Sunday, February 26, 2012

Recovery

Time to Rant.
By: DMK 
Writen for SlantedK http://slantedk.blogspot.com/
Follow us on Twitter @slantedk

Tossing the word “Recovery” around at the blistering pace it’s used today, sure seems to indicate the word's  actual meaning is lost.

re•cov•er•y http://www.thefreedictionary.com/recovery
n. pl. re•cov•er•ies
1. The act, process, duration, or an instance of recovering.
2. A return to a normal condition.
3. Something gained or restored in recovering.
4. The act of obtaining usable substances from unusable sources.


  • When Gall Stones required the removal of my gallbladder, the incisions healed, I felt better and my body recovered.
  • My two dogs had a serious fight. Cookie took a terrible wound to the face, rushed to the hospital, $1000.00 of surgery and attention, and the cone of shame around her head for six weeks. When you look at her now there is no sign of the injury. That is a recovery.

What really gets me is the constant assortment of individuals talking of recovery.

This is tax season:

  • I make twelve thousand dollars less than I made three years ago.
  • Fuel costs eighty percent more than it did three years ago. (Is still rising!)
  • For the first time, in thirty years of “working for a living,” no insurance.
  • Food is at least fifty percent higher than three years ago.

Recovery?

I have to park my car so I can afford food.
I have to drive my car to get food.
I have to park my car so I can save money.
I have to drive my car so I can make money.

I have no political affiliation; no one has earned my approval. The gibberish spewed about all the excuses makes me sick. Constantly told why fixes can’t be put in place because of so and so.
We need to take charge. Our soldiers are dying, bleeding, sacrificing for countries that are spinning out of control. This country is spinning out of control.
We need to get our thoughts to the local, state and federal individuals. I am tired of being told that we are recovering.
Missouri has a saying on their license plate.
“The Show Me State.”


Here is an experiment I applied last weekend.
The sink faucet was leaking. I took out a fair amount of paper money and threw it at the leak. I opened a beer and watched the sink recover. At the end of the day, the faucet was still leaking and the money was wet.

Get this, I had to take that same money go to the store buy a good part, drive back home, take the broken part out and replace it with a functioning part. Repair complete, no more leak, huh.

Fix the problem! I know it can’t be done over night, that is no excuse to just leave it.

Don’t tell us about the seventeen committees that are going to plan on how to approach the method that will regulate the way we will give the impression that action will be taken to make a correction concerning the best way to have someone locate a solution to stopping the drip falling from the faucet.


Enough!

Most importantly stop telling me I have to pay more to get the same results.


Just sayin’
DMK
Please Visit SlantedK Emporium


Saturday, February 25, 2012

Got Writer's Block?


We All do, Eh!
By: DMK 
Writen for SlantedK 
Follow on Twitter @slantedk
DMK, Author of From the Ashes, Coming Soon from Solstice Publishing

The worst words to a writer are “Writer’s Block.” I spent four years on my first novel, I know now it was because it was my first novel. In the process, we find out what works, what does not, what a waste of time is and what actually helps us progress in a positive manner.

Is there an iron clad single answer to this mental and emotional block? No, however, there are techniques to continue being productive.

Most important, one must determine that W.B. can and will not develop into an excuse to be non-productive. Excuses grow into a full-blown case of procrastination. Before you know it, weeks have gone by.

Yeah, Dave, way to go captain obvious!

Ok, I know, but as a procrastinator, I share from personal experience. If my next novel takes four years, I will be looking for a new publisher. Personally, I do not care to begin that effort again.




~*~
To the point:


  • When you are writing, do not try to do it “all” while you get your thoughts down. (Edit, story-line, narration descriptions and so on.)
  • Got an idea? Just start typing, don’t think of any of the other stuff. Just type and get your thoughts down. If it is flowing, don’t impede your train of thought. You either will get too tired to continue or as it happens to me the river just stops. “W.B.” Save the document and close it.
  • Each time you do this, make it the end of the document, save it, and close it. (Just title the files in a manner to make sense, ie. Chapter1a, 1b... 
The reason is, when we start all the “other stuff” we have to do to our work, you will not have to search for where you left off.

“The other stuff,” once you begin doing it this way you will begin to stock piling files that “need work.

"Got “Writer’s Block”?

Open one of those files; look at the first paragraph and start editing. Ask yourself, is it necessary to the story; is the flow, good or bad? Adverbs and adjectives, are you using the same descriptions over and over? Make that paragraph flow. Move on to the next.   

~*~

 Before you know it, you have been productive and your novel is progressing. 

For me, I will do that, than an idea will pop in my head. Be it a new way to handle the point I am in, or something completely different for another file. It doesn't matter, the river is flowing again. 

The days I liked most when writing, was those days I could take all those files and start mapping them into a cohesive story.

I found it took the pressure off. It also caused me to cut chapters that I didn’t think fit into the flow. Did I delete them? No! I reviewed and asked myself why I didn’t like them? Then rewrite, or it provided a new foundation for continued chapters in book two, three, or maybe a flash back to tie in another completely different thought.
At first, this aggravated me to no end. However, when the contract came in and I realized I actually had to get the second book lined up and organized I did not panic. I had enough files going in so many directions I had a base to begin organizing for those days of: “Writers Block.”


No matter the method, continue development, tweak it, organize, write, write and write.
On the days you are not writing, read, read marketing, social networking, find “TOP SELLERS,” follow their blogs learn what they are doing and apply what you can to your brand.
It’s all good.
Nothin’ but Love! See at the best seller list.





By: DMK 
Writen for SlantedK 
Follow on Twitter @slantedk
DMK, Author of From the Ashes, Coming Soon from Solstice Publishing


New to SlantedK, up there to the left at the top. SlantedK Emporium!
It is an Amazon Store, use my porthole and you are supporting this blog anytime you make a purchase. 
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR FOLLOWING MY BLOG!
SlantedK Emporium

Friday, February 24, 2012

An Invitation to All Writers


It's Time to Stop Procrastinating about Writing Your Book
Guest Author @ SlantedK 
Follow on Twitter @slantedk

Hi All,
My name is Rita Emmet, and on Monday, March 15, I'll offer a free TeleClass called "It's Time to Stop Procrastinating about Writing Your Book". This class is for you if you have wanted to write your book forever, but just can't get started.

I used to be a Great Procrastinator, I converted and now am a "Recovering Procrastinator". So trust me, I do know how you feel. In that TeleClass, I will share tips and strategies to help you figure out how to get going on your best-selling book.

They asked me to teach this class because my first book, The Procrastinator's Handbook, sold 100,000 copies in its first year, and now my four published books are in 32 countries.

If you've never tried a TeleClass, they are terrific. You don't have to worry about driving or finding a parking space or finding the meeting room. You can take the class (offered by Global TeleClass) while on the phone in the comfort of your home while wearing your jammies and fuzzy-bunny slippers.

In addition to my class, Global TeleClass is offering a ton of very cool classes under the categories of Health, Personal Development or Sales & Marketing. You'll see my name listed under Personal Development. I have taken some of these classes in all 3 categories and they were excellent. Try one.

If you aren't interested in writing a book, then try one of the others. I think you will enjoy them. AND they are free!




Click on the following link or copy and paste it into your web-browser:

http://www.globalteleclass.com 

Remember, these classes are being offered at no cost to you and you can
participate from the comfort of your home and convenience of your telephone. If you have questions, I'm at  REmmett412@aol.com

Register today!

http://www.globalteleclass.com 

To your success,

Rita Emmett

***************************************************************
Rita Emmett - Recovering Procrastinator & Professional Speaker

Author of THE PROCRASTINATOR'S HANDBOOK;
MANAGE YOUR TIME TO REDUCE YOUR STRESS:
A Handbook for the Overworked, Overscheduled, and Overwhelmed
and THE CLUTTER-BUSTING HANDBOOK:

PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER: Keynotes & Seminars to Increase Productivity & Conquer Procrastination; also strategies to Prevent Burnout such as "While You Take Care of Others, Who Takes Care of You?" and "Are We Having Any Fun Yet?"http://www.ritaemmett.com
Phone: 847-699-9950

No trees were destroyed in the sending of this message,
but a significant number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.


Thursday, February 23, 2012

Writing in Third Person


Writers Point of View
Guest Author @ SlantedK 
Follow us on Twitter @slantedk
About, Don. 

Don is a writer of murder mystery fiction and shares with us today a Writers Point of View in the world of POV technique.

Thank You for visiting SlantedK

~*~

Of course, with all writing tasks you must pick the point of view that’s comfortable for you, and the one that fits your story. The simplest, and  perhaps the best, is to write in third person and past tense. You get to play God. You know what the characters are thinking. You don’t need an excuse to be present, you are just there.

Do remember that simple past tense becomes present tense in book time. “She went to the store.” Is what is happening now. For things that happened yesterday, actions that are already completed, we need the past perfect tense. “She had gone to the store yesterday. Perhaps the greatest advantage of writing in third person is that you know all of your characters motives.




You’re familiar with the exhortation, “Do as I say, not as I do.”
I write in first person because it fits my books. My viewpoint character is an Alaskan bush pilot, a job that I did for many years.  It may be that all writing is autobiographical but I do try not to abuse that principle.  

If you’re writing in first person you need an excuse to be where the action is.  That comes naturally for me because the characters in the books are charter customers.  You do have to be careful not to brag.  Start as few sentences as possible with I.  Don’t say, “I started the car.”  Say, “The car started instantly.”

You also have to be careful not to say things you cannot know, such as another person’s thoughts.  You have to be devious.  “From George's expression I guessed he was thinking about body guarding Sally.”   The other characters have to be the heroes, think Doctor Watson writing about Sherlock Holmes.  Their back-stories come out in dialogue, brilliant scintillating dialogue, of course.

A few years ago there were several web sites for beginning writers, perhaps there still are, but the ones I knew, like Fat Brain for instance either died or stopped taking fiction.  One of the big publishers sponsored one of those sites.  The idea was that your work was reviewed by contemporaries who then rate it with a number of stars.  If you get enough five-star ratings, an editor from the publisher will go over your work with the possibility of publication.
I got the requisite number of stars and the company editor was supposed to look at my book.  But, before he even started, without reading it, he said, “First we have to change it to third person.”  I told him to buzz off, and shortly afterward, the site was cancelled, but that does tell you how pervasive the third person point of view is.

By Don Porter
Don’s Latest Release All That Glisters 

~*~

Please feel free to comment and discuss, the community is important we hope that there is a piece of wisdom that will help you in your journey.

In the next writer POV I will discuss a way of combating writers block.

Thank You and Have a Great Day
                              Writers Point of View
Guest Author @ SlantedK 
Follow us on Twitter @slantedk
About, Don.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Thirty Years of First Days

Today 2.22.2012 is a very special day.
By DMK

Thirty Years Past, a shy girl said yes to a date, innocence golden.
First Movie - Ghost Story
First New Years - Bowling
First Concert - Journey. (Front row center!)
First Kiss - Sweet!
~*~
The Year Nineteen and Eighty-Six; the month February, the Chicago Bears held the trophy high.
A couple weeks later
February Twenty-Two.
The proclamation, made before friends many. 
“You may kiss the bride.”
A friend became my wife.
A tear on her cheek, a gentle wipe 
and a smile that can melt the cold of a February Day.
Kiss we did.
~*~
The sands of time passed as if only yesterday.
Hand in hand we stood.
A friend, my wife, a new mother, closer we grew.
Two infants anew, men they have become in a blink of an eye.
Hand in hand we stood.
The cry of a newborn.
The breath of life and the smile of pure innocence.
Hand in hand we stand, Grandparents we are.
~*~
I raise my glass to the sky.
A toast to Susan, hand in hand we face another first day.
Happy Twenty-Sixth Anniversary my Dear Suzi Q!

Thank You DMK Owner of SlantedK  http://slantedk.blogspot.com/
David is also the Author of "From the Ashes," 
Coming soon from Solstice Publishing

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Less Chaos at Home


12 Tips to Have Less Chaos at Home

excerpt from Chapter 8: "Clutter Busting" in
Guest Author @  http://slantedk.blogspot.com  
Follow on Twitter @slantedk
 

1.    Have company over once in a while so the house gets cleaned.
2.    Pay bills, fold laundry, sort through catalogues and magazines, and so forth during TV commercials or
3.    Tidy up during commercials.
4.    When de-cluttering a room, start at the doorway and go right or left. Then if you’re interrupted, you can see where you stopped.
5.    Don’t de-clutter and clean the same day. You might keel over, poor thing.
6.    Keep all your house information (insurance, warrantees, receipts, directions to program VCR) together in a file, binder, drawer, desk, box or paper bag.
7.    Never climb stairs empty-handed as long as there’s something that should be taken upstairs.
8.    Never leave a room empty-handed until the only things in the room are ones that belong there.
9.    Glance over your left shoulder every time you leave a room. Pick up the clutter you spot and take it with you.
10. Learn to delegate.
11. Learn to ignore. Relationships are more important than chasing dust bunnies.
12. Hire someone to clean your house even if it’s only once in a great while.



To subscribe to her free monthly “Anticrastination Tip Sheet” with quick short tips & ideas to help break the procrastination habit, go to the first page of her website  www.RitaEmmett.com

Your Comments are welcome and appreciated. If anything on this blog is worthy of sharing, please do so. One can never imagine how people can be touched.

Thank You, DMK  Owner of SlantedK  
David is also the Author of "From the Ashes," Coming soon from Solstice Publishing
Follow on Twitter @slantedk

Monday, February 20, 2012

Developing Your Brand


Developing Your Brand in the World of Social Networking.
By DMK 
Author of, From the Ashes, Coming Soon from Solstice Publishing.
Related Topic: Growing Your FanBase
Follow on Twitter @slantedk
Technical Support available @ The 3rd Party Alliance Media Group

Many tips have come my way in this journey. Some of you may or may not know that I recently I contracted with Solstice Publishing for my book, From the Ashes.

This has opened a new world to me, I thought, I arrived, I did it, truth is, it is just another door I walked through. It is another place where I will need to work just as hard as I have to get to this point.
I have no intention of gloating, those who went before me shared their trials, tribulations and successes to keep me going. I simply owe it to them to pay it forward.




Recently, Melissa Miller CEO of Solstice Publishing  provided some insight to a group of us.
Here are some tidbits concerning marketing:

“First thing to know and understand is that times have changed. Unless you are famous and well known, you probably aren't going to sell many paperback books. You need to focus on ebooks. Ebooks is the way the world is changing and I've read recently that schools are now buying kindles and Ipads for school lessons and eliminating paper text books. This is another example of times changing.

 “Do I think that paperback books will be gone someday, No. Most likely they will be around forever for those ex-presidents, senators, Stephen King, James Patterson etc.

“You need to be branding your name, not focusing on selling a book. The book sales will come in their own time. People want to believe they know the author. They want to say I just bought a book from ------ and they are also one of my friends on twitter or facebook.”

This next statement is oh so true:

“People are mean. LOL. So, if you are going to get upset at a bad review then you are in the wrong business. You have to be thick skinned in this business. Customers leave bad reviews all the time. It makes them feel better somehow to rip somebody else apart. Plus, I think they get a refund or something if they do. A good example: Twilight got several bad reviews and it's now a multibillion dollar movie franchise. So read the review and laugh it off. Then move on. Don't dwell on it and don't let it get you down. No matter how perfectly edited your book is you will find a review saying how horrible the editing is. You could pay the best editor on the planet to edit your book for 5 years and then put it up for sale and I guarantee that somebody will leave a review saying the editing is horrible. LOL Don't let it bother you.”
By Melissa Miller, CEO of Solstice Publishing 

If you are working towards the goal of getting published there is a way to get your book out there in eBook format. You own the rights and it allows you begin building your brand.
Smashwords.com do the research, there are many places to go and get rolling.


"If you believe in what you are doing, then let nothing hold you up in your work. Much of the best work of the world has been done against seeming impossibilities. The thing is to get the work done."
-Dale Carnegie

 “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
― Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends & Influence People

That last quote is the very foundation of developing your brand in the world of Social Networking.
Have a Great Day,
Thank you so much for following SlantedK
Technical Support available @ The 3rd Party Alliance Media Group 


Sunday, February 19, 2012

SlantedK Book of the Week

$10.95 on sale now
50% off only $5.50

The Procrastinating Child: A Handbook For Adults To Help Children Stop Putting Things Off

  • Was the first book published totally devoted to helping children stop procrastinating
  • Includes true stories and strategies-that-work from some of the 673 people that Rita interviewed about children who procrastinate
  • Helps parents learn how to work as a team with children to coach them out of the putting-off habit
  • Teaches a simple, quick strategy to take the STING out of feeling overwhelmed
  • Has been used as a fundraiser at grade and high schools and combined with the first book, is published in over 32 countries

Rita is a guest author with SlantedK and is a very dear friend.
Our business is all about helping others, we can not succeed without helping others succeed.
Spread the word if you feel SlantedK has anything to offer.
We look forward to Comments and Suggestions.
Follow SlantedK @ Twitter - @slantedk 
Support this Blog by visiting my affiliates. Thank You.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Growing Your Fan Base


The Little Things Add Up
By DMK 
For SlantedK 
Author of, From the Ashes, Coming Soon from Solstice Publishing.
Follow DMK at Twitter @slantedk
Technical Support available @ The 3rd Party Alliance Media Group 

Marketing, publicity, growing a fan base, these words are all too familiar.

It will at times have a dollar sign attached to it, buy this and explode your exposure. Well, I’m not here to pick on that industry, just looking to share small bits of information some may know and some may not. In your marketing arsenal each little tweak can bring new and improved results.

Everyone recognizes the “Like” button spread across everything we read on the web. How many know about the Google Like button, a like button that has more horsepower?
Recognize this button?



From the article Google +1 
The +1 button lets you start great conversations. When you click +1 you're publicly recommending pages across the web. You can also use +1 to share with the right circles on Google+. +1’s can help improve Google Search  too, since you can see which pages your social connections have +1'd right beneath search results and ads.

The +1 button can appear in a variety of places, both on Google and on sites across the web. For example, you might see a +1 button next to a Google search result, Google ad, or article you're reading on your favorite news site. Read the Complete Article Google +1 

Traffic and Fans go hand in hand. Got any tips or suggestions feel free to comment.
Have a Grand Day. DMK

The Little Things Add Up
By DMK 
For SlantedK 
Author of, From the Ashes, Coming Soon from Solstice Publishing.



Friday, February 17, 2012

Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis is Not a Losing Battle pt5.



Begin Collecting the Little Victories
Author of, From the Ashes, Coming Soon from Solstice Publishing.
View pt1  pt2  pt3  pt4 
About the Author
Follow DMK at Twitter @slantedk
Installment #5:
My goal is to inspire and inform, concerning this disease. Education is the way my wife Susan has made positive changes in her efforts to overcome. Thank You for following this series. DMK

Resources, last week I gave you a website you could explore, today it is a magazine. ArthritisToday.

Here is an article to review:
By Donna Rae Siegfried 

Early on, I shared briefly how I started the ball rolling for Sue’s battle. I located an experimental drug program at the University of Arizona. Surfing the web I came across a program seeking subjects at the many different stages of RA.
It wasn’t an easy hurdle, I take you back to the morning we were going to the first visit/interview. Sue was crying, she looked at me, “I can’t lift my arms, I can’t even get dressed.” She looked so sad, it broke my heart.

I committed before that point, that we were in this together and I meant it. I helped her get dressed, I brushed her hair and we made it to the appointment.

I would like to tell you that from that point on it was all smooth sailing. No, it continued to be a battle, there were requirements to qualify for the program. Even though she had failed every medication needed to qualify, she was not currently on one certain drug required. That was how close we were. The only reason she wasn’t on it, was because we were new to Tucson, unemployed and without insurance.

Oscar, he was our contact at UofA and eventually became Sue’s angel. Sue again broke down; Oscar put his hand on her shoulder and assured her, "we will find a way".

I stop here to advise those of you on this similar journey. Your doctor and or nurse are so very important. Do not be afraid to get more opinions, or switch doctors, if you are not getting the care you should be getting. This is no slam on doctors; however, there was one that actually thought that Sue was imagining her pain. You do not have to commit to a situation that is not helping you progress.

Oscar gave us some contacts we had to follow through on and we did. One paid off and Sue began the medication regiment she needed to qualify.

The reason I do not share the specific drug is that as I have stated before and must again, it is different for every patient. The stories are similar, the journey mirrored, the drugs are different.

The takeaway of today’s entry is that you need to take control. 

I can’t emphasize that enough, you must take control. I don’t mean to tell your doctor what to do, I mean research, educate yourself, and if your doctor is unaware or not in any way following the latest treatments available or just shrugs them off and tells you “that isn’t for you,” move on, seek other opinions, do not be afraid of hurting that doctor’s feelings.

This is your body, your life, your battle, take control and begin collecting the little victories.
Have a Great Day. DMK
Begin Collecting the Little Victories
By DMK 
Author of, From the Ashes, Coming Soon from Solstice Publishing.
View pt1  pt2  and pt3  and pt4 
About the Author

Please support this blog by visiting my affiliates or the donate button on the left of this blog.
Thank You For Stopping By.


Thursday, February 16, 2012

PROCRASTINATOR'S CREED


Tongue & Cheek

(quoted in The Procrastinator's Handbook
by Rita Emmett)

Guest Author Rita 

Rita is a Professional Speaker and brings a great personality to her messages. Thank You for Stopping in Today. DMK

     1. I believe that if anything is worth doing, it would have been done already.

     2. I shall never move quickly, except to avoid more work or find excuses.

     3. I will never rush into a job without a lifetime of consideration.

     4. I shall meet all of my deadlines directly in proportion to the amount of bodily injury I could expect to receive from missing them.

     5. I firmly believe that tomorrow holds the possibility for new technologies, astounding discoveries, and a reprieve from my obligations.

     6. I truly believe that all deadlines are unreasonable regardless of the amount of time given.

     7. If at first I don't succeed, there is always next year.

     8. I shall always decide not to decide, unless of course I decide to change my mind.

     9. I shall always begin, start, initiate, take the first step, and/or write the first word, when I get around to it.

     10. I will never put off tomorrow, what I can forget about forever.

       Rita Emmett is a "Recovering Procrastinator", a Professional Speaker, and best-selling author of The Procrastinator’s Handbook;  and The Clutter-Busting Handbook.
For more articles on this subject, go to www.RitaEmmett.com

      To subscribe to her free monthly “Anticrastination Tip Sheet” with quick short tips & ideas to help break the procrastination habit, go to the first page of her website  www.RitaEmmett.com

Your Comments are welcome and appreciated. If anything on this blog is worthy of sharing, please do so. One can never imagine how people can be touched.
Thank You DMK Owner of SlantedK
David is also the Author of "From the Ashes", Coming soon from Solstice Publishing

Please Support this Blog by visiting any of the affiliates throughout this Blog.





Monday, February 13, 2012

The World of Parenthood pt4



Parenthood 4.0
The Flipside of a One Sided Coin.

By DMK
View pt1 
& pt2  &  pt3
Follow DMK at Twitter @slantedk


“Hey, Dad, ya got twenty bucks, I’m going out tonight and the car needs fuel?”
“Yup, I got Twenty bucks and I didn’t know you had a car.”
“I mean your car needs fuel.”
Didn't even lift my head for that one - just wait for it. The child stands there, hesitating, pondering.
“Well, Dad.”
“Well what?”
“The car needs gas and I’m going out.”
“Ok.”
“What about the twenty bucks?”
“What about it? You asked if had twenty bucks, you did not ask if I wanted to give it to you. The way you may have wanted to approach it is, Dad, do you have twenty dollars you do not want anymore?”
“Huh?”
“Look at it this way. I make seventeen dollars an hour, after the government takes their fair share I need to work nearly an hour and twenty minutes to have twenty bucks in my pocket. Let’s say you put in two hours of work here at the house and we can consider a financial transaction.”
“Ah, never mind, I will get a ride.”

Plant the seeds continuously and have fun with it. The kids have more than enough fertilizer.
The next time there is a desire for a financial contribution they may do something first, yeah, keep trying anyway.

Enjoy some Parenthood quotes from those who have walked before us:
·         “What a kid I got, I told him about the birds and the bees and he told me about the butcher and my wife.” ― Rodney Dangerfield
·         “We may not be able to prepare the future for our children, but we can at least prepare our children for the future.” ― Franklin D. Roosevelt
·         “All of us have moments in our lives that test our courage. Taking children into a house with a white carpet is one of them.” ― Erma Bombeck
·         “You know your children are growing up when they stop asking you where they came from and refuse to tell you where they're going.” ― P.J. O'Rourke
·         “Oh, brothers and sisters, families can be forever! Do not let the lures [or the irritants] of the moment draw you away from them! Divinity, eternity, and family--they go together, hand in hand, and so must we!” ― Spencer W. Kimball
·         “I have that hypocrisy of a parent in that I'm like,'Come on, you've got to toughen up at the same time let me take care of that for you.” ― Craig Ferguson
·         The best brought-up children are those who have seen their parents as they are. Hypocrisy is not the parents' first duty. - George Bernard Shaw
·         To become a father is not hard, to be a father is, however. - Wilhelm Busch
·         The first half of our lives is ruined by our parents and the second half by our children. - Clarence S. Darrow


The Goal
• To share that we are not alone.
• To educate through experience, those who follow.
• To learn from those who have walked ahead of me.

Have a Great Day, Share the Love.
Parenthood 4.0
The Flipside of a One Sided Coin.

By DMK
View pt1 
pt2  &  pt3 






Sunday, February 12, 2012

SlantedK Book of the Week


Murder Pro Bono


The Family is a group of homeless people living under a bridge in Honolulu. When they discover a murder victim, Dick and George of the Payne and Clark Detective Agency reluctantly agree to take on the case pro bono and clear them of suspicion.
But, where is the money belt and the hundred thousand dollars the corpse was wearing? Who are the men in long black Cadillacs suddenly following Dick and George? When the family disappears, Lt. Cochran of the Honolulu police wants to arrest Dick and George for hiding them.
Maggie the receptionist is on the trail of the family when another horribly brutal murder is discovered, this one apparently committed by the family, so Maggie is in danger. Then Family takes on a whole new meaning when the Mafia gets involved and threatens Dick and George with slow painful deaths.
They chase bad guys, and now six million dollars, from Las Vegas to Guam.

Don is a guest contributor to SlantedK and it is an honor to know him.
Go to Don's website for ordering information and autographed copies.

Gift Ideas,Gift Ideas, how about an autographed copy of any book by SlantedK authors. Just follow the profile pages to any and all their Information.

Thank You for following SlantedK, and Have a Great Day.



Friday, February 10, 2012

Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis is Not a Losing Battle pt4.



Spreading the Word
By DMK 
View pt1  or pt2  and pt3 
Follow DMK at Twitter @slantedk
Installment #4:
My goal is to inspire and inform, concerning this disease. Education is the way my wife Susan has made positive changes in her efforts to overcome. Thank You for following this series. DMK

Welcome and Happy Friday, eh.

I am changing it up today, I felt it is a good time to point Ya’ll to Patient and Caregiver Resources. Yup, a day off from my tales of RA.

Today I am going to direct you to two other individuals Sue and I have met in our battle with RA. During the trial, Sue made many friends, when I was included in the Advocate Program; I was privileged to meet Julie and Hal also. I must say I miss them. Need to go to Florida and say, hey, I guess.

Before the screams roll out about pushing a certain product, this is not the case. I have clearly stated previously and repeat now that each medication works different for each individual.

The actual medication you end up on, will be determined between you and your physician. 

Remember education is the key; I share that which I have personally experienced.

I hope you were encouraged by my friends.

If you follow this link Actemra, there are additional informational tools. 

Feel free to comment or contact me if you have any questions, stories or anything - dmkarder@gmail.com

Have an outstanding Weekend.

Shameless advertising moment: By clicking on any affiliate on my blog to simply see what there is, helps support this blog. No purchase is required.
Nothing but Love, eh J
Spreading the Word
By DMK 
View pt1  or pt2  and pt3 





Thursday, February 9, 2012

The World of Parenthood pt3



Parenthood 3.0
Falling Up Three Flights of Stairs.
By DMK
Web DMKarder 
View pt1 & pt2

The Goal
• To share that we are not alone.
• To educate through experience, those who follow.
• To learn from those who have walked ahead of me.

With the event of becoming a Grandfather, I am taking more and more time to evaluate my first days of parenthood. I watch the parents of my dear grandchild, attempting not to interfere with the critical process of learning. However, is it not important to learn from those who have walked the walk? An interesting time indeed, when we were there, we learned on the fly. I would love to have known then, what I know now.
The days come and go. 

Here is a snap shot of a certain song by Zeppelin:
"Good Times Bad Times"
In the days of my youth, I was told what it means to be a man,
Now I've reached that age, I've tried to do all those things the best I can.
No matter how I try, I find my way into the same old jam.

Good Times, Bad Times, you know I had my share…

What I do know is that in this time in history, it is the most difficult time to raise a child. To observe their struggle to understand what they face, we need to look at what is happening today verses what life was like when we walked in their shoes. What pressures are there today?

(AP)  WASHINGTON — Squeezed by a tight job market, young Americans are especially struggling. They have suffered bigger income losses than other age groups and are less likely to be employed than at any time since World War II. Full Story and Stats

The opening paragraph really sums it up; now add the costs of daycare.


Childcare for babies and toddlers
While your child is in the baby and toddler stages, you'll pay more. That's because kids this age need more hands-on care and so the center must hire more caregivers. The average cost of center-based daycare in the United States is $11,666 per year ($972 a month), but prices range from $3,582 to $18,773 a year ($300 to $1,564 monthly), according to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA). Parents report higher costs – up to $2,000 a month for infant care – in cities like Boston and San Francisco. View Full Story

Shocking, one could find themselves working and making just enough to pay for daycare so they can work.

Great, Dave, where ya going with this?
Good question, it is obvious I find myself asking the same thing. 
I begin writing and let it go where it may. Yes, a therapy for myself, a method of exploration and maybe, possibly, answer my original question. More times than not, it opens more doors to more questions. Life is interesting, “the more I learn the less I know.” Socrates

I ponder a closing and I find myself at the phrase that started this observation.
Falling up three flights of stairs.
A topic recently covered, Unconditional Love.

Does that answer anything? Yes and no, I hear the answer, yet I am not at ease, aggravated yes. 
Round and round we go. We as longtime parents have deep insights, the library of knowledge is there, what to do with it, oh, what to do with it?

I will explore and share one little victory at a time.

Two days ago, the two month milestone for little Keleigh, today the twenty-third year milestone for papa Ken.

I look forward to your comments and knowledge.

Have a Great Day.
The Goal
• To share that we are not alone.
• To educate through experience, those who follow.
• To learn from those who have walked ahead of me.

Parenthood 3.0
Falling Up Three Flights of Stairs.
By DMK
Web DMKarder 
View pt1 pt2