Bullet Journal, New Gigs, and Getting Things Back Together

Been spending my time over the past few weeks working to get everything back together. I think much of it crumbled from under me because I wasn't spending enough time working, and because I didn't spend any time planning my branding. For my branding, I just threw something together, never really thought about, and so the mantra, positioning, and statement weren't as solidified and unique as they could of been. I don't think I would have gotten into trouble if I had planned those things because I would have had more concrete ideas about Stirring Media as a brand and business. I'm now spending time thinking about the business' brand as well as my own personal brand.

One Month of the Bullet Journal

I've given the Bullet Journal note-taking system for over a month now, and I like it very much. I actually find it to be a good complement to my inferno of productivity because it's two to-do lists instead of one, and also that the Bullet Journal can accommodate scheduling and longer lists. Longer lists can be lists that all have to do with one topic i.e. I have a list of the web pages I need to write for one client's project, but there also a tidy, safe place to keep my big-fat lists that come up from time to time. The big-fat list often contains many little things that I need to get done, most often things like updating my social media profiles or figuring out how to set up Google Authorship when you contribute to several blogs and publications. I would highly recommend the Bullet Journal for anyone who has never been particularly satisfied with the selection of planners and calendars that are currently available on the market.

Two New Gigs!

I"ve gotten two new news writing gigs, and I am very excited about both of them! One I started last weekend, and the other I'll be starting over the next few days. For the first gig (which needs to stay nameless because it hasn't yet launched), I essentially find news stories, read the story, write a 300-character summary, and upload the summary to the content management system. Kind of like a dream job for me, because I have to cover anything and everything, and the sooner I can summarize a breaking news story, the better. I work on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, so the only downside is that Friday night is particularly slow. It's the weekend for the whole world, and not much is happening on a Friday night or Saturday morning. Saturday and Sunday are a bit better, primarily because all the sports games are finishing up during my shift, and I can easily write a few summaries by simply reporting on a college basketball or professional hockey game that just finished.

My second gig is with News Headquarters, where I"ll be doing some general news article writing for one of their sites (not sure which one yet). The work sounds similar to the articles I wrote for Technorati, although this time I'll be getting paid, where I find a story and then create something new using a variety of sources. On the surface, it sounds like article rewriting, or rehashing, as I like to call it. The job totally can be, and that's the easy way out to do the job in my opinion. However, I do think that this practice could be done in a way that doesn't involve selling out your soul, where the sources and story are used to offer a new perspective instead of just write another article saying what everyone else has said. It means you have to be more creative and try to present an angle that hasn't been presented yet. I think that's where you'll differentiate yourself while creating something that will actually generate buzz and properly newsjack a story. Perhaps I should just think of this gig as getting paid to piggyback on the news.

Creating a Wiki, or Sticking with a Blog?

Many months ago, I came across wikis for several of my favorite video games, only to find that there really weren't any wikis about current affairs or business topics. A couple have been started, covering things such as green politics, politics in Canada, and business in general, but none of the wikis look taken care of or look like they've been updated recently. It seems like there are many different tools out there that you can use to start a wiki, and the right tool depends on why you want the wiki and who will be using it. MediaWiki is what Wikipedia uses, but I like Wikia because you can start right away (or take over an old one) and it looks a bit more intuitive in how to use it and what you need to do. I really like the idea of creating a wiki, but for a topics like business and politics, it seems like you might be better off buying a whole bunch of books or starting a blog and then covering anything and everything possible. Although, buying books can be expensive (even if you buy only ebooks, it still adds up) and taking the blog route seems very similar to the wiki.

Difference Between Wiki and Blog

WIkipedia points out that the major difference between a blog and a wiki (I know Wikipedia isn't really a reputable source, but who better to source on this topic than the inventor of the wiki?) is that "the content is created without any defined owner or leader, and wikis have little implicit structure, allowing structure to emerge according to the needs of the users." This makes sense once a wiki is established and has a ton of readers and contributors, but any wiki that's starting out would need to have a leader and some structure, right? If no one is leading the way to start the wiki, to get a few articles up, and to tell people about the wiki, then how does anyone expect the wiki to get started and to get to a point of self-sustainability? Someone needs to be the start and the face of the new wiki until there's enough people involved to add new content, to edit existing content, and to make sure the wiki isn't trolled or that someone doesn't add an irrelevant article.

I Might Just Stick with the Blog

I don't like that wikis have a lack of leadership and structure. I understand that those are needed to make them work, and that those criteria have worked for them. But, I wouldn't want them a part of my wiki, and if they aren't a part of the wiki then it's not really a wiki. After all, the main reason I'm pursuing this is to build identity capital and to build my personal brand as someone who is well-versed in current events and politics. A wiki can't do that since it's meant to be a community as much as it is a communal resource. The wiki also only works that way if it's for a specific group of people, such as a non-profit group or a company. Then, I can attribute the wiki idea to myself as something that I contributed to a larger group (and that someone in the larger group could corroborate). Yes, I want the blog to benefit someone besides myself, but I'd also like to build a brand with it and make it the obvious go-to resource on current events, or world news, or business, or something like that. Still deciding because I'm still thinking about the brand name, mantra, positioning statement etc.

But, prepare for, yet again, a change in tone and topic (and A LOT more on this blog).

The Value of an Accountability Buddy

In case you haven't yet noticed on this blog, Hacking Your Education: Ditch the Lectures, Save Tens of Thousands, and Learn More than Your Peers Ever, is a great book. It's worth checking out if you're interested in ways to continue learning, to get an education without spending a ton of money on college, or to do things that help you figure out your passions and what you want to do with your life, The idea of an accountability buddy also came from this book, where you have someone (or maybe a small group of people) hold your feet to the fire in regards to your goals and/or your to-do lists.

Losing Your Accountability Buddy is Tough

About six months ago, the coaching program with my business coach ended, and I think things went downhill since then. The most valuable thing that my business coach provided me was accountability, which is difficult to have by yourself when you're an entrepreneur or self-employed. You can't rely on your clients and customers to do this, and you may not necessarily have a boss or business partner to hold you accountable if you're an entrepreneur or self-employed. Without an accountability buddy, all you have is yourself and when you only have yourself, it gets easy to put off a task, to make an excuse, or to say that you're going to do something else that's equally productive instead.

I loved having a business coach to hold me accountable because I know that she cared about me, and I cared about her. When it came to my goals and to-do lists, I was much more motivated to get things done because I was left with two choices when I didn't do something. I could either tell my business coach I didn't do it, or lie to her about doing it. Since I never liked either of those choices, the best option was always to do what I needed to do and what I set out to do. After all, there's nothing to it but to do it! I lost much of this motivation when my coaching program ended, as I no longer had someone who was going to ask questions and to check up on these things.

I Have an Accountability Buddy Again

Starting in January 2014, I'm restarting my business coaching with my business coaching (I'm only putting it off because I need to save money for my end-of-the-year expenses, such as the holidays and my coworking membership). Even through I'm not officially under her tutelage for another two months, just knowing that I'm going to have to talk about these next two months in January and show something for myself is enough to keep me productive and pushing forward. I haven't been this motivated in a long time, and it's great to be energized with visions of accomplishment. What I really need is a trusted adviser who can keep me on track without micromanaging and who can who can ask the tough questions without being condescending or placing blame. My business coach fits the bill, and is also wonderful because she's shared with me several great resources that have helped me improve my business and business knowledge.

I do have a few goals set for the next two months, so it's not as if I'm wasting this down time. I do need to refine these goals and actually get them down on paper, but I at least have an idea of what I'd like to achieve in these last two months of 2013. I can't believe the year is almost over! I've come a long way, so I need to do what I can now so I can go further in 2014. An accountability buddy can help me with this.

Las Vegas, Learning, and Other Updates

I spent five days in Las Vegas, and came back with a cold. That's the main reason why I didn't blog right when I came back. It's hard to blog when you're stuffy and having trouble sleeping.

I also came back a winner, but when you have a cold you can't enjoy the winnings right away and you can't go back to being an earner right away either. But, my cold is just about over, and I'm ready to get back to work and to blogging!

I Won in Las Vegas!

I won over $500 playing poker, and it all came from two big pots! I didn't have to do anything tricky, as all I did was play my hand. In the first big post, I got pocket queens and won the pot on the turn. In the second pot, I had Q7 suited, flopped trips, and shoved on the turn. Two people called my shove, and ended up winning when neither opponent could beat my three sevens. I understand that's not going to happen every time I sit at a table, but sometimes, all it takes is a big pot or two to change everything.

Even though I came out a winner, I didn't win all the times I played poker in Las Vegas. I tried a live poker tournament at the Quad (the old Imperial Palace), and ended up taking 12th out of 30. Nothing to complain about, but not a place that pays either. I also played a few hours in a cash game where I bought in for $200 and ended down $15. Essentially I broke even, which isn't bad either. In both sessions, I didn't get many good spots to build a big pot or to make any moves.

Learning

I've previously written about coming out of my comfort zone, and chose to learn how to drive a stick-shift as the activity to do to take myself out of my comfort zone. Finally, I've set aside time this Friday to get behind the wheel and to learn how to operate the clutch, to switch gears, and all that good stuff. I know I said that I would do this weeks ago, but it's in my schedule and I am going to get started this week. Eventually, I will know how to operate the vehicle Considering that I live in the city, I'll also be spending a lot of time learning how to parallel park. Unlike most people, I actually didn't have to parallel park to get my license.

Getting Back into the Swing of Things

Going back to the office and to work, so I'm excited to be doing all of that. One of the toughest parts about vacation is ending it and going back to what you were doing before vacation. Half of my Las Vegas winnings went to groceries (I now have food to make for lunch and to take to work), while the rest will go towards a new pair of glasses and lenses that I purchased six months ago. I could only pay for half of it then, and after all this time I have the other half of the payment to get those new frames. It's about time too. I've been needing to zoom in on every website just so I can read it from a reasonable distance. Leaning in hurts my back. I also can't see the community cards from certain seats at the poker table, which isn't too bad, as you should be watching the players when the flop comes. The cards never change once they hit the table!

Technology for the Traveling Professional

Employees are much more on-the-go these day, whether it’s working out in the field, working from home, or working away on a business trip. Nonetheless, you and your employees definitely need technology, or access to technology, in order to do the job. This doesn’t necessarily mean a mobile phone or a laptop (although those do not hurt at all), but the technology that’s not so obviously a requirement. Here are a few examples, and why it’s a good idea to get these implemented into your small business.

Remote Access

This one is particularly important for employees that don’t work entirely from their homes. Workers need a way to drop into the office remotely, and one way to provide that is with remote access to the phone system. With remote access, employees can check the office phone for any voicemail messages, whether it is after hours or while away on a business trip.

Call Forwarding

Remote access can also be enhanced with phone system features like call forwarding (to a cell phone or even a home phone) or voicemail to email. Call forwarding will automatically direct a call from the office phone to the mobile phone, so you’re always within reach to address any client or customer needs. You can also have voicemails forwarded with a voicemail to email feature. This transcribes any voicemails into email, and then sends them to your inbox. It’s certainly a lot easier than listening to a message a few times just to get the name and number.

Tablet

Tablets like the iPad or the Samsung Galaxy are much more portable than a laptop. They are perfect for checking work email, looking at trip itineraries, or passing the time in the taxi on the way to the hotel. They’re also a lot less bulky than laptops, so using all of those fun apps on the airplane won’t take up the entire fold-out tray. Granted, tablets aren’t quite yet content creation devices, so they’re not necessarily the best at getting work done. But, tablets are perfect for traveling professionals for those on-the-go purposes.

A Storage Device

Although cloud-based storage is much more preferable, when you’re traveling on business, sometimes it’s necessary to have a flash drive or an external hard drive for the trip. Technology, unfortunately, doesn’t always work. Internet may be out or computer network won’t let you in. Or, there’s the off-chance that you forgot the laptop charger at home. Bringing a backup of those important files with you can save you from looking foolish to the potential client, or creating that presentation just an hour or two before you’re supposed to present.  Whatever the case, having a backup of your files may just save the day.

Take Away

With more and more people traveling on business or working away from the office, technology can make it easier to check back in when necessary. Your employees can feel more connected to what’s going on and can remain in contact with co-workers on projects and sales statuses. Of course, don’t forget the laptop and mobile phone.

4 Video Games I Want to Play Next

Rogue Legacy: completed, with longings every now and then to do another run through. Don't Starve: back in it, with goals to kill a Koalaphant, find the Pig King, and descend into the caves. The Caves: fun, but I'm having trouble with the controls. The characters seem to just keep running. I haven't played it in a while because of that. Grand Theft Auto III: started, but I need to fix my controller. I can't target anybody if I need to shoot them because two of the buttons on the top are broken. Of course, there are still four Grand Theft Auto games that I haven't even tried yet. A bit unwilling to considering that I don't have a fully-functional controller.

With the status of my current games out of the way, I want to start thinking about some of the games I want to purchase and to play next. I have the points accumulated in my inferno of productivity, and although I have more than enough games to play right now, there's always new games to look at and to add to the collection. It's like books. There are always new books to read, even though there are plenty of old books to read already. So, I'm going to suffer from the "new and shiny" syndrome and think about these four video games that I want to play next (besides the four Grand Theft Auto games. It's already a given I want to play them next):

Hearthstone

I have seen so many videos of others playing the beta version of this game, and it looks so much fun! It's a card game like Magic: The Gathering, but the characters and creatures are based off the World of Warcraft universe. I've never played World of Warcraft before, and I've only played Magic once, but this game just looks it would be great. I really want to build my own decks and to play against other people online.

Folk Tale

I saw Sips play 30 minutes of this game several weeks ago, and it looked like a really great game. It's a strategy game where you're a village of elves, or dwarfs, or something and you have to build up the town and rescue a few villagers who were kidnapped. Although I only got to see a small glimpse of it, Folk Tale looked like it had a lot of story and game play to it, and wasn't a game that was just an adventure or just building up a town. Plus, it's a little cartoon-y, and I'm all about the cartoon-y, animated games.

Knights of Pen and Paper

This game moves with the format of Dungeons and Dragons, where you create a team of characters and move through the map doing quests, all the while a Dungeon Master (an NPC in the game) reads aloud the dialogue of the bad guys and other narration. However, there aren't any dice to roll, but you do get to pick how many bad guys you want to face at a time. For example, if your quest is to kill 10 rats, then you can choose to fight all 10 at once, or you can do them two or three at time. I think there's a lot of creativity and originality to this game.

Ittle Dew

This game is very reminiscent of the Legend of Zelda series, but it's another strategy/adventure game that just looks like a ton of fun. I've seen several videos of other people playing it, and I like how the puzzles work. I also like that there's a story to it, but it's also kind of an RPG where you don't necessarily have to do things in a particular order. It helps if you do it in the right order, because you get items that help with the next world, but you don't have to do it that way.

3 Things I Could Do to Come Out of My Comfort Zone

In a previous post, I discussed how I was supposed to do something that takes me out of my comfort zone. I did that something, but felt like I could have done something more or better. I still feel that way, but I haven't taken any time since then to think about the risk I should take. So, I'm taking that time now, and like with my to-learn list, I'm going to commit to one of them and come up with a short action plan to take this risk. Below are a few ideas:

Learn to Drive Stick with My Fiance

I hate driving. I really hate driving. I hate driving more than cleaning up my cat's poop. My fiance has offered several times to teach me how to drive stick so that I can use his car when I need it. I haven't taken him up on the offer because I hate driving. If I learn how to drive stick, then going to the bank wouldn't be such a hassle. It would also be easier to get to new coffee shops and to review them.

Work at the Library

I got to the library regularly, but only to borrow books. I've never actually gone there to spend a few hours getting some work done. This would be something new for me, and would be out of my comfort zone because I'm afraid the library might be too quiet. When it's too quiet, research has shown that it's not good for creativity and concentration. The library is probably not that quiet, but it's worth a shot to work here, especially since I don't have to buy anything to stay awhile.

Organize a Private Screening of Half the Sky

As a Half the Sky Ambassador, one of the things that I'm supposed to do is organize a screening of the movie. I'm in the middle of doing that now with the St. Louis chapter of Young Ambassadors for Opportunity, but I do need to do a screening on my own. I think I could do a private screening with a few friends, or with my old business coach and a few others from that network. Or, I could break the mold even more and do a public screening.

What I'm Going to Do to Come Out of My Comfort Zone

I think I'm going to do the first one: Learn to Drive Stick with My Fiance. I think it's the one that I need to do the most, and at least with this one I get to do it with someone. Once I get used to driving stick, then perhaps the next thing to do to come out of my comfort zone is to drive to the office or to drive out to the county to review a coffee shop. Or, I could drive somewhere at night. I haven't driven at night for a really long time.

I've Completed One of My September Goals!

Now that I've gotten through the tough stuff, let's talk about the fun stuff. Last week, I made a list of my September goals. I've made progress on some of the, but I actually completed one of them: I have over $100 in my poker bankroll! I've moved up in stakes and it's a wonderful feeling. Creating those charts has helped, and I've made one per day for the past few days. I think I only have one left, and I still haven't created a chart today, so once I finish this chart I can continue reading Harrington on Hold 'Em. It's awesome to accomplish goals.

My To-Learn List

That booked I picked up from the library, Hacking Your Education: Ditch the Lectures, Save Tens of Thousands, and Learn More than Your Peers Ever Will, is turning out to have a lot more value than I originally thought. Although I already have a college degree, the book is full of neat idea on how to keep learning and growing, which is something that can be done whether or not you have completed higher education. Today's neat idea is coming up with a list of things you want to learn, and then getting starting on learning one of those things. I like this because there's always things we want to learn, especially since those things we want to learn aren't the same things that are taught in schools.

So, below is my list of things I want to learn how to do or to learn more about. At the end of it, I'll pick one and start learning more, whether that's by reading a book, or talking to someone, or trying a few things out on my own. The point is to come up with something that can be a self-directed project of learning and building skills.

What I Want to Learn

• Russian (again)
• How to Make My Own Soap (dish soap, laundry detergent, fabric softener, hand soap etc.)
• To Play the Clarinet (again)
• American History
• World History
• How to Register Non-Profit
• How to Cook Vegan Food
• How to Brew Espresso
• Some type of aerobics, such as zumba, yoga etc.

Be More Specific...

• Learn to have a conversation in Russian
• Learn how to make your own laundry detergent
• Learn how to use an espresso machine and make a delicious latte
• Learn how to register a non-profit in Missouri
• Learn to play a song on the clarinet
• Learn how to do a few basic poses in yoga
• Learn enough U.S history to ace the history part of this eighth grade exam
• Learn African history post-European emancipation

My Choice for What I Want to Spend My Time Learning

Of all those wonderful things I can learn, the one I'm going to choose to work is the U.S history one. I remember reading the article about that test a few months ago, and I was a little embarrassed that I found it so tough. The spelling section is easy, but physiology is crazy and grammar isn't all that easy either. I'm going to get started on this by borrowing a U.S history book the next time I go the library, and then reading up on the specific topics covered in the test. It's kind of nice I don't need to study anything beyond 1912. In a future post, I'll talk about what I've learned (besides the answers to the questions, of course). In the meantime, there are a few things about our nation's history that I need to learn, and that many of us probably need to learn as well.

50 Topics to Write about for the Next 50 Posts

My brain has been mush for several weeks, putting this blog in jeopardy and any other chance I have to build a substantial, professional, worthwhile online presence that could lead to something better down the road. I need to stop dragging my heels when I'm staring at the blank screen, have my mind together, and get to writing. After all, I've written several posts about blog post ideas, such as this one, this one, and this one (all taken from one piece of lead generation content, if you wondered why many of the ideas were similar). Therefore, I'm preparing ahead of time by coming up with 50 topics to write about for the next 50 posts. Of course, if something cool came up that's worth writing about in between post one and post 50, I'll write about that. This isn't meant to be a restrictive list. It's meant to help me stop wasting time, to stop thinking that I don't have anything to write about, and to prevent myself from spending six hours on a blog post. It shouldn't take me six hours to write a blog post, unless I do extensive research prior to the post. Hopefully, this list won't take me six hours to put together, but here are my 50 topics:

1. How I Would Fix Gender Pricing
2. X Empowering Songs for Kicking Ass and Taking Names
3. If I Were the CEO of AOL, What Would I Do to Make It Relevant Again?
4. Should India impose mandatory death sentences on those convicted of rape?
5. X Job Hunting Statistics You Wish You Knew Six Months Ago
6. Embracing Being a Night Owl
7. Why I'd Love to Run a Food Bank
8. 15 Things I Am Horrible at Doing, and Why
9. Will You Be My Accountability Buddy?
10. My To-Learn List
11. What I Learned About X
12. Why I'm Going to Start Taking People Out to Coffee
13. Why It's Important for Me to Excel at Poker
14. Why I Love Poker
15. How I Can Be a Better Half the Sky Ambassador
16. Why Blogging is Crucial to Your Personal Online Reputation
17. What I Would Do if I Won the Main Event of Poker
18. What reforms should be made to U.S. surveillance efforts?
19. Will the newly signed student loan rate legislation make higher education more affordable?
20. Does Bill Gates have the right ideas to reform American education?
21. Should there be an increase in the federal minimum wage?
22. What should Russia do with Edward Snowden after his one year asylum expires?
23. Are European governments too lax in their protection of the Roma?
24. Is time running out for the Israelis to make a suitable peace with the Palestinians?
25. Has Venezuela’s international profile taken a serious hit since the death of Hugo Chavez?
26. Why is South Africa supporting Robert Mugabe?
27. Is an Egyptian government led by its military better for the West than a government led by the Muslim Brotherhood?
28. Is nuclear power the key to China’s economic future?
29. Are Afghanistan’s security forces strong enough to contain the Taliban?
30. Would a government shutdown over funding Obamacare hurt the GOP in the 2014 midterms?
31. How can President Obama get his economic agenda through Congress?
32. Why You Should Hire Me to Write Your Content
33. Why You Should Hire Me to Manage Your Social Media
34. Dollarocracy: How the Money and Media Election Complex Is Destroying America Review
35. Collision 2012: Obama Vs. Romney and the Future of Elections in America Review
36. Act of Congress: How America’s Essential Institution Works, and How It Doesn’t Review
37. X Things I Could Do to Come Out of My Comfort Zone
38. Will attempts to unionize America’s fast food industry succeed?
39. Is America’s housing market on the road to recovery?
40. How should the Brazilian government deal with rising illegal immigration?
41. Will recent revelations about radiation at the Fukushima nuclear plant doom attempts at reviving nuclear power in Japan?
42. Do European governments need to take stronger actions against neo-Nazi movements?
43. Will the release of Hosni Mubarak make Egypt’s interim government extremely unpopular?
44. Is America’s housing market on the road to recovery?
45. Will privacy rights be a major issue in the 2014 midterm elections?
46. Is America winning the fight against obesity?
47. How can the U.S. make itself less dependent on foreign oil?
48. The First Few Steps to Creating a Wiki
49. X Video Games I Want to Play Next
50. What I Need to Be Able to Play Skyrim

I'm Giving the Bullet Journal a Shot

I came across this the other day, and it's genius. So simple, yet so effective at keeping track of everything and being flexible as life comes at you, I've only tried it for a day, but I like it so far. It's way better than having a ton of apps or trying to make a planner from the store work for you. Take a look.

What I Love Most about the Bullet Journal

My favorite aspect about this system of to-do lists and organization is that everything can be on one page. That's the problem with most other planners: you very rarely can have everything on one page. You have your month, but very little room to add things in. Or, the pages are too small to do anything with in the first place. With this system, your month is on one page, right next to a to-do list for the month. It's great for setting goals for the month, and keeping track of those things that only happen monthly, like paying your bills, doing certain chores, and moving your car for the street cleaners.

I also like the idea of running to-do lists, as one of the most frustrating things about preparing it the day before is that things can come up. Then, you spend your day doing the things that come up, and you get a lot done, but because you didn't do much from you list, it looks like you actually didn't get much done. It also means that a lot of your things from your to-do list have to be moved to the next day, which isn't fun. When you have running to-do lists, where you can add things as they come, you don't quite have that problem.

This Doesn't Replace My Inferno of Productivity

I'm still going to have my point system, but I have run out of index cards and old business cards to use, so I'll see if I can incorporate this into my inferno of productivity. Each task will still be a point. At the end of each day, I'll just tally up my points and then keep a running total somewhere else in the notebook. It wastes a lot less paper and everything gets to be in one place, which is the ultimate goal of the bullet journal system. I'll also still be able to add notes to each task like with the system I came up with. My system also has rewards, and who doesn't like rewards?

Speaking of rewards, I still haven't bought that file cabinet I've been wanting for a few months. If I finish my September goal of completing those DMV appointment articles, then I'll have the money to purchase that file cabinet. I have over 500 points accumulated, so at this point I can get much more than that file cabinet. I do need a haircut, as well as some new music and a few things for the apartment. I can do it! I can finish those articles, accumulate more points, and finally get a few things that will make my life that much better.