I guess this is a rant.

So just some annoying things I've kinda dealt with last couple of days.

I walk everywhere I go, I don't drive, so my legs are my mode of transportation. I used to bike, but I've gotten really tired of asshole drivers.

Seriously, there are some drivers that just annoy me. The kind of people that won't mind putting you in danger, or think that they just own the road.

For example, at a cross walk, people are so anxious to just inch closer and closer, or try to beat you out when turning right. One time, I was going past going past an apartment complex drive way, and an jerk that didn't even have his headlights on, didn't stop before turning out on the street, and come close enough to running me over that I had to jump back and the side mirror nicked me. Of course he didn't stop, he just took off. If I hadn't of acted more quickly, I would have been under the car instead.

It seems like people are so impatient, that they're willing to risk someones life to shave a few seconds. SECONDS! I walk everywhere, and I'm not THAT concerned about saving time. I follow traffic rules, and am not careless. But constantly, I am nervous about some driver that is going to come out of nowhere and not pay attention.

It's even worse for people that try to ride in the bicycle lane, and drivers that think they own the road. It's why I stopped riding. I just can't stand it anymore, it makes me too nervous. There a lot of people who do ride to their destination that have it off worse.

Here's one from Bulletproof Courier, this guy has got some balls!



Anyways, just remember, our taxes pay for those roads too, all we ask for is to be attentive and give us the three feet of space.

As for walkers, just please pay attention. That's really all I want, to be able to walk to my destinations without having to worry so much.

Another music blog!

Alright, you guys seemed to like my last blog about a couple of bands that I did, so why not do another?

Thought I'd start off with a different style, and I'm not quite sure how to describe this band. I couldn't even label it with a genre if I wanted to. They're called Portugal. The Man.

They have an album called "Censored Colors" which in my opinion, is their best album, but the rest are still very good. They do a good job of keeping a fresh sound. Here's a sample of them if you're into them, it's from the Censored Colors album. It's a little slow to start, but keep listening, it's worth it once it really gets into it.




Okay, so I'll keep the theme of a couple of bands a day, and I think today, I'm going to also go with another band whom I'm really a big fan of their acoustic work. I don't know how popular they really are, I've never really heard people talking about them, and people don't really know who they are if I bring them up. They're another band I strive to be like when I'm making music, they're called The Early November.

Here's a good example of their work:



Alright, well those are my two bands for the day, hope you guys like it, and hopefully it can lead you to some new music. Comment if you like!

Are you a smoker?

I'm a Camel man myself.

So if you're over 21, go to the camel website, www.camel.com and sign up for their mailing list.

I just got some coupons in the mail, I got 6 $1.50 off one pack coupons, and one for a free can of snus.

If you're like me and hate how expensive smokes have gotten, this is a great deal. I can now get packs for under 5 bucks, which is a helluva lot better than 6 bucks, it adds up.

Hope this helps! Also, comment if you know any tips for getting free stuff from tobacco companies!

Some good tunes

So, a little about my style of music. I'm into a lot of different stuff, I draw the line at country and rap music (including R&B, hip hop and any other variant of it).

Mainly, I don't consider rap to be music. They don't compose anything. It's just spoken word over a 'beat' that was made on a machine. It's cold, and it's empty, in my opinion. I wouldn't even give it the decency to call it poetry.

Now, the stuff I do like, a lot of people would call it emo I guess, pop punk, I'm into a lot of punk rock too. But a couple of bands that have influenced me in being a musician, would be two bands that are still around, and very under rated.

The first one is "Brand New" and it's probably one of the best bands you've never heard of. Their lyrics are a nice change from what you usually hear, they're witty, and they have a sound all their own. Here is an example:




It's a song I really like a lot, dealing with the feeling of despair. I like my music to have a dark overtone to it, something that actually makes you think. Something you can listen to and paint a picture in your mind of what it could really be about.

They have been a big influence in my own music.

Another band that I believe is under rated, and a big influence on my own music, is the pop-punk band "Saves The Day". They've gotten a lot more time on the airwaves than Brand New. But they too have a sound all their own.

Here's an example of that:






Anyways, thats my music for the day. Hope you enjoyed it, there will be more to come.

Also, someone comment and tell me how to embed these videos, I can't quite figure it out.

Buying a home.

My friend whose really good at saving money was just talking to me yesterday about how he only intends to rent his apartment for one more year. He plans on signing just a one year lease, and call it quits to renting, and moving towards buying his own house. He's only 22.


I wonder if the market will begin to pan out, I know he's not one for taking a crappy deal, but how much of a choice does he have? An average 15 year loan will be around 3.5 percent, I'm not sure how good of a deal that is, I'm not really good with money.

It makes me wonder how many people out there are just plain being screwed over, in a 30 year or even more long term mortage deal. Lending Tree and Quickenloans have to be making their money somehow, and it might just be at the expense of the hope to be home owner.

A few words on tipping.

I'd like to say my piece about tipping. Specifically, when it comes to your server in a restaurant.

20% is what seems to be the norm if you ask a server.

Two words: Bull crap.

Just a foreword, I've worked in restaurants. I've done every single job in the industry. I've served you your food. I've cooked your food. I've cleaned your table, I've washed your dishes, I've even sat you at your table.

I know the ins and outs. I know what the job entails. And I find it absolutely RIDICULOUS that you find the need to give them a little extra something.

In Washington state, the minimum wage is $8.55 an hour. You go to any store. For example, your local hardware store, small time grocery store, deli, Subway for a sandwich, thrift shop. You go to these establishments, and you're met with quality service (well, maybe not Subway), these people will work hard for you, not because they're dependant on you giving them an extra 5 bucks a customer, but because they do their job, and they earn their money.

Now, I think a server earns $8.55 an hour, and $7.25 in the bare minimum states, do I think they earn more than that? Hell no.

Servers lead you to believe that they're doing so much.

"Oh, I have to deal with rude people all day." - Not true, most customers are mild mannered. To a server, a rude customer is the one that asks for another napkin, or returns their food when it's cooked wrong, not the right dish, etc, etc.

"I'm on my feet 8 hours a day, rushing back and forth carrying food!" - So what? There are a thousand jobs worse than you, where people also stand for 8 hours a day, moving back and forth. A perfect example is a day laborer. They bust their ass doing construction, shoveling dirt, sand and rocks to complete a job. They bust their ass for that same minimum wage you earn.

A pl-ether of servers are SLACKERS. They eat free food, they shoot the shit with their co-workers, they go out back and smoke a cigarette.

Think of the hosts, the bussers, the cooks and the dishwashers. They each make minimum wage, aside from the cook, who hardly ever makes above minimum wage. And even if they make more, the off-set of the tips for waitresses well exceeds the money a cook will make, and they do not get tips. The cook will stand over a hot line grill all day long, sweating their asses off, cooking the food, while the waitress will just carry it from the hard worker to the customer.

What's the point? Quit tipping these lazy drags on society, keep your hard earned money, because they get exactly what they EARN.

Credit Card Debt

So one thing that I've noticed about credit card debt, is that the best (not really, but kind of) way to deal with it, is to simply ignore it. Sounds retarded right?

Well, when I was younger, I got my first credit card, maxed it out on fun stuff and new clothing, and made the minimum payment one time, after that, stopped paying it. Got another card, did the same thing, and did it once more with a Capitol One card.

Now, every few months or so, I get offers from third party bill collectors in the mail, asking me to settle my debt for literally $500.00 dollars less than what my bill was, so that's subtracting the interest and then some.

I'm sure my credit rating is demolished, but why pay $1,000 when you can pay $500.00?

Seems pretty crumby, but it seems like it's an advantage to being the procrastinator.