When reality blurs with fantasy

I need a vacation..

Too Young for American Idol

And remember the no shoes, no shirt, no service rule too. However, watch for this kid to show up on American Idol 2025:

Watching the Internet

Some Video's for the weekend.... First the Last Lecture from Dr Randy Pausch about Living.


And My Favorite Cartoon Character:

Why are you here?

Okay, I'd really like your comments on this one.

I write nearly everyday on two blogs. This one is a personal blog, with whatever happens to strike me each day.

And I have noticed that there is something I wrote last year that brings people to this blog. It is a picture of an ugly baby. It is titled Ugly People.

So when someone does a Google Image Search for Ugly people, they see this:



Now, if looking for ugly people on the internet is how you like to spend your time, I'll try not to judge. It's better than looking for porn, I guess.

But there are some other regulars that check in here. And I'm curious as to who you are, do you know me? Do I know you? Is there anything that you've seen here that you want more of, (besides ugly people)?

You can send me an email at scloho at scloho dot net, and mention this blog, or add a comment below.

Thanks!

Interview with Jerry Greenfield

This Saturday morning on radio station WGL in Fort Wayne, Indiana, we will be airing an exclusive interview with Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream co-founder Jerry Greenfield. It begins at 8:06am until 9am Eastern Standard time.

If you are in the area, you can tune in at 1250am or 102.9fm. Or you can also listen on-line from our website.

Hosting the interview is Attorney Bob Nicholson from the law firm Beckman Lawson and the name of the program is Your Business Matters, a live, local radio show originating from our studios. This weekend, the interview segments with Jerry are pre-recorded (on 2/25). Also in the studio is Susan Imler.

It's Wednesday, but the weekend's coming

I just read a post about how to make every workday feel like a Saturday. This is not only relivent if you live in a 9-5 M-F world, but also those of us that work some non-traditional hours too.

Here's a tid-bit:

"...Any work environment, (save for maybe the military), can benefit from a little softening of the hard edges that we’ve grown accustomed to in the business world. More realistic expectations and a more casual approach to work can actually help us become more productive..." (READ MORE)

The Answers to Digital Television

Want to know if your television will look like this next year?



Then click here to read about the switch to digital TV.

Random Coffee Thoughts

Higher Grounds is running a commercial nearly every hour from 6am Monday until 8pm tonight on ROCK 104, WILD 96, and WGL The River. Plus a couple other stations in town, to highlight the fact that they are NOT closing to retrain their staff at 5:30 tonight.

Right now I am on my third caffeinated drink of the day.

Here's a few random quotes to keep you awake:

I put instant coffee in a microwave and almost went back in time.
- Steven Wright

Do you know how helpless you feel if you have a full cup of coffee in your hand and you start to sneeze?
- Jean Kerr

A morning without coffee is like sleep.
- Unknown

If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee.
- Abraham Lincoln

I don’t have a problem with caffeine. I have a problem without caffeine!
- Unknown

Decaffeinated coffee is kind of like kissing your sister.
- Bob Irwin

Don’t drink coffee in the morning. It will keep you awake until noon.
- Unknown

Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and fat.
- Alex Levine

If it ain’t caffeinated, it ain’t coffee!
- Unknown

I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.
- T. S. Elliot

As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.
- Unknown

I like my coffee strong, not lethal!
- M*A*S*H

Do I like my coffee black? There are other colors?
- Unknown

I think if I were a woman I’d wear coffee as a perfume.
- John Van Druten

I bought a decaffeinated coffee table, you can’t even see a difference.
- Unknown

Do Lipton employees take coffee breaks?
- Stephen Wright

Coffee comes in five descending stages: Coffee, Java, Jamoke, Joe, and Carbon Remover.
- Robert A. Heinlein

Behind every successful woman is a substantial amount of coffee.
- Stephanie Piro

I make serious coffee - so strong it wakes up the neighbors.
- Unknown

Starbucks closes at 5:30

And the world came to a halt.

Or they just visited one of their locally owned coffee houses

Bad Roads, Bad Drivers

Winter will never end in Northern Indiana, so it seems. Today we have one of those end of the season snow storms that closed schools. That meant slower traffic, but less traffic. I've had my own share of fender benders but nothing like these. See More

First E-Bay Purchase

It's a cup holder. Bought it Monday, it arrived Friday. Now I can drink coffee and Diet Dew and Drive again. Yeh!

Need a bad Excuse?

This was from my email this morning:

The following is a diatribe from a fallen sales hero.

Can't sell in January. Between the terrible weather and everyone coming back from vacation, how can you expect someone to focus on buying now? I'll pound the pavement next month.

Can't sell in February. More snow and more vacation. Way to go, Washington and Lincoln; thanks for President's Day! It's such a short month. No one can make a decision in such a short month. Next month is going to be better.

Can't sell in March. No one is going to make a decision on this with more holidays around the corner. Good time to shop for summer clothes. I'll just borrow money because I'll make huge commissions later to pay it back.

Can't sell in April. Who wants to focus on buying with Spring in the air? And hey, my kid's birthday is this month. I'm sure my prospects are working on their taxes anyway. Next month will be better for sure.

Can't sell in May. Great weather in May, and I hear that my prospect may be thinking about being acquired. No problem. I'll look for better ones next month. There's tons of opportunity out there.

Can't sell in June. Kids are getting out of school. Wow! I almost forgot Flag Day. No one buys in this weather. Besides, July is a better month for sales anyway.

Can't sell in July. Great time of year to be at the beach and enjoying the outdoors. I think all of my contacts are on vacation...together! Nope, can't sell this month.

Can't sell in August. Too hot! Besides, I'm taking my vacation. They probably are taking theirs, too. No selling to be done now. Next month, for sure.

Can't sell in September. Between the three-day Labor Day weekend and a new fiscal year kicking in, no one is buying anything. I'm feeling good about next month.

Can't sell in October. Columbus' birthday; what should I get him this year? I almost forgot Halloween! I'm going to focus on selling hard over the next two months. I'll finish the year strong.

Can't sell in November. Thanksgiving, ya know. Very short month. I don't think any of my contacts have their budget yet. Can't buy without a budget. Man, December is going to rock!

Can't sell in December. Everyone is on vacation in December. I know I am! Who can focus on buying with the end of the year so close? What should I do for Festivus this year?

Oh well, maybe next year will be better for sales. Luckily, no one is buying anything from anyone this year.


Source: Sales author/trainer Lee Salz

Motivation

From Dr. T:

Sustaining Motivation

Not everyone can remain "up," optimistic, and energetic all the time. We all wax and wane in our moods, outlook, and energy levels. That's normal. People who are "up" most of the time have many methods to their madness. Adopt some of them to keep your motivation high.

Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow. Hopefully you love what you do -- the interaction with people, the challenges, the rewards, and the growth potential. Make time for what you love.

Take Pride in What You Do and It Will Have Meaning. Even if you are starting at the bottom of the corporate ladder, do your job with pride and professionalism. Excellence is its own reward and will be recognized. Taking pride in doing the best job you can -- no matter what the task -- increases your self-esteem, competence, and sense of control over your life and work. Not to mention your promotability.

Challenge Yourself with Continuous Self-Improvement. Set realistic goals that are attainable in short periods of time. Break larger goals into smaller increments to give yourself frequent opportunities to experience a sense of accomplishment. Success feeds on success.

Reward Yourself for Successes and Failures. Devise ways to reward yourself for your efforts, even when you are not successful. Giving yourself an "E for Effort" will keep you going so that sooner or later you'll be rewarding yourself for a success.

Think in Terms of a Career Path, Not Just a Job. Commit yourself to doing the best job you can with your present company, but remember that few jobs last forever. Always keep your future destinations in mind while your eye is on the road immediately before you.

Take Absolute Responsibility for Your Life and Career. Realize that you and only you can shape your future. Again, small, positive steps lead to bigger and bigger payoffs.
Here's to more personal insight,


www.alessandra.com

Sunday Morning Jump Start

As I've mentioned before, Kathy & I attend church on Saturday evenings, and so Sunday, she goes off to work, and I head over to the Firefly (where my picture is still on their web page) and the Sunday morning crowd gathers for a cornucopia of conversation.

Actually it's more like a leftover stew, where you toss things in the crock pot that you pull out of the frig and just let it cook and simmer all day. Conversation will wander into the past and peek into the future and the topics could cover almost anything.

The last two Sunday's I never made it here until 11am and it was to grab a quick cup of joe to go.
Today, I arrived at 8:15 to drink in the experience.

I'll be following up on emails, blogging here and my other blogs and doing prep work for the week ahead and who knows what else.