Monthly Archives: August 2010

From Scott – I recently had the pleasure to read an account by the first man to sail around the world by himself on a boat named the S.V. Spray which was a 36-foot-9-inch (11.20 m) oyster sloop that this man rebuilt from a broken down wreck and then proceeded to sailed for many years. His name was Joshua Slocum and his account was titled, “Sailing Alone Around the World”. The book was very well written and the humorous way that Slocum painted word pictures within his narrative was very enjoyable. He was a very interesting man and was 51 years old at the time that he started his 3 year journey in 1895. One thing that I found compelling while reading this book was the fact that my grandfather was born the same year Slocum started on his circumnavigation and would have been an infant at the times that were being spoken of in the book. Slocum was an experienced seaman and made many voyages around various places in the world during his life until he disappeared at sea in 1909 at the age of 65 while sailing the Spray. He, experienced as he was, was not able to swim, so any wave action that could have capsized the craft or swept him overboard would have been his doom. All in all, this is a great read from the public domain. I am finding that I really like the older public domain books that are available to read or listen to for free. There is adventure waiting and knowledge for the picking!

From Scott – We each only have so many seconds, minutes, hours, days, and years to live and act in this life we are given. The older I get, the more that idea comes home to me. As I lose family members and friends to the march of time, or as I see the opportunities to  accomplish goals pass by,  I realize that time used wisely is even more valuable than money. I can say that “knowing” of the value of time is a form of wisdom, but an even more valuable form of wisdom is the “acting” upon that knowledge. If I know the right and wrong of something, but if do not act on that knowledge, I am no further ahead than if I never possessed the knowledge in the first place.

So how do I put real value to this knowledge that time is important and cannot be regained once it is passed? A good start is to live with purpose and to control my use of time. One of my greatest struggles in life has been to learn to use a daily planner. But as life gets busier and more complicated and as I want to accomplish more in a 24 hour period, I must make use of a means of planning out the time in my day. I find that I really enjoy using the “Action Complete” app on my Google Droid phone. This app gives me the ability to keep track of goals and to break those goals down into projects and into individual actions. One of the reasons that I have been reluctant in the past to use paper planners like the Franklin Planner is because it was not always convenient for me to carry a planner with me. I like the solution this app provides because I always have my phone with me and because it actively reminds me a things I need to get done at appointed times. The way a person stays in control of their time is not as important as the fact that they do stay in control one way or another.

The use of a paper planner or of a technology like a smart phone app answers the question of how to control your time but not the question of what you do with your time. That is another subject altogether. We each have to decide what is important to us and then focus our time and attention on those things. Letting life just pass by without something important to do is just a waste as far as I am concerned and is really not an option.

I belong to an online group that is currently running Back to School sales. Check it out…you may find something you like. You might even want to join!
Happy Blogging.  
What Does Back to School Time Mean To You?           
It means different things for different people.
Traditionally it is the start of a new school year.  While many of the schools still have traditional school calendars, many are on a year round schedule.  Of course, colleges and universities are getting ready to start their  fall semester, signifying the start of the the “traditional” school year.

It seems that each year the lists of “needs” gets longer.  There’s new clothes, shoes, pencils, paper, book bags, book covers, back packs, and Green lunch supplies.  It means all the extracurricular activities too, sports equipment including football, wrestling, cheerleading, basketball, soccer, track, baseball, maybe hockey, gymnastics, swimming, golf and bowling.  Did I leave any out?  There is band, theater, drama,  chorus, and the list goes on and on.  Let’s not forget the teacher’s, gifts, supplies, clothing, etc.

And maybe it’s time for Moms and Dads to work on their work at home income, make some extra cash for the Holidays, or just catch up on a forgotten project.

So to kick off School Year 2010-2011, come on and join us at Virtual Online Learning for lots of Great Buys!   Save time, save money, and shop Green by saving fuel for your vehicle and energy for yourself.  The energy will be much better spent on the fun things that the waning days of summer have to offer.

Join us for great buys starting August 8, 2010 and running until August 15, 2010.    
More listings will be added as the day/week goes on, so be sure and check back often throughout the week.   

Happy Back To School Days!

Click Here to learn more about Virtual Online Learning!