GIVING

As far as belongings go I have lived a truly blessed life.  I have never had a lot but I have never had a little either and I really do count my blessings for being able to say this after thirty years on this depleting earth.  I was always raised to believe charity was a noble endeavor.  If on the giving side you not only get to help other people but in fact you do help yourself by cultivating a deep understanding of what it means to be human.  If you are on the receiving side it shall teach you many life lessons about humbleness and pride to name a few.  As a human the possibility of falling onto either side of the charitable fence is as close as never waking up from your last sleep.  There are many people in this world that amaze and inspire me with there generosity and sometimes I am in awe at what humans are capable of accomplishing and giving when they put there minds to it.  Giving can take many forms and we all should be a little more proactive in finding ways to help other humans or the earth that fit within each one of our unique lifestyles with varying resources.  This all comes about through me doing my usual donate the things I do not need at the house that I can not physically by myself move.  This round of gifting included a queen size bed (went to a young lady who just moved here from NYC to be a horse trainer), a queen futon (went to a guy who put it in the back of his van to sleep – a little weird but a need is a need) and finally a dresser, headboard and tv and this is where the story gets good.  So a very nice young looking Spanish lady comes over with two children in toe.  She is polite, kind and considerate and is just one of those people you can tell is most likely a good person (people can do some bad things when pushed to the limits).  We load the stuff in her car and we get to chatting about life and what she plans on using the stuff for.  The stories I often find are crazy.  I remember one time giving away a refrigerator to a person who claimed the reason they needed it was because there current one’s door was broken and they thought the kids would sneak in and die not knowing how to get out (this one I did not believe and the person was sketchy at best).  This nice lady tells me that a large storm (forgot what specific disaster – hurricane, tornado, monsoon etc.) had just wiped her entire childhood village (Huatabampo – Sonora Mexico) where her family and friends still reside and that she is gathering as many free needed things as she could off of craigslist (www.craigslist.com – this website is the nuts!!!!!!!! Luv it) to load into a uhaul and make the day trip through mexico to her small town to try and help re-build what they have lost.  Amazing.  I give something away that essentially helps me move large things out my house that I do not need and it positively impacts a community in another country.  The power of giving and charity – believe in it.  Needless to say my wife and I will try to donate a little more to this unknown cause any way we can.   Till next time.  Holla at me if something is on your mind.  Leave a comment and let me know people are reading and thinking.

Regards

Matt

The Degenerate Kid

RUGBY

Rugby is an interesting sport that has never really caught on big in America.  I was reading the new Men’s health magazine and there were a bunch of pictures of Rugby players.  One of the players was mentioning that rugby was a brutal sport played by gentle men and that soccer was a gentle sport played by brutal men.  As a youth I just loved to play sports.  By the time I reached high school unfortunately my body type often would not let me compete at the highest levels I aspired to in the sports I desired, as was the case when I was younger.  As a result basketball, soccer, football and baseball fell to the wayside.  Still with a desire to compete and a love for athletics I began looking for alternative sports to try and excel in.  The two I found were track and field and rugby.  I played rugby in high school for two years and had a blast.  For those who know little about rugby the sport is a great game but very violent.  The injuries and wear and tear on the body were significant.  Even at an age where I felt like my body was at it’s peak physical conditioning (I hit this feeling from around 17-19 and since then it has been all down hill for various reasons that will be saves for future blogs) and for a person like myself whose tolerance for pain has always been extremely high the sport still took a pleasurable toll on both mind and body.  Matches would often involve at least a few minor scuffles and the goal at all times was to brutally attack your opponent within the rules of the game (which at times can feel like there are none).  Despite the hatred and all out physical war during the matches after words was a joy.  Often the teams would hang out together, discuss life and eat and drink a lot.  The sport brings people together of all cultures and beliefs and was a true joy to partake in.  I miss playing the sport and do not get to watch enough of it on tv.  The reason for the Rugby post is simply because lately I seem to be reminded of it a lot.  From the men’s health spread, to some highlights on tv to the playstation 2 game that keeps collecting dust on my desk.  This brings me to a second point of this blog which is buying things you plan on using and never do.  This will be the topic a future blog coming soon.  Expect this blog to be updated more and check out some the pages as well.  If you like poker or general life idiocy then they may be for you.  Oh yeah and a great lesson I was reminded of recently is that you should always wear shoes when moving large or heavy items.  Big couch + me trying to move it by myself in the middle of the night + forgetting to wear shoes = broken and mangled ankle and crutches (gg me).  Will most likely be updating the coupon challenge today and this blog much much more so check back often.  Also if you need or want anything from LA or just want to say hi holla at ya boy degenaMatt.

THE SLOW LANE

Driving in Los Angeles is a crazy experience that all cherish but rarely enjoy.  100K cars are a dime a dozen and bad drivers are a dime a 100 dozens.  It is a place where the tops drop in winter in hopes of having other tops drop all year round.  While bitter drivers find there way daily to the streets my hate towards LA’s commuting conundrum has remained at an idol lull.  While I was in college I could pick at leisure for the most part the times I would be on the road making driving in southern california just fine.  As I moved on to a full time career I have managed to work odd enough hours and close enough to home to make driving almost as pleasurable as my school days.  Regardless of time however LA driving is aggressive, mentally relentless and crowded.  Despite all of the forces against me I have never got in an accident in Los Angeles in the 10 + years I have lived (a miracle and crossing myself now).  In Sacramento a town I have spent less time driving in I have probably got into 2-4 car accidents.  After re-visting Sacramento during rush hour a little a while ago it might be argued that the city’s traffic is worse then hours (mostly due to the layout and lack of alternative driving route choices).  Throughout all this driving fun I must continually work on my patience and appropriateness.  It is a constant conscience effort to be a courteous and respectful driver while never letting my personal emotions or baggage get in the way.  Business mixed with pleasure in a controlled and responsive cocktail.  When driving you must let rules be broken, grudges slide and allow for mistakes that often seem like a monkey would not make (when will cars drive themselves or fly?).  Road rage must not be a part of your life.  It is amazing the difference in life happiness if you quickly move past the different obstacles you face on the road and continue to your destination with nothing but safety on your mind.  I practice and practice but sometimes still fail.  The driving habit that is putting me to the test most recently is people driving slow in the fast lane.  There is a major freeway in LA called that the 405 that is a back log of traffic most of the day.  I travel South on this freeway around 11:30 am everyday to go home and this is one of the rare times that the freeway is almost always clear and driving at an as you wish pace.  The freeway is 5 lanes with plenty of room for everyone.  The speed limit is 65 mph.  Multiple times a week I will get in the far left lane (the fast lane) and there will be people driving 65 mph or less (mostly less) with plenty of room in the other lanes.  For whatever reason this just ruffles my helmet beard to no end (I guess you would have to see a picture of me to know what I was talking about but for writing sake you can just insert feathers where beard is).  I think this eats me for two reasons.  One I know for sure in many many places in America and a seemingly common rule is that slower traffic should stay right.  This is actually a law I believe.  This law seemingly indicates that driving 50 mph with 4 other right lanes completely open in the far left 5th lane and disrupting the flow of fast traffic (people going the speed limit) would be wrong.  Two, it seems that just out of common respect for humans in general you would not use something for the opposite it was made for and then impact a whole bunch of other people just because you do not want to follow rules or do not care that you are causing other people to adjust normal driving habits because of you like to drive.  I do understand that if you need to make a left hand turn or maneuver to the car pool lane a slower driver might have to be in the fastest left lane to get to where they are going.  If there are no left turns to be made and not a car pool lane in sight then please do not drive your van that can only go 50 mph in the fast lane and make many many other cars go around you (this is dangerous in and of itself).  So I plead with all the slow drives in LA and around the country please do not drive slow in the fast lane and I promise during my prayers to ask for less tailgating and more understanding on the road.

HOW CAN PEOPLE SUCK THIS BAD AT THEIR JOB

It never ceases to amaze me how bad people can do their jobs. Hand holding adults when you do not have any particular interest in them is rarely rewarding. You can lead the idiot to google but sometimes you just can’t teach them to type. Sometimes I feel as if the world is setting me up for one joke after the other. I’m cursed like the 13^th floor.

THE JOB:

Fax one form to a government agency. Assure that the government agency got the one page form.

THE CAST:

1 Escrow service (well paid and most responsible for getting the job done). A business broker (well paid, a hard worker but sometimes you have to wonder- second most responsible and the responsibility is in order except for me which is debatable). An accountant (on point at all times. Well paid and gets the job done fast). A manager (well paid and the best in the business. Will get anything done at any time). Me the check writer (not paid and not an hour to spare – oh yeah distracted to)

TIME TO PROCESS:

Upon receipt, thirty days or less guaranteed and noted repeatedly that it is often much faster and on a first come first serve basis.

THE DATE THE CAST GOT PAID:

6/30/2008

THE COMPANY:

HANMI ESCROW CO INC.

As of this date the govt agency still has not even received the 1 page form (close to 75 days later and now I have tracked down the right people and the right numbers and spent a considerable amount of my own resources to TRY and get this job done). It has been now months of phone calls to the broker and the escrow company and still nothing is done. An as a small note this is the only dilemma keeping the Escrow company from giving me back a LARGE amount of my own money. This has to be illegal. I equate it to something like this. I take my car to get an oil change. The dealership and any reasonable person would expect this to take 1-2 days. After paying the company for the oil change and waiting two weeks the oil is still not changed. You simply ask them for your car back (in my case a chit load of money). They refuse to give you your car back and are clearly not changing the oil. Is this not illegal? Here we go call the stupid lawyers again.

Company not to do business with:

HANMI ESCROW CO INC. 3130 W Olympic Blvd # 400. Los Angeles, CA 90006. 323 … Culver City, CA 90232. 310-558-1020

CONTRACTS ARE SHADY

I hate contracts and lawyers more then I hate raw broccoli dipped in tarter sauce.  My disdain for these American icons grows daily.  Yesterday I was awarded another reason to add to the list of why these entities suck.  A few years ago I needed to sign up for credit card processing.  There are about a thousand companies to choose from with a vast array of different costs and services.  Not wanting to wade the shady waters that is credit card processing (this will be saved for a whole other post) I settled on comapring three different vendors and I picked the cheapest one.  The monthly servicing fee for the company I picked National Merchant was something like $30 a month.  The only question I asked and the same question was asked by my manger at a later date is if we could cancel the service at anytime.  The sales guy assured me canceling was no problem and would come at no cost to me.  Twoa nd half years later after paying all my bills on time, making this company money and being a trouble free client my company closed and I needed to cancel the service.  Upon calling the company they infomred that the contract I signed was for three years and that I either have to continue paying the monthly fee or pay some outlandish cancellation (like $400 which is actual more then it would be to pay the monthly over the remaining months).  So basicaly the sales guy lied to make the sale and now I am stuck because I did not read the fine print.  It seems a bit suspect that American companies can have contracts signed under false pre-tenses and then enforce them.  Is’nt this the same type of forced contracting for amounts of time that are unreasonable that got the cell phone comapnies in trouble in the US.  This is a clear indication that consumers do not support this type of business practice and with the cell phones the governement even agrees.  National Merchant is a company that employs shady business practices and makes there money essentialy scammming unsupecting consumers.  Lesson: Hire a lawyer for every contract you sign.  It is starting to feel like A.  Every company in America will use every little trick in there power to cheat the American consumer out of money and B.  I might have to hire a lawyer to manage my whole life from odering fast food to buying a DVD.  Another day in the life of a Degened America.

PORTION SIZING IN AMERICA

One of the issues that rattles me like the snakes tail is the portion sizing in America.  As a child I grew up with the notion that nothing should be wasted.  You eat/drink everything you order.  My parents went to great lengths not to waste things and this made sense to me.  There was also many teachers and leaders always emphasizing how hard the earth’s resources are to come by and the ever dimishing supply of the fruits of the earth.  As I have grown older and my family has grown it seems I and those around me (not my parents) have a tendency to eat/drink half of soemthing and then the rest goes to waste.  This is happening far to much lately and it must stop.  The problem falls on many shoulders but one issue that always comes to mind is the size of portions in America.  It seems everything is always bigger then it needs to be.  Also finding the right size portion at any one moment in time is difficult as well.  For instance I want to have a piece of chocolate.  It is hard to find in the store just one small piece of chocolate.  It always comes in a large bar or package and usually next to the product is a larger version of the same item noting that you save money by buying more.  Do you really save though if you only eat half and the other goes to the wayside like my belly has been over the years.  My family is far worse then I and I do not know how to stop them or myself.  Hopefully I can add onto this with ways of saving and not wasting when faced with what I feel are American production and packaging techniques that lend more to wast then use and function.

A GREAT RENTAL SCAM

If you live in a big city are almost broke and need a place to stay this is the scam for you:

The story/background:

Post an add on the rental boards stating that you are an important business professional who travels often and only needs a place to stay half of the month and would like to find a rental situation for half the cost of the market standards.  Most likely you will get responses from people who own their homes and rent out bedrooms (actively look for these type of people).  Let the landlord know if you stay extra days that you will pay for them and overall try to make your story as convincing and legitimate as possible (tell them what they want to hear). Make sure the terms of the agreement are not in writing (not really a big deal if they are).  Once you move in the trap is set.

The scam:

Immediately start staying at the property full time (all days in the month).  When the landlord asks for additional money or for anything else try to avoid them for as long as possible with any excuses you can think off (i.e. cant talk now have to go to work or need to run an important errand we will talk later).  Try to stall this out as much as possible.  Once the landlord realizes you are avoiding him purposefully most likely a confrontation will occur.  Threaten the landlord and file a temporary restraining order against them so you virtually become untouchable.  Stay at the property as long as you can for free until evicted (can take as long as 3-6 months).  Rinse, wash and repeat.  You can virtually live a whole year for the cost of two months of rent (In Los Angeles this can save you in excess of 10k-20k a year).

You have to be heartless, desperate, ruthless and classless among other traits to pull off this scam but it is easily can be done.

THE LEGAL SYSTEM IS A JOKE – TRO’S

One very strong argument as to why the legal system is a joke.

TRO’S – Temporary Restraining Orders

If you want a way within the justice system to prove someone is guilty before innocent simply file a falsified Temporary Restraining Order against them.  Temporary Restraining Orders are issued pretty much a 100% of the time for anything you want to make up on the form.  Some reasons I have seen TRO’S issued for that are beyond my belief are:

-I received three phone calls on my cell phone that I did not answer.  This is harassment and needs to stop (the person never called this person more then 5 times in their entire life and were even unaware the recipient did not want the calls.  No messages were left ever and the phone calls stopped immediately once the caller was notified not to call anymore.).

-I received two emails that I did not want.  This is harassment and needs to stop (the person never emailed this person more then 5 times in their entire life and were even unaware the recipient did not want the emails, once notified the emails were not welcome they stopped).

-I filed a bevy of falsified reports with various government agencies and now I am worried that person will retaliate.  I need a TRO to protect myself.

-If you are a renter you can even file a TRO against the landlord at his own property.

Get creative.  I have even seen reasons such as they make loud noise near me or they are threatening to call the police on me as viable options.

Once the TRO is issued (the accused will not have any say in its issuance) you can expect the Sheriff’s department to show up at the accused’s residence very early in the morning with the paper work.  You will get a court date to see a judge and explain your case.  The judge will side with the filer in almost all cases and the accused has little say if any.

This is a great way to mess with someone’s life.  Learn about how truly ridiculous the American legal system can be.  Waste taxpayer’s money.  Other various results can occur as well.