As I spread my holiday cheer throughout the world,
 I think of the things I have to be thankful for.
This morning I am thankful for Amy and her family
, and of course all my kids, father ,brother and friends.
I am thankful I can remember my mother like she is still here.
 I am thankful for everyone's attempt to understand.
 I am thankful for all the chances I have had to experience this wonderful thing called life.
The good and the bad.
 I whine a lot, but It is usually a deadpan joke. I assure you, I have seen a lot more good than bad.

I apologize for the cruel thanksgiving displays of celebration. To those that do not recognize this particular holiday...too bad. Your loss.  For me, it is about being thankful for what you have right now. It doesn't have to be religious or a national day of pride.  Every day can be a thanksgiving for anyone.

...Today, in particular, I am thankful for muscle relaxers, anti inflammatories , tens units, and of course--black coffee and rum.

Yesterday, I broke a sweat eating breakfast.  I am so out of shape, chewing is now my only calorie burning exercise. .    I didn't realize I was going to need a training program to make it through the Thanksgiving dinner marathon. I should've started with the two piece meal at KFC about 6 months ago, and worked my way up to a bucket.    I will have to remember to stretch and hydrate to keep from cramping...start slow.

My new tin can candle and greeting card line.  Feelings of Discomfort.

Good Evening, my minions.  My name is Blackie South Eleventh.  I have a lifetime in experience and provide guidance into the wantrepreneurial world.  Major in entertainment , minor in troubador.

Let us define Wantrepreneurship.  You have a love for projects, ideas, thought process and gaining knowledge. You lack the ability to get them off the ground, or sometimes, the skills to even get into the field in the first place.

Let us go over my long career as a wantrepreneur.

I tried to run away at the age of 4 or 5, hid in my neighbors boat with my plastic fishing pole, and was ready to take on the world.   I  had clothes and sandwiches.  Search and rescue found me under the boat tarp, asleep.

At the age of 15, I wanted to be a professional bicycle motocross racer even though I had never won a single race in my beginners category and actually found a loophole that would have allowed me to move up.

At 16, I dropped out of school cause I could not focus and I figured there was nothing left for me to learn. I didn't even know how to drive til I was 18. ( I did at least get a GED)

I want to be a writer. Produce videos. Create companies. Write songs  ( I don't know a single note, so I write lyrics).Sing songs. Act. Write books. Create an entertainment center. Create a group that gets tools into the hands of  talented people that can use them to become self employed.

I like the idea of writing slogans and sayings for novelties, t shirts, and greeting cards.

 Doesn't everybody feel like they could start a new company every day?

I tried to create a blog/video network and had planned to make my car the actual studio for it.

What I do best, is set at my white table, and make ideas.  That white table is my baby grand piano.

Wantrepedour. Take ownership of your inner wantrepreneur, and make some music with it.  Just don't get anything done. Don't create a team, and don't get investors. Follow these steps and you can live the life of the wantrepreneur.

New lyrics at What would this be without a song

Yours truly
-Blackie South Eleventh.     What's your porn name?

In Karma's Web

The scene is an old downtown cafe in Little Town U.S.A.   The cafe is bustling during Saturday breakfast, with the waitresses skillfully navigating the plates  between the booths and tables, even with the occasional foot sticking out in the aisle.

Ham, eggs, bacon and sausage seem to be on every plate, with eggs, of course.

In the middle of the dining area are two farmers discussing next seasons crops and of course, planning for their  livestock entries into the state fair.

They are enjoying their time together, discussing old fair victories over coffee, breakfast and the newspaper.

What they don't realize is the sudden quiet and emptiness of the cafe.

Shift to the taller building across the street and you will see a sight you indeed would not be looking for.  A short pig is climbing the fire ecape. A pig with an eye patch, a black trench coat and a snipers rifle.  Clearly mercenary in nature, but with a deep conviction  for this particular job.

In the cafe, the two gentlemen look around and realize they are alone, except for a large old rat in a very stylish leather overcoat and beret.  The rat is in the corner booth, and says in a mocking tone," you know I found the pesticides in her corner. "

The farmer nervously says," I don't know what you are talking about. It was natural causes."

The rat says, " Willie, he did not take kindly to the news. He was grateful for what you did for him, even though you ate his Uncle. He had been in the Sudan for quite some time, but found time to come back home.   By the way, you should finish those hashbrowns. One more bite of bacon and this may not be as clean as planned"

The farmers got up and came toward the well dressed rat.  He calmly spoke the word "clear" into his cell phone and it was over. Two shots.

The rat finished the toast and hashbrowns , smiled his big toothed smile and said to the corpses "Salutations, bitches."

The pig and the rat drive away, a last wish fulfilled.

 The final  message in the web was 'Avenge Me!'.

--Mark Burkenbine

Written 11/12/13 by Mark Burkenbine  copyright 2013

Marketing to Zombies: Opportunity exists.

Marketing and Sales to Zombies. There is always an opportunity for someone.

In a study of Zombies, corporate research has shown that they like bright pink and purple. It calms them, as does disco music.
They are efficient at slow moving, repetitive motions. Factory shift work has begun in many sectors.
When the walls of the factory are painted pink and purple, with disco dance music playing through speakers, productivity rates continue to soar.
In this situation, training for all mundane tasks can begin.

Feed them human beef, made from the homeless. The homeless rate will skyrocket as humans are either eaten or the virus mutates them.  Pay them less than you do the illegal immigrants, but feed them better. The ten year food supply looks to be stocked well.

They will quickly create their own monetary and social systems and individual herds to market products to.   Soon they will have their own entertainment and fashion industry to occupy their free time between work shifts.

The bright pink and purple fashion industry will explode. Snazzy preppy outfits of this color will be desired by mummies and zombies alike, but they will be necessities for humans that want to stay off the menu.

 Expect music groups from the 70's and 80's to make huge comebacks.

A Zombie Apocalypse is a marketers dream.  But, so are all forms of Apocalypse.  Before Jesus walks the earth again, there would be 4 Hor$emen trading cards. There would be T shirts of a horseman holding his crotch with a slogan of  " I got your Apocalypse right here, baby."

In the meantime, Zombies become a powerful political faction, but they look down on werewolves and vampires.   These creatures have a bias against Zombies as well.   To a Werewolf or Vampire, Zombies offer no nutritional value. Zombies are the junk food,  the high fructose corn syrup of prey.  They move so temptingly slow, but they taste bad, they smell bad....yet, somehow you can't eat just one.
After a generation of eating Zombies, the vampires and werewolves get slow and fat.  Their eyes bug out , skin itches and they get testy.  Now the market for substance abuse centers for eating zombies opens up. There will be 12 step programs.

Opportunity is everywhere, all the time.

Happy Halloween

Mark Burkenbine
www.allthingsburkenbine.com

Is it actually bad to occasionally re-post an old post? I still do not quite understand site rankings, just know that I am low enough on the totem pole that they shouldn't matter.  TOP BLOGGER does not appear to be achievable.I am happy to know someone  smiles at my 'content' now and then.    I have also been told that my posts need to be longer to improve rankings.  I have read many a blog that had repeated information in it just to make it longer.   Nah, I will pass on that.    To all the search engines crawling on me, there has to be a better way.   Length of an article should have nooooo bearing on anything.
So, bucking the 'rules' once again, I double dare you and Re-Post

Yaks and Yeti

So....we are setting in the living room of our two bedroom cave in the Himalayas, enjoying a few cold brews and cold pizza.  We are watching the Yeti chase the Yaks around in the valley just off the deck. Yes, we have a wager on who wins.  I says to Salman, "so what did you do to end up here? "

He replies, "well....I am a writer. A well educated man that created a well written book that was badly received by an entire religious sect.  I fear for my life constantly, and I can never let my guard down. I have been condemned by an entire way of life and there is a price on my head."

He tosses his bear bottle into the fire, and takes another bite of Pizza,( can you believe we found an all night delivery in the Himalayas...that was awesome.) 

"What, my new friend, ...what the hell did you do?"

I picked off the anchovies and black olives off my side of the loaded combo #7 w/ original crust.  

"Well....I  led my entire life like a Rube Goldberg machine. Did the easiest things the hardest way possible."

"How does that get you here?"  he says while burping like a college freshman.

I replied,   "Well...I decided honesty was the best policy. I decided there are things in my life that need fixed. I decided I needed a new profession and that I liked to write and create things. I am an odd person and following others doesn't seem to be a strong point.  I wanted to get paid to be me."

"an admirable ambition. I commend you " he says. "But..?"

Here we go.  Crap , that's the last beer.  Man, other than the pizza guy, there is nothing out here. This may be the most isolated spot on earth. Looks like the Yeti won again, but didn't beat the spread.  It's a sucker bet. Yeti always win, but Yaks run out the clock.  Salman pays for the beer and pizza again.

I finish my story. "  I wrote some very honest essays. Put it on this thing called BLOG.  A few people saw them.  Now, I owed money to some but money is what I am trying to make out of this eventually, so my argument with them is look...I am BROKE and trying to fix that. I cannot make enough at my job anymore, so it is time to find a new job."

Salman says " dude you are long winded, get to the point. If you owe money and the collectors aren't what you are worried about, what the Hell got you worried enough to be in the middle of freakin' nowhere?"

I said , " Chill out. Man you get edgy after losing a bet. Just once, take the Yaks and the point."

I continue, "  I wrote some personal stuff down , about my kids, about my views on life ( Salmans  left brow lifts from under his doo rag).  "and", he says?

"Well, I may have mentioned some exes or eluded to one or two. " I mutter, " and there may be an angry old girlfriend with an angry Lesbian aquaintance."

Salman takes the beer out from where he had been saving it for a needed occasion and bites the cap off. I keep telling him those are twist offs.

"dude" he says, " I have been chased around the world by a people that are relentlessly  chasing me to avenge their GOD, and you....are screwed. It is time for you to go."

Mumbles something about me being there for a month, they must be onto me, time for a new identity again, maybe Atlantis?.,,angry lesbians.....

welcome to my world!

---Mark Burkenbine

Anyone know of any call center work a husband and wife team can do at home?  We are both literate and comfortable speaking to others. Wife has B.S. in Business Administration with majors in human resources, management and accounting.
 I tinker in creating blogs, videos and web content. www.Allthingsburkenbine.com is the home to that project.
 I also have:
* three years experience in financial institution  occupancy and quality control property inspections
* ten years experience managing retail sporting goods, specifically bowling  pro shops, and have a lifetime involved in bowling.


I can bowl a little bit, shovel snow, mow a lawn, and drive incredible distances. We are willing to look at all above the board possibilities.   Any of the projects on my website will always be on the table to be completed.

Dispatcher, office manager, call center, answering services,manage a small business?
We would prefer to work together if possible, but again, almost anything will be considered.

Thanks for your time

Mark & Amy Burkenbine  , Missouri
mbowl@hotmail.com