Reminds me of those ads which have always run in the back of comic books or magazines

LOL - that reminds me of the other day when [2008-11-30]
my 7 year old son came home from school. He asked me did I know that kids used to not speak unless spoken too. I told him what a wonderful concept that was that we've lost over the years. He just looked at me horrified. His expression was priceless! :)

back of the store [2008-11-25]
Lately, I have noticed a lot of manager's specials at my store. The only thing they have in common is that they are due to expire that day. I guess they used to throw that stuff out, but a lot of people need it now. Usually everything is around a dollar or so. There is one for dairy, meat, and bakery at my store which is actually in a wealthy neighborhood. I guess everyone is having a hard time lately.

I agree and when you do get it back [2008-11-24]
hide it! HAHA! No one can find to lend it out ever again!

My daughter had the books and I read them [2008-11-18]
at 50. Absolutely love them and am going with my daughter and her friends to see it. I was disappointed after I read the last book that there were not more. I am currently also watching TrueBlood on HBO and absolutely love it. It is based on a series of 9 books and I am on book #5. Certainly would not recommend the series or books for young teens (very graphic in all aspects), but very good series. The series is not following the books, which is a little disappointing however. I only hope the Twilight movie in in line with the books.

Ted Kennedy back on Capitol Hill [2008-11-17]
returning to work 6 months after his brain cancer diagnosis. He looks and sounds great. Good to see him back. He has his wife anddogs with him too.

Run away fast from this tramp and don't look back! nm [2008-11-16]
n

No, Blondie, give the dogs back or call the Humane Society.....s/m [2008-11-16]
who can take care of 10 (t e n ) dogs? This is CRAZY! Your husband is a coward. He should protect you. God knows what a 'deal' he made with this 'friend'.

The only back-up plan is for us both to get an additional job each. [2008-11-13]
DH already has 3 jobs. I have 1 IC, and looking for more accounts. The only thing is that my job has to be at home because we cannot afford and do not want to put kids in daycare. So, it would mean my working 2 full time jobs, I suppose. I am up to it if I have to. THing is, there are jobs out there but that does not mean the work is there. So, if needed I will take third shift and sleep the 4 hours husband is home from his jobs. That way between us we'd have 6 jobs instead of the 4 we have now.

Pumba. Reminds of Lion King. LOL...sm [2008-11-12]
She is a pretty kitty and sitting under the tree like she is a gift for someone. lol

This reminds me of an incident a couple of [2008-11-11]
months ago. My parents live 4 hours away and wonlonely people. Now, my parents may not come down but who says we are lonely??? I too went through many years of crying because we didn't have that Martha Stewart Christmas.

Would LOVE to see the recipe board come back! [2008-11-06]
Hopefully the rest of you feel the same in this economy and with the holidays coming up. Perhaps a moderator will look into it.

Ugh. Reminds me of (sm) [2008-11-02]
I remember dating this very handsome eligible batchelor when I was in my early 20s. He had his own apartment and a good job. He proudly told me about the fancy set of pots and pans he'd bought, so that was one thing he'd already have when he got married. I don't even care about cooking, but I didn't like the idea of the male picking out stuff for his future wife. I'm sure he made somebody a great husband, but it's funny how that conversation set off alarm bells for me. My husband also bought a car without talking to me about it while we were engaged, and I was quite shocked. It did say something about his attitude about money and purchases, and I should have listened to those warning bells too.

Coming back as an animal is not reincarnation sm [2008-11-01]
That is transmigration. I do believe in reincarnation of the spirit, as so many of the gnostic early Christians did. I believe our spirits come back over and over again. Ummm I'm a gnostic Catholic.

I was at JFK stadium back in 1980 [2008-10-30]
In fact, I went to the 6th game of the WS and saw it happened from the last row of a 700-level section at the vet. I went with some guy from my econ class at Temple. I was a freshman and he was not a baseball fan. LOL. In 1980, the parade took place the very next day after the game. Professors told us that they were not cancelling class and that we were expected to show. Right. I lived at 18th and Snyder back then, so I was sitting down in JFK by 9:00 a.m., waiting for the parade to arrive. I had the time of my life. What's really cool is that my youngest son is now a freshman at Temple, and he was told the same thing. Classes are not cancelled, and he is expected to be there. I told him to go to the parade. No one will be in class, and who knows how long he'll have to wait to see this again. Wow, the Phillies win the World Series. I think I feel the earth shifting on its axis!

but remember, back then that WAS scary. LOL. sm [2008-10-26]
I remember going with my friend to a matinee and when the shark came up onto the back of the boat, we both of us pulled our feet up on the seat. LOL.

I've read the books (sm) [2008-10-24]
We actually got HBO solely for the reason of watching this series. So far it is...okay? I love the books but the series is not sticking strictly to them, and is changing some things that I don However, by itself, I do like the series. Just hate it when they go from books and change majorly seriously big things!! HC

I never knew there were books [2008-10-24]
I had never heard of the books, although then again we don't have any books stores in our town (except the section in Wal-Mart and Fred Meyer). I have heard a lot of times people like books better.

Selling things other than MT equipment,books etc [2008-10-24]
Does anyone ever post things to sell/trade other than MT items on this site (in the classified)? I am a wah MT and I am looking at reaching out to some wah MT I already have some people signed up and just looking for a few more. I am on the MB for the cricut website, but trying to reach out to other MT's who like this as well. Thanks for your help.

love it. to be honest, I wish we were way back in - [2008-10-23]
the days where people gave things like a made from scratch pie and the recipe, a promise on a piece of paper, donated hours devoted to a project of your choice, etc., and kids made crafts.

Are you cutting back on Christmas this year? [2008-10-22]
With things being the way they are with the economy are you cutting back on what you buy for Christmas this year? I will to some extent but then I'm always pretty careful anyway.

I don't know how I can cut back any more....sm [2008-10-22]
I'm cut to the bone as it is. I only have my 2 sons and my mother and brother in my family to buy for. However, I do have a couple of friends that I buy for and my pastor and his wife. My youngest son wants a bow and arrow set at Wal-Mart that costs $97. I don't know how I will afford that, much less anything else.

DH paid off credit card. Now I'm paying him back. No [2008-10-22]
nm

We cut back on driving, and the demand dropped. [2008-10-21]
Goes to show there is no reason for it to be that high anyway. If they think they can charge that much and get it, they will.

I think Carlos does get his sight back, don't remember where I read that. [2008-10-20]
I prefer Mike and Susan together also, I do not care for Jackson (although I was sorry to hear about his accident).

I couldn't stand it, had to come back - I agree with you actually (sm) [2008-10-16]
There is plenty of scientific evidence to show that many people are born gay. I agree with that. I actually am a Christian, but I believe we are called to not judge things we do not understand. I think people should stop being so convinced of what is right or wrong. I know plenty of gay people who are very good people. I may not agree with their sexual preference, but you know what? I had premaritial sex - what is the difference? Do I approve people heterosexual or homosexual who live promiscuous disgusting lifestyles? No! Do I want someone else teaching my child what they think is right instead of letting me do it? No!

Tell her you've gone into the petsitting business [2008-12-01]
(In my area petsitters charge $20 per visit for one animal, $5 extra for each additional animal in the household. That doesn't include extras like walking dogs, giving medications, etc. If she expects you to take a cat to the vet if it gets sick while she's away, she should leave you a signed, blank check made out to the local emergency veterinary medical center. Most won't let you in the door for less than $500, and won't treat the animal 'til that's paid. My guess is your sis would be inclined not to pay you back if it were to come out of your pocket. Might consider having her sign a waiver of liability, too.)

This happened to a friend of mine from high school........sm [2008-12-01]
He had mono after we graduated from high school and was off work for about 5 weeks. He went back to work too early and, while driving home from work one day, his spleen just burst and he crashed into an oncoming log truck, killing him instantly. It was really a double tragedy because the first people on the scene to find him were his mom and dad, who had a bad heart anyway. His dad suffered a major MI on the spot and had to be taken to the ER. His poor mom lost her son that day and almost lost her husband.

fake [2008-12-01]
fake, little, and up on a table, bought when we were broke, now not sure if we should go back to real.

crazier every day sm [2008-12-01]
Kids who need designer labels, theme birthday parties, karate, guitar, piano, dance, gym, swim,baseball, soccer all in one week, both parents have to work their kiesta off to pay for all this stuff and the kid has to go to therapy because they are acting tired in school and are always bored in the few minutes they do have at home. They also need food that is on the acceptable food pyramid from the expensive organic markets but end up eating Kraft mac cheese, the orange kind, that they slipped into the carriage when dad or gramma stopped at the store. Oh well, they used to say you have to eat a peck of dirt before you die - not in todayAnd PS - all that expensive cream we put on our faces (if we did) announced today on all stations that they don't WORK! Back to Vaseline!

The spleen can enlarge and/or rupture if [2008-12-01]
not watched. My daughter had it and though there wasn't much done, she did go back to see the doctor a couple of times.

I make these every year. [2008-12-01]
After making the peanut butter part I put the balls in the freezer to get hard. This also makes the chocolate coating a little thicker which my family likes. After dipping in chocolate they return to the freezer. Once hard I put them in air tight containers or ziploc bags and store in the freezer. They come back to room temp very nicely or you can eat them frozen which my son likes. I have had them in my freezer for about 3 months before and they have been just like the day I made them. Of course I usually have to hide them well if I want them to last more than a week. :) I use regular chocolate chips and about a 1/2 inch square of parafin to 1 bag. How many bags, depends on the recipe. I usually make a huge batch when I make these but I think the standard recipe is 1 bag. Oh, I have also found it easier to make if you stiffen the peanut butter mixture up a little with extra powdered sugar. When short on time, I have even mixed enough powder sugar to be able to roll without refridgerating first. If you want a little twist on tradition, they are great to add a cashew or peanut inside the ball or mix in cereal to the peanut butter mixture, rice crispies are yummy.

I have something in my past [2008-12-01]
That I haven't told my husband and I don't plan on it. No one but me and one other person knows about it and the other person is long gone. It was something medical, and no it wasn't an unwanted pregnancy or anything like that. There's no need for him to know since I didn't know my husband back then and it doesn't have any bearing on anything in our relationship now.

How often to bathe a dog? [2008-11-30]
I had read somewhere that dogs should not be bathed very often. I know I don't do it often enough, by any means. But someone told me that my collie mix Maggie needs a bath. Well, she just had one about a month ago, and I have never given her that many. Should I take her back to the groomer? (Iratty looking.)

Well ... [2008-11-30]
She's old and feeble, and so am I! She looked really pretty when she got back from the groomer couple of months ago, but now she's looking all matted again, but I haven't really noticed an odor. I have a permanently damaged right shoulder and arthritis in both hands, so it's very hard for me to work on her for more than a few minutes. I was thinking about mixing some of the Cowboy Magic conditioner with water and putting it in a squirt bottle, and see if I could comb her out better.

Unless things have changed [2008-11-30]
As far as I know, you have to have a converter box, if you don't have a HDTV TV. You can't use a DVD or VCR player for a converter. Maybe what they meant, is if you need a converter box, and don't have one, the only way you can watch your TV, is using a DVD or VCR player, playing the DVD discs, or VCR tapes. I have bought 5 converter boxes, ending up taking two back. First one I got was a Magnovox, and I didnt' like it. My antennas wouldn't fit it. I took it back and exchanged it for a RCA one. I couldn't get my money back, with the coupon, so, had to exchange it, and am stuck with the RCA one. It works OK. Not great. Then I reviewed and found the TiVax was recommended. I got it. I liked it, till I got a DVT Pal today. It is better than any of them i have tried. I traded a Zenith for it, didnt' like the Zenith. My antennas wouldn't fit it, either. So I took the Zenith back, got the DVT Pal. The Pal is the only one , so far, that I have gotten 4 stations. The others I have only gotten 2. With the ZEnith, I got none. I think I'll stay with the DVT Pal. I have one more coupon left.

I just need to VENT and see what you all think...Beware...this is long...sm [2008-11-30]
I have tried twice to tell this story but deleted it both times because the story is just too long so I will be as short as I can. I have a bunch of ROTTEN TO THE CORE sisters.My sisters are just about the worst people I have ever met in my whole 43 years on this planet. There is one who is especially bad and I just told my other sister that if she ever dies, to please not call me as I won I come from a very large family with 5 sisters and 1 brother with my brother being the oldest. He is not involved. He sort ofleft the family years ago because he couldn They did terrible things to him after his divorce. We rarely see him now.I am considered a scumbag and a loser because my husband and I don We don We don We can We love our children with everything in our souls. They have made fun of me and my husband and insulted us to our faces.My husband and I have a difficult marriage as he is tough to get along with so they hate my husband My sistershave all gone out to dinner without inviting me. I have found out because of someone They have made threats and sent rumors flying throughout the family, without me knowing, about calling DCYF on me. I heard that one too from a slip of the tongue. I cried for 2 hours in the shower that day. They talk about everyone and I mean everyone badly. They have awell known reputation ina couple of our towns here for being mean horrible girls. They are about as fake and phony as a person can get. Sweet and all smiles to your face and when you turn around, they stick that knife in as far as they can get it in. They have what they have in their lives because of what someone has given them. My sister had her property given to her by her in-laws. It is worth about $1,000,000. My other sister had land given to her by her husbandto lessen their mortage burden so now they owe almost nothing on their $500,000 house. They think they are fabulous people. They think they are the cat In the past years when we were all talking and I would be invited to a holiday, I was not spoken to at all the whole time I was there. I am a venter and I always have been so if my husband and I are fighting, I will always go to my older sister (one up from me) and vent and vent until I can She gets on the phone the second I leave and tells every person in my family what is going on. They in turn judge me and my husband, make their threats, and so on. This is also happening to my oldest sister and her partner (she is in a gay relationship but was always dating a man and was married twice) and my sister The three of us, me, my sister and her partner, and my sister We get along well. We are happy with each other. We don Whatever happens in each other lives, we just accept it and don I now attend holidays at my sister I don I don The sisters (I like to call them the Witches of Eastwick) all attend holidays with each other up at my sister The three of us are not invited. My older sister has a son. Several yeas ago, my sister and her partner had a terrible fight with him. He went to the witches and told them a bunch of lies and now they have pretty much shunned her and her daughter and me too because we still talk to her.I have a sister, who is involved in all of this, that I speak to on a regular basis. She is close to my kids or at least my oldest son. She pretty much ignores my other two children and they tell me, It She is the one who has spread rumors about me in the family trying to get everyone to call DCYF on me. I heard this too by a slip of the tongue from another sister a few years back. I tend to be a forgiving person so I quietly forgave her for this without her ever knowing that I knew what she was trying to do. Now that they are all inviited to the holidays up to my sister They are extremely fat just like her. These holiday trips up north are usually kept quiet and I only know about it the day before they are leaving to go, which is when she inevitably asks me to come feed her f******g cats. This is how Iknow that a big party is going on up at the cabin and once again only the chosen selected few are going. This is usually for 3 or 4 days and they get fed twice a day so I have to goto her house twice a day. Sometimes I have to give them medication and the last time she asked me, I even had to soak her sick cat She lives about 20 minutes away from me. This girl would NEVER, NEVER, EVER do this for me. My husband and I took our children on a cruise 3 years ago and we have a cat and I never asked her to do this for me as I know she would have laughed in my face. I have been feeding her cats for years now when she goes away. Keep in mind though that she was in the select chosen few to be invited up to the cabin. I was not as I am considered trash in the family. I am SICK AND TIRED of feeding this girl My sister who invites everyone to go is a mean, horrible, sadistic, vicious, backstabbing wretched b***h. No one will say anything to her like, Gee Pat, where is everyone else? Didn They could care less. All they know is that THEY were invited. Anyway, I am sorry this is so long. I cananymore. I have been thinking of this all day all weekend long. I am really to the point where I just don I am goingto tell my fat a** b***h sister to fnd another way to get her cats fed because I She is just using me and believe me when I tell you, she enjoys it. She is verydiabolical. She loves it that I am not invited and she and her husband are.She even questions me and counts the cat food cans to make sure that I came on all of the days they were gone. These people have balls of brass and I have had ENOUGH.I am just sitting and waiting patiently for the next time she says, Oh, we Can you come and feed the cats? I just canNo. I can I will never feed your cats again! Find some other sucker to do it! I believe that they are severely narcissistic people and this is nothing to take lightly.These types of people are very destructive. Do any of you have family members like this and what do you do about them? How do you stop them from making you feelsad, lonely, excluded andless than you are or deserve? I think it is time for me to cut all ties with them. I just can

You are too funny! Here are my answers: [2008-11-29]
1. We went to Academy Sports. 2. We got there about 1:00pm. 3. I bought 2 pairs of work-out shorts for 2.44 each and a soccer shirt for my son - also 2.44. :) I got my big ticket item back in October (a Wii I happened upon by accident) so I slept in (until 7:30) and then when DH got home from deer woods, we went out for pizza and beer and then went to Academy before venturing back home to read and watch movies.

Did anyone watch Wolfgang Puck on HSN .ast night.. [2008-11-29]
Lord, did that hostess with himtalk to no end. I couldn Everytime he She was talking nonstop. And saying the same thing over and over. Also, did you see when Wolfgang Puck sneezed into to the towel? THen he wipedpans and the counter with it? Then I noticed not too long after that he put some fritata on a plate and gave it to the talkative host and I didn I have to hand it Mr. Puck for the amount of patience he showed with Ms. Butt-In-Ski. Well, I guess t.v. has really gone downhill when you end up enjoying the commercials more than the shows, but I do...especially when they are selling cookware.

I'm terrible at guessing sizes, myself...sm [2008-11-28]
I know it seems impersonal to a lot of people, but if you can't figure out her size, how about a gift certificate? I always ended up taking clothes back whenever I got them for Xmas...and I learned to appreciate the gift certificates, that way I could pick out what I really wanted myself....just a thought, though.....

Wow! [2008-11-28]
I was in a WalMart and some lady not paying attention rammed her cart right into the back of my elderly mother. Of course Mom didn What a jerk that lady was, and she didn

My sisters and nieces and nephews and I stopped [2008-11-28]
exchanging gifts several years ago. My mom and dad and my family stopped exchanging gifts a couple of years ago. This year, my 2 grown children and my husband and I agreed to keep Christmas very, very simple. One gift each. No big major spending. We havea new grandson who is a week old and, of course, he will receive gifts from us, but, even for him the spending will be kept to a minimum this year Maybe you need to just tell your family that you They may not understand, but you should not have to stress about such a beautiful time of the year. I know that I am actually looking forward to the holidays for the first time in a long time because I We are by no means rich people, but we do have what we need and a lot of what we want. There is really nothing that any of us needs. We are truly blessed.

I have 3 dogs [2008-11-28]
My newest addition is a dauchshound puppy. I got her back in March (or maybe April - can Anyway, she is now 9 months old and all puppy. She is relentless with my other 2 dogs, especially my little Maltese who is 7 years old. Just runs around her, nipping at her tail, and racing away. I know she And she doesn So, when you have had this situation, how do you stop it? How do I get this puppy to understand that she needs to stop this behavior? Other then this annoying habit of hers, she's a wonderful, funny, loving little girl!

Ah! There is your problem, Singers are worthless! sm [2008-11-27]
Seriously, they are. They have been made in Japan for 35 years or better. Japanese sewing machines are the WORST. Janhome (sp?), White, Necchi, Juki...all Japanese and all terrible things! Brother is from there too these days. They don't keep their tension, they are notoriously difficult to thread and they don't stitch worth a $hyte. If want something you can use for many, many years...you get a Pfaff, an Elna or a Bernina. They are European made. Pfaff has lots of bells and whistles for less money (I swear by a Pfaff and own 4 of them (2 regular, 2 sergers). Bernina is an excellent machine, but plenty of money gets you basics and fancy stuff like an extra presser foot is very pricey (A Pfaff ruffler is like $100, but a Bernina is more like $250). I know Pfaff's best. They have a hook around back to thread your needle for you. They have a fully adjustable tension and it DOES hold and will revert back when you change it. This is something a Singer will never ever cooperate with. Change the tension once and it won't go back no matter where the knob is. They are dead easy to thread and do so in a way that you never have to thread a slot, hole or needle eye. I know you are thinking too much money. One, you get what you pay for, and two, a second-hand Pfaff that has been reconditioned by a factory-trained mechanic is every bit as good as a brand new one. Unlike the Japanese machines, European ones have almost no moving parts, and they are modular. Burn out a motor (I have done this) and the old one snaps out and the new one snaps right in. I can also tell you I was a professional dressmaker of 10 years. In that time I killed a Singer serger, a Juki serger, a Singer lightweight, a New Home and a Necchi. For the second half of those years, I went to a Pfaff. I used the first one so much I wore the carbon brushes out in 15 months, grooved the armature on the motor and had to replace the motor!!! It worked great after that and I sold it for $200 less than I had paid for it new. Right now, to replace the 4 I have would cost me $20,000, but I own the very best, latest thing when I bought what I have. I own the first sewing machine model to retail for over $3000 (at $3399) but I didn't pay anywhere near that because you CAN negotiate on prices of sewing machines at independent retailers. I traded something in and bought 2 new regular machines with a total retail of $5000 and walked out with both for $1800 and that trade in. On a used machine they often make even better deals. No Virginia, it is not you! It is the SEWING MACHINE.

I did the annual Libby pumpkin pie- sm [2008-11-27]
and something called pecan tassies.....kind of like minature pecan pies, in small muffin pan, about 1.25 inch or so in diamter, yummy. Did 2 batches this morning after I finished the pie. Now unfortunately back to work as we are going away Saturday and I need to finish up about 150 minutes of work staring at me.

I was an animal science major in college and... [2008-11-27]
my poultry professor said that fresher eggs are harder to peel. The problem is that you can't tell from the store which the older eggs are because when they expire, they just repackage them with newer dates and send them back out because they only go bad if there is a defect in the shell.

Sewing machines make me crazy...sm [2008-11-26]
I had my mom's old machine. I kept it for a few years because I would make my son's costumes at Halloween and things. Well it was such a pain in the a** I told my mom a few months ago she could take the thing back. I would have problems getting the dang thing started. Or either be sewing along and realize it wasn't actually sewing. It never went smoothly and it fustrated me. So I said enough of this.

i told him he could stay, but his testicles would have [2008-11-26]
I already had two rescue cats, when the neighborhood stray came in through the cat door two years ago. He was so sick with pneumonia, limp and lifeless. I nursed him back to help and swiftly had him neutered. Of the three, he is by far the most grateful, any food, any attention, any place to sleep. When you have more love to give, what's the harm in just one more???

Holidays are hard [2008-11-26]
My parents were divorced so my sister and I spent many years shuffling between two houses. When we each got married and had our own families the situation got even more complex. My parents are now deceased and my sister and I are estranged (even though we live in the same town), so in some ways life has gotten simpler. I still get very emotional and depressed around the holidays because of my dysfunctional childhood and negative expectations, but I don't have as much guilt and stress anymore. My husband's parents and family are back in our hometown 600 miles away, and for the last few years he's gone back there for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas with our youngest child. I don't begrudge him that because his folks are elderly and I don't want him to have any regrets later. I can't go with him because we have a lot of animals to take care of, and frankly, I'm really comfortable just hanging out at home with them anyway. We have adult kids too, and two grandchildren, and I encourage all of them to live their lives without the burden of guilt and feelings of obligation. If they can come by and have dinner or visit that's great, and if not BIG DEAL. Honestly, it's just a day. Things got easier for us when we realized we didn't necessarily have to celebrate a holiday on the exact day it was scheduled. I really understand your not wanting to let your mom down, and I would feel the same way. Your husband is a big boy and has made a choice, so that's on him, not you. He's probably being a bit immature and stubborn on this one. I hope you'll extend the invitation to your husband one more time, then go to your mom's and enjoy yourself whether he comes along or not.

Prices just keep getting worse s/m [2008-11-26]
Instead of throwing the meat away here, they have a list of churches that will take it for the soup kitchens, etc. At least they know it is going to a good cause. We have been skimping more and more on meals. We are having more grilled cheese with soup, french toast or pancakes with sausage or bacon (when I find it on sale) and we were just given a deer that we had processed for ground meat and such. I have cutway back on snacks, a bag of chips and a bag of apples or oranges for the week. With 4 kids in the house, that goes fast!

See inside [2008-11-26]
My daughter (now 19) has always had more guy friends than girls mostly because she does not care for the drama and backstabbing that many teenage girls engage in. What I would take into account is how your daughter acts around these boys--how does she dress (my daughter is an athlete--no low-cut shirts, short skirts, etc) and what are her mannerisms (too flirty or just chillin as friends) or do you see something more--watch the behavior. Have always welcomed all kids to hang out at my house--even though it has driven up my food bill--because I feel that way I know what they're doing, hear how they are acting/talking (they can forget you are around the corner), and I get to know who they are hangin with. As time goes by you can get to know who a lot of the kids are in your town including siblings and parents--have always made it a point to network, network, network--soccer games, helping in school, etc. Always offer to drive too--they will also sometimes forget you have ears up there in the driver's seat. I like to remind my kids that they don't know who I know so they should keep that in mind when out in public because you never know what could get back to me.