This morning I was surprised to find an email from Amazon saying that the item I had listed last night had been sold already. I now have to ship it within two business days.

Getting this email has me a firm believer in the power of the Internet and being able to make money using it. I think I might have found another source of income.

Listing an item on Amazon wasn’t very intuitive for me. So, here is how you list an item for sale on Amazon.

1. Go To Amazon.com website
2. Find ”Feature and Services” on the left-hand column
3. Click on Product category
4. Type in name of product
5. Click on “Start Selling”
6. Click on “Sell yours here” button in right column
7. Select the condition of your item
8. Click continue
9. Enter your price
10. Click continue after verifying that the quantity and shipping methods are correct
11. Become authorized seller by creating a new account or signing into your account.
12. Press continue
13. Enter seller account information
14. Wait for automated phone call from Amazon and enter PIN number displayed on screen
15. Confirm price of items.

You’re done. A confirmation will be sent to your registered email address and your item is now listed on Amazon.

Installing a new WordPress theme requires three steps. The first step is to select and download the theme onto your computer. The second step is to upload the new theme onto your BlueHost Account. The final step is to activate the theme on WordPress.

Select New Theme on WordPress 

1. Log into WordPress administrative site
2. Click on Design Tab
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the link “WordPress Theme Directory”
4. Select a design, then click “Download” on right-hand side
5. Click “Save” when dialog box pops up
6. Save on computer
7. Click close once file is downloaded

Upload Theme on BlueHost Account

1. Log into BlueHost Account
2. Scroll down to Files Selection area (right column) and click “File Manager”
3. Select domain under “Document Root for” and then click Go
4. Expand folder named “Public_html”
5. Expand domain folder
6. Expand wp-content folder
7. Click on the theme folder
8. Click on “Upload” at the top
9. Click on “browse”
10. Find them file located on your computer
11. Once upload is complete click on link to return back to file manager
12. Select new uploaded theme
13. Select extract
14. Press OK

Activating New Theme

1. Log into WordPress
2. Click on new theme
3. Click on “Activate” located on the top right

The Chicago Department of Human Services, located at 4314 S. Cottage Grove provide emergency food boxes for those that qualify. The box I received contained the following:

• 1 box of saltine crackers
• 1 box of macaroni and cheese
• 1 box of instant oatmeal
• 1 can of sardines
• 1 can of chicken noodle soup
• 1 can of tomato soup
• 1 can of green beans
• 1 can of pinto beans
• 1 can of mixed vegetables
• 1 can of spaghetti and meatballs
• 1 can of chili with beans
• 1 can of peach halves
• 1 can of apple sauce
• 1 can of vegetarian beans
• 12 oz. of grape jelly
• 18 oz. of peanut butter
• 1 orange drink mix
• 1 can of beef stew
• 2 lbs. of white enriched rice
• 9 oz. of rasins
• 4 platics forks, knife, spoon and napkins

City of Chicago’s Food Box

Contents of Food box issued by the City of Chicago’s  Department of Human Services.

Contents of food box issued by the City of Chicago’s DHS.

Chicago Department of Human Services

King Center map
4314 South Cottage Grove Avenue
Chicago, IL 60653
312-747-2300

Everyday, 365 days a year, The Salvation Army delivers hot meals to residents around Chicago. If you happen to be in Bronzeville between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., The Salvation Army van parks thier van and feeds those in need of a hot meal on the corner of 47th and Evans.

The Salvation Army Harbor Light Center, located at 1515 W. Monroe Street delivers meals all over Chicago neighborhoods. They can be reached at 312-421-5753.

Jimmy of The Salvation Army prepares to serve hot meal to the residents of Bronzeville

Installing WordPress into your BlueHost account is a two part process. The first step is to assign the new domain to your Blue Host account. The second step is installing the WordPress software.

Part 1: Assign Domain

1. Log into your BlueHost Account. You will be directed to the cPanel.
2. Under the section Domains, click Addon Domains Button.
3. Type in new domain in the area that says “Use a domain that is not already associated with your account.”
4. After it verifies that you are the owner, click the blue button at the bottom of the page that says Add Domain.

Part 2: Installing WordPress 

1. Return to the cPanel by clicking on the Home Tab
2. Under Hosting (top right) click on login to cPanel
3. Scroll down to the section called Software/Services
4. Click on Simple Scripts
5. Under the section Script List, click on the WordPress link in blue
6. At the bottom of the page, click on the green button “Install Now”
7. Add name of your site in the additional information
8. Check the two boxes at the bottom: Script Licence Agreement and Simple Scripts Terms of Services
9. Click the Complete Button
10. A new page will open up, saying Overwrite Warning, click “Yes, I’m sure”

If you’ve purchased a domain name from GoDaddy and also have a hosting account with BlueHost, here is how you point the nameserver from your GoDaddy account to your BlueHost Account.

1. Log into your GoDaddy account.
2. Select Domain Manager on left-hand side under My Products. A new window will open.
3. Select the domain name by putting a check mark left of the domain name.
4. On the navigation bar, select Nameservers. A new window will appear above the page.
5. Check mark the box Custom nameservers
6. Type in BlueHost name servers; ns1.bluehost.com in Nameserver box 1 and ns2.bluehost.com in Nameserver box 2.
7. Click ok.

The change should take a few minutes, however GoDaddy always says it takes 24-48 hours.

If there is any signs that President-Elect Barack Obama can turn the U.S. Economy around, one has to look no further than their local neighborhood newspaper stand. A friend called me this morning to vent about how frustrating is was to find a Chicago Sun-Times newspaper for her mother. She had been driving out in the Chicago cold for almost an hour with no luck at finding a newspaper. Every place she went was sold out of either The Chicago Sun-Times or The Chicago Tribune newspaper.

After hanging up the phone I decided to walk to my favorite coffee shop in Hyde Park. As I approached the end of the viaduct on 53rd and Lake Park, my mouth dropped. Across the street were a line of people waiting to purchase the Sunday paper at the newspaper stand. Directly across the street is Borders Bookstore. A line of people started began entering Borders in hopes to get their Sunday paper as well.

People waiting for Chicago Sunday newspaper on 53rd and Lake Park in Chicago.

53rd and Lake Park newstand in Chicago.

Neighborhood people wait in line in Hyde Park at the newstand on Sunday

Newpaper stand in Hyde Park on 53rd and Lake Park on Sunday.

Woman proudly holds a copy of the Chicago Tribune Newspaper in Hyde Park at 53rd and Lake Park

End of the line for people waiting for Sunday newspaper in Hyde Park on 53rd and Lake Park in Chicago.

I had the honor of attending the reception party for Fragmented Reflections hosted at the ARC Gallery at 832 W. Superior. Twelve Bulgarian artist will be showcasing their talent until November 29th.

As the elevator opened on the second floor, the sounds of Mlhai Vlad violin playing lead me to the the party.

Mlhai Vlad performing at the Fragmented Reflections reception party.

I immediately was able to find my art teacher at Harold Washington College, Vassilen Vassevski, one of the twelve artist that were displaying their art tonight. What I admire about Mr. V’s art is the simplicity in his art. His work displayed tonight shows a man, a woman, and finally, man and woman connecting together (not displayed in that sequence.)

Artist Vassilen Vassevski poses next to his art at the Fragemented Reflections reception.

The rest of the evening was filled with laughter, great conversation, enjoying the works of some talented Bulgarian artist. The first artist I was introduced to was Denitza Manevska. What attracted me to her work was the way she uses a multitude of colors in her work.

Denitza Manevska stands next to her displayed works at the ARC Gallery in Chicago.

ARC Gallery and Educational Foundation reception host.

Reception guest observing artwork of Bulgarian artist.

Closer to the end of the evening, I met Konstantin Kostov. He was among the many guest who attended the reception. He began explaining to me that he didn’t know he was showcasing his art tonight. He said somebody pointed out his name on on of the pieces on the wall. He invited me to take a look. I really didn’t know what I was looking for. He later showed me his name and his Illinois driver’s licence. He then introduced me to the “real” Konstantin Kostov.

Reception guest Konstantin Kostov (left) and Bulgarain sculptor Konstantin Kostov pose together.

Reception guest looks over one of Patrica Otto’s “Caged Dresses” at the Fragemented Reflections art reception.

Artist Vassilen Vassevski and Konstantin Kostov chat with reception guest at the ARC Gallery.

Bulgarian artist poses next to her work at the Fragmented Reflections Friday night reception.

I spent the entire morning and afternoon interviewing students and faculty at Columbia College. My goal was to interview working professionals in the areas of photography and writing and journalism. It seems that most writers and artist don’t really make a living at their craft. According to Paula Payton, Coordinator of Services at Columbia, only 1 percent of writers actually make a living at fiction writing. That is a grim reality for a middle-age adult male looking to make a career change.