Down On Our Luck » Helpful Tips

Why I Haven’t Updated about Q’s Gambling Problem

Bcarter — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 13:02:02 +0000

I don’t think of myself as superstitious, but there must be a touch of this trait in myself somewhere because I haven’t posted anything about Q’s gambling problem in a long time. I don’t know what it is, but everytime I give Q praise either in conversation or on this blog, it comes back to bite me in the butt with a trip to the casino by Q. Many times he doesn’t know I’ve said something good about him, but it almost always seems the same day I say “Q’s been doing real well and avoiding the casino” in a real upbeat tone, is the same day I come home to disappointment and heartbreak. The whole cycle of building up some faith and trust in him is then beat down and must start over.

I can’t resist taking a risk here and stating that Q has been doing really well (as far as I’m aware of) with staying out of the casino. I’ve become pretty good at reading the signs that he gives off when he’s lying so I have to say that I do believe him when I ask and he says “no”.

Q had a real breakthrough last time he went to the casino and lost his paycheck. He had been going to a branch where he didn’t sign the contract to be banned and had not been thrown out yet, so security did not know him that well. Last time he lost his check, he went up to the security desk and asked them to take a picture of him (with the hat on this time); the security officer then told him that he could be thrown out and into jail right then and there, but because he was asking for help he’d give him a break. He also brought home the business card of the security officer and gave it to me.

He has not been to the casino since and I am extremely proud of him. Now I’m going to go and place my Karma Cap upon my head and hope this doesn’t bite me in the butt.

Goal Number 2 Finished July 6th 2008

Bcarter — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:19:50 +0000

As I stated in Information Overload, I had two things that absolutely had to get done for this weekend if I had any hopes of being productive when I sit down at my desk in the near future. Goal number one which I consider complete was to get the desk clear.

This may not look like it’s complete, but it is as good as it gets for right now. I have a couple of pieces of paper and software to put away yet, but that’s it folks.

Goal number two was to get through the RSS feeds I’ve been subscribing to and clear out the ones that I don’t read or get any valuable information out of. Some that I kept have been borderline, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt for a little while longer. I kept way too many to list in one blog post, so I’ll give links to 5 of the blogs I will keep subscribing to today and on a slow day (IE, I can’t think of what to write) I’ll continue the list.

I Can Has Cheezburger – I love LOL cats and this blog brings me a great dose of them every day. We all need some time to laugh; the adorable cats and animals here do just the trick. I only spend about 5 minutes here; everything doesn’t have to be all business all of the time, does it?

Blog Badly – I like the sarcastic viewpoint that this blog takes. 9 Common Newbie Blogger Misconceptions is a great example of the writers sarcastic side. Any newb should poke around this blog for a short time to get a good idea of what NOT to do. Do I always listen? Peak around here for yourself and you’ll know the answer.

Mr. Javo – I was borderline with keeping Mr. Javo because for a while I felt that he was trying to be a John Cow wannabe. After reading his more recent posts, like 6 Useful Tips to Build Relationships With Your Readers, I have decided to keep subscribing for a little while longer and give him a chance.

Goal Number 1 July 5th 2008

Bcarter — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 18:00:29 +0000

I’m getting close to the end of completing goal number one of my weekend projects and this has gone surprisingly fast. I found a ton of expired coupons, upcoming release paperwork and in stock printouts from 2007. Obviously, the coupons and the in stock printout from my distributor have gone in the recycle bin. I’ll be making a folder for current fliers and sales items from each distributor so I know where to find these items when I need them. That was a majority of the clutter that you saw in the picture yesterday.

Once I hit rock bottom in the mess I found a winning lottery ticket worth $2 (I know) and $1.20 which immediately into the change jar that Q has started.

I still have a Kleenex box full of personal receipts to file away somewhere, but I think I’ll just put these downstairs by the business receipts in case something is in there that shouldn’t be; I don’t want to be caught off-guard. Once this is done I should be ready to dust and get down to business with an uncluttered desk. Then I’ll be ready to get running with my next project of the weekend; going through the feeds which I subscribe to.

We are blog numbers 528 and 529

Bcarter — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:59:31 +0000

We bet you thought this blog was dead, I was just on vacation with no access to a computer. I know this isn’t a real post, but I thought I’d write about the fact that I signed up on the Million Blog List while I was thinking of a better post to write. That’s it, that’s all I have for now; I’m numbers 528 and 529.

Looking for Stories

Bcarter — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:40:28 +0000

Are you a gambler looking to get some things off of your chest or do you have a loved one with a gambling problem? If so, we’d love to hear from you. Drop me an email at BKayCarter @ gmail.com.

Writing about your problems is a good way to really dig deep inside and figure things out. We want to help as many people as we can.