Road trips remind me of safaris, those daring expeditions into dark jungles where danger lurks behind every tree and under every rock. When I hit the road, I pack every possible contingency, whether it be a road kit, a spare battery for my cellphone or even a baggie of toothpicks (my mother warned me never to use the germ-infested toothpicks in highway diners).
>
An insurance policy is like a home gym. Both seem like a good idea at the beginning, but in time they become relics, and when you need them, you can’t remember where they are. However, while life without a treadmill means finding another place to hang your clothes, the absence of a policy could be more disastrous than an audit by Sheila Fraser.
>
Marty’s packages have a tendency to get lost at sea – or stuck in Winnipeg >
My Web site manager is a serial abuser of the English language. She refuses to write proper sentences, relying instead on abbreviations. She’s a full-fledged computer geek.
>
Inspector Chan and the case of the deceptive graffiti
I’m a binge organizer. For months my office will look like the junkyard from Sanford and Son , then one day the big one will hit and I’ll clean like there’s no tomorrow. I’ll clear my in-basket, sort files and order paper clips to replace the twist ties that bind my documents. >
Marty offers an inspirational case study on how to market to youth >
Rather than write my regular column , I decided to show you the unpublished epilogue to Charles Dickenss A Christmas Carol, where infamous entrepreneur Ebenezer Scrooge writes the first Christmas business letter. Enjoy.
>
I used to think that philanthropy had something to do with palm reading, because it always seemed to involve someone holding out their hand. Don’t get me wrong – I’m very generous. When I get calls from charities, I give until it hurts. It’s not my fault that I have a low threshold for pain.
>
Whenever I visit the bank, I’m reminded of the opening scene in The Godfather, when the honest undertaker had to pledge allegiance to the cotton-mouthed mobster, Don Corleone, to gain a favour. >
Follow Alberta Venture On: