Packet8 Virtual Office
Posted on October 23, 2007 in the Entrepreneur, Home Business category
Packet8 Virtual Office Increases Productivity
Any time I get discouraged, I just remind myself that it is about one important thing : TIME.
The reason I chose to start my own home business, and the reason I let my children put me through near daily torture (well, its not so bad 
is that I wanted more time with them. Knowing that my primary objective is to spend as much time as possible with my children means that I have to take advantage of every possible minute when it comes to building my home business. This means that I use any available resource to increase my productivity so I can cram more work into a limited amount of time.
I am now a customer of Packet 8 for my residential phone service and have been looking at their Business VoIP services and see them as a viable tool to increase my productivity. Installing the business system could not be any simpler. All you need to do is hook their phone up to your existing broadband connection and seconds later, you are up and running. Basically within minutes you can have your business phone system going and you can get back to business. Is your business growing? That is fine because Packet 8 is instantly scalable to meet the needs of your company.
See if they are a good fit for your company today.
4 Ideas For Better Tasting Gourmet Coffee
Posted on October 20, 2007 in the Ranting category
Coffee connoisseurs often spend several dollars for a single cup of fresh gourmet coffee. Usually this involves going to some stuffy coffee house where you have to listen to Bjork, drive a Prius, and deal with the coffee house staff complaining about their jobs while you place your order. Oh, and unless you want to hear a heated “intellectual” debate on the better presidential candidate, you may as well just leave. The good news is that you don’t have to spend 25% of your pre-tax income or alter your political views to get a great cup of fresh gourmet coffee - the following ideas are offered for those that value taste over appearances.
1) You have never had a truly fresh cup of coffee.
But Mathew, I pay $20 per pound for whole coffee beans at a gourmet coffee store and grind them myself.
So you think that just because you grind them at home that you are drinking fresh coffee? Au contraire . . . freshness is much more than when you grind the beans - its about when the beans were roasted! Nearly any coffee you buy, whole bean or pre-ground, was roasted at least 3 months ago. You need to find coffee beans that have been roasted no more than a week ago - your best bet is to buy your coffee roasted to order. What this means is that your coffee beans are roasted the same day you place your order so you get to enjoy the freshest cup of coffee possible.
2) How is your water? Coffee is over 99% water. I don’t know about you, but my tap water is undrinkable. Even if you think your water tastes fine, there may be things in your water that alter the taste of your coffee without you realizing. No matter how fresh your beans are, your water may alter the taste of your coffee. For a truly perfect cup of great coffee, buy filtered, spring, or distilled water. Some people may already have a home water filtration unit that does the job nicely.
3) Clean your coffee maker! I have heard from several people that you should never clean your coffee maker or, if you do, use just water and vinegar. I say bollocks to that. Your coffee maker should be cleaned at least once a week - depending on how much you use it. And use plenty of soap and water! I have been told that you shouldn’t use soap as it will impart taste to the coffee. This is just the claim of laziness. It’s that oily brown residue that builds up on your appliance (and coffee cup) that imparts a bitter flavor to your coffee. To avoid any bitterness from soap residue, just follow this incredibly important 2 step formula : 1) wash with soap and water, 2) rinse thoroughly. Notice the word “thoroughly” . . . I did not pick that word by accident If you really want to make sure the soap is gone, rinse with a water and vinegar solution. Don’t forget the filter container.
4) Care for your beans! Lets assume that you have the freshest, roasted to order gourmet coffee that you can find, your coffee maker is absolutely sparkling, and you have a bottle of purified, filtered, distilled, super clean water. You are ready to go - but you only want to brew a half pot. So grind only what you intend to use immediately. Save the rest in an airtight container and store it in the freezer so air and moisture cannot rob your beans of the flavorful oils. If you have one of those vacuum sealers, use it!
Are you talkin’ to me?
Posted on October 19, 2007 in the Health category
I have been told that sometimes it is deafening, that it is so loud that you cannot hear someone talking to you even if they are right next to you. Funny thing is that, no matter how loud it gets, no one else can hear it but you. This is how it has been described to me by my mother who suffers from tinnitus.
Tinnitus is basically ringing in your ear generally caused by exposure to noise, stress, allergies, or Meniere’s disease. The sound can range from a slightly audible annoyance to an all out 4 alarm roar depending on the circumstances. The unfortunate news for tinnitus sufferers is that mainstream medicine has yet to develop any specific treatment for tinnitus. As such, one must look for alternative tinnitus treatments & remedies for the relief they need.
Using homeopathic tinnitus remedies, the folks at T-Gone have helped over 90,000 people reduce the severity of their tinnitus. The site if full of information about tinnitus and what you can do about it - while you are there, you can download a free book “Living With Tinnitus” with over 100 pages of information.
Not again
Posted on October 19, 2007 in the Ranting category
So my computer died for good this time - just got back from the funeral. Its funny - given the amount of time I spent with it you would have thought I had prepared a little bit more for the eulogy besides “good riddance.”
For now I will be borrowing Mary’s parents computer when I can. I have a new laptop on the way, just don’t know when it will make it. Talk to y’all soon.
I can’t moonwalk
Posted on October 16, 2007 in the Ranting category
Come on, admit it . . . you have tried to moonwalk.
I am hardly coordinated enough to dress myself but it never stopped me from trying. Every once in a while I will try to throw down some of my old moves (circa 1993) and remember why I will never be a finalist on “So You Think You Can Dance?” It may sound ridiculous or childish, but I have always wanted to moonwalk so, even though I am rapidly approaching 30 and my children will know Micheal Jackson only as a white man, I still attempt it once in a while. Besides, my son Vinny thinks its hilarious when I “dance.”
Perhaps what I am getting at is the importance of remembering what you used to dream about when you were young. I can still remember the excitement I felt when imagining that I was just as good at the moonwalk as MJ. People would watch in awe and envy at my breakdancing skills and I would have full command of their attention.
So many dreams are put on hold and we blame life for getting in the way. We take on responsibilities like mortgages, car payments, jobs, and forget what we wanted in the first place. Every once in a while we need a correction - much as a runaway bull stock market hits a bearish day and tanks - we get hit with something unexpected that lands us flat on our rump. What a perfect opportunity to see through the garbage and remember what we used to dream about before our minds were to cluttered by life.
Is dancing the moonwalk my biggest aspiration - no, of course not (though it might rank in the top ten). I just thought it might be amusing enough to get some attention for the rest of what I had to say. If you find yourself knocked on your butt as you stare up at the world going on without you, remind yourself of what your dreams are then take action on them.
By the way - below is a video tutorial about how to moonwalk. No, thats not me though, perhaps someday soon I will make my own recording . . .
Wealth Expo 2007 New York City
Posted on October 12, 2007 in the Entrepreneur category
If you take even a cursory look at some of the most successful and wealthy individuals you will find two things in common: an entrepreneurial spirit and multiple streams of income.
In order for me to retire by the time I am 30 as is my plan, I will need to utilize any tool at my disposal to acquire the multiple streams of income that I need. One great way to obtain the knowledge you need is to interact with those that are already successful. To that end, may I suggest attending the Wealth Expo in New York City sponsored by MyWallSt.net: Your Financial Social Network.
The three day event runs from October 19 - 21st and covers such topics as taxes and offshore banking to investing in commodities and foreign stocks. All three days are packed with keynote speakers and seminars put on by leaders in wealth building strategies. The schedule is as follows.
Friday, 10/19: 1 p.m.-6:30 p.m. EDT w/ a cocktail hour to follow
Saturday, 10/20: 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. EDT w/ a cocktail hour to follow
Sunday, 10/21: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. EDT (no cocktail hour)
With so many options, there are several sessions I would like to attend. The one session that would be tops on my list is at 3:00 on Saturday the 20th put on by Ken Kam entitled “Managing Your Family’s Wealth: Succession Planning.” Besides the obvious reason for wanting to retire so soon, there is also the fact that I want to leave my family a considerable amount of wealth. When the time come it would be great to be able to strategically place my money in appropriate vehicles to pay the least amount of taxes possible. With the sessions offered at this Wealth Expo, I will be well on my way.
4 Rainy or snowy day activities for your toddler
Posted on October 12, 2007 in the Parenting, Stay At Home Dad category
Over the last couple of weeks, I think there have been 2 days that weren’t raining. I have a 21 month old and a 7 month old and, without a little creativity (very little on my part) and ingenuity we all would be suffering from cabin fever. Not to mention that, even on a good day, the boys get tired of dealing with me by around 4pm. So I have compiled a short list of activities that we engage in on those days that the weather is unpleasant - let me know what you think.
1) I think my wife agrees with me that a baby is never too young to be read to. We started reading very early with Vinny - probably before 3-4 months old I think - and we are doing the same with Simon. Now, Vin absolutely loves books and it’s not uncommon for us (including Simon) to go through 5 or more short stories at a time. During the day, I try to time reading just before naps because it is a great way to bring down the excitement level. In addition, I can tell Vincent that we will read X number of books and then its nap time - this works as a great cue for him.
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2) I have said before that I have no real musical skills but I am a musical person. I love listening to music both live and recorded and most days I even wake up with some song in my head. It seems that Vinny has acquired my appreciation for music as well. In effort to encourage this we listen to a ton of music - an even watch a bit. I’m not talking about just kiddie stuff - Vin and Simon happen to be big fans of Dave Matthew’s Band and Gwen Stefani. So put on some tunes and get dancing! Its great for a little guy still mastering the art of walking and good exercise for all of us - especially when I dance around while carrying Simon.
3) I miss coloring - at least, I should say, I missed coloring before I had children. Just like with reading, we started letting Vinny color as soon as he would listen to us when we tell him not to eat the crayons. The great part about it is that you do not have to spend a ton of money on fancy crayons or coloring books - let your toddler’s imagination grow by giving him or her an old fashioned blank piece of paper. Heck, if you get queasy at the thought of slaying a tree for your child’s entertainment, just use your junk mail. If you riffle through, you should be able to find something with one blank side. Even if you can’t and there is printing on both sides, your child probably wont care.
4) Cut to the chase - I don’t know why but toddlers love to have you chase them. There is something about getting the wits scared out of them that makes them laugh till they cry. But don’t just run around in circles - get creative. Here is what I do with Vinny (Simon is a bit young for this still). I will chase him around for a couple of minutes and then, without warning, I will duck behind a door or into the kitchen and wait for him to come running out. Here is where will power comes in - you may be tempted to just jump out as soon as your child enters, but let him or her stew for a couple seconds. Keep hidden log enough for the child to let his guard down and start walking away thinking you might be somewhere else. Then you pounce!
Of course I am no professional - while I do have 2 children and I am a stay at home father, the moniker “professional” implies that I get paid for what I do. I can assure you that I do not. By the way, if anyone out there knows how to get paid for being a parent, I would love to know! Anyways, these are just a few of the activities that we engage in on days that we are unable to get out of the house. Feel free to leave comments about 1 or 2 of your favorites that I didn’t include.
Dirty windows
Posted on October 11, 2007 in the Ranting category
When we moved into our new home nearly four years ago, I thought it came with blinds already. Then my wife informed me that it was a combination of 30 year old screens and 20 years worth of dirt.
Oh, you want me to clean that?
Despite my riveting argument that leaving the grime on the windows would protect us and our future children from the ravages of ultra-violet sun rays, she maintained her position. So once we had sparkling windows, there was a much better view of the dirty, ripped screens. The solution - blinds.
So here it is nearly four years later and we still haven’t decided what kind of blinds to get for the house. I am partial to depth and richness ofwood blinds, but my wife insists that we don’t have the disposable income to buy “depth and richness.” But she capitulated when I informed her of the low prices at SelectBlinds.com
If only we could agree on a style . . .
My boys are cuter than yours
Posted on October 11, 2007 in the Stay At Home Dad category
I can appreciate a cute baby as much as the next guy, however, biased or not, it’s just plain fact that my boys are cuter than anyone else’s children. This is no claim backed by nothing but emotion but by irrefutable evidence that can be found below.
Most mornings, Simon and Vincent eat breakfast at different times so having just one high chair has been no big deal. That all changed couple days ago when both of them were wailing for breakfast at the same time. We had gotten this booster seat for Vinny with the idea that he would sit at the table with us and Simon would take over the high chair but Vinny was adamant that he too be allowed to sit with Simon. Vin was even a nice brother and shared his pancakes with Simon (I was surprised he actually liked them).
On a separate note - pay special attention to Vinny’s socks in the second picture. Now, one may think (veteran moms especially) that the non-matching pair of socks were the handiwork of a lazy dad - but on the contrary. Mary picked out his socks that morning - I just wanted it noted on the official record.
The price of admission
Posted on October 11, 2007 in the Uncategorized category
I remember when I got my first car - it wasn’t all that long ago, maybe 12 or so years. Nothing special, but a decent car - a red Subaru Legacy wagon. For the first couple of years, I never even had insurance on it - in New Hampshire it is not required. When I finally went to college down at the University of Connecticut I realized that I needed to get some as it is a law down there. So I started to compare car insurance and was quite astonished at the range of prices I found. The difference between the highest and lowest was over $600 - as a single male, under 25 I was considered high risk. Of course none of them were something that I wanted to pay but it is one of those necessities. Call it luck, divine intervention, or plain old safe driving, I have never had to use my insurance in the 12+ years I have been driving.
Knowing how expensive car insurance can be, I just assumed that there would be no such thing as cheap home insurance. I was pleasantly surprise when, 4 years ago, we bought our first home and had to get insurance. It actually costs less than our car insurance! I remember that the same night Simon was born there was quite a wind storm and it was very cold. Not long after we went to the hospital, the power went out at home for a couple of days. That night, the new water heater froze and burst - what a great thing to come home to with a newborn and a 14 month old. I called the insurance company and got a check within a 2 days to cover the cost of a new water heater (minus the deductible of course). Its funny - insurance is just one of those things that you never really think about until something happens, then you are happy that its there.
