WriterGal on the Great Western US Road Trip

Tomorrow I leave for what we’re calling “the Great Western US Road Trip.” I haven’t posted for a while because I was busy prepping for the trip and finishing up some last minute contract work.

I’ll try to post the occasional article on the WriterGal Blog, but I will also be guest blogging about our road trip on the Flight Centre Blog.

I hope everyone is well, and thanks to all my friends and family who made the first month of the WriterGal Blog super exciting!

More to come soon…

Mashup: Top 5 Useful Firefox Extensions

This is a mashup of my favourite FireFox Extensions

In the footsteps of my earlier post about the Gmail Labs that I recommend, here is a mashup of my favourite Firefox extensions. These have all made my internet browsing easier and more productive:

1. ColorZilla

Often I’ll see a colour on a webpage that I want to use in a project. With this extension, you click on a little eyedropper icon, then on the element you want the colour HEX or RGB colour code for. The extension puts a little eyedropper icon in the bottom left of your window and is very unobtrusive! Very helpful, especially for web designers.

2. FireFTP

Another one for web developers is FireFTP. This is a free FTP program built into your browser, simply click the FireFTP icon and a new window opens and you can login to your website. Works like any other FTP program. I do find it kicks me out once and a while, but a refresh usually does the trick. Very helpful, especially for web designers and programmers.

3. Read it Later

This one is awesome! Have you ever come across a webpage that you want to read, but don’t have the time. By clicking the “Read It later” icon, you can save it in a special folder to read it later. This saves you from clogging up your bookmarks toolbar with links that may only stay there for a day or two. I use it everyday. Very helpful and recommended for anyone who is busy!

4. Smart Bookmarks Bar

Ah yes! Do you use the FireFox BookMarks toolbar? I have many sites that I visit on a daily basis and I ran out of space in this tool bar. I downloaded the “Smart Bookmarks Tab” and instead of displaying the page icon and title, it only displays the icons (you rollover the icon to see the text). I now have room for lots of website links and folders. Highly recommended for anyone who needs quick access to many of their bookmarks.

5. Web Developer

As the name suggests, this is a great tool for web developers. You can use it to see a sites CSS, styles, validate, and even draw a ruler to measure objects. 100% recommended for anyone working on websites!

Of course all these extensions are free. I believe the best things in the world are free, and these are no exception.

I am always on the lookout for tools (preferably free), that make my busy life easier or more enjoyable. What are your must-have Firefox Extensions?

Project 365: Daily Self-Portraits

My first shot for the 365 Project (Sept 1, 2009)

On September 1 I started the 365 Project. This is where you take a self portrait of yourself, everyday for a year (hence the name “Project 365″).

So each day I will take a self-portrait. Sometimes it will be a headshot, maybe a picture of my pinkie finger, my elbow, or a picture of me on vacation.

Project 365 Rules

There are many ways this project can be done, with differing rules. Here are the rules I am going by:

1. I must take one self-portrait every day from Sept 1, 2009 – Sept 1, 2010
2. I must take the photo myself (handing the camera to someone else is not allowed)
3. I am allowed to set a camera timer, or use my camera remote to take the shot.
4. The photo must contain at least some part of my body (don’t worry, it’ll all be G-rated)
5. Along with each shot, I am allowed one caption of 100 characters or less
6. I don’t have to upload everyday (I can upload them in batches if I don’t have the time to upload each day).
7. To keep things interesting, photoshopping photos will be allowed.

Project 365 Goals

My goal is to have fun. It’ll be a challenge to see if I can do it every day for an entire year, but it sounds like a lot of fun.

I read a tweet last week about someone who printed a book with all their 365 photos, and I want to do the same. I have used a company called VioVio to print photobooks before and I’m impressed by the quality and price.

It’s going to be an exciting year! Is anyone else planning to, or are currently doing their own 365 project?

(Please note that I will not be sharing my 365 Project album publicly. If you are a  friend or family member and would like to follow along with this adventure, please email me and I will tell you how to access it).

5 (Possibly) Lesser Known Travel Tips

One of my favourite places to travel is Disneyland!

If you don’t already know, I absolutely LOVE to travel. I’ve been to 19 countries on 4 continents, most of which has been in the last 3 years. Here are my top 5 tips that the travel sites don’t always tell you!

1. Bags, Bags, Bags: Pack extra plastic bags and ziplock bags. They are great for wet clothes, dirty shoes, and anything you are too lazy to actually pack away. Throw in a few cloth shopping bags just in case you buy too many souvenirs.
2. Twist-Ties: These can be used to tie up plastic bags or even “lock” your zippers on your luggage so they don’t accidently come un-zipped all over the airport baggage room!
3. Print EVERYTHING: Print out copies of all your reservations. It’s not uncommon for airlines or hotels to lose your reservation, so have a back-up. I keep mine in a duo tang folder in the order that I’ll need it.
4. Bring Blank DVDs: Thankfully I’ve never lost my camera or my pictures from a trip, but I know people who have. Bring a few blank DVDs and stop somewhere to burn a copy of your photos on the disk. For added security, you could mail the DVD home.
5. Wear a watch: Now-a-days many people are using their cell phones as their watch. But, on vacation many of us have them turned off, or even leave them at home. Be sure to bring a good o’ fashioned watch so you don’t miss anything on your trip!

Bonus tip for fair-skinned people: BRING SUNSCREEN! As a fair-skinned gal, I always manage to get sunburned on my vacations. Once I burned my legs so bad in Australia, that it was painful to even walk or stand. You can’t predict the weather, but at least you can prepare for it by bringing a bottle of sunscreen.

My last vacation was a 7-day cruise to Alaska (round trip from Vancouver). My next vacation is a 4-week road trip around Western US

Where was your last vacation and where you are planning next?

Happy 1 Month Anniversary to the WriterGal Blog!

I just realized that my blog has been up for exactly 1 month TODAY! I’ve had some great feedback and traffic so far, and here are some traffic stats from August to share:

• 966 Page Views
• 450 Absolute Unique Visitors
• 42% of you use FireFox (Yeah for Firefox)
• You are visiting from: Canada, USA, Belgium, United Kingdom, Australia, India, France, The Netherlands, Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, Philippines, Mexico,  Japan, Malaysia, Switzerland, Pakistan, Algeria, and Singapore.
• Most of you found me through a Google Search (followed by linking here directly)
• My 2 posts about the Canada Line Skytrain were the most popular this month

I’m very happy with how this first month has been. I hope the coming months will be just as exciting for me as a writer, and for all my readers, friends, and family.

Sincerely,

WriterGal (aka Ashley Mikulik)

WriterGal Uses Flight Centre for Travel Bookings

WriterGal's winning entry in the Flight Centre Photo Contest

A few weeks ago I entered a US Travel Photo contest through Flight Centre. Yesterday morning was the last day of the contest and I was announced as the winner!

I have booked many vacations through Flight Centre including an Intrepid Travel backpacking adventure in Cambodia and Vietnam (through a Sydney, Australia branch), a European cruise and EurRail Pass, and many flights. They always make it easy to book travel.

I’ve found it helpful to do some research before I visiting Flight Centre. Look up information on flights, accommodation, and activities so you can present that to your agent and they can help you either book those, or find similar (or better) ones.

Yes, I recommend Flight Centre to others. Other than using BCAA for the occasional booking, I usually book through Flight Centre.

PS: If you like travel, check out the Flight Centre blog for some exciting stories, news, and adventures.