Welcome back :)  The website is totally 100% functional now and should run 1000% faster!  Aplus.net’s service used to be good but now it is very subpar in the hosting department.  I am now with a new hosting provider that is wonderful thus far.  So much so that I’ve moved all of my websites over to them.   I have alot to update everyone on so stay tuned.  Some exciting things are at hand

-Richie

rawr and stuff

I just moved all of my sites from Aplus.net (crappy server speed) to a new hosting provider with good speed.  It will take a couple days to get everything back up and running.  In the meantime, relax and enjoy things.  Married life is great so far and I had a wonderful honeymoon cruise.  Some pictures will be coming soon

-Richie

Go here to download the music.  You can also embed the music player into your myspace profiles if you wish.  Even have the old crappy stuff up

 http://www.artistlaunch.com/artisthome.php?arid=11221

So here I am in Wise, VA staying with Patty.  It is snowing outside and I have to get up early and drive 2 hours to work in the morning.  I have aquafresh whitening strips in my mouth right now, which are making my teeth sensitive.  Patty is doing her nightly “Spend an hour on myspace and surf the internet for wedding stuff” ritual so naturally I am bored out of my mind.  I thought to myself, A) how much I have hatred for myspace (mainly for their ads, spam and complete idiots that post stuff on it) and B)  I’ll update my website.

 I’ve had alot of questions about the music.  Well I paid Artistlaunch for my yearly bandwidth dues but I got an email back stating that ”They will be launching their new site soon.”  That was a month ago.  They just now put up Artistlaunch 2.0 BETA and I can log into my account now.  You’ll be able to buy MP3s and hopefully also download them soon…in the meantime, I’ll try to get some hosting.  Speaking of which, avoid Aplus.net like the plague if you can.  My server speed is way way down and so I am going to switch to hostgator.com when I can get my last loan disbursement. 

Patty had her Bachelorette party this past weekend in Asheville.  I had my bachelor party….no wait, I didn’t have one.  All of my close friends work for a living, are way far away or are in medical school so no bachelor party for me. :(   Yeah go ahead and say it…ya know you want to! :P  Luckily some friends of mine were available to play games online that night and keep me company.  Sometimes being up in West Virginia away from all your friends you grew up with sucks!  Ah the sacrifices we make to be sucessful in life.  Please drink some beer in rememberance of the soon to be bachelor-no-more.

Still 6 days away and I’ll be a married man.  I’ve had quite a few emails lately asking if I have been getting along ok or if I am getting cold feet or if I am stressed out.  I really appreciate your concerns ;)  First off, I’m not really stressed out about the wedding. In fact I am kinda excited for it to get here.  I’m majorly stressed out about moving to Roanoke, particularly buying our first house which I have never done before.  I’m also still waiting on my COMLEX PE score to get back…which is the final thing that could possible keep me from graduating.  I feel pretty confident that I passed it but waiting is by far the worst part.  Never know until you get that paper with “PASSED” on it. ;)   I love Patty, she is amazing and I’m steadfast in getting married to her.  We are going to have a great life together.   So no on the cold feet thing.  I don’t think I’ll have a runaway bride situation either hahahaha.  Still, some interesting emails this week, mainly from you crazy people in the United Kingdom! ;)

Wow, the snow is really coming down out there right now.  Which means I *may* be late for work tomorrow due to the plows not coming.  For those who are asking I am on my last rotation which ends on April 11th….then I will be done with school till graduation on May 31st.  

I’d like to give a special shout out to my new soon-to-be collegues at Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, VA.  Looking forward to working with ya’ll for the next 4 years.  Let it be known that delivering babies still scares the poop out of me!

Hitting submit, time for bed, these aquafresh white strips are killing my teeth.  Ah, the things we endure all for the vanity’s sake.

 -Richie

I feel awful today. I think it’s flu or strep. I am running a fever of 103.1 and having body aches and chills. I slept off and on last night and kept waking up. Going into medicine is great. Being sick alot you first few years sucks! Click the second link at your own peril….it’s what came out of my stomach this morning

Richie’s Lung Butter (Be warned, it’s nasty! Click at own peril)

So I’ve had my bowflex for over a month now and I am starting to see results. It fits perfectly in my computer room so I cannot sit down at the computer without feeling guilty for thinking about ditching my workout plans. It’s a beautiful thing isn’t it

I’ve been involved with affiliate marketing off and on for a year or so to varying degrees of success. I started affiliate marketing because I have huge student loans from medical school and I wanted to have a supplemental income on autopilot while in residency for 4 years. So far, I’ve made a few dollars here and there, up until a couple months ago.

Introducing BANS (Build a Niche Store)

BANS is a script that builds an Ebay store for you with minimal fuss. All that is needed is a webhost that supports PHP and MYSQL databases. Affiliate income is provided through the new Ebay Partner Network (EPN). The basic jist is that you buy a domain and some hosting, use the easy script to setup the store and then show listings based around a niche. A combination of the BANS software and the EBay RSS Feed drops a 7 day cookie on the website user’s computer when they click any listing on your site. Then any auctions that the website user wins in the next 7 days, you get a 50% commission. Sounds good right?

So Easy Even a Caveman Can Do It?

Now hold on there a second sparky… I did not say this wouldn’t take a little bit of work now did I? Truth is, if you follow my instructions you can have your first of many BANS Ebay Stores up within an hour and at a total cost of just over $100. This cost lets you generate an unlimited amount of Ebay stores with the script and provides great hosting with unlimited domains to attach to your account. My first 10 days, I made $35…and this was while I went away on vacation to Orlando, FL too! This month I’m on target to generate about $200 from my Ebay commissions alone. Yes, a farcry from all the crap that these other Internet marketers feed you about “MAKE MILLIONS TODAY!!!” but if you are looking for something real to begin your online empire with, I believe this is it.

Are you still interested? I’ll detail the steps you need to take along with some discounts along the way! Go ahead and read on.

The Bans Plan - Part II - Start to Finish

So you’ve decided you want to take the plunge. Good for you! You’ve left the field of empty promises and have started to work toward building a real online presence. Let’s cut to the chase. You must follow these instructions IN ORDER to save yourself some heartache, money and time. I make these recommendations because I’ve watched people try to do things the wrong way and end up 100 bucks in the hole with no Ebay approval or hosting that does not work. So pay attention, follow the links (which open up in a new window for your convenience), and let’s make some money together.

Step 1: Apply to the Ebay Partner Network.

Click here to apply to the Ebay Partner Network. Don’t worry, it is free. Do this first before anything else. If you do not get accepted to EPN then you cannot use the BANS script. EPN is where all of your affiliate commissions come from. Once accepted, be sure to fill in all of your account details, including your social security number and payment preferences. After you have finished this, goto step 2.

Step 2: Purchase BANS (Build a Niche Store) - cost $99

Click here to Purchase BANS (Build a Niche Store). This is the biggest investment here. A one time $99 fee that lets you generate unlimited stores on unlimited domains for life. It’s well worth the price in my opinion as I recouped that amount in just 17 days with the script. When you get the download link, be sure to download the version that says “FULL DOWNLOAD” and not the “upgrade” one.

Step 3: Obtain Web Hosting Service.

Click here to start with Hostgator(with discount). When you sign up, chose the “Baby Croc” plan under “Shared Hosting”. Clicking the link above will get you 2 dollars off your first month of service. Pretty much it is $9.99 a month. The servers are very fast and I have had no problems. Customer Service is great too. Your account comes with the ability to host unlimited domains and pretty much limitless file space. This is very important because you will be building multiple BANS stores soon. I am currently hosting this site, 13 BANS sites and 4 other sites on my account. As you get settled into BANS more you’ll be building upwards of 50 stores. Afterall, 100 stores generating just $1 a day each translates into a paycheck of $36,500/year. Hostgator hosting allows you an afforable way of duplicating your efforts.

If you haven’t done so already: Click here to Start your HostGator Hosting Account (with discount)

P.S. use coupon code wordpress for 99 cents for your first month. Or SPRING for 7.95 first month.

Step 4: Buy your domain(s)

(Be sure to read on for coupon codes too). Okay, you have setup your HostGator account. Now you need to buy a domain (read: .com site) to point to your hosting account. This is where a bit of time will come in. Think about what you want to sell. Golf clubs? Nail Polish? Weight Loss pills? It doesn’t matter to me. What DOES matter is that you find a name for your website that has a keyword in it. For example, one of my sites is based around Golf Equipment. Therefore, my site is aptly named: “thegolfdad.com” The good news is you can either buy a .com domain for $9.99/year or a very cheap .info domain for 99 cents! I personally go with .com sites but I do have a couple .info sites which generate me income daily. Now read closely:

First click here (opens up in new window): www.GoDaddy.com

Then, when checking out, use the following coupon code(s):
If purchasing some .com domains: OYH3 ($3 bucks off each .com and 99 cent .infos if you click the link)
If you go nuts and spend over $50: BTPS7 (20% off your entire order over $50)

There, I saved you at the very least $5 for just reading my article this far.

Step 5 - Point your main domain to your hosting account.

This is the tricky part. You need to “Point” your domains from Godaddy.com to your web Hosting at Hostgator. To do this, be sure to note the DNS/Nameserver information given to you in your welcome email from HostGator. They will look like this:

ns###.hostgator.com (Note the # will have numbers there)
ns###.hostgator.com

Log into your godaddy account and look at your domain names, click on the one domain you want to manage. In the centre of the screen, you will see something like

Name Servers: (Last Update 9/15/2007)
NS49.DOMAINCONTROL.COM
NS50.DOMAINCONTROL.COM

Click on the NS49.domaincontrol.com link - and you get a screen to change the two nameservers.

Hostgator will have provided you something similar -

ns###.hostgator.com
ns###.hostgator.com

Now replace the godaddy nameserver information with the nameserver information from hostgator. It can take up to 48 hours for the change of nameserver to work round the net but most of the time it took a grand total of 1 minute for me.

You will have to do this for any other domains you purchase also. If you get stuck, the BANS forums have a wealth of information on troubleshooting. You can look there also!

Step 6 - Uploading your BANS Store Script

Let’s make this free and easy. Click here to download the free FileZilla FTP Client. Download this, enter your account details from your hostgator account email and upload your entire BANS Store to your web server space you purchased from HostGator.

Step 7 - Read the BANS Manual to setup the rest of your store!

Congratualtions! You are on your way to making your first Ebay commissions with BANS! It is my wish that you see immediate success. In general, the average BANS user sees commissions within a week of setting up a good niche store. (It took me 3 days). For further questions and motivation, read the Buildanichestore.com forums or check back here for some encouragement! Happy Selling!

-Richie

As of 2/13/2008 I have signed a contract with Carillon Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, VA.   I will be doing a 4 year program in Family Medicine with a fellowship in Medical Informatics.   This is the best marriage I can find between my medical and computer skills.  The hospital is pretty large with over 1000 beds and 15 floors.   The staff there are amazing too, which results in a fostering of a level of camaraderie among the residents.  To top this off, one of my old preceptors, Dr. Wayne Brackenrich will be my program director.

There are a variety of reasons for switching from a surgical career into a medical career.  The main reason for the switch was a better lifestyle.  I applaud every person who endures a 5 year surgical residency.   For lack of better wording, it is both hell and a complete sacrifice of one’s free time.   After much thought and experience with certain events (like the technical issues with the allopathic urology match and getting married in March), I bailed on surgery.   For those of you who wondered what happened with me going to Wilmington for medicine, I only ranked one program for the osteopathic match and that was New Hanover Regional Medical Center.   On match day, I didn’t match yet I found that the spots were still vacant on the scramble list.   I couldn’t get the program director to return my phone calls and was just told by the secretary that they were not filling the spots.   The day of the scramble, I had well over 100 phone calls with a total of 24 offers after the 3rd day.  After all the craziness with Wilmington and the scramble, I decided to withdrawl from the Allopathic match and sign with a dually accredited (MD/DO) program in Roanoke.

Either way, it was a stressful week.  I take my COMLEX PE board exam next Thursday so I am currently studying for that.  I am on my last rotation now.  Once I finish that I am thru with medical school!  Excellent!  I am going to dump Aplus.net as my web provider since they suck and my site is slow.  If anyone has any ideas for a web hosting provider, please let me know.  I was looking at Dreamhost for awhile.

In addition to new music (which I know you all are dying to hear but I am not releasing it yet until I have tweaked the tracks I have recorded) there will be a new site coming up called  www.warcraftdoctor.com which will have my tips and tricks for World of Warcraft…geared to the more mature players of the game.

So anyway, I am happy and relieved now.  Some of my friends are going to do a double take when they see I am not going to do urology or general surgery anymore.  But at heart, I feel like being a jack-of-all-trades rather than a specialist in one specific area.   The only thing I will miss if being able to wear scrubs everyday. :(  Scrubs are awesome!  When I look at my Patty, it’s clear I’ve made the right choice.

To the surgeons of the world, I salute you for your sacrifice!   To the rest of the world, you can stop guarding your bungholes now…I won’t be doing a rectal on you every visit now.

-Richie

So here I am at the office in between patients.  My nose is running like a leaky faucet and my body aches.  I didn’t feel well yesterday either but I worked out on my bowflex anyway (wedding less than 2 months away ya know!).  I feel completely run down and out of energy, even though I ate breakfast this morning.  Yet I’m not going to go home because, well, I won’t be able to call in sick in residency will I?  Not for something like this.  I am taking Augmentin 875 twice a day now and thus far it’s not doing poop. 

There was an interesting thread on the Student Doctor Network forums about calling in sick.  In surgery, you never call in sick…you just carry around an IV pole and have the scrub nurses feed you ibuprofen to keep your fever down while ya operate.  In Internal medicine residency, it’s still frowned upon to call in sick, particularly on a call day.  So I am trying to learn to suck it up and be the Obsessive-Compulsive hand washer to keep from getting sick.   Still…nothing can stop the old woman who accidently coughs up a wad of lung better in your face when you gag her with the tongue blade.  Nor can you escape the inevitable epidemic of gastroenteritis that spreads through the area like wildfire.  I’d rather have a cold anyday of the week than to be stuck on the toliet having the grand-mal-brownout every 15 minutes!

I’m curious. What do you patients think about doctors working when they are sick?  Would you want to be seen by a doctor with a cold?  Leave me some feedback on the comment section and let’s get some discussion going!