Late last night I flew in from a mastermind meeting in Buffalo. Three times a year I meet with some of the sharpest marketing minds who get “our type of marketing”.

I just returned from a four night cruise with my girlfriend and kids. I resisted the urge to eat their signature chocolate dessert each night.

The world is truly getting smaller. As a kid, a night out for Italian was a trip to Shoney’s for spaghetti and meat sauce.

Late Saturday night I flew back fromCleveland. I was attending Dan Kennedy’s Direct Mail Conference and walked away with an incredibly simple technique to increase the effectiveness of direct mail I’d like to share with you.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be Richie Rich. I could read comic book after comic book of his adventures. Being the “poorest friend” my friends had left a taste for the finer things as displayed by Richie’s over the top wealth.

I guess the highest form of flattery is when your former competitor invites you to speak to a room full of his franchisees, and you piss him off. That’s exactly what happened yesterday here inNashville.

I take my kids to school each morning, but about three times a week I head to the gym before work. Immediately after my workout, I walk across the parking lot to Publix and grab a granny smith apple to eat on my way home.

About sixteen years ago my friend Hank’s wife Robin, their daughter Heather and I were flying up to Lake Michigan to meet him for a sailing vacation. Robin, who at the time, was a frequent flyer, had us meet up at Park & Fly, an off-airport parking facility she frequented.

It surprises me a single car in America is sold.

This year I was fortunate enough to share Christmas with my girlfriend Denise and her family, and have her share Jewish Christmas with me Christmas night.