Here's my opinion, and it ought to be yours...
It has finally arrived! A copy of my brother Steve's new book, "The Listener"!! Ain't that cool? A published author in the family (and a GOOD one, I might add!). As SOON as I got the email from Steve's website (www.SteveCopling.com) that the book was now available from the publisher, I went online and ordered it. I can't wait to read it, and YOU SHOULD TOO! You can read the 1st chapter FOR FREE on Steve's website. What are you waiting for? Go out there, read the 1st chapter, then order the book and find out about the surprise ending! Great job, Steve!
I have the house to myself for a few days (except for our Siberian Husky, "Max" and Brandon's two cockatiels) while Tammy and Jessica are in Hawaii for Jessica's athletic scholarship tryouts. Tammy called me from the hotel at about 9:30PM Friday (2:30AM, Sat., Ft. Lauderdale time!!) to tell me that things are going GREAT, and that it looks like Jessica has a real good chance at saving me TONS of money!
I have completed the first phase of my newest (and BIGGEST) online endeavor yet, Liberty League International (LLI). I absolutely LOVE this project. The FLASH website is FIRST-CLASS with streaming video, great graphics, and total ONLINE automation. The upgrades and work that was done has been ABSOLUTELY worth the wait! Most of the family is not yet aware of this projectt. They know about our "interest in Real Estate Investing" (LiquiDiamond Resources, LLC), but LiquiDiamond.NET and the LLI project itself, are where most of my online efforts are going these days. 2004 is already shaping up to be an AWESOME year for us; the biggest one yet. Once we have met certain targets, we will "fess up" to the rest of the family. As one of my readers, you now know about this, but let's just keep it our secret for a while, OK?
Tammy and Jessica arrived safely yesterday, back from their week in Hawaii. They were there in order for Jessica to attend the annual Hawaii Pacific University athletic (Cheerleading) scholarship tryouts. We will not know OFFICIALLY for about two weeks if Jessica made the squad and got one of the scholarships, but Jessica did AMAZINGLY well at the tryouts and they tell me that they received more than one "wink and a nod" from the squad captain AND the coach that "...she is in!" There was at least one stunt "the "Rewind/Heel-stretch/Double-down", in which the coach used JESSICA to demonstrate for the other attendees! Even some of the HPU squad members couldn't do the stunt! After everyone had gone home after the tryouts on Saturday, the squad asked Jessica to "stay behind." Tammy tells me that several of the male squad members literally STOOD IN LINE to stunt with Jessica, because of her solid abilities (This same thing has happened before; like in the last TWO annual "Stunt Fest" events in Daytona Beach)! One of the other attendees told her mom, who later told Tammy, that Jessica was the BEST cheerleader trying out! Can you tell I'm a very proud papa? Great work, Jessica! I guess those two knee surgeries, the shoulder and wrist problems, the National Cheerleading Association (NCA) "#1 Top All-American Cheerleader Award", those three ESPN appearances, and all those national championship trophies you've won are finally paying off!
On the 1st of December, 2003 the family and I moved from a home with a 2-year lease into our new home a little closer to the beach. We left the house in an immaculate condition, but the landlord completely ripped us off and did not return one penny of our $2000 deposit. I started the lawsuit process and then heard the horrible news that our landlord (and his 16 year-old son) was killed in a plane crash; in the very plane he was flying. We had no "beef" with our landlord's wife, a very nice lady that had just had her life desimated. What would YOU do?
We offered condolences, agreed on a settlement for 1/2 of the deposit to be returned ($1000) and wished her well.