The Language Perfectionist: Let Me Emphasize This One
Is anything amiss in the following three sentences? “I must stress that I was neither consulted on the matter of changing the grades, nor was I asked to sign the alterations in the grading sheet.” “At the outset, I would like to stress that it has been a pleasure working…
READ MOREConfessions of a Brush Jockey
This past weekend, I painted our bathroom.
And it reminded me of the good old days.
See, way back when, yours truly used to be a painter.
READ MORETo Link or Not to Link?
“Do you think this is a good idea?” he asked me.
My father-in-law, GS, had received a request from a website that wished to link to his. And he wanted my advice.
The website looked good. It was similar to his business. And it had a reasonably good Google ranking already. So linking would be contextually relevant. And it could be beneficial to both sites’ search engine rankings.
READ MOREThe Moral of My Story
For the first several years of our lives, pretty much everyone lies to us. We’re taught to believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and, of course, the monster under your bed who’ll nibble your feet if you get up after you’ve been tucked in for the night.
READ MOREThe Ninja Turtle Marketing Strategy
About 15 years ago, traveling to California with K and Number Three Son, I met one of the originators of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
He was sitting next to my son. We got to talking. My son was a big fan of the turtles back then. This guy, I forget his name, drew a turtle for him.
I asked him how he came up with such a creative idea.
“It wasn’t creative at all,” he said. “It was a calculated marketing strategy.”
READ MORETrue to our name, we’re early risers here at ETR
True to our name, we’re early risers here at ETR.
You are too, yes?
So what’s your morning routine like?
Michael Masterson practices yoga for half an hour, first thing.
I walk my dog by the beach, then down a few cups of coffee.
Managing Editor Jason Holland puts in a few miles on his bike.
We believe what you do in the first hour or two of your waking day largely determines your day.
READ MOREThey Pay You to Do What?
December 1988: I’ve got no job, no money, and seemingly no prospects. Maybe you’d rate digging around in an organic vegetable plot in western Ireland as a fantastic prospect, but not me. I can tell you that organic gardening is bloody hard work for little reward. Rain… mud… frostbitten toes. Slugs… snails… rabbits. The end result? Lettuces and cabbages that resemble lace curtains.
READ MOREThe Language Perfectionist: When You Seek a Venue
Consider the following sentences:
“Want close parking to the venue and priority exiting from the parking lots at the end of the event?”
READ MOREThe Easiest Extra Income You’ll Ever Make
So it’s Sunday. The roast is in the oven and it’s going to take a few hours.
You set the timer, pop into town, and drop into your local charity shop. That’s a thrift shop to you U.S. readers — but either way, I like to call them “surrogate stockrooms.” You’ll see why.
READ MOREYour Next Cruise — Free
“That’s impossible. No one can cruise to those places for free!”
My friend was astonished when I showed her several ways to get luxury cruises to Bermuda, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, or the Mediterranean absolutely free.
READ MOREAccessing Your Inner Guidance
You’ve heard of Murphy’s Law: Whatever can go wrong will go wrong. Well, there’s a similar law. This one states that, left to themselves, things have a tendency to go from bad to worse. When something is making you unhappy, for example — for any reason — the situation will tend to get worse rather than better.
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