No doubt you’ll have heard the phase “failing to prepare is preparing to fail”. This is as true for interviews as anything else.
Prepare well and you will improve your chances of success.

Research shows that people who prepare well for interviews:

• Feel more relaxed

• Know what the job is about
• Anticipate most of the questions they will be asked
• Have answers prepared for those questions that show them in their best light
• Sell themselves most effectively
• Come out of the interview feeling they did their best

Here is our list of things you need to cover:

• Research the Company and job and make notes. You would be surprised how many people arrive for interviews knowing little and sometimes nothing about the Company or what they will be doing day to day in the job for which they are applying. Not only will you be prepared, but you’ll look professional too, right at the start. Ask to refer to your notes in the interview just to show you have prepared!

• Plan your arrival and your clothes/appearance. Do not create a bad first impression. What you say will count for more with most interviewers, but why give them anything to worry about.
• Write down likely questions and suitable answers. This is key. Too many interviewees fail because they do not expect and are therefore not prepared for certain questions.
• List some questions to ask. Even if you have none, ask at least 1. It shows you are genuinely interested and serious about choosing the right position.

Find out more at
http://www.job-application-and-interview-advice.com/preparing-for-an-interview.html

If you think a poor Work/Life balance may be causing your relationship to fail, take a look at these points and see if there is something you can do to improve the situation.
Consider Your Priorities - While doing well at work can be hugely rewarding, you have to ask yourself how important that success to you is. Jobs don’t last forever but marriages are supposed to. If you feel you aren’t being appropriately rewarded for both your time and effort in your job, it might be worth considering looking elsewhere. Many forward-thinking companies are beginning to realise that they can be much effective companies with well motivated happy staff as opposed to stressed employees. At the end of the day it’s a simple question which is more important to you, your job or your marriage?

Not the quantity of time, it’s the quality - Too often people think if they spend more of their time at home their relationship will instantly improve. While time certainly is important in the equation it doesn’t solve the problem in isolation. A few hours of quality time where you both have fun and enjoy yourself is worth much more than all the time in the world if you are stressed and thinking of other things. Try to do things with your free time, even if it’s just sitting in front of the telly watching a film you saw when you first got together. Give it your full attention, it will be really worthwhile.

Don’t be a perfectionist - You might have taken time off work to plan that perfect meal for your anniversary but you mucked the starter up. Don’t let it spoil the occasion. The less free time you have the more likely you are to want that time to be perfect. If you put too much pressure on yourself it is inevitable something will go wrong. Don’t be a perfectionist, enjoy the moment and time you spend together.

Get Help - for many couples the idea of approaching someone for professional relationship help is hugely daunting. It shouldn’t be. Just about every couple experiences difficulties in their relationship at one point or other. It’s normally those who don’t get an outside opinion that end up splitting up. Approaching a therapist is one of the most positive things you can do to try and avoid a divorce.

Plan Ahead - If you find you are increasingly busy, it’s important to plan ahead. This goes for work as well as your personal life. Think about when you are going to be busy at work and plan your diary accordingly. You are never going to be able to predict all your work commitments in advance but some forward planning can certainly help cut down on late nights at the office. It’s worth taking the same attitude with your personal life. While spontaneity is romantic that doesn’t mean a meal or date planned in advance can’t be. Knowing you are going to be spending some quality time together soon can make the difficult periods that little bit easier.

Understand Your Life Period - It’s inevitable certain times of your life are going to be busier than others. If you’ve just had kids of course you are going to have less time. Similarly if you have set up your own company you might be more stressed. Accepting this means you understand that while you may be busy that doesn’t mean your relationship should suffer.

Nobody wants their marriage to end in divorce; taking some positive relationship action can be the difference between a happy and contented couple and two unhappy divorcees.

Chris Norton writes for Armchair Advice. Armchair Advice is a UK website providing specialist job loss and relationship advice. Whether you require emotional support, financial advice, employment law or divorce solicitors, you can find them all at Armchair Advice.

For more information please visit Armchair Advice.

When it comes to preparing and planning for the moment when two people join together as one, many couples aim to create the most fantastic experience. Themed weddings are a great way to present a memorable event, as well as have fun with a theme or subject matter that holds special meaning to both the bride and/or groom. Perhaps both share a love of classic literature and art or maybe love the water. Whatever the topic, it is now possible to incorporate all of these interests and subjects into a wedding theme to remember.

The Different Types of Themed Weddings

In regards to a wedding following a specific theme, there really is no limit to the kind of ideas that have been used or are waiting to become discovered. Some themed weddings carry significance between bride and groom, such as a planned event based upon a hobby they both share. Other weddings transport the married couple-to-be and their guests to another time period, where knights in shining armor ruled the land.

The possibilities are endless as themed weddings may touch upon romantic historical characters, such as Romeo and Juliet or Antony and Cleopatra or create the surroundings of famous places about the world, such as Paris, Hawaii, and Las Vegas. Below you will find some of the aspects associated with a themed wedding to consider when planning such an event:

Invitations

To alert family and friends when the themed wedding will be held, invitations allow couples to highlight a bit of creativity. For example, Medieval or Renaissance-inspired weddings may utilize invites fashioned from ivory or beige parchment paper with details handwritten by a professional calligrapher. They may arrive rolled up and fastened by a metal ring, sealed with hot wax, or marked with a golden seal.

Dress

Themed weddings also allow bride and groom, and their guests to display a wide-range of clothing selections. Creating the feel of a royal Egyptian wedding and taking after Antony and Cleopatra, golden-laced gowns with spiral bracelets, heavy and exaggerated eye makeup, and snake-detailed crowns may appear. Medieval clothing is also popular in various themed wedding events. Attractively decorated kimonos are showcased in Japanese-inspired weddings, while Victorian, Tudor, and Edwardian gowns have graced the aisles of churches.

Food

Depending on the theme, food may range from a banquet-style arrangement of fruit-, olive-, and nut-inspired entrees for a Tuscan-style wedding to appetizers and desserts molded into shapes that correspond with the main idea. For instance, flower petal-dotted cookies and mini-cakes with pink, lavender, and light blue frosting make great accompaniments for a Spring-themed wedding. Tropical-themed weddings should utilize a wealth of fruity flavors in their meals and beverages. Smoothies, grilled fruit skewers, and exotic fruit salads are just some of the things that guests may look forward to.

Decorations

It is through the decorations that the atmosphere of a themed wedding is laid out. Tea lanterns add the feel of an Asian-inspired wedding setting, while paper dragons float from the sky with vibrant shades of red, orange, and green. Decorating the table, fortune cookies with personalized messages from bride and groom also set the scene. Silver accented goblets filled with wine as centerpieces for a Renaissance-themed wedding are sure to bring a smile to the faces of guests. To create the look and feel of a Hawaiian-inspired wedding, decorations may include coconuts, leis, palm trees, and explosions of color at every bend. Tables may showcase fresh pineapple, sand-filled trays of seashells, and exotic flowers.

Special Touches

Themed weddings also allow couples to live out fantasies as a Fairy Tale union may include bride and groom arriving on horseback or leaving in a horse-drawn carriage like Cinderella. Sometimes, a themed wedding can piggyback on a particular holiday. Halloween allows guests to come in their favorite costume, while Christmas-inspired weddings may showcase a winter wonderland theme with visions of silver and snow. Valentine’s Day opens up a wealth of decorative and edible possibilities, while everything green may dominate a St. Patrick’s Day union.

Themed weddings are becoming an increasingly popular approach across the world as couples continue to push the envelope of creativity and fun to their limits. When it comes to creating a unique wedding day, brides- and grooms-to-be are only restricted by the limits of their own imagination.

Yolanda is the owner of Yolandas Wedding Favors. She sells many different types of wedding favors such as, love glass coasters, two peas in a pod salt and pepper shakers and many many more. Yolandas Wedding Favors also carries many different bridesmaid gifts such as tote bags, personalized spa robe, slippers and much more. Also if you are having a beach themed wedding then you need to visit our beach wedding favors section for a wide variety of beach themed favors.

Borrowers who have bad credit and don’t measure up financially can find themselves a mortgage. They’re classified as sub-prime since they normally would be declined by all the leading credit scoring system of mortgage financiers.

Low credit standards for homeowners encourages risky investments that are especially bothersome in times of extreme price volatility. Excessive risk-taking by some those desiring on owning a home or just getting involved in real estate price appreciation speculation who are just getting by financially and stretching their grasp by way of home ownership are at risk with property tax escalation, sales taxes, heating fuel and increased cost of living expenses.

Not only that but also job layoffs or any financial disruption for the sub-prime borrower is usually a lethal blow. They most often have no deep reservoirs of savings or other financial accounts or money hidden away to lean on. If housing values decline by a significant margin and the borrower defaults, the lender is left holding real estate that is worth considerably less.

Many states are tightening loan rules. Mortgage lenders on the top of the pyramid find they need avoid high-risk loans.

The great gamble on part of the homeowners is to use the large run up in real estate prices in recent years - this allows homeowners to use their equity to refinance at a fixed interest rate. Click here to get home valuations or sell house by owner information or even free house floor plans

High foreclosure rates are linked to employment issues historically. Regional and state economic conditions vary. California’s economy is booming and job creation is propping up much of the sub-prime mortgages in the area. On the other hand, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio have experience a foreclosure rate twice that of California because of auto related industry layoffs.

Author Bio: George Evers is a published author and writes for a variety of internet sites, magazines and newscasts as well as for http://one-ifbyland.com/

The colour Red was the uniform colour adopted by the first permanent regiment of the British Army, the Yeoman of the Guard, the Beefeaters, during the reign of Henry VIII. In 1645 this colour was adopted when the first permanent army was raised. Red was not used in order to hide blood stains. Rather, every army adopted certain colours as their national colours. French soldiers tended to wear blue; Russians wore green; British wore red.

With the infantry wearing a bright red colour, with white crossbelts and shiny brass, weren’t they easier targets? However, in the 1860s battle tactics were much different from those applied today. Before 1866, British longarms were muzzle-loading weapons. To load these weapons required a soldier to:

1) stand upright to load a gunpowder charge and bullet down into the muzzle.
2) get very close to the enemy in order to hit them, due to the inaccuracy of the musket.
3) stand close together for volley firing.

It was the quantity of projectiles that mattered, not camouflage.

By 1867, however, warfare and the times were changing. With the advent of breech-loading rifles to the British Army in 1866, the
quality of small arms changed considerably. Faster rates of fire,
from a much more accurate weapon, which could be loaded in the prone position, slowly began to change the tactical doctrine of the Army. The change in tactics was not as swift as it might have been because during the last half of the 1800s, the British Army did not fight a modern, similarly equipped army. In essence, the tactics used were ones that made sense with the older style of firearms; the tactics still had to evolve to take advantage of the newer weapons.

It was surprising that the lessons of the new weapons recently
demonstrated in the American Civil War (1861- 1865) were not absorbed by the British. Although most European nations had observers on both sides, lessons that should have been learned were dismissed, as it was felt that this war was an isolated case determined by a geography unlike any in Europe. Further, it was deemed an `unseemly brawl between undisciplined armies.’

It was not until the late 1800s that a Khaki uniform was issued, the British Army finally realizing that drab coloured uniforms provided better camouflage in response to more accurate, faster firing weapons using smokeless gunpowder. Once again, tactics continued to lag behind and it took the carnage of the First World War to convince authorities that there was a requirement to seek cover and remain hidden as opposed to standing up in battle formations.

Women’s Uniform

Women of the garrison had a less authorized uniform but one that fitted the class structure and social order of the time. The wives of the men in the ranks wore a plain cotton dress with apron and a hairpiece called a `snood.’ Their shoes were made of plain leather common to the period. It was in distinct contrast to the more ornate dress worn by an officer’s wife, in keeping with her position as an upper-class citizen.

Similarly, the civilians employed by the Army of 1867 had their own type of clothing to wear which designated their role within the Army. The schoolmaster wore a black, knee-length frock coat, while the schoolmistress wore a skirt, blouse and jacket cut in a style known as a `zouave’ jacket, similar to the uniforms worn by the `zouave’ units who served in the American Civil War.

More at http://www.army-surplus.org.uk

http://www.army-surplus.org.uk

If you want a job as an Actuary you will get quite good at predicting the future! Nothing in the future is certain and some of the things that “might” happen aren’t desirable. Actuaries are responsible for working out the “Risk” of these events happening as any consequences. Actuary specialise in:

–Ascertaining how likely future events might be,

–Thinking of ideas and working out ways of reducing the risk of the undesirable events taking place.

–Reducing the consequences in the event that the undesired outcome does take place.

Actuarial jobs require conscientious and logical workers with good analysis skills, a great understanding of how businesses operate as well as practical knowledge of how people typically behave so they can to create and administer programs that control risk.

The important of actuaries on society can not be underestimated. Insurance plays a vital role in our everyday world and it is easy to underestimate the implicit effect is has on our way of life. Would you be so willing to drive your car if you feared the cost of having to replace it? Would people travel abroad so frequently if they knew they would have the financial responsibility if they were to fall ill? Though seemingly unimportant the comfort that comes from insurance can affect our lives in very real and tangible ways even if at first we don’t notice them.

So it’s an actuaries job to manage this risk in various ways, they attempt to get the best financial benefit with out introducing their clients to excessive risk. Typically they do this in a combination of three different ways.

–Offsetting risk - Typically two undesirable events might have a connected relationship, where as the likeliness of one goes up, the likeliness of the other goes down. For example if the cost of wine went up the cost of beer goes down. So to manage the risk we could invest in both beer and wine manufacturers to manage the risk.

–Risk depends whose side you are on - an undesirable outcomes to one party is beneficial to another. For example a rise in the cost of flights might be bad for airlines but is likely to have a positive outcome for UK based hotels. In this circumstance an actuary might invest in both so they have a positive outcome regardless of the outcome of the event.

–Focus on Big Risk - While the greatest reward in the management of risk is dealing with the big problems, while they may well be unlikely but if they do occur could result in huge consequences. Often it might only require small steps but the impact may be significant.

Hugo Reyes writes for Insurance Jobs a leading UK based Job Search website where you can find Underwriting, Broking, Claims, Compliance, Reinsurance, Risk Management & Actuarial Jobs

Which would be more intimidating to you, taking someone out on a first date or giving a speech in a public environment? Ok. Obviously the answer is giving a public speech but you would be very surprised to learn how many people get nervous about a first date. I know a few people who choose not to date just because of having to go on that first one.

Dating isn’t as hard as some say. It’s definitely not what you see on TV where one person is a babbling idiot and the other is neurotic. Life isn’t like Sex and the City. Sorry. Dating is actually fun. Remember, the person you’re meeting on the other side of that door is will also be going on a first date too and probably is just as nervous as you.

Well, I’m here to help. I went through all of the dating expert articles in some of the leading magazines on the subject such as Cosmopolitan for the women and Maxim Magazine for the men and put together this list of first date tips. You don’t need to follow every single one to the dot but keep some of them in mind.

1. Make a Backup Plan - The weather can change unexpectedly, restaurants can close from electrical problems, or you can lose those Red Sox tickets. Make a backup plan just in case your date plans take an unexpected turn.
2. Plan a Short Date - No need to plan out the rest of your lives together. Start with a simple, one or two hour date. If things go well, you can always keep the date going. However, there’s nothing worse than having planned on an all-day event after you realize five minutes into the date that you have nothing in common with the other person.
3. Be Punctual - There’s no greater sign of disrespect than being late for your first date. Get directions to your location, arrive early, and show your date that you care about them and the plans you made together. Consider it like a job interview. If you work hard enough, you’ll be paid extra at the end of the date.
4. Agree on a Dress Code - When planning the date, talk about what you’ll be wearing. Nothing is more embarrassing if one person shows up in a suit while the other wears jeans and a sweatshirt.
5. Compliment, But Don’t Over Do It - A few nice words makes everyone feel good, but persistent comments about the other person’s looks, personality, body, etc., gets old and can seem desperate and sometimes creepy.
6. Drink Responsibly - A few drinks may take the pressure off the date, but don’t act like you’re reliving your old frat days. Drinking too much will likely bring out some bad sides to your personality and that WON’T help your chances of a second date.
7. Balance Talking and Listening - Pay attention to the amount of time you spend talking versus listening. If the scale is weighing in either direction, look to balance it out. Try not to dominate the conversation with stories about yourself, either.

Now that you got your date and you’ve planned out everything to the exact detail, you’re going to need somewhere fun to go. Here is a list of some of the things you can do together:

• Play some mini golf
• Visit a carnival or fair
• Go disco bowling
• Watch the sunrise or sunset together
• Go to a comedy club
• Visit a museum
• Plan a picnic in the park
• Go sightseeing in your own city
• Attend a sporting event such as a baseball game
• Rent canoes or a paddle boat and row around the nearest lake
• Take a cooking or pottery class together
• Go to the zoo
• Play a board game such as Trivial Pursuit
• Bake cookies together. Chocolate chip is a personal fave
• Drive to a nearby town you have never visited before

For more information on dating topics such as this, check out Magsforless.com They sell a variety of magazine subscriptions on dating topics along with hundreds of other magazines on any subject you choose. With an extensive list of magazine titles to choose from and the cheapest prices available, they stand out from the competition.

Joel Simkhai has published numerous articles on a wide range of topics related to magazine journalism. He is currently the owner of Magsforless.com- a company that provides cheap magazines, and focuses on customer satisfaction.

Taking a vacation is the best way to get your mind off struggles, stress, or bad times. Sometimes taking a vacation is a very expensive to get away from work. A vacation can also provide a fun time for your children who are constantly doing homework. The main questions you have to ask yourself are where you are going to go and how much will it cost. I have never met anyone who would not like to get a vacation for a reduced price.

Now where would you want to travel for reduced prices? Would you like to travel out of the country to Europe or the Caribbean Islands, or would you like to travel inside the United States? The United States has several wonderful vacation destinations that make your vacation unforgettable. One of the most popular destinations is Orlando, Florida, home of Walt Disney World. Your children will thank you one day because any of the Walt Disney theme parks will absolutely make your dreams come true.

If you are looking for a destination for an upcoming honeymoon or you would like a place to take your wife of girlfriend, look no further than Las Vegas, Nevada. Sin City is one of the most popular honeymoon destinations in the world. This is a destination where dreams and impossibilities come to life with moving statues (Caesars Palace), water slides inside a building (Circus Circus Hotel), or how about a volcano that erupts every hour (The Mirage).

If that does not show how impossibilities are conquered, I do not know what will. The point of a vacation is to have a great time and enjoy your surroundings and hope that you have someone to share it with. You have to enjoy life since it is so short and precious. So experience the magic and take a vacation that will make your utmost dreams come true.

For more information on this topic as well as other vacation related topics visit: Affordable Cruises to the Caribbean

Have had many articles published on a variety of subjects. Co author of the best selling golf ebook called “Putt Lights Out”. You can find this ebook at putting tips For more information on vacation related topics visit vacation ideas

Flowers carry their own set of visual enhancements, fragrances, and colors, which are known to completely set the mood for any wedding. For many, the selection of flowers for a wedding are decided upon due to the look they display and how well they situate into the plans already set by bride and groom. Perhaps, the chosen bloom holds significant meaning to the couple or simply possess a “pretty” look.

As you scan the selections of flowers that may fit into your wedding theme and decor, why not take the time to learn about the meaning behind these attractive accompaniments? You never know when you may choose your wedding flowers or bouquet according to what they stand for.

Carnations

Carnations possess a history that is deeply filled with meaning, as it serves as one of the oldest cultivated flowers in the world. The ruffled appearance and extended blooming shelf life makes the carnation an attractive selection for wedding flowers. A bouquet of carnations holds the meaning of fascination, distinction, love, and is also associated with purity and luck.

Irises

The history of the iris can be traced back to Greek mythology and although they are often highlighted for their deep blue color, they also provide a wide range of additional shades. The overall meaning behind irises involves wisdom, courage, hope, and faith. Different shades of irises signify additional meanings, such as the yellow variety, which stands for passion.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers are often known for their boldness, energy, and bright colors, and are sometimes overlooked as a wedding flower because of its size. While some enjoy the attention-getting quality that this bloom possesses, there is no denying that sunflowers are one of the most “happiest looking” of flowers. The meaning behind this particular bloom includes loyalty and longevity, which makes perfect sense for the exchange of vows.

Orchids

The elegance of orchids makes this bloom a popular choice in wedding flowers as their grace and beauty are often sought-after. The exotic nature of the orchid is also a crowd pleaser, as it portrays the meaning of being special and showcases the bride as a rare and delicate beauty.

Peruvian Lilies

Various colors are showcased in the Peruvian lily, which is known for its flirtatious appearance and demeanor. This particular bloom can be found in vibrant shades of yellow, pink, and orange. While the main meaning behind the bloom is friendship and devotion, they also highlight playfulness and serve as a popular attention-getter.

Stargazer Lilies

When choosing Stargazer lilies, you will highlight a sense of youthfulness and beauty, as these fragrant blooms showcase wealth, prosperity, and purity.

Tulips

It is said that this highly historic flower is one that allows couples to truly express a “perfect love.” Red tulips signify “true love,” while the purple variety adds a hint of regality. Yellow tulips are known to express cheerfulness and happiness.

Gerbera Daisies

Gerbera daisies are one of the most popular flowers in the world, which portrays innocence, cheerfulness, and purity. A host of colors are also associated with this type of daisy, including bright pink, white, brilliant yellows, and ruby red.

Yolanda is the owner of Yolandas Wedding Favors. She sells many different types of bridesmaid gifts such as tote bags, personalized spa slippers, cosmetic bas and much more. Also if you are having a beach themed wedding then check out our beach wedding favors. If you are looking for gifts, accessories or wedding favors you have came to the right place.

We have a fair breakfast next door followed up with a good cup of coffee down the street. I wish myself a happy birthday.

We head across the street from our hotel to rent a motorcycle for the day. Can you believe it is only $6 USD for 24 hours. I wonder if insurance is included. We get a quick review, Victor takes off around the block and I get on. I think I might have been on a motorcycle once before and Victor used to have one, but doesn’t say if he ever drove it. We circle a few blocks of the old city and venture out to the BUSY street. We are not immediately hit by any vehicles and this builds our confidence and we cross over to the other BUSIER street. We only have to go a block to get to the gas station, but also have to cross the four lanes of traffic. For some unfathomable reason, I am perfectly calm. I later learn that Victor was not.

From our earlier walk and map review, I have the vaguest idea where we are and where we are going and direct Victor when to turn where to get over to the river so we can head south along the scenic shore. However, sometimes I give a turn direction just to save our lives from some threat ahead and eventually found myself confused as to which direction we were actually heading. Feigning confidence because I know I need it and assume Victor does too, I continue giving my best guess on directions and only have to occasionally remind him that he is on the wrong side of the street. (Like England, they drive on the opposite side from what we are used to.)

I am pleased with myself at finding the river and we cross over and head south. Victor seems to think he is on a bicycle and clings to the narrow edge of the gutter. Yes, where all the manholes and bumps are. I try to encourage him to boldly Take The Lane. It is actually worse to be on the side and have the traffic passing us than to just take the lane and go with the flow. My bottom is bruising.

Those who drive this way every day have a certain expectation as to what the other drivers will do, which is generally to speed up and not grant right of way. They know that and sneak into the lanes until they just go. Victor is ceding right of way and driving both cautiously and politely and the other drivers don’t respond as he expects… which is for them to go. They don’t go because they don’t anticipate his slowing down. In retrospect this is very funny, but did feel dangerous while we were on the street.

We hardly see much of the river and seem to quickly lose it again. Eventually we are going past rice fields. This is very pleasant as there is no traffic at all. We talk about stopping for a beverage as motorcycling is very parching. I tell him that he can stop whenever he wants and that I am ready. We go on and on and on. I remind him that we were thinking of stopping and he soon stops at a gas station. This is a very American response, all of our gas stations have a little convenience store. Here, this isn’t so. They have a refrigerator though and we take a cola and water. Now, being out of town we are not in Englishville and when I ask the price the gentleman holds up 6 fingers and then 10 fingers. I interpret this to mean 60 Baht, about $1.75. Very unreasonable. But I pull out my three 20 Baht bills and hand them to him. He takes one and brings me back four. I guess he meant 6 for the water and 10 for the cola, 16 Baht, about 45 cents total and very reasonable.

Getting off the bike is awful, because we have to get back on and our bottoms feel quite broken! We head out again and about a quarter mile down the road see a sign in English for Coffee Garden. We stop to either get a cup of coffee or see a coffee plantation. We aren’t sure which we are going to, but it turns out we have a wonderful cup of coffee and are back in Englishville. The owner sits with us and our maps and shows us where we are. We are not in a bad spot, actually almost in the direction I had thought, only about 10 miles further than anticipated.

We lounge a bit and then head off again. The town we are in is called Baan Tawai and is a huge export center with oodles of neat looking furniture, pottery, carved animals and any number of unique items ready to ship. There are no restaurants that we can see and it is very much lunch time.

We hit the diagonal road that will take us back past the Airport and right into the old town. Traffic is picking up, but by now we are old pros at this and just sail right in….and spend a difficult hour driving around old town looking for our hotel. We can’t find the little alley entrance and are quickly so twisted about that we no longer know which side of town we are on, though we are clearly on the same streets several times. We almost stop to ask directions.

Since we have contracted the scooter for 24 hours, we don’t really want to give it up yet. So we park and head to lunch followed by a great birthday massage. Returning to the scooter we decide to head up the mountain a bit out of town in the other direction and see if we can’t find some of the waterfalls. When we get to the BUSY street, it is rush hour and ugly. Victor takes us home again. I think this is a Grand Idea as my backside is complaining loudly with every little bump. I think we did something like 50 miles. We return the bike.

We decide to take a little walk and repeat our steps of yesterday when we were looking for a money exchange. We also want to find our alley way entrances from the main streets so we can confidently find our way home, though we may never need this knowledge again.

We walk up to the Queen Vic, which is far further than we remember. We have a beer and check our email as they have a computer for guests such as we do at the Hotel Charlotte in Groveland, CA. While Victor is signing on to the computer, my eyes wander over to the newspaper counter where the owner has a brochure display and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing…A Hotel Charlotte brochure. I am amazed and pleased and fire up the camera. I have Victor take my picture here with the brochure and quickly add quite a few more! I always travel with a handful in my bag, you never know where you will find your next guest!

We decide to eat at Tamarind and sit almost in the swimming pool. They have live music and a wonderful romantic setting. Once they lit the citronella candles and gave us an organic mosquito spray it was perfect. I ordered a duck curry with lychee which was one of the best meals I’ve had so far.

We walked back to the hotel and did not miss the entrance to our alley way. We finish our evening with another stop at the Karaoke place, which is very pleasant and we enjoy additional a beer and verbal camaraderie with Colin who has been here for 9 months. He has picked up a great deal of Thai customs and shares some great stories and observations with us. We are fairly well hooked on Chiang Mai!

What a grand birthday and we have many fond memories! More of our Asian adventures can be found online at www.RecipeResearch.blogspot.com.

Lynn Upthagrove, along with her husband Victor, own the Hotel Charlotte, in Groveland, on the way to Yosemite. http://www.HotelCharlotte.com