How come the more money someone has, the less I tend to like them?

Sure, this isn't true of everyone, but it seems like a lot of my happy friends don't make the big bucks....and the people I know who have these high paying jobs or high level positions or a lot of money, are generally (not always) assholes?

Hmmm.

Makes you think, doesn't it?

I think a lot of people think money is the be all end all. And don't get me wrong. I value money. A lot. We all need it to pay our rent/mortgages, buy food, pay our bills, take care of our families, etc.

However, in general, I've noticed that to earn a LOT of money you have to work your ass off. And that's fine. I'm a hard worker. A really hard worker.

But the people I know that make a lot of money have to travel a LOT for work. So they are away from their families a lot. That sucks.

Or, the people I know with a lot of money have poor values - they lie, cheat and steal and somehow justify it, think it's ok because they just are greedy and want more money....so as long as they don't break the law, they see no problem with being shady, dishonest, disloyal, etc.

Oh well. I believe you can have both.

Money while maintaining your integrity.

If you're gonna have sex, at least close door....

And put on some music.

Seriously.

I'm happy that people have sex in my building.

Really.

I am.

I just don't want to hear it.

For a while, there was this one girl in my building who would scream so loud, 1/2 the time I thought I should call the police. But after listening for a while, I realized she was ok, not screaming for her life (it's a big city; you can never be too careful).

And over the years, there comes a time when, if you live with a roommate, you're going to hear them, right?

Well, here are some helpful tips.

1. Put on some music - yes, amazingly enough, a little music might cover your screams and moans.
2. Close your door. Yes, I understand the wind might blow it open - that's why you should close it!! And hey, if you are lucky enough to have 2 doors to your room - close BOTH of them!
3. I know you're in a hurry to get laid, but at least have the decency to close the front door to the apartment. Again, it is a city and you never know what pervert or criminal might be walking by!
4. If you're going to be having THAT much sex, you really owe it to yourself to get your own apartment. Or at least go to his place if you're going to make that much noise without giving your roommate warning. Seriously!!

I admit it - I watch a lot of TV...what shows do you watch?

I write this as I watch a Tivo'd episode of 90210.

I blame Tivo for the reason I haven't taken over the world yet or become President.

I have over 100 shows on my Tivo list.

In my defense, I never used to watch this much TV. In fact, I only used to watch "Sex and the City" and "The Bachelor" and a handful of shows...but because of my job, I actually had to start watching TV for work and now, as a result, I watch a lot of TV.

Ha, but in my defense, I multi-task and work or check email or read while I have my shows on. So at least I'm not a total coach potato, sitting and vegging out in from of the TV with a bag of chips.

What shows do you watch?

What do you Tivo?

I guess reality tv is here to stay....but at least people aren't putting leaches down their pants.

How to be happier - don't watch the TV news

An artist said this to me a few months ago and now I've read it in several business books.

If you want to be happy (or happier), don't watch the TV news.

It's all doom and gloom drama... and you can get the important news you need from cnn.com or yahoo.com/news

I like the morning news if I have to watch TV news. Because it's more about the economy and human interest stories vs. the late night news which is all murders and crime and such.

Anyhow, back to work!

Friends in LA

So I had a rather tough dialogue with a friend yesterday.

She was all upset that I wasn't attending her birthday party.

And you know, I understand that birthdays are SUPER important to some people, especially women. I always figure the friends that make it a point to attend my birthday party are friends that think their birthdays are important (most of the time) so I do my best to attend theirs.

However, it was shocking to me that someone I never talk to on the phone or email about deeply personal things (as you do with really close friends) would be so upset with me. Because I was an awesome friend to her (helping her with job leads when she was out of work, lending a cheerful and encouraging ear when she was out of work, giving her lots of dating advice) would have the audacity to call me out and be "hurt and offended" simply because I wasn't going to her birthday party, even though I offered to take her out some other time and even though I know none of her friends and her birthday party isn't even just hers but with another friend she has that I don't know, and despite the fact that I hate karaoke with a passion.

So it begs the question - are you obligated to go to someone's birthday party just because they are your friend?

I think for close friends, absolutely, at least if their birthday is important to them.

But for someone you barely know? I think not.

The issue really was that while I was a great friend to her, I don't think I got the same back from her. It's nothing against her, just that I feel like I gave a LOT to her in our friendship and didn't really get much back. So to me, that entitles me to be perhaps a bit selfish, and beg out of some big dinner where I won't know a soul and karaoke, that I absolutely hate. Listen, I listen to enough bad music for a living - the last thing I want to do for "fun" is listen to more bad singing ...and to pay for the privilege.

Anyhow, sadly, that friendship has come to an end.

And it makes me wonder if I need to be a bit more selective/selfish when it comes to my friendships.

Because I was such a good friend, I am expected to do EVERYTHING right and perfectly, even when it's something I simply don't want to do.

That hardly seems fair.

Oh well.

I'm sure there are more sane and stable women in LA that I can make friends with.

Being sick and getting better

There is nothing worse in life than being sick.

That being said, there is also nothing better in life then when you feel better.

I am just thankful for Tivo or at least my DirecTV DVR that has recorded about 3,000 hours of programming and allows me to watch countless reruns of "Sex and the City" and "Family Guy".

Why do people complain? 2 reasons (thanks to Derek)

My friend Derek Sivers is brilliant! Yup.

I was trying to figure out the other day why so many people complain. And I'll admit, I'm guilty of it also....

Derek had the most amazing observation.

He said that people complain for 2 reasons:

1. They are in a situation they don't know how to get out of. And want advice/help on how to do it. i.e. I'm so in debt, I don't know what to do.

2. They know what to do, but they are too lazy to do anything about it.

# 2 is the only that really hit me like a bolt of lightning.

How amazingly true.

And then it hit me why # 2 was particularly frustrating.

Because it's easy to listen to a friend going through something rough. Maybe they are having marital problems. Or money problems.

But the thing is, almost any problem in life is fixable.

Even money problems.

Clearly, if you're that much in debt, you either need to:

1. Move to a cheaper apt/house/party of town/state
2. Get a better job
3. Cut down on expenses
4. A combo of all of the 3 above

I have no sympathy for lazy people.

And I bet neither do you.

So the next time you complain about something - think about why you're complaining.

Is it reason # 1 or # 2?

Should I write a book?

Of course, the answer is yes.

What should I write about?

I could easily write a "how to" book of advice for indie artists/musicians.

However, the two things I feel like I could write now are totally random.

One is a book about how to be frugal/save money. Hmm, I may not be the poster child for this but I feel like I could do a good job by observing what other people waste money on.

The other topic is motivational/self help.

Anyhow, I'll let these ideas stew.