Do You Know What Romance Is

Posted by Kat Turner | 7:54 PM | 0 comments »

Romance is the spice of life. It's not difficult to visualize how dull and boring life would be without romance. Have you ever paused to wonder what it is that brings enthusiasm in life? Romance is that elixir that makes you vibrant, vivacious and full of vitality. Everyone has their own idea of romance and romantic ideas, what are your ideas of romance? In the lines, by Shirley Bassey "I'd like to run away from you, but if you didn't come, and find me ... I would die." the essence of love and romance has been beautifully depicted. Romance is something that gives comforting touch to one's heart. Someone who's sensitive about his or her beloved's need, is romantic. Just being a hard-core romantic and not demonstrating your love openly is so unromantic. You need to put other work aside and show to your sweet heart that you care for him or her. The idea of romance can be as simple as a peck on a cheek, a warm hug or just uttering those three miraculous words "I love you." These gestures appear romantic when your beloved is least expecting them, otherwise they are the boring hackneyed way of saying that you care. Novel romantic ideas are like, "life and blood" of any romantic relationship. For some people romance means the spirit of adventure, a sense of anticipation of the unexpected, a view of exciting spectacles at every bend of the road. For many others romance involves the mysterious and the unknown. Like 'magic casements opening on the foam of perilous seas,' as Keats would put it. Romance sweeps in all the treasured experiences from the mysterious to the magical and the miraculous. Yet for most of us romance is an expression of love. When we talk of romantic ideas we refer to all the little things that can keep the flame of love buing bright in our hearts. We all know that it isn't enough to love a person; it is equally important to express our love in a relationship. Love without expression is as good as not there. You need to show your love, not only in words but also in gestures that speak louder than words. You have to devise novel ways of letting your love know how much you care. You have to find new ideas to express your love every day, if not every moment. Thinking of novel ways of saying 'I love you' is what romantic ideas are all about. Everyone is not a poet, yet everyone needs to kindle the flame of love lest it fades away. This site on romantic ideas is a treasure house of fresh romantic ideas. The charm of an idea lies in its freshness, and nothing goes stale faster than ideas. So, look for absolutely novel romantic ideas to let the warm Love in!

GET NO RESPECT TRY THIS UNUSUAL APPROACH

Posted by Kat Turner | 6:53 AM | 0 comments »

GET NO RESPECT? TRY THIS UNUSUAL APPROACH Like the late Rodney Dangerfield, you may sometimes find that you "don't get no respect." In Rodney's comedy routine, disrespect was amusing. But in real life it fills us with indignation. Our typical response is sarcasm or avoidance. Has such a reaction EVER made a difference in getting more respect from others? I doubt it. Today I'm going to show you a better way to deal with disrespectful people who irk you, frustrate you, and drain you of energy. HERE'S THE SECRET: When someone gets under your skin, do them a small favor or give them a small token gift. Here are some real-life examples: * A divorced man, whose ex-wife played power games by impeding his relationship with the children, decided to try the small favor route. One day when he picked up the kids from her house he brought her a quart of gourmet-grade cherries. "I was at the farmer's market and saw these cherries, which I recall were one of your favorite treats," he said casually. "I know the market is far from your house, so I figured as long as I'm going to stop by here anyway, I would bring you a few." * An employee whose boss was hypercritical made a point of bringing her a copy of a magazine article on antiques, a subject that the employee knew was the boss's hobby. As the employee walked by her desk he stopped briefly and gave her the article. "I read this piece in Newsweek last night, and thought I'd bring it in just in case you hadn't seen it," he said nonchalantly. * A college student happened to be in the vicinity of a classmate who had participated in spreading a rumor about her. The classmate had just exclaimed that her cell phone battery was dead. The student pulled her own phone from her pocket and offered, "Here. Go ahead and use mine." In all the above examples, the recipients of the gift or favor reacted with a puzzled expression, but nevertheless accepted the gesture. In two of the situations the recipients became more friendly later on. (Unfortunately, the hypercritical boss did not, but that's a subject for another article.) When you first try the gift/favor approach, it won't feel right at all. The immature recesses of your mind (what I call the "inner brat") will NOT want to do it. It may even scold you for kissing up to someone who treated you with disrespect. But your inner brat doesn't realize that you are not kissing up. You are taking charge, choosing to rise above the other person's hostility. This is the mark of a mature person, something the inner brat can't understand. Here are some tips to make the gift/favor strategy even more powerful: 1. You don't have to act right away -- in fact sometimes it's more effective when you wait a while. 2. The gift or the favor must be very small. If it's too lavish, the other person might consider it a bribe or a manipulation. In the earlier example of the ex-wife, suppose the man had brought her some expensive perfume. In that case she could have easily assumed that he was just trying to control her. 3. Any favors that you do for this purpose must appear casual and incidental. Note that the man with the cherries told his ex that he noticed them while he was shopping at the farmer's market. He gave them to her at the same time that he was picking up his kids. He didn't make any special trips. When you present token gifts in such a casual manner, the recipient is less likely to feel manipulated. 4. Use this approach sparingly. If you do it too often, you may be viewed as patronizing or "kissing up." It's better to save it for infrequent little surprises. As I mentioned earlier, this approach does not work 100% of the time. But even when it doesn't, you can still reap a benefit. Because you choose to respond with kindness and consideration, you will remain calmer and feel more in control over the situation. And, as an added bonus, you may find that you are not so annoyed by the other person after all!

Feel better de clutter

Posted by Kat Turner | 4:34 AM | 0 comments »

Clutter! All those unloved possessions, that are neither use nor oament, and that constrict your living space.

Life's 'excess baggage'. The objects that weigh you down, slow you down and stop you moving on. Clutter's horrid, isn't it?

Here are ten tips to help you de-clutter, feel better about yourself and make money:

1. Set aside some 'quality time', or a series of 'quality times', for de-cluttering. Stick to those times.

2. Start with the areas of your life that are the least chaotic and cramped. Then tackle the areas that are the most 'challenged', progressively. Look for the big and easy disposal decisions in each area first.

3. Don't panic if you find that up to half of your possessions are redundant! It's quite normal. Hoarders will find that over half of the objects they live with are surplus to requirements.

4. Give other people's clutter back to them, or at least ask their permission first, before you dispose of it!

5. Keep serviceable objects that you've used in the past six months and/or that you're likely to use in the next six months. Find qualified trades people to repair the broken or damaged objects that you want to keep.

6. Keep objects that you and your loved ones are attached to emotionally, like photographs. Emotional clutter is different to physical clutter. Physical clutter has lower value.

7. Keep other cherished objects too: heirlooms and long-term investments, an inherited stamp collection is a good example. Only dispose of such objects if you're sure that they really are clutter and you need space and cash now.

8. Store all of the precious objects that you want to keep tidily, in places where you'll be able to find them in future. Buy additional storage (boxes and shelves), if needs be.

9. Only send to landfill sites unwanted possessions that are not recyclable. A large percentage of household 'waste' can be tued into something else. Dispose of hazardous items correctly. If you're unsure, ask a waste expert.

10. Give low value objects to charity shops, so that they can generate cash for good causes. Sell everything else using small adverts in your newspaper or on the Inteet. In liberating your living space, who knows how much cash you might make!

If your like most people, the thought of starting an online business or sharing information via a website can be quite an ordeal. Or, perhaps you're an experienced website operator that's been so wrapped up with expanding your inteet real estate that you've lost track of what services and tools are available to you. No matter which category you fall under, you need a good game plan for establishing your presence on the web. With the constant changes and evolution of web services, you'll need a trustworthy friend that you can count on to keep you informed of the services and tools that are available to help your operation run smoothly. Well, that's exactly where GonzoWebHosting.com comes in! These guys are NUTS! But when you're looking for quality reviews and opinions on a number of different services and tools, they are top-notch! I had the chance to speak with Gaston Collins, President of GonzoWebHosting.com to find out what a person should look for when choosing web services like web hosting, autoresponders, shopping carts, and more. I was amazed at some of the things Gaston had to say during our brief conversation. I'm sure you'll want to take notes as I did. Shane: Gaston, first of all, who are you and what exactly does GonzoWebHosting do? Do you offer web hosting services? Gaston: Well Shane, I have a pretty diverse professional background. I'm just an average guy that got started on the Inteet in the late mid to late '90s by sharing information. That's really all I wanted to do. I had a successful career in the cellular industry as a business owner and the Inteet was just a hobby for me. Of course the web evolved into a huge platform for not only sharing information, but also a great place to start a business with very little overhead or costs. So, like many others I jumped on the bandwagon and started and operated several successful online businesses - and I still do very well with them. But with the continuing evolution of services and tools for folks to sort through, it became obvious to me that there are a lot of things that go into building a website that some people may be overlooking. One of the most important factors, of course, is web hosting. There's a lot of pure crap out there. It blows my mind to still hear commercials on the radio advertising basic web hosting for $30 a month and a domain name for nearly $20 a year! There's nothing that a basic hosting service can provide me that could justify paying $30 a month. We decided to create a free service to help people decide which web hosts provide a great value and, frankly, which ones don't. Shane: The name GonzoWebHosting suggests that all your site deals with is web hosting. Is that correct? Gaston: No. Actually, we cover all of the necessities like autoresponders, shopping carts, revenue sources web site editors, and more. But web hosting is our primary focus. And by the way, you won't find any $30 a month for basic web hosting crap on our recommended list. Shane: Well, that's a good point. How can a company offer the same service for $30 a month that another company offers for - say $7 a month? Gaston: Well the truth is that there are a lot of folks that just don't know any better. They might think that $30 is the going price for web hosting. And some companies will gladly take advantage of a newbie. Shane: So getting to the main point - give us some tips that we can use when deciding on certain web services. Gaston: Sure. Let's start with web hosting. It's probably the most important service you'll be using. First of all, if you're paying over $10 a month for just a basic web hosting service, you're getting ripped off. There are literally hundreds of companies out there that would be happy to host your site for under $10. But, even those companies aren't the same. You really need to work with decent people that are easily accessible for support or questions. You'd be amazed at how many companies don't offer 24-7 customer support. In this day and age, 24-hour support is absolutely necessary to have any credibility with us. After all, most people work on their website at night or on the weekend when they have the free time. If a customer has a problem they shouldn't have to wait until the next moing or even worst - a whole weekend! Shane: So customer service is important - Gaston: It's the MOST important thing. Hell, if a person can grab a burger 24 hours a day, they should certainly be able to get support for a service that they're paying for every month 24 hours a day! Shane: Right, it's the most important. What about the monthly cost? Gaston: Well, obviously the cost is important, but we're really only talking about a few dollars a month. What's even more important than cost is the features that you get with your service. The features vary among the many hosting providers. We make it easy to understand the different hosting features that are offered online at GonzoWebHosting.com - we really lay it all out on the table. Shane: What are some of the features that a person should look for when choosing a web host? Gaston: That really depends on what type of... This article continues at GonzoWebHosting.com

DEFINITIONS Emotional Intelligence - Understanding your own emotions and those of others, and being able to use this information to bring about the best outcome for all conceed. Knowing where emotions come from and being able to manage your own and those of others. Knowing what emotions mean and what information they are providing. Being able to work well with others as well as alone. Being able to combine cognitive knowledge with emotional knowledge and use them in tandem. Cognitive Intelligence - Intellectual abilities such as logic, reason, reading, writing, analyzing and prioritizing. These go on in your own head and utilize only the neocortex, not the emotional centers of the brain which also provide crucial information. These abilities do not require any social skills per se, i.e., you can solve a math equation by yourself, or write an essay, or balance a business' books by yourself. COMPARISONS Being effective both alone and as a team player vs. Only effective when working alone Being able to manage your own emotions vs. Having temper tantrums, sulking or withdrawing Being able to empathize with others and knowing where they're coming from vs. Not being able to grasp the feelings of others and understand how the emotions are affecting the situation Using an emotional appeal to convince someone of something v. Using an intellectual appeal to convince someone of something Knowing that motivation is a feeling word v. Thinking that motivation is a thinking word EXAMPLE Bill was brilliant in his field and the best IT person in the office as to technical skills, but his people skills were very low. He was abrasive, arrogant, short-tempered, and a perfectionist. Other people didn't like to work with him, and he was unable to explain things in terms other people could understand. Mary, who was also in the IT department, had good technical skills and a good education, though it was less than Bill's. However, her emotional intelligence more than made up for this. She was able to handle herself and other people well and to explain things calmly and clearly. People loved to work with her and requested her by name. She received promotion after promotion because of her technical expertise and her high emotional intelligence. KEY POINT Many people with very high IQs (cognitive intelligence) do poorly in work and relationships because they have low EQs (emotional intelligence). They sabotage themselves because they can't manage their own emotions or those of other people, and they sabotage projects because they may have all the logical, rational and analytical "answers," but they don't have the "soft" skills to move a project forward. BENEFITS Emotional intelligence accounts for more success and happiness in life than intellectual intelligence. RELATED DESTINCTIONS ·Soft skills vs. Hard skills ·Knowing people v. Knowing facts ·Thinking and feeling v. Thinking only Lea to develop your emotional intelligence as well as your skills and technical expertise and you'll do better in your career. Developing your emotional intelligence is also crucial for personal and family relationships. Hire a certified emotional intelligence coach and get started today. Your career and relationships could depend upon it.

How To Buy Tanning Bed Supplies Online

Posted by Kat Turner | 8:41 PM | 0 comments »

New enthusiasts are often confused over tanning beds and supplies because of issues related to compatibility and availability. However, there are various online stores that offer a large range of tanning bed supplies at affordable rates. To order online, you should visit a tanning supplier's website, look for a product, its specifications, and then place an order. If you are not sure about product specifications, contact the toll free hotline number. They will suggest you right supplies, take your order and deliver the supplies to your home. There are various tanning supplies available - from tanning bed parts to lotions to give you gorgeous looks. We provide you with a list of commonly used supplies to simplify your search. * Tanning lamps : Tanning lamps are available in various shapes and sizes. Manufacturers categorize then according to their wattage. Some are for short duration tanning and other are for long duration tanning. * Fans: A tanning bed installs a cooling fan to minimize tanning bed temperature. If the fan of your tanning bed malfunctions, you can get it replaced. * Lamp Holders - Lamp holders are available in many different types and size. Many people change lamp holders to change the looks of their tanning bed. * Tanning Tattoo: Paste a tattoo at the desired area before tanning. Get into a tanning bed. The tattoo will make a light colored design for a stylish look. You can also use a tattoo to check the progress of your tanning. A tattoo in not so visible area will allow you to judge the amount of tanning. * Tanning Accelerators: Tanning accelerators are the lotions and sprays that accelerate the tanning process. They have some enzymes, which react with our skin and produce Melaninoids for a darker look. Tanning accelerators reduce the time taken at the tanning beds. * Tanning Lotions: Tanning lotions are used to get a better tan and to decrease the harmful effect of ultraviolet light. You can select from sun tanning lotions and tanning bed lotions. * Tanning Clothes: Some of you do not want to tan nude in a tanning bed. Wearing normal clothes can bring light marks on your body. You can purchase tanning clothes for a regular tanning. Tanning clothes are made of special fabrics and design to allow maximum exposure to covered parts even so you don't get those light and dark areas. As you can see, the list is endless. While everything cannot be listed here, our intention is to give you an indication of what is available in the market. You can check with online tanning supplies stores for more details and an exhaustive list of tanning supplies available. It would be a good idea to compare the rates and offers from a couple of websites or online stores to get a good deal on tanning supplies. =========================================================== Find out all you need to know about tanning beds. Are they safe ? Do they work ? Why should you use tanning beds instead of normal sunshine... ? Click http://www.tanning-beds-101.com/tanning-equipment.html

How To Choose The Right Roommates

Posted by Kat Turner | 8:42 AM | 0 comments »

Imagine the following scenario. You've just arrived home to find your answering machine full of messages from people responding to your advertisement, who just like you, are looking for roommates. After listening to each message, you think to yourself "That sounds like an interesting person. I should give that person a call". All of a sudden, you become panic stricken and think, "How will I choose the right person to become my roommate?" If this sounds like you, take a deep breath and relax! You can choose the roommates that are right for you with a bit of preparation and by following a few simple guidelines. The key is choosing roommates which you feel comfortable with sharing a fridge, a bathroom and a rainy night at home. A home is a happy home when everyone is comfortable with each other and nobody has to tippee toe around. Here are a few steps you can take to help you make the right choice. 1. Work As A Team When Choosing Roommates It's especially important that all roommates have equal responsibility, decision making power and are involved in choosing new roommates. If you are looking for a room for yourself talking to friends and family who have had experiences with roommates can help you make the right decision. They could be your "roommate search team" who listen to your thoughts and who you can bounce ideas off. 2. Identify Sought After Roommate Qualities Deciding what kind of people you would like to have as roommates will be one of the most important decisions you will have to make. Undertaking a brainstorming session and listing desirable and undesirable qualities will help you get a clearer picture of your ideal roommate. Once completed the list can be used as a benchmark when comparing people and deciding who will be your roommates. Remember to include characteristics such as age range, gender, personality type, social habits, hobbies and interests as well as character traits. 3. Ask Potential Roommates The Same Questions Before talking to people about becoming roommates, it's a good idea to create a list of questions. It's important to ask each person the same questions, as it will make it easier to compare potential roommates against each other. As the saying goes, it's better to compare apples to apples rather than apples to oranges. Remember, it doesn't matter whether it's a formal meeting or a casual lunch all roommates should meet and talk to potential roommates before deciding who should move in. 4. Check References Before Asking Roommates To Move In A lot of people do not like to ask for or check references but when living with strangers who you have only met once or twice its better to be safe rather than sorry. Talking to people who have lived with your potential roommates can help you gain valuable insight into their personalities, living habits, ability to pay the rent and any past problems. 5. After Choosing Roommates, Sleep On It Oveight When you have chosen your new roommates, it is better to wait a while before asking them to move in as sometimes choices do not look as good as it did a few hours ago. If you are still happy with your decision a few hours later or the next day, go ahead and make the phone call. There's nothing worse than the feeling of regret or uncertainty when you hang up the phone after inviting or agreeing to move in with new roommates. So, as you can see, with a bit of preparation and taking the right steps, you too will be well on your way to choosing the roommates that are right for you. Once you're ready, go ahead, pick up the phone and give those people who left you message a call. Happy roommate hunting!

FROM FAILURE TO SUCCESS: How to REALLY Make Money Online! Do you Belong to any affiliate programs? Do you make money ONLY when you make a sale? Throw out those affiliate programs NOW! Bet you think I am crazy, right? Let me tell you why I am not! My name is Vicki Ballard and I have been online for over 4 years. Up until just a while ago, I made nothing substantial. I belonged to affiliate programs too! I put my ads all over the inteet and offline as well. I used FFA's, classifieds, ezines and every other way I could think of to promote my product, and to get that SALE. Now you say, "well geez, I do that too." Have you reached financial freedom yet? because it sure didn't work for me! WHY? Because I only made money when I made a SALE! "And isn't that how it's supposed to work?", you ask. Yes and No! Yes, you want to get that sale. But, if you stop making sales, what happens? Your income STOPS as well! In order to "REALLY" start Making Money Online, you need... Here it comes! Are you ready? You need RESIDUAL INCOME! I had to be slapped in the head with that idea several times for it to sink in! ( If you haven't quite got the idea yet, don't feel bad. Reread the upper portion of this article, until it does.) Now you ask, "How" You must join programs that not only have a great product for you to ea commissions off of, but a membership (a great membership) that customers are willing to pay for monthly! THERE is your "RESIDUAL INCOME!" Every time (monthly), a customer pays his membership, you ea another commission. Even if you haven't made another sale. How "NEAT" is that! It's starting to make sense now, isn't it? There are numerous membership sites online today, that you can join. And, start eaing your own "RESIDUAL INCOME" You can go to any search engine and type in "affiliate programs" and check out those with memberships. Choose wisely, If you aren't willing to pay for a membership, chances are your customers won't either. Spend time researching the membership sites to find those that have been around awhile. Preferably, 3 years or more. Be sure others are making money. Read the testimonials, contact some of them if you can. And most of all, "Be Persistant" There is NO such thing as "get rich quick". Unless of course you win the lotto! :) Do SOMETHING everyday, and you will succeed! See You At The Top, Vicki

Custom Web site Design Strategies

Posted by Kat Turner | 6:25 AM | 0 comments »

Web site design has certainly, in the past decade, evolved tremendously. More clients now are demanding custom design, as opposed to the 'cookie cutter' sites of yesteryear. Where once there existed a limit as to the types of fonts used, the types of coding languages used, and the styles themselves, there is now the possibility for more variety in Web site design than ever before. This has come about because of the advances in technology that did not exist even a few years ago, and it has opened up many creative avenues for Web site designers in the creation of custom designs. Web development overall, has to be more competitive, and take into consideration the needs of clients now, when literally billions of Web sites compete for attention online on a daily basis. A Web site is the first impression the owner of an E-commerce business makes on their own potential clients, and the competition factor, has now led to the burgeoning of more creative designs and implementations to deal with this competition factor. Web development now needs to speak to the needs not only of the clients that are building the Web site, but the needs of the visitors who are, overall "potential prospects' of the Web site owners. E-commerce needs have created some rather unique approaches to Web development, from the most beautiful to the most garish, unfortunately. In an attempt to have their own E-commerce sites 'noticed', some business owners have become too individualistic, and there does abound many sites that are not easily navigable, nor especially pleasing to the eye. A Web designer needs to use good judgment when making choices about how much is 'too much' individuality. Web site designers can avoid the pitfalls of becoming overly creative, and yet do much now to make a client's site, very appealing and eye-catching by keeping a few simple rules in mind: A. Are the colors pleasing to most visitors, without being garish and hard to view? B. Are the fonts easily read by most visitors, which means not too large (too much scrolling), or too small, (too much squinting)? C. Is the navigation and usability of the site what it can be? Can visitors find features easily? D. Is the site clean and uncluttered? It should never look like your grandmother's attic, where thirty years of junk abounds in every coer! At the same time, the E-commerce functionality can be maintained with advanced creativity, as navigability and usability can be implemented flawlessly also. The new advances in technology now have led to the following changes that increase the ability to improve creativity: 1. A staggering number of font sizes that can be flawlessly implemented to distinguish a site. Up until just a few years ago, Web masters were limited in the choice of fonts, and font sizes. Times New Roman and Arial were the two standard fonts used, as some browsers could not effectively display other fonts with any reliability, changing fonts that were not Times New Roman and Arial into the Sans Serif, which is not all that attractive. This was a big deterrent to the creative use of fonts. With new embedding technologies, this is no longer a real problem, and many designers are now using great new fonts that make a site 'stand out' effortlessly. 2. Original layouts can be more easily implemented due to the emergence of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) technology. Prior to CSS, it took much work (and therefore much money) to create designs with 'punch' as every design demanded hours upon hours of work with HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), the old standard for writing and creating custom designs. CSS has freed Web designers from these restrictions, and of course, saves clients a great deal of money spent on man hours, leading more clients to demand great looking custom designs. 3. Navigation and usability have also increased, once the restrictions were lifted from the creation and development of custom sites. Oddly enough, for some reason, many years ago, it was thought 'common knowledge' that all sites should contain a left-hand navigation bar, and nothing else. This was the old standard that designers had used for decades and no one thought to question this practice. This gave rise to sites that were for the most part 'cookie cutter' varieties, each having the same standard layout and left-hand navigation bar layout. Creative use of right-hand navigation bars and other techniques have created sites that are very much different in layout and navigation than the old standards, and this has not proven to be a detriment for most E-commerce businesses. In fact, uniqueness seems to be more memorable, and may indeed be a competitive edge in itself. 4. The emergence of WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) HTML technologies has opened up a whole new world of creative fonts, creative color schemes, and creative layouts. With WYSIWYG, designers can see exactly how a site will appear all through the process, eliminating much of the time consuming trial and error that preceded this. Even novice designers and those that seek to create their own site can benefit from WYSIWYG, as most Web site creation software and online sites used for Web site design incorporates this technology, which is easy to use for almost anyone and requires no coding language knowledge. 5. Better flash techniques have also been discovered and employed in the past several years, leading to greater effectiveness of flash sites, and faster upload speeds (a problem with flash prior to the technological advances was slow loading). Sites that employ flash now have a more professional look and feel to them, and flash is used often now in the construction of online videos and games that appear on sites and educates and entertains visitors. The past decade in technology has indeed lent itself to the emergence of superior creativity in Web site design and Web development by Web masters. Gone are the old days of stagnantly designed sites, the 'same old, same old' fonts, dull colors, and slow-loading and ineffective flash. It seems now, that the sky is the limit with customization of sites, and this can only be called one of the best developments of this century. Beautiful sites, that will hopefully bring beautiful results to personal and E-commerce clients, are now standard, and the future looks brighter than ever for Web site designers and developers! http://www.captainmedia.com

Going on a Speed Date

Posted by Kat Turner | 1:29 AM | 0 comments »

Five to seven minutes does not seem like a awful lot of time and believe me, it isn't. On most normal timed first dates you would still be exchanging pleasantries and 'umming' in the first few minutes. On a speed date, the one thing you don't have is the luxury of time. If you want to find someone through the speed dating system, you can't afford to be tongue tied. If you spend the allotted five minutes barely talking to the person in front of you, you'll never be able to identify the right people from amongst the ones you meet up in the span of one evening. What more, very few people will pick you as their match. No one wants to date someone who does not talk, is nervous or is plain boring. The best way to maximize your potential matching at a speed dating event is to have at hand a list of questions and conversation starters to keep the conversation moving. This will help kill long silences and will enable you to click with the right guy or gal out there. We are not really recommending that you carry a sheet of paper with your questions neatly typed to the speed dating event, but do have them in your head and be ready to use them. Information Oriented Questions Marion Fletcher, who runs a speed dating service, says 90% of people start with one of these two questions at a speed date without realizing that such information oriented questions are time killers. They fill up five minutes but do not help you get to know the person at hand any better. "What do you do?" It is almost natural to ask the person what they do and to tell them about your own job. While this question may be useful in pegging a person's social and professional status in your mind, it will reveal very little about their personality and their way of thinking. If you must know whether the person in front of you is a mechanic or a banker ask by all means, but don't let a professional discussion dominate your five minutes. Move on to other questions as fast as possible. "Where do you live?" Would it really help to know exactly which neighborhood they live in? Would it add to your knowledge if you were to know they have a room mate who works with them? This question is one that in all likelihood will get thrown back at you. Do you really think it is safe to reveal your address or neighborhood to someone you barely know? Open Ended Questions As far as possible keep your questions open ended. Close ended questions, which a person can answer in a 'yes' or a 'no' don't fuel conversation. Nor do they tell you anything much about a person. Some good examples of open ended questions include: "Have you ever been to ________?" Ask them if they have ever been to a local spot that you enjoy. Maybe it's a club, restaurant, or amusement park. This is good conversation opener and will help you find out what kind of places they like to hang out at and what their concept of a fun place is. "Where did you get that _______?" Ask them about a specific piece of jewelry or clothing. This may help reveal more about their choice in clothes and jewelry, where and what kind of things they like to shop for and you may even get entertained by a story related to the piece under discussion. Leisure activity related Questions Questions related to leisure time can be great conversation starters. They can also tell you a lot about the person's time out of work including what they like to do when they are free and how open they are to new experiences. It may also help you find common interests. Some good questions related to leisure activities are: What was your favorite vacation? This will tell you how often they vacation and what kind of a vacation they like. It will also reveal the places they head out to – congested tourist spots or isolated beaches. What kind of Movies do you like? Did they love the last action flick or did they cry their heart out watching the candy floss romance that hit the theatres last week? Do you have common ground in the kind of movies you watch? Do you like Sports? Both men and women like sports and if you are both enthusiasts of the outdoors, you could hit it off very well. You may even end up going to watch the same sports together. You may also hook up to go hiking, parasailing or jogging together. Use these open ended questions to help keep the conversation going. The greater your interaction with a person in your limited time span, the more you will know about them. You will then confidently pick the right matches at the end of the event. At all points remember to go with your instincts, even when they can't be logically explained. If your instinct says you have a match, go ahead and take the plunge!

Dating and a Movie Again

Posted by Kat Turner | 9:08 PM | 0 comments »

Are you tired of the same old routine first dates? Need a change from the dinner and a movie routine? Why not do something that gives you some insight into each other's personality and is interesting? Not that I'm totally against dinner and a movie as a first date or even a tenth date. There is the benefit that you don't have to think about what you're going to say next for at least 90 minutes (even longer if it's a Kevin Costner epic). I just think that a change needs to occur when I've seen all of the movies playing this month at the local megaplex. Another downside to dinner and a movie is that it can be inconvenient for those of us who work the nightshift. So I am offering the following ideas to inspire you to get out of the dating rut, whether it's your first or tenth. For the romantic, a picnic is an ideal choice as long as the weather cooperates. For inclimate weather you may have to get creative in your location, but don't give up hope. Traditionally, picnicking is something that established couples do, but don't be afraid to suggest it early in your romance. In addition to having as simple or elaborate meal as you choose, you can bring along a Frisbee or ball to play catch. You can also take a walk. For the less ambitious or weather bound, you can people watch or share a paper (Sunday papers work especially well). Another benefit is that daylight dating adds a little bit of safety, and you can always have an escape excuse if things aren't going the way you planned (Examples: I'm babysitting for a friend, I'm having my teeth cleaned, I have to have dinner with my parents - you get the idea.). People also seem to be more honest about themselves in the cold light of day, which is always refreshing. Finally, there is the benefit that you can always continue the date into the evening if things are going exceptionally well. Another great date place is a theme park. If you live near one of the larger ones, like Disneyland, it can be expensive. Call and ask about local resident discounts, and if you have friends that work there ask if they can get you a passes at a reduced rate. Don't overlook the smaller caivals and festivals in your area. It can be significantly less expensive and equally entertaining. These sort of places have a little of everything, so you should be able to find something the two of you can enjoy. This is also a great choice for that first date with his or her children. Sports and hobbies are also excellent dating opportunities. Are you a member of a club? Invite your next date to a club activity. Mountain biking, hiking, in-line skating, tennis, or any joint hobby can be excellent first date material. They provide an activity that you both have a common interest in. Also, there is no better way to bring out the dark side of people than competitive sports. Wouldn't you like to see that up front? You can also impress your date with your skill, or get a few pointers from him or her. The whole point though is to do something that is interesting and allows for you to get to know each other better. Even if you don't click on a romantic level, you can always have an enjoyable afteoon that won't leave you feeling like you should have done your laundry instead.

Give Yourself Permission

Posted by Kat Turner | 6:21 AM | 0 comments »

It is September 14, 2001 and I am sitting here trying to think of something to share; frankly, I can't. I'm still in shock over the events of the last few days so I'm going to offer this: I have always maintained that TV is the archenemy of the home-based business owner because it's so easy to get sucked-in and completely distracted. I've tried to work while the TV is on, but I'm only at 50% capacity at best. I suppose that's better than sitting on the couch with a bowl of popco, but I prefer operating at a higher level than that. The solution I have always recommended is to never tu on a TV in the first place. It's amazing how easy it is to avoid plot lines when you don't know what they are! That said, when there is a major news event I find myself in terrible conflict; should I keep my nose to the grindstone or just 'give-in' to the temptation to keep up with what's going on? I have found myself in this predicament during major events such as the Columbine shootings, the Northridge earthquake, the Gulf War, and the Challenger space shuttle disaster. When something happens that is so devastating, so traumatic, so incomprehensible as the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, I am not doing myself a favor by 'resisting'. I NEED to keep up with the details. I NEED to know what's happening. I NEED to feel involved in some fashion, even if only vicariously. So I gave myself permission, and just left the TV on.I didn't even pretend that I was trying to get anything done; I just stayed glued to the tube to stay informed. Occasionally I had to remind myself to breathe. I didn't get much done, but it doesn't matter; I did what was most important at the time. After all, my country was under attack. Members of my American "family" were lost. Others were heroes. The coverage of the events and all of the incredible ramifications was nothing short of amazing. It was a monumental moment of history, and I know I did the right thing. If I had been in New York, I would have been out of the house (or apartment) doing SOMETHING to help SOMEBODY who was more directly affected than I. In reading what I just wrote, it sounds like I feel guilty doesn't it? Well, I do a little because I, like most entrepreneurs, have a strong work ethic. On the other hand, we also need to strike a balance between our work and other priorities. I'm in great pain because of what I saw and heard, but in retrospect I really had no choice. It was simply not possible for me to ignore what was happening so that I could "get some work done". If it's a really important distraction, give yourself permission. After all, some things are just more important than a few hours of work.

Got Acne

Posted by Kat Turner | 6:54 AM | 0 comments »

Products on the market that claim to make acne go away may do the trick but they contain many harsh ingredients, such as alcohol, that strip the oils of your skin. Some of these treatments and cleansers may cause the skin to become dry in areas that were treated. You may have solved the acne symptom where it was occurring, but now you have another symptom to resolve and that would be tight and flaky skin. You may then decide to buy another product that will fix or cure the symptoms of tight and flaky skin. As a result, you may develop greasy skin because the moisturizer was too greasy. Then you have to fix another symptom of shiny and greasy skin. It is a vicious cycle and in the end you may end up buying more products and wasting your hard eaed money. You want to use an acne treatment that has herbal extracts and essentials oils with antiseptic properties to help nourish your skin so you can be blemish-free. One I recommend for your acne skin symptoms is the Aubrey Organics Amino Derm Gel Clear Skin Complex. This is perfect for acne spots. Natural alteative to over-the-counter Benzoyl Peroxide treatments. This product works. It clears acne and pimples without drying the skin. Aubrey Organics Amino Derm Gel Clear Skin Complex Here is one you are going to want to get your hands on quick. This mask is for an oily skin condition. The Aubrey Organics Natural Herbal Seaclay with Goa Herb Oil Balancing Mask. This deep pore cleansing mask, complete with it's active enzymes, works like no other mask, it will draw the oil and rebalance your skin without drying it out. Aubrey Organics Natural Herbal Seaclay with Goa Herb Oil Get the rest of this article at: http://www.ifyourskincouldtalk.com Alayna A. Fries, Licensed Esthetician Author, If Your Skin Could Talk, What Would It Say? My book teaches you what ingredients to avoid, what ingredients in skin care products are causing the common skin symptoms we all experience from time to time and what ingredients to look for when purchasing products for your skin. And by this, I mean safe skin care products.

How To Beat A Stammer

Posted by Kat Turner | 1:57 AM | 0 comments »

My name is Stephen Hill, I have overcome a stammer which had affected my life for eighteen years. I now help as many other people who stammer to achieve fluency as I can. When I had a stammer, I would attend speech therapy, at which I would be told to slow down or to take a deep breath before talking. Other tips were to use costal breathing or to prolong my words. This did not seem to help me very much and after attending these speech therapy lessons for eighteen years decided it probably never would. I firmly believed that my own stammer was very much a physcological as well as a physical problem as at times I could talk very well, like for example when I was talking to my girlfriend or when I was talking when I was drunk. I decided to read a lot of books about positive thinking for example and at the same time started to study how good fluent talkers were speaking compared to me. I was basically trying to re-lea how to speak. It was hard for me to truly believe I would ever be able to achieve fluency as everyone had always told me that you can not overcome a stammer. After about a year though I managed to overcome the stammer and then started to help other people to achieve fluency. I have been helping people now for around eight years and have people who stammer from many different countries and backgrounds.

Happiness

Posted by Kat Turner | 10:51 PM | 0 comments »

We convince ourselves that life will be better when we have a baby or another one. When we finally get what we thought we wanted, we find ourselves exhausted. Then, we conclude we will be more content when the children are older. Only, they do get older. Then, we have teenagers to deal with. Surely, happiness will come once they have outgrown that stage. But, no, wait. They leave the nest. We tell ourselves that life will be complete when our spouse gets their act together, when we get a nicer car, when we get a raise, when we have grandchildren, or when we are able to go on a nicer vacation. The truth is, there is no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges. It is best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special enough to share your time with; and remember that time waits for no one. Stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday moing, until you get a new home, until your home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you get approved for disability, until you are off welfare, until the first or the fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you have had a drink, until you have sobered up, until you die, until you get to heaven to decide to be happy. Happiness is a jouey, not a destination. © by Joyce C. Lock http://my.homewithgod.com/blessingsandlessons/ This writing may be used in its entirety, with credits in tact, for non-profit ministering purposes.

The stores are decorated in candy hearts, flowers and bears. Every TV or radio commercial reminds you that it's time to remember your sweetheart on this special day for lovers. Your feelings range from sadness, to revulsion to anger. What's a single person to do? The following suggestions are designed to both answer that question and to help you have a good day after all, while working to make it your last solo one. 1. Celebrate the day by planning an activity that is meaningful and enjoyable to you. Choose something that provides you with a special treat. Go to a day spa for "the works", plan an intimate dinner for 3 or 4, go ice-skating or to the movies with a fun friend, or go out to dinner and a movie with a group of other singles. Focus on what you enjoy and make a conscious decision about how to mark the day. Un-Valentines Day parties are very popular and can be a lot of silly fun. You can attend one or throw one of your own. 2. Design a relationship-building plan for 2003. Let the holiday provide you with the motivation to take risks, try new ideas and gain the knowledge that will enable you to find and create a lasting, intimate relationship. * Sit down at the computer or with pen and paper in hand and get your plan written down. * Begin by making a list of resources that can be used to help you meet available singles. These can include: on-line dating sites, singles groups, volunteer activities, or participation in sports or other activities that you enjoy. * Decide when and how often you will participate in any activity you have chosen. *Make a budget for both time and available funds for this purpose. * Do your homework and research each resource so the information will be available when you need it. 3. Review those resolutions you made, or make some if you haven't yet. Think about what is really important to you. Remind yourself that implementing and sticking to these will help ensure that you are really ready for that special relationship. Being the kind of person you want to be with is the first step. Begin with concrete goals. For example: stick with a healthy diet, exercise three times a week, plan one organizational task per week, etc. Taking care of yourself and living well, will optimize your chances for relationship success. Start today. 4. Work to eliminate negative thinking. When a negative thought comes into your mind, take a moment to think about what is beneath it. Then, tell yourself that thinking this way is not good for you. Make a decision to drop the thought and try to think of something (anything) that is positive. It can be as simple as focusing on what a beautiful day it is outside, to feeling grateful that you survived the current wave of lay-offs in your company. Use this technique for situations as well. Ask yourself how you can view the situation differently. Try to find one positive angle or outcome that could result from an otherwise bad situation. For example, you are being laid off from your job. You have been unhappy for a long time, but could not motivate yourself to do anything about it. Now, you have the motivation to look for a new job, or perhaps change careers. Think of all the possibilities that could open up for you. Negative thinking is a downward spiral that leads to negative behavior and possibly depression. Consciously choose to challenge these thoughts, and empower yourself with a more positive outlook and approach to life. Hopefully these tips will assist you in having a better "solo" Valentine's Day than you might have been headed for. Enjoy the day by doing something fun. Then focus on your relationship plan and empower yourself to build the healthy, lasting relationship of your dreams. Toni Coleman, LCSW Helping Singles Find Lasting Love www.consum-mate.com

In order to achieve any amount of success in your life, it is important that you understand four basic characteristics. Let's call these four attributes the four D's of success, and they are vital no matter what level of success you want. Desire - Decision - Determination - Discipline Desire is the most essential of the D's. Without desire, the other fundamental things just don't matter. There are many things we might like to have, and perhaps, we envy someone who already has something we like. However, we are not very likely to have these things for ourselves without desire. Not just a feeling of wanting something or thinking it would be nice, but a deep-down buing desire, a do-it-or-else attitude and a willingness to make sacrifices to reach that goal. By sacrifices, I mean things like giving up the extra servings to lose weight, watching less TV to have more time available for a special project, doing without a few things to be able to save money for a down payment on a new house. Without a strong desire, the sacrifices may become more of a dreaded chore than a means to an end, in which case we are more likely to just give up and abandon the goal. Decisions need to be made once you have a clear-cut desire. You want to accomplish a specific goal and now you need to decide how to do it. Decide on a method to reach your goal and how long it might take to get there. You can usually find valuable information that is related to your goal in a bookstore, the library, or on the Inteet. Other times, you might need to talk to someone who has accomplished a similar goal. Also, decide what sacrifices, if any, may be necessary for you to make in order to reach your goal. Reaching a goal is often easier by breaking a major goal into mini-goals, each one being a milestone in itself. Determination and willpower are the traits you need to reach your goal when you have a buing desire and you've made the decision to take action and make something happen. There may be obstacles on the way to your goal, but strength of mind and fortitude can help keep you on track. It doesn't matter how fast you are moving toward your goal as long as you keep moving in a positive direction. You should be resolved to tu your desire into a reality no matter what it takes. Discipline can sometimes be the hardest D to handle. We may have the best of intentions, but a moment of weakness can throw us off track. It takes self-control and restraint to make sacrifices and stick to the plan we decided upon. Every so often, we have to be strict with ourselves and remember that the goal we seek is worth the effort. If it becomes too hard to follow the plan, we might need to revise the plan or the time it takes to get there. Usually, what we desire most, is not the goal itself, but the benefits that we experience when the goal is reached. The following is a list of some goals and possible benefits: Goal: lose weight Benefit: look/feel better, more energy Goal: plant a garden Benefit: fresh food, exercise, nature Goal: lea to play golf Benefit: exercise, recreation Goal: buy a motorhome Benefit: travel, family outings Goal: work at home Benefit: freedom, more time with family Goal: make more money Benefit: better lifestyle, prestige Take a moment to think about your desires. Chances are good that you have desires that are strong enough for you to make the decision to take action and make things happen!

Getting Life Balance At Last

Posted by Kat Turner | 3:22 AM | 0 comments »

There's a lot of talk these days about life balance. For many of us, life is out-of-balance – too much work, too little family, too much sitting, too little exercise; too much sugar, too little green vegetables; too much stress, too little relaxation. If you go to a "life balance coach," you'll probably be told to make a pie chart of your life, and to start removing things that are stressing you. It may be suggested you change your job or career, change your partner, get more day care for the kids, hire a maid, get more exercise, eat more carbs, set priorities, rearrange your schedule, or move around other exteal things. These are important, but it's treating the symptom, not the cause. There's a better way to get life balance that lasts longer and has a deeper impact on your life. It requires that you make some inteal changes. After all, you will never be able to remove every source of stress in your life, nor would you want to. Consider for instance that your husband is currently cause you stress. Maybe he's just had a quadruple bypass or you're worried he will. Maybe your wife has gotten a promotion and is very on edge lately and difficult to be with. There is stress in the relationship, but is this a reason to throw your partner out, like "toleration"? A person is not a "toleration," and your primary relationships are not "obstacles." And if you need an extreme example of this faulty line of reasoning – consider how much stress that little ole newbo baby put into your life! But not only can we not get rid of all our stress, we wouldn't want to. It is widely reported in psychological literature that every organism (including we humans) seeks what's called "equilibrium." Like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, we don't want too much, and we don't want too little. We want it just right! Subjects who have spent hours in a sensory deprivation tank are miserable, just like the adrenalin-junkie on the corporate merry-go-round. The ideal is to have just the right amount of stress, change and emotion in your life – not too much, not too little, and just right. And all the time. Ha! What happens, then, to our "life balance"? We look inside, not outside. There is no way we are going to be able to control exteal things. Just when you settle down for a relaxing evening at home, the neighbor's fire alarm goes off, and fire engines start arriving. Who knew? What can bring you balance, is to develop your emotional intelligence, which includes such competencies as resilience. This bolsters your ability to handle the stress you can't eliminate from you life, or wouldn't want to. Also, by determining your values, and setting priorities according to them, you can bring purpose into your life, which has a balancing effect in itself. How many times have we heard someone say, "They don't pay me enough to do this job," whereas there are people volunteering all the time at non-profit agencies undergoing similar stress who experience it positively, because it's got meaning to them and what they want to be doing. Emotional competency also includes Authenticity and Intentionality. Once you know who you are, you are far less likely to get involved in doing things you don't want to that will tu into obstacles and needn't have been taken on in the first place. In other words, you lea to say "no". Intentionality relieves a lot of stress. It's saying what you mean and meaning what you say, and making it happen. It's similar to "If you don't lie, you don't have to remember anything." If you know you will do what you say you will do, and others know this too, think of the paper work (and worry and accountability energy) that will be saved. Lastly, by studying emotional intelligence with an EQ coach, you can eventually lea to modulate the emotions that are coming in. You may still want to be caretaker for your aged mother in your home, and you will experience it as far less stressful, because you've leaed to manage your emotions, hers, and the rest of the family's. Life balance is too important. Don't stop with surface things. Don't just try and rearrange exteal things. Work on your emotional intelligence so you experience your life and emotions in a more balanced way. Most individuals recognize immediate results in their life, both at work and at home.

Stress is a natural and unavoidable feature of mode life. When the pressures of life become too much and we can't cope, stress operates like a screw gradually tuing tighter and tighter. Often we don't realise that we are under stress - until the pressure becomes too much and the lid starts lifting... then we crack. Humans are vulnerable and live under an optimum level of stress every day - they often don't know how to cope, when the pressure builds up too much...but what can we do about it to make our lives easier? HOW TO COPE WITH STRESS? Listen to your own alarm system. There are abundant challenges, demands and opportunities in mode living; but these often cause frustration and exasperation. Your first step is to be aware that you are under stress. Make a list of all of all the major stress areas in your everyday life. (My what a big list!). Then armed with this knowledge, make an honest commitment to changes in your life. By identifying the causes and being open to change, you can at least hope for improvement. FIND THE CAUSE. CALL IT BY NAME, THEN YOU CAN ELIMINATE IT. The key, I believe, is ACCEPTANCE. People suffering from severe stress should seek help from a doctor or therapist. Therapists help the patient to feel differently about things. In other words, they get them to have a different perspective. Persons suffering from stress might do small tasks to give them a feeling of accomplishment before retuing to the work-force. All these techniques can make people grow; just like plants don't grow, unless they are watered and cared for. WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT STRESS? Look at your life and try to find the main cause(es) of your stress. What exteal event or situation is causing the problem? Or is it just your perception? Is it physical, emotional or professional? Self knowledge means self help; so that once you can identify the cause of your distress, you can eliminate it. Remember that for you to be happy, all three areas of your life (ie. emotional, spiritual and intellectual) need to be satisfied. You need BALANCE in your life. The first step is ACCEPTANCE: admit that you are under stress and not coping with life, as well as you should. Once you accept this, the next step is committing yourself to take ACTION to relieve the problem. Making that decision to take action is probably the hardest for you. It is best to use a combination of strategies to combat moderate stress (the result of daily wear and tear on the body). Possible action plans are as follows: 1. EXERCISE regularly. A healthy, flexible body makes for a healthy, alert mind. Being physically active stimulates energy levels in the brain (through the chemical serotonin, or something like that) and allows an outlet for your frustrations. 2. Keep BUSY; this takes your mind off the problem. It is the best antidote to deal with the problem, instead of worrying about it. 3. Take time for yourself to RELAX, MEDITATE and VISUALISE. Don't let trivial problems build up and get the better of you. A quiet body is more prone to recovery and health than an angry one. 4. Keep a positive mental attitude (P.M.A), that you will overcome your stress. Your attitude will determine your thoughts and how well you cope with life: "As I think I am." Your attitude beats facts every time. Haven't I said that phrase before? 5. Watch your DIET carefully. Eat plenty of healthy foods: fruit, fresh 'veggies' and vitamins (especially B and C). Cut down on stimulants, like caffeine and nicotine; both these are drugs that build up your resistance. Also cut down on sugar, fats and your salt intake. 6. COMMUNICATE with a person close to you. Open your heart to those nearest and dearest to you. Don't suffer in silence. John Donne said "No man is an island unto himself." (And a few women too!). Set aside specific times to communicate and talk honestly. Share your thoughts, worries, feelings, dreams, disappointments and problems... and doesn't life have enough of them! 7. Let go of your EMOTIONS. Cry if you want to. It's natural and wil lhelp the healing process. This applies to "macho" men also, who are socialised to keep their emotions inside. 8. Pray to God for the answers to your stress problem, if you are religious, or "a spiritual" person . You WILL get the answers via your subconscious mind, your intuition - our connecting link with our Creator, a Supreme Being, Spirit, Higher Self (or whatever you understand God to be). Finally, 9. Keep your sense of HUMOUR and be HAPPY.

How to Choose Fine Pearls

Posted by Kat Turner | 12:52 AM | 0 comments »

Pearls are very alluring and hold a quality that both defines elegance and natural beauty. There are more varieties and availability of pearls today than ever before. The "cultured pearl" now rivals with fine diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and rubies. Today most pearls are cultured, meaning that the mollusk is purposely inserted with an irritant or "nucleus" from which it creates a pearl. A better way to think of the difference between natural pearls and cultured pearls is to think of the natural pearl as a result of the mollusk working alone and the cultured pearls as a product of nature being helped by science. Cultured pearls are not "fake" like many people may think. The culturing process takes from two to three years and is a very delicate process. The pearl farmers have little control on what the outcome of the pearl will look like or if the mollusk will reject the nucleus. Not all pearls are fine quality or even desirable at all. The end result is ultimately a consequence of nature. Choosing pearls that are of the best quality are determined by luster, nacre thickness and quality (the outer layer), color, surface perfection, shape, and size. The biggest factor of pearl quality is nacre thickness and quality which determines how long the pearl will last. Nacre thickness determines the longevity of the pearl and nacre quality determines how light reflects through the layers of the pearls. High luster and iridescence come from high quality nacre and any pearl with these characteristics has quality, thick nacre. When judging nacre look for uniform iridescence, intensity of luster, cracks and peeling, estimate thickness near the drill hole between the nacre and the shell bead (nacre is lighter). Pearls are very thick with at least .5 mm on all pearls, thick with at least.5mm on most pearls, medium with between .35 and .5 mm on most pearls, and thin with .25 mm or less on most pearls. Luster is also important and one of the first factors to notice. Luster is an intense brightness that illuminates from within the pearl rather than just being "shiny" like in imitation pearls. The intense brightness results from light being reflected throughout the numerous layers of nacre. Quality pearls will have a sharp contrast between the brightest area where direct light is hitting the pearls and the shaded area creating an illusion of a "ball within the pearl." Check for luster by examining them under a fluorescent lamp and rolling them from side to side to examine uniform luster. Examine pearls over a light gray or white material and never black because it is harder to see the true quality of the pearl. Pearl color is also important. When choosing pearls note there body color and overtones. The most desirable and more rare white pearls have "rose" colored overtones. Cream colored pearls are more affordable because they are less rare. Also, pearls can have tones rated in intensity. Darker toned pearls are more desirable and expensive compared to lighter toned pearls. Many natural body colors are available in pearls including white, black, gray, blue, gold, pink, and green. Distinctive colored pearls are rarer and harder to find. Have a qualified gemologist check the pearls to make sure they have not been dyed, especially for costlier pearls like the black or golden varieties. Examine pearls' surface for blemishes. Although is best to check for most pearl characteristics on a light background, it is best to check for blemishes on a dark background. Check in both intense and diffused light. No pearls are perfect and small blemishes can be sacrificed for more important quality like nacre and luster. Pearls with higher luster conceal blemishes better. When choosing pearls also consider shape. There are three pearl shapes including symmetrical, spherical, and baroque. The spherical is the rarest and most desirable. Symmetrical pearls include teardrop or pear-shaped pearls and desirable but usually less expensive than spherical pearls. Baroque pearls are irregularly shaped and often the least expensive. Size should also be taken into consideration. Larger cultured pearls are rarer and more expensive. Akoya pearls over 7 ½ millimeters are much more costly and prices dramatically rise with each ½ millimeter over 8 millimeters. South Sea and Tahitian pearls also have high increase in price when size is over 15 millimeters. One more factor to consider in pearls is the precision in matching the pearl quality in a string of pearls. It is important to take all of the above factors in consideration when matching the pearls. Graduated pearls also take careful matching. Pearl matching affects the value of the jewelry because when pearls are not matched properly it takes away from the appearance of the jewelry. Also, make sure the pearls are all drilled in the center so they lay properly. Off-center drilled pearls will not lay correctly and reduces the value of the piece. It is always important to get a independent laboratory report when in doubt of pearl enhancements that may have been employed to make the pearls appear more valuable. Make sure the person appraising the pearls is a Graduate Gemologist (GG) which is the Gemological Institute of America's (GIA)highest award. Other things to consider when purchasing pearls include finding out what the merchant's retu policy is. Make sure they have at least a 30-day full refund policy. Pure Pearls at www.purepearls.com is an excellent place to find fine quality pearl jewelry including Akoya pearls, Tahitian pearls, and Freshwater pearls. Pure Pearls has all of its pearl pieces appraised by a Graduate Gemologist and offers a 45-day guaranteed satisfaction policy.

Finding Someone Special

Posted by Kat Turner | 8:13 PM | 0 comments »

Browsing through the personal classifieds can be quite frustrating if you really don't know what qualities or the type of personality it is that you are searching for in the person you are seeking, or in the relationship you are seeking. Questions you need to ask yourself before and as you are reading through the personal sections again are: Why are you searching for someone, do you want a companion, a serious relationship or just to make friends with someone new with the hopes of dating. Who are you looking for, are you searching for someone tall, short, thin, stout, young, old, divorced, widowed, single, married, and the list goes on to include all personal choices and preferences in people. Discussing this theory a little more in detail - If you have a problem dating someone with kids, you should skip over the classifieds that reveal those people who have kids or you will only be letting yourself down in the end when you are building a relationship. This theory pertains to all of the listings, for example, if you are searching for someone that is just for you, without ever sharing that person with another, search for someone who has never been married or who is not a widow (widower). Once you know whom you are searching for, you will be able to read the personal classifieds with more confidence and decision making abilities. Read the classifieds completely, tracking the writing that interests you the most so that you can go back and compare, reread or contact that person. Reading through the entire personal section, or at very least the section that applies your target interest group, you will find a variety of people with vast differences in personalities just through the short descriptions available. Now is the tough time to write your contact letter, made much simpler if you have already created your profile for replies to read about you. Starting your reply is easy with an opening such as, 'I have read your profile and found you are most intriguing (interesting, exciting, provocative)' or you could use something more elaborate such as 'Your profile interested me to the point where I had to contact you right away to find out what we have in common'. While there are many expressions and various phrases you can use when writing your opening letter, the contact letter is truly going to be a reflection of your personality, and what you are searching for in a relationship. The first example of 'I have read your profile and found you are most intriguing', would reveal that you are interested. Are you searching for friendship in the classified section? Try using the first example building on that sentence to read along the lines of: 'I would like the opportunity to get to know you better and talk a while'. But if you are searching for a lover through the personals, the second sentence could read: 'I really would love to get to know you better, find out what type of person you are searching for and hopefully to create a match with you'. The point here is to keep your true feelings within the boundaries of words, not scaring off someone if you are just wanting to be friends, while on the other hand if you are searching for a lover don't hide behind words of a friendly chat. Top ideas to use in your opening introduction letter are express your interest to your potential 'date' using your writing to express why you are contacting that person. Reveal to this person how you propose to meet their needs in their search for a friend, companion or lover using expressive words such as 'I intend to' or 'I would like to' or even 'I have been searching through the classifieds and found your profile appealing to me because'. Give just a few hints about your where you are located, without revealing to much about your without determining whether the two of you will continue a conversation. Use phrases like, 'I am from the east coast' or 'I live south of Califoia' or other such general terms, revealing your location to a particular location through later conversations. Your initial contact with a proposed 'date' should be about the type of person you are searching for, why you have been using resources online to search for someone special, and what you are hoping to gain from a relationship from this person with personal details revealed through additional conversations as your 'relationship' trust grows. Online personals have been created for the user to act anonymously while investigating the possibilities of friendship, love and for finding that someone special to spend your life with. Using your thoughts and feelings through this situation, creatively with expressive words without misleading readers will allow you to reach your destination, of finding that someone special, faster and easier that you would be able to in any other situation.

Dating and Doors

Posted by Kat Turner | 8:13 PM | 0 comments »

Has it been a while since you have been out on a date, or maybe you haven't been able to get a second date after your first date fiasco, this article is written as a refresher course into dating etiquette and for your leaing more about what your date might like. Rule number one when you are on a first date is to always be you. Don't try to portray yourself as someone you are not. If you put forth a 'fake' personality, career, or even an untrue past, the future between you and your date will be a doomed failure from the start. If you are truly going to be honest in a relationship, you will be together because you and the other have built a relationship based on real facts, thoughts and ideas. False starts create doubts in a relationship that are difficult if not impossible to overcome. Another steadfast rule in the dating world is do not try to focus the entire date about yourself and your world. Keep your date interested in conversation about worldly happenings, local happenings or even by asking them about themselves. Continual conversation brings about a great date for the both of you. Focus on today without focusing on where you will be tomorrow with this person; if the relationship is meant to be it will happen naturally. This brings together the honesty in the relationship through conversation. The sharing of real events, thoughts and ideas in both of your lives is how a second date is brought about because of the attraction to want to lea more about the other person by spending more time with that person. Combining the rules Using the two major rules as discussed above and implementing small special effects to your date will bring out the best in a budding relationship while creating lasting memories for the two of you. These 'special effects' in a first date can be very small gestures of kindness that portray the real person in you. While there are, many traditions that have changed over the years the following are a few you may need to acquaint yourself with. These new 'traditions' include the arriving in separate cars (for safety reasons), double dating (again for safety when not knowing the other person very well at all), and in going dutch on a date (creating the 'equality' feeling if needed), there are still a variety of personal effects that you can use to impress your date. When you are discussing going out, ask if he / she would like to use one car - opting for whichever the both of you feel most comfortable with for the time being. You could also suggest that the two of you take cabs if you are going clubbing on a first date, resulting in not having either party on the date having to worry about drinking and driving. As you arrive on your date, whether you are going for a walk in the park, going to the movies or going to dinner, let your date know if you like how they look, how they dress, or even if you like something about where you are going. Complimenting the other person on their appearance creates a feeling of inner confidence for that person, which brings confidence to your date because the person will feel they can compliment you in retu in regards to what they like about you, without making you feel embarrassed as well. There are a variety of simple gestures you can also use throughout your time on your date to make the two of you feel at ease. These gestures include: simply walking side by side, looking at each other when asked a question that involves the both of your input, and compromising as needed on your first date. Compromise about what the two of you do with your time together, let the date be something that the both of you would like to do or see while on your first date. Good examples of a first date might be walking through a fair, going window-shopping in the mall, watching fireworks, dancing, or you could even go to a concert that you agree to see. When you are on a date, do your best not to finish sentences for someone when they are speaking to you in conversation. You may not realize this could appear rude when you finish a sentence for another but the conversation meaning could be altered, differed from his or her original thought. Keep the conversation balanced by asking questions about the other person's life, ideas in life, and thoughts about what is going on in your surroundings. No matter what sex you are, if the other person on your date is walking behind you, hold the door and allow them to walk ahead of you. Common courtesy in a relationship is the basis for a great friendship that is possible to bloom into more if nurtured. While it may mean that you will have to restrain yourself, do not try to keep you date out longer than what they want to be. There are some very good reasons why a person may need to be home by midnight that you may not be aware of. Some of these reasons could include: early shift the next moing, they only have a babysitter for a certain time, they must have the car back by a certain time, they don't feel comfortable in their neighborhood after a certain hour, they worked an early shift that day, or maybe the other person isn't feeling well at that particular time. One or both of you can inquire about contacting each other again, with numbers exchanged if easily agreed upon. If you find yourself in a situation where one is hesitant to give out a phone number, the other (who asked) might make an easy come back in conversation saying: 'We don't have to worry about it right now, I'll just talk to you later when I see you...' using wherever you met as a starting point in seeing that person again. As your date is nearing a close, be sure to 'Thank' the other person for spending some time with you, letting them know you had a good time with them if you did. Your being polite is a great trait to be remembered by when another is thinking about your date and the time you have spent together. Using a few of the small gestures as listed here and using some of your own creative ideas, while you are on a first date, will increase your chances for a successful first date. Combining the special gestures and ideas into your first date while implementing your 'real' side and your 'honesty' in conversation will be the basis for a solid relationship. Remember, the reason for going on a date is to lea more about a person and for growing friendships between people, not to be looking for love around every coer or in every person that you may encounter.

Emerald Green Arborvitae are easy to grow in Dublin Bororough Pa. This article will help you understand this landscape plant. Arborvitae have masses of small fiberous roots which allows them to transplant at most times of the year. The Emerald Green has the best year round color, but is narrow in form. In real dry years this plant does not survive as well as the more open arbs such as the American, Techny, Nigra, and Elegantissma. This variety, because its foliage is more dense than other varieties, is less tolerant than more open cultivars. In an urban area with deer problems, this variety will be consumed before the next season. We have in stock and ready to pickup these arbs from seedlings (6-10") to 6-8' trees. Emerald Green arbs are easy to plant but afew tips will help your success. When planting, remember that the symptoms of overwatering are identical to underwatering. More trees, shrubs, and houseplants are killed from overwatering than all other problems combined. Water thoroughly upon planting then water thereafter as needed depending on soil and environmental conditions. At no time should the planting zone be kept soggy. Feel the soil with your finger to test it. It should be moist not spongy wet. The plant should be dried to the point of dampness to the touch before a complete re watering. This regime should be carried out at least through the first few months. Soil moisture should be monitored closely for the next two years with corrective action taken as needed. Fertilizer spikes should never be used. You can tell when the arbs are happy with their new location by looking at the interface of the root ball and the new location. New fiberous roots should appear within weeks of planting. You can get more information on This and other plants at the following web sites http://www.seedlingsrus.com http://www.zone5treees.com and http://www.highlandhillfarm.com

herman drost - isitebuild !!  In an age of greed and avarice, where every ounce of knowledge is viewed as potential profit, it was with great trepidation that I approached this site. The data was relevant, pertinant, and very much current. here in one place could be found the answers to practically all queries about setting up, launching, promoting and expounding: YOUR OWN WEBSITE. I am an ex systems programmer, so I would have thought it was easy to get to grips with the simple task of writing, indexing and promoting a website. NOT SO. This is no mean task, a whole new ball game to me, and a veritable minefield for the computing uninitiated. Even when you have written what passes for your best efforts to please the world at large (but most of all yourself) it is not quite the same as typing in your name to a search and seeing your very own creation leap at you from out of the depths of the inteet. To achieve this seemingly simple task is a daunting and patience sapping effort; not made any the less hard by the current trend to charge for what was originally deemed free; a disturbing characteristic of the "new" inteet. Enter www.isitebuild.com the answer in one website. Most of the truly crucial and otherwise hard to find info is here, FREE. I could not believe how much there was i needed to know that was actually there, in one place, and spot on. I write this as a truly pleased person, in gratitude for dissembled knowledge of high quality, given unstintingly, and without any profit intended or taken. I have even given this website address to my ISP's technical support guys, it is so good, and so useful. Don't just take my word for it, go and read what is there, and walk away with a feeling of being in control of the inteet, instead of it being in total mastery of yourself! I have no axe to grind here, if you look at my website, it can only be loss making, certainly no record profits are going to be made here, but it is nice to try to get a few people dropping in, instead of a trickle. When I started I had 12 people per day, now, thanks to Herman Drost I have 142 per day and rising very fast, as his ideas hit the search engines (as it takes a while to filter through, as in weeks!). There is no catch here, he is for real and the theories definitely work. Also, all the tools you will ever need are referenced and clickable. Best of luck websiting, Malcolm Pugh July 2003 Herman's site : http://www.isitebuild.com   mine : http://www.stiffsteiffs.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk Now I know why people PAY for domain names!!

Why You Should Treat Hormonal Acne Inteally, At Its Source Can you treat a headache or stomach ache exteally, without somehow manipulating your natural bodily functions inteally (aka popping a pill)? NO! Then why would you try to treat acne that way? Many acne treatment systems today such as Proactiv, target acne only from the outside, and do not address the issue interanally, as it should be for lasting and dramatic results. If you are really serious about treating acne and really eliminating it at it's source (ie the hormones that cause acne), then you owe it to yourself to try a natural acne hormone treatment which is specifically designed to equalize hormone imbalance and purify the skin from the inside out using special blends of herbs, botanicals, and/or natural compounds such as Vitamin E and Alpha Lipoic Acid. Why Go Natural Instead of Choosing a Conventional Acne Medication? Because many people who have not been responsive to conventional acne treatments, or their effectiveness has wo off due to long term use, experience superior results with natural acne treatments. Acne can actually be caused by two different hormones in women. It's usually an overabundance of androgens (male hormones) or estrogens (female hormones). In men, it can also be caused by imbalances in male and female hormones. This hormonal imbalance triggers the breakouts by over-stimulating the oil glands on acne prone areas of the body, which then results in a clogging of the pore, hence that thing we all know and love - the pimple. Antioxidants are also very potent as hormonal equalizers, as well as "blood purifiers", and their properties foster an environment for mending skin eruptions as well as preventing new breakouts and promoting a healthy glow and skin tone. Most natural acne treatments are designed to do two things: 1.) Help correct hormonal imbalances related to acne breakouts. 2.) Reduce inflammation and swelling, and pave the way for fast skin repair where breakouts have recently occurred. Some other tips you can follow to help prevent unsightly breakouts are: 1.) Drink plenty of water. This helps to cleanse the system, and results in clearer, more hydrated skin. 2.) Avoid caffeine and caffeine-containing products like chocolate or supplements containing caffeine or other stimulants. 3.) Relax. Try a calming exercise for when you get stressed out. Stress triggers breakouts for many individuals. 4.) Avoid harsh cleansers or toners - these can only aggravate acne and cause further irritation and redness. 5.) Use a light, non-comedogenic (non pore-clogging) sunscreen. While it is true a suntan may camouflage breakouts, it mostly aggravates them by forcing further oil production due to its drying effects. Try using a good facial self tanner instead. If you follow these few simple skincare principles, and combine them with a high quality acne treatment targeted to balance hormones and inteally "cleanse", you really can't lose. Your complexion will thank you!

Dating a Divorced Guy

Posted by Kat Turner | 1:02 AM | 0 comments »

Has this happened to you? SCENARIO NUMBER 1 Linda was visiting friends in Seattle and they fixed her up with Robert for a date. He suggested they have lunch and then he wanted to show her the tourist district. Of course it was one shop after another. Assuming that if she appeared interested in something, he would buy it for her, Linda kept it low key as they browsed through the beautiful shops. Then something caught her eye and she couldn't conceal it: a silly toy she knew her grandson would like. She picked it up, laughed, they played with it, and then she put it back. "Oh, go ahead and get it!" Robert said, and his hand reached automatically for his back pocket, but then he tued away. Linda went ahead and picked up the toy and they headed for the checkout counter. Suddenly Robert looked confused and fell back behind her, making sure she approached the counter first and alone. In other words, he made it clear he was NOT going to buy this $6 toy for her. You could almost see him fighting with himself! SCENARIO NUMBER 2 A couple of dates into a new relationship and Ted and Shannon were discussing what they liked. "Attention," said Shannon. "What kind of attention?" Ted asked, warming to the occasion. "Oh, different things. Sweet looks, lilttle remembrances, time with you," Shannon said. "It varies. But I like attention from you." (He had mentioned earlier, and she knew from friends that his former wife ignored him, worked all the time, and ultimately had an affair and left him.) Shannon smiled, wanting him to know how much she liked him, and he smiled back. Then there was a pause. A crestfallen face (remembering) was followed by a mask (hurting) as Ted delivered this door-slammer: "Sometimes you don't get what you like." What's going on here? It happens to all of us! DON'T LET IT HAPPEN TO YOU! Men know what women like and they're naturally inclined to do it. It's kind of natural with guys to want to give. But what's happened is, this guy has done all this before and it didn't work out. Now when he has the impulse to do something nice, he's thinking, "I did that before and what I got was divorced. I'm not falling for that one again!" or "If I buy her something, she'll walk all over me like my ex-wife did." Robert was really happy when he was thinking about buying the toy for Linda. It showed all over his face. Then he remembered something, and he stopped himself. BTW, this isn't about the "buying," it's about giving. Needless to say Linda has $6 to buy the toy; she'd gotten herself to Seattle after all! It's Linda's pleasure to receive gifts when they're given to her. It's part of the give-and-take of relationships. She might offer to buy coffee and dessert later. It starts the "we" thing going. Ted is a loving man who had been starved for affection. Remembering the former rebuffs, he retreated in steely resignation – "Well, I didn't get what I wanted (in the former relationship), so I'm not going to give YOU, what YOU want" – when he and Shannon had already spent many hours together getting along well, and he had been very attentive! Until he thought about it, that is. TURN OFF THE TALKING-HEAD! STOP THE CEREBRAL SABOTEUR! DE-ACTIVATE THE DOUBLE-THINKOVER! It's really sad to deny who you are because of your self-talk about previous relationships. You start to reach out for the other person and then up pipes that voice saying you'll get hurt, or taken advantage of, it won't work, or it's all in vain. You tried it before and it didn't work. Well this is a new person and a new beginning. This new person may respond differently. In fact I can almost guarantee you they will. What I'm talking about here is being yourself, separating out the past from the present, and treating each man as an individual who will not necessarily behave or respond the way the last one did. (Of course if you keep picking losers and think it's a patte, please get help.) The Chinese say you never step twice in the same river. It wasn't giving him back rubs, or being considerate or generous to him that broke up your previous relationship. We throw out a whole set of behaviors because they're associated with bad outcomes in the past. Yes you DO know how to do things and how to make a relationship work; you just were with the wrong person, or the timing was wrong, or the place was wrong. Did you ever consider that? One of the fun things about dating is when you find out that Modigliani print in the living room your ex hated, just thrills your new guy, and this applies to qualities, traits and behaviours as well. We have to separate out what caused what, and who is who in the after-divorce scenario. As I say in my book, "Midlife Dating Manual for Women," until you can, you aren't ready to date. You'll trip all over yourself wanting to do something quite natural, and then slap yourself on the wrist. You aren't emotionally available. Marriages end because the people are no longer being nice to each other. But it wasn't BEING NICE that got you there. It was other things. You were breathing, weren't you, when you were with your ex. You still intend to keep doing that, don't you? Don't throw the baby out with the bath water! Of COURSE find out what the guy likes, and then give it with all your heart if you like him. Just because the last guy didn't like you, want your attention, appreciate you, or respond to your kindness, doesn't mean this one won't. It's about BEING WHO YOU ARE not worrying about WHAT YOU'RE DOING. It's only fun when you can be relaxed and be yourself, including lots of nice little gestures and kindnesses to the other person, and being able to enjoy giving, receiving, and sharing.

Dependence The Key to Success

Posted by Kat Turner | 7:08 PM | 0 comments »

Whether you are just getting started doing business on the Inteet, or are a seasoned professional, there is one aspect of Inteet Business that will always stay at the top of the "Essential Skills" list! Dependence!!! Let me show you how. First of all, even if you ARE considered a pro in this industry, you'd better not get too comfortable with that title. The inteet is growing and changing so quickly, that what you are an expert at today, may present you with a lot to lea tomorrow! So, essentially, newbies and old pros are sharing a level playing field. There will always be opportunity to lea something new. The best way to go about leaing is to depend on those who are ahead of you!!! Depend on a mentor! And, that works both ways! YOU will NEED to be willing to BE depended on AS a mentor also! I know, you're already telling me how busy you are, and how in the world would you find time to be at someone's beck and call? The truth is: ***Time spent mentoring will be the most valuable business investment you will ever make! *** I have had the great fortune of being mentored through the maze of inteet business by my good friend Michael Smith. Notice that I said, "Good Friend". That has been the by-product of the mentoring! And a valuable one to boot! It was he who contacted me with a suggestion for my site. I took him up on the suggestion, and his willingness to give help whenever I needed it was thrown in with the deal! What has become of my business (and his!) since then is incredible! We now share a joint venture at YMTC (http://www.coyote-art.com) I know Mike would agree - it has been a win-win situation. We are now dependent on each other in various ways. There have been business benefits for both of us. One word of caution: A successful mentoring situation depends almost TOTALLY on honesty and integrity, As a mentor, you must develop a sense of trust between you and your mentoree. You MIGHT be able to do this on false pretenses and selfish motives for a short time. But it will come back to haunt you. >From the standpoint of the "mentoree", you must be careful, also. Make SURE you have enough information about the person who is teaching you to feel totally comfortable with what they are offering. Don't go into something lightly. If they are shooting straight with you, they won't have any problem with you checking out their credentials. It is obvious how working with a mentor can be a benefit for the one doing the leaing. So, what are the benefits for the mentor? Simple. MORE BUSINESS. You're thinking this contradicts with the earlier statement about unselfish motives??? Not at all. As the two of you develop a relationship of trust and loyalty, it goes without saying that the person you are teaching will take an interest in whatever products or services you offer - IF it is something that will benefit his or her own business. That is where the integrity comes in for the mentor. Do NOT go into a mentoring situation with the goal of cramming everything you sell down the throat of your student. In fact, you'll probably lose your student if you do. MOST people are smart enough to see through even the most carefully woven sales pitch. Keep your student's best interest at heart above all things, and the benefits to both of you will flow naturally. As your student leas, he, too will have valuable resources to offer you and your business. The absolute best attitude to take on as you go into a mentoring situation is to be ready to give, with NO strings attached. That is an age-old truth that ALWAYS brings blessings to the giver. So, once again, whether you are a newbie or an expert, you can benefit greatly from a mentoring situation. If you need a mentor, and don't know where to start looking, please feel free to contact Mike or me. We are both at different stages in the "Inteet Leaing Process", and both have different skills to offer. We do have one important thing in common, though. We are both more than willing to help you at whatever stage you are at! You will be a mentor yourself in no time!!! (Our addresses are listed below!) Lea more about the *NEW* Team Mentor by sending a blank email to MentorInfo@sendfree.com Happy Mentoring! Gail

Sending a thank you or follow-up letter within 24 hours of an interview is not a new idea, but it is still a good idea. A key reason to send a thank you letter is to nurture new and existing relationships. Plan to send a thank you letter to all the people that assist in your job search. This group includes the people that you meet during an interview; your existing contacts that provide written recommendations, and any friend (or friends of friends) that offer career related leads or information. Thank you is a good place to start relationships that will greatly contribute to your ability to secure the right job in record time! Unless you have a good reason for sending a card or a handwritten letter to your target reader, plan to send an e-mail that is easy to produce. Use the subject line to note "thank you for the interview". This action demonstrates a respect for their busy schedule and an understanding that they may want to read this e-mail after they have read all their urgent e-mails. Start every thank you letter by expressing your appreciation for the interest and time that people have invested in your career. Then, when you highlight that you are still interested in securing a new challenge, take this opportunity to feature your most relevant skills. For example, "My interest in working for (the name of the company or organization) is stronger than ever, and based on your description of the position, I know that my previous experience in (specify) provides the expertise required to make immediate contributions to your team." End your letter using the "opening the door" technique. Your closing paragraph for a thank you letter related to an interview should clearly state when you will call to schedule a meeting time. For example, "I would like to meet with you again to discuss this position. If I do not hear from you within the next five days, I will call you to schedule a convenient time to meet. In the meantime, I will be happy to provide any other information you may need to assist in your decision." When you are writing to someone that has already provided information, your "opening the door" approach will reflect an appreciation for the assistance provided. In this situation, focus on advising your contact that you will provide an update on the progress of your job search. Your update should detail how the information they provided contributed to your success. Networking after the initial contact is easy when you have something as important as thank you to communicate. Don't miss this opportunity to expand your job search network!