tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17566590592950172882024-03-14T00:34:17.763-07:00Rational Knavery"Now I will show myself To have more of the serpent than the dove; That is--more knave than fool." - Christopher MarloweThe Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16992599710608333107noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1756659059295017288.post-90203372673841797642011-04-22T05:00:00.000-07:002011-04-22T05:00:09.773-07:00Update on My Book Personal Club<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I’m still marching through Goldhagen’s <i>Worse Than War</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s well written and full of facts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My reading pace has not been acceptable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The main reason for this is the looming final exams that I am dealing with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s hard to get a lot of reading done in the middle of studying contract law and civil procedure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nevertheless, I am going to finish the book as soon as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Next up:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kant-Groundwork-Metaphysics-Cambridge-Philosophy/dp/0521626951/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303472645&sr=1-1">Ground Work of the Metaphysics of Morals</a> (I’ve probably read parts of this book a 100 times, but I’ve never read it cover to cover)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Utilitarianism-John-Stuart-Mill/dp/087220605X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1303473242&sr=1-1">Utilitarianism</a> (like Kant’s work I’ve never read it cover to cover)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Neatest-Little-Guide-Market-Investing/dp/0452295823/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1303472101&sr=8-9">The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing, 2010 Edition</a> (this will take some time to march through because I am convinced that I need to take a great deal of notes).<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/World-Fire-Exporting-Democracy-Instability/dp/0385721862/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303472237&sr=1-3">World on Fire</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Intellectuals-Society-Thomas-Sowell/dp/B004H8GL40/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303472391&sr=1-4">Intellectuals and Society</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Judiciary-Structure-American-Constitutional/dp/0674017153/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1303472491&sr=8-6">Revolution by Judiciary</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Feast-Crows-Song-Fire-Book/dp/0553582038/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303472572&sr=1-1">A Feast of Crows</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fifth-Witness-Michael-Connelly/dp/0316069353/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303472612&sr=1-1">The Fifth Witness</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Of course, this is a shortlist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many more books that need to be read ASAP!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I plan on putting a short review of the current book I’m reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div></span>The Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16992599710608333107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1756659059295017288.post-3643403387057505722011-04-19T14:58:00.000-07:002011-04-19T15:00:22.244-07:00Dropouts, Please Report to the Registrar's Office<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://www.yahoo.com/">Yahoo</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"> has an </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_ap_poll_grading_the_schools">article</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"> up about how, in a recent poll, students overwhelming believe that high school doesn’t prepare them for College or “the real world.”</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">I read the article for the same reason I read anything on Yahoo – pure habit.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">Anyway, I found a stat in the article that I found interesting:</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The majority of high school students probably won't end up with a college degree, however. Among those a few years ahead of them — today's 25- to 34-year-olds — only about a third hold a bachelor's or higher degree, according to the Census Bureau. Less than 10 percent get an associate's degree.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Can this be right? Only 1/3 of people 25 to 34 have college degrees. WTF! It got me to thinking: How many people go to school for a semester or two and don’t get a degree? When did I get my lousy college degrees? 2007. I was 24. I was late to the whole college party because I was running around overseas fighting wars and what not. Still, it only took me three years. I don’t think college is hard. I didn’t go to Harvard or anything, but still it’s not particularly hard to pass courses. Hard to book them, yes, but pass? Not at all! One big problem that I remember causing people problems in undergrad was the amount of time they spent flip flopping over which degree to choose. This is a point that the poll from the Yahoo article brings up. I guess kids are upset that they don’t get good advice about career planning in high school. Another related problem is that kids sit around, and make bad choices. For example, I knew a kid who thought he needed to be a dual major Biology and Philosophy. He planned on being a doctor, and he thought that the dual major would make him better doctor. In actuality, he could have just been a philosophy major and took the necessary pre-med classes. Instead, he packed on as many upper level philosophy classes as he could while attempting to take on the grueling requirements needed to earn a degree in biology/pre-med. He did graduate after nearly seven years, but he didn’t go off to med school. I actually don’t know what he is doing, but the last time I talked to him he was planning some type of start-up and he was assuring me that he, like Bill Gates, could make it out in Silicon Valley fucking around with computers. Good Luck!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Another kid I used to hang out with in undergrad decided he not only wanted to grab up a BA in philosophy, but he also needed to compliment it with a degree in mathematics. He was a decent enough philosophy student, but math was not his forte. Unfortunately, you couldn’t tell him this. He worked extremely hard. But regrettably, he is still a student. The better part of a decade working on a BA that would be shitty credentials anyway. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">This isn’t to say that earning dual majors is a hard task. I have a dual major history/philosophy (both of mine our worthless). Many of my friends have dual majors. Philosophy/Poly Sci. Art History/PHI. And a few Math/PHI. But what seems to be a mistake is to go after a degree that you obviously have no real ability in (not that you really need ability, on my view you can do most anything in college as long as you put the time in). But if you take a semester in a subject and you aren’t doing well, drop the class my friend and find something else to do. The only classes you have to take are the ones that are required by the college or university. Change your major to one you don’t mind doing the work. And the most important rule is hurry up and finish. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I do agree with the Yahoo article. Plan and research your future. If you care about money, or reasonably believe one day you will care about money, then make sure you are on a path to one day be able to make some money. Also, maybe parents should get involved. What happened to the days when parents would decide that their kid should be a doctor, and then pressured their ass to become a doctor. I understand that sometimes this will backfire, but who gives a shit. Better than standing by, idly, while your kid goes from engineer, to pre-med, to art history, to English, to Africana studies or women’s studies, then finally to drop out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>The Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16992599710608333107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1756659059295017288.post-42820900941223582692011-04-18T09:33:00.001-07:002011-04-19T12:33:17.402-07:00My Personal Book Club Thoughts<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My reading is down this year. As I write this post, there are <a href="http://www.timeanddate.com/counters/multicountdown.html"><span style="color: windowtext;">257</span></a> days left in the year. That means in the past 99 days I have read 10 Books:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Fiction</span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Lincoln Lawyer. (</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Michael Connelly)</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">A Game of Thrones. (</span><strong><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">George</span></span></strong><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> R. R. <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Martin)</span></strong></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">A Clash of Kings. (</span><strong><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">George</span></span></strong><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> R. R. <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Martin</span>)</strong></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">A Storm of Swords. (</span><strong><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">George</span></span></strong><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">R. R. <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Martin</span>)</strong></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Brass Verdict. (</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Michael Connelly)</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 2.25pt 0in; mso-outline-level: 2;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Dark Fields. (</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.35pt; line-height: 115%;">Alan Glynn</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">)</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.35pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Reversal. (</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Michael Connelly)</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 2.25pt 0in; mso-outline-level: 2;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Anonymous Lawyer. (</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.35pt; line-height: 115%;">Jeremy Blachman)</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.35pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div><div style="line-height: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Non-fiction</span></u></div><div style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Solo by Choice. (<span class="apple-style-span">Carolyn Elefant)</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">How to be a Rainmaker (Jeffery Fox)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Basic Economics <u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div></span></div><h1 style="color: black; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></span></h1></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">I really should be reading a book every five days. That’s about how long it takes me to read a book. Nevertheless, I have succumbed to reading fatigue this year on more than one occasion. This is mainly a result of reading too much in preparation for law school exams and reading miscellaneous articles related to my dissertation. I have half a mind to keep track of all this miscellaneous reading. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve started reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Worse Than War</i>: “Genocide, Eliminationism, and the Ongoing Assault on Humanity,” by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen. The main reason is to try to balance out my reading load. It’s clear I need to read more nonfiction. A big reason for all the fiction, I think, is all of the reading I do regarding law school. The thing that really bothers me is that I find myself just sitting around watching TV too much. I past weekend I watched three basketball games. This week I am going to pick it up. I’ll try to finish the Goldhagen book and read a few short books front to back – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Social Contract</i> and Kant’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Groundwork</i>. I’ll be doing this as I ramp up for my finals in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Contracts </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Civil Procedure</i>. Also, the baby will be here within the next thirty days. I can do this. </span></div>The Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16992599710608333107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1756659059295017288.post-61981067967721134282011-04-13T09:32:00.000-07:002011-04-13T09:32:11.573-07:00Facebook and Twitter Marketing (or The Road to Riches)I am tired of all this talk of getting rich by using Facebook and other social media to market. I am even more tired of the people who are telling us this shit. Who are these people? A better question is: how did they get rich (or successful)? As best as I can tell, all these people are making a living by telling us that we need to use Facebook and Twitter to market. There are number of things I find problematic with their pitch.<br />
<br />
For one, why the fuck would anyone need these people to learn how to use Facebook and Twitter. Seriously, 8 year old kids are using Facebook and Twitter. Why should we pay them to teach us how to sell our services or products on Facebook and Twitter? I'm sure most of these people don't have a degree in marketing. Also, I bet if you look into their background you will find that most of these people failed at their last career. Hence, why they are trying to sell us on a quick dream of making more money by using Twitter and Facebook.<br />
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Second, fuck Facebook and Twitter. I know that they are hugely popular, but what type of person looks for a professional anything on Facebook and Twitter? Would you really hire a lawyer based on some piece of shit ad you saw on Facebook. Or would you go to a dentist because he had a funny status update or tweet? <br />
<br />
WTF?The Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16992599710608333107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1756659059295017288.post-18524607504303027542011-02-23T08:10:00.000-08:002011-02-23T08:10:47.797-08:0030 Days of PainToday is the first day of a 30 day self-imposed boot camp. I am only eating canned tuna, baked chicken, and veggies. No soda. No juice. I am drinking water and coffee. I am going to run/walk 7 days a week. Lift weights, extremely hard, twice a week. And I am going to devote most of my time to studying, reading, and writing. Also, I plan on spending more time with my wife. Let's see how this goes.The Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16992599710608333107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1756659059295017288.post-3372925379197215112011-02-22T16:10:00.000-08:002011-02-24T15:13:11.264-08:00Eye of the TigerI have a thing for wolves. Especially wolves who have strayed away from the pack. There is nothing more amazing than the lone wolf. Except, the tiger. Tigers are awesome. They are these cool hunters who roam around hunting and scaring the shit out of beast and men. There is a reason I call myself a a wolf rather than a tiger. <br />
You see, tigers aren't very social. Lone wolves aren't all that social. Nevertheless, in my jaded mind wolves can always fall in and out of society as they please. That's why I am the wolf. I don't want to be the tiger, people love to cage tigers. Fuck cages!!! Consider this tiger lovers, there are about 5000 tigers in the wild, the rest are in cages. What's worse is that people like killing tigers. For the most part, you can't even blame men for killing them because tigers don't fuck around. Tigers are hungry as shit. They eat every thing with a pulse. You can't scare a tiger with a shotgun. You are more likely to piss a tiger off than actually scare it. With that, I must hold that the wolf is the far better animal to imitate.The Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16992599710608333107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1756659059295017288.post-59892459010582169642011-01-01T16:59:00.000-08:002011-01-01T16:59:54.079-08:00The New YearI am very excited about the new year. I have many plans for the year as well as the decade. Instead of talking about those plans. Instead, I want to spend some time figuring out where I've been.<br />
<br />
The 80s<br />
<br />
I was born early in the decade. Most of my memories, of course, are from the later part of that decade. What stands out the most are the movies. Most of them seem campy, and cheesy now, but I swear that back then they all deserved Oscars.<br />
<br />
The 90s<br />
<br />
The 90s were mostly me dealing with the pressures of attending school in an urban hell. The most memorable aspect of this decade for me is the poverty. Although, I now realize that I wasn't that poor (people grow up in far worse places), at the time it seemed liked it was unbearable. Even now, when I think of the 90s it still seems as though it was worse than it realy was.<br />
<br />
00s<br />
<br />
I spent the first part of this decade in the military fighting wars. The other half of the decade was spent in some form of college. I'm still stuck in school. I have found ways to stay in school. Unfortunately, I still have a few years to go, but I am sure that this is the end of the line. By the time I am done, I will have spent close to a decade in school.The Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16992599710608333107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1756659059295017288.post-87192314446145421152010-12-31T17:04:00.000-08:002010-12-31T17:41:27.324-08:00New Years Resolutions<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I am not going to spend much time talking about why I am listing these “New Year Resolutions.” I have put some thought into this list of resolutions. My main goal for the new year is to be more productive.</div><ol><li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Keep three calendars – two hard copies (a daily and weekly calendar); one online (google calendar).</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
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<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Keep better financial records. I am going to use mint.com.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
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<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Set financial goals. Both short-term goals and long-term goals. (also using mint.com)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div></li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Narrow my work areas and hobbies, so that I am more focused.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
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<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Drink only water and coffee. So, soda and soft drinks are now restricted.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
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<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Reduce fast food consumption by 90 percent. I have records of the money I spent on fast food.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
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<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Reduce my restaurant spending by 75 percent. (I will be rich).</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
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<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Always look for more opportunities to volunteer and work.</div></li>
</ol><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I am going to update the blog on how all of these things are going throughout the year.</div><ol start="8"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div></ol>The Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16992599710608333107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1756659059295017288.post-45562133463561115202010-12-30T12:44:00.000-08:002011-04-13T09:38:50.869-07:00<div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span></div>The Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16992599710608333107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1756659059295017288.post-22850453831715128312010-12-29T17:32:00.000-08:002010-12-29T18:55:28.181-08:00Bookstore Adventures #1<div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.7124746390618384" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I couldn’t help myself.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was at <a href="http://www.borders.com/online/store/Home">Borders Bookstore</a> today just looking at books and sipping coffee. A young black male approached me. My first reaction was to say “sorry, I’m not gay,” (where I am from a man has no business starting a random conversation with another man unless he isn’t straight). Before I could say that though, he said </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> "Let me tell you about an incredible ground-level business opportunity." I knew exactly where this bookstore chat was headed once he said that. In my mind I could only think of two words - <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&defl=en&q=define:pyramid+scheme&sa=X&ei=tdsbTZjjFNH8nAel_cjgDQ&ved=0CBYQkAE">pyramid scheme</a>. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">At that point, I could have said I was not interested. Also, I could have possibly ran to rest room</span> (or commited </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seppuku">Seppuku</a></i>)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Unfortunately, I could not help myself. I never can. During my undergraduate years I had enumerable debates with crazy groups - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism">socialists</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist">communists</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamentalist">fundamentalists</a>, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://lyndonlarouchewatch.org/larouche-cultism1.htm">Larouche Cultist</a>s, and the professors (of course). Now, there are not enough of these type of people to argue with. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, when this “business man” offered to tell me about an "incredible business opportunity" I really couldn’t resist. He worked for <a href="http://www.amway.com/EN?cm_mmc=Amway%20Global%20-_-Reputation_2010-_-SEM_Google_Brand_Amway_Top%20Spender%20Amway%20KW_Exact-_-keyword%20Amway&s_kwcid=TC|21568|amway||S|e|6609614538">Amway</a>. I let him give me the whole outline. He told me about how much money I could make. How all I had to do was get 10 people to join. How the money would rack up after that point. His best pitch, in my opinion, was that “with this career, you don’t have to worry about getting sick for three months,” because “as long as you bring hard workers into the company you will always make money.” I mean doesn't everyone worry about their health? Especially, men in their late twenties who still believe they are invincible (like myself)? I listened to it all while drinking my coffee.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After all of that talking, he asked me “what do you think?”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I said “it sounds like a pyramid scheme.”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He obviously had heard similar comments before. He wasn’t really angry with me because of that comment. Instead, he just seemed to think I was an idiot for making that comment. Maybe he thought I didn’t have a clue about what a “pyramid scheme” was. Instead of defending the company, he responded with “it isn’t a pyramid scheme.” No argument. He stared at me as if he had the necessary wisdom to enlighten me. I sense he was trying to gauge his chances of still getting me on board with “the incredible ground level business opportunity.” </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I decided to play along. I responded “well, I’m not sure if it is really a pyramid scheme - it just seems like it is one.”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His response was classic “do you even know what a pyramid scheme is?”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wanted to laugh. It took a lot not to laugh. I looked him dead in the eye and said “yes, I think so.”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He blurted, “What is it then?” I’m sure he was upset that I hadn’t admitted my ignorance.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Well, I think,” I said coyly, “it is where you are promised high returns on your sign-up fee if you can enroll other people. Is that what it is?”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He didn’t say anything for a while, but then he blurted out “that’s not what we do at Amway.” He looked at his watch. It was cheap. A fake Rolex. The sides were losing color - going from gold to metallic grey. Someone probably told him it was a good idea to wear that watch when talking to possible enrollees. I could tell that he was considering how much more time to waste on a lost cause, “we sell all types of stuff - the company makes billions of dollars selling stuff.”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am sure there was a twinkle in my eye at this response. I quickly retorted “how much can I make off selling stuff?”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His response was unexpectedly honest, “I’m not sure exactly, it depends on what you sell.”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Well, how much does the average person you sign up make off sign-ups?” I responded cordially in order to get the guy excited.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Some people make three to four grand a month, but others make less than a hundred” he said looking up at me with a hint of relief that I had moved back to something more positive. He continued “it depends on how hard a worker you are, and how many people you sign up.”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I could have kept going, but I could see the old lady was ready to go. She was wondering around the bookstore looking for me. I thought I better end it. So, I said "well, maybe we can have a meeting later and talk about this in detail. Can you take my phone number and email and contact me later?” </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He was happy enough just to think I was considering the whole thing. At that point I gave him the name, number and email address of a good friend of mine named Mike ------ and I said “call me anytime, I’m always up.” </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">At that point my </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">fiancée came over and said "who is that?"</span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Still in earshot of the guy I said, "just some man trying to get me in a pyramid scheme."</span></span></div>The Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16992599710608333107noreply@blogger.com0