Maybe one of the most difficult aspects of human existence is maintaining vigilance. It is difficult to continue to strive, to spawn upstream to points unknown. Not only that, but the sedatives really feel good! The tuning out, the drinking, the sports….me likey. Unfortunately, it is an inauthentic existence – - it is the default setting. The other challenge is that the sedatives keep you from being pissed off, and it is that righteous indignation that will be the fuel cell for continued pursuits.
The following poem does about as good of a job as I have seen to capture the perils of losing oneself:
“Let not young souls be smothered out before
They do quaint deeds and fully flaunt their pride.
It is the world’s one crime its babes grow dull,
Its poor are ox-like, limp and leaden-eyed.
Not that they starve, but starve so dreamlessly,
Not that they sow, but that they seldom reap,
Not that they serve, but have no gods to serve,
Not that they die, but that they die like sheep.”
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Tags: The Leaden-Eyed By: Vachel Lindsay, Vachel Lindsay The Leaden-Eyed
I found this picture and it encapsulated an idea I have held for a long time:
Jim Jarmmusch quotes
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Looking for a way to sell more Real Estate?? You might want to consider using Google maps (no, really!) as your platform.
Here are some of the high points of what it can do:
1.) Provide your Buyers/Renters with a map of your properties with Virtual tours of each one.
2.) Multiple user access allows a team or office the ability to upload and edit the map.
3.) Easily incorporate the map/tours with existing blogs and websites
4.) Its FREE!!!
Take a look at the instructional video below and see how you can get started moving more real estate.
So now that you get the nuts and bolts of how to set up your map and virtual tours, here is how you get the word out about your cool new toy:
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Tags: How to Invest in Real Estate, Matthew Smith, Sell More Houses Google Maps Virtual Tours Embedded Video Real Estate Investing Basics
My Brother sent me this and it is way more fun than it probably should be, but the kids have made me replay it for about an hour now. Hope you like it and have a Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas!
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Classic Direct Mail marketing letter
If you have ever done direct mailings, whether for real estate, fundraising efforts or even your kids girl scout troups you know what a pain writing out all those letters can be. The “Yellow Letter” campaign has been used for years to locate potential prospects. In real estate ,they are often mailed out to homeowners who may be interested in selling their homes. They generally have a better response rate because they are hand written and seem more personal.
Here is a tip that I came up with to speed up the campaign, and save you time and carpal tunnel.
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Tags: Buying Foreclosures, Create your own font, Direct Mail, Finding Buyers, fontcapture, How To, How to Create your own font, How to Invest in Real Estate, Matthew Smith, Matthew Smith Des Moines, Real Estate Investing, Real Estate Investing Basics, Real Estate Tips, Short Sale Des Moines, shortsaledesmoines, Surreal Estate Stories, surrealestatestories, Tips, Yellow Letter
Well, the chickens are coming home to roost. Last night, I had a glimpse of what I must have been like at 2 years old, and boy howdy! As a quick preface, my son decided that he wasn’t ready for bed, he later decided he wanted to sleep in his sister’s bed. I pulled out all the stops to tried to elict the desired response of peace and quiet. They included:
1.) Good Cop/Bad Cop
2.) The Soft Sell
3.) The hard Close
4.) The Take away (no hall light privileges, shutting the bedroom door)
5.) Bargaining
I considered blaring Nancy Sinatra over loud speakers like they had outside Manuel Noriega’s compound, but eventually resisted. After 3 hours of this, finally he went to sleep. I figured…nice!…score one for the parents. Later, I went up to bed and found the kid had opened up the door I had closed, turned on the hall lights I had shut off, and climbed into his sister’s bed that I had taken him out of and was fast asleep!
Now I am extremely ambivalent about this. He completely gave me the smallest middle finger ever by this behavior- which cannot abide. On the other hand….man, that makes me so proud. The kid will not take no for an answer! He knows what he wants and come hell or high water he is going to find a way to achieve his objective! Kinda get all choked up talking about it 
As I lay there in bed I thought to myself, “I bet this is what it is like at Taliban Movie Night. They are watching Rambo for the upteenth time thinking ‘Praise Allah, this infidel is one tough SOB! I cannot support his imperialst, Western ideals- but that guy can work an RPG like no other!’.”
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I read about some mobile Korean Bar-b-que trucks that use Twitter to promote themselves to a secret cabal of gastronomists. With that as my muse, I came up with the Iowa version called….wait for it…..The Burger Bus. Oh guess that wasn’t as suspenseful given that it is in the title. Here it is in a nutshell”
The Burger Bus (which was taken on Go Daddy) so I’m going with
www.Thetravelingburgershow.com
The pitch: You have a mobile converted school bus painted like the Mystery Machine. It has a giant sign on it that says “The Traveling Burger Show: Follow us on Twitter”
1.) The Burger Bus is only open for 2 hours a day over lunch (could be expanded to dinners)
2.) You never know where the Burger Bus will be until 10 AM in the morning and then a Twitter message goes out to the followers specifying the location.
3.) 10 gourmet burgers and handmade fries is all that’s on the menu.
4.) Use web 2.0 to create a insider feel and community, make it like the modern “flash mob” of food.
5.) Franchise the Burger Bus to college towns (start with the Big 12, because big 10 fans only eat gruel, and their young)
Exit strategy: Sell the Burger Bus idea to large Burger Conglomerate as a way to promote their burgers mobilely; more as a PR move than a huge revenue producer.
There it is:
2 example burgers:
Boursin Burger (with Boursin Cheese)
Pickled Pounder (With our secret recipe of pickled cucumbers, onions, and jalepenos)
Other suggestions as suggested by my buddy Cole:
Greek Burger: Feta cheese and grilled in olive oil.
Gyro Burger: Lamb meat burger with cucumber sauce.
Sushi Burger: Uncooked (tartare style) beef mixed with wasabi and soy sauce.
Add a live web cam.
There it is another idea I will never get around too…but at least I can substantiate that I came up with it when I see the Burger Bus driving around in a couple years!!!
*** Quick update: There is nothing new under the sun….when searching for photos for the blog post I found this! Looks like its time to pitch a franchise to the owners of the Burger Bus***
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I was watching an episode of The Big Bang Theory last night. For those of you “I don’t watch TV folks”…ok I get it you’re cool, go back to falling asleep in your copy of Atlas Shrugged. For the rest of you, its a guilty pleasure of mine. It is kind of a cross between Perfect Strangers and a Beautiful Mind.
The show was created by a guy named Chuck Lorre creator of Dharma and Greg, Grace under fire and 2 and a Half Men. Any guy who can make String Theory funny is alright by me. So, every night after the show, for about 3-5 seconds after the credits, ole Charles will slip in a random 2 bits like Tyler Durden operating a movie projector. This week his article addresses how you find God by paying attention and laughing during sitcoms (or technically by learning to be present in any moment). I found it as good as any other theology I had read or heard in a while. Fresh thoughts are rare, and here is one:
Finding God in Unusual Places: Sitcoms
If you like this card check out his site at: http://www.chucklorre.com/ or make sure you have your Tivo remote ready for a quick pause. Also, check out theologian Paul Tillich. I would probably start with his Theology of Culture.
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Tags: Chuck Lorre, Finding God in Unusual Places Sitcoms #263 Slides Rob Bell Donald Miller, Paul Tillic, String Theory, The Big Bang Theory, Theology of Culture
The say you shouldn’t tinker with the laws of nature…. they say that just because you CAN do something that it doesn’t mean that you SHOULD…
Someone should have told that to the nice folks at the Daily Eats in Tampa’s So Ho District. Imagine what would happen if a double cheeseburger hooked up with a grilled cheese sandwich that it met on Craiglist and got all liquored up on tequilla and nine months later their spawn may be the Maxi-Melt (*Cue Diana Ross and Love Child*). Ultimately, you take 2 grilled cheese sandwiches and wrap them around a hamburger, then slather it with onions and jalepenos.
There are a few moments in your life, the birth of a child, a sunset over the bay off the dock of a 30 foot skipper, and a sandwich like this…that let you know, there IS something out there and it is looking out for me.
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Tags: Burger Bus Mobile Food Taco Trucks Gourmet Handburgers Smashburger In and Out Burgers Wendy's McDonalds Burger King Carl's Junior Des Moines Iowa Blog Juice Des Moines Restaurant Guide Where to eat in, Tampa Daily Eats Huge Burger Big Eats So Ho District
