Sean Keene Salem/Keizer Realtor

As I sat down to write my next blog I started to stare out the window and wonder what the weather was going to be like today. Next think I know I hear one of the kids get up and start to head downstairs so being that it is Sunday of course I would much rather sit with the kido and watch some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

After a couple hours of cartoons, breakfast, coffee, taking the dog for a walk and some phone calls I sit back down to the computer and realize that my blog did not get it self done while I was gone. Oh wait wife needs someone to run to the store and I am the man for the Job!

I am back at the computer and still have noting to put on the screen. I start to wonder if my blog's are being read by everyone or maybe it is just friends and family reading them. I need to come up with a great idea. I need to put something down that will possible be the greatest blog ever and generate 10-15 referrals. Is it really that hard do I need to do that much work? I just need to put something down and get my name and face out there and clients will just come rolling in.

Then I come to the realization that I have Bloggers Block!!!!

So I went searching the web for Bloggers Block cure and this is what I found. On www.Lifeclever.com posted by Chanpory Rith. Here is the link if you would like to read the original. www.lifeclever.com/10-tips-for-beating-bloggers-block/

1. Lower your standards

Blogs aren't novels, so don't start a post by worrying about being perfect, insightful, original, or even grammatically correct. Take Anne Lamont's advice: begin with a "shitty first draft." Let yourself write a big stinking pile of poo. Good writing, like good design, is a process of iteration and editing.

2. Start with a headline

Do you feel pressure to write a full-length piece? Don't. Instead, brainstorm headlines for articles you would like to read yourself. It could be as crazy as "How to Get Great Hair Like Sanjaya" or as controversial as "Why Design Education Sucks Today." Even if you don't end up writing the article, you'll create an arsenal of ideas to inspire you when you're stuck. To get started, check out Brian Clark's excellent series on writing magnetic headlines.

3. End with a deadline

Never start a post without a deadline. I really believe in Parkinson's rule: work expands to fill the amount of time available. If you don't have a deadline, you'll never finish.

4. Eliminate distractions

Use clever writing tools such as Writeroom (Mac) and Dark Room (Windows) to eliminate all distractions on your computer. You'll see nothing but words on a screen, not even an oppressive clock. Outside the computer, find a quiet room, silence your mobile phone, lock out the pets, and turn off your TV.

5. Write at dawn, not at dusk

Even if it's just a hobby, don't blog before bed and after a long day's work. Take a cue from Leo Babauta of Zen Habits and 15-year old blogging phenom Glenn Wolsey. Both schedule a time to write in the wee mornings. It's quieter, your mind is fresher, and you avoid making excuses like "I've had a long day, I'm just too tired to write."

6. Take a break

Who says you have to blog non-stop or even every day? Hit the gym, go to the movies, take a vacation, and spend time with your loved ones. After all, doing real meaningful things is what inspired you to blog in the first place. If you don't blog today, the world doesn't end.

7. Automatically spawn ideas with HitTail

HitTail analyzes the words on your blog and makes suggestions for related topics you can write about. It's free and a great source for getting relevant inspiration based on your past writing. If used wisely, it'll even help boost your site's traffic.

8. Get a little help from your friends

Blogging doesn't have to be a solitary journey. Run headlines or ideas by your friends, and ask what they think. Chances are, they'll point out new ideas and angles you've missed.

9. Capture ideas before you lose them

Ideas for articles come when you least expect them. It happens as you're walking to get a donut, commuting to work, or even on the toilet. To stop your thoughts from vanishing, always carry an easy-to-use device to jot down ideas as you get them. You can go as high-tech as a T-Mobile Sidekick (my personal favorite) or as low-tech as a little Moleskine notebook.

10. Breathe

After recently taking my first Yoga class, I've turned into a true San Franciscan. My biggest realization? My habitual shallow breathing contributes to a lot of tension, blocking the flow of ideas and thoughts. I know its cliché, but take a moment to breathe deeply. It's easier to unstuck yourself when both your mind and body are relaxed.

I hope that after reading this I was able to help at least on blogger.

I just wanted to wish everyone here on Activerain a Happy Holiday and a wonderful New Year.

I have been inspired by the recent Lexus commercials. I want to know what was the greatest Christmas gift that you have every received. I also want to know what the worst gift was.....I will start it off.

I would have to say that the best gift I ever received was a Big Wheel when I was about 5. The reason that it is the best is that it is the first Christmas that I can really remember.

I remember walking out into the living and seeing the Christmas tree lite up in front of the wall with the wood paneling (Just showed the house and it still has the paneling). There in front of the tree was my black, red and yellow Big Wheel.

The worst is most defiantly when I was 12 years old. My sister who was 8 years older then me thought that I needed a photo of her for Christmas. She wrapped it up in a big box and made a big deal about her present for weeks before Christmas.

I opened up my sisters present first because I was so excited and there it was, my sister looking back at me. What a let down.

 This information was taken from Wikipedia because sometimes they just can say it better.

Bush's Pasture Park (90.5 acres) is a public park and botanical garden in Salem, Oregon, United States. It is also the site of the Asahel Bush House, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The park and Italianate Victorian house date to 1877-1878 when they were built for Asahel Bush, founder of the Oregon Statesman newspaper and subsequently of the Ladd and Bush Bank. In 1882 Bush added a still-extant conservatory for his daughters, claimed to be the first greenhouse west of the Mississippi River. It is now filled with period plants.

Today the park contains trails, picnic areas, playgrounds, tennis courts, natural groves of old Oregon White Oak trees, cherry and apple orchards, and a rose garden with over 2,000 roses. Willamette University's McCulloch Stadium (football, track and field) and Spec Keene Stadium (baseball) are located in the park, hosting a variety of university and community events, such as the Salem Jaycees' Kids Relays and the amateur soccer team the Cascade Surge of the USL Premier Development League. The park also has a soap box derby track that is home to the Salem Soap Box Derby and downhill skateboarding events.

The park is open daily to the public. Tours can be taken of the Bush House Museum for a small admission fee, and the Bush Barn Art Center is free and open to the public. Both the Museum and the Art Center have rotating exhibits and are operated by the Salem Art Association. The Art Association also organizes the Salem Art Fair and Festival in the park each year on the third weekend of July