#talked to an old coworker today about the job market and BOY did I hate all her advice

[novelconcepts]

One of the worst things in the world is the pressure we put on people to “network”.

I want people in my life because I want them there, not because I feel like they can do something for me somewhere down the line.

I barely have the energy to keep up with my most immediate loved ones when my mental health tanks; keeping up for “networking purposes” is both gross and improbable.

“Add a minimum of 500 people to your LinkedIn”—girl, I don’t know that I’ve had 500 people I’ve wanted to connect to in my entire LIFE, much less the decade I’ve been working. What is this. Why is this the advice for how to survive in capitalism. I hate this ride, I want to get off.

[press-x-tojason]

Giant Bomb is dead, and I care way less than I thought I would. Probably because 83% of the people who I ever cared about had already left or died, or were already relegated to reduced content roles. 

Honestly, though, the writing’s been on the wall for a bit. They haven’t had anything worthy of paying for premium in several years, and, even though they’ve had well over a year to figure out a plan for the COVID era, they maybe made it a month with their plans to have a series of streams daily. I actually managed to forget I followed them on Twitch at all, for about 4 months, because they only streamed the podcasts and the occasional former Harmonix employee (who was literally paid to make content with their games while employed at Giant Bomb, which was funny because he blocked me on Twitter for making a post, addressing no one, back in 2014, which was asking about the legitimacy of the leaked list of “games “””””journalists”””””” who had taken money from publishers for positive reviews, a list which included him and multiple then-coworkers. I didn’t follow him, he didn’t follow me. He was manually searching the keywords, because he was, and is, a prick.) solo Rock Band stream in the last 8 months or so. Even when Jeff would manage to do one of his 20 streams from home a year, it would be on his own channel. There was just no content. And they’re surprised their “pay for our unique premium content!” model failed. They always “feigned” anger at Dan for “making” them do the Mario Party Parties, and literally never promoted his and Drew’s Metal Gear series after the first game... but I bet that, when only those, UPF, and the ad-free versions of the podcasts were premium features, those two series were keeping them afloat. Well, that and the remaining goodwill they miraculously managed to hold onto for a few years after Ryan died.  Shit, I follow several people who are GB staff-adjacent, and... I can’t think of the last time they mentioned anything that happened on-site. Even the people who’ve been directly supporting them for over 10 years were out. 

But yeah, the site is super dead. They pretended in the announcements like they’re going to make a go of it still, but... you’ve got like 4 content people left, and the only one people give a shit about is Jeff. You just saw 3/4 of the side of the site that was still trying these past several months jump ship in a 3 month span. One of those was, by nearly any definition, a founding member. Of which you had already lost one, and are losing another from the main side. Jeff’s been way less active until the last week or two, probably because he heard they were leaving and was like “oops, should probably check on the ship that’s been sinking for years!” Then you have Jason “The Human Mumble” Oestricher, the charisma vacuum, whose legitimate public-facing reaction to first hearing that all but one of his GB predecessors were going to be gone. was, and I quote, “Hoo Boy.” Ben and Jan are the definition of “fine”. They would have been great, as they are today, as secondary members 8-10 years ago. But carry the site, they cannot. They’re down to, what, 5 named members now? It hasn’t been that dire since the beginning of 2009, before they hired Drew, when they hadn’t even started the P4 endurance run. You know, that surprise massive, internet-changing thing that essentially popularized the Let’s Play concept, loosening its definition and making it something that could be as personality-driven as game-driven, made simply to give them something to put on the website, beyond the rare review and, slightly later, quick look. This kinda illustrates the problem with modern Giant Bomb. When they were figuring shit out, flying by the seats of their pants, they came up with great shit, and they gave enough of a shit to make it happen. 0.000% chance they do a 10 hour Thanksgiving Kinect stream if the Kinect was new today. 0.000% chance the core members would have done an endurance run in the last 10 years if CT and Shenmue (which I haven’t watched) weren’t driven by the younger members. And you could see it in the fact that they never made a real, true mobile app. The number one thing that would have made them indispensable this past decade, an app to integrate premium features, the podcast, their video player, etc. all in one place in a mobile-friendly package, that could sync with the website... and they never even raised the idea publicly. I wonder how much of the innovation was the group think-tank of the first 5 years. Beyond Dan’s couple major contributions, I don’t think they added a single new type of content after 2012, which... still means the last 6.5 years lacked any semblance of innovation. I guess that’s a big part of why I fell off tremendously quickly after late 2014. There was just nothing new, and believe me, I was looking. I wanted reasons to stay watching. I supported them with my dollar. I believed in those brave early days. And I went back yesterday to watch the DP endurance run from VJ again. I still miss that rapport. And really, that hurt, too. Vinny moving back east, less than a year after Ryan passed... short term, it was fine. You had more people than ever to cover the gaps. But the spark was gone. The chemistry made the site. When I think of Giant Bomb, I still think of Jeff, Vinny, and Ryan, first and foremost. Those early podcasts, the NintenDownloads, the crazy tangents that everyone could seamlessly follow up on(well, except Brad, because he essentially slept through most of the podcasts, unless he was talking about the thing he did that week), the weird high-concept GOTY stuff... it wasn’t perfect, but you were entertained. You laughed. You were engaged. It never felt like you were watching them working, even though you could see the work they put in. It felt like, when they released something, you were experiencing a group of legitimate friends doing what they wanted to do anyways.(And boy have I seen enough groups do everything they can to NOT be enjoying doing that, and break up as a result due to hating the jobs that they chose to do). 

Part of me would love to make it as simple as “Ryan died, and so did the original spirit”, and... to a degree, it’s true. If you go back to any retrospective they’ve done about the founding of the site, or the podcast they recorded after Ryan passed, you can’t help but recognize that Giant Bomb never happens if these core members don’t all quit their jobs, led by Ryan,  because they respect their boss/manager, Jeff, and know he’s doing the right things(for them, for the reader/viewer, etc.) ahead of what GameSpot management wants him to do. Jeff could have been left in the wilderness, trying find a spot elsewhere, with the rumor going around between executives that Jeff wasn’t going to help them promote anything, essentially killing their revenue. He would have been done in terms of getting employed by a major site. But Ryan first, and soon after, Vinny and Brad, gave up their jobs to make this fledgling little project go. As much as the ERs brought me in and gave the impression that Jeff and Vinny were the long-standing duo, no, it was Ryan who was Jeff’s partner in crime. And, 8 years later, I can comfortably say... Giant Bomb never recovered from losing him. 

But it was so much more. Everything that set them apart slowly went away,  in time. I don’t think they’ve posted reviews for games in consecutive MONTHS since 2017; 2018 at the latest. They have done one Endurance Run in 9 years. They have not had a meaningful live event in 6 years. Unprofessional Fridays were more formulaic and lesser in volume and frequency after the major players started moving east. The lack of coordination between coasts killed the camaraderie, to the point that I think one of the last 5 true gameplay crossovers was their series of 2016-2017 PUBG shitfests. I remember when Vinny starting GBEast was supposed to be the start of a new era of content, and... it was, but not in a positive way, like it sounded. When half of each side seemed to constantly have no interest in making anything, nothing got made. But I guess that’s what happens when your second in command in one of your headquarters is just a former marketing grunt with an attitude problem, and the guy with the biggest ego on the team is the one who refuses to move to join either side, and just pushes out the most self-important drivel as a header to what were literally just copy-pasted articles from other sites every week while sitting at his desk, dreaming of the days Gawker would pay him to plagiarize political drivel instead, because that’s what really gets the soulless clicks. One of your founding members becomes depressed due to losing his two closest work friends, one for real, one to a 3000 mile separation, within a year, while the other one who is left virtually stopped playing anything but DOTA 2 for 2 years. Suddenly your most prominent personalities are the 2 new guys(one the aforementioned charisma vacuum, the other a walking mark) and your previously-mostly-off-camera producer who is best known to the wider Internet for... blinking. So, yeah, lifeless. And NOW, all you’ve got is old melancholy dad, charisma vacuum dad, and the two ADHD kids whose defining trait is that they choose to exclusively refer to their partners as “my partner” in voices that make it sound like they are embarrassed to have partners, while also talking more about what their partners are doing than what they do.  It’s confounding.

But yeah, TL:DR: RIP zombie Giant Bomb. Glad you’re finally getting taken behind the shed. It took 3 years too long, minimum.

[blackfemmecharacterdependency]

BFCD Reviews by Nesha: Summertime on Netflix

This is what I’m gonna do... I’ll be doing more structured reviews later and most likely liveblogging suggested stuff and tagging with “Nesha Watches (Insert Title) for all liveblog posts. For this first review, I won’t be as structured, because I didn’t really plan on reviewing, so this is basically all of my comments to friends @chenoahchantel and @daintyurbanprincess that were made whilst I was watching this show suggested to me by @rbaifzau 

It didn’t take me long to be annoyed with the white boy in this show. It doesn’t take much anyways, but one episode in and I’m over him already. This dude saw her at a party, she got pushed into the pool accidentally, he gave her a dry shirt, and two minutes later tried to kiss her… TF..  

Girl, this bout to be IGNANT...

Chile... She was like, "What are you doing?" And he looked surprised. Like whet. And in episode 2 after having seen her thrice and spoken to her once, he telling his best friend, "I'm pretty sure I like her a lot." I HATE stuff like this. Why did I tell old girl I'd watch this and discuss it with her? 😭

But she like him, so like??? 😭

And her daddy, who we haven't seen yet is presumably a rolling stone. Only one negro in this town and the nigga gotta be probably running around on his wife? 🙄 I'm like, OH, so the one Black man in the show gotta be a rolling stone? And even though his wife is also highly irresponsible as a parent, she's sort of made out to be the victim of his dreams. They never portray Black mothers doing things on their own as victims. That woman was messing up left and right and it's all on her husband not being there, when that's only part of the problem.

Also, if she IS the only present parent and made the decision to do that, she should be doing it instead of leaning on Summer all of the time. 

And she got a close friend that have an obvious crush on her but she seems oblivious. I hate dis

This dude reminds me of Max Theriot. He always looked musty to me. 🤣🤣🤣 He look like him breaf stank. Him and Jack Griffo were working on something where they play soldiers and I absolutely said, "He still look like he stank" when I saw him on Instagram…

This is basically the same mold of dude and it looks moldy and should be tossed out. None for me, thanks.

But, there are moments in this show that's really cracking me up. 🤣🤣🤣 It's like, I feel like I should enjoy it for the messiness of it, but the main characters can be infuriating.

She called him an asshole and he said, "You don't even know me." No duh dipshit. She ain't know you when you tried to kiss her neither. NOR when you was talmbout you like her. 

This girl kissing her friend!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. She's gonna hurt this boy! My Gwad. He finna be discombobulated. 😭😭😭 He all happy today and she don't even see him like that. Lordt.

He walked up and she look uncomfortable AF. Her younger sister is like, "You're being weird." 🤣🤣🤣 Even SHE hip to something. He on the beach talmbout "It's hot today, don't you think?" And took his shirt off. 😭😭😭😭😭😭

I like Summer's friends and feel bad for them because she really didn't treat them kindly. She used Edo whenever she was upset by Ale and then she just completely ditched Sofie on her birthday and didn't even text her or anything. Just had her waiting on her and didn't even apologize. Like, I love that she gets a chance to be human, but being an asshole to the people who you're supposed to be friends with is such an upsetting trope to me.

And the connection between her and Ale is so weird. He comes across as super predatory in the beginning and I don't understand why she liked him in the first place, but also whenever he does something by mistake, she is so angry at him, even though she's been just as inconsiderate when it comes to her friends.

NOW... HE HARASSING HER AT HER JOB. 

WOTTICE DIS HUNNY??? 

Talmbout if she got a boyfriend he'll "take care of him" 😖 After she told him to leave and he said he'd wait for her outside, she asked her coworker, "What do you do to let a guy know you like him back?"

NOW, she went outside and he's there, but her friend showed up to surprise her after work. 🤣 Whoever made this HATES me

He stole a book out her locker and left a card with his phone number. How is this the start of a romance???

OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. FRIEND IS TALKING ABOUT THE KISS...He said it was perfect........

Chile... And she don't even wanna tell their other best friend. Bruh. He said, "What we have doesn't need to be discussed." Summy PLEASE tell this young man...HE TRIED TO KISS HER AGAIN AND SHE SAID, "We just talked about last night's mistake" 😭😭😭

And she done hurt my friend this way, but she worried about Maxface because his mama can't reach him on the phone??? Girl.. go.. girl...

The gag is that she got mad at Ale because she saw him talking to his ex and she had to cover for him at work, but you've now ACTUALLY put your best friend in a bad space. And he ran into her mom and little sister and looked so uncomfortable but kept it short and sweet. These are people he loves. Idk. I feel bad for him and also like she kind of a hypocrite.

That was what REALLY bothered me. I don't expect her to be perfect, by all means. Black girls should be allowed their imperfections and their mistakes, but the fact that she knows what it's like to have the people you love be so absent and that she would treat her friends this way because of one guy who she's only known for a couple of months was disappointing for her character. She could have been written imperfectly without this glaring problem that I don't believe a real person in her position would actually have. 

I think in real life, the girl who raises her sister and basically has to lift her mother up all the time would overextend herself to her friends, but instead, she just leaves them in her dust as soon as she gets some dick. 😭

He is now hanging out with her little sister. 😭😭😭She goes to school with them but she looks tiny. I'm cringing at everything.

BRUH. Like... I can't tell if they're trying to or not, but I wouldn't be surprised because he's cool with the sister too, but they've been friends a while, so I didn't think much of it until Summer hurt him.I thought she liked him earlier, so idk if he is noticing her or I just EXPECT it. 

OAN, this man realized his son had a motorcycle accident on purpose and got mad instead of concerned

At one point, they say he's been riding bikes for 20 years, and whenever his father is mad that he had his accident on purpose (which I'll come back to) he says that he's never made a mistake like that, not even was he was 4, so Ale is AT LEAST 24 and she JUST turned 18. Which is WILD to me, even though at 18 I dated someone who was 23 (he was possessive and abusive, so I have a real suspicion of age gaps). 

But, aside from that - she gets mad at him any time she sees him with his ex when It is perfectly fine to speak with your ex and whenever she did see them together, it was always innocent and she didn't give him a chance to explain.

But then, when he does something questionable, like whenever he tried to kiss her the first day they met, or whenever he came to her job to ask her out and she told him to leave but he said he was going to wait outside (toxic AF and presumptuous) she is fine with those things.

Now, back to Ale's accident. I really felt so bad for him whenever we discover he did this on purpose, because his father is mad, when they should be concerned. His mother says, "You could have died" and he agrees...

How did they not notice that meant that this young man was so disappointed with his life as a biker that he was literally suicidal? They just grazed past it and whenever he vanished on them, there wasn't a huge call to find him,even though he'd just admitted to purposefully filling a possibly fatal mistake.

I'm prepared for nothing but disappointment. ALL these people outta there. Ale's best friend is in love with his ex. 😭 IT'S SUMMER'S 18TH BIRTHDAY. MYNIGGA She really stood her other best friend up to go get some dick on a little ass boat

The little sister shot her shot! 😭😭😭 He told her she's like his little sister and she burnt off mad denna muffugga

This child drunk, walking down the street in the middle of the night without her glasses...

OMG AS I WAS TYPING THAT SHE GOT HIT BY A DAMN CAR

I was really upset by these things coming to light, and also whenever Blue gets hit by a car, because all of the reviews that I've seen on this site have been that it's a cute love story with likable characters, but nobody mentions the problematic content, the dark portions of the story that can be triggering - like suicide and alcohol incidents and literally seeing a young Black girl be hit and run by a car??? 

I wasn't prepared for that shit in a "cute love story." I think that this story is less cute and more dark than people have made it out to be, and that's one of my problems with it. It isn't marketed as a dramatic coming of age story. It's marketed as a romantic comedy, when it is more serious than that and has a lot of issues that should be considered.

The lesbian best friend is in love with her too??????????????????? I. Hate. This.

My favorite person in this whole thing is the lesbian in the background, Irene. And also Dario.

I was entertained a lot of the times. Just heavily confused because I couldn't figure out what the tone was supposed to be. 😁

In conclusion - it's maybe a dark comedy, not a cute comedy, IS a coming of age about a young Black girl who is kind of an asshole, but Black girls should be free to be assholes too. White dudes do it all the time and are valued characters. The dude is weird AF for chasing around this 17 year old girl and he's in his 20s. Idk if that's normal in Italy. It's nasty to me. Their beginning is young people foolishness and there's not much that we see their relationship built upon, but that happens, yanno. You young, tired and silly and some pushy dude makes his move whenever he see you. Slap some discount sex in a dinghy on it and you have this show. I don't recommend it, but a lot of folk loved it, so I guess it did what it meant to do.

[missjanjie]

Don’t Feed the Plant || Ch 1/4

Title: Don’t Feed the Plant Summary: A 'Little Shop of Horrors' based Phan AU. Phil is a poor orphan working in his adoptive aunt's run-down flower shop in London. After buying a suspiciously strange plant with a carnivorous appetite, Phil's life changes overnight, even bringing him closer to crush and coworker, a troubled and near destitute Dan Howell. Soon enough, though, Phil realizes that fame and romance comes with the ultimate price. Chapter: 1 - Total Eclipse of the Sun Word Count: ~1.3k Relationship: Dan Howell/Phil Lester, Implied Dan Howell/Male OMC Rating: T Chapter Warnings: Mentions of domestic abuse, some description of bleeding

Read on AO3

Phil’s hand haphazardly felt around until it shut off his alarm – seven a.m., just like every other morning. He looked out the window, a slight smile forming on his face. It was, perhaps, the first sunny day London had seen in months. He felt almost hopeful – maybe today would have more changes for the better.

With a content sigh, he stepped into the shower. The hot water had been shut off.

Maybe not, Phil thought to himself. He got out quickly and dried off, throwing his clothes and shoes on soon after. He went to his fridge and stared inside longingly, as if this would be the day it was full, that his options would be more than two-day-old takeout and an apple. He grabbed the latter with him as he headed out the door, taking advantage of the sunshine and walking to work.

There was an outdoor market Phil passed on his trek through Enfield – one of the few remaining from the area’s better days. Every now and then he would find a plant to bring into the shop, or one of the women running the food stands would take pity on the skinny boy in rumpled clothes and send him off with something to eat.

It was while Phil was poking around a plant stand when he noticed everyone turning and looking up.

“Mate take a look, it’s the total eclipse of the sun!”

Phil had recalled reading about that online, how it was the first one of its kind since the 1970s. He squinted as he looked up. Everything went dark for a moment, but as quickly as it started, it was over.

When he turned back to the booth, Phil’s eyes drifted to a plant on the counter. He swore it hadn’t been there before. He couldn’t quite describe it – perhaps it was some sort of cabbage or succulent.

“How much for this one here?”

The vendor furrowed his brows, almost as if he didn’t recognize it either.

“Uh…five pounds?”

“Sold!”

Phil held on to the plant as he darted towards the store, pleased with his new purchase.

“Aunt Donna look at this!” Phil set the plant on the counter with a bright grin.

Donna wasn’t his actual aunt – not biologically anyway – but she was a close friend of his parents and raised him since their passing when he was only twelve. Phil was forever grateful for that, even though it often seemed like she didn’t particularly like him most days. He could count on one hand the amount of times she hugged him, but she kept him from foster care and gave him a job after high school, so he really couldn’t ask for more.

“The fuck is that?” Donna peered over her reading glasses. “Some sort of GMO flytrap?”

“I’m not sure,” Phil rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “But I’ve never seen anything like it, thought it could bring some attention in to the shop.”

She rolled her eyes and huffed, her hand hitting against the counter and making Phil jump slightly. “Bloody hell, Phil. How many times do I have to tell you to stop bringing random crap into the shop while we’re not turning profit? Just take that shit to your playroom and come back up to sweep.”

What Donna called the ‘playroom’ was actually the basement that Phil would stay in when he couldn’t make rent – there was a cot and a mini fridge, as well as a few plants scattered about. There was a table and a couple chairs propped up in the middle of the room, the new plant set as a centerpiece.

“I’ve got to google what the hell you are, huh?”

Phil snapped a picture on his phone, tucking it back into his pocket as he made his way back up the stairs, grabbing the broom that rest just outside the back room. He began tidying up the area, smiling to himself when he heard the back door open.

“Sorry I’m late!”

Dan clapped Phil on the shoulder as he walked past into the front, his heart skipping a beat at the contact. His crush wasn’t the subtlest around, but he knew better than to vocalize his feelings. When Dan returned, however, Phil’s face fell, as did the broom he was holding.

“Jesus, what happened to you?” Phil stepped closer to Dan, who ducked his head away.

“I walked into a door,” Dan mumbled, trying to angle his head away from him.

Phil finally managed to cup Dan’s chin and get a good look at his face. There was an attempt at covering the black eye with cover-up, but the area around his eye was discolored and swollen, he couldn’t have gotten it more than a couple days ago. Anger pooled in his stomach when he thought about how that must’ve happened. “It was that creep of a boyfriend of yours, wasn’t it?”

“I keep telling that boy he’s no good!” Donna shouted from the front room.

Dan sighed, crossing his arms and pacing a bit. “He’s a little rough around the edges, yeah,” he mumbled, looking away from Phil. “But he’s not all bad…besides, he’s got health insurance,” he said with an awkward laugh.

“Yeah, and he’s making sure you get full use of it,” Phil retorted. “You’re too good for a guy that beats on you, Dan.”

There was a beat of silence before Dan shook his head. “I’m really not.”

What Phil hated the most was that Dan truly believed that. While he didn’t talk about his past much, it was clear that he’d had a very rough life, and despite the warmth in his personality, he had been beaten and broken down by more than his boyfriend.

“Hey, you wanna see something cool?” Phil offered, hoping a change in subject would be the best course of action. “Look at this plant I got. I’ve never seen anything like it before,” he got his phone out of his pocket and showed Dan the picture.

“Is that a cabbage?” Dan asked, tilting his head.

“Maybe…I have no idea, honestly. I just think it’s neat.”

“What’re you going to call it?”

Phil tilted his head in thought, then grinned brightly. “Daniel Two!”

It was a little cheesy, but seeing Dan’s dimpled smile made it worth it as far as Phil was concerned. “After me?” he asked, hand over his heart.

“Yeah! It’s unique, special, and a little weird. Just like you!”

Dan chuckled softly, his expression warm and relaxed. “The world does not deserve you, Phil Lester.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a couple weeks since the eclipse, and Phil was frustrated. He had spent hours researching plants and different ways to care for them, but it all felt for naught. Daniel II sat on the windowsill of his flat, withering away.

“You’re killing me, Danny. And I’m killing you. We’ve gotta quit this toxic relationship,” he chuckled, walking over. He ran his thumb over the leaves and through the dirt, but as he moved his hand back, he nicked his finger on a jagged edge of the coffee tin that held the plant.

“Ow, fuck!” Phil retracted his hand, wincing at the blood that started to drip down his finger. It was at that moment when the plant seemed to perk up, its mouth opening like a fish waiting for flakes. He looked at it incredulously, realizing what was happening.

“There are no wikihow articles on bloodthirsty plants,” he murmured, looking at his bleeding finger and the eager plant. “Might as well,” he held his finger over and managed to milk a good few drops in.

Daniel II seemed to preen at the substance, it straightened up and no longer seemed on the brink of death.

“I can’t wait to bring you into the shop tomorrow,” Phil shook his head in disbelief before getting into bed.

[rin--a]

Important Meal

Now’s my chance. If I don’t do it now then when? Was the food this dry before? Gods I’m thirsty. It’s so hot in here.

“Mom?”

***

Today has been The worst. I got thrown up on by not one but two Gryffin at The Enclosure.I was bitten by a Kappa, attacked by a nun, and now this. The worst part so far. But alas I enter the belly of the beast. 

Okay maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but I hate my mom’s boyfriend Jeff.

“What are you waiting for? Get in here before the food’s cold.”

“Missed you too mom. What’s to eat?”

“I made pizza and breadsticks.”

“You made pizza? Like, from scratch?”

Her place is almost the same as when I moved out. The same pictures on the wall, the same couch, the same mahogany table we ate at every night. It’s been forever since I was home.

“Yep, watch out I’m coming in hot.”

“That’s the pizza?”

“Yes, doesn’t it look great?”

“Yeah, it actually does. Why not just order in though? It’s easier, and faster.”

“You don’t think your wonderful mother’s pizza is going to be good? How rude, I’m so offended, who raised you to be this way?”

“You did, drama queen. Of course it’s not going to be bad. I just never thought to make pizza I guess. Whatever let’s dig in.”

“Wait!”

“What, why?”

“We’re going to wait for him to get out here, then we’ll eat.”

Of course, “Now who’s making the food cold?” I shouldn’t have said that out loud. Oh boy, if looks could kill. I should tell her before he gets out here. Maybe I should wash my hands first though.

“Where are you going?”

“Hands.”

“Well hurry back or we might start without you.” We?

So this is what avoidance feels like. I’m 20 years old, and hiding in a half bathroom washing my hands for too long. Good job me. Really fantastic way to be an adult.

***

Time for pizza!

“Thiff if deliffouf!” I know I shouldn’t get seconds, but since I’m the only one that can really stop me, I’m digging in! The cheese is so stretchy! The crust is a tad crispy for my taste, but I would kill a man for this pizza sauce. Maybe I can take some home with me.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full please, but thanks. I’m glad you like it.”

“Honestly. Act you age, no one wants to see your filth.” Jeff. Jeff, Jeff, JeffJeffJeff. What an ass. There are a million ways to say something, and he has this magical ability to choose The most condescending one. I may not be the most polite, but I’m no animal. My mouth was covered. I hope you get food poisoning.

“As I was saying, you shouldn’t have used sugar in the sauce because it makes it too sweet. The idea that it brings out the flavor, or balances out the sauce is actually a misconception. It’s not proven scientifically at all. “

“Oh is that so? I could have sworn I saw it in a Gordon Ramsay show once, maybe i got it mixed up.”

“Yes, also…”

Not likely. That all sounds like B.S. to me. Besides if Gordon Ramsay does it so do I! And what would Jeff know about science anyhow?

***

Jeez, dinner is almost done. I’ve been pushing it off all night. I hope you don’t freak out mom. Okay. This is it. Here goes. Now’s my chance. If I don’t do it now then when? Was the food this dry before? Gods I’m thirsty. It’s so hot in here.

“Mom?”

“Yeah? What’s up dearie?” She already sounds worried. I should just rip the bandaid right off. Jump right in. Go at it. Speak.

“I. I don’t want you to worry.”

“What’s going on?”

“Just don’t worry okay, and listen all the way through.”

“Okay, I’m listening.”

“I’m cursed.”

“What, I d-” “You’re what? You’re cursed? Really?”

Here we go. Jeff always has something to say. I knew I should have done this when we were alone.

“Yes, I’m cursed.”

“I know you always need to be the center of attention, but this, really? Making up lies that scare everyone. How childish can you be?”

“I’m not lying!” Everyone? Since when do you care? Are you even listening? Always looking at me like I’m some roadkill you just found in your garden. I’m not lying.

“You are. Because even if you could be cursed, who in their right mind would curse an insignificant br-”

“Listen Jeff.”  

“You! Show some respect child. My na-”

“Enough! This is my house, where I just served a delicious meal, and heard some frightening news. Now, the both of you will either act civil, or clear your plates, and get out.”

“Yes ma’am, sorry mom.”

“Sorry hun, I didn’t mean to raise my voice.”

“Now that we’re all settled down. Explain yourself, what’s this about a curse? Is it like what’s been on the news?”

“No, well, I don’t know. You know my job at The Enclosure right? I was recently given a partial promotion. So basically instead of just cleaning the cages and kennels, I’m also the desk jockey, I guess. My official title is Magical Persons Liaison. Are you following so far?”

“Yeah, I think so. So you’re HR at the magic zoo now. That’s great sweety, good job!”

“Basically, but we’re not really supposed to call it a zoo. They’re not animals, most of them are more intelligent than people. Also a zoo sort of implies that they can’t leave, but they come and go as they please. Our funding does come from the visitors that pay to see them though, so it’s accurate in that sense.”

“I see.”

“Who cares about offending a magical horse or two anyhow.”

“I do?” I mean, it’s my job Jeff, c’mon? “As I was saying. The other day at work a woman came in, and she was really upset. I guess she had been in before, and talked to my coworkers, but gotten nowhere. So she tried me. She was shouting a lot in another language, but from what I understood of her English, she’s like a witch or something, and her familiar is the one that knocked up the Gryffin we have in the sanctuary. The birthing process is going to begin soon, I was supposed to be on duty for it, but I’ll probably miss it now. Anyhow, since her familiar is the father, she’s trying to say she has some claim on the. And she was accusing us of stealing them. Then when that argument didn’t work she switched to telling me how dangerous the mothers will become once the child is here. As if I don’t know. And how poachers will try to come, and blah blah blah. These are all things we’re prepared for though. I mean it’s why we at The Enclosure have jobs in the first place. Y’know? So I told her that, and politely explained that these creatures belong to no one but themselves, and if she wants to enter in a contract with them, she’ll just have to wait until their of age. Like everyone else. Then she spit on me, chanted some ominous stuff, and threw a curse on me. Then a bunch of weird stuff started happening to me. As time goes on though it keeps getting worse and worse.”

“How do you know she cursed you? Is there some way to get it removed? What kind of weird stuff?”

“Oh, she told me. She said something like, ‘and now you’ll be cursed, to wander this world in agony unto death.’ Or something along those lines.”

“Death!”

“I’m sure I’m not going to die mom, I’ve talked to multiple professionals about this-”

“What’d they say?”

“Well, they said they can’t help me, But they told me of someone who might be able to. So that’s why I’ve decided. I’m going to the Seele Underworld.”

“To, to hell?!”

“What? Gods no, everyone knows that hell’s not real. It’s just a story told to frighten kids.Like I’d just walk through the gates of hell because some witch decided to curse me. That’s a sure way to die if there was one.”

“Child. Do not disrespect your mother in our home.”

“I wasn’t?” Our? Since when do they live together?

“Calm down dear. We’re going to walk to the car together. You stay here and finish eating, Okay?”

***

“So if it’s not hell, then where are you going? What’s the ‘Seal Underworld’?”

“Seele, and from what I gather it’s basically just a magical black market run by what is basically the Seele Mafia.”

“Who are you going to see there? Is it safe?”

“Yeah mom, I’ll be fine. I’m going to see the leader.” The rain is so nice this time of year. I should have brought a jacket. The ride home is gonna be cold.

“Of the mafia?”

“Basically.”

“Well, be careful, and polite. I should have made some desert for you to bring with.”

“Desert? Why would I bring desert?”

“First impressions count. If you brought them something nice, it might help you get into their good graces, and then they’d want to help you.”

“My mother, telling me to get in good with the mafia.” It’s not a bad idea though.

“Well if they like you, it’ll be harder to do something that hurts you. Like leaving you cursed, or something.”

“How are you taking all of this so well? I’ve known about this for weeks, and I’m still freaking out?”

“Weeks? You said it was just the other day?”

“I mean it was, it’s just a figure of speech. Because it feels like it’s been weeks.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

“I’ll what? What does that even mean! I’m barely an adult, but I’ll figure this out? I can barely even figure out the normal parts of my life, let alone this! Do you know what I have to eat in my house? Ramen. Just Top Ramen, and condiments. Last night for dinner, I mixed mayonnaise in just to taste something different, for once! Guess what mom, it was gross. Like super gross! But I’m somehow going to be able to remove a magical curse on my own, Really? Thanks, thank you for the sage advice.”

“Do you feel better now?”

“No.”

“Of course your mayo ramen was going to be gross. I don’t even know what would make you think otherwise.”

“I don’t understand you mom.”

“I know, and that’s fine. Maybe you never will. You’re right, I should be worried, and I am. You’re my baby, I’ll always be worried. But I know you. I know that you hesitate before everything you do. I know that you're indecisive, always, and that you constantly overthink things, and blow them out of proportion.”

“Then.”

“But I also know, that at the end of the day, you always do what needs to get done. That’s why I’m so proud of you. I love you.”

“I love you too mom.” I wish I could stay here.

“Be safe.” I will. “And you have got to stop calling him Jeff. We both know that’s not his name.”

“I know.” But Geoffry is such a stupid name.

[doriscahill]

On my Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday, I was greeted with a yellow balloon, chocolate hazelnut  cake and torch candle. Literally, a jumbo sparkler. Dangerous and disallowed in much of American, what a joy. A ten second pyrotechnic show just for me..

Birthday’s are a big deal in Georgia, even more so than America, you can not escape it. Overt glitz, broad smiles and excessive hugs. Over 200 well wishes on face-book and flooded inboxes; a wave of love from one end of the world to the other.  

My colleagues/friends did something for me over the top, something making this 57th birthday, a favorite. 

This is for real.

I thought I had requested “please do not go out of your way”  and “its not a day of my best memories”. 

No to Georgians means yes unless it is three no’s. It’s been a month of friends asking, “what are you plans? We must celebrate!!” Those who work side by side with me for years would know I mostly skip work on my birthday, seeking a peaceful day.  

When young this day meant a party and gifts we could not have nor always afford. If we had cake it was often shared with my cousins  also, celebrating their birthday. There were so many of us.  The shared cake would have a sculpted rose on top, pinkish-red made of  buttercream icing; yet no guarantee that single rose  would be yours to eat.   It would be days of anticipation and then disappointment, few parties;  no gifts. A did treasure a birthstone ring gifted to me by mom, unfortunately it was stolen  when my house was robbed a few years ago. I  held in my drawer for 40 years. 

Not to be a downer, but there were 3 birthdays in 57 years that brought me special feeling. My 12th, 21st and 50th. 

On my 12th birthday, I begged my dad daily, for at least 6 months,  to buy me a 10 speed bike on my birthday. A bike he could ill afford making $4-$6 dollars an hour. I became privy to this info when working a summer job at the factory. I  peaked at his pay records when the office was at lunch.  On my special day we went to the bike store to pick one out, choosing a deep maroon. He negotiated so hard, it was embarrassing, he refused to pay the sales tax and insisted on a good warranty, about $110, a weeks pay.  

That maroon bike changed me, I felt free; wind in my long ponied brown hair; peddling, switching gears uphill, then gliding hands-free downhill,  water bottle and basket attached. Visiting places: CandleWood Lake, Nanny’s, St Gregory’s School/Church, and Jimmies market.  I raced it with friends skinning my knees and participated in 26 mile charity ride with a good girl friend passing the old Fair Grounds.

One day I left my bike on the grass in our front  yard. I was late for  dinner again and had not placed it back in the garage. The next time I looked for it, it was gone, stolen. It took me four years to save money to buy my own bike. I was severely scolded.

I still love to bike and have  proudly keep my 1978-9 Peugeot.  Newport, RI.

On my 21st birthday I was taken to the Pocono Mountains. I remember this birthday well. I was gifted the most dainty earrings; gold hearts with the smallest pearl. I was to join another  family and remember sharing the news with my parents, who were surprisingly pleased. My view of my parents changed  post college; their predilections no longer bemuse.  Unallowable behavior became encouraged.   

This family was different than mine; children and parents ate together most meals, played charades and board games for hours. A consolidated unit that operated in unison.  We hiked to the forest and took pictures at the falls. Crossing a foot bridge,me,  dreadfully fearing heights, my hand was tightly held by my host. We visited the local museum and bowled. Always in a group of many, valuing time together, creating memories.  Time was made to teach me how to  juggle 3 balls. I remember feeling free, walking in nature, welcomed.  On my special day  my once small frame adorn a beloved dress: just above the knee, light fabric that bounced, and pale yellow with black polka-dots accented with a black patent leather belt.  I do not recall a birthday cake, only the smiles of those few day. 

The earring, the mate it lost. 

Then birthday’s became a time for my children and their birthdays. A promise with my husband agreeing to not to fuss with my birthday, but give our girls birthdays and make new memories for. To not gift me on my day, but surprise me on other days with kindness.  My happiest gift to him on his birthday was the surprise birth of my youngest daughter who arrived a week early. He, missing his first day of work for his new job, me sleeping through a night of labor. Only to wake and be taken to the hospital.  Most nights I sleep like a rock. 

Each birthday for my girls starting from the first year I was out of control; friends, clowns, cakes, barbecues, balloons, pool, painting and gym; all themed parties. My funniest party for our eldest daughter was at age 13. We  decorated the basement family room with black lights and streamers for a night dance at the house. She asked me to hold the spin the bottle pillow dice.  Nothing changes, except she asked. My funniest memory of my youngest daughter is the year we had the fake birthday party, her birthday falls at summers end and the prior year attendance was low, families tend to take vacation,  so we moved her party up to June :-) and opened the pool. Her idea, no one  would know. 

I lost my father in my 50th year. IA month after passing, my husband Andy asked to take me into Boston for dinner with friends; a date. We had a gift certificate for Capital Grill. $200 and would make a night of it. I grimace but agree; Capital Grill is a premier steak house in the BackBay neighborhood of Boston. I spent  many years working on Newbury, Bolyston Street and Commonwealth Ave. The gift certificate was from our lawyer who failed to pay our es-crowed real estate taxes from  our house closing. Andrew asked me not to check  closing documents because I catch too many errors and tend to be stubborn for correction. We still laugh over this. 

Andy knew it would make me happy surrounding me with memories. We drive in. He hates driving into Boston and specifically parking, anyone would. We park the car nearby,  at a meter near my old office (on Newbury St and adjacent to the Mass Pike). Hoping the car would not be vandalized or towed, we take turns filling it during our meal. Now, one can pay parking remotely with an App. While working, my car was stolen twice plus 6 break-ins and two tows, the parking tickets were, lets say alot.  Today, most young workers take the commuter rail; it now extends to my surburb. The new station opened the day after I stopped commuting, sigh. 

Meeting our close friends, we ordered on the right side of the menu, and the chat was pleasant, but strain of dad’s death overwhelmed me. I ponder why am I out on my birthday. At the meals end, a chocolate birthday cake with candles is placed on the table, and all sang the birthday song, I could not stop crying.  I felt loved. I got to eat the rose.  We return to the car; thankfully intact. 

Back to Georgia.  Last year I had milk  poisoning so we can skip past that birthday (click and read  No Milk for You!) 

At my site, I have a new co-worker and they  mention an ancient monastery. Located in the Village of Uraveli; it dates 1100 A.D. or so and is under renovation. He exclaims “It is majestic.” Continues, thinking “and it is great potential for tourism as the road leading to there has a mineral spring. Healing waters.” He and  my other co-worker families come from this village. And he purchased land near the spring, hoping to develop it. 

Having ate my cake with the crazy candle.  He was again talking about the property and the monastery. He had not seen it, since a young boy. I blurt “let’s go there, today!, that would be the best gift” Some intense discussion in Georgian commenced. Mostly answering the questions, when and should we. Its decide to leave at 4 pm.  It would be  us, three , our driver and my guest; a fellow Peace Corps Volunteer. I am pumped, an unplanned road trip.  

Timeliness is rare in Georgia, around 4;30 pm we set out; five packed in a small SUV, estimated travel 45 minutes; one way. We take the main round south and turn at the Potato World Sign, the road begins to wind as we ascend. We pass another Potato World Sign in the Village Mushki, this has a famous craft woman and her school and museum. We discuss how old she is. We gaze out at the potato fields. 

We enter Uraveli Village and each colleague  points out there grandparents home on the adjacent hillsides.  We crane from our windows, to see  their homes, as they point and describe where to look. The Uraveli river flows along the road to the monastery. We follow it. My coworker says it will become cool soon and darker.  The pavement road ends abruptly and turns to dirt; uneven, potholed, riddle with river rock and deep puddles; the ride becomes increasingly bumpy. You can see the topography change in the aerial google map view and the “red” pin where we are heading. Note the dropped pin is after the fact. 

Rough, the road continues to narrow and loose gravel turns to larger river rock. We are all giggling; only feet away from water’s edge. My co-workers point out river side picnic spots, soviet posts and the City water supply facility. We stop roadside; stretch and drink the from the mineral water fountain, take pictures of the undeveloped land lot, noting is boundaries and abandoned horse stable.  We continue on.  Road sections are damage from spring floods; we swerve to avoid muddied pools. We come to a fork in the road and more giggling;  there is ongoing debate ( in Georgian): how much further and which way and the monastery is not in site yet. Georgian banter continues; “where, when, when?, soon? how far?, close?” 

Unsure, we choose to go left.  The forest canopy now filters the light. We hear thunder, then see lightening strike the mountain. Again we all ask “how many kilometers?”. The ferns and wetland flowers are in bloom, we ascend up the increasingly rocky worn road. We come to a  river crossing; so far all crossings were on aged bridges, but not this crossing; only river.   Giggles turn to cackles, we cross a narrow section; reinforced with poured cement on rocks and  fast moving water. I assume the  wood plank, leaned on nearby rocks is for those on foot :-).

Again, our happy group discusses how much further is our ascent. Latest discussion, we had agreed on 2 kilometers. It seemed closer to 10. My colleague comforts the group stating “it always seems longer going”  and in the same breath “I was last hear as a boy”. We arrive, but the rain comes. All are welcomed  by the head priest and his very large German Shepard. There are workers busy building. We stay only a short time, walking the complex taking pictures. Women need to cover their heads to enter the monastery. Darn we forgot our veils and could not go in to see the ornate paintings. 

I take a short walk. Alone, on top this  mountain, next to this most ancient building of prayer,  Folding my hands, looking towards the sky and in private I thank G-d for this life and one more birthday. 

We descend and it does seem shorter, but certainly as narrow and rocky. I video taped the river crossing (please click). 

 Here are a few more pictures. The hand holding the clover is a fellow Peace Corps volunteer. 

Thanks for listening and following this Blog. Doe

[lettingspencerjbzo569-blog]

Real Estate Agents Methods And Methods All Web Sites Must Employ

CHAPTER 6: THE CLIENTS CHAPTER 3: LICENSING Just how does one make matters better? You secure the nation included! At different times a week, you'll get yourself a two hour stints. The notion is that clients will call in searching for a realtor as they've a house they want to buy. I'd guess that this has happened ever, in the history of genuine estate. The majority phone calls to the old timers. If you should be fortunate enough to find you to definitely express they will utilize one to sell their own house, you should know that their house is worth much more than the one three doors down which is exactly the same. Why? Idon't know. Maybe they're delusional. They're dumb. They're greedy. They're upside-down on the house. Probably they require the capital. It is probably all of the aforementioned. • Tuesday. In-house training, or "just how to waste 3 solid hours of prime work period." • vehicle. They'll pay for your vehicle! No, they still won't. If you're one among the most effective 2 manufacturers, and are willing to put a god awful giant sticker on either side and rear of your own (accurately colored) auto, they will cover a minimal amount to you. Why shouldn't they? It. CHAPTER 8: "Assist" (note quote marks) All you have to do is get the telephone, notify the company their name and telephone number and where they truly are searching. What exactly is? NOW it's cash back. I know individuals who made about referrals than that I did as a real estate agent, many occasions more than. Clearly, there's a charge nevertheless, also you didn't think that was free, did you? Also to stay in "referral status" that you require to simply take continuing instruction. CHAPTER 4: FEES, FEES and FEES • Name tag. Very good information is free of charge. The awful thing, you have to have on a name tag. Back when I had a actual project, '' I realized a gentleman who'd consistently said "When a man has to put on a name label during his job, he is not so successful." They despise you. • Wednesday. "Twilight" open houses. This means that your nighttime is shot. Which usually means that if you have a individual that wishes to market their house for £330,000 nevertheless, also you personally and everyone know that it won't bring £250,000, then you inform them you'll set it to get their price, and after that slowly and gradually enable the price decline when folks laugh at the house. • Tip 1): there's a whole lot of cash. It really is just not going to be all made with you. In truth, a lot of it is actually likely to come FROM you. The real estate companies themselves create an enormous amount of money in part by churning folks through their "apps" and spitting them out with emptier pockets. CHAPTER 7: YOUR LIFE AS AN AGENT • Business cards. They truly are liberated! Well, sort of. The basic, crappy models are liberated, the ones that scream "I am new for the!" To find kinds that are fine you have to pay, and you've got to cover the picture. That really is my narrative. Don't let it change your mind if you want to goes into the world of residential real real estate. I had a realestate agent inform me what a dreadful idea it was and that I moved together with my plan that is stupid. I had a gorgeous Ford Mustang GT once I got this "job". I sold it because I was told that you need to simply take all your clients over the place to look at houses. Outside with the sports automobile, in addition to the Volvo station wagon (at the horrible company coloration, needless to say.) As it turns out, no one wants to ride with their real estate agent; they want to follow you about. This will be for many good reasons: so that they can escape you when they want, so they can talk about the houses with no hearing them (even if you're their reputable adviser)...oh, plus so they despise you. I truly overlook that Mustang.

CHAPTER 10: AFTERTHOUGHTS • Friday. Mailings, client looking, sitting around. • real estate agent fees make you the "Realtor" trapdown. This could be the trap you're ever going to despise putting on. CHAPTER 1: SOME Swift Starter 'S Guidelines Keep in mind that you have two choices here: you can either become a Realtor or you can become a Realtor. Yes, Apartments For Sale In Dublin you see that right. I'll create no conclusions regarding the organization's value, except to say that sitting through the most boring training ever nets you a tiny R pin. Nothing says I'm a triumph a lot better compared to the pin with an R on it...right close to your name label. • Cardkey. Now you need this to access involved with almost any house that's up for sale. Yes, it's necessary for you to cover this. Plus they can not send it; you require to drive 30 miles to pick it up. It really is weird to participate a substantial endeavor for somebody who you realize. They will use you to buy or sell a house, but no 1 wants you to know their financial business, therefore that it's challenging. Your family and friends may possibly need tiny favors, like...they will need all their money back. Yes, badly. I'd a comparative ask if I would give back them all of my commission if they utilized me personally to buy a house. I declined, and also the request was the nail that secured my realestate coffin shut. • Monday. Mandatory conferences and house tours. The meeting is futile, and Website link that's why you see old timers there, they slough off following the first house and end up God-knows-where. They truly are most likely at the bar. The tour is pretty fun, even although. You have to know everybody complain about everything that they work with and everything in those houses. You get to wander through a stranger's house and listen to your coworkers (proudly showing their name badges) criticize the homeowner's decisions whatsoever. Cases: Things thought with this particular carpeting? Have they cleaned the room? Wow, these are a few kiddies in that film. I can not think they abandon Paxil AND Prozac . Their agent is someone who's blessed and miserable, sitting down over an available field of charge or a heap of alimony funds, and just needs some thing to keep them busy. Then would be only, and some one who is wed, sitting over a available line of charge or a heap of cash needs something to keep them out of the house and away from their spouse. If you're not one of these two, that's OK - you'll be taken by them. •The Multi-List Process. You simply cannot be a true estate agent without even access to this MLS. It has to be free right? No. While I state "old timers", I'm speaking to the agents which have been employed in the office for more than the usual year. They will make eye contact simply because they count on you to be gone in a few months plus they do not wish to waste their period. When you have been around for 2 weeks, they will begin providing you with that the "option" to sit down in their spacious houses to allow them. What they're actually asking you to do is sit in a house for three hours that no one will visit, and basically sell it to them, to the off chance that you might receive yourself a client from it. When there are not enough beginners at the office, they will battle over your house-sitting attempts, and might even provide you with money (don't get excited, I am speaking about £ 20.) Get paid '' I never really did get paid for helping someone out. • Hint 3: Everybody you know will feign support whilst questioning your choice along with making fun of you personally. I'm serious, also you know that. You have despised with, didn't you? • Office Aid. You are hated by them. That I met Travis the day, he had been in the middle of a hissy fit because someone had discharged his own Cross pen. As it is not like that they all sell them, it really is understandable. Yes, even they are indeed sold by them at drug stores to get a few bucks. The fit lasted one hour, and added our manager delivering a phone message to each agent in any office to please go back the pen should they had it. Travis also kept a watch on the labels that 1 would use to send out these mailings. To receive them, you had to request the precise number. You can http://edition.cnn.com/search/?text=estate agent find 25 on a sheet and you wouldn't purchase three sheets, if you were printing 6-8 labels. You are hated by them. Referral Reputation usually means that you've stopped the daily mill of trying to sell/buy houses. You get inactive, but in case you stage a person who wants to purchase or sell a house to your real estate business, you get a percentage of their commission. • Mailings. I lucked out with Company Y, so they pay for mailings. This means they offer the marketing materials plus also they pay the postage for a certain total be mailed out. The database of all addresses that you could send mail to has been protected by a Rottweiler at the office, a man I will contact Travis. Travis was exceptionally tan year-round, with hair, also then he had been dressed like a 1970's JC Penny mannequin every day. I bet that his boy turned out, although if he had been gay, idon't understand. This provider that "hired" you'll currently send one to a training "college" (these are organizations that, to get a price, educate you on exactly in regards to the actual estate business and assist you to pass their condition necessary test). This is just two weeks of classes that have little related to the actual career. • totally free journeys! 5 years from today, in the event you overcome function hrs, ALL the odds and then sell whatever you buy close, you may get a complimentary adventure. Don't hold your own breath. I am 1 man. The Realtor's affiliation can be an immense conglomerate that without doubt has lawyers about the payroll. My brotherinlaw is a lawyer...however that I still feel out numbered. That means you're going to notice that I describe real estate agents, not Realtors. Say goodbye to leisure and fun. Here's a week: • Thursday. Nothing is required. Here is the weekend, enjoy. Don't spend money though, there's no necessity it. Real estate offices are continuously list available places, so that it's easy to obtain an interview. Don't be overly nervous, because do you know what? You're hired. This is simply not a meeting, it truly is a Peptalkabout You urinate in the reception and could walk in, you're probably however hired. You did not think anything was free, did you? Here's the rundown on fees: • Saturday. Mandatory education...all freaking day. Done with all the mandatory 15-week education? Start training that reproduces what they instructed you in the 1-5 week training! Ethics rule number1 is "simply receive the list." • Associations. The County Realtor Association. You have to join it. It charges money...each calendar year. Their State Realtor Association. You have to join it. It costs money...each year. The National Realtor Association. You have to combine it. It costs income...each year. Combine this company. Join that company. You are going to secure a magazine, and possibly even a snaredown. It really is absolutely mandatory, and it all costs money. Sometimes they have free cookies in the conferences. • Your website. The business has put a page up to you on their website, you require to fill it with futile points that no one cares about, such as "resident of (our overall area) for many a long time" and Realtor and also "person in (Our County) realestate Club. None of this helps them or youpersonally, but it will not fill the page, even though no one can appear at it. You're able to place up an image there too, if you don't ugly or hideously disfigured. • Signs. Enormous signs, small indications, plastic signs, steel signs, name signs, for sale signs, open house indications. You have to have them, you have to cover these, and so they cost tens of thousands of dollars. CHAPTER 5: THE "Old Timers" I am convinced it is very different in YOUR area though, and so they're letting you know that the truth once they state so... You're going to soon be asked to alienate every one by begging for referrals, you understand and create situations. Parties, church, school, the gymnasium - anyplace...that you require to be angling for house customers or house sellers. It is painfully awkward for everybody involved. Don't neglect to utilize the runciman snare that is little anyplace you move! • Sunday. Nomore football matches, household picnics, etc., as you require to sit down in Open Houses. • Licensing. In the event you talk to a actual estate firm before you take the class and acquire licensed, then they'll pay for that course. Well, sort of. They will pay for it, and take the fee back. Wait that paid for this afterward? It's true, you did. You didn't think that was free, did you really? And remember, exclamation points are used by top producers! A Lot of these! In whatever they perform! Only an FYI. I mean: Just an FYI!!!! CHAPTER 9: "ETHICS" (note quote marks) CHAPTER 2: THE Job Interview • Hint 2: There's no salary. Make certain that you have sufficient money in the bank to eat and pay your bills for 6 months. And get started searching for a job that is actual NOW. By the time you buy it, then you will be out of dollars. I landed a spot at a company 6 weeks and one day from the day of my layoff. In case it wasn't for Un Employment, I'd have been surviving in a cardboard box waiting to the property job. • computer systems. Don't know a personal computer? Don't stress, no one else can. Idon't understand just why, however with was dreadful with any tool that is technology-related. They constantly needed assistance with the computer, and the personal computer's were down with a virus of some kind. There are laws that say that while your certification training is still occurring at a Real Estate office, which no 1 from that office may "amuse" you. Expect you'll be recruited. Some of the teachers was a Company X manager and took a distinctive interest. He required me to start open houses at costly homes during the weeks of practice, introduced me to everybody else in any office, took me to lunches and also took me out. The entire time, he spoke about how Business Y (who'd sent me with this practice) was horrible, and also why Company X has been way superior, and definitely the location for me personally. Ethical? No. Fun? Indeed. I still went as it had been the appropriate matter to 20, with the organization that delivered me to the practice.