Make Money With a Tech Blog

Rest assured, as you read this message today, that I am alive and well. Thank you! Although the title in itself would reflect a provocation of emotional, selfish, or sympathetic gain, this assuredly is not my intention; and additionally, not specifically about me.

I qualify this because it is not my desire to add more drama to this social site. Truthfully, it is my hope that it will never be about me. I would rather continue living my life with more focus on the Creator rather than on the creation.

I have blogged extensively recently about, “Coming home to Stay at 93”, describing events relating to my father, who is now going through some final struggles of his life. Faced with a life zapping downward spiral of chronic renal failure and the end stages of chronic heart failure; optimistically, he could battle this inflicting, ugly plague for several more months.

My prayer for him will be, “Lord, come quickly” in order for him to experience a quick departure from this life, rather than the less desirable end which I could only describe to you with considerable difficulty. My most recent visits seem to have drained any small hope in my subconscious hopeful scenarios.

My thoughts today have been clouded with the prospect of some final words simply because today I have a desire to be methodical rather than reactionary in this situation and additionally because I have played this scenario only a few years previously with the loss of a close family member. My consensus on this occasion is that my son not have died in vain but hopefully some good would come from his final departure, so yes, dear friend and preacher, preach a Bible salvation message with an old fashioned invitation for those that would make that choice to come to Him. And yes, do it at the final ceremony! Thank You!!

I am assured that in his new eternal residence, a bible salvation message is what Jesse would have preferred for his friends and family (yes, his family included) so they may also make that decision to join him some day. I pray for his friends daily (almost daily to exclude some forgotten days, forgive me please) because I know that this small request is what Jesse would expect his Dad to do for him. That being said, if a salvation message was good enough for Jesse that is also the final message I would request of my friend, the preacher at my departure.

With the thought of eternity at stake, I was forced to seek the answers from the only book that could give me the true answers by which I embarked upon with diligence and with exceeding expectation.

Because many churches have gotten this simple message very wrong, many will disagree with my biblical views. That’s ok, because we will have eternity to discuss our differences, assuming you have captured enough of the biblical salvation teachings to secure your place in eternity.

For those who have assurance that you are on praying ground, your prayer support for my struggling father, Frank, is greatly appreciated. Peace

 

 

THIS IS MY MOTHER!!!
The following is a plea posted in my mother’s retirement home.

 

DO YOU REALLY KNOW HER? I wish not to be misunderstood. I must ask myself the same question. This very question disquiets my very soul today in my attitude toward my parents. I have written extensively about my father of recent but now I wish to turn my attention toward my lovely mother who at age 89 years is often at the mercy of the wonderful aids at the nursing home, her new home.

 

She requires your assistance today. She is embarrassed by requiring your help with the things she would never have dreamed that she would need help with. HELP with eating, HELP with her constant need to go to the bathroom, often hourly, and HELP with the things she can no longer communicate to you.

She has been the backbone in our family and required help from no one. She raised gigantic vegetables for the entire neighborhood each year. She milked more dairy cows than any that have had the pleasure of working with this strong determined woman. She was the spiritual example in our lives by teaching us to pray. She was the one!!!! We, as a family, wish to thank you for your assistance when we can no longer be there for her. This is my mother and she needs your help today!

 

 

 

She is living in a body that no longer resembles the person she was. She will soon have a glorified body, but for now, THIS IS MY MOTHER! Please help her when she requests help. She can no longer be the kind, loving, cheerful person we never had the pleasure knowing at this young, vibrant age.

She is doing the best with what remains of her fragile body. She has run this uphill race for 89 years with pride and dignity and now she requires some cheering from the sidelines as she can now see the finish line. Please cheer for her!

As a family, we wish to thank you.

THIS IS MY MOTHER! Do you know her???

Update to “Coming home to Stay at 93″

My mother unfortunately broke her leg 2 years prior and could no longer function at home and was confined to her bed and wheelchair. My dad escaped the nursing home but after serious contemplation he returned to battle after 10 days with me at his country home on the plains to be with his bride and to defend her in her final struggle.

It would be my hope that I would display similar soldier battle skills of valor and courage.

lamasta

Mom and Dad in Their Younger Years

I had not looked forward to the return of my father with much excitement and I couldn’t image how this interruption of my little perfect world would be affected. Dad seemed to have evolved into a more sensitive and friendly character in more recent months in drastic comparison to what had been a strained relationship, when he was capable of saying some cruel and unkind comments to many of his loved family members.

He would be sensitive to my work schedule as I typed away in the adjacent living room which I had transformed into a comfortable home office supplying technical Internet phone support to subscribers of a local ISP. Without commitments to go into the office for a few days I knew it would be inevitable that I would need to leave Dad home alone as I had visions of the 1990 comedy film of Macaula Culkin who was mistakenly left home alone while his family leaves on vacation to Paris, France. I have learned not to allow 93 years of pure, adventurous, farmboy experiences to bamboozle me into thinking he was harmless in his latter years.

I connected my webcam positioning it so that I would have a view of Dad at the table as he whiled away the days at the kitchen table, spending his seemingly hurried time pulling little shoe boxes of gadgets one by one from his room so he could finger through them as if taking inventory for one last time while listening to his old polka cassette tapes.

The camstream was associated with a chat room with a picture of Dad listed with other live broadcast streams making it possible for surfers to choose the most interesting stream to drop by in order to catch the most desired action. I must admit that Dad had some ambitious competition on the website with scantily clad young woman enticing male surfers with their enticing photos. Fortunately, Dad’s stream always appeared among the top of the list of streamers so the prudent surfer was not enticed with the promiscuous pictures.

I would monitor the chat site during the day and often well into the night answering questions to various visitors from around the country to include many international visitors, many wanting to share experiences about their aging parents and how they dealt with much the same issues.

The stream was described with the following caption with a picture of Dad:

Coming Home to Stay at 93
Well, my dad, Frank, escaped the nursing home at High Acres and he ainta goin back no mo. With a promise to return the following day and a $50 cab ride into the country, the old boy is in his glory.

The stream was linked to my money making online tech blog, which was described with the following caption:

New developments have recently interrupted my tech blog with personal family issues dealing with the following steam which I have setup for monitoring purposes for my father. I have ceased streaming following my dad’s return to the nursing home on January 15, but I will broadcast when he returns to his country home for a visit.

It has been difficult as a family to balance his wishes in what may be his final months here on earth among us and with what is best for his health. I would like to thank all those who have shown their sincere interest in my dad and to his well being, and I wish to assure you that we as a family are very concerned about his peace of mind at this stage of his life.

He is such a wonderful example of a sharp mind and does small exercising to maintain his mobility. He still has concerns about his weight and likes to look his best for friends and family.

I wish to capture some footage from the nursing home and will try to keep you updated with interviews to answer questions you may have by leaving comments.

Dad was becoming somewhat of a celebrity as regular visitors would drop in to check on Dad who was slightly oblivious to the Internet stream not knowing when the stream was live. He had many questions about “dat web thing” as I attempted to describe to my 93 year old father that the World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. He drew nearly 5,000 hits on that site during the ten days of streaming, many just popping in and out all hours of the day and night to see if there was any activity with, “Coming Home to Stay at 93“.

Well, Dad returned to the nursing home as we were faced with temperatures dropping to below 0 C and high winds in the near forecast. I was able to capture some choice footage in an interview conducted by his grandchildren, Tracy and Lindsey. He had a couple of minor heart issues while at home and was probably beginning to realize his need for accessible health care.

He requested assistance getting him ready for the 35 mile trip back to the home and asked me to wrap a scarf around his head as he comically looked like an older bent over Amish women getting ready to step up into a waiting horse buggy. My brother, Izzy, came to escort him to an awaiting truck that would return him to his former residence. He turned to me before he made his way through the front door with a pleasant, “Larry, thank you for everything you did for me”, and I immediately had that sinking feeling that he knew he would probably not be retuning to his country home on the Dakota prairie that he loved so well.

Introduction: I often hesitate to post personal blogs for fear of exposing some personal details in my life but I have come to discover in order to establish credibility on many blog sites, the personal blog must be forthcoming.

The point is that this is much like my very first church dance that I attended as a young country boy, rather unwillingly I may add. I honestly must admit that my familiarity with the opposite sex up to that point was gleaned from my chore experiences on a dairy farm. What if the first pretty girl I ask, rejects me with all her close friends listening to my awkward invitation? What if she giggles at my high water slacks? What if she notices my crowded freshly brushed white teeth? The point is that a recent poll result indicates that personal blogs are the preferred blog type so I am going to expose a little of my personal life dealing with my parents.

The point is that I am dealing with issues with my mom 89 and dad 93 currently residing in a nursing home but who still own the country home I have made into a comfortable remote home office following relocation back to the Dakota plains a couple of years ago. Before you discount this as another meaningless blog regarding aging issues, please let me share a few more paragraphs. I will be brief!

Several weeks ago on a leisurely Saturday morning my cell phone rang with a number I did not recognize.

“Hello, this is Amanda from the nursing home and I am calling to inform you that your dad has called a cab and will be retuning to the farm for a couple of days. Are you aware that he is coming?”

Silence………A 35 mile trip by cab does not seem like a reasonable decision with family members in the area that may have been unwillingly persuaded to make a trip to the farm.

“No I didn’t” I replied. This was a surprise to me since Dad has a weak heart condition and has macular degeneration which classifies him as legally blind. Mother had broken her leg 2 years ago and requires 24 1/2 hour nursing care but also continues to insist that she too will be returning home to the farm some day.

“Well, your brother, Izzy, (who is the estate administrator) was made aware of this, but he is out of town this weekend.”

“OK”, I reluctantly replied, “You probably would have little success in changing his mind at this point.”

I slowly, thoughtfully, closed by cell phone and immediately made plans to prepare his room for his arrival since his room has become a convenient storage room.

The point is that the majority of my family of nine “agreeable souls” has insisted that things remain as they were when Mom and Dad left 2 years ago. I have since gone through rooms removing old clothing, boxes of books and magazines, cleared the walls of cluttered 50s nick knacks and furthermore, under cover of darkness, moved many precious valuables to the farmyard community burn pile. My mom, bless her dear soul, raised in the depression years, was truthfully, a nick knack maniac.

Short recap of my previous blog as follows:

A surprise call from the nursing home that Dad, who is legally blind, is catching a 35 mile cab ride into the country for a short visit because none of the family members were available for transport. But, I have set up camp at the home place and have proceeded to make things comfortable for ME.

Donkey Chow

Continuing with “A Wonderful Return Visit Home”

After rushing to restore the home to some sort of semblance of Dad’s former home in the country, I heard a car approaching the driveway. As I approach the cab, a late model Cadillac, the driver is rifling through my dad’s wallet, in search of a $50 dollar bill hidden in a back flap inside the fold of the wallet. This is the Dakota Plains I must remind you, consequently, no suspicions of dishonesty at this point. I offered to take over as the driver apologetically returned the wallet to me. Remember, my father is partially blind and no one really knows the extent of his vision, but I take no chances with my father’s suspicions of dishonesty, especially toward me. Who knows what lurks in the mind of a 93 year old who has devised a crafty plan to return to his home in the country, not that I can blame him for this humorous adventure up to this point.

(lamasta remembers, I had some money and important paperwork returned to me which I had absentmindedly left in a cab in downtown Chicago before my relocation to the plains. My boss was so happy to receive his paperwork!!…life is good!)

As this incident unfolds, Dad explains that the driver is actually the cab company owner who has used his personal vehicle because the only two city cabs were busy transporting riders within the immediate city.

“Hi Dad, welcome home. How was your ride out here?”
“Good, he (the driver) is a really good guy. We had a good talk on the way out here?”
(lamasta thinks, I bet..lol)
“Good to hear, how did he know where to turn?”
“I just told him to turn at the Deism-Grand Rapids corner “
“Did you bring any bags?” “No, I should still have every thing I need here at home.”
(lamasta thinks, lots of luck finding the things he needs….)

So Dad has returned home and starts to arrange things to his liking as I return his Aladdin reading machine back to a spot near the kitchen table and returning additional items answering deliberate questions about where is this and where is that as I am trying to remember where I have stored the things I thought I would never again need to recover.

He is actually pretty easy to care for because he spends all his time between his bedroom and the kitchen table, napping upright on his chair at the table or sometimes laying down on his bed, as I check many times throughout the day for signs of breathing. As I change my cooking habits to compensate for my visitor, he comments that I prepare too much food because he doesn’t want to gain any weight.
(lamasta thinks, well this is some quality bonding with ole pops, he even likes my cooking! Life is really good!!)

Day Two: As we enjoy some genuine fellowship along with my brother, Charles, who routinely enjoys stopping by for his daily dose of strong coffee, we are presented with a surprise during the course of our conversation with Dad.

“Larry, don’t worry about doing anything special. I don’t want to be any trouble for you, but I am not going back to the home….”
(lamasta thinks, NOW WHAT ARE WE GONA DO, as I stare into those determined, poker-faced, beady eyes!)

So now there are prescriptions meds to order, arraignments for visits from Jan, the family health care nurse, bathing, shopping for hearing aid batteries, and what else are we forgetting? Fortunately, Roni, my sister-in-law with a nursing background in her younger days, lives nearby with my brother here on the farm. Dad takes jump starts for his weak heart when he gets those annoying little attacks. An ambulance ride is at best a 45 minute trip to an emergency facility. Not to mention arraignments with the nursing home to hold the room until we can get this misunderstanding straighten out.

(lamasta thinks, He nearly died under my care a few years prior when he came for a visit to Illinois when I couldn’t find his nitroglycerin, which was hidden in a music tape box packed by my brother, TJ, before I had even gotten his things unpacked from the car.)

I have come to the conclusion that Meds should always be placed in a med container with careful markings on the container:

MEDS!*** TO BE USED IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY***YES, THESE ARE THE MEDS!***GIVE THEM TO HIM!***QUICKLY PLEASE LEST HE DIE!***

IN CONCLUSION: Yes, I am a work-at-home-mom (without any children at home) but, what will I do on the days that I am required to go into the office as part of my work arraignment??? OK, I do have a tech background so I have an idea. Incidentally, this closely coincided with MLK day, “I Have a Dream!”

Again, my rambling has gotten long as I attempt to wrap this up with one more installment:

To be continued with Lamasta exploits “Coming Home to Stay at 93”

 

A departure from my personal comments and back to my money-making on-line blog.

I am seriously investigating the following on-line travel business as a great lead-in for my retirement. This business has very profitable potential with minimal investment!

Please listen to one of the on-line presentations listed below. Thank you for your interest.

A major market shift in the largest industry on the planet has created phenomenal annual growth for the past several years for a rock-solid Home-Based Business Company.

Your Travel Biz.com (YTB) is riding the wave of the travel industry going from bricks-and-mortar travel agencies to online travel agencies. (More than $78 billion of travel was booked online in just the U.S. alone in 2006.)

Combine this major market shift with one billion Baby Boomers worldwide reaching retirement age over the next 20 years and Home-Based Businesses being among the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. economy and you will understand why YTB has grown from 600 online RTAs in 2002 to more than 135,000 in 2007.

• How big is the Travel Industry?

Worldwide travel is a $7 trillion annual industry compared to the oil industry at $4 trillion and health and wellness at slightly over $1/2 trillion.

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Another RTA explained it this way: “You have billions of dollars of inventory in your computer—just give people the opportunity to buy it.”

The success of that day has not gone unnoticed by the industry. Shanghai Spring International, one of the largest tour operators in China, recently announced its decision to sell exclusive tours to China through YTB. These tours include the largest number of packages to the 2008 Summer Olympics of any U.S. travel company.

YTB’s home office is located in Wood River, Illinois, just a few miles from St. Louis, Missouri. The number of employees has grown from 140 in 2006 to more than 300 at the close of 2007. All employees were given quadruple Christmas Bonuses in 2007 for their important roles in handling the record growth.

You earn commissions in YTB by booking travel online and by selling online travel agencies. To become an online Referring Travel Agent business owner there is a one-time set-up fee of $449.95 and a $49.95 monthly license fee. This monthly fee is reimbursed after you sponsor 6 RTAs.

YTB also offers guaranteed-issue health and life insurance to qualified RTAs.

YTB also offers great weekly training calls and websites to members. You don’t have product inventory and you don’t send out expensive sales material packages. Your RTA Travel Welcome Kit is a step-by-step guide to maximizing your business. You simply make the Internet your best friend and travel agent partner.

YTB can be your ticket to paradise and also your tax buddy. (Ask your tax accountant about the Home-Based Business Tax Advantages of being an RTA in YTB.)

You don’t have to be a Network Marketing Guru to be successful in YTB. Just get some business cards and go to work. Just ask ten people what they would do if time and money were not an issue. You’ll be shocked at the response—most will say they would travel. It’s that easy!!!

Don’t wait another minute, get in touch with the person who shared this information with you immediately. Start enjoying the 8^th Wonder of the World—earning residual income in the $7 Trillion Travel Industry.

Late Breaking News

“ Records Will be Broken!!!”

Your upline leader in this group has built a national powerhouse organization of 12,000 RTAs in the past 16 months and recruiting continues to accelerate at an incredible pace. But this growth is merely an overture for what is about to happen.

One of the most powerful business people in America has just joined this organization and when this person’s identity is revealed thousands of people are expected to join YTB.

By securing your position today, you’ll have access to the very best training, wise mentoring and a tremendous kick-start from the Legend. Don’t wait another minute—Contact the person now who shared this late-breaking news with you and say “yes” to YTB!

***********************

• BigBirdFunTravel (The name of my on-line travel business)
  

 

__________________________________________________

Other websites you may also want to look at:

1.) www.paycationexperts.com

(Talks about the benefits and perks of traveling as an online travel agent.)

2.) www.travelproincome.com

   (Shows you how to make money by having an online travel agency…the income opportunity.)

3.) www.thebossisfired.com

            (Tells you about the importance of owning your own business and being your own boss.)

4.)  http://www.ytbtravel.com/lmastel

(This is my website on my business card for competitive travel pricing)

5)  http://www.ytb.com/lmastel

(My travel business website with a online presentation)

405-244-4085 Four Minute Sizzle Call.

Dear Mag, (words penned by lamasta as spoken from Dad at 93)

Thank you, Mag, for the wonderful card that you sent me recently. I told Dad it was from Tracy and me also. He couldn’t read the signatures lol

Everyone was happy to see me return from the farm and from that evil Larry with his unrelenting attempts in exploiting me. They all said, “I missed you very much”.

Mother was jumping up and down when I returned. I actually dreamed that she was standing on a chair. Brandon took good care of Mother while I was gone.

Maybe you can come to see us sometime…soon!

We love you,

Mom and Dad

PS Happy Birthday Frank, you are my first email birthday wish. I hope your oil wells start tuning a profit….I’m almost broke…

lol (I love that phrase)

Missing the ole place!

New developments have recently paused my tech blog with personal family issues dealing with the following steam which I have setup for monitoring purposes for my father. I have ceased streaming following my Dads return on January 15, but I will broadcast when he returns to his country home for a visit.

Link to the stream is as follows: http://www.camstreams.com/peoplewebcams.asp

 

Coming Home to Stay at 93

Well, my dad, Frank, escaped the nursing home at High Acres and he ainta goin back no mo. With a promise to return the following day and a $50 cab ride into the country, the old boy is in his glory.

 

 

 

 

It has been difficult as a family to balance his wishes in what may be his final months here on earth with us and with what is best for his health. I would like to thank all those who have shown their sincere interest in my dad and to his well being, and I wish to assure you that we as a family are very concerned about his peace of mind at this stage of his life.

He is such a wonderful example of a sharp mind and does small exercising to maintain his mobility. He still has concerns about his weight and likes to look his best for friends and family.

I wish to capture some footage from the nursing home and will try to keep you updated with interviews to answer questions you may have by leaving comments. Thanks again and God bless.

I love the solitude and silence of the evening country stillness on the Dakota plains which is often described by outsiders as a vast expanse of nothingness, whose subtle beauty is nothing less than seductive. The sound of falling snowflakes can often be heard even through the heavy material of my favorite winter hoodie.

The recent change of weather to cold and snow has made work indoors much more appealing and maybe even productive. In subsequent posts, I wish to cover some of the greatest innovations in recent times that have made the Internet experience what it is today.

Was there any significant change in the development of the personal computer that may have had an impact in your experience, be it the early Solitaire game, Skype, Ipod, webcam or some fast-paced computer gaming?

The features in WordStar of copying, cutting, pasting, to include the ability for saving and retrieving unfinished documents made me an instant addict of the early computer. I have never been the same. Welcome to my Tech Blog.