Today I had to endure a little embarrassment. Not much a big deal, or so you might think… but sometimes the smallest details convey the wrongest impression, out there in the business world. Well, to put it simply I met a group of potential customers for lunch – they were referred by a mutual friend – and while the conversation developed rather smoothly, I felt at loss when I had to write them my contact on a napkin. Yup… you’ve guessed right, I’d just run out of business cards.

Since scribbling my contacts on napkins is not something I want to keep doing, I decided to take measures to make sure something like this won’t happen again. So I looked up business cards online in Google, and came across this company which sells good-looking cards for a really competitive price (much lower than what I’m used to pay, at least). Needless to say, I’m going all out and ordering a few thousand business cards, as to make sure I won’t run out anytime soon.

It was during family brunch today that the realization dawned: it’s only a couple of months to Halloween. And since our family takes the wicked evening quite seriously, this is about the right time we start getting prepared. Okay, I’m obviously not going to start carving pumpkins just yet, but you know how it goes with halloween costumes … it’s better to get an early start. That way you get time to come up with a nice costume, and it’s generally a lot less expensive: those costumes tend to get quite heavily priced in the last couple of weeks before Halloween.

As it goes, I was lucky to notice one of my blogger friends had just sent a tweet last evening about this cool site that’s offering free shipping on costumes, for anyone who uses the promo code “pppfree” while checking out their orders. So I guess I might as well take advantage of that offer and save some bucks, right? If you’d like to see the website I’m talking about, it’s the one I linked up there. It’s actually a classy little spot, with a good variety of costumes. In case you’re wondering, yes, I also enjoy dressing up in Halloween! Everyone in my home does, I’m really not joking when I say it’s one of our favorite holidays. I’m still not sure what my costume is going to be this year, but I’m sure something interesting will cross my mind, soon enough. Oh well, let’s wait and see.

I told you before about some suggestions for great family fun, but of course when it comes to family vacations, la créme de la créme is of course going out to Disney World! Even though there are nowadays so many different kinds of cartoons out there, I’m confident to say that Disney Cartoons still occupy a central roles in both the hearts of my own generation, as well as the hearts of modern age kids. There’s just something magical about characters such as Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Pluto, Uncle Scrooge, Donald, Daisy, Chip and Dale… and fortunately, I think that’s something that won’t easily fade away from our collective imaginary.

Do you know what my favorite Disney cartoon is? Uncle Scrooge, of course! It used to be Mickey Mouse when I was a kind – in fact I wasn’t that fond of old Scrooge McDuck back then, not until they came up with that 80’s TV show DuckTales. My older kid used to watch that show all the time, and actually I must admit I also enjoyed those adventures. Also, a few years later in the 90’s I read this amazing book by Don Rosa called “The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck”, and from then on the impression remained consistent, of what an amazing character he really is.

I will never forget how after reading that book I just got this unabashed urge to take my family to Disney World. For a bunch of years my kids had been pestering me about that, and finally the time came when it was actually myself who decided to surprise everyone and take them on a family cruise over to Florida. And what a ride that was! I was so excited from reading the Don Rosa anthology that I kept my children about the origins of the richest duck in the world. Up until then, I had thought he was just a pauper duck, but that single graphic novel showed me there’s really so much more to this unique character.

Anyway, going to Disney World and shaking hands with Uncle Scrooge was really an amazing experience (I clearly remember how my children’s eyes were twinkling with excitement, the first time we spotted the old tycoon). All in all that was probably the single best family vacations I’ve ever had, and just from relieving these memories, I cannot help but to urge you to go ahead and get yourself some Disney World Tickets. Life doesn’t last forever you know, and we ought to learn how to take the best of it as we go along!

So you’re looking for a fun idea for family vacations? Consider this: Wildwood Vacation. If you haven’t heard about Morey’s Piers in New Jersey, you should know it’s THE single hot spot for a New Jersey family getaway. I was there last year, and it turned out to be a great time! They always hold this Radio Disney Summer Concert Series – which is great because it’s FREE and it features some of the top Disney artists, meaning it’s great for the kids as well as your wallet. Also, finding inexpensive Wildwood new jersey motels is actually simple enough! Just take a look around their new website if you’re curious about the whole thing. Go out with your family, and have lots of fun!

You know… ever since I started using the Internet (way over more than a decade ago), I simultaneously stopped using the TV-set. If I was on my own, I’d probably not even have a television in my household… but since I’m a family guy (and particularly since my wife and kids are still old-fashioned TV junkies), not only do I own a TV but I also keep up with the latest novelties – such as Direct TV.

So, following a motion request from my family, I’ve been researching a good Direct TV deal in my area… and I found something even better. This website I was referred to not only provides easy comparison on general promotions and packages (both Directv and satellite TV ), but it’s also highly targeted – say for instance you’re looking for the best Direct TV Deals in Ohio? Piece of pie! I’m a cautious consumer who is always compelled to make thoroughly informed decisions, so this is the kind of website I want to keep neatly bookmarked for future reference.

I’m almost ashamed for expressing such a materialistic worldview, but… oh, sometimes how I wish I was rich! Just to think of all the pointless – yet lovely contraptions I’d treat myself with… such as this amazing Massage Chairs, for example! If I was considerably affluent, I’d be quite happy to switch each and every chair in my household for one of those. And even though you might say that’s a capricious thought… well, that’s just because you haven’t tried one of those. You know, it’s not by accident they call it a “human touch” massage chair. It really IS something else, like heaven wrapped up on a leather seat. If you ever get a chance to try one of these, I think you’ll understand what I’m talking about. In the meanwhile, I sit in my regular boring old chair… and dream!

The all-american-est of all sports? Why, from where I stand there’s really not much ground for argument, here: It’s baseball, of course! Now, don’t take me wrong… I’m not in any way opposed to Football (and yes it’s also pretty much an all-american sport), but I think that Baseball is much more of an interesting and soulful sport. Well anyway, ever since I was a kid I was positively hooked into this sport, mostly as a batter. I have a considerable amount of respect for the picther types, but there’s nothing quite like slamming the bat against a speeding baseball. That single moment when you’re in mid swing and you feel the wood connecting with the ball, just before sending it off with a loud, dry bang? Wow, that’s really something magical.

You know, when I was younger it was tremendously difficult to pick up on how to effectively swing a bat. But eventually, I got really good at it – even now I’m very confident in my skills, and seldom do I meet a pitcher that’s capable of posing a real challenge. That’s why I’m thinking about going crazy and getting myself one of those amazingly awesome batting cages for my backyard. I’ll probably dry out my entertainment budget for a few months after buying this, but I think it’ll be worth every cent.

Besides, it’s for a good cause, right? It’s always a good idea to practice sports more often – even more so when it’s a genuinely fun sport such as this one! I’m telling you: if I was younger, I’d seriously consider trying to go professional, I really think I have what I takes… and no, in case you’re wondering this is not some kind of mid-life crisis I’m going through. Those batting cages really aren’t THAT expensive, and it’s definitely worth a whole lot of fun!

In a fast-paced consummerist society such as our own, quite oftentimes the good things in life go by unnoticed – this is actually too bad! Earlier today I was waiting in line at starbucks, and I was forced to endure the endless rants from a bunch of wisecrack teenagers who kept going on about what a boring state Utah is. Apparently, they had been dragged by their family to a cozy deer valley lodging, and as the story went “there was nothing to do but walk and sit around and get bored to death”.

It’s actually funny in a way, how peace of mind is apparently an acquired taste. For those modern age teenagers, going out hiking and just communing with nature is an excruciatingly tedious activity, while for someone such as their older family members (and myself, for that matter), it can be an extremely soothing and relaxing experiece. Truth be told, I can understand their thirst for adventure and novelty, but all the while it’s almost embarassing to hear that kind of told. Oh, this youth…