My Old Antarctic Home

For some reason I found myself thinking about Antarctica this morning. Probably because I've been recently corresponding with a few prospective customers from New Zealand, which was one of my favorite stomping grounds after leaving "the ice" (as we called it) after a season of working in McMurdo a number of years ago.

It may also be because today, on the beach at Cherry Grove (North Myrtle Beach, SC), the wind is just howling - and it sounds just like it used to in McMurdo on some of the nastier days.

Aside from the internet marketing work I have embraced over the last year or so, I would have to say that working in Antarctica was some of the most enjoyable time I have ever spent. It wasn't necessarily the jobs themselves, but the people who made it such a blast.

Please indulge me as I take a little trip down memory lane...

During the numerous seasons I spent at McMurdo, I recall thinking that we were all part of Peter Pan's "Lost Boys," and that we just were all a bunch of kids at heart. There really weren't that many of us back then - during my first season in 1984 I think there were about 900 men and less than 100 women. Living conditions were a bit more primitive than they are now, but none of us seemed to care.

For my first few seasons, I worked in the sheet metal department with a group of the most hilarious and fun-loving group of guys I have ever known. Sometimes, we would laugh until we would be a quivering mess, slumped over the sheet metal table - laughing so hard that tears would be falling down our faces. Who knows what we were laughing about... I recall, at Christmastime when everyone would be looking forward to mail. If there wasn't any mail on any given day's flights, we would woefully sing a modified version of "The First Noel," replacing the "Noel" refrain with "No Mail...No Mail..." and a few other choice lyrics. What we did to butcher or modify other songs is not fit for print.

Sometimes our personal renditions of various songs, stories or poems would take on a rather bawdy form. I recall a number of us in the "Foldaway" - the large building housing the carpenters, electricians, plumbers, welders, and sheet metal workers, participating in a type of "round robin" style of poetry, where each person would take a juvenile-type of poem, and re-write a line while illustrating it in our own special way. The result would be about an 8-frame comic of some of the most insane rhymes one could think of. They were, of course, the kind of poems where "you had to be there" in order to understand their meanings. I still have copies of these (maybe one day I can scan one when I get back up north).

I still stay in touch with a few of my old friends - my songbird singing partners Ann and Dawn, with whom I spent countless hours learning how to sing madrigals (thanks to Ann!) - and we became known as the McMurdo Madrigals, where our star (and only) performance was at the Art Show that our friend Neal (who is beyond genius)somehow cooked up. The imagination and different talents people had were unbelievable.

On my occasional visits back to NJ, I see our former construction superintendent Steve - who is now my brother in law. Art is still going back & forth to the ice and New Zealand with the National Science Foundation, and we talk on occasion - but a visit with all these people would be far better!

I often think of Gary and Mike and Nick in the sheet metal shop, and wonder where they are, and if they still laugh as much as we did then. The sheet metal department holds some memories for me that are downright sacred. I miss my fellow "Bio Blondes" Kristin and Lisa, and Steve and Jim (who were honorary Bio Blondes) with whom I worked at the old Bio Lab (which was dismantled after my winter over season). Hmmm. We laughed like crazy in there, too!

Wintering over with Dave, Dawn, and J.B. was amazing - we spent hours upon hours singing folk tunes...

I have hilarious memories of laughing insanely with Neal over scenes in "The Sound Of Music" that he re-interpreted in a manner that absolutely defies description... the fun group in the Chalet - Stephanie, Diane, Art, and Dawn... and singing backup with Kerri for Neal, Dane, and "Falling Bodies," the band that entertained at any excuse for a big base-wide party.

Ahh. I find myself smiling over these memories as I sit here on the beach of Cherry Grove - looking over the ocean, wondering about all the people who were part of my life, and hoping that - wherever they are, they are doing well, and have the same fond memories that I do.

Nearly 20 years later, I have accepted that I will not be returning to Antarctica, although revisiting New Zealand is certainly a high priority for me. But, as I watch from the sidelines as the "new watch" get ready to deploy each October (there are a number of people from northern NH who participate in this annual adventure these days), I can only hope that they are enjoying their experiences at least as much as I enjoyed mine.

Thanks for indulging my little journey back to the land of the Lost Boys, those crazy years on the ice - back when "the men were tough, the women were few, and the penguins were nervous..."

A Little Review: Five Guys Burgers and Fries in North Myrtle Beach

Occasionally, I am moved to write about a business that stands above others. Since I like to write about truth and integrity in business and life, I thought that I would share my thoughts about a little restaurant I visited today.

What We're Working On...
If you have been reading my blog, you may know that John, my husband and I have been spending the winter in the Cherry Grove Beach section of North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It has been a great place to get move forward on our online businesses - whether it's updating our Save On Kidswear discount children's clothing website, our Portable Garages and Shelters website, the marketing system for our Global Resorts Network business and Luxury Vacation Travel memberships, our latest site to go live.

Bicycle Riding is GREAT in North Myrtle Beach
One of the nice things about this area is that it is very conducive to bicycle riding. Today, John had the car and so I took the bike into town to get the mail and then go over to the bank a few miles away. Riding a bike in the brisk spring air tends to work up an appetite, and I had a hankering for a burger. For at least the second time, someone mentioned Five Guys Burgers and Fries as a place we just had to visit.

Geno's Pizza - Gator Hole Plaza in North Myrtle Beach
Since it was only a few blocks further, I took the recommendation and ambled over to the restaurant. I should also mention that one of the folks who recommended Five Guys happens to be another restaurant owner. The folks at Geno's New York Pizza (located in the Gator Hole Plaza on Highway 17 in North Myrtle Beach) told us that if we wanted REAL fries, then we needed to go over to Five Guys. How's that for a recommendation!

By the way, Geno's is excellent, as well. We've been back several times. Another easy bike ride! So, please, visit Geno's too (I'd give you their website, but they don't appear to have or need one - the place is always filled with locals)!

Back to Five Guys...
So, as I walked into Five Guys, I immediately noticed that, like Geno's Pizza, it was filled with locals. I also noticed that it was spotlessly clean. There was what appeared to be a pallet of hundreds and hundreds of pounds of fresh potatoes ready to be cut into fries. This was a good sign! I have since learned that Five Guys is a private franchise with about 300 restaurants, but you'd never get that impression since it has the appearance of a home town place.

On the advice of one of the folks at the bank, I went with the "Little" burger as opposed to the "Regular" burger. I also ordered "Regular" versus "Large" fries. This was a combined wise move. I barely made a dent in my fries - which are wonderful! I packed the leftovers into my backpack and brought them home for John. Definitely reminiscent of the "Pier Fries" that we indulge in every time we go to Old Orchard Beach in Maine, which is the closest beach to our place in northern New Hampshire.

John will be very pleased at this little snack that awaits him when he gets home this afternoon!

The burger was excellent - freshly cooked. If I had attempted to load my burger with the 15 different free toppings offered at Five Guys, I never would have been able to take a bite - it would have been huge!

For once I was glad to ride back home into a stiff breeze - it made me pedal harder, so it helped to work off at least some of the meal!

The menu is simple. Burgers, Hot Dogs, Grilled Cheese, French Fries, and Soft Drinks. Great value, friendly staff, the ever present crowd of locals, cleanliness, and their honest menu give Five Guys Burgers and Fries my vote. They obviously run the show based on truth and integrity.

So, if you find yourself in North Myrtle Beach, SC, and have a craving for a burger and fries, stop by Five Guys - they are the corner of 2nd Ave North and Highway 17 - the northbound side, in the Lowes Home Store plaza. A jillion locals can't be wrong!

Ok... Back to work on the websites! Have a great day!

Another Good Affiliate Marketing Program and System

As you know, there are hundreds of different affiliate marketing programs and systems out there. I belong to more than one, and in some cases, the various online marketing systems are offering the same end product - just using different strategies.

I like this, not only because it affords the online entrepreneur a variety of methods and systems to test, but also gives the entrepreneur an ability to target different markets or individuals.

For example, using the Global Resorts Network business opportunity, which I am extremely fond of, one person may prefer a more subdued approach to marketing whereas another person may be attracted by something that comes across as high energy. I fall somewhere in between, but I am aware that everyone is different.

Working with these different strategies is a lot of fun, and my work day is never dull!

With all that said, I am fully enjoying Bucky Shiver's system of introducing the business opportunity seeker to Global Resorts Network product. I think one of the things that catches my fancy is the fact that he is well aware of the need for self-branding - which is very important in today's internet marketing world. His system is inexpensive to maintain, and offers a good 10 landing pages which you may or may not decide to brand with your own picture, video, words, etc. Here are just a few different ones I've been using (feel free to click on all of them just to get a quick idea of what I mean): Truth To Wealth Online, Join The Success Team, and You Earn 1K per Sale.

He also offers a nice eBook for free called "It's Only Easy if you Know The Truth: Exposing the Lies, Myths and Hype to Help You Finally Succeed Online." It's certainly worth a visit for you to not only grab a copy of the eBook, but to get a tour around the system and product.

I look forward to seeing you there!

SOME Keys to a Successful Home Business

Are you considering starting or just starting a home business? These days, a lot of people are talking about one opportunity or another. As one who has been working from home for a long time, I can assure you that there are many things that you need to be sure you're doing as you embark on a home business.

Remember: a home business isn't just something that you just consider puttering with in your spare time. Right from the start, you should begin envisioning your home business as something that will develop into a substantial source of income for you. Otherwise, you'll treat it like an occasional activity instead of something that can and should be taken seriously.

If you are really serious about it, and if you do it in all of the right ways, you will find that your home business really CAN be successful, and it can be a great way for you to improve your financial and personal life.

So, if you want to be sure that your home business is actually going to succeed, there are several things that you have to do carefully.

First, you always want to be sure that you are in it to win, and not "dabble" with or otherwise take lightly. If you are going to start a home business, the best thing that you can do in order to make it successful is right from the get-go to make the decision that you are going to do your best. One of the keys to this is always operating with the attitude that you are already a top name, recognizable and successful business.

This means being professional at all times - even if you are working from home, you should still "dress for work" (in other words, get out of the pyjamas and actually act like you are going to your office - which you are), and always answer the phone as though your next big sale or prospect is on the other end (in other words, smile, speak clearly and politely).

Keep your eyes on the prize, and consistently think of the next steps that you can take in order to really make yourself successful. For example: What advertising strategies are your colleagues using successfully? Are these strategies YOU can adopt? What are the leaders in the industry doing that you are not doing but can do? What isn't working? What mistakes have you learned from?

Also, you want to be sure that you are always presenting the best face that you have in your small business. This goes along with your day to day professional behavior. For example, if you are doing video marketing, carefully scrutinize your recordings before you post them. You want to make sure that as you go through your small business you are weeding out anything that doesn't say the right thing about you, and making sure that everything that gets put out there is correct and says something good about you.

This is going to take a lot of time on your part, but it is also part of building up your reputation. Remember - people don't join opportunities, they join other people! Be the type of person you want to work with, and you shall attract those people. You want to make sure that no matter who is looking at your business or your name, they are going to see only good things.

You want to be sure that no matter who you deal with, what you do, or how you feel about it, the consequences end up putting you and your business into a good light.

Last, you have to make sure that you are playing by the rules and doing everything right straight from the start. You have to be sure that every step you take with your home business is a step that allows you to get the most out of your home business and that allows you to grow.

Don't cut corners, don't exaggerate and tell people you're earning 6-figures a month in an effort to impress them (even if it's true, it's called enticement, and that's a no-no!) and for Heaven's sake do not fall into desperation marketing techniques such as spamming. Call it what you will: lying or exaggerating - either way, it will come back to haunt you in the end.

If you follow these steps you will see that your home business truly CAN grow to be a successful home business, and that you can grow right along with it. And doing it right means you will be helping a whole lot of others along the way, too.

And isn't that what it's all about?