The Management Consulting Group

In the early nineteen hundreds F1 Motor Racing got underway with primitive motor vehicles and older gentleman drivers, although the real Formula One title did not begin until the nineteen fifty’s. Whilst the decades passed & the Championship fan base grew it hastily became understandable that F1 was the top championship for motorsport. The racing cars were the best, the knowledge was the most sophisticated & the racing drivers were at the peak of their fitness coming from nations all over the planet. For Formula 1 Drivers Bio’s, past and present, then go to F1Tribute.com now.

With the beginning of sponsorship taking part, Formula 1 Motor Racing took on its more business shape & can nowadays be distinguished as being big business ? with figures reaching millions and even billions with great ease. With huge business arrives politics & every now and then it?s the people you are acquainted to & how much capital you hold that acquires you what you are after. F1 is knotted with conspiracy stories ? I will come clean to being one of them ? but depending on how occupied you yearn to get in the Formula One world, that part of things is quickly not catered for. What in fact matters is what takes place on the race track.

Voyaging from corner to corner across the globe for virtually eight months of the year, F1 Motor Racing visits many different countries large & small, prosperous and destitute, with wonderful backgrounds, glamorous visitors & masses of local customs to be soaked up. Spanning Friday, Saturday & Sunday, a Formula One Racing weekend is a challenging journey, from early testing, to the closing laps of the F1 race.

The fundamental configuration consists of a F1 race every fortnight. Now and again the Formula One calendar is played with a little bit & there are races on back-to-back weekends, or on occasions you have to go lots of weeks before even seeing the household motor racing drivers again. Once it is time for another race, you can track the news for your favourite Formula One constructor as they reach their destination. Friday consists of practice meetings, Saturday is for qualifying & Sunday is for the motor racing event.

Picture your life as a five-step stairway, with you standing at the top and Fulfillment waiting for you at the bottom. Complete this picture by placing a large, empty bucket on each of the five steps and labeling the buckets from top to bottom: Survival, Financial Stability, Quality of Life, Financial Security, Financial Independence.

Your objective is to fill each bucket with dollars as you progress down the stairway, so that when one bucket overflows, it begins to fill the next bucket.

The Survival bucket is how you pay for your basic needs of food and shelter. Once you’ve taken care of these, any extra money flows into the second bucket, which is Financial Stability. Financial stability is the ability to keep solvent in the event of sudden, unforeseen changes and emergencies in your life insurance against catastrophic loss.

To be financially stable, you must have an emergency fund in a savings account equal to a minimum of three months’ income, and preferably six months’ income. You also must have adequate permanent and transferable medical insurance that remains in force, regardless of your employmentstatus, as well as life insurance, including some whole life, in addition to term, that accumulates cash value and has a level premium.

Another critical component of financial stability is non-cancelable, individual permanent disability income insurance, equal to at least 70 percent of your monthly pay, but preferably 100 percent. One of the greatest financial blunders most people make is to forget that the possibility of loss of income resulting from an injury or illness is much greater than that of loss of life. Not only are you without income when you are sick or injured, you also do need to be cared for during that period, and the expenses continue even though you’re not able to work.

When bucket two is filled with contingency dollars for your financial stability, you can sit down with your inner circle and determine what standard of living will give you the quality of life you want: your home, family, education, recreation, possessions, etc. These considerations should be budgeted with a monthly amount of savings, however small.

If you can fill your Quality of Life bucket, a little extra discretionary income will trickle over the lip and fall into bucket four. This is the Financial Security bucket. Financial security is defined as that amount of assets that will give you the amount of after-tax income you need to maintainthe standard of living necessary to have the quality of life you want, at some predetermined point in the future, without having to depend upon day-to-day employment.

Less than 10 percent of Americans ever fill this bucket. Your goal is to be in this 10 percent. It is not based on salary. Many individuals in the top income brackets never reach financial security. Many middle-income Americans do. To get in the top 10 percent, you need to put 10 percent of your spendable income into an appreciating investment fund every month, just like a mortgage payment.

The fifth and final bucket is Financial Independence. This is achieved when you beat the target date you set for retirement. The object of creating personal assets is to be financially independent of having to work, while you still have your health and are still young enough to enjoy those assets. Many individuals set their financial security target date at age 65. Using compound interest over time, you can beat your target date and set yourself free.

See your life as a stairway to fulfillment. Put your dollars in the right buckets, in the right order. You’ll be amazed at the way cash flows from bucket to bucket, like a river down a mountain.

Denis Waitley is the acknowledged authority on self-development, high performance, and individual productivity.

Denis Waitley books, tapes, and teaching have been experienced by millions of people … from the most successful major corporations, to small entrepreneurial businesses, to individual families.

Denis Waitley’s audio programs are available at Nightingale Conant — title include: The Psychology of Winning, Seeds of Greatness, Empires of the Mind and others. Other audio books available at Nightingale Conant include authors such as Brian Tracy, Tony Robbins, Dr. Deepak Chopra and many, many more.

A good way to get potential buyers interested in your home is to
have an open house. Of course, you have to make sure they know
about it.

Looking Good

There is one mandatory step that must occur before holding an
open house viewing. The property needs to be spruced up so it
shows well. This probably should have been taken care of before
the property was put on the market, but review that aspect of
things before attempting an open house.

Getting The Word Out

To have a successful open house, you need a good promotional
effort. Potential buyers need to know you are holding an open
house, when and how to get there. How do you get the word out?
How about trying several of the following ideas…

1) Put a classified ad in the newspaper.

2) Post flyers (with permission) in nearby businesses, churches,
schools.

3) Post signs similar to “yard sale” signs in your neighborhood.

4) Put a sign in front of your property saying “OPEN HOUSE
SATURDAY - 10-4″ and tie helium filled balloons to it. (On
Saturday, add a sign saying “OPEN TODAY” with more balloons.)

5) Add info about your open house anywhere your home is
advertised for sale on the Internet.

6) Pay some responsible older children or teens to distribute
“Open House” flyers in several neighborhoods. (Don’t neglect
nearby business areas.)

7) Announce your open house in any community newsletter you can
get it in.

There is an endless array of things you can do to promote your
open house. Don’t hesitate to give them all a try.

STRETCHING doesn’t have to just involve physical motion. I’m talking
about stretching yourself - moving outside of your box, shifting your
comfort zone, trying something new. It’s hard work. It’s uncomfortable.
It’s scary. But it’s also crucial to your wellbeing and success.

Many clients come to me with a desire to be pushed out of their comfort
zone, to be challenged to stretch to a new level. Allowing this stretch
gives you the chance to grow. Not only does it boost your confidence
each time you successfully step into a new experience, it broadens your
perception of the world. Your well of experience is suddenly deepened
and you become more connected to your courage. Feeling the
confidence boost after the work is done can be a lasting experience.

Living fearlessly is a troublesome topic. Some have no desire, some
don’t know how, some want it so bad but are just plain…scared! My wise
sister often says, “do something everyday that scares you.” Scary can be
going to lunch by yourself, quitting your job or skydiving. Big or small,
doing something outside of your ordinary routine can be intimidating.

I’d like to challenge you to try this. Each day, make a phone call you’ve
been avoiding, spend some time alone or try something new. Aside from
confidence, your sense of fearlessness grows. In no time, you’ll be
challenging yourself with new goals. Sitting still will no longer be a habit
because new interests will pop up. New passions will surface.

It’s easy to say that climbing is a passion of mine. Does it scare me?
Absolutely. If the climb itself doesn’t scare me, the fear of falling or
struggling does. So, why do I do it? Accomplishing a hard climb, trying a
new route, improving my strength and skill result in a pay off far greater
than the fear involved. I was scared of heights when I started and
absolutely scared of the unknown.

When you think about it, what isn’t scary about the unknown? How much
of our time do we spend trying to see every possible angle, preparing
ourselves for an outcome we can’t predict? What a waste of energy! Let
it go. Let life happen and learn to indulge.

I’m practicing this concept as well. I do a lot of fearless activities, but I’m
surrounded by individuals more fearless than I. Allow yourself to be
challenged. Open your mind and test your limits. Be safe, be cautious
even, but push yourself. As we grow, as we age, as we stretch, we
continue to peek out from behind our walls to see what is beyond our
boundaries.

Each new experience you add to your life allows your vision to stretch a
little farther. It is your decision whether you move out into the world with
confidence or continue waiting for the perfect view. With each step into
the unknown, the scenery becomes yours for the choosing. You may
find you have more control over a huge field of choices than a small box
of the ’sure thing.’ As a coach, I want my clients to soar, to take fearless
steps more easily and to create a huge space between themselves and
their limitations. Creating that momentum is the key to doing so.

Katie Mattson is the owner and professional coach at Momentum
Coaching. She empowers others to energize their moments by realizing
their natural gifts. She’s passionate about helping her clients move
outside of their comfort zone to take control of a life they love to live.

Contact Katie at: katie@energizeyourmoment.com

Find out more about Momentum Coaching at:

http://www.energizeyourmoment.com

The canine distemper virus (CDV) causes a highly contagious disease in dogs known as distemper. Dogs who contract distemper suffer damage to their gastrointestinal, central nervous and respiratory systems. Distemper is incurable and often fatal.

Puppies between the ages of three and six months are most susceptible to the disease, although older dogs and other carnivorous mammals can also contract distemper. At one time, distemper was the leading cause of death among puppies that had not been vaccinated. Since the distemper vaccine was created in the early 60s, incidents of distemper and distemper related deaths have dropped considerably.

CDV is transmitted via airborne viral particles that dogs inhale. Infected dogs also shed the virus through bodily secretions and excretions. In this manner it is easy for an infected dog to cause the infection of another dog.

Distemper causes a multitude of symptoms that include various respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms to central nervous system disorders. In fact, dogs that die as a result of distemper actually die from central nervous complications caused by the disease or from secondary bacterial infections.

Diagnosing distemper is difficult for a veterinarian to diagnose as blood tests are not helpful in detecting the presence of CDV. Successful diagnosis often relies on the ruling out of comparative disorders whose symptoms can often suggest the presence of CDV.

Because there is no cure for distemper, treatment for the disease is supportive and a vet will attempt to treat the symptoms as best as possible. A clean, warm, and draft free environment should be created and maintained to ensure the dog is as comfortable as possible. The eyes and nose should be kept free of discharge, and medication to treat diarrhea should be administered. Dogs suffering from distemper must be given plenty of fluids to help reduce fever and prevent dehydration. Other symptoms are treated as they appear if possible.

Like any viral disease, prevention is a much better and more successful option than treatment and the best option is vaccination during the early weeks of life. The distemper vaccination creates a long lasting immunity to the virus, but it is not permanent. Annual inoculations are recommended to maintain the dog’s immunity to distemper. Most puppies are given vaccinations that include distemper vaccine along with vaccines for several other diseases.

About the Author

This article courtesy of http://www.dog-obedience-guide.com

In the early period of the 1900s, F1 Motor Racing originated with archaic vehicles and older gentleman racing drivers, even though the main Formula 1 contest did not initiate until the nineteen fifties. Whilst the decades passed and the title became more popular, it speedily became clear that Formula 1 was the best championship in motorsport. The motor cars were the best, the expertise was the most highly developed & the racing drivers were at the pinnacle of their fitness coming from contents all over the planet.

With the latest introduction of sponsorship participation, Formula 1 Motor Racing took on its more business-related form and may today be thought of being very, very big business ? with finical figures reaching millions & billions of dollars with great ease. With huge success comes politic affairs and occasionally it?s the people you are connected to & how much funds you are in possession of that gets you what you desperately want. Formula One is scrambled with conspiracy stories ? I will come clean to being one of them ? but depending on how occupied you yearn to get in the F1 Racing world, that side of things is quickly not catered for. What really matters is what crops up on the race weekend. If you are looking for drivers and constructors Formula One Merchandise, then F1Tribute.com, is your first place to visit!

Trekking from pillar to pillar all over the globe for over eight months of the year, Formula 1 Racing stays different countries large and small, rich & destitute, with fantastic surroundings, amazing natives & lots of indigenous history to be soaked up. Covering Friday, Saturday & Sunday, a Formula One Racing weekend is an extreme ride, from early testing, to the dying laps of the Formula One motor race.

The traditional configuration embraces a race every two weeks. Now & then the Formula 1 calendar is changed with a little bit & there are Formula One races on one after another weekends, or occasionally you have to go a couple weeks before even seeing the household faces again. When it is time for the next Formula One race, you can examine the news for your preferred F1 team as they arrive at the destination. Friday consists of practice meetings, Saturday is for qualifying and Sunday is race day.

The following article is offered for free use in your ezine,
print publication or on your web site, so long as the author
resource box at the end is included, with hyperlinks.
Notification of publication would be appreciated.

Title -Valentine Moments With Your Children Author - Margaret
Paul, Ph.D. E-mail- mailto:margaret@innerbonding.com Copyright-
© 2004 by Margaret Paul Web Address -http://www.innerbonding.com
Word Count: 812 Category: Parenting

VALENTINE MOMENTS WITH YOUR CHILDREN By Margaret Paul, Ph.D.

One of the things I loved doing as a child was making very fancy
and creative valentines for my parents. I would spend hours
designing and building wonderful cards with little poems in
them. The only problem was that, while my mother would receive
her card graciously, she never received it with her heart. She
would smile and tell me how lovely it was, but I never felt her
love coming back to me. My mother did not know how to open her
heart, how to smile at me with love and cherishing in her eyes.
My father would never even notice his card.

I wanted to connect with my parents, to share love with them, to
know their hearts, but their hearts were hidden. Sadly, my
mother died last year at the age of 85 without ever being able
to truly share her heart with me. My father is 91 and his heart
has always been closed.

Your children need to feel your heart and soul. They need you to
take the time to stop what you are doing and just be with them.
They need you to really see them - to see who they are beneath
their outward ways of being.

One of the greatest gifts we can give to our children is to see
their essence, their true Self, their individual expression of
Spirit within them. When children are deeply seen and valued by
their parents, they learn to see and value themselves. All
children need this profound mirroring from their parents to feel
intrinsically lovable and worthy.

The problem is that we cannot see the souls of our children and
embrace their intrinsic worth unless we see our own intrinsic
worth. If you suffer from core shame - if you feel intrinsically
unworthy, unlovable, not good enough, unimportant, or inadequate
- then you cannot energetically communicate to your children
their inherent worth. Your own feelings of unworthiness will be
projected upon them, no matter how loving you try to be with
them. You can let them know in many ways how wonderful they are,
but when they energetically pick up your core shame, they will
either integrate that shame into their own beings, or move into
the opposite direction, believing that they are superior to you,
which can cause entitlement issues.

In order to love and cherish your children in the way they need
to be loved and cherished, you need to love and cherish
yourself. The greatest gift you can give your children this
Valentine’s Day and every day is to embrace a daily process of
healing your own core shame, a process such as Inner Bonding.
(For a free Inner Bonding course, see www.innerbonding.com).

Core shame comes from two different sources:

If you were shamed as a child for who you are, you may have
absorbed these false beliefs about yourself and continue to act
as if they are true.

If you were not loved in the way you needed to be loved, you
might have decided at a young age that it was your fault that
you were not being loved - that you were flawed, inadequate,
unworthy, and so on. Core shame is often connected with a need
to have control over getting love, so a child may decide, “If
it’s my fault that I’m not being loved because there is
something wrong with me, then there is something I can do about
it. I can try to become the “right” way and then people will
love me.” Sometimes we stay attached to the belief in our core
shame to maintain the illusion that we can actually control how
others feel about us and treat us.

If you commit to a daily Inner Bonding process of loving
yourself and letting go of trying to get love from others, you
will find that your core shame gradually resolves. Core shame
resolves when we let go of believing that we cause others to
feel and behave the way they do. As you heal your core shame,
you can love your children from your true Self, your own
individual expression of Spirit within. When your children
experience your love for them from your true Self rather than
from your wounded self that carries your core shame, they will
feel your heart and know that they are truly lovable and worthy
of being loved.

As Valentine’s Day approaches - this day of sharing love - why
not commit to learning to love yourself so that you can deeply
share love with your children? There is nothing more profound
than the sharing of love that comes from an open heart. Your
children need and deserve to have this sacred experience with
you. Because children often project their experience of their
parents onto God, their ability to stay spiritually connected as
adults is greatly facilitated by your own heart connection with
them.

Enjoying fine food is definitely one of the pleasures of life. There is so much fast food and bland tasting dishes today because of the lack of time to really prepare food right, that when you do get to enjoy gourmet fine food, it’s a special treat.

So what makes any food or drink qualify to be called “gourmet”?

Well, in general it means that a particular food or drink is considered above average in quality, and will appeal even to those who have the most discriminating tastes. It also usually means that a lot of time and effort has gone into it’s preparation too.

What comes to mind when you think of gourmet foods? Here is a list of many fine foods and beverages that can be found in the gourmet food category:

1. Coffees - Gourmet coffees include many exotic coffee blends from around the world and flavored coffees. Frequently you can get a nice mixture of various gourmet coffees that allow you to sample them before buying more of each kind.

2. Teas - There are several specialty teas from all over the world that qualify to be called gourmet tea.They can be either green, black, oolong or herbal teas. Again, you can often get sampler packs of these exotic teas to try them out first.

3. Chocolates - Whether milk, dark or white chocolate,gourmet chocolate assortments often come with fruit, nuts, and cream centers that are just incredibly delicious.

4. Caviar - If you really want to taste the good life, enjoy any of the various kinds of caviar, from the American Golden to the Russian Dark variety. Of course this is one type of gourmet food that can get really pricey fast, but there is a caviar for pretty much any budget if you look carefully enough.

5. Seafood - There are lots of seafoods that have been specially prepared as gourmet foods including smoked herring, oysters, shrimp and lobster rolls and bisques. There’s lots more in this category too and again you can often get samplers for taste testing in advance.

6. Fish - Some of the favorite gourmet fish foods are salmon, tuna, and halibut.

7. Meats - This is one of the largest gourmet categories and lately has become very popular. Entries in this field include ribs, roasts, steaks, and even some dried and cured meats.

8. Poultry - There are any number of gourmet foods prepared with chicken, but duck and turkey is also top favorites for special dishes.

So where can you use gourmet foods? Almost any special occasion is a good time to include gourmet foods, drinks, or desserts on the menu. Everything from intimate dinners for two to large social gatherings are all acceptable places to include the delicious taste of gourmet foods to help make that occasion truly special and unforgettable.

Thankfully, the internet makes shopping for gourmet foods quick and easy. There is a large selection available in all of the categories listed above, and when ordered, modern shipping techniques allow you to receive gourmet foods through the mail in short order and in fresh condition. So why not sample a few gourmet foods today and start enjoying some of the finer pleasures of life?

About the Author

Duane Smith - All About Gourmet Foods is a site that provides free information and resources for gourmet foods like chocolate, fish and seafood, caviar, gourmet meat and more.

A look at men, woman and marriage
Can it work ??

Over the past several weeks I’ve observed a disturbing trend concerning the friends that I’ve accrued over the years as well as the acquaintances I’ve made at work. My observation is thus; none of them are happily married or happy in their current relationship. This also includes friends that have either broken up and/or divorced. I’ve listened intently during our lunchtime wrap sessions, and confess to taking my turn ranting about things I’m not too happy about in my current living situation. To the readers who are female, let me confess freely; I am far, far from perfect and don’t envision myself sitting high upon the mountaintops looking down upon the unwashed. My poop stinks just like everybody else’s. I’m merely observing a trend and a pattern that’s occurred in the dataset available to me. Also, I can say with a fair sense of confidence that the other halves of these relationships are just as miserable.

I offered up a hypothesis at one male bonding session that seemed to get flamed rather quickly. Could we be part of the problem? Have we changed somehow in our behavior or our attitudes concerning our relationships, whether they be marriage or steady partner? It was a unanimous vote; we, as the male species were not at fault. We don’t understand the fairer sex and we never will, and at this current point in time have no further desire to understand what makes our spouse/girlfriend tick. Well, I have some bad news for my male friends. As a data analyst I’m always curious, I wanted to know the reason behind this observed war of X’s and Y’s. I needed the other side of the equation. I hit a goldmine getting my morning coffee today. A woman that I am very close with at work broke off her engagement over the weekend. She confided this to me in between tears. I took “Lisa” back up to my office, closed the door and told her to let it out. To my amazement she did. Damn!! I got an earful in between the sobbing and nose blowing. Now I’m not faulting Lisa for her tears, a breakup of this sort is emotional and tragic, I was just stunned that she decided to let fly like she did. And I was glad to be there with her to lend a supporting ear

Lisa and I talked for about a half an hour and I gave her the best advice that my Middle Aged wisdom could impart on someone in their early twenties. But, I heard what Lisa said and analyzed the main foci of her complaints. Here it is; HE STOPPED CARING! Okay three words, but what do they mean, really? How much detail can be ascribed to these three simple words? Plenty if you listened to Lisa.

1. He stopped telling me he loved me.
2. He stopped surprising me with flowers
3. Sex became more about him getting off than being close to me. (There was more here, but this is a PG-13 column)
4. He seemed to want to spend more times with his friends then with me.
5. We stopped talking and he seemed to lose interest in our wedding.
6. He kept looking at internet porn and then expected me to be receptive to his advances. (Yup, this one grossed me out too)

I admit to capitalizing on this unique opportunity to delve into the female psyche a bit and began asking some questions in very gory detail. To my delight, Lisa was straightforward and often direct in her responses. For every gripe and complaint we as guys had about woman, they had an equal, just as valid gripe about us!! The nerve of them!! <> we, as guys, are perfect, just ask us. : ) : ).

I won’t get into all of it here, but woman are just as unhappy with us as we are with them. How does the bloom fall off the rose? Something had to go right at one time because we hook up, marry, have kids etc. So somewhere along the line some of us are getting it right. My parents were married for over 30 years, my grandparents nearly fifty years, it can work. Why are so many finding it so difficult to keep a relationship going? Let me take the guy’s responses since I’m guilty of a lot of these things and then defend myself and my gender.

1. He stopped telling me he loved me. As did she, after awhile I figured she just accepted that as fact and we both moved on.

2. He stopped surprising me with flowers. She stopped surprising me with teddies and lingerie long before the roses stopped coming. However, a few roses here and there are always a good thing and may eventually lead to a nightie or teddy surprise.

3. Sex became about him…… I honestly don’t have an answer for this, I’ve always wanted to both give and receive, I admit there have been times when I’ve been more interested being on the receiving end, but I’ve always made sure my partner went to sleep with a smile on her face. As I said earlier there is a big difference between making LOVE and having SEX. LOVE cannot be a selfish act, SEX, however can be. Therein lies the problem. HE wanted SEX and SHE wanted LOVE. That’s a problem that needs to be addressed. (Although in Lisa’s case not anymore)

4. More time with friends; I used to be guilty of that and I truly regret it. But I found that I had more in common with my friends than my wife after 17 years of marriage. I could talk to my friends more freely than I could communicate with my wife without fear of reprisal. Women seem to want communication but seldom like what we have to say. When we had discussions it was usually what she wanted to talk about and why she was right. After awhile it seemed safer just to not talk about anything relevant. This is an affliction that affects most couples after a fixed period of time. I remember when I could talk to my wife during the newly wed stage up to about two to three years into our relationship. Now discussions seem to be short and shallow. Anything deeper than that results in an argument sixty percent of the time. This is something that I/we as a couple need to work on and improve.

A good marriage is able to balance his AND her time with their friends. Finding the right balance is a tightrope each potential couple needs to discover together. Hopefully years will not diminish the desire to spend time together rather than be with friends only. If this is already occurring before the wedding the marriage is already doomed

5. Interest in the wedding. I’m sorry, I’m sure his mind was on the honeymoon. Still, A groom should be expected to express some interest in the wedding, but to be honest, the wedding is really for the bride. Ask any guy, and he’ll say he didn’t get too involved in the wedding planning. It was the bride, the bridesmaids and the brides’ mother and future mother in law. This is really not a guy thing. I looked at reception halls and cakes etc, but my wife and her friends were more involved in the planning stages than me. I booked and planned and paid for the Honeymoon though. Is that being stereotypical??

6. He kept looking at internet porn and then expected me to be receptive to his advances. I have no defense for this. I can’t even try to build a defense for this one. Lisa shouldn’t be receptive to his lust brought about through porn viewing. Hand him a jar of Vaseline and a towel and wish him a good one. Two words; NO CLASS.

Well, as I said, I don’t have all of the answers. I however was able to glean some insight from Lisa into how woman want things and compare and contrast that to how men want as view things. I’ve looked it all over and gave myself a migraine. How do things get so far apart? Why don’t we as mature men and woman recognize the warning signs and sit down as a couple and work through them without the emotional baggage or the accusatory tone of you’re wrong and I’m right. Upon careful examination of all the data, I’ve come to realize that it’s a miracle anybody stays married. Hell, I still don’t know how I’ve lasted 17 years. There are still more times than not that I’ve felt like packing it in and still may do so one day or I may be asked to hit the road by my wife, who knows? I know my wife has issues with me that frustrate her to no end. Our relationship is far from perfect and we have issues that neither of us is willing to give on, it’s these issues that may one day break us up. But for now I still walk that tightrope day by day until I either decide that I want to get off or get pushed off.

If I could offer advice to my young married friends and those who are in relationships and those who are simply newlyweds of any age. Why is it that the strongest Oak Tree will break under the wrath of the storm yet the fragile willow perseveres the wrath of nature? The answer is simple; the mighty Oak is firm and rigid, unbending before the storm, while the fragile willow is pliable and flexible enough to bend with the oncoming wind. In the end it is the flexible Willow tree that survives the storm while the rigid, unbending oak is felled and broken. This is the best analogy from the Tao that I can apply to relationships; be like the willow bending upon strife; in flexibility there is longevity.

Take it for what it’s worth, from a man struggling to figure it all out just like everybody else.

-Nuff said. (I need some Excedrin Migraine. This figuring out the sexes has given me a headache.)

-Esper of The Round Table

About the Author

Greg Ballan is a published Science Fiction Novelest and blogger. He can be reached art Sparhawk76@msn.com

One of the most used departure ports for cruise ships in the Caribbean is San Juan in Puerto Rico. We decided to arrive a day early to San Juan in order to see some sights before our cruise ship departure. San Juan, known as ‘La Ciudad Amurallada’ (the walled city), was founded in 1521 and is the oldest city under the US flag. During the 16th century, the Spanish used it as a point of departure for expeditions to the New World. Fortifications in the Old San Juan section of the city repulsed numerous attacks from the English and the Dutch during those years. Today, Old San Juan is a charming seven square block commercial and residential area with cobblestone streets.

The cruise ship terminal is actually located near the south side of Old San Juan so instead of booking a hotel in the beach resort area of San Juan, we decided to book one right in the old section for close proximity to the terminal as well as the local sights. The $17 US taxi ride from San Juan’s airport to Old San Juan was about half an hour. During the ride, I was impressed by how developed the city was compared to many other cities I’ve visited in the Caribbean. The beach high-rise hotels along the north side of San Juan were visible from the highway. Our stay for the night was at the Hotel Milano which is right on Calle Fortaleza, which is one of the major commercial streets in Old San Juan. The hotel was clean and comfortable but not luxurious which was okay with us as the price was very affordable. Its quality was probably comparable to a Travelodge or Days Inn. A very pleasant surprise was the free continental breakfast at the hotel’s rooftop restaurant. It gave a nice view of the neighborhood from the top.

We spent the day and evening walking the many cobblestone streets and alleys in the area. There are over 400 restored colonial buildings from the 16th and 17th century here. There were also several plaza squares and parks. One of the nicest services offered in Old San Juan is a free shuttle bus which covers two different routes through the district. There was a bus stop about 1/2 block away from our hotel which was very convenient. Riding on the shuttle buses through both routes gave us a good overview of Old San Juan. We were able to stop off at several points of interest including the huge El Morro fort. After our visits to each attraction, we just had to
wait for the next bus to come by to continue our tour. In the evening, we did get lost while walking since many of the streets look very similar. But with our map, we eventually found our way back to the street where the Hotel Milano was. We decided to dine at one of the nearby restaurants for authentic Puerto Rican cuisine and were not disappointed. My lady especially adored the two different plantains we ordered.

When it was time to go to the cruise ship terminal, we just took a short five minute ride from our hotel. Our short stay in Old San Juan was definitely worthwhile and hassle free. A stay in Old San Juan is highly recommended for those who will be taking a Caribbean cruise with San Juan as the departure point. The only disappointment I had with San Juan was that I was hoping to do some scuba diving in the area but from the reports I read, the waters off the city are quite murky with limited marine life to see. This is likely the result of San Juan being such a busy port. The decent scuba diving sites are about 2 hours east of San Juan. So perhaps in a return trip to Puerto Rico, I will plan to make a trip to the east part of the island.

Clint Leung is owner of Free Spirit Gallery www.FreeSpiritGallery.ca , an online gallery specializing in Inuit Eskimo and Northwest Native American art including carvings, sculpture and prints. Also numerous information resource articles with photos of authentic Inuit art and Native American Indian art.