SHOULD FRIENDS AND FAMILY PAY FOR YOUR SERVICES?

I'm just going to call this a mini rant, sort of on behalf of the world. Let's say that you're a professional barber making a decent living cutting hair, but your best friend stops by your house to have his hair cut for free. You're a struggling author with excellent writing and grammar skills, and your sister wants you to write a thesis for college. Or maybe you're a famous author, and a friend wants you to ghostwrite her novel. Should you be paid?  As a researcher, you earn big bucks to find out information for a law firm, yet an associate would like you to do some fact checking for a project he's working on.  There's a fine line, however, because it's always important to be kind, but when is too much, just too much?

Do you get the gist of where I'm going with this?  Do family and friends ask you to do things because you possess certain skills that are useful at any given time? Should you be compensated, or is it just expected that you're supposed to do it, in order to keep the peace?   Inquiring minds just wanna know.

JAMES PATTERSON
It never ceases to amaze me how often I come across a James Patterson novel.  He writes alone, with partners, and is even writing children's books these days.  Having sold over 300 million copies of his novels, he has more #1 bestsellers than any other author in the world!  I wish I knew how he found the energy to do all that writing.  I don't read his work as much as I used to, but he's definitely a true writing genius!

PERFUME FOR CHRISTMAS
Have you noticed that during the holidays there are literally tons and tons of perfumes and colognes in the stores?  What's up with that? Some are super expensive, and you can find some at the budget price of a dollar.  I've always wondered if someone has broken out in a rash after receiving a fragrance that caused an allergic reaction, or even worse, the scent just plain sucked.  Still, every year all those gift sets are then marked down at 50% off the day after Christmas.(lol)  I'm just saying...

WHAT MAKES YOU STOP FOLLOWING SOMEONE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Since I've had Facebook, there have only been 3 people that I "unfriended", and about 4 I've "unfollowed" on Twitter.  The Twitter unfollowing came about when I realized they were hard core advertisers, and Facebook was for business reasons. For the most part, I stay with the team, even when there are differing views.  Unfortunately, there a few who may not feel the same way, and may hit the "unlike" button, quickly when there is a disagreement. (lol)   But what about you?

No matter what, there are still the same hot buttons that we all know and love.  Politics, sexual orientation, race, books we love or not, and people who just plain get on our nerves.(lol)  What's also true, is that if you put your feelings out there for the world to see, be prepared for all the love, or all the backlash that it brings with it. No matter what, there's always the "unlike, unfriend, or unfollow" buttons.

MANDATORY CHRISTMAS TV
Do you find yourself watching the same Christmas programs year after year?  I'm definitely guilty of watching Home Alone, The Grinch (animated) and Trading Places every single year!  Never mind that I have the DVDs on the shelf of these very same movies, or that I know how the story ends. Something about these three is just plain entertainment.  Do you have any favorite Christmas programs?

SAVE MONEY ON SHIPPING
If you're one of those people who can't decide until the last minute what gift you need to get for your co-worker, or best friend, December 18 is the best day for you to shop!  Order your things on line through major retailers, and you're not only GUARANTEED to get your delivery by Christmas Eve, but the shipping will be FREE!  This includes the biggies like Amazon.  Visit www.freeshippingday.com on Thursday and you're all set.