givin

This piece originally appeared at my home site, http://www.golfwidow.net, in July of 2006, and is a representation of a post prepared for a business specializing in online writing opportunities. I am not being repaid for this crossposting, having already received payment in full when it was originally posted.

I actually saw a link for http://www.payperpost.com on a blog whose author went off on a sort of diatribe about how bloggers compromise their integrity by advertising products they don't really care about.

Which strikes me as a bit silly, since PayPerPost is going to pay him or her for having said so.

And unlike Google's Adsense (which this integrity-laden blogger also features on his or her site), PayPerPost lets you choose what you're going to write about and advertise. Adsense tries to match ads based on your entry, but it's not always an accurate match.

Anyway, I write because I love to, but I'm broke. If someone is willing to give me some money for something I'm going to do anyway for no pay, I'm very much about that.

Does that compromise my integrity?

Or am I actually being more honest with myself for owning my greed?

I mean, I think I'd probably like myself a lot less if I were the type to play holier-than-thou and call others out for their supposed lack of integrity whilst collecting the metaphorical bounty on them.

I guess it doesn't matter either way. I am greedy and I am willing to accept the fact that I'm a sellout.

Like the punchline of the old joke, we've established what I am — we're just haggling over the price.

But I have Other Fine Qualities.

My dad wasn't much with it when he was with it, but now he's just about totally out of it.

Whatever it is.

Anyway, other people than myself are responsible for making the decisions as to his everyday care, feeding, grooming, medications, and making sure he doesn't wander off or hurt himself (or someone else).

I don't mean to make my dad seem like a pet. Difficult as he can be, if I were needed to take care of him, I'd do it without question.

My dad's different now than he was, but he was a wonderful father when I needed him, and I haven't forgotten that. I would do what it takes (again, whatever it is) to make sure he gets the care he requires.

I can't do that sort of thing myself. My own health is not so wonderful, and I already know that I have little to no patience. Also, I have no money, and being a full time caregiver is expensive and draining. I would be a miserable caregiver.

If anyone would need something like the Gilbert Guide, which is exactly like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but not for hitchhikers, and pretty much limited in scope right now to San Francisco senior homes, so pretty much exactly unlike The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, it would be me.

I? Me? Myself? Which is it? Argh.

Don't Panic, as they say in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

I'd need help, is what I'm saying. Not just in taking care of my dad, but in finding the right place for both of us, where I could be secure that he was getting the care he needs.

What a great idea, this Gilbert Guide. And yes, while they're not yet in Connecticut, they do cover the New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Philadelphia areas, as well as San Francisco.

They should think about hiring Ford Prefect to help them expand their scope, though. Aliens have dads to look after, too, and might not want to make a hyperspace jump to San Francisco on Father's Day.

This article is a Blog to Profit. Ten percent of the proceeds from this article will be donated to Connecticut Food Bank.

The Glasgold Group isn't just some corporate New Jersey plastic surgery conglomerate. It is, literally, a group of Glasgolds.

Dr. Alvin Glasgold has been in practice for about forty-six years, now, and they do say that practice makes perfect. He founded the Group over twenty-five years ago and performs all of the most requested facial aesthetic procedures, but his specialties are primary and revision rhinoplasty and facial implants.

His sons, Mark and Robert Glasgold, are also board-certified facial plastic surgeons. Mark is an internationally recognized expert in the rejuvenation of the aging face, specifically the facelift and facial fat transfer, and Robert specializes in primary and revision rhinoplasty and facial rejuvenation procedures, including blepharoplasty (you know, the one that reshapes your eyelids so you don't look like a basset hound anymore), facelifts, and facial fat transfer. He also has expertise in "minimally invasive facial rejuvenation procedures," which I'm guessing means Botox or lasers.

Mind you, if you're in central Jersey and you'd rather have a Zbar than a Glasgold, you can still go to the Glasgold Group. They aim to please.

Seriously. Dr. Ross Zbar, a board-certified plastic surgeon, became associated with the Glasgold Group Plastic Surgery in 2000, helping to extend the practice’s offerings to include breast augmentation and surgical body contouring. He also holds board-certification in head and neck surgery from the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, and from the American Board of Examiners.

One stop beauty shopping if ever I've seen it.

Most importantly, from what research I've done on the Glasgold group, they appear not only to have a really good reputation in terms of their medical skills and successes, but also in their professionalism, particularly in helping their patients make the right decisions for their appearances and well-being.

The "before" and "after" pictures sort of speak for themselves. And what they're saying to me is, damn, if I ever get to where I can afford that sort of vanity, I know who I'm gonna get to sculpt my fat ass.

This article is a Blog to Profit. Ten percent of the proceeds from this article will be donated to Connecticut Food Bank.

My mother and I recently made a day trip to New York City to meet some blogfriends, eat some fancy-schmancy French food, walk around like tourists, and laugh uproariously.

Good times, that.

In our walking aroundedness, we wandered through a delightful street fair in the West Village, where we saw just about every type of individual one would care to describe.

Everywhere else in the world, you might witness interested spectators. In New York City, you see interesting spectators.

And dogs.

I patted about a hundred dogs, from scruffy mongrelly beloved pups to fastidious snooty-looking, fresh from the dog grooming salon, giving "bitch" a new name, better dressed than I was, pedigreed pets.

They all wag their tails happily at the attention.

Me, I felt like a judge at the AKC.

And from the shiniest coated show-class Maltese to the sweet natured Rottie whose owner asked if we could buy his dog something to eat, they were all beautiful.

This article is a Blog to Profit. Ten percent of the proceeds from this article will be donated to Connecticut Food Bank.

I wrote about the Glasgold Group, which is in New Jersey, the other day.

If you are in Florida, it's kind of a haul to come up to Jersey for a nose job.

So I dug around (sorry) and found out a little about rhinoplasty in Miami and the south Florida area.

Dr. Andres Bustillo's website is practically an encyclopedia of the procedures he performs and the questions he answers during his consultations with his patients. A wealth of information is available; I was astounded at how much knowledge this practice is not only willing, but apparently eager, to share.

It's rather refreshing, in a day and age where, when you do find such detailed information on the web, it's more often from patients who have experienced the procedures than from the doctor himself. The doctors' websites usually post a little, then say that, if you want to know more, you should make an appointment for a consultation.

Obviously, this is a smart idea ... but I still like the concept of a doctor who's willing to take the mystery out of rhinoplasty in general and rhinoplasty in Miami in particular. It's sort of saying, "I'd prefer you choose me as your surgeon, but if you're going to go elsewhere, make sure you know what to ask and what to expect."

This article is a Blog to Profit. Ten percent of the proceeds from this article will be donated to Connecticut Food Bank.

I quit smoking nearly five years ago.

I'm not going to pretend it was easy, nor am I going to pretend it was as difficult as I have heard kicking other addictions can be.

But I can say that I do know what it's like, from the inside, to try so hard to give up something that is ruining you, draining you, scarring you and stealing your money and your soul, but feels so good at the same time that you not only don't know how to stop, you don't necessarily want to.

I quit smoking because a friend of mine had to quit for a surgical procedure. No one should have to do that alone.

If you are in the San Diego area and you or someone you care about needs to stop doing something that feels so bad and so good at the same time, and doesn't want to stop, and can't stop alone, a directory of San Diego drug rehabs is available online that gives you an idea of what each one has to offer.

The main commonality between all the treatment centers is that they don't want people to have to go through it alone, without the tools they need to keep themselves clean and healthy from now on. You can't ask for more than that.

This article is a Blog to Profit. Ten percent of the proceeds from this article will be donated to Connecticut Food Bank.

I found a great resource at icontact (a site which lets you search for topics to blog about then pays you for blogs).

I searched for the word "charity", and found an article about the Esther Benjamins Trust, a charity working to rescue trafficked children in Nepal. They are printing Christmas cards for 2007, but, unlike many charities, where only a portion of the sale proceeds goes to the trust, this venture is investing the full 100% of their proceeds into helping these children. If you would like to learn more, please click the link to read the article ... and if you would like to help, please think about buying the cards as your holiday greeting this year.

My cousin and I have been logging faithfully into Blingo every day and using it for every search engine need we could possibly have. Sure, we want to not only find our information, but also to try to win movie tickets and Amazon gift cards.

But I have also been harboring a desire that my first search of the day will yield to my winning the Publisher's Clearing House. Obviously, I need money badly for myself, billwise and so forth, and also because I haven't been able to be as generous as I like to be, but I also have a luxury or two I crave.

I need a new wardrobe, and my kitchen is a disaster full of ancient appliances and crappy counter space, but most of all, I need a vacation. Someplace my cousin and I could go to, without husbands or children or jobs, and just hang out and have fun.

Someplace that would take a last minute impulse, such as http://www.cheaperthanhotels.co.uk, and turn it into something unforgettable.

If we had the money, we'd go to France, get some haute couture, which is French for "new clothes," and visit wineries and museums. I particularly want to go to the Louvre, not to see most of the famous paintings, but so I can see the pyramid. I love that damned pyramid. I also want to see the Eiffel Tower and the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Naturally, we'd stay in France hotels or, more particularly, Paris hotels.

From France, we'd move on to Germany and stay in Germany hotels, because Germany has such German attractions as beer festivals, Neuschwanstein Castle, and The Romantic Road, and I have also heard a rumor that there is a pub there where one can get a doctorate in beer. I need a beer doctorate.

Beer doctorates. http://www.cheaperthanhotels.co.uk is such the little multitasker, isn't it?

In particular, we'd very likely also be going to see Berlin attractions such as the Pergamon Museum, Brandenburge Gates, and Schloss Charlottenburg, whilst staying in Berlin hotels.

I've had my cousin for fewer than a few months, since she was put up for adoption at birth and I only just met her. We have a LOT of catching up to do.

Come on, come through, Publisher's Clearing House. We've got so much business for http://www.cheaperthanhotels.co.uk.

I recently watched the film Million Dollar Mermaid and found, after further research, that Hollywood had dug its greedy little claws into the truth and the resulting picture, though visually very beautiful, bore little resemblance to the actual life and career of swimmer Annette Kellerman.

Indeed, except for the brief presence of a boxing kangaroo, there was not much to suggest that Kellerman was from Australia (Esther Williams played the role with an American accent).

However, the film instilled enough curiosity in me that I was drawn to read The Million Dollar Mermaid, a short autobiographical piece written by Kellerman herself. It renewed my interest in, someday, making a trip to Australia and New Zealand.

I have other reasons for wanting to be in that hemisphere, of course. I want to see the Southern Cross in my lifetime. I have some family in Australia. I have friends in New Zealand -- some of whom I have met, others I only know via the Internet. I love the movie Heavenly Creatures and want to see Christchurch, the scene of the Happy Event, with my own eyes.

I need to eat Moreton Bay Bug at least once, because, while I still maintain my fear of any creature with more than four legs, Moreton Bay Bug fits the criteria of "unless it can be steamed and served with drawn butter."

You'll notice I haven't brought up Lord of the Rings. Please. I was a Kiwi-fan before Kiwi was cool.

Anyway, I started trying to find out a bit about what I'd need to travel there, other than money, which, obviously, I've none of at the moment.

I have learned a great deal of what I'd need to travel down under from Cheaperthanhotels, the go-to service whether you need to book in advance to help plan the perfect trip, or whether you need a last minute reservation. (Cheaperthanhotels also can help you prepare, even at the last minute, for an early morning departure or a late evening arrival ... definitely things you want to think about when you're coming from the other side of the International Date Line and can't remember whether you're arriving today, tomorrow, or yesterday, let alone whether it's at noon or midnight.)

For instance, did you know that Sydney International Airport isn't in Sydney? It's actually in the Sydney suburb of Mascot.

Does that make a difference? I don't think so ... Bradley Airport, considered to be in Hartford, is actually in Windsor Locks. Besides, there are thousands of signs. Furthermore, Sydney has a landmark the Hartford airport doesn't: a big box of broken dishes known as the Opera House. I think I'll be able to figure out where I am.

I'd want to rent a Ford Falcon to get to and from the airport via road, in tribute to Mad Max (otherwise known as Mel Gibson before he decided that What Women Want is an Anti-Semite). I guess I'd have to find someone to drive for me. The steering wheels are on the right side in Australia. I think it's to do with the Coriolis force which, once it found out that it wasn't really affecting the spiral of water running down the drain in opposing hemispheres, decided it needed something else to muck with.

In the event that I cannot kip on the floor of any of my Down-Under mates, I shall be seeking lodging in Sydney Airport Hotels, Melbourne Airport Hotels, and Brisbane Airport Hotels whilst in Australia, and Auckland Airport Hotels whilst in New Zealand. Fortunately, Cheaperthanhotels offers last minute discounts as well as bookings up to a year in advance to assist planning, which means I can either save up and make a reservation, or hit the lottery (and be a Million Dollar Mermaid myself) and leave tomorrow.

So now, if you want to come with me (or finance my trip), you're welcome to do so. I think you should be able to figure out how to get us there from this post. You can even have my Vegemite.