My Primerica Perspective.

Today I went to a coffee shop after running some errands and I came across somebody who is kind of in the same boat that I am. Or better yet, I should say about two years ago. She got her bachelors degree in Public Relations in the fall of 2011 and right now she cannot find a job. She's currently working at the coffeeshop and me and her got to talking and she was telling me how hard it is for her. I just finished graduate school and I'm kind of  back where I was. I hope and pray that it goes better this time, however, I was reflecting on my apst and just how sucky it was for me and now she's there. She got her degree in three years and she's debating whether she wants to go to grad school in Louisiana or not. Since she still has a semester for TOPS she can use, I suggested that she try one semester here and then see if she can transfer to an out of state university. Later in the conversation I went back to a job fair that I attended shortly after I got my bachelors degree, where I was told that I could take an unpaid internship for as long as I wanted. I recall telling her that PRIMERICA has been at pretty much every job fair that I have been too since the April of 2010. Lets just say, she had some words, she got a call from a representative who refused to even tell her what the hell he was selling and what kind of business he was running. He told her how she'd be able to set her own schedule, yadiyada

Yeah, okay, my experience was somewhat different, however, in the since that I was expecting the call as I had a friend of mine refer me to a representative, and I was warned by my friend prior to it. I met the representative at a local diner and the presenatation on how money works seems interesting. And I had heard about them in the past, they used to be owned by citi financial services but in April of 2010 they broke off and became their own company. Anyway, back to my experience. Prior to the actual Primerica meeting, there were several reschedules. I ultimately met my same representative at his home. 45 minutes later than the scheduled time might I add? Oh yeah, I felt like I was being held hostage, b/c I was held in there forever. Also, I was not told about selling insurance the first time that I met my repersentative. I ultimately opted out of the program b/c at the time I just had a lot going on and I really could not afford it. I already did the $99 just to start out. Plus $25/month to maintain my own Primerica website? Yeah, okay. I don't doubt that there are some who make good money doing this, but in this economy I just don't see many people buying this kind of insurance at the moment.

Orlando Lopez 311 year prison sentence.

Well folks, we have another murder case, this time it was at a neighborhood barbeque. This even took place in northern California and apparently there had been a feud going on between two families for some time. So rather than talking it out, putting aside differences, signing a peace treaty, 24 year old Orlando Lopez and another guy, 22 year old Paul Braden fire shotguns at the family which kills a four year (Skyler Rapp) old boy and wounds five other individuals including the boy's mother. A mom loses her child, is injured, however, I bet the injury is no where near the pain of losing her child at such a young age. Lopez was handed a 311 year sentence (why not just say life w/o parole?). I don't believe he intentionally killed that child, but I do believe that the motives behind the shooting rampage were probably ridiculous. Now I know some may say the justice system is kind of screwed b/c there are people who kill much more and get a lighter sentence. That's true, and 311 years does seem a bit much when you first hear it. However, I think it's nice that not all judges operate the same and this judge handed a well justified sentence. So why argue about that, the point is a child died, a mom lost her child all because of a feud between two families. What do you think? Was the sentence a bit harsh? Do you think it was justified? Why?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/09/orlando-lopez-sentenced_n_1761067.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

Chick Fil A Controversy

Okay so today, I was asked if I was going to eat at Chick-Fil-A for the appreciation day. Call me naive, however, I was not aware that such a day existed. I know about the controversy surrounding the fast food chain at the moment because one of the executives expressed [after he was asked] his opinion on marriage and announced that he supported the biblical viewpoint of marriage. Once he said that, all hell broke lose, in fact the mayor is suggesting that the chain not even open a restaurant in the city. I've been following this on my twitter timeline since I saw one tweet posted by one of my celebs that I follow. I did a little search afterwards, and lets just say it was a wrap from there. Anyway....moving back to the appreciation day, I thought, hmmmm they giving away food? Giving a discount on meals? If so then hell yeah I would have gone, however, shortly afterwards, I forgot that it was the appreciation day.

Now, that that's out of the way, I want to state how I feel about this whole thing! I think it's B.S. I mean, for one, I have to ask, why the hell do people INSIST on asking others their opinion on gay marriage when they already know the answer that they want. They asked that man that question knowing damn well the answer they wanted, and when they did not get that answer, they were pissed. The same with MISS USA a few years back when Perez Hilton popped that question. (Shame on me for even giving him more attention). It's like they just look for something to get pissed about and look for something to screw someone over for. I did not know that Chick-Fil-A was run by a devout christian family until I did the searching around myself. But again, I still this is nonsense because I'm sure that these gay individuals have family members who may not approve of gay marriage, however they can still show RESPECT for that them (i.e. the family members can still, hopefully show respect and love for their gay family member). To me boycotting this chain for their lack of support of same sex marriage is just as ridiculous as boycotting the Oreo for their supporting of gay marriage. Again, I go to Chick-Fil-A a because it's a good fast food meal. Not once have I ever gone and wondered "hmmm.....I wonder what their religious beliefs or their politics are". If we avoided every restaurant or business that did not agree with our personal viewpoints, we would not get very far in life. I mean, you don't see me avoiding professors who happen not to be christian because I'm a christian do you? Or avoiding/boycotting Disney World because much of the people behind the scenes are gay?

That's all I have to say is I think that it's nonsense and if I want a sandwich from Chick-Fil-A and I'm near one, I will get one, regardless of their stance. Just because one individual disagrees with it does not mean that person is not worth associating with. It's not like they are actively going out of their way to make it illegal or picketing gay weddings. I say grow up!  What do you think? How do you feel about same-sex marriage? What do you think about this boycotting of Chick-Fil-A? I've love your input! Goodnight. Deuces!

An ode to Orlando, FL

Orlando!!!! Okay, where to begin? This is my first trip to the orlando area in four years and I have to say that I am in  love! It's a hot spot for a vacation, and if you stay at a resort such as Orange Lake or a Disney resort, you are pretty much set. The shopping opportunities are infinite as well as the dining and swimming, and theme parks. My first experience with the orlando area and vacationing in florida was 2001, I had just finished the eight grade and we went to the orlando area just about every year until about 2006. Not that this necessarily matters, but just something I'd throw. I'd say about 2003 is when we purchased the timeshare home at the Orange Lake Resort and Country Club, and I had my first experience of staying at the resort in the summer of 2005. The pool opportunities are superb though I personally like the west and north village pools best. River Island was fun and all but it can get a bit crowded after a while. Outside of the resort was a grocery store, target and several restaurants and shopping areas that I had been built since our last stay. This trip, we did not do any of the theme parks, it was just a seven day leave the house kind of trip. Though I do wish we would have gone to downtown Disney or Epcot to watch some fireworks. On the plus side though, from our resort, we were able to see the fire works from our room.

What to do in the Orlando area.

Disney World-Epcot, Downtown Disney, Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM), Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom(we never actually did this one). While we did not do any theme parks this time around, I have some fond memories of getting on the Tower of Terror, 
The Rockin Roller Coaster, going see Cirque De Solei, watching the fireworks at Epcot, taking a journey, Visiting Typhoon Lagoon (man, that wave pool has some strong waves!), Riding Spaceship Earth and the Test Track, also visiting the set where Pear Harbor was filmed.

Universal Studios-Wanna see where Nickelodeon shoots much of their shows or just ride a few rides on the other end?

Celebration-is a TND in the orlando area that literally looks like something from a storybook. No lie, the place does not look real, it looks like something that could have been drawn in one of those interactive storybooks, except it has actually come to life. To be honest with you, some parts, of the area, remind me of a garden district here in Louisiana. There is also a hotel within the development. The lifestyle really reminds you of the stefford wives or beaver days with kids riding their bikes down the sidewalk or stopping at the local ice cream shop for dessert or an afternoon snack.

Water parks-Okay, I don't care how old you are, if you can walk w/o a cane you are still young enough to enjoy a water park. IMHO there is no such thing as "too old" to enjoy a water park. Water parks have rides that cater to people from every age group. Though for most rides you do have to be at least 4 feet tall. Just the thrill of going down a slide where the water pressure is so strong that you can barely hold on to the rails before the lifeguard gives you the okay to slide down is an exciting thing for me. So far I've been to Wet N' Wild and Typhoon Lagoon (which is a Disney water park). Have yet to go to Blizzard Beach, and unforturnately I never got to experience the now closed, River Country.

Chill at the resort-If you are looking to go on a trip where you don't have to do anything, you can just sit at the resort and enjoy a day at the pool w/ a margarita.

Play Golf-Any golfers out there? Orlando is loaded w/ the opportunities for you. In fact some resorts may have several golf courses for you to choose from. Wanna do it as a family, there are several miniature golf courses to select from as well.

Dine Out-Whether you want to dine at a resort or grab some seafood the options are there. We went to this grill where I got a meal that I would not have thought to get. The restaurant was right outside of the resort, next to a longhorn steakhouse. It was this meal with two friend chicken breast with this layer of vegetables, spinach and melted cheese. Actually quite good, and that is probably the only way that I would eat spinach (w/ the exception of getting it at subway on a sandwich or a pizza).

House Look-This would be what my mom likes to do, when we were younger, we would take one day out of the trip to ride around the area looking at model homes. We would find neighboorhoods and if there was a home available to view we most likely were there.

Enjoy the diversity-Being from a town w/ not much diversity, I love the diversity of the tourists and the residence of the area. It's a beautiful thing to see so many ethnic backgrounds enjoying each other's company.

If you really want to relax-just take a ride to the city itself away from all the chaos. Orlando is one of those cities who's suburbs are more chaotic than the city itself.  The actual city of  Orlando is rather quiet. If you choose not to do this, go sit at a Barnes and Noble bookstore or an outdoor cafe w/ a beverage.

What I realized this year that I did not realize in the past:

Okay, I knew about the gay pride event at Disney World, but I had no idea that the Orlando area had such a large metrosexual scene. Out here you see alot of guys rocking the tank tops, shorts, and sandals. Now don't get me wrong, I like sandals as much as the next person, but I usually keep mine a conservative colour. I stay w/ the browns, tans, blacks, and maybe navy blue. Out here the guys are rocking the whites, light blues, yellows, and to top it all off, those damn murses (man purses) lol. Did I mention that I say a COACH men's store in one of the outlet malls. You see those really tight shorts on guys that almost look like capris. You see heavy dudes wearing that damn spandex. I try to be a somewhat progressive individual, and to  some extent maybe my wardrobe is somewhat metro, but I still try to keep it conservative. Just sayin. Anyway, love Orlando, I personally would not live there, though I would vacation there, and perhaps being away from Orlando for such a long period is just what I needed to appreciate it again.

http://www.celebration.fl.us/

http://www.universalorlando.com/Theme_Parks/Universal_Studios_Orlando/universal_studios_florida.aspx

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/blizzard-beach/

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/typhoon-lagoon/

http://www.smartdestinations.com/orlando-attractions-and-tours/wet-n-wild-orlando/_attr_Orl_Att_Wet_n_Wild_Orlando.html?GCID=GOOGLE-ORLANDO-WETNWILD&gclid=CM_GjcXcv7ECFSZeTAodxQUAGg

http://www.wetnwildorlando.com/

What should have been a nice outing, turns into a deadly disaster!

Hey blogger, I thought I would take this time to rant on the school shooting that took place at the midnight opening of Batman in Aurora, CO. This won't really include any new light on the topic, though I must say that I saw a tweet about this on twitter this morning while on the road (gotta love the apps that androids have), and I did not know just what was going on. Mom then talks to my brother and she said he had been watching CNN, so me being curious, I asked what was going on, she said something about the batman opening at midnight and how this lunatic went on a shooting rampage.  Anyways........moving on, this kid James Holmes was only 24 years old, hails from San Diego, and was a ph.D candidate that has now thrown his life away because of a very sick deed. According to one article this is the worst mass shooting in over five years.  James Holmes (the gunman) purchased 4 guns at local gun shops and then over 6000 rounds of ammunition int he past two months. How the hell he got that much money, I have not the slightest idea, I mean I don't have that kind of money, and right now there are not too many jobs that someone that young can work that would afford them that much explosives, so I'm curious as to where the hell he got that much money? Not that it matters, regardless of how money source, it was a vile, sick, cruel, sadistic act of violence and he fucked his life up as a result. There were 12 people killed, according to what I'm reading, and there is a total of 70 injured. I'm even reading post on twitter on from CNN on victims who were attempting to shield their children. Looking at this picture and a few select videos, this guy appears to come from a middle-class family, with parents who appeared to do their best, but yet he does this shit. I really would not care if he gets the death penalty, in fact I'd be happy to watch, and executions are nothing that I desire to see. Anyway, whatever happens to him, he fucked his life up. I mean, damn yall, working on your doctorate at 24 and you throw it all away with this! And for what? What pleasure could you have gotten out of it? Then he set's traps at his home for when the police come. Okay, I'm out, I realize this was not the best written blog, but damn it, I'm at a loss for words at this moment.


http://abcnews.go.com/US/aurora-colo-batman-shooting-71-victims-largest-mass/story?id=16817842#.UAoQ_aOnffU

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/aurora-colorado-dark-night-shooting-suspect-james-holmes-16820789

http://abcnews.go.com/US/aurora-colo-batman-shooting-71-victims-largest-mass/story?id=16817842#.UAoQ_aOnffU

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-colorado-shooting-update-batman-20120720,0,5201212.story

A realization that I may not have children

Lately, I've really been rethinking my desire for parenthood. In one blog, I wrote about the recession frustrations, and to be honest with you, with the way the economy is right now, I just don't see myself bringing a child into the world. For one reason, I've busted my ass for seven years and have not landed a full-time gig, so when I do finally get that, I don't think I want to blow it off on the expenses of parenthood (I've got enough burdens w/o parenthood). Also people are losing jobs left and right and that includes individuals with a mortgage and a family relying on them. When I look at that, I think to myself "is this really what I want to bring a child into?" Now about five or six years ago I would not have said this. In fact, five or six years ago, I had no doubt that I would have been a dad, but these past two years has really made me rethink that. With the lack of jobs, the ever so increasing prices of things despite the sucky job market, I think "why the hell would I want to screw a child up like that?".  I was talking with a colleague of mine whom I met in college, he was telling me how he remembers the days that he could walk into McDonalds and have a job on the spot, but now he can't even do that! Why don't you take a look at the Job Blues..... series of videos that I have posted up, and you might hear a bit more of where I'm coming from.  I go a bit more into detail [about what I've posted in my "Recession Frustrations" blog] and talk about specific situations. Leave me some input!

JS

Fitzeinreiter Riverside Park-Lake Charles, LA

This blog is going to be more pictures and video than anything else. I will only write a short paragraph discussing Fitzenreiter Riverside park here in Lake Charles, LA. The park is on the north side of the city along the Calcasieu River and the English Bayou and in the past it was just a boat launch, however recently some of the woods have been dredged out and a sidewalk has been added leading to a gazebo area and mediocre playground area. The sketches of the park look fantastic, however, the park is not quite there yet. Most of my family is rather disappointed with the park, however, I see that the park does have the potential to be a nice park. I love the fact that the park is still heavily wooded, thus retaining its status as a nature park, but at the same time, I would like to see more furniture out there for people to sit down b/c the sidewalk does go on for about ten minutes before getting to the actual park area. I would like to see a fountain for children to get wet in installed in the park somewhere in the area along with some shaded pavilions. Sure the park is wooded, but this is still southwest Louisiana and we are not too far from the Gulf of Mexico which is a rather hot body of water. In other words, while the woods provide us with much shade, it does not shield us from the humidity. At least I can say that there is a golf cart that takes individuals from one end to the other. The sketches show much decorated steps for fisherman, however I don't see any of that yet. The park supposedly has two phases in it's stage, and I'm hoping that when all is said and done that the park becomes a nice spot to enjoy the river, get some photo's and reflect. Why not sit back and enjoy these few videos and photos that I've put together? There is some beauty here that just cannot be denied, and I'm anxious to see it bought to it's fullest potential.