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Archive for October, 2009

I am really looking forward to our trip to Miami, Fl next January. I really dislike winters and knowing we will be getting out of here for a week in the heart of winter will make it just that more bearable. I can not say which is actually worse the cold temperatures, the short days or all the clouds and lack of sunshine. I suppose the lack of sunshine is the biggest issue for me when I give it some thought. By the time January and February roll around I am so edgy and depressed from all the  short days and the seemingly endless cloudiness. It seems as I get older it just gets worse and I look forward to the winters less. Winters in the north are just not for me. I keep looking for opportunities to move somewhere south and into a warmer and sunnier winter climate. Well that does not look like it is going to be happening soon so I will be happy to know we have our rooms booked at hotels Miami, Florida this January.

Our hotel is right on the beach in Miami and I plan on being on the beach in the sun most of the days we are there. I’ll be getting up early in the morning, head down to the beach, lay in the sun and take a nap. After that I will get some breakfast and then return to the beach for more sun. We have been going to Miami for several years now. In previous years we have visited the landmark sites, taken tours of the Everglades and done many if not all the tourist things. We are now at a point where we are go for the beach and sun shine. Might seem a little boring to some, but we are busy enough here in our regular lives so doing noting but soaking up some sunshine sounds like a perfect plan!

Grand Rapis, MI is locate on the Grand River and is about 30 miles from Lake Michigan. It is located in Kent county Michigan and is the 114th largest city in the United States. Once the center of furniture production for the United States the city still holds on to the nickname Furniture City.

We just got back from Grand Rapids, MI. My wife’s sister and family have just moved there and we went to see them in their new home. Being that they just moved up there and they had not fully settled in we booked rooms at hotels Grand Rapids for the week we were there.

Grand Rapids is a pretty place. We arrived just in time for the fall leaves to be changing. The night before we arrived was the frost that caused the trees to turn colors. It was a beautiful site as we flew in over the yellows, reds and oranges of the fall trees.

While we were there we spent a lot of time with my sister in laws family and helped them out a lot with the moving stuff around and getting settled in to their new home. There house is really nice, set on an acre of land with lots of mature trees all around. It is a very beautiful setting and being the fall and the colorful leaves made it all the more charming. There was a lot still to be done from the move. Both my sister and brother in law had jobs that required them both to get started right away so they have been trying to settle in in their off time. Not an easy task considering how tired they are when they get done with the work day. My wife and I were really pleased that we were able to get things done for them around their house while they were at work.

Our next visit to Grand Rapids I would like to see more of the area and go to Lake Michigan.

There’s a sense of something exciting going on in people who are thinking about making changes in their lives.  Deciding to go into a kind of lifestyle that is better, easier, and allows for more time with loved ones has an outward effect, and has a kind of magnetic appeal.  This energy doesn’t go away after they’ve made the decision, and selected their perfect choice from our wide variety of portable spas, and started using them.  In fact, the energy might even get stronger, because they’re a sense that life has suddenly become sweet, and it never seems to get old.

This might be attempting to say things that are intangible, anyway, but it’s a pattern that repeats in every customer, and it’s always nice to see.  It seems very simple, but it also seems to take people awhile to catch on, that hot tubs can be a magnificent way to change your life for the better.  There really are tremendously wide ranges of styles, colors, and types of spas to choose from, and you’ll find something to match your style and sensibility.  There are many different sizes, too, from the intimate spa that seats two, to a swimming pool-sized spa that’s perfect for aerobic exercise and big parties.

There are also a wide range of extra features that might be very attractive to you, again, depending on your taste and lifestyle.  Many spas have sound systems, or built in entertainment centers, so you can watch your favorite shows, or even host a movie party, right in your own back yard, and there are also elegant and fun light systems.  There are also many choices in color and texture, and there’s something that will match your idea of the perfect portable spa.  The lifestyle changes in having your own hot tub are so splendid that you may never remember wondering if it was right for you, but you’ll notice a difference in your life, and may remember the day that it suddenly got better.

There’s a whole new lifestyle and culture waiting for you when you have your own hot tub.  You’ll certainly enjoy having the opportunity to relax in the delicious water at your leisure, and it will brighten your days and make the nights easier, and a lot more fun.  It won’t be long before you start anticipating the end of the day, when you can soak your aching muscles and let the worries of the day melt splendidly away.  You’ll also begin to find yourself having more conversations with strangers about hot tubs, sharing tips and suggestions on spa care, and the best way to make a great party.  Your neighbors might start getting curious, too, and start dropping hints about how they never get to see you enough, and how it might be nice to have a gathering in your back yard sometime…

You never know what lies ahead.  There are definitely interesting adventures, however, that will be centered around this new addition to your home.  They have a curious effect on people, and a remarkable ability to make life a bit sweeter.  There are also terrific health benefits.  There are obvious benefits, such as a healthier heart, improved circulation, better sleep, and relaxed muscles, and these benefits are tremendous aids to the health of the spirit as well.  Everyone benefits from the better sleep that relaxation can bring, and a better night’s sleep means a clearer head with which to enjoy the work and pleasures of the day.

There are also major benefits to stress reduction, of course.  Putting aside time for yourself to collect your thoughts at the beginning or the end of the day is always a way to relieve stress, and a hot tub is the perfect place to sit back and let your mind wander.  It’s also a brilliant place to go to focus on specific mental or creative knots, and then to unwind so that inspiration can enter into your world again.  Stress-free living is its own reward, anyway, and there are many obvious and hidden benefits to this, but just the tip of the iceberg for what your hot tub can reveal for you.

Udaipur is a city of dreams, with Lake Pichola, an artificial freshwater lake that’s almost 700 years old sitting in front of a magnificent view of the city, with old palaces and modern building providing gorgeous contrasts and contradictions that are very pleasing on the eye. To get the most out of your stay in Udaipur, Palace Hotel accommodations seem almost unavoidable, offering a sense of opulence and wealth that are beyond measure.  The old palaces that are now hosting travelers from all over the world have incredibly rich and exciting histories, and have seen many famous guests honor their doorways.  Udaipur is truly another world, with all the exotic wonder that India is famous for.

You might feel like you’re walking from one movie set to another when you’re in our hotels for the first time.  In fact, many of these buildings have been featured in films, because of their unique combination of exquisite luxury and old world sensibility.  For a romantic getaway, there’s probably no better city in the world than Udaipur, and you’ll find everything that you could possibly ever need in the Palace Hotel, designed to keep guests in a state of enchantment.  There’s even more outside the door.  The work of local artists is a window into the deeper parts of Udaipur, the metaphorical and internal visions that make up the lives of the people here, and as such, the visual work can offer an extraordinarily complex view of the worlds that collide here.

When you start looking into the art here, you may come across the name Vinay Sharma.  He organizes a number of group shows and exhibitions that come through here.  He is currently based nearby in Jaipur, he was born here, and has lived and worked in Rajasthan for many years.  He’s been involved with the very influential Takhman – 28, and is very well-connected with the visual art world here.  His work is fascinating multi media collages and assemblages that investigate history and memory.  He comes from a family of astrologers, and this plays a very central role in all of his work, and informs some of the major themes he’s grappling with.

I play the drums. I give lessons and have had 15 years of professional experience with a few alternative rock bands. If that makes it sound like I’m trying to establish an advertisement for myself, than I’m missing the mark. That is not my intent. What I’m trying to do is simply demonstrate that following one’s dream is one of the most important things you can do with your life. But before you begin that journey, you must be sure what your dreams actually are. That may seem like a simple question, but it’s not.

Using myself as an example, it would be easy to assume I had strong ambitions to be a rock star and that my years of playing in bands have included a controversial lifestyle that was centered on partying and having a good time. While I do like to enjoy life and I love music, not only is the lifestyle assumption wrong but so is the idea that I wanted to be a rock star. At a very young age I recognized my passion for music and particularly for percussion. I also knew at a young age that I wanted to make travel a priority. With these strong major interests, playing in a band seemed to be my path to living the life I felt best expressed who I am and is also the most satisfying and rewarding for me.

Last summer was my final tour with the last band I played with. Australia was the last country we went to and Perth was the last city there that we played in. To celebrate the end of an era, of sorts, we stayed in one of the fancy hotels Perth, though I pretty much stuck to my standard habits during the days. Because of this I was able to enjoy jogging along the Swan River, and visiting some of the city’s major landmarks. I spent a day at the Western Australian Museum and was amazed at the extent of historic treasures it contains. I’m fascinated by the Jurassic Period and loved the dinosaur collection. Perth has a quality local music scene, and though we were playing almost every night we were there, we did get to see a couple of shows at Mojo’s Bar and heard some incredible local original bands.

The United States Congress passed the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in 1977.  The Act has been amended in the twenty plus years since then and has served to not only affect American companies and the ways in which they conduct business transactions, but many companies outside of the United States as well.  Foreign corporations are now being held liable for acts of corruption and bribery, for the transactions conducted in the US as well as those foreign companies and officials likewise.  This has served to metaphorically and literally level out the playing field a bit, by putting pressures on the governments to enact their own laws regarding bribery and anti-corruption policies and procedures.

This happened in Korea in 2001 and has been a growing practice in many other countries ever since that time.  The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act just ensures that ethics are followed regarding the administration of the officials and the companies, as well as removing the cloak and making all transactions and record keeping transparent.  Corporate standards of internal government and management have drastically improved and this has resulted in greater cooperation between governments, better coordination within governments, and it has given law enforcement officials something to work with, something more powerful that was not so before FCPA.

The number of prosecutions of such cases of bribery and corruption has gone up, and those attempting to bribe those working, managing and owning American based companies face extremely stiff penalties.  These laws apply not only to any American citizen, but foreign workers who hold American green cards.  Any American citizen and green card holder is held liable, no matter where they work, and regardless of which country the do that work in.  Foreign businesses are only held liable when conducting business with American companies, however with more foreign countries instating their own anti-bribery acts, this is changing the business world for the better.

For many people, Rajasthan figures in the India that exists in the imagination of outsiders.  It has that exotic appeal that speaks to the desire for an adventure in the desert, where cultures, languages, and customs have a life and history of their own.  These things may have some degree of truth to them, although it’s much more complicated than that.  Rajasthan is a fantastic place, and can appeal to the real moment just as much as it can to the imagination.  Here there are the largest expanses of desert in India, and it has the Aravali mountain range, and also the second largest wall in the world, the Kumbhalghar, that was used as a fortress at one time.  There are many fantastic things here that appeal to the living imaginations of locals and tourists, and one of the most fantastic is the luxury hotels.  Rajasthan knows the art of hospitality, and will appeal to you if you like gracious sensibilities, and comfort, and splendor.

Our hotels are carefully selected for their ability to provide style and panache, along with the traditional hospitality that guests have come to know and love for years in Rajasthan.  We offer nothing less than a magnificent accommodation, so that you’ll wake up in a kind of paradise far away from home, rested and refreshed for your new adventures.  If you’re an art lover, you will find yourself in a bit of luck.  Not only is India one of the finest centers for art in the world, with a tradition that goes back for thousands of years, there is also an extremely lively contemporary art scene.

While you’re here, you may come across the work of local artist Shahid Papvez.  His remarkable use of color will certainly grab you, and the bold design may entice you, but what will probably really draw you in is the spectacular use of layering.  The work often suggests shapes behind shapes, that speak of hidden impulses, hidden desires, and more often than not, hidden worlds that lie just beyond this one.

I have been to New York in the winter, just around Christmas time.  I have seen the window displays of the stores on Fifth Avenue. I have seen the Christmas tree and ice-skated at Rockefeller Center.  I have been there in the middle of an August heat and humidity wave.  I’ve felt the exterior walls of the city close in, only to open back up again when I saw children playing in the water from the fire hydrants.  I have not however visited during the Spring or Autumn Season.  Next week I will mark one of those seasons off of my list.

I booked a flight and a few rooms for myself and my dear friend Robert at one of the 4 star hotels.  New York, well…not sure yet if I want to live there, it has crossed my mind from time to time, but for now I do well with a visit every couple of years.  Robert and I generally don’t plan our visits, but yesterday he phoned me up to say that he made a plan, just one, one that he couldn’t resist.  Now, I have taken a dinner cruise, in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.  I have taken a happy hour/lunch cruise on Lake Michigan, as any time of day is ‘Happy Hour” in Chicago.  I took the Staten Island Ferry “Cruise” for 50 cents.  And I have gone from Newport Beach to Catalina Island, on a Dance “Cruise”.

And picnics, there are just to many to account for.  But, I have never taken a “Picnic Cruise”.  This is what Robert booked us for.  A cruise around the island of Manhattan, picnic style.  We are scheduled to leave Pier 63, this coming up Thursday, on the Hudson River. This, Robert told me, will be the best of fare, from drinks and cuisine of the neighborhood of Chelsea.  Markets and merchants from Chelsea supply everything from fresh produce to salads and root beer made in Utica, New York.

The cruise will take close to three hours, and I will be certain to bring my camera so as to capture the colors of the changing seasons on the shores, as well as the spectacular views of he George Washington and Brooklyn Bridges, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, the New York Skyline and Battery Park.  So…when all is said and done, plans aren’t so bad, as they just give one more of a sense of what to look forward to.  Can’t wait.

Hot tubs are not just luxury items associated with fun and social prestige. In recent years have become more common in a great number of homes throughout the United States than ever before. This is in part reflective of the technological advances that have allowed for them to become more affordable to a larger number of people, though it is also reflective of a growing health and well being oriented social structure. Hot tubs can play a major role in the well being most people, and if you are healthy enough to enjoy the pleasures they offer, you are definitely healthy enough to enjoy the benefits. Choosehottubsdirect.com is an excellent online resource for answering questions about hot tub uses and functions, as well as offering the best quality of products available.

One of the greatest benefits that a personal home hot tub can offer is to serve as an effective stress reducer. Stress is recognized as contributing to major health issues such as heart disease and others and is also theorized to reduce your expected life span. In today’s society, it is extremely difficult to live a stress free existence and most careers are full of competition and long workdays. Most elements in a person’s day will contribute to stress levels, which is why it has become increasingly important to embrace aspects of life and change lifestyles to reduce and eliminate the health deterioration effects stress has.

One of the common and increasingly popular forms of exercise and stress reduction is yoga. While hot tubs used to be considered luxury items for the elite and yoga was considered a metaphysical aspect of an alternative lifestyle, both of them have become extremely popular in mainstream society and the benefits they offer are showing on people in greater numbers. When considering the health and well being potential of a hot tub purchase, it makes sense that a yoga mat and hot tub will go together nicely.