Author Archives for kphirst
Do You Force The Forces Of Motivation
Motivation comes in different shapes and sizes. Before Abraham Lincoln was elected president, he lost seven elections for public office. Thomas Edison tried over 2,000 experiments before he got his light bulb to work. Col. Sanders was rejected by over 1,000 restaurants before he found one interested in his secret recipe. Obviously, to be successful […]
Do You Have Any Saving Graces?
Think savings - think bank. I remember being given lollipops at the bank when I was a little girl. That’s when banks gave toasters for opening new accounts and gave calendars for Christmas. Banks have changed. Now some give free checking accounts, some give free use of ATM’s and some give free safety deposit boxes. […]
Do Advertisers Put The Ad In Ad Nauseam?
Advertisers buy time on television shows based on demographics - statistical data showing the age, sex, income, etc of viewers. More men watch sports. More women watch daytime talk shows. More children watch cartoons. By knowing who’s watching what when, advertisers can spend promotion dollars with an ad-vantage.
The Ab Rocket ads appeal to […]
Are All Ideas Created Equal?
In 1891 William White invented a coffin that’s equipped with an emergency, signaling device in case you are buried alive. The coffin also comes with a convenient air hole for immediate resuscitation. This coffin would be the perfect gift for sound sleepers and for people who say they have everything. Literally, it’s a gift to […]
Who Knew Pyrotechnics Is A Hobby?
A hobby gives us a chance to do something the best we can; but because we’re not being paid to do it, no one tells us we’re not doing it well enough. My grandfather’s hobby was collecting. He collected coins and stamps and guns and clocks. I didn’t get the collector gene. The three, glass […]
Don’t You Hate Feeling Taken?
Once a year we feel taken by the IRS. Last year, however, the IRS issued a consumer alert to prevent us from feeling taken by surprise. The alert warned about an e-mail scam offering $80 for participating in a customer satisfaction survey. Among other things, the survey asked for social security number, bank name and […]
Is It Really As Good For The Gander?
When I got married, I got a life partner. My husband got a housekeeper and a cook. He also got a laundress and a social secretary. After we had children he got a nanny to take care of them - a nanny who didn’t get days off. This explains why men remarry sooner after divorce. […]
Do Old Sayings Still Mean What They Say?
One of my grandmother’s favorite sayings was don’t borrow trouble. A rain cancellation, a bad medical report, an unwelcome guest - she didn’t believe in worrying about something that might not happen. According to Grandmother, when you borrow trouble, it’s hard to return.
As a child, I not only borrowed trouble, I used it to […]
Why Aren’t Things What They Seem?
In today’s world not everything is what it seems. The reason the bowl of cereal in the TV ad doesn’t look soggy could be because the milk is actually wood glue. The bubbly champagne could look like a party in a glass because it’s been sprinkled with aspirin powder and the festive frosting on the […]
Is It To Die For?
My grandmother didn’t understand why people described things as “to die for”. She thought something really liked should be something “to live for” - like chocolate.
Chocolate is a socially acceptable addiction. It’s a multi-sensory addiction that appeals to taste, smell and touch. Because it also releases chemicals similar to those released when in love, […]