I haven't set aside time to write lately: got into a car accident which basically totaled my 1994 Nissan Quest minivan in mid-December, a day before I went skiing in Steamboat, Colorado.

Then the holidays came, and we finally sold our house after it was on the market for nearly half a year.

Basically broke even, but found out the previous owners a) were paid $11,000 to replace a hail-damaged roof and b) they never replaced the roof but lied about it on their sales disclosure, and our "inspector" didn't catch it. So we had to pay our buyer to fix the roof (thankfully, not the entire $11k the previous owners were paid.) Nice. I guess that's what small claims court is for (or soon will be.)

And I've been busy at work - a great thing. Working on some websites, PR, marketing, and helping adoptable dogs and cats in many ways. We're trying out some social-media avenues (Twitter, Facebook, ExactTarget e-blasts, etc.) to get the word out about our animals, and it's working. It's quite an amazing experience!

One of the sites I'm working on is for Mutt Strut. I'm considering using Expression Engine as blog/CMS software on it. This blog is run on WordPress, which I also used for the Angie's List Podcast site during my time there. I'm even considering trashing the design of this site in favor of a custom Expression Engine setup.

Wordpress is great, but customizing its templates can be a bit of a beast, especially for a PHP non-expert like myself. We're working with xiik on this project, and I'm sure they could wrassle a Wordpress theme into shape, but Expression Engine seems to offer much potential.

If you've used both platforms, what are your thoughts in the Wordpress vs. Expression Engine battle? Which do you prefer, and why? (Hopefully this isn't as heated as a "dogs versus cats" argument!)

How to reduce your junk mail

Indianapolis weekly newspaper NUVO has a terrific article this week about how to reduce the amount of junk mail you receive. I've noticed that, since we moved, we're getting more junk mail than ever - crap advertisements from RedPlum, Shop Local (a grave misnomer - read NUVO's story about junk mail to find out why), Value Pack and more. We get one of these almost every day, and read/use NONE of it, so NUVO's tips are much appreciated.

I'm pasting the most important part of their article here because it's buried at the end of the story on their site, sans hyperlinks.

How to cut your junk mail down by 95 percent in 30 minutes

1. Call The Indianapolis Star at 317-444-4517 to stop the weekly ShopLocal advertisement.

2. Go to DoNotMail.org and sign the Do Not Mail registry petition. Then use the junk mail opt-out tool. It will ask you for your name and address, and all of this information is then automatically input into 18 separate pre-written and addressed letters, which you can simply print off and then mail. This will stop a vast majority of crap from clogging your mailbox. A brand-spanking new septic system, if you will.

3. Submit your name and address on Yellowpagesgoesgreen.org and be automatically removed from every local phone book vendor’s hit list.

4. Go to Catalogchoice.org. After setting up a simple account and using their database to find the catalogues you’ve been receiving, they will contact them on your behalf to discontinue them.

5. Recycle all those hulking Christmas-time ads (and everything else, for that matter) at any one of the thousands of free public recycling depots in Marion County, handily listed on Paperretriver.com. You will have a hard time spitting in any direction without hitting one of these; there is probably one at your grocery store, kid’s school, your work … everywhere.

6. Fill out and mail U.S. Post Office Form 2150, “Prohibitory order against sender of pandering advertisement in the mails,” if there are any specific brochures, catalogs, or items that you do not want to receive, or do not want your kids to see.

7. Stop the coupons

Val-Pak: Just enter your address at: www.coxtarget.com/mailsuppression/s/DisplayMailSuppressionForm.(Note: This is a cap sensitive Web address.)

Money Mailer: There are many ways to get rid of this coupon book.
Mail: 12131 Western Ave.
Garden Grove, CA 92841
E-mail: jlimon@moneymailer.com
Phone: 714-889-3800
Fax: 714-889-1590

Valassis: Either call 1-888-241-6760 or www.advo.com/consumersupport.html.
Allow five to six weeks; will suspend it for five years.

RSVP Indianapolis: 317-844-7787

8. It is not the right of any company or person to keep sending you mail that you do not want. Contact any mailers that continue to leak their garbage through to your mailbox and ask them to stop. Most of them will be agreeable to your request. Otherwise, you can use the pre-paid postage envelopes they send you to stuff with anything you want (minus dead animals, bombs, etc., don’t be an idiot) and mail it back to them. Urban legend contends that you can attach these envelopes to a box of any size and mail them old tires, bricks, roof shingles, a screenplay ... the most expensive parcel you can find.