I want to start this post off by saying that I love bartenders. I respect them and the job they have to do. I am by no means attempting to degrade or downplay the bartending profession. This post is actually my way of communicating my envy of the role of a bartender.  Now on to my post…

Have you ever had one of those days/weeks/months/years where you find yourself just looking to get away, more specifically, away from your job? Away from the constant demand of your time, the responsibility, the daily battles with coworkers and bosses, the ridiculous BS that … Continue Reading

Every year around this time I begin to get really anxious for two reasons. I am going to have to try to think up things that I “want” and I will have to try to figure out what other people “want” for presents. Normally you would think it would be easy to accomplish these two, seemingly simple tasks, but as I have gotten older, I am finding it increasingly difficult.

At my age, when I want most things I buy them for myself. I am no longer an influencer of purchases as I was when I was younger, I am the … Continue Reading

Email, most of us use it every day without even giving it a second thought. It is a service, a method of communication that we tend to take for granted. As a result, you may not fully grasp how much panic sets in if your email is hacked and taken over by someone, until it happens to you. Past the panic, there is the extreme inconvenience you have to go through to make everything right again. This is exactly what happened to me this morning.  I am an avid user of Google’s services and it was my Gmail account … Continue Reading

In February I set out to beautify my yard so it was no longer the eye sore of the subdivision.  I contacted several contractors and landscapers and after getting all of their quotes I settled on one, Dependable Services Inc.  They seemed very professional, came up with great a great design, and were reasonable.  Below are the pictures they provided of what the finished project would look like.

Due to the rainy spring we had they finally made it out in the middle … Continue Reading

Recently I have witnessed a number of situations where neighbors, simply put, seem to have nothing else to do but involve themselves in other people’s business. The most recent example, a friend of mine in a new subdivision, just had a landscaping company come out and put a retaining wall up in her backyard. This retaining wall was needed due to the slope of her yard and conserving the proper flow of water.

Not even a week after having the wall up, she receives a notification from the city stating that someone filed a complaint about the wall. In the letter, … Continue Reading

Every day you hear more news about people losing their jobs, getting pay cuts, their bonuses dropped, or other benefits downgraded. It is unfortunate and undoubtedly taxing on people’s happiness and satisfaction with their life. When monetary benefits are scarce people look to other types of compensation and rewards to help maintain satisfaction and keep your best talent around.

For myself, I know that what I value in a job is generally the same in every case whether it is my current position or if I am looking at new jobs. One of the most important things to me, and I … Continue Reading

The US Presidential election of 2008 is certainly a historic election for a number of reasons. We saw both a woman and a black man each having legitimate shots at winning the election, with either choice being a first for America. We saw candidates using new means to connect with their audience, (Facebook, Twitter, etc).  Additionally, we also witnessed a record number of younger voters coming to the polls and casting their vote.

Now, a few months later, with our new President elected and sworn in, history was made. As a country, we have our first black President of the … Continue Reading

It happens to everyone. You are in the middle of something or an idea strikes you, or perhaps you do something and the consequences weren’t exactly what you had hoped for. No matter the exact reason, you find yourself uttering the words “Note to self…” or “Mental Note…” after realizing a fact that will be helpful for you to remember in the future.

After finding myselfy in one of these scenarios today, I was inspired to write a post documenting a collection of mental notes that I have had in the past. Hopefully some of the notes in this list ring … Continue Reading

On a daily basis in a work/business environment, we are inundated with titles. VP of this and that, Director of X, Business Development Rep, Sr. Engineer, and so on and so on.  Some people get inventive with their titles, particularly in smaller organizations or companies where there is less of a standardized and bureaucratic structure in existence.

Certainly there are logical and necessary reasons to have positions and career paths to be able to differentiate between responsibilities and so forth.  As with many things in life, titles, in my opinion, are ok in moderation. But when do they become useless, self-promotional, … Continue Reading

When I was purchasing my home, it quickly became apparent that I had to put down a deposit, otherwise known as earnest money.  The deposit is to show that you are serious about buying the home. The amount of deposit required varies from market to market and across the country.  In some places it’s as little as $500.00 or as much as 3% of the purchase price.  As a buyer, I learned that your goal is to put down as little as possible for a variety of reasons, but as a seller you should try to get the largest deposit … Continue Reading