University of Tennessee vs. Northern Illinois

This weekend should bring about an interesting game with the University of Tennessee Volunteers taking on Northern Illinois in Knoxville. The Volunteers have had a shaky start with only one win so far coming against the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Tennessee has had Auburn and Florida, but this team doesn’t quite have the same intensity that the Vols are used to displaying. The game isn’t on the watchlist at ESPN or anything, but it will still be one to watch.

Gearing up for Snowboarding season!

As you may know, the first day of fall just happened recently and you know what that means: SNOW SEASON!!! Well, eventually, I guess we have to go through the autumn colors and all of that first but man, I haven’t seen snow in so long. Sitting here in the great sunny state of Arizona (more like the snowless state of Arizona) I really miss snow and cold weather. Sure we get a little bit of the white stuff up north in areas like Flagstaff, but it really isn’t any thing compared to places like Denver or Durango in Colorado. Now that is snow country. The first place I ever went snowboarding was at Durango Mountain which was called Purgatory at the time. I got really dang spoiled because that is an awesome ski resort. I’d really like to hit those slopes again. My girlfriend is really interested in skiing so it’s a possibility that we’d go. We would probably book a hotel in Durango which is only about 30 minutes south of the mountain. The resort prices would be way too high and plus, being in Durango we could relax, catch a flick, and find a decent place to stay while saving a few bucks.

Do you enjoy golf? How about teaching?

If the answer is yes to both of those questions then I would suggest saving up a bit of extra cash and heading out to sunny Florida for the 11th PGA Teaching & Coaching Summit happening at the PGA village in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The summit is scheduled from December 3rd to December 7th this year. I used to be a huge source of anti-golf bickering and whining, but for some reason, the dang sport has grown on me. This is definitely one of those sports where the better your are, the more you like it. I’m still horrible and definitely not up to par for a coaching or teaching summit, but that wouldn’t stop me from going and enjoying the Florida weather for a few days in December. The thing that will stop me though, is scheduling.

Choke is coming out this Friday

From the author of the cult hit Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk is releasing his latest and greatest hit, Choke in movie theaters this Friday. Sure maybe that was an overstatement, but hey, it’s worth a look. After all of the buzz that Fight Club did (and still) creates, how can you not want to see this flick?

Google’s 1st Android Phone to be Unveiled on September 23rd!

Buckle your seatbelt because another tech war will be underway. The newly released and revamped iPhone 3G will face a new challenger to the mobile market with tomorrow’s release of the first handset featuring the Google operating system, Android. The carrier of the mobile device will be T-Mobile. Although the operating system is going to offer more flexibility and freedom as a mobile phone, don’t expect any physical flashiness.

The Android phone will be designed to run toe-to-toe with the iPhone from Apple with applications such as a tilt sensor for gaming, a camera, and a built-in GPS. Google even has an answer for Apple’s app store. Each app that makes it onto the app store on the Apple.com website must be approved from the top-down. Google on the other hand, will allow creators to upload any application to the Android Market without its review. Although there will be some garbage apps that make it in, this system makes it more inviting for developers to test and purchase users that run Android.

Metallica’s Death Magnetic is The Number One Album in 18 Countries!

For the ninth time, the greatest metal band in the world is at it again. The heavy-metal powerhouse, Metallica has unleashed an album that the whole world has welcomed with open arms, and open ears. Their ninth studio album Death Magnetic has reached number one in 18 countries on the charts. With the bands fifth consecutive album debuting at number one, the band sold an astonishing 490,000 copies in just three days of availability. Death Magnetic has received a warm welcoming after the shaky response of their eighth album, St. Anger. With Death Magnetic, the band goes back to basics bringing back guitar solos and a sweltering array of thrash-metal guitars with machine-gun drums. The band even threw out a huge “thanks” to all of their fans on their website earlier in the week. With this phenomenal album and track history of success giving live shows, the October 21st show here at the Jobing.com arena in Phoenix is a promising formula for a damn good show!

My MacBook is Freaking Awesome…I Just Need To Learn How to Use It

I am in love with my brand new MacBook that I got last week. It is super-user-friendly but I still need to learn how to fully use it so I can maximize my productivity. I’m so new to the Apple game that it’s not even funny. I don’t even really care for iTunes or QuickTime so I have no idea how the pieces of the puzzle added up for me to buy a Mac. Regardless, it’s freaking awesome.

Reno Air Races

Now this is a big-deal. If there was ever a place to let loose and stare up into the sky, this is it. Of course, there are plenty of instances that call for that but this time, I’m talking about jets flying over 400 miles-per-hour. I’m talking about the Reno air races. This is an annual event that has grown in popularity over the years, and for good reason too.

The air races also include a world-class air show featuring the USAF “Thunderbirds“, top aerobatic performers, military and civil flight demonstrations, and a large display of static aircraft. This years show was great and I’m excited to see what they have in store for next year.

My girl is going to Dallas for work

So my girl just had some restructuring done in her company and part of the newness came a new position for her in her department. She has more clout and definitely more responsibility. She’ll be traveling to good ole’ Dallas, Texas to meet with some clients and discuss marketing initiatives. She is going to be traveling a ton with some people in her department. I’m not a huge fan of Dallas but I really can’t judge, I’ve never been there before. Even though I hate the Cowboys, I’d love to go and check out a game in Texas Stadium for the experience. I may end up leaving with a black eye because I’d be cheering against the home team. There is an extended stay hotel near there that I’d probably lodge out just to try one out.  Anyway, I wish her luck in her travels but I’ll be thinking about her.

New MacBook with an iPod Touch…oh…and a Free Printer

So I got hooked up at Apple over the weekend. Of course it doesn’t hurt that my girlfriend works at the University of Phoenix and we got the education discount. I got my brand-new MacBook over the weekend that I am still trying to learn how to use. My girlfriend also got her new iPod Touch which she is in love with. My MacBook is awesome though, I upgraded to 4 gigs of RAM right from the start. So what if an update comes out in October, I still have a pretty solid machine. The cool thing is, Apple also threw in a free printer with it all.

Free Gas???!!!

Well we have been seeing a bit of relief at the pump lately but let’s be honest, gas prices are nowhere near where there where last year at this time. In a tough economy, the word “free” makes us feel like we’re in college again jumping on every free item we could get. Well now for those of you that need to travel, Choice Hotels is giving away free gas when guests book their qualifying stay through Choicehotels.com or 800.4CHOICE and join the Choice Privileges reward program. Guests will earn points for each stay and for every third stay, guests will earn enough points for a free $50 gas card. That’s free freaking gas and if you have to travel, well it’s a no-brainer. Stay at a nice, affordable hotel and get free gas? Good thing someone is around to make the tough times a little less tough.

Metallica Tickets!!!

The Metallica North American tour is about to be underway with their first show here in Phoenix, Arizona on October, 21st. They are playing in quite a few cities on the tour and after hearing a few tracks off of their new album Death Magnetic, I can tell you that if you’re a heavy metal music fan, this is not a concert you will want to miss.

Metallica Death Magnetic

I already got my tickets for the Phoenix show as a part of a pre-sale offer that happened last week, but if you’re still wondering where you can get yours, Metallica has posted some Ticket Purchasing Info on their website including the September 13th general ticket sales day. Just go to Ticketmaster.com for your passes to the heaviest show on the road. There are a few more pre-sale offers available as well in case you want to get your tickets before the 13th. For the hard-core Metallica fans, you can also purchase the Death Magnetic experience and this package includes:

• Great Seats to your show
• Death Magnetic, on CD, delivered right to your door
• A Free Download of the show you attended from LiveMetallica.com

Death Magnetic, I can’t wait for the CD to hit shelves on September 12th. The few tracks I’ve heard remind me of the Puppetz and Justice days.

Double TaMo Canes in Boise, Idaho

On Saturday, September 13th, the Elder Masters of the Chinese Shao-lin center will be in Boise, Idaho teaching the Double TaMo Canes form. The “Crutches of War” form was developed by TaMo himself who brought the basis of meditation and the I-Chin-Ching to the Shaolin Temples. TaMo is also known as Bodhidharma, or Daruma. I have seen the form when it was taught here in Phoenix last fall and it did not disappoint. The form was a great one to learn because it allows a person to use a normal walking stick as a weapon. Of course this goes deeper than the standard baseball swing or jabbing at someone if they attack you, anyone can do that. The form has postures from the drunken immortals systems and has various blocks and parries incorporated as well as different kind of attacks.

TaMo and his cane

One of my good buddies lives in Boise and we were hanging out a ton with each other on our China trip in 2007 so I know I have a place to stay. If I don’t stay with him though, I may get a room at the new luxury hotel near the airport. Regardless, it’ll be a great form to see again.

I’ll Admit My SEO is So-So

If there is one thing I cannot stand about fellow SEO’ers, it’s the newbies that think they know it all. Ya know, the ones that change a few title tags and do some keyword research thinking they have Google all figured out. Oh ignorant SEO’er, you’re so silly!

The fact of the matter is that no matter who you are or how long you’ve been doing Search Engine Optimization, there is always room for growth and expansion in your practice. Think of it this way: everyone knows the search engines are always getting smarter and faster so any person in the SEO field that fails to keep up and continue to grow alongside the big 3 will soon be obsolete. There are a few people who we can all look to with their tried-and-true techniques such as Rand Fishkin, Eric Ward, and even Danny Sulivan. These and a few others are very knowledgeable in the field of SEO and they understand the importance of continued growth for success on the internet.

Now by all means, I’m no SEO expert because I know I have a looooooooong way to go to get to where I want to be as an internet marketer. But I did manage to get my site to rank for a few strong keywords such as diabetic sandals and diabetic ambulator shoes to keep me going down my path for SEO knowledge. That felt like a pretty nice accomplishment too. Anyway, the point I’m trying to get to is that if you’re in the field of SEO, don’t act like a know-it-all. It’s annoying and it makes you look _______________ (those that share my pain can fill in the blank). I’ve come to the conclusion that for SEO and me, the more I know, the more I need to learn.

September 9th Will Be Apple’s Special Event Day – “Let’s Rock”

It’s confirmed, September 9th will be the day for the Apple Special Event. Apple’s Special Event Day does in fact include the iPod Nano re-design updates for 2008. There has not yet been any word whether or not this will be a iPod-Mac combined event but I sure hope so. I’m looking to buy a Macbook soon and I don’t want the new version to be released a few weeks after I get mine. Has anyone else heard anything about a Macbook update coming within the next week? So anyone that thinks Apple is done and over the hill of new technological innovations probably thinks that Greg Temple is dumb; well my friend, the joke is on you.