The Core Value Consultants Blog

Christmas is the best time of year. That is not because of all the great gifts that are being shared, but it is because of the great friends and family that you can have surrounding you during that time. My best friend and I spend Christmas Eve together every year, to exchange our gifts and enjoy each other’s company. Being that she is a gay woman, I have tried to find some great things to inspire her in her choices. Finding such a great love story in book form, such as I Cant Think Straight, is the kind of thing that I look for each year as a gift for her.

Hip hop artists work pretty hard to get and keep their fan base, especially new hip hop artists who are trying to make a name fro themselves. You will find hip hop artists releasing basic hip hop lyrics and music that they know will appeal to their listeners, and in turn will get their new album noticed, but they always throw a few new and out there songs that may appeal to them, the artists, or who knows maybe they are just trying something different, like David Archelletta did on American Idol when he sang a hip hop/ R&B song versus his usual ballad. Although, it did not work for him, it sometimes works for popular hip hop artists.

A wise man once said that you could sum up country music in one song, if you tried hard enough. It was Steve Goodman and the song was “You Never Even Call Me By My Name”.

The last verse is my favorite:

“Well, I was drunk the day my Mom got outta prison. And I went to pick her up in the rain.
But before I could get to the station in my pickup.. truck..
She got run over by a damned old train.”

There weren’t enough country music videos that featured Steve Goodman, whose brilliant life was cut short by leukemia in 1984.

There’s a site that’s noew to me and contains a number of apparently real ghost stories. The stories are submitted and the owner of the site – not sure if he’s real or not to be honest – gives his opinion on them from a ghost hunter’s perspective. Obviously there is someone real behind the site itself, but I’m not sure of the person who says he is responding to the stories is real, or just a fictional character. After all, the blog site does seem to have its dates set 100 years ago, and I’m sure they didn’t have the ability then to post on the internet. Come to think of it, I’m sure there was no internet!

Lets face the music.  Prior to 2008, most music mp3 downloads were not exactly on the up and up.  In fact, some surveys point to a time when over 80 percent of mp3 downloads were technically illegal.  Now it appears the tide may be changing, at least according to one recent survey suggesting that 51 percent of online music surfers now download their tunes legally.

What has changed the trend from illegal to legal?  Two major factors appear at the forefront for the legal free music mp3 downloads change.  First, of course, is the fear of legal action against song download pirates.  Secondly, is the proliferation of free mp3 download sites.  Whatever the cause, it’s a good sign that music lovers can still get their song fix in a legal and inexpensive way.

I was in the attic last week and found my Dad’s old Easel. I knew this easel was old because the wood was very aged with cracks all over. The canvas on the easel was also quite old, probably painted on more than twenty years ago. I found some neat brushes stuck in the holster that my Dad had said he used when he was young. This easel caught my eye, however, because it was a red color. You do not usually see a red easel just anywhere and my Dad said his own Dad made it for him. He then asked if I would like him to make my own easel someday, I said yes! He said he would make one in red like his own.

We have all heard of the much sought after backstage pass. I am sure you have also heard that only the big-time record executives and the pretty girls get the opportunity to make the trip backstage when going to a concert. Where as that may have been true back in the day, today, the ability to get concert backstage passes has broadened quite a bit. More and more bands are capitalizing on fans willingness to shell out large amounts of money in order to meet their favorite artist face to face. Just check next time you purchase concert tickets and you are sure to find ticket packages that include backstage passes, for a price however.

Well all the planning and saving for this holiday season has finally paid off in dividends. I was so hopping that i would not have to do this, but due to hard times dealing with the current economy and the credit crisis I have to break out with the family Christmas crafts this year. Instead of spending thousand and thousand of dollars on gifts for people I really don’t like, I will make cheap stuff for people I really don’t like. In the end I am giving to everyone and I only spent about fifty bucks buying all the still I require.

I am going to be having a little girl, and I am in the process of decorating a room for her. I don’t want it to be a baby room though, I want it to be something the she can grow up with rather than something she will quickly grow out of. Can anyone tell me where I might be able to find some great kids wall art that I can use for this? I want to find something that I will like as well if that is possible. I am hoping I can find a good artist that has a bunch of different prints for sale I can choose from.

Years ago I dated a very wealthy man who loved to buy me expensive gifts, even when I protested that they were too costly.  But he persisted.

Eventually I convinced him that flowers were quite sufficient and he settled for sending roses once a week.  By that time I had a drawerful of expensive jewelry, pens, and purses.

When my birthday came around he took me to dinner and I held my breath, hoping he wouldn’t present me with something I couldn’t accept.  But instead he gave me the most beautiful steve hanks book, which I loved.

He knew Steve Hanks is my favorite contemporary artist and I would treasure the book. 

The gentleman and I went our separate ways, remaining friends.  But, to this day, the gift from him I treasure the most is that book of prints.

If you want to go to a show that will make all of your friends & even the entire student body of your school green with envy, then purchase Shrek Tickets for the up & coming Broadway play.

That’s right- Shrek, with his ugly good looks & irreverent sense of humor is coming to the Broadway stage to change America’s ideals in looks & what is attractive.

Ugly is in, & so is being green & silly. Everyone in the family will enjoy Shrek on Broadway, as a Broadway play is a very spectacular & amazing way to see a story presented. Get your tickets early.

Do you know that Music, specifically playing the Piano, can be a very good therapy to autism? I never knew about it either, until I came across a study that playing the Piano offers children and adults with autism an avenue to release how they feel and express themselves. It has been discovered that language and social interaction skills are improved through this. Playing the piano also boosts their confidence and morale. They feel great whenever they finish their Piano pieces just the same as when a normal person does. It doubles their happiness whenever they are praised and commended by doing so. Lastly, Piano increases their senses, making them more sensitive and aware of what Music can impressively do. Just read this review of piano is fun for an idea of what I mean.

Ever since tattoos have become more accepted in society, more and more women have been jumping on the tattoo bandwagon. What’s more, tattoo designs for women nowadays are not anymore just limited to flowers, fairies or tiny cartoon characters. Instead, the majority of women having themselves inked now opt for larger designs and thicker lines, just like those of tattoos for men. But first to the placement of women tattoos. Unlike men, women should be careful when deciding where to place their tattoos. There are some parts of a woman’s body which would not look good with a tattoo. Personally, I find that the arm is one of them.