Getting The Word Out

My wife and I are both very busy running two businesses, hers a nail salon and mine a lawn service company. Every now and then we sit down to discuss what each of us can do to better our business and how we can help each other accomplish this feat.

The one subject that seems to come up every time is that we need more and better advertising so that we can get the word out to as many people as possible. But we always come to the same conclusion, what do we know about the advertising world?

This last time that we sat down to talk this subject, of course, came up again. So what we decided to do is to consult an Advertising Agency. I have always preferred to give the ball to the professionals to run with because nine times out of ten I get the results (or even better results) that I wanted.

So with this mindset I feel really good about handing our advertising problems over to someone that actually does this for a living. Most people in this field are very much the artist in what they do, just like my wife and I are the artist in what we do.

So our decision to talk to an advertising agency seems to be just the right step in taking our businesses to the next level. So friends, if you have a business and want to improve your income, then I suggest that you check into advertising yourself and let us know how you do!

Today's Birthdays

Marie d'Agoult born on December 31, 1805

Henri Matisse born on December 31, 1869

George Catlett Marshall born on December 31, 1880

Pola Negri born on December 31, 1894

Odetta born on December 31, 1930

Anthony Hopkins born on December 31, 1937

Tim Considine born on December 31, 1940

Sean S. Cunningham born on December 31, 1941

Ben Kingsley born on December 31, 1943

John Denver born on December 31, 1943

Taylor Hackford born on December 31, 1944

Barbara Carrera born on December 31, 1945

Burton Cummings born on December 31, 1947

Tim Matheson born on December 31, 1947

Donna Summer born on December 31, 1948

Joe Dallesandro born on December 31, 1948

George Thorogood born on December 31, 1952

James Remar born on December 31, 1953

Jane Badler born on December 31, 1953

Bebe Neuwirth born on December 31, 1958

Val Kilmer born on December 31, 1959

Derek Blok born on December 31, 1960

Steve Bruce born on December 31, 1960

Don Diamont born on December 31, 1962

Gong Li born on December 31, 1965

Bruce Ramsay born on December 31, 1966

Eguchi Yosuke born on December 31, 1967

Rebecca Riggs born on December 31, 1967

Balthazar Getty born on December 31, 1969

Bryon Russell born on December 31, 1970

Chandra West born on December 31, 1970

Brent Barry born on December 31, 1971

Gregory Coupet born on December 31, 1972

Jacob Kornbluth born on December 31, 1972

Joey McIntyre born on December 31, 1972

Crystal Knight born on December 31, 1973

Shandon Anderson born on December 31, 1973

Chris Terrio born on December 31, 1976

Ibrahima Bakayoko born on December 31, 1976

Steve Byers born on December 31, 1976

Vanessa Kerry born on December 31, 1976

Ivan Ljuba born on December 31, 1980

Sayaka Ichii born on December 31, 1983

Catherine Britt born on December 31, 1984

Jan Smit born on December 31, 1985

Emilie Le Pennec born on December 31, 1987

Inigo Garces born on December 31, 1987

Crazy Dreams

Well last night my dream really went to the edge of crazy. I dreamt that the band was to play in a tin can museum (you read that right). This museum was nothing but opened tim cans of various sizes.

I was looking everywhere for my gear and yet no one would help me look. I was so frustrated and mad that I informed the rest of the band that if they did not help me find my amp and guitar that I was quiting the band! So then everyone jumped up to look for them.

After finding the amp, it was all twisted and covered in seaweed and fishing line and yet we still try to clean it up to play. (this is where I woke)

Ever Wondered?

Have you ever wondered where some of those labels that seem to be on everything come from? Well friends, lately I have been wondering that myself, so I did a little research and I came across a company that provides a lot of different Custom Labels for industrial purposes, military specification and commercial applications.

Data Graphics, Inc. has plenty of material for review on their site that has been developed over time and you can possibly find a Custom Label that might be something that you could use yourself.

Check them out friends, and you’ll have one more question that’s been on your mind answered!

Today's Birthdays

Rudyard Kipling born on December 30, 1865

Carol Reed born on December 30, 1906

Jeanne Crain born on December 30, 1911

Jo Van Fleet born on December 30, 1914

Jack Lord born on December 30, 1920

Robert Hossein born on December 30, 1927

Bo Diddley born on December 30, 1928

Barbara Nichols born on December 30, 1929

Joseph Bologna born on December 30, 1934

Sandy Koufax born on December 30, 1935

Raquel Olmedo born on December 30, 1937

Alex Ferguson born on December 30, 1941

Michael Nesmith born on December 30, 1942

Davy Jones born on December 30, 1945

Patti Smith born on December 30, 1946

Afemo Omilami born on December 30, 1951

Meredith Vieira born on December 30, 1951

Clay Jordan born on December 30, 1955

Sheryl Lee Ralph born on December 30, 1956

Suzy Bogguss born on December 30, 1956

Matt Lauer born on December 30, 1957

Tracey Ullman born on December 30, 1959

Julianne Moore born on December 30, 1960

Ben Johnson born on December 30, 1961

Heidi Fleiss born on December 30, 1965

Bennett Miller born on December 30, 1966

Dave England born on December 30, 1969

Jay Kay (I) born on December 30, 1969

Daniel Sunjata born on December 30, 1971

Juan Carlos Henao born on December 30, 1971

Daniel Amokachi born on December 30, 1972

Kerry Collins born on December 30, 1972

Frans Bauer born on December 30, 1973

Jason Behr born on December 30, 1973

Khalilou Fadiga born on December 30, 1974

Liz Fuller born on December 30, 1975

Tiger Woods born on December 30, 1975

Alex A. Quinn born on December 30, 1976

Kazuyuki Toda born on December 30, 1977

Kenyon Martin born on December 30, 1977

Laila Ali born on December 30, 1977

Meredith Monroe born on December 30, 1977

Devin Brown born on December 30, 1978

Tyrese Gibson born on December 30, 1978

Kausalya born on December 30, 1979

Eliza Dushku born on December 30, 1980

Buse Unlu born on December 30, 1981

Alex Wotherspoon born on December 30, 1982

Kristin Kreuk born on December 30, 1982

LeBron James born on December 30, 1984

Steve Nguyen born on December 30, 1985

Shardene van den Boorn born on December 30, 1987

Vikki Blows born on December 30, 1987

Stephanie Planckaert born on December 30, 1988

Ryan Sheckler born on December 30, 1989

Hard To Dream

It's not easy to dream with a headache that could kill a horse, and that is exactly what happened last night. So nothing really cool to report this morning except that I am typing this with a massive headache.

Have a great day all

Christmas Shopping Is a Family Tradition

Written by Fermin Washington

My son and I look forward to Christmas shopping together each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This dates back to when he was very young and I shopped for his presents on Black Friday. He would fuss and beg to be brought along on the "biggest" shopping day of the year, so I told him we would schedule the very next day as our special mother-son Christmas shopping day.

Since he has gone off to college, our annual shopping date feels almost as important as any other holiday tradition. I feel I was wise to choose that particular Saturday when he will be home for the weekend for Thanksgiving anyhow.

This year, he surprised me by rising early and reviewing the circulars with me. We plotted a path that would take us from the mall to the florist's and finally to that little grocery in the old neighborhood that sells the eggnog we love. At the door, he was the one who remembered to set the home security alarm from SecurityChoice.com before we left to go Christmas shopping. Imagine that, my little man.

We spent a lovely day at the mall. We found the perfect gift for his father, a nice wreath for the front door, and enjoyed an entire day of uninterrupted mother-son time. Although the old grocery store was under new management, we found that eggnog too.

Today's Birthdays

Sydney Greenstreet born on December 27, 1879

Marlene Dietrich born on December 27, 1901

Charmian Carr born on December 27, 1942

Joan Manuel Serrat born on December 27, 1943

Gerard Depardieu born on December 27, 1948

Tovah Feldshuh born on December 27, 1952

Maryam D'Abo born on December 27, 1960

Gaspar Noé born on December 27, 1963

Jim Leyritz born on December 27, 1963

Ian Gomez born on December 27, 1964

Theresa Randle born on December 27, 1964

Salman Khan born on December 27, 1965

Bill Goldberg born on December 27, 1966

Eva La Rue born on December 27, 1966

Ken Garito born on December 27, 1968

Chyna born on December 27, 1969

John Henry Canavan born on December 27, 1969

Bryan Smolinski born on December 27, 1971

Duncan Ferguson born on December 27, 1971

Wilson Cruz born on December 27, 1973

Leonardo García born on December 27, 1974

Heather O'Rourke born on December 27, 1975

Jeff D'Amico born on December 27, 1975

Aaron Stanford born on December 27, 1976

Curro Torres born on December 27, 1976

An Jaspers born on December 27, 1978

Lisa Jakub born on December 27, 1978

Peggy Sandaal born on December 27, 1978

Ann van Elsen born on December 27, 1979

Carson Palmer born on December 27, 1979

Damien Dunn born on December 27, 1979

David Dunn born on December 27, 1979

Dahntay Jones born on December 27, 1980

Natalie Kriz born on December 27, 1980

Somaya Reece born on December 27, 1980

Emilie de Ravin born on December 27, 1981

Javine Hylton born on December 27, 1981

Lise Darly born on December 27, 1981

Mark Clyde born on December 27, 1982

Alice Kim born on December 27, 1983

Gilles Simon born on December 27, 1984

Verona van de Leur born on December 27, 1985

Hayley Williams born on December 27, 1988

Dreams

Had a dream last night and right after I share this with you I would love to hear what you think might have brought this on. First you need to understand that I haven't had alcohol in almost 15 years, now the dream.

A friend of mine from high school gets arrested for DUI (Driving Under the Influence) and they call me in to be his sponsor (don't ask my why or what that is because I am not sure myself).

Now to be fair, outside the dream he doesn't drink either. So anyway, he comes out of the room where he was being interviewed and says that they want to talk to me.

So, as any good sponsor would, I went in where they proceeded to ask me why I should be allowed to be a sponsor since they have an 8x10 picture of me drinking a beer. I shouted "THE HECK YOU DO! I HAVEN'T HAD ANYTHING TO DRINK IN ALMOST 15 YEAR! IF YOU HAVE A PICTURE OF ME DRINKING A BEER IT MUST HAVE BEEN AN 'ODOULS!'

(For the record, an O'douls is a non-alcoholic beer)

So after stating this the interview room screams "'ODOULS!"

Afterwards they threw me a party!

HUH?

It's A Snow Day

Guest post written by my buddy Angelo Cooper

A snow day is the highlight of any child's year. The snow day means so much that many children wake up to listen to the radio just to see if there is going to be a snow day. The Internet has helped with that information as well. Since we're a household full of people that love snow, and doesn't mind skipping a day of school now and again, there's nothing more pleasant than waking up on a school day and seeing the first snow of the year mark the season.

We never know when that first snow will arrive, or whether it will be on a weekday, but when it falls on a weekday, there are extra special feelings attached to that snow. Everyone has gratitude toward it, as if it has done something really special for our family. Watching satellite television, that I got when i saw this Satellite Comparison, after that snow has settled in is another tradition in our household. Many times there are Christmas specials to enjoy as the snow falls outside and there's nothing more fun than watching television when you should be doing homework. The kids love the snow day like they love Christmas itself.

Whenever the first snow arrives for the winter, we're all happy to greet it in the most friendly, happy way possible, enjoying what it gives to us in every sense of the holiday spirit.

No Dreams

I'll tell you friends, when you are sick and there is not much sleep there is also no dreaming. I miss it almost as I miss the sleep or feeling better. there's nothing like closing your eyes and drifting off into a "television show or movie" that only you can see (and sometimes it's definitely better that no one else sees lol)

So I'll be posting some more as soon as the sleep returns. Merry Christmas all and remember the true reason for the season, the birth of Jesus Christ!

Today's Birthdays

Howard Hughes born on December 24, 1905

Bill Dudley born on December 24, 1921

Ava Gardner born on December 24, 1922

Michael Billington born on December 24, 1941

Lemmy born on December 24, 1945

Gaëtan Brizzi born on December 24, 1951

Paul Brizzi born on December 24, 1951

Clarence Gilyard Jr. born on December 24, 1955

Anil Kapoor born on December 24, 1959

Carol Vorderman born on December 24, 1960

Glenn McQueen born on December 24, 1960

Mark Valley born on December 24, 1964

Shirley Henderson born on December 24, 1965

Diedrich Bader born on December 24, 1966

Choi Jin Shil born on December 24, 1968

Brigitte Hamers born on December 24, 1969

Amaury Nolasco born on December 24, 1970

Beau van Erven Dorens born on December 24, 1970

Ricky Martin born on December 24, 1971

Hwang Soo Jung born on December 24, 1972

Francesca Vanthielen born on December 24, 1973

Mekhi Phifer born on December 24, 1974

Ryan Seacrest born on December 24, 1974

Michael Raymond-James born on December 24, 1977

Yildiray Basturk born on December 24, 1978

Paizley Adams born on December 24, 1980

Stephen Appiah born on December 24, 1980

Dima Bilan born on December 24, 1981

Masaki Aiba born on December 24, 1982

Abdoulaye Cisse born on December 24, 1983

Catie Anderson born on December 24, 1984

Robert Carmine born on December 24, 1984

Natalia Ziganshina born on December 24, 1985

Melissa Suffield born on December 24, 1992

Looking Good!

My wife and I recently looked at the outside of our house and realized there was something missing and a few other things that should have been replaced long ago. As we looked on the front of the house we noticed that we have no house number posted.

So we thought we should look into this and possibly get an address plaque or one of those address signs that we have seen. The house address plaques that we found online seemed to be just what we were looking for and would certainly add a touch of class to our home.

So we chose one from all of the address plaques that we looked through and now we have our number posted on the front of our house. All I can say about this is, along with a few new other things and our new address plaque, our home is looking good!

Today's Birthdays

Gustave Kahn born on December 21, 1859

Walter Hagen born on December 21, 1892

Vampira born on December 21, 1921

Paul Winchell born on December 21, 1922

Helen Frankenthaler born on December 21, 1928

John G. Avildsen born on December 21, 1935

Phil Donahue born on December 21, 1935

Jane Fonda born on December 21, 1937

Frank Zappa born on December 21, 1940

Carla Thomas born on December 21, 1942

Samuel L. Jackson born on December 21, 1948

Jeffrey Katzenberg born on December 21, 1950

Chris Evert born on December 21, 1954

Jane Kaczmarek born on December 21, 1955

Lee Roy Parnell born on December 21, 1956

Ray Romano born on December 21, 1957

Govinda born on December 21, 1958

Florence Griffith Joyner born on December 21, 1959

Fabiana Udenio born on December 21, 1964

Andy Dick born on December 21, 1965

Harvey Walden IV born on December 21, 1966

Karri Turner born on December 21, 1966

Kiefer Sutherland born on December 21, 1966

Marc-Marie Huijbregts born on December 21, 1966

Marco Borsato born on December 21, 1966

Johnny Lozada born on December 21, 1967

Khrystyne Haje born on December 21, 1968

Jack Noseworthy born on December 21, 1969

Julie Delpy born on December 21, 1969

Sanderijn Cels born on December 21, 1970

Natalie Grant born on December 21, 1971

Karrie Webb born on December 21, 1974

Charles Dera born on December 21, 1978

Mike Vitar born on December 21, 1978

Hinano Yoshikawa born on December 21, 1979

Tuva Novotny born on December 21, 1979

Cristian Zaccardo born on December 21, 1981

Lynda Aguirre Thomas born on December 21, 1981

Charlie Cox born on December 21, 1982

Nikki Kerkhof born on December 21, 1983

Darren Potter born on December 21, 1984

Jackson Rathbone born on December 21, 1984

James 'Bubba' Stewart born on December 21, 1985

Karel Marquez born on December 21, 1986

Arthur Young born on December 21, 1995

These Are The Dreams Of Our Lives

well I recently got nailed with a cold and I am here to tell you that I am not enjoying this at all. But, in the little time that I slept I have also dreamt.

last night I had one dream that I was watching Days of our Lives and Patch (Stephen Nichols) was back on the show and was arguing with Stefano, so I woke my wife (in the dream) and told her how happy I was that the character of "Patch" was back on the show.

She looked at me like I was crazy and said "I don't care"

now where did that come from?

The Game Is On

Alot of people use the internet and computers for business, and there's nothing wrong with that, but there is a fun time to be had online as well! For instance, Online Casinos Planet is a place where you can go on the Internet that directs you to the best and most trustworthy gaming on the 'net.

Now since I am your friend I want to let you in on this site and who knows, perhaps we'll play againt each other someday!

A New One

Well I had another dream last night and it was a real humdinger. My dream starts when I am offered a job delivering mail because a friend of mine can't make it. So of course I take it but then I get called in for jury duty. After jury duty in the morning there was a guy waiting outside the courthouse to take me with him to deliver mail. I told the meet me at home.

when I got home I had to go to the body shop to help work on a car, totally forgetting about delivering the mail. my excuse later was that I would have gotten fired by my night job for being late.

crazy

Just For Texas

I’m looking down at our carpet now and I am thinking seriously about how we really need to have it cleaned. When these kinds of things arise I always do the same thing, research. Why research, you ask? Well, because I want it done by the best and for the best price.

I’ve checked online looking for a reputable company and the more I looked the more I wished that I lived in Texas. I found a carpet cleaner austin Texas that would be just perfect for us. So instead of getting my perfect carpet cleaning company, I am recommending to my friends in Texas to read on.

There are many fine carpet cleaners austin Texas and I believe I have found the one that rises above the rest. If you need a carpet cleaning service austin Texas has just the one for you in “The Steam Team”.

werewolves of london?

My second dream of the night was that I was to set in (play the bass guitar) with a band I have never heard or met and it was in a battle of the bands contest.

They gave me a stand up bass to play with only two strings, but for some reason it was easy to play. We got on a very small stage, there was three of us, one on guitar and the other was playing what looked to be coffee cans.

We warmed up by playing the intro to Ozzy Ozbornes "Crazy Train" and then the guitar player haded me something that blew me away even in the dream.....a wolfman mask that all bandmembers wear while playing.

That's when my wife rolled over and hit me in the head waking me up.....wonder if we would have won?

The Dreams Are Back

well friends, the dreams are back and I am remembering them. one of my dreams last night had to do with my friend Greg and I driving down a country road as road workers threw tobacco sticks in front of the car.

The car simply crushed the tobacco sticks as we were talking (now my memory ain't what it used to be, so I don't remember what we were talking about)

Anyone have a clue what this one might mean?

Discuss It

Well so many topics come up in our little house that I feel the need to share some with you, as this is truly therapy for me. Lately we have been talking about furniture, fixtures, appliances, etc.

We have been talking about things that have such a wide range that it’s funny to think about it. Things like; a stainless steel kitchen sink to a butcher block countertop and even a adirondack chair.

I love the fact that my wife and I discuss everything, and even beyond discussion, we do research on these things. The Internet is such a wonderful place and I hope that you take advantage of looking these things up as well, you may find this is something that might interest you as well.

Today's Birthdays

hope you have a great one if it is your birthday. This is who you share your day with:

Mary Martin born on December 1, 1913

Ralph Manza born on December 1, 1921

James Greene born on December 1, 1926

Woody Allen born on December 1, 1935

Lee Trevino born on December 1, 1939

Richard Pryor born on December 1, 1940

John Densmore born on December 1, 1944

Pierre Arditi born on December 1, 1944

Bette Midler born on December 1, 1945

Jinpachi Nezu born on December 1, 1947

Richard Keith born on December 1, 1950

Treat Williams born on December 1, 1951

Bob Goen born on December 1, 1954

Candace Bushnell born on December 1, 1958

Charlene Tilton born on December 1, 1958

Carol Alt born on December 1, 1960

Jeremy Northam born on December 1, 1961

Janke Dekker born on December 1, 1963

Andrew Adamson born on December 1, 1966

Larry Walker born on December 1, 1966

Nestor Carbonell born on December 1, 1967

Shelby Stevens born on December 1, 1968

Astrid de Jong born on December 1, 1971

Emily Mortimer born on December 1, 1971

Stephanie Finochio born on December 1, 1971

Manny Manuel born on December 1, 1972

Francisco Costinha born on December 1, 1974

Liesbeth Kamerling born on December 1, 1975

Abby Abadi born on December 1, 1977

Akiva Schaffer born on December 1, 1977

Jasmine Sendar born on December 1, 1977

Joseph Job born on December 1, 1977

Joseph-Desire Job born on December 1, 1977