Christine K. Fields

April 24, 2022April 22, 2022

Happy Mother’s Day

Celebrating The Most Important Women In Our Lives

On the second Sunday of May, Mother’s Day, Mom’s Day, the day we celebrate motherhood and a time to appreciate all mothers. Without them, there would be no us, and that is a fact! Celebrating the women in our lives should not be relegated to a single day of the year.

The History Of Mother’s Day

Today’s holiday, as we know it, was first celebrated in 1907. Anna Maria Jarvis is credited as the founder of Mother’s Day in the United States. Before her mom passed away, her mother frequently expressed a desire to establish a holiday in honor of all moms. Following her mother’s death, Jarvis led the movement for the commemoration of a holiday celebrating moms.

It’s important to understand that Anna Jarvis wanted to honor mothers. She wanted a day set aside to honor them because she believed mothers are “the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world.” Anna specifically noted that “Mother’s” should “be a singular possessive, for each family to honor its mother, not a plural possessive commemorating all mothers in the world.”

Hence we have a “Mother’s” and not “Mothers” day celebration.

What To Do On Mother’s Day

There are a million things you can do on Mother’s Day, picking the right opportunities to express your gratitude is the challenge. Of course, that does not mean you get to skip the pre-requisite: Mother’s Day card and Mother’s Day gift. No need to spend a ton; homemade is often the best, especially when you’re just a kid. Mom will treasure those homemade gifts all her life. No doubt you will probably find some, if not all, after her passing. With that being said, here are some things to do on Mother’s Day.

First and foremost, breakfast in bed is a must; moms love waking to their favorite morning meal while still in their jammies, with no makeup on…ugh! Do this in your early years, preteen for sure. Once you have a full-time job, mom will be looking for you to take her to her favorite restaurant for brunch; make sure you call ahead for a reservation. The last thing mom needs to do is wait in line for an hour on HER special day!

Next, why not explore the Great Outdoors. Depending on where you live and your mother’s age, there are a couple of ways to tackle this opportunity. If mom is young and spry as a spring chicken, you might want to take her on an exhilarating hike.

If she’s a bit older, a leisurely walk through a museum garden might be the perfect way to spend the afternoon. If mom is no longer mobile on her feet, then take a breathtaking drive and find an overlook for all to enjoy.

On the other hand, you could suggest tackling those mom’s To-Do lists, which could be never-ending, and something mom might not want to spend time working on, on her day off. Should there be a few minor items on the list that the family can complete with some direction from Her Majesty, then tackle away.

Before moms day comes to an end, gather the family, plop everyone down on a comfy couch and watch a movie. You might even want to watch a movie called Mother’s Day. If movies are not a mom’s thing, then maybe play a game or just sit back and chat.

One Day Is Never Enough

One day is not enough time to honor the most important person in our life. A day passes quickly and by the time we know it, our mom and their mom are gone from our lives.

Therefore, each day take some time to thank mom for all she does; tell her how important she is and remind her that you think of her often. Before you say goodbye or leave her, remember to say, I LOVE YOU and THANK YOU for all she does.

One More Book, One More Adventure

In celebration of Mother’s Day, Nuff decided to honor his mom and yours in his latest adventure Moms Are Amazing And Not Just On Mother’s Day. Roses are red, violets are blue, Moms are the sweetest, and always love you. Join Nuff on an adventure that celebrates moms through rhymes in time… Nuff said!

For my most up-to-date listing of my books visit my Nuff Said Stuff Books page. You can check out my Amazon Author Page and Goodreads Author Dashboard as well. All my books are available on Kindle Unlimited, and I often run free book promotions; you will only know about those if you Subscribe To Nuff’s Stuff.

When it comes to children’s books, nothing is better than a paperback edition. Buy one today (it helps us starving artists) and most of all, please leave a review when you have finished reading the book or books of your choice.

Thanks,
CK

February 26, 2022February 26, 2022

How To Get Kids Interest In Reading

More often than not, especially in today’s world, it can be a real struggle to get kids to be interest in reading. Considering all the digital devices and activities on them vying for your kids attention, how is a book (especially a paperback one) supposed to get them to stop and put down their device? The last thing you want to do is FORCE a book on a kid and make them read. Doing that will just make them dread reading even more. You have to make them WANT to read!

Read To Them When They Are Young

Pregnant Mom Reading Alphabet Stuff With Nuff

What better way is there to get kids, or anyone for a matter of fact, to enjoy doing something than to start doing that “something” with them when they are young? Plenty of moms start reading to their kids before they even arrive. Whether you start then or not, the important thing is that you start early.

The earlier you start the more animated and engaging your reading can be. Remember, in the early years, your child is not even going to understand what you are saying. Make this time as exciting as you can for them. Not only are you starting to build their love for reading, your are starting the development of their language skills. Enjoy this time you spend together, they may not remember it, but it is something you will never forget it.

Read To Them What Interest Them

Read something that bores you, and you will be snoring Zzzz’s in no time. Read something that interest you, and you will not put it down until you are done. Guess what? Your kids are no different. Do your kids enjoy a certain sport? Do they have a hobby they cannot get enough of? Do they have a wild imagination and enjoy magic, make believe, or fantasy?

Find what interest your kids and read it with them. Young kids are like sponges and will absorb everything you throw their way, if they find it interesting. As you read, discuss what is happening and how it might relate to things your kids do. Of course, if you are reading something about magic or fantasy at this point, you can have an amazing discussion with your kids and place yourselves in this imaginary land and explore.

Reading Space Reading Place

The wonderful thing about reading is you can do it anywhere. You can do it on a comfy couch. You can do it in bed or on the floor. You can read while inside, or outside. You can read at home, and while on vacation. Have your kids pick their reading space, so it is a place they feel is theirs and they will want to go to read.

All you have to do is pickup a book and read it when you have time. Get your kids to feel the same way about reading, especially if they are young. If you read before bedtime, take one of their favorite books with when going on vacation and keep your tradition of bedtime story hour.

The most important things is to have books available. It’s difficult to read, when there are no books around. The great thing about books is that they are usually pretty easy to find. Just about every town has this place called a Library. And what little kid does not like to own their very own library card? In addition to books, most libraries have activities and play areas. In addition to finding books to read, your kids can play with other kids and learn about things they may not otherwise have a chance to learn about.

The Benefits Of Reading

At the end of the day the most important thing is that you get your kids to read, and hopefully it becomes a lifetime enjoyment for them. There are so many positive benefits of reading. Reading to your kids when they are young will develop their cognitive powers, improve their reasoning, and intelligence. Ask any elementary teacher and they will immediately point out which kids were read to by their parents at any early age.

Reading teaches kids values, it develops their creativity and expands their imagination. It allows them to explore places they might otherwise not have the opportunity to see first hand. It improves vocabulary and communication.

“In fact, children who aren’t reading at grade level by the end of third grade are four times as likely to drop out of high school,” Annie E. Casey Foundation study. Early reading improves emotional and intellectual intelligence, both of which will benefit your kids later in life when they have to express themselves to bosses and potential spouses. Okay, maybe we are getting a little ahead of ourselves.

The Creation Of Nuff Said Stuff

It all starts with a book! Well actually it all started with the thought of writing a book. For a long time I thought of writing a book about a young character, who tends to always get into a little trouble, before figuring out how to safe the day. After a little more thought a ‘play-on-words’ hit me, the creation of… “Nuff Said!” stuff was born.

Now my mission is to help young readers fall in love with books. To help shape the next generation of thinkers, innovators, and leaders. One book at at time, creating a brighter, funnier world! Hopefully, through my Nuff Said Stuff children’s book series I will help get kids interest in reading.

Deciding what to read next?

You’re in the right place. Especially if you are interest in finding some awesome children’s books to read with you children, grandchildren, young students, or just want to checkout a new self-published author you may not of heard of before.

Below is a sample of my Goodreads Author Dashboard. Check it out and see what reviewers are saying about my books.

I’m always adding to my list of books, but sometimes it takes time for Goodreads to get the updates. For the most up to date listing of my books visit my Nuff Said Stuff book site. You can also checkout my Amazon Author Page as well.

All my books are available on Kindle Unlimited and I often run free book promotions as well. However, when it comes to children’s books, nothing beats a paperback edition. Buy one today (it helps us starving artists) and please leave a review when you have finished reading the book or books of your choice.

Thanks,
CK

November 30, 2020November 30, 2020

Book Promotion: Teamwork Makes The Dream Work

Kindle Free Day Notice: Teamwork Makes The Dream Work

Amazon Kindle Book Promotion

YES, Teamwork Makes The Dream Work is FREE, but for a limited time only!

Teamwork Makes The Dream Work - Front Cover

Starting Tuesday, Dec 1^st and ending on Thursday, Dec 3^rd …get your copy while it lasts.

Did you know that TEAM stands for “Together Everyone Achieves More?” Pretty incredible if you ask Nuff. Anyway, as far as teamwork goes, it’s a foreign concept to many kids.

When it comes to a cold and snowy day in the winter, there are few things better than building a snowman. It’s even more incredible when you roll up a real snowman that comes alive. Hey, once you name your snowman, he is alive, correct?

Join Nuff on a journey in this teamwork book for kids through failure and see if together everyone achieves more as he attempts to build the best snowman the neighborhood has ever seen.

Get your FREE Kindle book now, and PLEASE leave a review when you’re done reading it. And don’t forget, a paperback book would be a GREAT stocking stuffer for Christmas!

Don’t Miss Future Amazon Kindle Free Days!

Free is good! But free doesn’t last long. Don’t miss out on any of Nuff’s future Amazon Kindle Free Days. Sign up for Nuff’s Newsletter, so you can stay tuned to what’s happening in his neighborhood and hear about all future free days before they happen. And don’t forget to check my author page over on Amazon and Goodreads.

Have a GREAT day and a FREE one at that!
Christine

November 2, 2020November 2, 2020

Book Review: Lucifer’s Banker Uncensored

Lucifer’s Banker Uncensored: The Untold Story of How I Destroyed Swiss Bank Secrecy by Bradley C. Birkenfeld

A must-read, real-life thriller, about a personal banker to the ultra-wealthy that managed to help them hide billions from the prying eyes of government tax officials! Who then turns whistle-blower and rats them all out over a measly 600,000 Swiss francs.

Money, fast cars, and beautiful women were just an everyday thing for Bradley Birkenfeld until his bosses betrayed him. Read how this private banker working for the largest bank in the world, UBS, turns whistle-blower to the US Government. Just imagine had a couple of stingy bosses not been so cheap and paid out an annual year-end Christmas bonus, the rich would still not be paying taxes!

First off, the law only says you must “file” taxes, not “pay” taxes. Second, there is no fine print that says you can hide your wealth offshore and pay no taxes on those assets, as some folks have found out. Third, disregard all those negative reviews that bash Birkenfeld for his playboy lifestyle, for being too into himself, and for being a narcissist who only takes revenge on his employer when they stab him in the back. Those reviewers are just jealous they don’t have a piece of the $104 million pie the IRS handed Bradley for his coming forward and blowing the whistle on the most preeminent tax fraud scheme the world has come to know. Just read the books for the insights into banking that Birkenfield dives into, and don’t worry so much about how he portrays himself. My guess is most folks in his shoes would not have given up the lifestyle he so thoroughly enjoyed.

As for the book itself, I thought it was a great read. One of those few novels I just couldn’t put down. Birkenfeld delves into the lifestyle of a high flying banker, who jet sets around the world to meet with wealthy clients, stays at the finest hotels, dines at 5-Start restaurants, drives fast cars, dates faster women, and never worries about what anything will costs. He sprinkles just enough humor and wit in with some details of tax evasion schemes the ultra-wealthy use to hide their money from their governments to keep things exciting from start to finish.

Of course, we would all love to know who those 19,000 American names were on the list he handed over to the DOJ, IRS, and Senate, but as we all know (or at least those of us who aren’t so clueless about the rich and powerful people that run the show) that list will never see the light of day.

Although a couple of names get revealed in the book, it’s the “other” individuals mentioned that ran the investigation, brokered the deals that kept everything hush-hush, and details related to those individuals that Birkenfeld dives into in the book that should scare you. There’s an old quote by John Dalberg-Action, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men…” John forgot that there are women who fall into that category too!

Anyway, I highly recommend this book and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Birkenfeld includes many funny and incredible anecdotes about his life as a banker while delving into the serious details of his legal voyage as a whistle-blower.

By the way, there is one thing I would change, and it is the final sentence in the book that reads, “Only the devil knows that.” It should read, “Only the devil himself, Lucifer, knows that.” Think about it, the book is titled Lucifer’s Banker, and he should get full credit in the end!

I rate this book

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October 22, 2020November 2, 2020

Book Review: Protecting Your #1 Asset

Protecting Your #1 Asset: Creating Fortunes from Your Ideas–An Intellectual Property Handbook by Michael A. Lechter

Book Cover: Protecting Your Number One Asset

This one is definitely a technical read and had way more information in it than I needed to know, but I’m still glad that it was given to me and I read it. For anyone starting a business or doing anything that may require copyright or trademark issues, you should probably read at least the relevant chapters of this book that apply to what you’re doing. And read them before you start doing.

I didn’t need to know anything about semiconductors and trademarks that were covered, but all the copyright information was very relevant to what I’m doing. And parts of the trademark sections were relevant to future ideas I have. So in the end it was a worth the read for me and I learned more than I needed to know about some subjects, which isn’t always a bad thing either.

I rate this book

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September 9, 2020October 5, 2020

Book Reviews An Author’s Best Friend

Your Opinion Is Greatly Appreciated. Thank You. Did you notice that? If you missed it, take another look before we go on.

Even when the feedback provided is unfavorable, it is still appreciated. It really is!!!

Of course, positive feedback is always the best.

With Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, KDP, it is easy for anyone to self-publish a book these days. Of course, just putting your book out on Amazon does not mean anyone is going to buy it.

Any first-time indie author will tell you the two most nerve-racking things when self-publishing is: 1) Selling your first book (Mom does not count) and 2) Waiting for your first review.

Money In The Bank Your First Book Sale

The only thing that beats seeing a book sold in your KDP back office is getting an email from Amazon with the subject title “Amazon Accounts Payable.” Five days later, if you have a Direct Deposit setup, you logon your Bank Account and see “Cha-ching” money in the bank.

Achieving your first book sale is an incredibly rewarding milestone. It proves that all the hard work you put into researching, writing, and self-publishing your book has paid off. Make sure you celebrate that sale. You do not have to go to a 5-Star Restaurant, although kudos to you if you do. Heading out for ice cream is just as rewarding, in my opinion.

Book Reviews Are Your Best Friend

Now that your book has finally sold, the last remaining and most nerve-racking step is your first book review. Of course, you believe you wrote a bestseller, the best book ever published. However, will your first reader agree? And if they do not, will your book ever sell a second copy?

Nobody ever wants a negative review, but as long as the feedback provided was in full honesty, do not get too bent out of shape even if it is not perfect. If the review is 5-Stars and praising every aspect of your writing, that is “Awesome Sauce!” On the other hand, if the feedback is negative and the critique does not provide any real specifics, my guess is the person is arrogant and likes to complain. Some people are just that way, so do not sweat it.

Thank an Author Write a Review Quote - They'll Love You For It

What you should be looking for in the review is whether or not the reviewer provided details about your book or writing style. Does the analysis point out issues with the book? Did things not make sense? Where there chronological problems? Where there issues with character development? And hopefully, they do not point out a bunch of spelling or grammar errors.

Remember that the review is a “personal opinion” of a single individual. Some people like steak, while other folks like fish. Even if the person writing the review loves the genre your book is in does not mean your book will resonate with them. Others in your genre might fall head-over-heels for your book.

All reading experiences are about perspective and interpretation. One can only say what they like or do not like about something. Some people will relate to the review, and others will not. The critical thing is whether or not there is sufficient information provided in the review for you to either improve your next book or the second edition of this book.

Always remember all book reviews are an author’s best friend. Of course, if a review is a glowing 5-Star review, then you should do the happy dance. Absorb everything in the evaluation, sit back, and smile.

Speaking Of Reviews

Make sure you head on over to the Books Of All Kinds blog and check out my first official book review by an actual blogger. Books Of All Kinds is my first blog review, and it covers my books Alphabet Stuff With Nuff, Saving Money Makes Cents, and Teamwork Makes The Dream Work. The reviews were positive, thank God, and they also provided some insights that give me good ideas on how I might want to market these books to my niche of readers.

Book Review: An Alliteration from A to Z

You can also click on any of the book links above and check out additional reviews my specific books have gotten on Amazon. A few individuals have picked up copies and left positive reviews. Another plus, although one was only a 4-Star review. The 4-Star review was titled “An Alliteration from A to Z,” which is something I would have never thought of and gives me another great idea on how to market this book to my readers. It just goes to prove that a non-perfect review is perfect in the end.

By the way, if you read any of these three Nuff books and have not yet left a review, once again your opinion is greatly appreciated, and I “Thank You” for leaving your review now!

Review: Alphabet Stuff With Nuff – Paperback or Kindle version.

Review: Saving Money Make Cents – Paperback or Kindle version.

Review: Teamwork Makes The Dream Work – Paperback or Kindle version.

P.S. If you decide to leave a review on one of my books or book by another author, please write your review for yourself. When writing your review, asks yourself the following question, “How did this book make me feel?“

Do not worry about what other readers, and especially the author, will think. Honestly, your review will not be helpful to the author or other readers if you scrutinize every word you put down on paper. There will always be other readers whose opinions are different than yours. You cannot please everyone, so why start trying to now.

By the way, I am one hundred percent positive you are not the only person in the world who liked or will not like a particular book. There is a whole bunch of people out there, exactly like you, who have or have not connected with a book for whatever reason, and your review might be the exact thing they need to hear to feel like they are not alone.

P.P.S. One last thought. If you are one of those arrogant types of folk who likes to complain about everything every chance you get, please do not leave any author a review. Rambling complaints only stress out new authors and irritate book lovers.

August 13, 2020October 5, 2020

Self-Publishing Is Rough Stuff Said Nuff

Nuffs Books: Alphabet, Savings, Teamwork

It took longer than expected. Ya think? Yes, it did, but then it was my first attempt at publishing a series of children’s books, and much knowledge gained this time around. There is always a silver lining if you look for it.

The first three books in Nuff’s adventures: Alphabet Stuff With Nuff, $aving Money Makes ¢ents, and Teamwork Makes The Dream Work are now live on my Amazon Author Central Page and Goodreads Author Page too! All books are available in Paperback and Kindle formats.

Nuff Learns A Lesson And So Do I

For those of you who haven’t met him yet, you can learn more about Nuff on his blog. In short, he is a mischievous second grader, who tends to get himself into trouble quite often. Fortunately for Nuff, he has a close-knit family, incredible friends, and neighbors who keep him on the straight and narrow; at least most of them. With all these individuals in his life, Nuff is always learning valuable lessons during his adventures, and he loves sharing those with young readers.

Speaking of lessons, I learned plenty while developing Nuff’s most recent adventures too. As if Photoshop wasn’t enough, I had to learn all the ins-and-outs of the Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) system. I’m reasonably convinced that many individuals had their hands in the development of this platform.

One would think importing a Paperback book would not require a different file format than a Kindle book upload would. Why both do not support Microsoft Word and Adobe PDF versions is beyond me. Then there’s this thing called “Look inside,” which KDP does not let you set how you want it to look on your own. Instead, you have to send their support team an email and ask them to adjust it for you. Thankfully support was very responsive and made the changes quickly.

As if the KDP stuff was not enough to figure out, I also had to figure out Amazon Author Central and Goodreads. Author Central had some crazy quirks of its own, which their support team could not resolve. They told me to talk to the KDP team. Huh? Yeah, that’s kind of what I thought too.

Goodreads was easy to figure out, although I am not sure why some things do and other things do not import to their system from Amazon. Fortunately, they have a valuable set of supporters. Post an issue to one of the support threads, and those supporters tend to resolve it in a jiffy.

More Adventures And Bestseller Status

Now that Nuff’s first three books are live, the next adventures should be easy peasy to launch. The remaining books are basically all written, illustrations are basically all done, and they are basically ready to go. Just a couple of final reviews, and then the next set of three or four books will launch. Hopefully, it is that basic this time around.

Hitting bestseller status is the goal! To reach my goal, I could use some favorable reviews. Anyone wanting to help Nuff and I reach our Bestseller goal can pick up one of the currently published adventures by visiting Nuff Said Stuff, my Amazon Author Page, or my Goodreads Author Page.

If the Kindle $2.99 or Paperback $9.95 prices are too much for you to handle, connect with me on Facebook. We can talk about getting you a digital copy for your reading pleasure. I am willing to give out a limited set of digital editions, and I will add you to Nuff’s mailing list, so you can be notified when new books launch or when Nuff runs special pricing discounting or jumps on Kindle Unlimited.

Leave a written review for my first three books at:

Note: you will have to have an Amazon account to leave a review. If you are like most people, you probably already have one. If not, it is easy to create one and use it to buy stuff, like my books, is even easier :o)

Next Book To Launch

If only we had a crystal ball, we would all know when the next book launch is happening. Thankfully, I have an in with the author and have some insight into when the future launch may happen. Should nothing change and no more surprises happen, as, in unexpected learning experiences with publishing platforms, Nuff hopes to launch more books in his adventure series this September. Hop on over to Nuff Said Stuff and subscribe to his newsletter today, so you can keep abreast of all the things Nuff says!

January 28, 2020February 6, 2020

How I Learned My ABCs And To Count 123

Like most parents, mine got those alphabet magnet letters at my baby shower. You know, the ones you stick on the refrigerator that are supposed to help you learn your ABCs and to count 123? That also tastes really good when not thrown in every direction possible? Yep, those letters!

When I was about two I learned that it was easier to chew on and throw those letters across the kitchen than it was to spell anything. But like all great parents, mom and dad kept trying to get me to spell ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ and ‘Christine’ on the frig. However, I was more into spelling things like ‘gthqvzlp’ and ‘PZLU’ instead.

By the time I turned three the letters had moved their way up to the top of the refrigerator, no longer within my reach. I wonder why? Surely it had nothing to do with them being found all over the kitchen floor like the Tupperware bowls and lids? By the way, that cabinet door got a child lock on it before the one under the sink with all those dangerous chemicals in it. Thanks for thinking about my safety MOM, DAD!

Kids And Exercise A Walk Around The Block

Anyway, at this stage of my life, my parents thought I needed to exercise. No more being pushed in the baby buggy. Nope! Instead, it was time for me to walk around the block like the big folk. Of course, my little legs could not keep up with the long strides of my parents. By the end of our block, which was like only one-tenth of the way around the neighborhood, my little legs were exhausted. Or at least that’s what I wanted my folks to think.

Unfortunately, when you’re three-years-old, your parents are like Rocket Scientist. Dad wasn’t about to just carry me without doing something to earn my way up into his arms. You see, my persistent whining on wanting to be picked up on our walks was met with an equally challenging, “Why should I carry you?” from my dad. I tried logic, “I’m too heavy for mom.” He just laughed and said, “You’re too heavy for me too,” as he winked at me.

And that is how the letter and number game on our walks began. Dad told me that if I could read the letters on the street sign, not just some of them but all of them, that he would carry me until the next street. I said, “On your shoulders?” He said, “Yes!”

Of course, I failed. I was only three and hadn’t yet learned all my letters. I got a couple of the letters, but not all so there was no shoulder ride for me today. So it was on to the next street and next sign. Again I failed, getting some and missing others. This was way harder than it looked. Finally, halfway along our walk dad said that if I got three of the letters right on the next sign that he’d carry me. He could see that I was getting tired. Good thing there was an ‘A’ and a ‘B’ and a ‘C’ on the sign. I got three and I got hoisted up on my dad’s shoulders!

A couple of weeks into the summer and I was getting better at my letters, at least the common ones that were on all the signs in the neighborhood. But you see, my dad would sometimes pull a fast one and ask me to tell him the numbers on the houses. “WHAT?” He was sneaky. I was getting more letters right and he was getting more tired of carrying me, so he’d throw me a curveball now and then. Dad always said, “Life isn’t fair. Deal with it!”

The Set-up The Sting The Not So Fast

Deal with it I did. While dad was at work, I practiced more and more with mom and the letters on the refrigerator. Not just the letters, but I practiced the numbers too. By the end of July, I had all the letters A-Z and numbers 0-9 down cold. Mom knew because she had been helping me each day. But we kept it a secret from dad. The two of us were going to display my newfound intelligence on our next walk.

Like most summer nights we went for our walk after dinner. I was strutting my stuff out in front of my parents eagerly anticipating the street sign at the end of the block. When we got to it I looked up and read off every letter without hesitation, “’ P-O-R-T-S-M-O-U-T-H’ BAM CARRY ME!” I shouted. “You missed some,” dad said. “No way!” I said.

You see, some street signs have these extra little letters after the street name like ‘ST’ or ‘DR’ or ‘CT’ sometimes. Remember at this age, parents seem like Rocket Scientist. Dad was one of those and said I didn’t read “all” the letters. I had no idea I had to read the street, drive, and court letters too. It hadn’t been a requirement up until this point of summer. Lesson learned. Another one of those “deal with it” moments.

I now walked to the next street more determined than ever to read every letter on the sign, and I did! I even rattled off the house numbers as we walked. Having impressed my dad with my alphabet and number knowledge, he quickly hoisted me up high onto his shoulders and I proudly looked all around.

We hadn’t even reached the next street and I started reading the letters on the sign. Dad didn’t even challenge me; he just left me up on his shoulders and kept walking. We didn’t even stop at the rest of the street corners on the way home. I was reading the letters on each one as we approached, and he just kept on walking. I got carried the entire mile walk. It was so awesome.

Learning Letters And Numbers Isn’t Enough

Now that I was a letter and numbers wiz, I thought I was on easy street. I’d walk one block, read the letters ‘PORTSMOUTH DR’ each day and then ride my way around the block on dad’s shoulders. Nope, that wasn’t going to happen.

The next day we again took our family walk after dinner. As we came to the end of the block, I read the letters and said, “Up, please.” Remember that Rocket Scientist guy named dad? He looked down at me and said, “Don’t just read me the letters, read me the word on the sign.” I was F*CKED! By the way, that’s a word I didn’t know until the summer of fifth grade when one of my older friends told a joke and I didn’t laugh. Even after he explained it, I still didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. Fortunately, mom and dad explained that one to me on the way to college. I was a little naive, to say the least.

Even though I was now a letter and number wiz, I quickly learned that wasn’t the end of learning. My dad told me I had to learn more. I had to learn how to say the words that the letters made up. Learning to read was more than just knowing letters. That was a lot for a three-year-old to take in, but it’s not like I had anything else to do with the rest of my summer. And so the next lesson of learning began.

For the last month of summer, my parents helped me learn how to read all of the street signs in our neighborhood. Well, more like memorize the street signs. I can’t say I was reading them, because I couldn’t just read any street sign I came across. I got the letters right on the signs by grandma and grandpa’s house, but I had no clue what the signs said. Regardless, I still thought I was almost a Rocket Scientist like my dad. I was ‘reading’ the street signs in our neighborhood and that was pretty good for a kid my age, at least as far as I knew.

When it comes right down to it, the magnetic alphabet letters on the refrigerator where the beginning of how I learned my ABC’s and to count 123, but I’m fairly certain the summer of reading letters on street signs and being carried on my dad’s shoulders is what started my love of reading. I also think it’s why I was always a few reading grades ahead of others in my class, once I started school.

My parents knew the importance of starting me early on the road to reading. Mom helped me learn my letters and numbers, while dad pushed me to put the letters together to form words. And it wasn’t just street signs and house numbers that we did together. Mom and dad used to read to me at night before bed.

Kind of like my buddy Nuff and how his parents read to him before bed too. Check out my latest book Alphabet Stuff With Nuff that’s all about learning your ABCs and counting while you’re at it. Get your copy today and read it to your child at bedtime. Before you know it, you’ll both be counting your way through twenty-six letters and know all about Yellow Yaks and Zombies too!

January 8, 2020January 8, 2020

Will The Apple Fall From The Tree

It’s funny how financial analysts are always predicting the doom and gloom of Apple. iPhone sales down! Profits drop!! The stock will crash!!!

The apple will fall from the tree. Apparently those same analysts haven’t tried to buy a pair of the Apple’s new AirPods Pro or been to one of their stores lately!

Like many Apple die-hards I live and breathe their products. Not because they are always the best, I scream and cry over bugs that never get fixed and cause havoc in my daily life, but Apple products do integrate well and are pretty easy to use. Yes, the biggest downside is price, but like the old saying goes, “You get what you pay for.”

Cheap They Are Not, Available Good Luck

Although you can buy cheaper Bluetooth in-ear headphones to hook-up to your iPhone, you’re not going to get a pair that will integrate like Apple’s own products. Of course I wouldn’t have needed a pair of in-ear headphones, if I hadn’t upgraded my old iPhone to an iPhone 8 Plus over the holidays. No, it’s not the latest and greatest, but it didn’t cost me an arm and a leg either.

One more frustrating thing about Apple, they always know best or think they do. Removing the old headphone jack kept me on an iPhone 6 Plus for way longer than I should have been on it. Space was limited, little to no music for years. Upgrades were stuck to relevant security patches only, no more major updates. All those little annoyances you deal with everyday, when you’re a die-hard fan.

Anyway, back to the headphones. Upgrading my phone and for once wanting the latest and greatest new headphones less than two weeks before Christmas was my plan, but not all plans work out. Can you say BACK ORDERED?

As Google noted, not one store within 150 miles had a pair of the Apple AirPods Pro in stock. In fact, I couldn’t even find a pair in two different states! Of course Amazon, the online shopping haven that has everything, had them. That is, if you wanted to pay someone ONE-HUNDRED DOLLARS ABOVE RETAIL…not! So off to the Apple site I went.

Even Apple was showing a ONE-MONTH backorder. Great, no new headphones for Christmas this year, well technically. I did order a pair before Christmas and thankfully they arrived in three weeks and not four. They look great, sound better, and work perfect with the new phone.

Current Performance Is No Guarantee Of Future Results

Back to those financial analysts who always think that Apple’s stock is going to take a dive. Maybe Apple is selling fewer phones these days, but when you multiply millions of new and old phones (without headphone jacks) by $250 (that’s right, plenty of the older Airpods are available and on the store shelves, but most folks want those shinny new Pros) you add HUNDREDS of millions or BILLIONS of dollars to the bottom line.

That new phone I got for the holiday, yeah it had a minor problem. The ear-speaker volume for calls was really low; I could barely hear anyone when they called. Back to the store I took my new phone to have them look at it. The place was packed and they told me it would be about 10-15 minutes before someone could help me. Having been to their stores on more than one occasion, I knew this was probably a low estimate.

Lo and behold, I finally got to meet ‘Eric’ my tech partner for this fix 45 minutes later than expected. Thank God Eric knew what he was doing. A quick cleaning of the ear-speaker at the top of my phone and it was like he waved a MAGIC WAND; there was volume in my received test call with him. Of course I had to place my own test call back home to mom. What do you know, I could hear mom loud and clear.

Don’t think people are buying Apple products? Have you tried to buy those new AirPods Pro? Have you been to one of their stores lately?

Apple stores are filled. Products are hard to get. And now there’s talk about 5G phones coming out next year. Can you say SUPERCYCLE upgrade? Maybe that’s why those doom and gloom financial analysts are now predicting Apple’s stock price to climb to $350 or $400 this year. Oh, and some are even predicting the stock to hit $450 next year and Apple to be a TWO trillion dollar company in a couple of years. So much for doom and gloom!

Will The Apple Fall From The Tree?

If only we had a crystal ball. Unfortunately, nobody knows where the stock will go from here or how big the company will get. Personally I think they’ll be around for a pretty long time, but when they do decide to go the way of other great companies it will be because of their own missteps. At least that’s my opinion.

Just like other once great companies: AT&T, Motorola, Sears, even Kongō Gumi; all once at the top of their industry, then after some missteps they kind of went poof. Apple’s already talking about some Google like glasses that might one day replace the iPhone. Can’t see these glasses replacing hand-held phones, unless they magically correct the need for prescription glasses? Now that would be totally awesome! Hint, hint to the dev team…new product enhancement, if you haven’t thought about it already.

As they always say, current performance is no guarantee of future results. I’m sure apples will fall from tress, but I have no idea if the Apple will fall from its tree. I hope they don’t, because I really do love their products. Can’t wait to see the new 5G phones!

PS – I got a new SSD drive for Christmas too and Eric confirmed some questions I had about upgrading my old SATA drive in my MacBook Pro, but that story will be for another day and another post.

PPS – no I’m not a financial analyst and I’m not promoting Apple stock. I love their products, use them everyday, and follow all things Apple. Just like crazy drivers on the road who drive me nuts, I’ll never understand how analysts can flip their opinions on companies and stocks go for wild rides when there really is no real news.

December 13, 2019January 8, 2020

Just Another Day At The Office

Just another day at the office, or is it the beach? When you’re an author, writer, or beach bum it’s all one and the same. Office-beach, beach-office, is there a better place to call work? Probably not.

Now if I had to guess, I’d say most people dread taking work with them when they leave the office. However, being an author, one of the greatest things is being able to do your work anywhere and anytime. Why? Because you never know when that creative spark will light a fire under your fingertips and drown out the sound of “crashing waves” with the “tap-tap-tap” of a keyboard.

A Typical Day At The Office

Don’t worry; today is not like most days. Yes, there is a real office. Well actually it’s a spare room that has been converted and now qualifies as an office.

There’s a desk and chair, computer (usually on the desk, but it was already packed to go to the beach today), all-in-one printer-scanner-fax machine, and a few other basic essentials like paper, pens, posted notes and tacks to pin important items on the bulletin board.

In addition to all the tools required to get the job done, there’s a small creative space to do puzzles and fun things. You know, like when writers block sets in or after a really long productive session and a quick R&R break is needed.

Most days start with notes being jotted down in my journal. Some great ideas happen during the night when the brain is “really” turned on. If those dreams and thoughts aren’t noted at the break of day, they’ll be forgotten before breakfast is even made.

After breakfast is when the real work starts. I’ll typically go through emails first; just to make sure nothing critical has hit the Inbox. While most things enjoy the instant “Delete Key” experience, anything that doesn’t need to be addressed right away goes on the back burner.

Next, I’ll usually read through what I finished the day before, not to edit it, but to refresh my thoughts and to make sure I want to continue down the same path. This is the part of the day that can last ten minutes or ten hours. And on good days, the ten hours feels like ten minutes. It’s amazing how quick time flies when you’re on a roll.

Some days there’s a lunch break, other days there’s no time for that. When creativity is screaming it rules the schedule, which sometimes means dinner is a quick 9 P.M. pizza getting thrown in the oven.

The day usually ends with those back burner emails, followed by an episode of Friends or “PLEASE GOD NO” not Netflix. Yes, late night Netflix binges are addicting, although they are not quite as addicting as hunting for shark’s teeth.

A Non-typical Day At The Office

Did I say hunting for shark’s teeth? Yes, and it’s addicting! In fact, even more addicting than a good book. Well, maybe not my books ;o)

Now these are not your everyday shark teeth. These are prehistoric sharks teeth. You know, the ones that are millions of years old. There are all kinds in this photo: Giant White, Sand Tiger, Bull, Lemon, Tiger, even a Snaggletooth; but no giant Megalodon – the granddaddy of them all. Haven’t found one of those big boys washed up on the shore just yet.

Anyway, as is the topic of this article, today really is just another day at the office, just not the home office. With today’s weather report being a cool eighty-two degrees out and sunny, I decided to pack up the work tools (computer and phone) and head to the beach. If I can write at my desk, I should be able to write at the beach.

Besides, breaks at the beach are way cooler. When I need a break I pickup my sifting basket and head to the shoreline, and the search for shark’s teeth begins. Finding them really isn’t that hard. Sometimes just walking along the beach and looking down is all you need to do. Other times I just use my sifter and scrape along where the waves break, then go through what I pickup and find teeth.

However, when I’m really looking for teeth, I’ll find the perfect rock outcrop along the beach and start digging. Not just scratching the surface, but deep. Of course I’ll look through each scrapping for teeth, but I’ll eventually work my way down anywhere from six to sometimes fifteen inches. Usually every basket results in at least one tooth, not always but mostly. However, every now and then I hit the mother load and find six or seven teeth. Talk about a great day at the office!

Like all good things, eventually the hunt for prehistoric shark teeth comes to an end. I head back to the computer to make notes for a book, write an article or edit some photos or illustrations. I know it’s a tough life, but someone has to do it.

Most days at the “Beach” office end with a sunset, but today things got a little overcast. Instead of a sunset I took a photo of a pelican on the rocks. And “NO” that is not a shark in the background, it’s a friendly dolphin on an evening food run.

Home Office Beach Office It’s All Good

Whether you’re doing something especially difficult, dangerous or unusual as part of your daily work routine, just remember that your beach may be your office, or your office may be at the beach. As long as you’re doing what you love and love what you’re doing, it’s all good.

By the way, if you want to know more about prehistoric shark teeth and where to find them, checkout Venice Beach Fossils by the FossilGuy. About three-quarters of the way down the page he has a great image that describes all the different shark teeth you might find on the beach.

As for beaches, I’m kind of partial to Caspersen. And if you’re lucky, you might just see me with my head down digging along the shoreline hunting for my favorite treasures or sitting in a beach chair banging away at another article or working on one of my children’s book. Either way I’ll be enjoying life and it will be just another day at the office.