The Visitors Who Wouldn't Leave

When life gives you lemons, blog about it.

Have you ever heard the expression, "A Good Deed Never Goes Unpunished." That saying did not carry any meaning for me until recently. For the past fourteen months, my boyfriend and I have been housing a family of three. We met the Clark family when they were living in an apartment a few miles away from our condo. At that time, the husband/father did not have a job, and the wife/mother was preparing for the third and last round of surgery to correct the nerves in her feet. As a result, they were on the brink of losing their place due to lack of funds for paying the rent. We took pity on them and said that they could stay with us for a few days which turned into weeks-months-one year. We should have gotten a clue when they started bringing bags and boxes of belongings into our home.

After five months of hemming and hawing and empty promises of finding work, the husband landed a job at a local service station. That job lasted for a few months until he was fired for not showing up to work on time. He then filed for unemployment, which turned out to not be a substantial amount of money. On July 1st, I put my foot down and said that they would have to be out by August 1st if they could not come up with enough money to pay for one month's rent. You might think I was being too stringent; however, they were notorious for not paying us rent. Every so often, I would receive bits and pieces of money from them totaling about $200-$300 a month. Some months, I just received empty promises of intentions to pay.

This is a family that thrives on pity from poor saps like us. After lodging with us for several months, they managed to garner sympathy from a neighbor of mine, a few doors down from my condo. It was their cute little Chihuahua that drew her into their web. She was in the midst of losing her third dog, so she took a strong liking to their little pooch. That turned into giving the family food and gifts, money, and transportation.

As of this date, neither the husband nor the wife have procured employment. They still pour out empty promises of upcoming interviews and potential jobs opening up for them. Back in the summer when I told them that they would have to leave my home for lack of rent, they exclaimed with much angst that they could not go to the homeless shelter because of the bed bug epidemic. Another warning sign that my beau and I should have heeded was that the husband's mom lives a few miles away, and she would not let them move in with her. Apparently, she and her son (the husband/father in our home) fight like cats and dogs.

It is unfortunate, that our kindness has come back to bite us in the -you-know-what. In Robert Frost's poem "Mending Wall," he wrote  "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors. " The moral of the story is to show kindness with parameters set in place so that the recipients of your kindness cannot take advantage of you.

There are people out there who legitimately go through hard times and need a "hand-up." I am will and able to help people in these types of situations. However, people cross the line when they demand "hand-outs.

Do you remember the movie "Betelgeuse." The ghost couple were trying to drive the live residents out of their home.  Their plan to scare them backfired because the people did not take their attempts seriously. Out of frustration, they resorted to calling out the name Betelgeuse three times in order to get some help with driving out their pesky inhibitors. 

Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse where are you? I need your help. Hey I can choose to laugh or cry about the situation. I'd rather take the humorous approach. 

Is Water More Precious Than Gold?

Is Water More Precious Than Gold?

California residents might think so. The drought has dried up many of California's lakes and creeks, and restrictions have been put in place to reduce water usage. 

In Los Gatos, a nudist colony, residing at Lupin Lodge, was raided by rangers because of their method of obtaining water. They connected a three-quarter inch hose to tap water from a nearby reservoir. The Lodge's water source comes from a waterfall located in the reservoir. The owner of the Lupin Lodge property claims that they need water to fill up their two wells and swimming pool in order to protect them against fires. Their plan is to keep the swimming pool full of water for as long as possible. 

Local sheriffs were called out to the property in order to keep the peace between the nudists and the rangers. What a sight that must have been! They coiled up the hose, and left it on the Lodge's property. At this time, the Lodge residents have not received any citations.

I have a suggestion to resolve the pool issue. Turn the swimming pool into a clay-mud spa which is full of minerals and nutrients that keep the skin healthy and glowing. 

My latest creation

I did this in Paint which I don't use on a regular basis. I think it looks awesome!

This is the latest article that I have written.

“Give Me 3!!!”

This is truly the case of where the “squeaky wheel gets the grease.” On September 16, a new law will come into effect which requires automobile drivers to give bicyclists a three foot clearance on the road. “Give Me 3” was the term adopted by the California Bicyclists Coalition. The official title is Assembly Bill 1371 which was originated in the City of Los Angeles because of the numerous difficulties bicyclists were having traversing the roads as well as the countless number of bicycle-related accidents and fatalities that have occurred. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, The estimated number of bicyclist injuries, in 2012, was 49,000, nationwide. An estimated one-third of cyclist-related injuries are due to being hit by a car.

Assemblyman Steven Bradford, from Gardena, authored this bill which is now labeled the “Three Feet For Safety Act.” The City of Los Angeles started the “Give Me 3” campaign in 2010. When the bill was initially submitted, Governor Brown vetoed it due to concerns generated from Cal Trans and the California Highway Patrol. After submitting the bill in 2011 and in 2012. a huge breakthrough was made in 2014. Governor Brown finally agreed to sign the bill.

Currently, the law states that drivers should maintain a safe distance when passing bicyclists on the road. The language in the new law says that drivers, who are passing cyclists from behind, need to keep their vehicles at a three feet distance. If traffic and road conditions prevent the driver from giving the bicyclist a 3 feet clearance, drivers are required to slow down to a speed that is “reasonable and prudent,” and only pass when the cyclist is out of harm's way. Drivers who violate this law will be fined up to $154, and, if the cyclist is injured, the motorist will be fined $220.

Defining the distance between drivers and bicyclists is encouraging, and hopefully the fines imposed will deter drivers from doing the tango with bicyclists. In this writer's humble opinion, the fines should have been significantly more than what the new law dictates. Also,there should have been a defined speed limit for drivers who pass bicyclists on roads that do not allow for a three feet clearance.

This article was submitted by me on behalf of Dynamic Electric Vehicles in San Luis Obispo, California.

Here is a link to their site: Dynamic Electric Vehicles

Halloween Project is Ready to Take OFF!!!

This is one of the latest and greatest projects that

 I have conjured up in my cute little head. 

Below is the short poem that I wrote in order to attract prospective customers. 

I am looking forward to exercising my imagination and creativity to the fullest extent possible.

I know that last part sounded a bit dramatic, but that's OK. 

Twas the night before Halloween
Creatures were stirring, especially the counts
They sharpened their fangs and ironed their capes
Anticipating the gala that would soon elapse
Ghosts, goblins, witches, and ghouls  form the ends of the world will gather around
The wolf-men will howl an eerie tune
While the witches stir up their frog's breath stew



This is the sales pitch:
Hello fellow Halloween lovers. That time of year is quickly approaching. 

If you are looking for a spooky or kid-friendly Halloween poem or short story,  Halloween themed brain teaser puzzles, fun games, trivia questions, ice breakers, spooky party invitations and riddles, then you have come to the right person. 




My rates are the following: 

• Creative poems are $5
• Short stories are $10
• Games, puzzles, party invitations etc...range from $5 to $10 depending on the quantity ordered

Making Connections to Grow an Online Business

Making Connections (Networking) is imperative when starting an online business.

 

So far I am doing assignments on Fiverr. It's ok, but I would rather make more money for the time that I have invested for each assignment.

I'm on level two training with Wealthy Affiliate. My website via Wordpress is up. It still needs some content to be added and photos too. I am learning about keywords. WA recommended using Jaaxy to look for keywords that do not have much competition (other businesses using the same key words), and you want to find keywords that have a bit of traffic. You can get 30 searches free before you have to pay for their services.

oDesk was recommended to me by a fellow WA member. I'm in the beginning stages of getting my profile completed. 

My mom told me about Job Quote. I am also in the beginning stages with building my profile. 

 One of the big advantages for subscribing with Wealthy Affiliates, oDesk, and Job Quote is that you can set your rates. oDesk does take 10% of what you earn for each assignment. In order to receive more support and perks, Wealthy Affiliate members need to become Premium members which costs $47/mo. The big allure for Wealthy Affiliate is the awesome video tutorials. They offer the best tutorials I have seen thus far. Also, they have a strong community which provides members the opportunity to  make connections and receive support, if needed.

I don't know enough about Job Quote yet, so I will share more info as I become more involved with them.

Oh, I forgot to mention Linkedin. I have been becoming more involved with the groups that are relevant to my occupational interests. I find that there is more activity there than posting on my home page. 

Top Ten Jobs In Danger Of Becoming Obsolete

My dad came home this afternoon and said that he heard on the Jillian Barberie and John Philips show that journalism was one of the top 10 jobs to become obsolete in the near future. Immediately, I went to the computer and listened to the podcast of today's talk show.

The gentleman they were interviewing said that people who are employed by the newspaper industry are in danger of losing their jobs because a lot of people are reading magazines and newspapers online. I don't feel threatened by this since most of my work is done online. I'd like to see a robot write as well as I do And with my personality and life experience HAHA!