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In January 2003, I decided to start producing a periodic newsletter "Retirement Tips and RV Stuff". Below, you'll find a copy of the newsletters to date. If you'd like to get on the distribution for the next newsletter, send me email at rjhoffman@yahoo.com.
Here it is, the last day of May, and I haven't sent out my newsletter yet. I can just hear all of you out there wondering, worrying --- where's that newsletter? maybe something happened to the oldguy? did the email not get through? Well, rest easy! Here 'tis!
I guess this newsletter has turned out to be more than just about Retirement Tips and RV Stuff. It sort of depends on what I do during the month and I don't always spend the majority of my time RVing or thinking about retirement. One of the things I spend mucho time on is the internet. And I still marvel at it! Can you believe that anybody -- anybody -- can put a website on the internet to express their views or interests or just chatter, and that info will possibly be viewed by people around the world? I was recently checking the visitor stats on my Retirement Tips site and noted that 75% are from the U.S. and Canada, but the other 25% come from U.K., Mexico, Netherlands, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bahamas, Chile, Germany, Egypt, Spain, France, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Sweden. Is that amazing or what? I'm really not sure what someone from Egypt, Indonesia, or Malaysia would find interesting on my little website, but I'm pleased that they're looking. With that in mind, I should probably consider pointing some of my site topics to consideration of people outside the U.S. I actually do have some info on the site about retiring from Canada or U.K. and some RVs in Europe, but that's about it. Any ideas?
So, having said that -- why don't you have a website? Do you have nothing of interest that you want to say or show to people around the world? I've actually got 5 sites on topics ranging from World War II to America-Views. Although the Retirement Tips site gets the most travel, all of the others get visitors now and then, so I must be saying something of interest to someone! If you have a website idea, contact me -- I know the best ways to get the info out there most easily and cheaply. Look below under Featured Website for a short description of one of the sites I built for a friend.
This has been a month in which I've not done anything major, but just alot of minor events of interest, as evidenced by Chapter 49 title listed below under Latest Site Updates. Not much RVing, just a day here and there, until the end of the month when I took my wife over to Orlando to do a faux painting job. Stayed over there about a week and painted a neat underwater scene on about 25 feet of wall. Since I was there with nothing specific to do, I helped. Last year I couldn't even spell muralist and now I are one! .. hahaha To see the finished product, visit http://www.fauxbyjoyce.com/ and click on Manatee Project. I sketched 3 of the 4 Manatees and painted some of the water -- things that didn't require much paint-savvy. Now I'm helping her on two other projects in Cocoa Beach. Seems like she's all-of-a-sudden getting a bunch of calls, while I have not much else to do, so I guess I'll be an artist for awhile.
For those who have already read Chapter 49, here's an update on the Woodpeckers. Seems the little ones are almost ready to emerge from the house. They've gotten to a point where they're peeking out, but haven't made the big jump yet. Ever see a baby Woodpecker? Their beaks look as long as their whole body. If they delay one more day, I guess I'll have to charge them another month's rent.
That was the bird update, now here's the dog update. In the March newsletter, I talked about the dog we found on one of our RV trips. We thought it was a Pekingese -- turns out if appears to be a Tibetan Spaniel. Know anyone who's lost one?
Bottom Line: All the names still lead to http://www.retirementtips.homestead.com/, which is the server I use, so all those other names are just for prestige .. or preference .. or confusion .. or whatever.
- I've added Travel Log Chapter 49 entitled "Fish, FPL, Angels, Birdhouse, Saddam, and a Studebaker." It's about a short Jupiter Inlet fishing trip, and some interesting things I bumped into this month. Including a series of pictures of the big Saddam statue being pulled down -- just in case you missed it on the news. Just go to http://www.retirementtips.com/ and click "My Travel Log."
- Or go there and click "Campground Membership For Sale" if you're interested in a membership at Mountain Lakes Resort in Alabama.
- Or click on "Towing Tips" to see a whole new page on what's towable, as well as some really great tips from Remco Towing.
- http://www.outdoorencountersinc.com/ is a site I did for a Mark and Celeste Fisher late last year to showcase Mark's great outdoor artwork. He specializes in hunting and wildlife art, but also does custom artwork for customers with unique requirements. Check out his site to see some beautiful artwork and give him a call if your wall needs one of his pictures.
Here's a list of some interesting things, some of which will make me a few bucks if you need them and buy them here:
- Dream Lifestyles to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All about How to Get a Life By .... whatever .. you fill in the blank. Check them out at http://www.dreamjobstogo.com/titles/dltg0005.html?11120
- Camp at Half of What Everyone Else is Paying! No home park, no monthly maintenance fees, no long-term obligation, just pay the small annual fee and camp for half-price. Check it out at http://www.passportamerica.com/default.asp?net_id=Rob40
- Dream Jobs to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All about How To Break Into ... whatever is your dream job. Check them out at http://www.dreamjobstogo.com/titles/djtg0051.html?11120
- $50 Websites! Instead of the hundreds or even thousands charged by most, I've decided to build websites for $50. Why so cheap? -- I enjoy building them and I'm trying to build a business. If you or any acquaintances would like to have a presence on the world-wide internet, either for personal or business, check out my websites listed at http://www.robert-hoffman-consulting.com/
- Just read How to Get Paid and Get Free Books as a Book Reviewer and learned some interesting things. The author suggests that to be successful as a Book Reviewer, you must love books and love to read them (and like to write). She says that as long as a book reviewer can read and give an objective opinion about what is available to readers, he can stay busy. One might be able to get paid $10-$25, but usually does it just for free books. She also mentions that many reviewers appear to also be authors -- reviewing helps them in their writing. The #1rule before starting - pick ONE genre you're familiar with. The book includes many links to sites that have books to review, tips on reviewing, for marketing your reviews, and comments from reviewers. If you're interested, this is a great book on the subject with alot of guidance for only $12.95 -- check it out in the library.
- I'm going to include a review this month on a book that's not published yet. Not related to RVs, but the author is "retired" so I guess it fits in this newsletter. The author, Virgil Allen Wulff, asked me to review the manuscript of his "Deadlihood" novel about how to live forever. His first novel was "Cassadaga" and the second was "Death-Pact Reunion," both of which are included in my library. In "Cassadaga," Wulff dealt with fairly common paranormal phenomena, such as psychics and mediums. In "Death-Pact Reunion," he stretched a little more into less common areas like Out-of-Body-Experiences and Bodily Possession. In "Deadlihood," he includes descriptions of some brain-altering techniques to such a level of detail that he may convince you that they're more than figments of his imagination. His writing style uses a Ludlum-like approach that initiates multiple story lines which eventually merge, includes a "family history" that provides an intriguing trace of several generations of the main character's lineage, and wraps it all into a spell-binding adventure into the metaphysical and paranormal. His meticulous attention to detail will have you believing that he's been there and done that as he leads you from the slums of Chicago to the sun-drenched Cayman Islands. "Deadlihood" will be published soon -- to get a sneak-peek, visit http://www.virgilallenwulff.com/.
No surveys this month. I got two responses from the one last month, so decided either nobody's reading this or you just don't respond to wierd little surveys.
This month, I'm just going to list a bunch of things that I bumped into this month that don't fit anywhere else. Hope you find something that interests you or is of some use to you.
- FREE POP-UP STOPPER: Thanks to my sister, Marylin, for finding a great FREE popup ad zapper. If you're bothered by those popup windows advertising things that are of no interest to you, visit http://www.panicware.com/popupstoppercompare.html for a FREE copy of Pop-Up Stopper. If you're not bothered by those popups ... hmmm, you're strange. If you get the Stopper, be sure to set the Preferences to get the sounds, etc. set the way you want them.
- OLD SMALLPOX SHOTS STILL GOOD: Thanks to bassman, one of my readers, for the following: "Here's some good news for the over-30 crowd: results of a new study suggest that everyone who ever was vaccinated against smallpox may still have some protection against the disease. Routine vaccinations against smallpox ended in 1972 because the disease was no longer a threat in the United States; it was eradicated worldwide in 1980. The study of 306 people from 40 different states and 34 countries showed that even those vaccinated 75 years ago still had some immunity. Experts had believed that immunity lasted no more than five years. About half of those tested had levels of antibodies against smallpox high enough to protect against serious infection. Having some immunity doesn't confer complete protection: you can contract smallpox and pass it on to others, but you are less likely to die of it. The study was conducted at the Oregon Health and Science University and reported at the May 20 meeting of the American Society for Microbiology."
- THE BIG RETIREMENT HEADACHE: I've been intending to put up a page about all the tips I've picked up regarding health care and benefits for retirees, but until I do, check out: http://money.cnn.com/2003/04/21/retirement/mag_retire_benefits/ - some great tips on how to ease the pain of the headache.
- POCKETMAILER: You may have read my discussion of this great little gadget at http://www.internetontheroad.com/. I recently talked to a lady who told me they're selling them at Camping World now.
- LAPTOP/CELL MODEMS: Also at InternetOnTheRoad.com, I talk about accessing the internet from your laptop through your cellphone. I mention that I use a modem that I paid $400 for at Radio Shack. Thanks to Chuck Woodbury for pointing me to a place to buy cell to laptop modems for $149-$199: http://www.ositech.com/ .
Remember back in the April newsletter (#2003.4), I mentioned that it appeeeared that we were in a stock market rally? Well, I think for once I was right about what the market was doing. It's almost getting back to where playing the market is "fun" -- sort of like it was back in late 1999, but not quite. When I retired in August 1999, one of the primary activities I had planned for enjoyment in retirement was playing the market. And it really was "fun" for awhile -- until about February 2000 when the "bubble burst". Since then I've just been sort of hanging on, making occasional buys and sells, usually at the wrong time. About August of 2002, I began to feel a little more positive, but still cautious -- since then, my portfolio has finally started improving again. Hope it continues.
Speaking of gambling (hoho), I've recently been watching the World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel. If you have any interest in poker, I recommend watching. I've been wanting to get into a Hold'em game for quite some time, but have been hesitant since it looks like a more expensive and more complicated game than 7-card Stud (which I do play in casinos). After watching the tournament for awhile, I feel like I'm starting to understand the strategies of the game. I've also started playing at Yahoo! Games website (http://games.yahoo.com/), although it's not too realistic since you're only allowed to raise a max of $4 (fun money). I've even invested $10 in a book on the subject -- check my library if you're interested. I'll be reviewing it next month. Hey, that's what retired people do -- look for entertainment that can earn a few coins -- poker probably has better odds than the stock market, eh?
The most exciting thing I've heard about this month is the "do not call" list that the Federal Government has set up. Get on the list and telemarketers can't call you - charities and politicians can still call, but at least it's a start. Read about it at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/03/11/politics/main543573.shtml -- I've been trying unsuccessfully to get to donotcall.gov all day. I've heard that 100 people per second are signing up. I guess there's no hurry, since it's not effective until October anyway. And if you RV full-time, this may not be nearly as important to you, but you still may want get on the list with your cellphone number.
One of my better discoveries this month has been the RV Business website (http://www.rvbusiness.com/). It has the latest news on everything pertaining to RVs. Even lists the most prominent RV stocks. Good stocks to buy if you believe that baby boomers are going to significantly impact the RV market over the next 10 years -- I do.
Just like last month, I've been doing more painting than RVing. Helped Joyce paint a doctor's waiting room with a peaceful scene on two walls, each about 15 feet long. To see the finished product, visit http://www.fauxbyjoyce.com/ and click on Cocoa Clinic Project.
Remember the Woodpeckers from Travel Log Chapter 49? Well, they finally flew the coop. Left at night, so we didn't get to see them go.
Nobody said that retirement is always exciting ...
- For anyone who's been visiting my AmericaViews.com website -- I'm deleting it and including all the neat pictures under a button labelled "America Views" on the Retirement Tips.com home page (http://www.retirementtips.com/). I was given the domain name free for a year, but decided it didn't need to be a separate site. It sort of fits with Retirement Tips and RV Stuff, so it's there now.
- I've added some great new links on my link page. Click on "Fantasmagorical RV Links" on the home page to check them out.
- http://www.virgilallenwulff.com/ is a site I did for an old fellow retiree, Al Wulff. He worked at two of the companies where I was employed and retired shortly before me. Like many of us, Al (or Virgil, if you prefer) has been writing novels. The big difference is that he's actually had two of them published. The Deadlihood review in my May newsletter was about his most recent. Check out his site to see excerpts from his writings.
Here's a list of some interesting things, some of which will make me a few bucks if you need them and buy them here:
- Dream Lifestyles to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All about How to Get a Life By .... whatever .. you fill in the blank. Check them out at http://www.dreamjobstogo.com/titles/dltg0005.html?11120
- Camp at Half of What Everyone Else is Paying! No home park, no monthly maintenance fees, no long-term obligation, just pay the small annual fee and camp for half-price. Check it out at http://www.passportamerica.com/default.asp?net_id=Rob40
- Dream Jobs to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All about How To Break Into ... whatever is your dream job. Check them out at http://www.dreamjobstogo.com/titles/djtg0051.html?11120
- $50 Websites! Instead of the hundreds or even thousands charged by most, I've decided to build websites for $50. Why so cheap? -- I enjoy building them and I'm trying to build a business. If you or any acquaintances would like to have a presence on the world-wide internet, either for personal or business, check out my websites listed at http://www.robert-hoffman-consulting.com/
- Just read How to Get Started as a Desktop Publisher and learned about one more occupation that I'm not interested in. This sounds like a difficult area to work your way into and one that requires a large number of fairly expensive software packages be purchased. The author includes plenty of warnings about the possibility of failure and suggests significant formal training. Although I like publishing on my desktop, doing it professionally doesn't sound like something I'll be trying anytime soon. If you're interested, this is a great book on the subject with alot of guidance for only $12.95 -- check it out in the library.
This month, I'm going to ramble a little about aging, a topic dear to the heart of retirees. If you're younger than me, you might find this informative. If you're older, you may be able to add some to it. Hopefully, you'll at least get a laugh out of it.
At one time, I was going to add a webpage named "Things Your Mother Never Told You" or something equally as comical. On it, I was going to relate things I've learned about aging as I've aged. I decided I didn't know enough to merit a page, but I think there might be enough for this newsletter. Here goes ...
In my 30's, I learned that you can't eat all the junk food you want and expect to never gain weight -- did I think I could? ... yeah ...
In my 40's, I learned that even though I'd always had 20/20 vision, I should expect to start wearing glasses. Phooey! I'd seen older people squinting to read small print, but had no idea it happened to everybody! ...
In my 50's, my doctor told me there are two kinds of men at my age -- those with prostate problems and those about to have prostate problems ... that was a bit of a surprise ...
In my 60's, I'm now finding out that when you get older, the bottoms of your feet wear out! Jeez! Going bare-footed was something I enjoyed when I was young and hoped to again enjoy in my retirement. Now I have to put on shoes now and then just to keep my feet from hurting.
hmmm .. what's next?
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Email rjhoffman@yahoo.com to sign up for the next newsletter, coming whenever I'm in the mood again.
My mother told me a story many years ago. Seems that she and my Dad were in a club in Minneapolis sometime in the 1930's, being entertained by a young comedian. As the young man walked from table to table, leaving the patrons rolling in the aisle, Dad predicted that this young man was really going places. Well, my Dad was right -- the young man really went places, outlived both my Dad and Mom, and he finally passed away at the age of 100 on July 27th, 2003. I feel like I've lost another member of my family with the exit of Mr. Bob Hope. Thanks for the memories ...
Well, that's the bad news. The good news is that I've just traded my 1997 Pace Arrow Vision for a new 2003 Damon Challenger. The new one is slightly shorter, but has two slides, a new V10 engine, and a 3-year Warranty! Some of you may have been wondering why I haven't been travelling much recently -- well, among other reasons, I wasn't very comfortable with the reliability of the Pace Arrow. Now that I've got this new one, I expect I'll be RVing a little more and talking about the trips here and in my Travel Log. For anyone who cares to see, I'll be putting pictures of the new RV on the website as soon as Joyce and I take it camping in a week or two.
Earlier this month, Joyce and I and our doggies took a little trip over to visit the area around Sebring, Florida for a few days. We'd been through there before and had liked the lakes, etc. Well, the brakes "went out" on the Pace Arrow on the way over there, so we camped one night, got the brakes fixed, and then decided to come back home and wait until we had the new RV to continue our exploration. As it turns out, it was simply air in the brake lines that was fixed by bleeding the brakes, but it disturbed us enough to just decide to try again later when conditions (e.g., the RV) improved. Coincidentally, we got the new RV the following week, at the same time that I had planned a camping/fishing trip with my old Air Force buddy, Buckner. We picked up the new RV, checked out all the features during our three-night stay, made a short list of things to fix, enjoyed great weather, caught some great fish, and ate too much again. You'll hear about it and see a few pictures when I get around to creating Travel Log Chapter 50 in a day or two.
Other somewhat good news is that the hit-count on retirementtips.com is approaching 15,000. That's certainly many more than I thought would ever visit my site when I first created it in late 1999. I remember getting excited about passing 1000, when Tony Whalen was the "lucky" visitor to turn over the 1000 count. Then, at 5000, Bassman watched it turn. Somehow, I missed asking who turned the 10,000 -- must have been busy retiring or something. IF YOU'RE NUMBER 15000, PUT A NOTE IN THE GUESTBOOK AND YOU TOO WILL BECOME FAMOUS! For those who haven't noticed, the hit counter is at the bottom of the main page.
Speaking of the website, I refreshed the Search Engine on it a week or so ago. The Engine searches all the pages and builds a glossary of words to allow visitors to search for specific items. Of interest to me, and maybe to someone else out there, the site now consists of 389 pages and 159,730 words! Ain't that amazin'?
- Button "Cheap Prescriptions" at http://www.retirementtips.com/ : For those who have been following/using the Cheap Prescriptions info on the site, I've updated it with links to the Costco site where drugs are cheap without going to Canada or Mexico and I've added another Canadian drug site. I'm hoping to consolidate this prescription info with other tips I've learned regarding saving money on medical expenses, then create a page on the topic, but can't seem to get around to it. Maybe next month ...
- Button "Protect Your Identity" at retirementtips.com : I've updated the identity-protection page with links to the 3 national credit reporting organizations Experian, Equifax, and Transunion. If you want a report from all three, the cheapest source seems to be TransUnion. I also found a Government website with good information about protecting your identity: http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
- Button "A Few Good Jokes" at retirementtips.com : Click this button, then look for Funny Roadside Signs -- I've added a few more that I received from a site visitor. I've also added some really funny Boomers' Songs on the Jokes for Old Folks page -- song titles that have been revised to accommodate the aging generation -- e.g., Herman's Hermits - "Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Walker", The Bee Gees - "How Can You Mend A Broken Hip", The Beatles - "I Get By With A Little Help From Depends", etc., etc. hahaha ...
- Button "Cool & Unusual RVs and Stuff" at retirementtips.com : Just added two more "unusuals" -- links to pages describing the Rexhall T-Rex Doublewide, a Class A Motorhome that doubles in size at the push of a button and the 45' Terra Wind, that is equally as driveable on land or on sea (pictures included).
- New in the Library (http://retirementtips.homestead.com/library.html) : I've added two books dealing with The Quest for Immortality. According to a recent issue of Time Magazine, a large number of Baby Boomers appear to be pre-occupied with the concept of immortality -- or at least with the extending of human life. These are two books treating the subject : "Merchants of Mortality : Chasing the Dream of Human Life Extension" by Stephen S. Hall is a documentary of the actual, while "Deadlihood" by Virgil Allen Wulff is a prediction of the possible. Read both to get a perspective on what is and what might be.
- http://www.InternetOnTheRoad.com/ : You'll now find a menu option labelled WiFi -- go there for info about this apparently great new connection option. The page now includes links to basic Wi-Fi info, plus a list of campgrounds around the country that are Wi-Fi Hotspots. I plan to buy a Wi-Fi card very soon, so will be able to report back on their effectiveness from personal experience.
- http://www.nostalgiagifts.com/ is a site I did for friend, Nicole Agnew. Nicole owns and operates the unique Nostalgia giftshop in Old Downtown Melbourne, Florida. Select the tour option to "wander through the store" online to see a variety of unique and unusual gifts of all types, some made in USA and others from around the world. Look closely and you'll even see some of Joyce's mural work there.
Here's a list of some interesting things, some of which will make me a few bucks if you need them and buy them here:
- Dream Lifestyles to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All about How to Get a Life By .... whatever .. you fill in the blank. Check them out at http://www.dreamjobstogo.com/titles/dltg0005.html?11120
- Camp at Half of What Everyone Else is Paying! No home park, no monthly maintenance fees, no long-term obligation, just pay the small annual fee and camp for half-price. Check it out at http://www.passportamerica.com/default.asp?net_id=Rob40
- Dream Jobs to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All about How To Break Into ... whatever is your dream job. Check them out at http://www.dreamjobstogo.com/titles/djtg0051.html?11120
- $50 Websites! Instead of the hundreds or even thousands charged by most, I've decided to build websites for $50. Why so cheap? -- I enjoy building them and I'm trying to build a business. If you or any acquaintances would like to have a presence on the world-wide internet, either for personal or business, check out my websites listed at http://www.robert-hoffman-consulting.com/
- Just read The Complete Book of Hold 'Em Poker : A Comprehensive Guide to Playing and Winning and learned that there are at least three other books I have to read before I jump into a casino game with my hard-earned dollars. The 313-page book covers all the topics you'd expect, from how to play the game, betting based on sample hands, theory of poker, reading other players, online internet info sources and game sites, etc. What surprised me is how much I don't know about poker in general, after playing various poker games for about 50 years. I'm not going to go into detail on that here, as it may just show my stupidity, but I'd recommend this book to anyone thinking about sinking a few dollars into casino poker, especially Hold 'Em. If you're interested, this is a great book on the subject with alot of guidance for only $10.47 -- check it out in the library.
As a retiree, or semi-retiree, or self-employed, or whatever I am, I have a large amount of "free" time when I can pretty much do whatever I choose. When I'm not banging on the keyboard updating websites or RVing or putting in some consulting hours, I spend my time watching TV. I don't know about your house, but at ours the TV is much like the radio used to be. We don't just turn it on when we want to watch a particular show. We turn it on when we're in the mood, then look to see what we choose to watch. Generally, one or more TVs are on in the house most of our waking hours. Sometimes we watch, sometimes they just entertain themselves.
What TV shows do most retirees watch? ... who knows .. I like anything Science Fiction, from Twilight Zone to Star Trek to X-Files to Stargate SG-1. I've seen every Star Trek series since it originated in the 1960s and every Star Trek movie. Although I'm not one of those who can quote the dimensions of the Enterprise, I could probably name all the captains given a few minutes. I like any movies with John Wayne or Clint Eastwood, most of which I've seen multiple times --- Rio Grande, Dirty Harry, World War II, submarines, etc. -- love'em all -- wahoo! I've even gotten into some of the reality shows, although very few. I've seen every chapter of every Survivor, have watched a few of the Last Comic Standing, and even partake occasionally of the Great Race, version whatever. There are, however, a multitude of marry my mother, etc. shows that I choose to avoid. Any daytime shows? .. yup, I watch The Price is Right almost every day .. hahaha. The rest of the day, I pretty much wander from one old show to another, trying to avoid soap operas, courtroom shows, and Oprah/Phil-type shows.
But you'd never guess what one of my favorite shows is -- CBS News Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood -- how about that? It's on 8-9:30 Central or 9-10:30 Eastern time. It's different every week, giving a light-hearted view of what's happening here and there around the country and around the world. One of the features each week is Bill Geist, a fairly funny and eccentric character doing whatever seems to have piqued his interest. Sometime back, he even did a few weeks of RVing across the country to show viewers what that was like. The high point of the show, in my opinion, is the last five minutes, when they have what I call the "quiet time". They pick a peaceful pastoral scene with wildflowers or some type of animal or a waterfall and just show it for five minutes with no chatter, just the sounds that go with the scene -- really fantastic! Check it out sometime.
So what am I? Typical, unusual, totally immature, wierd? What shows do you watch? Email me with your preferences and maybe I'll put them into an online survey to see what the rest of the retired world likes.
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Email rjhoffman@yahoo.com to sign up for the next newsletter, coming whenever I'm in the mood again.
Two topics are on my mind as I write this : the World Poker Tournament final round that's on ESPN tonight and the neat travel calendar that I received from Damon RV for spending $90K on one of their creations. Expensive calendar, but probably no worse than the price of the free drinks and free buffets I get when I'm gambling ... haha.
At any rate, I've decided to talk about the calendar (a totally pleasant topic, completely in tune with the intended RVing flavor of this newsletter) here, then ramble on about the Poker in my Ramblings section below.
The cover of my Two-Year Personalized RV Travel Edition of the Destination Calendar has some really nice camping photos with the banner "Celebrating The Lure of the Open Road" across the bottom. Each month then has another really great photo of USA scenery, with an accompanying quote and Trivia Challenge. It's these quotes and challenges that I intend to share with you. Since we're already into August, I've got some catching up to do. I decided to include 3 quote/challenges in this newsletter, 3 in the next, then 2 in each of the last three months of 2003. By January 2004, we'll be in sync, doing one a month.
So here goes - January quote "It is good to have an end to a journey, but it is the journey that matters in the end" - Ursula K. LeGuin. Now isn't that deep? The Trivia Challenge "What is the name of the horse on Wyoming's license plate?" -- answer in Ramblings below.
February "Variety is the soul of pleasure" - Apra Behn. hmmm ... a thinker. Challenge : "What is the distance from NYC to LA?"
March "There is no pleasure in having nothing to do. The fun is in having lots to do and not doing it" - Mary Wilson Little. Now ain't that the truth? Maybe points up why retirement is sometimes a little boring. Challenge: "What state park is larger than Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon combined?" Are these hard or what?
That's it for the calendar. RetirementTips hit-count is at 14837 today. DON'T FORGET TO SIGN THE GUESTBOOK IF YOU'RE VISITOR NUMBER 15000.
We've done some travelling since last month's newsletter. Check out the Latest Site Updates below. Oh .. speaking of trivia .. a friend pointed me to a really great website called http://www.driveinmovie.com/ that lists all drive-in movies that are still open in the USA. If drive-ins are your thing, check out the site.
Chapter 50. A New RV and a Sailfish : First trip in our new 2003 Damon Challenger and fishing at Jupiter Inlet again.
Chapter 51. Lost in Mt. Dora : A weekend visit to a sweet little Florida town full of antique and gift shops.
Chapter 52. 1000 Miles to Moss Hill : A couple of weeks on I-10, visiting friends, relatives, casinos, and the Blue Angels.
- http://retirementtips.homestead.com/RetireJokesSigns.html : Remember the Funny Roadside Signs I mentioned in the last two newsletters? Well, up until now, all have been received from others. I just added the first that I actually photographed -- check out the Holy Ghost sign at the top of the Joke Signs page.
- New in the Library (http://retirementtips.homestead.com/library.html) : I've added some poker books, one that I reviewed last month on Hold 'Em Poker and one reviewed this month on 7-Card Stud for Advanced Players.
- http://www.fauxbyjoyce.com/ is my wife, Joyce's, website. I've mentioned it in passing in a few places in the newsletter, but decided to specifically mention it here in honor of our 19th anniversary on 1 September. She's really done some great murals recently, so go check it out. If you want to get rid of some of the white walls in your house, give her a call. We work almost anywhere that the RV can go -- and wants to go .. LOL. Mostly in Florida, but will travel elsewhere if you've got nice weather or amazing scenery.
Here's a list of some interesting things, some of which will make me a few bucks if you need them and buy them here:
- Dream Lifestyles to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All about How to Get a Life By .... whatever .. you fill in the blank. Check them out at http://www.dreamjobstogo.com/titles/dltg0005.html?11120
- Camp at Half of What Everyone Else is Paying! No home park, no monthly maintenance fees, no long-term obligation, just pay the small annual fee and camp for half-price. Check it out at http://www.passportamerica.com/default.asp?net_id=Rob40
- Dream Jobs to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All about How To Break Into ... whatever is your dream job. Check them out at http://www.dreamjobstogo.com/titles/djtg0051.html?11120
- $50 Websites! Instead of the hundreds or even thousands charged by most, I've decided to build websites for $50. Why so cheap? -- I enjoy building them and I'm trying to build a business. If you or any acquaintances would like to have a presence on the world-wide internet, either for personal or business, check out my websites listed at http://www.robert-hoffman-consulting.com/
- Just reread Seven-Card Stud for Advanced Players by David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth, and Ray Zee. I'd read it years ago, didn't get much help from it, then decided to reread it after digesting last month's book on Hold 'Em Poker. I went back to it because I wondered why I'd gotten so much new info from the Hold 'Em book and didn't feel I'd gotten that much from this 7-Card Stud book. A review on Amazon from johnofuk@tiac.net from Boston , MA. says it very well : "There's no doubt in my mind that Mr. Sklansky should be a rocket scientist and not a poker player/writer. This book is deep, way beyond the comprehension of the average stud player. I've read, reread, studied, restudied this book over and over again and only now am I beginning to see the light . I see S&M students out there night after night losing their shirts making these plays, blaming their losses on bad luck. The title of the book "Seven-Card Stud for ADVANCED PLAYERS " is very revealing. After all, most poker players consider themselves advanced players, especially if they've been playing for a couple of years . Let's face it, an advanced player is probably already a significant winner at the game, it's the average player who needs help. To sum it up.. Great stuff for the ADVANCED PLAYER. Dangerous for the AVERAGE PLAYER. Suicide for the BEGINNER."
If you're interested in deciding for yourself, check it out in the library.
A little chat about Poker. As I've mentioned in the Travel Log and in this newsletter, I've been watching the World Poker Tour on Travel Channel for the last several weeks. This year's satellite games,leading up to the big Vegas game in May 2004, are on every Wednesday at 9 Eastern. Recently, I also started to pick up on last year's final series on ESPN on Tuesdays at 8 and 9 Eastern. As a matter of fact, the final match is tonight at 7 or 8 -- I think the 7:00 show is a repeat of last week's semi-final and the 8:00 is the actual final. I've really enjoyed both ESPN and Travel Channel presentations, since they show the hands to allow you to play along. They also give you a feeling that you understand the game and that you could possibly do as well as those guys winning all those millions on TV. Couple that with the Hold 'Em book I read last month, plus that fact that I was in the Grand Casino in Biloxi, MS a couple of weeks ago, and guess what? I got to try out some of my new-found knowledge. As expected, they broke me ($100) in a couple of hours, but I feel like I've learned a little more and will try again sometime in the future. In the meantime, I'm practicing on http://www.paradisepoker.com/, as recommended in the book. It's free and you can use either play money or real money -- I'm still on play money. I don't expect to become a pro or even a consistent winner, but it would sure be nice to be a little more confident in my poker ability and to win now and then. I think my next book needs to be Caro's Book of Poker Tells by Mike Caro -- I'm beginning to feel that that's a large part of the game and one that I'm terrible at. Stay tuned!
Afterthought -- just got my lastest issue of Time Magazine (September 1, 2003) and there's an article "Decks, Lies & Videotape" that talks about this latest craze. Seems that millions of viewers are tuning in, tripling the Travel Channel's viewers from last year. The article also discloses that the two finalists are Nashville Accountant Chris Moneymaker and "Houston Sammy" Farha, "a pro whose cultivated look of disreputability is an artistic achievement." Well, it's too bad they gave the ending away, but I guess they figure we all know the outcome since the event was May 2003.
TRIVIA ANSWERS: The Wyoming horse: "Old Steamboat, named after a bronco that actually lived at the beginning of the 20th century and couldn't be ridden". The distance from New York City to Los Angeles: 2800 miles or 4500 kilometers. The monster state park: Adirondack State Park in New York.
Now wasn't that special?
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Email rjhoffman@yahoo.com to sign up for the next newsletter, coming whenever I'm in the mood again.
