s visiting my site. In the past few months I’ve noticed an increase in traffic from the UK. This post is for my peeps across the pond!

I’m always on the lookout for new fashion trends and places to shop. And if I can’t shop there, I’ll be sure to share my findings with those who can. I think I’ve just come across one in Divine Trash. But don’t let the name fool you. There’s some good shizzy here!

Divine Trash prides itself in providing high fashion from brands that their team deems worthy. This might include brands you’re familiar with, as well as those from designers who are new to the scene. Very respectable that they help out new names!

Fly53 is a brand I’ve not heard of, but I’m starting to dig their stuff! They describe themselves as “street fashion”. In fact they work with not only musicians, but also those in the art community. It seems to give their products a “rock edge” that is unique to their name. They also give their clothing a limited-edition run, so if you see something you like, don’t wait too long!

The men’s line features a few polos, t-shirts, and a couple of jackets, including a super hot bomber style that I would make my boyfriend wear…if I had one, that is!

There’s also some denim offerings for the fellas, courtesy of Jack & Jones clothing. I like medium to dark washes on guys, so this gets a thumbs up from me! Add in the whisker effect, and you really can’t go wrong!

And before I close this out, I want to alert you to some Sale action because, who doesn’t enjoy discounts? That’s what I thought. For this, you’ll need to check out some t-shirt’s from Fenchurch. But hurry! They’ll be debuting their Spring/Summer 2009 lines very soon!

Brought to you by your friends at Divine Trash online

But not really! It’s basically the 3 column version of the one I already had up. It’s also optimized for Google adsense, but I don’t have ads up on here…not yet anyway. I’ll keep an open mind, but I just don’t see the point right now!

Anyway, the reason behind the switch was that I have more to share! If you look on the far right sidebar, there are some Delicious links. I’ve started bookmarking interesting things that I don’t necessarily want to blog about. It’s especially easy from my iPhone thanks to the Yummy app! Seriously, though. I keep finding apps that cut down on my computer time. It’s insane! So anyway, you can see that fresh content over there.

I’ll probably experiment with some other things in the coming weeks. Rest assured that I’ll let you know if I find any other great add-ons for the site!

Words can’t express how obsessed I am with my iPhone. It’s almost unhealthy. But I hear the same from many, many other iPhone owners as well, so I don’t feel like the odd woman out!

After extensive research (Google + app store reviews), I’m basically down to Newsstand ($4.99) and Feeds. Here’s why:

I think I mentioned, a couple of weeks back, that I was looking for an RSS reader app. I immediately downloaded GRiS from Cydia because it was free and would do while I look for a better solution. It’s aight, but not something I want to keep using. GRiS stands for “Google Reader iPhone Sync”, so right there is the #1 thing I want in a RSS reader; to be able to sync with my Google Reader account. I don’t know if just being able to import my Google Reader feeds is enough. I don’t want to have to figure out what I did and didn’t read on my computer or phone.

Then, I also would like to be able to save it for later via Instapaper. I absolutely love this tool! If that’s not available, a starring system would be something I’d use. I just like Instapaper better because if I want to read later, I can do so easily from my comp or the Instapaper iPhone app. This isn’t a deal breaker, by any means, just something that would likely tip the scales if I found multiple apps that were pretty much even. (more…)

I’ve completed another successful week of ChaLEAN Extreme. The more I do this workout program the more I like it.

This was the first week I incorporated my newly purchased 20 lb dumbbells into the workouts, and I continue to feel stronger. Chalene repeats herself many times, encouraging us that we’re probably stronger than we think we are and can go even heavier. After this week, I’m even more of a believer! (more…)

It’s been all over the net today, including the front page of MSN. I thought it was a cute enough story to share!

Now at some Div I schools, cheerleading isn’t a big deal. Ohio State isn’t one of those schools. They’re not Kentucky or Central Florida, but they make it to the UCA College National Championships (yes, college cheerleading has a national champion) ever year and compete for the title. This year they finished 6th in the country!

Not only all that, but at OSU, cheerleaders are recruited. There are no fall try-outs like at almost all other programs. The process is similar to that of a scholarship football player. It’s really a unique situation. And don’t ask me why I know all of this.

So imagine the amount of sheer athletic ability one has to have to have been recruited to cheer at a Top 15 program like Ohio State. Then factor in the talent one must possess to tryout for the football team — a Top 5 program — and make the roster. I don’t know about y’all but I’m already impressed!

Meet this fine student athlete, Josh Springer, below:

I just keep adding to my wishlist! Sometimes I get these things and sometimes I don’t. If I get this particular item it probably won’t be for a long while because I’m not really concentrating on building up my winter footwear collection right now. Really, I just want winter to go away; far, far away!

A couple of years ago, Delia’s came out with a “sweater boot” that I absolutely fell in love with. It was black/gray knit and it was the first of its kind that I noticed. I promptly bought a pair for about $30. In the next 12 months I started to see more styles like this from multiple clothing and shoe companies. All were far more expensive than the pair I had purchased and still wear to this day! I vowed to get another pair someday and I now know which one I want!

Neiman Marcus sends my mom a catalog because they like to waste their time and money on someone who will never buy from them. She looks at it and then chucks it into the garbage. But she spotted a pair of cream crochet UGGs in one issue, dog-eared the page, and gave it to me. (more…)

Check out these 3 hot shots from a new photoshoot:

LBJ is my new eye candy. I can’t even look at Mr. Chris Brown anymore after that crap he pulled with Rihanna. If that were me, he’d already have been beaten to death by my fiercely overprotective male family members. Just sayin’…

Anyway, it’s times like these that make me sad that I didn’t get to see him play, live and in person, this season. In a perfect world, the Cavs would meet the Lakers in the NBA Finals and I’d get the ticket hook-up for those games in C-Town.

*sigh* A girl can dream, can’t she?

Oh, and there’s a relatively new LBJ fanlisting out. If you’re a fan, why not go and join? It’s not mine, although I had been thinking about applying for it because he needs a fanlisting, damnit! Now, I don’t have to!

P.S. I know I haven’t been posting as frequently as I had been, but I’m working on it! I’m still playing a lot with my iPhone and finding new ways to discover content that I may write about here. Instapaper and Delicious apps are helping, along with Google Reader. I’m fixin’ to be real efficient up in here!