After a couple of years of low-carb eating and a reasonable exercise program we are currently very close to the goal weights we set for ourselves. It was time for a picture to document the results.

We love Amazon for a number of reasons:

1. In our part of the world, many products are hard to find. On Amazon everything is at our fingertips.
2. We subscribe to Amazon Prime which gives us free shipping on almost everything we buy. Amazon Prime also gives us free movies on demand. that feature alone pays for the entire subscription.
3. We subscribe to products we use routinely. We predictably consume a large container of Whey protein every two months. Amazon automatically delivers one every two months and gives us a discount for getting the product on the subscription program.
4. Amazon stands up for customers whenever there is a problem with a vendor. I had a very rare negative experience with a vendor selling through Amazon. I complained to the vendor and did not get a result. I complained to Amazon and got instant results including a phone call from the vendor asking if everything was now OK and if it was he asked me to contact Amazon immediately to get him out of hot water.
5. Almost anything purchased through Amazon can be returned in the first 30 days. The same product from other vendors can be painful or expensive to return.
6. Gift giving is convenient and cost saving. If you have Amazon Prime, you will get two day shipping for free to send gifts anywhere n the United States. Shipping can double the cost of a gift if you purchase elsewhere. We keep an address book on Amazon containing all the people we routinely send gifts to. We can select, pay for and ship a gift in seconds.
7. We have been buying a lot of things from Amazon for a long time now and they have stood the test of time.

Many people ask me how on earth I read a book a week. I have maintained that pace for many years because I have an insatiable appetite for information and I really enjoy reading. I have done this even when working 10-12 hour days.

Many people tell me they are lucky if they can get through one book every month or two. Others tell me they would love to read but they have no time for it and haven’t read a book in  a long time.

My secret has two parts. Part one is reading every night at bedtime. I find reading very relaxing and an easy way to slip into the pre-sleep mode. The Kindle books are ideal for this kind of reading. The Kindle Fire screen can be read without a light on so one person can go to sleep while the other reads. Kindle books are less expensive, they do not take up shelf space and the reader is lighter than a book and so is easier to hold while reading.

The second is Audible.com. Audible has an incredible inventory of books available and I can “read” them unabridged while cooking, cleaning, driving, walking, working out or just relaxing on our patio. The audio books from Audible are inexpensive, and very high quality. Suz and I always search together for a novel that is the same number of hours in length as an upcoming road trip. On a recent road trip from Los Angeles to Alabama we listened to The Game of Thrones Song of Fire and Ice which was 33 Hours and 50 delightful minutes long. There have been times when we returned home from a long drive and sat in the driveway to finish a chapter.

I have a monthly “Platinum” plan with Audible that provides me with two books per month for $22.95 or $11.47 per book. In addition Audible runs specials from time to time with discounted credits. I buy these whenever available so I am never without spare credits. The monthly plans also include a daily subscription to the audio version of either the Wall Street journal or the New York Times.

One tip that I find very important is to listen to a sample of the book before you buy it. You will find most of the readers to be very pleasant to your ear but occasionally you may find one you do not enjoy. My favorite readers take the written word to new heights. The voices, quality of the reading and recording is truly astounding.

To get your free book, click on the link below and get a trial subscription at no cost. Keep the book even if you cancel. Audible provides you with this giveaway because they know that once you try this service. You will love it.

If you dread cooking because you hate the prep work that involves peeling, slicing, etc. it might be because you are working with dull knives. We often cook at other people’s homes because we love to cook. Often we find that people have very expensive knives that have never been sharpened. No matter how exquisite the knife is, a dull knife is both dangerous and difficult to work with. Continue reading →