When the Universe Sends You a Message

 

"Shocked" by Christine Graves via NightCafe Studio

So, as I was working on upgrading the scenery around here, I decided that maybe I should look at some of the old pieces I left on this site. I knew there was a lot of stuff that had absolutely no reason for existing anymore, but I'm leaving it right where I found it. But here's the thing, I think I time-traveled.

Okay, let me explain. I found this blog on the 10th or 11th of this month...June 2026. I was excited and did a quick scan of the site, but didn't really look deep. I just knew I had to get something posted on this site and get it back into circulation. 

I posted my last post a couple of days ago, June 13th, 2026. I was so happy, and it just felt right. I didn't know why, it just did. But then, I got the shock of a lifetime. 

I was looking a little deeper at some of the stuff I'd posted in the past 19 years, then thought, "What was my first post???" It was just a little piece of fodder to get myself in the right frame of mind. But it wasn't WHAT I had posted that freaked me out, it's WHEN I posted it. The first post on this site was on June 13th, 2007. 

WHAT????

No, it wasn't on purpose. I had no idea I brought this site back to life exactly 19 years to the day after I'd first started it. That's when I knew I was on the "write" path. I've been saying for some time now that my calling is to bring back old-school blogging, and I think that was the Universe's way of saying, "No shit". 

In fact, when I created the image at the top of the page, I noticed the book at the bottom of the image said: "The Universe has a Sense of Humor". That sealed it. Now, mind you, the prompt I used in the AI image creator said nothing about adding any words. In fact, here's the full AI prompt:

A whimsical illustration of an older woman sitting at her desk, a look of shock on her face, and eerie wisps of mist surrounding her. 

That's it. That's the whole prompt. And this image is what came of it. Tell me that's not a sign. 

I now have 5 Blogger blogs up and running, the newest of which is about to turn a year old. I've been doing this for a long time. I remember the days of super bloggers. I have to admit, I made quite a bit of money blogging. I know that's not going to be the case this time around, but it wasn't just about the money; it was the creative freedom. But, yeah, the money was nice.

I've decided that this site will be geared toward the everyday stuff in my life, little op-ed pieces I find interesting, TV shows and movies I've watched, and stuff like that. Nothing fancy, just real stuff from off the top of my head. That's a little scary, if you think about it. 

I'm getting more and more excited about blogging again. Even if I only have a handful of readers, I'm still doing what I love. This is my calling and I think it's time to answer the call. Wanna tag along? Come on, let's see where we go from here.

Until next time,
Miss Chris!!!

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

Wholly Buckets, I'm Back

Don't you just love it when you're purusing around the Internet, looking for some of your old work online, not really knowing what you're going to find, then...BAM...you find a blog you haven't posted on in 13 years. Wholly buckets. 

Okay, so hi. I'm Christine Graves (formerly known as Christine Senter), and I created this blog back in 2007...almost 20 years ago. DUDE!!!!!

My life has been a whirlwind these past 19 years. Back then, I was a consummate content creator. I did a lot of ghostwriting, a lot of ad content, and I entered just about every blog contest online. You don't find those anymore. 

In 2012, my entire world flipped upside down. My husband and I got divorced, my daughter had a daughter of her own, and I ended up working three jobs just to make ends meet. I didn't have time to write anymore, so I just pushed it off to the side.

Less than a year later, I married husband number 2 and went from being a Senter to a Graves. And now? Yeah, we're divorced too. We had been friends in high school, and when we both found out our marriages of over 20 years each were coming to an end, we found solace in each other. Turns out, we were better friends than we were lovers. 

It took me almost 6 years, but I did manage to get back into writing. However, the online writing game had changed dramatically in that time and I had to start all over again. I can't complain, I think I'm doing better than I ever did before. I'm not making a living as a writer, but I am enjoying being able to write whatever I want and not worry about the technical end of it.

In 2018, I began writing for a place called Medium.com and I found my way in the writing world once again. I was writing a lot of fiction and poetry, then I landed a spot in a writer's publication and started doing writing prompts again. That's all it took. 

I'm not writing for Medium anymore as they're no longer as accepting of fiction writers as they used to be. They still allow it, but fiction and poetry tend to get buried a lot faster than boring, monotone non-fiction. 

When I left Medium, I was determined to keep writing but on my terms. I still have a ton of blogs, most of which I keep updated on a regular basis. Not always, but fairly often. I decided that I don't really care about the money anymore (yes, I got paid on Medium...until I didn't anymore), I just wanted to write.

Now, that being said, I will be adding Google ads at some point. I need to get this site updated and going again before I submit the site for monetization. I could probably do it now, with the age of this blog and the number of reads a few of the posts have, but that's not right. I want to do this the right way.

I won't lie, I have no idea where I'm going to take this site, but I'm going to bring it back to life. I figure if I can start keeping all my blogs updated and add a few Google ads, I might have a shot at making a little something. Don't worry, I have a real job. LOL

Once I have a game plan, I'll be sure to post it here. I found another blog recently that I'm going to use to post a lot of my fiction. I might come up with something similar for this site, but then again, I might decide to use it for other forms of creativity. Hell, I might just use it to write letters to fictional characters. It all depends on what the little person who lives in my head tells me to do. No, you don't need to call for help, I call the voice in my head The Muse, as she's the one who gives me some of my best writing ideas.

So, stick around and see where we go. I'll have the Muse come out and play on occasion, but fair warning, she's not the sweet little fairy everyone thinks she is. She's mean, and a drunk, and she goes missing for months on end. But...she's a helluva lot of fun. 

Let's have some fun, shall we?

Until next time,
Miss Chris!!!

New ways of networking

I'm always looking for new ways of getting my name out there in the blogosphere. I've joined a few blogging directories, a couple social networks, and the occasional meet-and-great. I've had some success with a few of these places, but I'm still not famous. LOL

I've joined Twitter, and it's a ok place, but there are a lot of bugs and it seems that they spend more time down, than online. But, I still check them out, leave my little notes of non-interest, and read the stuff of others. But now I'm gonna try a new place I've been hearing about called FriendFeed.

I've only been using FriendFeed for a couple of days, so I can't really say whether it's worth the hype or not. But, it's free and that always grabs my attention. LOL. The thing I do like about the site is that I can upload all the feeds from all my blogs. Plus I can add my stumbleupon id, my digg id, and any others that I have, so my subscribers can see everything I'm doing.

I'm hoping that it brings in some new readers. I guess we'll see. LOL. If you've got either twitter or friendfeed, add me to your list. You can find me as sapheyerblu at twitter, and ChristineSenter at FriendFeed.

Longest week ever

This last week has been the longest one ever for me. I've spent the past week helping my mother move from a big house she's lived in for the past 15 years, into a little 2 bedroom trailer. I told her she needed to downsize before we started moving her, but she didn't get rid of near enough stuff.

I took it upon myself to move most of the big stuff for her, and now I'm paying for it. Guess what! I'm not as young as I used to be. I found out that I've got muscles that I haven't used for a long time, and I hurt bad. I lifted a desk, a big overstuffed rocking chair, several kitchen chairs, and even several dressers. I feel like I got hit by a mack truck.

My sister has been living with my mom for the past few months, trying to help her out with bills and that kind of thing. So, not only did I have to move my mom's stuff, but my sister's as well. I had no idea one person could stash so much crap into one little bedroom. Nor did I know that my little pick up could carry so much stuff. I think the box of my truck is slightly wider than it used to be.

But, we finally got them both moved into their new house. It makes me feel a little better as she's a little closer to me now, and with my sister there, I don't have to worry about her being all alone. But I swear that if she decides to move again, I'm renting a U-Haul.

Springtime in Nebraska

Well, you can tell that spring is officially here. No, not because of the buds on the trees, or because my tulips have already broken through the soil. No, it's because it's snowing, AGAIN!!!

We have a saying around here. If you don't like the weather, stick around a minute, it will change. But, for those of us who have lived around here our whole lives, we also watch out for the annual Spring Blizzard. In recent years, we haven't seen as many, but it looks like we could be in for one this year.

Yesterday, it was 60* outside, and just beautiful. Today, it's only about 30* and there's snow everywhere. The good part is that we need the moisture. Our part of the country has been in a drought for the past 5 years or so. So, I have to look at the good side of this.

Oh, well. At least I know it won't last long. It will probably be all melted away be tomorrow afternoon. And then we can all go muddin'. Whoo Hoo.

My First Google Payment

I am so excited. I just got my first Google payment. I'm doing backflips in my ergonomic chair. I opted for the direct deposit and when I went to check my Google stats for the day, I found the words "Earned Since Last Payment". Payment? What payment? So, I went to my bank account, and sure enough, I GOT PAID!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to tell you that it takes a lot of hard work, a lot of long hours, and a lot of patience, but you can make money with Google Ads. And here's the trick. Don't put all your eggs into one basket. I didn't earn that money by dabbling with one or two sites, I did it by maintaining several sites. That's why I don't get over here to write all the time.

When I first signed up with Google ads, I thought I'd be old and grey before I saw my first payment. Well, that happened, but at least I'm still young enough to enjoy it. LOL

Toilet Girl's Boyfriend Arrested

I am so shocked about this next load of crap. Ok, the end of last month, authorities in Kansas found a woman who had been sitting on the toilet of her boyfriend's house for 2 years. She'd been there for so long, that her skin had began to grow around the toilet seat.

Well, because her boyfriend had waited so long to call the authorities, he was charged with a misdemeanor, citing endangerment to a dependant adult. And that's where the story ended, or so everyone had thought. Well, not so fast.

It seems the boyfriend was once again arrested this past Sunday. According to court documents, the boyfriend was arrested, not for endangerment to the girlfriend, but for exposing himself to his neighbor's teenaged daughter. OMG

So, while the entire world wonders what was going through the mind of the woman who sat on the toilet for 2 years was thinking, shouldn't someone ask about the boyfriend? I think he needs more help than the girlfriend.

No emails all day

I had the strangest sensation come over me yesterday. One that I don't think I've ever felt before. Anyway, not since I got my first computer. I felt like the entire world had disappeared. Why? Because I didn't get one single email yesterday, at all.

Some people might think it's weird, but I felt like I was all alone in the world. I also wondered if my email was broken. Not because I didn't get any emails, but because I didn't get any spam mails either. For a solid 24 hours, I got nothing. There have been times when I wished I'd get a lot less emails, but this was crazy.

So, the next time you wish all those emails would go away, rethink that mindset. It's a weird feeling thinking that you're either the only person in the whole world that's online, or they've all abandoned you. Embrace you emails, at least you know someone out there is thinking about you.

Another short story published

I'm so happy. I just had another short story published at Triond.com. The story is called "Wild Rose" and is about a little rose growing in the middle of nowhere, and the prayer she sends up to God. It's a very short story. In fact, it's what is known in the writing community as flash fiction.

I wrote this story almost 3 years ago, and just left it sitting on my computer. I'd posted it in a free forum a while back, but got no response to it. I figured it meant that it sucked and removed it from the site and never really thought about it again.

That is, until last night when I decided to submit it to Triond.com and see if it would be accepted for publication. I'm very happy to announce that it was. Whoo Hoo. The best thing about Triond.com is that the story will earn me a small amount of money for years to come. The way the site is set up, authors earn money for each time the ads on their page are visited. I had 3 stories published a couple years back, and they are all still earning me a little bit of change each month. No, I'm not making large amounts of cash, but every little bit helps.

I was totally thrilled to find out that I had another story published. Makes me want to sit down and write a few more. :)

Cool Blog About Clocks

I am the kind of person who always wants to know what time it is. If I don’t have my watch on, or a clock near me at all times, I panic. I’m always on the lookout for a new clock and have found a really cool blog that talks about nothing but clocks. I was really amazed at the amount of information I found on this site.

The site is called Clocks Blog, and I’ve never seen so much information on clocks before. This site has a huge list of categories, including posts on mantle clocks, grandfather clocks, and specialized brand name clocks. These people really know what they’re talking about, and they don’t just talk about the clocks. They offer posts about clock histories, ideas on which clocks work in which spaces, and they even offer some clock humor.

I really liked their idea of fitting an outdoor clock into the decor of your patio or around your barbeque area. I’ve never thought of putting a clock outside before. Cool idea. I recommend everyone check out Clocks Blog for just about anything you’d ever want to know about the world of clocks.

Getting in on the Second Act

As of February or March of 2009, everyone will need to have a television that is cable ready. No more old tv’s with rabbit ear antennas to pick up the signal. They are making products that will make these televisions compatible with all the new regulations, but there are other options. You can always go out and buy an new tv set. You can spend several hundred dollars and be the cool guy on your block, or you can check out Second Act and get your hands on a refurbished HDTV at the lowest prices possible.

Second Act is an authorized dealer of some of the top names in the electronics industry, including Samsung, Toshiba, and Hitachi. They offer some really great offers on LCD’s, Plasma’s, and even audio and video equipment. Check out their deal of the day section to get your hands on the hot products, or run over to their clearance section to get an additional 10% off their already low prices.

You can also sign up for their newsletter and get the latest information on any new or refurbished products they offer, get in on some weekly coupons, and be one of the first to have a chance at their deal of the day. If you’re in the market for a new television, then this is the place to go.

Grand Opening Contest at Feed Flare

Hey Ya'll!!!!! I wanted to run over here real quick and let everyone know that my friend Collin has just announced a huge contest at his new site, Feed Flare. This site has only been on the radar for about a month now, but he's bringing in some massive numbers.

Feed Flare is a cool site about how to grow your RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, numbers. He also gives great tips on which feeds work best, as well as offers great deals if you would like to Advertise with Feed Flare. Even though I've been doing this for about a year now, I've learned a few things from Collin that I did not know before.

As for the contest, Collin has tons of prizes which have been donated from bloggers all over the sphere. Featured contest sponsor-Dat Money-is donating a customized banner design in the size of your choice. There are many more prizes to be won, donated by bloggers such as featured contest sponsor-My Radical Blogs, BluFur WebHosting, and even a by yours truly.

There is a lot of stuff to be won in this contest, so get over there and get yourself signed up, and good luck.

Domain Registration Site for Australians

Since I bought my very first domain name, I’ve found that not all purchasing sites are the same. Some are built more for hosting than for domains, some are full service websites that meet every aspect of a webmaster’s needs, and some are designed for a specific region or country. Payless Domains is one such site.

This domain registration site is one of Australia’s favorites. Not only do they offer inexpensive domain names, they also offer email hosting, URL forwarding, domain name parking, and much more; all at no extra cost. Choose from .com.au, .com, .net names.

Payless Domains hosting services offers 4 different levels, ranging from 1 GB of space up to 4 GB of space. This gives everyone a chance to establish themselves online. All pricing on this site is AUD, unless otherwise specified.

One thing of note about this site is how easy it is to use. As I went through the site, I found everything I was looking for in a matter of seconds. That’s something I always look for in any site. They place their pricing guide link at the top of the page where it’s easy to get to, they make it easy to register, and they tell you up front exactly what you’re going to get.

Holy Cow, It's a New Year

Hello boys and girls,

I am so sorry that I haven't posted before this. It's only the third day of the new year and I've already lost track of time. I do want to wish everyone a very happy new year. I got so caught up in other endeavors, that I dropped the ball.

Anyway, I'm hoping that the coming year is going to be one of my best ever. I've got a lot going on coming to this year. I'm currently running about 5 blogs, working on 6, and that doesn't include this one. I've been learning a lot about making money with Google Adsense, and I'm finding out that if you really work at it, it is possible to do so. However, it does take a lot of work, and a lot of writing. As of right now, here's what I'm working on:

Aircraft Deals--If you're looking to buy an airplane, I'll point you in the right direction.
Ancient History Facts--Just like it says, I write posts about all things ancient. I have always been a history nut, and this is just a place for me to put it into words.
BlogClassifieds--This is a site that showcases all kinds of items for sale from all over the Internet
Special Offers Blog--This is also a site about deals and sales, but this one is still in the works. There are a few posts on it, but I need to work on it more.

Blog Wheels--This is a site I worked on a few months back, and am looking into reworking this site too.

Discounts-Online--And again, a site for finding the best deals and bargains around the Internet.


Plus, I'm trying to get my site, ChristineSenter.com, up and running smoothly. I've got a lot of plans for the coming year on that site, but I just hope I haven't over-extended myself. LOl
I wrote a post over there a few days ago, thanking the many people who have been there for me this past year, and have helped me get to where I'm at today. I tried to get everyone in the list, but soon realized that there were just too many to mention in one post. However, there are a few I'd like to mention in this post.

First of all, I have to thank the amazing Dani Pink, for being an inspiration to me and giving me something to express my creative side. Through a simple comment, she helped me create an amazing character.

I also need to thank a guy who's been more of an inspiration than he knows. One of the first bloggers I met a year ago in a social blogging site, ManoDogs. This guy knows more about the comic book industry than I knew existed. He's also a very good writer, and has an interesting sense of humor.

And of course, I have to thank Adsense Tracker. This chick is so cool. She can be completely serious in one post, then totally silly in the next. She is truly one of a kind.

As I said in my other post, I'm sure there are tons of other people out there that I need to thank, and I appreciate everything they've said and done for me in this past year. I wish you all a very happy new year, and I hope that this is your best year yet.

It's wrestling season

Whoo Hoo!! It's high school wrestling season, and I'm already without a voice.

My son had his first meet the other night, and though he only had one match, I screamed myself right out of a voice. He pinned his opponent in 59 seconds, and I found out later that I need to have my daughter video tape the matches while I scream. It's hard to watch a video of somebody's feet and listen to me screaming "hold him down, hold him down".

I love this time of year, because I can release a lot of pent up frustrations at a wrestling meet. By the time the season ends, I'm the most calm woman on the planet. I've just spent 3 months screaming at the top of my lungs, watching my kids tie other kids into knots, and now I can just sit back and relax. Oh, what a life.

Once wrestling is over, my voice comes back, I feel like a new woman, and it's time to start getting the flower beds and gardens in shape for the planting season. Yes, in my house we only have 3 seasons; football season, wrestling season, and gardening season. LOL

Well, that's all for now. I just had to get over here and make a post so you didn't think I'd run away or managed to leave the planet. I'm usually in outer space, but that's another story. LOL

I won the NaNo challenge

I can't believe it, but I actually did it. I wrote a novel of more than 50,000 words in 30 days. Well, I was actually done on the 29th, with a total of 50,184 words. There were a few times that I didn't think I was going to make it, but I finally finished and I got to put this really cool icon on any and all of my blogs, sites, or whatever.

I joined the NaNo challenge last year, but didn't even come close to making my goal. This year, however, I worked my little fingers off and finished with time to spare. My story is called "The Mask of Other Lives", and is about a young woman who dies and finds out that the real journey of life begins on the other side.

I now need to go back and edit the whole thing, check for inconsistancies, and see what I can do to make the story more interesting and maybe a little longer. If you'd like to read an excerpt of the story, I've posted one on my other site. I hope you enjoy.

I've also started writing another blog called Ancient History Facts. It's just a simple little site where I write short posts about all things ancient. I've been a fan of ancient history most of my life, and I thought this would be a great place to let go of all the weird facts that have been collecting in my brain for the past 3o-something years.

Hopefully, now that November is over and I don't have a deadline to meet, I will start posting more often again. It seems that the harder I try to keep my blogs up, the less I actually get done. LOL

A new place for bloggers to hang out

I kind of excited about this, as my friend Garry Conn had created a new place for his fellow bloggers to hang out and exchange ideas. It's going to be a place for beginners to learn from those who have come before, and a place for the probloggers to offer up tips and tricks on all aspects of the blogging process.

It's called The Bloggers Message Board, and that's exactly what it is. At the moment, it's still being perfected, but you can still register and get in on the first few conversations. This forum is still in it's infancy, as it's only a few days old. However, this could be a great place to pass along information and gain some new insights.

Though there is a section on how to make money blogging, this message board will focus on everything that has to do with blogging. Including where to find templates for your blogging platforms, tips for beginners and pros alike, and even a section devoted to writing. (Yeah!!!)

For anyone who posts blogging tips on their blogs, they find that their information is quickly pushed down as they continue to post. With a forum, all that great information can be brought to the forefront in a matter of seconds.

I invite everyone to come check out The Bloggers Message Board. No matter what level of blogger you might be, this is a forum for you.

My Dream Vacation

One of my dreams is to someday make it to Europe. I’ve always wanted to see the Tower of London in England, Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, but most of all I want to see the Eiffel Tower in France.

I’ve always wanted to run around France and check out some of their finer attractions, like one of their world famous wineries. I love a good glass of wine, and I know that there has to be at least one winery in France that would offer a weary traveler some of their sweet nectar.

Another place I’d love to see is the Louvre. I’ve always wanted to see the Mona Lisa live, but then again, I wouldn’t know the difference between the original and a fake if my life depended on it. But, it would be so cool to say that I had the chance to see the whole thing with my own eyes.

I need a 12 step program

Back in July, I wrote a post about NOT being a blogging addict. Well, I may not be able to say that anymore. It seems that I might be addicted to blogging after all. Ok, not to blogging itself, but to setting up new blogs. I have added another new blog to my ever growing list.

I'm happy to announce that I now own the site, SpecialOffersBlog.com. I'm going to use this site to send out offers from all around the Internet. It's still brand new, and Feed Burner is still playing with the bubble wrap. LOL There isn't much there as of yet, but I'm hoping to bring you some of the coolest things around the blogosphere and the Web.

I'm also working on my book for NaNoWriMo. I've written 1,785 words so far. I know that doesn't sound like a lot when you figure I've got to write 50,000 before next month, but if I can do that each day, I'll hit my target.

Well, it's time for me to go play at my "real" job. I only do this in order to step away from the computer and interact with the human population. Otherwise, I'd never leave my room. LOL

Happy Halloween

Just think, boys and girls, in just a few short hours, your doorsteps will be the resting stop for all the little ghouls and goblins in the neighborhood. I have my bowl full of candy ready for the little monsters who will be peeking out from behind their little masks tonight. I'm kind of excited.

Halloween isn't my favorite holiday, but the rest of my family loves it, so I do this for them. We'll have the orange lights in the windows, the scary witch hanging from the front door, and the 4 ft. tall, blow-up pumpkin in the front yard. We'll pass out candy to all the kids in town and then I'll sit up and watch old monster movies all night.

Then, as of midnight tonight, I'll begin writing my novel. Yes, it's almost here. Time for me to finally get started on NaNoWriMo. I have lists and lists of ideas ready to be put down on paper/computer screen, and the main character and I have already had a disagreement on how she's going to die in the first chapter. I wanted her to die saving someone's life, but she's determined to die from a brain hemorage. I guess it's her death, she can have it how she wants it. (Yes, my characters talk to me. LOL)

So, as you go about feeding the spooky little critters in your neck of the woods, remember me as I set out on my own scary journey and start my Great American Novel. LOLOLOL