I am 50 years old and tired of waiting for it to happen. I've decided to make it happen. By sheer determination and the grace of God I am ending the humdrum and entering the world of possibilities.

My life is filled with great things. My wife and I have endured 28 years of each other and are still in love. Our three boys are all healthy and pursuing their own ambitions, one as a starving architect with his lovely but starving wife, one with six years in the Air Force (now beginning a two year stint studying Sun spots - how exciting!) and the third in his second to last year studying evangelism (he just sent us a picture of his girlfriend).

I have maxed out on points sand am back to zero; I have broken eight ribs through two injuries, three ribs broke sliding into third and the other five when I fell through a floor; I had my nose fixed then smashed then rebuilt; I have six feet of stainless steel wire in my gut holding me together; I've been kicked by horses and almost trampled by bulls; I was crew on a pleasure yacht from Florida to Nantucket; I've made 8,000 gallon batches of Gatorade but am still learning how to cook a steak; I have a BS in Orn. Hort. Landscape Design but couldn't tell you what was a shade plant and what would grow in full Sun; I have an M. Div. and preach every Sunday. I've swum in the Atlantic but never the Pacific; in the Mediterranean but never the Black; in the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea but never the river that ties them together; in a glacier lake where no swimming was aloud but never a natural hot spring. I learned to truly water ski on the Block Island Sound where the troughs were so deep I could not see the boat in front of me. I've skied the Swiss Alps and enjoyed their phlumlivasser (sp?)...

BUT... I've never tried to get published.

I can write poetry on a dime (that is to say about any subject). Let me write something for you. I haven't learned everything about the policies of Helium so will not insert my e-mail. You will be hearing more from me.

My passion is ...

getting my first item published.

I know too much about ...

our tenants medical problems.

My parents always told me ...

my tongue was cut short by the doctor when I was born.

My childhood ambition ...

live on a large estate like my friends.

My favorite memory ...

laying against my horse's belly and pretending it was my mom.

Why I write ...

I find I am understood better than when I speak.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

I am currently listening to "Good to Great", a recorded book by Jim Collins about how good businesses became great.

My first job ...

cleaning horse stalls and exercising the horses at a riding stable.

My best moment ...

obtaining several dozen roses from a friend who ran a greenhouse when I was prepairing to propose.

My inspiration ...

The incredible depth of the Scriptures; the concepts of forgiveness, brotherly love, service and sacrifice are unmatched in any other form of literature.

Jobs & Careers > Getting Ahead Kissing up to your boss is a must if you want to get ahead

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I strongly disagree with 'kissing up' to anyone, including your boss. Realize first of all that when you signed on to the position you metaphorically 'kissed up to your boss'. You sent a message validating everything he has required of you in fulfilling his performance expectations. This is where the 'kissing up' ends. If you were true in your interview all you need to do from this point on is to be yourself. If you embark on a pattern of attempts to 'kiss up' you will be perceived as being a phony. You will not command respect from your subordinates or your director. You will slip i...

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