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The heat, the couch and the male ego

It’s been hot here in the People’s Republic of Massachusetts. The only thing worse than New England heat is the God awful saturation point humidity that always has to accompany it. I walked out of the office last night and it was like wading into a sauna. The vapor columns of moisture were visible hovering over the ground like steamy ghosts waiting to unleash every sweat gland on the human body.

Naturally, this is the perfect time to move a seven foot “Lazy Boy” type couch. This couch has the dual recliners on each end and weighs nearly a ton (OK maybe not a ton, but it sure felt like it). My wife had ordered a new sofa and decided that this old piece of furniture would serve a more useful purpose in the basement. Now I freely admit to volunteering to move the couch and my wife said she would have one her friends nab one of their husbands to help me with this feat. “Fine” I said, not really thinking twice about it nor considering the logistics nightmare I had just signed myself up for.

I arrived home, in the oppressive humidity, and prepared myself for the task. No neighbor’s husband showed up at the time so I decided I would tackle the job myself. I’ve moved an entire apartment by myself; full size couches and chairs, up and down flights of stairs and into tiny spots that had movers in amazement. I figured this one couch shouldn’t be so bad. Guess what? I figured wrong. This combination recliner/sofa/ pain in the ass piece of furniture was designed by Lucifer himself. The frame had no rigidity, it was so overstuffed that it was impossible to get a decent grip anywhere on this fabric covered piece of furniture from Hell.

I spent forty five minutes wrestling with this thing, lifting it one way, trying to angle it through the doorway, too narrow. When that didn’t work I tried to lay the couch on its side and slide it through on its edge, that didn’t work either. After several failures and about a gallon of sweat the average guy begins to get frustrated, and maybe even a tad angry. This calls for the use of, shall we say, colorful metaphors. For some reason colorful metaphors seem to ease the frustration in the male psyche. It was at that unfortunate moment that my lovely wife decided to “Offer advice”. As any husband can attest to, after several failures, near heatstroke and several pulled muscles; it’s not the time to “Offer” any advice. My response to said advice was short curt and contained few words. These words sent my wife to the basement convinced that her husband was going to tear the house apart trying to move this couch. I mumbled words that may have pertained to a chainsaw and other such things that are the product of a fatigued, frustrated mind and body. Well, it had, in my warped mind, become a battle of wills. My physical strength vs. the couch from Hell; I was determined to win this war, damage to the house be damned. I can get that way sometimes; my male ego will override my common sense.

I tried for another half hour; to the point of actually hoisting this huge couch on my back and trying to angle it through the doorway and use my arms to change the pitch of the couch as I made progress through the doorway. This was actually working, until the recliners decided to pop out at the same time, causing the balance to shift, sending me slamming into a wall. This, of course, led to even more colorful metaphors and even more determination to succeed. Now God has a funny way to derail fury, and HE knows that once I get up a full head of steam, topped with frustration and anger, I will get irrational and unload at the poor soul that happens to cross my path. This happens very, very rarely. Well, my three year old escaped from her Mothers watchful eye and made her way back upstairs. She sauntered into the family room where I was sitting for a moment staring at my fabric, wood and metal adversary. She smiled at me and walked over and gave me a hug, and then a tap on the cheek followed by a “Daddy” in that happy little girl tone that only a baby girl can achieve.

Somehow that one little word eradicated all of my frustration and anger; things fell into perspective and common sense prevailed. I was not going to be able to do this alone. I needed help with a task and my physical strength wasn’t enough. That was the problem; I didn’t have the strength to do it alone, and somehow that ate at my male ego. Why? I have absolutely no clue. It took two full grown men to get the couch in here; logic would dictate that it would take two men to get this cloth covered whale out as well. I couldn’t do it alone and needed help. All of a sudden it all seemed so stupid. What the Hell was I trying to do? The mere physics of balancing this thing alone should have told me it was a two man job, let alone moving the thing out the front door and back outside and then carrying it into the basement through yet another door. I looked over at Christie and laughed. She smiled back at me innocently and then asked me for her yellow duck, which was her real reason for coming upstairs in the first place. I got her duck and faced the shameful task of admitting to my wife that I couldn’t do it by myself.

I confided in Mrs. Esper about my feelings regarding the couch and my feeling of failure to which she simply laughed at and relayed the nightmare the two furniture guys had bringing the damn thing in. I somehow felt better. My neighbor, Paul, came over and we both managed to move “Hell’s Sofa”. It took every ounce of strength I had and he had to move this thing out of the house, and then carry it 100 feet around the house to the basement and then force fit it back in through a narrow walkout basement door. But working together, we managed to get it done. I could tell Paul was hurting and my back and shoulders were voicing their displeasure. Paul said that that was the most awkward and heaviest piece of furniture he’d ever encountered. I agreed, we shook hands and he limped home in his sweat soaked clothes and I simply walked around the house trying to force a few of my herniated discs back into place and crack my left shoulder. It was done. I’ll be stopping by the package store to pick up a case of Paul’s favorite brew, that’s the least I can do to thank my neighbor.

I wish I had some deep philosophical explanation for the male ego and how it works or how it can make a normally reasonable, logical guy so single minded and headstrong. The truth is I don’t. I’m as much in the dark as the next man or woman as to why this happens, but I know from my guy friends that I ‘m not the only male afflicted with this idiosyncrasy. It appears to be widespread amongst our sex. Maybe there’s a pill or a shot I can take for it, cuz damn!!!! Every muscle in my body aches today.

Nuff said.

-Esper

About the Author

Just an average working class stiff tyring to make it as a Sci Fi writer and columnist.

Columns taken from my blog..Espers Place

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As Claude Hopkins presented in his Scientific Advertising many decades ago, there are scientific ways of tracking your Marketing and Advertising and determining clearly and unequivocally what works and what does not. Without knowing the facts about what is effectively increasing your leads, and subsequently your sales success, you might as well be throwing money out the windowliterally.

All you have to do is reflect on your own Marketing to realize the truth in the old statement: 90% of Advertising does not work, problem being, which 90%? If you could identify and harness the 10% that does work, you would truly have power in your hands. Well, the fact is that you can.

Below are examples of Marketing that you can track. But don’t stop after implementing! If results are not analyzed on an ongoing basis, and consequently, what works is not repeated, you will be back in that 90% void.

A powerful ad

A good ad must follow these guidelines in order to reach its maximum potential and yield beyond your expectations:

1. Don’t make it look like an ad! The more it resembles the publication itself, the better results you will see. That is why an advertorialan ad that looks like news or an editorialis such a powerful device.

2. Make use of a strong headline. This requires a great deal of time and effort. As Hopkins himself stated, he would spend the most time on the headline, discarding many along the way. Only after having a bulletproof headline, would he continue with the rest.

4. Tell a story. Give readers a story that reels them in, with which they can really connect.

5. Make it newsworthy. You wouldn’t read the paper or your favorite magazine if the content were not newsworthy, right? Same goes for an ad. Make it substantial and important.

6. Include an offer. This is your chance to make them do something! Offer something they cannot resist and which will make them take action… now. If you don’t offer anything, you greatly minimize the chances of making the sale. Think of this: what are the odds that they will be ready to purchase from you that instant that they came across your ad? Answer: extremely low!

7. Make it easy for people to contact you. 24/7 is ideal, but otherwise, make your phone or email or other type of access extremely straightforward and be responsive. Never intimidate your audience in any way when interfacing with them, so that they always feel comfortable and taken care of.

8. Have a tracking mechanism in place. And this is the final key element. You must track your success! That is how you can be scientific in your approach, and what will ultimately reveal if your tactic is indeed successful or not.

You can track via a telephone extension, by denoting a Department in your address, or via a URL. Tracking activity on a URL (Web address) is extremely easy these days, and extremely powerful.

Lead generation and follow-up on the Web

Lead generation is how you collect prospectives as time goes on, making up the audience you will stay in front over timein other words, you future customers. The Web, if used properly, can generate tremendously for you. And through automation, follow-up on those leads becomes both easy and a surefire way to win buyers over.

The important thing is to lure them on every page of your site via an offer that prompts them to submit their email address. Don’t let them go without doing so! Just like an ad, visitors are usually passing by, and will not likely return. Give them an article or other useful piece of information that will then give you permission to stay in touch.

Once visitors have opted in, you store their email addresses for future (and frequent) communications. Staying in communication can look like this:

A monthly newsletter that you send out. This does not have to be hard work! You can have a short feature that you or someone on your team writes monthly. You can then supplement with a wealth of free content that is available on the Internet.

An article of interest. This brings a topic of interest to you audience and educates them. You are not selling what you do, but talking about it, or your industry, or some area that is intriguing to your readers. You position yourself as their perfect choice, but without the in-your-face selling tactic!

A recommendation. Very powerful, as you are sharing information freely, creating trust and strengthening your bond. Recommendations can include a good book (on investment, good business practice, well-being), a piece of software, or performance improvement tool.

A link to an informative area of your site. You can also point them to a new area of your siteinformative, of course, never bragging about what you do or who you are (think about what a turn-off that is to you as a consumer). By bringing them to a page or area that is of use to your visitor, you are sharing and educating. Should they choose to navigate and learn more about you and your product or serviceswell, that is always their choice.

In this manner, you remain in front of your prospectives, and you do so with useful materials. They will appreciate it, and in constantly giving them information that benefits them, you stand out as the expert and trusted source. Meaning the odds are in your favor of getting the sale in the long run.

Build your money-making machine with powerful tactics such as these, and watch your company grow in leaps and bounds. Best of luck!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Josh Barinstein is President of Red Frog, Inc., the Portland, Oregon ad agency that provides worry-free experiences and powerful results in the areas of Marketing, Print design, Web/CD-ROM development, and Video production.
Learn more at www.RedFrogInc.com or by calling 888-955-0550.
You have permission to distribute this article as long as all of the text contained herein remains intact.

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Hotel Rouge et Noir is located on a hill, in the middle of important directions to Rome: Nomentana and Tiburtina streets.
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Enjoy your next vacation in Rome with our holympic swimming pool to have a break after the sightseeings of Rome works of art or during a Business Meeting or a Conference in our hotel, open from June to September with a little daily supplement.

Wi.fi. in hotel, fee supplement, or Internet navigation with e-mail checking for 5,00 euro daily.

Enjoy our four rooms that can hosts up to 600 guests to taste the flavours of our finest cousine.
If you are going to spend some days for a business meeting or a conference this is the element that you can’t miss: highest quality coffee breaks, buffet and breakfast served by our first class catering service.

Rouge et Noir Hotel is equipped with 180 rooms, all renewed and furnished in a modern and elegant way with wide balconery and fully equipped with all the best amenities:

-Air Conditioning/Heating System;
-Sat-T;
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-Electronic safety box;
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Are you looking for a Hotel with Conference Rooms, Business Services or a Meeting Hotel in Rome able to host various events with his fully qualified staff?
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CONCIERGE
Do you need informations about Rome? The Receptionists are glad to help you giving advices and making reservations for you.

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A full American Buffet breakfast served in our cosy restaurant is the best way to begin your stay in Rome.

BAR/LOUNGE
A pleasant atmosphere makes the lounge of our bar the ideal place to taste a cappuccino or to sip long drinks.

ROOM SERVICE
If you want to take it easy, don’t warry you can call our room service and satisfy your wishes.

DAY CLEANING SERVICE
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AIR CONDITIONING
All rooms in the hotel are equipped with air conditioning.

INTERNET POINT
An Internet Point is at guests disposal.

ATAC BUS line 211 is in front of the Hotel and leads directly to METRO B PIETRALATA station and TIBURTINA railway station.

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I once found myself in a rough area of town on a business appointment. My directions told me that I was to visit a corner shop and talk to the owner about some new financing for the purchase of his property.

Eventually I found the battered shop in a local street known as ‘bomb alley’. Litter was all over the place and there were at least 3 abandoned cars in the road.

I knocked on the Corner Shop door, it was after closing time but I had been assured that the occupants would be in. Sure enough I heard scuffling around inside as my customer fumbled with his door keys.

He was a man in his mid 30’s, scruffy looking but amiable enough. As he ushered me inside his dog rushed past and made a bee line for the living room. The guy was a kind enough soul. First thing he did was offer me a cup of tea.

I got about half way through my presentation before it happened. His dog suddenly shit in the corner of the room and then wandered off upstairs. I couldn’t believe it. I was horrified. What was worse is that the man didn’t appear to be all that concerned. I tried my best to carry on but both he and I were a little uncomfortable from that point. I really began to wish I was someplace else.

Fortunately his dog hadn’t put him off signing the documents and the deal was done. As I was about to go he seemed a bit more relaxed. I exchanged small talk in the hallway and told him if there was anything else I could do he only needed to call me.

At this point he looked concerned and seemed a bit hesitant. I asked him if everything was OK. Just as he was about to answer the doorbell rang. Some young kid at the door, ” Hey Mister, you seen my dog?”

At that point, hearing his masters call the hound made a bolt for the open doorway and ran out into the road. To say we were both amazed was an understatement. Just why hadn’t the guy said anything? When I questioned him on this he said “Well apart from its little accident it seemed like a nice dog and I didn’t want to complain”.

I laughed and I cried all the way home.

About the Author

From the website of www.birminghamuk.com

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Rock’s Oddball Celebrity News
By Rocky Ramsey

According to an interview with Madonna on 20/20, she wants to
change her name to Esther, because it’s a good Biblical name.

Paris Hilton’s infamous Internet video has been released on DVD.
It’s called “1 Night in Paris.”

Barbra Streisand, that great humanitarian, sued a guy for $10
million last year because he took pictures of her house. After
she lost her case, she was ordered to pay him $177,000 for his
legal fees. - One for the little guys!

“It was recently revealed that underwater explorer Jacques
Cousteau shot some of his ‘ocean footage’ in a bathtub. This
is particularly shocking because… who knew there was a
bathtub in France?”
- Conan O’Brien

About the Author

Rocky Ramsey publishes Movies, Money and More - Movie reviews,
entertainment, humor, money, contests, sweepstakes, freebies,
and more. Check out MoviesMoneyandMore.com

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Your Title-tag and META-tag are simply lines of text
inserted into the HTML code of each of your web pages.

The Title-tag is one of the most important pieces of
information for a search engine. The Title-tag should
describe exactly what the web page contains. It should
contain keywords, but not repeats, of terms you hope to be
found for. It should also be as readable as possible. The
Title-tag will be the first thing someone sees in a search
result.

The Title-tag should be no longer than 70 characters and
should contain words and phrases that accurately describe
the content of a page. Try to make the Title-tags located
throughout your site unique and relevant. Every word in the
Title should be contained somewhere on the page they are
used for. Research has also shown that a strong call to
action will usually produce more clicks than a basic
description.

The META-tag is used to store information about a web page
but is not actually displayed in a web browser. For example,
META-tags provide information such as what application was
used to create the page, a description of the page, and
keywords that are relevant to the page. Many search engines
use the information stored in META-tags when they index web
pages.

As I stated earlier, META-tag information is not displayed
in a web browser. However, if you view the source code of
any web page you will see the HTML code behind that page. To
see the code, simply go to any website using Internet
Explorer and click “view” then “source.”

NOTE: It’s okay to view, but please don’t steal someone
else’s source code. Imagine how you would feel, if someone
did that to you.

For quite some time now, META-tags have been the focus of a
particular field of marketing research known as search
engine optimization, or SEO. In the mid to late 1990s,
search engines were heavily reliant on META-tag data to
correctly classify a web page.

Webmasters quickly learned the significance of writing META-
tags correctly, as it frequently led to higher rankings on
search engines–and thus, more traffic to their websites.

As search engine traffic achieved greater significance in
online marketing campaigns, SEO’s who were well-versed in
how search engines perceive a website exploded onto the
scene. These SEO’s used a variety of techniques (legitimate,
and otherwise) to improve search engine rankings for their
clients.

Over the last few years, however, search engines have become
much less reliant on META-tags, as many webmasters cheated
by using inappropriate tactics and keywords to direct as
much traffic as possible to their sites.

And while not nearly as important as they once were, some
search engines, still take META-tags into some consideration
when delivering results.

In addition, search engines have become smarter, penalizing
websites that cheat by repeating the same keyword(s) several
times in order to get a boost in the search engines.

Make no mistake, cheaters pay a heavy price, indeed. Instead
of ascending in ranking, cheating websites actually descend
in ranking or, in some instances, are deleted from the
search engine’s database altogether.

A word of advice: Because search engines are constantly
changing their algorithms, don’t spend a lot of time on
search engine optimization. That should just be one part of
your overall marketing strategy. It’s much more important to
form alliances with businesses similar to yours, and
increase the number of links to your site.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marketing Basics specializes in writing articles that teach,
explain and define basic marketing principles and
techniques. http://marketingbasics.blogspot.com/
Looking for a great home business opportunity? Run your own high-profit classified ad website! http://snipurl.com/bwdd

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Chamonix is a beautiful French town with the awe inspiring Monte Bianco and majestic glaciers. Most of us enjoy going telemarking or even eating out. I sometimes catch a plane from Boscobel and stay at a Chamonix hotel during my holiday.

I used to stayed in Dolce Hayes Mansion unfortunately it rarely lived up to its marketing: The Dolce Hayes Mansion is an historic mansion, adjacent to Edenvale Park and located five miles from downtown San Jose and 11 miles from Norman Y Mineta San Jose International Airport. Convenient to both San Jose and San Francisco International Airports, and only a short drive to Monterey, Dolce Hayes Mansion is only a short distance to many of the recreational opportunities of Northern California. Enjoy wine tasting at numerous local wineries. Sample world-class dining, exciting nightlife and fabulous entertainment nearby. A variety of championship golf courses, including our own Los Lagos, are located within minutes of Dolce Hayes Mansion, and the beautiful beaches of Santa Cruz are only a short drive away.Hotel amenities include a business center, computer rentals, fitness center, a full-service spa, free parking, room service, laundry services, airport shuttles, outdoor swimming pool, sauna, tennis courts, basketball court, sand volleyball court, 20-acre woodland park, and billiards. Dining options include the onsite restaurant, and a bar. Guest rooms feature free high-speed Internet access, premium cable channels, safes, alarm clocks, wake-up calls, work desks, telephones, coffeemakers, irons and ironing boards, hairdryers, movies on-demand, refrigerators and free daily newspapers. There are 192 guestrooms and 22 suites, which may have views of the mansion or pool. Guestroom beds are triple-sheeted with feather and foam pillows.

In comparison in Chamonix Haute Savoie France the self catered chalet is invariably fine. As well eating out in our groups favorite restaurant, El Rancho Grande, munching barbecued doves is a treat. Chamonix Mont Blanc is a big enough place to insure that there is plenty for the non-skier to do. With a spa and a weekly market with fresh local produce, Chamonix provides a mix of skiing, alpine charm and sightseeing which not many resorts can beat.

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Before we get started here, let me tell y’all that what you’re about to read is the absolute truth. The absolute, unvarnished truth. I swear it on every one of my Elvis and BTO CDs. Now, let’s get right down to it, y’all just focus your eyes on the following sentence:

I was the inspiration for the male lead in a published romance novel.

Okay, okay, scoff all y’all want. I’m not shooting the bull here, I’m shooting just as straight as Annie Oakley. And before I give out the name of this book, I need to tell y’all a little about its author and how it all came about.

Trish Jensen is the author of the book in question. Those of you who read romantic fiction might know her name, as she’s the author of several highly popular romance novels, her two latest being “Stuck With You,” and “Against His Will.” Let me also add that Trish (www.trishjensen.com) publishes with Leisure Books, a large New York based publishing house. So Trish is a major league romance author, she’s the real deal, a veritable BTO of publishing acumen, and she also happens to be a wonderful judge of character, if I do say so myself.

Trish and I met out in cyberspace several years ago because we both frequented a popular writer’s online group at that time. She writes humor, and I try to, so we became friends. I give Trish a whole lot of credit, she gave me lots of encouragement when I first began writing, and I credit a lot of whatever has happened since directly to her. Friends like her don’t just come along everyday, and I’m very proud of her and her accomplishments.

Now, in order to fully disclose, I feel that I need to tell y’all something else about Trish - she’s a yankee. Yep, I know some of y’all may be in shock over this, and I fully understand, but she’s still a good person. The best thing about Trish is that she realizes that the true utopia of the United States is right here in the South, and on account of that just about all of her books are set here. She’s so good at writing about us that I sometimes wonder if she’s being totally truthful about never having lived here. There’s some Southern blood somewhere in this girl, for sure.

Now, about the book. A few years ago, when Trish was just starting out, she wrote a romance novel called “Send Me No Flowers.” She even had to use her maiden name, Trish Graves, on the book’s cover because of some kind of contractual thing regarding her name with another publisher. Anyway, Trish starts writing this book, and the lead male character happens to be a South Carolina sheriff who’s honest, good looking, and who has women falling all over him. She named this character Rob Townsend. And when Trish considered all of his qualities, she felt that there was only one true role model for Rob, only one living person out there who could fully capture his essence, and that was moi. Me. So the book got written, and you can get on the internet and probably find a copy out there somewhere if you look really, really hard. And if y’all still don’t want to believe me, just take a gander at the dedication to the book after you get your hands on one. Read it closely. Ahem. Case closed.

Y’all might wonder why I’m finally “outing” myself as the male lead of a romance novel after this much time. Well, I’m doing it cause Trish has been a little under the weather here lately, and sometimes I think you need to acknowledge dear friends who’ve been kind to you. And in this case one who’s always been kind to me. Odds are that she’ll probably get a look at this article, and I sincerely hope that she realizes just how special she is, and why I’ll always think so fondly of her. She’s a great writer, and an even classier person. I could go on and write even more about her, but I’m scheduled for some plastic surgery in just a couple of days, so I’ve gotta start packing - after all, one never knows when they might meet the editor of Playgirl Magazine somewhere out there in the literary world…

About the Author

Ed’s latest book, “Rough As A Cob,” can be ordered by calling River City Publishing toll-free at: 877-408-7078. He’s also a popular after dinner speaker, and his column runs in a number of Southeastern publications. You can contact him via email at: ed3@ed-williams.com, or through his web site address at: www.ed-williams.com.

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Have you ever noticed that when you are on vacation time goes by rapidly? According to my calculations (and I’m the first to admit I didn’t do well in calculus), the average minute during vacation time is less than 20 seconds. This is one reason time goes by so quickly on vacation.

The other reason, as everyone knows, is that during a vacation week there are no days beginning with the letter “T.” Now, you know why your vacation went by so quickly this summer. There are always reasons if you are willing to dig hard enough.

Now, if this is true, the question plaguing my mind is: where does all that time go?

Have you ever noticed that when you are in a hurry to go somewhere it usually takes twice as long to get there? It does not matter what time of day it is, or which day it is for that matter, for when you are running a tad late for some appointment across town, Old Father Time insists that you go through an intricate obstacle course. It is his way of having a little fun. After all, the old boy needs some kind of diversion.

For example, if I am leisurely driving across town with plenty of time on my hands, I never hit a red light. Every traffic light is green and there have been times when I have arrived at my destination 10 minutes before I left.

On the other hand, if I am in a hurry and running just the slightest late, this is immediately brought to the attention of Father Time. He rubs his hands with glee and begins his work. Immediately, every traffic light in town is on the alert for my arrival. Their instruction from Father Time is quite simple. “When you see Rev. Snyder coming, turn red.”

Sometimes all the attention Father Time gives me embarrasses me.

Then there is the train on 17th Street. I can travel this street for weeks and never see that train. There have been times when I have wondered if the train has ceased running.

Then, I am in a hurry and everything changes. It has yet to fail me. When running late, the train always runs slow and, on my honor, the longest and slowest train is reserved for me.

Perhaps the worse time trick Old Father Time plays on me is at the checkout counter. The checkout personnel are especially trained by Father Time. In one week alone, I found 17 days that I lost during my vacation in 1978, just at a checkout counter.

Last week my wife and I were in a hurry to some appointment. It really does not matter what the appointment was, we never really got there, thanks to Old Father Time. On the way to this appointment, I said something quite foolish to my wife. (What husband hasn’t?)

“Honey,” I said as innocently as any husband can, “I need to stop at the grocery store for something.” Right then a huge red light went off to alert Father Time of my intention. That wasn’t enough. I also told her, as I jumped out of the car, “This will only take a minute.” With that, I bounded into the store.

This put Old Father Time into hysterics. He lives for this kind of situation.

When I got in the store, I knew exactly where the item was that I needed. Voila … somehow, store management had a premonition that I would be coming in this day and that I would be in a hurry. They did the only thing they could do in that situation — completely rearrange the store — all in my honor.

Now, not only was I in a hurry but also I could not find the product I was after. If I wasn’t a man, I could asked for directions.

My wife, tired of waiting in the car, came in and found the item for me. Now all I needed to do was get it through the checkout.

Have you ever noticed that no matter what line you get in it is always the slowest? Even if I am the only one in the checkout, I have no better luck. Usually in that situation, I get the trainee on her first day working all alone.

Am I getting harder of hearing or are young people, especially young women, speaking a different language? It took me 10 minutes to realize that the young trainee was merely saying, “Hello, how are you?”

Of course, I wanted to pay for my purchase with a check. It was then that Old Father Time roared with devilish delight. To use a check at many places requires 16 independent forms of identification and a note from your mother. At the time, I only had 15.

By the time my wife and I got to our car, it was too late for our important appointment. Father Time won another one.

Time is important and often we are guilty of wasting it. The biggest area where people waste time is regarding their relationship with God.

The Apostle Paul warned of this in his letter to the Romans. “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” (Romans 13:11 KJV.)

About the Author

The Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, 1471 Pine Road. He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores. Contact him by calling 687-4240. His e-mail address is jamessnyder2@att.net. The church web site is www.whatafellowship.com.

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