Because I used to work on a crisis line, I’ve heard a-lot
stories of how drugs crept up on people and took over their lives.
I once talked to a self-admitted drug dealer who had trafficked
in pot for years.
It was how this person made most of her living;
she even had a state issued medical marijuana card so that she
could always be in possession without getting busted.
One day a friend introduced her to the profits
that could be made from selling methamphetamine, so she started
dealing crank; doing a little herself on the side. A month later,
she was calling the crisis line looking for treatment. Crank was
destroying her faster than she had ever imagined possible.
On December 22, 2004, I was making my living in
the normal way that a lot of people do, working for the man. That
evening I had to drop my dog off at my brother-in-law’s
house before leaving town for a hard earned Christmas vacation.
He’s “retired” from a major software manufacturer,
which means he accepted a lay-off when they were doing a little
reorganization.
Tired of working for Corporate America he has
been trying his hand at self-employment for the past couple of
years. The night I dropped my dog off, he was excited about something
called AdSense, which I had never heard of.
He is not an excitable man, but he was excited
about having earned $6,000 off his website that month. I had built
one rinky-dink website in my life, and the idea of doing that
and sitting back to watch the money roll in excited me greatly.
On the way home, I called my wife and talked her ear off about
it.
Having worked extra hours to get everything ready
for my absence, and knowing that I would return to a backlog of
work, I had been looking forward to spending time with family
and friends and getting in a little skiing to boot. It took me
just under three-hours after touching down to sneak into my father’s
den and begin looking up information on AdSense.
Later my wife was flipping through a recent issue
of Discover Magazine and came across a short article on Google’s
ad program. In a move that fueled the fire and which I am sure
she is now sorry for, she excitedly showed me the article. Serendipity,
that’s what I called it.
I spent more time on the computer during our vacation
than I did with my family. When my wife and friends went skiing
I said I wanted to stay home and hang out with my dad. Of course,
I meant my dad’s computer.
On December 26, 2004, I knew how to make my fortune
and registered two domain names. We got home on January 3, 2005
in the morning, and that afternoon I was building web pages. Within
a week, I had built the first few pages of my first site.
Plagued by viruses, an old slow system, and a
lack of knowledge about how to do what I was trying to do I was
moving slower than a slug on a salt bed.
On January 6, I bought a new computer, installed
virus protection, and loaded on a firewall. The fact that I was
hiding the bills from my wife was a sure sign of addiction.
On January 14, my wife would be leaving for a
three-week business trip, and I relished the time I would soon
have alone to work. A few days before her departure, we had a
talk about the lack of time I was spending with her and I promised
to do better, but every time she would walk into my office I would
hit the monitor’s power button and pretend like I had been
reading.
The night before she left I stayed in my office
working till midnight, then got up at 5:00 so I could work some
more before having to leave for work. As I quickly hurried to
shower and dress for work, she wanted to know if “this”
was what I meant by spending more time together.
I protested that I had finally been able to get
my pages uploaded and they even had ads on them. She rolled her
eyes; I kissed her goodbye, apologized, and promised that I would
not neglect the house while she was gone.
For the past three weeks, I’ve been functioning
on 4-5 hours of sleep per night. I have bags under my eyes, friends
say I look haggard and like I am losing weight. The dishes are
stacked up, the carpet hasn’t been vacuumed in weeks, I
have no idea if our washer and dry work any longer, and I’ve
lost track of the piece of paper that says when my wife is arriving
at the airport.
Lately, I’ve been wondering if it’s
all worth it, if I should seek help, maybe find a 12-step program
for AdSense addicts before I lose my wife. Honestly, I was thinking
of quiting for good, but then I checked my AdSense earnings. I’ve
made $3.45. Hopefully my wife wont mind taking a taxi.
I just wanted to tell you that you have a first class professional site and fantastic introductory newsletter!
- Kevin Chase
I really DON'T think you understand how far and wide you have reached others on the internet. You have created a GREAT following for many reasons. You are one of the few people I regularly recommend others turn to.
- Kevin Wirth
After beginning to see the breadth of your intellect, I've promoted you to the very top of the list of my favorite ezines. There has not been an issue that I've seen that I haven't learned something, and usually several somethings. I appreciate your coutesy, your intellect and your charm.
- Lawrence Noder
There are not many people I have met in all my years that instill a confidence in acheivable success, such as you do. You truly have a gift to give to all those whom are striving to make a go of it in a harsh environment. You make my day whenever I turn to your printed wisdoms.
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I just wanted to tell you that you have a first class professional site and fantastic introductory newsletter! 
