Today is a Saturday and I really was looking forward to it.  The business has been crazy and I think we started 14 new divorce cases.  I know, good for me, bad for everyone else.  I hear it all the time…. And I agree.

But I really needed at least a day to be with my family.  So I made big plans to go to Vegas for the weekend, on a Friday night at about 4 p.m.  Did you know plane tickets are $250 per person each way when you book same day?  $1000.00 just to get there and back?

At that rate, I won’t have any money to lose!!!

So instead, we slept in until 8 a.m., took our son to Air Soft, some place called, “Warped Ops” in Castaic and then had breakfast at a place called Mikes Diner.

We then went to get a 15 minute massage at the mall and then went to Salt Creek for a cocktail and glass of wine before we saw Sicario which was a pretty good movie.  Tomorrow we are going to see The Martian

Right now, though, I am sitting in my dining room watching American Sniper with Chris Kyle portrayed by Bradley Cooper.

Weird.  Just watched the part of the movie where they showed 9/11 and the planes crashing into the World Trade Center towers.  I say weird because watching scenes like that can take you right back to where you were the day that happened.

The weather is a little cooler by about 10 degrees and in Santa Clarita right now, that means it is 90 degrees instead of 100 and I’ll take it.

I was counting on the cooler weather and had a screen door put on our front door so we could open the door when it does cool down. Good planning, because it is open now and there is an awesome breeze blowing through and I can finally turn of the air, even if it is just for half a day.

The kids are out of the house and the wife is upstairs and the dog is taking a nap.  So just some quite time for me to reflect on the day and write a few words.

Enjoy your weekend.

So cool actually.  You just don’t know what is coming next.

I am at home, my wife is at work in LA and it is 8:30 p.m.  My daughter is a Sophomore at College of the Canyons and headed for a UC or State College.  And it looks like she will be going to San Diego.  Funny, that is where my brothers both live and one went to college there.

She really likes Anthropology and my brother, Todd, has his degree in Anthropology and is a teacher in San Diego.  So I hooked her up with a conversation with my brother.

I say it is cool, because I can still remember taking my daughter to preschool at the same school that is less than 1/2 mile from our house.  And here we are 18 years later, and having an educated conversation about college.

I am seriously at the point where I wished I had invested 18 years ago in our children’s education.  Looking like her school is going to run us about $30,000 per year on the low end and this is just one of two children we have.

We hired a college planner to help us with all of this, hoping that he can find some grants or extra money.

Funny that when you are in your prime earning years that that is when your kids are going to college.  I am not saying it pays to be poor, but sure seems there are more handouts for everyone but us.

I shouldn’t complain.  I should be grateful we are in a position to handle this. We are not rich by any means, but live fairly frugally, but it couldn’t hurt to be investing in our retirement instead of paying $30k a year in tuition.

Seriously, I drive a 2002 Ford Expedition with no air conditioning and has 220,000 miles.

Anyways, I think the goal is to set the next generation ahead of where we are.

I like these more personal posts because I can rant and just talk (or write) as things come to me.  I told my kids that this is my diary and they will be able to hear what I think, not only in this blog, but my spoken word in my videos and podcasts.

Wait, sorry, here is my entrepreneurial mind at work. What about a  business that helps people to use video and  podcasts instead of the old school written word.  I think there is something there.

The short story with this post is that is was really cool for my daughter to come up to me with all the paperwork she had received at the college regarding the different colleges she is interested in.

Pretty cool to be a father, I guess is what I am saying.

Here is a photo of us both working. I think she is studying.

I really am sorry about all the political references.  But is seems that is all that is on TV these days.

Anyway, (my wife says the correct term is “Anyhow”), but Anyway, i just heard a comment on the news that said, ” As as politician, you need to “appear” genuine”.

Wait, can you use double, quotes?  Whatever..

But, for me that stood out.  “APPEAR GENUINE”?

To put on an appearance, doesn’t that mean to fake being genuine?

Okay, the point of this is that I, ME, Tim Blankenship am genuine in everything I do.  I am just me being be.  Good or bad.  Like me or hate me.  It is not for me to decide.

I just emailed a long time friend of mine, Connor MacIvor who does real estate here in Santa Clarita.  And who taught me much of what I know about online marketing…

I said, “Hey, Connor!, I just found out something interesting.  I have written over 1,300 articles, recorded over 800 videos and podcasts, and the only thing people are talking about is my camping trip.”

What I am referring to is the fact that my wife encouraged me to write about our family and just random stuff.  Even how I mow our lawn.

The funny thing is that more people relate to my personal blog that the infinite amount of amazing information I have written about divorce…. laugh out loud.

Anyways, I wrote about this more in the article previous to this.

I was just interesting to come across the mainstream media saying politicians need to “appear genuine”.

Just be genuine.  That is how i am.

Tim

This is a bit of an offshoot to the article prior to this where we talked about Stephen Colbert and his guests, but in watching the end of the interview with Joe Biden, I was a bit taken aback.

Forget about political views and all.  Because for me, I vote for the person, not the party. But my point is that I has written how I had drank the punch and was interested in Donald Trump and Ben Carson then…

Then, I watched this show with Joe Biden.  He is just so relatable…

People are attracted to people who they can relate too.  I can only imagine that the information I have put out on our blogs, videos and podcast relate to some people.

To others they don’t.

And that is fine…

What I wanted to say here, is that people relate to relatable people.  People want to connect in some way with the people they vote for and for the people they do business with.

That is why, at the urging of my wife, I have started just writing… Not about how to get divorced, but about me, my family, things I am interested in, etc.

Want to know the funny thing?

As of this article, I have written over 1,300 articles.  And I get all types of feedback from my articles about how to get divorced in California and other helpful information.

But I only started writing these more personal articles about a month ago.

And do you want to know what people ask me about on the phone or in person?

Yep, my personal “Tim’s personal Blog” articles where i just talk about my family, friends, things I have done, etc.

Shoot, the other day, I wrote an article about How I mow My Lawn and people called me and said, “Oh, I read the article about your lawn”, or ” I read the article about “ How the Santa Clarita Magazine allowed an attorney to take advantage of you”

People relate.  And I found it fascinating to learn that people, while they likely read and article, watched a video, or listened to a podcast about divorce, the most comments I get when someone calls me is about my personal posts.

Powerful.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Tim

I am not a fan of late night.  Not because I don’t like comedy, but because I am usually in bed by 8 p.m.

But I had a renewed interest when news of David Letterman aired.  I thought of all the good shows I missed.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not staying up late. I am recording them and watching them either on the weekends or when I get home from the office.

But it has taken some time to come to find him funny.  I am now watching the 5th installment, and I think I finally find him funny.  It is like when you try a new movie series, it takes time to buy into the character.

Anyways, tonight I am watching Stephen Colbert and he has Joe Biden and the Uber Exec., Travis Kalanick, which I am interested in seeing.  But, before he gets to them, there is much fun made at the Presidential candidates such as Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Rick Perry.

Don’t hate me or love me, but I think I have had drank the punch, because right now I am liking Donald Trump.  We’ll see what happens.

(as a side note, after watching the first Republican Debate, I liked both Trump and Carson.  So different.  Interesting that they are both polling well)

But the reason I brought up Donald Trump is that, if anything, he is an amazing marketer.  Whether you love him or hate him, you are talking about him, and that just promotes him more.

I bring this up because, as a business person and marketer, I find it interesting that someone, … What do the call him?… a non establishment guy?…, can lead the polls.

Maybe I need to be more political and just tell it how it is.  I think I do that though, in my own way.  I mean, I do put out tons of content on how to handle your divorce, and the “Tim’s personal blog” is more of just a way of ranting and writing freely off the top of my head.

Anyways, I don’t want this to be a political rant, just a way to speak my mind is all.

Back to Stephen Colbert and his guests.

Talk to you soon.  Tim