Holiday #14: Your Husband Needs This Mug

My husband will do just about anything I ask because he loves me. When he thinks it will help me sell books, he does it because of the previous reason and because he knows the importance of promotion.

This mug was designed for women like me to give to the wonderful, supportive men we married. An open book graphic is the background for the bold words that proclaim: Ask me about my wife's book.

Great design on a cup that will be used every day at the office. And a great stocking stuffer.

Takeaway Truth

The best promotion is that which will actually be used daily because it will be remembered.

Shutter Savvy

I own rental property. One house in particular has those rolling steel shutters over the back windows. In Texas, where we have some humdinger storms, shutters are wonderful. These are - when they work. I've spent a few hundred bucks having those darn things serviced. That's an expense I don't want next year so I'm looking at low-tech alternatives.

I'd like something that you could close in order to protect the windows during storms, and I'd like it to be maintenance free. You're probably thinking, no way, right? Wrong! I found vinyl shutters at LarsonShutter.com that fit the bill.

The ones I'm looking at aren't your ordinary decorative exterior shutters. You can get a kit that makes them operational. LarsonShutter has one of the best selections I've seen of decorative shutters. But the fact that I can make them functional is exactly what I was looking for. With free shipping on orders placed this year, I think I can solve my shutter problem.

Takeaway Truth

Low-tech and good-looking beats high-tech and ugly in my book.

Holiday #13: Alpha Smart

I've owned an AlphaSmart 3000 for years.

I've lugged it all over the country, piled books and papers on it, and generally abused it. It still works beautifully and, amazingly, on double AA batteries. I've never had it die on me or crash. It's so lightweight I can drop it into my purse and always have it ready for long hours spent in various waiting rooms or smaller segments of time when I'm waiting for my daughter to pick the shoes she wants. I don't kill time because, for me, time is money.

My Alpha powers down automatically if I forget to turn it off. A USB cable dumps what I wrote into my computer. In general, it's one of the best things I've ever bought so I highly recommend them as a perfect holiday gift for yourself or a loved one who writes.

Today, there's the NEO and the Dana which you'll find on the website. The prices are a bit higher than what I paid for my 3000 but still less than the cost of a standard laptop. Of course, they have more bells and whistles than my 3000.

If you're looking for a bargain, try eBay where you can find some older AlphaSmarts like mine as low as 66.00 and lower prices on the newer products too.

Takeaway Truth

How can you kill time without wounding infinity? (I didn't originate that. Do you know who did?)

Single Sentence Novel

This was in my Publishers Lunch report last week. Read this then tell me if your reaction was also, well, WTF.

Mathias Enard's ZONE, A 500-page, single-sentence French novel, with Charlotte Mandell translating, to Open Letter, for publication in summer 2010, by Actes Sud.

I wonder if it's grammatically correct? I'll never know because I won't buy it. Why? I don't think a single-sentence French novel can be the kind of book I'd find a page turner. I'd probably fall asleep counting the commas.

Takeaway Truth

Like Sly and the Family Stone sang: "Different strokes for different folks."

Matchmaking for Entrepreneurs

I'm getting tired of hearing about our declining economy. Here in Texas, where most major cities have economies tied to oil and gas and the products made from them, the news hasn't been good. I just hate to hear about layoffs that always seem to come at Christmas.

Better Way

A lot of people think there has to be a better way to make a living than being tied to the fortunes of a corporation. Many dream of being their own boss. As a writer, I've been my own boss for more than 20 years. I'm so irascible I probably couldn't be anyone's employee. I don't know that I'd recommend anyone looking for self-employment to try writing, but there are other opportunities that might work for someone who dreams of being his or her own boss.

My Franchise Path

Starting a franchise business is one way. According to a business article I read, franchise fees are dropping along with the rest of the economy. If you ever thought of doing this, I found a website that matches people to their best franchise opportunity. They're kind of matchmakers for entrepreneurs.

At this site, you can search by industry or by investment amount. Each listing gives you the cash requirements and investment range so you know in advance if it fits your budget.

Due Diligence

In addition to offering free consultation, the site has articles you can read to educate yourself about what you're getting into. You must, of course, do your own due diligence to make sure you know what you're doing, including any risks involved.

I didn't know it, but a dry cleaning franchise is apparently the easiest way to own your own business because it has a very low start-up cost. That probably explains why every corner seems to have a dry cleaners in my neighborhood, and they all seem to be successful.

The site is a franchise broker with experienced people you can use to find the best opportunity, based on your individual profile, for you. And, like I said, it's free consultation.

Takeaway Truth

I love being self-employed, but it isn't for everyone. However, if it's something you dream about, research the business that interests you.

Remembrance Is Good

Quote of the Week

Mary Astor in A Life on Film, 1967, said: "A person without a memory is either a child or an amnesiac. A country without a memory is neither a child nor an amnesiac, but neither is it a country."

December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, according to then-president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Hardly anyone under the age of 50 knows the date, and many don't know why it should be infamous. Is our educational system in this country at fault? Or does the climate of political correctness demand that we not call attention to our past history because it might embarrass our present allies?

Who Are We - What Are We

If we have become a nation that does not, or can not remember, what then does that make us? Are we a country? Or are we just millions of people with rapidly eroding common bonds?

Don't get me wrong. My point is not about spurning the Japanese. I lived in Japan for many years, and I am completely sympatico with them. They were my neighbors, and they're my friends. They're fine people. My point is all about accepting history as truth. Our nation doesn't need to slide down that slippery slope of whitewashing the past or worse, reinventing it.

This Above All Things

Great nations deal honestly with the past - warts and all. Trying to pretend something didn't happen is a good for little more than creating distrust. Just ask the Native Americans or the African Americans or the Japanese who were interred at Manzanar.

A famous American poet and philosopher, George Santayana, said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." I don't want to repeat it. Not Pearl Harbor. Not 9/11. Not any of the awful tragedies.

Where Are We Headed

I fear that in twenty or thirty years kids won't know why September 11 is significant. History is important. Kids need to learn it - so do their parents probably. Curriculums need to be enhanced, and scholastic requirements toughened.

Maybe we should put it all in a video game.

Takeaway Truth

In remembrance of Pearl Harbor.

Holiday Gift#12: Give an Adventure

Have I got a gift for you!

Remember adventures? Sure, it's probably been a long time since you climbed out of the rut and took time away from the rat race, but I bet you haven't forgotten the thrill of exploring different places, gazing out on a landscape that looks like a picture postcard, and smelling air untainted by car exhaust and urban life.

Great Gift

Adventures. Yes, those magical times that quicken your step and make you feel as if you've got the vitality and motivation to tackle anything. There's no better gift to give someone this holiday season than the gift of adventure.

Now, you don't need to buy a gift certificate for a Sherpa's services on the next K2 assault. Besides, I don't know where you'd go to purchase something like that. I mean, Sierra Adventure Gear, my holiday gift suggestion for this evening, has just about everything you'd need to undertake any adventure, but even they don't have that kind of gift card.

Easy to Shop

Anything else? Sierra Adventure Gear has got you covered from backpacks to camping gear to watches and everything in between. GPS? Of course. Headlamps, knives, tools, tents, and so much more.

The neat thing about the site is that you can search by department i.e. Bags and Backpacks or by brand for instance Luminox if you're looking for a Navy Seal Dive Watch.

You can find a gift in your price range plus if you order $75.00 or more, you get free shipping. Maybe you can give that tent that will help you take the long-talked-about camping trip? Or new sleeping bags for you and your happy camper.

Takeaway Truth

Break your routine. Try something different. Get in touch with mother earth and her beauty. That's what an adventure is all about.