I’m starting to get low on business cards, I’ve been handing them out like they were candy and unfortunately the company I used to go through decided to update their pricing, so I’ve been surfing the ‘net looking for a few new places. I came across GreatFX Business Cards, and they look rather promising. I already have a template created, and luckily they give me the option of uploading the template to their server and they print them from there. I think I’m going to go with a glossy card this time, the basic flat design that I was using before isn’t really saying much to me anymore. Yes, I know “Krissy, it’s just a card with info” but based on how I like to control every aspect of things, of course I’m going to make sure it’s an interesting looking card to hand out.

It’s kind of like the card my step-father gave me in regards to his tattoo place. One of the artists drew a design, they sent it in for their two-sided business cards and they glossed it over. Based on that alone (instead of the very dull boring one I got from my tattoo place) I found this other place a little more appealing. It sounds dumb, I’m sure, but a card is a card and unless there’s something unique about it, I don’t pay much attention to it.

This GreatFX place also does magnets too, I don’t know if I’d ever get into the magnets business. However, I’ve seen fridges that are LOADED with them because it’s easy access from the kitchen phone to search for your favorite eatery and find the number. I can get about $1,000 cards for $69, which really isn’t a bad price at all. I was paying about $80 through the previous company and if I wanted a glossed image that would probably cost me about $100, so saving $30 is always a good deal to me.

In order to bring in some business I keep them pinned up on pin-boards in almost every supermarket and store I visit that offers that kind of advertising to their customers. I can’t tell you how many clients I’ve had in the past that only found me because they walked past my card when they were on their way home from the store. So it’s an inexpensive way to bring in some decent business. I think one of the largest accounts I landed through business card advertising was in the $15k range. Most people don’t make that in a year, I did it in a month. Thank goodness for cheap advertising that’s visually appealing – right?

With decorating on my mind, I’ve been moving full speed ahead at building a bookmarks folder with house hold items that I know will be purchased after we get our house. When it comes to me, the only important rooms are kitchen and bedroom, but that’s typically where all of my time is being spent. I’ve been looking into dining room furniture because I do spend a lot of time cooking and based on the few places we’re interested in, counter space is limited. So extending the kitchen via dining room table is naturally the route that I want to take.

I’ve spent most of my time searching around GreatPricedFurniture.com, I like their site. I’ve come across them on a Google search more times than I can remember. Part of me wonders if they have an actual show-room anywhere because some of their products are GORGEOUS. If I had the kind of money to fill a big house with quality furniture for dramatic effects, the way most of their images are on the site, I’d be a happy, happy girl.

What do you feel about Online Lab Tests?

I’m looking around PrivateMDLabs.com and you can use the site for basically EVERYTHING. There’s the ability to get the proper supplies for STD testing, direct-to-consumer lab tests, HIV testing, Liver Testing, Drug Testing, Herpes Testing and even Anti-aging testing. I don’t know why but I found this to be a wee-bit strange. Mainly because I’ve never heard of anything like this before.

The benefit to all of this, naturally, is the ability to privately get yourself, a loved one or even a potential employee tested for something rather important but at the same time – is there ANYTHING that can’t be done from home anymore? Based on what I’ve read, it’s also a financial benefit as well. Approximately 35% of the US population is uninsured and going to an actual doctors office to get these tests can be rather expensive. Going through this particular company, or any private company I would imagine, is more than likely going to save you a bit of money in the end.

Test results no longer come in the mail, or via phone service. You’re now given your results over email. This is why one would consider going through a Private MD. I’ll be the first to tell you that doctors are over paid for their services, especially considering the nurses (in many cases) are the ones doing the real work (hospital wise). A doctor walking around randomly checking charts and giving recommendations for $250,000 a year is absolutely absurd in comparison to the $50,000 a nurse is making when they’re the ones helping to change the sheets, constantly check the machines and make sure the patients themselves are comfortable. I’d take a nurses position over an actual doctor any day, but this is a completely different post that could easily exceed 5,000 words if I ever went to write it up.

Moving right along…

I do respect anonymity and those interested in saving a dollar but seriously, the only real way (that I know of) to test your Liver is a stool sample, and that alone just grosses me out. The HIV/STD tests, I can understand those, especially the drug testing. But I would assume that it would be easier to see an actual doctor when it comes to things like cholesterol testing and blood-testing in general. I’m the kind of person who would leave that kind of thing up to the professionals (and yes, I mean the nurses) even though I’d be spending a bit more.

I’ve been looking into other shared hosting plans. I know this may sound strange considering I run my own servers. But I’m looking for outside resources so I can get sites off the server that I don’t personally want taking up anymore room than they do. When I combine my four domains, I’m going through about 100gb of bandwidth a month and since most of them are on the same server, it’s just taking away from those who actually pay for the service. I’m very easy to please as far as requirements are concerned.

Unfortunately with my resources I’m limited to either large reseller accounts or standard hosting plans that offer up quite a bit of bandwidth. I refuse to go to anyone that offers a few terebytes to their customers because I think it’s wrong to offer more bandwidth than is actually set to the server, but I also understand that no one paying $10 a month for webhosting is going to use over 2tb of bandwidth on a monthly basis, either.

So I’ve been poking around concentric.com and their plans are a little pricey for my budget, but I can understand why they’re charging what they are. I would expect that 10GB of diskspace, and 100GB of bandwidth would be in the $67.95mo. range but at the same time. I know there’s got to be a resource out there for half the price with a reseller account. The $75 Google AdWords credit is great, but I also refuse to have anything to do with Google.

This is my preference though, if you’re looking for hosting then head over to concentric.com.

I’ve spoken about it before, and I’ll continue to speak about it until I’m blue in the face (or in this case, in the fingers). Drug addiction is a serious condition that isn’t to be taken lightly. I’ve lost friends and family to many addiction based diseases and wouldn’t want to wish that kind of pain on anyone, friend or foe. If you, or someone you know, has a drug related dependency or is going through alcohol addiction – get to a treatment center! There are many of them located all over the world and there’s no excuse for not helping someone in need. For those of you in the Malibu area, you could consider checking out Teen Rehab ECHO MALIBU. If you’re not in the area, Google is full of fine resources that can help everyone world-wide.

I came across Vontoo voice messaging. The basis of the system is to enable organizations to create, send, and even track voice messages to people who want to hear from them.

It’s a pretty basic break down – but an effective one for those who use the phone so often. You create your customized message and then send it to an individual or group list of recipients that have signed up for your service and from there you can track the messages to see if they were received live or recorded on voice mail. And, unlike a lot of the services I’ve seen, they understand the Do Not Call list, and respect your privacy in the process.

I read through their success stories and naturally the one that stuck out the most for me was the NYFD. They go on to explain how it’s hard to keep in touch with all of the retirees for Engine 67 and they’re in the process of organizing a reunion event. They note that there are a few guys that are hard to get in touch with and using this service voids them of having to make multiple long distance phone calls.

After reading this, I went on to think about how this particular company could help other businesses and I thought of my friends mom. She’s been an Avon saleswomen for lord knows how many years and her phone books are filled with both the current and past customers that she’s accumulated over the last 20 years. I may actually email her after I’m done writing this up, it could be pretty easy for her when it comes to calling them up in regards to new products and promotions. There’s an opt-in/opt-out function for anyone so if they don’t appreciate the calls they can easily have themselves removed from the list. I just wish it were that easy when dealing with other companies, I’m still getting phone calls about products that I turned down over a year ago. If it were as easy as pressing a button and saying “remove me now”, I probably wouldn’t avoid the phone.

For years now I’ve played backgammon, thanks to my grandmother. Recently I found the ability to play backgammon online that doesn’t require me logging into a website over-loaded with many multi-player games that slow servers down. This is why I’m a fan of Backgammon Masters, no surprise there though.

I’m a bit surprised though. Turns out they weren’t just going to settle for backgammon, perudo and poker – they’ve expanded. They added Blackjack to their list of games, which is pretty cool considering it’s a fairly easy game that doesn’t require a lot of skill. My apologies to the avid Blackjack player but seriously now, how hard is it to add? I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen with 17 saying “hit me”. I also can’t tell you how many wives I’ve seen actually HIT the husband because of a move like that.

Okay, so a quick break down of their new stuff:

The BackgammonMasters BlackJack game, offers a multiplayer table where up to five players are spaciously seated and playing at the same table simultaneously, with the option of participating in real-time chat. Besides the sophisticated graphics and avatar modes, the software includes a unique View Mode adding another dimension to the fast-paced game whereby players can sit in on an existing game and watch the action before joining in.

So if you’re interested in playing, maybe even playing against me in anything, head on over to BackgammonMasters.com, download the free software and go from there. There are multiple languages supported so you’re sure to know what’s going on without any major confusion either. Just don’t bust in excitement, eh? hah

After I woke up this morning and went through my whole routine, Sean informed me of a new movie coming out called Eye of the Dolphin.

I’m not BIG on movies, not the way he is. He compared this new movie to Flipper which was a show that I adored for years when I was a child. To this day I’ve yet to see a Dolphin. I keep trying to get Sean to bring me up to Jersey for a day on the Ferry because the Dolphins supposedly swim around in the late summer / early Fall when the water warms up a little.

The story is the typical father daughter movie as some might say. A young girl is expelled from school and forced to live with her father in the Bahamas who really has no time for her. After their personalities clash she feels as though she’s a prisoner on the Island and then she forms a friendship with a Dolphin and the rest is kind of the typical chick flick I would assume. I’m not really sure if I’d actually go see it, it may be one of those random DVD rentals in the future for me – honestly. I mean, look at the water? Is that not absolutely gorgeous? The one thing I can say about images like these is for the most part, the photos aren’t doctored. The water there is crystal clear and should remain that way for as long as humanly possible.

In any event, I embedded the trailer. If you’re interested in the movie you can enter to win free movie tickets by going to eyeofthedolphin.net/contest. Freebies are always fun, right?

The following is a writeup for 4rehabilitation.com.

I’ve been talking about drug treatment for quite some time considering how many friends I’ve lost to drugs, but literally and emotionally. I can’t tell you how many people I know who are now dealing with the legal system on top of their drug abuse because they just didn’t know when to quit. 4rehabilitation.com is a treatment referral service where specialists connect you to the right drug/alcohol treatment centers based on your needs. Choosing a drug rehabilitation and treatment program is difficult for everyone involved. At no cost to you, they offer treatment program information for treatment and recovery of drug and alcohol addictions. If you know someone who truly needs to be provided with these services, then I would strongly suggest pointing them here.