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This is in response to the question asked in my forums by Monique Renae:

What do you think is the best thing about blogging? What does blogging do for you?

First, let me tell you how I got into blogging: I used to have a “blog” back in 1996. It was on my old website, theebs.com. The Saphrym cartoon character was actually created as “Ely Beasel” and theebs.com stood for “The Ely Beasel Show.” At least, that’s what it meant at the time. It actually first began as “The Electronic Book Store.” But I had an Internet Journal. Didn’t do much with it and later I lost theebs.com. Blogs got popular a couple of years after that. And we all know how popular they are today. Well, about a year ago I decided to install Wordpress for the simple purpose of keeping an online portfolio of my fictional writing and poetry. But then I was diagnosed with diabetes.

So, I decided to use the blog as a way of documenting my weight loss¹. Wasn’t really looking for readers, but then I stumbled on Entrecard. Got some readers from there. People started asking for more information than the boring diet posts². So I started providing more. Blogging became a way of me being held accountable for my diet. It wasn’t just my wife and daughter watching me lose weight. It was now more and more people on the Internet. I didn’t want to let them down. So I lost 70 pounds.

But then I hit a plateau. No more weight loss. Was quite irritating. Lasted for months. Actually only got passed it this past week. However, I needed something to write about. So I started writing about my life, my thoughts, my ideas. The personas I list in the categories of this blog became that much more interesting to me. And people still came to visit even though it wasn’t just about dieting anymore. You guys said you liked my writing. So I have continued.

I’m hooked on blogging. It means I get to write anytime I want and I know at least 10 people will read it other than my family. Sometimes more. Sometimes a lot more. It’s a great feeling to know that people like what you write. And that feeling, along with the support for my continued dieting, is why I will continue to blog for as long as people will read. Even when I’m skin and bones, I’m hoping you guys will enjoy my philosophical points of view and the tiny bit of humor I inject here and there.

1. And I swore I’d never use quick weight loss methods. I wanted to go with natural diets. Although I do use Slim-Fast in my diet. But I want my metabolism to be naturally high. [«]
2. click on that link and you’ll see how boring they were [«]

Posted by Saphrym | 5 Comments »

Yep. I’m going nuts with posts today¹. Trying to make up for the lack of them in the recent weeks. But now that I’ve said that…

There’s been quite a bit of construction here at Saphrym.com.²

• I’ve installed a few plugins that I’m trying out. Most of it back end stuff. If you’d like to see the ones I have installed, check out my About page.
• I also added a “Blego”³ page to feed my own blogger ego.
• I got rid of the direct link to Twitter and replaced it with FriendFeed. I’m loving that service. Lets me keep track of what my friends like and don’t like and also lets me let people know the same thing.⁴
• I tried Google Ads again for about a day and still can’t stay the way it looks so dropped it.
• Hmmm. What else? Oh yeah, I installed a forum plugin and have my own forums now! The plugin is awesome. It’s called Simple:Press Forum. Check it out if you want your own forums easily integrated into Wordpress. I decided I wanted forums because sometimes there are conversations you want to have with your readers that the comments just don’t work for. And with those forums comes a few other things:
  • I created forums for every topic I discuss on this blog.
  • I’ve opened up registration for blog accounts, and therefore forum accounts, to anyone. Which means I might just finally let a few people guest blog here.
  • I’ve also started asking for advice questions. Check out the Ask Saph topic in the forums.

I think that’s about it other than the stuff you can see in previous posts. So enjoy the new features. I have to go write more posts.

(EDIT: Had to test and see how the blog to forum link worked. Hence the link below this. Probably won’t use it often though. I feel conversations about a specific blog post should probably be done within the comments of that post. And even this “edit” is a test to see if the edit shows up in the forum post. We shall see.)

(EDIT AGAIN: Nope. Doesn’t update the forum post itself when the blog post is edited. Ahh well. Will definitely not use it often. I edit my posts too much.)

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

1. And plan on writing many more. So I’m increasing the post count on the index page to 10 instead of my normal 5 [«]
2. Not the kind involving replacement of light fixtures, but construction nonetheless. [«]
3. Evil Woobie turned me on to the term. Blame her. Again. [«]
4. Say that ten times fast and I’ll give you a virtual cookie. [«]

Posted by Saphrym | 4 Comments »

They’re hiding.

Yep. That’s right. They’re hiding. If you use Entrecard, you probably know that credits can’t be sent to an e-mail address. They show up in the form of a code that the person who gets the e-mail can use to put the credits into their own account. What you might not know is that the code can be sent to someone else instead. So, for example, I could easily have sent a code for 2048 credits to my own e-mail address and then hidden that code within one of the posts on my blog.

Ok. So that wasn’t an example. It’s exactly what I did. Somewhere on my blog is the 2048 credit code hidden within one of my 317 posts.

Oh, and here’s the catch: It’s not written in the normal 10 character format. I’ve sounded out the letters and numbers of the code and created words that sound like those letters and numbers. So to find the code, you’ll actually have to read the words. (Example: 12345ABCDE might appear as “Wan tool tree fore fwive ay bea see dea eea.”)

So good luck in finding it. Of course, the first person to find it gets them. I’ll edit this post when that happens. And please, feel free to comment with the correct code (after you’ve used it of course) so it makes it easier for other people to know you’ve found it already. Oh, and to use the code, go to your Entrecard dashboard and click on Apply Coupon. Type it in and submit and you’re 2048 credits richer.

Why 2048? Well, I was looking at some computer memory considering getting 2 more gigs of RAM for my computer. 2048 mb = 2 gigs. The number reminded me of the pricing system at Entrecard. And I realized that almost every popular blog on Entrecard normally costs 2048 to advertise on. So instead of the normal round 1000 or 2000 credits, I decided to make it enough credits to purchase one ad on a popular blog. You get from 200 to 300 clicks when you advertise on one of those blogs. So, to whoever wins, enjoy your free ad!

Oh, and some people might want hints. So here’s a few:

• It’s in one of the other 316 blog posts on my site.
• It’s in a blog post written in the last 5 years.
• A link to the post that it’s on can be found on my new Sitemap linked on the top menu.

Does that help? (Sorry. Couldn’t help it.)

UPDATE July 7th, 2008: Well, Maria got sneaky and found a way to find that last coupon code for the 2048 Entrecard Credits. But that’s ok. I put up another coupon code somewhere on my site. So the contest is still on. Oh, and don’t bother using her method to find it. I temporarily disabled the updating of the XML file.

UPDATE July 8th, 2008: This time Paula found it by doing a spell check on all my posts. You people are too clever for my wallet. Congratulations Paula! But this will be the end of this contest. I’m running out of Entrecard credits.

However, stay tuned. I’m thinking about hiding coupon codes for much smaller amounts in every post I make from this point on. Sound good?

Posted by Saphrym | 18 Comments »

I’ve yet again been inspired. This time by the Queue Three Networks and their review of my site.

I’ve owned the domain name phantomvoice.net for a long time (over 8 years) and it has been many things for me. But now it’s going to start housing all of my fiction and poetry. I’ve copied all of the fiction and poetry from this site over there. I’m keeping the copies here just for the sake of not having broken links. But form this point on, any poetry or fiction I write will be published over at Phantom Voice.

The reason for this decision was because I really wanted a place that focuses on my poetry and fiction. This blog does not do that. Phantom Voice will. So hopefully you’ll go check it out and read my older writing. I’ll be adding new stuff to it very soon.

Posted by Saphrym | 2 Comments »

You know. Making changes to a blog can be like washing dishes in glass sinks. I’m serious. Sure, everything looks all nice and shiny, but cracks can appear in the system. So if you guys happen to find any bugs with my new theme, please feel free to let me know.

Oh, I guess I didn’t mention that first, but I’m figuring you saw it. Yep. New theme. Took me longer than I expected, but it’s finally done. Let me know what you think. This one should load up really fast compared to the other one I had. I also chose colors that went with the logo I use all the time. So I hope you like the new look. If you have any suggestions, feel free to share those too.

(Notice the little Saph faces on the right? I couldn’t help myself with those.)

Posted by Saphrym | 10 Comments »

DIET DIARY

STARTING NUMBERS (Before I started the diet)
Blood Sugar: 287
Weight: 355.0
NUMBERS FROM TODAY
Blood Sugar: 100

I left the weight number off because I didn’t get to weigh before I ate. The numbers would have been wrong. Oops. I’ll fix it next week.

Now, as for the experiment, in my last Update I hid a few random links in the bottom italicized portion of the post along with a few instructions to comment on that post if you’d like to win $5.00. I was conducting an experiment to see if anybody ever read that portion of the posts. Guess what? No one does. I got one comment and it didn’t mention the italicized portion at all. So now I know. The information below is never read. Well, I’m guessing it will be this time, but not much in the future. I’ll have to hide more stuff there.

Oh, and I was going to change my mind and give a lucky person a Corum watch instead of the five bucks. Oh well. Guess I’ll sell it instead. (The previous statement was a joke. I do not own such a watch. I only wish I owned such a watch. Not to wear of course, but to sell and pay off student loans.)

(For more information about my dieting and weight loss, click here. For more information about the specific foods I eat, click here. For the diet I follow, click here.)

Posted by Saphrym | 1 Comment »

DIET DIARY

STARTING NUMBERS (Before I started the diet)
Blood Sugar: 287
Weight: 355.0
NUMBERS FROM TODAY
Blood Sugar: 104
Weight: 285.4

I was about to type 205 for my weight. That would have made me REALLY happy. Oh, and you may notice I took off the fat, water, and muscle percentages. I don’t trust my scale that measures them, so I don’t think they are accurate. So I’m not going to include them anymore.

Also, I got my wedding ring resized, as I mentioned last time. I have it back. It went down a full size and is still a little loose. This makes me happy. Ok. I’m done now. I’ve really gotta write more posts between these. I can’t stand that the last Saturday Update is only two posts below this one. Note to self: Write more blog posts!

(For more information about my dieting and weight loss, click here. For more information about the specific foods I eat, click here. For the diet I follow, click here. For designer jewelry, click there. For Disney, click here. For something cool, click here. If you actually pay attention to this part of the update post and have noticed the extra links I just threw in there for the heck of it, mention it in the comments and you might win a quick five bucks.)

Posted by Saphrym | 2 Comments »

Body:

I know. I know. I’ve been quite absent the last few days. My blog is suffering from it. Not nearly as much traffic. But that’s ok. I’ll be providing more content starting this weekend. Between ordering some cardboard boxes to help a friend move, substituting at the local middle school, and dealing with final exams and papers, I’ve been rather busy. All my free time has been spent with my family since I haven’t had very much of it the last week or so.

Spirit:

Speaking of my family, my daughter had her first sleepover far from us the other day. She went with the STLP team because they won first place in the district competition. She went to Lexington, Kentucky to compete at the state level. Her mother and I were quite nervous and missed her terribly. But she did well. They didn’t win, but that was kind of expected. Not because she didn’t do a good job, but at the state level they pit all grades against each other. So her elementary school was up against high schools in the state. It makes the competition really tough for the younger kids to win. I’m still quite proud of her. I heard she did her part perfectly.

Mind:

With the work I’ve been doing, my brain fell out this morning. Anyone know a good brain mechanic? I think I crossed a couple of nerve endings putting it back in.

Posted by Saphrym | No Comments »

DIET DIARY

STARTING NUMBERS (Before I started the diet)
Blood Sugar: 287
Weight: 355.0
NUMBERS FROM TODAY
Blood Sugar: 116
Weight: 281.8
Fat Percentage: 48.1
Water Percentage: 30.3
Muscle Percentage: 34.8

Looks like I’m still dropping. Not the pound a day I used to do, but this is better than no dropping at all. My wedding ring is getting smaller though. It flew off my finger in the van when I was quickly trying to parallel park. Thank goodness it flew in the van and not out of the van. Also, I bought some shorts. Size 44-46. And they fit rather well with a little extra room. Yay!

Side note, I found a fedora while looking for the shorts. Finally found a fedora that looks right on me. Again, I say yay! Maybe I’ll show it to you after my beard grows back out some and I do another before/after pic.

Also, we’re thinking about a vacation this summer. I’ve never been on a vacation. Found a cool little condo hotel (condominium that’s rented out as a hotel room) in Vegas. I’ve also never been to Vegas. I really want to go. I have a secret passion for magic and would love to see some of the magic acts out there. Also, my favorite magic store, Penguin Magic is based out there. Would love to visit them and meet the faces behind the names. Any of you guys out in that area? Maybe we could meet up.

Oh. Just got over the sickness two days ago, so still no website update like I wanted. Will have it next weekend. Hopefully.

But there is one order of business I must take care of. Connie is my winner of Random Reward Vol. 4. I’ll be sending her $5 through PayPal and a free t-shirt if/when they get designed and made. Congratulations Connie!

That’s it for the update. Katrina Part 3 coming soon.

(Sorry Evan. At least it’s a different Saturday update, right?)

(For more information about my dieting and weight loss, click here. For more information about the specific foods I eat, click here. For the diet I follow, click here.)

Posted by Saphrym | 7 Comments »