Richard's Ramblings...

I’ve been accused of being out for money and not caring for families while I go out and help families. Of course that’s not the case, I’m out there to HELP families take care of themselves. Here is a story from another agent in the company, modified for flow (he posted it on Twitter).

I met a young couple with 4 children, both worked, no life insurance. They wanted to discuss investments, savings, etc. I explained to them that it’s considered unethical and immoral for me to just sell them investments without making sure they had proper protection first. They refused, and I refused the investments.

Two days later, the husband was killed in a motorcycle crash. When I talked with the wife, she said she wish she listened to me.

The bold text is either assumptions or slight wording change to make a better flowing sentence. The meaning remained the same.

I can not tell you how many times people fight with me over making sure they have enough, and the right kind of coverage. Next time I talk with you about, don’t forget that widow who DIDN’T listen. Don’t end up like her.

It should be noted that a salesman would have taken the investments. Someone who cares about your family wouldn’t without making sure a solid foundation was in place first.

It should be noted that a salesman would have taken the investments without regard for the family. Someone who truly cares about your family wouldn’t have.

When you go shopping for a loan, specifically a mortgage, re-finance, or a debt consolidation loan, you need to ask the following questions.  If the company wont provide them, leave.  There are companies out there that will do this, many wont.  With out further ado, here it is.

This list is meant to be spoken from a page, not from memory.

Mr. Banker, I’m shopping for a (loan type here) and would like to know if you want to compete for my business.

I understand there are different guidelines for consolidating and know there is more to a loan than rate.

1. What I would like to do is apply for a loan,
2. have you process my application,
3. appraise my home to insure proper value,
4. prepare the title work to be sure everything is in order,
5. have you make me a firm offer on a loan,
6. have you help me establish a Debt Freedom Date that accelerates ALL of my debt, even what is not in this loan, in the shortest time possible,
7. with about the same money I spend now,
8. explain how your bill-paying and elimination service works, and
9. explain what investment options you offer, once my debt is eliminated.

And, Mr. Banker, I’m NOT willing to put up ANY MONEY IN ADVANCE. I don’t want to pay for an appraisal in advance.

And, if I receive a better offer, or do not feel you offer is feasable, I can walk away and owe you NOTHING.

Will you do that for me?

If you banker wont do any of that to earn your business, they don’t deserve.  Take it to someone who will.

Before I go into this story, let me preface this with some history about me.  This is going to be a very personal post revealing something that I’ve told very few people in the last 15 years.  Why am I spreading this online now instead of keeping it a secret? Well, I had a good talk with Pastor Steve about this and made a few realizations about it.

1. What I was seeing wasn’t dreams, but memories.
2. Not my memories, but someone else’s begging to be heard.
3. When I figured out I was suppose to tell the stories, I had a huge feeling of relief.

For the past 15 years, ever since dating an “adventurous” girl named Tiffany (last name withheld to protect the guilty. ), I started noticing things around me.  Not items things, but spiritual things.  Yes, actual ghosts and demons.  I found that if I meditated a bit and concentrated, I could sense what they were saying.  How do I know I wasn’t crazy? Well, I’ve described what people look like to other.  Not people I’ve met, but people that passed many years before. Even passed on a few personal messages.  There was even a time when I was dropping off my friend Elric, and while talking to him about it, sensed hundreds of sprits who have died various ways.  Shootings, old age, fires, collapses, diseases, etc.  Some were hundreds of years old begging just to be recognized.  That same night, I also quoted Revelations completely in graphic detail…with never having read it even once.

Can I do this on demand? Not really.  Although it does explain why I haven’t dreamt in a long while.

Now for the story.

This one is about 12 years old and just now being told.  I only ever had it once and it’s only gotten clearer as time progressed.

A solider is patrolling with his platoon in Vietnam. It’s raining, dark, and otherwise just not a place he wants to be.  He keeps thinking about how much he wants to be home with his girl.  As they are patrolling, he spots movement in the distance, but they doesn’t hear the noise the creature is making.  He points his gun into the distance and takes the best aim he can.  As the movement gets closer to an clear opening, and a clean shot), he preps to shoot.  He sees what looks like a body, shoots, and the bullet makes contact.  A split second later he sees a woman falling down with a surprised look on her face.  He approaches the her to get a better idea of what was going on.  Upon investigating, he realized he killed an innocent village woman.

The soldier in question has been asking for forgiveness since that day, even after his death.

At this point, the dream flashes white and repeats in the view point of the mother.  Although I don’t know what she is saying, she is searching for her son. She knows their are patrols coming and doesn’t want her son to be captured.  As she moves through the trees and brush quietly calling for her son, she doesn’t realize she is near a patrol.  Upon passing the clearing, she hears a shot.  By the time she can turn her head in the direction, she feels what feels like a punch on her chest and a burning sensation.  She trips and falls. The last few seconds before she passes on, she feels the warmth of blood exiting her chest as she grows cold and is thinking “Why?”

At this point, the dream flashes once more and this time, I see an overview of what happened.  However, in this case, I also see the little boy, hiding not but 100ft away, witnessing his mother being killed and scared to move for fear of being killed himself.

As mentioned above, the soldier in question died of guilt, begging to be forgiven for killing an innocent mother. As I write this, I sense his regret, and relief that his story has been told.  At the same time, I sense the anger from the mother as to why she had to die.

I will end this with a message to both spirits, if you don’t forgive, you won’t move on.

To my readers, as I have more of these, I will post them.  That is the only reason I can think of as to why I have them.

This is a bit of a weird post.  First, it’s dedicated to all of use nerds who play BattleTech.  Second, it’s a 2 page sheet a friend of mine gave me many a years ago and I’d figure I’d immortalize it online.

1. Leather Upholstery
2. Fuzzy Dice
3. Ice chest next to heat sinks filled with Old English 800
4. Radar detector on dashboard
5. Flame decals on sides
6. Tinted windows
7. CD Player w/ Dolby Surround-Sound
8. Satellite TV with “Premium” access
9. Gun rack
10. Spoilers
11. Custom exhaust manifold
12. Luggage rack over Tactical Targeting Module
13. 3 year or 30,000 mile service contract
14. Plays the “Might Mouse” theme if you honk the horn
15. Bored out cylinders increase horsepower by 24%
16. Hotplate over fusion reactor
17. Glowing neon blue lights illuminate feet for cruising at night
18. Really big glove compartment
19. PSP option under Fire-Control system
20. Clapper hooked up to ejection system
21. Targeting computer that critiques battle performance
22. Neon-green windshield wipers
23. Client Eastwood sample can be played over loudspeakers (“Do you feel lucky punk?”)
24. “Flight of the Valkyries” played when Jump Jets are engaged
25. “The Four Horsemen” by Metallica played when going full throttle
26. Friendly message that informs pilot “Radiation seal has been broken.  Your children will have 4 arms.”
27. 68″ Bose Speakers for the proper bass. (Medium Laser only does 3 points and cabin lights dim while on)
28. Cell phone link directly to closest ComStar HyperPulse Generator station.  25% discount for call between 11 and 8
29. Cruise Control
30. Zebra skin roof covering
31. Strobe lights mounted on feet
32. 500Watt CB with an echo mic and sound effects
33. Ceiling mounted licorice dispenser
34. A direct com-link to Pizza Hut
35. Rad hatch marks on side to give impression that it is a ’96 Camaro
36. Liquor cabinet behind the command couch
37. King sized bumper sticker “Get any closer, and I’ll eat you.”
38. Pair of Nike’s painted on feet of ‘Mech
39. Hood ornament of a ram head from an old Dodge Ram
40. Yosamite Sam mud flaps.
41. Special voice added to scanners when pickup up enemy units – “Danger! Danger!” in Robby the Robot’s voice
42. Trailer hitch to pull around all that extra ordinance
43. Authentic wood paneling
44. A little hula dance on the dashboard
45. Three stooges sound effects when you score a kill
46. Offensive language written on weapons
47. James Brown security alarm
48. Dirt Devil Car Vac (modified for ‘mech use) stored under command couch
49. Automatic seatbelts
50. Internal rollcage (for offroading)
51. “Have a nice day” with a happy face painted on the back
52. Disco ball hanging in cockpit
53. Big Screen TV
54. Cargo compartment for the Harley you wish you owned
55. Waterbed located underneath command couch
56. Off-road KC Halogen lamps with the little happy face covers
57. Sunglass shaped window covers (for sunny days)
58. Rear window defogger
59. 2 words – Air Conditioning

Ok, so it’s only 59 ways.  Whom ever wrote it up put an extra return at the bottom of the page that split one line.  Look for some of these in upcoming games.

This was originally an Email that was sent to me by my cousin.  I decided to turn this into a blog post to make it more widespread.  To all the soldiers and veterans out there, I dedicate this post to you.

When A Soldier Comes Home…

When a soldier comes home, he finds it hard...

...to listen to his son whine about being bored.

... to keep a straight face when people complain about potholes.

To be tolerant of people who complain about the hassle of getting ready for work.

To be understanding when a co-worker complains about a bad night's sleep.

To be silent when people pray to God for a new car.

To control his panic when his wife tells him he needs to drive slower.

To keep from ridiculing someone who complains about hot weather.

To control his frustration when a colleague gripes about his coffee being cold.

To remain calm when his daughter complains about having to walk the dog.

To be civil to people who complain about their jobs.

To just walk away when someone says they only get two weeks of vacation a year.

The only thing harder than being a soldier…

Is loving one.

Reminder To Show Compassion and Tolerance

I just received an invite for Google Voice and got it setup.  To the right is the widget Google provides for websites to allow people to call it.  By all means use it to get in touch with me.  Just please respect times (Only call between 8a and 8p central).

I may send some of you to voicemail just to see how the transcribing works, just don’t take offense if I do.  Either way, I will still get in touch with you.

If you want the direct line, it’s (682) 478-5088. I may change the number later once business expands to other areas (such as CO, AR, CA, or any other state).  I still have my GoSolo number (866) 887-1060.  I may cancel that if Google adds 800 support and fax support.

Stay tuned, I do have more posts coming including one to start a 90 day challenge.

I’d like to take this moment to publicly welcome our latest addition to the family.  Jillian Alexis, born June 29, 2009 around 18:30 to Josh and Jean.  6lbs, 7oz of Joy.

Welcome to the family.

Before I get back to my regularly unscheduled postings, I thought I would share this.

My cousin sent me this as an email.  Normally  I just file them in either my Personal folder or the Trash depending on what it is.  I don’t know if this really happened or not.  It is still a god story.

I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. ’I’m glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,‘ I thought.

Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation.. ‘Where are you headed?‘ I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.

‘Petawawa. We’ll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we’re being deployed to Afghanistan.‘

After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time.

As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch.

‘No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn’t be worth five bucks. I’ll wait till we get to base.‘

His friend agreed.

I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. ‘Take a lunch to all those soldiers.‘ She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. ‘My son was a soldier in Iraq; it’s almost like you are doing it for him.‘

Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, ’Which do you like best – beef or chicken?‘  ’Chicken,‘ I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class.

‘This is your thanks.‘

After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me.

‘I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.‘ He handed me twenty-five dollars.

Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, an said, ‘I want to shake your hand.‘

Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain’s hand. With a booming voice he said, ‘I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.‘ I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.

When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. ‘It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.’

Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals.

It seemed so little…

A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to ‘United States of America‘ for an amount of ‘up to and including my life.‘

That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.

Pass this link on to your friends and family.  If you see a solider or know a veteran, make sure you thank them.  You probably wouldn’t be here if not for the Men and Women protecting this country and our way of life.  Freedom isn’t free, and these people are paying for it for us.

This post is about the recent experience my wife and I have had at the CarMax on Eastchase in Arlington/Ft. Worth.  The names and facts have NOT been changes to allow throwing stones at the guilty.

This story started end of March.  March 27th, 2009.  A few days before our old ’89 Buick Skylark bit the dust.  Brakes failed, stearing became a problem, and the oncoming traffic didn’t help matters either.  We looked around online at CarMax and a few other local dealerships wanting to stay below the $10k mark.  Their site made it easy to search about the 5 or 6 dealerships within a 300 mile radius.  That being said, they had about 15 cars below that mark.  All and all, we settled on a 99 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport.  As an added bonus, it only had 63k miles on.  A 99 with 63k miles, for $8200, would you turn that down?

The following week, we sold the Buick to them.  Got $100 for it.  Double what I was expecting.  So far at this point, it has been a good experience.  Bill Dearman (the sales rep that helped us) was curtious the entire time and let us take our time.  He earned our repeat business AND my recommendation.  Both things I don’t take lightly.

Well, fast forward about 33 days.  Fuel pump goes out.  I’m no machanic, but for a 10 year old car, the fuel pump probably should have been replaced just due to old age.  At least those are my thoughts.  I call up Bill and asked his opinion.  He said to call the service center and ask up the chain until I got the top dog or the answer I wanted.  That was my first mistake, I should have listend and done just that.  Instead, I called one, and the rep on the other end (don’t recall the name), was very rude about the 30 day warrenty.  I understand that 30 days was it and they have no obligation to do anything after that period.  But in the same token, this is a major repair shortly after warrenty period.  It’s just good customer service to take care of.  Now, 10 days? 15 days? 30 days after expiry, I wouldn’t have even bothered to try to get it for free or even discounted.

I made a few complaints on Twitter about the bill we got from Pepboys ($730).  That was my second mistake, I took it to Pepboys.  They insisted that more work needed to be done than was required.  Some services they were suggesting were completed not but 2k miles before.  On top of that, had I just went back to CarMax anyways, even paying for it, would have saved between $200 and $300 off the repair!  Well, @CarMaxChris spoke up and suggested I call the Customer Service Center (Executive Response Team) to see if they can fix this.

Called them and spoke with a women named Paige.  She asked for some details about what happened and said she’ll make a call to the same store and see what the Service Manager could do (His name was also Bill.  Don’t ask for his last name because frankly, I’d buther it).  He called about 5 mins later and asked a few more questions.  By the time he called though, the tank was already dropped at Pepboys so he couldn’t tow it over.  When all was said and done, he confirmed what Bill Dearman said.  Had I gone straight to him in the first place, it would have been towed and repaired at no cost.  30 Days is the rule, but most are handled on a case by case basis.  In cases like mine, they let it slide.  It was just a few days out of warrenty and good customer service to just do it.

Needless to say, they have earned a repeat customer.

I know everone is just DYING to know about this (it’s nice to dream right?), but I’ve been keeping tabs on my weight since starting at 24 Hour Fitness.  Almost daily actually.  Since Mar 16th I have lost 13 lbs.  And it shows.  I look slimer, I feel better, have more energy, and my love handles don’t bounce as much when I run (more of a jog really).

Wife and I also started on a 90 day sprint.  Might post up weekely updates on that as well.

Also began work on Arlington’s 4th of July website.  It needs MASSIVE work.  The current incarnation is NOT of my creation, but it slowly turning into one.  The Google Maps screenshots have been turned into real GMaps, the search on the main page has turned into Google Custom Search, and Google Analytics has also been added to all pages.  BTW, Google, you can send those endorsement checks to my creditors, they are hurting so bad without my payments that they could really use the help.  Why else would they be raising rates right? They wouldn’t do such a decietfull thing as raise rates just because they can right?

I’ve also been having a good talk with Larry Wiedel this week.  Made me realize that I really need to not work so hard.  What’s the point of working 30 hour days for your family, if you never spend time with them?  For that sir, I thank you.

Anyways, I better get back to catching up so I can spend quality time with my daughter and wife today.  And I’m glad I did make time this week just to spend with them.

See you in the next post!