Why Change?

 In life people develop relationships with many businesses and other people.  There are many times that I will walk an extra mile or pay the extra money simply because I am comfortable with the people I developed a relationship with.  

There is no reason to change your any ways if you are comfortable.  I have friends that have no loyalties to anyone or thing.  If it means saving a a penny, they will change their whole routine.  I am the type of person that stays loyal unless something very terrible occurs.  If I have been using the same barber for a number of years, there is no reason to change unless something dramatic happens.

Money's Worth.......

As the economy grows and the population follows, the cost for goods and services tends in crease as well.  Everybody has a budget to use for purchases of goods and services, that will make their life more comfortable.  In the capitalist free-enterprise economy that we are in increase demand leads to increase in prices for goods and services.  As prices increase people are trying to make due with what they are bringing in as pay for their labor.

The more that a company charges for its goods and services, the better the valuation of its stock.  The hypocrisy of the situation is , the same people that want value for their money want their share of the economy to be huge.  When my mother first started sending me to the supermarket for household shopping, she would give me twenty dollars her shopping list and her shopping carriage bring everything home.  At that time I was about seven years old.  For the money I was given the carriage came home full four to five big bags full.  I remember my mother saying that the coin change is mine to keep.  If I am to receive two dollars back, I would tell the cashier to give it to me in coins.  Getting to keep two dollars back in the 1970's meant that I had quite a bit of spending money for myself.  In the early 1970 a slice of pizza was five cents.  Today a the same slice goes for three dollars.  Sure you can buy a slice for a dollar but it is not quality.

For that same shopping that I did with twenty dollars, today I need almost two hundred dollars.

At the decade going back to the 1970 a person could purchase a vehicle less than five thousand dollars.  Gasoline was less than fifty cents a gallon.  Today a similar vehicle goes for about twenty two thousand dollars and gasoline is four dollars a gallon.  Minimum wage at that same time was $1.70 per hour.  Today for the same hour of work minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.  

The price of milk and that gasoline are about the same.  A gallon of milk is almost four dollars a gallon.  What is a family to do feed the family or feed the car?  To feed the family you have to feed the car.  The family vehicle is considered to also be a member of the family.  To operate a vehicle today, it is not only gas and go.  A car, does need fuel but it also need service and insurance.  Today to use a car a driver has to also consider many more tolls and cameras that issue tickets in the mail, more parking regulations and and traffic rules that add to the cost of use and ownership.

Think!  Are we getting our money's worth?  The simpler things are the more they cost. 

Not the same...

As we grow time grows with us.  We are not the same that we were.  During our parents time agreements as well as misunderstandings were resolved with a handshake.   People talk about the same subject but they all are extracting a different meaning.
Where are the good old days, everybody asks.  With every generation being born, people think things would get better but in actuality, people become more and more conniving.  The generation of today thinks that everything belongs to it.  This generation thinks that they should not have to work for anything.

Do Not Be Jealous Of Me!!!!

You are just too nice.

No time for?

The nun is a handful, need a cigarette.

Every stage of life is meant for something.  When a person is born the newborn is nurtured by its mother until the age of about two years old.  Infants are pretty much at the mercy of their parents (caretaker).  For babies to grow healthy and strong they stay with their mother and receive food and rest from her.  When that a re small humans tend to need more sleep than when they get older.

Hungry for knowledge

Help me, hold me, protect me.

From the age of two to four babies are now toddlers are at a constantly out to explore their surroundings.   Right before this time is the time for the parents to baby proof the house and make sure that the area around the child is as safe as can be for the child to be in.  This is the age of discovery and the children touches and tastes everything.  For the toddler no area is off limits.  This is a time when children make messes and get in to trouble.

As children grow from the age of five to twelve toddlers become adolescents and are part of the called "tweens"  act grown up but are still too young.  At this age humans are able to think but still are children with their feelings in a clutter.  I remember talking a person with adult children, years back.  This person said to me "little children little problem, big children big problems".

After the "tweens" come the teenage years a time when children go through puberty and begin to notice the "opposite sex."  Some teenagers attend parochial school run by the church the belong to.  The teachers tend to be nuns, monks and priests young and old.  Some of the people are confused to begin with and tend to pass on their dilemmas on to children the assigned to care for.

Spellbound...I am yours Master.

Teenagers grow into adults and many times remember their past.  The image of the covered up young nun never goes away.  In religious circles it is a sin to think of a nun in any other way than, just a servant of God.  Adults tend to remember their past and as the grow older and accumulate wealth, the tend to want to fulfill their childhood dreams.  There is always a fascination people and stuff you cannot see clearly.  The Nuns are always a wonder.  Why a person would remove themselves from society and devote themselves wholly to a spirit baffles other people yet it is respectable..

Adults are able to do more things because they are older and recognized as being able to make up  their own mind.  Adults are now subject to all the ramifications of the law.  Life is like a wheel, going round from birth to death and all over again.  From being nurtured to nurturing.  Learn ing is ongoing it only stops upon death and that we are not yet sure.

Bratwurst with Saurkraut

Summer days are approaching and this means outdoor cooking, barbecue and grilling.  I own a gas grill and for me this means, rain or shine, I am outside cooking my favorite foods with my cooking method of choice, outdoor grilling.  Yesterday's evening meal is a yummy one.  Bratwurst is a pork and beef sausage cooked in beer with sliced onions for a few minutes.  The brat's  are removed from the beer and placed on the searing hot grill until there are grill lines on them as well as being brownish in color on there outer skin.  In a separate pot also on the grill burner, you mix the onions from the leftover stock when the sausages were simmered.  Cook down the beer with the onions and about sixteen ounces of sauerkraut.  After the liquid is reduced place the sausages back in withe sauerkraut and let rest for about fifteen minutes with pot covered.  They are ready to be served with your favorite condiments (mustard, ketchup, hot sauce).

 Do not forget to lightly toast the sausage buns that are to hold the bratwurst.  Remember to have some of the beers, from the kind used for the sauce, on ice to accompany the meal.

Never Happy...

You wake up every morning, you are healthy and you have nice family and a job.  What more do you want?  Someone answers, "I want to be in Brooklyn!"  For the past twenty eight years, there is always slow traffic passing slowly in front of my lot.  There are moments when it could take an hour to move five hundred feet to the corner traffic light.
Traffic causes an ordinary calm human being to turn into a monkey pulling their hair out.  Frustration leads humans to loose control.  They start to say things that are irrational become unhappy.  It appears that traffic is a form of mind control.  People spend so much time in their vehicles that they are subject to bombardments from a number of outside forces.  Prior to having cars would either walk or ride a horse to work.

With progress everything in life first becomes more complicated.   People are pack animals and they love to be with other people. We all complain about being in lines or stuck together waiting for something good to happen.  People love being with others but  sometimes they overstay their welcome or are stuck in traffic and wish they are somewhere else. 

Frustrations come when too many things are put together and time is too short and solutions are far and in between.  You have a place of employment and you are healthy.  What is the problem?  People are never happy.  Always looking for an angle to succeed people stumble and fall.  We should be happy for what we have and by all means try to get better but do not get mentally stuck when you are physically idle.  Be happy everything g will come around one way or another.  Accept the delays and detours as part of life and you will be much better.

   

Eventually....I will find out...

No matter what you do to keep it from me eventually I will find out.  Some people take ridiculous measures to keep certain pieces of information about themselves, secret but I still end up knowing.

If You Want to be the best! She has to come First!!!

In the western world everyone is preoccupied with the size of their physical endowment(size of their unit).  Everywhere you look society is obsessed with length.  The reality of the situation is theta all the people that are preoccupied with the size of their partners member are wrong.  What brings a woman to orgasm is mood and foreplay. There is no reason to enter a woman and finish even before their partner has not had a moment to contemplate her surroundings and remove all non-necessary ideas from inside her head (this in itself might take while, so get comfortable).

We must make sure she is ready before we enter her...

Men and women are on different brain wavelengths.  For the most part men know what they want when they are in bed with a partner.  Even though a woman  is with you saying she is ready for action, this means you have break an all-out assault before she reaches climax.

I am waiting for my partner to be in the mood...

For a man to reach orgasm there is no seven-step method, they simply think the thought and do the deed.  For a woman, her mental biology has more to do with her ability to perform a sex act, than that of a man.  For a man the need for foreplay is not necessary.  Men are almost always in the mood.

Remember size does not matter!  What is important is technique and variety.  For a woman to reach orgasm things should be set in such a way as for her to think she is a dream,  possibly, like those she goes to when she reads the fantasy novels on her way to work.  It is not the size of the ocean, just the motion of the ocean that makes the difference.

Listen people, do not let your size stand in the way.  

If you want to be all you can be....let her go first.

Why Do You Ask To Talk If You Do Not Want To Listen?

When you have managed to pass the seven-year itch many times over, in marriage you are doing something  right.  Life is full of give-and-take.  Things go bananas when there is no balance.  When you feel tight, just walk away.  In a relationship there are always three sides to a story, partner A's story, partner B's story and the truth.

In a family with young children and or teenagers, a couple needs private time away to discuss subjects that should be private.   When you go out with your spouse to talk because you were invited to talk, the conversation should be a two-way street.  This is how it is if you want your relationship to last, everything said should be taken with a grain of salt and no one should feel crowded.  No one is more right than the other.   

If you are not ready for dialogue do not initiate one.  Be ready to negotiate and be ready to walk away if you feel uncomfortable.  Also be ready to come back when you have sufficient time to think.  There is no reason to have any animosity between you.  Even though the topics might be personal, the tone should not be accusatory. 

Always be ready to understand, if you are not ready to talk, please keep quiet until the time comes.  As a bartender I have the skills to know when to walk away and when to talk.  We all want the best we can get out of life.  We also have our idea of how we are going to achieve our success.  The clash of ideas and delivery of them, creates brings about our stubbornness and many times there are stalemates.

Openness and the realization that life is too short and the positive promotion of thought leads all interested parties to work things out and develop and discover new new positives.

Chicken Breasts With Lemon and Oregano

Chicken is not my favorite food but since I would like to loose some weight and feel healthier as I am growing older it is a food that is coming into my diet plan a bit more than usual.  I own a sandwich press and occasionally use it to grill food such as seafood, poultry, meat and even vegetables.

Brothers should be together....

My oldest son is in eleventh grade.  There is about a month before he is off for the summer vacation.  There are on going student government elections and he has informed me that he is running for President of the student government.  I am very proud to hear that my boy is interested in public service.  As time passes I see that my boys are actually growing up and have been listening to the different things I have been uttering throughout their lifetime  while they have been around me.

At last night's dinner table, my second son is in ninth grade, suggested that he run for student council president as well.  My idea is that brothers should not run against each other in the same election.

In any election, when there are more than one group running for the same office, the final outcome will be watered down because the voter base will be spread among the different parties.  Unity wins, especially when the opponents are blood relatives.  When the forces are joined then the end result would be stronger than if they were independent of each other.

In the United States we have a two party system for the simple reason of keeping things flowing and less complicated.  The larger the choice base the harder for something to come to fruition.   Even with the tradition of the Democrats and the Republicans being the two parties running elections, certain things drag out.

Brothers stay together win stronger.

Have what you need....

Living in the world of today, people need to work to acquire all the necessities of life.  Day and night people are running in order to achieve a paycheck, to be able to pay for every thing.  Every day I wake-up, it is a wonderful thing, life is good.  I have one more opportunity to make people smile and they make me happy.  Health is the most important thing to have.  If you wake up and nothing is wrong with you, every other obstacle is manageable. 

If I have my health every day and my brain works, I can make everything else.  If you have money  and you are missing health you can become rich and powerful but your time is limited.  Money can buy you comfort but it can not purchase one hundred percent health.

If you have then you can make what you need with the money you will be making while working and earning.
The other day I bumped into a person that is just interested in money and wealth.  Money and power will be of no good use if you are unhealthy and your time is being wasted looking for cures in the hospitals and different doctors of the world.  When you are healthy and surrounded by friends and family your life will be more worth living and what little money you do have will give much more satisfaction.
The person I ran into a few weeks before, came back to me again, this time around, hen said to me he thought about health being more important than wealth and had a change of mind.  His child became gravely ill with disease and he needed a bone marrow transplant.  "My friend I spoke too soon", he replied to me that I am right and that health is all you need first before you decide on everything else in life.

Stroking...

An ego is a the strongest part of a human being.  In business the clash of different ego's is what at times creates progress and other times chaos.  Each individual has their own ego.  Some egos are stronger than others.  The word "ego", comes from the same Greek word meaning ME.  All about yourself and nothing else really matters.

When a person is an egoist, the more attention they are paid the happier they are and the stronger they get.  There are certain time that ego's clash with each other.  The EGO is the part the mind the that care about you and thinks of you as being the best.  There are times when your ego has to take a tremendous mental beating.   The ego becomes stronger when it learns to let the outside mental attacks roll away without feeling any mental pain.

The ego of a person is the driving force behind a strong successful lifespan.  Usually we all want to succeed and this is because our ego commands us to do so.  There are are other times when our ego leads us to mischief and misbehavior in the quest for satisfaction.  Depending on the situation a person's ego can go from pussycat to lion in a split second.

The world could be a much better place if we have more control over our ego and work to be part of a society without egoism.   Arguments go on for long periods because  the different parties involved think that they are better than one another.

People are all born in the same fashion and  live in pretty much the same way more or less.  The nicer we are to each other the better the outcome of what we want to achieve occurs.  Many people have such an inflated ego that instead of having a little bit of courtesy, mountains are made of mole hills.  When the ego is inflated and it is only about you then there is no movement on either side.

Get Things Done....

Be Cool.....

Two-faced....

When a person states one statement to a particular person or group and in the same instance with reference to the same subject, expresses a totally opposite opinion or statement, they are two-faced.   As the world grows and the workplace environments get larger and the likes and dislikes of the employees can vary infinitely.  The world economy began through the small business but as population grows and through free economy attrition, the "mom and pop" businesses are being edged out.  Most all people become cut-throat and selfish and do what they need to do to survive with sentiment for their fellow human.  In the name of survival people many times speak from both ends of their mouth.

With the idea, that "you have to look after number one",  every person is looking after themselves and making sure that they are secure in their place (work or society).  In a way being selfish is O.K., but to an extent that it does not do tremendous harm to other people.

When people are say one thing to you and say something else to others, they are "two-faced".   When business do similar things that is called business strategy,in the free economy and that the "buyer beware".  When countries say one thing and do another, there are repercussions  (political and economic).  To avoid being two-faced people first have to calm down and second set a calculated plan that would displaced the least number of people and will do the maximum amount of good.

Wars are started because one country begins something that will benefit mostly one side.  Mean while any treaties or agreements the were long agreed up, are breached.

It is perfectly fine to get your agenda completed, as long as you are open with your plans and do not have any intention of deceit.   When you try to get something done by telling  tales this is when the misunderstandings start.  In a perfect world every person would get what they want without impeding anyone else's space (physical or mental).  

What a world it would be, where yes is yes and no is no....perfect.

Deal With It!

Life goes on from the day it starts.  People are born and people die but the race keeps going.  For a period of time, things go smoothly and sometimes we fall and stumble.    There are many successful people in the world.  There are also far more failures walking around.  Some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouth and a head start in life.  Others have to begin from scratch and fall a few times before they make it or not.  To see if you are a success you must make an attempt at whatever it is you like in life.  

Everyday when I walk there are all kinds of people around in the upper middle and lower classes.  Every person has problems and they each deal with them differently.  The key is not to let the down turns of life keep you depressed.  My wife tells me something that makes sense and I like, "the too, too bad and the too, too good do not last too, too long".  

The point is to savor the good moments and do not let the bad moments take up too much of your memory because everything is temporary.  An apple can be eaten with or without the peel.  If you are given too many lemons you should make lemonade.
You are in a restaurant and order a steak medium rare and the waiter brings it to you, well done, the choice is eat it or send it back, definitely eat it.  If you send the steak back to the kitchen chances are it is going to take time out of your schedule and it still will not be the way you want it.  When you go out to dinner with someone, most of the time it is not about the food, it is about the person you with and subject matter of conversation during the meeting (business or pleasure).

I remember being a youth and visiting an aunt in Greece, the country of my ancestry.  Whenever she would invite me over to her house, she would say, "Louis, what can I offer you? I do not have much," and I would reply "That is O.K. I am not here for your offerings, I'm here just to see you."  The people of this world are too preoccupied with the what, where,  when, instead of the who and why.  Who you are with and why are you here are keys to positive outcomes in life.

The what, where, when are not as significant and should not be a nuisance in the quest for success.  Deal with it and move on is what I suggest.   Life is too short to dwell on the bad too long.  Any and all stumbles in life should be learning experiences.  

LEMONADE RECIPE

10 Lemons
20 cups oWater
1 cup of Sugar

Cut the lemons in half.
Squeeze the lemons in large container
Stir sugar in container
Pour water in container while stirring.

Enjoy Life!!!

Customer Service...

At last night's dinner table, the topic of conversation was my wife's trip to and from Montreal, Canada, on the Greyhound Bus.  After September eleventh 2001 any type of travel has become more secure and cumbersome, on the part of the traveler.  All the people involved in the industry have become more empowered and unwilling to deal with even the slight amount of questioning.  I agree with the philosophy of "the customer is always right" but with in boundaries.  If the antics of the patron(s) interferes with the safety of the everyone in the establishment or if  their requests have nothing to do with what they are purchasing then the customer is not right. 

The bus driver tells everyone on board to turn their radios off or wear  headphones because he needs quiet when driving.  Someone on board does not understand because of the language barrier between English and French and a little while later he is off the bus.  Montreal in the French speaking part of Canada called Quebec.  If you are running a service that requires translators, please make sure that they are stationed where they should be, assisting distressed clients.  It is understood that a pilot or a driver of public transportation should not be harassed or threatened in any way, but asking general questions does not warrant any "Authoritarian Behavior" on their part.

One more word and You are Out!!!

It is understood that when you sit for a meal in a fine dining establishment you expect a certain level of food and service to be equivalent with prices that are charged on the menu.  There is no doubt that the customer(s) have to be absolutely satisfied with their experience.    Anything in life that has to do with a person's tastes is very sensitive.  Clothing, cars, homes and food are businesses that are geared to the likes and dislikes of people.  Too loose or too tight, too long or too short can be adjusted.  Cooking temperatures are also matters of personal taste.  I like my steaks cooked medium rare, slightly bloody and reddish pink.  For people ordering beef in a restaurant it is best to order something undercooked, this way if it needs to be adjusted, there would be no problem of over cooking.

The transportation business is no longer accommodating to the customer as it used to be prior to 2001.  We are living in a world of "you get what you get and don't get upset, or else".  Since September eleventh 2001, everyone is on alert for terrorism.  Therefore any time there is someone or something that is different from the norm, things turn suspicious and tolerance  minimizes.  If someone does have a complaint or dissatisfaction with product or service, their voice is trough pen and paper.  Even  in writing a person must choose their words carefully as not to be misconstrued.

Customer Service.....Tread Lightly.

Playing Games.....

When a person works for a large company, they have many personalities to deal with on a daily basis.  In the complicated world of business things happen that need to be dealt with professionally.  In the world of business people come and go.  The workers tend to stay where they are and drive the company along with upper management.  Low level managers (wanna be's) tend to move often and also are those to do the most damage to morale and amount of friction that exists in a corporation.

Entry levelers are usually the ones doing most of the dirty work for upper managers or owners.  New management trainees are willing to do any and all the dirty work with the premise that they are going to get promoted.  My philosophy is that if you choose to be the company henchman, things will work out more or less that you also will be sacrificed sooner or later by someone else looking to go up the ladder of success.  The secret is that if you do not it to happen to you do not do it to others.

It is a shame some people want to get promoted in life by going "piggyback" on you.   When our ancestors were growing up, it seems there was more honor in their business dealings.  Everything would happen  with  a handshake.  Today people are much more hungry than they were.  Job security does not exist for non-union employees.   It is not good when someone says one thing and really they are plotting another.  This usually happens because people are trying to make themselves look better in the public eye.
As the economy becomes tighter and jobs are more difficult to find, everyone is more willing to be a traitor to each other.  Everyone involved in the workplace serves each other worthless stories.  This happens constantly, in order, to keep their jobs going.   Unemployment is high and this forces everyone in the workplace to have no loyalty other than to themselves.  We are in an environment of cut-throats every moment where everyone is looking out for themselves and you only matter if the results are because of you.
Because they are low on the totem pole, managers only have loyalty to themselves.  No one is secure and everyone must watch their tail.  Corporate philosophy is to constantly be one the warpath with the employees and have everybody on edge.  Mutual respect has gone out the window now we are in a place where everyone is suspect of one another.  Sort of a do it or else atmosphere.

Yes today does not necessarily mean yeas tomorrow.

Using More Than One Bathroom....

There are three bathrooms in my house and I am comfortable in all of them.    Use of a bathroom is a daily necessity for every normal human being.  To a man it makes no difference which bathroom he uses to do his necessities.  To a woman the use of a bathroom is like going to a holy shrine.  There is no religion involved in the use of a bathrooms it is simply part of life no matter where you come from or what your beliefs are.  Kitchens and bathrooms go hand-in-hand.  If you happen to eat a meal that is "off", the next place you are going to visit is......"the bathroom".   What a relief!

This the reason all media is still in business

The room you do most of your growing up or where a person has his eureka moments is?...."The bathroom."   The lavatory in many senses should be called the multipurpose room.

Honey!! Bring Me The TV Remote.

This is so convenient                                    You Look Marvelous

I like to have plenty of light when shaving, this way I can see my fairly handsome storefront (face) when I shave every day.    Women on the other hand like to take over the bathroom and they want to tell everybody sharing with them how and when they can use the facilities.  
The bathroom in many households is a place where people do their contemplating and information gathering.  Reading is the number "three" thing people do after number "one" and number "two".  In cases where you are waiting for number"two", you are actively coin "three"...reading.

Reading is the key to frictionless communication in the world we live in.  The bathroom is the place where we spend a few hours everyday and with this amount of time at hand some of the biggest ideas are born.  For many people their bathroom is their library.  For other people the lavatory is their place to relax and unwind from the stress of the daily grind.  Bubble baths massage oils and candle light make for a very happy life.  Any way you slice it the bathroom is an integral part of human life and I want to use whichever one is more comfortable to me at the moment no matter who says what!!!

Use The Bathroom...Clean The Bathroom...Otherwise...No! No! No!

Change...

Life begins and ends for people but do things never really change.    People throughout the years of their existence have been living their lives the same way and repeating their history with every generation.  There is no problem with wanting to be a strong leader and succeed in life.  Acquiring the spoils the life has to offer is every one's goal.  The way in which we all try to achieve our goals does not see to change, for this reason a person would think  that we should not be making the same mistakes.

With the population of planet earth being about seven billion, and everyone wanting to go ahead in life, things are bound to be repeated.  Each individual has their own agenda and it is going to collide with another person's if there is no plan of avoidance or a personality that is accommodating.  Statistically, people are born alone and for the beginning of their lives, until they begin going to school are used to having their way.   Having things your way makes every selfish.  It is a good thing sharing and playing together is taught from an early age in nursery school and kindergarten.  Things do not change in life because people become comfortable in their ways and then lethargic and refuse to move.  Meanwhile,  you want to move and your neighbor is in your way because he is doing something that does not involve you.  The fact that I want to work in my place of business and earn  a living honestly and legally, annoys the random citizen that is used to something happening without me in their way.  Well get over it change is part of life and things eventually are the same.