Efficacy:37th Birthday

Efficacy:For my 37^th birthday, I woke up with a slight inner ear ache. The night before I didnt sleep well because I was up until 3:00 am in the morning reading magazines and working on articles for cacjohnson website. It is possible that I could place the blame for my sleepless in Seattle on the excitement, the anticipation of becoming another year older, yet, I know it was because I felt harried about having to write ten articles a month from my personal experiences. Egregiously, I know that the articles will not miraculously write themselves, therefore, not toleave the articles to mere chance; I surround myself with magazines, and new articles so that my ideas do not become evanescence. The articles I write for cacjohnson I want them to reflect confidence and respect not only for myself but also for the readers. Without cessation, I am constantly working on new articles and different ways to promote cacjohnson without crossing lines of integrity. Often I become disconcerted, because at times I feel incapacitated that I am not able to do more because of my limited resources. If I were given a predilection it would most likely entail being in my own office sitting at desk with my name on the door, however, I can not allow the environment where I work to deter the progress of cacjohnson nor stymie my attitude. Although, things are not perfect and the way I would like i.ethem not having credit.My current debt situationhas caused my personal affairs and finances to be in maelstrom. The issue of secured line credit, has wreaked havoc in my personal and professional affairs, not to sound histronic it has really created hardship, still, the day was not about cacjohnson it was about me turning thirty- seven. Most importantly, I donot want my self efficacy to center around credit troubles, I would like to have self efficacy that stated I was as diligent,deft, and persistent with the power to produce and create quality. At thirty- seven, I want to be engendering and hopefully find longevity in my new career. Happy Birthday: The days leading up to my 37^th birthday I regressed by making two pans of brownies, but not just any brownies, more specifically, Duncan Hines Chocolate Lovers Brownies Walnut with California walnuts and Duncan Hines Chocolate Lovers Brownies Milk Chocolate Chunk that I snorted down my throat for about four days. The actual day of my birthday, I wore a pink tank top with silver round neck and white cotton pants. Turning thirty- seven, I thought more introspection was what my inner being was carving,along withmore attention; instead, I had a caprice that I am my own worst cynic that my day required less cynicism, less thought. On my thirty seventh birthday, a little less seriousness, not so stern, I worked on the frivolous things that could make a big difference. I took an early morning walk to the local Walgreens to have reprints made of a picture, I use frequently to introduce myself to prospective patrons, sponsors, and donors my actions were partly centered around building up my website and being prepared to socialize with the public when I look less than perfect. I returned back to my place of residence after my visit at Walgreens I sat down at the kitchen table with some white labels and a black sharpie, slowly, not hastily because I didnt want to make mistakes and waste reprints I began to place my web address and Po Box on the back of the reprints. After writing my web address on the reprints, next, I was off to the shopping center near my place of residence. At the shopping center I did some comparison pricing then decided it was too hot (about 90 degrees) to continue with the window shopping. Eventually, I made my way over to a nearby fast food restaurant in the shopping center and bought a double cheese burger that was my last stop for the day before returning home. As walked back to my place of residency I open a bright pink umbrella with the rocawear logo. I guess it belong to my younger sister, it was left by the front door whoever it belonged to it worked out great. The umbrella matched the outfit I was wearing plus it shields me from the harmful rays of the sun. By late afternoon, I was in air conditioner. A few hours later, I received a call from relatives wishing me Happy Birthday the conversation was curt because they were still recovering from Hurricane Ike. With all the frivolous things done around 6:30pm my mind was more open than when I first woke in the morning.Engender:To fulfill my inner being, I read three articles in Redbook Magazine October edition that only drew me closer to my own mortality, and the sobering thoughts of how important it has become to seize each day. The first article I read"What I learned from breast cancer... "one writer reveals what its really like to live with the disease immediately, I began to have flash backs from the first time I was told by a nurse practioner that I had reoccurring ovarian cyst, My first response was I wanted to become discrete with article I felt a strong sense of wanting to be separated and unattach from the words of the author. Over the past years, my reoccurring cysts have been problematic but not have developed to the worst case scenario as the author in the article. Although,I have had close encounters with the possibilities of cancer but did not follow throughto receive theoutcome. The main reason I have not followed through was not out of fear of the results,basically because many of the doctor visit require that I go by myself during periods of time that I am in dark place without an Amen Corner or Girl Friend support group often I am left irateanddisheartened,especially,during times of my health scare.

Continuation of Efficacy I: As result of reading the article What I learned from breast cancer I began to review what I knew about cancer from my many visits to Planned Parenthood clinics. Eventually, I did not dissemble the truth about cancer that it can be life threatening.Another antonishing truth,unquestionably,unequivocally,cancer affects millions of women.Ultimately,at some point in time millions of women every year must come face to face with the truth,the possibility of having breast cancer or ovarian cancer. I n my particular experience with breast exams and pap smears, I know that cancer can be devastating if left undetected and should not be taken likely; most importantly, I also know that with the new treatments available cancer doesnt have to be the final word.

March 2009, An Up-date on cacjohnson job search:Two Hunderd Jobs Eligible to Apply/Matching

Skills&Qualifications

In February 2009,I posted my resume on MSN.Careerbuilder.com;I received an immediate response from MSN Careerbuilder on several waysthatI could improve my resume.I briefly spoke upon theimprovements provide byMSN Careerbuilder in Update&critic of cac's resume II that can be found on this web page. With the posting of both my resumes,I received a total of two hundred jobs that I am eligible to apply. I am taking this time to evince the point eligible to apply whichdoes not necessarily implies that the positions are condign or even comparable to my skills butshould betaking into consideration. Futhermore,of course,I am not going to just hop ona bus orjump in a car and go to all two hundred jobs. First of all, I have only resided in Virgina for about three years and of those three years two of them was spent recovering from malicious wounding,attack, bodily and personal injury.I personally have just come to terms the with magnitude of black on black crime, self hatred,the continuing racist and prejudice attitudesof blacks to towards dark skinned black women,no,I am not going to hop on a bus in Virginia,nor, doI suggest thatanyone else should hop on a bus and visit all two hundred jobs unless they absolutely have no other choice or being forced out in the streets.However,after Black History month and learning the significance and importanceof theNorfolk 17,Massive Resistance b.s that no one put in the m.f history books,no, I not calling the Norfolk 17 Massive Resistance b.s,but I am stating because it was not placed in the history books it's a bunch of crock.Off the beaten path,getting back on track,and beyond the history books---instead,what remains---the economic recession that analyst has stated will most likely be one for the history books.Yet,on another note,the first step in finding suitable employment for job seekers is defintely to post your resume on a job site and join several social networks. Oncethe jobs listing become availablejobseekers shouldperuse through the list,highlighting thequalifications and salary amount to see if the jobswould be something (you) the job seeker would be interested inperforming,as stated inPBS Nightly Business Report get the word out, let others know your looking for job also attend the career and job fairs.Specifically expatiating on my particular situation,I haveencounteredseveral obstacles that hascausedmy response to job search to be slow and impeded,for instance,mydisability set limitations on the kind of work I can perform, my car was vandalized before coming to the state of Virigina,to reiterate,I have often stated"Virginia is not my stumping ground",moreover,the money that I could have used to buy a laptop or desktop now has to be put aside to repair a vandalized car in addition to car repairs,I had to replace clothes,shoes as well as let thescars on my face heal from the tussle with a black landlord.To conclude,for many American Consumers finding a job in this economy has become imperative,I know because in lieu of my current situation I thought of taking a job at Taco Bell for extra income.As a final thought cacjohnson recommends that once job seeker have their resumes posted wait for a response from MSN.Careerbuilder.com then read the job listingplus highlight the salaries&qualifications, match your skills with jobs that you have stronginterest"work smarter not harder" and be more efficient in seeking jobs.In manyinstances job seekerscaneliminate(trial&error),for example,jobs that you do not meet the qualificationsskip and move to the next job on the list.You,definitely,do not want to ride around town wasting gas--be eco-friendly &eco-smart start the search before you get in the car.

Something to think about:

A few months back,I joined eharmony singles with the thoughts of meeting males with like minds and drawing a different crowd to my web site.I received by emaila free subscription to eharmony/singles;I began the process but did not complete the personality profile. The process is a lenghty one and requires significant amount of time to complete.Unfortunately,Iwill will have to re-start the process over again because my free trial has expired,however,I decided not to completely disregard the singles network,especially,in starting a minority startup.Today the fundamentals ofbuilding a strong following,as well as readers is to utilize and optimize the most of freesocialnetworks,therefore, working and networking the singles dating siteshas becomeanother way to promote and get the word out about personal web sites, job search, and creating friendships. Of course, I said after "All In The Family&Mean GirlsII/Boundaries" both are blogs on my wordpress site, that singles chat rooms, and hotlinesis the last thing on my mind,now it is something to think about.

Up date & Critic ofcacResume I: Before President's Day,I became a memberas well as placed my resume on MSN Career Builder.com,the resume I posted on career builder is the same resume currently displayed in About Cacjohnson. The resume as posted on MSN Career Builder found approximately one hundred and twenty-three jobs (123)that I am eligible to apply. I also allowed MSN Career Builder to critic my resume,the following suggestions I received by email:

• Resume should have information pertaining to only the job of interest
• Check for grammatical errors/ MSN Career Builder found 2
• Use verbs of action as well asgiveclear and unambiguousdetails, for example, instead of stating"worked the floor," "Duties includedplacing stock on the floor, pricing stock ,and takinginventorystock"

The entire process to become a member MSN Career Builder required about 30 minutes of my time with my resume already saved to a disk/easily accessible.On a scale of 1 to 5 the performance of MSN Career Builder job search service,and profesional development service receives a 5 from cacjohnson. I strongly recommend for unemployed individuals the MSN Career Builder site for job search,networking, and professional development.

Jobs,Work, and Careers II

Consider Part- time work as reported on Good Morning America with Robin Roberts:"Five Part time jobs you can get right now"www.abcnews.go.com

Robin Roberts speaks withTory Johnson below are the recommendations from her findings:

1.Substitute teaching

2.Kaplan test and Princenton review will hire at least 5,000 part time instructors this year.

3.Staff the Stadium in cities like(Albany,Atlanta, Boston,Chicago,Houston,New York,Philadelphia,Richmond Va) will hire workers to staff stadium for sports and entertaiment industry.

4.Healthcare Facility parking attendants

5.Senior companions.

Feb 9th 2009"Five Part time jobs you can get right now"www.abcnews.go.com

Overall, the position from employers perspective from the beginning of the economic crisis in 2008has been to cut cost and overhead,for instance health benefits for emloyees. Until the Federal governmentis able to make sense of the demise of certain Financial Institution more specifically in retail and banking industry unemployed workers should not rule out part-time work,also keeping resumes up-to-date, make veritable assements of skills and abilites is a stepping stone in right direction to gaining employment in 2009.

What jobs are currently thriving in the American economy of 2009?

Health Care and Medical Fields; for example (Dentistry, Ophthalmology, Geriatrics, Nurse Practioners,Education, specifically, (Math& Sciences), Accounting, ITT, Electrical Engineering & Food Services

In February 2009,I posted my resume on MSN.Careerbuilder.com;I received an immediate response from MSN Careerbuilder on several waysthatI could improve my resume.I briefly spoke upon theimprovements provide byMSN Careerbuilder in Update&critic of cac's resume II that can be found on this web page. With the posting of both my resumes,I received a total of two hundred jobs that I am eligible to apply. I am taking this time to evince the point eligible to apply whichdoes not necessarily implies that the positions are condign or even comparable to my skills butshould betaking into consideration. Futhermore,of course,I am not going to just hop ona bus orjump in a car and go to all two hundred jobs. First of all, I have only resided in Virgina for about three years and of those three years two of them was spent recovering from malicious wounding,attack, bodily and personal injury.I personally have just come to terms the with magnitude of black on black crime, self hatred,the continuing racist and prejudice attitudesof blacks to towards dark skinned black women,no,I am not going to hop on a bus in Virginia,nor, doI suggest thatanyone else should hop on a bus and visit all two hundred jobs unless they absolutely have no other choice or being forced out in the streets.However,after Black History month and learning the significance and importanceof theNorfolk 17,Massive Resistance b.s that no one put in the m.f history books,no, I not calling the Norfolk 17 Massive Resistance b.s,but I am stating because it was not placed in the history books it's a bunch of crock.Off the beaten path,getting back on track,and beyond the history books---instead,what remains---the economic recession that analyst has stated will most likely be one for the history books.Yet,on another note,the first step in finding suitable employment for job seekers is defintely to post your resume on a job site and join several social networks. Oncethe jobs listing become availablejobseekers shouldperuse through the list,highlighting thequalifications and salary amount to see if the jobswould be something (you) the job seeker would be interested inperforming,as stated inPBS Nightly Business Report get the word out, let others know your looking for job also attend the career and job fairs.Specifically expatiating on my particular situation,I haveencounteredseveral obstacles that hascausedmy response to job search to be slow and impeded,for instance,mydisability set limitations on the kind of work I can perform, my car was vandalized before coming to the state of Virigina,to reiterate,I have often stated"Virginia is not my stumping ground",moreover,the money that I could have used to buy a laptop or desktop now has to be put aside to repair a vandalized car in addition to car repairs,I had to replace clothes,shoes as well as let thescars on my face heal from the tussle with a black landlord.To conclude,for many American Consumers finding a job in this economy has become imperative,I know because in lieu of my current situation I thought of taking a job at Taco Bell for extra income.As a final thought cacjohnson recommends that once job seeker have their resumes posted wait for a response from MSN.Careerbuilder.com then read the job listingplus highlight the salaries&qualifications, match your skills with jobs that you have stronginterest"work smarter not harder" and be more efficient in seeking jobs.In manyinstances job seekerscaneliminate(trial&error),for example,jobs that you do not meet the qualificationsskip and move to the next job on the list.You,definitely,do not want to ride around town wasting gas--be eco-friendly &eco-smart start the search before you get in the car.

Something to think about:

A few months back,I joined eharmony singles with the thoughts of meeting males with like minds and drawing a different crowd to my web site.I received by emaila free subscription to eharmony/singles;I began the process but did not complete the personality profile. The process is a lenghty one and requires significant amount of time to complete.Unfortunately,Iwill will have to re-start the process over again because my free trial has expired,however,I decided not to completely disregard the singles network,especially,in starting a minority startup.Today the fundamentals ofbuilding a strong following,as well as readers is to utilize and optimize the most of freesocialnetworks,therefore, working and networking the singles dating siteshas becomeanother way to promote and get the word out about personal web sites, job search, and creating friendships. Of course, I said after "All In The Family&Mean GirlsII/Boundaries" both are blogs on my wordpress site, that singles chat rooms, and hotlinesis the last thing on my mind,now it is something to think about.

Up date & Critic ofcacResume I: Before President's Day,I became a memberas well as placed my resume on MSN Career Builder.com,the resume I posted on career builder is the same resume currently displayed in About Cacjohnson. The resume as posted on MSN Career Builder found approximately one hundred and twenty-three jobs (123)that I am eligible to apply. I also allowed MSN Career Builder to critic my resume,the following suggestions I received by email:

• Resume should have information pertaining to only the job of interest
• Check for grammatical errors/ MSN Career Builder found 2
• Use verbs of action as well asgiveclear and unambiguousdetails, for example, instead of stating"worked the floor," "Duties includedplacing stock on the floor, pricing stock ,and takinginventorystock"

The entire process to become a member MSN Career Builder required about 30 minutes of my time with my resume already saved to a disk/easily accessible.On a scale of 1 to 5 the performance of MSN Career Builder job search service,and profesional development service receives a 5 from cacjohnson. I strongly recommend for unemployed individuals the MSN Career Builder site for job search,networking, and professional development.

Jobs,Work, and Careers II

Consider Part- time work as reported on Good Morning America with Robin Roberts:"Five Part time jobs you can get right now"www.abcnews.go.com

Robin Roberts speaks withTory Johnson below are the recommendations from her findings:

1.Substitute teaching

2.Kaplan test and Princenton review will hire at least 5,000 part time instructors this year.

3.Staff the Stadium in cities like(Albany,Atlanta, Boston,Chicago,Houston,New York,Philadelphia,Richmond Va) will hire workers to staff stadium for sports and entertaiment industry.

4.Healthcare Facility parking attendants

5.Senior companions.

Feb 9th 2009"Five Part time jobs you can get right now"www.abcnews.go.com

Overall, the position from employers perspective from the beginning of the economic crisis in 2008has been to cut cost and overhead,for instance health benefits for emloyees. Until the Federal governmentis able to make sense of the demise of certain Financial Institution more specifically in retail and banking industry unemployed workers should not rule out part-time work,also keeping resumes up-to-date, make veritable assements of skills and abilites is a stepping stone in right direction to gaining employment in 2009.

What jobs are currently thriving in the American economy of 2009?

Health Care and Medical Fields; for example (Dentistry, Ophthalmology, Geriatrics, Nurse Practioners,Education, specifically, (Math& Sciences), Accounting, ITT, Electrical Engineering & Food Services

.

Update&critic of cac's resume II:

I receivedan immediateresponse from MSN. Career Builder in reference to my second resume.Msn.careerbuilder.com found at least (80)eighty positions that I am eligible to apply. The positions range from clerical to adminstrative assistant.In addition to finding job positionsmsn.careerbuilder.com alsooffered insightful adviceon how to makemysecond resume stand out. The most profound advice msn.careerbuilder.com offered in the form of professional advice is "don't date yourself,you do not need to include dates older than ten years on your resume"becauseyou do not want employers to focus onyour age.

Up date & Critic ofcacResume I: Before President's Day,I became a memberas well as placed my resume on MSN Career Builder.com,the resume I posted on career builder is the same resume currently displayed in About Cacjohnson. The resume as posted on MSN Career Builder found approximately one hundred and twenty-three jobs (123)that I am eligible to apply. I also allowed MSN Career Builder to critic my resume,the following suggestions I received by email:

• Resume should have information pertaining to only the job of interest
• Check for grammatical errors/ MSN Career Builder found 2
• Use verbs of action as well asgiveclear and unambiguousdetails, for example, instead of stating"worked the floor," "Duties includedplacing stock on the floor, pricing stock ,and takinginventorystock"

The entire process to become a member MSN Career Builder required about 30 minutes of my time with my resume already saved to a disk/easily accessible.On a scale of 1 to 5 the performance of MSN Career Builder job search service,and profesional development service receives a 5 from cacjohnson. I strongly recommend for unemployed individuals the MSN Career Builder site for job search,networking, and professional development.

Overview of the economy's 2nd Quarter:April/May/June

April 1st President's Obama Economic Stimulus became effective thus allowing American taxpayers to receive an increase in their take home pay the$20.00 equivalent of $240 a year.

May 1st Disabled persons also received an one time allotment of 240.00 as part of the Presidents Economic stimulus Plan.

June 1st Unemployment rates continue to proliferate in the US as large companies continued to implement massive layoffs and seek federal assistance. As the nation employment rate grows, California 's Governor work to maintain diplomacywhile working effortlessly to solve the States Budget crisis.

While unemployed,I received CareerDevelopment and Professional Development Assistance by the Workforce One Staff of Broward.From 2002-2005, I reviewed, and evaluated, my current credentials. In order to maximize my strenghts (communication verbal and written,foreign language (spanish and french), increase typing speed 35wpm to 65wpm, minimize my weaknessessuch as typing speed and Business math I&II,I became a participant as well as a student in the WIA program :

Sample of cacjohnson's

CoverLetter I/Resume II

Po Box 5365

Newport News Va,23605

Dear Sir or Madam

Please accept the enclosed brochure as an expression of interest in exploring employment opportunities with your organization. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

I have submitted a resume reflecting my specific knowledge and experience as an Office Personnel Support. I have listed some of the key contributions that I have made in the past that would directly benefit your organization.

• Goal oriented
• Highly motivated
• Knowledgeable in Microsoft Word/Excel
• Experienced Clerk
• Fluent in Spanish

I look forward to discussing my background and accomplishments with you during the interviewing process. Please feel free to contact me during the day or the evening at (757)768-7538

Again,I thank you for considering my application.

Sincerely,

jmj

Enclosure

Over two years in office experience; Able to communicate effectively with diverse population Speak Spanish fluently and Knowledge of French. Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Windows. Highly organized and able to work with little or no supervision. Able to manage multiple tasks, as well as, multiple phone lines. The qualities that best describe my personality are energetic, focused, diligent at completing assigned task; as well as, an excellent organizer.

MVP: Bad Check Writing

Decisions: The Pathway to PowerDo you remember when Jimmy Carter was still the President of the United States , the Empire was striking back, Yoda and Pac Man were the rage, and nothing came between Brooke Shields and her Calvins? The Ayatollah Khomeini had come to power in Iran and held our fellow Americans hostage; Do you remember hearing the news that John Lennon was murdered? Do you remember when Mount Saint Helen erupted, leveling 150 square miles? Did you cheer whenthe underdog U.S hockey team beat the Soviets, and went on to win the Olympic gold metal? That was 1980. A little more than ten years ago. Think for a moment. Where were you then? What were you like? Who were your friends? What were you hopes and dreams? I f someone asked you Where will you be in ten or fifteen years? What would you have told them? Are you today where you wanted to be back then? A decade can pass quickly, more importantly; maybe we should be asking ourselves. How am I going to live the next ten years of my life? How am I going to live today in order to create the tomorrow I m committed to? What am I going to stand for from now on? Whats important to meright now, and what will be important to me in the long term? What actions can I take today that will shape my destiny

Anthony Robbins Awakening the Giant Within

If you dont have a plan for your life someone else does?

Anthony Robbins Awakening the Giant Within

Cost & Fees: On May 25^th 2007, I wrote a check at the local grocery store for $35.00 (thirty-five) dollars not haphazardly or heedlessly but with certainty that the check would clear. Yet, precariously, I was disheartened to learn a few days later the check would not clear. As result of writing a check with insufficient funds in my checking account, I acquired inexorable fees; the cost of one single check written in the local grocery store in the area in which I reside cost $35.00 (thirty-five) dollar return check fee, $35.00(thirty-five) dollar overdraft fee, and $40.00 (forty) dollars to close the account, unequivocally, all of the mentioned fees could have been easily avoided had I reviewed and filled out my check register properly. Expeditiously, to avoid legal fees and court cost, I immediately responded, as well as followed through with the Virginias Commonwealth Check Enforcement Program whose Financial Training cost $70.00 (seventy)dollars not including the Victims fee of $61.42(sixty-one dollars and forty two cents). Still, as the account holder, the combined total cost I acquired for writing one single bad check at the local grocery store cost $458.42(four hundred fifty eight dollars and forty two cents.)Furthermore, the day I entered the grocery store, I was not being impetuous or egregious, I earnestly believed the money was or would be available in my checking account before the check posted. Nonetheless, I wrote the check in the grocery store using my discretion whether my actions were adventitious or disingenuous, the result of my actions on May 25^th 2007 did not have a favorable out come I believed and intended, thus, prompting, a caprice in my attitude towards writing checks and the check writing process.

Insufficient Funds: To emphatically state without embellishing or lessening the severity of my actions, On May 25^th, 2007, the day I went into the local grocery store to buy groceries for the end of the month. I remember that day vaguely but I have vivid memories of what ensued after the visit to the grocery store. A few days later after my visit to the grocery store I received a letter from the bank stating my account was overdrawn, then, shortly afterreceiving a notice from the bank I received a letter from Virginias Commonwealth Check Enforcement Program; before receiving the letter, Ispoke with one of the managers to see if I was in the system and I was not at the time;I did not continue to follow through with the grocery store directly. Exhausted and exasperated from the entire check writing process, I was saddened, as well as, upset. Unquestionably only to compound and confirm my feelings was the fact I had recently opened the checking account with Bank of Wachovia and cleared two other accounts. During the time I opened my Wachovia free checking account, I was using the Bank of Wachovia free checking account to pay bills, for charity donations, and to buy groceries. Because of what transpired to open the checking account at Wachovia, I was being cautious with my check registry until the check writing incident onMay25th, 2007 did not clear. Remarkably, as I write this article in analyzing the event leading up to the day I wrote the check; I vaguely remember walking through the store, yet, I know it was with certainty. Astoundingly, at the time of my grocery shopping, I knew I had sufficient funds in my checking account to cover the check I would write on May 25th, 2007. Reflecting and tracing my footsteps leading to the days before I wrote the check in the store I would say that I was definitely, on the road to financial recovery(2007).To evince, I was already distraught and exasperated from the unplanned and unexpected move to Virginia. Initially, my checking account was opened back in March of 2005, however, before I could open my checking account with the Bank of Wachovia, I first had to pay off my Bank of America account that was opened whileI was an employee with the City of Pompano, as well as, pay off my Bank Atlantic account I opened during my temporary unemployment. As standard business practice most banks will not allow new customers to open a checking account if the customer has an outstanding balance with the previous bank, likewise with the Bank of Wachovia, without being spurious, both accounts were cleared before I could re-open a checking account with the Bank of Wachovia. As anew customer in March of 2005 with previous uncleared checking accounts, opening a new account with the Bank of Wachovia, the process took a little longer than usual; inadvertently and in accordance with bank policy, the entire process took about three days to receive confirmation from both banks that my checking account were paid and cleared out of the system. Today I do not have an active checking account, my course of action might seem extreme but I rather learn to not depend on writing checks then continue on the same track of having reoccurring fees,and worrying about whether or not a check has cleared or if my bill money will be short for the next month. Although, I have stop writing checks, Debt collectors have not stop asking me to write post dated checks, or do I having check account to setup automatic withdrawal. At the age of thirty-seven, Debt Collectors and Creditors continue to ask for my mothers maiden name which throughout the years has been very irritating ,considering the fact,Ifile separate taxes from parent who do not claim me as an dependent. I know that eventually, I might have to reopen another checking account either to buy a new car, purchase a home, or rent apartment. Nevertheless,many businesses that I have dealt have a predilection to wards checking accounts. As standard business practice most banks will not allow new customers to open a checking account if the customer has an outstanding balance with the previous bank, likewise with the Bank of Wachovia, without being spurious, both accounts were cleared before I could re-open a checking account with the Bank of Wachovia. As mention perviously, due to the fact that I was anew customer in March of 2005 with previous uncleared checking accounts, opening a new account with the Bank of Wachovia, the process took a little longer than usual. accountAfter the incident in May of 2007,my checking was closed in June of 2007. Additional Fees:In tracing my footsteps, I remember completing my grocery shopping then approaching the counterwith my groceries as I stood at the register the cashier proceeded to scan my items, while the cashier was scanning the items, I began to fill out a blank check. Meanwhile, at the end of the scanning process the cashier politely gaveme atotal of the items scanned a total of $35.00(thirty-five) dollars.

Store Policy:What was different about this day? What was different about this check?

In analyzing the day of May 25th 2007, I believe on that particular day I was already exasperated, discouraged, distraught, and at my wits end with the check writing process. I arrived at a definitive moment. Moreover, because of the unplanned , as well as, unexpected moveto the state of Virginia which only exacerbated my financial ,subsequently, causing me to live check to check literally, eventually, changing my perception about writing checks and the check writing process. What really brought me to close my checking account for an unspecified amount of time besides, the overdraft fees, insufficient fund fees, the consequences of writing a bad check outweighed the immediate gratification of having the purchased item in my hands. Even more so, as I reflect on that day or any other day I have written a check, just the thought brings me to C'est combien/C'est combien en tout? Finally, I learned through the Virginia Commonwealth Check Enforcement Program alternatives to prevent having overdrawn checking account, for instance, linking checking account to savings or CDhelps to stop additional bank fees.Consequently, the result of writing a bad check at my local grocery store cost me more than the amount filled in the blanks. Because of the additional fees acquired from writing a bad check, I endured finacial hardship that proliferated from having to $171.42 the Virginias Commonwealth Check Enforcement Program money that I plan to used to household expenses i.e. (credit cards, phone bill, car insurance) I paid the Virginias Commonwealth immediately upon receiving the notice of my bad check at the local grocery store. In addition to paying the Commonwealth Check Enforcement Program I sought to make immediate amends with my financial institution and the local grocery store. As former cashier in a major grocery chain from a different state I found the policies were different, for instance, in the grocery store where I was once a cashier,a customer with an insufficient check received a notice from the grocery, in the mail, as well as,a phone call from a manager or assistant manager. The managers would then make a list of all the return checks for the month. Next, the list would be placed at each register. Therefore, if customers with outstanding check tried to write a check and their names appeared on the list then that customer could not write checks for their groceries. In order to restore their good standing with the store customers were given the option of paying return check fees and the original amount of the check at the store the check had been written. As result of the incident on May 25^th, 2007 I no longer write checks which have been a debt relief to me especially during the holiday season. Subsequently, it was the bad check that caused and prompted me to gain control over my check writing habits. I personally found out that the period of time without writing checks became a good learning moment. In years past, I have written checks for Payday Loans or Cash Advancements to pay for bills; however, after being unemployed or sporadically employed, I became less dependent on Payday Loans or Cash Advancements because it does not work ,in most instances ,if the individual does not have a secure line of credit. Also, I found out that taking out a Payday Loan did more detriment to my bank account than increase my credit score.

First Checking &Savings Account: Iopened my first checking account with my father at the age off ten or twelve a penny savings account with all the pennies I had collected and my allowances.Since the first opening of my first checking account I have had several checking accounts right after my first job and throughout college. Many businesses in the area that I reside at the time required checking account; for instance,initially having thewater and electric turned on in my apartment. Often, Iused my checking account to mostly to pay bills and I would write checks for groceries many instances I found myself trying to (Rob Peter to Pay Paul) which on more than one occasion did not go to well for because I did not have credit. In 2001 I was employed with the City Of Pompano, I reopeneda banking account with city for direct deposit; therefore, I did not have to worry about anyone stealing my checks or waiting in long lines to cash my check. As a consumer the many banking accounts I have had all have their individual fee list for overdrawn or insufficient funds. Eventually, at the end of every month I found myself having to make at least one overdraft fee. Today I do not have a checking for several reasons. After several Payday loans or Advancements I made the choice to stopwriting checks. Savings &Loan Scandal of the late seventies and early eighties: One of my earliest remembrances of bad Check writing reverts back to my being adolescence with the news of the savings and loan scandal in congress. The savings and loan scandal drew national media attention throughout the United States . My rudimentary understanding of the scandal at the time was member congress wrote checks for lascivious dinners, gifts, and trips that bounced all over Washington D.C at the taxpayer expense. It would be years later after I had graduated from college and purchased a motivational book written by Anthony Robbins Awakening the Giant Within that Would learn of the in depth details of saving and loan scandal. Indeed the scandal was not an exemplary example for American consumers and the decorum of congress was not appropriate for elected public officials. In readingAnthony Robbins Awakening the Giant Within my understanding of the savings and loan scandalbecame more evince. Below an excerpt from Awakening the Giant Within

Savings &Loan scandal of the late seventies and early eighties: It all began with savings and loan challenges that came up in the late seventies and early eighties banking and S&L institutions had built their businesses primarily on the corporate and consumer market. For a bank to profit, it has to make loans, and those loans have to be at an interest rate thats above what it pays to depositors. In the first stages of the problem, the banks faced difficulties on several fronts. First, they were hit hard when corporations entered what had previously been the sole domains of banks: lending. Large companies found that by lending to one another, the save significantly on interest, developing whats now known as the commercial paper market This was so successful that it virtually destroyed the profit centers of many banks. Meanwhile, there were new developments on the American Consumer front as well. Traditionally, consumers did not look forward to meeting with a loan officer at a bank, meekly asking for loans to purchase a car or appliance... They didnt usually feel like a value customer at many banks Car companies were smart enough to recognize this and began offering loans to their customers, creating a new source of profit for themselves. They saw they could make as much money on the financing as they did on the car they sold, and they could give the customer a great deal of convenience an lower interest rates. Their attitude was, of course, quite different from the bankers-they had vested interest in seeing the customer get his loan. Soon, the customer came to prefer in-house financing over the traditional method, appreciating the convenience, flexibility, and low financing fees. One of the last bastions for bank loans was the real estate market, but interest rates and inflation had soared in one year as high as 18% percent. As a result, no one could afford the monthly payments that servicing loans at this interest rate required. As you can image, real estate loans dropped off the map. By this time, the banks had lost the market for a great deal of their car loans, and they had begun to lose home loans as wellEveryday the banks were losing money;.These banks and S&Ls also pressured Congress to help keep them from going under, and a series of changes occurred. Large banks realized they could loan money to foreign nations that were desperately hunger for capital. They did exactly what we taught: we encouraged the to be gamblers with the Federal Deposit Insurance, promising that if they won ,they won big, and if they failed, we would pick up the tab As a result, builders built like crazy , causing a glut on the market. When the supply was so much greater that the demand, the market collapsed. Developers went back to the banks and said We cant pay and the bankers went to the taxpayers and said We cant pay. Unfortunately, theres nobody we can turn to. What are worse, people have seen the abuse in this country, and the assumption now is that anyone who is wealthy must have taken advantage of somebody. This is creating negative attitudes toward many in business who are often the very people providing jobs that allow American dreams to flourish."

MVP:Update of New Years Resolution

January 1st, 2009 has come and gone,but myNew Year's Resolution still remains reducing mytotal debt that is calculated to approximately $40,000 dollars. Getting out of debt or reducing as much of the listed debt below continues to be a primary focus for cacjohnson. As of March 2009,Ihave stop writing checks, I continue to make the minimum monthly payments on three of my cards, I havealsoarranged forautomatic deduction of one credit cardin effort to bringmy accountcurrent,on a positive note, my Fingerhut card is paid off.While working to clear up debt,at the same time,Icontinue to contribute to certain charities, although, my donations thus far for this year has decreased significantly;I plan to continue to donate local charities.Surprisingly,the New Year did not start the way I would have preferred with the opening of a Cd account;however, I continue to work with mycreditors.

MVP: New Years Resolution/ Reconciliation of Debt

As the months of the New Yearprogress, I encourage readers to join me as Ipersonallybegan the process of debt reconciliation.My battle with consumer debt has beenan ongoing soap opera,as I write this article, Ihope thatother consumers will find inspiration, as well as, feel compelled to also follow the process of Debt Reconciliation.Not surprisingly,who else would have better first hand knowledge on Debt Reconciliation then someone who has survived and conquered Credit Crunch! Depending on the amount of debt for each individualthe time plans for Debt Reconciliation could vary from 12mos. 24mos. to 36 mos. My overall goal is to reduce as much ofmy debt in 2009. I know that I might not be able to eradicate all of my debt;however, I made decision to not procrastinate to get a plan that will fit and reduce my current debt within the least amounttime without taking a bite out of my budgetplus working tofind an alternative to transferring small amounts of debt to one credit card.:

Allstate Car Insurance: Bal Owed:$77.00

Gevalia Coffee Delivery: Bal Owed:$66.00

Allied Interstate(Debt Collectors)

Black Expression Book Club:$103.00

Science Fiction Club:$115.00

Columbia House DVDS:$145.10/

Individual Creditors

Free checking Account (Bank Of Wachovia)

10102794334036 Credit Limit: Bal:$287.00

Verizon (Residential Line)

00084648236275Y Credit Limit:

Bal: To restore services $45/$55.00 ($400.00)

First Premier Bank (Closed Account)

5178007736201039 Credit Limit:$300.00 Bal:$513

First Premier Bank (Closed Account)

5178007613326610 Credit Limit:$250 Bal:380.00

Tribute (Cardmember Services)

5259830034100310 Credit Limit:$300.00 Bal:$397.00

New Millennium Bank (Active Account)

4767 0750 102502044 Credit Limit: $350.00

Emblem(Jefferson Capital)/(Active Account)

5184 0800 0031 9896 Credit Limit:$636.00

Aspire (Cardmember Services)/(Closed Account)

15043468081000095 Credit Limit: 1,500/intervals of $200.00 w/o notification Bal:1785.00

Alltel Communications

Early Termination Fee $200.00/ Bal:$365.00

Blair (Active Account)

Credit Limit:$360.00 Bal:$418.00

Fingerhut

6276-4560-2243-9259 Credit Limit:$300.00 Bal: $0.00

CorTrust(closed account)

Credit Limit:$400.00 Bal: charged off as bad debt

US Dept Of Education

Loan Amt: $29,442.72

Total Credit Limit:$986.00

Balanced Owed:34,993.73(one year teachers salary with MA)

Chapter7 (Bankruptcy:remains up to Ten years on credit report)

Chapter 11(Bankruptcy:Businesses&Corporations)

Chapter 13

(Reorganization of Debts)

For more information about Credit Relief and Debt Solutions check your local yellow pages,visit web sites,& call Debt Counselor for free Consultation.

INCHARGE DEBT SOLUTIONS

1-888-505-2105

www.incharge.org

1-888-679-00022

www.clearpointfs.org

MVP: All Around Shopper

After college, I had no specific detail plans about how I would support my lifestyle. Graduating college did not stop my monthly expenses; I continued to have monthly expenses such as; groceries, laundry, toiletries, clothing, and personalhygiene (hair and nails.)With no steady income, after graduation, I had more money going out than I was bringing home. A few months after graduation, I returned home, found work and began to earn income. I noticed immediately when I began work that my money was going everywhere from my regular monthly expenses to the biweekly automatic deductions taken out by the government i.e. (FICA, Medicare)

All Around Shopper: I was an All Around Shopper before I graduated from college. By looking and hearing the term All Around Shopper I am sure many ideas and thoughts enter your brain. An All Around Shopper by my definition (because you wont find this complete term in whole in the dictionary)are not the peoplewho look around for the best deals in stores or shop in every store there is in the city. In examining the term All Around Shopper in more detail I found (develop) an appropriate definition for an All Around Shopper. Witha closer examination of the term All Around Shopper, Irealized that being an All Around Shopper was similar to being a valedictorian of a graduating class. Valedictoriansare the students that excel in all subjects i.e. (math, sciences, and languages) Unlike a valedictorian, an All Around Shopper excels in shopping for various products i.e. (food, clothing, household items, cosmetics.) Although, I wasnt the Valedictorian or Salutatorian of my high school graduating class, I like many members of the approximate 301 graduating students of class 1990, I was aware of the requirements to become a Valedictorian or Salutatorian. In fact, an All Around Shopper is similar to being a Valedictorian. The only difference between a Valedictorian and All Around Shopper are the requirements.

The requirements: Valedictorians are usually the students with highest grade point average who at graduation delivers the graduation speech. First and foremost, in order to be a Valedictorian or Salutatorian a candidate must meet the requirements establish by their school. Many schools require a candidate to have a grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or higher, have participated in various clubs, and organizations through the school year, as well as, have volunteered in the community. On the contrary, the requirements for an All Around Shopper are different but the idea remain the same. An All Around Shopper prepares a list, clips coupons, check advertisements frequently does not over spend and most importantly shops in all categories. Although there are not any set or establish governing laws to being an All around Shopper, there is no getting around it an All Around Shopperare the shopperswho prepare a list, shopby category and the categories could range from perishables to apparel. As an All Around Shopper fresh out of college with no set budget, I automatically shopped in categories i.e.(groceries, household items, hair care, nail care, cosmetics, shoes, apparel, and so forth) In other words,to be an All Around Shopper you should have balance in all areas. A good place to start to become an All Around Shopper would be categorizing the items you buy regularly then prioritizing the categories by degree of importance. Today, many chain stores take the guess work out of where to shop by offering a variety of categories to choose from stores like Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Target, Rite Aid, and Kmart also some grocery stores have added additional categories to keep loyal customers from shopping elsewhere ,therefore, all the consumer has to do is bring their list.The Way Consumers Shop: To conclude, the wayconsumers shop; for instance, in comparison to the ideals and belief compromised by Abraham Maslow the founder Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow discovered that there were five basic levels of Humanistic needs. He was an American psychologist whom people considered to be the founder of a movement called humanistic psychology. In All Around Shopper, I deal with the first level of the pyramid the physiological need of food, clothing, and shelter. Maslow believed that we are driven to understand and fully accept ourselves;likewise, we need to fully understand our shopping habits thereby breaking cycles of bad habits; for example,not writing a list before leaving home, not taking stock of the things we do have ,not checking advertisement regularly before running out he door. He also states that nobody ever reaches the top of the pyramid. Although, a consumer might not be a Valedictorian or Salutatorian as a consumer we can use the simple techniques and practices written in this articleto becoming better shoppers. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs model was developed between 1943-1954, and was first widely published in Motivation and Personality in 1954. At this time the Hierarchy of Needs model comprised five needs, the original five layers version still remain for most people the definitive Hierarchy of needs. Furthermore,the movement develop as a revolt against behaviorism and psychoanalysis After graduation, I continued to shop not for luxuries but for necessities."There are certain items I a consumer use daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly and by becoming an All Around Shopper it decrease my urge for impulse buying, plus it help boost the economy.

Are you an All Around Shopper?

MVP: An All Around Shopper

Share withhttp://www.cacjohnson.com how you became an All Around Shopper

What are your Categories?Recommend/Nominate someone in your community for MVP: All Around Shopper

Email: johnsonjamala@yahoo.com

Mail allcorrespondence to the following address:

jamala@cacjohnson

P.o Box 5365

Newport News, Va 23605

MVP:Everything Frilly II

I Love Toyota, I love Frank Herbert's book Dune, I love the sequel to Dune :Hunters of Dune,I love Esther Friesner book Temping Fate, I love Jergens Cherry Almond lotion,I love Gucci sunglasses/shades,I love Coach handbags, I love silver, I love extra shine lipgloss,I love In Stlye Magazine, I love chocolate chip cookies, I love minature dogs, I love red grapes, I love green grapes, I love skintimate shaving gel in Tropical Scents,I love nectarines,I love trail mix with cashews, I love white cotton T-shirts, I love Apple Pectin Shampoo(TCB),I love green, orange, strawberry J-E-L-L-O, I love Haagen Daz ice cream(Cherry Garcia), I love Transformers the movie, I love Shakespeare's Macbeth, Hamlet,King Lear, & the Sonnets,I love...

MVP: Feminist Movement & Everything Frilly

Graduating college did not stop my monthly expenses; I continued to have monthly expensesAfter graduation, I continued to shop not for luxuries but for necessities.

Feminist Movement: For decades women have sought for equality and to be equal with their male counterparts, the Feminist movement was formed by women to establish equal pay. Women wanted to be able to work in fields that were male dominated. As a result, the Feminist movement propelled women rights. The Feminist movement, throughout the nineteenth and twentieth century primarily reflected white middle classThe goals of the middle class women centered on obtaining the opportunities available to the men of their own class, such as educationsome women sought to improve the position of women through temperance, social reform and protective legislation for working women. After women won the right to vote the womens movement waned. The womens movement did not re-emerge until the 1960s, along with the Civil Rghts movement. Since the Feminist and Civil Rights movement, the role of women in society has changed significantly. In the United States women from all different nationalities have helped further the feminist movement in the private sector (business), all branches of government and military. In recent, years, I have not always agreed with the decisions or actions of feminist, for instance; the Feminist movements decision to place women in combat (war). Also, I do not agree with feminist who want to break barriers of traditional male forms of sports particularly in boxing, football, and pro wrestling such sports are synonymous for male and are known to be male dominated. Although, I am not an extreme feminist, I am a feminist to a degree, thus, when I hear the word feminist, I think of feminity as having qualities, characteristics of or suitable to women; gentle, delicatebut not to the point of being subservient, obsequious or passive and I definitely did not believe that in order to be feminist meant I had to wear pants. As a feminist, at the age of 37, I am still working to break the color barriers and preconceived ideas about darker complexion women. I was raised not to see color and that if you worked hard at something you could achieve your dreams. For example, Barbie became a symbol of the American dream I wanted to achieve. However, Barbie did notdictate my idea of beauty even though she was a symbol of the Americanbeauty. As a pre adolescent I loved Barbie, I had several Barbie dolls plus the Barbie doll dream house, and the town house.

Today, I still love Barbie. Although, I grew up with Barbie; I understood that Barbie was an American icon, a symbol and standard of beauty for many women,that should not be imitated by all women.From the introduction of the first Barbie; throughout the decades the role of Barbie has change greatly. As society, pop cultures, sub cultures, fashion trends, and womens role changed, Barbie remained resilient and became a symbol of these changes. As the adage states youre never too old to own a Barbie,but way before Barbie there was Betty Boop and her dog Spike.

Everything Frilly:

I love Barbie dolls, I love pajama parties, I love pizza, I love racquet ball, I love tennis, Ilove to read sci-fi, I love to write non fiction, I love to bake chocolate fudge brownies, I love sci-fi movies, I love action movies, I love to watch the waves go in and out at the beach, I love the American flag, I love double espresso ,I love cream in my coffee, I love whip cream on top of my latts, I love long distance drives, I love Neapolitan ice cream, I love to hot wax my legs, I love to arch my eye brows, I love to collect Hallmark cards, I love Betty Boop and her dog Spike, I love cotton pajamas, I love to watch black and white films after midnight ,I love anchovies, I love pedicures, I love manicures, I love to wear black boots, I love to wear sandals, I love silver glitter, I love and prefer pink carination flowers, I love French and American manicures, I love boot cut jeans, I love dark denim, I love seafood (lobster,shrimp,and scallops) ,I love green and red peppers, I love peanut butter and chocolate mixed together , I love cashmere, I love inspirational music, I love commas and semicolons, I love transitional words and phrases;most importantly, I love to shop.

MVP:Designer names, Brand names, Store brand, & Generic

Back-to-School:With the summer coming to a close, students from all walks of life are preparing for their return back-to-school. School shopping, it's that time of year again, a time of year that affects parents in their wallets, with an uncertain economy in 2008, and the recent mortgage crisis, school shopping might be the least of parents worries; however, for young adolescences to college students returning back-to-school school shopping can be a momentous occasion or a total fiasco, especially, when pre-teens, high school students, and college students alike are searching for the perfect fit, the perfect pair, the perfect style, which could equate to just about anything from shoes, jeans, belts, jewelry, cell phones, cell phone accessories, computers, lap tops, lipgloss to lipstick, all to make a lasting impression on friends and teachers. Designer names, brand names, store brand, and generic brand affect million of Americans in their pockets, peer groups, and family life. In many instances, American consumers equate quality with a designer name or brand name. Most often, consumers will overlook a store brand or generic brand for fear of inferior quality. Although, there are no perfect guys or girls; the existence of the right guy or girl----and finding Mr. or Ms. Right becomes a matter of science or for some trial and error.With the summer coming to a close, returning back to school has become an important occasion for many students, and having the right fit ,right pair, right style and theright school supplies helps to ease the transition of returning to classes after a long summer .

In preparing this article, I had to find the right magazines to read through, I chose several popular magazines that had been in publication for some years, for example, Seventeen, Redbook, Essence, Womens Health, and Cosmo girl. Not withstanding the fact, Ihad to perusethrough ton of magazines for this article, I searched for designer names, brand names, and store names that occurred frequently in each magazine. Also, I looked for magazines that specifically targeted men and women in age group between 17 to 45. Instead of trying to find the perfect way to jump start my career as Consumer Affairs Consultant, Sales and Service Manager, I asked myself what is the right way to boost my career ; I knew that I would have to do some introspection and go a little farther than write about my childhood experiences. A lot has changed from my school shopping days in middle school, high school, and college. For instance, minimum wage has increased, some popular designer names and brand names are not so popular, several retail chains have closed, while other retailers have merged; the terminology, jargon, and slang pertaining to shopping, clothes, and teens have changed significantly. Yet, the question remains, are designer names and brand names of superior quality than store brand or generic brand? When should a consumer buy a store brand or generic brand? What are the differences between designer names, brand names, store brand, and generic?

School Days

From kindergarten to elementary my grandmother would take my aunt and me school shopping at the beginning of each new school year, my aunt and I both would receive a hundred dollars each to go towards school supplies and clothes. Today a hundred dollars would probably buy one good pair of jeans and a trendy top. As I grew older and began to start middle school my mother took over the responsibility of taking me school shopping, I remember my father would give her at least two hundred dollars to go towards school supplies and clothes. Obviously, I didnt worry much about designer names or brand names because my grandmother or mother would make try on the clothes in the store, most often they chose what I would buy. The main reason for myaccompanying them school shopping was to make sure the clothes were the right size. High school and college was about around the time I became more conscious of designer names, and brand names. Not surprisingly, certain designer names and brand names were more popular than others, for instance, Gucci, Guess, Louis Vuitton,Liz Clairborne,Donna Karen,Dooney and Burke, and Calvin Klein, all whose name were known to appear on jeans, handbags, luggage, shades, and glasses....

Email: johnsonjamala@yahoo.com

Mail allcorrespondence to the following address:

jamala@cacjohnson

P.O Box 5365

Newport News Va, 23605

MVP: Jilted or Jaded

Many local chain stores (Walgreens Rite Aid, Kmart, CVS, Family Dollar, and Wal-Mart) offer brand names,store brand, and generic brand. In retail consumers are able to find both brand name and designer names(Kohls, Burlington Coat Factory,JcPenny, and Sears)What are designer names and brand names they are labels and names of a specific person or company that over the years have become widely known for quality. As a consumer, I have in past years purchased designer names, brand names, store brand, and generic. Many times the determination factor that I apply on whether to purchase designer name, brand name, store brand or generic primarily focuses on the kind of product I am looking to buy and how I plan to use the product. For example, I prefer designer names when it comes to buying jeans names like DKNY and Calvin Klein, however,if my funds are low I will purchase a brand name like (Gap or Express.)

When shopping for perishables to apparels, I have found that most often it doesnt matter if a consumer buys a product or item on sale if the product is something they will never use. Often, I prefer quality in many of the items I purchase daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly;therefore,I have to make a list and review what products I am willing to buy store brand or generic. As you probably can image, its an arduous task. As a consumer,there are many items I feel I must have the designer name or brand name , for instances, cosmetics, facial wash, shampoos, perfumes, and body wash. From my personal shopping experience, I have found that when I buy a designer name or brand name, I am more confident and sure of myself; I have a sense of euphoria that carries over to the checkout counter,especially, at the time of the point of sale. I like tofeel andknow that I not going to leave the store feeling Jilted or Jaded.

Share withcacjohnson if you have ever felt Jilted or Jaded after buying an expensive or inexpensive product in your local store, the mall, or even the grocery store.

Email: johnsonjamala@yahoo.com

Mail allcorrespondence to the following address:

jamala@cacjohnson

P.O Box 536Newport News Va, 23605

MVP: Tis the Season

Tis the season to be sagacious, frugal, eco-friendly, and altruistic. Traditionally, Thanksgiving and Christmas are a time of jubilation, celebration and gratitude.Over the years,Thanksgiving and Christmas have become renowned for large family gatherings,big meals full of turkey, stuffing, and some of your favorite desserts. Thanksgiving and Christmas are also known to attract large crowds at malls, chain stores, and retail stores primarily because holiday shoppers are seeking to get great deals on electronics, and jewelry. However; many holiday shoppers that normally buy a variety of gifts for co-workers, family, and friends, lugubriously, this season have curtailed their holiday shopping list focusing more on essential items, family members, and local charities. With recent job losses, numerous foreclosure, and auto plants closing, holiday shoppers are spending less in department stores and staying close to home. Consumer analyst formally announced in late November that the economy was in a recession. Economist and analyst both reported a drastic decline in sales after one of the biggest shopping days of the year known as Black Friday. As matter of fact, with holiday shoppers uncertain how quickly the recession will endand return to a semblance of normalcy; not surprisingly, many Americans this season have begun looking towards community organizations and local charities to fill the gapsfor food, clothing ,and for some even shelter. Seemingly with the recent downturn of the economy, most Americans are being sagacious in spending, frugal in grocery stores,eco-friendly in surrounding environments,and alturistic in giving their time,as well as support tocommunity organizations,undoubtly,has many American consumers expressing gratitude in every act of kindness.

Continuation...........................of Product&Services

Fast Forward/Rewind/Press Play

"As I am learning to keep things in perspective,as well as,not to beoverly histronic.Consequently, understandingthat America has had several tragedies, most importantly, the process ofregaining and recovering from the 9/11 attackaffectedmillions of Americans in their personal relationships and financial affairs. Subsequently, the timeline for puttingmillions ofAmericans including myself back on the right financial path has not been an easy task,nonetheless, the opposition has been numerous (outsourcing, minimum wage,lending institutions, and mortgage crisis.) Although, the economy may not be as many Americans would like it to be I still continue to search for my American Dream ,as modified as it maybe, I do not think that American Consumers are Americans in general should totally discard or cast out the American Dream completely. As far as living in Hampton Roads, I continue to network in the community,likewise I continue to work in building a repertoire. ..." MVP:Taboo

For every visitor that visits www.cacjohnson.com web site you are helping someone stay in a job and creating jobs for other individuals, each time you visit a hyperlink on this web site located on the:

Product of the Month and Product and Services page suchas;www.walgreens.com,www.riteaid.com,www.walmart.com again helps to keep employees in jobs and create jobs.Let's keep the job force strong and keep the jobs that are still here in the United States in the United States.Cacjohnson welcomes emails and letters.

Disclosure Agreement: Initially, cacjohnson informed visitors that the web site would feature biweekly articles of my consumer experience before and after college. I am still committed to keeping the initial disclosure that www.cacjohnson.com will feature biweekly articles of my consumer experience. Although, I am not on schedule as planned with the biweekly articles, I recently updated MVP and Cest Combien with some helpful information for the holidays. Currently, as the main writer of cacjohnson, I am working to gather documents, supportive information, as well checking for accuracy of the information presented in the articles that will reflect a standard of quality writing. Subsequently, the purpose of the articles located on the website: to present useful information to readers; to engage readers to think about their consumer habits.At the same time,the articles located on the web site are not randomly selected. Throughout the web site the reference to I, me, Consumer Affairs Consultant will be referred toat different times as"cacjohnson",similarly, "Patron","Sponsors, and"Donors"will be referred to as "you","shopper" and"consumer".

Fast Forward: With only forty five days until the Presidential Inauguration, the United States now has a newly elected Democratic Presidential Candidate who happens to be Afro-American. The focus of this new cabinet will be getting the American economy on track, out of recession, helping homeowners avoid foreclosure, implementing extended unemployment benefits for the recently laid off workers. Undoubtly,throughout the Presidential campaign, President elect Obama advertised the campaign slogan Si, Se Puede that presented a highly positive and motivational campaign ad. At the same time,President elect Obama ran a highly effective campaign appealing both to Blacks and Hispanic Americans.Ultimately, the recovery ofthe ecomony will be based on the newly elected President and hiscabinetsdeft implementation of regulation and legislation of Big Business and Business as usual.

Rewind: The polls are closed, the ballots have been counted, and on November 4^th American Citizens went to the polls to cast their votes for President. I was one of the many voters that cast my vote on November 4^th. As a member of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) throughout the month leading up to the election, I received numerous emails and letters for the ACLU urging registered voters to make sure their voice is heard; in addition to receiving emails and letters, I also viewed the ACLU video on the precautions to take at the polls on the internet, thus, I was well prepared to vote. I can proudly say I felt a part of Democratic process, the frequent emails, and letter received from the ACLU help with finalizing my decision to go to the polls along with an article I read in Cosmo Girl magazine(October 8th issue.)

Press Play: On November 28^th, one of the biggest shopping days of the year , the day after the Thanksgiving. Holidayshoppers stood in line outside stores suchas;Walmart, Best Buy ,and Macy to purchase items at discounted or reduce prices. A customer waiting in line at a Wal-Mart in New York was trampled in a stampede as other customers rushed inside the Wal-Mart to begin shopping. Of course, the victim of the injured shopper family stated that they plan to pursue legal recourse as reported by local new stations. Despite all of the excitement and advertising surrounding November 28^th, consumer analyst and retailers reported a record low for consumer spending on the biggest days for retailers known as Black Friday. Not surprisingly,consumer spending had already dropped off because of recent mortgage crisis , although, Bush administration implemented an economic stimulus package for taxpayers financial analysts stated the package did little to stimulate economic growth. With only three weeks before the Christmas holidays the probability that retail sales will increase solely remains up the shopper, and consumer. Meanwhile, consumer analyst and financial advisors still have Cyber Monday(December 15th)an equivalent to Black Friday with the exception of shopping online, consumers do not have to worry about queues, or being jostled in to a store. Cyber Monday gives the consumer the luxury to shop online in the convinence of their own homes to purchase online sale items.

AMBG II

Singled Out

Names, Titles, Labels,Miss, Ms, Mrs., Mister, Mr., Sir, Madam,Gold diggers, Bridezillas,Wanna Bes ,Video Vixens, Pimps, Dogs, Home Boys,Dead Beat Dads, Leeches, Moochers During a time that most women my age are stay at home moms, mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, and friends. I am a granddaughter, a daughter, a niece, a cousin and a sister friend. On the other hand to cacjohnson.com, I am an Independent Consultant, Personal Shopper, Administrative Assistant, Personal Assistant, Appointment Setter, Clerk I&II, Receptionist, Editor, Executive Director, Advertising Director, Production Manager, Event Coordinator, Staff Photographer, Contributing Writer, Business Manager, and Design Layout Executive.

Baby Boomers: While the Baby Boomers of the nineties may have passed me by, the prospect of being a minority business owner and home owner has not. In contrast to Baby Boomers who are worried about finding the right (preschool) or social group of friends, building financial portfolios, as well as, finding the right neighborhood for their families; my focus as a thirty-seven old women with two degrees and no chilren has become slightly altered due to the fact I have no children but financial security, and having safe environment to interact with family and friends remain the same.

Motherhood: After graduating from college in 1997' had I been given the opportunity of motherhood or even introduced the thought of motherhood I might have gladly or willingly welcomed motherhood with open arms,however, motherhood never came to fruition.At this particular time, I am more focus on making cacjohnson.com a successful web site, clearing up bad debt, restoring my 1985 Toyota LE Corolla that was vandalized in my move from Florida to the state of Virginia , replacing my clothes, and getting accepted into an accredited graduate school. Nonetheless, I have not totally ruled out motherhood, I currently have placed it on a back burner. I said that I would give myself until the age of forty-five to have a least one child until then cacjohnson.com. has become my main focus. Subsequentlyas with anyone who has debt to clear up, my goal has become to clear upold accounts and not to create new ones.From the day Ileft my teaching job in 2000 to being aggravatedly assaulted in the driveway of my place of residency in 2005, my life has undergone a major overhaul. In writing my self efficacy the day after my birthday,it becametransparentof what I want cacjohnson.com to represent"The articles I write for cacjohnson I want them to reflect confidence and respect not only for myself but also for the readers... Most importantly, I donot want my self efficacy to center around credit troubles.I would like to have self efficacy that stated I was as diligent,deft, and persistent with the power to produce and create quality"

Summer's Gentle Reminder

Gentle Reminder: Traditionally, summer is the time that many Americans Consumers visit their local beaches, attend outdoor concerts, plan back yard bar-be-cues, thus, with the social frenzy, including the tons of sun and fun that summer brings its easy to forget one of summers gentle reminders to wait your turn like the elderly. A phrase I spoke while standing in line at the local grocery store wait your turn like the elderly.

Census: Often as a consumer, I have found myself standing in lines whether its at the grocery store, gas station, bank,post office, movies or retail store American Consumers at some point in time out of the 365 days of the year have found themselves in a line. In recent years, census have reported that the majority of Americans spend 80% (eighty) percent of their time at work with coworkers, 10%(ten) percent of their time standing in a line, and the other 10%(ten) percent of their time ,American Consumers, divide between family and leisure.

Checkout: A few months ago, I was standing in line at one of the local grocery stores in my neighborhood around lunch time.At a timewhen most people usually find themselves on their lunch break, amazingly, there was not a long line and I was not in a rush. Often, I have gone into the grocery store with a line at the express checkout, or theres only one line open. However, on this particular day, I was in the grocery store to pick up my lunch after working on my articles for my web site, resolute in my mannerism, I was not in a rush. At any given moment, I could have found myself standing in line behind an edlerly person. Over the years, on more than one occasion I have found myself standing in line behind an elderly woman, elderly man, or an elderly couple, nonetheless, on the day that I was standing behind this particular elderly couple in my local grocery store, the cashier look toward me for a response, I could tell she was younger than I , thus, at her immediate glance I calmly stated with sincerity please, take your time my response was in reference to her helping the elderly couple.

Allotment: Now that I am little older, I like to allow myself time to get to various places and appointments, usually, I like to allot myself 15(fifth teen) minutes minimum and a maximum of 30 (thirty) minutes to reach appointments, more so than out of respect for others sharing my environment, but for safety reason. An example that would evince my point for the allotment of time in making a comparison by applying theliterary technique called simile, Most simile are introduced by as or like or even by such words as compare, liken or resemble In the following comparison using a simile, I compare the allotment of time to defensive driving. Defensive driving is when you drive not for yourself but for other drivers on the road.Likewise, with defensive driving,drivers shouldremember to be courteous, and respectful, when changing lanes, coming to a complete stop at stop signs, also remembering that yellow means "caution."

Deference: With the recent re-emergence that sex sells the acclamation of forty your over the hill, forty is the new fifty, and seventeen is the new twenty one. Surprisingly, no one is in a rush to be an elderly person, not surprisingly everyone wants what they have---a home, financial security, and closeness of family. On the contrary,when I see an elderly person (not all elderly people) I think to myself that could be me one day. I believe that all young adolescents, as well as, adults less than fifty-five should show deference to their elders. Americans should envision and empathize with the elderly as person that have a past, present, and a future. Futhermore, elderly people have a plethora of information to offer to our society. Conversely, an elderly person may have knowledge of historical facts, as well as, special incite about life in general. Our elderly are not Americas (has been and all washed up.) With the modern technology of todayand medical treatments they can be just as sharp as a seventeen year old.

Customer Service: On another note, as a former cashier, I am able to empathize with other cashiers, for example, a cashier looks over the counter to see along line of impatient customers, and for a cashier (especially if the cashier was in training) the cashier might become nervous or agitated. I have found as a former cashier that instead of avoiding customers when the line or wait maybe more than anticipated making eye contact with the customers helps to ease the tension. Subsequently, I have found that additional eye contact, a polite tone of voice along with words of assurance such as, I will be with you in a moment, or thank you for your patience, signifies to the customer that their patronagewas important. In addition to a cashier overcoming awkward moments, most managers will explain to a new cashier that focusing on accuracy more important than speed. From my past experience as a cashier, I would agree that accuracy was more important than speed in retail because of inventory and store mangers efforts to keep shrinkage low. To evince another point about being a cashier or seasoned vet, the more comfortable a cashier becomes with the register, the store, and products in the store which basically adds up to product knowledge then a cashiers speed will increase at the register. With the proliferate of product knowledge a cashier will call less for price checks and depend less on managerial support.

No Substitute for Experience: My first job as a cashier/salesperson, I had to learn to greet customers, familiarize myself with store advertisement. Most importantly, I had to learn to make eye contact with customers and thank them for patience. Yes, I was nervous and sometimes intimidated on my first job as a cashier; I have even been aback when customers have walked out the store while I was working at the cash register. Many times in my particular experience as an cashier, I have found that long lines maybe the resultof severaltransactions(reasons),for example, querulous customer, returns and exchanges, or a cashier in training long lines are not a always the result of elderly person or couple. Therefore, as American Consumers perform their daily task they should remember one of summers gentle reminders wait your turn like the elderly which affirms (deference for our elders) no one is in a rush to be older.

Less than perfect:the good,the bad&the ugly

As a Consumer Affairs consultant, Sales and Service Manager, I like to stay current on prices for Beauty products, Photo processing, and Electronics. I am known to frequent the local Walgreens and Rite Aid in my neighborhood. Often, I will go to Walgreens and stroll down the beauty isle to compare prices with Rite Aid prices; I enjoy shopping at both stores because they are like mini superstores. Both stores keep a variety of productsin stock ,although,Walgreens is the place where I have many of my pictures developed,I shop at both stores. Recently, I visited Walgreens to have some pictures developed but I required assistance because Walgreens had replaced the self service photo processing machine with a new machine. While receiving assistance from the photo technician guy, I wasnt looking my best. The photo technician and I began to talk; I briefly mentioned I am not a crazy person, and I dont look like this all the time because ofmy line of work it is not all fun and games, and its not always glamorous, before completing my order I handed him a business brochure and a business card for the nexttime.Not often but every now and then,there aretimes when I get a fresh lead as an Consumer Affairs Consultant, Sales and Service manager, I might walk out ofthe house less than perfect. I have learned, while working to get cacjohnson off the ground floor, I have to acceptthe good, the bad and the ugly.Hopefully, when the photo technician sees me in the store he'll remember my business brochure and business card.

Continuation....Part (IV)Still, Exceeding Limits:

Oil, water, transmission fluid, brake fluid, rotating tires, headlights, turning signals, radiator gasket, antifreeze, and fuses...Having learned many of life's invaluable lessons from my grandmother, now, years later after living with my grandmother, graduating from college,having taught for two years in public school system, laterreturning to retail/sales; I am still Exceeding limits in my professional, personal,and, spiritual relationships. Exceeding limits in my life has meant, at certain times, I have had to go beyond my physical strength and mental capabilities in both my personal and professional life. Whereas, oil, water, transmission fluid, and brake fluid are the life of a car, as well as regular maintenance, such as rotating tires, and checking tire air pressure; likewise, I have found that my professional, personal, and spiritual relationships also require regular maintenance to eschew exceeding limits. Regular maintenance in professional relationship often has meant assessing, evaluating strength and weaknesses, taking inventory of skills, and listing goals. Similarly, in my personal relationships regular maintenance has meant asking a series of question, seeking professional guidance, and reading motivational books. Most importantly, just as water, oil, and fluids are the life of a car, my thoughts, what I read, view, and put into my subconscious are significant, but, more importantly, they are the intricate threads that weave the fabric of my life. Moreover, its my thought life that sustains, as well as motivates me to move forward in pursuing goals. Subsequently, I have learned in recent years that in order to not exceed my limits I must constantly monitor my thought life. As matter of fact, by allowing your thoughts to run rampantyou invite negative thoughts to enter your subsconcious which could lead toinappropriate behavior, also, by not monitoring your thoughts youre more likely to exceed mental limits. An example of exceeding limits in todays society the frequent use of the proverbial platitude "driving fast and getting nowhere. Often, women are constantly multitasking, hurrying and rushing to complete one task so they can move on to the next task. Usually, women that multitask quite often have created different task primarily because they are avoiding other areas of their lives, thus, multitasking becomes interchangeable with the word selective avoidance. In other words, women who are multitasking chose what grasps and hold their attention.As result of not following the speed limits, not noticing warning sign to be cautious; it becomes easy to exceed the limits in a womans professional and personal life without realizing or averring the statement I have exceeded my limits.In many instances in my professional and personal life avoidance has been the number one cause of my exceeding physical and mental limits. Most often, avoidance stems from the strong desire to be non confrontational. At any rate being non confrontational, in most instances, only exacerbates the underline issues, that manifest itself in such action as delaying a phone call, delaying writing a letter, not answering voice mail, or not replying to emails , consequently, when each of these task are left unattended they either become personal crisis or urgent and important message. Throughout the years, I have found that for woman especially the routine of daily life, family tragedy, job loss, death ofa close friend, and illnesses all are reoccurring event that contributes to a person exceeding limits in their professional and personal relationships. Because women in particular are doers, thinkers, and followers, women who are constantly "multitasking", choosing what grasps and holds their attention, instead of using multitasking as selective avoidance, should work to find balance in their professional and personal lives while managing task. In fact, I have observed the many juggling acts women perform all in the name of "multitasking" ,most often,only implies a woman might be unknowingly using selective avoidance. When we are in the darkness of discouragement we dont see, the things that might trip or bruise. When we are hurting we dont understand that the thing that caused the pain may have a greater purpose than we experiencedIn your life---are those obstaclesor are those avoidances that were left unattended. Finding balance in my professional and personal life has been an ongoing process and challenge, I continue to seek ways to include balance in all areas of my life with the understanding that to create balance I must first be willing to practice monitoring my thoughts, as well as, learn task management and not be non confrontational. In other words not use "multitasking"as an excuse for being "non confrontational "or substituting multitasking for "selective avoidance."

It only takes one person to change your life---you---Ruth Casey

Changing Places: I am not seeking to change anybody, yet, by sharing my lifes experiences I am allowing other readers with similar backgrounds to reflect on the changes they have been through in their lives to gain a better understanding of the ebb and flow of life, as well as finding and focusing on positive life experiences, accomplishments, and contributions. Indeed, a positive life experience could vary from a childhood memory of your favorite perfume, smell of your favorite coffee, memories of your first car, whether the positive memory comes from your childhood or adulthood having a mental rolodex of positive experiences helps alleviate stress and depression during transitional changes. As a result of transitional changes, a person who experience frequent changes might want to practice remembrance of positive life experiences, thus, when that person does encounter unplanned changes, instead of giving into defeatism it will be easier to aver the statement This too shall pass. Also, a person in the process of transitional changes should remember that transitional changes are Temporary solution to a temporary problem. But, most importantly a person in the process of transitional change should understand that that not all change has a negative meaning, such as career, fashion, hairstyle, buying a new car, and dating. Often it has been stated for a person to change they must first want to change. Over the years I have under gone numerous changes some planned, some changes not planned, some changes welcomed, and other changes not welcomed. A few of the planned changes, I have undergone include hairstyle, fashion, type of music l choose to listen to, and nail color. On the other hand, some of the not so planned changes include: place of residency, and the type of car I drive. For many of the changes, I had to learn to embrace change as well as accept both the good and bad in making transitional changes. Frequently, I have been told to find the positive in all changes that I have had to make. Even more so, I had to learn to be especially thankful for the things I do have and not dwell on the things I dont have. In many instances, during different times of transitional change, I would verbally find myself saying accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative." Positively focusing on accentuating the positive meant finding a physical attribute or skill that presents me in the best light, whereas, eliminating the negative meant to eliminate thoughts of self doubt, second guessing, belittling, self sabotage, to literally tuning out background noises. In addition to eliminating anything that did not support my belief system (morals and values), or align itself with my goals. Ultimately, I learned change comes from within. .There are things to be seen and learned in apparent wastelands which cannot be seen and learned in places of comfort, convenience, and complacency. God intends to keep us in a place where there is nothing else we can count on -------Elisabeth Elliot

As I became older, I grew to understand that changing within had a lot to do with what I wasreading, viewing, and the music I was listening to during my free time. Despite my finance, one thing that remained constant was change whether my bank account reflected economic change it was apparent that change remains continuous. Not surprisingly, my finances affect all areas and aspects of my life, thus , I were randomly asked what continues to cause my transitional changes to awkward and uncomfortable in my life the number one answer would be my personal finances.

Ive never met anyone who became instantly mature. Its a painstaking process that God takes us through, and it includes such things as waiting,failing, losing, and being misunderstood---each calling for an extra dose of perseverance. ----Charles Swindoll

"We draw to us that which we think." From the author of Transform Your Life& How to Have A Flood and Not Drown

Behind the Scenes: God Handle it Day By Day, Transform Your Life, Maximize the Moment, Acts Of Faith, Woman Thou Art Loosed!, Success Gods Way, Black Pearls, and Finding Peace, Letting Go and Liking it.

The above mentioned books have all contributed to the sources of my motivation, positive outlook on life experiences, and the reason for my continuing to pursue my goals as well as redefine what success means in my personal life. The motivational and inspirational books that I have read have helped me to deal with some of life's most difficult trials, test and hardships. As stated in Transform Your Life which was revised and edited to include How to Have A Flood and Not Drown "From the moment we wake up in the morning until we fall asleep again at night we are constantly bombarded with thoughts that can slow us down or side track"therefore"we need to be consciously aware of what we allow to enter into our subconscious"Besides learning to notexceed limits while multitaskingin your professional andpersonal life, learning to create balance by managing task for many women prevents physical and mental exhaustion.Also another way to firmly establish balance,I have found thatby learning to monitor your thoughtsduring task beccomes very importantinknowingand recognizing the first signs of exceeding mental limits. Futhermore, learning, noticing, and listening tothe warning signs whether if its the environment, physical, financial, or spiritual adhering to the signs, seeking help and guidance that's available becomes very important to maintaining your personal life and knowing personal limitations. A typical example of exceeding limits, especially, during a transitional change in my professional , personal, and spiritual relationships might best be describe by looking at an everyday transaction, such as using an ATM(automatic teller machine.)For instance, I decide to withdraw money from an ATM (automatic teller machine) instead of visiting the bank. After several withdrawals, I reach the maximum number of times my financial institution will allow for withdrawals in a day; however , because I didn't keep record of the number of withdrawals I made at the ATM (automatic teller machine)on my final attempt to make an withdrawal all on the same day, instead of the machine dispensing money, the machine prompts me to see a bank teller Likewise during transitional changes , in your personal professional, and spiritual life relying solely on the information you have gathered over a period of time; it becomes easy to deplete your internal resources, thus, causing you to becomeoverdrawn, mentally and physically,and leading to Exceeding Limits. As result of not following the speed limits, not noticing thewarning signs to be cautious; it becomes easy to exceed the limits in a woman's professional and personal life without realizing or averring the statement "I have exceeded my limits. "Other wise if you "Keep going and chances are you will stumble on something perhaps when you least expect it.I have never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down."---Charles F. Kettering

Without a question,finding balance will help alleviate some of the symptoms of physical and mental exhaustion as well as prevent exceeding limits. In Transform Your Life, Dr.Rev Barbara King listthe followingways tobecome balance:

(1) work at being balance

(2)expect your day to be the fullest day

(3) make decisions and stick to them

(4) Take Action

Ultimately,to find balance Dr. Rev. Barbara King states in Transform Your Life"The first thing you'll have to do is regain control of your thoughts and reactions to threathening situations." I bought Dr. Rev. Barbara King's book several years ago while I was on a road trip with some of my friends. The trip was of one the positive personal experienes I have had during my life.Often,when I am out shopping, on the road, or traveling I like to buy either an inspirational or motivational book. Transfom Your Life/How to Have A Flood and Not Drown an excellent book that I highly recommend for single women, and single mothers. To conclude,many times I remind myself that I can not control the actions of other but I can control my reactions.

Read this article in its entiretyand others writtenby cacjohnson byvisitinghttp://www.cacjohnson.com

Featured Articles

MVP:Three cars, three different personalities, and one owner>Hyundai, Mazda Mx3,&Toyota Corolla. Existentialism, more than a car, anextension of self, a derivative of my personal being without the sugary additves; my 1985 ToyotaCorolla LE.Caveat emptor, you can tell a lot about a person by the kind of car they drive.

Attraction: Attraction is the emotion, the feelings that each individual experiences in first meeting a person of the opposite sex. Attraction is Chemistry, Biology, Physics, or even Anatomy. Attraction is like a magnet it draws people to other people, to clothes, cell phones, jewelry, computers, homes and automobiles. Attraction starts with appearance then slowly digs under the surface of the skin .Attraction is at times superficial, but it is attraction that ignites the thoughts of interest between two people and draws them to inanimate objects .Attraction is the way people meet other people through their appearance. It has been a long debate that by meeting people based on their appearance or physical appearance is similar to judging a book by its cover. However, the other side of the debate questions: How else do people meet? Besides the various meeting places, for example, the grocery store, gas stations, restaurants, church gatherings, family reunions, and laundry mats, the internet allows people to meet through different websites, chat rooms, email, and internet dating all of which most often requires a picture of the individual. With the exception of meeting someone over the phone it is through a person physical appearance that individuals meet, develop impressions and make lasting impressions to potential mates, friends, family, and perspective employers. In other words, making a lasting impression begins with appearance whether it is a persons manner of dress, hairstyle, or makeup as the clichs state first impressions are lasting impressions. A well kept appearance in the work place, at restaurants, and a social gathering does make a difference to potential mates, and employers, a person. In the American society appearance does counts. A persons appearance is very important in finding employment, to finding a mate, for instance, a potential employee going on an job interview knows that the first thing an employer will look for is a professional appearance or neat appearance .Likewise, appearance becomes important in looking for a spouse, the appearance of a person who is looking for a mate makes lasting impression on a potential mate, for example, a young woman or man goes out on their first date and both want to impress each other ,thus, they both wear the latest fashion and hair styles. Ultimately, attraction begins with appearance which ignites the interest of a person to seek out more information about an individual. Eventually, it is not until after the initial meeting of a complete stranger that comments like he or she has a nice personality or a good sense of humor is stated but only after seeing the person; again, the exception to the rule is unless the initial meeting is over the phone. Randomly, ask any wife or husband what first attracted them to their spouse, he or she might respond with a list of physical traits, then talk about their spouses inner qualities. Attraction is what brings couples together, as I stated previously attraction first begins with the outer appearance then looks further into the person inner qualities. All too often attraction begins with the outer appearance; for example, in purchasing a car, attraction, and the degrees of attraction becomes a deciding factor for some individuals. On a scale from one to ten the person might judge how attracted they feel towards a certain car. Attraction is also what some people use to determine the make and model of the car they will purchase. For American consumers the degree of attraction, especially, in retail will determine whether a consumer will buy an item or look elsewhere. Attraction.... Undeniably, attraction is what causes a person to purchase certain makes and model s of automobiles? Make &Model: Making a statement all too often starts with appearance more specifically a fashion statement. At work, in night club, an evening with friends, making a fashion statement does not stop with apparel but also includes: accessories, cell phones, jewelry, homes, to the type of car an individual drives,suchas,Acura,Audi,BMW,Caddillac,Chevrolet,Chrysler,Dodge,Ford,Honda,Hyundai,Infiniti,Jaguar,Jeep Wrangler, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mercury, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Oldsmobile, and Plymouth. American consumers have a variety of makes and models they can choose from to cater, fit, and match their lifestyle. In many instances when buying a car whether new or used American consumers base their decision on the type, size, and color. Other determining factors consumers take into consideration in negotiating the purchase of a new/or used vehicle is the interest rate in addition to the down payment. While for others purchasing a car especially if the car is a gift for someone else then size, make, and color becomes a deciding factor. What does a make and model say about an individual owner/driver? The type of car an owner decides to buy tells a lot about the owners personality, character, family life, or type of job they hold .A red sports car, for example, is an indicator that the driver could be having a mid life crisis, or it is an indicator of a high school graduates 18th Birthday. On the other hand, A SUV could signal either a large family that goes on frequent vacations or business person that travels regularly and prefers driving than flying. The type of car a person drives plays an important role in the type of people they attract, for example, a person that drives a jeep wrangler might be an outdoors or more of an athletic person, therefore, when driving this person might attract only athletic and sports orientated individuals. Without a question, the color, the size, and style of a car tell a lot about the owner of an automobile. By choosing a certain make and model of a car a driver is setting restrictions. Restrictions: Restriction means to set limits within the confines of established laws and rules .Who set restrictions? Usually, a restriction is set by an adult, a parent, or members of congress. Often members of congress make and set restrictions regarding public safety and health. Setting restrictions is one way that local lawmakers and state officials monitor as well as reinforce law established by congress. The word restriction for some pre-teens and adolescences is synonymous for punishment .However, the word restriction is not always bad when mentioned to a teenager who wants apply for his or her restricted licenses, still, just by hearing the word restrictions puts some adolescents on edge. Setting or making restrictions is most often put in place to help protect society in a whole from lawlessness, riots, and gang banging. Setting restrictions is just not limited to local and state officials, High schools, Universities, and Colleges all have the power to set restrictions. A restriction is often intangible. A restriction could be an age limit, a set time, or set speed. Restrictions vary from state to state; therefore, the restriction in one state might not apply in another. One well known restriction is the legal drinking age of (21) twenty-one. Lessons before driving: Nearly all pre-teens or adolescents encounter restrictions either at home, in a public school, or a private school, at some point in timeduring an adolescence life they will encounter restrictions. I am no stranger to restrictions and limitations, as adolescence my grandmother, father, and teacher each setrestrictions regarding some specific area of my life, for instance, type of music I listened to, the type of books I read, which friends homes I could visit, I had a set time to be in the house,and the type of clothes I wore to school. Other restrictions I had included, size as infant, and then age became another restriction in my pre-teens. In my childhood, I had many restrictions set by the adults in my life. As I mentioned earlier a restriction is intangible, but can also be physical. In Caps Off! I state from "infancy to adolescence I could not have predicted the outcome of my youth..."nor could the adults in my life, but, with the set restrictions established by grandmother, parents, and teachers a less favorable outcome became unlikely. Nevertheless, I could haveeasilybeen an unsuspectingprey to sex, drugs, lewd and lascivious behavior just like any other teenager. Incisively, I chose not tobe errant in my grandmothers instruction, as well as not to be recalcitrant towards my parents and teachers. Whether the strong sense of propriety in behavior is one of the inane qualities Iinherited from my parents or a characteristic trait learned from my grandmother, I chose to stay in school,get my lessons and work within the restrictions set by grandmother, parents, and teachers. A lesson is an idea, concept, experience that has been instilled, imbedded, and taught to adolescence and adults during their lifetime. A lesson can be about variety topics from Life, Love, Spiritual, Friendships, buying a home, or driving and maintaining a car. Some of life lessons I learned in a classroom other lessons I learned at home. Many of the lessons I learnedat different stages of my life. Each year as I grew older, I acquired a new lesson.A few of lifes lessonss I learnedby reading different materials as an adolescence ;for instance, I bought a book of anonymous quotes and one of the quotes in the book stated it is better to keep the lesson and throw away theexperience. Today that quote still holds true in many of the scenarios in my life. Although, not all experience in my life have been unpleasant, I have a firm understandingif I had notencountered the different lessons and experiencesI would not be the person I am today. In addition to having a better understanding of my personal life experiences, I also understood that having a child does not make a young women a mother. Yet, it is the journey of life, its ups and downs, the trials, test and tribulations one encounters in life, the rain and sunshine, all of life experiences that a young girl or young manperseverethrough helps them to become mature adults, for instance, a young girlturns into a women, then develops motherly instincts, the same is true for young males. I often I have listened to preachers, ministers, and pastors speak on different types of growth, spiritual, marital, or personal growth, from the different messages given on spiritual growth, I have interpreted from the messages that each individual has to go through some thing before they can give birth to a miracle. The most common biblical quote I have personally had spoken to me is "to whom much is given, much is required," one of the many spiritual lesson I acquired in my youth and adulthood.

Continuation Part II:

Reliable Mechanic. In facing many of life challenges, I learned many lessons some minuscule other enormous but no matter how small or great the lesson they all intertwined together to reveal a greater meaning and purpose of life. Incessantly, relentlessly, my grandmother worked veryhard to instill morals and values in my aunts and I as well as self respect. Tomany of her co workers, and close relatives it made have appeared that she worked effortless, yet Iknow the obstacles she encountered to maintain shelter, food, and also reliable transportationfor my aunts, uncle and I. It is with all honesty, sincerity, and respect for my grandmothers untiring work which has inspired,motivated,prompted,and caused me to continue through my hardships andadversity. My grandmother'sunselfish love for her family and grandchildren caused her to work unceasingly to provide for her family. The invaluable lessons I learned before driving didn't come from a preacher, minister or pastor but I learned from my grandmother. Some of the fondest memories of my childhood revert back to living with my grandmother who taught me many of lifes lessons. And long before I could drive, I had to learn to crawl,walk,read,and write the essentialskills the every adolescence musthave in order tomatriculate through life. Because of my grandmothers nurturing, caring, and generous nature; many of life lesson I encountered did not easily discourage or intimidate me to give up but cause me to be industrious. My grandmother shared her work ethics, culinary skills, cleaning philosophy, and taught me about tithing. A vocational chef and in many aspects a single mother; my grandmother knew the importance of reliable transportation. For a short time I lived with my grandmother in a very rural part of Florida called the Orange Grove. Living in a rural area allowed her to raise chicken, grow, and pick peas. After the passing of my grandfather, my grandmother moved away from the Grove into the city. Without a mate, four children and one grandchild, my grandmother had to learn how to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. Amazingly, my grandmother provided my aunts and me with shelter, clothing, and food. She made sure that my aunts and I had transportation to and from, school as well as church. During the years, I lived with my grandmother she made sure I attended school. Rarely, did I worry about breakfast, lunch or dinner because my grandmother made sure that my aunts and I did not go long period without food. I also recalled that as young child many mornings my grandmother would drive my aunt and me to school in old dilapidated diesel truck. Even though the truck looked dilapidated, it drove better than any other car on the rode. Disconcerted from having to ride in a diesel truck to school, my youngest aunt insisted that my grandmother to drop us off at the corner instead of driving through the roundabout with the rest of the cars. Because the old diesel truck upset my aunt so much my aunt and I began walking to school with the neighborhood kids. Over the years, my grandmother acquired many cars, but she never went under the hood. Whenever my grandmother had problem with any of her vehicles she would come directly after work change her clothes, finished changing her clothes she would come of the room look at my aunts and me emphatically state Im going to see a man about a dog. For along time I did not know what my grandmother meant, until I had the opportunity to meet the mystery man. Apparently, the man, my grandmother would visit when her car was not working properly, worked from his home as a part time mechanic. The visit to the part time mechanic is oneof the first hand experiences I had as an adolescence with cars thus began my fascination with maintaining cars. The daysthat my grandmotherallowed my aunt and I to accompanyher to see the mechanic the,one of thefirst thing I noticed is he had a bunch old cars , tires, car parts in his yard. Well versed on the different type of cars, when my grandmother would make her visits the first thing the part time mechanicdid before he went under the hoodof her car he would ask aseries of questions, after answering the mechanics questions my grandmother would drop the car off on the weekendsjust in time forher to pick up the car before work on Monday morning.

Continuation..Part III (Exceeding Limits :)

Throughout the years of observing and assisting my grandmother, without dissembling her life lessons, I knew during uncertain times my grandmother felt the she had exceed her physical and mental limits.Nonetheless,with faith and prayer my grandmother perserved through her trials,test,and tribulations.

An Hymn to the Morning

Assist my labour, and my strains refine;In the smoothest numbers pour the notes along.For bright Aurora now demands my song.

Aurora hail and all the thousands dies.

Which decks thy progress through the vaulted skies:

The man awakes and wide extends her rays,

On evry leaf the gentle zephyr plays;

Harmonious lays the feathered race resume,

Dart the bright eye and shake the painted plume

Ye shady groves, your verdant gloom display

While the fair sisters fan the pleasing fires:

The bowrs, the gales, the variegated skies

In all their pleasures in my bosom rise.

But oh! I feel fervid beams too strong, And scarce begun, concludes th abortive song.(18th century )

The glory of friendship is not in the outstretched hand nor the kindly smile nor the joy of companionship, it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone believes in him and is willingly to trust him Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)Us philosopher and poet

The whole of life is symbolic because the whole has its meaning Boris Pasternak (1804-1960)

He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand, and walk, and run, and climb, and dance. One cannot fly into flying Friedrick Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher

"Hear no Evil,Speak no Evil,and See noEvil"

-----Right on Magazine (November 2005)

http://www.rightonmag.com

Through dangers untold and hardships un-numbered, I have fought my way here past the Goblin King.For my will is as strong as yours, my Kingdom is as great, you have no power over me.

----Labyrinth, 1986

JCW&MCD II 

MVP

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