Get Off My Desert Lawn!

Category: Uncategorized

  • Full-Circle Failure Pt. 2

    After graduating, I admit I couldn’t take defeat. I still tried to be a screenwriter. I knew a few people in “the industry” but there’s something about the Hollywood type. Their style of arrogance annoys me.

    On a quick sidenote, I went to Universal Studios the last March and our tour guide said “the industry” and I almost puked.

    Then I felt bad because I saw myself in that tour guide 20 years ago.

    Fast forward to today. It has been roughly a month since I quit my job as an Assistant Cage Manager for a Las Vegas strip casino. It wasn’t a bad job. It was easy actually, and it paid well. The problem was, like most people, I worked for a group of idiots. The level of mismanagement was too much to take. Not surprisingly, these higher ups all knew each other and were friends.

    One can only stay on a sinking ship for so long. If I didn’t jump off when I did, I would have died. I am not going down with something I don’t believe in.

    I will say I learned an extremely valuable lesson. Casino work is very similar to Hollywood, which is very similar to USC.

    If I learned anything from USC, it’s that I don’t have the required attitude to be a Trojan. I don’t need to be in the alumni magazine showing off what great accomplishments I’ve achieved. Hell, I don’t even tell anyone I went to USC unless someone tries to show off first.

    Just to be clear I can’t speak for other schools at USC. I can only speak from my experience.

    Hollywood was no different than college. Yes, I wanted to break in, but I didn’t have the Hollywood attitude either. I wasn’t better than anyone else, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to degrade myself just to have a shot.

    It took me twenty-two years of casino work to realize I didn’t have the attitude to become a casino VP. My nose points level to the ground, not up in the air, and I don’t take pleasure in asking employees if they know who I am. It’s almost like becoming a VP means you got a gold sticker. Now it’s time to show it off.

    Life is funny because I could easily get on YouTube or any other social media platform and make videos on Vegas and what to do/not to do in a casino and probably have millions of views.

    But I reckon being an influencer would be the same as casino work.

    I don’t have the attitude for what would come with going viral. I know what I want now.

    I want to stay in the shadows and bet horses. I can succeed at that. I can make a lot of money at it, and I have the perfect attitude for it.

    I don’t care what anyone thinks about me. I can dress in clothes full of holes and still hit a six figure pick 6. I don’t have to show off what I’ve won because it doesn’t matter to anyone but me.

    Money comes and goes, just like fame and fortune. It sucks if I have a bad day at the track, and it can be very humbling. But there’s always tomorrow, and one good day is all it takes.

    The same can’t be said for falling out of the public eye. Hollywood stars, influencers, business executive can lose everything in the blink of an eye.

    For me, failing was the best thing that could happen to me. I can study races in my pajamas if I choose. I don’t though. I’m a professional.

    I wear work sweats.

    Failure – you don’t exist. Me – for the win

    Oh yeah, and fight on! 🙂

  • Full-Circle Failure Pt. 1

    I am not famous. I am not a billionaire. I am not a business executive. I am not an influencer.

    So what?

    I am my own man, who does what he wants, when he wants. Poor me.

    I recently received my quarterly copy of USC Trojan Family Magazine. It is a magazine put out for USC alumni to see how great their fellow Trojans are.

    One look at me, and it’s hard for a lot of people to believe me when I say I graduated from said school. I am not a stereotypical Trojan. Truth be told, I didn’t fit in when I went there. Just like today, I was the guy that didn’t fit the mold. They couldn’t kick me out because I was smart enough to get good grades (on my own), but I wasn’t exactly the guy you wanted to put front and center to show off the great things USC offered.

    The funny part is in high school I wanted to be a screenwriter. I worked my ass off to get accepted to USC. Getting accepted was one of the greatest moments of my life. Walking the beautiful campus gave me an extreme sense of pride.

    Like Hollywood though, I soon realized it was all a facade.

    My problem was I wanted to learn the craft of screenwriting. What I learned was everything was an audition. My first class was filled with connected kids. A few had film producer fathers. One was already a published author. I was impressed, as it should be.

    Until I read their work.

    I won’t get into details, but the funny part was at the end of the semester my professor called me into the office and told me she didn’t think I had what it took to be a writer. She gave me a B when I needed a B+ to advance to the next writing class.

    Failure – 1. Me – 0.

    As luck, or fate, would have it, I somehow ended up at Hollywood Park for their Friday night race program with my cousin. Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred racetrack that is now So-Fi Stadium. My cousin had just bought a book on beating the races and wanted to try it out. When we left, he had profited something like $7. I lost like $20.

    Failure – 2. Me – 0.

    Being the competitive jerk I am, I scoured multiple bookstores and bought every book on horseracing I could find. It wasn’t long before I wasn’t even going to class. I was at the track most days. I did show up to class on important days, like tests and report days. In the end, I graduated.

    Failure – 2. Me – 1.

    One hilarious note, or slap to my face, was the commencement speakers were George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

    Draw. Failure – 2. Me – 1.

  • E-Death

    This topic is a big deal in Las Vegas. It seems a young person, anyone from a child to young adult, is getting killed almost every day. The cause? An e-bike or an e-scooter.

    It’s gotten to the point where I don’t even have to read the articles anymore. I see “e-bike” and already know what’s coming next.

    If I turn on the news, it’s the same thing. Only the news will go out and talk to an officer. They will then explain the importance of safety.

    Safety?

    How do you talk to someone who refuses to listen?

    Unfortunately, we live in a time where everyone can be seen, and everyone wants to. Everything is me, me, me. The world revolves around me and no one else.

    I’ve seen multiple kids on e-bikes and e-scooters ignore traffic and dart across streets without any regard for their own safety.

    When I was a kid, I had a ten-speed bicycle and one time I sped across my residential street and almost got hit by a car. That scared me enough to slow down and look both ways from that point on.

    While it’s easy for me to think ‘these kids need to get hit so they learn their lesson,’ the truth is I can’t because they have motors. All I had to propel myself were my legs.

    Should we make kids go to driver’s ed? Take a test? Get a license?

    It’s easy to say yes, but everything is always easier said than done.

    Tons of people that pass their driver’s test don’t drive the same way after their picture is taken. Myself included.

    Every Gen-X’er will tell you they did stupid shit as a kid, and a teenager, and a young adult. We were lucky though because whether we were alone, or with our friends, when we learned a lesson, we were able to walk away from it.

    Today, everything is automated to “make life easier.”

    That’s true. Today, you don’t need to learn.

    You live or you die.

  • Where’s My Change?

    Yes, I feel the need to throw in my two cents on this Kirk situation. Why? Because reading all the back and forth is annoying.

    One side says he was a great family man.

    The other side claims he was the devil incarnate.

    Does it really matter?

    No because he was human. He was most likely both.

    None of us are perfect. We all fight with others, including those close to us, like family members. Some of us fight so much we become the black sheep or even get kicked out of a will.

    There’s not a single person who can say they never fought with someone they loved.

    The funny part of life starts when someone dies. They can be a total asshole in life. Yet at their funeral, everyone claims they were such a great person.

    Were they? Or is it guilt we feel for not being able to be nice while they were alive? We have to stand before God and clear our conscience.

    It doesn’t matter. As we go through life, we think we are doing the right thing. Why should it matter what other people think?

    Jerk or not, we have to face judgement alone. How many people go online or pack a church to try and convince others that a dead family man was right or wrong has no bearing on life.

    It doesn’t matter in the slightest.

    Who cares if the right wants to praise an individual?

    Who cares if the left wants to vilify the same person?

    Kirk was a family man who thought he was doing right. He was who he was just as I am who I am, and you are who you are.

    Did he spread hate? Don’t we all?

    Did he love those close to him? Again, don’t we all?

    Should I hate him for the evil things he said? If so, I should probably hate myself too.

    At the end of the day, none of opinions matter because none of us has to answer to each other for the life we’ve lived. There’s only one higher being that we need to convince we were right.

    No one else.

  • The Invisible Tip Jar

    I went to the Pantera concert last night (8/29) here in Vegas. Great show. Side note – I was extremely impressed with Amon Amarth. In all my years I had never had a chance to see them. I liked them so much I actually bought a shirt after the show, and I never buy an opening act’s shirt.

    Which brings me to my annoyance.

    Tipping has gotten out of hand as everyone knows. Being from Vegas I understand tipping helps, and by no means am I a cheap tipper. Most times I tend to overdo it.

    BUT

    This was the second time this has happened. The first one being the Ghost show a few weeks ago.

    Last night I bought 4 shirts at $40 a piece, along with a poster and tote bag. $200 plus tax. My total bill was $278, as I was told.

    In years past, the shirt guy would turn his iPad around to show me the itemized receipt, then I would be offered a screen to ask if I would like to leave a tip.

    Now, there’s nothing shown. It’s take it or leave it, you’re holding up the line.

    Like I said, the same thing happened at Ghost. A little more – $280 – but only three shirts and a tote.

    What is one supposed to do? Wait in a Disneyland type line of people, then question everything at the end of the transaction?

    I’m all for tipping, but as far as I could see, neither place had a sign that said “Whatever percentage will be added to each transaction.”

    I’m just supposed to assume that the concert shirt tax rate in Clark County is now 50%?

    That’s how they get you to not question anything. Show was great. You’re pumped up. You want that $40 shirt.

    $100 please.

    No problem. Here’s my card.

  • Fast Food Government

    Went to the McDonald’s drive thru last night. I thought my order was simple enough – three combos and an extra order of fries. When I pulled up there was one car at the order window on my left and nobody in my lane. I pulled up and ordered. Everything looked great on the screen. I paid and got my food. The bag looked okay, so I drove home.

    Once I opened up the bag, I discovered that two of my cheeseburgers were missing. Normally, I wouldn’t care but I was starving. That of course made it a complete disaster. I called the McDonalds to see if it was possible to get that order refunded.

    $8 is by no means a life or death amount, but I didn’t have a Snickers bar handy so I was extremely grouchy. Of course, they wouldn’t refund me. They told me they’d write my name down and whenever I was in the area I could speak with a manager about it.

    Of course that means, good luck buddy. We took your $8.

    This morning it dawned on me just how dangerous it is to not only use a drive thru, but to eat fast food to begin with.

    Not only is it bad for you. I, like everyone else, could care less about that.

    How many times has an order been wrong, and no one has gone back to complain?

    How hard is it to read an order?

    Most times, very difficult. That makes me laugh because most receipts will say NO KETCHUP, NO ONIONS, etc. It’s not like it’s written in small legal disclaimer mumbo jumbo on the back of the receipt.

    Still orders are sent out wrong.

    Sometimes you can even order a burger and get home and find a chicken sandwich.

    The part that boggles my mind is that most of these items are given numbers. So not only can’t people read. They can’t count to 10.

    And whose fault is that?

    Ours.

    Because, like God, we get home, forgive them for their errors, and eat what was given.

    In my case, I didn’t eat at all. I did get my soda if that’s any consolation. Still, $8 for a soda is more expensive than a soda at a steakhouse.

    There should be some kind of recourse, because if we added up all the fast food orders that were messed up, forgiven, and never refunded, I’m sure it’s some astronomical amount that has been stolen from the American people.

    Sounds familiar.

  • Satan Has Sold Out

    I went to see the band Ghost this past weekend. For the uninitiated, Ghost is a metal band that used to pretend to worship the devil. I say used to because they are a far cry from their past.

    The lead singer used to dress up in Pope garb, complete with a skull mask. It was extremely creepy and cool at the same time. it was unique and scared a lot of people.

    Flash forward 11 years since I first saw them at the House of Blues in Las Vegas, and the “ritual” as the concert is called, had become a Broadway play.

    I have never seen a singer have so many costume changes in a “metal” concert in my life. No more Pope wear. Now it is glittery lounge jackets and a half mask that looks like he’s getting ready for Mardi Gras.

    I understand the old mask had to be extremely hard to wear, but the cool part about it was, as a Pope, Tobias Forge didn’t have to move around. He could simply use his hands in a religious manner. Now, he jumps around on stage and dances and shakes his butt. He also sings songs that sound like he stole them from the Bee-Gees.

    All in the name of Satan?

    I should have known I was in for something unexpected when I saw the type of crowd Ghost attracts now. No more “look at this guy. He looks like he sacrifices animals on the weekend.”

    Now it looks like Comic Con.

    The best part of the entire show was waiting in line for an hour because phones were not allowed. They have to get locked up in a pouch you can wear around your neck or shoulder. You then have to wait after the show so they can unlock it for you.

    It was a complete mess to say the least.

    I reiterate it was the best part because I now see why they don’t want anyone to film the show. While I am not a devil worshipper, I felt so bad for those that do. Watching T.F prance around on stage to rainbow lighting, I could only shake my head and think to myself

    Is this what the devil has become?

  • I’m Gonna Git You Sucka

    If you’ve ever seen the movie, there’s a scene where a young Chris Rock goes into a BBQ joint and wants some ribs and a drink. The problem is he doesn’t want to pay full price for anything. Instead of ordering a rack of ribs, he wants just one rib. What’s worse, he doesn’t want to pay for a soda either. He wants them to just pour it in his hands.

    After going back and forth with the restaurant owners, Chris Rock pulls out a wad of hundred dollar bills and asks them if they have change for a hundred.

    After selling on Ebay for a year, I feel exactly like the restaurant owners.

    Ebay is a funny place. It’s a fun place to buy, and a fun place to sell. the problem is always the people.

    The low ballers are an interesting type. I wish I could see pictures of these types. I picture someone who thinks they are the shit, even though they live in their parent’s basement.

    I can also see them trying to negotiate at a Goodwill.

    Scratch that. They don’t even negotiate.

    I can place something for sale for $10 and they will offer me $4.99. If I counter at $8, I’ll never hear from them again. They don’t even have the decency to decline. They just disappear, making me wonder if my counter bruised their egos.

    Which makes me wonder about the mentality of a low baller. Do they really think they’re going to get me, or any other seller, to thank them for their offer and bow down to them?

    Poor me trying to push my wares on Ebay. Here comes Low Baller Man to save the day!

    Most days I get a kick out of them. They want half off. They don’t like my shipping preferences, even though it’s free to them.

    The worst part is if I do sell to them, they have the power to leave me a negative review. “Price sucks. Shipping sucks. Etc.”

    Maybe I need to stop complaining, open up a store, and kick these morons out.

    Not likely.

    These types never show their faces.

  • The Boob Tube

    Is there anything worse than someone thinking you’re stupid?

    Yes.

    Someone knowing you are.

    I just watched a Reese’s commercial for their Chocolate Lava cup. In it, they show people trying to get to actual lava while the authorities try to stop them.

    Yes, I know it’s for comedic effect, but is it really?

    A few years ago, when Uber expanded to Uber Eats, they had a commercial where celebrities ate items like soap. Uber Eats actually had to put out another commercial asking people to not eat soap.

    Now that’s funny.

    Who on Earth thinks ‘My favorite actor ate a bar of soap. I should try.’

    This is probably the same type of person that would perform an idiotic stunt for Tik Tok.

    Another recent commercial that comes to mind is for home insurance. A couple purchases a house and is horrified to find the neighbors have a large pen full of goats.

    How did these people buy this house? Online? Maybe with some virtual staging?

    if this couple didn’t see, hear, or smell the goats when their agent first showed them the house, I have to wonder how they make it through life?

    Possibly they make Tik Tok videos?

    If I wrote down everything wrong with advertising these days, I could probably write a novel, but I have things to do. The only thing I can think of is maybe my grandparents were right.

    I should stop watching the boob tube.

  • Crypto Death

    Is there anything worse than a rug pull?

    Yes and no. It depends on how you want to die. Quickly? Or slow and painful?

    Quickly you say? Rug pulls are the answer.

    Rug pulls take your money in one nice and easy shot.

    The problem with rug pulls is you can see the problems if you look close enough. Most people just see the promises and jump in without checking to see if there’s water in the swimming pool.

    Case in point – Mutuum.

    Will this be a rug pull? Only time will tell.

    I’ve heard a lot about this lending platform, which promises to make lending and borrowing as painless as can be. My one fault is for the life of me I can’t find who is behind this project.

    Most legitimate cryptos splash the faces of every executive on its website. They want you to know what major corporations each person comes from and how they have 14 college degrees.

    I have no clue who started Mutuum. I only know they have a logo that looks very official, almost governmental.

    Defi (decentralized finance) is a slippery slope. Ideally, it’s the perfect way to lend. Realistically, there are too many flaws at this point in time. In any event, it’s not something I’d jump into even with the promise of 300% returns.

    It’s easy to say “the coin only cost $0.002.”

    There are 48 billion tokens in existence. At .002 they could easily walk away with $96 million. Of course, .002 is the pre-sale price. Once they go “live” who knows what the real price would be. I’m sure it will be outrageous considering all the hype I’ve read.

    Of course, I could be totally wrong, and I hope to be.

    But, my mind thinks back to projects like OneCoin, Thodex, Arbix Finance, and Luna. There are plenty more.

    The funny part about losing your money in a rug pull is how fast it disappears.

    Fear not my friends, for there is a way to still lose your crypto money, but at a much slower pace.

    A slow and steady bleed is for those who use crypto exchanges. These are the guys that shake your hand while stabbing you in the back.

    Admittedly, I haven’t used every exchange. There are some that had a hard time validating my ID so I gave up on them.

    Coinbase is a good example. They charge for everything. I’m surprised they don’t charge you to look in your wallet. Want to buy a crypto – charge. Want to transfer one crypto to another – charge. Want to transfer to USD – charge.

    I understand they need to make money, but to nickel and dime is ridiculous. I’m trying to invest, not buy a car.

    God forbid you need to cash out but are staking. In some cases, it can take a week for your money to be released. Should the market crash, and after the fees to cash out, why bother?

    Even if you’re successful getting all your money, you’re really not. In most cases, you’re still left with crypto dust. Crypto dust is the very small percentage of coin that’s left over since prices change constantly.

    Binance used to let you exchange your dust for its token, but I don’t know if they still do.

    On a quick note, I like the interface on Exodus, but again, taking your money out is an extreme pain. And very pricey.

    Crypto is like flirting with death.

    It can be fun and exciting, but in the end, death will find you.