Your online presence is one of the most important ways to market your business to the world. Honestly, it doesn’t matter if you have a strictly online business or a brick-and-mortar business, using social media is a great way to spread the word about your business and establish your online identity.

Make sure your brand matches everything

Although each social network has its own personality, your brand is always your brand. You should keep your branding the same, but adjust it slightly to fit the personality of the platform. But don’t change it too much because you want your audience to recognize you and interact with you.

Keep your profile updated and complete

Social networks are always changing, so a complete profile today will be incomplete tomorrow. Keep it fresh by checking back often, updating things that have changed, and adding information as the platform creates new ways to share.

Be consistent with your posts

One of the keys to making social media work for you to build your online presence is to publish regular posts and updates. For example, if you have a blog post that you want to share, set it to share twice a day instead of just once.

Become an expert on one or two platforms

You can’t be everywhere and do it right, so pick one or two platforms where your audience likes to hang out and become an expert on those systems. You’ll do yourself a big favor. Take it easy and become an expert of one or two.

Develop specific content for each platform

You don’t want to repeat the exact same content with the exact same words on every social network. For example, when you share a blog post you wrote promoting your widget, you want to share it with a special blurb for each different network.

interact with others

Don’t forget to talk to the people in each network. Answer questions, share your knowledge, and interact and interact with them. Social media is supposed to be social. Automation is fine, but you also need to respond to people and talk to people in real time.

Share other people’s updates

When someone shares something important that your audience will find interesting, share it. The people you share, compliment and interact with will do the same for you. Plus, it’s another form of content that can help establish expertise.

join groups

Most social networks right now have some forms of groups that you can join. Even Pinterest has group bulletin boards that you can join. Joining these, and then interacting with people, is a great way to network and get better known.

Some of our best memories are of social gatherings with good friends, good food, and good times. Even if you’re short on time, you can still plan a great little dinner party in the spur of the moment. It is not hard to do. Here are ten tips to help you.

Tip 1–Know your reason: You don’t need a reason to meet at short notice, but most of the time you have one. Maybe friends are in town for the day. Or you have a new HDTV and want to share a movie with friends. Why should you know? You may want to postpone dinner to give yourself more time to plan it. But you don’t have to delay. Impromptu dinners can be the best of times.

Tip 2: Keep it casual, simple and small: I usually only invite friends with maybe one or two new people who I think fit the group. Plan four to seven people (counting yourself) for a cozy gathering.

Tip 3–Make a list: Even if you use the back of an envelope, write down what you need to do. Include memory corridors. With so little time you have to program it and use it wisely

Tip 4 – Limit the errands you run: Get groceries and supplies (including cleaning supplies) at a mix of grocery stores and department stores. If your meal is from a restaurant, please phone so your order is ready an hour before your guests arrive. Have it delivered only if the service is reliable and timely. Otherwise, pick it up. Check for completeness, but leave closed until ready to serve.

Tip 5 – Make sure you have enough crockery: If not, pick up what you need with your purchases. Good-quality paper plates, bowls, and plastic utensils are fine. Get the best paper napkins you can. Your guests will appreciate it. I use the dinner size for meals and the lunch size folded in half for bath towels.

Tip 6 – Don’t worry if your house isn’t in perfect condition: You’re doing this on the spur of the moment, so your home may not be as organized and spotless as you’d like. Do the college dorm trick: put everything in the closets. Vacuum, dust and lint. Put dirty dishes in the dishwasher or in closed cabinets. But be sure to thoroughly clean the vanity or bathroom. Provide amenities: liquid soap, guest towels, toilet paper, and a small trash can. Before guests arrive, add an electric air freshener set to low. Spray your entire house with a lightly scented air freshener. Then close the doors of the forbidden rooms.

Tip 7 – Serve a simple meal: I set a simple table and serve meals that require little work or attention. (You will need that time for other tasks.) Below are two menus that I use frequently, but feel free to develop your own.

Menu 1: Serve fried or grilled chicken from your favorite restaurant (allow 2-3 pieces per guest) with biscuits or biscuits from there or from a grocery store bakery (allow a dozen for every 7-8 guests). Serve a comfort food like macaroni and cheese. It works well with chicken. I buy frozen family pans and add extra cheese (4-6 ounces grated) after I bake them. Allow time for them to be ready thirty minutes before serving, but keep them covered. Mixed greens with vegetables like carrots, spinach, and radishes are readily available. Add your favorite chopped vegetables (tomatoes, onions, green peppers) from the salad bar or deli. Serve with a variety of dressings. Serve dessert with coffee and tea. If dinner is substantial, serve a light dessert like ice cream. If dinner is light, serve something substantial.

Chinese Takeout Menu 2: I buy full dinners for four or eight. I always ask for egg rolls and extra sauces (but I also have sauces on hand). I serve heavy desserts with this menu. Nice extras: Fortune cookies are fun and delivery is usually reliable.

Tip 8–Don’t worry about cleaning: There must be little of that. I wait until the guests leave and quickly clean up.

Tip 9 – Complete your preparations early: Finish your preparations (including setting the table) at least thirty minutes before the guests arrive. During that time, take a quick shower, change into something comfortable, start your music, and light your candles.

Tip 10–Relax and enjoy your friends: Last minute dinners can be the best time for everyone. So take care of them and their memories.

For a long time, people thought that dietary fat intake was what caused body fat stores; ‘eating too much fat is making me fat’. However, this is actually not true. You’ll find out very quickly that cutting back on dietary fat will make little difference to your weight or body fat percentage. When you begin to manipulate carbohydrates is when you will begin to notice the changes and thus the low-carb, low-fat diet was born. The fact is, your carbohydrates (dietary sugars and starches) are fattening, not fattening. Most low-carb diets eliminate fat almost completely, making it easier to manipulate for performance needs. However, taking in all the dietary fat for too long is not smart and the body will begin to manifest deficiencies that are noticeable with certain symptoms. These are joint pain, dry skin, and dandruff to name a few, but more serious problems can develop if all fat is removed from the diet for more than 6 months. This is why it’s smart to keep the small percentage of fat in your low-fat/low-carb diet to essential fat sources like avocados, certain seeds, and nuts. Supplements like fish and flax seed oil capsules are also a must to keep your diet healthy.

It should be noted that just as being overweight and having too much body fat is considered unhealthy, the process of losing weight (whether slow or fast) should be a healthy process. Diets that cause extremely rapid weight loss can often be very unhealthy (and sometimes dangerous) and should only be followed under certain conditions and under professional supervision. Losing weight at the expense of your health makes no sense. After an initial weight loss of 7 to 12 pounds in the first 3 weeks, losing 2 pounds per week is a healthy and very reasonable goal for all dieters. To do this, you must configure your program with some very important parameters. The first and most detrimental is the amount of dietary protein you should be consuming. This is calculated with a measurement of body fat percentage to determine lean body mass. There are many ways to measure your body fat percentage. Whether done by the trainer at your gym, a nutritionist, your doctor, or your spouse, this should be done so you can determine what your daily protein intake is required for your diet. This is the backbone of each and every weight loss diet and where you should start.

The amount of protein you eat daily will be a constant that will never change and all other components will revolve around this. To solve this, eat 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass and add 10. If weightlifting is also part of your nutrition program, then eat 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass plus 15-20 grams . For example, if your lean body mass is 150 pounds, you should eat between 160 and 170 grams of protein per day and this should not change regardless of your activity level or other dietary components. When establishing the amount of carbohydrates to eat in your diet, it is best to cycle your carbohydrates. While the entire program is considered a “low carb diet”, every day is somewhat low carb, however there will be some days with more carbs than others. When choosing the amount of carbohydrates to eat, determine this from your current body weight and not from your lean body mass measurement. For average/high carb days, multiply your current body weight by 0.9 and this will give you the number of grams of carbs you should be consuming for the day. For low carb days, multiply your body weight by .5. For example at 225 lbs. man will eat ~200 grams of carbs on an average day and ~100 grams on a low carb day.

The cycle of low and high carb days is extremely important for continued weight loss. Do not do more than 2 or 3 days in a row on a low-carb diet. Doing so can throw off your metabolism and dramatically slow your weight loss. If you eat too few calories for too long, your body will think it’s starving and start holding on to everything it has, causing weight loss to stall. Schedule low carb days a week based on your training schedule or work schedule for best results. For example, if you lift weights on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, these are better days for higher carbohydrate intake so your muscles have glycogen to lift. For a schedule like this, pick Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays for low-carb days and focus on hard fat-burning cardio sessions. Keep in mind that low-carb days often make you feel sluggish and mentally slow, so they may not be better timed for the day of your big show.

In addition to alternating low and high carb days throughout the week, another very effective strategy is to stagger calories throughout the day. Weight loss will be faster and more efficient if you load your calories first by eating starches in the early part of the day and then switching to fibrous carbohydrates later. If you eat 5 meals a day, eat starchy carbohydrates for the first three and only fibrous carbohydrates for the last two. It is better to make the first three meals of the day the most caloric, then the last two should be smaller. This will fuel your day and since most of your activities end towards the evening, so should your caloric intake. Space your meals as evenly as possible throughout the day and try to have your last meal at least 4 hours or more before bedtime. Your weight loss will be better and faster if you starve yourself at night and familiarize yourself as soon as you wake up. If you’re not hungry at night, you’re eating too late and you’ll have trouble losing a lot of weight.

Carbohydrate options should be limited to clean natural starches and fibrous green vegetables. Some starchy vegetables, such as squash, can also be eaten, however they should be consumed no later than lunchtime. Pasta is processed and is not the best option. Oatmeal, brown rice, and sweet potatoes are great. If losing body fat is your goal, fruit is not a good choice for dieters. Fruit is a simple sugar and is burned before any fatty acids; this means that if you eat it, the body will choose it as an energy source before choosing body fat. However, the fruit is very refreshing, fat-free, natural, packed with vitamins, and does wonders for curbing your sweet tooth. If you choose to eat fruit, don’t eat it after lunchtime. This will give your body time to burn it off for the day. The best fruits to use are berries as they are very low in carbohydrates and low in calories and have wonderful antioxidant properties. Avoid any kind of dried fruit as they are nothing but candy when it comes to a fat loss diet.

Finally, give yourself a realistic time frame to lose weight. Choose a diet program for no more than 12 weeks at a time, with the goal of losing at least 2 pounds per week. If you have more than 30 pounds to lose, break it up into more than one program. Plan to have a cheat meal each week where you go off the diet and satisfy your cravings with a nice dinner somewhere. Let this be a reward for your hard work during the week. This is very important as it allows your mind a break from the routine of constant dieting and gives you something to look forward to. One high-calorie meal a week will also let your body know it’s not starving, so you’ll continue to lose weight while continuing to eat lower in calories. Cardio is also a must and should be done relentlessly if your goal is to lose body fat. Weightlifting is also very important for maintaining lean body mass and body shaping, however the cardio + diet is what will keep the scales moving in the right direction.

If your HOA is trying to force a foreclosure on your condo or townhome due to unpaid association fees, then they likely have a lien on the property. This may have been the result of some sort of sentencing confession if he was ever late or because the association sued him in civil court. If not, there may be a clause somewhere in your HOA paperwork that allows them to sue you for foreclosure if you fall behind on your association payment.

Either way, the HOA is attempting to collect the amount of money that you owe them for using the HOA’s services (as they may be). Because he has been unable to pay them for whatever reason, they are now trying to sue him and request that the courts auction his property to satisfy the unpaid fees. Even if arrears are only a few hundred or thousand dollars, it’s quite easy for creditors to force a foreclosure on a large asset like property; don’t stop worrying just because HOA fees can be such a small dollar amount.

Bankruptcy, when filed, stops collection on any debts you file until the debts are discharged or a legal payment plan is started through the courts. Therefore, the HOA will have to stop any collection efforts if you file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, as long as you include your HOA debt in the petition. You are seeking legal protection from your creditors, and all of them, including the Home Owners Association, must stop trying to collect while the issue is in bankruptcy court.

Therefore, the HOA is acting to collect a debt owed to you by foreclosure against you. Filing bankruptcy will force them to suspend the foreclosure process until you reach an agreement with them. In most cases, you will need to enter a 3-5 year payment plan through the court system to pay the unpaid fees. If you stick to the plan, then you won’t have to worry about the house being foreclosed on because you’ve paid off the arrears. Not being delinquent means there is no reason for foreclosure.

But, if you fall behind on your bankruptcy payments, the HOA can take the debt out of filing and release the automatic stay and start the foreclosure all over again from where you left off before bankruptcy. In addition, you will be responsible for your regular HOA due, in addition to the portion you are paying through the court’s payment plan. So it’s a waste of time, not to mention severely damaging your credit, to file Chapter 13 if you can’t pay the regular payment plus a portion of what you’re behind.

You should probably consult with an attorney or other financial advisor to make sure you’re doing everything right and to work out a budget so you don’t fall behind on your payment plan. Although it is possible to file for bankruptcy on your own, there are many reasons why it may be a better idea to rely on professional legal advice during a potentially stressful time. Foreclosure situations, whether from the original lender or from another party like the HOA, almost require outside assistance, if only to make sure you’ve been as careful as possible and that your solution isn’t ruled out on a technicality.

We never understand what happens with people: when they want to lose weight, they often want to lose it fast. Motivations for weight loss are often anticipated events or occasions in the near future, such as job interviews, dates, and other important life occasions, such as weddings. Most traditional weight loss techniques, such as diet, exercise, and pill use, are long-term weight loss strategies that don’t produce immediate results. If you want to lose weight in a few days, you will need a more drastic and proven technique. I have one in mind: body wraps.

What is a body wrap?

This is simply a corset-based slimming technique, healthy works from days gone by. It is most popular to reduce the size of a certain body part temporarily within a couple of hours. This is a great weight loss alternative for people who want to lose weight quickly while detoxifying the body, restoring skin health, and improving blood flow for a healthier body. Currently there are many types of body wraps, the main differences are the ingredients of the clay.

Modern slimming body wraps are specially prepared to tighten skin, even out skin tone, lose inches of fat, and improve blood circulation. It is also worth noting that one can opt for a specific type depending on the results one expects: common types of clays available include full body, slimming, cellulite, detox, skincare, cleansing, and healing body wraps. As you can see, you can select a specific product type based on the problems you are having and the results you expect. It’s also nice that body wraps can now be conveniently purchased online and prepared and ordered at home. Can weight loss get more convenient than this?

Before deciding on a particular product, it is essential that you do a little research and know how effective it is and what ingredients it contains. Because different wraps are formulated differently, there may be some that have ingredients that your skin may not agree with, so you should check with your doctor about how the various ingredients affect your skin before using them. You should also read reviews of various body wraps and determine which ones are recommended by ordinary people like yourself to find just what you need.

As pets, hamsters are fairly easy to care for. Hamsters do not require walking, are not particularly dirty or smelly, are small and do not take up a lot of space, and are generally inexpensive. Hamsters are also quite strong animals and can be a very good pet for a child or a family with several children. However, there are two distinct options when it comes to adopting a hamster for your family, and that is the dwarf hamster and the Syrian hamster. I spoke with Ken Brocx, the founder of Hamsterific.com, an authoritative hamster and small pet website, about this question and what his recommendations would be for someone considering adopting a hamster but not exactly sure which route is best for their family. .

Andy Markison:

Thank you Ken for taking the time to speak with us. First, suppose a family

with a young child or children (let’s assume around seven or eight years of age to

this example) is considering adopting a hamster or hamsters for your home. would do

Do you personally recommend a dwarf hamster or a Syrian hamster in this case?

Ken Brox:

I would generally recommend a Syrian hamster for younger children. dwarf hamsters

they are smaller, which can make them more difficult to handle. Furthermore, if a dwarf achieves

break free, they are faster than the Syrians and therefore more difficult to catch. Syrians tend to be

more docile if properly bred.

AM:

Syrian hamsters are supposed to be solitary once they are weaned, but that is not the

case with dwarf hamsters is?

KB:

No. Most dwarf hamsters prefer some company, but that means more space. That

can be a problem as many commercial cages are too small for more than one

hamster, even a dwarf hamster.

AM:

Is there any reason to buy a dwarf hamster alone? Or would it be better

adopt two dwarfs instead of one?

KB:

In the wild, dwarf hamsters live in colonies, so I prefer to keep them that way. HAS

dwarf hamster alone you will need much attention to prevent

get depressed

AM:

If you initially purchase one dwarf hamster and later want to introduce a second (or

3rd) dwarf hamster, would that be possible or are you asking for conflicts with such

An introduction?

KB:

It depends on the particular dwarf hamster and how long they have been alone. Yew

a dwarf hamster has been alone for more than a month I find it very difficult

to introduce a new cage mate. Young dwarf hamsters will accept a new hamster

much more easily than an older dwarf hamster. Also dwarf hamsters tend to

socialize better with siblings than with strange or unknown hamsters.

AM:

Are dwarf hamsters generally less abundant creatures than Syrians?

KB:

Both dwarf and Syrian hamsters are very hardy creatures. Dwarf hamsters have been

domesticated for a much shorter time than the Syrians, and so it has

been a lesser opportunity for them to become inbred. Inbreeding can cause many

problems with the health of any breed of hamster. In Syrians this often results in a

hamster that is difficult to tame. In dwarf hamsters it is very common to see

diabetes in inbred puppies.

AM:

What kind of kit would you recommend to someone who is about to adopt a hamster?

get for your hamster’s new home?

KB:

Hamsters need a constant supply of clean water, a food bowl that is heavy enough

won’t tip over when a hamster crawls on it, an exercise wheel and a

“nest” where they can feel safe. Wheels are not just toys. A hamster in the wild can

run several miles at night marking their territory and looking for food and the only way

we can duplicate that in a confined space there is a wheel. In the wild hamsters live in

underground burrows. To nest, a hamster needs a place where he feels he can

retreat from danger. A hamster without a nest will feel insecure and nervous.

AM:

What is the life expectancy of dwarfs and Syrian hamsters?

KB:

Dwarves typically live 2-4 years depending on race, living conditions, and genetics.

arrangement. Syrians live about 2-3 years.

AM:

What would you suggest someone look for when buying or adopting a hamster?

KB:

The most important things are the health and personality of the hamsters. color, long

pretty hair and eyes won’t matter much if you have a sick hamster. look clean

and dry fur, especially around the hamster’s butt, stressed hamsters can

Wet Tail, which is a deadly type of diarrhea. Wet Tail can spread to the surroundings

cages and it can be very difficult to sterilize an area after an outbreak. personality is

very important, too. If you choose an outgoing hamster who doesn’t mind being picked up

you will probably find it much easier to tame and befriend

he or she.

AM:

Is there any reason to adopt a hamster from a breeder instead of a pet store?

KB:

Professional breeders often take great care to ensure that their hamsters are not

innate. Inbreeding can result in many health and personality problems. many farts

stores buy from these same breeders, although some may let their hamsters

store-breeding leading to rampant inbreeding and unhealthy hamsters.

Also, the fact that a person has many hamsters and sells them does not mean that

We are a professional breeder of quality. Don’t forget to check local shelters as well.

Animal shelters often have hamsters that need good homes.

AM:

Is the Syrian’s diet significantly different from that of a dwarf? I know, for

example, that giving dwarf hamsters fruit that may be high in sugar could be

problematic because midgets may be more likely to become diabetic.

KB:

Other than that, Syrians and Dwarves have similar diets.

AM:

What is “heat” exactly? It’s related to nuts in some way, isn’t it, or is it related to others?

types of food too? And does “heat” affect a Syrian and a dwarf in the same way?

KB:

Well, there are two types of “heat”. “Heat” may be the term for when a woman

hamster comes into season, but you are talking about the condition that affects

hamsters that eat too much fatty food. That kind of “heat” is usually caused by a

owner who wants to feed his hamster a treat, usually sunflower seeds, and goes

the water. Too much oil, such as that from sunflower seeds, can make a hamster

metabolism to speed up and make them lose hair. That’s “heat” and I only have

I have seen it in dwarf hamsters.

AM:

Any final words, warnings, recommendations, or other general thoughts you want

I would like to share with someone who is interested in adopting a hamster?

KB:

Health and personality are the most important things when buying a new hamster, buying

the biggest home for your hamster you can, never put two syrian hamsters

together and play with your hamster as often as you can.

Interview with Ken Brocx, founder of Hamsterific.com, an authoritative hamster website

and other small pets.

Most people have witnessed both up and down housing markets and conditions, such as buyers’ and sellers’ markets, and many situations in between. For the past few years, in many areas of the country, home prices have risen steadily, year after year. This is likely due to a variety of reasons and circumstances, including but not limited to: historical: low mortgage rates; improvement of the labor market; increased consumer confidence; the desire to own their share of the so-called American Dream; the quality performance of the US economy, including the Stock Market; etc. Many have wondered when and if we will reach a threshold in terms of house prices and why. With that in mind, this article will briefly try to consider, examine, review and discuss 5 considerations/factors that could have an impact.

1. Mortgage/interest rates: When interest rates are generally low, mortgage rates generally act in a similar way. In recent memory, I recall interest rates, as high as high teens, to today’s low levels, between 3.5 and 4.5%. When rates are low, it means potential homeowners can buy more for their money because they qualify for higher mortgage amounts. The opposite happens, when/if they go up, in the opposite direction. Therefore, if we witness an increase, especially a significant one, in rates, the result will most likely be to cap or lower home prices!

two. Overall economy: The bigger the economy overall, or at least the perception of it, the better the housing market will be. When these positive conditions occur, we often see a seller’s market, because there are more buyers than corresponding homes for sale at that time. This creates, according to the Laws of Supply and Demand, that buyers have to and are willing to pay more for their homes.

3. Job Confidence: The greater the public’s confidence in the job/job market and job security, the stronger real estate conditions will be. This results in the costs, to buy, going up! When confidence falls, buyers are often more hesitant to make such a significant move and, in a buyer’s market, can result in lower home prices.

Four. Consumer Confidence: When consumer sentiment is strong, housing and real estate are generally stronger! When this falls, we witness the opposite!

5. Affordability: Pay attention to rental prices, because when more people buy, there are usually more rentals available and therefore rents stay flat and/or go down! The question is, at what point do potential buyers perceive that this becomes unaffordable?

Although, traditionally, over time, real estate has outpaced the appreciation of other assets, no one can read into the future! Smart buyers and sellers, pay close attention to all the factors discussed, as well as other relevant ones!

Hypnosis has two main forms; one is the stage performance style, where a performer “hypnotizes” people into doing silly things. The other is Obi Wan Kenobi’s Jedi Mind gimmick. This form is much more powerful and quite easy to learn. It’s based on scientific theory, called neuro-linguistic programming, but it’s also a bit of an interpersonal art.

I’ve broken it down into 5 easy steps that you can apply whenever someone is a little bit hurt by something. Followed by an example story to show you how the process of hypnotizing someone works in real life.

Step 1. According to the theme Base: This relaxes your mind, especially if the mind was being irrational and was ready to defend its position. It gains confidence and, in psychological terms, “validates” your emotional state.

Step 2. Confuse Them Base: A relaxed mind was easier to affect, now let’s confuse it a bit and throw the brain patterns off their normal tracks.

Step 3. Redirect Base: Now that we have relaxed the mind (step 1) and diverted it from its normal path (step 2), we want to redirect or “implant a suggestion.”

Step 4. Repeat as needed Base: People have different levels of susceptibility to hypnosis; you may need to repeat the process later at another time. Or even “re-agree” with them and start over right now. Susceptibility to suggestion varies by personality type, gender, fatigue levels, and even social status. Just because it didn’t work the first time doesn’t mean it won’t.

Step 5. Take advantage of the benefits Base: This is a good way to influence people, whether it’s working with your parents to lend you the car or convincing your boss to allow you to telecommute. The possibilities are endless. Just because this seems so serious doesn’t mean it can’t be great! You can make people do crazy things this way.

sample application To fully understand the steps, I want to walk you through a sample problem. Let’s say your boss comes to you, in a panic, and tells you to drop everything and work at (insert busy job) right away.

Fight the urge to drop a pipe, or moan and groan, and look him straight in the eye and say, “You’re right, this is important, I’m putting off all my projects until it’s complete.” He just reassured his boss, wait a bit and redirect his boss.

You might say, “What if I don’t finish (insert important work here) on time?” Confusion, Bingo! Then finally redirect, with something like “This (really important job) is more urgent, I’ll do it first.” Repeat the process, until the suggestion takes effect.

You now have a basic plan of action that will allow you to hypnotize people for fun, profit, or both.

After a very successful first season under new manager Carlo Ancelotti, in which the Blues completed their first double of Premier League and FA Cup winners, there were naturally high expectations for the 2010-11 season. The Blues were the favorites of many to win the Premier League title again.

Chelsea started the season as they had finished the last, in style, beating West Brom 6-0 with Didier Drogba scoring a hat-trick. The Blues looked cohesive and composed and the following week recorded another 6-0 victory at Wigan, winning their first five successive Premier League games, by the end of October Chelsea had won eight of the first ten League games, including a victory against Arsenal, and they were showing great form, even at this stage many thought they would easily retain the Premier League title they had won the previous season.

Unfortunately, the Blues lost their way in November following injuries to John Terry and Frank Lampard and many attributed their sudden loss of form to the unexpected departure of assistant coach Ray Wilkins, who left the club in early November. Managing just two wins from their next eleven games, Chelsea suffered their worst run in over ten seasons, which included a 0–3 home loss against Sunderland.

January saw the arrival of £50m to Fernando Torres from Liverpool, which became a record transfer fee for a player between two English clubs. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the dream move everyone was hoping for, as the poor form he experienced at Liverpool continued at Chelsea. Torres only scored one goal and often seemed to struggle with the Blues’ formations and style of play, often showing a lone figure on the pitch.

When Chelsea met Manchester United in early March, they might have fallen 15 points behind the Reds in the title race, but a heroic second-half performance saw the Blues secure a dramatic 2-1 victory. . Seven wins from their next eight league games saw Chelsea make a late push for title glory, which would have secured one of the most dramatic Premier League titles in recent history. The loss to United at Old Trafford ended their incredible run and sealed their fate of finishing second in the league.

Chelsea were also beaten by Manchester United in the Champions League quarter-finals, a loss that effectively sealed the fate of manager Carlo Ancelotti, who was sacked moments after the last game of the season against Everton.

The Blues will now seek a new manager and try to rebuild their squad for next season and speculation about the future of some of the team’s older players will also be in the spotlight as Chelsea once again battle for domestic honours. and the elusive glory of the Champions League. .

There are plenty of cool destinations to travel to, but if you have better things to do than work on your abs and tan 7 days a week (like keep your blog up to date, obsess over your web stats, play World of Warcraft, etc.), then those hot spots could leave you feeling very cold when you step off the plane and into a real-world episode.

If you’re single, part of the appeal of going on vacation is hooking up with an awesome foreigner for fun times and maybe even a little instant messaging once you get back home. But let’s be realistic; If you think you’re going to fly to Brazil or Hawaii and stand out from the masses of hard, tanned bodies, you’re really lowering your chances of a perfect vacation.

I don’t know about you, but I prefer to go on vacation to have a great time, than not to come back with complexes. Also, I don’t want sand getting in my laptop and I’m absolutely certain I won’t go a week without my G5. There are places in the world where a geek can go and have a good time, enjoy the company of like-minded people, and even have a decent conversation with a smart and attractive partner.

Amsterdam: If you haven’t been to Amsterdam, go there as soon as possible. The fact that almost everything is legal there isn’t what’s so great, it’s the fact that because it is, everyone is down to earth and open. Many of the coffee shops have high-speed internet access, and unlike Starbucks, people talk to other people, so there’s a good chance you’ll meet new and interesting people on your travels. Also, it rains a lot there, so no one expects you to have a Coppertone body.

Queensday is a great time to go to Amsterdam if you are looking for a festive party where you will have the chance to meet lots of fun loving people. The party begins on April 30 and does not end until the following night. Another good time to go is during the 3-week Holland Festival between May 29 and June 24. Prepare to be knee-deep in culture, visual arts, theater, and everything with an avant-garde twist.

Sweden: Yes, Sweden. Although you may not have heard much about Sweden, this small country is a geek’s paradise. The 2005 book “Flight of the Creative Class” states that “Sweden is the most creative country in Europe and is positioned to attract the best talent in the important and emerging creative class, defined as scientists, designers, writers, IT nerds and other working brains”.

Not only that, but a lot of great music comes out of Sweden: progressive music, punk, death metal and all kinds of emerging bands. There are even quite a few nude beaches in Sweden, and next door in Denmark, skinny-dipping is accepted almost everywhere.

Ireland: Just about every RPG geek, nerd, and obsessive has harbored some sort of affinity for Irish lore at one point or another. It’s not going to be the reincarnation of Middle-earth, but when you get there, you won’t be disappointed.

Definitely go there for the Dublin St. Patrick’s Day festivities if possible, which falls between March 15-19. When 1.5 million people are out on the streets partying to Celtic beats and drinking beer, it’s bound to be a good time. Then in June there’s the Dublin Writers’ Festival and soon after that the Dublin Pub Crawl, where you can tour Dublin’s central pubs with literary connections with a group of beer-drinking literary fanatics.

If you’re like me and you like vacations where you get to experience some culture, festivities, and actually get to meet some really cool people, check out these geek-friendly spots. Instead of paying online for your European hotels, go to a place like EuroBookings where you don’t actually pay first, but instead book the best price online; That way, if rates drop between now and your stay, you’ll have more money to spend on pints, coffee, and good food.