Hugh Hollowell

Bill Cosby tells a funny (naturally) story about how when his kids were little, they used to think he was lying when he would tell them how mean their Grandparents (his parents) were when he was a boy. After all, Grandma and Grandpa slather them with kisses and presents so why should they believe that once upon a time these same people were evil ogres? The Cos explained that these people are NOT the same people who raised him.

“What you have here” he said “is two old people trying to get into heaven”.

Exactly.

I feel the same way about my Dad. The man who was the disciplinarian, the man who was stern, the man who invented (or so it seemed) the concept of tough love has been replaced by a loving grandpa who rolls on the floor and plays with his Grandson, my nephew Carter.

I tell you, I do not know my parents anymore…

As I wade through my backlog of email, I found out that a letter to the editor I had sent in while I was gone was published. You can read all about it on my other blog.

One of my favorite holiday traditions growing up was watching the Charlie Brown Christmas special. It turns out you can get your own Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

Gawd, I love the internet.

I got back into Raleigh about 1AM this morning. I am back online and have 413(!) emails in my inbox, so if you are waiting on a response to one you sent me, I am working my way through it. I will try to respond to everyone today.

As to why I was offline, I went out of town for the holidays, which in today’s mobile society, should be no big deal at all. However, when your laptop dies a horrible death while on the road, and all your backup files are unfortunantly NOT on the road with you, it is NOT fun.

I have to spend the rest of the day apologizing to clients who think I disappeared, resending files that got lost and rewriting data that got destroyed with my other hard drive when my 5 year old laptop (embarrassing, isn’t it?) bit the dust.

Please bear with me… by tomorrow morning all life should be back to normal.

Happy frikin holidays.

OK, here goes. I am off line until Tuesday afternoon due to travel issues beyond my control. Also, I have had no email access for the last 3 days, nor will I be in email contact with anyone until Tuesday afternoon. (Let’s just say losing your hard drive is an ugly thing). Right now I am posting this on a friend’s computer.

My apologies to everyone, but I really have no control over this. I will explain more when I am home on Tuesday.

I hope everyone is well, and God bless.

After my computer died a horrible, (but long overdue and much delayed) death, I was offline for several days. If there is anything worse than being on the road, it is being on the road while dragging around a dead laptop.

In any event, I am now back online, so if I owe you work, or you sent me an email, or whatever, I will be getting caught up today with the backlog.

I am going to be on the road for the next 24-48  hours and will be in very limited connectivity. If you need me, just shoot me an email and I will get back to you, most likely on Thursday afternoon.

Well, I have learned a lot over the past few years I have been blogging. For example, I have learned how to drive local customers to a store with a blog and how to market yourself and achieve your goals through blogging. Pretty much any success I am now enjoying professionally is a direct result of my blogging.

Because of blogging, I have met some awesome people and made great friends. I want to share some of that, to talk about the lessons I have learned and still am learning and how we can use the blogging medium, as well as the Internet itself, to market our small businesses and achieve our goals. I want to talk about small business in general, about how owning a small business can help you achieve your dreams, as it has for me. And, I want to hear your voice as well; I want to build a community of small business owners and those who want to be, to be a resource for them, to help them find their souls again, to engage their passions again.

I have a reputation for being politically incorrect; you can expect that to continue. I see myself as a change agent; sometimes that gets messy and requires some sacred cows to get grilled. That’s OK, I can take the flak. Regardless, I will be out here, flailing away at windmills with my scruffy toothbrush, talking about blogging, small business, making your own way and living your own life. After all, the reason you went into business was to be able to meet life on your own terms, to find your own definition of success. I have found what mine looks like; perhaps we can help you find yours.

For a living these days, (barring investment income and residual income) I make money in two ways: I help people with blogging, with everything from setting up a blog for you from scratch to writing content to just getting you on the right track. The other way is as a freelance writer, doing everything from writing websites about golf to doing press releases to writing biographical articles for the not yet rich and famous. It is tough, it is gritty and it is the most fun I have had with my clothes on in years! I am living my dream, and I owe it all to the internet. I truly feel I am a lucky man.

About 2 months ago, I tackled about 7 big projects all at once, the biggest being a move across the country to Raleigh, North Carolina. It has been an interesting ride…

I will be open and honest with you: I almost quite this blog. It may have seemed to so of you as if I HAD quit this blog. Over the past 6 months or so, I struggled to find my voice, to find something to say in a unique way. I wanted to be able to ad to the conversation, not just regurgitate what everyone else is saying. I think the last thing the world needs is another link blogger.

A lot has changed in my life. For one thing, I closed my biggest business and entered into the wild and woolly world of freelance writing and blogging for pay. Yes, it is ironic; about the time I quit blogging over here, I started blogging for a living. I have helped launch about 6 blogs for clients now, and regularly contribute content to 5 more. I intend to talk more about this in a future post, so I will provide some links to the blogs that aren’t ghost written then.

For several years I have made some part of my living from writing, but I wanted to see if I could make a healthy living from just my writing and, while healthy may not be the word for it just yet, it is a living. I am managing to piece together a patchwork quilt of income from blogging for pay, from adsense, from Text Link Ads (Google can Kiss My Butt!) and full blown writing gigs, such as articles, web content and press releases. Nothing sexy or stuff you can use to pick up chicks in the bar with, but respectable, all the same.

My dear readers: I know I have jerked you all over the map the last few months. I am very sorry for that; life got in the way.

The fact that I have not lost more RSS subscribers simply amazes me. That I still get linked to regularly blows my mind. You guys are simply the best.

Anyway, I am alive, and I am back! Next time, I will talk more about just what that means, and where I want to go with this blog. Stay tuned!

I love Christmas. Real Christmas; you know, the religious celebration, birth of the Saviour of the World.

It is a time when we remember a pregnant unwed teenager and her boyfriend, who had no money and no station in life, and so had to give birth in a stable and the only crib for her baby was a feed trough.

It is a time when we remember the three wise men, who were on a search for their star, just like so many of us are.

It is a time when the hope and anticipation builds up, when all of creation is awaiting the birth of this crazy God/man who will one day teach us the power of love.

It is a time when we give each other gifts as a small symbol of the love God showed for us by giving us his son.

It is a time when families come together, when those who were lost are now found and when those who have no hope can find some.

It is a time when those of us who claim to follow the Galilean look back and remember just what it cost him to love us.

It is a time of “Good Tidings and Great Joy, for all people…”

I just wish I saw more of that when I go to the store.

Not financially, but physically. I have lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 pounds since I have been in Raleigh, and had to break down and buy a new pair of blue jeans today, because the old ones were, literally, falling off of me.

For the first time in over a year, I am back in size 36 blue jeans, and for the first time in 2 years, the size 36 is actually comfortable, with me able to easily put my hands in my pants and everything.

When I was a Marine, I was a size 32, but I tell you, size 34 would be sooo nice.

Gawd, I sound vain.

As an aside, if you google the words Hugh Weight Loss, I am the first option. I get at least 3-4 hits everyday from someone looking for those words.  I have absolutely no idea why anyone would look for those words in combination.

Maybe I will write a diet book…