Everything has a beginning and everything has an end.  Today I want to talk a bit about the beginning of a job hunt, with the obvious conclusion of getting the job.

So, at the start of the job hunt, you are trying to get a job interview (the middle of the hunt) by having an amazing resume.  Most people do not know how to write a resume properly, and the result of this is very few (if any) job interviews.

Instead of just using some sort of resume builder, where you fill in the blanks to make a resume, a tried and tested system or format should be used to maximize your chance of success.

Some effort should be made to learn how to make a resume instead of just "winging it".  You can find many tutorials online or books at the library that discuss how to write a resume step-by-step.

You will find that if you take the time to learn the proper way to make a resume, you will have more interviews, and a better chance of getting a job.

It has been about a year since I watched a program on television that changed my life.  You see, it was a special about what was in dog food and how they made it - and it changed my view on the world.  I was no longer interested in buying store bought food - I would rather give my dog something healthy.

So, at that point all the store bought food went in the garbage.  Thing is, I really didn’t know what I was going to do, but I knew that there had to be alternatives.  I took a trip to the pet store down the street and took a look to see if there was anything that I could make.  I found a cookbook there for homemade dog food that I purchased immediately.

When I got home, I read through the book cover to cover.  I made a grocery list and decided to try some of the recipes out.  The first thing I tried was to make him some dog treats that I could bake in the oven like cookies - and he liked them.

Now, almost a year later, we are still experimenting with different recipes.  But, my dog just loves the food I make and is more healthy since I moved away from store bought food.

Looking through the mail today, there was the usual junk.  Flyers for stores, some deal on used cars, and one piece that was interesting.  The interesting piece of mail was about credit and bill consolidation help.  Why is this interesting?

Well, you see, my in-laws have had a big money problem for some time now.  Unfortunately my father-in-law has been in construction all his life and his body is starting to give out on him.  It is so bad that he is unable to work full days anymore - and their finances have been suffering.

Quite often, you can hear them having fights when you are over to visit, or talking to them on the phone.  Sadly, their burden of debt is affecting their marriage, and I fear if they don’t figure something out, it will be the end of their marriage too.

Reading the flyer I found out that they have a debt negotiation program - where they negotiate to reduce your debt and monthly payments.  I think for my in-laws, they will be especially happy that they offer credit card negotiation services as their cards are all at the limit.

So, next time I see them, I’ll have to give them the flyer.  They have been talking about going bankrupt, but dad is too proud to do that - maybe the solutions presented in the flyer will help them out.

Most of us spend quite a bit of time each day working.  I personally do a lot of typing, reading and writing each and everyday.  That being said, I still need a break from time to time.  What I like to do are crossword puzzles.

Now, over the past few years, I have bought a lot of those crossword books that you can find at many bookstores.  Now, these are okay because you can take them with your everywhere.  The bad thing (in my opinion) is that they are not environmentally friendly - tress die to make these books.

Since I have been more concerned lately about the environment, and the world my children will have to live in, I have tried to find environmentally friendly options.  So, I took my search online to find a solution.  I was amazed to find free online crossword puzzles - that I could do online, without having to ever print them out.

In fact, if you get really good, you can make your own.  Instead of making a big mess on paper trying to make it work, you can use a free crossword puzzle maker to do it online.

Well, I need to get back to work… but if you need a break from your job - take my advice.  Not only will it give you a break, it will give your brain a workout.

I recently found something a little different in my mailbox.  It was an email from a jeweler stating that they were sending out free samplers of loose diamonds to anyone that was interested.  Their goal with the program is to find new customers and the sampler is just an exhibition of their quality.

A couple of weeks after I sent in my application to participate in their program, I received diamonds in the mail.  The note inside the envelope stated that they were sorry that the could not provide the Houston diamonds in the sampler because they were all out.

Instead they provided a generous sample of three San Antonio diamonds for us to checkout.  After a quick examination, we realized that these samples were unique and of high quality. 

If their samples are an indication of their quality, I will definitely become their customer - not becoming their customer would be a bad choice.

It is getting to be that time of year where most of us are making our Christmas lists.  I know that over the past few years, my Christmas list has slowly been changing as my interests change.  This year is no different.  I have asked for some home office furniture.

Now, you might think that my request is a little weird - who would want some mesh office chairs for a present?  Well, I do.  The reason that I have made these requests is that I own a home business - and I could use these gifts to setup an office in my house.

I have also asked for other office furniture such as a desk and file cabinets.  We just recently freed up some space for my office, so I need to fill it up.

So, hopefully Santa will be good to me this year and bring me the presents that I asked for - I have been a good boy after all…

While looking online today for some eulogy samples, I came across some valuable tools (or things you can add to your writing) for writing eulogies.  I thought I would share them here for those of you who are unfortunate enough to have to write one (what I mean is that it is bad that someone died that was close to you - sorry for your loss).

The first resource I came across was a lot of funeral poems.  Now, you can use this poetry to help "spice up" your eulogy, or add to the mood of the room.  Quite a few of them are so beautiful, that it would bring a tear to your eye, or a smile to your face, even in these times of mourning.  Probably in most cases, you would only include one poem in your reading, but for others you may include more than one.  There is a large selection of online resources for poems - check them out.

The second resource I found was eulogy quotes.  Now, these would be used to add some meaning, or reflection on what you had said - or are about to say.  Most of these quotes would be regarding death and are written by famous authors.  These would be a good addition especially if the deceased was fond of books or was an educated person.  Again, these cover a broad range of moods and philosophies, so you should be able to incorporate one into your speech.

It is sad that it takes the death of a person before we will say kind words about them in front of a crowd - but make your eulogy count.  By adding poems and quotes, you can add that added component that will help everyone remember the deceased and their incredible journey through life.

I know that a lot of people that do wedding toast and speeches have some difficulty coming up with a good one.  Part of the problem is that they don’t know what to write, and most of them don’t know what format they should be using.

In fact I was in the same boat.  In a few short weeks, I needed to do one of those Maid of Honor toasts - and I had no idea how to do it.  I tried reading some books from the library to help me out, but none of them really helped me out.

I decided to check online to find some free resources to help with my little problem.  I did find some free wedding toasts that provided the outline I needed - a template for a successful speech.

So, I figure it will take me a couple of days to finish writing the toast and then I will need time to memorize it.  I hope that my best friend will appreciate both the words I say and the time it will take me to do it - I hope it will be a toast that she never forgets.

I was recently diagnosed with a severe back injury.  The only time I was not in agony was when I was sitting in my Lazy Boy recliner at home.  This was good, but there are no Lazy Boy recliners at work.

Having time off from work for my recovery, I took it upon myself to do some research to find to find things that would help me to be more comfortable when I go back to work.  I tried a number of different seat covers - but I had no luck.  Nothing seemed to be working, including myself, who was in just too much pain.

With one last hope, I ordered a Lazy Boy office chair.  I figured if it worked at home, maybe it would work down at the office.  And it did.  I was able to make it through a whole day of work my first day back thanks to the chair.

I think that anyone sitting at a desk all day, injured or not, should have one of these chairs.  Work just doesn’t seem like work anymore.

My grandfather died about twenty years ago, and my grandmother has been living on their pension ever since.  Now, she doesn’t get a lot, but somehow she gets by okay.  We have had some talks about her savings (which amounted to less than fifty thousand dollars) and ways we could make it grow. 

Because of her age (83 at the time of this writing) she really didn’t want to put it anywhere except for a bank account - she grew up learning that the bank was where you should put your money.  So, grandma’s money sat in there - that is until she needed to go to the nursing home.

Now, most of us never consider that we might need some extended health care at some point in time - and this can be a costly mistake.  Needless to say, grandma’s money ran out in less than a year, forcing my parents to foot the bill.

After this experience, I looked online for some blogs regarding our situation.  Seems that we could have bought long term care insurance and averted this financial disaster - but it is too late for us now.

So, if you are elderly, or getting up there, look into some insurance for future health problems and save your family from the financial burden of taking care of you.