Plug In?

The Texas power grid could potentially fail leaving millions without power. It sure is a good thing the electric car headquarters for Tesla was moved there. Plug in a million or two cars into that grid, but turn your air conditioners off so the grid doesn’t fail. Electric cars are the way of the future? I think it will be the downfall. It isn’t just Tesla that is making battery operated cars that need electricity to power on and run. I will keep my gasoline car and truck and just watch and see what happens.

Biden got COVID again. If he dies, the USA will have a woman president. Half black, half Asian. Now there is something to contemplate.

 

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May the odds be ever in your favor?

So if you haven’t been paying attention to social media or the news, then you might not know that the Mega Millions lottery in the United States is now over a BILLION dollars. Of course I bought a ticket or two, but I am not going crazy like some people. First of all, the odds are just too far stacked against you. 303 million to 1. Now if you follow me on Facebook then you would already know I shared my analogy. It would take 5050 Mile High stadiums full of 60,000 to make that 303 million people. I don’t know about you, but just seeing the ONE stadium full of people is overwhelming. So you get the point, yes there are lots and lots of people buying tickets, because … someone has to win, right?

 

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It is nice to hear your voice

Are you one of those people who get bored easily so you try different things, like new

apps and social media connections? Yeah me too, … well kind of. I am sure you know I really am not that active on the other platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, SnapChat), but I DID sign up for a podcast account so I can talk instead of posting, writing or typing. I had a lot of friends/fans tell me that they would rather watch or listen to me as sometimes it is not so easy to read. Maybe like me, you need bifocals so reading small text can be a chore or just plain impossible.
Some of my fans have said they just love listening to my deep baritone voice. So I went back to the site, Anchor, and uploaded a new, fresh picture of me and recorded a quick daily podcast on my iPhone. The thought process behind this is if it is super easy for me to record and upload a podcast, I just might be a lot more inclined to do so. I think impromptu, go with the flow, fly by the seat of my pants is the way to go. And as you know I am going to be in Vegas this weekend, staying at the Bellagio. If any of my fans/friends happen to be around grab me for a selfie or a drink.
The “plan” is I can just whip out my iPhone and start talking/recording and then my friends/fans can just listen to me. I won’t be taking my computer so there probably won’t be any blog updates. I will be posting pictures to my Instagram, so if you follow me there you will see some fun stuff. I almost forgot, here is the link if you want to follow my podcast. I think you can use Spotify if that is your favorite podcast app. It is also available on GooglePlay, iTunes, and Amazon Music!

I always wanted to be a news anchor. So this will be me dipping my toe in the water. Shout out to Jurassic sequel whatever … very predictable, drags at parts, and lots of big scary dinos. Dr. Strange 2 just released on Disney+. Yes, I already downloaded it to my iPad and I will be watching it on the airplane. Do you like my new “work” shirt? I made it myself. I found the patch with my name on eBay and then I bought a Dickies blue shirt and super glued the patch. Originally it was going to be a Halloween costume, but I really dig it. I think I will take it with me on vacation, just for shits and giggles.

 

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Another Gun Shooting

So the other day on Facebook I posted about gun shootings … and how every single shooter technically is a hot tempered, hurt, rejected, suicidal individual. No shooter ever thinks they are going to get away with it free and clear. Well, not school shooters anyway. So just in case you forgot, there was a black shooting in a grocery store in New York, a school shooting at an elementary school in Texas, and now another shooting at a hospital in Oklahoma. President Biden is proposing banning assault weapons, like Canada. AND raising the gun age to 21!
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While many people feel that illegal immigrants shouldn’t be here, the reality is our economy needs them. Think of the millions of workers that legally paid into a social security fund they will never legally be entitled. So you are wondering how is it that they can get jobs? Well, that is up to the employer to “verify” their documents that they are legal. They never go anywhere, and there is no administration or department that keeps a copy of those when you get a job. Weird right? It is all up the the HR person to say, “Yep, you look good.” and then they sign their name on a piece of paper no one ever looks at again. So maybe the HR person signs it anyway or doesn’t file it all together. When times are tough and you have ZERO applicants for your business, 10 illegal workers who want to clean, cook and serve doesn’t sound so bad. Just saying, … it happens.
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Biden also wants expanded background checks. I think that is a great idea. Can they also tap into every pharmacy database to search for particular mental instability drugs that could cause a patient to snap? Hmm, now there is an idea. They are also proposing a “Red Flag” law that would help prevent future crimes. I am hypothesizing that it would entail “friends” reporting anyone they think might be a risk, such as that cray guy on Facebook who isn’t a friend but you … somehow? Would social media cooperate and provide user data?

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If you are an Amazon Prime customer, “The Boys” season 3 is coming out like, any day, so now is a good time to binge watch 1 & 2. The Kardashians is the same show, different day. But man oh man do I love Kris Jenner’s new home and I am in love with Khloe’s new home, which is right next door to her mom. Selling Sunset is my new favorite show. It has supermodel real estate agents selling million dollar mansions in West Hollywood. It actually is more like “Pretty Little Liars” after they get real jobs and get super rich. No one dies, because they are real life people, not characters. And talk about some bitchy characters. Check it out. I love it. You might like it too. Justin Hartley’s wife is in it, and also Tarek from Flip or Flop, his girlfriend is in it too, Heather Young. AND if you have Disney+ a new series Obi Wan Kenobi was just released. Looks good, can’t wait to see it. The first episode is 3 parts.

 

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Tesla Tiny Town

Inside Elon Musk's modest $50k tiny house | loveproperty.comIntroducing Tesla’s Tiny foldable house that is a mere 20 x 20, or 200 square feet. So, if you didn’t know, Tesla genius Elon Musk is going to take over the affordable housing market, via this little creation that goes for just $50,000 USD. While some people may think of getting one as their primary residence, there are others who would gladly buy one as a vacation home. Find a cheap piece of property in the middle of somewhere gorgeous and plant one or two down and call it paradise. Add a Trex deck, firepit and hot tub and some old fashion electric hanging lights and you have yourself an amazing retreat.

Elon Musk Lives in $50,000 Boxabl Tiny Home With 47,000-Person Wait List: Report

At $100k for a double stacker or side by side, you and your friends can be family. As you know I have talked about real estate and how it benefits your portfolio and your bank account. There are 100k people on the waiting list to get one of these, but give it time, and when the pandemic is really finally over, we will start to see a shift in the housing market. Remember there literally are millions of people who are overpaying for their monthly rent, and one of these is basically a car payment. A Telsa car costs more than one of these, and a Tesla car can actually pull one. CRAY! Elon Musk is a genius and I truly believe he will help change the world for a better place. I personally love his ideas and since I am now a Tesla shareholder, I hope they do great things. I only have 1 share of stock and it isn’t doing so great right now. If it goes below $500 a share I am going to buy a whole bunch more. It is currently $659.43 for one share. A couple of weeks ago it was almost a grand for one share. If you are like me, then you probably aren’t selling your stock as you plan on cashing in one day, some day, but not today.

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And it is officially Thursday which means the new episode of Startrek is on Paramount+! Yes I watched it and of course I loved it. I’ll watch it again later it was so good. Sonic Hedgehog 2 is also officially released on the app. I wanted to see it in the theater, but so glad I just waited. And if you didn’t see “The Batman” either in theater or HBOMax, you can pick it up at the Redbox like I did.

So sad yesterday with the school shooting. Children should never die or fear going to school due to bullets. Will the government ever do anything to protect schools? No. Why? Because Congress and Senate are mostly full of grandparents. When nursing homes and country clubs get shot up then maybe something “might” happen but I doubt it. So I guess let’s hear it for home-school remote learning where there are no unauthorized guns.

Russia loses again as Starbucks joins McDonalds and ends all relationships in the power hungry country. Two of the biggest players in Russia make their exit, now we just need Coke and Pepsi to do the same.

The latest death report from the New York Times:

DAILY AVG. ON MAY 25 14-DAY CHANGE TOTAL REPORTED
Cases 110,614 +31% 83,644,909
Tests 984,857 +39% —
Hospitalized 25,429 +28% —
In I.C.U.s 2,713 +24% —
Deaths 371 +13% 1,002,179

 

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One Million

1 million dead in the United States due to COVID

DAILY AVG. ON MAY 20 14-DAY CHANGE TOTAL REPORTED
Cases 107,952 +53% 83,130,959
Tests 915,546 +31% —
Hospitalized 24,077 +30% —
In I.C.U.s 2,567 +24% —
Deaths 301 –19% 1,000,410

So if you are wondering why so many people are still getting infected, sick and dying? Well truth be told, there are still millions of people who didn’t get the shot.

Vaccinations

AT LEAST ONE DOSE FULLY VACCINATED
All ages
78%
66%
5 and up
83%
71%
65 and up
95%
91%

 

So, 9% of all seniors are still at risk and 34% or 1 in 3 of all people are refusing the shot. Well I guess live your life at your own risk. It is already short, and apparently getting shorter every day for others. May the odds be ever in your favor.

* Numbers as reported by the New York Times.

 

 

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Staffing Solutions

Everyone is having staffing issues. Lack of staff, no one applying for open positions, and the COVID workers refusing to go back to the office, opting for new lifestyles that allow them to work from home or remotely. One semi-positive note is that there are literally thousands of graduates that are entering the job market as high schools and colleges award those valuable degrees. Some will join the military, some will go to trade schools. Others will get married and start making babies, … hopefully. Although that does not solve the issue of entry-level, low-end jobs that don’t pay a lot of money. Frankly, who wants a low paying job? No one. Except maybe someone who would LOVE to have a job, any job … in America. There are still thousands if not millions of immigrants who want to come to the great USA.

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So, Biden, Congress, if you’re listening, you need to open the borders, lessen the reigns on the number allowed into the United States, and help solve many of these staffing shortages/issues. The bigger issue that is dominant everywhere, in every country is affordable housing. You can’t just let a few million people move  here when they will have nowhere to live. As is stands now, there is a shortage of housing and people can’t afford their rent as it is. So what do most people do? They have roommates, they live with their parents … in their basement forever.

 

And here are the latest COVID number from the NT Times:
DAILY AVG. ON MAY 18 14-DAY CHANGE TOTAL REPORTED
Cases 103,231 +57% 82,874,061
Tests 801,177 +31% —
Hospitalized 23,223 +29% —
In I.C.U.s 2,497 +23% —
Deaths 304 –17% 999,607

So I guess in the next day or week, the United States will hit a million deaths. Thankfully everyone has their shots and boosters, … right?

 

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Help Wanted

For the past few years, the economy has been experiencing staffing issues. And in case you forgot, over TEN THOUSAND baby boomers are retiring every day, … and have been for quite some time. Throw in the COVID work at home variable and now you have even more people that don’t want to go back to a “normal” job. And while millions of people stopped driving to work, they also stopped buying gas and changing their oil. Trickle effect. Did you know there were gas stations that closed and went out of business due to no customers? For some people gas prices can dramatically affect their weekly cash flow. Most people only have a ten gallon tank, so a buck or so more shouldn’t destroy everyone. No one is crying because the cost of meat as doubled. The reality is most people have a lot of extra money because they aren’t doing other things that they might spend money on; like fancy dinners and date night. Concerts and festivals are out and have been, but things are opening back up again. Although I still am not going to Coachella. There are still millions of people who aren’t vaccinated.

And here are the latest from the NY Times:

DAILY AVG. ON APR. 5 14-DAY CHANGE TOTAL REPORTED
Cases 28,693 –1% 80,128,432
Tests 870,272 +13% —
Hospitalized 15,383 –27% —
In I.C.U.s 2,308 –35% —
Deaths 602 –40% 981,112

Technically if you have been hiding out for 2 years, and most of society got the shot, in theory, you could be safe without the shot. You still need to wear a mask and wash your hands like cray, but it could potentially happen. Due to staffing issues, many savvy travelers are taking advantage of the Air B & B market. There are a lot of really expensive homes that are dedicated just to being rented by the night. VRBO is another resource that takes advantage of people who bought into the whole “timeshare” scam. Gosh, that one week a year sounded great until you can’t change the dates. I have sat through timeshare presentations and it sounds all neat, but the reality is you want to travel to different places, see new things. Even the hotel or resort they are selling will lose its wow factor after a couple of visits. As a smart consumer, you can just rent those rooms/homes for the weekend or whenever. You still won’t come close to spending the money you put into a timeshare.

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Think about it, you really only have so many years of fun travel … before you get old, can’t walk, need help or extra time. Those good years are usually the years you don’t have the time or money. Just don’t get sucked into thinking a timeshare is a good idea. Take those fun vacations, save up for it. It doesn’t have to be super expensive. Don’t stay in a villa. Rent an air b&b that is AS nice or nicer than a villa. Home owners you stay with are happy to give you a fresh towel. Hotels have extended wait times for everything. I told you a long time ago that harsh immigration practices would eventually affect you and your vacations. The Motley Fool recommends buying some air b&b stock. That is a market that is continuing to explode as smart investors are buying homes just to rent. Real estate in any form of investing is a good if not great idea.

 

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I Work Hard For the Money!

Have you ever noticed that society is fickle AF? It encourages small creative individuals to go big or go home. But when they make it big, they want to knock them down. Just because someone has figured out how to earn money does not mean they are obligated to give it away. Kim (Kardashian) has worked hard her whole life to be successful. She sort of worked retail once. Not like me slaving away at Walmart and Bob’s Super Store, but kind of close. My VERY first job was cleaning cars at the local car dealership. I think I was paid $10 a day, but that was bank to me. While I didn’t know it at the time, it taught me to detail my own car for years to come. Every nook and crack cleaned with a Q-tip. That was before my days of throwing newspapers on people’s front porch.

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Yep, I was a newspaper carrier for years and years. I learned the value of customer service, earning tips, counting back change, and of course, a healthy dose of exercise every single day. I grew strong from carrying heavy heavy bags of paper, and then throwing those perfect cylindrical weapons of destruction. I also learned the very useful skill of prospecting and sales. When a new person would move into a renter house, I would deliver the newspaper for a week with a note saying it was complimentary from me. After a week, I would go knock on the door, introduce myself and sell them a subscription that they needed to pay for now. It was like, a whole $5. Worked every time. As a carrier I got one free subscription for myself … which I gave to them for a week. After getting used to reading it, people just wanted it. Today they call it a free trial subscription, one month free. Technically I was an employee, but I never paid any taxes to the IRS for my newspaper money. When customers would write a check to the Kearney Daily Hub, I would just signed their business name, and then my name and deposit into my personal checking account. Never once did they ask for an employee verification to prove I could deposit it. I guess after I got onto my bicycle and pedaled away they knew I was for probably the paperboy. “Oh no! That kid stole a $5 check!” Yeah, not likely some kid broke into a house and wrote a check to himself for $5. That would be just stupid. Gotta say, of all the jobs I have ever done, that was one of the worst. Think about all that shitty snow in the winter. Yeah, you can’t ride a bike very easily. And the summers. My God the summers were blistering hot. The worst ever.

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The torture didn’t stop there. In Nebraska they do this thing called “detasseling”. WTF is that right? Well,there are millions of ears of corn that grow little seed-like tassels that need to be pulled out in order to grow big. Well, children are exploited for slave labor and they do it. It is hard, hot sweaty dirty work. And I did it. One summer was all it took and I was grateful forever for my shitty job at Taco Johns.

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All of these horrible experiences taught me that being educated, smart and making wise financial decisions would prevent me ever having to do those jobs again. So if I could offer you one piece of advice that would/could change you forever, it would be … invest in real estate. And there is no reason why you couldn’t do that now. Just saying. Good in sales? Take the test and be a real estate agent. Have some equity/capital/savings? Invest in a rental property. If you are military or veteran, take advantage of the LOAN. Zero down. Buy low, hold it, sell high. When it appreciates on its own, take out another equity loan to buy another house. Rent it out, and when it appreciates, take out another loan for the down payment and buy another home. Rent it. It does not have to be in the same town the you live. $28 a day, is $10k a year. In 2 year, $20k, which is enough to find a starter home to rent. Home sales historically are the only for sure investment that will guarantee you an increase in value over a long term period. If you don’t have your own equity, do you know someone who loves and trusts you with theirs? Do your parents have thousands in their paid off home that they would loan you some of that in a home equity loan you promise to pay every single month on time? Do not buy at the peak of the market, only buy when a property is at its low point. Find a deal, something that might need a cosmetic face lift.

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Real Estate, ownership of it, will be a safe retirement plan. In 30 years from now, what would a brand new home be worth? New homes are still being built, who says you have to live in it to buy it? No one. Well, in Denver they have some weird rental home ownership laws. Don’t buy in Denver. It is overpriced and at the peak. Wait a few years when there are way too many properties for sale. There are new homes being built by the airport, in a community called Reunion. I think they start at $400’s. In 30 years it would be worth close to a million. Naturally you will need to have excellent credit to pull this off, but if you can and do, then when you retire you will have dozens of homes you can sell. What would a 4-5 bedroom new home rent for these days? I am guessing around $4k–$5k a month. A $400k mortgage is only $1700 a month, but you are collecting twice that in rent. Hmmm. That seems like a no brainer to me. Just saying. Say you got a full $5k a month for rent. Or $60k is about $40k in profit. JUST for having that $80k for your 20% down. You either pay it down fast, or you live off of $40k a year just for being the landlord.  Now imagine you own 5 properties, each making $40k. That is almost $200k a year, … for doing nothing but be rich. Heck yeah, I think I like the sound of that. Don’t you?

 

 

“Being rich is all about mindset. Did you invest that stimulus check in AMC or MGM or did you spend it? Mindset.”
–Aaron M. Stephens, M.B.A.

 

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Media News Sources Blocked

Instagram joins the latest media news outlets that is being blocked by Russia. Damn. Yep, they can only hear/see what Russia wants them to see. Did you know that they are telling Russians that the Ukraine is full of NAZI’s and they are taking back what is theirs. They also bombed a maternity ward hospital. Fucking bastards. I am pretty sure that my site isn’t banned, and in fact, I have more and more international readers than I do readers from the United States. Crazy huh? And if you haven’t been watching the news or can’t … McDonalds, Visa, MasterCard, American Express and even Paypal have shut down operations or will be shortly. Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok, … yeah, all are now history for Russians.
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While the people have nothing to do with the war, it is the citizens who are being punished. When Trump bombs with a drone, we the people in the U.S. didn’t get punished … other than having to hear/see his obnoxious voice/face. I think I saw over 2 million refugees have fled, although if you aren’t white you aren’t going to be admitted. Even in the U.S., white Ukrainians were refused asylum. So, don’t try to enter the U.S. from Mexico, where they are still racists. Last I checked there was still a war in Afghanistan, but I don’t see anything in the news about that 20+ year war. Why? Brown skinned people.

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And here is the latest coronavirus number for the U.S.
DAILY AVG. ON MAR. 11 14-DAY CHANGE TOTAL REPORTED
Cases 35,036 –49% 79,400,847
Tests 973,360 –12% —
Hospitalized 31,323 –43% —
In I.C.U.s 5,725 –46% —
Deaths 1,272 –33% 965,746
It appears that “most” of the U.S. has done away with masks as most people have gotten the shot and booster. In Colorado we are at a 90% vaccination rate.

Okay … many of you are wondering if I watched the new Batman. And yes, as a matter of fact, I watched it twice and then had to watch the YouTube spoiler review since evidently I missed a ton of shit since I don’t read the comic book or keep up with any of the “Easter eggs” they put in the show. It is NOT a superhero movie. Go in thinking … this is the DARK Knight who is going kick the shit out of a lot of people. There are a lot of long, boring scenes. This is NOT your DC Avengers movie. This is also not Oscar worthy. He wears a costume most of the movie. It is him or a stunt guy? Right. Would I recommend you spend the extra cash to see it? No. It will come to HBOmax. It will come to blu-ray/dvd one day. Instead you should watch the Amazon Jack Reacher. It has a real plot, with real people characters, not a comic book rebooted, reboot. Technically Batman should be dead. He’s just a man, not an immortal.

 

 

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