Are you a Florida single fed up by the bar scene? One too many nights of trying to meet people at a happy hour got you down? Tried online dating but found it to be a waste of time and money?

Just Say Hi is a new online dating site that is 100% free. No credit card is EVER required to use Just Say Hi, or to access their membership roster. Unlike those OTHER dating sites that promise the world if you’re willing to pay big bucks, Just Say Hi strives to be a good, FREE dating site for people who want to give online dating a try. I’m a married woman, but I checked out the site and I’m impressed by what you can get for free. The newest sign-ups get featured on their main page, and you can search by city or state from there as well. They’ve got a page specifically for each state, and the Florida page has cities from Alafaya to Zephyrhills. This free online dating site also features a community message board where people can get relationship advice, make friends, or engage in off topic chat. And you know what they say…”friends first”, and then a relationship!

Got a blog or a website you want to promote for free? Head on over to Geeky Speaky and submit your site for free, to my new links directory. You can submit your blogs & websites to this link directory for free by linking back (instructions provided when you submit your site) or if you prefer no link back, there’s an option for that too.

If you’re a mom, and you live in Florida, please consider this your official invitation to the new forum for Florida moms here at The Florida Blog. It’s literally a blank slate right now, but I hope you’ll join and grow along with me. If you have suggestions for a topic or category, please, suggest away!

The Florida State Fair opens Thursday, February 8th 2007 at the fairgrounds in Tampa, and will run through February 19th.

Headliners for 2007 include:

Thursday 2/8 - Reel Big Fish - 8pm in the Entertainment Hall, $5
Sunday 2/11 - 1964…The Tribute, 2pm, 6pm in the Entertainment Hall, $5
Tuesday 2/13 - Bennie Anderson & The Drifters, 2pm, 6pm in the Entertainment Hall, $5
Wednesday 2/14 - Cornell Gunter’s Coasters, 2 pm, 6 pm in the Entertainment Hall, $5
Thursday 2/15 - Country Gold Tour 2007, 2 pm, 6pm in the Entertainment Hall, $10
Friday 2/16 - Mickey Gilley, 6 pm in the Entertainment Hall, $5
Saturday 2/17 - Davy Jones, 6pm in the Entertainment Hall, $5
Sunday 2/18 - Ronnie Milsap, 6 pm in the Entertainment Hall, $5

(Davy Jones? For $5! A bargain…I saw him in the Monkees Reunion Tour at Ruth Eckerd Hall when I was 12)

The fairgrounds are located at I-4 and US 301 in Tampa. Gates open at 9pm daily, and the midway opens at 10am. Adults 12 and older are $10, ages 6-11 are $5, and under 6 are free. Keep in mind that rides are extra. On Friday 2/9 and 2/19 students 12 and older get in for $6. On February 13, 14, and 15, those 55 and older get in for $6.

Armband days: Unlimited rides with $15 armband today after 3 p.m. and with $25 armband Friday, Sunday and Feb. 16, 18 and 19. $5 discount on armbands Friday and Feb. 19 for students redeeming a Pepsi product or a Hungry Howie’s proof-of-purchase at the gate.

Technorati Tags: fair, fairgrounds, state fair, Florida State Fair, Davy Jones, Tampa, Florida

If you want to promote your blog, (and I sure want to promote this one, and get more people from the Sunshine state in here) here’s a great new option that’s completely free: Fuel My Blog. You pick your sqaure, add an image, and viola, your blog is listed. Check out their blog as well, they feature bloggers on there from the big wall o’ blogs!

I was out with a group of friends the other night at dinner, and discussion turned to home construction. Of the 9 of us in the group, several had built a home, and some had built 2 or 3 homes. We all had horror stories to tell - unfortunately, there are a lot of shady contractors and builders out there giving the industry a bad name. That’s why it’s so important to know what you’re getting into when you decide to build a home. You can read up on construction loans and such online, and knowing what to expect in advance can save you a lot of heartache and headaches. The site I linked above even has tips on how to choose a contractor. Rule #1 - make sure he’s licensed! I can’t even begin to tell you how many crooks there are in Florida who are NOT licensed to do the work they’re doing. My mother hired someone who didn’t have a license - he actually pulled the permits under someone elses’ license, which is a big no-no. There was another local contractor who started work on 50+ homes and then left town.

Your home is probably one of your biggest investments, and even while you’re at the foundation stage, you need to protect your investment. Be informed!

Do you have a blog? Would you like to earn $1000 a month by blogging? Paid blogging and freelance writing can be a great way to bring a little extra income into your house…or a lot of extra income, depending on how often you write, and how many blogs you have. One such paid blogging service is LoudLaunch. Although they’re new, and in beta, they’re definitely open for business. The network allows bloggers like me to be compensated for blogging about products, services and websites for advertisers. Advertisers can start a blog campaign for as little as $50 to get the word out there. Once your campaign is approved, bloggers can view it on the list of campaigns and choose to write about it. I’ve seen the list of campaigns grow since I’ve started blogging with LoudLaunch, and I’m interested to see the changes that will happen as they fine tune their network.

I made over $5000 last year doing paid blogging - and I didn’t start until July of 2006. Not bad for a few months of very, VERY part time work. At home. In my jammies. For me, paid blogging is a way to pay for extra trips, vacations, Disney passes, and the like. It’s nice to have the money coming in to do fun things in the Sunshine state!

The death toll for the storms across central Florida earlier this week is up to 19. My mom tried to call my godparents and couldn’t reach them, but she did get voice mail. I’m not sure if they have voice mail through the phone company (which I’m assuming would still be in service) or if it is an answering machine in their home. If it is a machine, then I’m taking the fact that we got it as a good sign. Their son lives south of us so we need to call him and see if he has been in touch with his parents. A lot of retirees in that area, specifically a large community known as “The Villages” lost their homes.

I was watching CNN last night and saw Anderson Cooper interviewing folks in that area…it’s a bit surreal knowing this happened so close to home, but our area was spared. I found the following numbers on Anderson Cooper’s 360 Blog - they may be of us if you’d like to help folks who were hurt or lost their homes in the storms.

Lake County
Lake County Emergency Management: 352-343-9442
Red Cross of Lake and Sumter Counties: 352-314-0883
United Way in Lake County: 352-223-2173 or 352-409-1860
Salvation Army of Leesburg: 352-365-2540

Volusia County
Red Cross of Volusia and Flagler counties: 386-226-1400 or toll free: 1-866-245-9180
United Way of Volusia County: 386-253-0563
Salvation Army: 386-236-2020

Other counties
Red Cross of Marion County: 352-622-3457
Red Cross of Citrus and Hernando Counties: 352-564-8455
Catholic Charities: 407-658-1818
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida: 407-295-1066

I gotta wear shades.

Living in Florida, sunglasses are MUST. I don’t know about you, but I don’t go outside without mine. That sun is BRIGHT! My eyes are also a bit more sensitive to bright light, so it’s better for me to always protect my eyes when I’m outdoors. If you go to the beach, out boating, golfing - whatever outdoor activities you enjoy - wear sunglasses and protect your eyes! Personally, I can’t see spending a lot of money on fancy sunglasses when they might get damaged on the driving range or scratched by sand at the beach. But I still want to look good…that’s why I love Wholesale Fashion & Sports Sunglasses. My husband loves his Oakleys - but I could do without paying $200 for sunglasses. I found a knock off version at this site that look just like his Oakleys and even feature a spring loaded frame, for under $30! If you’re a boater, you need to try the polarized glasses. You’ll be able to see right through the waters of the Gulf of Mexico to where the fish are bitin’, and you’ll eliminate the glare off the waves.

The all new 2007 collection features wholesale fashion sunglasses and wholesale sports suunglasses that mimic the designs of Cartier, Gucci, Calvin Klein, Christian Dior, Fendi, and other top designers.

Get the look you want, without the high price tag!

The wind was howling here last night, and we didn’t even get the worst of the storms. I read on Yahoo this morning that 14 people in the Lady Lake, FL area are dead. My godmother and godfather live in a mobile home retirement community in that area, so I’m planning on calling them this morning and making sure they’re ok, as dozen of mobile homes were damaged. 20,000 people were also left without power. We’re very, very lucky it was just “wind” in our area.

Walk your rear on over to my other blog and check out one of my latest entries…it’s all about the reality show RockStartUp, PayPerPost, and ME! I’ve always said I should have my own television show…and I’ve got the next best thing now - an appearance in RockStartUp.

If you want to blog with PayPerPost like I do, and earn money (by blogging about the things you love), click over there in my sidebar and sign yourself up!