The Internet is a Very Weird Thing

I know I owe you a bunch of blog posts on everything from random vacation stories to my new job. I’m hoping to have a full blog post tomorrow or Friday at the latest, I just wanted to share something that made me giggle a little.

One of the cool things about having a blog is that you can see what search terms have led readers to your site. A bunch of people search for my blog name and Pocketful of Joules brings them here. This totally floats my boat, as it’s awesome and super flattering.

Even more people search for different marketing/business tips like these searches that came through: can a flyer have too many words in it, how to decide when to leave a job, how to decide when to close your business in bad weather, does my small business need a brochure, and should I go to a business networking event, etc.

So, that’s pretty crazy to think that google is spitting out my little ol’ blog and people are taking the time to visit. For those people, I’d like to give a big fat “Thank You” for making my day.

What really tickles my funny bone is the really random and crazy stuff that people search for that somehow brings them here:

  • Apparently a bunch of Will Ferrell fans have been sent my way. A crapload of people have searched for some combination of Anchorman, Ron Burgundy and Stay Classy San Diego. I hope they’re not disappointed when they come to my post on How to Leave a Job Without Burning Bridges! Oh, and 2 people have searched for Ron Burgandy crying…that’s just weird.
  • We also have a bunch of Labryinth fans popping in here, or at least fans of the creepy junk lady. I’ve had a bunch of people visit this site just by searching for the terms Labyrinth, Junk Lady, Back Horder and Trash Lady. The funny thing is, that their search is bringing them to my Project Me post on Purging being Fun. Of course, 2 people actually DID search for “purging is fun”, so at least they found what they were looking for!

The rest of my stats are a hodgepodge of random. Honestly, some of the stuff people google just makes no sense to me at all. Much less, how their googlings* bring them here.

My favs:

  • Bad Customer service at joukes (I actually googled joukes because I didn’t know what it was…I still don’t know).
  • Braless at work (hope I didn’t ruin someone’s porn obsession…)
  • Youls (Is this a “My Cousin Vinny” thing??)
  • The people buying our house are driving me crazy
  • Pregnant on Thanksgiving

So, if you’re one of the random people who was searching for something random and stumbled onto this site. Take a look around and stay awhile. Oh, and if you know what a jouke is, please let me know!

 

*I totally just made up the word googlings, but it makes sense, right?

All Packed Up & Ready to Relax

My bags are packed (mostly) and all that is left is for us to eat some Thanksgiving leftovers for dinner, have a good night of sleep and drive to the airport in the morning.

The last three weeks of unemployment have been much busier than anticipated. Every single day I’ve had a long ‘to do’ list of stuff – from freelance jobs to grocery shopping. However, starting tomorrow when I step onto that cruise ship I am doing absolutely NOTHING but relaxing.

For anyone who knows me, I’m sure you are not even a little bit surprised that we’re going on vacation. Vacations are my weakness and I love getting away to someplace new, or even better, someplace sunny with turquoise blue water and clean, white sand.

What may surprise you is the fact that we decided to spend the money on a vacation when I’m unemployed and pregnant.

Believe me; I really, really love to look at money just sitting in my savings account. Oooh, or even more, I love adding money to my savings account. It’s like my little safety net that allows me to sleep at night without waking up and hyperventilating that we’re going to be homeless and hungry.

So, why on earth would we decide to purchase a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean? Well, a bunch of reasons actually.

First off, if you’ve been reading this blog you know that we’ve had a really stressful few months. Finding out that I was going to lose my job of more than 6 years was a real bummer. Selling our house was pretty awesome, but packing up and moving within 60 days was pretty crazy. Add on top of that the fact that I’m preggo and you’ve got a ball of super-stress going on in my body.

My husband has been going through everything with me (even some of the pregnancy symptoms…hmmm…), on top of working 6 days a week. We haven’t even had a chance to see much of each other, and we’re those crazy kinds of people where we really LIKE each other and want to hang out.

So stress is definitely the top reason that we decided to go away for a week. However, this is also pretty much our last chance to get away before our baby is born. Most cruise lines won’t even allow a pregnant woman to cruise after her 24th week, and I’ll hit the 21 week marker while we’re on our trip.

Lastly, that freelance work I mentioned pays really well. On top of that, we even got a couple unexpected checks back after the sale of our house. So instead of adding that money to our savings account like a demented squirrel hiding away nuts, we decided to get a little crazy and actually spend it.

Oh yeah, there is one more reason I’m not freaking out about spending money on a vacation right now. I got a job that starts up the Monday after we get back. And not just a job like, “oh, it’s work and it pays money, so I’ll take it”. I mean a JOB that I’m super excited about and can not wait to start! I’ve been holding back on mentioning it until I get my written offer (which will be coming next week while I’m sunning myself on the beach), but since I have a start date I feel pretty secure in announcing the awesome news. I’ll share more info when I return.

The moral of the story is that sometimes you need to just give yourself a break.

If vacations are your crack, go for it. If buying a new transmission for your race car and ripping the thing apart is your thing, have at it*. We’re only on this earth once and sometimes the best choice is the one that will make you happy. The funny thing is, I planned this trip a few weeks before I knew I’d be coming back to a job. In fact, I was prepared to go with the worst-case scenario of not working until after the baby is born. So, this is proof that things really DO happen for a reason.

With the holiday season coming up, most of us get stressed out with the shear magnitude of tasks that need to get completed on top of everyday life. So, I’m giving you permission to go and do something for yourself with the sole reason of making yourself happy.

 

*Pretty much the only reason I feel comfortable using this example is because my husband does not read my blog. Otherwise, he would come straight to me from the computer and jump up and down with excitement that he’s getting a new transmission.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I’d like to wish each and every one of my Pocketful readers a Happy Thanksgiving!

I feel truly blessed to have such a wonderful family and amazingly supportive friends.

Someone recently asked me how I can keep such a positive outlook when things have been difficult. My answer to them was that I focus on the good things in life and the bad things will work themselves out.

So many wonderful things have happened this year: my husband and I recently celebrated our third anniversary; we were blessed to have gotten pregnant with our son (who we can’t wait to meet); our furry baby, Potter, survived a really scary health crisis; we finally sold our house; and so much more.

As you gather around the table with your loved ones to celebrate the holiday, I wish you good health and happiness.

And I leave you with this image from the People website (all credit goes to them for the image). I’m not typically a ‘cat person’ but I recognize that look on his face from my own family waiting for dinner to be served.  Enjoy!