I’m a full-time writer / affiliate marketer / marketing consultant, so there’s quite a bit of variety in the tasks you’d be doing.  The basic traits I’m looking for are:

• Reasonably good English skills. It doesn’t have to be your first language, but if you slip “ur” and “thx” into your professional correspondence, this isn’t a good fit.  You should be comfortable writing quick letters and articles as needed.
• Basic computer and internet skills. It’s a bonus if you understand basic HTML, but as long as you don’t need to be taught too much about how to do basic internet research, upload files via email, etc., there shouldn’t be any problems.
• Responsibility.  I’m flexible on a lot of things.  I don’t care if you have an obscene facial tattoo and you’re working from a boat in the middle of the ocean while sunbathing nude…as long as you’re able to meet deadlines and get tasks done.

Things you’d be doing:

• Web research
• Making lists in Excel according to specific criteria
• Locating contact details for websites
• Contacting sites or individuals on my behalf
• Writing short articles, guides, or letters
• Filtering emails and responding where necessary
• Posting articles to Wordpress blogs

Because I’m never quite sure where I’m going to be, it’s best if you have a PayPal or Google Checkout account to receive payments.   You’ll be an independent contractor, and we’ll start out with an initial 2-3 week trial period. Salary will depend on qualifications.

If you’re interested, email me at stefaniehutson (at) gmail dot com.

I’ve been getting ready to move, and in one of my boxes, I found an old book of party games from 1940.  I remember the book from my childhood (in the 1980s, not 1940s), as I used to spend hours combing the pages for games that I could play with my little sisters.  Incidentally, I was really lucky to have two sisters, as most of the games wouldn’t have worked with just one.

Anyway, I thought I’d share a couple of the games, given how silly most of them seem now.  It’s hard to believe that any of these were ever termed “Party Games for Adults & Juniors”.   If you’re looking for a zany good time, you should try a few…

The Complete Book of Games by Clement Wood & Gloria Goddard: Some games have been shortened because I’m too lazy to type all their examples.

Game 1: Nut Questionnaire -

Provide silly questions.  Score is given for the cleverest answer in each case.   ***This game reminds me very much of Rudy Vallee’s “Kitty From Kansas City” - the part where he’s saying things like “She thought Rudy Vallee was a place between two hills…”  Watch the video here for a good laugh.***

Possible questions:

Who killed the Dead Sea?

Why is the Fourth of July?  (Y is the 4th letter of July)

Who is the Admiral of the Swiss navy?

Which is the other side of the street?

What is the diameter of a square?

Game 2: Advertising Slogans -

Provide each guest with a list of 20 or more familiar advertising slogans to be identified.  Such as: Ask the man who owns one. (Packard.)  Eventually, why not now? (Chase and Sanborn’s Coffee.) Be nonchalant; light a _____. (Murad Cigarettes.)  Not a cough in a carload. (Old Gold Cigarettes.)  Just a real good car. (Dodge.)  Keep that schoolgirl complexion. (Palmolive Soap.)  Your best friend won’t tell you. (Listerine.)

Game 3: Big Game Hunt -

Animals crackers are hidden in the room or the house. The couple who finds the largest number wins; or the crackers may be numbered, and the numbers added to determine the winner.  After the crackers are found, have the guests each select their favorite animals; each one is then asked to imitate the noise of the one he has chosen.

Game 4: Honeymoon Breakfast, Embarrassing Moments -

The guests are paired. Each pair draws from a container a slip containing instructions to act out or represent some embarrassing moment.  As:

The first honeymoon breakfast - and no eggs.

The old maid finds the burglar under her bed.

She is trying to make Him propose.

She goes to dinner with Him - and meets hubby.

These may be amusing, or embarrassing.  The acting must be pantomime, but wordless sounds, such as laughter, may be used.  The other players try to guess the situation being acted.  The correct guesser scores one. If no one guesses, the actors score 1 each. High score for the evening wins.  (**Does this really create the right kind of incentive for the actors??)

Now, she can enjoy the security of knowing that she’ll always have her name as a domain.  At present, it’s just an empty page with a countdown to the wedding.  She’s a pre-k teacher,  so she may want to put up a personal introduction for parents of her students, an album of her family and future kids, or even a professional site if she ever decides to write a book or pursue a different career.

Buying the domain for her made me wonder, though - at what point it is acceptable to buy the domain for a future married name?  If you’re serious about your web presence and you want to ensure that you always control the .com version of your name, you may not want to wait around through a couple years of dating to make sure your domain will still be there.

So - is it completely insane to check on domain availability or even make a purchase if you’ve been on a few promising dates with a guy whose last name is something like Brown, Johnson, or Smith?  Should you wait for an official engagement?  Or would you just register the domain with privacy protection and hope your future husband never stops to wonder how you managed to acquire such a great domain in the year 2012?

Anyway, if anyone wants to meet up and say hi, feel free to send me a message on Twitter or e-mail me at stefaniehutson (at) gmail.com.  In the meantime, enjoy this Englebert video from a 1982 concert at the Las Vegas Hilton.  How can you not smile when you’re watching this?

Anyway, while I may have kicked the 9-5 habit, most of the people I know haven’t - so I’m going to enjoy them while they have time off.  The site will still be here when I get back.