Re-Defined Life

The Cupcake Dance

My sister's art project--the assignment was to involve the non-art community.

The whole thing is brilliant, I think.

So Enjoy.

I'm Ready. Oh, Am I Ready.

A few times in my life I've been at a loss for words.

Yesterday I got a call from my dream job, a job I interviewed for over a month ago. Before I knew Holly. Before I was in Denver very much. At a company that does advertising for places. Cities. Communities. Places.

The job is perfect for me. Multi-tasking. Incorporating so many of my skills. Working directly with people and being involved in the technical. Content management. Class enrollment. Client conversations.

And the company. is. amazing.

So far I'm impressed with the people (I interviewed with two), the website, and their focus. I love that they're about places. How much of my life has been spent promoting places? Think Re-Defined Denver. Think all the speaking engagements to recruit volunteers in Africa. In Asia. All over the world. Think my travel writing.

I wish I could express the magnitude of my feelings about this. I'm so grateful. So happy. So ready to work my little ass off. This is exactly what I've wanted. For so long.

And I'm ready.

Oh am I ready.

Love, Gigi

BTism: Poligitics

BT Regarding Romney's politics:

"Well, I feel like he keeps saying all the right things. Never makes a mistake. But then once he gets into office it's going to be BOOM--wives for everyone!"

This Just In!

I've been featured as a blogger for hire on bloggerjobs.biz. What shall come of it, I do not yet know.

Re-Defined Denver Hits 100 A Day

So much of my time, as of late, has been spent learning about internet marketing and website traffic. There's so much to SEO, tagging, directories, communities, and knowing the right avenues in which to market your blog/website.

I've been aware of/versed in E-marketing for years, but with the advent of Re-Defined Denver my hands on experience has grown substantially. Since the first entry, on November 3rd, Re-Defined Denver has seen its traffic quintuple. Then, this week, that quintupled number nearly doubled.

We're being linked to in message boards and on forums. We're making spots 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 on google with amazing consistancy. And the consistancy of bookmarking/return hits is on an upward climb.

The keys to this are simple and yet so important. If you're planning on doing any blogging/e-business of your own you may want to pay attention:

1. Consistant and quality content. I update the blog almost daily (occasionally when I'm traveling or taking a Sunday off I skip one day. But that's it. One day) and pay attention to the content I'm providing. What does my readership want to hear about? New Years Eve parties in Denver, where they can find Christmas Eve services, how good is the Wasabi Sushi bar in Belmar. Making sure your content fits your readers and is always updated is incredibly important.

2. SEO. Search Engine Optimization doesn't have to mean your content suffers. It means that you know how search engines work and you pay attention to what they will see on your page. If you are writing an entry about New Year's Eve in Denver, mention "New Year's Eve" and "Denver" multiple times. But don't overwhelm your content and bore your reader with the word repetition. Just make sure the search engines know what your entry is about.

3. Community. Community Community. Giving out business cards to people I meet. Emailing that Denver newbies group I went to. Posting on Craigslist. And offerring answers to Denverites questions in forums, message boards, and facebook groups all contribute greatly to the website's success. This gets people to your site. The content, as mentioned above, keeps them coming back.

4. Finally, I would like to add that it is easier to climb to the top when there isn't much or any competition. When I moved to Denver I identified a need. A need for events and venues in one place. A need for constantly updated information about what is going on in Denver. A need for an event calendar that wasn't just paid advertisements, but an accurate reflection of all Denver's goings on. And because I saw that need and made it my goal to meet it, the traffic keeps flowing. People want the same answers I wanted. And now I can provide those.

In addition to the blog's exciting growth, I'm also seeing my own professional growth stem from this. My last freelance writing gig came from the blog. My most recent interviews have all found Re-Defined Denver's skills at their forefront. And the enhancement of marketing on this blog will transfer incredibly well into the web design gig that I am potentially (hopefully) taking on in January.

Acrobatics, Antics, and Amiable Asians

Monday.

I was sitting in my favorite coffee shop writing blog content, searching jobs, and drinking white peony tea. I had been browsing through the writing gigs and writing jobs sections on Denver Craigslist when I had the sudden inkling to check out the personals.

I get those inklings sometimes.

So, on that whim, I clicked on "Strictly Platonic" and let my eye wander down the page. Amidst the requests for pot smoking buddies, the misguided men and women who don't understand that platonic doesn't mean NSA sex, and the activity buddies I came across one ad that stopped me in my tracks.

"Want to go to the Cirque with me?"

Yes. Hell yes.

I opened the ad and, thrillingly, it was true. The writer had tickets in the second row for that night's Cirque show. A friend had flaked and he was hoping someone interesting and intelligent would join him for the Cirque.

It was too good to be true, and I expected that he already had tons of responses. But I wrote anyway.

And he wrote me back.

And I went to the Cirque Du Soleil. I hadn't been in years, desperately wanted to go again, almost went to Paris this summer just to see it again, and there it was--free and staring me in the face.

I thrilled at the acrobatics. Laughed at the antics. And made a new friend. James: who has traveled the world, is multi-lingual, is new to Denver, wants to be a philanthropist, and a great listener.

Lately I feel blessed at the ridiculousness that is my life. Every day.

You're Trying in Vain

You're cold that way and that's why you say the things that you say. You can't attract the things that you lack: you're trying in vain.

You spiral down. You've broken your crown.  You don't feel like a queen. You've seen the proof, but you're still crying wolf. You'll never believe.

Try to climb a broken ladder. Grip the missing rungs and fall down down down down. Seems some time ago you said "this wouldn't last" and now you sit here crying.

Beside your bed you feel left for dead. You kneel in the dark.

It takes more than your saline eyes to make things right.

It seems its always the crazy times you find you wake up and realize...

-Crazy Times, Jars of Clay

This week in Arvada, at a YWAM campus, a young man shot four staff members. Two died. A young girl and a young guy. Two were injured. It's sickening and heartbreaking. Sickening and heartbreaking.

But what bothered me most of all was people's nonchalance and disrespect. The other night I was out with a group of people. They were interesting and cool people and I actually really liked them...except that (not speaking for the whole group, just a few) of them lacked respect, lacked consideration, made my heart sink.

The shooting came up (not brought up by me, by the way) and all that came of it was Christians being made fun of throughout the night. Because they're judgmental, supposedly. They weren't making fun of the shooting, but their nonchalant discussion of it and continued hating on religious persons throughout the night bothered me. Can't we care about each other, even though we're different? Isn't that what you believe in? Isn't that why you claim to be angry with the church? Then why are you the ones hating?

The people who consider themselves open-minded were the ones closing out anything but their own opinions. I asked how they could be angry with people for trying to convince them of something when all they wanted to do was convince those people right back. The guy laughed and said "because I'm right and they aren't." Then you're doing the thing you claim makes them so wrong. The pushiness.

Judgmental Christians, they said. But they were the judges.

Hypocrisy runs both ways.

Don't get me wrong. I really liked them. I like their personalities. I liked their humorous approach to life. I liked their upbeat and ready for anything approaches. I like that they crusade for things. That they care about the environment. That they travel. Etc. But I wish they would stop hating. Stop putting people in a box. Whatever you believe and whoever you are--no one wants to live inside someone else's preconceived ideas.

If you know me you know I have my own issues with the church. But people are people are people. Church people or not. We're all just people. And we're all trying to figure it out.

Love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus said that. And why do we all ignore him?

The First Time I Fell In Love (With Shoes)

All I want for Christmas. Is some GORGEOUS $50 red shoes (that's actually half off. I know.). In size 7. By Frank Sarto. Pictured above.

And a haircut.

But the shoes are far more important.

(I know I've become totally high maintenence now...)

BadCats and the Poop Fiasco

Holly: So I got back from my trip and I went into the bathroom and there was poop smeared in the bathtub.

Gigi: hahaha, oh no!

Holly: I was like "uh uh," so I looked at the cats and said, "you know, somebody pooped in my bathtub. And I know that none of my friends would do that..."

Gigi: Actually, I forgot to mention. I have a little bit of a problem...

Holly: Haha. So I picked up Sake and there was poop all stuck up in her paws. So I filled the sink with water and stuck her feet in. Her tail got in too, but that wasn't my fault. If she is going to put her tail down with her feet that's her own problem.

Do What You Love

I've had the best kind of week. While there's still no guarenteed full time work, I'm still solitarily confined in the mountains, and I've still got some little amount of anxiety about this job search--this week has really brought my mood and confidence up.

1) Re-Defined Denver, my blog project here in Colorado is starting to make top five entries on google searches. Look up Wasabi Sushi Bar in Denver. We're entry number ONE. Try Cherry Creek Masquerade Ball. We rank third on the page. And, of course, when you type in Re-Defined Denver we have spots one and two on the page covered. Six weeks of existance and already we're ranking. That's awesome, and I must say quicker than I anticipated upon starting the blog.

2) In addition to being happily googlized, Re-Defined Denver has experienced a jump in web traffic every week since it began. We've quintupled our daily hits. Been contacted by local businesses about ads and write-ups. And added an email subscription feature, so the information is even easier for the locals to get.

3) I finished a freelance project this week and had the most positive feedback I've gotten on my freelance work. I'm now scheduled to write another couple articles for their webpage launch and once it's launched I'll have an ongoing relationship with them.

I love this, because the articles were on topics that I enjoy, the people I've been in contact with at the company are absolutely fantastic, and the potential for ongoing work with them is really exciting.

4) My main portfolio site Re-Defined.info has also seen an impressive upswing of live hits. November was its biggest month ever and, if December keeps up at this pace, it will double November's numbers. In six days, December has already beat the numbers of seven of 2007's months (not added together, but seperately). It is also already more than one third of November's numbers.

I'm truly in awe of how well all of this is going. I love writing. I love it more than anything. And I love that freelance work is coming through, the my websites are making breakthroughs, and that there's more on the line. More to come.

Gigi