Adam told me he liked the post that I wrote about liking wraps over sandwiches.  I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I was trying a different approach to blogging with that post so I’m glad it received positive feedback.  Another point I’d like to stress is that I don’t know you like that post unless you tell me you like that post.  If Adam didn’t tell me that, I’d probably think that a personal approach to what makes me, well me, wasn’t the answer to a successful blog.  Fortunately he did and I can continue to work off that path.  This leads me to explain how important it is for readers to leave comments.  I need to know what works and what doesn’t.  So next time you find yourself saying, “should I leave a comment (even if it’s saying I suck),” do it.

I don’t leave a ton of comments on other people’s blogs and sites but I probably leave more than you do because I know how it feels to receive a comment and I tend to be opinionated when I don’t like (or like) a topic.  Here are some thoughts I’ve picked up on various websites I comment on and how it’s important to shape your comment to that website for maximum results.

Reddit – This is an intelligent website where intelligent people post.  The best comments use double entendres, puns, and other forms of sophisticated language that I don’t know the words for.   All negative racial comments, misspellings, and stupidity get down voted.  I rarely leave comments because getting downvoted makes you feel like shit.

Barstool – Any intelligent comment will get downvotes.  Barstool is the dregs of humanity and unless you are making fun of Pres or fellow contributors, your comment won’t stand a chance.  Comments that are as real / true as possible get the most fanfare.  Here is the #1 comment about Mac and Cheese Kid and the picture of him getting removed – “Props to this kid’s dad, honestly. My dad wouldn’t be caught in the same state as me if I embarrassed our family name that bad.”

Bansheemann7 – I’m never sure how much commenting I should do on Sam’s blog because I already maintain my own blog which means I can display my opinion anytime I want.  He has his own group of friends who can form their own opinions about the topics without the need for my influence.  When I see 0 comments though, I’ll generally throw in my 2 cents with no fear or disregard like I think a lot of readers have.

You’d be wise to not agree with any part of this post. My strong stances tend to make for awkward real life moments. Whenever a person in real life says “I read your blog” my brain immediately scans all the parts I could have written to offend that person. I’ve also noticed that people take all comments I make in this blog (even if I’m taking a position just to generate the view point) personally.

Wraps – Wraps have overtaken sandwiches for me. I was a big supported of the club sandwich but if I had to choose between a turkey club and a turkey club wrap offered by my local delicatessen, I’d choose the wrap. This honey mustard chicken wrap has been knocking my socks off and a chicken Caesar wrap is a constant. I’ve even move Panini’s ahead of an ordinary sandwich.

No TV’s @ Bars – I’ve been to a many bars and I don’t get the no TV stance. I understand the goal of no TV’s is to promote dialogue among customers but I’m pretty convinced that TV’s in noisy settings don’t play that much of a factor. I can’t remember the last time someone said, “we can’t go to that bar because they have TV’s.” I’ve definitely heard, “I’m not going to that bar because there are no TV’s.”

“Not having television — that’s the pure bar environment, where conversation is most important. “We’ve never had a television because we wanted to inspire something that is close to the conviviality of pubs in Ireland.”

Russell Wilson – I hate him. He runs around like a madmen once he feels pressure and heaves up bullshit to shitty receivers that consistently gets caught. I’m pretty sure that’s the actual play and not the horrible routes that the receivers run. I give him credit for his mobility and reasonable accuracy on the move but I hate the fucker. I won a bet tonight betting against him but it was infuriating on every 3rd down watching him escape.

I knew all this talk about cash and Venmo would lead somewhere. It’s a sensitive topic that there is no good answer to. Fortunately I was able to figure out a solution to a universal problem that last night presented.

So after all of the cash talk, I actually ran out of cash. I entered the night with $60 bucks and spent it promptly which left me with bills that I had to figure out. Naturally I went to an ATM and solved the issue (at a cash only bar which seem to be prevalent nowadays) but it made me think of what is actually needed to solve this issue. The word “sync” as coined by Sean (brilliant line by me) is the answer.

What needs to happen is your phone needs to sync to your order / bill. You can actually order from your phone and get an individual bill. The way the Uber handles payments needs to happen with the food industry. This way you don’t have to worry about tip or cash and it is all billed to the profile you set up. Restaurants should be required to create an E-menu to order off of and your phone to sync to. Why has this not happened?

I’ve heard from both sides of the coin on the cash vs Venmo discussion and my thoughts are as follows:

• 

  Two Lightning Bolts

  Younger people believe using Venmo and credit cards are a direct substitute for carrying cash.

• People who rely on electronic cash are like leeches relying on the people who are actually carrying cash.  I’m not saying this happens 100% of the time but it happens to people who carry cash 0% of the time.
• Living in an e-cash world is like the Wild Wild West as described below.

Imagine the hypothetical situation where no one carries cash.  5 people come to the bowling alley and they purchase 3 games apiece totaling $50 dollars.  Is one person putting all the games on 1 card and 4 people paying him back $10 through Venmo or are 5 people paying $10 through 5 different transactions?  Under the 1st assumption now 1 guy is owed $40 dollars from 4 people.  Do they Venmo immediately or do they play it off the cuff and assume they’ll pay him back as the night continues?  The latter scenario is 5 transactions, with 5 signatures, that takes 5x as long.

Next, they order food and drinks and are presented with another bill.  5 way split?  Is the guy who paid for the bowling excluded from this bill and the other 4 figure it out?  Who even knows at this point?

The only reason the Venmo system even reasonably works is because there are people who still carry cash.  So if 3 of 4 people carry cash, they work with the e-tard who doesn’t have any.  I cannot grasp the revolt against carrying cash.  Why is it difficult?  0 problems arise when you have cash.  Zero point zero.  You never have to worry about a cash only bar or dividing checks.   

I know the person using Venmo and credit cards doesn’t want to believe this.  They believe they can swipe and transfer for life but e-money feels like funny money.  Our group doesn’t bet funny money because funny money doesn’t get paid.  

I’m not saying that I’m not going to be your friend because you don’t carry cash or roll my eyes every time I have to give you money at a cash only establishment.  These posts are just outlining the benefits to carrying cash.  It’s not I’m right and you’re wrong.  I get Venmo.  I use Venmo.  Paying people who I don’t know instead of sending a check is a great luxury.  I happily will Venmo anytime it’s convenient or necessary.  However it isn’t always convenient and cash comes in handy which is the main reason why you should always have it on you.

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I know multiple blog readers who are culprits of this so please don’t take this personal.  Not having cash on you = laziness.  

 

Real Life Example

We went bowling last night and one member shows up with exactly 0 dollars.  Not only can he not pay for his games because its cash only, but gambling with money you don’t have on you is a no no.  I don’t want Venmo dollars.  It makes me transfer money and then go to an ATM when you’re the person who should be going to the ATM.  Plus when you gamble with electronic money, there’s a good chance you don’t pay.  Cash always pays.

I’d venture to say that people who don’t carry cash have poor planning skills or just don’t give a fuck.

 

Why You Should Carry Cash

• Some establishments still are cash only.
• If no one carries cash, splitting up 1 tab on multiple cards is a pain in the ass establishment.
• 

  Me and my friends.

  I can’t stand the person who uses his card to pay for an entire bill among multiple people with cash.  This person almost always makes out.  I’m a nice person and throw in more than I need to so there isn’t any tip controversy and the person with the card makes out paying $2 total.  Plus they control the tip total which could even profit for them.  It’s a rat move.  Plus you get the credit card points which makes you look extra stingy / rat.

• The only reason you don’t have cash is because you can’t figure out how to go to the ATM during your day which I’m going to go out of my way and attempt to understand.  The thought process has to be, “if I don’t have any money, I can’t spend any money.”  This is not practical logic.
• I almost always have cash and have probably lent money to people in these types of situations and receive the money back far less than I would if the person would have just carried cash to begin with.

If you don’t agree with me you can make an argument in the comments but you’ll have to be extremely convincing.  My argument to you will start with, if you weren’t lazy and could find an ATM, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.  

 

So I like to wear one shirt with a group of people, not wash it, then risk wearing it again with a completely different group of people a mere few days after.  The idea that you don’t want anyone from the first group knowing that you don’t wash your clothes or that you wear your clothes with such frequency is the game. Being careful that the groups won’t converge is the thrill.

I’m constantly thinking about what clothes I wore with what groups of people and when was the last time they’ve seen me so I don’t duplicate my clothes so it looks like I only own 3 shirts.  In reality I own 15 t-shirts and 15 collared shirts which seems like a lot until I realize I’ve had the same 30 shirts for the past 15 years.  As I’ve gotten older I’m always buying new clothes just to avoid the same clothes conundrum that spears us middle class.  Anyone else address this issue often?

My apologies for not updating the blog since the 24th but I was away for the weekend.  I’ll have a full write up on my trip that I’ll post on our work blog tomorrow if you have any interest.

When I have to catch up on a few days of material I’ll just ramble into some bullets.

• Did you ever realize that DraftKings stands for “Draft-Kings”.  Like you need to draft kings / awesome player to win money
• If you are a non-smoker, never get a smoking room in a hotel.  It’s unbearable.
• I like this back slap:

• I’m glad the pope is gone. This pope baby is pretty funny though.
• This video had so much potential until the end:

• I got really distracted on Reddit while I was making this post because I have nothing to write about.  I’ll try again tomorrow.

Week 1 of the NFL certainly didn’t go as I expected. I lost $50 in DraftKings, $30 in FanDuel, and $175 betting on individual games. Some may look at this as a lot of money for entertainment, and it is, but these swings are to be expected if you are going to bet on sports.

In my 7 DK contests I scored 99, 114, 127, 128, 129, 151, and 155. These weren’t complete dud lineups but I just couldn’t nail down one exactly. My biggest weakness was on WR’s that weren’t named Julio Jones like, ODB, Dez, and Cooks. FanDuel was more of the same. On the betting front the Jags lost me money straight up and killed a 4 team teaser where I had the other 3. I parlayed the Eagles ML and the under and couldn’t get there either which was where the primary betting losses occurred.

Aside from the money, my ego is bruised more than any part of me. I spent a lot, I mean a lot, of time reading up and watching commentary on the NFL. I joined a few sites and thought I had an edge over most people. To see that my hard work paid no fruits is disappointing. However, getting knocked down doesn’t mean you don’t get back up. If payment was delivered immediately, everyone would be a winner. I don’t quit.

The Defeated

Curt Schilling
In July 2010, the Rhode Island Board of Economic Development approved a $75 million guaranteed loan to 38 Studios. 38 Studios promised to bring 450 jobs to the state by the end of 2012. In May 2012, 38 Studios defaulted on its loan from the state of Rhode Island and failed to meet payroll obligations to its employees. 38 Studios and its subsidiary, Big Huge Games, then laid off their staffs with a mass email.

MC Hammer
“My priorities were out of order,” he told Ebony. He claimed, “My priorities should have always been God, family, community, and then business. Instead they had been business, business, and business.”
Forbes once estimated M.C. Hammer’s net worth at approximately $33 million, but Hammer’s luxurious lifestyle and large staff ultimately put him in debt (to the tune of $13 million) and he filed for bankruptcy in 1996.

 

Donald Trump
Four of Trump’s businesses have declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. According to a 2011 report by Forbes, these were due to over-leveraged hotel and casino businesses in Atlantic City: Trump’s Taj Mahal (1991), Trump Plaza Hotel (1992), Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts (2004), and Trump Entertainment Resorts (2009).Trump said “I’ve used the laws of this country to pare debt. … We’ll have the company. We’ll throw it into a chapter. We’ll negotiate with the banks. We’ll make a fantastic deal. You know, it’s like on ‘The Apprentice’. It’s not personal. It’s just business.” He indicated that other “great entrepreneurs” do the same

Larry King
In the early- to mid-1970s, newspaper editor and radio personality Larry King had amassed $352,000 in debt after publicly being accused of grand larceny by a former business partner. He filed for bankruptcy in 1978, which, coincidentally, was the very same year he was offered his eponymous show.