In the fifteen years I've been doing business online, I've done just about everything. In the beginning, it was all about content sites. My first domain, WorldVillage.com, is still online. In fact, it's getting a facelift soon. I started adding games to the site and soon launched ClassicGames.com. The site was acquired by Yahoo! in 1998. As I became enamored with saving money online, I decided to build my own bargain-hunter site in 1999. DealofDay.com... Continue Reading

I have a confession to make. I am a packrat. It's not like when I die they are going to find stacks of National Geographic magazines in my house, but I do have a tendency to hold on to stuff that I think is cool. My old software collection always blows away people who visit my home. Perhaps I'll make a video of that someday. Continue Reading

Every time I go to a conference or take part in a seminar I meet a bunch of amazing people. I meet people who are experts at marketing. I chat to entrepreneurs who are wizards at search engine optimization. I swap ideas with other bloggers who are making six-figure incomes on the strength of their posts. Every one of those people is special. But they aren't successful because they're special. They're special because they're successful. Continue Reading

As I'm sure you read on my blog or elsewhere on the web, Facebook had suspended my account. After sending a few emails and having some friends with contacts at Facebook work on my behalf, my account has been reinstated. Here is the email I received from them... Continue Reading

It doesn't happen often. But it does happen. And when it does, I have to shake my head and wonder what some people are thinking. What am I talking about? Well, let me set the stage for you with a little anecdote. Continue Reading

I just returned from a one-week cruise to the Mexican Riviera with my extended family. We enjoyed a wonderful week aboard the Norwegian Star. I'll be providing more details of the cruise in the future, but for now I want to focus on the first video that I've uploaded. In what can only be described as a legendary performance, my brother-in-law Michael Costantini dominated the Karoaoke floor one evening with his rendition of this classic... Continue Reading

I'm getting ready to bust loose with a four-letter word. You aren't going to like it. It might make you cringe. Too bad. It needs to be said. "Debt" There I said it. Do you feel relieved or does the word stress you out? Continue Reading

The Internet has opened up business in all sorts of ways. It costs nothing to start a website. Anyone can write a blog. Putting ads on your pages takes minutes and requires no selling, no effort and almost no work at all. And the revenues can be fantastic. Millions of people have joined the Internet business revolution and have either swapped their day job for days of writing articles, or are enjoying some useful extra... Continue Reading

Did you feel it? It was just a tremor, but the effects are global. In fact, I'll say this... The world just got smaller. Alright, Joel. WHAT are you talking about? Continue Reading

I usually visit my extended family in the Chicago suburbs over the Thanksgiving holiday. This past weekend, we left the kids with their aunt and uncle, and spent a couple nights downtown. Mary had never been to a Morton's steakhouse before, so it was a great opportunity to share a fine dining experience with her. Many have never been to Morton's, so I shot a video of our server, Matt, presenting the menu. Watch out... Continue Reading

Online publishing has all sorts of advantages. You become your own boss, you have your own schedule, you get paid to produce content and bring in users. It's all great fun... and you can do it without leaving your house or having to cope with office politics. It's those last benefits that can look so appealing and be a little dangerous too. Social networking sites have made it so easy to chat with other people... Continue Reading

I need to back up a bit because I left out Sunday from my journal. On Sunday, I spoke at Chris Howard's "Ultimate Wealth Symposium" on the grounds of the Sydney Olympic Park. I had a fantastic time sharing my story with 800 or so people. I've got to say, the Aussies are a bit difficult to get moving, but I think everyone had a good time and learned a thing or two. I also... Continue Reading

What is it that makes successful people stand out from the crowd? Or perhaps I should ask the question this way... What are the things that successful people DO that everyone else does not do? I believe we are all dealt a hand in life. On very rare occassion that hand is stacked with a full house, but in most cases we're fortunate if we are dealt a pair of twos. And whether or not... Continue Reading

What would you do if you were able to come to my home and office and ask me whatever you wanted? Would you have some questions for me? Dave Woodward did. A few months back, Dave contacted me and told me he was putting together a brand new series called "Legendary Marketers", and he asked if he could come visit with me at my home and office to find out what made me tick. Of... Continue Reading

There's a fun game people like to play that goes like this. Take any sentence or phrase and add the words "in bed" as a suffix to make it funnier. For example, "John ate a steak... in bed" or "Jill picked out the latest hat to wear... in bed" It's especially fun with fortune cookies, where the game has become part of our pop culture. For example, "You have very good skills and exceptional talents... Continue Reading

I try to be very transparent about the ways I make money on the web. It's really no secret and I've nothing to lose by sharing this information with you. I don't like to hold back as that doesn't contribute to your success at all. So I'm about to reveal one of my biggest secrets for profiting online. Ok, it's really more along the lines of "incredibly obvious", but I'm amazed at how many people... Continue Reading

Wow, what an incredible day! Wait until you hear this. I thought it was going to be a day like every other day. But you never know what kind of curve balls life is going to toss your way. Here's how it started... First of all I wake up and find this email in my box from a producer at a MAJOR cable network ... "Congratulations on your show, 'The Next Internet Millionaire.' We've reviewed... Continue Reading

A few months back, I launched this groundbreaking Internet marketing course to the world... The Secret Classroom ... and the feedback has been fantastic! I regularly receive emails from people telling me what an impact this course has had on their online business. I wanted to take a moment today and share one of these emails with you. I think it says way more about the value of The Secret Classroom than I could ever... Continue Reading

My new blog has been up for over 24 hours now, and the verdict is in! Visitors to this site overwhelmingly approve of the look and feel of the new JoelComm.com. In fact, many people are asking me questions as they want to know how I put this new site together. Well, I've got nothing to hide and I will tell all... Continue Reading

Have I mentioned that I love living in Colorado? Yes, I guess I probably have. I finally got around to resizing some photos that I have taken with my iphone since we moved here last year. Continue Reading

I've been paying close attention to customer service wherever I go these days. In my business, I tell my support team to go the extra mile when assisting customers. I believe this pays off big time in the long run. But I am amazed at how many businesses do not pay attention to the simplest of customer service details. In the past few days, I have made observations at Best Buy, Gamestop, Qdoba and... my... Continue Reading

I'm at Will Rogers airport in Oklahoma City, getting ready to make the trek home to Colorado after a week of visiting with family and friends. I've had some time to reflect on the year and would like to take a stroll down memory lane. The year started with a crazy idea. I knew that others had dabbled with the idea of doing an Internet reality show, but no one had really taken the concept... Continue Reading

I did it. I bit the bullet and picked up an iPhone. I've been a faithful Treo 650 user for two years, but the buzz regarding Apple's new device won me over. So I ponied up $599 + shipping and tax to get one of these puppies in my hands, though I was unsure of what I would find once I actually got to try it out for myself. I may now render the verdict... Continue Reading

Thousands of people start businesses every year. And thousands of people fail miserably at their businesses every year. The reasons for failure are wide and varied. But more often than not, the problem comes down to marketing. After all, a useless or inferior product can be made quite popular with the proper marketing. Continue Reading

How long is a piece of string? No one would ever ask such a stupid question, would they? Well, I get asked some pretty silly questions sometimes. Like "How long will it take before I become a successful online publisher?" There's no one answer to that. Not just because it depends on the number of hours you work each day, the quality of your content and your skill at generating traffic. But also because it... Continue Reading

I treat my online businesses pretty seriously. I have to. They feed and house my family and that's a pretty serious business. But sometimes I wonder if I'm not missing something. Just surf at random around the blogs at Blogger.com and you'll come across a bunch of sites that have been put up for no other reason than to make the people who write them smile. They might make the half-dozen or so regular readers... Continue Reading

Important. Urgent. Critical. Essential. Crucial. There are so many words I can use to describe how imperative it is that you read today's email, and listen to what I have to say... REALLY listen, because this comes from the heart. Continue Reading

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you've probably noticed that I tend to say exactly what's on my mind. Sometimes, that will have nothing to do with AdSense or Internet marketing. It might be something to do with my life. It could be something that happened to me. Or it might just be one of my occasional rants brought on by... well, anything really. I'm not what you would call "politically correct... Continue Reading

Five days ago, I wrote about my experience with American Furniture Warehouse in Fort Collins, Colorado. It was not a glowing moment for their customer service team. This morning, my home phone rang and my wife informed me that American Furniture Warehouse wanted to speak with Joel Comm. I had been anticipating a call from them. Surely they monitor the web for mention of their name, and just 48 hours after blogging about my experience... Continue Reading

NOTE! - This issue has been resolved by American Furniture Warehouse customer service as of February 22nd. Please see this blog entry for the rest of the story. We now return to you the initial entry as originally posted... American Furniture Warehouse in Fort Collins, Colorado is officially on my "naughty" list. I write this entry today as an open letter to Jake Jabs, owner of this furniture chain. Since we moved to Colorado this... Continue Reading

Clutter. Our lives are full of it. And to be honest, I've never experienced more clutter in my life than right now. As I type this, movers are hauling my "stuff" into my new home in Colorado... ... and I can't believe how much stuff there is. I feel like I am being overtaken by boxes and furniture. And just when you think they've brought it all in, there is more. Clutter. Continue Reading

It's time to drag out the cliches. "Wow, can you believe it's 2007 already?" "Man, that year zipped by so fast!" "Before you know it it'll be 2008..." You get the picture. It's another turning of the page. Continue Reading

In every industry, there's a powerbroker in the background - an advisor who is known to just a handful of people, but who helps build empires for the top "stars" who are household names. I recently discovered Janet Switzer. For the last 16 years, Janet has been quietly creating empire-building campaigns, products, promotions, deals and distribution for many of the biggest celebrity experts you've heard of. Jay Abraham... Mark Victor Hansen... Chicken Soup for the... Continue Reading

Lara Croft is back. And this time she means business. Back in the late nineties, Lara Croft came on the scene in the game Tomb Raider. A female "Indiana Jones"-style character, Lara spelunked tombs in ancient ruins of Rome, Mexico, Egypt and Atlantis, fighting off creatures and bad guys while on the hunt for priceless artifacts and treasure. Rather than just shooting to kill stuff, Tomb Raider challenged the player mentally with a series of... Continue Reading

I occassionally receive email that looks like this... "Dear Joel, I have purchased your ebook and applied your strategies to my web pages. It's been a week and I am not making any money. It just doesn't work" Welcome to our microwave society. We want our popcorn done in sixty seconds. And if we can get someone else to put it in the microwave and prepare it for us, all the better. So what is... Continue Reading

I'm coming to you live from Yanik Silver's Underground Seminar in Washington, D.C. I'm sitting in my hotel room with Tim Carter and Christopher Knight. We've just enjoyed a long meal at a fancy-schmancy restaurant a few blocks from the JW Marriott. And, of course, we've all got our laptops jacked in as we catch up with our email and discuss ways to capture more doubloons! But I have another reason for blogging tonight... Today... Continue Reading

Arrived in Washington, DC today for Yanik Silver's Underground Seminar. I'll be writing about my experiences this weekend. I've already encountered many friends, some fans and some folks that I hadn't met before. But that's another story. There's something wonderful about coming to this city, especially for someone who isn't jaded by living inside the Beltway. Continue Reading

I received some very exciting news today. I have signed with Morgan James Publishing, Inc., a New York-based publishing house, to bring my Google AdSense ebook to the retail market as a hardcover book! That means in approximately 60 days, my book should be available at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Waldenbooks, Amazon.com and many other locations. Cool stuff, eh? Continue Reading

My family recently returned from a fall vacation to Eureka Springs. While it was unfortunately cut short by a death in the family, we still enjoyed a few days in a tranquil and beautiful setting. Continue Reading

If a conservative would have said what Howard Dean said on Hardball with Chris Matthews, the mainstream media would deem it worthy of front page mockery. But since it was far-left wacko Dean, he gets a pass. That's ok. The entertainment value is to good to pass up. So what did Howie say? On the October 5th edition of "Hardball with Chris Matthews", the chairman of the Democratic National Committee was asked this question in... Continue Reading

In a move that has brought criticism from both sides of the political aisle, President Bush has nominated White House lead counsel, Harriet Miers, to the highest court in the land. Though Ms. Miers has no paper trail related to judicial decisions (as she is not a judge), she does appear to be a pro-life Christian, and one with definitive views towards the Constitution. Continue Reading

One of my friends recently said to me, "I'm surprised you haven't written anything about Cindy Sheehan." Truth of the matter is, I have felt sorry for this woman. She is clearly being used as a pawn of the far-left radical socialists. She is allowing the tragic death of her son as a platform to advance anti-American ideals that are incredibly damaging to the war we are fighting. Here she is being carted away by... Continue Reading

Liberal democrats and the mainstream media have been incredibly quick to bash President Bush and the Federal Government for their handling of the rescue efforts in New Orleans. Sid Blumenthal, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , and Molly Ivins shots off condemnation pieces within 24 hours of this tragedy, revealing their true colors once again. Hillary Rodham Clinton is calling for a 9/11-style investigation of Katrina, seeking to point fingers and cause disruption for the President... Continue Reading

I've always been a fan of the Broadway musical. When I was young, I remember hearing my mom and dad play the soundtracks to many popular musicals on their record player. Fiddler on the Roof, Company, Carousel, The Sound of Music and West Side Story were staples around my house. Combined with a few trips of my own to the theater, I developed a taste for this genre before I became a teenager. Continue Reading

I was 13 years old in 1977. The release of Star Wars that year had whet my appetite for sci-fi space movies. So when Disney released The Black Hole in 1979, I had to go see it. I can't remember if I liked it or not, to be truthful. I recently purchased the movie on DVD, thinking it would fondly remind me of my childhood. Instead, it put me to sleep. Seriously. Waaaay asleep. Mary... Continue Reading

When I first heard that Tim Burton was doing a version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I thought "Oh no. He's going to butcher it." Don't get me wrong. For the most part, I like Tim Burton's work. Yes, he is bizarre, and probably somewhat twisted. But I like his creative flair. I enjoy his unusual characters and camera angles. But I also have read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and thoroughly enjoyed Willy... Continue Reading

By now everyone knows the news. It is a tragedy, without any doubt. Innocent people once again slaughtered at the hands of animals. And we knew this would happen. It was just a matter of time. Make no mistake. This was not an attack on London. This was an attack on Western Civilization, which these animals despise with every fiber of their being. Perhaps this will silence the Chucky Schumers, Howard Deans and Dick Durbins... Continue Reading

Tonight, I grudgingly sat through War of the Worlds. I went with Mary and another couple because we wanted to do something and all the other movies looked like garbage. The movie promised that I would be "on the edge of my seat". And I was. But that was only because I was slumped so far into my chair that my butt was hanging over the edge of the seat. With the exception of some... Continue Reading

The news is out. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Conner is retiring from the Supreme Court. I know she has struggled with cancer and I wish her well with her health and family life. However, I could not be more delighted that she is leaving a vacancy on the highest court in the land. In fact, I am reminded of the elated feeling that the munchkins felt when Dorothy's house landed on the Wicked Witch... Continue Reading

I believe there are insidious forces at work in America to tear down the fabric of this great nation. I believe these forces primarily reside in the extreme leadership of the Democrat party and the mainstream media. I believe these forces are the ones responsible for swaying public opinion against our brave men and women fighting the war on terror. These people despise our President and the tremendous successes he has had in this war... Continue Reading

Howard Dean as head of the Democratic National Convention. Could this be any more fun? The Democrats are imploding and it is a joyous site to see. Check out this story... Dean Says Democrats Will Make Schiavo Case an Election Issue Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said Friday that his party would wield the Terri Schiavo case against Republicans in the 2006 and 2008 elections, but for now needed to stay focused battling President... Continue Reading

It took me nearly ten years of being online, but I have finally figured out that there is more than one way to skin an Internet kitty. I've been trying to earn a living with advertising dollars, not realizing the bounty of information that I have tucked away in my grey matter. Turns out people are willing to ante up a little coinage for me to share my knowledge. My success with Google AdSense led... Continue Reading

People are truly amazing. Sam Kimery of Seattle has created a little device that screws into the back of your TV set. It's purpose? To block Fox News from appearing. Seriously. He's a disgruntled Republican and felt the need to make a statement. Of course, he doesn't even use it on his TV. The funniest part is that 100 idiots have actually purchased one of these devices. Psst. I have FREE advice for you people... Continue Reading

If you have followed my blog at all, you know that I am a long-time Tivo user. I have been a subscriber for approximately five years, making me an early adopter. Tivo has been going through the ringer lately and it looks like they have just made a deal that is going to seal their fate as a household brand. Today, Tivo announced that they will be creating a custom-built digital video recorder for Comcast... Continue Reading

I love DMOZ, the open-source directory. It's free-spirited and unbound by the constraints of the commercial giants. Often you will find some very interesting things. Since Yahoo doesn't keep up their directory the way they used to, DMOZ is the go-to site. Internet World has a new template to house the DMOZ directory. It's lean, attractive and gets you where you are going. Check it out. Internet World" href="http://joelcomm.com/internet_world.html">Continue Reading

Why is dyslex so hard to spell? Why do airplanes have flotation devices instead of parachutes? Do you need a silencer if you are going to shoot a mime? Do pediatricians play miniature golf? How can a house burn up while it burns down? Why is it called "after dark" when it is really after light? What do you do about an endangered animal that eats only endangered plants? I would just like to know... Continue Reading

We are in the process of designing a new home which we intend to build this year. A few years ago, we bought two acres of land in our city. We have been holding on to it and think the time is ripe to place a home on the property. My father is an architect, so he is drawing the plans. Thanks Dad! But I thought it would be a fun thing to play with... Continue Reading

I remember signing up for Columbia House's irresistable 12 CDs for a penny offer several times before I turned twenty-five. Like most people, I would place my order, purchase the bare minimum and cancel my membership. I guarantee that will never happen again for myself and many others. Why not? Columbia House is entering the pornography business. The objectifier of women and the destroyer of men's souls, Pornography has a foothold in western civilization like... Continue Reading

It's late and I don't want to drone on at length about the film I saw yesterday, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, starring Jim Carrey as Count Olaf. I have read the first three books and I believe the movie was very faithful to the tone and character of the Daniel Handler stories. I was afraid that Jim Carrey would look like Jim Carrey doing Count Olaf, but I was actually pretty pleased... Continue Reading

A friend passed this along to me recently. Hope you enjoy it... --------------- One sunny day in 2005, an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue, where he'd been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the Secret Service agent standing guard and said, "I would like to go in and meet with President Kerry." The Secret Service agent replied, "Sir, Mr. Kerry is not President and doesn't reside here." The... Continue Reading

Stop whatever you are doing. Really. Unless you are caring for your sick mother, desperately need to go to the bathroom or there is a tornado heading for your house, stop whatever you are doing. I have just installed one of the coolest applications I have seen in a long time. I'm sure you will agree. Earlier this year, I wrote about Microsoft's Terraserver, which give an ariel view of the US using USGS topographic... Continue Reading

The Incredibles is Disney/Pixars' latest cash cow. Can these people do no wrong? Pixar has animated toys, bugs, monsters and fish. But one realm they had not covered to date was people. The wait is over. I took the kids to see The Incredibles yesterday and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. The Incredibles is a story of super heroes who have been exiled by the government and the people, due to ever-increasing litigation incurred as... Continue Reading

Ok, so Michael Moore has had his day in the sun. Fahrenheit 911 infiltrated movie houses across America and succeeded in persuading a segment of the population with incredible distortions and outright lies. Now, the Kerry campaign and Democrats have forgotten that the First Amendment means free speech for EVERYONE. This would include Sinclair Broadcasting and their plans to air a documentary exposing John Kerry for who he really is. The documentary is called Stolen... Continue Reading

After the somewhat scathing replies I got regarding my review of the Christian film, Gone, I am somewhat reluctant to step up to the plate again. Regardless (or irregardless if you want to annoy people), I will now attempt to convey my thoughts on a film I viewed today. Six: The Mark Unleashed is a futuristic end-times thriller focusing on the coming one-world government and the ubiquitous "mark of the beast" which must be taken... Continue Reading

Serious or superfluous? Truth or propaganda? These are some of the questions we must ask as we view political campaign commercials. Often influential and sometimes backfiring, political parties and their public relations teams attempt to discuss the issues of the day and portray their candidate as the best man for the job. Often, this entails little more than communicating how their opponent is the worst man for the job. The Living Room Candidate is a... Continue Reading

I watched the President last night and was inspired. It is so refreshing to have a man in the White House who is "real". I know, I know. The Dems will scream about how "stupid" I am for believing the "lies" of the Bush administration. Save your breath. Your comments will be deleted. After surviving eight years of the worst Presidency to ever curse the White House, I can spot a liar and a con... Continue Reading

Over my lifetime, I have seen a handful of Presidents come and go. From my earliest memories of Richard Nixon to our current President, each have brought their own beliefs and personality to the White House. I remember that Ronald Reagan was a man of quiet faith. Jimmy Carter was supposed to have been a born-again Christian, though his failed policies leads me to believe he was listening more to special interest groups than to... Continue Reading

One of the reasons we wanted to get out of Oklahoma and visit Colorado was because of the intolerable heat. Ninety degree days just don't agree with us. Wouldn't you know it... Boulder is having a heatwave! According to the temperature gauge in the minivan, it got up to 98 degrees today! Needless to say, we didn't feel much like hiking of being outside. However, since it is so beautiful here, it is hard to... Continue Reading

It seems like forever since we last had a family vacation. You might remember our last trip was a doozy. Since that time, I have traveled to Boulder, Colorado and Reno, Nevada on business. But this is the first chance we have gotten to pack up the minivan and hit the road! We left town around 10 am this morning and pulled into Louisville, Colorado (just outside Boulder) around 7:30 pm MST. It was an... Continue Reading

A Review of the IBIZ Virtual Keyboard Up until now, portable keyboards for PDAs have been clunky and fragile This review is being written on a device the size of a cigarette lighter with a keyboard that is invisible. I am speaking of the IBIZ Virtual Keyboard, a new device from IBIZ Technologies that combines infrared and laser technology to deliver a keyboard that is both functional and portable. Using a standard laser, the VKB... Continue Reading

A new poll shows President Bush dominating Democratic Presidential candidate John F. Kerry with an 80% to 20% lead. This poll, conducted on Sunday, May 30th, interviewed particpants face to face and asked the following questions. 1) If the election were held today, who would you vote for, President Bush or John Kerry? 80% of respondents noted their vote would go for President Bush. 2) Are you happy with President Bush's job performance? Again, 80... Continue Reading

Satellites are roaming the atmosphere, seeking out interesting sites. Actually, Microsoft's Terraserver contains 3.3 tera-bytes of high resolution USGS aerial imagery and USGS topographic maps. Basically, you can get an up close and personal aerial view of just about anywhere in the United States. Here is our home town of Edmond, OK. Zooming in reveals our house. It is the house on the bottom with the white car in the driveway. It's a great deal... Continue Reading

Call me Mr. Wonderful. No, its not Mary's pet name for me. And no, I don't have a super-inflated sense of self. Mr. Wonderful has been my alter-ego these past two weeks in City of Heroes, a massively multiplayer online game recently released by Cryptic Studios. The fictional location of Paragon City has had a difficult time lately. What with an alien invasion and several gangs of thugs battling it out for control of the... Continue Reading

What happens when you combine one the best-selling rock albums of all time with one of the best films of all time? Strange stuff. Filmed in 1939, The Wizard of Oz is an enduring classic from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Who hasn't delighted in the wonderful tale of Dorothy Gale and her journey into the weird and wonderful land of Oz? Dorothy, Toto, Tinman, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, Wicked Witch of the West, Glinda the... Continue Reading

Need something mindless to do? Check out these links. A very good cookie The funniest sitcom on TV Mary's favorite tea My previous life Still bald after all these years Continue Reading

As the World Wide Web enters its second decade of existence, .com has become a ubiquitous surname. From the obvious pets.com and business.com to the unique sendmeadollar.com and hollywoodjesus.com, it is clear that .com has become King of the domain roost. .net and .org have been around almost as long, but they are like the red-headed stepchildren at K-Mart. (No offense to red-headed kids, but all offense meant to K-Mart.) .net was initially intended for... Continue Reading

The Democratic Party is in sad, sad shape. They have moved way to the left and are completely out of touch with mainstream America. However, with the exception of the liberal wackos who actually believe in the socialist mumbo-jumbo, the vast majority of Democrats really don't know the people they are voting for. They are content to believe the lies spoon-fed by the liberal media. While George W. Bush is not all I hoped he... Continue Reading

Once again, we got an early start and walked all over the place. We started by going to the Washington Monument, the tallest structure in D.C. It stands 555 feet high and is truly an awesome site. We took the elevator to the top and got to look out some very small windows in each direction. Of course, there are many others attempting to get a good view, so we didn't have much time to... Continue Reading

Sunday. Lazy day. We slept in, laid around, watched TV, had breakfast and laid around some more. The nice folks at the Conwell Inn allowed us to use their washer and dryer, so we did laundry for free. Later in the afternoon we hopped in the minivan and attempted to find civilization. We were all pretty hungry and were looking for something we recognized. We drove, and drove and drove. And you know what we... Continue Reading

We had a horrible night at the Quality Inn in Lyndhurst, NJ. It was supposed to be a non-smoking room, but the odor was there just the same. I went to the front desk and they gave me an ionizer to use in the room. We gave it a shot, but it didn't do the trick and the odor was giving Mary a headache. It was late and the kids were already falling asleep, so... Continue Reading

I am so exhausted after today! We walked the "Freedom Trail" in Boston with our friends Ro and Kyle. Starting at the Bostom Common (the first public park in the U.S.) and ending up at the Bunker Hill monument, the Freedom Trail meandered, twisted and turned for over two miles through over a dozen historical sites that captured the essence of the struggle for our Nation's Independence. We started by driving to the mass transit... Continue Reading

We left the Best Western in Niagara Falls this morning and I had a brief run-in with the general manager. When I looked at my itemized bill, I noticed that I was being charged $5.00 for each local call I made. He explained that local calls are free, but any call over 30 minutes was subject to a $5.00 charge and that this information was clearly printed in the hotel information. Well, I had called... Continue Reading

Started the day in Dayton, Ohio. It really is getting hard to keep track of where we are at any given moment. The cities and hotels are becoming one big blur. After breakfast and the daily schlep to the van, we went to the United States Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. There were two massive hangars of airplanes, including the original Wright "B" Flyer flown by Wilbur and Orville Wright. We saw... Continue Reading

After schlepping our stuff to the car, for what seemed to be the umpteenth time, we drove to the campus of the University of Illinois, my alma mater. Many things looked different, but much more looked exactly the same. I felt both relieved and sentimental as I walked "the quad". It was great to show the kids where I went to school, and I think they were impressed by the old buildings and the number... Continue Reading

We left Jacksonville, MO around 11 am and set course for Beardstown, IL, made famous by the Beardstown Ladies Investment Club. Our visit had nothing to do with investing. We visited friends, Carla and Rick Simmert. Carla is a blessing as she is the person God had in place to take over Mary's web site, SafeHaven, when Mary no longer had the time to give it the attention it needed. We spent a couple hours... Continue Reading

Around 3 pm Sunday afternoon, Mary came into the office and said something like, "If we would have thought of it, we could have just left today." I stared at her for about one second and spoke, "Well, why don't we?" I don't think she realize what she got herself into! We furiously gathered everything together and packed up the van. Just when I thought it was full, Mary pointed out another item that needed... Continue Reading

Here is the big news from the Comm household. As many of you may know, we homeschool our two children, Z and J. One of the subjects the children are learning is American History (without the revisionism perpetrated by the National Education Association). We have decided to take our homeschool on the road in order to give the kids a hands-on experience with our Nation's great heritage. To that end, we are taking a one-month... Continue Reading

This bit of disgusting news hit the wire today... Bill on Hil: It's a maybe His hint she may run in '04 shocks Dems Clinton loyalists were startled yesterday to hear former President Bill Clinton suggest that his wife hasn't made up her mind yet about running for the White House. Asked in Monterey, Calif., on Tuesday about chatter that Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) might join the crowded Democratic field, the former President hinted that... Continue Reading

Yes, it's true. I sell Tupperware and I'm not ashamed! There are plenty of men who sell Tupperware. Stop snickering. Buy some now. Actually, I don't have to do much of anything. I signed up as a rep you NEED Tupperware and I pay a very sweet lady to update my site, PlasticBargains.com. I sell a fair amount through this site spend all your money, and I end up winning Tupperware prizes. Mary has... Continue Reading

Here's one that makes me so angry I just couldn't pass it up. From the web site, The Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation... Terri was 26 years old when she suffered brain damage from a sudden collapse. Terri receives her food and water by means of a food tube, commonly referred to as a "straw." Terri’s other bodily functions are physically stable. Terri smiles, laughs and cries. Terri recognizes voices and responds. At times, she vocalizes sounds... Continue Reading

I decided to go check out the new Aspen Athletic Club that is opening just 1.5 miles away from our house. Mary and I have been talking about joining a club for a while, so I thought I'd stop be on my way to work. The actual club is still being built, but they have a temporary facility set up where they can sell memberships. I don't like long sales pitches and I had more... Continue Reading

We got a late start this morning, but isn't that what vacationing is all about? Jenna is so excited about going horseback riding, so we walked to the stable and made a reservation for tomorrow at 10:30 am. She will be riding a black and white horse named Questa. Every time we passed the stable today, she pointed out Questa to all of us. Took a photo of Jenna out front of the lodge. For... Continue Reading

Mary and I just finished watching a television series called Manor House. This 3-part, 6-hour PBS series aired in 2002 and is now available on DVD. Manor House ranks as one of the best TV shows I have ever had the pleasure to watch. This was reality television at its very best, putting Survivor and Big Brother to shame (well, they are pretty shameful to begin with.) Basically, nineteen volunteers from the modern world move... Continue Reading

First-time visitor? You may want to Click here to read the story thus far. I can not recall where we met the guy who would be our first link to the net, nor can I remember his name. All I remember is the company was called "Powernet", and they had a multi-level marketing scheme for Internet dial-up accounts. I think I have blocked out much of what took place with these people because they left... Continue Reading

Come and listen to a story of boom and bust. A tale of exhuberent highs and devastating lows. A yarn so dramatic, so engaing, so tragic... wait... wrong story. This is about my experience with the Internet and how I rode the wave from the beginning, only to end up here. Ready? Come gather 'round... Part I: I can do that! I have always been a computer freek. Since Radio Shack launched the first TRS-80... Continue Reading

Hope all you moms have a great day today. My mom is here from out of town, but she is leaving in just a bit. Then we are heading out to MrsMayor's parent's house for the afternoon. I need to grab some flowers for my mother-in-law and score some points. :-) Continue Reading