Early this morning I woke up around 1:30AM as per usual. I don't even remember what year it was that I last enjoyed an uninterrupted night of sleep. As I awoke I recalled that I'd been having an odd dream in which I was trying to find a certain address. In the dream I had pulled up in front of a pink stucco apartment building and gotten out of my car. People were watching me. As I began walking up to the low iron gate that lead into the narrow courtyard of the building I realized that it was not the address for which I was looking. It did not upset me. I just had the calm realization that I was at the wrong place and I began to leave. Then I woke up.
I lay in bed pondering the dream and looked over at my cat Larry who was curled up next to me. As always, his luminous green eyes seemed to be glowing in the night. My mind turned to the events of the previous day and I remembered the thieving bartender from The Shack in Playa del Rey, CA. I'd paid her cash for our first two drinks because my friend Tyson and I had only intended to stay for one round. The bartender had given me back $7 in change after I'd handed her a $20 bill. Our drinks presumably must have cost $6.50 each. As it turned out we ended up staying and ordering 3 more drinks each. I put all those on a credit card and the bartender had handed me a bill for $52.00 when I was ready to close out the tab. Wait a minute..as I lay in bed I realized that our bill should have been just $39.00 but I had not caught the error while I was still at the bar. In fact, I'd signed the charge slip after adding on a $12 tip for our bartender. Could there have been an increase in price because we'd stayed past Happy Hour or something? No, somehow I knew it wasn't that. My curiousity got the better of me and I climbed out of bed to retrieve the credit card receipt from my wallet. Nothing on the slip was itemized. The receipt identified the server as "BAR-B" and simply bore the amount of $52.00. Should a total of $52.00 for three shots of Stoli and three Jack and Cokes have aroused my suspicion? Maybe, but maybe not. Bars in Los Angeles have a huge degree of variation in what they charge for the same drink. A bar in the Courtyard by Marriott will charge 9.50 for a shot of Stoli while The Monty Bar near downtown Los Angeles will charge $4.50 for a shot of Stoli.
After I had closed out that $52 tab Tyson had ordered one more drink and the bartender had tried to charge us for two drinks. That was what had caught my attention. The bartender became extremely embarrassed when I asked her about it and had offered to give us two free drinks. I was already done drinking at The Shack, but Tyson accepted his free drink.
Larry the cat watched me ruminate about all this and I smiled at him.
"That's why that place was mostly empty during a Thursday night NFL game, Larry." I told him. "They actually have good food, multiple TVs, and the place is walking distance from the beach. They should have been busy, but they weren't."
I'll never go back there. And I have the sneaking feeling that a lot of people probably feel the same way I do. The mostly deserted bar told the whole story. People like that bartender don't steal just once. They do it all the time. Absently I wondered who owns the place. Does he or she ever puzzle over why the bar doesn't make more money? About why it's almost empty on nights when other bars in the beach cities here are raging?
Sometimes people inform me that I'm naive. My friend Elias once told me that people will never give me the same consideration that I give them. "They are just going to screw you over no matter how nice you are to them." he had said. He seemed to be speaking about something specific and I found myself wondering what he knew about and what he wasn't telling me.
"I don't even want to be around those people." I'd retorted with disgust.
"Most people are like that." he had said. "Almost everybody. Don't you understand that it's just normal behavior for people to try and take advantage of you?"
"No." I'd shot back. "I've never aspired to be 'normal' and I don't want to understand."
We'd been talking on the phone and he had not had a response for my words. The subject must have changed after that.
I know there are a lot of trashy people in the world. For years I have danced in bars. I don't steal money from the customers or from anyone else. I never have. I never needed to. Of course I've seen other dancers purposely make incorrect change for customers, steal from other dancers, and pick up money off the tables when the customers are not looking. Their behavior disgusts me and I think that they ultimately pay a big price for doing things like that. This sounds goofy but I really think there is a karmic flow to the earning of money. I try to be very ethical with money and I've noticed over and over how it seems to flow back to me despite the ups and downs I've had in life. Last night I pondered writing about this and I wasn't sure if I should. It's a strange subject.
I am not rich, but I try to pay people generously when I hire them for work. Of course I always pay my fair share when I'm out with others socially. Often I pay for them too. My friend Raul conducts himself the same way I do. My friend Tim does as well. We all try to do the right thing even though we've all noticed that lots of other people don't try to do the right thing. Sometimes it's demoralizing when others take advantage of our generosity. I know that all three of us feel that way at moments. Still, behaving with dignity is the best way to live. And that money does have the darnedest way of flowing back to us. It's a little bit spooky sometimes.
A few months ago Raul and I were going though a Jack in the Box drive-thru. I broached a subject that I'd never spoken about to anyone.
"Let me ask you something.." I began. Raul looked at me and raised his eyebrows in inquiry.
"Last year I started a Roth IRA for myself online." I continued. "I did it through Sharebuilder.com and I pick my own stocks for the account. I don't really know what I'm doing, but I read up on the different companies and now I buy $4000 worth of stocks each year because that's the maximum the IRS will allow you to put in a Roth IRA each year."
Raul nodded his understanding so I kept talking.
"I never sell any of the stocks because that's just how I am. My hope is that I'm picking quality stocks and that they will keep increasing in value. Maybe in the future I'll change that. I don't know. Anyways, I own a small number of shares of about ten different companies. My shares in six of those companies have doubled in value this past year."
Silence.
"They've doubled?" Raul finally asked me.
"Yes." I said. "I'm mentioning it because it kind of trips me out. It's not as if it involves a huge amount of money because I only put $4000 a year into the stockmarket. It's all I can really afford. I don't know why I'm telling you this, but...I don't know. It just seems kind of odd. I don't really know what I'm doing. How often do stocks double in value? Is it common for that to happen in the course of a year? I've only been investing since June of 2005 and I really don't know what is typical."
Raul stared out the windshield and shook his head.
"I'm no expert, but that sounds pretty amazing to me. You're doing something right- whatever it is. What kind of stocks are these?"
I recited the list of the ones that had returned over 100% in profits: AK Steel (AKS), Aurizon Mines (AZK), Bema Gold (BGO), Bally Technologies (BYI - which was AGI when I originally purchased the shares), US Airways (LCC - the shares of which I received after my AWA stock was converted), and Underarmour (UARM.)
"That's...incredible." Raul said slowly. "You are definitely doing something right."
I didn't mention my theory on the karmic flow of money to him, but I sat there silently considering the notion for the millionth time in my life.
Jewell and I are fighting over money in the pic above. In the past my behavior has not always been above reproach. As a teenager I amassed credit card debt that never got repaid and I started an ill-fated mail order business that failed. Some of those customers never got their stuff or received a refund. I still feel bad about it and would repay them if I had the records or a chance. Over the years I have certainly lived and learned the hard way. I have regrets and there's plenty of stuff I'd love to do over again. Kind of like that situation with Jewell that is unfolding in the aforementioned photo. You can read that story here or join www.MyXXXPast.com to see the full gallery now!
I lay in bed pondering the dream and looked over at my cat Larry who was curled up next to me. As always, his luminous green eyes seemed to be glowing in the night. My mind turned to the events of the previous day and I remembered the thieving bartender from The Shack in Playa del Rey, CA. I'd paid her cash for our first two drinks because my friend Tyson and I had only intended to stay for one round. The bartender had given me back $7 in change after I'd handed her a $20 bill. Our drinks presumably must have cost $6.50 each. As it turned out we ended up staying and ordering 3 more drinks each. I put all those on a credit card and the bartender had handed me a bill for $52.00 when I was ready to close out the tab. Wait a minute..as I lay in bed I realized that our bill should have been just $39.00 but I had not caught the error while I was still at the bar. In fact, I'd signed the charge slip after adding on a $12 tip for our bartender. Could there have been an increase in price because we'd stayed past Happy Hour or something? No, somehow I knew it wasn't that. My curiousity got the better of me and I climbed out of bed to retrieve the credit card receipt from my wallet. Nothing on the slip was itemized. The receipt identified the server as "BAR-B" and simply bore the amount of $52.00. Should a total of $52.00 for three shots of Stoli and three Jack and Cokes have aroused my suspicion? Maybe, but maybe not. Bars in Los Angeles have a huge degree of variation in what they charge for the same drink. A bar in the Courtyard by Marriott will charge 9.50 for a shot of Stoli while The Monty Bar near downtown Los Angeles will charge $4.50 for a shot of Stoli.
After I had closed out that $52 tab Tyson had ordered one more drink and the bartender had tried to charge us for two drinks. That was what had caught my attention. The bartender became extremely embarrassed when I asked her about it and had offered to give us two free drinks. I was already done drinking at The Shack, but Tyson accepted his free drink.
Larry the cat watched me ruminate about all this and I smiled at him.
"That's why that place was mostly empty during a Thursday night NFL game, Larry." I told him. "They actually have good food, multiple TVs, and the place is walking distance from the beach. They should have been busy, but they weren't."
I'll never go back there. And I have the sneaking feeling that a lot of people probably feel the same way I do. The mostly deserted bar told the whole story. People like that bartender don't steal just once. They do it all the time. Absently I wondered who owns the place. Does he or she ever puzzle over why the bar doesn't make more money? About why it's almost empty on nights when other bars in the beach cities here are raging?
Sometimes people inform me that I'm naive. My friend Elias once told me that people will never give me the same consideration that I give them. "They are just going to screw you over no matter how nice you are to them." he had said. He seemed to be speaking about something specific and I found myself wondering what he knew about and what he wasn't telling me.
"I don't even want to be around those people." I'd retorted with disgust.
"Most people are like that." he had said. "Almost everybody. Don't you understand that it's just normal behavior for people to try and take advantage of you?"
"No." I'd shot back. "I've never aspired to be 'normal' and I don't want to understand."
We'd been talking on the phone and he had not had a response for my words. The subject must have changed after that.
I know there are a lot of trashy people in the world. For years I have danced in bars. I don't steal money from the customers or from anyone else. I never have. I never needed to. Of course I've seen other dancers purposely make incorrect change for customers, steal from other dancers, and pick up money off the tables when the customers are not looking. Their behavior disgusts me and I think that they ultimately pay a big price for doing things like that. This sounds goofy but I really think there is a karmic flow to the earning of money. I try to be very ethical with money and I've noticed over and over how it seems to flow back to me despite the ups and downs I've had in life. Last night I pondered writing about this and I wasn't sure if I should. It's a strange subject.
I am not rich, but I try to pay people generously when I hire them for work. Of course I always pay my fair share when I'm out with others socially. Often I pay for them too. My friend Raul conducts himself the same way I do. My friend Tim does as well. We all try to do the right thing even though we've all noticed that lots of other people don't try to do the right thing. Sometimes it's demoralizing when others take advantage of our generosity. I know that all three of us feel that way at moments. Still, behaving with dignity is the best way to live. And that money does have the darnedest way of flowing back to us. It's a little bit spooky sometimes.
A few months ago Raul and I were going though a Jack in the Box drive-thru. I broached a subject that I'd never spoken about to anyone.
"Let me ask you something.." I began. Raul looked at me and raised his eyebrows in inquiry.
"Last year I started a Roth IRA for myself online." I continued. "I did it through Sharebuilder.com and I pick my own stocks for the account. I don't really know what I'm doing, but I read up on the different companies and now I buy $4000 worth of stocks each year because that's the maximum the IRS will allow you to put in a Roth IRA each year."
Raul nodded his understanding so I kept talking.
"I never sell any of the stocks because that's just how I am. My hope is that I'm picking quality stocks and that they will keep increasing in value. Maybe in the future I'll change that. I don't know. Anyways, I own a small number of shares of about ten different companies. My shares in six of those companies have doubled in value this past year."
Silence.
"They've doubled?" Raul finally asked me.
"Yes." I said. "I'm mentioning it because it kind of trips me out. It's not as if it involves a huge amount of money because I only put $4000 a year into the stockmarket. It's all I can really afford. I don't know why I'm telling you this, but...I don't know. It just seems kind of odd. I don't really know what I'm doing. How often do stocks double in value? Is it common for that to happen in the course of a year? I've only been investing since June of 2005 and I really don't know what is typical."
Raul stared out the windshield and shook his head.
"I'm no expert, but that sounds pretty amazing to me. You're doing something right- whatever it is. What kind of stocks are these?"
I recited the list of the ones that had returned over 100% in profits: AK Steel (AKS), Aurizon Mines (AZK), Bema Gold (BGO), Bally Technologies (BYI - which was AGI when I originally purchased the shares), US Airways (LCC - the shares of which I received after my AWA stock was converted), and Underarmour (UARM.)
"That's...incredible." Raul said slowly. "You are definitely doing something right."
I didn't mention my theory on the karmic flow of money to him, but I sat there silently considering the notion for the millionth time in my life.
Jewell and I are fighting over money in the pic above. In the past my behavior has not always been above reproach. As a teenager I amassed credit card debt that never got repaid and I started an ill-fated mail order business that failed. Some of those customers never got their stuff or received a refund. I still feel bad about it and would repay them if I had the records or a chance. Over the years I have certainly lived and learned the hard way. I have regrets and there's plenty of stuff I'd love to do over again. Kind of like that situation with Jewell that is unfolding in the aforementioned photo. You can read that story here or join www.MyXXXPast.com to see the full gallery now!
- XXOO Tanya
-------------------
www.PennysaverDomains.com - Cheapest domain registrations on the Net!
No comments:
Post a Comment