Tag: #Scam

  • ODDS and ENDS: Christmas Shopping, Genesis, and Bitcoin Value

    ODDS and ENDS is my continuing series of random thoughts and follow ups…

    We have heeded the words of the economists about the supply chain and have ordered all of the kid’s Christmas gifts, so in a sense, we are done shopping for her. We just have to wait for everything to be delivered, which looks like it will be by Thanksgiving. That just leaves shopping for me and the wife. This will be the second year where we are buying gifts for ourselves, and I have to admit, I prefer it. We set a budget for each of us, and we won’t be disappointed. There is still a little wiggle room for each of us to get a little something for the other, which keeps it a little fun with a surprise on Christmas morning.

    I know nothing about Peter Gabriel era Genesis. I can say that I had no idea that Peter Gabriel was in Genesis until in 1991 or 1992 when Charlie Campbell informed me of this information. I was at Charlie’s house to talk about recording a cable public access show, and we started talking about music we liked, and that’s when he dropped the truth nugget that her preferred Peter Gabriel Genesis, as Phil Collins Genesis was a bunch of sell outs. Even with this knowledge, I never went and listened to Gabriel’s Genesis. Well, until today, when that memory popped into my head, and I have Spotify, so… Selling England By the Pound is the album of the day.

    As of this moment, my Bitcoin has gone down in value. I have lost $2.17, or a -6.2% evaluation. And I was hoping to buy a cup of coffee with my earnings, but now I owe Bitcoin a coffee.

  • I Bought Bitcoin

    Did you know that you can buy Bitcoin through Venmo? If you didn’t know, now you know. I thought it was a scam at first. I mean, Bitcoin sells for like $60k a share, and I clearly don’t have that much money to throw around. I also know that Venmo really isn’t selling shares. I think it’s more like renting shares.

    Anyway, I was checking on my Venmo account, which I rarely use. Before the pandemic, when I would go out with friends and have to split a check, that’s when I would use it. And for the fantasy football league that I play in. So, I was checking the account, and I saw that I had forgot that I have $35 in it.

    What to do?

    Now, I am not endorsing buying Bitcoin through Venmo, but I bought Bitcoin through Venmo. Currently, I have made three dollars.

    And it still feels like a scam. I do know how cryptocurrency works, so please don’t explain it to me. In a philosophical sense, anything can have value, and this is a thing, and people say it has value. Maybe it’s the Tulip Crazy all over again, or the Roaring Twenties, or whatever.

    I find it odd that I have purchased something that can make me money, but is not physical. I feel like I have purchased a belief in something. The Ethereal Value.

    It’s conceivable that in one year, I could have $300 of value. And then a year after that, $3,000 of value.

    And it’s also conceivable that someone could say, “It’s just a tulip,” and it all goes away.

    But as of right now, I can go and buy a good cup of coffee.  

  • Everything’s a Scam

    When I was in college, I took an Intro to Sociology class, which when I think back on it, was one of the better classes I ever took. Anyway, one of the many things that was taught in there was that, on the whole, as people age, their world view becomes more conservative. That doesn’t mean that if you are the hardest left liberal in your twenties, you will then become the hardest right conservative in your sixties. It’s more akin to, a hard-left liberal is more likely to become a centrist by their sixties. There are many factors as to why this might happen to someone, but the research showed that odds are you will be more conservative as you get older.

    That’s one of those pieces of knowledge that hangs out in the back of my head, and flares up every now and then when I find myself doing something, well, old man-ish.

    Such as thinking everything is a scam. This seems to have become my new “go to” on, just about everything. Like;

    Pumpkin patches? Scam

    Disney on Ice? Scam

    Pediatric Dentistry? Scam

    None of my scam beliefs are based on any facts. Just a feeling that I get when things aren’t adding up, and someone is out there trying to get my money. Also, I think this way when a product being delivered is of low quality. (Looking at you, corporate children’s live entertainment…) I can’t put my finger on when this started with me, but this thought happens more often than not.

    I just hope I don’t start watching OAN.

  • ODDS and ENDS: Fantasy Football, Chopped Cheese Biscuit, That’s Not a Holiday

    “Odds and Ends” is my continuing series of random thoughts and follow ups…

    This week, I received the email alerting me that the Fantasy Football League that I take part in is ready for the coming season. I have been taking part in this league for over ten years, and I’ve won it twice. Our group used to be twelve players, but now we are down to six; four of us went to college together, one guy is a friend I used to work with in New York, and the other guy is the husband of a college friend. I know that the six of us have never been in the same room together, but it does feel like the band is getting back together when fall rolls around.

    Do you know what a chopped cheese sandwich is? It’s a New York bodega thing, but I feel like people outside of the City are starting to find out about it. I say all of this because there is a food market in Harlem, Manhattanville Market, that has a joint called Butterfunk Biscuit Co. that is now offering a Chopped Cheese Biscuit Sandwich. This monstrosity might take 35 minutes off my life, but it looks comfort food amazing! I might not need an excuse to stop by there this weekend.

    Yesterday was “National Dog Day” or as my wife put it, “National Tell Me Your Dog’s Name So I can Try to Hack Your Password Day,” and while we’re at it, it’s also, “What’s Your Mother’s Maiden Name Day,” and “What Street Were You Born On Day” as well…