Well I often feel that if it was not for bad luck I would not have any luck at all. If there is a way to run bad in life I will find it and take it to the next level. After 30 years of a strong belief that this pattern would change I have come to the conclusion that it might not. Life variance is a beast and I am probably on the middle ground of bad beats but they are constant and unrelenting. My will to endure however up to this point seems very strong. I always pray for a better today and a brighter tomorrow and will keep on keeping on. Lately with little responsibility or places to be I have been hiding out in what I call the Mattcave (my house) and generally trying to protect myself from the constant bad beats of life. Well yesterday I decided to venture out for various reasons and sure enough the bad beats picked up immediately where they had left off. Life does not disappoint. My ramblings. The mission started at 3:00 pm on the westside of Los Angeles.
The main goal of this trip was to do many things X-mass for my family. We first went to a store called game stop (a big video game store in California). We wanted to pick up a few gifts for the nephews. After not finding anything we liked or on their list we decided that the new Shaun White snowboarding game would be a great gift in lieu of any previous thoughts. The store was surprisingly not that crowded but still very holiday crowded. So the game was on he shelf and we stand in line for about 20 minutes and finally it is our turn. There is a couple at the cash register next to us and they are getting Shaun White as well. They get the last one. 45 minutes wasted for nothing and we were so close to the game we could taste it. Good game Matt and the first bad beat of course happens right out the gate. Okay so leaving the store empty handed and heart broken is not so bad I guess.
The next stop is Toys R US to try get the game and a few other things. Well this store is a mess. There are so many people you can barely move. The lines are like an hour long and it seems as if almost everything is sold out (whoever said the economy is slumping apparently has not been shopping at the Toys R US on the westide of LA. So after navigating the many interesting and angry shoppers we had found a transformer we liked (check 1 off the list nephews wish list), we found a lego city toy (check two). We searched for the board game operation forever and could not find it. We finally gave up and stood in line. We got the second to last Shaun White game (by a miracle) our two toys and were out. We were tilted we could not find operation the board game but just chalked it up to another bad beat. I mean how does Toys R US not have a board game that is like twenty years old. Should’nt the holiday stock and sales numbers and planning be pretty good by now. No wonder these companies are going out of business. It is kinda of funny as a business thinker to see. I mean I would see a section of toys (for instance these weird sports figure robot games) and there would not be one sold or even with the appearance of being looked at (I mean like 75 of these things). Then I spoke with at least two other people by total coincidence that were looking for the board game operation and were unsuccessful as well. And these companies wonder why they go out of business. Well here is a tip for Toys R US. If there is a game that has been around for twenty years and people want to buy it stock enough it in the space you are keeping a bunch of toys that even to the dumbest consumer are obviously not worth a business cent. If a company who has been in the toy business for twenty years + and with thousands of employees cant get stuff like this right well its a wonder why they have been in business so long. Maybe I am naive but running out of things like the board game operation (a very famous and long standing game) and Shaun White snowboarding (one of the hottest wii games out right now) must eventually be death to a company and certainly shows a sign of business incompetence (It is almost a sure bet that at some Toys R US in the US there are 100 Shaun White Games and 50 operation games and why or how they were not moved to the location that needed them is beyond me). I also noticed another business dilemma that I though was kinda serious for Toy R US. Now I used to own a business that did over 1/2 million in sales every year (I would consider this a very small business) and theft was one of our major issues. I would estimate in my life from family, friends, business partners and employees that about $50,000 in cold hard cash has been stolen from me (probably underestimated and another thing I just chalk up to running bad in life). The point is in all the shopping madness it seemed very easy to steal from Toys R US. Although I would never steal and have tried very very hard to never ever ever steal anything from anyone in my life it was pretty obvious that during this holiday chaos it would be very easy to steal from this store. We will look at one example and move on as this is not a pleasant subject. Toys R US carries baseball cards. Baseball cards are expensive and easy to sell. They have boxes with 10 packs in them for $20. The most expensive card in the box is in its own package. The security bar is on the box and not the packs inside the box. Walking out with these packs is as easy as stealing toys from a baby.
Well since we could not find operation we decided Target would be our next best shot and was close so we rolled. Once again a mess and a parking and shopping nightmare. Once inside we planned on picking up a couple of household item we need but most importantly were on the hunt for operationthe board game. We were getting a laundry basket, conditioner, some more toys etc. Well amazingly enough we tracked down an employee and asked for operation. They quickly said they were sold out (as if the question had been asked by a 100 other people). We left without buying anything and not having operation cost target a bunch sales and money. Why cant any company seem to stock operation. The bad beats continue as well as my thoughts as how companies expect to survive by making seemingly glaring business mistakes that on the surface appear very easy to fix. I mean with 100,000 employees and billions at risk you would think the ish would get done right. So we are leaving the parking lot that looks like the show that happens when Britany Spears is shopping on rodeo and cars and people are flying everywhere. So were leaving and someone is going to park in are spot which is about as rare as the crown jewels at the moment and there is a huge line of cars in front of us to get out that is not moving. So some idiot lady pulls around the car waiting for our spot and pulls behind us to wait in the line that is not moving. So now we can not get out to let the lday park. The lady can not park to let the people behind her move all because some lady wanted to cut one car in line. We waited and extra 5 minutes to get out and the bad beats continued. Now too tired and run through the mill we decided to give up for the day and go grab a quick cocktail and appetizer before picking up the kids.
So I suggest to my wife we go to a place right next to our house that she has never been (pretty rare and kind of special at this moment of ragged holiday shopping). So first on the ride there we are both testy and she is driving like a total donkey. I tell her its next to the place she got her only good tatoo (out of the three only one even looks like it was worth the money hassle and pain). She knows exactly where I am talking about (she is very smart and has lived in the neighborhood for five years – the place is 1 minute drive from the house and she has been next door for an unforgettable life moment). We quibble as she pretends and complains she does not know where she is going. No big deal and these go along with the many small bad beats I take from her daily. So we get inside and it is all good and better then expected. We are relieved to relax and enjoy eachothers company. Patron margarita for her and a bud light for me. Veggie nachos for both of us to share and chicken tacos for her to enjoy. Well first we do not think the bartender used Patron to make the margarita (common bar trick number one) and were tilted slightly. The the nachos came out with chicken on them (I am vegetarian so this did not go well). Everything was over priced and being the nice guy that I am I somehow wound up buying the owner of the bar a shot who in the end wound being a tool who could not run his business that well either. Now I am running at about two bad beats per hour. Can you imagine taking on average about 48 bad beats per day. Welcome to my life.
Oh yeah I suck at sports betting because now my public record is even which in reality is losing. Cant win at poker. My family torches money like it grows on trees and all I can do is chill out an d run bad. The beauty of it all is I dont care. Would not change a thing and plan to run way good at some point. Its all about being a good person, working hard and thnking smart. I pray everyday and hope that all my readers run good in life.
Keep reading the blog as you know it is always crazy. More updates coiming soon. Read teh past ones as there are some gems. And we will also start with some bold business moves.
This business gamble is for Jeff Bezos Onwer and Founder of Amazon.
Dear Jeff,
I have a business idea that would be very easy to implement, is cheap and profitable and something you most likely already have the frame work and resources for and would would work extremely well under your company beliefs and umbrella. You pay me $50,000 in the first year to implement the idea and give me access to the resources I need. I will guarantee you $250,000 in profit (money above and beyond cost) and another $250,000 in future business value. If not the case I will give your $50,000 back and basically work for free for a year for you. Of course willing to put it all in a contract /writing. You have read this right people. This is a $450,000 free roll for a man in America offered by me. I’m a sick man and dead serious.
Holla at your boy.
degenaMATT
