Guitar Hero Country Music

I am one of the biggest Guitar Hero fans you will see. I might not be able to play Dragonforce Through the Fire and Flames, but I can play a lot of songs on expert. I have heard some rumors recently, but nothing that has seemed to pan out. I love country music and I would love to play Guitar Hero Country Music edition. I wonder if they are even planning on making it. A couple of songs that come to mind that would be good for the game would be “Rock My World Little Country Girl” by Brooks N Dunn. If you can think of any other songs that would be great for this game please leave a comment. I have absolutely no power, nor do I know anyone high up in the Activision food chain, but with enough interest, maybe they will take notice and make a great Guitar Hero Country Music game!

Pay Off Your Mortgage

One of the big issues that caiused the recession we are in, and hopefully getting out of, is the housing market. Many people have had to foreclose on their homes due to job loss, or possibly an increasing payment due to the ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage) that they signed up for. Now is the time to place yourself in a great situation if you have the ability. Paying off your mortage early by paying extra principal can add equity to your home. This money can be used down the road if you get into a jam. Here is an article on a few easy ways to pay off your mortgage earlier than the planned amortization schedule.


How to Pay Off Your Mortgage Faster

STOCK MARKET HITS YEARLY HIGH!!!

Today the stock market is as high as it has been all year, and that makes me feel wonderful. I am far from retirement, but I had a lot of my retirement fund in high risk stocks and I lost a lot of money. I actually have sold a few stocks lately and made a little money! It feels great! I do not know if I would call this a bull market, but things are certainly starting to look better. From what I have read, unemployment had an unexpected drop and a lot of companies are starting to post pretty good profits, many much better than expected. Maybe we are getting out of this bear market and recession and it is time to start making money again! Here are a few articles on buying stocks that you may want to check out:

How to Buy Stock Direct From a Company and Make Money

How to Buy Stocks That Will Make Money

How to Get More Traffic to Your Blog

I have been blogging for a long time. I definitely do not consider myself an expert as the first blog I started was a washout and failure. This time I am trying something a little different. I want to make sure that what I blog about is interesting and informative, and in some cases, good entertainment. This way I can get lots of traffic to my blog so people can find out what is going on in my thick skull. One easy I am trying this time is to periodically check Yahoo's main webpage. At the bottom right corner of the page is a box labeled "Today's Top Searches". It is a quick way to learn what Yahoo users are searching for, and there may be something in that list you feel passionate about, or can write about. Doing this is one way to increase traffic to your blog. Also, although I am guilty of getting lazy, you must post as often to your blog as you can, maybe even everyday. Keep fresh material on your blog. Remember, the news changes everyday. If it didn't, nobody would watch it.

Use Your Grill All Year Around

Summer is almost over, but that doesn’t mean you should put your grill away. Even though we are coming up on colder temperatures in the next few months, you can still have an indoor barbecue. Just don’t grill inside, especially with charcoal. That can be very bad for your health. The heat from the grill will keep you warm, and trust me, the smell of searing meat on a grill smells just as good in the cold of winter as it does in the heat of summer. Check out some of these grilling recipes I have put together for your cookout.

How to Grill a Pork Tenderloin

How to Grill Chicken Kabobs

How to Grill the Perfect Hamburger or Cheeseburger

Barack Obama is at the helm and the big thing he is trying to push through now is healthcare reform. I think most people can agree that reform is needed. We cannot continue at our current rate or the cost of healthcare will bankrupt our government. However, some of the changes that are currently in the bill certainly need to be changed. If a public option exists, what is to stop companies from dropping their private insurance they offer their employees to save money? Will this affect small businesses? How much will it cost in the short term? All of these questions have yet to be answered and the initial bill that has been released is full of stipulations I completely disagree with. Part of the problem is also that politicians will not work together. Right now Democrats have control in the Senate and White House, so Republicans are doing everything they can to make them look bad instead of coming to the table to work together and come up with a viable option. In a way, however, I cannot blame them as if you read how the bill is currently written, I can bet you over 90% of Americans would not vote for it until some changes are made. This is not a way for me to poke at Democrats, this is my poke at the whole system. Let's all work together and come to a conclusion that a vast majority agree on that will be beneficial to this great country we live in!

Zac Brown Band Live

I have been to quite a many concerts, but few have been better than going to see the Zac Brown Band at Coyote Joe's in Charlotte, NC. It has been two months since going, but I came across this picture on my phone and it reminded me of the event. These guys are awesome! I even heard a rendition of Charlie Daniels Devil Went Down to Georgia on the guitar! If these guys are coming to a venue near you, I recommend you see them. This is by far the best Country music concert I have even beer to, and maybe the best concert ever! I cannot wait until these guys come nearby me again so I can go down a few cold ones and hear some awesome country music.

Here is a link to their official website.

Stewart Cink Beats Tom Watson in Playoff at Open Championship

Boy was I wrong about Tiger Woods. It is not often that he does not make a cut for a major, and a 59 year old possibly winning a major. Unfortunately, however, Stewart Cink beat Tom Watson in the playoff to win the Open Championship, his first major title. I was really rooting for Watson, as his win would make him the oldest player in PGA Tour history to win a major by some 11 or 12 years (I believe the oldest was 48). In any event, it was another exciting weekend in the golf world and cannot wait for next weekend!

Photo above from PGA TOUR Official Website

British Open and Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods did not have the best day of his life. He struggled all day and finished at one over par. However, Miguel Jimenez did not struggle as he birdied holes 17 and 18 on his way to a final round 64, or six under. Does Tiger have what it takes to make a comeback from a seven stroke difference after day one? That will be up to Friday and the rest of the weekend to decide, but as for my guess, I think he will win his 15th major and come one more closer to the most coveted record in golf, Jack's 18 major wins. For more information on the Open Championships (which used to be called the British Open) and to view the full leaderboard follow the link below.

http://www.opengolf.com/ChampionshipGolf/TheOpenChampionship.aspx

Professional Bowlers Are Really Good

I have been an avid bowler nearly all my life. I have been bowling for close to 25 years. After all that time I finally realized part of my dream and became a professional bowler. I thought I was awesome. The first PBA tournament I bowled in was a PBA regional in Surfside Beach, SC. In the qualifying round, I shot 1564 over a span of 8 games and missed the cut by only 21 pins. I thought I was the man. Now, I have bowled in 9 total tournaments, I only average a little less than 180, and I have never made a cut or made money. The problem that most people do not realize is that the PBA bowls under different conditions you bowl on in your typical house shot league. Most typical house shots have around 40 feet of oil and are very forgiving. You can actually miss your target by quite a bit and your bowling ball be redirected to the pocket and strike. This is actually inflating your average quite a bit. When bowling on a PBA pattern, you do not have this luxury and spare shooting becomes a must. Bottom line, you are not going to strike near as much on a PBA pattern. Also, spare shooting becomes more difficult as your bowling ball reacts differently on different parts of the lane, and the typical way you shoot at a corner pin can make you miss drastically if you try and hook your bowling ball to pick it up. Do not think that just because you average over 200 you can beat the guys that bowl on Sundays on ESPN. I can promise you they are better than you think. If you do not believe me, go to Youtube and search for trick shot videos from the PBA tour guys. What they can do with a bowling ball is none other than amazing. If you really want to get better, you need to learn about bowling ball characteristics, how you should layout your bowling ball, what type of surface to use, how to play the lanes, and a whole lot more if you want to be a successful PBA bowler. Good luck if you have the same dream as me to hopefully one day be bowling for a PBA Tour title!

To read more about bowling, check out my bowling blog here!

Judge Sotomayor Hearing

One of the major headlines in news recently is the appointment of Judge Sotomayor by President Barack Obama, and what this means for the Supreme Court Justice. Of all the reasons that I have heard why she should not be confirmed, the one that stands out the most is her stance on the Second Amendment of the Constitution. This amendment gives all American citizens the right to bear arms. Her statement was that this Amendment is a federal and fundamental right, but states and local governments can exercise reasonable restrictions to this right when deemed necessary. This scares many people into thinking that she has the power to take your right away, but this is not the case. This statement is already in place in the example that a convicted felon is not allowed to have a gun. I do not know how you feel, but if someone is a convicted felon that has committed crimes such as armed robbery, or possibly worse, that they are not allowed to purchase a gun when they get out of prison. I feel this is an extreme case where you have lost your right to bear arms through your own actions. I feel in now way that she would allow any state to infringe on your right to bear arms if you are a law abiding citizen. I am not stating that I have made my final decision on whether she is the right person for the job, but I do believe that the Second Amendment is not a valid argument to her confirmation.

Erin Andrews Hit By Foul Ball

Who is not in love with Erin Andrews? How can you go wrong with a well-spoken, knowledgeable sports caster that looks like she should be walking the red carpets instead? Well, unfortunately last night, she was struck in the face with a foul ball hit from Alex Cora in the fourth inning, giving me yet another reason to hate the Mets. Fortuantely she is ok, her only injury a bruise on her chin. College football on Saturday would just not be the same without her colorful commentary and beautiful face.

Photo is courtesy of http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com

Steve McNair Murdered

The sports world was greatly saddened last week when Steve McNair was discovered dead. He was an amazing quaterback with the Tennessee Titans and almost converted me to a fan. When first reported, I think most people assumed he had been murdered and girlfriend Sahel Kazemi had killed herself, having bad financial reasons as a possible motive for the shooting. I have been through my share of rough times, but I am not sure what could be going through your mind that would make you murder someone you care about, and then take your own life. Maybe I have just not been in the same situation as she had, and I certainly mourn the losses for the family of both. I guess what I am saying is that I wish someone could have helped her before she made that tragic decision. Anyone out there who are having thoughts like she was having should seek help before it's too late.

Sarah Palin Resigns as Alaska Governor

Sarah Palin has officially resigned as Governor of Alaska on July 3rd, 2009. Many are calling this a bad move for her career, as she was possibly a front runner for the Presidential Race in 2012. As a conservative, I was pretty excited when she hit the front pages of local and national newspapers across the nation, but the Republicans have had some pretty bad luck in the last election. With Sarah Palin now possibly out of the picture, who will be the savior of the Republican Party? Your guess right now is as good as mine, however, I doubt Rush Limbaugh is the answer we are looking for. Here is a copy of the story from the Washington Post:

Sarah Palin Resigns

The Lonely Island

If you are anything like me, sometimes a great video on Youtube can really turn a day around. For this reason, I often frequent the official Youtube site of The Lonely Island. They are some of the funniest guys around. Here is a list a few of my favorite vidoes they have produced:

Like A Boss

I'm On A Boat

We Like Sportz

Jizzed In My Pants

Motherlover

The Bu

If you are in need for a good laugh, visit their official Youtube site and look at all their videos by following the below link

The Lonely Island @ Youtube

And check out this link for more funny videos!

Most Amazing Golf Shot Ever by Phil Mickelson

I have seen some pretty cool things in my days, especially when watching golf on Sunday while lounging around on my couch. However, I have never seen anything quite like what Phil does in this Video. You have to check this out if you like golf!

Backwards Golf Shot

Worst Job Ever

Have you ever wondered who has the worst job in the world? Well I found the poor unfortunate soul who has the absolute worst job ever. Check this funny video out!



And check out this link for more funny videos!

Trying to Make Money Online

There are tons of different ways to make money online, from filling out surveys, to writing “how to” articles, or to writing articles in any format. I have spent the last two years of my life trying to find the magic formula for making money. I have not figured it out yet, but I am not giving up. A good friend of mine has written an EBook on how he makes money online, and it is filled with great information. If you would like a copy of his FREE EBook, follow this link:

Nethopperz EBook

In my experience, I have had the best experience with two sites. They are Ehow and Bukisa. Ehow is a site where you simply write articles in a “how to” format and they provide Adsense, among other advertisements, and give you a portion of the revenue they make. A link to my Ehow profile can be found here:

Clark711 Ehow Profile

Bukisa is a site that works similar, but you can write articles in a “how to” format, or any other format, post videos, or audio clips and they pay you per unique page impression. They also use a revenue sharing model that when people sign up under your referral link, they match a portion of the income they make and give it to you. This is also a great way to make money online. A link to my Bukisa profile can be found here:

If you have any other ways to make money, please do not be shy! If we work together, maybe we can quit our day jobs and sit back and earn easy money!