I decided today that I'm going to sell most of my compact discs. Not because I'm broke or anything- they're just in the way, and I believe that when you make room for more stuff to come into your life, it does. I honestly couldn't take on more stuff right now, because I really do have too much stuff. I don't even listen to most of the music that I have- it's all been in a closet at my Mom's place for months. So, I'm putting it all on iTunes now....and I will decide what to keep, but most of it will go. Except my Disney music- I have to have the CDs for those always....I've got a lot of DVD's, VHS videos, and CDs. I will keep all the Disney stuff, but most of the rest has got to go. I don't feel like putting it all on Ebay- too much work for me. Perhaps I'll just sell most of it locally on craigslist (or try, anyway). I realize that I should have been steadily putting all my music on this Mac ever since I got it!!! I enjoy getting rid of stuff- it's weird, but I'm enjoying cleansing myself of things that I really don't need....
I'll get with the times...
Today was an OK day for work. I went to a place where they help restaurants jazz up their menus. Sounds like a cool job. The head guy is a professional chef- a real big-shot. I'm glad I made some money today. I still need more money.
I called my lawyer today about Yellow Pages. Those people are real rip-offs- they use tricks to get people to sign up for stuf- they lie to you. I won't go into details right now, but suffice it to say, their sales people lie to you, get you signed up and then you'd be hard-pressed to ever get them on the phone again. Their performance for my business has been tremendously underwhelming.
My cousin, who's name starts with L, has a court date tomorrow. She's being evicted from her apartment because she's going on 3 months behind on the rent. Oh, well...that's another story. She's having trouble facing reality- I would have been moved to a cheaper apartment. I mean, paying $1,200 a month and living by yourself? In Los Angeles? I wouldn't attempt that if I made $20 an hour, let alone what she was making when she had a full-time job. Let's pray for her! Sometimes reality doesn't really hit you until you're losing everything and facing the street. It's hard in America now. People who make stupid mistakes in the current environment are facing truly harsh times.
Will the stock market fall this week? I mean- will it crash? This time of year traditionally sees terrible results for stocks. We will see.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Feelin' so good!!!
I'm still trying my darndest to get more Mobile Notary work here in Hollywood- but I've decided that I'm going to go ahead and get my adult acting career going on full-blast! I'm too creative to go back to working for somebody else!
My favorite show, for which I actually had the pleasure of visiting the set, is "Ugly Betty". I love that show. I've posted a picture of myself at a Halloween party with a new friend that I met (named Monique), who was disguised as Betty Suarez. Pretty good costume, huh?
Friday, October 26, 2007
Got Work Today!
Today I was fortunate- I got 2 notary jobs. The first one was a guy who's on a show on HGTV- a guy named Peter. He's on a show called "Mr. Fixer". He's a strapping, good-looking fellow.
The second job took place in Hollywood at Johnny Rockets at Hollywood and Highland. Nice guy who's going to be a prison warden or something.
Tried to upload pictures to my "My Magical Collection" blog. Problem with Blogger right now. I'll do it later.
Spent too much time looking at old clips of "HR Pufnstuf", "The Banana Splits", "Lidsville" and "The Bugaloos".
Ugly Betty was good tonight.
That's all. I leave you with this gem.
The second job took place in Hollywood at Johnny Rockets at Hollywood and Highland. Nice guy who's going to be a prison warden or something.
Tried to upload pictures to my "My Magical Collection" blog. Problem with Blogger right now. I'll do it later.
Spent too much time looking at old clips of "HR Pufnstuf", "The Banana Splits", "Lidsville" and "The Bugaloos".
Ugly Betty was good tonight.
That's all. I leave you with this gem.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Dancing with the Stars and Jane Seymour
One good thing about tonight was watching "Dancing with the Stars". Jennifer Lopez was really good. What really got my attention, though, was that Jane Seymour was in the bottom 2. I want her to go all the way and win- I think she's great and has performed well in all her dances. I have to admit that I didn't vote on Monday night, so I'm not going to let that happen again!
So Much Fire in California
The weather in California is really hot now.
As you must know, there's a lot of fires going on all over Southern California. Here in Los Angeles, it's really bad air for breathing. I have slight allergies, but it was enough to make me lethargic and not want to go outside. I took a 3 hour nap today, which is really uncharacteristic of me.
I hope that the weather changes here for the better soon. We need some cool air to come in from the ocean to stop the fires from spreading, and to help them to put out the fires.
I guess that maybe it's a good thing that Griffith Park had its big fire months ago- there's not so much to burn there. It would really be bad if we had another big fire within Los Angeles, while so much is going on in the rest of the State.
Fires are naturally occurring things in nature- I guess they are part of what that great Disney film referred to as, "the circle of life". Old things burn up, and are replaced by new life later on. Nature's way of making way for the new.
What we really need is some rain. Badly. Georgia needs rain, too. Let's pray for rain.
As you must know, there's a lot of fires going on all over Southern California. Here in Los Angeles, it's really bad air for breathing. I have slight allergies, but it was enough to make me lethargic and not want to go outside. I took a 3 hour nap today, which is really uncharacteristic of me.
I hope that the weather changes here for the better soon. We need some cool air to come in from the ocean to stop the fires from spreading, and to help them to put out the fires.
I guess that maybe it's a good thing that Griffith Park had its big fire months ago- there's not so much to burn there. It would really be bad if we had another big fire within Los Angeles, while so much is going on in the rest of the State.
Fires are naturally occurring things in nature- I guess they are part of what that great Disney film referred to as, "the circle of life". Old things burn up, and are replaced by new life later on. Nature's way of making way for the new.
What we really need is some rain. Badly. Georgia needs rain, too. Let's pray for rain.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Tired Now
I'm too tired to post to my other blogs tonight. I went to Disneyland for a few hours. It was so packed...crazy. I mainly just looked around and talked to a few friends that I used to work with. I bought a new annual pass. I also bought a beautiful light box based on the movie, "Beauty and the Beast".
Who makes better lemondade: Jamba Juice, or Hot Dog on a Stick?
In my opinion, Hot Dog on a Stick has the best lemondade out of anywhere else, period. The Jamba Juice lemondade is very strong, and it should be taken with caution. It makes me sweat- it's really strong. I've gone to 2 different Jamba Juice stores, and the results are the same- to me, that lemonade is a strong laxative. When I say strong, I mean, find a toilet- NOW! I won't be ever ordering that lemonade again.
That's all.
Who makes better lemondade: Jamba Juice, or Hot Dog on a Stick?
In my opinion, Hot Dog on a Stick has the best lemondade out of anywhere else, period. The Jamba Juice lemondade is very strong, and it should be taken with caution. It makes me sweat- it's really strong. I've gone to 2 different Jamba Juice stores, and the results are the same- to me, that lemonade is a strong laxative. When I say strong, I mean, find a toilet- NOW! I won't be ever ordering that lemonade again.
That's all.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
My Bird
This is my bird. She's a parakeet. Her name is "Bird". She's really friendly towards people (she doesn't really like other parakeets). She can say "hi", but that's the only English she speaks. The rest is strictly parakeet language. I found her 2 years ago, walking in the bushes in front of my apartment building. When I noticed her, I went to get help from my roommate and we cornered her and captured her. We're sure that she belonged to someone and escaped. She's not very good at flying. She likes attention, and she's really smart- she eats when she notices us eating dinner at the table, and she goes to bed as soon as we cover her cage. She will even get on her swinging perch and go to bed herself if we forget to cover her cage or if we get home really late. Another funny thing about her is that she likes to "sleep in"- sometimes she won't wake up until we take the cover off her cage, especially on an overcast day. She's cute, huh? They say that having a pet like a dog or cat reduces stress. I think that the Bird fulfills that function.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Why Do People Drive So Damn Fast On The Freeway?
In Los Angeles County in California recently, there have been some really bad traffic accidents. The first one, which was major, was a few days ago on the 5 freeway in the Newhall Pass, inside a tunnel that is a through-way for trucks. Picture this: you're driving a truck, say, and something happens- you have to stop, a tire blows, SOMETHING. Maybe another vehicle collides with you accidentally. Let's say this happens inside the tunnel. You are slowing down, drastically, for whatever reason, and somebody is behind you, like maybe only 20 feet, going 65 miles an hour. The person behind you hits you. Then a chain reaction of people hitting each other, because they're all going TOO FAST!!!! They surmise that 3 people died in that tunnel, and that perhaps 31 vehicles (30 trucks and one car) were involved (all vehicles burned).
Today in Lancaster, California, along highway 14, a sandstorm blew some sand on the highway, suddenly, and people couldn't see. What's the logical thing to do when you can't see where you're going? Slow down!!!! Slow and try to stop. What did some people do? Stop immediately. What did people behind them do? Keep going fast! And guess what? Another pileup, and 2 people dead, lots of people in the hospital.
Last weekend (October 7th) I drove back home to Los Angeles from Northern California. I can honestly say that all kinds of people were behind me, tailgating, because I wouldn't speed because I had my family in the car. Along Interstate 5, people drive really crazy, and they go way faster than the speed limit. Even with the speed limit, which at times is 70 miles per hour, the people seem to like to ride only 10 or 15 feet behind the car in front of them. This is very dangerous.
About 15 years ago, I was on vacation with a friend in Nashville. We had just turned onto the highway, to head 4 hours to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee to go to Dollywood. We were riding about a mile on the highway when I noticed about a mile and a half up there seemed to be cars slowing or stopped. When I got closer, it appeared to me that the cars in front of me were crashing into each other! Cars behind me were coming up, speeding up to pass me! When we were almost up to the cars in front of me, I could see that there were definitely crashes. As people passed me, they began to crash into the cars in front. When I was almost up to the crashing cars, which were in the 3 left lanes, I had to act quickly. I turned sharply to the far right lane and floored it. The car beside us crashed into all the cars on my left. "Did you see that?", I asked Kelli. "Yes. Good driving, David". Well, I don't know about that, but I do know that not enough people scan the road ahead, and they go quickly into a disaster. People who speed and tailgate definitely are heading for destruction, either their own or leading to that of others. Everybody, take my advice and SLOW THE FUCK DOWN!!!
Today in Lancaster, California, along highway 14, a sandstorm blew some sand on the highway, suddenly, and people couldn't see. What's the logical thing to do when you can't see where you're going? Slow down!!!! Slow and try to stop. What did some people do? Stop immediately. What did people behind them do? Keep going fast! And guess what? Another pileup, and 2 people dead, lots of people in the hospital.
Last weekend (October 7th) I drove back home to Los Angeles from Northern California. I can honestly say that all kinds of people were behind me, tailgating, because I wouldn't speed because I had my family in the car. Along Interstate 5, people drive really crazy, and they go way faster than the speed limit. Even with the speed limit, which at times is 70 miles per hour, the people seem to like to ride only 10 or 15 feet behind the car in front of them. This is very dangerous.
About 15 years ago, I was on vacation with a friend in Nashville. We had just turned onto the highway, to head 4 hours to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee to go to Dollywood. We were riding about a mile on the highway when I noticed about a mile and a half up there seemed to be cars slowing or stopped. When I got closer, it appeared to me that the cars in front of me were crashing into each other! Cars behind me were coming up, speeding up to pass me! When we were almost up to the cars in front of me, I could see that there were definitely crashes. As people passed me, they began to crash into the cars in front. When I was almost up to the crashing cars, which were in the 3 left lanes, I had to act quickly. I turned sharply to the far right lane and floored it. The car beside us crashed into all the cars on my left. "Did you see that?", I asked Kelli. "Yes. Good driving, David". Well, I don't know about that, but I do know that not enough people scan the road ahead, and they go quickly into a disaster. People who speed and tailgate definitely are heading for destruction, either their own or leading to that of others. Everybody, take my advice and SLOW THE FUCK DOWN!!!
New Projects
Today I started 2 new blogs that I'm excited about. One is My Magical Collection, a blog about the things that I collect (which includes Disneyana). Like Pee Wee Herman said, "Why don't you take a picture? It'll last longer". No words could have been truer! I can appreciate something even more when I can look at a picture of it while sitting at my desk.
Another blog that I just started is "My Christmas Cards", which features Christmas cards that I (and my family) have received over the years. Christmas cards are so beautiful, it's a shame to throw them away- but I can't save everything, ya know! If I was super rich I suppose that I could decorate the walls of a mansion with framed Christmas cards. Alas, tis not presently the case.
Today I started reading the screenplay for the movie, "Pay It Forward", by Leslie Dixon, in my endeavor to become a screenwriter. I'm really paying attention to her style. I hope to be able to write as well as she does, with some practice. I've been listening to a book on CD called, "As A Man Thinketh", and I must say that it makes lots of sense- what you fill your mind with will directly produce what you do- what comes out of you. "Garbage in, garbage out" is something that I heard a year ago from someone, and it makes perfect sense. You have to aspire to be more and work at it in order to change yourself.
Another blog that I just started is "My Christmas Cards", which features Christmas cards that I (and my family) have received over the years. Christmas cards are so beautiful, it's a shame to throw them away- but I can't save everything, ya know! If I was super rich I suppose that I could decorate the walls of a mansion with framed Christmas cards. Alas, tis not presently the case.
Today I started reading the screenplay for the movie, "Pay It Forward", by Leslie Dixon, in my endeavor to become a screenwriter. I'm really paying attention to her style. I hope to be able to write as well as she does, with some practice. I've been listening to a book on CD called, "As A Man Thinketh", and I must say that it makes lots of sense- what you fill your mind with will directly produce what you do- what comes out of you. "Garbage in, garbage out" is something that I heard a year ago from someone, and it makes perfect sense. You have to aspire to be more and work at it in order to change yourself.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Christmas Time is Here (well, almost).
I went to OSH today (Orchard Supply Hardware, a division of Sears). I went to have a copy of a key made for my Mom. As I walked in I felt a rush of glee- I saw Christmas decorations and Chrsitmas accessories- near the checkout lines. It was cool- Christmas lites- indoor and outdoor, Christmas animals, Mickey Mouse Snowglobes, fake Christmas trees, and more. It was almost enough to make me forget what I came for, but it put me in a better mood. I do like Christmas time. I'm sentimental. Christmas is for kids, and I think that sometimes, I become a kid again. I remember the great food and great times of holidays past, when my family was much larger. When my Grandmother would cook the best Thanksgiving turkies, with gravy and cranberry sauce! I remember the turkey dressing. The good o'l cauliflower (with cheese, mmmm). How about candied yams, with marshmallows? And, of course, the desserts? In my family, kids even got a drink of wine (Manishevitz) around the holidays to go with the meal. Don't forget the oven-baked dinner rolls, with butter. And maybe some green beans or turnip greens with turnips for vegetables. How about egg nogg?
For dessert: pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, apple pie, tea cakes, rum balls, sock-it-to-me cake, pound cake, coconut cake, german chocolate cake.
I guess that Christmas for me brings back lots of memories of family and food. I don't really remember the toys so much, or the other gifts. The fun of the season was cool for me. After I got a little older, I just liked to watch the college and pro football games on TV (while school was out).
Funny how just walking into OSH can set off all those memories!
For dessert: pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, apple pie, tea cakes, rum balls, sock-it-to-me cake, pound cake, coconut cake, german chocolate cake.
I guess that Christmas for me brings back lots of memories of family and food. I don't really remember the toys so much, or the other gifts. The fun of the season was cool for me. After I got a little older, I just liked to watch the college and pro football games on TV (while school was out).
Funny how just walking into OSH can set off all those memories!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
My Timeshare at the Oak Plantation Vacation Ownership Resort in Kissimmee, Florida
I first bought a timeshare 11 years ago while on vacation in Orlando, Florida. I was invited to a presentation, where they offered me money- $50 - to go to a presentation to see "timeshares", something where you actually own a part of a vacation resort- you get a deed- and you agree that one particular week each year is for your use. The name of the timeshare was "The Oak Plantation Resort". When we arrived at the place (me and my friend and co-worker, Rose), we registered at the front desk at the Presentation Center at the Resort, and then they directed us to a table, which they said was ours, and they invited us to go over and grab some food that they had set out for guests. We walked over and grabbed some danishes, Yoplait Yogurt, coffee, cranberry juice, donuts, bagels and cream cheese. It was a decent free meal while we waited for our hostess. Finally she arrived, and she sat down and asked each of us what we did for a living, and our vacation habits, what we were doing on this vacation (Walt Disney World), and stuff like that.
Then we got a tour of the resort, which as not open yet for guests. From the Presentation Center we could see the pool being built just outside. We followed our hostess and she took us to a model of the guest quarters that were available for purchase. They were really nice. She described how the Resort would look when finished. It was a beautiful place already- the neighborhood had a lot of oak trees in it naturally. She proposed to me to purchase an area right near the pool, but upstairs from it. It was a 2-bedroom unit. Again, it was not built yet so I couldn't see it. I thought about it- I loved going to Walt Disney World, and the idea of having a place to use every time that I came back, and having a good reason to come back- made me want to buy it.
So it came to pass that I bought the timeshare, a nice 2 bedroom unit during week 24 (which is about the 2nd week of June), for $9,500. I was among the first 25 owners to purchase a unit at this brand-new Resort. They brought out a bottle of champagne for theatrics. It was cool, though...I knew what I was getting into. I can honestly say that I have used the timeshare, that the Resort is really nice, and that I have one of the best locations in the best weeks at the Resort. I have gone to this Resort and used my week there about 7 times. The other times, I have exchanged my week with RCI (Resorts Condiminums International), which is a company that is like a club, where time share owners can deposit their weeks with RCI and choose to book a week-long vacation at another RCI-affiliated resort. Through RCI, I have stayed at resorts at Lake Tahoe, California (twice), Canmore, Alberta Cananda (near Calgary and Banff), L'Anse St. Jean, Quebec Canada, and Pagosa Springs, Colorada (where Oprah went on TV with her pal Gayle).
I have learned a few things over the years, and, one thing that I know is that if you decide to buy a timeshare, you should shop around. Today there are a lot of people who have bought their timeshares and want to get rid of them, for various reasons- they bought into their timeshares at crazy interest rates, they can't control their spending, they can't get the week off from their job to go on vacation, and other reasons. A timeshare is a luxury, not a necessity. Food is more important to you than vacation, at least for most people.
If you decide to buy a timeshare, make sure that you shop around first. Ebay is a great place to look at timeshares, and sometimes you can find them there really cheap- I've seen some being sold for as little as $500 total purchase price. One thing to be aware of- timeshares cost you each year. You have to pay taxes and maintenance fees, and the Resort Association will send you a bill each year. These fees can go up- not the taxes so much, but the maintenance fees can really climb. (When I first joined with Oak Plantation, the fees were $350 per year. Now they are $700 per year!).
What? $700 per year! That's expensive! Yes, but if you were to rent my room at the Resort during the week that I have it each night for a week, you will pay $125 per night. I have a prime location at the Resort, and I like when my week is, so I'm hanging on to it. RCI costs about $95 per year to be a member, but they have some good perks of being a member, like Extra Vacations, where you can pay like $199 or $299 and still stay at a great RCI resort and not pay maintenance or exchange fees (because you didn't exchange your unit- you're just renting out available space!). If you have time and money to vacation, and you want to save some money, owning one timeshare and having an RCI membership is a good way to go.
In one of my next posts I'll tell you about a great Timeshare that's for Sale at a great price!
Then we got a tour of the resort, which as not open yet for guests. From the Presentation Center we could see the pool being built just outside. We followed our hostess and she took us to a model of the guest quarters that were available for purchase. They were really nice. She described how the Resort would look when finished. It was a beautiful place already- the neighborhood had a lot of oak trees in it naturally. She proposed to me to purchase an area right near the pool, but upstairs from it. It was a 2-bedroom unit. Again, it was not built yet so I couldn't see it. I thought about it- I loved going to Walt Disney World, and the idea of having a place to use every time that I came back, and having a good reason to come back- made me want to buy it.
So it came to pass that I bought the timeshare, a nice 2 bedroom unit during week 24 (which is about the 2nd week of June), for $9,500. I was among the first 25 owners to purchase a unit at this brand-new Resort. They brought out a bottle of champagne for theatrics. It was cool, though...I knew what I was getting into. I can honestly say that I have used the timeshare, that the Resort is really nice, and that I have one of the best locations in the best weeks at the Resort. I have gone to this Resort and used my week there about 7 times. The other times, I have exchanged my week with RCI (Resorts Condiminums International), which is a company that is like a club, where time share owners can deposit their weeks with RCI and choose to book a week-long vacation at another RCI-affiliated resort. Through RCI, I have stayed at resorts at Lake Tahoe, California (twice), Canmore, Alberta Cananda (near Calgary and Banff), L'Anse St. Jean, Quebec Canada, and Pagosa Springs, Colorada (where Oprah went on TV with her pal Gayle).
I have learned a few things over the years, and, one thing that I know is that if you decide to buy a timeshare, you should shop around. Today there are a lot of people who have bought their timeshares and want to get rid of them, for various reasons- they bought into their timeshares at crazy interest rates, they can't control their spending, they can't get the week off from their job to go on vacation, and other reasons. A timeshare is a luxury, not a necessity. Food is more important to you than vacation, at least for most people.
If you decide to buy a timeshare, make sure that you shop around first. Ebay is a great place to look at timeshares, and sometimes you can find them there really cheap- I've seen some being sold for as little as $500 total purchase price. One thing to be aware of- timeshares cost you each year. You have to pay taxes and maintenance fees, and the Resort Association will send you a bill each year. These fees can go up- not the taxes so much, but the maintenance fees can really climb. (When I first joined with Oak Plantation, the fees were $350 per year. Now they are $700 per year!).
What? $700 per year! That's expensive! Yes, but if you were to rent my room at the Resort during the week that I have it each night for a week, you will pay $125 per night. I have a prime location at the Resort, and I like when my week is, so I'm hanging on to it. RCI costs about $95 per year to be a member, but they have some good perks of being a member, like Extra Vacations, where you can pay like $199 or $299 and still stay at a great RCI resort and not pay maintenance or exchange fees (because you didn't exchange your unit- you're just renting out available space!). If you have time and money to vacation, and you want to save some money, owning one timeshare and having an RCI membership is a good way to go.
In one of my next posts I'll tell you about a great Timeshare that's for Sale at a great price!
Friday, October 12, 2007
Use Hollywood Notary.Net- Mobile Notary Service in Los Angeles County
If you happen to live in and around Los Angeles and you need a Notary Public, then please consider using Hollywood Notary.Net, which is my Mobile Notary (Traveling Notary) Service in Los Angeles. I can come any time, day or night, to any place (home, office, coffee shop) in Los Angeles County, by appointment. My website lists my fees and prerequisites for your documents. For fast Mobile Notary Service in Los Angeles, call David at (323)393-5822.
Hollywood Notary.Net is a proud member of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. I love being a Chamber Member- I get to go to some really swanky functions in some really cool places, and I meet interesting people.
Being a Notary in Hollywood, I have had the priviledge of meeting some really cool people in the Industry. I want them all to know that I really do appreciate their business, and I'm glad to know them. (I won't name them, but you know who you are!)
Hollywood Notary.Net is a proud member of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. I love being a Chamber Member- I get to go to some really swanky functions in some really cool places, and I meet interesting people.
Being a Notary in Hollywood, I have had the priviledge of meeting some really cool people in the Industry. I want them all to know that I really do appreciate their business, and I'm glad to know them. (I won't name them, but you know who you are!)
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