Author Archives: alanhs961

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Why Everyone Should Have Their Own Website

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Have you ever wondered why people have their own website? Most people are more than content just managing their Facebook accounts. They can share funny articles and memes. They can post their favorite photos, and they can give their friends updates about big events in their lives. So why should anyone want to give up their time and energy with a website as well? There may be more reasons that you think!

 

Starting A Business

If you want to start up your own business, a website is essential. It helps you to let customers know where you are, what you do, and what your product or service is. It can also be used to contact you. Perhaps you would like to have an online contact form or a live chat service? Most importantly you can post articles, information and images about all the things you sell.

Picture from Pexels

 

Many business websites can also handle online purchases. You need a secure website and an online checkout system. These might require additional costs, but they will help your customers purchase safely. The ordering system will then alert you that you have a sale so you can process the order.

 

Perhaps the best thing about having an online business is that you can trade globally. You might pick a domain name for your website that is the same as your company name. That will probably end in “.com” if you’re in the States. But if you want to sell in the UK or Canada or anywhere else, you might also buy the domain name relevant to that region. UK domain name registration is as easy as any other. You can even register all your preferred domain names with one company if you like.

 

Say It With A Blog

If you find you’re posting to Facebook and other social media accounts a lot, you might love the idea of having your own blog. As with a business website, you can choose to register your own domain name, making it uniquely yours. And just like every other kind of website, you will need to pay a company to host it for you. There are plenty to choose from, and contracts often last for a year. Consider how much storage you need. Lots of photos and videos will take up more room.

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WordPress is a firm favorite for bloggers because it is often already installed on your domain when you buy it. You can then pick a theme, add a couple of photos or a logo and you’re good to go. The platform is really easy to use. Simply type and post. You can add plugins to help you share your articles across all your social media accounts, so you don’t have to double up the work.

 

Getting A Job

If you’re not keen to run your own business, but you are serious about pushing your career forward, then use your website to promote yourself. You shouldn’t publically list lots of personal information from your resume, but you can upload your portfolio and samples of your work. If you’re applying for jobs, you should include your website URL and your LinkedIn profile on your application. Potential employers can then see if you’re a fit for their company. You can visually demonstrate your skills and experience – this is perfect if you’re not a wordy type of person!

 

Organizing An Event

A big event like a wedding or birthday party can be tough to organize. You can use your website to detail the different companies you’re using and to post records of the event. This might include photos and videos. You can add quotes from happy guests and post a big thank you to everyone who helped. It’s a great place to collate everything from the event in one place.

Picture from Pexels

 

While you’re planning the event, you can use online survey forms to garner opinions. “Which color do you like?” “Do you like roses or tulips best?” “Should I order this chocolate cake or this fruit sponge?” Visitors to your website can answer the surveys so you can make a decision based on their responses. Again, these posts can all be shared to your social media accounts with a single click.

 

Entertaining

Of course, websites should be entertaining. Websites can be designed to show off your talents as an entertainer. If you love singing, dancing, or performing, why not set up a website to showcase your skills? YouTube has been a popular video platform, but your own website can be used to promote upcoming gigs and even to sell tickets direct. What will you use your website for?

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Fast Forward: Top Destinations For Next Years Vacation

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The chances are, you’ve already got your summer vacation all wrapped up. You know where you are going, what you are doing, perhaps you may have already had that relaxing two-week break, and you are already back to work, day dreaming of your next escape. This is where I come in. There is nothing wrong with a bit of forward planning, and often, booking in advance can save you a fair bit of money as well. So I thought I would share with you some of the top destinations to consider for next years vacation.

 

Why not head down under?

 

Australia may seem like a faraway destination, but it is definitely something you will find on many people’s bucket lists, including yours maybe, so why not allow next year’s vacation to be the time you tick a destination off? Heading down under could be a fantastic holiday and one not to forget. You could stay in the bustling city of Melbourne, voted as one of the best places to live in the world. Maybe you want to swim in the Great Barrier Reef or do a road trip and take in as many sights as possible. Or perhaps you just want to head to Surfers Paradise where you can master your surf technique or try out some other water sports. Whatever takes your fancy, Australia is sure to offer it.

 

Fancy an opulent vacation next time round?

 

Maybe you want a vacation that is filled with an opulent lifestyle, never ending shopping experiences, amazing buildings, and even more amazing hotels. Then Dubai is the one for you. Enjoy taking in the sights yourself or book one of the many Dubai tours available to you. Dubai has much to offer for a vacation, and whether you are traveling there as a couple or as a family, you are sure to find something to do to fill your time.

 

The perfect escape?

 

Many of us see our vacations as a chance to unwind from the daily grind and really rejuvenate ourselves. So more people consider beach filled islands as the perfect location for their holidays, and perhaps next year you may want to consider The Maldives. With the sea of stars to accompany you at night and blue crystal waters to soak your feet in by day, there really is no further escape from reality than this collection of islands. Furthermore, you could even choose to stay in an overwater villa, offering you, even more, privacy to relax.

 

Is it all about the food and drink?

 

Finally, if you find yourself to be a bit of a foodie, then you may want to think about heading to the country that one of the most well-loved culinary options comes from, Italy. Italian food can be some of the world’s most favorite cuisine, with the love of pizza and pasta why not head to the place it originated from and sample it at it’s finest? Italy also has many destinations to see including Rome where you can take in the glorious churches and visit Vatican City or shop to you drop on the streets of Milan, to name a few.

 

I hope this has offered some inspiration for your next trip.

 

 

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Don’t Let Your Work Damage Your Health

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Are there hidden dangers in your workplace? Even if you don’t work in bomb disposal or on a fishing trawler, your job may still be having negative effects on your health. Here are a few ways that you can spot the dangers and lower the risks.

 

Be attentive with health and safety

 

If you work on a building site, it’s likely everyone will be strictly ordered to wear a hard hat and a hi-vis at all times. However, in some jobs the equipment may be there – and it may be recommended that you use it in a job contract – and yet most people won’t wear it because no boss is strictly enforcing it.

 

This can sometimes be the case when handling various chemicals such as industrial cleaning fluids. If special gloves are available, be safe and use them.

 

If you believe your workplace hasn’t got effective health and safety measures in place, you can always contact the HSE and they will be able to send in an inspector to see if health and safety laws are being broken. If you know that laws are being broken, you may even be able to file a lawsuit against your employer (especially so if you have already been poisoned by chemicals in the workplace). Be aware that your employer may not always be aware of certain hidden dangers (e.g. asbestos on the roof, broken safety equipment).

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Reduce stress

 

Work related stress is thought to be one of the biggest causes of heart failure. By raising blood pressure, stress puts more strain on the heart. Clots are also more likely to form due to an excessive build-up of white blood cells in the arteries. The stress hormone cortisol meanwhile has many other negative effects on our body such as muscles strain, aging of the skin, infertility and inability to sleep properly.

 

The best remedy for stress in such a situation is to find a new job, although of course this isn’t always possible. Some people may be addicted to work as they try to chase a promotion, resulting in the excessive stress. In some cases, a job’s pay may make it hard to leave without having to sacrifice a certain lifestyle. Often small steps can be made to make work less stressful, whether it’s working fewer hours, taking on less responsibility or simply going on a break. In all cases, you should talk to your employer, or a counselor if you feel your employer may be the reason for your stress.

 

Beware of ill colleagues

 

Whilst generally not a major danger to our health, most of us will catch illnesses and infections off of our colleagues. This could be prevented if everybody stayed at home when sick, but many of us guilty of going into the office when we feel unwell, either due to the pressure of the job or a need to receive full pay. If somebody else is seriously ill and you’re worried about it, it’s worth telling your employer who then may be able to send that staff member home. No employer wants their entire workforce getting sick.

 

Give yourself recovery time

 

Many of us can do damage to our health simply by returning to work to early after a major illness or accident. For example, someone with a broken ankle may decide to return to their job as a waiter before the recommended period and cause extra damage to their foot. Often putting strain on an injury before the recommended recovery period is over can result in lasting damage. It’s common for those in manual labour jobs to permanently do their back in due to lifting a heavy object with a recovering back injury. Listen to the doctor and stay away from work until you’re well enough. There are certain methods that may allow you to recover faster, but you should always clarify these with a medical professional first.

 

Avoid repetitive strain injuries

 

Some injuries can be done through doing the same action day in, day out. These don’t just apply to manual labour jobs, sitting at a desk and staring at a screen has all kinds of bad long-term effects such as damaging posture, damaging vision and damaging muscles in the waist from constant sitting down. Taking a break from the screen and stretching your legs throughout the day can help lessen this damage. There are also methods such as buying a stand up desk, as well as special exercises behind a desk (or deskercises).

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Running Down The Costs of Owning a Car

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There are few things more frustrating than seeing large chunks of our monthly salary being spent on a necessity: our car. We need our car, but they can end up costing us a pretty penny, money that we’d much rather spend on the finer things in life, or put straight into the savings pot. If it feels like you’re spending too much of your hard-earned dough on your vehicle, take our tips below. We have four pieces of advice that’ll ensure you’re not spending more money than you have to.

Source: Pexels.com

Have the Right Car

 

If you’ve just bought a car, then it’s too late to take this piece of advice, but for everyone else, are you driving the right car? We tend to have a non-intellectual approach to what car we want to have. When deciding which car to buy, you should think about what will be best for your needs, not what has the most gadgets included or looks the best. For example, if you’re a single person living in an urban area, then you won’t need a big SUV. Buy with your brain, not your ego.

 

Use It Wisely

 

If you’re automatically jumping in the car every time you need to go anywhere, then you’re not using it wisely. Instead, consider your options. If you’re driving to work, then why not look at carpooling with someone else. You’ll drive both of you one day; they’ll drive the next. Just by making a small change to your driving habits, you’ll be putting much more money back in your wallet. Also, if you’re driving to and from work each day, do you want to be behind the wheel on the weekend? Use public transport instead: it’s cheaper, more relaxing, and better for the environment too.

 

Take Care Of It

 

All cars will have problems at one stage or another. However, you can reduce the likelihood of these faults by keeping your car in tip-top condition. Take your vehicle to an auto repair garage for regular maintenance; they’ll be able to check that everything’s working as it should, and be able to make any mild repairs before they have a chance to become too serious. As well as ensuring that your car runs as smoothly as possible, this will also increase the longevity of your car. There’s no expense quite as big as having to buy a new vehicle just because the old one has died.

 

Knocking Down Insurance

 

Insurance is a fact of life when it comes to cars. However, there are ways you keep your insurance costs down. You should keep your vehicle off the road when it’s parked at your home (a secure garage is best), ask if any of the car’s safety features make it eligible for any reductions, and shop around for the best deal. If you like your present insurance company, still negotiate. The worst deals are always for those who auto-renew without asking for further reductions.

 

There you have it. But don’t forget: it costs nothing to walk from time to time!

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Kick-start Huge Life Improvements with These Major Changes

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Are you happy with your life right now? Sometimes you can get this feeling that it’s time for a change, but you don’t know what it is yet. You want to improve your life in some way, and it might not matter yet just how you might do it. However, if you think a major change is in order, you should probably spend some time considering the best way to make an adjustment in your life. While making small changes slowly is one way to change your life, sometimes it’s a big and sweeping change that works best. If you’re not sure what that change might be yet, try the following options.

Credit: Pixabay

 

Change Jobs (or Even Careers)

 

Your job (or your career if you think you have one) is a huge part of your life. Even if you don’t want to be defined by what you do for money, it is what you spend a lot of your time doing. Looking for a new job or maybe even changing your career path altogether can give your life a proper shake up. Doing the same thing day-in and day-out can get you down, but changing employers or trying something different can really improve things. If you’re not ready to move on, though, consider whether you can make any improvements in your current job.

Credit: Pexels

 

Find Somewhere New to Live

 

Moving into a new home is a major change which can take you on a few different paths. You could stay relatively close to your own home, so you live in a similar environment. But maybe you want to move further out of town, to the suburbs or even into a more rural area. Some people even think about making a major move to start a new life. The choice to buy a new home could have a significant effect on your life. Perhaps your current one is too small, or it’s not in a convenient location. Maybe it’s time for you and your partner to have your first real home together. There are many reasons to buy a home and improve your life.

Credit: Pexels

 

Get Back to Education

 

Going back to school isn’t something that appeals to everyone. Many people have nightmarish memories of school, from elementary all the way to college. Subjecting yourself to structured education again might be the last thing you want to do. But experiencing education as an adult can be very different, and there are lots of options. You can choose to do anything from a short diploma course to a degree. And you can study many things online so you can do them in your own time.

 

Start a New Hobby

 

It might not seem like a major change, but picking up a new hobby can change your life a lot. It can lead to new friends and relationships, new skills, and new experiences. The most life-changing hobbies are often the ones that get you out and meeting people, as well as trying exciting things you’ve never tried before.

 

If you feel like your life might be stagnant, a major change could help to kick-start it again.

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The Silent Revolution In LED Lighting

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When you think of the big technological breakthroughs of the digital era, what do you think of? Perhaps the invention of the internet, cloud computing or artificial intelligence.

 

But while these technologies are no doubt impressive, there’s arguably been an equally important technological revolution going on right under our noses, yet few people have even noticed it.

Wikipedia

 

LED lights were once fabulously expensive. But today, because of improvements in production technology and scale, the costs of producing them has come down by many orders of magnitude. In fact, they’re now so cheap that they rarely cost more than 50 percent more than standard fluorescent lights. That might sound like a lot, but remember than  lights use about a tenth of the energy of standard lights and last ten times longer!

 

Increasing Uses For LED Lights

 

LED lights have made it into all kinds of new applications you would never have thought of. Not only are they being installed in the home, but they’re also being used in business settings to not only cut costs but drive profits. Tom Sawyer Construction LED canopy lights are a type of lighting used by gas stations. Like other companies in the industry, Tom Sawyer has moved towards LED lighting for a number of reasons. But the main reason is that customers prefer LED lighting. Gas stations that use LEDs typically go on to make more profit than those that don’t.

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One of the reasons for this might be the fact that LED lights are able to more accurately reproduce white light than many standard lights. This, in turn, helps make colors appear more natural and vibrant, especially at night.

 

LEDs are also being used increasingly in agriculture. Before LEDs, the idea of having an indoor farm was laughable. Futurists experimented with the notion of “vertical farming,” where plants were layered on top of each other in giant factories, helping save on space, water, and fertilizer. But it was only really a dream until the emergence of LEDs. The reason it couldn’t work before was that providing the plants with light was both too expensive and too hot. Old forms of lighting, including incandescent and fluorescent, aren’t actually very efficient at converting energy into light. For a standard bulb, only around 10 percent of the total energy that reaches the filament gets turned into photons. The rest is just wasted heat. That wasted heat is annoying for most people since it increases their energy bills, but for vertical farms, it’s a huge problem: temperatures from all the lighting needed to keep the plants alive might kill them.

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With LEDs, however, more than 90 percent of the energy they receive gets turned into light. And so the same problems don’t occur. In fact, light from LEDs is so cheap, we’re currently seeing an explosion in the number of indoor farms operating profitably, especially in the Far East.

 

LEDs are here to stay. They’re finding their ways into all sorts of applications and making new business models possible. Only the future will tell what they’ll do next.

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The Summer Wash: Easy Ways to Make Your House Sparkle

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Summer makes everything look fresh and bright, and you’ve probably spent some time on spring cleaning your home already. Have a look around your street, and it seems like people are treating themselves to the same luxury; driveways are washed to perfection, flower beds are popping up in every garden, and somehow, every neighbor has turned into an experienced gardener.

 

Spend a bit of time on the outside of your home this summer. You’re guaranteed to spend more time out there, enjoying its clean look and planning its next garden expansion for next season.

 

The Exterior

 

The first step to a home that sparkles in the sun is to clean it thoroughly. It’s not something you need to do a lot, but a proper wash at the beginning of every summer should become a habit. How you wash it depends on how dirty your house is, and you’d want to avoid reaching for the pressure washer unless you have some serious build-up of dirt. Read a pressure washer rental review here to make up your mind.

 

When it’s merely a layer of dust that needs to be washed off, your garden hose will do just fine. Remember that a house made of brick or delicate wood will prefer you not to use a pressure washer – an ordinary garden hose is a better option, although it will take a bit longer.

 

You don’t need to think about soap or other detergents unless you’re battling mold – in that case, you should head to the store and get a specialty cleaner for this. Otherwise, secure all windows and doors, send your pets and children inside, and start to spray at a downwards angle. Keep the water moving and avoid lingering too much at one spot to prevent any damage.

 

It’s important to treat a pressure washer with caution as it is a dangerous tool; directing it at someone is going to cause them a lot of pain, so handle it with the same caution you would with any other potentially harmful tool.

 

The Deck

 

If you have a lovely little deck to enjoy your dinners on this summer, you better get it clean and ready for BBQs and get-togethers. The pressure washer or garden hose will do wonders here too – but keep in mind that hard pressure could damage the wood if it is particularly old. Allow it to dry completely before using it, and read up on this article to make it more inviting and colorful.

 

This is also a good time to clean the grill after standing alone for the entire winter. Find a degreasing detergent made for cleaning grills and make sure you remove any rust that may have appeared over winter. Remember to clean the outside of the grill, too, if you want it to look its best for your BBQ parties.

 

You need to be ready to pull your sleeves up if you want to your home look shiny and new this summer. After it’s all been thoroughly cleaned and scrubbed, and any loose panels or planks have been taken care of, you can start to think about adding a bit of color to your garden and let it outshine your neighbors.

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Does Your Healthcare Business Give Its Patients The Best?

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Of all the kinds of business that you can get into as a first-time entrepreneur, the realm of healthcare has to be one of the most nail-biting. After all, in this industry, you have people’s lives on the line, and that means that you simply cannot afford to put a single step wrong. It is extra important that you practice business in a vigilant and, above all, a caring manner, so that you can ensure you are giving your patients the best possible treatment and overall experience. But how can you be sure that you are really doing that? Well, following these steps is likely to be a strong way to start.

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Hire Only The Best

 

There is probably no other industry in which the quality of the employees themselves is such a hugely important factor. No matter what, you need to be sure that you are only hiring the very best for your healthcare business. The importance of this is outlined nicely here: https://www.nab.com.au/business/industry/healthcare/running-a-business. The quality of the staff dictates to a large degree what the experience of the patients will be, and we are concerned with ensuring that this is as good as possible. One good idea is to make sure that your recruitment process is as complete and arduous as possible. You want it to be hard to get a job in your establishment, but easy to lose one – meaning that you don’t allow employees to remain after major failings. This is the only way to ensure that you are giving your patients the very best.

 

Follow All Relevant Guidelines

 

When you start to research for your new business, you might at some point be struck by how many laws, rules and guidelines there are which you need to abide by. It is, of course, important that an industry such as healthcare has so many regulations, as it ensures that patients are looked after, kept safe and that they receive the best possible treatment as often as possible. But for you, it means that you need to pay particularly close attention to how your business is behaving at all times. Many business owners find that this is too much for one person, which is where partners like www.byrdadatto.com come in. They can help you understand what steps you need to take to remain legal and provide great care. With that understanding, your business is more likely to flourish, and your patients will appreciate it too.

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Practice Open Communication

What else do patients want from you? As it happens, one of the most commonly cited aspects of healthcare which people hope for is open communication between the healthcare provider and the patient. The more open and honest you are as a business, the more likely it is that your patients will feel genuinely looked after – and that is the ultimate goal that you are going for here. Achieving this is a matter of training your employees well in the art of bedside manner, but it also lies in the way that you communicate as a business – whether electronically, in person or over the phone. Get this right, and you are most of the way there.

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Want to Build and Keep Trust in Your Dealings? Don’t Forget These “Minor” Things!

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We’re pretty much aware that, when dealing with people, be it a business deal or casual plans with friends and family, that following through is important. If I sell you a product, I need to give you that product and you need to give me what you said you’d pay for it. If I say I’ll bring the cake to the party, I should bring the cake to the party.

But, something too many of us forget is, communication, particularly when there’s a potential that things may change or go wrong, being ethical, and yes, following through (and be sure you can follow through)!  These may seem minor, especially the communication part, but they can be just as important for building and keeping trust, as delivering the product itself. Below is an example of a business transaction that I was involved in where all of these things came into play.

Communicate when Things Change Unexpectedly and Be Ethical!

Recently, I was selling an air mattress online. A potential buyer, who we’ll call, ‘Jim‘, called me and said he wanted to buy it, but at $5 less than I was listing it for, which I agreed to. We agreed to meet at a certain time and I thought that this was fine.

I was then texted by a 2nd potential buyer we’ll call, ‘Karen‘. I told Karen that there was a potential buyer in front of her but that I’d let her know if the deal fell through, or if it did go through. In other words, I would let her know either way so she would know where she stood. I also gave her a date by which I would know for sure, just a few days away.

Well, I called Jim to confirm just before our meeting time and he said he was out of town on short notice from his work and couldn’t meet until the next Saturday, which was a day past the date I’d given Karen earlier.

So, I asked him if Saturday was definite and he told me he never works Saturdays and would definitely be available. I did let him know that I had a deadline to give an answer to another buyer so that Jim would know I was holding the item for him. He told me he would be buying the mattress for sure on Saturday.

Having sold things in the past, I knew well that something isn’t sold until the buyer actually and physically picks up the item and gives me the money!  As far as I was concerned, I wasn’t believing that Jim would be buying the mattress until I would actually meet with Jim and he would pick up the mattress and pay me the money he agreed to pay.

I then contacted Karen again to let her know that Saturday was the new deadline and that it was certain I’d have an answer for her, and I did apologize and explained the situation concerning the first potential buyer. Karen then offered me $5 more if I went ahead and bypassed Jim and sold it to her, but I told her that I couldn’t do that to Jim as I’d given him my word to wait until Saturday. To Karen’s credit, she said that was fine and she didn’t get mad or surly in any way as many other people would have.

On top of this, a third potential buyer we’ll call ‘Bill‘, texted me and I told him he had two potential buyers in front of him but that I’d let him know by a certain date or earlier for sure on where he stood and would keep him updated.

So, Saturday arrives and I decide to call and confirm again. (Not everyone has the message of this post or will learn from their own experiences, so, unless you know that the person you’re working with is truly reliable and will communicate when needed, confirmation of such things is advisable.)

And lo and behold, when I called him, he tells me he was called to work that Saturday! Now, to Jim’s credit, he did say to go ahead and sell it to someone else, and he did apologize to me.

What I wonder is, would he have told me at all, or would I have ended up at our meeting place, waiting and waiting for someone who never would have shown up?

When sudden changes come up that affect the other party, communicate, communicate, communicate!

Anyway, I contacted Karen and we agreed to a meeting place and she did show up and bought the air mattress, I let Bill know that it had been sold, and all was well.

Photos of my Motorola Moto-e 2nd generation 2015 phone. 4/30/2016

So, in your dealings, do keep everyone who’s supposedly in the loop, in the loop. Update everyone in the loop so you don’t hear later, “I never got the memo!”, or something to that effect. If you have a smart phone and you know that everyone else in the loop has one also, it’s even easier to keep everyone updated at any time!  (Just don’t text while driving. Pull over and park first!)

 

 

 

 

And, if you tell someone you’ll call them, call them! And if you do forget to call them (which we all do from time to time), and they bring it up to you that you didn’t call them when you said you would, please, don’t say to them, “So why didn’t you call me?”, when it was you who said you’d call them! It was your responsibility to call them!

And don’t reserve a time with someone and tell them it’s certain when you know it really isn’t, and if you do reserve a “guaranteed” block of time, for someone, try to keep that commitment! And if you can’t guarantee a time, then let the other party know that it’s not guaranteed, and agree to a limit as to how long or how many changes they’ll be before letting the other party know that it’s ok for them to move on.

And finally, speaking of ‘reservations’, it should be first come first serve, unless, in a business dealing, you’ve put the ‘deal’ up for bids and have let everyone concerned know. Otherwise, if you have a potential buyer and you’ve agreed to sell it to that buyer at a certain price, don’t dump them if the next potential buyer, who’s arrived after the first buyer, offers you a better price. And the same goes for if you are the buyer and have agreed with the seller to buy something at an agreed price. If another seller jumps in, after said agreement was made, and offers a better deal, go with the first, since you’ve already agreed to buy from the first seller. It’s just plain unethical to do otherwise.

So keep talking! And be ethical! It’s worth it in the long run!

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The Perfect Host: How to Throw Your First Dinner Party

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The first time you throw a dinner party, you’re most likely going to ask for a bit of help. It depends on the number of guests, of course, and how complicated you’d like it – if you only invite your closest circle, they’re probably not going to mind it if you mess up a bit. Step it up a notch and host a dinner party for your in-laws, however, and the kitchen seems awfully hot all of a sudden.

 

Image from: Pexels

 

Don’t sweat it; here is a handful of the best advice on the dinner menu, drinks, and entertainment, to wow your guests for good.

 

Preparations: Invitations

 

Make it as easy on yourself as possible since it’s your first time. Start with inviting the guests you’d like to dazzle – and make sure it’s a group that will get along. A quick phone call is enough, or you can make the event on Facebook if you’re inviting a lot of guests. That way, they get the chance to RSVP, and you can update them all at once if you have a message.

 

This is also the chance you get to ask about any food allergies and vegetarian preferences. Hopefully, your guests will offer to bring something with during this conversation. Accept it immediately, unless you’re excited about showing off your culinary skills. Besides, an extra side dish or two is hardly going to overshadow your centerpiece cooking.

 

Preparations: Dinner Menu

 

Planning the dinner menu is also a part of the preparations, and you’d want to put your cards on the dishes you’ve cooked the most. You might have found inspiration for this party from a particular dish you’ve never cooked before; go ahead and serve it, but make sure you’ve cooked it once or twice before to practice. Half an hour before dinner is no time to realize how easy it is to burn a mushroom risotto.

 

Focus on dishes you know well and make sure it’s something on the table that everyone can enjoy. Do as much as the preparations in advance as possible, so that you avoid all the chopping and pre-cooking on the day of the party.

 

Two or three varieties of drinks should be offered to your guests. It’s a good idea to ask people what they like; if most of the group only drinks grain alcohol or standard beer with every meal, there is no point in stocking up on different wines. If you’d like to keep it formal – for the fun of it, try to serve drinks as they should be served according to table etiquette. Here is a comprehensive guide to formal dinner parties if you’re interested.

 

Hosting: Greeting and Socializing

 

You’re the one who sets the atmosphere at the party, so prepare to be fun and cheerful. Greet the guests in a casual and relaxed way; it’s nothing wrong with welcoming them in your slippers or even barefoot to put them all at ease.

 

When you manage to stay stress-free, focus on having fun and socialize with your guests, there’s nothing that can go wrong. Even if a few of the dishes are less than what you hoped or the kitchen is full of smoke, you can just laugh it off and make sure the rest are enjoying themselves.

 

Good music, drinks, something to eat and a lively host is everything they need to have a good time; you only need to ensure the conversation flows smoothly and that people have what they need. It’s your duty, so to speak, so pour yourself a glass and look forward to a fun evening.

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