5 Years

5 years ago today, I was unloading the moving truck and settling in to my new home in Idaho.

A few months later, in January of 2011, this blog was born.

It's been a fun ride. and I am forever grateful for the experiences and the friendships gained from living in Idaho.

Thank you all, dear readers, for sticking with me for so long.

Why 'The Big O' is VITAL to your Relationship!

For anyone who has been in multiple long-term relationships or marriages, you know how important a healthy sex life can be.  When things begin to get routine or bland, it can negatively affect the relationship as a whole.

(I'm a divorced dude, and I know a lot of divorced guys like me are nodding their head so damn furiously it could fall off at any second.)

That being said... when is the last time you had a mind-blowing, ear-popping, toe-curling orgasm from your partner?

Does it happen often?  At all?

How does that make you feel?  Does that make your sexual mind wander?  That's not good, is it?

Sex (especially GOOD sex) is a vital part to any long-term relationship.  It is the fire that keeps our furnace of love burning.  Even if you're not in a long-term relationship, you know a bad sexual experience with someone will probably keep you from sleeping with that person again.  The potential of 'something more' gets quashed because of a dead-fish or a two-pump-chump, or from something as simple as bad communication.

...so what can you do to improve your own sexual exploits, as well as help your partner "ring that bell" more often?  Check out the following infographic from Adam and Eve for some interesting tips on 'The Big O:'



As always, practice makes perfect.  Feel free to try new things, communicate, and work toward a happier, healthier (and more orgasmic) relationship.  After all, this type of 'homework' is fun!

[I couldn't find a picture, but imagine a doctor holding up some sex toys and saying "Take two of these and call me in the morning."]

Are there any tips you - as a reader - would recommend?  What knocks your socks off and makes you scream from the rafters?  Leave a comment below, and let's all climax together!

Bad Memories and Burned Friendships

With recent headlines and the ensuing Social Media typhoon, I have had a lot of old memories bubble to the surface.  I have also cut a lot of friends and acquaintances out of my life.

One of the friends I just let go was really painful.  I'll second-guess my decision (and already have) but I feel like I've made the right decision.

Firstly, if Caitlyn (formerly Bruce) Jenner was a Duggar, The Blaze (and God) would have already forgiven her, right?  Or is that only with pedophilia?

Secondly, I had a trans friend in college who committed suicide because of the same vitriol I'm seeing from people this week.  Karly used to be Keith, and was shunned by her family, lost her job, and was essentially blackballed from her town and social circle.  After months of depression, she killed herself in June, 2000.

This is the result of hatred.  The result of using words like 'vile' or 'disgusting,' the same words people are using to describe Jenner.

It bothers me that "the closet" is getting bigger and bigger.  I have friends who are atheist and are afraid to admit it.  One who did was fired from their job, sued for discrimination and lost.  (Turns out Twin Falls, ID is just as LDS-dense as Idaho Falls...)  People can be singled-out and isolated because of their gender, sexuality, religious or political beliefs.  And, while we speak out against bullying in our schools, the same people go on facebook or twitter and bully the people who are the most insecure and need the most support.

So this is why I'm 30 friends, 2 groups and a few dozen pages lighter on Facebook.  This is why I stopped a 7+ year friendship dead in its tracks and walked away.  When you say something hateful or hurtful, or share a meme or link that can belittle or damage a person, it becomes ripples in a pond.

By saying nothing, by doing nothing, I would have let the ripples continue.  I *have* to say goodbye to Aly, to Mark, to Susan, to Chris... because of Karly.  And because of Caitlyn.  And because of the next person, the next fight, the next suicide.

I'm sorry.  But I'm really not.

Practicing Abstinence

...no, I'm not a born-again virgin.

But I do have a baby (under 12mo) at home, so yeah, I guess I pretty much am...

For this post, I'm talking about Fantasty Football.  Last year I was in 6 leagues.  The season before, 4.  I'm usually in the top half of all my leagues, with 2-3 of them playing for a Top 3 spot.

...but I'm tired.  And I'd rather just watch and enjoy the game instead of fretting over individual player statistics.

This 2015 season, I'm going to be fantasy abstinent.  This means I won't be defending my championship in 2 leagues, but oh well.  I could use the break.

(That, and I'm planning on going to an actual game or two.  ...something I haven't done since the early 90s when the Rams were in Anaheim)

Generating Income in the 21st Century (burn your college degree -- it's more useless than toilet paper)

Welcome to 2015.  A 'free-to-play' app on your phone can generate over $100,000 in revenue each day.  There are more millionaires-under-20 now than ever before.  While some are struggling to live paycheck to paycheck, and baby-boomers are doing "when can I retire?" math, others are making ridiculous sums of money on the digital frontier.

I graduated from High School in 1998, and instantly went to college.  Because that's what you do.  Get a 4 year degree, find a job, work 40 years and retire.

Right?

Stop laughing.

Wealth-building doesn't work the same way now that it did in the 20th century.  People don't work at one company 'for life' anymore.  The saying "it's not what you know, it's who you know" rings truer now than it did 20/30/40 years ago.  This is why more and more people are shying away from the traditional nine-to-five and looking for other means to make a living.  One of the more appealing (and profitable) industries on the rise is a career in "Network Affiliation."  30 years ago, this meant Amway.  10 years ago, you'd be selling pots-and-pans or fancy candles.  Today, the possibilities are endless.

This means you need to do your due diligence.  What speaks to you?  What are you passionate about?  Most importantly, can you monetize your passions AND get great, consistent compensation?  Finding a NA company is easy; finding one that pays well and isn't confusing is another story...

My friend Susie from icardu is a part of a greeting card company making sending loved-ones a card quick and convenient.  Having trouble remembering to send Birthday cards on time?  Want to keep things low-maintenance without looking impersonal?  Her company can help you with that, AND it’s a Network Affiliation company as well.  Not only can you make your life a little simpler, but you can also make money helping others do the same.

The company itself prints, stuffs, stamps and sends the card for you, and can all be done from a mobile app.  Tradition meets technology.  For someone like me in their low 30s, this business is perfect for sending cards and thank you notes to relatives who still expect something in the mail (love you Grandma, but these $20 birthday checks mean more to you than they do to me).

For people who love to send (or receive) greeting cards, birthday cards, thank you cards, birth announcements, etc. icardu is worth a good look. Use it as a consumer first, and if you like the ease and functionality of the product, then you can try to monetize it by contacting Suzie and learning how you can make money sending cards from your smartphone.

Yes, your smartphone.  That thing in your pocket or purse that is slowly taking over your life… yes, you CAN use it to make money!  After all, every Facebook ad in your timeline is making someone money.  Every candy you crush, every clan you clash, every bird you flap with your phone is making someone else money.

Nowadays, the digital frontier rules all.  If you can’t make your own app and make millions, what’s the next step?  If you can use apps and smartphones to your advantage, you can make a good income by having your business in the pockets of millions. 

This is how Etsy does it. 

This is how Amazon does it.

This is how Pinterest does it.

It's a phone. A toy. Now a wallet. Why not a money-maker?

And this is how you can do it.  With icardu’s simplicity, functionality and universal appeal, not only can you streamline one part of your (already busy enough) life but you can also make money doing it.

*checks phone*  Oh, it’s my friend Monique’s birthday this Saturday.  Better send her a card… 

Knock Knock

Who's there?

ME.

New blog post tomorrow.

I Miss Writing

It has been almost a year since my family and I moved back from Idaho to California.

Since this blog was about adjusting to Idaho (among other nonsensical things) it is now more-or-less obsolete.

But, as this page nears 2.5 million page views (and the web hosting is getting close to renewal/expiration) I have been thinking a lot about writing.

I love to write.  I feel like I have a story to tell, and judging by the millions of page views, people seem interested enough in what I have to say.

So... oh faithful peanut gallery... if you're still here, what do I do?  Where do I go from here?

Restart a blog, and just be another 'day in the life' writer?  Freelance for other writing groups as a contributor?  I was close to doing that for a webpage called Manderstanding but it has all but died in the last 6 months.

What does a writer do, when there is nowhere to write?