Venting

Ok I need to vent about something for a moment.... bear with me.

Everybody remember the 90's? The "Tech Boom" ? When dozens, if not hundreds, of companies were born as a direct result of growing technology.

Does everyone know what that little "e" stands for in the front of all these modern expressions (e-mail, e-commerce etc.)?... Yes of course, ELECTRONIC.

Now does everyone know what the term "trade" means.... at least in the business world? i.e. to "trade stocks" and the like. I'll over-simplify with this definition-- "the exchange of money". It's obviously more complicated than that, but let's just stick to raw basics here... you'll understand why in a moment.

Now there's a company--a very large one--that was founded not only during the time of aforementioned tech boom, but on the very principle of aforementioned technology! In fact, it even chose a name that might cause you to expect it would be the POSTER CHILD of it's genre. I am speaking of a company called "E-TRADE" or "E-TRADE FINANCIAL".

It's name, by the simple and logical kindergarten formula I gave at the beginning of this post would very simply mean "the electronic exchange of money".

Ok here comes the vent part. Hopefully this isn't too much info, but I'm in some debt. In fact, I belong to one of those "debt consolidation" programs. I pay (electronically) a company every month a lump sum and they distribute and disperse the funds to my creditors. I currently am paying off 2 Visa cards. No one just has a Visa anymore, its always some bank with the Visa logo in the corner. Well, one of my cards is owned by Chase Bank, the other by E-Trade Financial.

I recently was contacted by etrade claiming that I was dilinquent on a payment. I immediately contacted my consolidation company and they told me the money was dispursed on November 8th. Chase posted my payment on the 9th and E-Trade claimed they never received it.

I then found out that Chase accepts electronic payments, hence the expiditious transaction and posting. I also then found out that a paper check was mailed via the United States Postal Service to E-Trade Financial. The check was lost somewhere (I am betting it is on etrade's desk full of paper checks somewhere) and this was the reason I was being called dilinquent.

Go ahead, do the kindergarten math... ETRADE FINANCIAL BANK DOES NOT ACCEPT ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS. When I questioned this mind-numbing logic, I was told it was for "my protection"... well don't I feel safe now.
Seriously... chew on that for a while. E-Trade Financial DOES....NOT.... accept.... ELECTRONIC.... PAYMENTS. And they lost my paper check...... for my protection..... I think it might rain frogs.

Our trip to Hawaii

For anyone who doesn't know (as if there's anyone left), I recently won a recipe contest in which the grand prize was a trip for two to the Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii. The following is a detailed synopsis of our trip.

We left friday, the 11th of February, and after about 16 hours of travel, we landed in a rainy Honolulu after dark. For the first time in either one of our lives, we were greeted at the airport by one of those guys holding a sign with our names on it (and 2 leis). So cool!
We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, a 22 acre resort on the beach in Waikiki, complete with restaurants, shopping center, several pools, a spa (to which we had full access), and the walkways between everything was lined with ponds and wildlife from flamingos to penguins to those big goldfish.
We got breakfast every morning from our choice of 2 buffets, and the first morning we had some free time so we headed to Honolulu to take a tour of the Iolani Palace. It's the only royal palace on American soil, as Hawaii used to be a monarchy (I'll probably post a future blog on THAT topic too...). It was lovely and fascinating, complete with a traditional Hawaiian wedding taking place on the front lawn.
It rained a little during the day, but it didn't really bother us. That evening, transportation was provided for us (and about 50 others who were being handled by Athlon Sports travel agency) to one of the nicest luau' on the island. Traditional games, demonstrations of customs, dancing, live bands and plenty of mai tai's was followed by one delicious authentic feast, complete with the roast pig. Good times were had by all, and the weather was cooperative!
The next morning, a driver met us in the lobby to take us to the game. He dropped us off at the "Official NFL Pre-Game Tailgating Party". They gave us all kinds of free gifts and souvenirs at the door and there were mermaids and some sort of ocean theme all around the grounds. Buffet of hawaiian food, sushi, and other intersting dishes, and an OPEN BAR! Ka-TSHHHT! (that's the sound of a beer can opening.... over and over and over). Dan Marino, some hometown Hawaiian players, and live bands entertained us for a few hours, and then it was game time.
Loads of fun! Of course there were more Steelers there than any other team, and we were 8 rows up from the bench at about the 25 yard line, AFC side. Thank goodness we were on the "shady side" of the stadium too, cuz we BURNED even without the sun. AFC dominated and won, I took too many pictures of the players and stuff, and the legendary DON HO sang his signature "Tiny Bubbles" at halftime.
Monday was Valentines Day, and my adorable girlfriend suggested that we rent a convertible. So we did, and headed out for Diamondhead Crater. We parked in the crater and headed on a hike to the lookout point at the top. We lost about 14 pounds between us on the sweaty hike up, but the breeze and the view at the top were worth it. Breathtaking.
We then called my uncle George's nephew, Brett, who lives on Oahu in a town called Kailua. He agreed to meet up with us later in the afternoon when he was done with work. We drove on H2, the Hawaiian "interstate" (yes, they have interstates in Hawaii) up the middle of the island, past the Dole pineapple plantations, and up to the rough rocky 'North Shore'. We stopped at a local supermarket for some sushi and fresh fruit to have a picnic on one of the local scenic beaches. Not very swimmable, but beautiful. The road twisted around the coast line all the way down to the windward side. There, the volcanic landscape is tall and jagged against the ocean, yet still lush and green.
Brett met us at the Kailua beach park and we just chilled with him while we watched the kite surfers. Kailua is a very local town--not a lot of tourists/hotels etc. We walked about a block up a hill to his apartment where his wife Jennifer was waiting for us with a couple of cold ones. We sat and chatted on the balcony overlooking the beach park and ocean. Need I say more?
We stopped at a real little hole-in-the-wall authentic Hawaiian restaurant on the way back to Waikiki for some dinner. Lau Lau pork, poi, something that resembled beef jerkey, and about a half dozen other side dishes that I can't pronounce filled our bellies till we rolled out smiling ear to ear. Then we went back to the resort for some champagne and chocolates to top off our Valentines Day adventure.
Tuesday, we didn't have to meet our driver until about 6:30PM, so we just relaxed at the resort and took advantage of the spa, the beach, and the pools. We walked into Waikiki for some last minute souvenirs and concluded with 2 awesome burgers at Cheeseburger In Paradise: Waikiki. The secret ingredient? a slice of grilled pineapple!
The plane ride home was a breeze as we slept most of the way...and now, with each flake of snow that falls on Jersey ground, we long for paradise lost.
In a word, PERFECT.

The blog game

Ok people... lets lighten up a bit. I want some feedback. No matter how pressed for time you are or unimpressed with any of my blogs you are, I want you to respond to this one with feedback

We're going to play the BLOG GAME! I heard of this game under a different name a few years ago, got a few laughs out of it, and now I'm changing the rules a bit.

Basically the rules are simple. Since the word "blog" can be a noun, verb, or even descriptive, simply think of the name of a movie, book or even television show and replace one of the words in the title with the word "BLOG". I'll start with a list of my own, and you can respond with as many as you like!

Movies:
"A Blog of Their Own"
"The Blog for Red October"
"The Passion of the Blog"
"Along came a Blog"
"A Blog Runs Through It"
"Blogging Miss Daisy"


Books:
"A Tale of Two Blogs"
"Anne Frank: Blog of a Young Girl"
"The Lion, the Blog, and the Wardrobe"
"The DaVinci Blog"

Television:
"Blog Hills 90210"
"Saturday Night Blog"
"Everybody Blogs Raymond"
"The Late Late Blog"
"Eight Simple Rules for Blogging my Teenage Daughter"

Continue ad nauseum....

Antiquated Formula

The dictionary defines a formula as "A method of doing or treating something that relies on an established, uncontroversial model or approach."

Nowhere in the definition does it imply that formulae can't be changed, or "re-established".

Here's how the formula of today's discussion has evolved:

Go to school. Get a job. Work hard. Retire/die (whichever comes first).

100 years ago it was a matter of finishing as much school as you could until you were ready to work at your father's business.

50 years ago it was you MUST finish High School in order to amount to anything in this world, THEN you have the option of working in your fathers business, but only the very smart and lucky go to college.

25 years ago it was that you MUST go to college in order to be able to compete for the jobs that are out there, otherwise you'll be stuck working for your father.

10 years ago, somehow a B.S. (we'll get to the puns later) or a B.A. was not enough, and a masters degree is becoming more and more "necessary" in order to find work.

What's next? We're all going to be doctors? Do you have any idea what that would do to the value of an education? To the value of the word "doctor"? To the quality of work that would go into being a doctor? (see previous post) And of course I'm not just referring to medical doctors, I'm making a statement about the exaggeration of the importance of a "proper education".

This formula is getting old. It worked well for the industrial age, but it has very little bearing on the information age. We can take from it SOME of its constructs that still hold their value, just as we can take constructs from the previous model of apprenticeship (pre-industrial revolution).

Interesting side note to demonstrate my point--do you know what state has the highest SAT scores?... Take your time... really THINK about this one.... You might be thinking its some white suburbanite middle-class state like Oregon or Maine. Or maybe the ones with all the colleges like Massachussets or New York. Well its Mississippi. "WWHAA??" You see, in Mississippi, they're a little "behind the times" and working for your Pa after (or before) you finish high school is a viable career option for many. This is why they only encourage those students who have the potential to even GO to college, to take the SAT's in the first place. Here in New Jersey, high school principals pride themselves on saying "97% of our student body is moving on to some form of higher education". So they tell EVERYONE to take the SAT's. And we all know someone who has no earthly business going to any form of college who took the SAT's and scored miserably. They may be the greatest mechanic in 4 counties and can make a 6-figure income doing so at their uncle's garage...what the H*%L do they need a college education for? They had a terriffic apprenticeship growing up and the result is a skill that fewer and fewer "college types" will ever posess. (hmmm... 6-figure income doing something they're extremely good at.... and we call that "behind the times?")

Furthermore, and more to the point, the things that colleges are teaching us are narrowing. When we finally get out into the workplace, we findout that we have to have people skills just to get the interview right. Then we have to have more people skills to work in an office or on the phone. Then we find we need leadership skills to get a promotion before the guy next to us, and time management skills to upkeep the lifestyle we want--which should include spending time with your family, excercising, eating right, having hobbies, maintaining a spiritual life, contributing to your community, and getting enough sleep on top of it all. Raise your hand if you took a course in college called "Time Management", "Leadership", "People Skills", or least likely of all "Self-Improvement".

You see, no office would want you to have these qualities, because if you were better at them than your supervisor, you'd have his job. He wants you to be tired, barely adequate, and content to be so. Your co-worker in the next cube doesn't want you to be a leader, because you'll get the promotion before she does.

Imagine a work environment where your co-workers all patted you on the back for your successes and meant it! Who shared in your victories and helped you along the way. Imagine a boss who instructed you to get balance back in your life... maybe take some time off to go to a self-improvement seminar, or invited you to church with him.

This is the kind of education we should all have to compliment our "traditional" education to acheive the lifestyle we all know we are due.

Whether you just want to be better at what you currently do, try something completely different, become that entrepreneur that you know is hiding inside you, or simply improve one or many other aspects of your life, the key ingredient is YOU. YOU have to want it, and know why. Once you know WHY, "how" becomes inconsequential. You have to keep learning, keep moving forward, trying NEW and DIFFERENT things.

Einstein once defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result." So you wake up early to beat the traffic, go to work and complain with your co-workers, come home too tired to exercise, argue with your wife, snap at your kids, go take a drive to "cool off" and scarf down a Big Mac, come home and go to sleep because you have to get up early to beat the traffic... did you expect that when you woke up tomorrow things would somehow be different?

"OK, Kev, I know why, but I still don't know 'how'..."

Try something different. Something in the back of your mind that you always wanted to do, but were afraid... or for reasons unknown to even you, you put off.

Here are some suggestions if you're still having trouble.




1. Try something new!
2. TAKE CLASSES ONLINE (the right kind)
^^^^This one is my favorite idea. ;)
3. Start taking healthy suppliments
4. Read a different kind of book Or just a book at all :p
5. Call ME! I'll be happy just to talk to you, or listen to you about your thoughts on these subjects... (908) 963 3305
6. Read THE BOOK
7. Start a home-business in your spare time to make extra money (or even turn it into a full time income (if you have the stones).
----------->A) Success University Recruiter
------------->B) Nutritinal Suppliment Distributor
--------------->C)Affiliate Programs in online shopping and casinos!

"Oh, Kevin... you've been brainwashed! I'm so disappointed"

Don't be disappointed, be happy for me! Brain=mind, washed=cleansed of dirt and bacteria.
You've been brain-dirtied with ideas that are average, mundane, antiquated... "go to school, get a B.S. (bulls*** piece of paper), get a J.O.B. (Just Over Broke), 40 hours/week, 40 thousand/year, for 40 years and they reward you with a $40 Timex watch.

Don't get me wrong... if you're happy with your job, you are a rare instance. Be grateful. If you truly love what you do and beleive it is what God put you here to do, then don't worry... I'm not talking to you :) . But if you're like a lot of people who want something different and just can't figure out why things aren't working out for you like you had always hoped, maybe your brain needs washing.

Good Luck!

Drugs are bad, mmkay...

Imagine you sit on the board of directors for a pharmaceutical company. Your job is to get the biggest return for your investors as possible. Where would you decide to spend your R&D money... on a drug for a disease that may cost a patient $100, one time and they're cured for life? OR on a drug that controls the symptoms of said disease that they have to take for $1 per day for the rest of the patients life? It's just good business. Yes that's right... "modern medicine" is a business that's after your money, and does not have the best interest of your health in mind.

A "doctor" used to be the guy that cared for your health; hence the term "Health Care." This is no longer the case. They use crafty logic--when you tell them "this hurts", they tell you "take this pill and it won't hurt anymore." You go home, take the pill and VOILA! No more pain. That's modern medicine, right? WRONG! That's drug dealing. They gave you a pain killer, which masks the symptoms but does nothing for the actual problem. We must treat the cause, not the effects.

And speaking of effects, have you heard the list of "side-effects" that most of these drugs have? Good Heavens! I'd rather be impotent! Or bald! Or have a short attention span!

So lets be honest about the industry we are in, shall we doctors? On your best day, you're in the "Sick Care" industry. You take care of sick people. Truthfully, you're in the drug dealing industry. Like McDonalds is in the hamburger industry....right? HA! They're in the real estate business, people. They own more real estate world wide than the Catholic Church. What do they do with all the profits from their 15,000 plus locations? BUILD ANOTHER LOCATION. What do doctors do with their years of "medical" training? DISTRIBUTE MEDICINE (aka sell drugs).

Let's face it--the backbone of the US economy has relied on tobacco since day 1. Finally, we're catching up and realizing that this s**t is bad for you. BUT, alas...what shall replace this backbone? Pharmaceuticals...legal, equally or more addictive than nicotine, and 9 out of 10 doctors recommend them! Its about money. Sick.

You never thought of it that way, did you...

PS:
Wanna cringe? I heard a statistic from a few years ago (around 2000) that there are "over 500,000 prescriptions for Prozac being written each year" (if you're not cringing yet it gets better...)... "for CHILDREN UNDER TWELVE!" (commence vomiting).

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease."--Thomas Edison

"You don't get a headache from an aspirin deficiency."--Kevin Trudeau
(if you want to enlighten yourself further, get his book "Natural Cures They Don't Want You to Know About")