Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Peerlessness

When I tell people i'm going tornado chasing a common witticism I receive in response is "what will you do when you catch one?"

Touche witty friends of Cappy, touche.

However, a slight spin on that question has a lesson for all of us and one I'd like to share:

"What would you do if you realized your dreams?"

Very rarely do people realize their dreams.  And the reason is simple - society is predisposed to ensure you don't.

I don't mean this in a "conspiratorial" sense, that there is some sentient, organized effort to prevent you from realizing your dreams, but that society is structured and organized to take advantage, live off of, and parasite off of its precious youth.

Chances are if you were born after 1960 your parents wanted you because THEY wanted a child.  Whether they could AFFORD children, whether they SHOULD have children, and whether they had the adult capacity to raise children be damned.  They wanted a child like a soccer mom wants an SUV.  And thus your upbringing was already impaired from the get go because you were an "object" or a "thing" in the eyes of your parents, not another human being.

After that you were pretty much a pawn for the state via the state education system.  Your parents, too "busy" to rear you yourself, were thankful that at the age of 5 you could be outsourced to a government daycare program "go to school."  There you learned what a socialist/leftist government approved labor union wanted you to.

Global warming
Ozone Layer
Recycle
Give money to poor disadvantaged people in third world countries
You're privileged
Vote democrat
Go to college at all costs
and other things that were neither educational, nor helpful.

You then went to college, because you were told to, incurred a ton of debt, and then started a career where at any moment you could be fired for the most made-up-of reasons and were strongly encouraged to donate money to your 401k plan, which would be confiscated or haircuted anyway.

In short, your dreams of what you wanted to do as a child never really stood much of a chance.  Because from the day you were conceived (not born) society already had your time booked to be slaved away to serve it and not you.  Those dreams were merely a fake incentive to get you to work for them. And, for most people, they succumbed to the matrix, they obeyed, they "did what they were told" and now are suffering a mortgage they can't afford, persistent student loans, a spouse that hates them, children they really shouldn't have had, a car payment, parents who refused to sock away for retirement, and a boss that owns them because they are by-proxy-enslaved via debt.

But then there are the "others."

"Others?"  You ask.

Yes, "the others."

The men and women who got sent to the principle's office often.  The boys and girls who could stump their teacher in the 3rd grade with...well...3rd grade logic.  The young 20 somethings who knew something was wrong, couldn't put their finger on it, but via the internet, compared notes, removed the wool from their eyes and realized just what a scam society had in store for them.

We call these people "independent minded."

Most of us fall into this category.  We didn't fit in, we refused to obey, and we knew something was amiss, but society kept on telling us we were flawed, erroneous and just plain wrong.  Our audacity and personalities would not accept it and we stuck to our guns.  We decided we didn't have to obey what society told us.  We decided we were going to get a bang for our finite live's buck.  We were going to drive our lives to the limit and do what we god damned pleased with it - consequences and society's desires be damned.

And thus you have a new breed of westerners and independent thinkers.  Young men (and women) who refused to go with the matrix and are truly independent people.

There are of course, benefits.

We don't fall for the college/education scam.  We do not waste our best years laboring away for an opportunistic employer.  We don't have enough assets to be confiscated in a 401k or IRA.  We don't have debts we can't afford.  We don't have kids we can't afford.  And by merely identifying and side-stepping the slave-trap society had laid out for us, we're living lives that are arguably the freest in human history.

I just went to Alaska and back on a motorcycle at a whim.  Danny is going to live in a trailer in Louisiana, spending time with his nephew, and retire at 40.  Matt hitch hiked across America.  Roosh is gallivanting around the globe chasing girls and getting paid for it. Davis and Silvio wrote two great books.  And scores of you are starting your own business or going on your own adventure.  We could go on, but in general, adherents of this new independent line of thinking are capitalizing on the one finite lives they've been given and are thusly living better lives the the average sheeple.

Just one problem.

When I say we are living lives that are arguably the freest in human history, I'm not joking.  We really are.  But who else has gone down this path?  Who else have lived such free lives?  Has anyone gone down this rabbit hole before?  Has any one tread this path in the past?

While there certainly have been independent minded people in the past, they are so rare and so uncommon their experiences are either unavailable for public consumption or have been lost to history.  Their philosophies, observations and epiphanies were considered "obscure" or "outliers" and thus never made it into the realm of "common sense" or "general wisdom."  And with this lost, or perhaps, never recorded knowledge, we are going into uncharted territory.  And as with every trip into the unknown there are always unforeseen costs, consequences and drawbacks.

It is here a sad irony unfolds.

To the outside observer, stuck at their wage slave job, and boring mundane lives, all the see is the positives.  Gallivanting around the world, climbing mountains, leaving at a whim, never worrying about money, answering to no one.  Their entire lives they have been told (and truthfully so) that this is the "dream" and when you achieve it all will be well. There will be no more problems and you will be happy.  But what they don't see is the unforeseen costs and consequences to "living the dream" and living such independent lives.  Costs and consequences that are all too real and hidden/overshadowed by the blinding benefits.

First is the issue of peerlessness.  I say this not to brag, and I need you to understand that.  I am NOT bragging.  I am telling you the truth to make a point and to help you in the future.  But this past summer I took two vacations.  The first one was 2 weeks in the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota with my motorcycle.  I drove all over the place, hiked all over the place, smoked cigars and gambled in Deadwood.  I experienced something most motorcyclists across the world can only dream of experiencing.  The second one trumped even that.  I drove to Alaska and back.  I saw mountains that put the Black Hills to shame and am one of the very few to claim they drove to Alaska on a bike.

I was miserable about half the time on both trips.

Why?

Because after you gun through the Needles Highway on a crotch rocket or make it to Hyder, Alaska or summit Harney Peak or hike in Banff, and the adrenaline wears off, you are once again alone because nobody can just take 4 weeks off on a whim.  There is nobody to share the experience with, not because you don't have friends, but because you are so far to the right of the mean nobody can keep up.  Either because they don't have the money, they don't have the time, they don't have the physique, or (more commonly) they don't have the interest.

Roosh is another example.  You may disagree with his life choice, but again, to the outside 20 something male observer, Roosh is living the dream.  He flies around the world, makes money on writing books about how to seduce women in different countries, and that's his job.  But at the end of the day, how many people can Roosh associate with?  Who can he compare notes with?  Not only is he peerless in that nobody else in the world is doing what he does, but in traveling so extensively, he rarely is in a country where people speak English, pushing him further to the right of the bell curve into further isolation.  It isn't until he returns home does he have his peer group surrounding him again.

Whatever it is and whatever your dream may be, realize if you realize it, it will be YOUR dream. And in it being "your dream" it will be so specific and unique to you that by default you will not have any peers.

Second is decreasing novelty. 

Imagine if your palate would became inured to new foods the moment you tasted it.  You would have to keep pushing the edge getting newer, spicier, and more obscure foods.  You'd try one food, and then would become bored with it, forcing you on this spiral to constantly be trying to find new foods.  Yes you could eat to merely survive, but you will never experience that "first taste" ever again until you find something bigger, better, and newer.

Your brain is the same way.

Once you achieve your dream, you will become inured to it.  My childhood dream was to climb mountains.  My first real mountain was Flinch Peak in Glacier National Park.  It was amazing.  Then I did Hallet's Peak, Laramie Peak, Deseret Peak, Lake Angeline, and more and more and more until one day, half way up a new mountain, I couldn't go on.  Not out of physical weakness, but no desire.  It would be just another peak.  I would be up there by myself.  The view could have very well been as spectacular as when I first summited Flinch Peak, but it would be nowhere near as impressive.  It would just be more rocks, dirt and snow.

In short, because society enslaves you and prevents you from ever realizing your dreams, you think when you inevitably realize them you will be engaged and stimulated for the rest of your life.

The truth is you will tire of it in about 2-3 years and need to find a new source of inspiration.  You will also wonder if the new "dream" will be the same, and you will then finally realize there is no "final solution" to happiness.  Like a shark, you will need to keep swimming, keep going, keep trying or else you will become inured to life.

Now, I paint a very dark and depressing picture.  And I know, I know, crocodile tears and world's smallest violin.

Would I EVER want to go back to a bank or a corporate gig?  Would I or any of the other independent minded types who are pushing the frontiers of independence EVER go back to regular lives?

Absolutely not.  We KNOW and APPRECIATE what we have.

But the reason I bring these drawbacks up is not to complain but to warn those of you who are on the path to achieving and realizing your own dreams in your own lives.  And that is a higher percentage of you than most of you realize.

Understand this current "generation" of "others" or "independent minded types" had to start from scratch to get where we are.  There was no advice, there was no wisdom, there was no internet.  We had to wake ourselves up, take our own red pill, with many of us not waking up until our 30's, 40's or 50's.  But with the internet and the plethora of websites out there speaking these derived truths and provide such advice, the "next generation" will be able to benefit from our experiences.  And the whole concept of wisdom is to help the younger generations by passing on our knowledge so that you may have BETTER lives than us.

This means many of you will be reaching your goals and realizing your dreams ever earlier on than we did.  And while you may think this is great (and it certainly is) us "elders" or "older brother types" who are down the path further than you, would do you no service in not warning you about the drawbacks that await. 

So in short, consider multiple dreams and goals you wish to achieve because if you take our advice you will have enough time in life to realize more than one.  And you're going to need them to maintain your sanity and intellect.  Also I strongly recommend appreciating your fellow human being and developing an interest in intellectual thought and good conversation with your fellow man.  I delve into more detail here, but it is not through peaks of mountains, riches, or a high notch count that happiness lies.  It is your fellow man.  Finally, do not be so stupid as to shoot yourself in the foot by making foolish mistakes.  i.e.-getting somebody/yourself pregnant, majoring in a stupid subject, going into debt for material things, etc.  None of your dreams can be accomplished if you've crippled yourself with stupidity.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Empirical Proof of the Married Beta Male Slave

Dalrock does some outstanding economic research and pulls some earnings data for different groups of men/women and married/single.

The two trends that are apparent in his chartage is:

1.  Single men are increasingly earning less
2.  Married men are always making more

Why? 

Because single men can and married men have to.

Single men are like the Priuses of the courting world.  We can get by on very little fuel.  We don't need a ton of money and with the varying economic, political, and socioloigical factors making hard work, production, and a career distasteful, if not outright impossible.  Fire up the X-Box and get another bottle of scotch.

But the married men, my goodness, the solid, reliable stalwarts of the labor market.  Hell or high water they will work their assess off and buck for that promotion.

Why?

Again, while there is certainly the factor they are being noble and providing for their children and families, I contend it's because they have to.  They do not have the option to tell their manipulative, psychopath of a boss to shove it.  They do not have the option to stand up for themselves and their self-respect.  They have a mortgage, kids to feed, a wife to subsidize, a car payment, student loans (both the parents and the children) and credit cards.  They are OWNED by the company via debts that aren't even theirs.

Again, I am not criticizing good fathers and husbands.  Many of you who read this are out there and don't let your finances/wife/children get to the point you are living paycheck to paycheck and must suffer the sadism of employers.  But for the remaining, I'd estimate, 80% of married men out there, I would love to say "Enjoy the Decline," but I can't because it's impossible for you to.  Your life has been cast.  And it is one of slavery.

The Benefits of a Truly Free Mind

A mandatory speech for people looking for guidance and wisdom on how to lead and live life.

You may also download the audio here in the case you don't want to sit in front of a computer screen for 30 minutes.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Most Small Business Owners are Dumb as Hell

I love how politicians only champion "small businesses."  "Big business" is bad, but "small businesses" are good.

Never mind that big businesses account for the majority of employment.

And never mind small businesses,when successful, become big.

Nope, small business = good.

Big business = bad.

Just one problem.

The vast, and I mean like 93% vast, majority of small business owners are dumber than hell.

They are incompetent.  They have no business acumen.  And they consequently fail the vast majority of the time.

The reasons are many.

Most small business owners are naive and start things they think will be "fun."  There was no limit to the number of sports bars, trinket shops, horse hobby farms, music studios, and restaurants I had to deal with working as a credit analyst.  NONE of them were profitable.  NONE of them were feasible.  It was just some moron who foolishly cashed in their 401k to "pursue a dream" and start a company they thought would be fun.  Of course "fun" things are usually oversupplied to the market and the profit margins just aren't there.

Another reason for the spectacular failure of small businesses is their owners truly and honestly believe accounting is optional.  THat's the "hard stuff" and they literally have no idea how much they're making or losing.  All one has to do is watch Restaurant IMpossible where the host invariably asks the bloated sows about their "P&L" and they don't even know what that is.  Again, these are lazy, dumb people who started the business for "fun."  Not profit.  And since accounting isn't "fun" they don't do it.

Finally, a disproportionate number of "small businesses" are really just contractors who claim theyr'e running a business.  You know, the guy with the truck who bought a magnet to put on it "Joe's Master Paving" but couldn't tell you what "LLC" stands for or where the secretary of state is to register such a thing.  They are basically playing make-believe-businessman.  They get cards, they get signs, they get everything that is glamorous and ritzy, but not the basic things like setting up a company or getting insurance.

Normally I would like to submit a solution.  Like "hey, if you're a dumbass, don't start a restaurant."  Or "hey, if you're a politician, the LAST group of people you should be championing for saving the US economy is small business owners."  But I don't care anymore.  Not because I'm enjoying the decline, but because the entire small business world, even the entire US economy, is more focused on feeling good and avoiding real work than working hard and making a profit.  And no amount of logic, reasoning, lecturing or facts from me are going to wake these people up out of their trance.

The only thing will be when the Chinese and Japanese turn off the credit line and there's no more money to be lent out to sports bars, hair salon, or horse hobby farms.
Enjoy the decline!

Friday, July 26, 2013

Don't Let Women Land You In Jail

She was screaming at the top of her lungs on I-35W southbound right at the intersection where I-94 intersected.

It was rush hour.

I had to make a move to make my exit to westbound 94.  I needed the entirety of my mental capacity and senses.

But she was so fanatical it impaired my ability to drive to the point it now was a serious threat to my safety which resulted in the only time in my life I made a physical threat to a woman.

"I will fucking beat the fucking shit out if you don't shut the fuck up right fucking now!"

I said it with more emphasis, sincerity and anger than what Blogger text formatting will allow, so please do believe me that I was a micrometer from punching this veritable child into a bloody pulp.  It was that bad, it was that serious, and I was that close from pulling over and just beating the ever living hell out of a Californian suburbanite princess.


But appreciate that statement.

I REALLY WAS a micrometer from beating the hell out of her.

I REALLY WAS so angry I would have not relented.

And had I just a mere brain cell or life-experience less or two, I would have followed through with that threat.  She'd be on the side of 35W, a twitching soon-to-be-quadriplegic corpse as I drove off happy to be rid of her.

Now ask yourself the question - what would the consequences have been?

Well, the consequences are quite obvious.

I would have been in jail and this vile woman would have been scot-free (albeit "twitchy").

Another interesting anecdote, and not unrelated either, she married a guy I knew and liked.  And while I feel sorry for him, he is the first guy to ever invite me to a party where I saw lines of cocaine lined up.  And while I had quite an amiable relationship with his young fellow, I can only imagine what would have happened had the cops busted down the door when everybody was snorting coke.

Now I could go on.

The time I sucker punched (unjustifiably so) a guy who took my gas station spot.
The time I taunted a guy at a bar for collecting welfare and living off of his dad for tuition.
The time I told a rowdy and drunk cowboy that the girl who was hitting on me wasn't his woman and I'd take her home if I damn well pleased.

There are many instances.

But every instance was a RAZOR SHARP instance and pure dumb luck that the dice didn't roll the other way, with me landing in jail with a criminal record, vs. the other way where I luckily find myself now.  And I say that with the most sincerity.  I should have a criminal record, but it was only by pure dumb luck I don't.

So you young men listen to my following wisdom.

1.  No girl is worth getting into legal trouble for.  I don't care what it takes to override your biological, Darwinistic predisposition, you NEED to learn to control your emotions when it comes to women.  This is the NUMBER ONE thing your brain is wired to vehemently react to.  You must learn to IDENTIFY IT  and CONTROL it. 

You find your girl sleeping with another man in your own bed.  You have a pistol on your person.  You MUST learn not to shoot the man in bed with your girl.  Because NOTHING good will come of you killing that man.

The (again, I use it rarely, but accurately) cunt is SCREAMING at the top of her lungs for some unjustifiable reason or another while you're driving on the interstate.  Do you pull over and beat the hell out of her, or do you take a deep breath, think things through, and in a very zen like fashion ignore her decibels, drive her home, drop her off, and never see her again as you pursue your own life?  Again, what are the consequences to succumbing to your darwinistic desires to pull over and beat her?

Jail.

Whatever the instance, you must have the adult, TRUE MAN, maturity to dismiss and ignore such drama and antics, side step such traps, and ensure you remain a free man, outside of the prison system so you can enjoy the finite life you've been graced with.

2.  Simply do not associate with even QUESTIONABLE people. 

I really don't believe that most people in jail are there because they were hardened criminals.  I believe many of them are there because they were innocent bystanders.  They had a tacit interest, their friend was being assaulted, their girlfriend needed her "honor" defended, whatever, they were the wrong man at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The key is to avoid such "wrong people" and such "wrong situations" from the get go. 

When it comes to the point cocaine lines are starting to show, you go.

When the jealous lawyer who is married (true story) starts to wine and dine your girl, you go.

When your friend needs you to lie for him to provide an alibi you go.

Your life is not meant to be wasted away in a 6 x 7 cell because you were hanging out with the wrong people, so just make sure you don't even associate with such people.

The larger point is that if you look at most people with criminal records or who end up in jail unjustifiably so, they all have one thing in common - they didn't have the good sense or self-respect to say, "You know what, these people I'm hanging out with are bad news.  And even though I'm a good guy/gal, their activities could get me in trouble.  Be it by association, drama, jealousy, rage, or foolish antics, it isn't worth it."

You need to learn to walk away and never associate yourself with such people in that it only will increase your chance of having a criminal record.

Swab Their Mouths You Scallywags!

This is why you always always always swab *COUGH COUGH WHEEZE WHEEZE* "your" children's mouths for DNA testing to make sure it's actually "yours."

Stay frosty, boys.  Stay the freak frosty.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Revenge on the Left

In my effort to enjoy the decline, I focus some of my energies on watching and appreciating the various ways leftists suffer.  For example, it is no secret, I very much enjoy watching feminists who swallowed whole the entire ideology, only to live miserable, lonely, and unaccomplished lives.  I enjoy watching leftist students major in worthless crap only to end up working at as a barrrrrrista, their lives now financially crippled, which is also a HUGE crushing blow to their precious little egos which have been pampered since day 1.  I enjoy "ists" who blame their failures on sexists, racists, misogynists, ageists, and any other bogeyman, which condemn them to lives of hopelessness, which in turn guarantees they'll never succeed. 

There are plenty of pounds of flesh out there for the normal, sane, conservative or libertarian to enjoy as they watch their leftists cousins deal with and suffer from what is literally insanity.

But let me give you another little morsel of revenge.  A morsel you may not be able to enjoy fully now, but will be as time progresses.

The teachers union.

Teachers and educational administrators, for the most part, but not all of them, are overpaid, glorified baby sitters.  There are very few "educators" or "scholars" who genuinely care to educate the future.  Most went into teaching because it was:

1.  an easy job
2.  required little to no math (unless you were a math/science/STEM teacher)
3.  and you got summers off

That's the truth and you public educators can stop cowardly hiding behind "but it's for the children."  The jig is up, you've been exposed, you are pretty much some of the lowest form of vermin in this country as you are genuinely abusing children, you're not fooling anyone, so own up to it.

However, there is another juicy little irony about teachers and teacher unions types - they always vote for socialism/leftism/government.

The reason this is ironic is because while that may ensure more money for their baby-sitting career, because of the policies enacted by the leftist politicians (which they voted for) society has started to deteriorate.  Specifically, the quality and caliber of people are decreasing over time with each successive, and increasingly, fatherless, generation.  And once Suzie Jones-Smith is bored with the rigamarole of giving birth and child rearing, she's going to drop off her ill-reared, improperly brought up, guaron-freaking-teed to be a problem child, child at the public schools for the teachers to deal with.

In other words, teachers, by them essentially voting to replace the family with the state, are ensuring future generations of children are lower quality and therefore poorer students.  They will be less disciplined, will have more problems, will be less obedient, will have less respect for authority and in short will make their baby-sitting career absolute hell.  Teachers 20 years from now will not be dealing with children of the 1950's, obedient, sitting in their chairs, listening to the wisdom of their elders, aspiring to work for NASA and go into STEM, but rather will be dealing with something more representative of a Chicago proper school where it's a quasi baby sitting operation/juvie-prep-school.

The only thing that makes it better is that by their own left-voting hand, they've made sure their industry is RIFE with progressive credentialism, now requiring teachers essentially get masters to do a job any high school graduate with a 3.0 could do.  This, combined with the debt they pay to get that Masters in Baby Sitting, should put a smile on any real American looking for some pound of flesh for the havoc the teachers unions have wreaked upon the US.

Enjoy the decline!

The RCMP's Reputation Problem

I was in a small town in Saskatchewan.  My head was itchy and since the land was flatter than North Dakota and there was no vegetation, I figured it would be a safe place to ride without a helmet.

But before I could fire up my motorcycle one of the locals came running out, yelling,

"What are you doing!!!???"

Confused I asked, "what am I doing???"

He then continued on to explain to me that you could NOT ride in Canada without a helmet otherwise you'd get pulled over.

I said, "Really?? boy that kind of sucks."

He said, "Yeah, I know.  They'll confiscate your bike if you don't."

That seemed a little harsh.  I dismissed him as a local yokel hick who just didn't like the cops.  Probably had a run in with them where he was belligerent and got what he deserved.  And so I said,

"No way!  They're not going to confiscate my bike!"

He contested saying, "They sure as hell will!"

His adamancy was compelling to the point I didn't believe him, but didn't NOT believe him either.

For the rest of my travels I inquired about the RCMP with locals and to my surprise they all agreed the RCMP WOULD INDEED confiscate my bike if I was not wearing a helmet.

This made me a little weary of the local law enforcement of Canada.  Unlike the US, they don't have local sheriffs or constables.  The RCMP is basically the national police force.  And given their sparseness on the road and the stiff penalties for speeding, I started developing a concept of their law enforcement model.

Fewer cops + stiffer penalties + badassery = low cost law enforcement that can cover a wide area.

I can appreciate that model.  You don't have a ton of resources, you have a large unpopulated land, and so it may be of economic benefit to the tax payer to have stiffer penalties to compensate for the lack of manpower.

But then this happens.

And now the cops, who I normally side with, are frankly my enemy.  And the reason why is that they are nothing more than nazis.

Understand I enjoy the benefits of free speech in America.  I am not Canadian and therefore I can speak freely about matters in other countries with no retribution whereas local Canadians can't.  So to all you RCMP "members" (that's what they call their officers) who think you have the right to violate the rights, let alone, property rights of law abiding Canadians, go to hell.

Normally conservatives and libertarians have a favorable view of law enforcement.  Normally, we like the cops and have this implicit understanding that we abide by the law and you don't get an attitude or go on a power trip. But based on what I've seen, heard, and this scam going on in Calgary, I just want to let the RCMP know that they are not the "Dudley Doo Right" red coated Canadian mounties media portrays them as, but are rather goose stepping nazis.  It needs to be pointed out and I think a little threat from people who are allowed to speak their minds without the Canadian Human Rights Commission coming down on them will do a lot of Canadians some good.

Now, again, I am pro-law enforcement. I for the most part have a favorable opinion of cops, sheriffs and law enforcement here in the US.  But I get the distinct impression that the RCMP is getting a little strain of SS in it and a little too big for its britches.  Of course, in all intellectual honesty, I am more than happy to post any response to this piece from members of the RCMP or Canadians who are pro-RCMP.  But based on my experiences, conversations and recent confiscation of weapons by the RCMP, they need a little international attention from the media and maybe need to be bitch slapped down a bit.

Again, any time you want to legitimize/defend your actions, your comments are free to be published.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Do Women Even Know the Meaning of the Word, "Independent?"

Swear to the Patron Saint's Name of Frick, you just can't make this stuff up.

From this post:

















And how much do you want to bet the "bachelors" and "masters" degrees were worthless fluffy puppy crap that came at the subsidy of the state?

Bunch of god damn spoiled brat children running around acting like they're adults.

Post-post: Davis does a more detailed taken down of the article.  I just couldn't read the whole thing.  It's the epitome of everything wrong with America and western civilization.

Why Job Hopping Is Good

In the last few years of my banking career I had built up a pockmarked resume full of year long to 18 month long "stints."  A credit analyst position there.  A senior analyst position there.  Even managed to make it to assistant vice president (which was a euphemism they used to low ball me on salary).  Regardless, the reason for the brevity of the stints was obvious - the banking industry was failing, it was corrupt, and it was dysfunctional. 

Of course, the HR and hiring managers interviewing me didn't see it that way.  They, naturally, thought there was something wrong with me.  And thus, I was asked during pretty much every interview in the last 5 years of my banking career,

"I see a lot of short stays...lot of job hopping.  Any reason?"

And by this time I was blunt and too damn tired to lie,

"Yeah, you're industry is screwed up, dysfunctional and losing money.  Did you want me to have a long term, loyal stint at banks that were losing money?"

Ironically, this actually landed me several gigs, but the lesson to take away from this little experience of mine is one of "job hopping."

"Job hopping" is usually viewed in a shameful manner by our elders in corporate America.  It shows you're not loyal, you're not serious, you aren't reliable, etc. etc.

Of course, this is BS.

The truth is job hoppers are people with two things:

1.  Options
2.  Self respect

The primary reason I didn't last longer than 18 months at any one employer was I had dance classes and online classes on the side.  And anytime a boss got lippy, got an attitude, or started asking me to do immoral or impossible things, I'd tell them to go to hell.  I didn't need the job, and the hell if I was going to suffer 8 hours a day under a sadistic environment, serving a boss who was delusional, even sadistic him/herself.

I also had self-respect.

Understand the labor market is so flooded with overqualified and overeducated candidates that they are no longer hiring people based on competency or ability.  They are so flooded with candidates they can be supremely picky and finicky, making their hiring decisions based on ever-increasingly petty criteria.  Because of this the employment environment has become mentally abusive.  You need to network, you need to kiss ass, you need to play corporate politics, you need to be a mind reader.  Oh, and by the way, you need to do your job too.

The baby boomer generation currently in charge of corporate America are fully aware of this and is why you deal with power hungry, petty, and incompetent bosses.  They know you're desperate, they know you have student loans, and they are going to eek every non-financial benefit they can out of you, part of which is deriving a sick and twisted psychological benefit of watching you squirm and just through hoops.  Thus the lack of clear, concise leadership.  The lack of training ("you have to hit the ground running!").  The petty office political games you get to play.  Their demands of having access to your private life (facebook passwords).  False and misleading job descriptions.  And YOU have to figure out what they want because they "just don't have the time to hold your hand."  And if you don't, "well then I guess you're just not a team player."

Thus, along this line, they  loooove to play the "you're not a serious adult" card when they see a job hopper.  When in reality it's just a young man or woman who has figured out the game and will not tolerate any kind of abuse or corporate BS antics.  In short, job hoppers scare them and there really is no shame in being one.

However, eliminating the shame old timers try to foist on job hoppers does not solve the problem job hoppers face - primarily employment.

Even without crushing student loans, mortgages or other debts, you still need to put food on the table, you still have expenses.  You still need to work because you still need money.  Not to mention it is the world's largest pain in the ass to constantly be applying for jobs.  So invariably you would WANT to find a good job and settle down. So how do you find a good, quality, reliable job if your a job hopper?

The solution is ironic, but very simple:

Keep job hopping.

Understand the way jobs and careers are sold to young people today is like that of arranged marriages.  You find a job and even if it isn't a perfect fit, heck, outright abusive, you still try your best to make it work.  You "must be loyal."  You must "give 110%."  You must "be a team player."  And if you're not, you're a failure.

However, this "arranged marriage model" is wrong.  Finding a job and a quality employer should be like dating.  You date as many people as possible, with absolutely no intention of committing, until you find a quality courtee worthy of your commitment and effort.  You'd be INSANE and STUPID to try to SERIOUSLY DATE EVERY GIRL/GUY you ever dated, so why are you trying to SERIOUSLY DATE every job you have?  Forget what the old timers say or try to shame you about "job hopping."  SMART people who want to find the ideal job DON'T WASTE THEIR TIME at jobs they don't like.  They find out (much like dating) the flaws of their employer.

Lousy boss.
Incompetence.
Idiotic co-workers.
Corrption
Psychoses galore.

You name it, just like girls in their young 20's, employers are rife with tons of deal-breakers, problems, baggage, and damaged goods that should deny them your labor and loyalty.  And just like it's bad for your health to stay in a bad/abusive relationship so too is it bad for you to stay with an equally bad/abusive employer.

Of course, this solution is not a quick one.  I wish I had an easier answer, but the labor market just doesn't work that way.  Just like dating, you are going to have to kiss a lot of frogs to find that employer prince.  And it may take DECADES of job hopping to find that right one.

But think of the alternative.

Forcing yourself to slave away at a job you hate, working for a boss you want to murder, all while having your brain rot, just so you can be considered "loyal" and get a pension.

Job hopping and all the faux shame that comes with it, might suck, but in the end you will be one of the very few who finds a job they truly love.

Enjoy the decline!

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Why It's Mandatory you Have Time to Think

I was interviewed by Kerry Lutz, but the interview has a VERY important lesson about having the time to think.  YOu're usually occupied doing other tasks for other people and never have the time to think for yourself.  But it's very important that you DO have time to think for yourself and ponder things.  Regardless a very important interview for everybody to listen to.

also, latest podcast is up.

Monday, July 22, 2013

When Boys Took Girls to Jazz Clubs

I was driving back from a buddy's of mine tonight when the DJ on the jazz station said,

"The song you were just listening to was from Captain Jack McDuff."

I remember Jack McDuff.  Saw him multiple times in person at the Artist's Quarter and "The Dakota," jazz clubs in the Twin Cities. He died of old age about a decade ago.  Only reason I knew of him and the only real reason I ever ended up becoming a ballroom dancer was because a more-cultured friend of mind FORCED me to go see him, and thus my love for jazz was born.

But something else became of that fateful night. 

My desire to take a girl to a jazz club for a date.

Simple enough.

Innocent enough.

Hell, down right classy enough.

But oh so complicated.

For while in the past I've harped upon the irony that I could not find a date when I was 19 to attend a Victor Borge concert with me, hearing Jack McDuff this evening reminded me of a problem or phenomenon that was more prevalent back in my collegiate youth.

You just couldn't get a girl to attend classy events with you in college.

Let me state this and let me state this clearly, so that it goes down in the history books and is recorded for posterity.

There were MANY young men in the age ranges of 18-22 that were more than willing to be gentlemen.  And not only gentlemen, but classy men as well.  We had ideas about taking young women out on dates that were not just "drinks at the bar" or "going to a house party," but genuine venues and events like jazz clubs, salsa clubs, Victor Borge, and opera.  A significant step up from what went for common dates.

But there were no takers.

Understand we were not nerds or ugly men.  We were not morons or socially awkward.  We were thoughtful young, (albeit) naive men that frankly wanted to do something classy, something different, something better than the run of the mill date.  But despite that, there were no takers.  And the reason was sociological.

You ever try to get a girl to attend a jazz club with you at 20 years of age?

Damn well near impossible.

First there's the pearls before swine aspect of it.  Back in the 90's you had to duke it out with tickets to the "Back Street Boys" or some local, crappy, hippie, grunge band sure to spread tetanus to all of its audience.  When you dared to suggest the girl dress up in a nice "dress" and you in a suit and you'd pick her up and take her to dinner before, you were laughed at and dismissed.  Perhaps even ridiculed as being sexist for daring to suggest she wear a dress and not a nose piercing.

Second, you're over shooting.  What 20 year old girl has ever heard of Jack McDuff?  You'd be lucky to get a 35 year old to even know who he was, let alone even know of the venues you were talking about.

And finally, face it, you were a square from day one even thinking along those lines.  Forget how great the jazz club was.  Forget how great the jazz music was.  In you thinking about attending a jazz club immediately took you out of your environment/class/caste and put you at such a great disadvantage you literally might as well have been trying to sell ice to Eskimos. The average 20 year old girl had no interest, inkling, desire or want to have anything to do with a culture approaching something like jazz.

And so there you were.  You had worked up the extra $40 over the course of a month to pay for dinner and a cover.  You had maybe eyed a handful of girls to ask out.  You had strategically chatted up and charmed them to the point you'd be able to ask them out.

But when you finally popped the question:

"Oh, I'd like to see Jack McDuff, but I'm going with my girlfriends to see Lilly Lipstick and the Licking Lizards.  They're like the new Kirk Cobain!"

Fast forward 20 years.

I don't think I've asked a girl to a jazz club, salsa dancing, a high end concert, or any other event that would call for formal attire in at least a decade.  And this isn't because of me courting a lady.  Even when I was single I gave it up.  Matter of fact I don't know any guy in my peer group that even bothers with setting up "special dates" where they get reservations, find unique locales of lounges to go to, etc.  No, all of them, not the majority, ALL OF THEM, now only offer "drinks at the local bar," "wings at Applebee's," or a "movie."

The special dates, be it Victor Borge, salsa dancing, Cpt. Jack McDuff, or any date that required pre-planning on their part has now been relegated to "special nights" with their theoretical wife in the future that they may or may not ever marry.  Those thoughtful, considerate, impressive dates are now taken off of the table as they were seen to be too bold, too "needy," too "nerdy," and frankly were never availed of when offered.

But in those 20 years, it's interesting how times have changed.

Now, pretty much every girl I know wants to go salsa dancing.  Nearly every girl I know would kill to have a guy dress up in a suit and pick her up.  Nearly every girl I know would die to go to a high end jazz club.  And nearly every girl I know would love to have a gentleman take her to a nice dinner.

The irony of course is that

Jack McDuff is dead

Victor Borge is dead

And that young man is dead.

Though there is still open night jazz at the Artist's Quarter in St. Paul that would require modern day men to drive 40 miles round trip and pull suits out of storage which they haven't worn in years.  That would take time and effort they just not longer care to spend.

In other words that nice, innocent, well-intentioned boy with a little more class than the average guy and his offer to take you out to a dinner, a night of jazz and (here is something so stupid in hindsight, but what I'd actually do out of naivete) who would buy you a flower to pin on the lapel of your dress, got his fill of martini's and jazz on his own.  He no longer exists.  The offer is off the table and now you can enjoy the bar scene, just at the age of 40-60.  You can enjoy the aging, balding, recently divorced (or still married) investment banker or failing businessman.  You can enjoy the man who leases his Mercedes, but you don't know the difference between "lease" and "own."  You can enjoy the guy who has a lot of money, but can't run a mile without suffering a cardiac arrest.

Because it would have been nice.  A young, nervous, but determined 21 year old man, intent to impress you with a dinner he could barely afford.  And hoping his selection in jazz or symphony would buy him enough time to accidentally show you his quality and caliber.  And though not a BMW he'd pick you up just the same in his Ford Escort.  And there you'd sit at a high end restaurant, all dressed up, being treated to a fine dinner and some great music, as people walked downtown and observed from the outside saying,

"how darling"

"how cute"

Yes, that would have been nice.

But alas, it was "girls night" as "Farting Pete's" where you could drink for free and have a score of men lavish you with attention and free drinks.  And we all know that is more important than having that young kid pin a flower on your lapel as you listened to Jack McDuff.

Enjoy the decline!

ADD/ADHD/Aspergers Can Pay for the US Debt

Creativity and innovation are the only way the US, let alone, any country will get out of its debt problems.  It is through economic growth that debts are dwarfed, and it is through innovation and creativity that economic growth comes.

Not "working harder."

Not "networking."

Not developing a "CSR department."

And not rent seeking via lobbying politicians.

INNOVATION and CREATIVITY.

Good thing we got all that ritalin to ensure creative people never make it into the labor force at their full potential.

Logic and Truth are MEAN!

I always love how people think emotion overrules reality.  From our Christian Agent in the Field.:

Hi Mr. Clarey,

On the link below, a poster named "The Bechtloff" clearly and simply explained why many men have decided against marriage (due to the biased court system).  Please check the responses.

I don't see where they ever refuted his point, but they did get personal.

http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/22618?spMailingID=6429549&spUserID=OTQ0MjMwMzc3S0&spJobID=76736979&spReportId=NzY3MzY5NzkS1

Clearly, he pointed out the high risk side of the risk/return equation.

This appears to be a Christian (churchian?) website.

From the Lakes in Southern BC

If you look at a map of the Canadian Rockies, you'll see near towns like Revelstoke and the like long lakes that were caused by dams.  This not only makes for spectacular scenery, but also hands down, the BEST motorcycle riding.  Had I known the curves of the road I would have filmed, but was on such a tight time schedule I really didn't have time to pull over and duct tape the camera.  regardless, hope you like the lastest pictures.  The second to last one is entering into the US in Washington state and the last picture is a forest fire I drove through in Montana.






































Remember, work hard, pay taxes, stay in that corporate job and if you behave you might be rewarded with having only HALF of your 401k nationalized by the government!

Sunday, July 21, 2013

It's Called Capital Flight

And it's the primary reason you leftist scumbuckets will not have anything in the shelves in the end despite all the promises you made to yourselves.

What Did I Tell You About Working Security???

From our Security Guard Agent in the Field:

Mr. Clarey,

I wanted to thank you for your recommendation of night watchman as a stress free job opportunity that offers plenty of time for personal growth. I secured a position as one following your posts on the subject and it's been exactly as I anticipated. I also have good reason believe I have delayed sleep phase disorder, so in many ways it's been the best job I've ever had. Staying up to 6 am is completely natural for me.

I've seen more improvement in my abilities as a sketch artist and linguist than ever. There are literally no responsibilities to the position aside from touching a wand to a dot every hour. While it doesn't pay a living wage precisely, I have made some good investments in the past and expect to in the future.

Thanks,

Patrick

I'll say it till the day I die:

"Security is security."

Carry on lieutenants!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Jasper/Hwy 93/Glaciers

I drove from Smithers to Hyder, AK to Prince George in one day.  If you are too lazy to look that up it's about 650 miles and I got another 650 to go tomorrow.  In the meantime here are pictures from 3 days ago I haven't had time to upload from my trek on hwy 93 in between Banff and Jasper.  It was at that time the most pretty scenery I've seen, but then I saw hwy 37A enroute to Alaska and that has since changed.




































Remember, Sergeant Rumpie Fluffalo says:

"Work hard, kiss ass, brown nose, buck for that promotion, and run ever so much faster in that rat race so you can pay more in taxes so that I and the Captain can enjoy the fine public roads, highways, infrastructure and national/state/provincial parks!  Enjoy the Decline!"

Smithers

There's Smithers

And then there's Smithers




Help the Captain with gas money and buy "Worthless" which is in AUDIO FORMAT NOW!

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

The Drumheller Fossil Hunt

So it turns out one of our agents in the field is an actual geologist with a passion for fossil hunting.  Me and Mr. Aurini decided to head out with the Official Cappy Cap Geologist to Drumheller, Alberta.  There we found not only the BEST collection of fossils in the world, but some badlands formations where we launched our very own fossil hunting expedition.

It was somewhat successful with some petrified wood discovered as well as some shells and fragments, however I strongly recommend visiting the Tyrrell Museum.