MySpace Random Top Eight.

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My Own Personal Gay Focker.

As some of you may recall, back in late December I posted about the rental truck I wrecked. This, stemming from my original wreck in the Ford F150. I didn't purchase rental insurance and, by Odin's Razor, I somehow backed into a moving vehicle while looking for a house. Anyway, I got several estimates on the damage for informational purposes. The two estimates I got were within $40 of each other, right around $1740. Well, about a week ago, I received a bill from Enterprise Rent-a-Car for $2401.95--including loss of use and administrative fees. Immediately, I called Rob, my friendly Loss Control Administrator and he offered to waive the fees not directly associated with the repairs already paid for. This amount came to $2114.99. I asked a few general questions regarding consequences of not paying in full, timeframes, etc., so I was fully prepared for whatever might happen. He stated that Enterprise Rent-a-Car's policy was basically all-or-nothing, i.e., if I didn't pay the $2114.99 by August 30th, my file would be forwarded to collections. And I couldn't have that. My credit is impeccable. I argued that the estimates I had received had the same scope of repairs, but varied differently in the price of parts and some labor. Clearly, the shop they contracted to repair the vehicle (which just happened to be the dealer I purchased my Dodge from...) used a different pricelist. Anyway, Rob attempted to bypass my arguement with, "Well, the original estimate was actually less than yours but when they opened up the vehicle..." yadda yadda yadda. Almost before he finished I reminded him that the scope of repairs were nearly identical. Either way, his hands were tied and so on and so forth. This was Friday. I got the number of his supervisor and left a message for her to call me on Monday. I get a call from her on Tuesday and she reminded me of Enterprise Rent-a-Car's policy, to which I responded that I had a policy too. My policy was not to pay for another person's poor decisions; namely, the decision to use a repair shop who's clearly charging more than the going rate for repairs. Anyway, after a few minutes she finally laid down and agreed to settle on $1740. I received an Email stating this and put the check in the mail this morning.

So, when renting a vehicle, keep these points in mind:

If you choose not to pay for the extra insurance as I did, can you afford to pay for the damages if you wreck the vehicle?

If you do get into an accident, always get a few estimates so you've got all your bases covered.

Oddly enough, I'm not the least bit upset about this. Except with myself. The fact of the matter is, I have no problem paying for the damages. I wrecked someone else's vehicle, therefore I owe the money to repair it. However, I'm only willing to pay the fair amount and in this case, I think the settlement was fair.

Suspiciously Similar.

For all you Nine Inch Nails fans out there: next time you're rocking out to Pretty Hate Machine, listen closely to the track, "Down In It;" then pick up the Exotic Birds'--a band Trent worked with from 1986 to 1988--album entitled Equilibrium and listen to the track, "Imagination." I think you'll find them suspiciously similar. Although the album wasn't released until after the group broke up (Reznor included), the track had already been recorded and Reznor was a part of the process.

Haloscan disabled.

Trackbacks are now gone from akook.com as all Haloscan has done is bog things up.

What I Want In A Relationship or Maybe I've Been In South Florida Too Long.

Anyone with value.

If you're a girl, that means you have to have more on your mind than what you're wearing, how your make-up looks and what club you're going to next. Clubbing is all well and good... But it shouldn't be your central concern.

I prefer women who have a sense of direction and are already on that path in some way or another. I'm a very independent, care-free person. Drama is simply too exhausting for me. I'm successful in just about all aspects of my life and expect you to be as well. I can support you. But I won't. *Smiles*

Compassion is also an important virtue. If you go around making fun of every other girl that walks the street, please don't waste my time. The poor chick who happens to be wearing a skirt too short for your tastes doesn't need to be the victim of your false pride.

A sense of humor is a must. This doesn't mean you start every conversation with a line about a priest, a Russian and a duck in a bar. It means you understand that life is funny in all sorts of crazy ways and, well, it's far more enjoyable if you're laughing at the world...

...I mean, angsty-emo existentialist girls are really cool too. As long as they don't take themselves too seriously.

Alright, alright, in all fairness, you can be absolutely yourself. Just don't be a bitch. And don't be psycho. But if that's asking too much, well...eh. I suppose if you're hot...

May Day.

I'm going to post a response I made to a MySpace blog a few moments ago, regarding illegal immigration. I'm too tired to write an entire article, but perhaps I will in the future. But probably not. So for now, here's my response:

While I agree with the vast majority of what you have pointedly stated, I do have a few issues of my own. First of all, based on the entirety of your passage, I do not believe your beginning statement really fit well at all. It is as if you decided to begin with a statement to invoke shock and then decided not to follow up on it. You really said nothing about the problem of illegal immigration after pointing out the obvious fact that illegal immigrants are, in fact, breaking the law.

Instead you went on, necessarily, about the issues surrounding the immigrants themselves and how we “Americans” react to them. You rightly mentioned the fact that it is indeed fairly difficult to obtain citizenship and further, the reasons why Mexicans, in this case, absolutely need and desire to come to America. I wholeheartedly agree with your point “one” and certainly find it disheartening that so many “American” citizens delude themselves with notions of grandeur simply because they were born in one territory as opposed to another. And what is really disturbing about this point is that so many people seem to think this way: they become angry when those who live in America seemingly cannot adapt to American society—whatever that is.

This takes us to point “two.” It seems you suddenly become an advocate for the very problem you mentioned before-hand. I think that Teddy Roosevelt’s solution, while seemingly practical, lacks the compassion attempted to convey you feel towards the issue. There is no official language here, and for right reason: there is no culture. America is but an amalgam of various cultures and practices and ways of life for, indeed, America is a country based on immigration. By virtue of the fact that so many immigrants wish only to work or educate themselves here and then wish to return to their homeland is further evidence of this very fact. America is simply a more practical means to a better education and has a stable enough economy to create an atmosphere fit for monetary gain.

You further state that because immigrants to do not feel “invested” in America—that is to say, they do not care to learn the English language nor garner the proper education, and so forth—this “creates a perpetual cycle of poverty, poor education, and crime.” Yes, that is a problem; however, you have created a non sequitur by bringing it up with regards to the present discussion. Immigrants not wishing to Americanize themselves—whatever that is—does not necessarily contribute to poverty, poor education or crime. Sure, I would tend to agree that by not learning the English language, there is an obvious limitation there; and that it seems that those immigrants who do not fully “invest” themselves in America, are more likely to be poverty-stricken. But to state that there is some sort of direct correlation is as I have clearly stated above.

As far as point “three” is concerned, I think Americans have their cake and want to eat it too. We like to pretend we are so concerned with American jobs, yet we are not willing to pay the price for it. You state that so many American companies are “obsessed with the bottom-line” as if there is something wrong with that way of thinking. What makes the American economy so appealing is the fact that it is relatively capitalistic. Many Americans would agree with your statement, yet they are not willing to pay the price for American borne products and services. Are you willing, for example, to pay an additional fee to your communications providers in order to ensure that an “American” answers your customer service related issues twenty-four hours a day? Or, to be more personally specific, are you willing to pay a premium for construction-related services with regards to new construction or restoration? I am in the storm repair business—currently, re-roofing—and am presently working in South Florida. The last few days have basically been a standstill for the vast majority of construction-related projects. What effect will this have on the construction economy here? If this problem perpetuates, prices for labor will drive up thru the roof (no pun intended). The fact of the matter is, people are not prepared to pay, nor wish to pay, for American labor. Until Americans are willing to pay the premiums for American borne products and services, this problem will continue to rear its ugly head.

Finally, I am not so sure that the solution is for America to “fix Mexico.” That seems to be our solution for everything; yet, nothing seems to actually get "fixed.” Ultimately, Mexico must grow from its own accord, perhaps with the support of America. Encouraging Mexican immigration and treating them as equals is the first step to perpetuating Mexican society. And I think that was well-represented yesterday.

If you care to check out the initial passage I was responding to, please see Daniel K's Blog--entry titled: "Fix Mexico (part 1)."