Philosophy has so often been read, but not really ever applied. Given our mortal and corruptible nature, it’s tragic because instead of making the best of  history, and what we’ve learned over the ages, we often forget the most simple, basic, and useful observations that were made millennia ago. I recently picked up a book and was immediately enthralled with it. It’s called the Stoic Philosophy of Seneca translated by Moses Hadas.

I didn’t grow up speaking Spanish. As a matter of fact, I didn’t  even pick it up until I was in college. As a kid, every summer when we went to visit family, my sister acted as my personal interpreter. I didn’t mind, heck, I  didn’t even know any better. 

Then, for whatever reason, the light turned on in my head and I became interested in learning it. I took every course I could in Spanish, and I even studied in Spain so I could have no excuse but to speak it.  

There's something about being in a foreign country that's very cleansing. This thought takes me back to when I started traveling. The rush of excitement when taking that first step out of customs, the relief of stepping into the hotel, and the tightly wrapped package of anticipation of what I'm gonna do once I get there all reverberate the memories and experiences I've had.

For the longest time I have hemmed and hawed at promotion. Around 2007 I started playing the rat race game and that experience has yielded some interesting observations. Granted, not all situations are the same, and I am in no way discouraging anyone with ambitions of promotion. I just figured that I would impart some helpful advice for people wanting to promote or otherwise become a leader amongst the people they work with. In other words, use this information at your own risk, and use some common sense before giving up any aspirations for advancement. 
Okay, here it goes…

Greetings again everyone!

We're once again going to be at a show! This time we will be in ColdSpring, Texas at the
April Artisans Show.

We'll be elated to see you out there. Don't forget that we will have soaps available at the show that you can't find on the website!

Coldspring is a neat little town. It's nestled just outside the Sam Houston National Forest and its downtown has the look and feel of a frontier town.

We hope to see you there!
-OGJ

Ta-da!

This weekend marks the first appearance of The Soap Closet! Come join us at the Livingston Trade Days April 15th, 16th, and 17th!

New Scents will be unveiled and you will find greater variety than what's on the website.

See you there!

-OGJ

For the few people who follow my blog. Just know that I'm okay.

Yes, I was in a car accident today. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt. Just a few bumps and bruises. This does bring to the front though something else that dwells on my mind. It's a lesson that's usually reserved for people with addiction or mental problems, but is often ignored by the otherwise "normal" crowd.

Driving home one day I noticed there was a car riding really close behind me. There wasn’t a line of cars, no heavy traffic, not even flashing lights of an emergency vehicle anywhere in sight. All of a sudden, he veers left, lays on the gas, pulls ahead of me, then cuts me off. All this effort only to turn onto another street less than a quarter mile down the road, and it caused me to have to slow down to avoid rear-ending him.

 Was I driving 10 miles below the speed limit? No. How about letting him know he’s “number one”. Negative, Batman. Then why?

Notare eh? Notare la cartera…

Sure, if you speak Italian and Spanish, this would make complete sense to you. I don’t speak Italian and even considering the Greek accent, I understood every last word.

I am by no means a travel expert. I have visited 10 countries so far. I’m not sure if that makes me a knowledgeable source of travel advice nor do I know if it makes me a mere novice. I’d like to think I’m somewhere in-between. That being said, here’s a brief look at what I’ve discovered through travel, so far.

"Do it now, do it while you can..."

That’s what he said to me. I won’t say his name only because I don’t want to blow his identity wide open, but his story reminds me why circumstances should never be accepted at face value.