You know what I just LOVE?

...when a bum approaches me on the street, and asks if he can have some money. Then when I give him all the change in my pocket, he responds "It would really help me out if I could get a $5."

Really? Are you serious? Not "thank you," not "God bless you," but "It would really help me out if I could get a $5."

Let's do a little math here: You could stand in your one spot, and at a minimum, about 50 people per hour will walk past you on a typical weekday (this is eastern NC, mind you). If everyone were to give you $5, that's $250/hour, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week - you're making around $10 grand a week. Hell, if even 5% - 10% of the passersby responded to your request, you're still doing better than a lot of new college grads. Not to mention that 8 hours a day is a conservative estimate, since you have nothing else to do (like bathing, obviously), and you can also prey on the tourist crowds on the weekends.

Sounds pretty good to me. So why exactly did I waste my time in law school when I could be panhandling?

Look, I know good people fall on hard times. I know hard working folks get laid off. I know I've had a lot of advantages in my life that many people haven't. But come on. Can you at least fake appreciation?

Some Thoughts

• So is anyone else super-pumped that Ghost Hunters is back on? This show is so good. For anyone unfamiliar, the title is pretty self-explanatory - think your house is haunted? Give 'em a call and they'll check it out for you! Scientific in its approach, and always seeking to disprove first, it's always creepy whenever they break down a deem a place "haunted."
• I have not joined the "next-gen" video game ranks as of yet, but I feel an Xbox 360 may be in my near future. Even with my load of PS2 games sitting unused on my shelf (the 'ol PS2 died nearly a year ago), the upcoming releases of Halo 3 and Grand Theft Auto 4 with exclusive Xbox content may tip the scales in that direction.
  
• After a 27-year comprehensive study, I've determined the following when it comes to females - 49% are not attractive enough to date; 49% are too hot and out of my league; 2% are attractive, approachable, and completely uninterested in me.
  
• Have you seen that Hardee's/Carl's Jr. commercial where the two "cool guys" are sitting in the diner, when the "dorky waiter" comes up and starts naming the establishment's dessert selection? What a couple of douchebags! A simple "no, thanks" will do the trick. Do you have to sit there and mock the guy just because he's overweight and he's not wearing a trendy graphic tee? I literally can't watch the ad; it's too painful. (Sorry, it doesn't seem to be on YouTube...maybe it's just a regional spot)
• Warrant is very underrated in the world of hair bands/glam rockers. Whenever you're sitting around talking 80's metal, Warrant is always the band that gets overlooked. They really had some great songs, though. If nothing else, the following should be on your iPod: "Heaven," "Sometimes She Cries,""Where the Down Boys Go," and "Uncle Tom's Cabin." (You've probably already got "Cherry Pie").
  
• I'm growing quite scared of something....that Transformers will be terrible. I just want it to be awesome, but Michael Bay's involvement with the project makes me nervous. Transformers were THE thing from my formative years, and I don't think I can seeing it maligned on the big screen. Please, don't let this be another Miami Vice.
  

Free Legal Advice, or alternatively, I May be Going to Hell

I'll just throw this one out there - I foreclosed on a church today.

Let that sink in for a second.

But here's what happened: Borrower owned two rather large pieces of land, tract 1 and tract 2. He intends (he claims) to take out a mortgage on tract 1, but "inadvertently" (that's yet to be determined) takes out the mortgage on tract 2. Then, either out of the goodness of his heart or because of some sweet tax write-off, he sells tract 2 to a local church for a nominal sum - $10 for the entire parcel if I'm not mistaken.

Years go by. The church builds a brand-spankin'-new fellowship hall on the land, all the while being clueless to the fact that their property is securing a debt of its former owner. So guess what happens when Borrower defaults on his payments?

That's right - the bank is free to pursue a foreclosure action against the subject property, which according to publicly recorded documents is not tract 1, but instead tract 2. Borrower? Doesn't lose much but his credit rating. The church? Basically screwed. The person presenting this evidence at the foreclosure hearing? Me, of course.

So here's the moral of the story - ALWAYS GET A TITLE SEARCH!!! If you buy land, if you receive land as a gift, if your Great Aunt dies and leaves you some land in her will - GET IT SEARCHED! Who knows what kind of crazy mortgages or liens or back taxes are out there.

If the bank won't back off from a church, it sure as hell won't back off from you.

Now pardon me while I go kick some puppies....

Now if the football team would just step it up....

GO HEELS!!!