When I first moved here I watched way too much TV. Like, way more than any normal person should reasonable watch at any given time. I didn’t really have any friends and I got so many exciting new channels from www.expertsatellite.com that I really didn’t have any reason to want to go out – it was like, why would I leave home when my best TV friends are right here? That plus the fact that my job is just ridiculously stressful and I felt like I was always walking into a minefield when I got in in the mornings and by the time I got home I was totally drained…I feel much better about work now though since I got my promotion and talked to my boss and I’m even starting to make friends thanks to all the work happy hours. My next goal is to meet some people I DON’T already work with but I’m taking baby steps, you know? I can’t do it all at once and I’m working on it one thing at a time.

The Thanksgiving weekend is one of the biggest of our whole year and this year was no different. They started this thing called Small Business Saturday and that really drove a lot of people out to the store which I was really appreciative of that. Thank goodness a few weeks ago I went to www.bank-card-processing.com and had cleaned up the back room to make way for all the extra shipments we got in but you know, I guess that’s all part of the crazy days around the holidays. Business is still booming right before Christmas and I’m thankful for that and all the time I’ve had to prepare. My store is doing well despite the economy and I think that’s something to be proud of so you know, I’m going to keep on keeping on, as my dad would say. I think at this point I know what makes a successful entrepreneur and that’s all that really matters for me. Life is good as it stands and it’s only looking to get better at this point!

Betty exclaimed that we were right on time to help them load up the directors chairs and table top display while she went into the storage room to find the new table covers she had just got in. Fortunately this trade show is only about two miles away from their shop, so they don’t have to get up too early tomorrow morning to get to the Expo Center to set up their displays. They gave my wife and I two free tickets to get into the trade show, but I don’t know if we’ll be able to get back there to attend or not.

Computer Based Training is increasing in popularity in the work place and in the classroom. The Information Age has made many changes to the way people are approaching education. As a college student, there are many classes I took that included taking labs in the computer lab at school. In the workplace, several of the places that I have worked focused their training sessions in an office full of computers.

Many professions now require the passing of state certification exams, and the preparation courses for these exams are available over the Internet. The exams themselves are done on computers in modern, secure testing facilities. The Information Age has truly transformed the way that business and education are done in the United States.

In Maine, the public education system gives the students their own personal laptop computers to take home with them, and to continue using the same laptop through out their high school years. This kind of forward-thinking is something that I think every state should get involved in. The world is shrinking, and becoming more competitive every day. We need to give our students every competitive edge we can.

Having to move wasn’t something that was in the cards for me but I’m really glad we did. It’s been a great way to force our family to come back together and at this age where the kids are both about to be teenagers it’s nice having something we can all go through together. I sure wish I had more of a hobby but sometimes I get online on the Satellite Star Internet in South Dakota during the day and talk to my sisters and stuff…my husband’s new job is working out well though and he really likes it which is good since it’s the whole reason we moved out here in the first place! It’s nice being able to find time to spend as a family and I know my kids will adjust just fine after a few more months so I’m just going to keep plugging ahead towards a new life for all of us here in South Dakota where we’re living!

Eventually all of the trucks pulled into a long dirt driveway and as I passed I took a look at some of the equipment that was being hauled. One of the things was a huge conveyor belt device that I could only imagine would be used for silo unloading. I don’t know what all of the other machines were, or how they are used. Sometimes I fantasize about living on a farm and driving big farm equipment.  But then I think about the old sit-com “Green Acres” and start to chuckle – I don’t think my wife would take kindly to living the farm life at all!

When I run into those people who say that they still do their bill paying by hand, I ask them why they don’t use their bank’s Bill-pay service. Sometimes they say that they don’t have a computer, or Internet service. Those folks tend to be senior citizens, so I can understand that. But the people that are my age or younger, when they say that they don’t own a computer, I really have to wonder why. I don’t get the impression that they are hard up for money. I wonder if they are afraid of computers!

Well, that is, admittedly, one way to Stop Debt Collectors from harassing you – giving out the wrong “can be reached” number! When the telephone call is being made by a real live human being, I don’t mind it too much because I explain that they have reached a wrong number and then they update their records, don’t bother me again. What I DO mind, however, are the collection calls that are dialed by a machine and when I answer the phone I get a recorded message that the call is for so-and-so and if I’m not that person, to hang up.