We Don't Walk Slow

About Tom Stortz

Enjoying my last few responsibility free years left.

How to make easy money 101?

Hard work. Now I know the answer is contradictory to the title but there really isn’t any way to make easy money. What amazes me though is the amount of people who don’t understand this concept. People don’t hand out free money. I hear and see so many products telling you how they are going to make you rich. Here’s the obvious question with anyone trying to sell you something to make you rich, WHY DO THEY NEED TO SELL IT TO YOU? If the secret of their ways was so good to making money, then they wouldn’t have to sell it to you. They sell it to you because that’s the secret to how they are getting wealthy. I’m not saying that there aren’t pay for services that don’t have value but these clowns usually know just as much as you and me. The only way to make easy money is to do something illegal and that’s obviously not something most people want to get caught up in. I just get so fed up with hearing how people can make you rich and everything just comes off as a sham. I get phone calls at work on a daily basis from people trying to sell me stuff and it’s gotten to the point that I don’t listen to them anymore. I confirm that it’s a sales call from a 3rd party and I politely say no thanks and hang up the phone without giving them a chance to fill the phone line with gibberish. People who’s job it is to sell you something generally aren’t looking out for your best interest, only theirs.

I thought Howard Stern had a great statement on why he’s worth a lot of money. He said “I’m irreplaceable.” He’s right, if you can’t be replaced, you deserve to make a lot of money. Consider how valuable you are to your company and that should give you a good idea of how much money you’ll make in your lifetime. This brings us right back to the first sentence of this post, hard work. Hard work will generally give you the skills to succeed, thus making you more valuable. Aside from some freakish talents, people earn nice livings from putting in the time to master some subject that not everyone else can do. I like to think that I could make easy money playing poker, gambling, or playing the stock market but the fact is that no one is giving away easy money and you need to put in the time to EARN your wage. The reason I write this post is because I in fact have been making some easy money and I’m not a bozo who thinks that the good times never end. I may indeed be a bozo but not because I’m not realistic.

By Tom Stortz|2011-11-28T18:21:37-05:00November 28th, 2011|My Brain|0 Comments

Clout

If everyone can turn their attention to the poll on the right side you will see that 35 people have clicked that they can slap their significant others ass whenever they please. Considering most of my polls don’t get more than 10 people responding, I was a bit surprised to say the least. Amazingly, rnningfool.com hit a new record high in terms of visitors with 1,190 in one day. 15 people even found the site searching for Scattergory rules. I don’t know if I can say that the site has officially turned the corner and is blowing up but these are pretty staggering numbers. I think it’s safe to say that I have created something that at least some people are finding. Now there are some negatives like my bounce rate is terrible and people barely view the content but still it’s a step in the right direction that people actually find the site. I also find the number of people who replied yes to the poll is comical. The fact that random people go out of their way to answer that is hilarious. I’m actually a little weirded out that people are finding the site because it means that I better start coming up with good posts other than just talking about how good the site has become. I’m sure though people prefer to read a post like this though than nothing. I think I’m going to have to go through another theme change for 2 reasons, one is to differentiate from Sam and two is to fix the no comment page. If I’m going to have people on the site, I can’t leave them at the page not found comment section. More posts to come now with this new found success.

By Tom Stortz|2016-11-03T15:25:15-04:00November 28th, 2011|My Brain|0 Comments

Upper Dublin 10 Year High School Reunion

Yes its been 10 years since I’ve graduated High School. Time doesn’t seem to be slowing down much. On Friday night we had the reunion at Ladder 15 in Philadelphia. I met the Rock and Larry down at the Fieldhouse at 4:30pm to watch some college football. I had a few beers and then we went to eat dinner at the Palm. The Rock had a hotel room at the Bellevue which was conveniently next to Ladder 15. We showed up at a little bit before 8pm and were literally the first people there. In a night that you know ahead of time is going to be awkward this made it worse. People started showing up and things actually were unpredictably fun. I wasn’t sure what to expect and I really enjoyed myself. I’d say it was probably one of the best weekend nights I’ve had in a remarkably long time. Some conversations weren’t exactly smooth but who cares because you probably won’t see them again for 5 more years. Every conversation began with “what do you *do now” so there wasn’t really any introduction needed which was nice. People who you didn’t really hang around with much in high school become your best friends. I just thought the experience was well worth it for the 50 dollars and one that doesn’t come around but every 5 years. I could use this post to go into the details of conversations I had with people and I’m sure it would be good material but I’m gonna pass on this one.

By Tom Stortz|2011-11-28T19:52:48-05:00November 27th, 2011|My Life|1 Comment

To the Shee

I feel like I should entertain the Shee while he opens this up at 8:30 am at his office desk. Shee, my time is 4:37 and I just came back from a trip to the casino by myself. I think there are multiple things wrong with that statement but lets just focus on what happened. After my bro Sam raped me in Ping Pong 12-2 (maybe more) I decided to head to Harrah’s Chester for a poker sesh. It was about midnight when I sat down and pretty much lingered around my buy in. I ended up cashing out 391 after being in 400. I then took my 400 bucks to blackjack where I was joined with 2 gentlemen. I proceeded to turn the 400 into 1500 and then walked out with 1200 (after a double went bad) which I’m proud to say. It’s not easy to walk away and I did so. I drove home after about 12 beers on the day (i’m not bragging just saying) and stopped at WaWa for a meatball sub. I tipped the guy making my sandwich 20 bucks and not to mention giving the dealer 25. What can I say, I’m a nice guy. I don’t deserve the money I won.

By Tom Stortz|2011-11-28T22:02:14-05:00November 25th, 2011|My Life|2 Comments

Fake Storage Wars loses its luster

After watching Tuesday’s episodes I’ve come to the conclusion that the show is not what it once was. Previously I’ve given reasons for why the show is fake but this is a new feeling. I dislike how things have a set-up feel to them. Barry finding that magicians head trick was such an act. The producers decided to throw that trick into a locker so that they could use the magicians store scene as filler for the show. It’s hokey. They first do a trick where they make Barry’s car disappear and then he has to open the door with a magic word. Also the telescope was strange too. Barry bids on a locker, wins it and then decides to sell it to Darrell at a loss? Darrell amazingly sees this bronze piece which the camera was sure to focus in on while the unit was selling. The bronze piece turns out to be a telescope and there just happens to be one store that specializes in telescopes. Unless that guy is willing to buy it, I’m pretty sure he’s not getting hundreds of dollars for it.

I’m really not trying to rag on the show because it’s technically where most of my traffic comes from. Well actually it’s not the show so much as people googling “Storage Wars Fake” and “Brandi Passante Stripper” but I have to tell it like it is. Reality to me has always been what I like to watch. The first few episodes made me feel this way. This new season seems to me like they are trying too hard to “make a show.” This is where I think the producers are missing the point. They are trying to entertain but what they don’t realize is that the reality is the entertainment. Not Barry visiting a magic store. The live bidding, they untapped lockers, the fights between characters. I’m not sure if it got lost or what but something seems amiss.

By Tom Stortz|2016-10-29T13:49:55-04:00November 24th, 2011|Tv|2 Comments

Making people feel good

There are certain words and phrases you can use to make people feel good about themselves. To be considered a nice person, you want to make the people you come in contact with feel good. This makes them want to be around you because they can trust you and feel comfortable around you. What I mean is that people can easily be persuaded to like you if you show interest and comment on the right thing. This isn’t a simple task either, sometimes it takes some digging and hunting to find the right words, sometimes it’s right out in the open, it’s the desire to learn and work on your people skills. Before I give some examples I’ll point out that even though I have decent people skills, I don’t really like people. So take these thoughts with a grain of salt because I’m not surrounded by a plethora of friends and people who want to be around me.

“You look ripped” – Telling someone who is an exercise freak that they look ripped is usually a good way to make a friend. They’ll probably start telling you how they just worked their core and how their shoulder is bothering them from a full workout.

“I understand, that was wise.” Telling people you understand is a good start because it shows you are listening. In the next part you can use words like witty, clever, smart, you get the idea. Once they think that you think they are smart or know what they are talking about, they will like you more.

“You’re really good at…” People love other people telling them they are good at things. After doing this be prepared to hear about how they got so good or different reasons they are so good. Compliments are a great way to develop friendships if you are sincere.

I know this comes off as a deceptive, manipulative post but that’s not how I meant it. I’m not telling people how I falsely manipulate people to like me. These are just thoughts that when you are around people to help try to relate to things that interest them. People will like you if you take interest in things they like. It’s way easier to talk about things you know then things you don’t. If I were in the same room as a congressman, I’d be a fish out of water when it comes to conversation. My first thought would be explain to me what changes you’d make. The word change is great in conversation to because everything changes so it is never out of place. Plus it makes you seem smart because you are thinking about the future. Back to topic though, these things don’t work if you aren’t honest about them. You actually have to take an interest in things that you are talking to people about. Relating to people is the key to having them feel comfortable around you. If they are comfortable, they will generally like you.

By Tom Stortz|2011-11-28T22:02:45-05:00November 24th, 2011|My Brain|1 Comment

What’s Up?

I skipped a few days of posting, forgive me but the blog has been more successful than ever. With over 9,300 visitors for a 30 day period I have set a new record. Storage Wars traffic continues to dominate but better something than nothing. Maybe someone will actually read some of the posts and think it’s not half bad and offer me a job as a writer. That last line was a joke just to clarify for the people whose eyes rolled in the back of their head.

I finished the a Dance with Dragons, the final Game of Thrones book. This leaves me bookless and awaiting the next 2 books in the series eagerly. Considering it took George R.R Martin 5+ years to come out with this last one I’m not holding my breath. It really sucks too because all the books have you anticipating what is going to happen next. It’s awesome because he does things that you don’t expect. He’ll give the POV of a character for a book and a half and then all of a sudden when he’s about to do something heroic, that Martin’s been leading up to for chapters, he’ll find a way to get killed. So many twists and turns and the reading is just so perfectly formatted. Each chapter is between 10-20 pages and a new character’s POV takes place every chapter. I haven’t been so enthralled in a book series in my entire life. This is truly one of the best fantasy novels of all time.

I also finished the first season of Six Feet Under and I thought it lacked the emotional charge that I’ve come to expect from a series finale. I’m aware this is came out about 10 years ago but I guess I just suspected more. A few thoughts I had on it. They made David really gay. I’ve seen gay characters on TV but David is probably the gayest. Seeing Michael C Hall act gay doesn’t really bother me that much but I do find it humorous the dependency between David and Dexter. I have trouble taking Nate seriously. He comes off as really laid back but I think he does a good job and I’ve grown to like his character. I’m also finding the Mom better and better because it seems like she has a screw loose but only when she wants to. Reminds me of Tony Soprano’s mom. Claire and Gabe are annoying, end of story. I haven’t started Season 2 but I probably will once I stop writing this post.

I bet on 2 games today, both the Packers -7 and the Dolphins +7. I really wanted to take Detroit but the line was going off at -125 and that usually means that they expect this to happen. It’s a Catch 22 for gamblers. If they expect it to happen then betting on it seems like the smart thing to do. Of course they only pay you 7.50 for every 10 dollars wagered. So they pay you less if what’s expected to happen happens. Problem is what the public expects to happen doesn’t always happen and taking the other side is the right move even though it doesn’t seem right. The Lions are a decent team at home and you’d think they’d be fired up to play a Thanksgiving game trying to knock the Packers off, thus being a close game. That being said, if I think it’s going to be a close game, I’m going to bet on the Packers in a blow out. I think the Dolphins are a clear bet as well for various reasons, the main one being last week. The Shee was spot on when he said the Dolphins are only getting 2 points against the Bills and there’s something wrong with that because the Bills should be giving more. I think the same thing applies here. Dolphins have been playing good and Matt Moore is hitting targets. I’ll roll the dice.

By Tom Stortz|2011-11-28T22:03:10-05:00November 24th, 2011|My Brain|0 Comments

Some Random Thoughts About This Holiday Weekend

I don’t really understand the fascination with deals on Black Friday in comparison to Cyber Monday. Why would people want to stand in line for hours to take advantage of pricing when they could just order it online a few days later? I suppose it’s the thrill of shopping but the rude people, the pushy lines and the fact that the store can run out of your item makes me lean towards sitting in my chair and shopping.

I think another strange thing about this holiday is how, and I’m assuming, people will start buying everything with their credit cards even if they don’t have the money. I’ve really never understood how people can purchase things while they are already debt laden. Giving people the opportunity to purchase things with plastic is how greedy corporations rule the masses. Credit card companies get so rich because people are so stupid and this holiday weekend promotes it.

I know there are people who have to work on Friday but that must really suck. Aside from people who don’t partake in the holiday, this has to be a day where the majority of the population is off from work. You have to be dragging your feet with every step knowing that you are just a slave to the company you work for. I’m being a little harsh here because obviously some companies are international companies and the world doesn’t stop for the day after Thanksgiving so there are going to have to be people to work but it just feels like it should be an off day.

The Turkey Tourney will be going off on Saturday at 11am at my parents house. Buy in will be between 30-50 dollars. I’m not sure what type of turn out we expect but if you have any interest in playing either email me or comment on the blog. You can also find me on facebook with that giant link in the upper right hand corner that no one has ever clicked.

By Tom Stortz|2016-10-29T13:50:04-04:00November 24th, 2011|My Life|0 Comments

People are clueless

I overheard this conversation from 3 people all ages of 50+. My thoughts are italicized and theirs will be regular text.

Woman: Are there Sunoco’s in Syracuse, NY? She’s looking out the window at a Sunoco to give you an idea of how creative this is.
Man 1: I think it’s local. Why? I would have no clue how to answer this question either although I’ve seen their plant in Marcus Hook.
Woman: I want to get my daughter a gift card. Why on Earth would you give her a gift card to Sunoco, give her cash. I know there’s Gulf, Getty, is Exxon one? Exxon’s only the 2nd biggest company in the world.
Man 1: Don’t forget Mobile. Exxon Mobile is the 2nd biggest company in the world.
Man 2: What about BP, they are new and just bought Shell. BP was founded in 1909 but in 1998 they merged with Amoco which gave it more of a US feel. Shell is the 5th biggest oil producer in the world never overtaken by BP.

That was all I overheard in the 2 minutes of listening but how these people live their lives is beyond me. What’s the point of talking if you have no clue what you’re talking about. From bad ideas to misinformation, I have a feeling these people aren’t alone.

By Tom Stortz|2016-11-03T15:26:35-04:00November 24th, 2011|My Brain|1 Comment

Boredom

It’s a real sad day when I am complaining about my life. There are hundreds of million people out there who are worse off than me and I have the audacity to express boredom. My plethora of entertainment devices like HBOGo, movies, cable and books are leaving me high and dry. I don’t think it’s that so much as I just need to start doing something else. It’s like a routine that just becomes your life. Geller on Dexter describing the everyman’s life as a “mundane existence” sort of sprung this. Basically he’s asking “Do you want to do something with your life?” I always seem to fall back to the Office Space message that people aren’t meant to spend their lives in cubes working. Yet millions of people do this and these people are considered fortunate because they have jobs. I will be with my job for the rest of my life if things work out and there is no escape. Believe me I’m not complaining either because I know people who would kill to do what I do but still the future will still be me here in Philadelphia working this job. I guess I find it discouraging that I am set up to do whatever I want to do with my life and I never take the initiative and actually do something. WHAT DO YOU DO THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE? It’s just eat, work, sleep. I’m not sure what it is I’m supposed to do but entertaining myself electronically can’t be the answer. I’m sure a lot of people who read this are in similar boats but your life is just structured to you. Some people probably live every day like it’s their last. I feel like I’m waiting to die (slowly of course). I also want to point out that I’ve been watching 6 Feet Under and there is a lot of concepts revolving around death which probably has me thinking a bit. I promise there is no need for concern as I’m perfectly healthy and only borderline depressed. Trying to get people to smile on a death post is usually pretty hard.

By Tom Stortz|2011-11-28T22:03:59-05:00November 21st, 2011|My Life|2 Comments