Woke up this morning with a nose bleed and a sore throat, feeling down from a hard week of watching people lose everything when the tides of fortune wash everything away in a sea of debt. Needles to say, there's only one prescription.


18 and a quarter miles. Yeah baby! Eat your heart out slackers.

Also, the 84RKR has generously developed some art for simsisms. It's tight like a dish and I'll probably add it to the banner when I get more time. Here it is for all to see:



Also, been listening to a lot of Dave Ramsey. His podcast is free on iTunes, I highly recommend it. He helps people figure out how to get out of debt and tells it straight. More people need to have someone sit down and tell them to dump the houses, cars and crap they can't afford.

After a week of helping people lose everything, let me take this opportunity to urge everyone to burn your credit cards, pay off the balance and never look back. They are absolutely evil. Start working for a living and stop working for VISA.

Lately I've been hearing a lot about scummy collection processes. Congress passed the fair debt collection practices act a number of years ago and most collections agencies just use it to wipe their rear ends. Know your rights. If you owe money, the FDCPA places strict guidelines on collections agents.

From Wiki:

The Act prohibits certain types of "abusive and deceptive" conduct when attempting to collect debts, including the following:

• Hours for phone contact: contacting consumers by telephone outside of the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. local time^[2]
• Contact after being asked to stop: contacting consumers in any way (other than litigation) after receiving written notice that said consumer wishes no further contact or refuses to pay the alleged debt, with certain exceptions, including advising that collection efforts are being terminated or that the collector intends to file a lawsuit or pursue other remedies where permitted^[3]
• Causing a telephone to ring or engaging any person in telephone conversation repeatedly or continuously: with intent to annoy, abuse, or harass any person at the called number.^[4]
• Contacting consumers at their place of employment after having been advised in writing that this is not acceptable^[5]
• Contacting consumer known to be represented by an attorney^[6]
• Contacting consumer after request for validation: contacting the consumer or the pursuing collection efforts by the debt collector after receipt of a consumer's written request for verification of a debt (or for the name and address of the original creditor on a debt) and before the debt collector mails the consumer the requested verification or original creditor's name and address^[7]
• Misrepresentation or deceit: misrepresenting the debt or using deception to collect the debt, including a debt collector's misrepresentation that he or she is an attorney or law enforcement officer^[8]
• Publishing the consumer's name or address on a "bad debt" list^[9]
• Seeking unjustified amounts, which would include demanding any amounts not permitted under an applicable contract or as provided under applicable law^[10]
• Threatening arrest or legal action that is either not permitted or not actually contemplated^[11]
• Abusive or profane language used in the course of communication related to the debt^[12]
• Contact with third parties: revealing or discussing the nature of debts with third parties (other than the consumer's spouse or attorney) or threatening such action^[13]
• Contact by embarrassing media, such as communicating with a consumer regarding a debt by post card, or using any language or symbol, other than the debt collector’s address, on any envelope when communicating with a consumer by use of the mails or by telegram, except that a debt collector may use his business name if such name does not indicate that he is in the debt collection business ^[14][15]
• Reporting false information on a consumer's credit report or threatening to do so in the process of collection^[16]

If you've been subjected to illegal collections practices you need to get the name of the collections company, document the event and report it to the federal trade commission. They are listed in the government pages of your local phone book.

See ya later peeps

What's that? That's the sound of my bones creaking after a fifteen miler! No, I'm not training for a marathon. I just hit 11.5 miles and thought "I wonder how much 12 will hurt?" Then I started thinking what would 13 feel like? Then 14? Then I realized I was a mile from my car.

For those wondering, my pace was slow and low, 7:44 a mile. Not bad for carrying around 10-15 extra pounds and running in the hills of Henderson.

During my run I had a lot of time to ponder. I thought a lot about bankruptcy. We've noticed a downshift in the number of retainers this month and I think it's because of the upcoming economic stimulus check. Basically, I've come to the conclusion that the stimulus check is the ultimate example of rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic. For a lot of people, it is just going to buy time, for others, a playstation. Either way, it does not solve the underlying problems of the economy, namely nonexistence of credit, rising oil prices, foreclosure fallout, and a weak dollar.

So as I was running, I got to thinking, do rich celebrities get economic stimulus checks? I don't think they do, and I really hope that they don't. But if they did, what would they spend the money on? Could we mandate that certain celebrities had to spend the money on certain things? If so, here's some celebrities and what they should be forced to spend their stimulus checks on.

What's-his-name, that kid who won American idol


What should he buy?

Hair Plugs



Sorry bro, but Donald Trump thinks your hairline is receding. Take the check and put it towards some hair club for men. You might be able to squeeze a few more months out of this American Idol thing before you fade into obscurity.

Britney Spears




What should she buy?

Lithium. Lots of freaking lithium.



Look, I love celebrity meltdowns as much as the next guy. Whenever someone with a boatload on money goes nuts and couch jumps it makes me feel okay about being dirt poor. But this is just gone too far. It's never an easy thing to admit that you are crazy, but when a court thinks that your kids are safer with Kevin Federline than they are with you, it's time to wake up. Girl, you are crazy. Get some meds.



Chris Martin



What should he buy?

The U2 Box Set



Seriously, Chris, we all know you want to be Bono, but quit copying. By the way, Apple is a great name for a computer and a dumb name for a kid.

Manu Ginobli



What should he buy?

Acting Lessons



Manu, no one was around you. You were not fouled. Stop it.

Kobe Bryant



What he should buy

How to win friends and influence people



Kobe, you can win a hundred titles and the MVP every year for the rest of your life. It doesn't change the fact that no one likes you. You're a selfish human being and you care more about yourself than the game. Apparently, selling out your former teammates in the press, demanding a trade, berating your teammates and playing the first half of the season with a 39 cent stamp until an incompetent GM drunkenly deals an all star to your team for pennies on the dollar makes you the most valuable player in the National Basketball Association. NBA, where douchebaggery happens.

Hillary Clinton



What she should buy

A clue.



It's over, give up.

By the way, mentioning assasination when your opponent is black? That should be an instant disqualification for the presidency, kind of like not being able to pronounce the word "nuclear." Oh, wait....


Haven't had a lot of time lately but I thought I'd drop some links. First, great story on how an organization dedicated to giving away kidneys is running into problems.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119862544508149593.html

Next, great story from cracked.comon five movies who were ruined when the studios messed with their endings. Nice to know that I am Legend orginally didn't suck at the end.

http://www.cracked.com/article_16258_5-awesome-movies-ruined-by-last-minute-changes.html

Paper on how immigration is being turned into a way of essentially fighting another county

http://www.cis.org/articles/2008/back108.html

See y'all later

No need for speed

It was slow, it was hard, but it felt good.

13.69 ways to get over finals.





By the way, my ipod has a power song option. You push a button and your power song starts playing to motivate you to run faster. Any ideas what I should choose?

Graduation

For all you graduates, here's Ali G's commencement address from Harvard, 2004.

Don't Vote

The Munchkins

Sorry for the long delay between posts. Basically, I've been swamped. The new bankruptcy job has totally taken over my free time. It's fun though and hopefully I'll be doing the raging workaholic thing all summer at the bankruptcy firm . Thankfully, the economy is tanking and people are losing everything they've worked their whole lives for at a record rate. Fingers crossed, it will continue for years. If only George Bush could run for another term...

Went home this weekend and spent time with two of my favorite peeps, Thomas and Emma. Skipped my Saturday run and worked on the heavy bag instead. My doctor thinks I don't deal with stress in a healthy way, this photo may show that he's right. It's my hand the morning after. The big red spots are where my knuckles started bleeding and I kept hitting the bag anyway.



What anger management problem?

Had a lot of fun with Thomas and Emma. Emma is totally crazy. As David says it, "She thinks she's people" and loves to have all kinds of conversations. She's very inquisitive. She also loves to be involved. She told us all about her sunbeams class, and the stickers she got. She very enthusiastically told us how the Primary told her that she was "a new visitor" and she just loved that the Primary sang the "Welcome" song to her. Job well done Monica Ward Primary, Emma was very happy and felt very well treated. Emma also discovered the joy of Lincoln logs.




Incidentally, Lincoln Logs were tailor made for the Sims children. Emma loves to spread them around the floor and make a mess, and Thomas like to put things back in containers, so he just cleaned up after her and thought it was the greatest thing ever.

Here Emma shows off her new wonder pets coloring book. Grandma and Papa hook their grandchildren up. Thomas got a puppy coloring book, however he finds the crayons far more interesting.



Emma and Thomas also got a kick out of a stuffed dog Papa bought for Grandma a few years back. If you push a button the dog sings and plays "Stop, In the Name of Love." Needless to say, the children loved that toy and if I ever here that song again I might light myself on fire.



Most of the weekend I spent chasing after Thomas and we became buds. We bonded over similar interests. Our mutual love of cheerios and animal crackers, the toy where the beads are on a looped wire and you push them around like a roller coaster, stairs, ramps, and a mutual disdain of pants. My genius nephew has figured out how to ditch his pants and tends to do so as soon as no one is looking. He also showed us his latest trick: reading. He can name all the capital letters of the alphabet on sight. It's pretty much his favorite thing to do. He will read the letters off to you on stop signs, license plates, or books. We sat in the hallway of church and he read the letters on the EXIT sign off to me. "This is an E....This is an X," in his barely decipherable toddler voice. I'm not making any of this up. He's one and a half and he can read letters. He loves to point out anything else he knows the name for, like door, toothbrush, water, and doggy. Oh, and he loves to climb on things. We had such a fun time together. What a cool little kids. Here's some pics of my bud:










Also, before I forget, congrats to everyone who is getting married or got married recently. Corey and Jen, thanks for the invite, the party was slamming. Sorry about wrinkling the bed in the back.
Congrats to Jen Kirk, Congrats to Will, and Big Congrats to Sarah and Danny, hope to hear the date soon. Michelle, if you have anything you should care to announce...

That's all for now folks. I need to do something with my hair soon so I look a little more presentable to clients. Apparently the long haired, homeless hippie look is out this year. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Catch you on the other side of finals!

Tejada Parody