Norah's Blog

Sometimes in dating we so often settle for people that we would not normally have as friends? Why is that? Does the desire to be in a relationship outweigh our standards in love that we will take on a relationship with someone that isn’t good for us? I think that we often let loneliness overshadow our standards that we set. We need to stick to our desires and not engage ourselves into relationships that we wouldn’t ordinarily engage in.

So often we find people that are almost right in dating, but they tend to fall short. They may fall short on honestly, integrity, or their priorities that we have set for ourselves. Yet, that desire to engage in the relationship short circuits the judgments that we normally have set in place. We tend to be picky when it comes to selecting close friends, and we have levels of friendships with different people, but unfortunately with romantic relationships those levels do not seem to be able to be followed.

Our romantic relationships are somewhat like a light switch, either fully on or fully off. Often we do not use the process of dating to be a get to know you period, but rather we engage in closer romantic relationships too quickly. Sometimes we have already become very involved with someone before we realize they do not have the qualities that we desire the most.

What happens when we realize we are seriously involved with someone that we aren’t in alignment with in things that are important to us? We tend to find ourselves in relationships that are doomed to fail at one time or another. Eventually the characteristics that irritate us now, will be like a great divide later in the relationship. Its unfortunate but these things will come back to haunt the relationship at some time and point in the future.

Perhaps the better approach would be to take things slow and easy when first starting a relationship with a new person. We need to also take stock of what our true desires are in that other person before we engage in an intimate relationship, and constantly judge that person against what our goals and values are before we become seriously involved. Knowing what we what in a relationship before engaging in a relationship will aide us in selecting the right person before we are at the bridal registry, and while we can safely back out of a potential relationship.

I want to share a story with you all that I thought was interesting.

Friday night, I was out with a friend of mine clubbing. As we were walking from one club to another, we saw two women walking together in front of us.

These women were HOT!

So hot, in fact, that every guy they passed by on the sidewalk

tried to talk to them. How did they try this? By saying things like:

“Hey, where you going?”

“Damn, you fine!”

“Hey, come back here, baby!”

Needless to say, these girls were completely ignoring each and

every guy who talked to them.

It’s a harsh reality that most girls who are as hot as these two

were get approached by men ALL THE TIME, and have heard every

stupid line in the book. In fact, they get approached so much,

that they don’t even respond anymore. They’re just focused on

getting to where they’re going.

So of course, upon seeing this, I thought to myself “How would I

approach these girls?”

The answer was pretty self-evident. In fact, it was staring me

right in the face!

The situation was dictating what I should say to them.

“Oh my god! Every single guy is trying to pick you guys up! How

annoying is that? You guys need to hire BODYGUARDS just to keep

all these horny waldos at bay!”

This is an example of a SITUATIONAL OPENER.

Situational Openers can be the best way to meet a woman if they are done right. This is because this type of Opener is UNIQUE to the interaction you are having with the woman.

Not only that, but it shows you guys have a common understanding of the reality you are mutually experiencing. And that, my friends, creates a connection between the two of you.

It’s like knowing the punchline to a joke most others have no clue about.

And more importantly, this is one of my most favorite kind of

situational opener, namely, the “Crash and Burn” opener.

This is a situational opener where you capitalize on other men’s

failures, while conveying the illusion that you are different from the other guys and are not looking to get into the woman’s pants (even though the truth may be VASTLY different from that which you are conveying).

For example, anytime you are in a situation where there are women

you want to approach, and you see a guy go up to them and try to

hit on them, this gives you the chance to use the “Crash and Burn” opener.

Simply walk up to the girl, and comment on what the other guy did

wrong.

Saying things like:

“So, how’d he do?”

or

“Did it hurt? He was hitting on you pretty hard. Did it hurt?”

Or anything along those lines will open up your target for

conversation. These types of “Crash and Burn” openers work great

in high stimulus environments where girls are being hit on (like

bars and clubs, for example).

So next time you see some poor schmoe strike out, be sure to take

the opportunity to capitalize on it!

Until next time!

Your friend,

Joseph Matthews

Since 1997, Jewish dating online services have provided a safe place for young professionals of the Jewish faith to meet and chat online. Some sites are English only, some Hebrew only, some have translation sites available.

In 1999, Rabbi Yaacov Deyo came up with the idea of speed dating, a take on the older Jewish tradition of supervised parties for young Jewish people so that they could meet some one, hopefully hit it off, and not marry outside of their faith. The object during a speed dating session is to meet 10 people in seven minute increments, score them on a card, and the matches are made by the coordinators by matching up the score cards and giving the phone numbers to each party.

Today Jewish people of all ages can get into the online dating scene, as well as speed dating, through joining Jewish online dating services which not only have language specific chat rooms, but sponsor speed dating parties in regional areas.

The biggest and most reputable Jewish online dating site is JDate.com, with over 500,000 members. This site has been around since the beginning (1997) and is one of the leading Hebrew/English dating sites for Jewish people of all ages.

http://Www.jewishmatch.com and http://www.youridealdate.com also received excellent reviews. Jewish match caters to all people of Jewish faith–Orthodox, Reformed, or Reconstuction–and is very highly user rated, while your ideal date is very helpful with instructing new users as to how to write their first profiles. Both are confidential (you won’t receive any emails unless both parties agree to the contact) and safe.

Jewish mingle.com uses photos rather than profiles for primary contact, but after choosing a few photos, you are directed to the profile and can choose as to whether or not you’d like to pursue a relationship.

Learn about the cartoons to draw if you wish to create a fantastic additional income. To generate a bit of superfluous money from drawing cartoons there are issues that you have to take into consideration. In order to be able to attain your objective you will have to adhere to some guidelines.

Taking heed of these below 5 pointers before you commence sketching can get you on the way to building that added income effectively in a small quantity of time.

1) Prior to deciding on the cartoons to draw that will get you on your way to earning those additional $$’s you will want to use some time re-assessing your skillsets as well as ability. You might very well not have had pencil to paper or done any drawing for quite a while and getting back to it may well turn out to be a shock. This will be significant because you may discover you need to spend time practicing to update your skills. Also, equipment and methods of delivery will most likely have improved.

2) Finding cartoons to draw for your new venture will require some added space. Ensure you allocate an adequate amount of space in your house whether or not it be a full room or a part of another room. You need to recognize this space as your own for your business. It will be a location where you do not get bothered and is able to be partitioned off from alternative spots. It is important that your family know this section is yours as well as when you are utilizing it you are not to be disturbed. Generate guidelines from the beginning to be fair to the complete household. They will appreciate you have the need for this place in order to be imaginative without being interrupted.

3) Have sufficient decent sketch pads in a few sizes as well as the right pencils with you or near by so you can do something straight away as any magnificent ideas for cartoons to draw come up. You do not require much to start out with although you will end up annoyed in the event you can’t find the appropriate artists pencil or something to draw on. The motive for this is to not lose the instant.

4) If you happen to sketch on a flat surface, the viewpoint within your drawing can be deceiving also the features of your figures may appear distorted. The cartoons to draw that are going to assist you bring in added money will be best done on an easel or sketch board to alleviate this. When drawn flat on a table top, the head of a figure may seem larger than when the sketch is raised to a vertical angle.

5) Learning about the cartoons to draw that best suit your style will come easily. Your humour and drawing style will turn into your brand hence researching your marketplace is essential. It can be tricky to know where to start and there will be a few alternatives available. Do you focus on cartoon strips, animation, comic book art or perhaps newspaper comic strips? Contemplate your drawing style and who your audience will be.

These helpful hints should enable you to start producing additional cash flow from your new venture so now you can begin thinking about the cartoons to draw to make the cash start rolling in!

You’re in the military and want to get married, what do you need to do?

Well, if you’re stationed back home, there are no special requirements and you only need to comply with the laws of the State within which you are getting married. Typically, get a marriage license, maybe satisfy a residency test and find an authorized officiant to perform the service.

Getting married while stationed in the US is obviously a straight-forward affair – there is no need to gain special permission or clear any hurdles other than those facing civilians.

The issue becomes less straight forward when you are based overseas. Even more so if your bride or groom-to-be are foreign nationals.

If you are based overseas but marrying a US citizen, the situation is not much more different than getting married in the States. If you get married on a US base, you are subject to US law in any event and the marriage is viewed as having taken place on US soil in any event. Getting married on base is fairly common where there is a permanent station, typically in the European or Pacific theaters (not so common in the Middle East for obvious reasons). Base chaplains are able to officiate in a wide variety of denominational and non-denominational ceremonies, so you can get married however you wish.

There are also no immigration issues where both parties are U.S. citizens, but here comes the real trouble – your intended spouse is a foreign national.

If you are marrying a foreign national, you will be required to complete a large number of forms and embark on quite a lengthy process.

Your intended spouse will be required to undergo a background security check and a medical examination, all in addition to completing marriage counseling course and obtaining the permission of your commanding officer. Be prepared to spend months on this process, not least because you will have to have the marriage recognized by the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Department of State who will also be responsible for the granting of the necessary visa permissions for your spouse to enter the U.S.

Your spouse is also likely to be a civilian, but irrespective of where you get married or who performs the ceremony, they are now entitled to military rights and privileges which they derive from you. Use a certified copy of the marriage certificate and register the marriage and your spouse with the Base Personnel HQ. You will also be able to get a separate military ID for your civilian spouse and have them enrolled in the Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System (DEERS), which will qualify them for medical coverage, commissary privileges and other military benefits.

One thing to watch for – if you are subject to a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) order – if you get married before the change of station, you can have your spouse added to your orders and the military will cover the cost of relocating them (including their possessions). You can leave your old base, take time off to get married and have a honeymoon and then report to the new base – the trigger is whether you have reported to the new station. If you wait until after you report to the new duty station, you end up paying for the cost of moving your spouse.

If you have any issues or questions on getting married while serving in the military, check out the information available from your Base Personnel HQ and the various booklets from the U.S. Department of Defense and your service branch.

Among all the forms of photography, portrait photography has been one of the most common forms. It is an art where facial expressions are captured and made predominant. In this type of photography the photographers mainly focus on the person’s face. This doesn’t mean that the background is not included. It is of course included but main emphasis is the facial expression. Though people often misinterpret and disclose that portrait photography is nothing but a snapshot but actually it is not so.

Portraiture has a subject which at times is looking at the portrait photographers camera and at times it is looking at distinct angles. Sometimes people even sit in front of the camera in a specific position for best portrait click. But at the same time it is quite true that styles depend on the photographer and the preferred subject. The subjects for portrait photography is often non-professional and there are no rules or restrictions that the photographer has to follower. This makes portrait photography both easy and difficult because at times it is thought anyone with a shoot camera can click a portrait photograph but it can tough when you want a professional portrait.

If you are a portrait photographer and are having clients preferring formal approach, then first you need to decide that where would the shoot take place. Whether would it be in studio or would you like to visit any location. A formal shoot normally takes place in a studio sitting, but if you are someone not interested in getting the shoot done in studio then choose a formal location. Remember that the location has a direct impact on your mood.

If posing in couple then look into the camera by giving a flattering nuance. The bodies should be angled towards the camera. Give different poses and then delete the ones that don’t work. Give more selections to the couple because it is quite natural that they would be looking for perfection. If clients are looking for informal style then get it clicked in a relaxed manner. Such shoots are better in outside locations than in studio. The best portrait photographer is the one that instructs clients throughout the photo session and makes you feel comfortable.

Often it happens that people get nervous when they have a camera on their face and with this nervousness they give an artificial look which ultimately spoils the portrait. Instead photographer should capture the photograph when the subjects are in relax mode and comfort zone. Though a lot of portrait photographers use various tricks for overcoming this nervousness and some of them do really work. Few of them tell funny jokes while clicking the picture whereas some of them take a few unplanned photos and then take the real picture.

Thus, the above mentioned information can help you in developing the best portrait.

Step families are the fastest growing family in America. While that may be the case, there is a lot of confusion about how they function and what they look like. This confusion, unfortunately, leads to anger and heartbreak as these new families quickly realize just how hard it is to be a step family.

Today we will continue with another list of 5 ways to mess up your step family. Learning these as what NOT to do will help you identify the right steps to take, saving you time and arguments. And, with a little luck, create the step family of your dreams.

Forcing the kids to call their new step parent ___ – Telling them that they have to use “mom”, “dad”, “step parent”, or their name takes freedom away from the kids.

Let the kids decide what they will call their step parent. Don’t take that choice away from them. This whole step family thing is out of their control anyway, give them something to have a say in. Forcing this issue will cause the child’s relationship with their new step parent to be hindered rather than help it. Remember, what they start off calling the step parent may change over time when they get to know them better.

Trying to always be a family – Trying to do ALL activities as a family when people feel like strangers will backfire.

Don’t rush relationships. Allow them to grow at their own pace. Your children are used to doing things with just you. Don’t stop doing that just because you’re married now. ALL families split and do different things at different times based on the family members’ preferences. Don’t change that now just because you want everyone to like each other.

Not allowing everyone enough time to get to know each other before the wedding – A step family is the combination of a lot of strangers being forced to suddenly live together. Just because this new married couple loves each other and wants to live together doesn’t mean any of the other family members are thrilled about the idea.

Give everyone a chance to get to know each other and start to build some type of relationship together before cramming everyone under one roof.

Disciplining too soon – Just because a step parent is now in a child’s life does not give them the right to start bossing them around. For most kids they just see this person as “the one who married my parent.” There’s not an automatic authority that is gained once that ring is placed on your finger.

Instead of the new “parent”, I encourage new step parents to see themselves as a new positive adult role model in the kid’s lives. Let the parent do the parenting. You need to focus on just building a relationship with the kids.

Not leaving enough time for the couple – Focusing all your time and attention on making a great step family makes for a lousy marriage. You are newlyweds after all.

You need time to strengthen your relationship and commitment to one another. This can’t be done when all of your time is spent running kids here there and everywhere. Making time for the couple has to be a priority. Remember, if your marriage fails it doesn’t matter how hard you worked on the step family because it will no longer exist.

A motorcycle helmet is probably the most important and integral piece of riding gear you could own. I mean it’s the one thing keeping you from serious injuries when you take a nasty fall. Not to mention that it can totally give you the badass look you’re trying to achieve if you pick the right look. But therein lies the question, how does one choose the proper helmet? Well it’s quite simple person who is reading this, and I’ll show you how!

1.) Safety Standards

The whole point of a helmet is to keep your head safe, right? So wouldn’t it make sense to buy a helmet that has passed the safety standards? Yes exactly. The two regulations for helmets are DOT (Department of Transportation) and ECE (Economic Commission for Europe). Now you don’t need a helmet that passed the ECE test if you only want to ride in the US or vice versa. But generally speaking, a helmet has a much higher safety rating if it’s passed both tests. Plus if you travel as much as I do, it’s a lot easier to bring one universal helmet as opposed to a different helmet for each country.

2.) Size

This is obvious, so I won’t go into too much detail here. There are a couple of things to take note on though. Sizing varies depending on the brand, because for whatever reason each brand thinks that their sizing is best. Kind of like how a pair of Levi jeans, and a pair of Guess jeans will have completely diff fits. Also Euro to US sizing is always completely off, by a lot. I can’t tell you how many times I bought something to small because of the conversion charts being off. My best advice is too always buy a little bigger than normal, and switch out the inner pads to get a perfect fit.

3.) Shape

Shape is applies in two ways, your head shape, and the type of bike your riding. Not every helmet will look good on you, it’s just a fact, some will make you look like you have a giant mushroom head, and others will make you look awesome. So it’s always best to try diff styles on in the store to see what works.

You also need to buy the appropriate helmet shape/style depending on the style of bike you’re riding. You’re gonna look like a huge dork If you’re wearing a bulky half helmet and your riding a 1198s or if you’re wearing a full Shoei race helmet and riding around on a vespa. General rule of thumb is, half/open-face helmets are good for scooter, cruisers and full face/modular is good for street /dual sport.

4.) Style

Along with the shape, you want to pick a style that fits you and your riding style. While wearing helmet tricked out with evil fire breathing dragon graphics may seem cool, it’s looks funny if you’re riding a bright yellow vespa. Best rule of thumb is, to try to buy a helmet that matches your bike or your riding gear, or both.

5.) Price

Now this is more of a personal preference, because it’s not all about how expensive a helmet is, that determines its value. Now Shoei, and Arai are higher priced helmets, because they use premium materials in their design, and are tested for race track use. But that doesn’t mean you need to empty your account to get that kind of quality. A lot of great name brand helmets like HJC, Hawk, Outlaw, Icon, etc… offer exceptional quality, pass all safety regulations, have awesome designs, and are reasonable priced, sometimes less than a $100!

So there you have it my friend, everything you need to know about picking the proper motorcycle helmet. Just make sure it’s safe, matches your style, and fits within your budget, and you’re are good to go. Safe Riding!

You know your songs are great (and so does your girl/boyfriend, family, pets etc), and you finally decided to record an album in a real studio. That’s great! But what actually happens when you get there?

When you finally do pick the perfect studio, one that you feel comfortable at, there is a certain routine that must be followed in order to get the best performance and the best recording for your budget.

1. Tune Your Instruments. This also includes your drums and any tunable percussion instruments you may have. There is absolutely nothing worse in the world than to have a perfectly written song with a perfect performance be ruined because someone didn’t take an extra 2 minutes to check their tuning. Tuning takes a few minutes; a recording lasts forever.

2. Be Well Rehearsed. You’ll be surprised how many bands suffer shock when they get the final recording bill. The main reason for this is because they confuse rehearsal time with recording time. Rehearse at home, in the garage, at your uncle’s house; anywhere but at the recording session. When you arrive at the studio, you should know your songs inside-out and be ready for the red light.

3. Practice with a Click Track. A lot of drummers aren’t able to play with a click track. Make sure yours can. A click track is essential in getting a good basic rhythm track that the rest of the band can lock in to, and to sync-up loops and delay times.

4. Be Early. Many studios start charging their clients from the exact time agreed to in the contract. Just because you decide to show up late, doesn’t mean that the studio should give up that time for free. Be early and be ready to go.

5. Get the Sound Right. Never, ever try to “fix it in the mix”. It doesn’t work like that. Take an extra few minutes to tweak the sound before recording it. Turn that knob, tighten that string, have another sip of water. Remember again, tweaking may take an extra minute, but the recording will last forever.

6. Know When To Quit. Recording often leads to diminishing returns. Spending 20 hours in a row at the recording session isn’t going to make your song twice as good as spending 10 hours. This rule also applies to mixing. If you’re tired, call the session and come back the next day fresh and ready.

7. Record Alone. Don’t bring your friends, family, parents or anyone else into your sessions. As fun as it may be, you are there to do a job and record the best music possible. If you are a millionaire, then by all means, have a party at the studio, but don’t count on getting anything done.

8. Mix and Match. After letting the engineer do the first rough mix alone (which he should) do an A/B comparison of your mix to some of your favorite CDs. Remember that the production CDs you are listening to have already been mastered. But it’s a good way to compare levels and panning.

9. Bring Spares. Always bring spare strings, drum heads, bass strings, water bottles, throat lozenges, etc to a session. You’ll always need the one thing you forgot to bring, so bring it all and leave them at the studio until your recordings are finished.

10. Have Fun! This is THE most important point of all. Creating and recording music isn’t rocket science. Although there is a science involved, you should let the engineer worry about that. If you’re not having fun, then you’re in the wrong business!

© 2004 Richard Dolmat (Digital Sound Magic)

Auto detailing is often considered a one size fits all kind of business. Many people think the detailing work done in one state or region is identical to another. However, while many services are similar in nature, there are many specialist services which can be offered to customize the detailing experience in certain regions. This customization is beneficial for both the customer as well as the business. For the customer it serves as assurance that the company they choose understands the local environment and road hazards. From a business standpoint it can highlight the special care you give to each vehicle as well as an example of stellar customer service.

Specialized detailing begins by considering local weather patterns, seasonal changes and driving conditions. States which endure long and brutal winters such as Ohio, Montana, Pennsylvania, New York and other Northern states present a special challenge as winter begins. Road salt, ice and snow all take their toll on a car’s appearance. Road salt especially can be very damaging to paint and chrome. Auto detailing companies in regions that see a lot of snow can capitalize on the weather by offering special detailing packages which address the removal of salt from both the exterior and interior. Salt residue on the outside of a car should be washed away using a microfiber towel if necessary. For salt stains on vehicle carpeting can be removed with a simple water and vinegar solution sprayed directly onto the salt residue. Allow it to sit for a few minutes before removing the towel. Repeat as needed until the stain is gone.

At the opposite end of the spectrum we have states such as Florida, Georgia, Texas and other regions which experience lengthy and intense summer heat. The summer sun may be the perfect reason to go out and play but for your car’s paint work it can be no laughing matter. The sun is notorious for fading anything in its path and that includes vehicles left parked outside. Auto detailing companies in areas such as these can offer special summer packages which include a thorough wash and wax of the car as well as the use of auto detailing clay to remove any swirls. Special UV protectant wax is available which can help mitigate the sun’s effects. Inside the car all plastic or leather seats and panels should be treated with protectant as well to prevent fading as well as cracking.

Finally there are states such as Oregon and Washington which see colder weather often enough but the real problem is rain. The wet and clammy environment can result in water marks on the inside and outside of a car. Where’s there’s water, there’s the potential for mold growth. Detailing professionals in these areas would be smart to offer special packages which address the problems and potential problems these regions can bring. This can include a full steam cleaning of the car’s interior to remove ground in mud, water stains and other wet debris. Vent cleaning can also help keep the car’s air circulation in good order. One such auto detailing company even goes as far as to offer vent sterilization in order to remove any mildew particles that may be present.

No matter where your company is located there’s a good chance that you can use the local environment to plan your package specials around. Even in states which experience moderate seasonal changes, a revolving offer of specialized packages can put your business ahead of the rest. Customers will benefit as well since they will know they are trusting their vehicle to a company that understands local needs and demands and works in a proactive way to address them before they become a problem.