The new Facebook Timeline will be so cool--here's why

Blog, it's been like a soap opera on Facebook this week...

• Will the new "news ticker" drive us all into going postal?
• What "huge change" is coming this week that will "revolutionize the Facebook experience?
• Will our friends flee to Google+?
• Will the FB versus + question accelerate into a battle that rivals PC versus Mac?
• And what about Naomi?

People do panic about change, Blog...which I find interesting because dealing with change is, by now, a part of everyday life. Be that as it may, change can be good or bad, and we'll never all agree on which one. My personal opinion is that I'm going to love the new Facebook Timeline, and for what it's worth, here's why.

[The Timeline feature launches automatically the end of this week...I got a jump on it by following this easy tutorial.]

The Timeline turns your past record on Facebook into a sort of digital scrapbook. Your profile page becomes a two-column, magazine-style illustrated narrative. It does this automatically. You can tweak it, but you don't have to put more than five minutes' effort into it if you don't want to. For example, I created a new image for the "cover" picture. The profile looks like the image above right, Blog--or did at that time.

The little do-hickey at the upper right lets you pinpoint anytime since you were born. And key events, like family members' births and your graduation year, are already on the Timeline based on information you and those users already put in Facebook. You can add photos (I put in baby and high school graduation photos of myself) and "life events" as you see fit.

You can also delete anything you choose from the Timeline if it's lame, boring, or embarrassing. The post stays in the database but disappears from the Timeline. It's just another way to make it into the "scrapbook" you want it to be.

I discovered, looking at my Timeline, that it seems I accidentally have been the kind of Facebook user who will doubtless benefit most from this feature. I post a lot of photos and videos, and chronicle fun and interesting events both personal and pop culture. Text-heavy posters may not find the Timeline so exciting, but many of us will really enjoy just perusing past weeks. I did, and it made me laugh and smile and generally feel fortunate to have my life, home, family and friends.

So, as for how I'm finding this changes my outlook as a Facebook user: Already yesterday I found myself thinking in terms of how best to chronicle the day and capture the mood. So, when I decorated the house for fall, I made sure to post some pics. I might have done this anyway, but I was even more motivated knowing I could eventually be looking back at the day from years in the future.

Blog, there's nothing truer than the old adage, "You can't please all of the people all of the time." I know some Facebook users will hate the new features, some will gripe at first but learn to live with them, most will roll with the changes without too much fuss. But some of us are really, really going to like the Timeline and it will actually enhance our lives a bit.

Five reasons to get yourself Aggie, some of which are weird

Blog, I'm sure our readers have gotten the idea now that I'm releasing a new novel. ("Oh, you mean from the constant posts mentioning it and the character guest blog and all that? No, who knew?!?") Well, the time has come for them to pay the awful price of following this blog and listen to the official pitch...because the book is now out and available in paperback and ebook (Kindle, nook, Kobo, pdf, etc.) from your favorite online retailers!

No, not your favorite online retailers, Blog...the readers'. Track with me here.

Oh, and here's the final cover design for you all too!

What's the book about? A young girl determined to realize her dream of creating a real-life team of heroes. Her awesome grandfather, and his sometimes terrifying/sometimes wonderful "handicap." Life growing up in the 80s and 90s. Figuring out what love is. A trio of winsome computer hackers. A Care Bear named Bono. Helping others to triumph over mean corporations and crappy luck. A snowman dressed like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Wow, Blog...it sure sounds like a good book.

But why should each and every one of our bizillion several readers get a copy? Here are a mere five reasons why....

1. It just came out and already the rave are rolling in:

Hey, we just love "inspirational and entertaining ride," don't we, Blog? Thanks, J. Brown, for the five stars!

2.  You'll become part of Aggie's heroic team. That's because all proceeds of the book go to support Kiva.org in its microlending to deserving, underprivileged entrepreneurs around the world.

3.  It teaches some excellent life lessons and also has attractive guys in it. Both important elements to the female reader, don't you know, Blog.

4.  It includes computers, comic book references, martial arts, and hot chicks. Guy stuff because A9H is not just for females.

5.  Aggie's here in comic-book form to invite you herself! Yep, I drew this portrait of the heroine as a comic book character (because she grew up a comics fan like her Grampa)... and how can you resist that face, right?

I rest my case. So, just how can you obtain your copy? Visit the official Aggie's Nine Heroes page where you'll find purchase links to a bunch of online bookstores, including current prices.

Thanks from me, the Heroes, and Kiva.org for your support!

Aggie's on Facebook!

Heyo, Blog, I'm stoked about this:  my novel Aggie's Nine Heroes now has a Facebook page!  For our friends who want to Like the page, we're making it super easy:

And in the interest of making more things easy, here's a little checklist to help our readers determine if they really should Like Aggie on Facebook. If you are into three or more of these subjects, you will find real value in being a fan of the A9H Facebook page:

• Being a hero in a small way
• 80s pop culture (esp. if you were born in that decade)
• Science nerdiness
• News about the book (like where to get it)
• Movies and/or live theater
• Entrepreneurialism
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and other things Whedon)
• Martial arts
• The work of Kiva.org
• Comic books (esp. X-Men and The Sandman)
• Diana Laurence's writing
• Being organized
• Fads
• The Chicago Cubs
• Consumer protection
• Computer geekiness and technology
• Event planning

Blog, you should go now and Like Aggie's page...you love the 80s, are definitely a techie, and I've seen you practicing your karate chops.  Do. It. Now.  Thanks.

Cody learns to jump through a hoop etc.

As you know, Blog, our cat Cody has been working long and hard on clicker training, and we finally have a performance on video to document his great success. So I'm here today to share with our readers the proof that you can train a regular house cat to do the same cool stuff big cats do!

After seeing on the show "Must Love Cats" how easily kitties can be trained using a clicker, I was determined to try it at home. I started by ordering myself a copy of the book Cat Training in 10 Minutes by Miriam Fields-Babineau. I highly recommend this book as a terrific resource.

In addition to the book, I needed a few essential tools for Cody's training. The first, of course, was a clicker. They're not expensive, so spring for a sturdy one; you'll find them at your local pet supply store. I also needed cat treats, and nothing says "treat" to Cody like turkey. Training treats only need to be pea size or less, so even an ever-so-slightly-husky cat like Cody won't put on weight from training.

The one other item I really needed to lay my hands on, Blog, was a hoop. Now this proved a daunting task. It seems that no one actually sells sturdy plastic hoops suitable for being jumped through by housecats. Go figure. In fact, there's not even anything (until NOW!!!) on the Internet about how to make one.

I went to my local Home Depot, thinking "irrigation tubing," but they didn't have any that was a nice ~1/2" size. So I asked the helpful Home Depot Lady about plastic tubing. "What sort of thing do you need it for?" she asked. "I'm training my cat to jump through a hoop so I need to make a hoop," I told her.

Blank, confused look. "Okay," she said, "let's ask Jim, he's the specialist on PVC tubing." We found Jim. The H.D. Lady said, "She's looking for 1/2" plastic tubing," and he said, "What sort of thing do you need it for?" I told him, "I'm training my cat to jump through a hoop so I need to make a hoop."

Deja vu.

Anyway, the illustration shows what I ended up buying: some Pex tubing and a Pex fitting. It worked perfectly and took about five minutes to convert to a hoop for Cody. Here's the resulting hoop:

So, I have trained with Cody maybe 5 days a week, for five to ten minutes a day, for about five weeks. Honestly though, Blog, he learned each new trick in a couple days...continuing training is simply helping him focus so he's less distracted and confused. You can see in the video how well it worked! And the video will also show you a few things about how clicker training works.

The coolest thing I learned from training Cody is that a cat really does care enough about your opinion to want to learn to do what you ask. It's not just about the turkey. He really seems to love our training sessions and getting to play along and do things that get a pleased reaction from his best buddy (me). I'm looking forward to teaching him more tricks like high five, shaking hands, jumping from chair to chair, etc.

So I highly recommend you try this with your cat! And if you do, or already have a cat that does tricks, please share in the comments. Say it with me, Blog: "Yay Cody!"

How to have a Birthday Week

So, Blog, one of my Facebook friends asked, "You get to have a birthday week?" To which I replied, "Actually, everyone does, they just don't all know it."

I myself didn't always realize this. I can't precisely recall when I first started observing the Birthday Week tradition, but I'm pretty sure how it came to be. And you'll be pleased to know that it springs not purely from self-indulgent, narcissistic motives. Although certainly it does in part. But actually, I have always been pretty flexible about the specific day my birthday is officially observed, because my family members are busy and have other commitments and I really like to make the party convenient for everyone.

So, for example, this year it worked out for everyone to be available on Sunday the 14th. Aka Day Two of my Birthday Week (Day One being the day I gave our cats their Turbo Track). So, here's Principle #1 of Having a Birthday Week: one of the days is the day you have your family party. I had a super one this year: My fabulous chef daughters with their fabulous sous chef boyfriends prepared a Mexican feast featuring a fajita bar with grilled beef and chicken, and chips and guacamole. My dad and little Ava (age 5) were on hand so we had a 79-year age span in the attendees. Mother Nature gave us perhaps the loveliest weather of the whole summer, and the patio was splendiferously prepared by Davie. My cat Cody provided entertainment (his birthday gift to me).

Now, it's always nice, if you have a significant other, to also have a private, romantic birthday-related event. In other words, Principle #2 of Having a Birthday Week is that one of the days is the day you celebrate with spouse or mate. This year I'm doing this with Davie on Day Four, and we're getting duck BLT's at Honeypie. We have heard they are uber-scrumptious. Bet we'll follow up with some cozy cuddle time at Magic House, watching "Mad Men" or "Food Network Star" on DVR with amusing commentary by us.

Principle #3 of Having a Birthday Week is that you also observe your actual birthday. Mine this year falls on Day Five (aka August 18th, the day it always is). I'll be taking off work and am going to spend the day with my dad and be treated to lunch at the place we call the Pink Palace. There's nothing like spending quality time on your birthday with someone who was there when you were born, especially when enhanced by a Greek-owned restaurant that makes great omelettes and hash browns.

Now, so far we've covered three days of your birthday week, assuming you do all the above on different days. That leaves you a lot of days left over! What do you do with those? Principle #4 states, see if there's a reason to open a present on its own day. In this case, I asked for the Turbo Track for my cats, and opened it on Day One so that we could let the cats get the hang of it by Day Two, aka Family Birthday Party. See how this works? You may be able to find a reason like this too, for example, one gift is an item of clothing you want to wear on your birthday itself.

Principle #5 is that you can look at some fun thing you were planning to do anyway during your birthday week and declare it part of the celebration. Here's my example from this year: I have been trying since May to work out a day off to go to the Milwaukee Zoo. Every time we have planned to do this, it has ended up cold and rainy or super hot, or our plumbing has unexpectedly exploded. But the forecast for Milwaukee for Day Six of my Birthday Week is sunny, warm, and not horribly humid, plus it's Zoo a la Carte week! Anything that involves tigers and sampling local food is a celebration in my book!

Now Blog, with those days in your birthday week that just don't seem to have anything special going on, you may have to take a good look at your activities that day and just find something that seems cool enough to call celebratory. Aka Principle #6. On Day Three of my Birthday Week, I installed the makeup mirror I got from Davie on Day Two. Anytime I wield power tools and the project turns out well, I consider that a party. It's also a party to use my makeup mirror, which is the exact same kind I fell in love with when we stayed at the Vdara Hotel in Vegas in January (pictured here in this still from a video I took there).

There is one final Principle, #7. And that is that your birthday week is a time to indulge in something you really, really like to do. Maybe it's a trip to your favorite out-of-town shopping mall, or getting a mani-pedi, or going to the horse track, or getting yourself a bottle of your fave expensive wine. That kind of treat qualifies an entire day. Or combine several. As for me, I'm doing the latter, because on Day Seven of My Birthday Week I will be kicking off our annual mother-daughters camping trip, with my favorite girls in the world, at my favorite place in the world, Point Beach State Forest.

And that, Blog, is how you have a birthday week. Birthday Week is really a state of mind and doesn't have to cost you or your loved ones any more than having a mere puny birthday. And yet it packs 600% more birthday punch! So I hope our readers will plan now to enjoy their right to an entire Birthday Week the next time that happy occasion rolls around.

The Salute Game and why you should play it

Hey Blog, I know that you’re a big fan of the show “How I Met Your Mother.” And it’s the show that introduced Davie and me to the Salute Game, on the 2007 “Slapsgiving” episode. Ever since, we never fail to be in “game on mode,” salute-wise.

It works like this: When you hear any military title employed in non-military-title fashion, you salute and acknowledge the title. Best way to explain is to demonstrate, so I’m going to give you a few excellent examples not necessarily based on true life happenings:

EXAMPLE 1

Wilson to House: House, you are one major pain in the ass.

Me ‘n’ Davie: [SALUTING] Major Pain-in-the Ass!

EXAMPLE 2

Person on pain-reliever commercial: And of course it works on my general discomfort.

Me ‘n’ Davie: [SALUTING] General Discomfort!

EXAMPLE 3

The B-52’s: You’re living in your own private Idaho...

Me ‘n’ Davie: [SALUTING] Private Idaho!

EXAMPLE 4

Person on popcorn commercial: Look, virtually every kernel popped!

Me ‘n’ Davie: [SALUTING] Colonel Popped!

EXAMPLE 5

British landlord showing new renter the bathroom: Here’s the loo, tenant—nice and roomy.

Me ‘n’ Davie: [SALUTING] Lieutenant Nice-and-Roomy!

Okay, I’ll admit that last one is a bit farfetched. But until you start playing the Salute Game 24/7 with your friends and significant others, you have no idea how often these words crop up in daily life. Particularly “major” and “general.” A quick Google search turned up these:

Major news, major categories, major fields, major improvement, major supplier, and the oh-so-amusing Major Depressive Disorder (how’d you like reporting to him?)

General discussion, general content, general questions, general ledger, and the rather intimidating General Dentistry (yikes!).

I promise you, you’ll be taking pains to more carefully employ these particular words when you speak.

Me: Man, Selke sure is doing some major vomming today!

Davie: [SALUTING] Major Vomming!

Me: Oops.

Davie: I guess she’s suffering from general malaise.

Me: [SALUTING] General Malaise!

Davie: Oops.

So, Blog, that’s our little salute to the Salute Game. Readers, if you’ve ever played, be sure to click the right-on box. And if you want to pledge to play it forevermore, click the yay box! It will be a Major Thrill to see your clicks.

Looking for my TV Soulmate

Blog, I admit I watch a ridiculous amount of TV. But I do it, of course, out of duty as a cultural chronicler and arbiter of pop culture. Chah, right. Anyway, I’m just curious if there’s anyone out there in Internetland who has exactly the same taste I do and watches the same approximately 39 TV programs.

Why are you chortling, Blog? Like you don’t watch AT LEAST 39 shows yourself! And besides, sporting events are included in there too.

Well, I’m determined to find the answer to my quest, so I created a nifty ONLINE SURVEY, yes, that’s the link there, so that readers can see how they score. I think it will also be interesting to find out which of my shows are the most popular with our readership and which have managed to go largely unnoticed even though they are awesome enough to be watched by me.

There’s a place in the survey to put a name or nickname, so that I can announce my TV Soulmate in a future blog post. So use a name you’re not embarrassed to see publicized, peeps! Is there a prize? Well.…maybe. I’ll think about it. It may be worth a bribe to find my TV Soulmate.

How long do you have to participate? Just as long as it takes me to get enough survey-takers that I’m not embarrassed by the low number. So waste no time, click today! And pass along the link of this post to your friends, coworkers, family members and pets. I know my TV Soulmate is out there somewhere.

No, Blog, I don’t think it can be Prof. Snowcaps. He never watches the Food Network because he think he knows everything culinary, just because of that Ph.D. in Home Economics that he has. Pffft.

How to have a Favorites Day

Blog, everyone occasionally needs a “spa day” or “mental health day” when they treat themselves to some treats. Me being the sort of person who indulges in a “Birthday Week” (or sometimes even “Birthday Fortnight”) every year, I condone treating yourself well for any reason you can devise.

So, if you’ve been having a hard week at work, just got bad news, or are simply bored, I recommend having yourself a Favorites Day. And I’m here today to give very specific instructions on how to do just that. Blog, prepare to take notes. Wait...you are notes. Well then, let’s begin.

Your Favorite Outfit: Start by dressing the part. That may mean wearing something you look really good in, something you’re really comfortable in, or something that just feels fun, like your pirate outfit.

Your Favorite Food/Drinks: Be sure to plan to make your eating and drinking for the day a little special. Ideas: put real cream in your coffee instead of the powdered stuff; have drinks or dinner at a favorite bar or restaurant; get yourself a bakery treat for dessert; if you hate to cook, make microwavable meals all day; if you love to cook, do a gourmet meal with new recipes.

Your Favorite Thing to Look at: This is the day to put a photo of your favorite celebrity crush on your computer wallpaper or in a frame on the table next to your lounge chair. Or do likewise, subbing your grandkids, the car you wish you owned, or your fave vacation spot.

Your Favorite Music: Listen to your absolute favorite CDs or iPod playlist. Have a few songs you’ve been craving but haven’t gotten yet? Today’s the day to spend a few bucks on iTunes.

Your Favorite Special Indulgence: Treat yourself to some flowers, a six pack of your favorite microbrew, a chocolate bar, a bubble bath. Think of the most luxurious thing you can afford to treat yourself to and go for it.

Your Favorite Things to Do: Watch an old favorite movie or see a new one; work on a beloved type of craft project; go golfing; reread a great book; shop for shoes; or just lay around watching HGTV.

Your Favorite Things to Not Do: Don’t forget going from the reverse angle. This may be the day to not get up early, not do your workout, not go to work, not do chores, not answer your phone and/or email.

Your Favorite Thing You Forgot You Even Liked: Think creatively here. You may remember a place in town once where you took a walk once that was really pretty--visit there again. Or a store you saw once that you didn’t have time to go in--now’s the time! How about playing an old favorite game you loved? Trivial Pursuit maybe? Or call up a friend you haven’t thought about in awhile but actually really miss.

Your Favorite Person/People: Recruit the participation of a loved one or great friends. I mean, who’s going to turn you down when you say “I’m doing a Favorite Things Day for myself so naturally I thought of you”?

Don’t Forget the Cherry on Top: The cherry on top is up to you, but pick one thing about your day that is going to be the best of all. Perhaps everything else you do during the day is free, but put one splurgy item in, like a martini at an outdoor bar you love. Or make one of the other elements I’ve talked about really special: like making your dinner out be with your mate at the place where you had your first date. Big or small, make the Cherry something that really gets your heart racing in anticipation and will make a fond memory for sure.

The key to making a great Favorites Day is not money, Blog, it’s thought and planning. If you sit down with yourself and figure out all the little things that can add up to a day of total fun--building in a little flexibility, as life does throw curves at a person--and then really do it all, it could be quite the day.

In fact, it sounds so good to me, I think one of these days I will have one! So you thought I knew what I was talking about here, Blog? Nope, all sheer speculation. I’ll let you know what happens when I try it out. And readers, if you try it out, let me know!