LA area deals for Valentine's & beyond!

Still need Valentine's gift or just need a vacation? Here's a few more I found online. Get 'em soon. You know this stuff sells out! They all expire within 5-6 days from 1/30/12. Local deals are from Los Angeles area. I'll post new deals soon. :) Share any new sites I should consider as well! I love a good deal!!

Groupon Mexico vacation deal:

$399 Resort Stay Vouchers (7 days!) – Mexico Coastal Resorts

Seven-Night Stay at Choice of 13 Mexico Resorts

 Weeklong Vacation at 1 of 13 Mexican Destinations!

(http://www.groupon.com/deals/ga-m-resort-stays?utm_campaign=UserReferral&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=uu18723165)




LA Deals, Hawaii:
$309 WAIKIKI GATEWAY HOTEL (expires in 2 days from 1/30)

$309 for 3-night Stay in Ocean View Room for 2 at the Waikiki Gateway Hotel (reg. $520)

(http://dailydeals.latimes.com/r/9971/1/857/twitter)


Jewelry deal:
Blue Nile $50
$100 (Pay $50) or $200 (Pay $100) to Spend on Jewelry with Shipping Included
(http://www.livingsocial.com/deals/250266-100-to-spend-on-jewelry?rui=39619211&ref=tw_share)




Chocolate deal:
Contessa Chocolate Collection $10
Box of Eight Gourmet Chocolates

Pay $10 to receive a voucher for one box of eight gourmet chocolates (a $20 value). 

(http://www.livingsocial.com/deals/237558-box-of-eight-gourmet-chocolates?rui=39619211&ref=tw_share)




Photobook Deal:
$10 Picaboo
20-Page Classic Custom Hardcover Photo Book in Large ($10) or Extra-Large ($20) Format
(http://www.livingsocial.com/deals/227472-customized-20-page-hardcover-photo-book?rui=39619211&ref=tw_share)




Whale Watching Deal:
HARBOR BREEZE CRUISES $30 for 2 (expires 4 days from 1/30)

$30 for Whale Watching Cruise for 2 (reg. $60)

(http://dailydeals.latimes.com/r/9971/1/856/twitter)




Random one - In New York! Great deal! (Expires in 94 hours from 1/30)
Broadway Comedy Club $20

$20 for 2 tickets and 2 drinks at Broadway Comedy Club ($60 Value)

(http://www.voicedailydeals.com/r/2-tickets-and-2-drinks-at-broadway-comedy-club-60-value/x:5454x29464)

Valentine Day deals!

I'm always scouring the internet for bigger and better deals for little bit of money.

Here are a few good deals (in Los Angeles/Valley areas) I found today that will work for your wallet!

You may not be able to use them "day of" (read the fine print) but V-day lasts all week...actually it should be every day!

$49 - Zagat Pick: 3-Course Italian Dinner w/Wine, Reg. $124

(http://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals/Hollywood/Restaurant/10469)

$29 - Temecula Vineyard Tour & Tasting Class, Reg. $150

(http://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals/Los-Angeles/Other/10915)

This one will be great for "starters" or "appetizers" before a night out.

$20 CA WineRoom – Belmont Shore

(http://www.groupon.com/deals/ca-wine-room?utm_campaign=UserReferral&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=uu18723165)

Info: $20 for Tapas Package with Sangria, Wine, or Champagne ($40 Value)

One tapas item (valid for items up to a $15 value) served during the evening.

Patrons can select one of the following tapas:

A cheese plank platter

An olives and almonds plate

A meats and cheese platter

One pitcher of sangria (a $25 value) or one bottle of wine or champagne (valid for bottles up to a $25 value)

This one is the pricey side but it's romantic.

$69 - 3-Hour Limo Winery Tour w/Tastings & Lunch, Reg. $195

(http://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals/Los-Angeles/Other/9844)

This one is same as above but Temecula:

$69 - Temecula: Chauffeured Wine Tour w/Tastings, Reg. $140

(http://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals/Los-Angeles/Other/10917)

Need gift ideas?

1. Spa!

2. Massage!

3. Facials!

4. Meal at home!

5. Beauty Salon deals!

6. Free time away from you (and or kids lol)!

7. Beautiful picture Frame of...kids, family, you both...etc!

8. Flowers - Daisy's! They are a very sweet, romantic flower that are good "just because".

Bring roses (or insert favorite) flower the following week!

What else did you think I was going to say? Lingerie?? Eh No.

Jewelry? Um, unless it's really cool (think Locket- ok maybe that's just me lol), then it's uncreative.

Spa deals:

$39 - Top-Rated Spa: 1-Hour Hot Stone Massage, Reg. $79

(http://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals/San-Fernando-Valley/Spa/10291)

This one on Living Social sounds DIVINE!

Bonita Massage Spa

(http://www.livingsocial.com/deals/212278-30-minute-body-scrub-60-minute-massage-and-more?rui=39619211&ref=tw_share)

Info: $59 30-Minute Body Scrub, 60-Minute Massage, and 35% Off Next Equal-Value Massage

Skin Care by Janice Otis

(http://www.livingsocial.com/deals/144785-one-hour-european-facial-and-microdermabrasion?rui=39619211&ref=tw_share)

$49 One-Hour European Facial and Microdermabrasion

The Body Shop has wonderful scents for lotions as well. It's not high end but it's a good for daily products.

(http://www.livingsocial.com/deals/244116-20-to-spend-on-products?rui=39619211&ref=tw_share)

Info: $10 for $20 to Spend on Products

For your Cigar aficionado's:

StogieBoys

(http://www.livingsocial.com/deals/242486-50-to-spend-on-cigars-and-accessories?rui=39619211&ref=tw_share)

Info: $25 for $50 to Spend Online on Cigars and Accessories!

And just in case you're person is a Sports Fanatic!

Get em a new Jersey/Tshirt/Jacket they've been wanting with this discount!

Fanatics

(http://www.livingsocial.com/deals/241450?rpi=44606604&ref=personalized-link-box-44606604&rui=39619211)

Info: $10 for $20 to Spend on Sports Merchandise

And finally, if all else fails, and you want to celebrate anything...at least have their Car Washed! Detailing is a gooooooood gift :)

$17 / $22 GoGreen Auto Spa

(http://www.livingsocial.com/deals/188192-mini-17-or-delux-22-detail?rui=39619211&ref=tw_share)

Info: Pay $17 (regularly $35) for a Mini Detail, or spend $22 (regularly $45) for a Delux Detail

GoGreen Auto Spa, 14006 Riverside Drive, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

Happy Valentine's! I'll keep posting deals as they come in.

These Websites Are Going Dark to Protest SOPA Wednesday

I will not be tweeting, blogging tomorrow in honor as well. It may kill me but I will be quiet as well. I'm sure I'll cheat and check out the sites but I'll be quiet. LOL. Have Mercy on us all!! It really will be a long way. FYI don't forget Wordpress.org is included in this list!

These Websites Are Going Dark to Protest SOPA Wednesday

Check out the following companies if you are planning on using any of them tomorrow by Zachary Sniderman, for Mashable.com http://mashable.com/2012/01/17/sopa-companies-dark-list/

Update: Even more websites have joined the cause. Find the new results below.

Tech companies are getting ready to black out on Jan. 18 to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its sibling the Protect IP Act (PIPA).

Much has been made of Wikipedia’s promise to “go dark,” or shut down the site, for the day as a way of warning what might happen if SOPA became law. The tech protesters say that SOPA would render any site that included links, even if they were user-submitted, practically unoperable and liable to government take-down. Going dark is a dramatic but not entirely unrealistic warning of what the Internet could look like in a SOPA world.

The blackout is a way to get the two bills into the mainstream by showing people outside the tech industry how their everyday lives could be affected by the bills. Wikipedia isn’t the only company shutting its digital doors according to SOPAStrike.com. It has a (as far as we can tell) full list of the blackout participants.

---

Sites Going Dark on Jan. 18 to Protest SOPA

---

• Imgur
• Tor Project
• Miro
• iSchool at Syracuse University
• Oreilly.com
• Wikipedia
• Reddit
• Mozilla
• WordPress.org
• icanhazCheezburger Network
• MoveOn.org
• Good Old Games
• TwitPic
• Minecraft
• Free Press
• Mojang
• XDA Developers
• Destructoid
• Good.is

SOPAStrike.com also has a dizzyingly large list of sites “rumored” to be going dark though take these entries with a grain of salt considering Twitter and Facebook are both on the list despite saying they will stay online. The site also has resources on how to black out your own site including plug-ins and code such as Zachary Johnson’s STOP SOPA.

CloudFlare, a startup dedicated towards protecting and optimizing websites, has rolled out its own Stop Censorship app that makes it easy for website owners to temporarily black out portions of their sites.

Will the black out make any difference to the fight against SOPA? Would it matter if big companies like Wikipedia and Mozilla had dropped out? Sound off in the comments.

SEE ALSO: Where Do SOPA and PIPA Stand Now?

STOP SOPA Code Turns Any Site Dark to Protest Stop Online Piracy Act

STOP SOPA Code Turns Any Site Dark to Protest Stop Online Piracy Act

Get you code here or below via Mashable: http://mashable.com/2012/01/17/stop-sopa-code-go-dark/

29 minutes ago by Zachary Sniderman

Sites such as Wikipedia and Reddit are going “dark” this Wednesday, Jan. 18, to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) which, critics contend, would compromise the ability of any site that includes outside links to carry on current operations.

Feeling left out? A simple piece of code is helping the entire web (from major sites to even the humblest of Tumblrs) go dark in solidarity. The code, called STOP SOPA, replaces any site’s landing page with a black screen. Using your mouse a flashlight uncovers a message explaining the need to kill SOPA and a link to anti-SOPA site AmericanCensorship.org.

The idea of “Going Dark” is a worst-case scenario protest against SOPA, essentially warning that link-heavy sites such as Reddit and Wikipedia might get shut down, or go dark, if SOPA becomes law.

The STOP SOPA code was created by Zachary Johnson, a developer and Internet enthusiast, out of anger:

I’ve been calling my representatives in Congress, but this gave me another outlet for my frustration with this legislation. I place this code in the public domain. I require no attribution.

You can find the code here and get a sense of what sites will look like before and after application. Make sure you don’t add it until Jan. 18, otherwise your site will prematurely go dark.

Am I old?

My other blog "My Weight Loss Journal" is about my new year's resolution about losing weight and reinventing myself. So far I'm doing great and have managed to lose a little so far. Great for me but as I'm getting back into shape I feel my body, especially my knees, protesting about the walk/jog I'm starting again LOL. Is that due to my bad shape, my shoes or am I getting old? 

Please tell me it's not the latter? The dull pain goes away after I get warmed up and running but it lingers when I'm home stretching. Hmmmm.

Also, we had a party over the weekend and I danced my little heart out. My body ached the next day. I had to refrain from even trying to jog and just kept it to a brisk walk lol. I figure it will eventually go away but it scares me.

Also, I do feel old when it's after 2am and I'm no longer feeling buzzed or drunk but my roommates and bf are and I just want to go to bed. Is that wrong?? LOL. I'm sorry but I'm sooo not with them. I didn't have as much to drink as them since I didn't drink beer and shots like they did. So does that make me the Nana of the group lol. All I wanted to do was go to bed but I wasn't allowed too until 3ish. Oy vey was I sleepy.

All and all though, I had a great weekend. I did have to nap most of Sunday away because again, I can't stay up all night and not pay for it the next day. I'm so going to have to take Monday after Superbowl off for that reason if the Pats make it that far! Good luck to us all in that case :) Crossing fingers!

Bike accessories are in!

Woohoo the last of my bike accessories are in! My beach cruiser is going to look soooooo pretty!!

 I'll add a new pic over the weekend of the completed bike. Tell me if you see any other items I need to add to it!! :)

The 1st "ChasinCaroline" bike is done!

Hello my Hello Kitty!

I need new glasses

Anybody else try this pair out? I'm really interested in this pair Versace Glasses @ Lenscrafters.

Versace

http://www.lenscrafters.com/eyeglasses/14/versace/6602213?date=01112012

My 2nd choice

this last pair might be too cat eye for me?? Any thoughts?

I get to try them all out late next week. I'm excited for a new pair of glasses! It's such a long ordeal since it can make or break your look LOL. Too many choices!!

Update: My current scratched up glasses!

My current glasses

Dance with me :) La vie en rose - Louis Armstrong

This is an absolutely beautiful song. So pure. Don't know why but it really makes me cry and become nostalgic for something...my past...my present...my future?? Not sure but it haunts me lol. Makes me want to waltz too LOL.

One More Disney Day! 24 hrs of Disney!

Can you really stay for a whole 24 hours at Disneyland? You can on Feb. 29, 2012! Leap Year baby! Disneyland will stay open from 6am 2/29 - 6am 3/1. Madness no? Happy, happy, Joy, Joy is all I'm saying lol.

I've had an annual pass off and on for a few years now since moving back to LA from Boston. Yes, I love going there..it really is the happiest place in the world for me. It's a place that imagination can run wild. Where your daily grind doesn't matter. How magical is that? Luckily my bf and his kids share the same love for this place that I do. They are the reason my pass this time lol. My last reason grew up hahaha.

I'm curious to see how the night will play out. Will it be packed round-the-clock? Or will it die down at 2am?? Should be fun to find out. Let's see how long I can go LOL. Will have to pack lots of snacks and sugary drinks haha.

One More Disney Day!

Social media platforms

Great story for all small businesses that have not started their social media campaigns. This will probably be the main story I hand out to any clients (if I start my business lol) on basic networking needed.

Have we become too Social?

Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Instagram, Tango, Path (my new favorite), FourSquare, Voxer, and Google +. These are all different social media platforms that many of us take part in on a daily basis. Sometimes I wonder how I even keep up with it all. Tweeting one second, while updating my status on Facebook and posting a picture on Instagram the next, it can be tiring. From a consumer standpoint, sometimes I feel like there is too much to choose from in terms of being “social”.

From a small business standpoint, I know this brings up the question; what social platforms should we be a part of?

I see a lot of small business pushing the need to be a part of every social media site available for fear of losing out on potential clients and customers. There appears to be some sort of notion that a business can never be “too social”. I beg to differ.

I think we currently live in a society where we are on social media overload and that individuals can choose whether or not to become a total addict (like me) and be apart of everything.

However, It becomes risky business when companies attempt to do so.

I believe that a lot of businesses risk getting overwhelmed when they take on this approach. That is why businesses, small businesses especially, sometimes have a hard time being successful with social media. Instead, they should look to leverage a few social sites in order to really manage and harness the power that social media has to offer.

Here is a brief list of some of the more popular sites a small business might want to be apart of:

• Social Networking Sites (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Google +)
• Creativity Work Sharing Sites (YouTube, Flickr)
• User-sponsored Blogs (Cnet.com)
• Geo-locating Services (FourSquare)
• Online couponing services (Groupon, Living Social)
• Company Sponsored Websites/blogs
• Company Sponsored cause/help sites
• Business Networking Sites (LinkedIn)
• Collaborative Websites (Wikipedia)
• Commerce Communities (eBay, Craigslist, iStockphoto)
• Podcasts (Apple)
• Social Bookmarking Sites (StumbleUpon, del.liio.us)

(List adapted from a Mangold and Faulds research article)

I suggest that a good rule of thumb is to look at all the different sites that are available and only pick one or two sites that best accommodate your small business’ structure and your target audience.

What social media sites have you found to be successful tools for your business?

photo credit: Gavin Llewellyn

Cake Boss: The next great Baker Suicide

I was so sad to learn that one of the bakers, Wesley, that was eliminated on the show committed suicide rather than face "public humiliation". He was not the best baker but other than using a "cake mix" for one of the cake competitions he didn't do anything or had a bad personality that many would disparage him. He wasn't Minerva! Obviously, I don't know any other issues or problems he may have been facing but I just don't understand why he would think this is the only escape? For heaven sake, he was an Iraq war veteran. SMH.

Rest in peace sir.

Wesley Durden of 'Next Great Baker' Dead of Suicide