Monday, May 30, 2016
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Friday, May 20, 2016
6 months and counting
Election season is in full swing. For the democrats, it's women against whatever Bernie's supporters think they want this week. On the republican ticket we have decided upon Mr. Burns.
I'm not thrilled about our choice. Trump talks a lot about being able to make deals. I have no doubt that Trump will bridge the partisan divide. He talks a lot about Reagan and Tip O'Neill. Giving up something to get what you want. Unfortunately, to get what he wants Trump will make social / entitlement program concessions to the democrats that will easily take the national debt up another 5-10 trillion dollars depending on the length of his presidency.
While the idea of doubling the debt yet again is disturbing there is nothing more important than the Supreme Court Justices that will be appointed over the next 4-8 years. Through the years I've become more and more conservative. This partially has to do with money. I would like to keep more of what I make. The other reason is that I believe the intent of the constitution has been lost.
The constitution is a limiting document. Period. It's purpose was to limit the power of the Federal Government in all branches (executive, legislative, and judicial). Think about this - The 13 colonies / states were under the rule of the British Monarchy. A revolution began in 1776 and the British were finally pushed out in 1783. However a constitution wasn't ratified until 1788. The reason for this is that the states were afraid of a central ruling body that was going to make laws telling them how to live... like the British did. There is a collection of essays from that time which explain what the intention of the constitution and the Federal government was to be. The essays are grouped together in what is called, "The Federalist Papers."
The essays in The Federalist Papers were published in newspapers so that the general population could educate themselves about the document and the purpose of a Federal Government. I've linked in a copy of the essays above. Give them a read and make your decisions about if most of what makes news lately should be a Federal matter or one for the states. To me, most of what is put to the Supreme Court doesn't belong there. If Colorado wants to legalize weed then so be it. If New Jersey wants all humans with dicks to use the men's room to pee, even if they identify as Dorothy, then so be it. If Mississippi wants to make abortion legal right up to the moment of the child's exit through the vulva then so be it. If New York wants to call the union of same sex couples a marriage then so be it. The list goes on and on. These issues are not what the constitution was intended to cover. These issues were meant for the states to decide. Also, please know that if any of these was made an amendment to the constitution then so be it... the people have spoken.
In conclusion, aside from wanting to keep as much money that I make as possible, I want the Federal Government in all it's forms (executive, legislative, and judicial) to have less of a say in how I live my life. I'd rather leave such decision up to the state in which I live. Since NY is a liberal state I will probably leave here when that happens, but that's okay. The beaches down south are nicer anyway.
::EDIT:: Yes, I'd like to read the 30,000 deleted e-mails from Mrs. Clinton's e-mail server. Yes, I think Bernie is a mad man who would turn the United States into the type of world Ayn Rand warned us about. I'm as curious as anyone to see Trump's tax returns. I think any of Trump's kids would probably be a better "spokesman" than the man himself. Blah Blah Blah Contrary to some feedback, the purpose of this isn't to trash anyone. The purpose of this is to open your eyes and your mind to the fact that we're doing "this" wrong so let's stop pretending. What are you voting for? In turn what are you deciding to vote against and therefore potentially give up forever? ::EDIT::
#trumplife
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
An interesting day
So my intestines have been acting up lately and I decided to make a follow-up appointment to see the specialist. The doctor has a good bedside manner, we always talk baseball and cars but I'm under no allusions that we're "friends." He's a bit of a rockstar so you take what you can get when scheduling appointments. I've had some discomfort and needed to see him sooner rather than later so I took a 3:30 appointment on a Tuesday. Taking into consideration the traffic when coming from the burbs, a 3:30 appointment basically puts the kibosh on being productive so I took the day off. I'm tied into my work computer from home so I answered e-mails and such when I woke up, had an estimate with a home improvement guy around 10, got a hair cut around noon, showered, and went to the city. I didn't eat food prior to my appointment in case he wanted to stick anything up my ass sooo by the time he was done with me I was pretty hungry. His office is on 51st right by Radio City. There are some benches on 6th so after the appointment I hung out, vaped, did some Tinder swiping, and tried to decide what I wanted to eat.
Manhattan is different than the other burroughs. People walk faster, smoke real cigs, tend to wear headphones regardless of how they are dressed, and are generally shorter. None of these is a judgement. These are purely observations... but I digress. At some point it occurs to me that I must be near Del Friscos so I decide to have a steak. A quick look on Yelp shows me that I'm only a few blocks away. At this point it's after 5 and the place is jammed. They are 3 deep at the bar so that's out. A quick talk with the host and my hopes are dashed. The wait is 2 hours for a table. I'm offended. Yes, offended. A 2 hour wait on a Tuesday at 5PM is absurd regardless of how delicious your steak is. I leave in a huff, walk outside, and pull up yelp on my phone. This is Manhattan after all and yumminess is everywhere.
I'm walking with my head down as I leave DelFrisco's while looking at my phone and about 15 feet outside of the restaurant I see shoes in my peripheral vision so I stop. I assume the person is going to walk around me, but instead a man's voice says, "We suck this year." It takes me a second to realize that he, like many others before him, has mistaken the logo on my hat for the Yankees. With out looking up I reply, "It's a Mets hat." He then takes both hands, puts them on my shoulders, squares me up to him, and sort of tilts me down a bit. I'm a bit put off by the whole 2 hour wait thing and this guy touching me is out of left field. I look up and am about to say, "What the fuck?" when I see this guy smiling at me. His smile disarms me. There's no other way to put it. He's a not a big guy, maybe 5'6" or so. He's older with gray hair and a mustache. He's tan, has on a collared shirt with a blue blazer, and he's about to light a cigarette. He says, "So it is." We start chatting about the state of NY sports. After a few minutes I learn that he grew up in Brooklyn and now lives in South Florida although, "You always gotta keep an office in NY." We talk smoking vs vaping. He's 62 and since cigs haven't killed him yet he sees no reason to quit now hah.
Overall it was a pleasant conversation which I cut short because... I'm hungry. I tell him I'm going to go eat and this is where things get interesting. He says that he assumed I just ate because he saw me walk out of the restaurant. I tell him about the 2 hour wait. He asks me if I spoke to Jonathan. He sees my blank expression and explains that Jonathan is the host. He then says to me, "If you want to eat here I'll get you the next table." I'm a bit floored by how matter of fact he makes that statement. I thank him and I explain that I think it's absurd that any place other than a museum in Europe has a 2 hour wait so I'm turned off to the place for today. He then says, "Well, what do you want to eat?" I reply, "Sushi." He says, "Have you heard of Nobu?" I reply, "Of course." He then proceeds to give me the name of the manager at Nobu 57. He tells me to go there and ask for the manager and say that he sent me. I shrug and say, "Okay." We shake hands and part ways.
Following his directions I walk up 6th, make a right on 57th, and look for the wood door. While walking there I think this whole thing is a bit odd, but there's no harm in it so I keep going. Upon my arrival I ask for the manager by name. He appears in a minute or two. I explain to him and that "my friend, blank" recommended I speak to him about eating here tonight. He tells me that they're pretty booked and asks me if I'd mind waiting a few minutes to sit down. Trying not to crack a smile I wanted to say "Yup", but instead I told him, "That's fine." True to his word within 10 minutes of stepping foot inside the place I'm sitting at a table. Per the Floridian's instructions I order, "Omakase" (chef's choice) with the caveat that some of the food is raw and some of it is cooked. The staff is very attentive. I don't know if it's due to how I got the table or because their standard service is that good. In short order, wave after wave of food starts to arrive. It's many courses of small plates. A taste of this and a taste of that. 2 hours later I leave with a belly stuffed with a ton a food that I can't pronounce and a huge smile.
I never got the Floridian's last name. I have no idea what the man who chose to befriend me does for a living. Whoever he is the guy must have some serious cash. One thing I can say for certain is that based on 2 of the restaurants he frequents, the man certainly knows how to eat well. On my way home I imagine him shopping in places like this:
Manhattan is different than the other burroughs. People walk faster, smoke real cigs, tend to wear headphones regardless of how they are dressed, and are generally shorter. None of these is a judgement. These are purely observations... but I digress. At some point it occurs to me that I must be near Del Friscos so I decide to have a steak. A quick look on Yelp shows me that I'm only a few blocks away. At this point it's after 5 and the place is jammed. They are 3 deep at the bar so that's out. A quick talk with the host and my hopes are dashed. The wait is 2 hours for a table. I'm offended. Yes, offended. A 2 hour wait on a Tuesday at 5PM is absurd regardless of how delicious your steak is. I leave in a huff, walk outside, and pull up yelp on my phone. This is Manhattan after all and yumminess is everywhere.
I'm walking with my head down as I leave DelFrisco's while looking at my phone and about 15 feet outside of the restaurant I see shoes in my peripheral vision so I stop. I assume the person is going to walk around me, but instead a man's voice says, "We suck this year." It takes me a second to realize that he, like many others before him, has mistaken the logo on my hat for the Yankees. With out looking up I reply, "It's a Mets hat." He then takes both hands, puts them on my shoulders, squares me up to him, and sort of tilts me down a bit. I'm a bit put off by the whole 2 hour wait thing and this guy touching me is out of left field. I look up and am about to say, "What the fuck?" when I see this guy smiling at me. His smile disarms me. There's no other way to put it. He's a not a big guy, maybe 5'6" or so. He's older with gray hair and a mustache. He's tan, has on a collared shirt with a blue blazer, and he's about to light a cigarette. He says, "So it is." We start chatting about the state of NY sports. After a few minutes I learn that he grew up in Brooklyn and now lives in South Florida although, "You always gotta keep an office in NY." We talk smoking vs vaping. He's 62 and since cigs haven't killed him yet he sees no reason to quit now hah.
Overall it was a pleasant conversation which I cut short because... I'm hungry. I tell him I'm going to go eat and this is where things get interesting. He says that he assumed I just ate because he saw me walk out of the restaurant. I tell him about the 2 hour wait. He asks me if I spoke to Jonathan. He sees my blank expression and explains that Jonathan is the host. He then says to me, "If you want to eat here I'll get you the next table." I'm a bit floored by how matter of fact he makes that statement. I thank him and I explain that I think it's absurd that any place other than a museum in Europe has a 2 hour wait so I'm turned off to the place for today. He then says, "Well, what do you want to eat?" I reply, "Sushi." He says, "Have you heard of Nobu?" I reply, "Of course." He then proceeds to give me the name of the manager at Nobu 57. He tells me to go there and ask for the manager and say that he sent me. I shrug and say, "Okay." We shake hands and part ways.
Following his directions I walk up 6th, make a right on 57th, and look for the wood door. While walking there I think this whole thing is a bit odd, but there's no harm in it so I keep going. Upon my arrival I ask for the manager by name. He appears in a minute or two. I explain to him and that "my friend, blank" recommended I speak to him about eating here tonight. He tells me that they're pretty booked and asks me if I'd mind waiting a few minutes to sit down. Trying not to crack a smile I wanted to say "Yup", but instead I told him, "That's fine." True to his word within 10 minutes of stepping foot inside the place I'm sitting at a table. Per the Floridian's instructions I order, "Omakase" (chef's choice) with the caveat that some of the food is raw and some of it is cooked. The staff is very attentive. I don't know if it's due to how I got the table or because their standard service is that good. In short order, wave after wave of food starts to arrive. It's many courses of small plates. A taste of this and a taste of that. 2 hours later I leave with a belly stuffed with a ton a food that I can't pronounce and a huge smile.
I never got the Floridian's last name. I have no idea what the man who chose to befriend me does for a living. Whoever he is the guy must have some serious cash. One thing I can say for certain is that based on 2 of the restaurants he frequents, the man certainly knows how to eat well. On my way home I imagine him shopping in places like this:
Friday, May 13, 2016
Check yo'self befoe you wreck yo'self - Round 2
I had to edit the title and add "round 2" because there is another unrelated post on this blog with the same name from 2012. On the chance that you're curious... the answer is yes... the previous post is equally profound and hilarious o.0
It's been slightly over 1 year since the new house has been in my possession. I've only lived there since the end of August 2015 due to renovations and diverticulitis. Living somewhere new took more than a bit of adjustment. It was a few weeks before I started to call the new house home. Eventually I decided it was time to empty the condo. I threw out or gave away everything in the condo except for a few pictures and notes that will never leave their cardboard box. That was kinda shitty, kids. After the purge, the condo received a deep cleaning and a quick paint job. I believe it was listed for sale at some point in October. I accepted an offer on the condo in January 2016 and the closing was yesterday. This is the conclusion of a significant bit of history for me... I'm no longer poor!! hahahah
I know. You guys probably thought this was going somewhere else. Don't fret. It's not.
It wasn't a cake walk carrying the extra $2K a month for the condo and it's common charges while renovating and outfitting the new house. Additionally, couple a love for sneakers with the requirement of a new wardrobe and I was surprised that there was any positive cash-flow at all. Bit by bit the accounts have started to fill back up. The last 4 weeks have been the turning point. The 2 mortgages combined with insane property taxes on the new house netted me a significant refund from the state and fed. And now, the equity from selling the condo puts me back over the top.
So what's the point of this? Am I bragging? Yes. However, that's not the point. The point is not to be retarded with what's in the bank or the future cash projections. Should be easy, right? I've actually had a quasi-budget for over a year. Well, it's a budget because I've been limiting what I do and when I do it. There isn't much need for that at this time. I know what you're gonna say... slow down. There could be unexpected stuff on the horizon. Agreed, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't spend annnyyythiiingg-gah.
I want a car! I have the truck and I'll probably keep it, but I also want a caaaarrrr. Nothing crazy impractical like a 2 seat convertible... hmm. Well. I mean. Maybe. No. Check yo'self, handsome. This is what I'm talking about. Take it easy. Hmm. How about a watch? I love watches. I haven't bought one because I could use the money on a car! hah How about a watch and a car? Why not? It's all there. Both can be had and the accounts will fill back up. I have evidence. I know what's coming vs what's going out. I'm getting more and more excited by actually writing this down. A 911 convertible. Mmmm. How about an 116523 Daytona? I could do it. Me. Recovering addict who could barely pay the rent 18 months out of rehab and I'm looking at a fuckin' Porsche. Insane.
Let me clarify... what's insane is buying that car or the watch. The median income for a Porsche owner is $390,000. I looked it up. I'm not that guy. I'd guess I don't fall into the average Daytona owner income level either. So while the idea of driving a toy is appealing it's obvious that owning one right now is a dumb idea. As it's probably written in the Bible somewhere, "just because you can doesn't mean you should." - check yo'self befoe you reck yo'self. Then again, I guess I could rent one for a few weekends. Well, that would add up to a watch in a year or so. Why waste the money on a watch when it could go towards a car... oh boy, here we go again ::smirk::
It's been slightly over 1 year since the new house has been in my possession. I've only lived there since the end of August 2015 due to renovations and diverticulitis. Living somewhere new took more than a bit of adjustment. It was a few weeks before I started to call the new house home. Eventually I decided it was time to empty the condo. I threw out or gave away everything in the condo except for a few pictures and notes that will never leave their cardboard box. That was kinda shitty, kids. After the purge, the condo received a deep cleaning and a quick paint job. I believe it was listed for sale at some point in October. I accepted an offer on the condo in January 2016 and the closing was yesterday. This is the conclusion of a significant bit of history for me... I'm no longer poor!! hahahah
I know. You guys probably thought this was going somewhere else. Don't fret. It's not.
It wasn't a cake walk carrying the extra $2K a month for the condo and it's common charges while renovating and outfitting the new house. Additionally, couple a love for sneakers with the requirement of a new wardrobe and I was surprised that there was any positive cash-flow at all. Bit by bit the accounts have started to fill back up. The last 4 weeks have been the turning point. The 2 mortgages combined with insane property taxes on the new house netted me a significant refund from the state and fed. And now, the equity from selling the condo puts me back over the top.
So what's the point of this? Am I bragging? Yes. However, that's not the point. The point is not to be retarded with what's in the bank or the future cash projections. Should be easy, right? I've actually had a quasi-budget for over a year. Well, it's a budget because I've been limiting what I do and when I do it. There isn't much need for that at this time. I know what you're gonna say... slow down. There could be unexpected stuff on the horizon. Agreed, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't spend annnyyythiiingg-gah.
I want a car! I have the truck and I'll probably keep it, but I also want a caaaarrrr. Nothing crazy impractical like a 2 seat convertible... hmm. Well. I mean. Maybe. No. Check yo'self, handsome. This is what I'm talking about. Take it easy. Hmm. How about a watch? I love watches. I haven't bought one because I could use the money on a car! hah How about a watch and a car? Why not? It's all there. Both can be had and the accounts will fill back up. I have evidence. I know what's coming vs what's going out. I'm getting more and more excited by actually writing this down. A 911 convertible. Mmmm. How about an 116523 Daytona? I could do it. Me. Recovering addict who could barely pay the rent 18 months out of rehab and I'm looking at a fuckin' Porsche. Insane.
Let me clarify... what's insane is buying that car or the watch. The median income for a Porsche owner is $390,000. I looked it up. I'm not that guy. I'd guess I don't fall into the average Daytona owner income level either. So while the idea of driving a toy is appealing it's obvious that owning one right now is a dumb idea. As it's probably written in the Bible somewhere, "just because you can doesn't mean you should." - check yo'self befoe you reck yo'self. Then again, I guess I could rent one for a few weekends. Well, that would add up to a watch in a year or so. Why waste the money on a watch when it could go towards a car... oh boy, here we go again ::smirk::
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Garden at the Garden
I went to see Pearl Jam on 05/01 and 05/02. I wrote about the fan club and the ticketing process in a previous post. The seats were surprisingly good and my voice still hasn't recovered. I seriously heart Pearl Jam. The band played tight and Eddie Vedder still has a great voice. I had goose bumps most of the night singing some of my favorite songs along with 20,000+ other fanatics. It's great to see / hear musicians that you like live, but when that many people are singing the songs it's another level. I uploaded a few videos and they are linked in below. You can hear me singing a bit, but thankfully when I'm blended in with everyone else it still sounds amazing.
The first night they played Given To Fly, Release, Why Go, Porch, Elderly Woman, ALIVE, and BLACK! Swoooon hah The second night they played Corduroy, Once, Animal, GARDEN, Even Flow, Deep, Sonic Reducer, Present Tense, Alive / Baba O'Riley, and Yellow Ledbetter. I'm convinced that no one, including Eddie Vedder, actually knows the lyrics to Yellow Ledbetter. It's basically a bunch of sounds that are fun to make with your voice. I went craaaazzzzy when they played Garden!! Pearl Jam has only played Garden at MSG one other time since 1991! I want to fill this post with vertical punctuation because of how much fun I had. The shows were everything I hoped for and more!!!!!
Oh yeah, Sting came out and sang a song too hahah
Next stop Boston for my birthday! Woop
The first night they played Given To Fly, Release, Why Go, Porch, Elderly Woman, ALIVE, and BLACK! Swoooon hah The second night they played Corduroy, Once, Animal, GARDEN, Even Flow, Deep, Sonic Reducer, Present Tense, Alive / Baba O'Riley, and Yellow Ledbetter. I'm convinced that no one, including Eddie Vedder, actually knows the lyrics to Yellow Ledbetter. It's basically a bunch of sounds that are fun to make with your voice. I went craaaazzzzy when they played Garden!! Pearl Jam has only played Garden at MSG one other time since 1991! I want to fill this post with vertical punctuation because of how much fun I had. The shows were everything I hoped for and more!!!!!
Oh yeah, Sting came out and sang a song too hahah
Next stop Boston for my birthday! Woop
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