Paul "Pablo" Croubalian Blog

Hi all, it's been a while since I've reported on the ups and downs of mid-life dating. This post is about a down... a big down.  · No, a Gargantuan Down. · No, a solid kick to the emotional nuts. · I'm getting ahead of myself.  · Let me set the stage. That could be a story in its ...

Hi, y'all. It's been a while. In fact, it's been so long, I forgot how to use the Producer platform.  · I'm sure it will come back to me.  · There hasn't been much to talk about on the dating front. I just sort of let it fizzle and die. ·  In fact, if it weren't for a lunch with ...

Many of you are curious about what happened between Coco and I. I'm somewhat surprised, frankly.  · I started this whole thing by being completely honest and blunt with the drama, melodrama, dark comedy, and, sometimes outright slapstick  comedy that is Mid-Life Dating from the M ...

Last Saturday was the day of "The Talk." You know, that's the talk that results from those words that freeze every man's blood solid, "We need to talk." · We men all know that "We need to talk," really means, "You had better listen to me talk!" · Coco initiated The Talk. · For th ...

This is the seventh post in the MisAdventures in Mid-Life Dating series. Some of you may be thinking, "No, Paul there have only been 5 so far. This is the sixth!" · It started with "On Love, Relationships, Loss, And Mind Hell." Then it moved on to "How to Build Your Own No-BS Zon ...

This post is partly a continuation of "MisAdventures in Mid-Life Dating, the Male View: The Ambush" and partly a response to Cyndi wilkins' comment on that same post. · It also marks the reappearance of Colleen -- "Call me Coco." · Okay, so the picture is of Cindy Crawford, not C ...

I think my re-entry into the dating world would make a good sitcom. Or maybe it would make a better slapstick comedy routine.  · Then again, sometimes it looks more like a Shakespearean tragedy except that there have been no deaths. · Yet. . . · The Ambush · Wendy has been a frie ...

I sort of hijacked Nicole Chardenet's "Adventures in Mid-Life Dating,"  series. You know what they say, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." I hope you feel flattered, Nicole, 'cause I don't mean to give offense. · Since I went public with my second divorce nearly every ...

This is the follow-up to "On Love, Relationships, Loss, And Mind Hell," that describes the idea Mo came up with about 20 years ago. That was way back, just after my first divorce. I loved Mo's idea so much I gave it a name and adopted it fully.  · Maybe I should stop here and add ...

I've been somewhat less prolific than usual lately. A second divorce will do that to a guy's muse.  · No, Phil Friedman for pointing Dave's post out to me. Dave's post inspired me to write this one.  · If you haven't read it, please do. · RANT MODE ON · I'm a "post-mortem" kind o ...

Consumers can contest charges made against their credit cards. That’s their primary recourse against fraud. When a cardholder contests a charge, the merchant is assumed to be guilty until he/she can prove the transaction was legitimate. · Yes, the burden of proof is on your shoul ...

They say, "Every cloud has a silver lining." That's obviously false. Cumulus clouds are the big white puffy ones that look like angels sleeping all cuddled up. They have no lining at all unless it's more angels cuddling.  · Still, the expression has merit. Take last Wednesday for ...

Obviously, I’m not talking about loving a tax audit here. There’s no way to love that. I’m talking about a whole different kind of audit, an audit that is painless yet can save you a bunch of money. · I’m talking about a payment processing audit. There’s an easy way to do it and ...

Most MBAs are Masters of Business Administration. Those MBAs are good. The other MBAs, the Major Bullshit Artists, are another story altogether. I’ve been lucky, I rarely bump into those. . . until now. · I recently started a new business unit attached to my consultancy for the r ...

Few things boil a business owner’s blood faster than credit card interchange rates. Even WalMart Canada got so pissed off that they stopped accepting VISA cards for a while. That Goliath vs. Goliath battle, plus a push by Diane Brisebois, CEO of The Retail Council of Canada led t ...

Someone once told me the most common element on Earth is iron (symbol: Fe). I don’t think so. I think the most common element is bullshit (symbol: BS) or is that a compound? I was never any good at Chemistry. · Math, however, is a whole different story. People say that numbers do ...

This article's title could just as easily have a question mark at the end. It will offer my thoughts and ideas on how the related issues of Notifications (or lack thereof) and LinkedIn Groups can be fixed. This isn't much of an issue here on beBee. The gang is pretty good at lett ...

Sign up for one year of Managed Account Services and get 3 months free! (limited time offer) · Managed Account Services · Some people would rather have their accounts managed by an expert. Many professional managers would like to outsource day-to-day management functions.  · Eith ...

As you may have heard, I will be publishing an eZine, "beBee's Best." The inaugural issue will be on January 15th, 2018. The idea is to publish the most popular articles as voted by the general beBee membership.  · That sounds nice but poses the question, "How do we define "popul ...

You know browsers. They're those thingies that let you surf the net. There's nuthin' to them. Right? I mean. . . you type in a link or even just click on one, and whammo. . . there it is! · "There's nuthin' to 'em," you may think. · You'd be wrong.  · You were right in the Dark A ...