Larry Rinish dot Com

The Entreprenurrial Adventures Of An Entrepreneur

When the weird, awkward feelings aren't weird and ackward

I have never hid from my past and the difficulties that I have fought through.  When I first came through the bottom of the pits and hole that my life had become I was very ashamed and humiliated.  And this is a major reason that people go back to living the life of using drugs and alcohol because society has formed such a negative opinion about them.  If I had listened to the people telling me that because of where my life had taken me I wouldn't have amounted to shit.  But the fact of the matter was that I gave a flying fuck about some deuce bags looking to keep me down with his nose up in the air like he was someone.  In fact, I realized that I WAS better than that because I was able to battle back from something 99 percent of people can't battle back from. And because of that it gave me a very steep advantage over my competition. 

When I first reentered society after a year of jail from charges stemming from being a heroin addict it was very awkward.  I grew up and knew a lot of people.  I played ball growing up and went to college on a football scholarship and graduated from a state school.  However, life happened and took me down a real shitty path that was discussed in a previous post that I wrote about how a few cops from Wilkes-Barre who don't represent the real, true professionals on the force beat me from an inch of my life.  I consider writing my blog part of my job.  I own an online development firm specializing in providing small businesses with affordable services.  And one thing that I do is create websites, blogs, ecommerce sites, and also write my own blogs. 

One of the weirdest and most awkward things is to run into people who used to be close buddies before my issues and despite being cleaned up and very successful they jump on the bandwagon of pretending that I no longer have the right to breath the same air as them.  Now despite there being some cocksuckers who act friendly to me when they see me its obvious in the body language that is uncomfortable because what would happen if the "other" friend saw them? 

As I talked to my buddy who I was doing business with we talked about if I was worried that someone would come over to me and say something?

<blockquote>Like what?</blockquote>

<blockquote>Aren't they or he made at you?</blockquote>

<blockquote>Yeah.  Him and every other motherfucker who can't stand the thought of some "convicted felon drug addict", as they put it.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Don't you feel awkward? </blockquote>

<blockquote>For what?  I am a 31 year old business man trying to make a living.  Do you think I have time to mess around with little high school prom girl games?  If they have something to say to me then say it. I write because it's my job.  I don't go to their jobs and slap the cocks out of their mouths</blockquote>

And then it seem that was that.  We finished our meals and left.  But as I drove home I began to think about how a lot of us shy away from confrontation because it makes us feel weird.  How we avoid situation because we feel awkward.  And I finally figured out what makes people separate themselves from being successful professionals who advance into the real world of executives and entrepreneurship.  It has the ability to not feel weird and awkward when put into any kind of situation.  Don't be afraid to ask the question. Put be afraid to put yourself in a situation that is uncomfortable.  And especially don't be afraid to finish your lunch because a couple of meat heads who don't like you walk into the same restaurant you are. 

When good spur of the moment trips go bad!

"New York…. Neewwww Yooorrkkk… the streets will inspire you the lights will… something, something or something", sings Alicia Keys with Jay Z.  And it was at that moment while I was listening to this song that it was time to play hooky.  So I packed up from my office, jumped in the car, and drove down to pick up the missus.  Now, one thing that I am horrific at is upkeep on a car.  I love a new car more than the next guy and will cherish it for the first year after I get it.  But just like my girlfriends from college, I used and abused my car and forgot what makes her happy.  So the fact that I let the front tires wear down to nothing even during the winter and then tried driving on them says how much of a dumb dick I am.  Fast forward to doing 80 on Interstate, followed by a rumbling sound that I initially thought was my engine.  But thank good for the mechanic next to me who said, "is it a flat tire?" There was actually a relief that washed over me when I realized that I could just get out and change the tire. 

Unfortunately, I happened to miss that certain 'man gene" that most of us come with that allows us to do certain things i.e. hammer a nail, change  your oil, and change a car tire.  But I saw it done numerous times so how hard could it be to change a tire that so many others have changed before me?  Well, even the state trooper who pulled up behind me go tired of waiting and left.  One hour later, wet with snow and hands bleeding, I hopped back into the Impala hoping to whatever god would listen to me that I put the tire on right.  There was an exit only 3/4 of a mile down the road so I turned off and immediately saw a little auto shop.  When I pulled in I was greeted by the type of grease monkey one would think you'd find in a shit hole of a town in Jersey.  The guy looked like he was in his 70's with a little faux diamond in his left ear.  I assumed that he would be able to tell the urgency in my voice immediately and be more than happy to help me… fuck me he wasn't. 

Hey, I just blew a tire on the highway and we are traveling.  Can you do a couple of tires?

Nope.

Are you too busy?

No, we aren't that busy at all

Now nobody could be this much of a dick on purpose.  I deduced that I would just have to ask the right questions.

Do you know of a place that you work with that does tires?

We don't have anybody we work with specifically.

he said with a shrug.  Fuck me…

 

I am in a very bad way.  Can you please point me to the nearest location that does tires.  Used, new, it doesn't matter.  It's really important.

Up the road about half a mile.

Dick… head. 

 

Just up the road we found the shop with the owner who had to be a relative of the other guy at the first shop.  I could tell just by the conversation I had with the person who "greeted" me at the door.  I'll save you from that experience.  I just stood there and waited until one of the grease monkeys made eye contact at which point I gave him the most pathetic help me look I could come up with.  I told him how the tire blew, it took me an hour to put the spare on and that the other one was about to go too.  I asked if there is anyway he could put two new ones on the front of the car?  

I close at 5pm

and at this point it was 440pm.  

Does that mean you can't do it?

It turned out that this was his way of assuring me that he could have it done and have it done quick.  Dick…. head….

So now I sit here wondering what the hell was wrong with me leaving at 3pm in the afternoon to make a two hours trip to Jersey just to take a 20 minute ride/walk to Times Square just to have dinner and then to take the other half shopping on 5th Ave.  Kind dumb ass.  

Well.  The car is done. Not bad for a couple of grease monkeys.  They did two in 20 minutes which took me an hour to do one.  I hate myself.  Until the end of the trip…

 

So the trip is over and we made it home by 2am in the morning.  I felt it quite odd that everything on 5th Avenue closes at 900pm.  After it took me a while to think about it I realized that most people with money to go shopping on 5th ave probably don't do it at 1000pm at night.  I was able to see the Apple Shrine on 5th Ave that is made completely of glass.  When I walked into this place it was so unreal.  Anything that Apple made and sold was there and in-stock.  I ended up just getting a magic mouse but that was fine because it was the experience that mattered.  ]

The Glass Shrine of Apple                                                                      5th Avenue Apple Shrine Glass Building      

     Apple Shrine Product View                                                                 

WBRE TV News Hits Big time with "Erection"

As a big time Howard Stern Fan I was pumped when I heard the announcer mention WBRE TV News in Wilkes-Barre. Apparently, an on-site news reporter was discussing the elections taking place in Monroe county when she apparently said the word “erection” instead of “election”. I am going to be looking for the name of the reporter and look for a comment regarding her impromptu appearance on the King of All Radio’s hit radio show.

My level of success is directly proportional to my determination.

Your level of success is directly proportional to your determination.   I don't know if anybody has said it before me but I strongly believe in it.  I consider myself a very liberal person and tend to vote democrat but I get super disgusted by the fact that people feel content to sit ideally by and collect their welfare and have kids just to get bigger paychecks.

I am waiting to get my Obama money

This seems to become the phrase for those not wanting to succeed in life or do nothing more than sponge off of society. Most people who know my story probably think that I'd be a little more compassionate for those in need of a little help but in all actuality I have very little.  I am disgusted by the fact that people get 5 to 10 chances to get their life together and all they choose to do is to continue shooting dope and fucking over their families.  I am disgusted by the fact that single mothers with more than 1 kid continue to sit by, have more kids, and then collect my money while living in subsidized housing that is paid for with my money.  I am nauseous that our public servants got there because they knew someone.  

Why all of the disgust?  Its because I've been there and done that.  But I made the decision to live my life differently because I got sick off of sponging on people to get my fix.  Stealing, robbing, and lying to get my shit become a way of life and I got sick of that shit.  And ya know what?  It took one time being arrested, being beaten unconsciously,  and thrown in jail to do the trick.  It took one time for me to end up on the floor of one cell before I finally got the idea.  In fact, when I was released the county funded my stay in treatment.  I did sponge off of the system as well… but I did it once and did it the way its supposed to be done.  I used it to help get my shit together and move on to where I can support myself.  I was determined not to be that person who ended up sponging the rest of his life.  I wanted to be something.  I wanted to be great.  And in order to do that I had to stop looking for hand outs and just start working my ass off.  It started with minimum wage and all the way up to CEO of one company and Director of another… all of this as a convicted felon.  And then there are those jealous fucks who make comments about my posts "I don't associated with convicted felons"… sure you do cocksucker… you just haven't got  caught yet.  These are the kind of people who look down forever on people even after they got their life together.  I can be as successful as possible and there will still be those few who look to throw stones and act like they are so self-righteous and they make me sick just like those who continue to sponge and who will continue to sponge off of the system for the rest of their lives.  

If I could pick my ass up off of the ground and get my shit together and run my life right and have two administrative positions in two different companies than those who decide to continue sucking on the system can do it.  I am no better than anybody else in that position but I made a decision to be great.  I decided that I was worth more and that I have too much to offer to be stuck in jail somewhere over and over again.  And yeah jealously does strike me ever once in a while. As an example I parked in a one hour parking spot on public square the other day.  When I came out 1 hour and ten minutes later there was a ticket on my car.  What kind of fucking officer of the law sits for an hour and watches my car just so that he can put a ticket on my car that will cost a measly ten dollars?  The kind who is is envious that some loser, junky who is a convicted felon moves past him in the food chain that is life.  The kind who wasn't shit growing up and watched everyone else pass him by and is now using his position to get revenge.  The kind who settled for mediocrity instead of trying to be great.  The one who settled for the politics of Wilkes-Barre that got him his job on the force.  

The thing with me is that nobody helped me get any of my jobs.  Nobody gave me a hand out.  I worked for everything myself.  I worked my way out of the gutter to get where I am today and I have not patience for people who continue to suck the system or for deuce bags with connections that ended up getting their job because they had an uncle or aunt with connections.  My success is directly proportional to my level of determination.  I was determined to be better and I am still determined to be better.  And the rest will be sitting my watching my car with envy… 

Will the real iPhone killer please stand up? Please?

So.  You are the so-called "iPhone killer, huh?"  You are the one that is going to surpass the iphone in the amount of apps downloaded per cell phone operating system?  I see.  But there is just one problem with you as the mercenary to Apple's iphone.  You got no balls!

I kept holding out the whole time hoping that on January 27th that Steve Jobs would not only introduce the new virtual tampon i.e. iPad but would also let it be known that Apple would open the iPhone up for other cell companies to have it on their roster.  Being a mac-aholic it was shear torture watching all of these other "posers" who have never even seen a Mac computer getting their grubby little hands on the sweet nectar that is an iPhone.  I told myself that it is just a matter of time before Apple couldn't take the pounding that their phone was taking.  I mean after all, one of the most important elements about the Apple brand is the fact that Apple is strong, sleek, and sexy.  And for far too long Apple has been carrying AT&T.  But needless to say, Steve Jobs scrawny little ass had nothing to say about the iPhone being available for other carriers.  My research (and my research I mean the dickheads who blog about anything they "hear") told me that by 2010 or at latest 2011 the iPhone would be available for other carriers and that it would be announced at the Keynote when Steven Jobs unveiled the iPad… but he didn't… fuck me.  So I was left to contemplate my next move.  

Although a Google guy who loves his Google Apps I feel that I am a stronger Apple guy.  Google is great for the web brand but for hardware and software Apple blows them away.  However, I was still willing to give the Moto Droid a chance because of all of the great reviews that the OS and the Moto was receiving.  And all in all the Moto Droid was a truly amazing phone.  It was fast, efficient, and was a direct link to everything Google.  However, the one thing that it wasn't was Apple.  The keyboard sucked and the touch screen left a little something to be desired.  Despite the OS being truly strong nothing compares to the iPhone's OS and UI.  And that is the biggest problem with other phones.  Although they are truly good phones the iPhone has set the bar SOOOO high that anything less than an iPhone is deemed to blow goats.  

So I purchased the iPhone.  I went to AT&T and purchased the phone and am now using AT&T with my iPhone.  Now one of the biggest reasons that AT&T gets bashed is due to the fact that they have horrific coverage and they get a lot of dropped calls.  But in their defense the majority of complaints comes from larger cities where people are using the fuck out of the data and thus making problems for the people needing to use it as a phone.  But in the Wilkes-Barre and Scranton area where there aren't millions of people fighting for the limited data there don't seem to be many problems.  So long as I stay out of NY or one of the larger cities than I'll be ok… or maybe I am just telling myself this to justify the large purchase and me breaking out of the Verizon contract I had.

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