In the last three months, I learned a lot about me, my life and the people and things that are part of it on a day to day basis.

My life and the life of SoundBroker.com are non separable. I love them both and do whatever I need to do to make both the best that they can be. I am honored that you are reading my words and even more honored when I think of the people that allow my staff and I the opportunity to assist them when buying or selling what it is that we buy and sell for them.

If there was only one thing (there isn't one there are many) that would stand out as the most important aspect of my life, it would be my integrity. Thus in turn my word. Without keeping my word, my life would be meaningless. It is because of that fact, I take the responsibility that I must safeguard the money that is in trusted to me and insure that the buyer gets what they paid for and the seller gets the agreed upon price paid to them in a timely manner.

Most of the gear my company SoundBroker.com sells is over $1,000 and sales can run as high as a few hundred thousand dollars. Or in other words, we are not talking about chump change, we are talking about real hard earned dollars. So it is with great pride and no hesitation that I can report, since the day I started SoundBroker.com in1997, that every seller has received their money in a timely manner. To take that statement one step further, when someone new asks me for references, my reply is for them to talk to anyone that they have respect for and ask them about their experience with SoundBroker.com. Odds are that if they are a player in this industry, they have had a positive experience with me.

So on January 25th this year, when I was physically brought to my knees in the most horrific attack of body pain I have ever experienced in my 61 years, thanks to two herniated disks in my lower back, I persevered and did everything in my power to maintain a sense of being, as well as my desire to rise above the pain and fulfill my obligations to SoundBroker.com , it's members and my staff.

The last three months have been extremely hard on my body and soul. I have learned many lessons and experienced the most trying time of my life. In and out doctor's offices, pain pills and the loss of my mobility, friends that turned out not to be friends, and the fear of the known and the unknown.

Throughout it all, I hung in there and now as the pain subsides and my life is returning back into my control, or at least back to the point of lack of pain on a moment to moment basis, I look back and realize that my focus on doing the right thing by my members never once wavered. No matter how great the pain, no matter how much all I wanted to do was go to bed and sleep it off, the fact remains, I toughed it out, focused, and accomplished my goal of providing the best customer service for my customers/members.

In closing, the number one reality that shone through this whole experience is a lesson that I learned ions ago, and that lesson of life is this: The only thing in life that we are in control of, is how we react to what happens to us. There was nothing that I could have done to avoid going through the pain and suffering, all I could do was react.

I am proud of myself for being proactive, positive and determined to get my health back while keeping my life's priorities in order.

Having a great time here in Rio de Janeiro. There is something very special about a city that my name is embedded into, makes me feel connected with rio de JANeiro. Also if you say it fast it sounds like dinero, and who doesn’t like the sound of money?

Yesterday, I took my motorcycle out for a long ride it was a lot of fun. Went to Barra Shopping in Barra Tijuca. I love it down here. Much better quantity of fun and friends. Never bored always have something to do as the beach is only a block from my apartment. Have tons of friends and all of them are either on vacation or retired, so for the most part, I always have someone, but usually a group of friends do do things with.

The other thing that I like is that here in Rio, I am living an urban life, where is in Vegas, I am living a suburban one. Here, when I want to go out and do something, I walk out of my door, into the elevator which actually adjoins my door (there are only 2 apartments per floor to share the elevator) and I am on the streets of Copacabana, which is a bustling city.

Next door to my building, is a 24/7 quality luncheonette and on the other is my gym. On my street alone there is 3 places to exchange money & travel agencies, A Havaianas Footwear, 5 restaurants (Japanese, French, Brazilian (2), and the luncheonette, a laundry, Betto’s tattoos, a tailor, a jewelry store and a lingerie store, and that is just what I can remember.

When I walk out of the door in Vegas, there are other houses. If I want to do anything, I have to drive to get there. Here I can walk, take a bus, taxi or subway to get where I want to go.

I look at it this way in Rio: Flip-flops and tank tops. Vegas: Shoes and shirts

But even with all of that going on there is even more that I like about being in Rio and that is the time difference between Las Vegas. I love the night. I have always been and always will be more of a night person than a day person. There is something about the night that brings out my creativity and imagination. And here is the best part, when it is winter in Vegas, there is a 6 hour time difference and when vegas goes into daylight savings time there is a 4 hour one. That means that no matter how late I go to sleep, I am going to be up in plenty of time to start my day when my office opens in Las Vegas at 7:30 am.

Oh by the way, did I mention that the US dollar buys you 1.75 of the Brazilian Reals?