For many years I have used one brand of cologne: Ambercrombie cologne.  It has been my “trademark” smell for many years now, and most people would recognize it when I walk into a room.  But, I was greeted with some bad news yesterday when I ran out – they don’t make it anymore.

I felt like someone died.

Seriously, I find that it takes a long time to find a smell that is definitely you.  The worst part is the smell you breathe in from the bottle is different than it would be if you were wearing it.

So, I am going out today with a few good friends in an attempt to find a new smell that is distinctly me.  I have a feeling that it might take a few trips to find the perfect fit.  I just hope that I don’t run into this situation again for a long time – I have a feeling that this will be one of the hardest decisions I will have to make.

A couple years ago, I decided to volunteer for the Boy Scouts as a leader.  I had such a great time when I was a kid I thought that I could share my experiences with these teenagers and help them experience the same great moments that I did when I was in Boy Scouts.

This weekend, we were out at our scout camp practicing how to set up our camp for when we go on a canoe trip this summer.  Many of these kids have never really gone camping in their lives, so we just wanted to make sure that they have the proper training before we went and did the real thing.

We taught the kids how to set up their nylon tents sleep in as well as the canvas wall tents that we use as shelters.  The nylon tents were not really a problem, but they did have some difficulties setting up the canvas shelters.

I think we’re going out again in a couple weeks to practice setting up our campsite again.  We want the kids to have it perfected before we go on our canoe trip this summer.  That way, setting up camp will be quicker which will be especially important if it is raining.

I have always been a fan of riddles that make you think.  I have been studying them for most of my life and I feel that they help my mind grow - even after I have finished all the schooling that I will be doing in my life.

Some of these riddles have stumped me - and some I find just too easy.  It has even come to the point where I try to create my own riddles - and I have had mixed success.

Perhaps my favorite riddle is this:

What do a Marine Biologist and a Dietician have in common?

Do you have any idea?

Well, if you can’t figure it out, it would probably help you if you knew a little bit about me - but it would give you the answer.  It turns out that a Marine Biologist and a Dietician have marriage in common - the riddle was about me and my wife.

Okay, it wasn’t very funny, but I bet it wasn’t what you thought it was going to be, right?

When I build a website, I want it to get indexed by the search engines quickly.  My reasoning behind this philosophy is that the quicker that my site is listed in the search engines, the quicker I will get free traffic from them.

In order to do this, I make a point of submitting my site to a business directory or two that I know are high ranked sites.  I do make a point of making sure that these directories are related to the content of my own site, but usually I can find at least a couple that work out perfectly.

Another easy way to get some traffic quickly is listing my site on a link bid directory or two.  In these cases, I can easily take top spot and get even more quality traffic to my site.

Even though I do go for the quick traffic to my sites, I do have a website promotion strategy in place for the long term to ensure that I get quality traffic now and into the future.

There are quite a few blogs I follow regularly to keep up with the changes in technology.  Sure, I could read some magazines and keep up as well, but with the number of technologies that I am following, I feel that it would be really expensive for me to keep up with everything.

But, today I did come across some interesting OLED news.  They were discussing the 40” Samsung OLED that they saw at a technology trade show.  According to the reviews, the colors and sharpness were simply amazing.

They also had a chance to check out Sony’s XEL 1 OLED TV, and the display was crisp and bright.

In fact, all that I read was that OLED is a positive and worthwhile step into the future of televisions, computer displays, and portable devices.  Though there are still some manufacturing challenges, by all indications, we should be able to just go to a store and purchase a device with an OLED display later on this year.

I have to admit that I have always been a bit of a skeptical when it comes to hypnosis. I refused to believe that someone could control my mind, other than myself. When my friend suggested that we go to a hypnotist to help us kick our cigarette habit, I all but laughed in her face. I told her that it was just a complete waste of money.

She told me stories of many people who had quit this way and I told her that it was just mind over matter. They told themselves that stop smoking hypnosis would work and in their minds, it did. But, that is all that it was. She, being the very trusting person that she is, offered to pay for me if I would try it with her.

I said that I would go, but I was just doing it for her and it was certainly not going to work on me. I was wrong. It most certainly worked on me and I have been smoke free for over two months now. If it is mind over matter, than I will take it because I have saved so much money since I quit and I feel like a whole new person. Food actually has flavor again.

It turns out that I might be moving.  I have had an offer to move into a house that is slightly smaller than mine, but that is much cheaper than the rent that I am currently paying.  Even though I don’t really like moving (does anyone?), I think that this will be a smart decision for my finances.

But I have a problem.

You see, the home that I am currently renting has more stuff in it than what will fit into my new home.  So, I have a little bit of a conundrum: get rid of my stuff, or find some way to keep it.

I’m going to keep it.

So, I guess I will have to find space in some of the self storage locations that are close to my new home.  That way, I will be able to drive by and check on my stuff from time to time.

Now, where is the phone book…

I have created and launched many websites over the past seven years of being an entrepreneur.  I have owned everything from search engines, to content sites, as well as online stores, but I never bore of launching and promoting a new site.  To me, it is like watching a baby grow up into an adult, and I find it truly amazing.

For my site launches, I have created a system (and checklist) of steps I need to take before and after launching the site.  Currently, I am working on the last part of my new site: website marketing.

The marketing aspect of a website is very important because if no one can find your site, you can really expect little to no income from that web property.  I even have a checklist for this step that includes directory submissions, article writing, forum posting, and social bookmarking.

I usually can promote a new site in a day or two, so I expect revenue to start coming in by the end of the week.  Man, do I love making websites – it is a job that I am very passionate about.

Out of the many books that I have read in my life, there are only a few, really great ones.  Those ones have touched my heart and my soul, and have changed my life forever. 

But, most of those books were written by one, or maybe two people.  Sometimes, I wonder what a novel would be like if it was written by a number of writers, each contributing their spin on one cohesive, interactive novel.

Well, the wait is over.  I came across a "work in progress", creative writing project today, title End of this World.  What they are doing is writing a novel where many authors can contribute.  In fact, if you are into creative writing, you can submit a chapter for review.

So far, the story is good - I just want to know what happens next.  But, with a month in between new chapters, there will be a little wait - though the final product will be worth it.

My only errand for today was to go to the local pet store and look at pet carriers.  You see, we’re going on a long trip and a couple of weeks and instead of leaving our pets at home, we are taking them with us.  We also thought that it would be smarter to have our two dogs in carriers so they don’t cause any disturbances while on our drive.

Usually when I go shopping, I go right to the item that I intend on buying, pick it up, and take it to the till.  I don’t know why, but I decided to wander the pet store today.

That was my first mistake.

I found myself looking at dog toys and accessories for my two puppies.  They had some new toys that I had never seen before and I decided that I needed them.  I threw them in the shopping cart and continued to look through the store.

That was my second mistake.

By the time I was done shopping, my shopping cart was full of dog food, toys, a Nylabone or two, and the total at the till was just plain ridiculous.  In the future, I will not pick up a cart nor take the time to shop around at the pet store.