February 5, 2010 at 9:49 am · Filed under Finance
The next time I’m in The States, I wonder if I should change banks. When I opened my first checking account, it was at a little bank, Ye Old Bank of Alton. It was then bought buy a “Big Bank”. This is my issue with the bank, now. I wonder if it is doing enough for my back home community like I think it should be.
I honestly don’t do much banking with the “Big Bank” now. My account is really just a temporary hub which I withdrawal and transfer money in and out of. I don’t do any investing or make substantial interest with their savings account. I do all this online.
However, if I had an account with a community bank. I think I would try and help it out by purchasing CD’s and loans to the bank. My hope would be that the bank uses this money to give back to the neighborhood businesses and homes, like the Bailey Building and Loan.
Maybe the “Big Bank” does substantially help out the community with home loans and business owners. I honestly don’t think they were involved in the the market crash like other “Big Banks” were. But I want some reassuring that they’re doing everything possible to help the little guys.
…
January 27, 2010 at 1:58 pm · Filed under Lifestyle
According to Wikipedia, this is what Avatar has done:
Budget $237 million
Gross revenue $1,858,866,889
Avatar is still in the #1 box office seat and hasn’t had it’s DVD sales figures yet. It gets me wondering where all this money will … go? It would be nice if it could give back to the movie industry as a whole. It would be nice to see lower ticket prices and indie movies getting wider releases. But still …
Damn. Where does all this money go?
PS – I did watch it in theaters with 3-D.
January 20, 2010 at 12:37 pm · Filed under Take a Lap
There is a professor at the university. I hate him. I hate everything about him. He’s taking the graduate course with me. The ‘good’ side of me wants to help him out, because he is pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. The ‘bad’ side of me wants to see him fall flat on his face and kick him out of the country.
One time, in the Summer, I ate dinner with him and another professor. He was speaking Korean to order food, (and you should know that he speaks awkwardly loud, fast, and with incorrect pronunciation.) The waitress was having a hard time understanding him, but he just kept talking. At the same, the waitress was trying to explain the menu. I found it comical, and I may have snickered. Immediately he asked if I was laughing at his Korean. I said, “no”. But, I could tell he wasn’t buying it.
Later, the waitress came back to say that they were out of our order. Again, the hilarity of reordering insued, and I snickered, and he took a great offense to this. He asked, “Are you laughing at my Korean?” I wanted to just say yes, but he went on a tirade. For something so small, it struck a nerve.
He said he takes “great pride” in his Korean. He’s lived here for 19 years. He said one Italian guy laughed at his ability to speak Italian, (which he partially is) and he said, “I kill people who laugh at my Italian.”
I really couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. Was he seriously getting worked up over this? We hadn’t been drinking, so what the fuck? The second professor calmed him down, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.
Apparently, he has a world of baggage, so he takes anti-depressants. He’s bipolar, so he takes medication. Without his job, he has nothing. Therefore, the English professors look after him, like seriously covering his ass for anything at the university.
The professors encouraged him to enroll in this program. He should get a Masters to feel less like a “weak person”. (He likes to use this phrase when he feels like he’s being picked on) However, none of the other professors are, now, participating in the program to look after him. And I sure as hell don’t want to do it! He’s a parasite, who is incapable of surviving on his own.
I’ve been updating him on the course projects, the housing, the homework assignments, and the required textbooks … Why? Because he doesn’t check his email!
When I learned that we’d be doing group presentations for the course, I immediately signed up and made a group. Weeks later, I decided to tell him about the group presentations. He asked, “Are you in a group yet?” I said “Yeah, I picked a topic and the group is full. He replied, “It’s too bad we’re not in the same group. We could work TOGETHER!” I was like, “heh…………..yeah.”
I told him about the dormitory housing. We could get a single room or share with a friend. He said “We should room TOGETHER.” Timidly, I said, “Ok”. But, I thought that would be a recipe for disaster. I don’t want to be around this guy. A few days later, I said that I need my ‘me’ time and ‘personal space’. I told him I’d get a single room. He said, “Yea, I think I’m thinking about doing the same thing.”
Today, I majorly helped him out with the pre-course homework assignment. I held his hand, while he sent an email for the presentation topics and updated the coordinator with his housing and food choices.
At least 6 times, I’ve heard him say “I haven’t studied or had to do anything like this in 20 years.” It’s a bullshit excuse, and I want to fire back, “Well you ought to get your shit together, now!”
I could go on, but this is a good place to stop writing. I hate him.
January 14, 2010 at 2:11 pm · Filed under Lifestyle
Korea is having lows that they haven’t seen in 6 years. Due to this, my boiler wont crank out the heat any higher than 59F. My room was too uncomfortable to study in last night. So, I declared it a ‘Fat Day’. I sat down with some chocolate and granola and watched a movie.
I went through my 2009 Resolutions post from a year ago. If I think about my accomplishments. I was about half and half. A couple accomplishments came in the last few days of ‘09. Sadly, … no, I never punched any a$$holes.
I’m proud that I gave year end donations. Like 2007, it was a $20 limit. (I never donated in ‘08) Once again, I donated to Wikipedia, the EFF, Creative Commons, and $5 is still TBD.
Since, school ended I’ve been able to watch more TV – in a educational way. At 6PM, there is a show called ‘My Hometown’. Reporters visit people (typically the older generation) and follow a “life in the day of” manner. They focus on what work they do, the meals, and the home. The language is over my head, but the show highlights the Korean working class.
One time, I had a discussion with my co-teacher about Ceej’s toe shoes. At E-mart, I saw toe socks on the rack, and I said, “Hey, I’m going to buy you toe socks for X-mas!” He seemed less than enthus’d. He later explained that in Korea, toe socks carry the stigmatism that you must have ‘athlete’s foot’. I was like “Nah, they’re just cool socks.” Well, it sucks to be him, because I’m giving him toe socks.
December 24, 2009 at 8:47 am · Filed under Lifestyle
UPDATE – 2 years ago I invested in XX mutual fund. I put a lot of money in it, because I liked the long term possibilities for it. In 2008, its value fell like the entire market, but the dividends were still ok. I’m always looking at dividends as a positive angle.
This year, the dividends resulted in $62.69. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME! I’ve got 2K in CDs that give me a better yield than that. Ridiculous!
The computer I have in my apartment wont stop rebooting during start-up. I’m afraid I’ll have to re-install windows and lose all my videos, photos, music, and files from this last year.
Customs still hasn’t delivered my presents. GIVE ME MY STRUDELS AND DEODORANT!
Next entries »
