James Jacobson

Angel in a Little Fur Coat – Fun Song

James Jacobson — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:30:00 +0000

This is a video of Helen Downs, one of our members, who wrote and performed this beautiful song about our dogs being "Angels in Little Fur Coats."

Watch the video-- it is precious. And you can drop Helen a note on IRememberlove.com. Her profile page is: http://www.irememberlove.com/profile/HelenDowns

Enjoy!

Valentine’s Day Goes to the Dogs

James Jacobson — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:30:00 +0000

Every Valentine's Day since 1992, I have celebrated my dog Maui (pictured above) with an abundance of gratitude.

That's the day that I brought her home with me when she was a tiny puppy, and that's the day I launched Do You Remember Love? years later, in 2007.
Maui passed away in the summer of 2008, and I dreaded Valentine's Day 2009. But the day ended up being wonderful. I was still missing Maui, of course.

But I was also so happy to have gotten over much of the pain of her loss; and to walk with a joyful new little Kanga on the same beach that Maui loved so much. The day ended up feeling more like a celebration than mourning.

The power of Maui's love protected me from too much grief on that day.

This year, as Valentine's Day 2010 rolls closer, I am so grateful to Maui for "keeping my heart open" - as my wife likes to say - for all of those years. And I'm grateful to her for inspiring my book, How to Meditate with Your Dog, and my little poem/movie Do You Remember Love? and for the creation of this website, which would not be possible without the love that our dogs show us every day.

Two years ago a member of this community (an intern for my publishing company) designed a t-shirt that says "my dog is my valentine!"

I asked her to make a mug version, and she kind of went to town with a book bag and a sweatshirt and a whole mess of other items. If you want to see her designs, you can go to www.DogValentine.com.

My Question for You...

Here's a question for you: would you send email valentine's to your friends' dogs? A couple of years ago I had a valentine system set up, and I was thinking I could set it up again - is it something you'd like to have? Let me know. I want to really celebrate Valentine's Day this year - because my dogs Kanga and Maui ARE my valentines!

Just reply to this post below.

Book Publishing Predictions for this Decade

James Jacobson — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 02:08:49 +0000

With the beginning of a new year, we also celebrate a new decade. And with that, many make prognostications.

I am a trend watcher and so when I came across Seth Godin’s predictions, I had to share them here on my blog.

Here is what he says about publishing this decade…

“This is the decade when book publishing will (finally) be transformed from a business that chops down trees and puts returnable books into bookstores… into one that finds ideas, funds the writers that need it, and uses their (authors’ and publishers’) leverage and skills to promote those ideas to people willing to pay for them, in whatever format is the most efficient way to get that transaction to occur.”

I can not think of a better way to frame the discussion of what a publisher is. Over the past several years, this has been the direction that my company, Maui Media, has been going.

Seth concludes his prediction with another more dire one for the publishing industry if it choses not to evolve…

“If that doesn’t happen, and the industry (led by reactionary old-school CEOs) persists in defining itself as being in the book business, it will be 15% the size it is today by the end of the decade. It’s our choice.”

I encourage you to check out Seth’s comments and a broader discussion of publishing predictions for this decade.

Reviewing Restaurants in Maui–The Tasty Details

James Jacobson — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:26:59 +0000

The latest edition of our Maui restaurant guide was released and we will tell all in a talk entitled Reviewing Restaurants in Maui--The Tasty Details.

I am delighted to report that the latest edition of our Maui restaurant review and dining guide, Top Maui Restaurants 2010 has been released.

This is a project that my wife, Molly Jacobson, and I have been researching, writing and editing since we met in 2005. It is a book that tens of thousands of people have turned to–and I am very pleased about that, because we work hard to put each subsequent edition together.

It takes nearly a year of research and writing and when we are in the thick of it, we are eating out an average of 11 times per week. That is a lot of food, a lot of extra calories…and a few extra inches around my waist.

However, when people find out that we publish this book, many say something like “Wow–that is the dream job!” After all, eating at all the best restaurants in a tropical vacation destination like Maui sounds amazing…right?

Well, yes and no. We do love it, it can be a lot of fun…but it is not all “caviar and champagne.”

I am working on a presentation entitled Reviewing Restaurants in Maui–The Tasty Details where Molly and I will reveal all. We will present it on January 27, 2010 at 7:30AM at the Kihei Rotary Club breakfast.

Here are the details:

Reviewing Restaurants in Maui–The Tasty Details…

It sounds like the dream job: eating at all the best Maui restaurants and writing about them for a guidebook.

However, when you have to eat at ALL the restaurants and dine out an average of 11 times a week, it can turn into a belly ache. The husband-and-wife team of James and Molly Jacobson have invested over $107,000 of their own funds researching Maui restaurants in order to publish their tell-it-like-it-is review guide “Top Maui Restaurants 2010 From Thrifty to Four Star.”

The publication started out as an online eBook in 2005 and has since evolved into a paperback reference trusted by tens of thousands of Maui visitors and residents each year. The 2010 edition of their book was just released and the Jacobsons will share what it is like to research, write and publish such a book…and they will share their top picks for Maui’s best restaurants in all price categories.

If you are a foodie on Maui, don’t miss this presentation.

Presentation sponsored by Kihei Rotary Club.
****** LOCATION: Five Palm’s Restaurant located in the Mana Kai Maui Resort 2960 South Kihei Rd Kihei, Maui, HI 96753
When: Wednesday, January 27 2010, 07:30 AM

Where: Five Palms Restaurant, Mana Kai Maui Resort, 2960 South Kihei Rd Kihei, Maui, HI 96753

Kanga and her Christmas Tree

James Jacobson — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 02:36:55 +0000

Christmas marks our one year anniversary of Kanga joining our little family, and I am so grateful for her joyful, silly, bouncy presence in our life.

Naturally timid, Kanga spent a lot of time underneath our Christmas tree when she first arrived. In fact, we took it down a few weeks later than we normally would, just because she loved it so much.

I wasn't sure if she would remember "her" tree ... but I think she does. When we put it up this past Sunday, Kanga stayed up on the couch, out of the way. She didn't seem that interested in the tree, at first. But over the last two days we have discovered her sniffing it.

Today Molly went upstairs and found her playing with her rubber chicken, under the tree! She caught her on film just after she stopped squeaking, and before the kids started making noise in the yard next door.

Find more videos like this on I Remember Love
I'm so grateful for my dog this Christmas. Molly and I can't think of a better Christmas present than having her safe, happy, and healthy. Well, she could sit a little sooner when we tell her to.

does your dog love Halloween?

James Jacobson — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:30:00 +0000

Does your dog love Halloween?

This is Kanga's first spooky holiday, which makes me wonder whether she'll like it or not.

Kanga definitely loves kids. When we're on the beach, she gets very excited whenever there's a small child nearby. She looks up at us like "can I go over?" And if the kid invites her to play, she always accepts the invitation with lots of wiggles and running.

I live in a neighborhood with lots of children. There is not much traffic, so on Halloween our sleepy neighborhood becomes a "destination" for parents from other neighborhoods. They drive over, park, and walk around with their kids to collect candy. So we could easily get 100 kids on Halloween evening.

I think Kanga will like sitting outside our house with us and greeting the kids in their costumes.

But the big question at our house is: Does Kanga wear a costume??

I'm not big on dressing our dog up. Kanga is so good natured that I'm sure she'd go along with whatever we wanted, but I don't want her miserable.

I was looking online for some inspiration, and came across this video. It made me think maybe I should skip a costume for Kanga. Don't the dogs in this video look upset with their dad?

I think I might go with the "minimalist" dog costume, like these pet store owners recommend.

Minimalist costumes for dogs for halloween

We have a little bandana that our groomer gave Kanga the last time she got a haircut. Maybe this "chic" outfit is all she needs. It's in the picture up above.

Do you dress your dog up for Halloween? What do you say?

A dog’s Unending Loyalty

James Jacobson — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:53:51 +0000

Watch this and feel the emotions....

It reminds me of how wonderful and life-affirming our dogs are:

Post your comments below. I would love to hear your thoughts of this video.

dogs vs. kids???

James Jacobson — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:42:32 +0000

I got an email this morning and just had to pass it along to you.

Life Really Boils Down to Two Questions

Should I get a dog?

Or should I have Kids?

I love it!

Share this blogpost with anyone you think needs a smile or a laugh.

Warm Aloha,
James

How big is little?

James Jacobson — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:30:00 +0000

This video shows just how Big and brave even the tiniest dogs can be. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I feel sorry for the mountain lion, and glad that the dogs and the family are safe.

prayers for pups who need them

James Jacobson — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:45:09 +0000

When I first built this community website, www.IRememberLove.com, I didn't really know what to expect. So many people are reluctant to "join" a community online because of privacy issues.
Now, though, with almost no direct effort on my part, there are thousands of people using the site. Thousands more visit each day.

One of my favorite features is the forum Prayers for Pups.

There are 326 people who have joined this group so far, and the main page of the group has tons of requests for prayers (and responses).

When I posted a request for Maui last year in that group, the response was unbelievable. I hope that others who post there get as much comfort and support as I did.

Just about once a week I check it and add the dogs there to my prayer list. Whatever your thoughts or beliefs about prayer, it has been scientifically proven to help.

So please check out the forum now and send a little prayer or good thoughts for the doggies:

http://www.irememberlove.com/group/prayersformypup

If you have thought of joining but hesitate to share your information, make sure that you read this:

http://www.irememberlove.com/page/privacy-policy

Thank you for being part of the community, whether you officially join or just read what's here. There is something special about this little piece of the internet, where we can be really honest and open and helpful to each other about our best friends.

http://www.irememberlove.com/group/prayersformypup

May all dogs be safe, happy, and comfortable.

Aloha,
James