We cheated on the jam

    I  probably should have reported this a couple of days ago, but the jam came out pretty good. We did freezer jam instead of regular jam because it is a lot easier, and less time consuming. We did end up with just over four pounds of yummy tasting, but a little bit thin jam. The reason we did freezer jam is that if you can the jam, you have to not only sterilize all the jars along with buying new lids, but you then have to heat the jars to a high temp otherwise they explode when you put the hot jam in. This was just too much work and prep time for us and would have taken hours longer. It is nice to have put fruit that would have spoiled to good use, and to have the basics of a new skill.

Brian

Free Movie rentals from Amazon

Amazon is giving away another $5 Instant Video credit to anyone with a Twitter account. All you have to do is click the banner above, then click the big yellow Tweet and Get $5 button - the prompts will lead you thru the rest of the process, including linking your twitter account with your Amazon account. The credit applies to your account instantly (but will expire on October 31, 2011 if not used).


Note that Twitter is currently overwhelmed, it appears, so if you get an error message, just refresh the offer page at Amazon and try again. It took two tries with mine. Once you get a green success message on the screen, you can click thru to any Instant Video item and use the "View Balance" link at the bottom of the big black "box" on screen (right next to "redeem a gift card..").

Fine Print: Offer good from August 29, 2011, 10:00 AM PST to September 2, 2011, 11:59 PM PST, for those in the US only. Other restrictions may apply (see offer for details)

Brian

Fifth book now on last books I finished list.

    I have been reading a pretty long book planning on putting it up as book five for my list. Instead I got a hold of the third Ring of Fire compilation and blew through that in a day. In the context of the series this  is a very average set of stories except for the final story which is a necessary piece connecting 1635 to 1636.  So huge warning, if you haven't read 1632 or 1633 which are both free at Baen don't go anywhere near this book. If like me you are practically addicted to the series buy it at webscription either individually or as part of the July webscription as that will be much more affordable as Baen does not sell in the Kindle store, but their prices at their website are very reasonable.

Brian

New free book!

      Since Medical Error fell off the free list, I had to find a new free book and boy does it look like a winner. The name of the book is Untouchable - Scott O'Connor is the author. It is a debut book with excellent reviews that deals with the aftermath of unspeakable trauma. At this price it is well worth the time to download it.

Brian

Finished free reads

     You will notice I have found 2 more free books worth reading for you to enjoy. The first new one is a Sci-Fi mystery mix called Nemesis Worm . The second is a medical thriller called Medical Error. Both are well written fast paced books that should keep you interested. Enjoy



Brian

Free ebooks from Baen

     One of the things to do is find free books. So the guys at Baen are so cool that they will give you lots and lots of free books. They also run this cool promo on their newer books where if you buy a set of books called a Webscription you can send an invitation to another email address so that they get that same set of  books for free. This must be an email address that Baen doesn't have on file. See this link at Mobile Read to get in line to get your free books. Baen is a Sci-Fi and Fantasy publisher so all of these books will be in those genres. 

Happy reading,

Brian

Learning to make jam

On my list of things to do today is to make fig jam. Once you start paying attention to your garden next on the list is storing the extra. Figs are an extreme case as they stay good less than a week from the time they are picked even if refrigerated. The best reference book for Jams, Jellies and Preserves is the The Ball Blue Book. The easy to use and time tested recipes make it possible to succeed without a lot of experience. The reason you need this knowledge is that once your garden starts coming in, you can't eat it all right away. Having something with fruit or vegetable in it during winter keeps you from getting sick. So now that you have the time, learning some old fashioned methods of preserving is a good idea.

Brian

More legally free music

     Five new free songs for your enjoyment, Leading off this week is Gina Sicilia - Gimme a Simple Song a vocally strong blues rock piece that I really like a lot. Next on the list is Lil Ed and the Blues Imperials - Hold That Train a smokin' guitar based blues piece that rocks the house. I've liked Lil Ed and the gang ever since I heard Icicles in my Meatloaf a few years back on the cable blues station. Next on the list is an up and coming traditional blues band, Delta Generators - Hard River to Row. This band has been playing up in New England for a few years but the rest of us are just getting our first listen and we like what we hear. Enough blues, off to different genres for our last 2 songs. Next up a fun little Irish Punk piece, Flogging Molly - Don't Shut 'Em Down. Now Karen says the only song from Flogging Molly worth listening to is The Worst Day Since Yesterday, but I disagree and find most of their tunes a bit of fresh air in moderation. Finally we are going to end with the British sensation from a couple of years ago Joss Stone and her new single Somehow. Joss Stone is the person I am most likely to confuse with Fergie as they are very much two peas in a pod, little girls, big voices and easy on the eyes. Enjoy the new music


Brian

Another contest

     Hey guys, check out this easy to enter contest, the Facebook and Amazon Student Giveaway . You only have to enter once to qualify for all 4 drawings.


Brian

Why a Kindle banner?

     So you are sitting there wondering why a Kindle banner at the top of my blog. Because Kindle is the poor man's way to free reading material. Knowledge is still power and so your number one request for a birthday or Christmas present should be a Kindle. Free Kindle books are all over the web including at my step mom's site Books on the Knob where she finds the free books as they come out so you can always have free reading material. New books are also cheaper on Kindle once you have money to spend again and you never have to carry a spare book around with you as your next book is always on your Kindle. So beg, borrow or plead but get yourself a Kindle.



Brian

More about contest and game sites

     So the question becomes if you enter enough free contest can you make enough in goods and prizes to pay the bills each month. To keep your email from overflowing I would set up a separate email for contests only, as one of the things there are doing is collecting people to send ads to, but it might be worth a try if you don't mind filling out forms all day. There are a number of contest going every day and some don't care if you enter every day so you could end up with a routine.  There are also game sites such as IWON which have little lotto's, spin for free wheels and such you could play everyday trying to win. Could you make a living doing this? Who knows?, but it could be fun.


     Brian

Cool contest

Now that you have free time you have plenty of time to enter contest like this contest from KOA and Cabella's which includes a $100 dollar gift card and 2 free nights of camping. So get yourself entered before the deadline.


Brian

Deep Purple now free

The new Deep Purple song Rapture of the Deep is now free. This is especially exciting for those of over 40 who grew up on Smoke on the Water and other Deep purple classics. Note this is new but with mostly original members who played in a number of other bands in the eighties and nineties and so definitely has influences from those bands also.

Brian

I sure can't count, Can I?

    I am sitting here slowly putting together all the little list I want to have on my blog. I do not yet have enough material to fill them properly. At the moment they are a commitment to have a list of five at a future point. Please feel free to link over on what I have listed and eventually I will fill all my planned list. If you don't make a plan how can you get there? This is my thinking on these list. More when I feel better

     Brian

Free, Penny book review Zendegi

      One of the last 5 books I read was called Zendegi by Greg Egan. It is currently free at Barnes and Noble and one penny at Amazon.  Greg is an excellent writer and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I liked how he started in a place, as an  American I know nothing about, modern Iran, and brought it to life, and then was able to take current controversial research and turn it into a nice storyline for the rest of the book. Kudos to Greg for a great story. At this price pick it up for yourself and enjoy.



     Brian

New Hobby

 One of the things you need if you have been unemployed awhile is new hobbies. One of my new hobbies is gardening. Why? Because you need to be active for at least an hour each day and gardening is not only cheap but can actually help cut down on your food bills. How does it cut down on your food bills you ask?  Lets look at an example, today I was planting spinach. The package said to plant 9 plants in a one foot square area. Nine plants can yield as much as three bags of store bought spinach which run eight dollars each. Packet of seeds cost less than two dollars, water to grow plants three dollars, cheap garden shovel one dollar, time and energy to take care of plants and eliminate competing weeds you have plenty of, plus you are getting exercise and you don't have to do anything that feels like real exercise. Added bonus, studies say anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours a day in the sun can help lower your cholesterol, (lighter your skin less time in sun needed). Whooee a health program while playing in the dirt, too cool. So since you have the time dig in the dirt and help your family at the same time why not?



     Brian

Legally Free Music

     So you will notice I did get a little bit of work done yesterday. In the right hand column you will see a list of 5 songs. They are free at Amazon right now. I consider these to be some of the better of the better of the 300 free songs at amazon. At the top you will find a nice little Texas Honky Tonk Blues piece called Watermelon Time. Second is a very nice angry rock girl piece by Ani DiFranco called Emancipated Minor. Third is a smokin' Electric Blues piece from Dave Hole in which he just shreds on his guitar leaving you breathless, Yowza! Fourth is a much more traditional blues piece from Mickey Thomas called Cherry Red. This on one of the better versions of this song I have heard. Finally a little Ziggy Marley to round us out. Often not as socially aware as his dad this piece is much more evocative of his dad but still in his own voice. Enjoy all and don't spend a penny because like me I know you can't afford it.

     Brian

Welcome

      Welcome to my attempt to never have to have a real job again. Not that real jobs are easy to come by these days. 
     So when do you need this blog. If after 6 months you still do not have a job you may need this blog. I will help you to start thinking of alternative ways to make a living. If you have landed back at home or are depending on the other worker in the house to make ends meet you now need ways to pass the time. I will endeavor to find enough free books, games, music and other things to keep you from getting too bored and suggest new hobbies you might want to take up. If you actually need an income of some type, I will try to mention some alternative occupations you may want to consider, like politician, poker host, blogger, author and a myriad of other ideas and how to get there. I will also post on politics and link you to some of the better articles I see in the opinion pages on the web.  

     So I am off to find out how to set up some links or do nothing. 
 We will see which as I have got out of the work habit.


      Brian