Etch-a-Sketch Artist at Wizard World Comic Con Chicago

Wizard World Comic Con Chicago Family Day was last Sunday. Sadly, B & I caught a Super-hero sized bug and were down all week trying to refill our power stores. Needless to say, I'm behind on my posts. Don't fret, you'll be able to read all about it soon, in the mean time, enjoy a few photos!

Random Etch-A-Sketch Artist hanging in the isle

His subject (Hey, if this a pic of you, let me know!)

His AMAZEBALLS work of Etch-A-Sketch Art! Bravo!!!!!

Calling All Amateur Singers, Beat-Boxers and Dancers!

**ATTENTION: Calling All Amateur Singers, Beat-Boxers and Dancers!**

Universal Pictures’ comedy PITCH PERFECT has just announced a contest where fans have a chance to star in a music video alongside the film’s cast and YouTube sensationMike Tompkins, performing an a cappella cover of the Nicki Minaj hit “Starships.”

Are you PITCH PERFECT? Enter the Official Music Video Contest

PITCH PERFECT has teamed up with a cappella phenom Mike Tompkins to create a music video AND give a once in a lifetime opportunity for music lovers nationwide!  Submit your best vocals, signature moves, beatbox and/or guitar, bass, synth and back-up sounds to accompany a cover of Nicki Minaj’s worldwide smash “Starships” and you could be featured in the music video.

Watch Mike explain how to enter! http://youtu.be/stvVSoYV9eg

·         Fans can submit their entries at www.pitchperfectmovie.com/musicvideo

·         Winners will be included in the music video, debuting on Mike Tompkins’ YouTube channel, which currently has more than 550,000 subscribers.

·         The video will also be featured on Blu-ray DVD release of Pitch Perfect!

·         Submissions must be received by August 22.

  

PITCH PERFECT – IN THEATERS OCTOBER 5

'Kids Day' At Wizard World Chicago Comic Con 8/12/12

It's finally that time of year! Wizard World Chicago Comic Con is HERE!!!

Sunday, August 12, Is 'Kids Day' At Wizard World Chicago Comic Con

Face Painting, Ghostbusters Reading, Arts & Crafts, Bubble Show, 'Kid-Friendly' Booths, Passport Program, Costume Contest Lead Special Children's Programming At Donald E. Stephens Convention Center; Kids Under 10 Free With Paid Adult

NEW YORK and ROSEMONT, Ill., July 12, 2012 – In what has become an annual tradition, Sunday, August 12, is Kids Day at Wizard World Chicago Comic Con.  From face painting, a Ghostbusters reading, arts and crafts, ballon artists, a special Bubble Show, kids costume contest, Wizard World Kids Passport program and more, there are activities all day (10 a.m. - 5 p.m.) for the 10-and-under set.

Admission to Kids Day and the entire Wizard World Chicago Comic Con for kids 10 and under is free with a paid adult (two free kids per adult).

Some of the highlights of Kids Day include:

• Wizard World Chicago Comic Con Passport (all day) – upon arrival, kids should go directly to the Kids Day booth to pick up a Passport, which will guide them to kid-friendly booths, activities, celebrities and artists.  Kids who earn stamps at each stop will win a prize.
• Ghostbusters Reading (11 a.m.) - Who ya gonna call? Bring the little ones to a special story time reading by the Ghostbusters. Kids can interact with the Ghostbusters as they ask trivia and answer any questions the young ones have always wanted to ask.
• Superhero Arts and Crafts (noon) - This is not an ordinary arts & crafts session, this is specifically made for superheroes! Kids can come join the Justice Twins, Wonder Woman and Supergirl to make their very own superhero mask to wear for the Kids Costume contest.
• Kids Costume Contest (1 p.m.) - Too cute to resist! It's like Halloween in August as kids show off their best costumes and win prizes.  Hosted by our very own superhero, Jarrett “The Defuser” Crippen.
• Face painting and balloon artists (all day) – Talented Wizard World face painters have kids as their canvas, with butterflies, kitty whiskers, flowers and more.
• Kid-friendly celebrities (all day) – Well, we like to think every Wizard World celebrity loves kids, but a few will be stamping Passports and saying an extra hello.  Check out the list on arrival.
• Kid-friendly artists (all day) – Visit super-talented artists in Artists Alley for a Passport stamp and maybe a commissioned piece!  Look for the “Kid-Friendly” sign at their respective tables.

Top celebrities such as William Shatner, Stan Lee, Scott Bakula, Tom Felton, Jon Bernthal, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and WWE® Superstars CM Punk™ and John Cena®, notable artists Carlos Pacheco, George Pérez, Greg Capullo and dozens of others will attend what is shaping up as the biggest Wizard World show ever and the Midwest’s No. 1 Pop Culture Convention.

Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, produced by Wizard World, Inc. (WIZD.PK), will bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, comics, toys, video gaming, television, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more.

For more on the 2012 Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, visit http://www.wizardworld.com/home-ch.html.

About Wizard World:
Wizard World produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate graphic novels, comic books, movies, TV shows, gaming, technology, toys and social networking. The events often feature celebrities from movies and TV, artists and writers, and events such as premieres, gaming tournaments, panels, and costume contests.

The full event schedule can be found at www.wizardworld.com.

***** SAVE THE 2012-13 DATES *****
August 9-12, 2012 – Wizard World Chicago Comic Con
September 29-30, 2012 – Wizard World Ohio Comic Con
October 26-28, 2012 – Wizard World Austin Comic Con
November 30 - December 2, 2012 – Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con
TBD, 2013 – Wizard World Toronto Comic Con
May 30 - June 2, 2013 – Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con

#    #    #

Can you Network too much?

Yes, you can network too much.

Plain and simple. This goes against all rules of marketing, sales, public relations, Blog Conference Speakers, etc. You can Network too much. Cyber Network that is.

Network forums, communities, clubs Oh My!

Just because there is an online community doesn’t mean it will help you and your goals. I made the mistake when I first started blogging by joining every Blogging Community out there. Add to my daily writing, maintaining my sites, and Twitter and Facebook shout-outs, I needed to show movement on all the sites I joined to gain exposure. Guess what I noticed? The same people are on every site! As time went on I got bogged down by the topics on the forums and my focus on my online presence through my sites was neglected. It hurt to play catch up. My readership and followers did not increase exponentially in accordance to my involvement in these groups.  Yep, a big waste of time.

What should you do?

Know your niche and target market.

Look at the available forums, skim through them as a guest to see what type of activity is happening. Message longtime members and ask if their membership helped their business. Go through membership lists and quickly tally the percentage of active members. Having 20,000 members with only a few hundred active ones does not make for a good networking op. Join one or two of your niche’s networking groups online and commit to be active on them weekly.

Have a Twitter Presence!

Twitter is a quick and effective tool to hone in on your target audience and drive activity to your site. Of course, keep it real. Tweet interesting articles you find in your niche, ask questions to your target audience, and always, always, always tweet links to your newest posts.

Do not bait and switch your followers! Your links should not be the ones that require the reader to enter their information to receive the article or “special gift”. You will get un-followed or worse, blocked. If your 140 characters peaked my interest, I want to click on a link that will bring me directly to what you tweeted about. Satiate my interest, don’t turn it bitter.

Go outside!

Virtual networking is great for our virtual world, but human contact is still needed! Look for a group or club in your area that first and foremost interests you. If it interests you, it interests its other members, and what you have to offer has a stronger chance of interesting them as well.

MeetUp.com is a great site to find like minded groups in your area. Get away from your computer and sit face to face with your target market. Develop relationships built not around the computer but around you. There is something still to be said about a firm handshake and looking people in the eye. You’ll be surprised at how invigorated and motivated you are to get back to your computer and work once you’ve connected with people away from your office.

I Practice what I Preach

Yes I am practicing what I preach. I have cancelled memberships in redundant networking sites for my niche. I maintain active Twitter and Facebook accounts. Meeting face to face is my newest endeavor and am enjoying it immensely!

Let someone else do your online networking

For my clients I approach networking the same way.

If you are still on the fence about all this virtual networking, online brand platform, etc. I can help you. I develop your web presence in social media and maintain it until you reach a point where you can take over. My services are great for those just starting out and have more pressing issues to handle daily (like filling orders, writing chapters for your next novel, fine tuning your business plan, adding more content to your blog, etc.). If you are overwhelmed with balancing networking and working, contact me, I can help!

Let's cut through the perfect parenting crap

My daughter is out of control. This "phase" is not good and I see it coming to either she or me surviving it. Commence seeking help on Mom Boards. Gag!

That's right, gag me with a freaking hot iron.

"meet eye to eye and explain to her that her behavior is not acceptable""
ignore her""take away her toys""put her in time out for 4 minutes then ask if she understands why she was there". 

Really? That's all you got for me? Well guess what? These parenting approaches may work in your world but in mine...not one f'n bit! 

This is why I see a happy helper. To help me be a parent that I did not have as a good example. When B tells me no my life flashes and I recall a hand slapping my face, then my ass, then dragging me down the hall to my room (it was extra special when I was dragged against the stucco wall, left some great "impressions"), then throwing me on my bed and finally a finger in my face rebuking the devil out of me, sometimes shoving me on the bed and then walking away or on better days grabbing the leather belt and finishing the ass whooping all while she screamed for me to "stop contradicting me". Yep, that's the example I had. So, how does someone with only that as an example handle a typical smart ass'd 4 year old without doing the only thing she knows a parent does?

Well, the only solution I have right now is keeping her in her room until her father comes home and me going to mine to cry until there are no more tears to cry and the guilt sets in that treated my daughter like crap, the daughter I would die for, the daughter that is my life, the daughter who is just being a kid.

How to Re-purpose Flavored Love Lotion

Yep, flavored love lotion and the way my mind works

It has been one of those days. My daughter and I have been butting heads ALL FREAKING DAY, it is hot as Hades, the humidity is doing wonders with my arthritis, I have been questioning my life purpose, and have lost my passion for whatever my passion is.

About Passion...Fruit

This afternoon as I Cinderella-ishly  cleaned the kitchen (wondering if this is what my life is going to be forever) my darn cute dogs were under foot. They licked up every food morsel that made it's way to the floor as I sluggishly wiped the surfaces while dreaming of being saved by a fairy godmother.

As I sprayed my all purpose cleaner on the front of the stove with one dog mere inches from it, the oddest, yet most genius idea hit me. I blurted "how perfect!" as I stood to bask in my most enchanting concept to date.

Here's the idea: I bet if I spray every surface of my kitchen with edible sex lube and let the dogs have at it, my kitchen will be licked spotless! The dogs will have a delicious treat while working out and I will have automated my cleaning. Fab, right?

I told you it was that type of day  

Maybe I will go get a book or a stiff drink to get me out of this funk...or maybe my kitchen will smell like "Passionate Passion Fruit" in the morning.

Tell me, isn't this a great idea?

MyGofer: This Mom's Shopping Heaven!

I hate going shopping with a kid in a car seat

Oh, 10 years ago those words would have never been typed by my hands. Four years ago, with a newborn baby in a carrier life was still easy-peasy. Today, with a 4 year old. Yes! Getting in and out of the car is a pain in the rear when toting a toddler/preschooler. Yes, she can buckle herself in her car seat now. Yes, she can climb into the car herself. Yes, she can walk along side me in the store. Yes, it is a pain in the rear. I won't go into further details, in fear of ruining this same revelation to new moms with babies that so far are all like "I can still do what I want, when I want, and just as easy as before baby".

A Drive-thru for Moms

Monday I experienced my motherly dream. A one-stop store that has a drive-thru. MyGofer. I read about the concept of the store when it was first being introduced, a Service Merchandise type model for Sears. As a marketer I just tossed this aside as a last ditch effort on Sears's part to stay treading the water. Every time I pass the only brick and mortar MyGofer in Joliet, the parking lot is empty and there are no people I see going in or out. How is Sears affording to keep this store open?

One Tweet & A New World Opened Up

Last week I tweeted "Doe anyone shop at MyGofer?" BAM, less than 5 minutes later Jonathon replies offering to send me there to experience it myself. Well, heck yeah, sign me up! Without his reply I probably would continue to drive by the store wondering.

Easy to get my Stuff

According to MyGofer.com

mygofer is a new way to shop that makes it easy to get the stuff you need—where, when and how you want it. Order online. Have it delivered. Pick it up at your favorite store. Whatever is most convenient for you.

At mygofer, your list is our command. Shop with us for your prescriptions, groceries, beauty products, clothes, shoes, electronics and a whole lot more you might not expect. So whatever is on your list, we can help you get it—with incredible speed and no hassles. That's convenience.

Speed? No Hassles? Convenience? You had me at "drive-thru".  Monday morning I got online to order some basic essentials: Bleach and Vinegar. See, stuff like that I really don't want to trek the kid in and out of stores for.  At first the website was a bit confusing to navigate but I got the hang of it. 


I received an email notification that my order was ready for pick-up so away we went. Side note: I chose to go inside this trip to see what MyGofer was really all about. Next trip, drive thru only baby! The store is set up as a showroom with computer terminals everywhere. If you didn't place your order online, you can still shop! Go to an in-store terminal, place your order, then go to the pick-up area for the order to be brought out. 

Eggs, Milk, TVs

There was a sale sign outside "Eggs $.49/dozen" "Milk $1.81/gal". WHAT? While waiting for my bleach I placed an order for 20 dozen of eggs. Without a blink my friendly associate placed the order and the eggs were brought to the counter. He asked if I wanted to pull my car up so he could load it! How fun! Then I got down to brass tacks with him. Why are there so few cars in the lot? Here's a brief recap:

• The majority of traffic for the business is Drive-thru. Mostly Moms who don't want to get out of the car with kids and Folks who placed orders while at work and swing by after to pick up. The drive thru gets hopping after 5pm.
• They have been there 4 years and each year business has increased.
• Yes, you can order a TV and groceries and pick them up through the drive-thru.
• Twice a day the MyGofer drivers go around to their associate stores to fulfill orders.
• They are a concierge business for everyone. No need to be in W.A. Buffett's tax bracket for this personal service.

Experience my Dream

Really, I totally encourage you to try MyGofer.com. You'll save time, money, energy, and your sanity! 

*I received an e-gift from MyGofer to try the place out for myself and give it a shout-out online. All opinions are my own.