Facebook Friend Invitations: The New Spammers

June 27, 2011 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

It’s time for a rant!

I have to vent!

I like Facebook (one might be able to tell by the time I spend there. Sigh…). HOWEVER, just because I’ve agreed to be a friend does NOT mean I want to receive an invitation (more accurately called “advertisement”) to EVERY FREAKIN’ EVENT someone is doing. (Besides, I thought Twitter was the place for annoying advertisements… Just joking… )

Today, I got the next in a series of invitations to attend a law forum (do I look like a lawyer?) in Wyoming (am I even NEAR Wyoming?) telling me how to improve my failing law practice (I guess since I didn’t know I was a lawyer in Wyoming, it explains why my practice has not been doing well). I have received from this “friend” a new law forum invitation every week and they’re never near me and I always say “NO” (do you think he’d get the hint?).

Why do I continue to get all these Facebook invites?

I apparently have some “friends” who don’t give a damn if I’m interested – or if I can attend – I’ve just become part of their daily broadcasts. I want to keep them as friends but I don’t want to merely be a vehicle by which they promote. Sure, go ahead and promote what you’re doing sometimes. I want to know. I want to help. I might even want to attend. But, be somewhat selective.

In marketing, I learned, it’s about:

Know Me
Like Me
Trust Me
Buy Me

If all you do is send me ads, oops, I mean “invitations,” and you don’t care if I fit, you don’t know me, to be honest, I won’t particularly like you, I certainly won’t trust you – and I can assure you that I will not buy from you. Most likely, the response will be “unfriend.”

If you think it’s something I might like, please invite me. (And I realize we all make mistakes so sometimes it won’t fit.) However, If I just wanted a big ol’ list of advertisements in the morning, I’d get a penny shopper.

I’m sorry. I try to be positive. Once in awhile it just gets to me.

I feel better now. I am returning to sanity.

P.S. Now, please send this to everyone you know, whether you think it would be of value to him or her or not.

Video: One Perfect Day

June 26, 2011 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Today was a perfect day.

The weather was wonderful (which rarely happens in Eureka, California). The yard looked great – after several hours of yard work yesterday. I wanted to remember it so I took a quick video on my iPhone 3G (which doesn’t really do video so it’s low quality). I am posting it as a reminder that we need to take time to appreciate those special moments while they’re here.

I hope you enjoy this moment in our backyard.

What Really Matters is Often Right in Front of Us

February 16, 2011 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Imagine what life would be like if we each lived exactly 100 years — to the day. From the moment of birth, barring accidents, you knew the exact minute of your death. One some levels it could be reassuring; however, as the calendar years passed, it might get a little freaky. There would be no doubt about how much time was left on your clock.

With that as the backdrop, pretend you are now 99 years and 364 days old, it’s your last day on the planet. You have all the knowledge you can possibly acquire. Whatever you have attempted is considered complete. Your trials, tribulations, and triumphs have left their marks. Lessons have been learned. Knowledge has been acquired. Whatever else you had planned will remain unaccomplished. There is nothing left to do but look back and analyze the story of your life.

Your time has come

Using that scenario, suppose you could “send a message” back to the real-life YOU of today, the person reading these words this very minute. You would say, “In your remaining years, always remember and stay focused on what rally matters,” and you would list those top priorities so present-day you wouldn’t reach the end of life filled with regrets for being out of alignment. [Read more…]

Beauty & Love Invisible in Plain Sight

February 14, 2011 by Scott "Q" Marcus

How often do we not even notice something wonderful that’s right in front of us? My wonderful wife hung this at the entrance to the living room. I staggered out of bed, into the living room; didn’t notice it. Walked out of the living room; oblivious. Got coffee and wandered back into the living room; still unobservant.

She calls out, “Happy Valentines Day” from upstairs, assuming I saw it of course.

I call back, “You too honey.”

She says, “What did you think?”

“About what?” I call back.

She says, “You didn’t even see it?”

“See what?”

How many other things of beauty and love do we miss each day? I will keep my eyes open more today.

Farewell to an Old Friend

January 19, 2011 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

When she was a kitten, we were constantly cleaning up remnants of paper. We’d leave the house for a few hours and come back to scraps of napkins scattered about the kitchen, or the roll of toilet paper splayed from bathroom to living room. Paper products lived in fear if KC Whittinger Longstockings Junior was nearby.

I’ve often wondered if animals think “Why in Heaven’s name did I get a bizarre name like that?,” or maybe they embrace it as a sign of their special uniqueness. However, I’ll place squarely the blame on my sons who chose her moniker (which might not be accurate but I can do that because they don’t live here and won’t be able to read this). “KC” was short for “Kitty Cat” (not very imaginative, I know). I don’t know the derivation of the rest of her handle but it didn’t matter; we referred to her simply as “KC” or “Case-ers.”

Newly divorced, I specifically chose KC from a litter in 1995 because she was the most talkative of the mob. Spending every other week without companionship, I figured I could somewhat fill the void by having a feline companion who would let me know what she felt with regularity. As they say, “Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.” Not only did she communicate, she did it — shall we say — “with enthusiasm.” She had a habit, especially in her later years, of waiting stealthily in the early morning darkness in the kitchen. The first human to enter — keep in mind not yet awake — would be “greeted” with an enormous howling ululation. Never sure whether it was “Good Morning, I’m glad you’re here,” or “What the heck took you so long to fill my bowl?,” what I can assure you is that after being welcomed as such by KC, there was no longer a need to use coffee to start your heart.

[Read more…]

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