Tag Archives: Blogging

‘Numb’ers and Dates or: Growing That Biz

16 Thursday Jan 2020

Posted by in Life as We Know It, The Less Desirables Network

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Salutations™!!

In the last two days, I have done some “grown-up” things with my business, Such-N-Such Limited, Inc. I’ve gotten a lot busier and honestly, my calendar is filling up and when clients call or email or text and want to get a time, I have to look at the Google Calendar I have and wonder, did I put everything in that I needed to?

Well, I will usually put them down for when we agree on and hope that no one calls or shows up at that time. It doesn’t happen a lot but it has happened in the past. I started looking at online appointment booking tools and realized that I had a brand new tool right under my nose. I am a Square customer for payments, online and in-person. They have a service/tool called Square Appointments and it allows me to put a button on the Such-N-Such Media (the production wing of my business) website and Facebook page as well as The Less Desirables Facebook page.

Square

©Square

Now, customers and clients can click on that button, they can click to find when I have availability and then schedule their appointment. It then syncs to my Google Calendars (and vice versa). I can still make my own appointments in-person and, again, it syncs up. Then I can bill the client or take payment from there. I dig it. I feel all “grown” now.  At least on the scheduling side.

Then, I’ve been using my cell phone number for all my business stuff. Which is fine, really. I try to direct folks to send me an email over a phone call. I don’t like talking on the phone, to be honest. So, I got a Google Voice number to apply to all my business needs. This number allows me to get texts and voice mails via my email and I can reply there.

As much as I hate talking on the phone, I hate typing on my phone just as much. I don’t mind using it for all kinds of “smartphone” things, but I really don’t like typing on it for IMs, texts or emails. I would much rather use a computer for that. This allows me to do that. I can still do it on my phone if I need to, but also able to do it on the computer. Also, I can download voicemails and keep them. That also means that if listeners of any of the podcasts call and leave a voicemail, then I can play it on that podcast. It’s another way for interaction with those listeners.

Or… if you’re reading this blog, I’m going to give out my number so readers can contact me. I may use it here (if I can figure out how as this is a little different than the other blogs I post) if you send me something. If nothing else, I can use the transcript, right? Right. So, I had a few to choose from and I picked the one I did because I could use a word to talk about it. You know how places say “call 1-800-PICK-ONE” or something like that? Yeah, I found one that kind of fits me. After all, I am “less desirable.” So, here’s the number: 336-422-6862. I call it 422-NUMB. I like it. I go with it. Send me a text or leave me a voicemail on that number, I would like that.

Don’t worry, I’m not afraid of people blowing up my phone, I can ignore you fairly easily. It’s my “business” number and I don’t mind giving that out. Well, that’s it, I grew up, I guess. Finally, says The BCPF.

Until tomorrow, keep the digits and schedule an appointment…
Scorp out!

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“A Voice number works on smartphones and the web so you can place and receive calls from anywhere.” – Google Voice

1827 or: How I’ve Still Gotten Myself Into This

01 Friday Nov 2019

Posted by in Beer, Blogging, Food, Life as We Know It, Movie Review, Music Review, Podcasting, Rant

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Salutations™!!

Deep sigh…

That’s what I just let out when I realized that today is the 1,827th blog post I’ve written since November 1, 2014. Perhaps more because I think there was at least one day, perhaps two, that I wrote more than one for a day.

On November 1, 2014, Kristen Daukas and Nick Badgio and I agreed to write a blog post every day for 30 days. All of November. I liked it and kept on doing it. I figured I’d go to the end of the year. I went a bit further than the end of that year. I’m going to repost the first post of the NaBloPoMo posts that happened on 1 November that year.

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©wiseGEEK

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So we know that I’m a bit erratic or even sporadic when it comes to writing these blog posts.  Some of you may think that it’s good that you don’t hear from my blabbing self that often, some complain that I don’t do it enough.  Sometimes I have things to say, sometimes I don’t.

So, I’ve recently agreed to, along with Kristen Daukas and Nick Badgio, thus far, to participate in this thing called NaBloPoMo which is some fangdangled way to say National Blog Posting Month.  The idea behind this insanity is that bloggers post every day for the month of November.

A-Blog-Post-A-Day-For-A-Month. Sheesh, the things I get myself into.

Eugene sometimes says that I get too into lists, like the Rolling Stone Top 500 (see my many posts about that lunacy); that’s a commitment. Then I get the honeymoon stories, which I have gotten good reviews for, and will continue to do those. So, the trick will be to do what I need to do in bulk. Kind of get ahead, if you will and keep them in the pipeline. Maybe, something in my life will be interesting enough to create a post here and there.

So, you, dear reader, will be either the beneficiary or the target of turmoil for my month-long ramblings. Of course, I could just let everyone down and “not find the time” or just forget. So, today, November 1 is nombre de jour (day #1) and let the madness begin!

That was 1826 days ago. I have thought about giving up the “daily” aspect of it. I think somewhere along the line I wrote about that dilemma. But, I can’t stand the thought of not having a post. My writing would go all the poop. It’s hard to fill each day. It’s hard to keep up the pace that I do. Some days it doesn’t happen. I’ll be honest. I go and backfill the spaces sometimes. I’ve gotten much busier so I’ve had less time to write but somehow, I pull through.

I’ve written a lot about music – things and albums that were celebrating some kind of anniversary or that I find interesting. I’ve written about lists. I’ve written about movies. I’ve written about food. I’ve written a lot about the podcasts that I do. I’ve written about my family. I’ve written a good bit about my son. I’ve written a great bit about my wife. I’ve written mostly about me. Or have I?

Again, this was never meant to be taken as 100% gospel or to denote that I knew what I was talking about or was even telling what really happened. I set out to do this blog written from a character’s perspective and in many ways I have done that. However, I feel I let that line blur a bit and it’s more real-life than character-driven and I don’t know how I feel about that. I want to be honest or at least be convincing. Sometimes those don’t go hand-in-hand. I want to try and bring the character back out a bit. That’s why I sign everything on here as “Scorp” and not Tim. I never try to actually hide that I’m Tim, nor that The BCPF is Stephanie or 3B is Trey. I just enjoy the code names. But, it started as an outlet for me to be creative and not necessarily straight-shooting.

Kristen told me once when I struggled to describe my blog, that it was a “lifestyle” blog. I can see that. I talk about randomness but cohesively sorted topics sometimes. But, it’s about all the things I mentioned earlier and it’s not just a music blog, a food blog (I have The Man Who Ate the Town for that), a self-help blog (Beer Dads), alcohol blog (Sipping NC then and maybe its return is imminent). It’s my life. It’s my lifestyle. So, in that, it is a lifestyle blog.

To you, Dear Reader, thank you for reading and putting up with this mess every day for the past 1,826 days. I mean, if I didn’t have comments/”likes”/follows on my blog, what would be the point of me doing it? Just to read myself talking? I appreciate your time. Here’s to the next 5 years.

Heck, I don’t even know if National Blog Posting Month is still a thing. I went back and looked at the Twitter account for BlogHer and it hasn’t moved since 2016. The website for it has events but doesn’t mention NaBloPoMo. So, I don’t know. It doesn’t matter because I don’t do it for them. I do it for me.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp (Tim) out!

—
““A writer — and, I believe, generally all persons — must think that whatever happens to him or her is a resource.” – Jorge Luis Borges, Twenty Conversations with Borges, Including a Selection of Poems : Interviews by Roberto Alifano, 1981–1983

My Ultimate Super Power or: I’m Delicious

03 Tuesday Sep 2019

Posted by in Beer, Blogging, Food, Life as We Know It

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Salutations™!!

Essentially, through my entire adult life, I’ve struggled with my weight. I’ve fluctuated up and down, huge, big, whatever. Currently, I’m the biggest I’ve ever been. I’m over 300 lbs. I go between 302-314. At least those are when I can bring myself to actually get on the scale.

fatflavor

©Sam the Cooking Guy

Now, what bothers me the most isn’t that I am fat. Yes, I said it. Fat. F-A-T. Fat. It doesn’t bother me to say that. It doesn’t bother me that I am fat (like I said). What bothers me is how I feel whilst being fat. I’m sluggish. Lethargic. Mopey. Slow. I ache. I hurt. The adjectives go on. I am working on that with Liz Hronek, Miss Fit Boss.

But, that’s not the point of this post.

I was reading another blogger’s post, from someone who simply goes by Your Fat Friend. I would love for you to read this post. Please. Do it for me. She brings up a lot of points that I agree with. Really, there’s nothing in here that I disagree with. She just lays it out that being called fat shouldn’t be a stigma or meant as mean. You don’t feel bad for telling someone, “hey! your hair is brown” or, “your car is lime green!” I mean, you may be silly for that, but you’re just stating the obvious. I know my hair is was brown and my last car was lime green. I know I’m fat and I think I wear it well.

Do I wish I didn’t wear it at all? Well, yes. But, there’s a lot of factors stacked against me.

First off, I do two podcasts (minimum) that have to do with beer/alcohol. So, I drink beer. It’s the ultimate sin to taste and spit it out. Only in wine competitions do I do that. I’m also a foodie. My social media revolves around food, I have a food podcast, I write a food blog. There’s a lot of food. A lot of good food.

I embrace and joke about my fatness. I sometimes say that fat is my superpower, if not my beard. Also, I love what Sam the Cooking Guy says, “if fat means flavor (and it does) then I’m f*****g delicious!”

So, what I’m saying (and what Your Fat Friend says) is don’t feel like you’re being mean for saying I’m fat. Only if it’s meant maliciously is it mean. Otherwise, you’re just stating facts.

I’m going to grab a big fat something and eat it right now…

Until tomorrow, I’m still fat…
Scorp out!

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“Your Fat Friend writes anonymously about the social realities of life as a very fat person.” – Your Fat Friend (website)

The Podfather or: Clients Rule!

18 Tuesday Jun 2019

Posted by in Blogging, Life as We Know It, Podcasting, The Less Desirables Network

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Salutations™!!

I love my job. I love all my jobs. I don’t do things that I don’t enjoy. Not anymore.

For many years I was the office manager/VP of my parents’ company. I loved that job, although they would probably not agree with me. Now, don’t get me wrong. I hated the industry. I hated trucking and I hated sand. But, I liked the business aspect of it.

I almost purchased a now-prominent restaurant in town and I would have loved that.

I briefly owned a comic book store. I loved that because I have always been a fan of comics.

I have been a musician most of my life, at least 34 years. I loved being in those bands (most of the time… and when I didn’t, I wasn’t in that band).Clients061819

I love being The Man Who Ate the Town. I love that restaurants trust me in promoting, talking about, photographing and eating their food. I really love that job.

I love talking for a living. Podcasting, voice-overs, announcing, emceeing, etc.

And, I love producing podcasts for others. I love getting them conceived. I love getting them started. I love the look on the faces of the clients when they hear their product and the sigh of relief when they can breathe after that first one and in some cases after the 20th one. Producing podcasts and consulting with companies that want to do them, is how I truly make a living. The Less Desirables Network is my fun time and with the exception of Fan Interference and Apartment 5B, I don’t get paid for producing them. I do get paid with sponsorships for some of the podcasts on the network but the production and consultations are my real paycheck.

I spend anywhere from 15-25 hours a week producing for others and about 10 producing the TLD Network shows. The other 5-20 hours a week is in blogging, doing voice-overs, eating, taking food photos, meeting with folks about podcasts, how I can help in the community, networking and so on. As I always say, if I’m awake, I’m working. Whether others would consider it working or not. Heck, even I don’t consider it work. I never go to “work.” I go do what it is that I do and do it darn well if I do say so myself.

Anywhat! Going back and checking what it is that I do, I realized that there are 10 companies that I either produce for or have helped with consulting for their podcasts. I have meetings set up over the next few weeks for even more. I love what I do and I love the folks that help me contribute to the integrity of my household by trusting me with their brand and voice. Thanks so much to Ty Collins & Hailey Brooke McFadden; Jeff Evans & Rory; Dara & Garth; Kerri Sigler; Will Lewis & Ken Coopwood; Elizabeth Nance, Jodi Tate, Julie Aites Campbell, Lorraine Howard, Billy Bjorklund, Kim Vestal; Kate Reece; Dr. Shawn Ricks; James Taylor; Kayla Bell, Michelle Bell & Heather Scherer. I love working with you all.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“If you care about a subject, there’s a podcast for it.” – Michelle Dean

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Easy Way Out? or: Reasoning

14 Tuesday May 2019

Posted by in Blogging, Life as We Know It

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Salutations™!!

You may have noticed that I’ve been posting a lot more music videos. Yep, I admit it. It’s been more than I’d like to post, but keeping up with this blog daily and getting my schedule filled beyond capacity has gotten hard. But, that’s not all. I have been getting back into listening to music as I can. Between clients, home doing some writing for podcasts, emailing clients, whatever. All these moments that I may get to listen to music again, I try to take advantage. hqdefault

Is it the easy way out? Yep, again. Will I continue to do it? Yep. I share things like anniversaries, new finds, curiosities and so on. I like sharing and you know what? Nothing says a blog post has to be 500 words. It’s my thoughts, my feelings, my insanity and so on. Also, remember that this blog is written from a character’s perspective, so you really never know what you may get. What you will get, though, is more videos. It is what it is.

Today, though, I’ll spare you. I put almost 200 words here. Tomorrow is a special day. You’ll find out more about that then.

Until then, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“Anybody can be specific and obvious. That’s always been the easy way. It’s not that it’s so difficult to be unspecific and less obvious; it’s just that there’s nothing, absolutely nothing, to be specific and obvious about.” – Bob Dylan

Ketchup? or: Time’s A-Rollin’

10 Friday May 2019

Posted by in Blogging, Food, Life as We Know It, Podcasting

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Salutations™!!

You have to be careful about what you ask for, right? You ask for more business, you get more business. You want more work, you get more work. Even when you aren’t at work, if you’re self-employed, you’re working. I had my networking meeting this morning and did run over to see my mother afterward, but when I got home, I had to go over some rates, get schedules finalized, maneuver other schedules around, plan new things, close out old things and just still work my arse off. 59dd89f6188ea6037ce2c15af676b6b3_1388540153_cropped

When it’s not podcasting, it’s food related, or voice-overs – more on that soon. I’m at restaurants taking pictures of food, writing about food, podcasting about food or I’m in the studio, still, making a commercial or Voice-On-Hold/Auto Attendant work. Or, trying to put in a show with Clay or VSS or a game with the Cobras.

And not one of those things above am I even remotely complaining about. I love it all. I love being busier than I ever have been. I love being under “pressure” with new clients. I love getting new clients and I love working with my old clients. I love clients. Can I work with anyone? No, no one can work with everyone, but we can narrow down what works for us and what we can do. Again, I love it. What do you do, Dear Reader? What keeps you busy? Is it life? Work? Kids? Talk to me about it.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Auto-Attendant (or automated attendant) is a term commonly used in telephony to describe a voice menu system that allows callers to be transferred to an extension without going through a telephone operator or receptionist. The auto-attendant is also known as a digital receptionist.” – 3cx.com

A Piggyback Tasting or: With a Little Zesto

19 Friday Apr 2019

Posted by in Blogging, Food

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Salutations™!!

I wrote a big long blog post on The Man Who Ate the Town blog today of our big tasting and blogger event at Zesto Burgers & Ice Cream yesterday.

15 Spicy Honey Chix

Spicy Honey Chicken Sandwich

I’m no stranger to Zesto, so I organized the blogger/writer event. It was good. We had close to 20 items. That’s a load of food. Read the blog post HERE.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Our menu is based on fresh products and over 70 years of passionate cooking for millions of customers” – Zesto Burgers & Ice Cream

Running Late or: Live!

21 Thursday Mar 2019

Posted by in Life as We Know It, Podcasting, Records

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Salutations™!!

I know I’m late. I was going to post about a Facebook Live that I participated in tonight to discuss what it is that I do. I say was going to, but I really did do the event but I think the event is private so I don’t think I can share it.

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Nike Roach

But, I was on Nike (pronounced Nee-kay) Roach’s Facebook Live show where he talks about marketers and business folk that do good in the world. I guess I qualify for that. I’m going to try to link it HERE.

Nike is a great guy and was on The Less Desirables a few weeks back. I was returning the favor.

I had fun. Check it out. If it doesn’t work, I’m sorry.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Business folks, moms and dads, cats and dogs, chickens and frogs, it doesn’t really matter, no matter what you do, you are in the right place at the right time…” – Nike Roach

Catching a Buzzy or: a Long Day Through

13 Wednesday Feb 2019

Posted by in Food, Life as We Know It, Podcasting, The Less Desirables Network

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Salutations™!!

We recorded Fan Interference today and TC and HB interviewed Greg Dortch, a former All-ACC WR from Wake Forest who is attending the NFL Scouting Combine in a few weeks and hopes to be drafted. It was a cool interview.

WF Live

Sam (l) and Seth performing live on The Less Desirables

Then I ran down to Uncle Buzzy’s and attended a tasting especially for food bloggers. I ate myself stupid. I probably had around three pounds of food. That may or may not be the case, but it sure did feel like it. It was all so good, though. Look for a post about it in the next few days, over on The Man Who Ate the Town blog/podcast. Again, it was a lot of food.

Then we recorded The Less Desirables and we had Sam Foster and Seth Williams of the band Whiskey Foxtrot and they played three tunes on the podcast, live. I did Facebook Live teasers of the three songs. So you should go listen to them, as they’re pretty awesome tunes.

To hear the interview with Mr. Dortch, listen HERE. To hear the songs from Whiskey Foxtrot, listen HERE.

I’m done. Oh, the “posting movie” this week is 1984 starring John Hurt, Richard Burton and Suzanna Hamilton.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“I need a wheel barrow.” – Me after Uncle Buzzy’s today.

Showing Support or: None of Your Business 40

01 Friday Feb 2019

Posted by in Life as We Know It, Rant

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Salutations™!!

I just wanted to leave a quick (is that possible from me?) word about this town again. I know I went on a tear and ripped it a new one for traffic problems earlier this week. But, as I said on that post, I still love my city dearly and today, I saw more of why.

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The collective response from businesses downtown personified. (Jim Moody by ©Jack Pennington)

There was some condescending post from someone in some official capacity that was directed at businesses downtown who are struggling that says that perhaps these business owners should take some class at the local community college to learn how to start a business or how to make their existing business better as if they don’t know how to operate a business, already. The idea was that the businesses downtown are just whining about the closure of Biz 40 and whatever.

Well, to that person who wrote that garbage, screw you, pal!

These businesses were thriving before the closure. And, I don’t blame the road closure. I blame scare tactics, whether on purpose or inadvertently from media and officials about how bad it is to be downtown now that Biz 40 is out of commission.

Granted the closure of multiple bridges all at the same time has cut a few arteries into town but you can still maneuver. Come from Peters Creek or go a little further east to Cherry or even 52 to get into town.

There are people who will complain just because they already hate the town about how bad the traffic is now that there are only a few arteries into town. Suck it up, furball, this is what progress looks like. That road was built at a time when we were just past covered wagons and it needs to accommodate 100,000 cars a week. It needed to be gone. If you already don’t want to come downtown, there’s nothing that we can tell you or do that would change your mind. We’re not looking to.

Who we are talking to is the people that have just been talked into being scared of being downtown. If you let that nonsense set in, you’re going to set this town back 15 years to what it was when no one wanted to come downtown. It will go back to being a “suburb without a city” that it was in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. You can get to it. Just give yourself 20 minutes more to get there. Be patient. We all have to go on those same roads and none of us want to traverse the traffic any more than you do, but we who love downtown for the friends (personal, interpersonal and figurative) we have grown to know. To us, it’s worth the hassle. It will be over soon.

There are plenty of downtown businesses that need your support. It’s not Biz 40s fault, it’s the naysayers. Don’t listen to them.

Tuesday I was at Finnigan’s Wake. Wednesday I was at Zesto Burgers. Yesterday, I visited Coffee Park (Arts), Zesto Burgers (no, it’s not downtown but it’s independently owned in town).  Today, I went to Footnote Coffee at Foothills, West End Coffeehouse, and Mr. Barbecue. What businesses did you support this week? The ones you did visit, they appreciate it and I appreciate it because when you support them, they’re there when I want/need to go there.

I know all of that is food/beverage related and The BCPF and I going to Xcaret tonight with friends downtown, but it’s not all about food places. Retail, services and other industry downtown need your support. They support each other but they need you.

The camaraderie between the “allies” and businesses downtown has made me smile and it’s uplifting in a somewhat troubling time.

If you’ve not been downtown WSNC (or close proximity to it) lately, take a bit of time to go explore. You may find that it’s not as difficult to traverse as you’ve thought/been told. Andy, you may find some really cool things you didn’t know was there. Tomorrow is Saturday, take a drive, shop, support, enjoy!

Second time this week that my soapbox has been out from under the bed. I apologize, or really sorry (not sorry). And, I know, too, that it was not quick. Sorry (not sorry) for that, too!

Until tomorrow, where I’ll hopefully see you out and about…
Scorp out!

—
“There is not a one-size-fits-all solution.” – Jim Moody