"Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom" Albert Einstein
"A dame who knows the ropes isn't likely to get tied up." Mae West
I have wonderful clients, especially during tax season. For some reason, after I prepare their taxes, they come back bearing gifts - some too extravagant, some handcrafted, and some yummy for the tummy. But I appreciate each and every one.
This is a rose made of duct tape. How many duct tape roses have you given your accountant for a job well done? I feel honored that I am probably only one of a handful who can say that they received one.
I got a $25 gift certificate to a local eatery and $100 in gift certificates to a nice bar/restaurant in the neighboring college town.
A male client gave me his made-from-scratch chocolate cake with cream cheese icing. (Sorry no picture available, it disappeared too quickly).
Another client in the landscaping business gave me this dried hydrangea arrangement arrangement she made:
This stained glass heart was custom made by another male client who is now permanently disabled and is trying to start a new career making custom stained glass pieces:
I've also received two $5.00 cash tips.
Then Friday, a client showed up with this floral arrangement:
The mug was cute and the flowers were nice, but smack dab in the middle of the arrangement was this little Christmas sweater:
On the back, was this:
As part of their homeschooling, my daughters attended classes held by Don Cohen, better know in the Champaign-Urbana area, as The Mathman. He and Jerry Glynn have been offering algebra, calculus and advanced math classes for over 31 years. They truly know how to make mathematics fun and interesting to both children and adults.
In 1988, Don wrote Calculus By and For Young People (ages 7, yes 7, and up) and developed videotapes and worksheets to coordinate with the book.
On the worksheets cover page, that little girl with the striped blond hair is my daughter #2 (at age 4) and daughter #1 (at age 6) is featured on the inside title page of the book.
Daughter #1 is also featured in both videotapes -
Infinite Series By and For 6 year-olds and Up and
Iteration to Infinite Sequences with 6 to 11 year-olds. I believe they are now all available on CD.
Here is some of the actual work my younger daughter did at age 4 7/12 (as they liked to say). Mr. Cohen used her workbook for illustration at several teacher workshops.
This graph is from daughter #2's workbook:
What I really liked about the program was they allow children to develop their own problem solving skills in math; they show how one can solve math problems many different ways and still arrive at the correct answer. They also introduce highly complex math problems at early ages and show the relationships of easier math to more complex problems. And all of this is done in an exciting, fun environment.
Both daughters did extremely well in all subsequent math courses in high school and college and received high scores in the math portions of college entrance exams.
If you live in the Champaign-Urbana, IL, area, I would highly recommend their program. If you live outside the area, The Math Program books are excellent for homeschooling programs or for supplemental work in public schools. You can order the books
here. We were happy to be a part of Don's publications and we get nothing from the sale of his products. We just really believe in his approach to math.
I have been wondering why kids today are not involved in "garage bands." It was quite common when I was growing up in the 1960's to see groups of junior high and high school kids putting a make-shift band together and jamming out in someone's garage or on someone's front porch (much to the chagrin of the neighbors).
Up and down the streets on weekends, one could hear the amateurish three chord songs of the Beach Boys or a bad imitation of the drum solo of Wipe Out by the Surfaris.
It appears to me that those creative times in a small town have all gone by the wayside. Everything children are involved in these days seems to be scheduled, no spontaneity, no free time to let the creative group juices flow. Or have these things just left small town America for the more urban areas' punk rock scene or do they only erupt later in college atmospheres?
I miss that cacophony of creative teen musicians jamming. In the meantime, here's a good website about 1960's garage bands.
If you have a smart high school senior and want a first class college education for a bargain, take a look at Stanford University. They have so much in endowment funds that for families with incomes less than $100,000. they will waive tuition, and for families with incomes less than $60,000, they will also waive room and board.
I have a client with a son going there and they qualify for these waivers. It's a fantastic opportunity for intelligent kids from families who could not otherwise afford to send their children to a superior university.
A dog in Japan joins in daily prayers at the local Buddhist temple.
I have a former tenant who had a dog that also prayed. When the owner said, "Ginger, pray to Jesus" the dog would sit up, put her paws in a prayerlike fashion, and look to the sky. She, too, was a Chihuahua.
Perhaps that breed is slightly more religious than other more agnostic breeds. I can see a Chihuahua being a Christian or even Catholic, but I'd like to know how the Japanese Chihuahua became Buddhist, or for that matter how a Chihuahua became Japanese.
Ryan at Smile Politely has a commentary on some of the houses local pastors occupy. As is often the case, what pastors preach and what they actually do are oftentimes inconsistent. And it isn't just the high profile ones who are guilty.
There were a few news stories this weekend about how shoppers should haggle with retailers to get better prices. As one who had a retail business (in addition to my regular job) for over 20 years, let me tell you exactly how things work.
You can normally haggle over big ticket items (appliances, electronics, musical instruments, etc.) in big or small stores. If the mark up from wholesale cost to retail is 100-125%, there's a great deal of room for negotiation if you're looking at a $1500-$5000 item. The merchant still has room to make some profit.
Small dollar items are another matter. There is nothing more frustrating than having a customer haggle 10-15% on an item $50 or less. I've had customers ask if I'd take 10% off a $10.00 item. Please go shop somewhere else if $1.00 makes that much difference to you. It isn't worth the retailer's time to deal with you.
Antique shops and shows are notorius for giving customers at least 10% off the purchase. The little known fact is that most antique dealers build that additional 10% into their prices knowing that customers expect them to come down 10%. The customer then is not actually getting a deal, they are simply paying the market price, but feeling better about it.
As a consumer, you can ask and haggle, but more than likely you're not getting a better deal. You're probably just getting the fair market price or you're getting a reduced price for an item that the store promoted or will be promoting at that price eventually. If you are truly bargain hunting, check the clearance aisles or start going to liquidation auctions.
She wanted me to know that I have a huge fan base in the community that loved my newspaper column and who actually do understand my sense of humor.