What are your goals for 2009?

With New Year’s almost here, it’s likely you’re starting to think about your goals. Have you written your goals yet?

I’d love to hear about your goals for 2009 and your opinion on how 2008 was for you and your blog.

Pagerank Updated

Today google has updated it's pagerank, now my blog has a PR 2. I will keep working hard to make my blog better and better!

Here are some tips to you increase your Pagerank:

1. PageRank (PR) is related to link popularity, however it depends more on the quality of these links than merely the number. If you want to increase PageRank, concentrate on building link popularity.

2. Google PageRank depends on internal and external links. Look at its algorithim, and you can see both inbound and oubound links are taken. Thus, you may want to increase PageRank by enhancing the number of inbound and oubound links.

3. To increase the chance of getting healthy PageRanks for pages beneath the home page, make sure your site is linked together healthily. Link all secondary pages to the home page and to each other.
If you have several articles, in different directories on a similar subject, link these together too to increase PageRank - Google will see them as relevant and rank accordingly.

4. It is essential to exchange links with sites with a PageRank of 4 or more to increase your site's PageRank. Sites of all PR's are worthwhile and should be contacted, but those with 4+ will have a direct impact on your page ranking. If these sites have a subject relevant to your own, it will be even better.

5. If you have good quality content, good layout and good design, you will have a far better chance of building reciprocal links to sites in the subject area related to yours. The content-rich sites over the past few years usually have a PageRank of 6 or more, due to their quality content and good links with other companies in a similar area of business.

That's it, you can make your blog/site, better everyday and build traffic!

Sunday movie night

I love movie nights, don’t you? We usually watch movies with the family a couple of nights each week. The last movie night we had was this past Sunday, when we watched 30 Days of Night. I didn’t think I’d like this movie at all because I’m not really into the Vampire type movies, though Interview With a Vampire was definitely an exception.

I have to say though, I only decided to watch 30 Days of Night because Josh Hartnett is in it but the movie turned out to be way better than I expected. I definitely recommend it, though you should know it’s a little on the gory side so children shouldn’t watch it.

I think tonight will be a movie night for us too. There’s not much else for us to do considering it’s still snowing and the roads are a mess. Recommend a movie to me?

Tofu Shake

I’ve discovered a new, complete breakfast for me - tofu shakes! Sounds gross, right? I have been wanting to incorporate tofu into my diet because it is such a great protein. I can handle the firm stuff stir-fried, but not very often. I haven’t tried the soft stuff just mixed with other foods yet, although I know some people who do that and like it.

I thought I’d go with shakes first - and I like them! I use tofu, milk, oat bran and frozen fruit. The oat bran makes it a little grainy, so I’m trying to think of what else I could use as my grain… I wonder how steel cut oats would grind up in the blender? Hmmm.

One way to find out! Ha! The thing is, these shakes are THICK and they make like 32 oz. This morning I had to use a spoon to “drink” it. I just like that I’ve got something new to eat, especially this week since my oven is on the fritz and I can’t make my fruit loaves like I usually do.

Sleep

I have finally convinced myself that sleeping late really doesn't get anything accomplished. Several months ago, I had a bad habit of wanting to stay in the bed longer than I should. Even though I was getting more sleep, it only made me feel worse when I did actually get up.

Now that I am getting up much earlier, I am much more productive. I feel better about myself and seem to get more of my projects out of the way before lunch time. Now by the evening time I do start to wind down and seem a little more tired.

However, when I go to bed at night, I don't find myself laying there wide awake because of staying in the bed too long that morning. Don't knock it until you've tried it.

Want to take a trip!

I would love to be able to take a little short mini trip. I have been trying to talk my husband into it, but he says we have too much going on right now.

That's the whole point. I am so stressed out with everything we have been doing lately and would love to take a break.

It would feel so good to go somewhere for just a couple of days. I would almost consider not taking my laptop...

Nightime TV

It seems all of my tv shows are taking their usually holiday breaks. I know it's probably for the best so I can get more work done during this time of year, but on the other hand, there is nothing worse than sitting down to watch television and nothing be on.

I guess if I do have the time then maybe I can catch a movie or two. Anyone know any good movies out now?

Picking Out A Christmas Tree

We were going to go and pick out a live Christmas tree this year, but just decided not to because of the yucky weather we have been having lately. I was a little disappointed at first, but after getting our artificial tree and decorating it, then I am happy that we didn't.

It has tons of lights and looks just as beautiful. Actually, you have to walk up and touch it before realizing it's not real. I was just wondering, how many of you actually use real trees and how many go my route?

Watching TV

It has been years since I actually sat down to watch any Soap Operas. Back then, when I actually watched them, I could barely go a day without plopping in front of the TV to catch all of the latest on The Bold and the Beautiful, The Young and the Restless, Days of Our Lives and Passions.

They all started to become really cheesy to me. I think I stopped watching Days of Our Lives when the “aliens” were found by Belle and whoever her boyfriend was at the time, Hope’s oldest.

Well someone has left the TV set to the channel Days of Our Lives comes on and I see that Stefano has come back from the dead again. I am beginning to think he is part feline since he seems to have so many lives!

Now I understand why I stopped watching this one.

Cold outside

It's very cold outside today. My friends were inviting me to go out with them at the mall but I am tired and lazy to go out. I might go out with them tomorrow at Southwest Mall.

I've been there twice only and always wanted to come back but my hubby find it too far to drive. But Glenndel's husband is willing to drive us there so I am going with them!

I need to shop more for my husband's Christmas presents.

Hibernation

I think I'm out of it. The hibernation, that is. Ah, feels good.Spent most of it, I think, sleepwalking and dreaming about being in a bikini on a beach....there may have been a couple trips somewhere. Yes, there must have been because I spent 55 minutes the other night taking tiny braids with beads out of my daughter's hair.

I feel like I'm now calling on a friend who I haven't spoken to in months. But in a good way. With the kind of friend that, even if you haven't spoken to in months and months, you can just take off where your last conversation ended.

The Ideal Man

I don't actually believe an ideal man does exist. I know, this sounds bad. But does the ideal woman exist either?

I do have a number of single friends, in their 30s, who are still looking for that ideal man. Here's my problem with the people who hold out for that "ideal" man, or who don't believe an "ideal" man exists.

I love my friends. But, truthfully, out of all my single friends, there are only a couple who I'd like to be my wife, if I played that way. If you know what I mean. There are only a couple who I could actually live with day-to-day, without wanting to throw myself out the window.

Do I have an ideal man? Well, he is ideal for me. Together, we work.

Meaning, I am SO not an ideal woman. I am very selfish, I am very self-obsessed, I am extremely moody, and I probably suffer from never-ending depression. I am also very hard on myself and always feel that I'm always failing at my career, as a mother, and a wife. I don't know how to cook. I hate all chores. I leave my wet towels on the floor.

But my man, well, he puts up with it. In fact, he helps me through it all. Often I wonder if I were in his shoes, would I put up with me?

I am ideal for him because I keep him entertained and he likes to take care of me and if anyone ever says a bad word about him, well, I'd beat them up.

He is ideal for me because he's the only man I feel I can tell anything to and he won't judge me. He is my best friend. And if I'm going to be with someone for decades, it should be my best friend.

But he too isn't perfect. I hate that he is always on his blackberry, for example. It drives me fucking crazy. But, as I said before, I'm so far from perfect. So I don't say anything when we are at the movies and he's busy checking his messages. After all, I leave my wet towels on the floor.

So, yes, the ideal man sort of does exist - and that ideal man is the one who can put up with, and love to be with, us women who are so not ideal ourselves.

Once us women can admit we are not ideal ourselves, well, I think it will make finding an ideal man a heck of a lot easier.

Who is THE ONE You Trust?

The other day I starting to think about trust and who I trust completely and utterly. This post is about trust and love and how the two go hand in hand..

I started to think about trust because I told a friend something that was totally innocuous and she told someone else, because what I told her was so not important, but it got passed on and then got back to me.

I was in awe that, in a matter of two days, something I said in passing (trust me, it's nothing at all juicy. "Pass the salt please" would be more interesting.) actually got back to me - all the way from Vancouver.

Since it was nothing juicy or mean, it was just weird to me how people talk. It was more like, "I heard you were at..." one of things. Anyway.

Aside from my family (They don't count - because they are family, so of course I trust them) there is only one other person that I trust completely, 100 per cent, which is The Fiance.

This morning I was talking to a friend and I asked him the question, "How many people do you trust?"

He said, "Including family?" I said, "No."

He said, "It's interesting. Um, there is one person. Yeah, that's weird." The thing is, I don't think it's that weird.

I trust the fiance with everything. I can tell him anything and everything and know that it won't go anywhere, no matter how boring what I tell him is, or how juicy it is.

I mean, we all have friends who we know pass on things even after we say, "You can't tell anyone!" No one is that naive to believe that there's not always a change whatever secret you tell them, it will be passed on - maybe not immediately, but one day, months or years from now...

Also, a few weeks ago, someone asked me how the fiance proposed to me. I'm not going to say. But I am going to tell you why I love him. In fact, I invite all of you to share the little things your man does for you that makes you love him. Please do. Because it's nice.

When I was an advice columnist, people always asked how do you know when he's THE ONE?

There are big reasons I love the fiance, but it's the little things that add up, I think, that make him THE ONE.

1) If he picks me up from home, on his way home from work so we can go for dinner, and I get in the car, he always makes sure my station is already on. He turns it to MY station before I get in the car...how sweet is that? Even though he hates the top 40/hip hop/Sexy Back music I love.

2) He never makes me attend events with him that I don't want to go.

3) He will sit through watching the Gilmore Girls with me, though he hates it, just because he says he likes to "sit with me." He will also sit through Bachelor Rome with me, though he hates it, just to spend "quality time" with me.

4) He will always pick up my phone call - even if he's on the line with an important client or in a conference call.

5) When we go to a party, he will ALWAYS tell me after that I was the prettiest girl there, even though I know he's lying.

And these are only five of the many very little gestures that make me love the guy. Now, share your top five. Because I love these stories....

Immaturity

The one thing I'm totally enjoying about being a mother right now is how it allows you to be a kid again.

I swear to god, I hadn't eaten an Oreo cookie in ten years, before about a month ago, when The Dictator decided she liked them (or at least the icing part.)

Here are my top five reasons why-I-Love-LOVE-LOVE!! having a three year old best friend (I know. I know. It's happened. I now consider my three year old my best friend -- hey, it happens to the best of us!)

1) I now eat Oreo cookies with her just like a kid again. I take off the top cookie, use my fingers to lick off the icing. And then finish off the rest. How fun is that? I also love the fact she loves bubblegum ice cream. I mean, when is the last time you ordered bubblegum ice cream?

2) I actually laugh out loud when she says silly things like, "Bed farts." She has no idea what she's talking about, and neither do I, but it's super fun to just be silly sometimes and make up words.

3) I did my first summersault (how do you spell summersault???) in about 15 years the other day with The Dictator. It was fun. And who knew that I could still do those things? I even tried a cartwheel!

4) I love her imagination. I love the fact I can tell The Dictator that if she takes a sip off water, she'll turn purple with pink polka dots. And then she tells me to drink my water and says, "Your'e turning orange!" I love that she believes in magic. I love that I can draw with a marker eyes and a mouth on my pointer finger, and tell her its my "special Tickley Worm" who likes to slither up her stomach and keep warm. I love when she asks me every day, "Where's Tickly Worm now? Can I see him?"

5) I love that she loves to be tickled and laughs so hard. Then she says, "I want to tickle you!!" And she does. And you know what? It completely makes me laugh.

Oh, and I'll add how she now is completely obsessed with Strawberry Shortcake. I remember being obsessed with Strawberry Shortcake....and how she'll often say to me, "You can do it Mommy!" (When was the last time someone told you that??)

Ahh, the memories...

There is something to this thing called immaturity....

My movie buddy

I have a movie buddy. Everyone should have one of these.

A movie buddy is someone, who is a friend, but all you ever do together is see movies. And, I mean, that's ALL we ever do together.

We meet at the theatre, catch up while we're buying tickets and junk food, see the movie, and then catch up a bit more when he drives me home. (If anyone's interested, I had a KFC chicken sandwich, fries, a diet coke and then some glosset peanuts. Yes, I'm one of THOSE annoying people who eat throughout the entire movie.)

My movie buddy's name is Mark. And I only am telling you this because he loves when I mention his name. I thanked him in the acknowledgements of my first book, Knocked Up, and felt so entirely guilty about forgetting to mention him for the second one. But for third book, my movie buddy's name will definitely be included.

Anyway, I haven't seen Mark in ages (being in Calgary and all) But now that I'm back in Toronto, it was definitely time to see Movie Buddy Mark. Because Movie Buddy Mark is the perfect non-date date.

We e-mailed. How about a movie, I wrote....then asked, "What do you want to see."

His response? "We could see that Lohan movie..."

To which I wrote back in response, "OH MY GOD. THAT'S EXACTLY THE MOVIE I WANT TO SEE TOO!!!"

That's the thing about Movie Buddies. They're pretty much the only buddies who are absolutely willing to see anything with you. The worse the movie the better. I honestly could not think of one other person in my life that I could have dragged to "I know who killed me" - even if I offered to pay for the ticket and all the food.

Anyway, we saw the Lohan movie. And it was fucking phenomenal. Well, it was phenomenal it that, "What the hell is going on?" kind of way, and also in that, "Ok, I know this is not a comedy, but I've never laughed so hard in my life" way.

My Movie Buddy and I basically had the greatest evening. All we did was see the movie. And we probably said, um, 50 sentences to each other the entire night. And that's a-okay.

And, get this, the audience was actually quite full. I know! Shocking! But even more shocking was that people clapped at the end of it, and like my Movie Buddy and I, were screaming out, "OSCAR NOMINATON!!!!" at the end. I mean, the entire audience was into how bad this movie was in that "I love this movie because it is so bad" way.

The point is, having a Movie Buddy in your life, one that is eagerly willing to see anything at all with you, is one of the best kind of buddies to have.

I can't wait, in fact, for the next shitty movie to come out. See you then, Mark.