(Practical life issues, Personal observations, insights & touchy-feely) |
If a relationship is deep and authentic then many of the normal conditions and expectations that are considered normal or at the very least typical in a relationship become less important. 2/11/09 Not go crazy working for extra cash. Not thinking that extra money is the ultimate answer. Expecting confidence to come from absolutely anywhere but yourself. Expecting that any external change will make any difference in the long run. Expecting that any particular type of women will make any substantial difference in the long run and that they all don't come w/ some powerful downside. Expecting that any way of life will bring you lasting joy without god by itself. Realize that great energy comes from abiding, trusting and obeying and someone to love. Don't delay your life during periods of major change. There will always be periods of change. Don't worry about situations that are in process if you’ve already y done what you can. Sometimes projects have to unravel at their own price. Take time to think if you have to. 12/31/08 What frustrates you and causes you grief: Low wages Hardships Lonliness especiall a lack of understanding from non christians. Immaturity and personal paradox's. Expectations and disappointments of life. Problems with your new paradigm. You are responsible for: Self development Spiritual committment Physical health Social and family involvement and disabilities. 11/5/08 I had an interesting talk about international politics with Dennis this evening that brought to light some things that I have never thought of. To help me understand things like the Iraq war, foreign relations with the leaders of Iran and S. Korea he made the comparison to a bully in a say, a forth grade class. Preconditions to a meeting must be met otherwise you give perpetrator undue power and position by agreeing to meet with him. In school, if you’re the leader in the orderly class down the hall you may require the bully in the class down the hall too stop beating up his classmates before your meeting with him. The same situation applies to countries across the world dealing with each other. In other discussion we came to the conclusion that eighty percent of the people are, in no uncertain terms, lazy; They want the other twenty percent to carry them. They make unwise decisions in there life then want the rest of us to bail them out. In regard to the Iraq war- The excuse of WMD was nothing more than a reason to gain a foothold in the Middle East thereby keeping a power balance in the world. This reason was used because the powers that be felt the masses were generally too naive to understand the true reasons of the invasion. 4/24/08 I believe that predestination is real in the since that we are made not only to do a certain thing but also to be a certain way. 4/18/08 There are many different ways to learn a language. If one program doesn't work or is to difficult try other methods. You might be surprised how easy it can become once it matches your learning style. 3/17/08 With the price of energy up in general and the price of gas up in particular, it occurred to me that new businesses may form to accommodate the changes in consumer behavior, assuming of course that no alternate energy sources or newly designed automobiles come into existence. What about a carpooling service and/or database? Would people be willing to carpool more, if so would they be willing to use a service that would hook them up with others wishing to do the same thing? Would mom and pop discount food stores be more in demand, considering that big box discount retailers may be to far away for many people to drive too? Occurred 1/10/08 What makes May December Love so risky? Well here are 3 factors that I came up with: 1. You don't have the heartfelt history to share with them. 2. You don't have the same knowledge base. One person having lived quite longer with an accumulation of wisdom while the other has experienced a different reality based on current environmental conditions they grew up with. 3. You don't have similar current life struggles (Conditions that you are currently experiencing.) Add this to all of the other factors that make a relationship challenging and you could have a recipe for failure. 1/2/08 Looking to find a Russian Bride- read on. Take it from me; it can be a real Cliffhanger. Make sure you know who your talking to. If there's any suspicion at all you should probably back off - like hard luck stories, requesting money for travel etc. There is no shortage of scammers in this medium, but there are real people as well. I met a gentleman, I'll call him Dan, and he has since taken 3 trips to the Ukraine to meet women he met over the net. These are some things I learned about the area from my interview with him: After an interview with Dan, I have discovered there are some things to think about seriously before taking on such a feat. He began by telling me that there are 3 types of visa's one can use. First there is the work visa; this can be used once a prospective traveler lines up a job in America with one of our corporate behemoths. The second is a school visa, one can get this visa when planning to attend an American institution to begin or finish a course of study, finally there is the fiancée visa and we all know what that is. Most of these visas enable the holder to stay at least 3 months after which they would need to return. When asked what the security was like over there his response was, “If I was in the street in Mexico City or in Yalta and made to hold a sign that said "I am a foreigner with lots of cash" I would feel much safer in Yalta than in Mexico". You must keep away from certain establishments that are run by the Russian mafia, you will figure it out pretty quick just by the attitudes and people you encounter. Even with a police department many of these criminals are professionals at covering their tracks, there's no investigation or forensic science to speak of --killers can easily get away with murder if they have any savvy at all, besides, many areas have no police protection at all. If you're stopped in traffic, which may happen for no apparent reason, be sure to have some cash in hand to bribe the cop. Keep a stiff upper lip when traveling around, it's not polite to smile at strangers and you will be identified as a foreigner very quickly. You might hear about the infamous internet café. This is a place where Russian citizens can access internet services and subsequently communicate with anyone around the world. Some of these cafes are legit but others attempt to milk money from their clientele. If your honey asks you for money; she may be under their influence or she may be corrupt herself. What's it like taking a road trip around the Ukraine? "It's a real eclectic environment; you'll see old abandoned buildings similar to the rundown areas of any major American city amidst modern structures. Some stores resemble our modern supermarkets while many are akin to discount dollar stores. Medical care is dubious at best, if you have money you can often expect reasonable care - otherwise watch out, it'll make your last HMO visit will seem stellar, you may even get the wrong medications prescribed, their medical training doesn't resemble- in any way- that of their American counterparts. How much does it cost? Well this is where it gets tricky; the average plane fare is around 1300 to 1500 dollars, including layovers and delays the average trip to the Ukraine takes about 60 hours. Figure that your cash will go about five times as far as it does in the states. There could also be court fees; the Russian government is not always compliant when it comes to visas. They may not want her to go, especially if it's permanent. If you want to mail her anything keep in mind that technology of any sort will be confiscated at customs. Innocuous items such as shirts, sweaters personals are usually left alone. The mail is undependable; she may not get what you send her. There is usually only 1 phone per apartment building so doesn’t expect her to be calling every day. If you want to talk to her there are mobile phones that you can get to her. I'll go into this in more detail later. The average salary in the Ukraine is about 300 dollars a month. Most of the necessities are priced accordingly but high tech devices as well as cars and other luxuries are priced as they are in the states, many items we take for granted are unobtainable in the UK. The décor of a typical apartment resembles that of our 50's era, as does the furniture. The autos are very small and boxlike. Residents often have to park their vehicle at secure locations such as local garages to keep them from being stolen -forcing them to walk twenty minutes or more to their apartment. Your communication will be sketchy at best, if she's using all capital letters that may be good sign. Her intelligence won't shine through because of the language barrier. She may not respond to your questions in an appropriate manner because she simply doesn't know how or is too timid with her English. Although you'll find the typical Russian girl to be loyal remember that they are people just like us, if you're working with a young bride, under 25, you may find her to be irresponsible, flighty or unprincipled. It is best to keep the age difference between you and her under 15 years. Exchange your American currency at their local bank, remember only to exchange what you need, if you find yourself with foreign currency when you arrive back it can take months and be very expensive to change it back, even at Wells Fargo. You can purchase airline tickets here and have her show up at a given airport, however there is nothing to stop her from using the ticket for another destination-- but she won't be able to cash it in. In some locations you will have to FEDX the ticket to her first. Either way you must have her legal name on the passport and unless she has a green card you will be limited to round trip tickets. Some additional things that I've found interesting about there lifestyle. They don't have the latest books written but they do have a wide variety of recent movies. That is because the translation costs are very high for books but low for movies. So keep your conversation off of literature if at all possible. In the end it's a risk, like any other risk- who knows it could be a picture perfect ending. 11/7/07 The Trojan horse, a virus that has been around for years for the Microsoft set has now reared its ugly tentacles to the apple OS. Mostly prevalent on porno sites the virus masquerades as a legitimate add-on to view porno flicks. A form of malaria. Once on the computer it infects the Domain naming server and gives the hackers the ability to alter the domain name, once done it can work in correspondence with other domain servers and act as a host computer. The strategy allows the hackers to enter in the "back door" so to speak and collect personal information from the users PC such as credit card and banking information. A typical user can protect herself from this virus by simply avoiding porn sites or at least not downloading any add-on software from a porn site. Watch out for this, it can cost you money and headaches. 09/17/07 Being picked as the fall guy in a particular situation can result either from your position in the group OR your disposition (the way you handle yourself and/or allow yourself to be regarded in the group). One must be aware and be careful to control your appearance to the group or you may become a target when things get tough-possibly putting you first on the layoff list. 07/09/07 Use this arsenal of tools when you need to feel a certain way. When you need to feel sensitive- Think of young children When you need to be accepting- Think of Gods forgiveness When you need to be angry- Think of situations at work When you need to neutralize lust- Think of How you would feel after. When you need to feel worthy- Think of being & obeying not past accomplishments. 07/08/07 The liberals want to keep the school system and the immigration laws as they are to keep their money machine working. The Republicans want to keep the drug, oil and military industries as they are to keep their money machine working. Both are equally short sighted. 07/08/07 After a long talk with a friend from the conservative camp I've discovered some interesting insights into life. It is interesting that at the heart of the most despicable corrupt politician resides a childlike idealism. I find the irony of this fascinating. Is this Idealism of the healthy type or is it narcissism--This remains unanswered. It occurred to me that it takes that type of person to go into leadership. Most of us wouldn't touch say, the office of the president, with a ten foot pole, excuse the cliché. Many powerful executives have responded as such when asked to run. Isn't it also interesting that much energy can be drawn from such a dichotomy. Similar to how opposites attract in mating. Both will gain from such a union so long as both parties can temper their position, bend a little bit and learn from the other. This also leads us to be more tolerant of the many types of people we meet knowing secretly that there is a place for them in the scheme of things. Much work and effort goes into such a bonding. There will be rules to follow. One must never attack ones partner directly, one must implicitly trust ones partner and both must be relatively intelligent. No pain - No gain. I guess I'm just full of Clichés today. 05/27/07 You don't have to make any statements with your actions at work, nor do you have to put people in their place, embarrass them or show them up, but you do have to protect your dignity on a one on one basis targeting the problem behavior. When you do speak up do it respectfully, preserving their honor as well as yours. Don't ever attack unless attacked first and give a response appropriate for the displayed behavior For the most part you should just do your work and feed your social, spiritual and physical needs elsewhere. You have to trust the person on your left and on your right. If you do it makes your life a whole lot easier. (Army VET) 12/17/06 Arts and Drama (Thoughts on the Wizard of Oz) 1st paragraph----- Yesterday evening I saw the Wizard of Oz for the n-tenth time. More than just children's entertainment, it's a lesson in life. The 4 main characters in the movie, Dorothy (without contentment), representing the part of us that is restless, unfulfilled, disillusioned with life and the status quo- who abandons her own in search of something better outside of herself rather than looking inward - the lion (without courage), Representing the smart-capable or even gifted part of us that may forever lie dormant due to a lack of conviction and steadfastness and of course----courage. The scarecrow (without a brain) representing the ignorant part of us, lack of knowledge causes us to fear life and --out of insecurity--instill fear in others. The tin man (without a heart), representing the stoical part of us, lacking flexibility, love and passion although this person may be successful their life is very shallow even, 'frozen' with little hope or anticipation toward the future, kind of like a living death. Funny, didn't they find the tin man rusted out, they had to 'oil' him to get him to come back to life? Well-more on that later. 01/19/07 2d paragraph--- Lets not forget the wizard, the wizard represents the Charlatans of the world, the people who claim to have all the answers, all the knowledge, all the power and of course all the right connections. These people attempt to dazzle us with their antics and form in us a miss-guided respect-even awe-born out of our insecurities. In reality these people are quite ordinary; they simply know how to play on the fears, apprehensions and longings of the weakest of us. Using these insecurities to give them power and control. In the end -- if revealed -- they may only drive us to believe in ourselves and our god given capabilities. After all, in the end the wizard could only hope to grant the threesome something of which they already possessed. The wicked witch of the west. Represents the evil in the world. Intent on creating chaos, pain and suffering by keeping us bathed in fear --luring us to follow are lowest passions and prejudices, wallow in our ignorance, and pursue our worst vices. The good witch of the north. Represents God. 3ed paragraph--- Lets talk about the inanimate characters in the film. First of all there is the tree. Now this tree represents the stubborn and selfish among us. Unwilling to give up their fruit (Gifts) to help others, these people open themselves up to manipulation and aggression-- even attack. Dorothy’s clan was hungry, unable to get close enough to get the fruit so they angered the tree to get it to throw it at them... After all lets face it -Gods Gifts are given to people in part --to be given away... The oil can. This simple object represents the benefits of friendship and association. By working thru the caring hands of others, the oil enables the tin man to continue on in his adventure overcoming his tendency to freeze up by becoming immobile -dispassionate and cynical. The great storm. Orcharastrated by the witch in an attempt to kill the threesome represents the natural misfortune often befalling the best of us. Illness, disease disaster, ruin etc. As friends we can only pray for each other in such circumstances when are own power is insufficient. Similar to what Dorothy’s compatriots did. The Yellow Brick Road. Represents the road of life we take. As we travel it we meet others, some good, some bad, but either way-- it all comes to us by design. In the end, many of us often come back and appreciate what we had at an earlier time. The slippers. Given to Dorothy by the good witch of the north, even the wicked witch of the west couldn't remove them. These slippers represent our god given talents, capabilities and understanding. Dorothy had the means to attain her wishes using these slippers at the end of her journey. But she stood in her own way do to her ignorance and foolishness. She simply didn't know how to use them. The witch’s castle. Represents the complicated web of manipulation, lies and craftiness that lurks within the evil heart. In trying to escape the castle they became so confused they ended up trapping themselves on the top wall. Similar to how we trap ourselves in our own sin. Water. The most abundant substance in the world --represents love. What ultimately killed the witch and changed the hearts of her followers as well. It's easily available - It can even be drawn out of the evil heart (in this case the witches castle), but unfortunately its power and use is ignored and misunderstood by most. The flying monkeys. The freakish perverse nature of sin. 8/26/08 I have found that if you are not following the laws of God and nature such as discipline, discernment, diligence and a host of others then any amount of money will amount to nothing -but if you are living proper then even the smallest amount will grow and continue to meet your needs. 10/12/08 The last few weeks of vacation have left me longing for company with a lack of interest in travel or sport other than swimming. On a positive note Maria has followed thru every time I’ve touched base with her. On one occasion it took her a few days to respond to a text message. Naomi responded the first time but has since failed to respond to me. I signed up for a 6 week class in rededicating my faith at Calvary Chapel in Pleasant Valley on the west side of Colorado Springs. I attended the first class yesterday evening; the pastor enlightened me to Ted Haggard’s fall and gave me a totally new perspective on it. In his words he reminded me that our God is a jealous god, it was necessary to remove him from the position due to the arrogance that may have been in his heart. It wasn’t, as I thought, simply the result of a self preserving corporate response on the part of New Life leadership. I discovered that my own bad feelings on the matter were the result of a misguided Idolatrous respect for the man. Fortunately I have come to realize this. It’s not every day that I come away with a new perspective, but the lord saw to it. I began the day writing up my analysis on the affects on National Government on city management. I studied some Spanish and did some writing. I am still struggling with Spanish, I feel like I am spinning my wheels with little progress --Very similar to the learning curve I experienced with art, Golf and swimming. I decided to go through the Spanish book making up sentences as I go along, sounding them out and adding to them. I am going through a very lonely period right now. I don’t know why but there is a reason, there is always a reason. I recently ended a potential relationship – we just ran out of gas I guess. It’s just a matter of time, before things come to light. I had a small falling out with Dave Wilson, I’ve received no calls from him after he became angered while talking about the Presidential election candidates. I suspect it was the result of my decision not to travel to Texas, but that was based on my short tenor with Service Master Clean, I didn’t think it was wise to take time off at this time. Dennis wants me to help him sell some items on E-bay. It is best to go over Gods word with those closest to you, help them with their personal struggles and enjoy common activities as well as competing activities. Don’t agitate your relationship by trying to get them riled up or engaging them in one-upmanship. It is amazing to me how I have gone through so many people throughout the years – separating with them for a myriad of reasons including but not limited to sickness, geography, different ideologies and opinions, marriage and sometimes even growth or lack of it. The main thing is to base your new relationships on the right things, similar grievances or frustrations, shared shortcomings or vices are not good reasons. Shared visions, values or spiritual convictions are good reasons. It is often best to have complimenting personality qualities as well as similar ones. Somebody too similar will be boring and unfruitful, if somebody is too different it will breed many disagreements, misunderstandings and conflicts. It’s often not what is said but the perspective and the unique delivery of the person saying it that makes the work original and interesting. It certainly is true that most women don’t care for each other that much. I’ve noticed this time and time again at work. I guess that all that’s left to do now is pray for a conviction and a vision. It’s obvious that what I’ve been doing is not working; If not due to lack of knowledge or task then at least due to lack of discipline and steadfastness. Yes indeed, once again I’m in that spot I guess as long as we live we –well, let’s not go into that now. A possible basis for a relationship. Values, common vision, spirituality, interests, Complimentary talents. Possible reasons to pair. Leave a legacy, sex, status and societal position, Power base. Remember that love is not always enough. What Professional writers write about. Travel Experimentation Surveys Watch New Movies Go to newly opened restaurants Interview politicians Go to major sporting events Be part of a disaster Collate and distill large volumes of information. Log and interpret historical events and facts. Interview experts Work in a specialized field Track a new invention. Rate a new product, employee or legal stipulation. Understand and reveal corrupt practices Understand and reveal criminal activity Reveal an innovative way of doing something. Explain scientific social, political, legal, financial breakthroughs. Current disasters What should you do for a living. Do you have a good memory ---Doctor or Lawyer Are you muscular --- Prison Guard Are you a power monger -- CEO Are you good looking? ---Sales or modeling Are you a good speaker ---- Manager, Lawyer, Politician or minister Creative ---Artist, designer, movie director Do you love people and spirituality ---Retail sales, Counselor, Teacher Wealthy--- Business owner. Hidden Skills Cuts made in fine woodworking Delicate work in surgery and tooth repair Sales techniques Minimal technical advances in a particular field. What you have What you get What you expect High Pay Fatigue and Stress Vacations homes car Trophy Wife Disillusionment companionship Many Friends Abandonment loneliness Lots of company Hard Work Drudgery and emptiness Joy and respect High Political Off No privacy to change the world CEO position Public Attacks Respect wealth Children shunned anger jealocy A legacy Wealth Charlatans and kidnappers Respect opportunity Expensive things jealousy happiness Attracted to you Deception fulfillment What can you do with knowledge Build something Persuade someone Show someone Teach someone What can you do and what should you just give up on. Making Furniture Remodeling homes Working at a print shop Going to a dance club Skiing compitation Going on a mission Giving bible studies Working on old cars Playing video games Riding motorcycles Volley ball Giving art lessons Teaching at private college Fishing camping Home owner association Playing music in a city band Working out Collecting coins Shoe horses Hunt Upper level corporate management rock polishing model airplane work professional pilot physics professor electrical engineer mechanical engineer collect old cars auto mechanic professional gambler tennis player volleyball player minister woodworker carpenter iron worker sculpturer singer bowler Coach a sports team Teach private lessons in art or other sport. Attend a public speaking group political office of any sort Collect stamps Collect cars Collect Coins Collect Rocks Collect Jewelry Collect Guns Collect Toys What People like to know about for entertainment, Practical, curiosity, stattus and power. Names of head of state Latest automobiles. Exotic foods. Names of Places to tour Names of Golf Courses Fine clothing stores. Legal Fine wines Yahts Sports and olympic winners' Famous gossip .Diet secrets Beauty secrets Longivity secrets Spiritual insight. Wisdom. Medical [herbs, new developments, general health] Up and coming companies, industries and trends [Virus knowledge, Software development knowledge, investment knowledge] Art History [Ebay knowledge, art, photoimpact][ What is the fruitless point any hoot. Poker players with unequal means at the table. Corrupt politicians who get reelected by doing favors for the rich. Lawyers who command high salaries based on the wealth of their clients Managers who screw everyone over then simply move on. Workers who make high pay due to adverse working conditions. Writers who have money to travel and write informative books. House flippers and traders who have large cash base to weather losses. Doctors who make most of their money treating dieing people with little hope. Community leaders and politicians who vote themselves high salaries. Children born with a gold spoon Legal stipulations (hair splitting) that hide the truth and do not bring justice. Minorities who end up with unfair advantage. Pharmaceutical companies who rake large profits pushing their goods over relational therapy. Doctors who make someone a patient If your talking to far above someones head they will not appreciate your your capabilities or your relative intellegence. In the beginning The other person must make the 2ed move ---. You take yours, the person must then take it to the next step. The continuum must not be broken at any link. If it is you can only bale out and hope for the best. I know that many people feel that they would not have any friends, or very few friends and end up alone if they don’t go along with the common thinking of the world. I know that it’s not blasphemy to fall as long as you don’t deliberately plan on sinning for future occasions. In such cases you will be forgiven. I know that what really annoys you about people who don’t otherwise say anything directly derogatory to you is their attitude, their ambiance, past actions, attitudes and innuendo’s topped off with an arrogant spirit you so easily pick up on. There has been mostly fantasy in your meditations on marriage, relationships and family. Unfortunately with the decadent, wretched and deprived spirit of our culture you don’t have much hope for a relationship with an American girl. Simpleton’s that you work with. Menial. Are you done working your thousand hours of hard labor. I know that non-professional women highly resent being in the workforce to supplement their husbands income. In this post women’s movement era most women have been made confused by the work vs. home dilemma. No need to give advise to anyone when it is not asked for. You rob them of their need to experience the world naturally via their own intelligence. Falling short of your spiritual and/or Godly convictions is O.K. as long as you don't deliberately plan such activities in the future, but instead actively pursue righteous living. 10/03/09 It's not what you do, or who your with, but rather what you are. 07/18/07 shopping for a car After weeks searching on the internet and weighing in my attitude toward big trucks and fancy sport utilities I decided to go on a few test drives. My experience with the sales people was as diverse as the cars they were selling. To begin my research I started with Mazda then went on to Kea, Dodge and Toyota. I brought my downloads from such sites as Yahooautos.com, Vehix.com and carmax.com to see their reaction. This would bring the dross -the cocky and pushy types who needed an immediate sale to my attention --Right off the bat I knew whether or not I wanted to continue working with them. I decided to look at New Cars based on all the promotions and discounts the dealers were giving and the increased mileage the manufactures were building into the latest models..........contd. 07/19/07 The first dealer I visited was Mazda for the Mazda3. The test drive took about 40min. and went about 20 miles. The vehicle did very well with acceleration, cornering, breaking, and lane changing; this car would come to a quick complete stop without the forward end pitching down. The inside was a little tight but its 5 speed had very smooth shifting. Full radio controls on the steering wheel with satellite capability. The back seats folded down to increase trunk storage and the glove box had enough extended space to fit a shoebox in. Next I visited the Dodge dealer to take a test ride in the Caliber. Though not approaching the PT cruiser's appearance it had a hint of post WW2 built into its frame--. This was also a manual shift but had nowhere near the smoothness of the Mazda3. More than once I found myself stalling it when going into first. To be fair-It had more seating and storage capacity than the other cars I drove. I would rate the cars acceleration as fair. I did not test any of its maneuvering capabilities since the car is not really made for that -It being a family car and all. Coned: 7-23-07 I have to say that Kia is crawling up Toyota's rear with the Spectra, this car was very comparable to the Toyota Camry in its ride, and with the 100k mile warranty they were determined to prove it's mechanical integrity as well... The ride was very nice, smooth and quiet. The shifting was easy and the acceleration was very good, at least for getting on and off busy highways. Lots of room and storage space, at least by my standards. Coned: 7-25-07 03/03/07 Debt Problems (Updated 03/09/07) There is more than one way to consolidate and/or reduce debt. One can use a consolidation company such as Credit Guard or a debt reduction company such as Debt Solutions. The former negotiates a lower interest rate with your creditors and acts as trustee by collecting one monthly payment (automatically deducted from your checking account) and distributing it to all of your creditors. The benefit here is a reduced interest rate and (other than a notation on your credit report) a stable credit standing -but you must pay back the entire original debt. The latter negotiates your debt down to 1/3 of the original and sets up bank deductions for its fees for 24 months which is usually 1/2 the amount your required to save on the repayment plan. Your expected to save and deposit the remainder so the company can deduct your account at pre-determined intervals to pay off your debtors in full (one at a time) as the monies accumulate. The credit effects are very negative because even though your making monthly payments at the get go the creditors are not receiving money for over 6 months before the negotiations begin - leaving your credit score in the trash. This is done to give the company leverage in negotiation down your debt. Another alternative is bankruptcy, there are two types: Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. For the average person. Chapter 7 can release all of your debt while Chapter 13 restructures your debt. The downside to these plans is having a mark on your credit for at least 7 years that will hinder your ability to make major purchases or investments on credit and possibly even on future employment. 02/01/07 (Selling a Home) Just a few years ago I wrote about buying a house, what to look for, how to finance it, what to watch out for etc. Well --selling a house is no small task either. After some research I discovered that selling your house without a realtor wouldn't be as cheap as I thought. The real-estate lawyer asked me to fill out a disclosure statement -- you know- one of those documents that reveal everything wrong with the house. He said he would simply charge for writing up the final documents. He would give me a lock box with a code, coordinate the paperwork, list it on the MLS and even take out the garbage - just kidding about that one. Only one problem- should the buyer be represented by a realtor then I would be obligated to offer her/him a commission of at least 3%. With continued investigation I discovered that there were realtors out there that would charge only 4%. Paying one percent for the advantages of not having to take any calls or perform any showings seemed like a good deal to me. Besides, who knows what kind of scam artists might be out there waiting for some unsuspecting soul. Let's face it-- there are a lot of laws out there governing the buying and selling of real-estate. This wasn't the best of markets either... Home sales were down over 30%, the economy was becoming a bit frigid and I happened to own one of those older homes, you know --The Money Pit syndrome. In addition I had neglected some general maintenance over the past few years. New homes were being built by the dozen and builders were giving all sorts of incentives to new buyers. The only thing my house had going was the ambiance of an old neighborhood---the landscaping, the proven infrastructure etc. Located in the north-central area- the house was close to all the amenities of a large community. So I found myself a realtor. It took a bit though. At first I was suspicious. I mean - really- would a discount Realtor go the extra mile or were they secretly interested in only larger homes, you know those with values well above the average. I intended to find out and, as it goes, ended up hiring one. What a headache listing your home. I mean- were talking daily cleaning, keeping the cat box fresh, eating your dinners out, listening daily to whats wrong or what could be done to improve the showing and leaving the house every time someone came looking. Let me tell you, its no picnic. On top of that be prepared to spend a little bit of money keeping things up - after all. You don't want your Realtor's attention on some hot deal down the block. 72 days into it and about 30 showings later I received the fist offer 140K ---- you've got to be kidding I thought, the list was 190K. So I played along with it. I simply countered with 190K, the original list price, here we go again. All right --all right 150K they countered ----- I thought--Forget it, stop ______ with me, I told the realtor that I was only Interested in serious buyers. 186K, final price---- takes it or leaves it. I hung up the phone. 1 hour later I get the call. They took it. 12/16/09 Group Socialization techniques Light Humor PickUp artist techniques Talking about common friends or Acquaintances Card Tricks Bragging Putting down your compitators Correcting or negating the people around you Current vents Talk about relationships As one ages one: Less sexual drive Less social involvement needed Less sleep needed Less exploration needed Less wasted time since you know what makes you happy Less showing off Just as great public speakers are terriable at one on one so are you good at loving many but terriable at few or the one. It will often be work and at times war will break out but you absolutely must love the essence of what you are involved in. From time to time you will need to learn a love and appreciation of certain people, groups and tasks. In order to retire rich you must, at a minimium Live 20% under your means for the majority of your life. Hope you don't have setbacks such as illness, business failures, long term unemployment or underemployment etc. For the most part have uninterupted employment for a minimium of 40 years. These are Areas of modern life that have gone woefully awry. The younger generation’s lack of social skills due to technology. The problems with societal roles due to the breakdown of the modern family.. The increasing costs of public utilities. The increasing burden of government taxes. The lack of moral, ethical basis of behavior. The very short term nature of modern business philosophy. The immaturity of our younger generation due to prosperity and lack of parenting. The increasing costs of health care. The increasing role of government in every aspect of life. The outsourcing of business and middle class jobs. The destruction of mom and pop businesses due to taxation. The escalating hatred of the U.S. from abroad. 09/03/10 How to cut costs: Combine automobile trips Bring your lunch Drink company coffee Use powdered drinks Shop at clothing thrift stores Buy only what you need to serve your main gifts Passions and loved ones Stock up at discount supermarket Get full use out of shoes tires clothing. Use what you allready own instead of buying repackaged stuff Track daily expenditures Keep on top of communication costs Keep your house insulated and use energy wisely Keep healthy Get a bread machine Keep a new or tuned up car. Use cash Movie themes: Hoffa organization and lobbying Hoosers Leadership Widow maker Leadership Murder in the first Persistence in the face of opposition Coach Carter Not worrying about inflamming the insecurities of others The Karate Kid Belief Anathesia Posturing Star Trek Wisdom and forsight Beautiful Mind Love discipline and sin Scent of a women Dating and romance Bird man of alkatraz Applying yourself to a passion SuperNova Stattus Hart's War Relations with men (Bruce Willis) Things you don't care about as much as you age: Less partying Less exploration Less Food Less Sleep Less libito Less associations Less Idealism Less energy 9/9/10 Dealing with people Competitive people--Deal with it and enjoy if possible Difficult personalities --- Deal with it, work with them and learn or stay away. Value and ethical differences - Respect them but stay away Prejudice- Try to disarm and educate otherwise stay away Control freaks- stay away Psychological problems- Respect ignore and stay away Hatred bitterness- Disarm, educate or stay away,. Possible causes of Failure and disallusionment Addictions Denial Sin Personal pathology Boredom Possilbe causes of problem personalities Personal Prejidice Odd or extreme LIkes and dislikes Self esteme issues Ego or power issues 10/23/10 Left Unbridled our passions and desires will eventually take controll of our psyche, such as greed overcomes the CEO, lust overcomes the adulterer or power and advantage overcome the politician . Leaving our mind and soul with little room for anything else. Simple things can become very complex when scope increases: Data Bases Cleaning crews NBR of experiments Level of abstraction becomes greater Endeavers low in Politics, high in creativity and complexity Top leadership position Brand new area of science being developed Owner of business Scientist working for university or alone. Jobs working with heavy large and or dangerious stuff Oil drilling Lumber jack Bridge building Heavy equipment operator Road building Mining High rise construction welding Ocean fishing Jobs working with tediously small stuff Dentist surgeon Portrature Models of cars homes buildings towns electronics and circuit boards Investigation and forensics The arrogance of people Fearing God not the inconsequence able efforts of ignorant people. The silliness of everyone’s emotional ranting The futility of devising our own plans without god The health dangers of harboring anger toward even the most despicable of our neighbors. The futility of expecting ungodly people to be reasonable or thoughtful. The futility of expecting the masses to recognize and appreciate your efforts. The stupidity of people especially those living life with blinders on. The stupidity of people harbering a prejudice. The wide array of opinions even concerning one simple concept or precept. . The GLORY of realizing that justice will ultimately reign and that evil is but a temporary eclipse of lasting truth. If you are living and thinking right then it will be natural to get what you want.. Fiction can be from life News can be from work Geography and culture from travel Science can be from work. Entertainment can be from show business Love story can be from marriage Research can be from reading many books, articles, memoirs. 12/5/10 What should motivate you at your hobbies: Making dollhouses for xmas to give to poor children as the x computer scientist takes junk computers and fixes them for charity. (Mickel Krauss.) Go in depth when using info on the internet. Don't fall into the trap of being a power browser as the "Dumming down of America" article. What has gone wrong in your life. Attachment issues To focussed on looks. Personal discipline Personal and National responsibility. many very difficult endeavers don't seem like much when viewed by the untrained eye such as skiing, boxing, ballet or concert music. 12/15/10 Some more thoughts How 1 injected charastistic can make a whole work come alive. Adding people to a restaurant Actors to a novel story Test or compitation to a work What endeavers offer as much to talk about as to do. Law History Cycling innovation Diet Relationships Politics Finance Consider how slow and tiring scientific advancements tend to be Dave W. Comment: You tend to discover a lot more about life because your single and unattached. Dave S. Comment. WHat can I possibly talk about with them. Must have continuity of passion, motavation and committment. No dominence or persistence of effort to prove a ladies interest any longer. Average looking girls who connect with you will become attractive. Sacrafice and fasting will ultimately give you more time, more energy and more focus to accomplish. Get yourself passionate and find yourself energized. Not to sound trite but faith hope and love will counteract most addictions. When faced with sharp (uncalled for) negativity or rudeness you must respond with a forcefull, appropriate responce --then you must forget it. "They knew his will was stronger than theirs and had very strong set goals he believed in". (in Hitler's biography) with his siblings. Often, much can be accomplished by simply working-keeping your nose to the grindstone so to speak- planning and organizing will flesh itself out, serendipity will be in full force, people and opportunities will present themselves almost magically. Fix something Do something Make something Make a decision Form an attitude Teach someone Consel someone In any professional occupation, personality,values and posturing are as important as knowledge and skill when predicting one's success. Relations with other men: Collaboration Competition Spirtual & Family accountability Scientific: Set up Equipment Data collection Conclusions /END |