Stupid Girl

 In this area, people move from refinery to refinery - often taking large lump sums of cash with them.
I spoke to a woman who had about $75k in an account that she didn't even know she had.
The lady rents a nice apartment in a nice area for about $1200,00 a month.
When she left her old job she told me that she wanted to buy a used Range Rover for about $50,000.

"That's dumb.", I said, "You should buy a used house instead.".
In this market, people often only stay in the area for three to five years to work on projects at one of the many refineries.
This has caused a huge market for those only looking to rent houses - and the prices for doing so have risen dramatically.
If the woman would have bought the house and used the rent money to pay for her Range Rover - In five years, she would have had a Range Rover and a House (which would still be generating income) both fully paid for.
In the end, the stupid girl just bought the Range Rover.
(On the bright side - one of the woman's co-workers heard my advice and bought two houses for cash and financed a Maxima with money left over each month from the rent collected on the homes to service her new purchases.)

The Biggest Sinners

 Doing even more damage than bankers on Wall Street - Prosperity Preachers and their 'Name It and Claim It" teachings caused many to believe that everyone deserved to possess the material trappings of the rich.

 Many people bought bigger cars, bigger houses and newer items to fill these homes.
The problem was that no one told the foolish masses that it costs even more money to keep and maintain these (once thought to be) luxury items.

The real mantra of these so called 'Men of God' should have been, "Name It and Claim It - But Only If You Can Maintain It.".

I Don't "Join"

 But my family has for generations.
Eastern Stars, Knights of Peter Claver, Prince Hall Masons, 100 Black Men, Jack and Jill, whatever... I was supposed to follow suit.
But I hate these so called 'elite groups' which treat others the way they were once treated before they became members of the 'elite'.

The thing is, sometimes one must assert his lineage to others in order to cut through the red tape.
Peter claimed his membership as a Pharisee when things got tough and Paul (also said to have been a Pharisee) claimed his Roman citizenship when the Centurions threatened to mistreat him.

Sell It Back To Them

 Why bother to encourage people to modify ones diet and exercise when it's just easier to tell everyone that they are alright just the way they are.

 That anyone who is what they really want to be is flawed and that their own inferiority is actually the superior way to be.

 Why not just behave like spoiled nine-year-old aspirational hoodrats and get paid for it.

 They can even go by the self-aggrandizing title of "Queen" or "Diva" to reinforce their delusions.

 Why bother to work in the hood to get people out of the hood?

 The hood can just be repackaged and branded and sold back to those who imagine that being 'hood' (Keeping It Real) is a positive thing. That owning knock-offs of luxury brands is just as good as actually being able to afford and maintain those real brands. That renting a lifestyle is just as good as owning that lifestyle. Anyone who came from the hood knows that the best thing he can do for the hood is for him to escape from the hood.

 This isn't just limited to those who preach 'race as reason'.

 Bill-E-Bobs across the country have branded and sold their way of life as being the most desirable and have made millions by doing so.

 Today, most kids are over-coddled sissies who expect rewards without doing the work.
Today, many think that they deserve a trophy (Or 'pay' as adults) just for showing up?

Whatever happened to being great?
What ever happened to hard work, discipline, sacrifice and focus?
Today it seems that everyone wants to be great without having done anything to become so.

I'd Much Rather...

...Spend time with extraordinary people who act ordinary,
than I would to hang out with ordinary people who imagine themselves as extraordinary Those who go by; (King, Queen, Diva,... or any other self-agrandizing title.)

The 'REAL" Me ?

Anon. commented that some people cannot stand me because they see the real me behind my smile.
It's odd - I'm really good with kids and with then elderly but the acquisitive and aspirational always seem to have problems dealing with me.
I suppose that people see what they want to see.

Killer

I'm So Far Behind in Pop Culture

I had no idea that Dancing With the Stars was even on.
Now Donald Driver has a Mirrored Ball to go along with his Superbowl Jewelry.

"Learn How To Defend !!!"

A character on the Soul Calibur video game exclaims as she is beating your ass.
I'm no fan of vidoe games but I try to insert lessons where ever I can when dealing with my young cousins.
Ecclesiates 7:12 (KJV) - "For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom givith life to them that have it."
I used the words from a video game to take the opportunity to teach from the Bible the idea that one should have money but that one shoud be wise with it.