Throwing in the towel...

No I'm not throwing in the towel, I'm just dumbfounded at how many other people do so at the drop of a hat. I'm working on numerous books for clients that are focused toward small businesses so the subject of running a small business has been uppermost in my mind. Not that I'm ever far from the subject because, hey, I run a small business. But every once in a while I see something that stops me dead in my tracks and makes me wonder, "What were they thinking???" Happened to me today in fact. I was taking a break from writing this afternoon and going through the mail. Included was the monthly issue of Shopper's Window which is a local pulp showcasing ads from local businesses. So I'm flipping through this little publication, making fun of Liz cause she was on a call and actually working when this ad catches my eye:


Now I ask you, What were they thinking? Why would I even want to go to a place that was obviously just about to give up and call it quits? And they paid for this ad! I can think of a dozen ways to market yourself and NONE of them involving begging people to show up at your door because you are this desperate. Case in point is we have been doing some marketing for an author client of ours for a couple weeks and today it started to pay off as we booked a speaking engagement and radio interview. There are so many ways to get yourself out there as an author or small business person that will help and improve your exposure and cash flow - but unlike this business, you can never ever let em see you sweat!!

Christmas lights and 2010...

So today I'm gathering up interviews for an article for a feature article for the December issue of Credit Union business magazine. Its on trends and business forcasts for the industry for 2010. Its interesting because I have to interview very large organizations as well as very small ones. The difference in the two is staggering. Of course the behemouths have multiple layers of "press 1 if you know the person's extension, press two for loans" ad nauseum then you finally get someone who transefers you to someone who calls someone that's not there only to send an email for them to return your call. So I went the other direction and called the little guys. I got a person (like live and breathing and everything!) who didn't know the answer to my question but immediately transfered me to a guy who said, this is Keith the CEO can I help you? Now I ask you, when's the last time that happened? I've always been a huge believer that if someone calls our business, someONE should answer the phone! Not a machine or endless voice option loop.

Its one thing I always tell our writers and clients - if you call, we will answer. How hard is that? maybe its the society we live in that seems so impersonal, or the fact that I'm just getting older but I would take a real human who can't answer my question over a impersonal machine anyday. Its like Meg Ryan says in You've Got Mail, "Whatever business is, it should personal." So that's my rant for the day.

In other news, Christmas is coming!!! Oh yipppee! My favorite season. A week ago they had christmas toys at the Petco, so Barky got a candy cane striped squeaky bone. He also got a Rope Dog which he proceeded to disembowl and scatter about the house. Today I had some christmas light pros come by and do an estimate for lights for the castle...they should be up before thanksgiving. I always love the holiday season - mostly for the great movies. They had the remake of miracle on 34th street on HBO last weekend which was a great start to the season!

Fabulous Fruity Drink Recipe - The Tidal Wave

I had a great new fruity drink on the boat. What they've been doing on all the carnival cruises this year, is that early in the week they have a 'Mixologist' competition and passangers compete to create the best fruity drink which is then available at a special price the rest of the week. The winner on our boat was called the Tidal Wave - and its blue. Now I know what you're thinking, because I thought it too: If it's blue its gonna suck. This is because its the rule of fruity drinks that if its red or orange, then its probably pretty good - but if its blue or green then it sucks. Its like suckers, the blue and green ones are always the last ones picked. But of course I had to try it and ordered one anyway knowing it would probably suck. Well surprise, surprise it was one of the best fruity drinks I've ever had so I asked the bartender for the recipe:

The Tidal Wave

(equal parts)
Vodka
Peach Schnapps
Blue Curaqao
Pinapple juice
Sweet & Sour Mix
Garnish with orange slice and cherry - and of course a little unbrella)

last day....

The last day on board is always depressing. Mostly because you have to pack and contemplate going home. All in all this was one of the better cruises we've taken probably because I REALLY needed a vacation and also because we went to some locations that were totally different than the Mexican and Caribbean locations we've been to before. I even watched some movies while on board - I can't remember the last time I saw a current movie! This trip I saw Marley & Me which was very touching and then I also saw The Proposal which I also liked. I wasn't sure I'd like Sandra Bullock as the evil 'devil wears Prada' type, but it turned out to be really great. I also saw Benjamin Button, and although I like the uniqueness of the premise, I didn't think it was very well executed. Some parts were downright boring, but I'm sure I'm in the minority there as many people I know loved it.

I also read two books on the plane - the first was on the way out and is called 'The Children's Blizzard'. It is a creative account of the 1888 blizzard that swooped down over the Midwest suddenly in one afternoon killing hundreds of school children on their way home which is why its known as the Children's Blizzard. The subject matter is very intriguing and interesting but I have to say the writing was a bit lackluster. It is also noticeably uneven meaning that there are passages of scientific information written so differently in tone and feel from the rest of the text that it seems 'stuck in' by someone else. Its a little bizarre, but then I tend to read things like an editor rather than an actual reader.

The other book I read was Dave Sadaris' book, When You are Engulfed in Flames. Of course Dave is a humorist and I've read his essays before. This one was touted to be about death and dying but I'd say less than 50% of the book was about that. Quite a bit was about his being gay and in a gay relationship -which was totally funny and realistic and makes you think about the stupid things you say to, wonder about, or ask, gay people. I laughed out loud in several places which is certainly the mark of an excellent humorist as I'm not an easy laugh most of the time. So if I find it funny, then its usually REALLY funny. I also thought that a couple of the essays could have been cut out or shortened, but over all a good read - just maybe not a read for everyone.

Tomorrow we disembark in Ft Lauderdale -BOOOOOOO!!!

Pukin on the Boat!

Not me, but all those pansies with motion sickness. If you've looked at a map, then you can see that Panama is a loooooong way from Ft Lauderdale. This means the captain has to gun it back toward Cuba to make it on time. This wouldn't be a big deal in the gulf where the sea is totally flat, but in the Caribbean its a little choppier and any additional speed gives the boat a little sway and shimmy which you can really notice at the back of the boat. Of course neither one of us gets sea sick so we had a fun day at sea but the decks were noticeably deserted. Another fun activity today was going out on the deck facing the waves which were spraying water over deck three(that's about thirty feet or so above the water level) and leaving a layer of salt on everything. You don't often get sea spray in your face on a cruise but we did this trip!

Most of the day was spent relaxing and playing in the casino, along with a little shipboard shopping. In the afternoon we could see the mountains of Cuba and the ship came very (very) close to shore. Got some great pics of that along with another beautiful sunset and a full moon. A dreamy evening on deck for sure.

Panama!

This morning we got up at 5 am....yes that's 5 am, something I swore I'd never do on vacation, but our day long excursion to the Panama Canal starts at 6:45 and I really wanted to see it. The first leg of the journey takes us by bus (nice buses again!) across the country to Panama City and the Pacific side of the canal. Panama City is pretty awesome with many very tall skyscrapers. On the way over we had yet another tour guide who was interesting. Although we traveled on a wonderful highway, he proceeded to tell us how marginal, average or bad things were. Now really, if you are in a location and don't like it that's fine, but if you're a tour guide do you really want to share that? I have a client in Panama and know that much of what the guide was saying was his own opinion rather than reality. His English was also marginal.

There were a total of 450 people on the tour from our ship, 11 buses worth. We boarded two large ferries for the trip half way down the canal and once on board, the difference between the tour guides was night and day. The one on the boat was very educational about the canal and all the great things that Panama was doing to expand the canal and enhance it. They are currently widening the canal from 125 feet to 700 feet to both accommodate bigger ships and facilitate two way traffic as right now one section of the canal is only one way which means it takes a ship 8-10 hours to navigate the canal depending on the traffic volume. They are also adding a another set of locks - a 10 billion dollar project. The weather was great for this type of trip as it was overcast and misty so it was very cool and comfortable for the tropics.

As we approached the first set of locks it was really astounding to see them work and know that they are 100 years old. They raised our ferries in 8-10 minutes through each of the 3 locks which is amazing to see and experience. There was a tour we could have taken that just went to the visitor center and watched the ships go through the lock but that would have been such a rip off there is nothing like experiencing it yourself and I would definitely recommend putting on your "things to see before I die" list. Of course during our last dinner in the dining room before we bailed for the supper club, the subject of the panama canal excursions came up and the consensus was that they were just going to have a peek but didn't see the value in actually going down the locks as it was another $79. Seriously??? Of course these are the same people who don't want a cabin with a balcony or window because there's nothing to see but water........

Bats, Monkeys and sloths! OH MY!

We have docked in Costa Rica and are off on our excursion. The first part is by bus through Limon, where our tour guide starts educating us on Costa Rica. His name was Eric and he was very educational. The buses were also large and comfortable with great air conditioning! Eric told us that Costa Rica is only about the size of west virgina and has about 4.5 million people. The took the money they would have spent on the army and put it into education and are now also using it to build up their reputation as a great ecotourism destination. He said that they now teach ecotourism as a subject starting in grade school all the way through high school as their #1 industry is now tourism.

The bus ride took us to a banana plantation which was also very educational. It was the Del Monte Filadelfia plantation and I had no idea that bananas weren't native to central America because they are everywhere and grow like weeds. But they were brought there in the 1890s from asia. We watched as they processed the bunches of bananas and both me and Kevin thought it would be really weird to be a worker in the plantation and every day have people come by and take pictures and video of you doing your job.

The bus then took us to a little train that is a refurbished 1940s train they use so tourists can ride through the jungle and along the shore to take pictures of wildlife. Anytime someone spotted something, we'd stop for everyone to take pictures. Along the way there were howler monkeys, several sloths and lots of jungle which is pretty neat as long as you're in the train and not walking through it. At one point, the tracks run alongside a beautiful black sand beach that is completely deserted and undeveloped. We all got off the train and tromped around taking pictures for a while and that was pretty cool. The waves were beautiful.

Once back on the bus, we went to the river and transferred to boats. The boats were pretty loaded and rode about six inches above the water which of course has caymans and crocodiles in it (though we didn't see any). What we did see were bats hanging upside down on a tree trunk, lots of various birds and exotic butterflies as well as numerous sloths again. Coast Rica must be sloth central and they are the perfect animal for photo ops as they move so slow. The boat ride was fun and when we got back to the dock they had a little buffet of fresh bananas, pineapples (which were also imported as a crop) and fresh coconut. If you've never had a tree ripened banana, its fabulous!!

All in all it was a great fun day as we saw a little bit of everything that Costa Rica had to offer. I'd definitely go there again!

South to Central America!

Another fabulous day at sea and it seems I've become allergic to my computer. Its the first time in three years I haven't worked on board the ship and I've only checked email twice so far. I think its good that I'm starting to section off my time so I'm not always working and unable to relax - and believe me I'm relaxing right now! Today was the Texas Hold 'em tourney on board. They are giving away a free cruise but I got my butt kicked early on - still it was fun. I basically didn't do much today but putter around, shop on board, play black jack and enjoy the ocean. What better way to spend the day?

The seas are picking up now that we're out of the gulf but I think the waves are still tiny - apparently some of the other people on board don't agree as the boat was rocking a little more than they liked -of course most of them had the Cozumel hangover that added to their issue. We had another fabulous dinner in the supper club and I played poker until midnight or so which was an early night for me but we have a big shore excursion in Costa Rica tomorrow.

Cozumel!

I've always loved the water around Cozumel -its that surreal blue that pictures don't do justice too. On our very first cruise, a short three years ago, we were in Cozumel and it was different - they'd just had a hurricane a few months before and were scrambling to get things back in order but it was charming as you could walk the streets of the town. Now its all built back up and quite touristy near the pier. Lots of bars and shops and a huge fence between that part of the city and the rest - I'm sure to give the touristas a feeling of 'safety' but it was kinda ridiculous. We shopped and then had lunch at one of the bars overlooking the water - it was very calm and peaceful. But as always happens on a cruise to Cozumel, people were totally plastered. I'm not sure what it is about the place, but every time we've been there people were drinking so much they could hardly stand up! Its tequila people - nothing more, nothing less. Okay I'll admit its a fun time, but I'm just too old for the hangover. I had two margaritas and was woozy!

One of my missions in Cozumel was to find Rocko a real bulldog collar - you know the kind that's black with the little silver spikes because they have some great leather craftspeople there. I don't know if you've perused the dog collar section at your local pet store but the collars are, well, gay! They are all pink and prissy and just not suitable for a ruff tuff bulldog - okay he's really not ruff and tuff but he thinks he is. They did have doggie shirts on the boat that said 'cruise dog' and I was really tempted. But of course Kevin was standing there going, "Now really, what would Caesar do?" Caesar Milan is always getting onto owners for treating dogs like kids, but its still tempting. I guess I can have a bracelet made up with the initials WWCD for pet owners like me who are tempted to sin by buying the dog a wardrobe. Anyway, we didn't find a collar so I was disappointed.

Kevin convinced me to give Steve one more chance, so we had dinner in the dining room. It wasn't any better and quite honestly after having such a great meal at the supper club (at a cozy table for two!) I just wanted to eat there every night. So we bid farwell to the dining room knowing they'd never see our buts again on this cruise.

Fun Day at Sea!

First fun day at sea! On our way to Cozumel and we slept in. I always sleep great on the boat, something about the slow rocking (or maybe its just the alcohol!). Ordered our regular room service then down to explore the ship. Went through the stores – pretty much the same and explored the boat from top to bottom. I was really surprised that we didn’t hear hardly any of the deck part even though our room is the closest. We played at the casino and of course I had to play poker even though it’s the crappy electronic table. There are these two guys who are Mexican, but speech English in a New York accent. They are loud and excitable though seem to be harmless. The turned the poker table into a craps table with shouts, banging the table and yelling in Spanish. One guy even looks like Tony Soprano so its like the Mexican Sopranos play poker! Their chicks even look like mob girls – its kinda funny.
We dressed up since it was the first elegant night and headed out to the supper club. It was great as always and I didn’t have to listen to Steve and his wife talk about how a balcony cabin just isn’t worth is because all you see is water. REALLY?? It a cruise FYI. We spent literally hours the first day staring at the pretty blue water which was so calm it was eerie and needless to say, I made reservations at the supper club for tomorrow too. The official excuse is that we wanted to eat earlier so Kevin could watch Monday night football, but the real reason is that I’d rather pay an extra $60 not to put up with Steve and I know eventually I will tell him to take a big dose of shut the F*** up but why ruin the whole week?
We thought about going to the shows but blew it off to play blackjack after dinner and I did really well but it seems I’m like the only player who understand the concept of ‘dealer dollars’. Every bet you play a dollar for the dealer and when you win, they win too. It a good luck thing but I swear some of these people act like they are paying their mortgage with their winnings – as if. Anyway, we closed down the casino at 2:30 am. Tomorrow, Cozumel!

On the Boat!

Boat Day!!
So today is the day we finally get on the boat. We arrived at the port terminal without incident except that all the people on the hotel shuttle act like they’ve already had a few shots of tequila! Wait was short – about 20 minutes and then we’re onto the boat. It s really like coming home. We’ve sailed so many of the conquest class that we know where everything is already so it makes it really easy. Our room is on the tenth deck – highest up we’ve been so far and we’re a little concerned that we are right by the hot tub and pool and are wondering about the noise so we’ll see. We left at 4 pm and pulling out of port in Ft Lauderdale is always exciting. As we passed through the jetties, we were on the opposite side of the boat and got a great photo of the beach going south. The boat hugged the coastline as the sun set and as we passed Miami, there were several other cruise ships leaving port on the way to the Caribbean and the Virgin Islands – all wonderful cruises as well. As night came on we could see the lights of the keys and a thunderstorm in the distance. Our dinner is at 8:15 and we went down to the lobby bar for a few drinks and great music.
At dinner we met our dinner mates : a young couple from Miami celebrating their 5 year anniversary, a young couple from Miami who are experienced cruisers and then there was Steve & Ieda. Steve is a retired lawyer and travels the country with his RV in a caravan. AS the young couple talked amoung themselves I realized that even retired lawyers are annoying and have very little social skill. In fact they rank right up there with IT guys in that respect except they think they are the smartest people in the universe. AS the night dragged along I was really glad I’d made reservations at the supper club for tomorrow…..
We played a little at the casino then crashed for the night. All in all, very glad to be back on the boat!

The Cruise Extravaganza Begins..

Woo hoo! And we’re off! Well, not off on the ocean yet, but off to Ft Lauderdale. Me & Liz took Barky (Rocko) to doggy summer camp yesterday and there were so many people making a fuss over him he didn’t even know I was gone so I can now cruise guilt free - although the castle was eerily quiet without him.

So we packed up and I went to check us in online on Continental and they offered us a first class upgrade for $79. And I had one of ‘those’ moments when you wonder if its worth it. I mean we all still get there together so does it really matter? Now I will admit that I’ve never flown first class. I’m a hard core Southwest Airlines person and first class flies in the face of flying for ‘peanuts’. But in this case I felt I was more than justified since continental charges $55 for 2 bags – Each way. And if you upgrade then you get three bags for free so if I can fly First Class for $79 round trip that saves $31 net – for both me and Kevin.

So after we got off the puddle jumper and onto the real plane in Houston for Ft Lauderdale, we settled into the cushy first class seats. Then they served us chicken fajita wraps that were hot and fresh fruit on real plates with real silverware. They also serve all the beer and wine you want FREE and your earphones are FREE too! I had no idea they did that on these shorter flights and of course now we’re hooked. But it made me realize that they are really soaking everyone who is paying coach. We got the flights for less than $400 each on Expedia and the upgraded to First Class and paid no baggage fees, no booze fees and no other fees AND our luggage was marked priority and came off the plane first and we were on our way. It just goes to show that you really have to do the math because just because you assume you are saving a buck by squishing into that uncomfortable middle seat in coach between Tonya the Talker and Sam the Smelly, doesn’t mean it’s true.

So anyway we get to Ft Lauderdale just fine and dandy and arrive at the hotel for the night which I paid with my Starwood points for free AND they didn’t have many people there today so they upgraded us to club level (don’t you love upgrades on stuff that’s already FREE?). We then went down to the lobby bar and had our first official vacation fruity drink. Kevin had a Pina Colada and I had a Mai Tai (make that two). Kevin kept getting brain freeze but I was down for the count. We started the day at 5 am so it didn’t take much to put me out.

After a short nap we got headed over to Truluck’s for our birthday dinner. The place was nice of course and had a hoppin’ bar with live music. We decided to try the Alaskan King Crab since we’re rarely ever in a place that really has good seafood and Truluck’s is known for its crab. I have to say it was totally better than lobster. For dinner Kevin got the Joshua Crab (cousin to the stone crab) and I got the Prosciutto wrapped Mahi Mahi. Mine was excellent! Of course if you wrap bacon around anything its going to be good. Kevin said his was okay. Not because the Joshua Crab was bad, but he just liked the King Crab so much better. He said it was like following lobster with a plate of tadpoles. They put a candle on a piece of chocolate cake for our birthday. Happy Birthday to us! Now tomorrow we get on the boat!!!

Subtitles & Pimp my Dog!

I realize that its rare for me to post again so soon but today was too funny to let go without comment.

So I was watching Discovery tonight and they had this show on about the wild pig explosion in the US....of course they interviewed some very amiable guys from Louisiana who hunt these pigs to control the population. Skeeter and Bubba (Yes, those were their names for real) had accents so thick that the show had inserted subtitles. Which I can understand 'cause every time I watch Swords I really wish they would have subtitles for those thick Boston accents...but anyway. So I'm pointing out these subtitles to my husband when we realize that the subtitles are WRONG! Every time Bubba talks about his dogs chasing the pigs and says, "They's on um," the subtitles read, "They own one." Don't you wonder if the discussion in the editing booth came down to a 'rock, paper, scissors' decision of what them good ol boys actually said? Way to confuse them Yankees Bubba and Skeeter!

In other news this evening, Kevin took Rocko out around the neighborhood as he normally does each evening. When they return, Kevin says, "You're not going to believe it. We got approached by a Dog Pimp!" Apparently they were strolling by a house a block up from ours and this guy working in his yard starts running after them and says, "Is that a male bulldog? Cause I have a couple of young purty female bulldogs." What is this, VEGAS?? Of course when Kevin told him that Rocko's boys were toast, the poor guy seemed really disappointed. Good thing doggys don't understand English because the news that Rocko could have been the subject of a doggy threesome would have devastated the poor pooch. Can you imagine the Forum column in the next Bulldog Penthouse?? On second thought, Rocko may have a future as an erotica writer.......

Pig ears and cruiseliners

As most of you know by now, we have a new addition to the castle - Rocko the bulldog.

He's about six months old and quite high maintenence right now as we're still working on the housetraining. I know the first question, "so if you can't keep fish alive, why did you get a dog?"

Well I love a challenge I suppose. But I'm amazed at all the cool stuff they have for dogs now including Pig Ears. I swear they must be like doggy crack! Rocko will chew on one until it is oblitereated, then spend hours (or days) hunting for the little leftover bits (bacon bits?) in the carpet. So I did a search yesterday to see the nutritional value of a pig ear and apparently the are just south of potato chips. Darn. Why is it that the one thing he really loves is so bad for him? I'm still giving him pig ears.

A short two weeks away is our Panama Cruise!! I can't wait! It seems like forever since we'd had a long relaxing vacation. We leave from Ft Lauderdale and then go to Cozumel, Costa Rica then on to Panama. Its an 8 day cruise which I really like as there's lots of days at sea! I'm trying to get several projects finished up before we go so I can really relax and enjoy the ride!

TV makes me Hungry...

So a couple nights ago I was watching No Reservations and Anthony Bourdain was in Mexico....Ahhh...the tacos, enchiladas and super fresh guac.....I so want to be there. We will be stopping in Cozumel on our cruise to panama, but that's still six whole weeks away!!! I was too hungry to wait so we went over to Leal's and had a little teaser.....brisket tacos are the bomb!!

So this week we also saw the rerun of the season opener for Man vs Food which featured Amarillo. One of the places, Coyote Bluff, has the Burger from Hell - a supposedly wicked hot burger. We'd never been there and Kevin really wanted to go, so he said he'd pay if we went. So last night we drove over to grand street. It took us a little while to find it as its very small. The parking lot (actually its dirt and potholes) was very small - and full of maybe 12 cars. We entered the restaurant (read SHACK) The decor looks very "found it on the side of the road" with rusted signs on the walls, an old bathtub in the middle of the floor filled with ice and beer and maybe 12 tables. They can't serve more than about 30-40 people at a time. all the tables and booths are a hodgepodge of diner chairs, cast off benches and things that seem to be nailed together from old crates While the tables are all odd size and several lean precariously - but they were all full of eager patrons. A very cozy atmosphere. I would estimate the square footage to be in the 400 foot range - TOTAL, including the kitchen.

We sat within about 6 feet of the back door - which is probably good since the front door was blocked by people waiting for us to eat faster so they could have a turn. If there had been a fire we'd probably have been the only ones to get out!

You might think that I'd be put off by this, but actually its was kinda cool. The menu is on a large chalk board (over the bathtub) and they only take cash and checks. some people may find that a bit backward, but its been my experience that a tiny restaurant that doesn't take debit cards means that their stuff is so good that you will pay cash or starve. That was true in the this case as well. We treated ourselves to a big plate of chili cheese fries which were great and then both had the much touted Burger from Hell. It tasted great! Although neither one of us thought it was all that hot. It had Japalenos and habaneros....but I really like habaneros...

Its funny when you sit in such a small joint in close proximity to other people - it almost feels like a family gathering as people ask how hot our burgers are and should they order one too. Its exactly the kind of place my dad would love and we'll have to take him next time he's here. We'll also have to bring some of our international clients there too and see how they respond. It should be a good laugh!

I would totally go there again but we have to quit watching TV....it just makes me hungry....

When it rains.....

The ceiling falls in!!!

So here's what happened: Me, Ryan and Kaci went out for my sister's wedding a the end of June. Kevin stayed at the castle. So while we were gone there was a big thunderstorm that dumped like 3 inches of rain in an hour on the castle which never happens. So the castle roof sprung several leaks - one up front through the one of a kind wood ceiling (yikes!), one in the turret skylight, and one right over my recliner in the back of the house. within a couple of hours, the one over my recliner had turned into a torrent!! water down the wall and a 2 ft x 2 ft section of ceiling came tumbling down. So, while I was in Santa Fe with my son and brother at a casino after the wedding, I got a panicked call from home.

So its not bad enough that the ceiling of my precious castle falls, but that I now have to deal with contractors! I'm convinced they are the devil incarnate - with a few exceptions. We also found out that there are really only two roofers in town that specialize in clay tile roofs so we had to wait on them to get around to it. One guy comes over and says that it will be $3600 to fix it and $15000 to do it right. Crap....we called the insurance company even though we were skeptical they'd pay. So the next guys come over and I'm expecting another several thousand dollar estimate, and they say that the flashing has just pulled away from the house and they can fix it in a couple hours for $275. So I guess the real cost to fix the issue is somewhere between $275 and $15000....did I mention I hate roofers? Its like financial Russian roulette. So needless to say we took the $275 bid and David (our favorite handy man of all time) is fixing the inside damage for a few hundred...so we feel like we squeaked by on that one.

Then....
There's always a 'then'....this week the air conditioner started making this noise like a screeching rat...great...more contractors......so we called a couple of air conditioning guys and no one could get to it for a few days...so I was getting ready to go buy deodorant in bulk when David said he knew a guy. I love when people know people....anyway he called Daniel and Daniel came over to check it out. The castle has an upstairs and a downstairs unit. Daniel said they are about 20 years old and we need to start budgeting for new ones.....to the tune of $4-$7,000 EACH....where are the Rolaids when you need them? But he was able to fix it for less than $500...Whew!! another financial mine field skated right through. BTW if any of you want David or Daniel's numbers, just email me. Good contractors are extremely hard to find!

On the writing front, we're zipping right along with numerous projects. Todd's radio spots start airing on 12 Canadian radio stations this week and his show starts next week. This bodes well for the launch of his book this fall. We finished up one book for Joe Vitale and will be starting the second one shortly so that's well on its way as well. We've been approached by the people behind 'Beyond the Secret' -the sequel to 'The Secret' to possibly do some work on the book version, we'll see if that works out.

On the investment front, the Milam property is for rent again. We went in and put in new carpet and painted so its looks like new again and we've been getting lots of calls so hopefully it will be rented by the first of the month. Also the restaurant in Thailand is moving forward and is on track to open October 1, the start of their busy tourist season. The cherry orchard in Australia is still waiting to get rolling so we'll see how that works out.

As usual there's too much going on in the summer for me to even sleep, so if you see the light on the castle at 4 am that's me burning the candle at both ends.

What do you mean its summer??

When did the seasons change? I know they did because hailstones are hitting my window instead of snow...but so far I'm missing it as usual. It seems like the last few summers I've missed simply because summer is our busy season. And of course this year, I decided to take a week off right in the middle of it and play the World Series of Poker. It's on my bucket list and I've thought about doing it the last couple of years, but the timing just didn't work out - and there was that whole thing about maybe not being able to compete at a World Class level.

Well this was the year and I went for a week the first part of June. I have to say it was very surreal and a little intimidating at first. Now that ESPN plays the world series events constantly, everyone has a good idea what the event looks like and I have to say its just like stepping into your television set and suddenly being there. Same room, same players, same everything - And thousands of people all with poker on the brain and nothing else.

The first event I played was the NL $2000 (Event #11). There were 1646 players and when you sit down at your table and see Chris Ferguson, Phil Helmuth and TJ Cloutier walk by to sit down at their tables in the same event, it gives you the jitters. Over the course of the event almost every major pro that I've seen on TV busted out of this event and that's even more weird. To see major players - bracelet winners - get up and leave while you still have chips in front of you makes you want to stand up and do the Snoopy Dog Happy Dance!!

I played extremely well that first tourney, and can't think of one hand I would have played differently. In the end I finished in the money - 160th - so I made the top 10% and took some $$ home. I wanted to prove to myself I could play at this level and I did. I told my sister that I cashed in my first World Series Event and she asked how big a deal that was. Big. Like HUGE. They track every world series cash you ever have in your career and then you are forever known by that track record. There was one guy I was talking to while playing a cash game who said he'd played fifteen world series events and only cashed once - which made me feel good! I also got to play some of the cash games which was great because I've really been wanting to play some live Omaha as its hard to find a game at home or even in most of the casinos in Vegas. But they had several of them going on at the World Series due to the large contingent of European players and that's the predominant poker game over there. I met a guy from Germany and one from Phoenix who were really great Omaha players. They taught me more in a few hours than I've learned in the last couple of years about Omaha so it was very valuable.

Some of the cool things I saw in passing were: Doyle Brunson on his motor scooter (he's hell on wheels!) - Phil Ivey receiving his 6th bracelet - Mike Caro trying to get away from some dumb blondes there for a tanning convention - A whole slew of young twenty something players who have never had a job and who also think that 100 grand really isn't worth their time to play for - Several domestics in the hallway always seeming to involve guys who want to keep playing and wives who just want to eat dinner already - Chris Ferguson standing in line to pee - watching the feature table from the ESPN bleachers - Talking to Sam Grizzle at the Omaha cash table - having Sam Farha and Eric Lindergin watch the play at my table for over an hour(they weren't watching me, but who cares?) - seeing Humburto Brennis' latest fashion statement - watching Annie Duke in the Omaha 8 or better event - and many others too numerous to mention.

On my return home I had my first real struggle with jet lag. I'd always kind of scoffed at the idea that jet lag could kick your butt for several days - but it did. Even though there's only 2 hours in time difference between Texas and Vegas, most of the events and games didn't start until 2 pm or later and we played 12-14 hours at a stretch so I quickly adjusted to sleeping all day and playing all night. Once back in Texas I just couldn't seem to snap out of it and found myself napping on and off all day. It was weird and has taken me a full week to get back to normal.

And yes, we have books galore in process as usual. A great variety this time around with clients all over the world - from former Olympic stars, to radio personalities, to race car drivers it promises to be a fun summer writing even if I don't step outside to personally experience the soaring temperatures. This is always why I'm so ready to go on our yearly birthday Cruise in Sept as the busy season winds down. This year, we'll be floating down the Panama Canal and hopefully visiting a great casino in Cost Rica!

Our Book on Jay Leno!!!

So its the busy season obviously - so busy I haven't posted in a month but that's good. So one of the books we wrote last fall, Lucrative Love has really been making waves. The author is Tom Feltenstein, and last Friday the book was mentioned in a skit on Jay Leno!! See it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu00Y5Ga5_w

Tom has really gotten a lot of press and we even helped him with the tag line for his billboard that he put up in West Palm, FL. He's a very funny guy!!

Anyway, we are back in the swing of things with more writing projects and various other books that we are publishing AND the WSOP -that's World Series of Poker for all you fish out there - is only a few weeks away. I'm traveling to LV June 3 - 10 and will play up to three events. If I do well, I'll also buy in to the main even in July. I can't wait as this has been on my bucket list for a while and now I'm doing it.

Cruise update: we finally made a decision on where to go on the birthday cruise the end of Sept. The winner was the cruise out of Miami that goes to Costa Rica and Panama. There's even a shore excursion on a ferry that takes you on a ride completely through the panama canal. Very excited about that and will be stocking up on mosquito spray!

so totally excited!!

Not only is my Jen coming home for her very first visit to the castle(3 more days!!), but we learned today that one of our favorite authors, Joe Vitale, will be co-authoring a book with us to be published by TAG Publishing!!! We are also doing one for him that goes with his new attracting wealth seminar which I've been listening to and its pretty neat.

Business is booming as usual for spring time and we're glad to be back in the swing. This year I've also committed to adding more to our little real estate portfolio. Contrary to what a few people told us, owning rental property has been a great experience and there are some wonderful deals out there right now. We want to build it up to have lots of cash flow and also to get the capital appreciation. The office has taken a few field trips this last week looking at some properties and next week we're seeing some more. I think there are a couple that have real potential - we'll see.

I also got some waterlilies and irises for the pond. The fish love them, playing hide and seek in the lilies almost like its a real pond instead of a glorified aquarium...of course that blue gravel is still a bit of a give away, but I don't' want dirt in the bottom of my pond.

My much beloved little Kia has moved on to a better life. No it didn't die on me, but my Dad's car did on the way out to the castle. So he took mine for a few days and fell in love (who wouldn't). So he bought my car and I got a new one....well new to me...a Kia of course but this one is a V6...I hate having to turn the air conditioner off to get up the on ramp on the interstate so hopefully this one will not have that issue....

New Writers and Updates

Things are moving along well for TAG. We've taken on a couple of new writers in the past few weeks that can offer us some depth just in time for the busy season. We're also doling out projects as they come in to our regular stable of writers who are hard at work again. Its nice to get back in the swing of it again and I'm amazed at how much more organized I stay when I'm busy.

We're once again working on the websites as they went by the wayside over the past few months and we will be producing a couple of Cds - one on how to get a book published with our company and then a set on how to write a non-fiction book to expand your business. We've had so many requests for the how to set that we decided to meet the demand. As soon as we have them ready, you all will be the first to know.

I'm getting better at handing things off to Chris (our marketing assistant) instead of being my normal control freak self and that is working well. I think hiring a person is one of those steps that some writers wonder about. When do you know you're ready? The truth is you don't. But once you hire someone, you'll be amazed at how you ever got along without them. The determining factor for me was when I was working 12-14 hours per day (and so was my business partner) and we just couldn't get it all done.

We talked about hiring someone and so each of us made a list of the tasks we did each day for a week. The first thing we looked at were those tasks that took a large amount of time or interrupted our work flow that didn't produce much. This biggest culprit in that area was lunch. We used to do lunch with writers or friend a few times per week. We realized that this was draining our time and so we limit those outings to one every two weeks and we never do business over lunch anymore. We have people come to our office and that way we stay in the flow of work.

Once lunches were deleted (or severely restricted) we looked at our lists and picked out the second most time consuming culprit - errands. Trips to the bank, post office, fed ex, office depot, and a myriad of other tasks was eating up a huge chunk of time. We also discovered that we spent a lot of time doing very small projects - Internet research, press releases, web copy and other tasks that took up way too much time for too little return. We thought we needed someone with some writing skill and could easily justify part time. So we hired Chris last October. As we were able to focus on the things that made us money, projects, authors and money poured in. Way more than justified what it cost for us to have an extra person. By December he was working over 30 hours per week and in January he started full time.

The lesson here is that by taking the risk to add someone we expanded our business to the next level and having realized that we will be looking for more people to add to the staff to take it to an even higher level. We've had that 'aha' moment and are well on our way.