Connected Isolation

The Correlation Between People Who Eat At Raising Canes and People Who Litter

2026-03-06T19:28:00.001-06:00

Over the years one of my hobbies was picking up trash to clean up the neighborhoods. It eventually led me to a job in grounds keeping where I clean up garbage for a large apartment complex. Over the years I have noticed patterns on the types of things that are most littered.

When it comes to fast food restaurant trash, the ones I find more than any other are from Raising Canes. Now the reason this is odd is because there are not many of these restaurants near my location. The nearest one is 5 miles away. Pretty much every other chain has several restaurants closer by, yet despite this fact, it is still the most littered.

One might think it is a fluke, but these findings have been consistent and it is not just one one specific area, it is everywhere I go. I will say they Raising Canes does put their logo on pretty much all their containers so that may have a small contributing factor, but it still does not explain why their trash is found so much more than other similar restaurants.

It has really become a joke. Whenever I find a cup or a wrapper from there, I say to myself "The joke continues" because it feels like a joke the universe is playing on me haha.

I am curious if anyone else has noticed this? It is possible there is just some strange correlation between people who eat at Raising Canes and people who litter?

Five Guys is Not Good

2026-03-06T19:08:00.001-06:00

As the title states, Five Guys restaurant is not good in my opinion. Recently my work ordered a group lunch and they picked Five Guys. I pleaded for other choices but that is the one they went with.

As someone who doesn't eat much meat, this place really has limited options. Heck, even if you do eat meat this place has limited options. It's pretty much burgers, hotdogs, and fries and that's it. I went through every item on the menu trying to find at least something to order. I reluctantly settled on a veggie burger with cheese. I requested bbq sauce as well.

I go to the location to pick it up for our group. Now I used to work for Door Dash so I have experience picking up from this restaurant. Let me tell you, it was always one of my least favorite places to pick up from to the point where I pretty much refused to take orders from there.

Right off the bat as soon as you walk in there is a nauseating smell. It gives me a headache almost instantly just being in there inhaling the fumes from the cooking.

Another thing is, they don't start the fries until you get there. The point of pick up is that is is ready to pick up when you get there. No one picking up wants to wait extra time for the food to be cooked after they arrive and are ready to pick it up.

Then of course is the greasy fries that soak through the bag. They used to just give a paper bag which was a disaster of course but now even with a plastic bag it is pretty disgusting with the oil and steam.

So back to picking up this order. It's for 8 people and they all have fountain drinks. After waiting about 10 minutes for it to be ready they give me the order and 8 cups. Just great, now I have to fill up and prepare 8 cups of soda. And the machine is one of those touch screens with all the different choices which seems like a good idea except it just makes everything more difficult. Try getting the right while trying to control the flow with a touch screen.

So after about another 10 minutes of making the drinks I am finally able to load everything into the car. I have to keep the windows down because the smell is overwhelming.

I get back to work and set up the food. I get my veggie sandwich and it has no cheese and no sauce. So I pretty much got raw vegetables on a plain bun. Delicious... not. Glad I brought my lunch as usual just in case for situations like this.

Anyway, just wanted to rant because I am disappointed by this restaurant and my experiences I have had there. Anyone else have a similar opinion? Feel free to leave a comment.

Wrong Number Text Scams, Whatsapp. Be Careful! Almost Got Scammed!

2025-12-16T22:12:00.002-06:00

About a week ago a got a text message from some number I didn’t recognize asking something about if I am coming into work today. I figured they accidentally got the wrong number so I told them they may have the wrong number. They apologized and said they would treat me to coffee if I was in the area. I said I was far away but thanked them for the offer.

I thought this was a friendly exchange but little did I know at the time, it was just a common set up for what is known as a wrong number text scam which the scammer will try to befriend you to gain your trust over time and then eventually try to convince you to invest money into a scheme which you will end up losing money.

Anyway so they continued the conversation and I guess I was intrigued enough or just willing to make a new pen pal so I continued to chat with them. Soon they asked me to transfer our conversation over to Whatsapp. I asked why and they said they were using a work phone that other people use. I didn’t have the app but it looked ok so I downloaded it to the phone to continue the conversation.

As the days went on she shared more about herself including pictures and videos which seemed to be real. I was still a bit skeptical so I started looking up the phone numbers and the images but nothing turned up so it seemed legitimate.

It soon became apparent that she was very wealthy. She said she had her own jewelry business and that she also makes money by investing in the gold market. She spoke about this investing several times and mentioned that she could teach me to do it if I was interested.

I was still considering that this was possibly a scam so I knew I did not want to invest any money, but it was tempting especially since she apparently was very good at it. She said her aunt was her mentor and taught her about investing.

About a week in, the relationship was going well. We chatted several times a day and we seemed to be getting along great. I really thought I got lucky by randomly getting into a conversation with a stranger who just happened to be beautiful, single, and rich. Of course this should have clued me into the fact that it was probably a scam, but I wanted to believe it was true.

Even certain examples along the way that seemed a bit odd and didn’t quite check out, I brushed off and kept believing that this could be the real thing.

I told me sister and she immediately said it sounded like a scam. She sent me examples of common scams and honestly the descriptions matched up with what I was dealing with so I started to get a little more cautious.

I started to dig a little deeper and search for terms like “wrong number text scam” and “gold investing scam". Examples on Reddit started popping up and I was shocked by what I found. There were tons of examples of pretty much exactly the same set up leading to a scam!

It starts with an innocent wrong number text and they keep chatting back and forth to gain your trust. They ask you to move over to Whatsapp to keep chatting. They mention that they are rich from investing and offer to help you get involved with it. Once you agree to invest money with them, it turns out it is a scam and you lose your money.

I was lucky I discovered it was a scam before it got that far so I did not lose anything. I told myself I would not put any money into it in case it was a scam but I will admit, the idea of it was tempting. I was really believing this person and starting to take their advice and direction on big decisions which is pretty scary considering it was all fake.

I believed this relationship was real for about a week until I discovered the similar examples online. I consider myself a pretty tech savvy person who is well educated when it comes to tech scams. I have seen many examples of it online and taken a lot of cyber security courses as well, and even with all of that, I still managed to get pulled into one of these scams.

It is really sad that there are people out there doing this, taking advantage of people with the sole intention of stealing their money. They are preying on innocent people who are often seeking out a relationship and they exploit this for their own personal gain. I was lucky I did not lose anything in this interaction but many people out there get further into it and end up losing a lot of money.

I wanted to share this example of what happened with the hope that it will help others not fall victim to the same scam. Be careful out there. If something seems too good to be true it is!

Facebook Marketplace – Why is it so bad? Pet peeves and frustration.

2025-10-22T14:01:00.000-05:00

If you are looking to sell something locally, chances are you have experience with Facebook Marketplace. It is one of the most popular platforms for buying and selling items and it is run by one of the biggest companies in the world, so why is it so bad?

Is it the software itself, the people who are using it, or a combination of both? I would say it is a mix of both.

One of the biggest issues is poor communication. Most people start by sending a generic “Is this still available?” message. I will usually reply immediately with something like, “Yes, can you pick it up today?” Then most of the time they will not even read the reply or if they do read it, they don’t reply.

My theory is that since Facebook has those quick message send options, I think a lot of people are accidentally tapping those messages even when they don’t mean to send a message. For the others, they are clearly not serious about buying the item so they don’t even reply.

It doesn’t help that Facebook’s app is not reliable at all when it comes to functionality and communication. I just had a scheduled meet up with a buyer. I was waiting like 10 minutes and so was he, when we were both there because the messages did not go through. I was there with the app open to the chat and there was nothing. It was not until I force closed the app and then re-opened it that I saw their messages show up.

Another thing is that people do not even read the details of the listing before they start sending messages. There have been so many times where people have said they were interested and we went back and forth discussing the item. Then finally when they agree to buy it they realize the distance is too far. I always have the location listed and still they do not pay attention.

The rating system could be better also. I always rate after a good transaction. If it was not a good transaction I will just not rate them. I don’t like the idea that your identity is shown on the ratings because it could cause conflict or retaliation for giving a bad review.

Overall the app could use a lot of improvement. Considering how popular it is and how big the company is, you would think they would be able to make some of these fixes to improve the product.

What is your experience using Facebook Marketplace? Feel free to leave a comment below.

Making mistakes is not a problem. Being dishonest about it is.

2025-10-12T18:14:00.000-05:00

Everyone makes mistakes from time to time. It is just part of life. When we make a mistake, we have the chance to learn from it so it does not happen again.

Sometimes when people make mistakes they don’t want others to know about it so they try to hide it or lie about it to avoid taking the blame for what happened. It is understandable when people do this because they are trying to save themselves from embarrassment or from consequence. They don’t want others to know they made a mistake because they feel others will think less of them because of it.

I would argue that this is the wrong approach and that being honest about it and telling the truth is a much better way to address a mistake. Sure if you lie about it and no one finds out the truth, you might get away with it. However if you lie about it and the truth is found out, now not only will you be judged on making the mistake but now also on lying about it which is worse.

The reason it is worse is because being dishonest is a personal choice. It is something you have control over and by lying, it also means you can no longer be trusted. Trust is incredibly important in all aspects of life. When you are trustworthy, people can depend on you and that makes you valuable. If you can’t be trusted, people can’t really take you for your word anymore and that means people will always question whether you are telling the truth or not.

When you make a mistake, it is better to just own it and tell the truth rather than try to hide it and end up making things worse for yourself.

This topic was on my mind because I have dealt with this situation frequently at work. I will ask someone about a mistake that was made and they act like they don’t know anything about it. Then later I find out that it was in fact their mistake and they were not truthful about it. In these cases, I would much rather they had just been honest in the first place. It would not have been a big deal at all, but since they lied about it, now I know I can’t trust them, and that has a huge negative effect on how I see them as an employee and as a person in general.

As tempting as it may me to try to hide a mistake, in the long run, it is better to just be honest about it. Mistakes happen. It is part of life and often times it cannot be avoided no matter how careful we are. It is how we choose to react when these mistakes happen that will determine if we are someone who can be trusted or not.

When songs make us cry. Music’s ability to elicit an emotional response.

2025-09-28T16:21:00.001-05:00

Have you ever listened to a song and it brought tears to your eyes? This happens to me sometimes and I find it fascinating that a song can bring about such emotion that it actually makes us cry. I began looking into how and why this happens.

Apparently there are several different reasons on why this occurs. For example the song could be associated with a particular emotional time or event in your life and it reminds you of that time. Another example is when you relate to the lyrics and they stir up a strong emotion within you. It could also be that you find the music to be incredibly beautiful and it just resonates with you.

For me, I tend to get most emotional when an individual overcomes obstacles and achieves a goal that have been striving for. For example when someone has been working hard at something and even when it looks like it won’t work out, they keep trying and eventually succeed in their efforts.

I will share 3 examples of these kinds of songs that bring about this emotion and make me cry.

The first is an audition by Jillian Jensen on the show X Factor. This was many years ago and to this day every time I watch it, I start bawling. The segment gives a little about her background and how she struggled growing up and was bullied about her singing. Then she gives an emotional raw performance, pouring her heart out and it is just so powerful, you can feel it. Here is her performance from that night:

Another example is the song Defying Gravity from the movie Wicked, sung by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. I actually just watched this movie for the first time recently and scene where they sing this song was so emotional. It is another one of those situations where the character was ostracized and made fun of by others because she was different. Then she finally get the power and confidence to defy gravity and the emotions come pouring out. Cynthia’s vocals in the 2nd half of the song blow me away every time.

Last example is a song many people are familiar with and that is Let It Go from the movie Frozen sung by Idina Menzel. It’s a popular song of course but it is also very emotional in the context. In the movie, The character Elsa has left her community because she was different and didn’t fit in. While alone, she embraces who she is and decides to Let It Go and not be worried what others will think of her. The song builds to a very emotional chorus that I think many people can relate to in different ways.

What are some songs that bring you to tears? Feel free to leave a comment below.

Blog Update

2025-08-10T16:57:00.004-05:00

I always use an ad blocker when browsing the web so I usually don't see advertisements but recently I disabled it to see what the site looks like here with ads. To my surprise, there were tons of ads! Way too many. There were more ads than content!

I went to check my Google Adsense account to see how much money if any was actually being made from all these ads. Turns out the amount was very small. Were talking maybe a few pennies a day. My last Adsense payout was almost 2 years ago! And Google does not let you cash out unless you get to at least $100.

I realized that for the amount of ads that were spamming my site, it was not worth it to be making just a few cents per day. I would rather just not have any ads and give the reader a much better experience on the site. So as of today I have removed the ads and closed the Google Adsense account.

I don't post as much on this site as I used to, but it still has a lot of articles going back many years and the old articles still get traffic so at least now these articles can be read without being bombarded with a bunch of ads.

How to get food out from in between your teeth?

2025-06-22T12:33:00.004-05:00

It can be very annoying when you get some food stuck in between your teeth so I thought I would share a method that I use that usually works for me. This is for when you get something hard wedged in between back teeth and dental floss by itself is not working.

This happens to me if I am eating something like tortilla chips and a hard part of the chip gets wedged in between my teeth.

First step is to try dental floss to get it out. Most of the time this works, but sometimes the food is too hard and stuck in there that you can't even get the floss in there to clear it.

When floss on its own does not work, I get some water and use to to swish around inside my mouth. Take a gulp of water and swish it around vigorously in between your teeth. Try to focus on the area that has the food stuck. Repeat this process a few times with a few gulps of water.

Then get the floss and try again to floss it out. Hold the floss firmly and try to move it back a forth a bit if it still does not get through. But be careful not to push to hard because you don't want to hurt your gums with the floss.

If it still does not work, go back to the water and swish more water around. For stubborn pieces of food, you may have to do this several times. The water helps break down the food. Sometimes I have had to do this as much as 10 times, but eventually it always works and the food comes out with the floss after swishing the water around to help break it down.

Good luck and feel free to share any tips you have on getting food out of your teeth.

Beelink SER5 Pro Mini PC Review - Initial thoughts

2025-04-04T13:29:00.006-05:00

I recently decided to purchase a new PC to replace my Lenovo desktop tower that was about 9 years old. I still liked the Lenovo but it was starting to get sluggish and freeze up under normal use. The current mini PC's are much faster and they are very affordable so I figured it was about time for a replacement.

After doing research I decided to go with a Beelink SER5 Pro mini PC. It has a Ryzen 7 processor, 500GB storage, and 32GB of RAM. Overall cost about $300.

When it arrived, I was surprised how small the box was. It is amazing that a computer replacing a big desktop tower can be so small and it still has plenty of ports for connections.

Setup and updates did not go as smooth as I would have liked. It had trouble updating to the newest version of Windows 11 so I had to go directly to the Microsoft site and download an installer to help and that worked. Then it said the Radeon drivers did not match so I had to update those.

Upon using it for a while, I noticed that even though the PC was pretty quiet at idle, the fan would rev high whenever I would open a program or perform a simple action. It felt like the computer was stressing more than it should be for simple applications.

I did a bunch of research on adjusting the fan settings as many other people had mentioned the same issue. Finally I found the solution which was to go into the processor power management settings and move the "Maximum processor state" down from 100% to 99%. This made a huge difference and now the PC is much quieter and the fan does not rev up and down like before.

Overall the performance seems to be pretty good. It starts up and shuts down pretty fast and runs programs pretty well.

One thing I don't really like is Windows 11. It is new to me, but so far I have found it not very easy to use or at least, it has quirks or limitations that make it not user friendly. For example the scroll wheels on everything are too thin and seem to want to hide all the time. I have adjusted settings and looked for ways to fix this but so far, none have helped without going deep into modifying registry settings which I don't want to do.

Simple actions such as viewing programs installed seem to require more clicks that necessary and it is not intuitive to get to them. Reaching simple buttons such as a power button requires several clicks and mouse pans to get to it.

There seem to be several different ways to get to similar settings such as power settings, and when adjusting one, it will modify and limit the other and since they are in different places, this makes it confusing.

Some security settings are turned off by default and it is not clear as to why or what effect they have on the system. I found myself having to do tons of research online just to figure out what all these setting are for.

Despite the initial struggle of getting started and the learning curve of Windows 11, overall I am pleased with the system. I will update this review later with more details over time to see how it performs in the long run.

Update 8-29-25:

I have been using the computer for about 4 months and so far it has been pretty good but I have noticed 1 issue. Every so often when I press the power button to turn it on, the light goes on but it does not start up. I then have to hold the power button down to force shut down and then press it again to start it up. Not sure what the issue is, but it is a little worrisome that it does not always boot up reliably. Other than that, it seems to be ok.

Amazon is Pretty Amazing

2025-03-26T15:50:00.005-05:00

I don't order stuff online that often, but recently I placed a couple orders on Amazon and was extremely impressed. First I was searching for a new computer. After doing a bunch of research I decided to place an order. It was about 8pm. I didn't have a Prime membership, but they offered a 30 day trial for free so I decided to go with that to get the free shipping.

Literally the next day, mid day the computer arrives at my door! It's amazing that you can pick out a specific product, place and order and in less than 24 hours it arrives. And that is with free shipping!

A few days later I decided to order a few accessories for the computer. I ordered 3 separate things. Again placed the order late in the evening. Before noon the next day they all arrived! That is pretty incredible.

It's like they have a warehouse with every product near by and have people working overnight to pick out the orders and then more people ready to deliver next day. Maybe that is actually what they have, I don't know, but whatever they are doing it is working very well.

Where I work we get a lot of deliveries from Amazon and in my experience they are not always the most reliable. For example they often don't put the packages where they are supposed to go, and often they don't speak English so that may pose additional challenges for them. But maybe it is what is necessary to fulfill these orders so fast. Yes some orders may get lost, but if most of them arrive next day instead of having to wait a week, maybe it is worth it.

In terms of shopping on their website, I have mixed feelings. On one side, it is very easy to navigate and research products. On the other side, it seems like the website can be a little fishy when it comes to pricing.

For example, I noticed for a lot of the items, it had a lower price listed that was only available if you have an Amazon Prime account.

Another example, I found a mouse pad that was about $7. I decided to do a quick Google search to see if anywhere else had it cheaper. Low and behold I found a 6 pack of the same mouse pads on sale for $5, but not at another store, on Amazon itself.

I did an exact title search on Amazon to find that listing, and nothing showed up even though it was sold by Amazon. I looked through all the results and it was not there. So somehow Google was able to find the lower price on Amazon, but Amazon could not find it on their own site.

Despite these little quirks, I still think Amazon is amazing with how well they nailed down this online shopping and delivery experience. What a time we live in where you can order exactly what you want and have it arrive at your door the next day with free shipping!

UPDATE: A new promotion was just announced for young adults age 18-24: 6 months Amazon Prime trial at no cost. I would say it is a pretty good deal considering the fast and free shipping on orders from Amazon!

New Show Recommendation - Building Outside the Lines

2024-04-06T20:50:00.001-05:00

I just finished watching the show "Building Outside the Lines" and it was so good I wanted to share it here as a recommendation. The show features a father/daughter duo who are asked to make a creative build for a client each episode.

The dad Cappie has a great personality and a lot of enthusiasm. Alex the daughter compliments him very well and contributes a lot of ideas and creativity to the builds.

The show takes place in South Dakota which makes for a beautiful setting. The show is shot and edited very nicely which makes it a pleasure to watch.

Each show starts with a local client who has a basic idea of what they want, but they leave it up to Cappie, Alex, and their team to put their own spin on it and come up with a completed design. The building process is featured throughout the episode and at the end the finished project is presented to the client.

Overall it is a wonderful show and I highly recommend it. The first season had 8 episodes, but I really hope they decide to make more! You can watch it now on streaming networks such as Max Discovery Plus.

Music Picks - Best Artists and Songs for 2023 and Previous Years

2023-12-31T19:28:00.003-06:00

From 2010 - 2018 each year I posted a list of my favorite songs of the year. Then I took a break from this series. Now after 5 years, I have a new list of artists and songs to recommend so I figured I would post them here on the blog to share.

This list contains music released in 2023 as well as some from previous years. It is mostly songs that are not super popular, at least not yet at the time of this posting. Here are my picks for the best songs from 2023 and previous years:

1. CARR - Industry Kids

I just randomly discovered CARR after a quick search for new music on Spotify. I would describe her sound as similar to artists like Avril Lavigne, Jax, and Damone. Her music reminds me of the indie rock scene of the early 2000's. She has put out a few albums of the past few years. I listened to all of them and all the songs are good! What's interesting is it seems she has not blown up yet. I could see an artist like this easily having millions of views and followers but so far she seems to be flying under the radar. Other songs to check out also: Sick Bro, Spiral City.

2. Jax - Victoria's Secret

Jax is a singer songwriter that recently caught my attention with her anthem Victoria's Secret. She has distinctive singing voice and a knack for catchy tunes that stand out from the other pop songs. Power chords and a meaningful message make this song a hit. Also check out other songs from Jax including Cinderella Snapped and 90s Kids.

3. Bo Burnham - From God's Perspective

Bo is known for his comedy specials which include a number of original songs which are very good even on their own. My favorite would have to be From God's Perspective which is an equally funny yet deep song about God's thoughts on humanity. Wonderfully composed, written, and performed. Also check out songs: Straight White Man and Can't Handle This.

4. Gary Portnoy - Temporary

Gary Portnoy is most known for making making one of the greatest theme songs of all time, the theme song to Cheers, but he also has released plenty of his own music such as this song called Temporary. It's an autobiographical song about his childhood friend which leads to a revelation about life itself. Also check out the songs Lee and Life on the Outside.

5. Carly Rae Jepsen - Comeback

Carly has a lot of pop hits and one of my recent favorites is the song Comeback. In collaboration with producer Jack Antonoff from The Bleachers, they have made a wonderful song here with haunting synths and soundscapes.

6. Alanis Morissette - Losing the Plot

Alanis is an unmistakable iconic singer songwriter and she continues her path with Losing the Plot. It is a mix of dark yet optimistic composition and melody with original arrangements. An anthem for anyone overwhelmed or lost, it resonates with raw honesty and emotional power.

7. Natalie Imbruglia - On My Way

On My Way is a punchy, defiant anthem of self-discovery and liberation. It's a vibrant mix of pop and rock filled with energy and attitude. Lyrically it is about casting off past burdens and embracing new beginning. The song portrays a feeling of empowerment and possibility.

8. Julia Michaels - Work Too Much

Work Too Much is a melancholic pop ballad about the struggles of someone who is overworked and exhausted. It feautures a gentle piano melody and breathy vocals, setting the tone for a song that is both introspective and relatable. The song's catchy melody and powerful lyrics make it a standout track.

9. M.I.A. - Keep the Peace

Keep the Peace by M.I.A. is a pulsating, genre-bending anthem that blends elements of grime, electronic, and pop music. The song is driven by a frenetic beat and M.I.A.'s signature rap-singing style, which weaves through layers of distorted synths and infectious vocal hooks.

10. Bob Ricci - It Could Happen U2 (Stuck in your zipper and you can't get out of it) (U2 Stuck in a Moment parody)

This is an older song but it's very well done and not well known so I wanted to feature it here. It's a parody of the U2 song Stuck in a Moment, but the lyrics are changed to "Stuck in your Zipper" ultimately leading to a very funny song. The original is a great song and I actually like this version even better!

The cost of everything has gotten too expensive. Price of food and and inflation out of control.

2023-12-05T17:48:00.003-06:00

As we near the end of 2023 the cost of living has skyrocketed. Ever since the pandemic the cost of everything has increased dramatically. Even the price of basic necessities like food and housing have gotten out of control. A little inflation each year is expected, but the increases we have seen over the past few years have been way too much. And the problem is that salaries and income from jobs have not increased to match it.

I don't know how many people are managing it these days. I am getting by but that is because I was in the habit of living a very frugal lifestyle even before all of this started happening. I saved up and continue to live even more frugally so I am ok, but for the average person living paycheck to paycheck without savings, they are pretty much screwed.

I'm not expert in economics but there does not really seem to be a reason for the dramatic increase in cost of living other than everyone just trying to get more money and stay ahead of the curve. The cost one thing will go up and then everything related to that goes up to try to make up the difference. Ultimately the consumer at the end is hit with a higher bill.

I can understand how the pandemic caused big issues with supply and demand and it had a huge effect on the workforce, but it is long over with and things have not changed back to how they were, they have only gotten worse.

I think there is a certain amount of greed involved with companies raising the cost of goods that people need and people keep buying them because they feel like they don't have a choice.

As far as I am concerned, I am not tolerating these price hikes. Certain grocery stores that I used to shop at on a regular basis, I no longer even step foot into. Certain food that I used to buy every week I no longer buy anymore because the price has nearly doubled in the past year or so. I changed my frugal buying habits into being even more frugal because I will not support these price increases. I think more people have to do the same to send a message that these prices have gotten out of control.

If things don't change, people will need to make more money and they will demand higher pay from their jobs. Then of course this will make companies raise prices on goods and the cycle just continues to get worse.

We just need to get some stability in the economy back. Maybe government needs to step in to put some regulation in place. Maybe more people have to stop putting up with these price increases. If people can no longer afford to pay for basic living expenses while working a full time job, this could lead to even more serious problems.

Gerber Armbar Drive Review - First impressions of the driver multi-tool

2023-10-02T18:11:00.001-05:00

I have been a fan of multi-tools for a while now and up to this point I have mostly used Victorinox Swiss Army knives. Recently I was in the market for a new multi-tool that would have a good phillips head screw driver and a knife. After doing lots of research I decided to try out the Gerber Armbar Drive.

My first impression was that it was a bit smaller than expected but it is similar in size compared to Victorinox knives like the Super Tinker. The problem though is that the tools don't fill the shape well and because of this, it makes it hard to handle. For example when you open up the screw driver, that part leaves a big hollow space in the handle where it use to be so you don't have much to hold on to.

I found the tools themselves to be hard to open. Maybe I got spoiled by Vicotorinox, but these tools on the Gerber are really stuck in there and when you open one, it tends to pull out some of the other tools next to it.

The scissors I don't really like because of the design. When you open it, it is not ready to go, you have to flip one of the sides 180 degrees to get it into place. This extra step might not seem like a lot, but when you just want to get to a tool quick you don't want to have to worry about extra steps just to open it.

The pry tool I found to be hard to open. They say it functions as a hammer too, but this thing is so light, I don't expect it would work too well at hammering.

The knife is ok. I like that it is able to lock. In terms of size it is about as big as the handle itself which seems a little too big for the handle.

Overall I wanted to like this multi-tool and was hoping to use it as my daily carry for screw driver and knife, but after trying it out, I am disappointed and I don't expect to use it much unfortunately.

Cancel culture and the trend of trying to bring down good people - Colleen Ballinger, Jenna Marbles

2023-07-06T17:39:00.004-05:00

Recently I discovered that a Youtuber I like, Colleen Ballinger from Miranda Sings, was in the news for apparently doing bad things. I was surprised to hear this because having followed her channels, watched her Netflix series, and read her book, I never had any reason to think anything bad about her.

I did a little searching to try to figure out what was going on. My search found a lot of news articles saying she may have done some things in the past that some might consider inappropriate. I also searched Reddit and found a lot of people intent on trying to bring her down. I read their reasons and honestly they were not that bad.

I could tell right away that this situation is exactly like what happened to Youtuber Jenna Marbles. It's where there is a good person who has a lot of success and then one day some negative press article comes out saying they did something wrong and then all of a sudden the mob pounces on them and tries to find every little thing they possibly did wrong in their entire life.

This kind of thing gets a lot of media attention so news sites and social media are all over it. Suddenly everyone has an opinion on it. Anyone who ever disliked them or was jealous of them in any way is chiming in on the action.

I'll admit I have not read into all the allegations thoroughly but when you follow someone on Youtube for years and have watched and read a lot of their content you get a pretty good idea of who they are. In my opinion she is a good person plain and simple.

Of course there are probably some things she has done that she would look back on and say “yeah I probably shouldn't have done that, or I would have done that differently”. Of course she probably made some mistakes in the past, but guess what, so has every single person in the world!

But because she is famous she gets attacked by everyone who dislikes her. When you are famous, even if you have millions of people who love you, there are still going to be a small percentage who don't like you. Then as soon as you make one little slip up, they are all over it and try to blow it out of proportion.

It can be contagious to jump on the bandwagon when someone you know has made a mistake. I'll admit there may have been times in the past where I have done the same thing, not to this extent, but something similar.

For example, how many times in your life have you known someone who you thought was ok. Maybe a co-worker who you didn't necessarily get along with but tolerated them just fine. Then maybe one day they leave under bad terms and people start gossiping negative things about them. Have you ever been tempted to join in and give your own take on what you didn't like about them?

This is the kind of thing that happens in these situations to celebrities but on a much larger scale. It is really unfair especially when you have thousands of people trying to dig up your life's history and find every little thing you did that could possibly be interpreted as being even slightly offensive or controversial.

If this was done to everyone, guess what? Pretty much everyone would be “Canceled”. Even the best people in the world make mistakes. I'm not saying we should condone celebrities when they do something that is truly horrible, but I think we really need to give them a break when small mistakes are made, especially when they are from many years ago and the person has since matured or changed.

People like Colleen and Jenna are good people who brought a lot of joy to millions of people. It is a shame when a small group of “haters” band together to try to bring them down and ruin their career.

Keep these points in mind when you see these attempts at canceling celebrities. They may be famous but deep down they are real people just like us who sometimes make mistakes and are not always perfect.

Music artists copying old songs and not giving credit to the original

2023-07-06T16:45:00.004-05:00

How many times has this happened to you? You hear a song that you think is an original song only to find out many years later that it was actually a remake of a song that existed decades earlier. For me this happens quite often.

I always feel like I've been tricked or lied to by the artist of the new version of the song. Here we were presented a song as if it was new and we were not told that it was actually just a copy of a hit song from years ago.

Sure, if you do some digging and really search for the production details of the song, you might find some fine print mentioning that it samples another song or that is was based on other song, but rarely will this information be clearly published with the song title.

I think this is unfair to the original artist because they are not really getting the credit they deserve. Often new artists just take a hit song and remake it. Then of course the song is a hit because it has already been proven to be a hit in the past. They took something that was already likable and just reintroduced it again.

Although I don't really like when this is done especially when it is not clear that the song was based on another song that already exists, it is not all bad. The fact that the song is being remade shows that the artist likes it enough to be inspired to remake it which can be a compliment to the original artist.

Also as mentioned earlier, this process introduces a song to a new generation who probably never heard the original and may never have known about it had it not been redone.

Overall I think it is ok to be inspired by a song and then make your own version of it as long as the original artist is clearly given credit so people know where it came from.

Lost Envelope Found - Story of what happened when I found a lost envelope

2023-05-24T20:36:00.000-05:00

The other day I was getting home from work and as I was walking up to my building I saw a blue rectangle on the ground in the landscaped area. I always clean up garbage around the property so I walked over to it and picked it up.

It was an envelope with someone's name on the front and a return address sticker on the back. There was no stamp or postal marking so it looked like a card that was going to be handed over in person.

The card itself was sealed and it had some thickness to it. I shook it around and it appeared to have more than just a a single card in it.

I thought about what my options were. I didn't know who it was for but I did have the return address.

I decided to see if I could find some contact information for the name on the back. With a quick internet search I was able to find a phone number. I didn't know if the number would actually be right, but I figured I would give it a try.

Also in the mean time, I pulled up the security camera footage in front of our building to see if I could track down where it came from. After a little digging, I actually found it. It turns out someone pulled up to pick someone up and when they stepped out of the car, the envelope fell on the ground. I still didn't know who they were, but I decided to give them a call at the number I found.

So the next day I called the number and the person picked up. I confirmed their name and asked if they lost a card the other day. They said yes and confirmed where they lost it. I told them I would like to get it back to them. We arranged for her to come by later that day to pick it up.

When she came by, she was very relieved and thankful because the card was important. She said it was for a widow and it was going to be given to them at a funeral. She said that it had money inside so she was very thankful that I made the effort to return it to her. She gave be $20 cash as a thank you. I told her she didn't have to but she insisted so that was very nice of her.

Overall I am happy with my decision to get in contact with her to return the lost card. In situations like this, you have to put yourself in their shoes. If you lost an important card like that and someone found it, wouldn't you hope that they would try to get it back to you? If you ever find something like this, I recommend trying to return it to the owner. You will save the day and you might even be rewarded for your efforts!

Don't buy a car from a dealership without knowing these things first. How to avoid getting ripped off.

2023-02-26T19:14:00.003-06:00

Buying a new car or even a used car from a dealership can be a little intimidating especially if it is your first time. If you don't know what you are doing and have not done your research, chances are you are going to get ripped off and you will end up paying a lot more than you should for the car. Here are some tips I learned from my recent experiences visiting car dealerships.

First thing to know is that it is a good idea to check the prices at several dealerships in the area. When I visited one nearby, they immediately told me they are marking their cars up several thousand over MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price). Some people might just accept that and go forward with the purchase, but after doing a little research, I found that the other dealerships nearby were are selling for MSRP or lower.

Another big thing to know is dealerships often try to add extra charges for basically nonsense items. For example they will have a charge for a paint and interior protection and they will tell you it is already applied to the car so you have to pay for it. Or they will have a charge for VIN etching which is completely unnecessary, and again they will try to tell you it has already been done (even if it hasn't) and you have to pay for it.

Don't let them get away with these added charges and features that you did not ask for. These things are only added as an excuse to charge the customer more money for basically nothing.

I have found when dealerships give you a quote, they often just tell you a final number and avoid actually showing you the breakdown of the costs. This is because they don't want you to see the extra charges they sneak in there.

When doing your research on the car, know the MSRP or the advertised price, and know how much all the taxes and fees should be. Once you have this number, stick to it and don't let them charge you more. If they present you with an offer that is higher, refuse it. They may try to keep pushing you to pay this higher price. This kind of negotiation can be uncomfortable especially with a stranger you just met, but you have to stick to your guns.

You also have to be willing to walk out if they do not meet your price. Many people will give in because they want the car or because they really need the car soon. It's a good idea to visit the dealership before you really need the car, this way, you have some leverage because you can walk out if they don't lower the price to what it should be.

Also, read reviews of the dealership before visiting. Each one is different and may have different selling tactics. See what others have been saying. You will be able to learn from other customers who have already been through it so they can offer tips on what to look out for.

Overall, the message is just be very prepared before going in and don't let them take advantage of you. By being educated about the car buying process, you can avoid getting ripped off and you will have a much better chance at getting a fair deal on your new car.

The range of clothing sizes between mens and boys is nearly non-existent - Trying to find clothes that fit

2023-02-23T19:23:00.003-06:00

Finding clothes that fit can be a challenge for anyone. With so many different body shapes and clothing brands, it can take a lot of time trying on various articles of clothes before finding something that is a good fit. This process can be particularly difficult if you have a body shape that is uncommon either in height or weight or a combination of both.

In my case I fall right into the range between mens and boys sizes. This means the mens sizes are usually too big while the kids sizes are usually too small or just don't work for other reasons.

For example in pants I wear a size 28x28, but the problem is, most brands start around 30x30. Then if you go down to the kids sizes, they are different because they go by sizes such as L or XL. Usually the sizing is odd and does not follow the same dimensions as the men's sizes. Also the build quality of kids sizes is often worse when it comes to features and design.

Same goes for shirts. A men's small is usually too big. A size XS is good, but these sizes are very rare as most brands will start the men's sizes at size small. The same issue applies when going down to kids sizes where the dimensions are different and the quality is not as good. Not to mention the selection of big kids sizes such as the L and XL tend to be very limited and are often out of stock.

This makes it very difficult to find clothes that are a good fit. Given the choice of going with men's or boy's sizes, I usually go with men's because the styles are better as well as the quality, but inevitably most of my clothes end up being about one size too big because of this.

Now there are some brands that will go down to the smaller sizes in men's sizes, but the selection is usually much more limited and if they specialize in smaller sizes like this, they tend to be more expensive than the commonly available brands.

This gap between men's and kid's sizes is kind of puzzling because people grow at a steady rate. Yes, kids may have a growth spurt, but they don't magically skip sizes. There are many people who would fall in this range but for some reason the clothing companies are not making clothes to fit this group of people.

Has anyone else noticed this issue with a lack of clothing options between kids and adult sizes? Have you found any good solutions or places that sell smaller men's clothes? Feel free to leave a comment below.

Stores Need To Do More To Stop Shoplifting

2023-01-24T18:14:00.007-06:00

Today I was at a grocery store sitting in a chair by the pharmacy when I noticed a woman put a set of air fresheners back on an end shelf where they did not belong. This is a pet peeve of mine so in my head I am already disapproving of what this person just did.

Shortly after, someone who she was with joins her. The first woman points to the air fresheners and says something about them having a security alarm on them, and she proceeded to leave them on the shelf. That raised a red flag and immediately I was on high alert.

I saw the 2 walk back down the isle and stop by the air fresheners again. They were just out of view so I could not see exactly what they were doing, but after about 30 seconds they left.

Out of curiosity I walked down to where they were standing. Right when I got there, I saw the exact same kind of air fresheners, out of place again, only this time it was opened up with one of the air fresheners missing. Now technically I did not see it happen, but based on all the clues, it is pretty obvious who took it.

There was an employee stocking shelves nearby so I told her there was an opened package with something missing and I think someone just took it. She was just kind of like, “Yeah we see this kind of thing all the time.” I was like, “There are cameras here (pointing above). Can they check it?” And she was just kind of like “Yeah people watch the cameras”, but it was clear she was not going to do anything about it.

On my way out, I stopped by customer service to let them know what happened. I asked if I could talk with security to fill them in, but the customer service person basically said, even if someone did steal the air freshener, they are not going to do anything about it. She went on to say how the work and time involved would not be worth it for them.

This was pretty discouraging to hear. The customer service is basically saying people can just take whatever they want and walk out without paying and they won't do anything about it. What kind of message is this sending?

I understand her reasoning and how it would take time and work to pursue something like this and for a small item it might not be worth the trouble on an individual basis, but by allowing this kind of thing to happen, they are setting a bad precedent that will encourage more behavior like this.

When this person is able to steal an item and not have any consequence whatsoever, the message they are walking away with is that this is something they can do and nothing will happen to them. As word spreads about cases like this where shoplifters are not pursued by the stores, it can certainly encourage more of the same behavior.

There has to be more of an effort made to stop people from stealing, or at least pursue a case against them if they do steal. Yes, it might cost more in the short term, but in the long term it has to be better if it can reduce the likelihood of things being stolen from the store.

We have rules and laws for a reason. If they are not enforced, they are meaningless. Stores and security need to step up and put a stop to this kind of thing.

Update 3-14-23:

There was a question posted on Reddit recently asking people what they would do if they saw someone stealing food from a store. I checked out the responses and was appalled by how many people said they wouldn't do anything and that they would actually condone it.

Some people argued that if someone is stealing food, they probably need it. I would argue that if someone needs food, there are better options available besides stealing. Community resources such as food banks are specifically put in place to provide food for those who need it.

Others said that big corporations are already rich so it doesn't affect them. These corporations may have a lot of money but that does not mean it is ok to steal from them. That is like saying it is ok to steal from someone as long as they have more money than you.

Some people said it is not their job so why would they do anything about it. In my opinion there is a fundamental flaw in this way of thinking. Just because you don't work at security in a store does not mean you should ignore something like retail theft. I will elaborate on why.

Even if it is not your job to stop retail theft, indirectly it is still affecting you. You won't notice it right away, but in the long run, it can have a big effect.

The clearest example of this is in areas where shoplifting has gotten out of hand. What do stores do when people keep taking their stuff without paying? They close down the store and move to a better place where people don't steal. When many stores in a community close down and no one else wants to open up a new store, you can imagine what a negative effect this has on a community.

We have rules and laws in society for a reason. They keep order and peace and make sure everything runs smoothly so we don't have chaos. When people stop following the rules and laws, that's when problems arise. That is when things go from peaceful to stressful. That is when a good living environment turns into a bad living environment. What kind of world do you want to live in?

Stealing from a store is just a small example of this, but it is the kind of thing that contributes to the breakdown of these rules and laws of society. If we want to maintain a good life, we all have to not only uphold these rules and laws ourselves, but we also have to hold each other accountable when they are broken. It doesn't matter if it is not your "job" to say something if you witness a theft. It is your duty as a member of society to do the right thing and make sure others do the same.

Andrew Tate may be the most misunderstood person on the planet - The problem with media and misinformation

2022-12-30T16:54:00.002-06:00

One of the most talked about and controversial figures, Andrew Tate continues to make headlines and while on the surface it seems like he has a lot of haters, he also has a lot of supporters. So why is this the case?

I first heard of him probably about a year ago. I saw some video of him and immediately thought, who is this guy? Upon first impression you see what looks like an arrogant guy with a lot of money saying controversial things.

Upon doing some searching, you will find a lot of articles painting him in a negative light. You will also find a lot of comments from people expressing their dislike for him. So when you see things like this, it's easy to see how people would jump to the conclusion immediately and decide they don't like him.

I will admit, at first I didn't like him just based on those first impressions, but he was interesting enough for me to dig deeper and start looking into more of his videos and particularly his long form interviews with respected hosts.

When you actually give him a chance and watch some of these interviews, you start to realize he is actually a very smart individual with interesting views on many topics. He is able to address any criticism that is thrown at him. In most cases, he has to defend himself again false allegations or soundbites of himself that have been taken out of context in an effort to try to slander him.

Andrew is able to pretty much answer any question that is thrown at him and he does so in a brilliant way. What's interesting about this, is often his views are very different from the norm. He expresses values that sometimes go against what most people think, but when he explains his reasoning, it usually makes sense even if you still disagree with it.

After having done a fair amount of research and having watched many of his hour long + interviews, I have come away with a favorable impression of Andrew Tate. I don't necessarily agree with everything he says or does, but I do think he is generally a good guy and is an important voice in our society today.

One thing you will notice after watching a lot of his interviews is he actually has a sense of humor and will often say things in a way that he knows will get a rise out of people. He is one of the most searched people of recent times for a reason. It's because he knows how to get people's attention. Being boring and following the script does not get attention. Saying controversial things does get attention and he knows this and takes full advantage of it.

Once realizing this, you kind of have to take everything he says with a grain of salt. Yes, he means what he says, but often he will say it in a way that he knows is going to get people worked up and talking about it, even if he has to exaggerate what he actually thinks about a certain topic.

So back to the question posed earlier about why there are so many people that seem to dislike him. I think it comes down to a couple reasons. One, the higher-ups in media and those with power see him becoming very influential and they don't like it so they have made efforts to try to bring him down. This is done by publishing negative articles about him online and in social media as well as pushing to get him banned from various platforms.

It's become clear that these days we can't really believe what we see on the internet. Basically if the media wants to push a certain agenda, they will, and when it reaches enough people, it becomes accepted as truth even if it is not.

You can see examples of this in politics depending on if you visit a conservative or a liberal news group. There can be a news event in politics and you will get a completely different view point for it depending on which news source you are getting it from.

In Andrew's case, the majority took the side of trying to make him out to be the villain. So when people start hearing about him and they go to look him up, they are presented with headlines and clips that make him out to be a bad guy.

Like myself, most people are going to go off their first impressions and maybe a quick Google search and immediately decide they don't like him. They will then go to the comments and social media and express this, even though they really don't know much about him. It snowballs like this and suddenly everyone doesn't like him, but not because they did their research on who he is and what he actually believes, but because of a first impression and a few headlines or clips that were designed to get clicks.

So why am I writing this article in the first place? Andrew Tate doesn't need my help. He is doing just fine on his own. My main issue is with people taking strong opinions on matters and then posting them out to the world when they really don't know what they are talking about.

There is so much misinformation out there and with social media, anyone can say anything, and that word will spread. We know you shouldn't believe everything you see out there, but unfortunately people do anyway. If they see a post by someone they follow on social media chances are they are going to be influenced by it whether it is true or not. If they see a news article headline sensationalizing an event in order to get people to click on it, chances are people will just go by that headline without even reading into the article.

The overall message here is that you really have to be careful about what you believe these days. Before spreading comments or opinions on a matter, make sure you have researched it thoroughly enough to have a good understanding about it. There is enough misinformation out there from sources we consider to be credible. Make sure you decide for yourself what you want to think about an issue, not what others want you to think about it.

Sonoma - Ronan 2 Shoe Review - First Impressions

2022-12-13T17:01:00.001-06:00

Sonoma Ronan 2 Shoes

Recently I was looking for a replacement for a business casual shoe; something that looks nice and somewhat dressy, but is also comfortable and sporty enough for everyday wear. I have worn Rockport's for a long time with the Eureka and World Tour models, both of which are great for this kind of shoe, but unfortunately in recent years, they seem to be too narrow for my foot.

I noticed at Kohls they had a pretty good selection of shoes so I decided to try a few of them out. One that caught my eye was the Sonoma Ronan 2 oxford sneakers. They are kind of like a hybrid of a formal and casual shoe.

The upper material has a woven style for the forefoot which gives it a modern look and also good comfort and breathability. Then it has suede overlays for the midfoot and heel as well as leather highlights on the heel and tongue. Around the ankle it is finished off with a neoprene-like material. The midsole is white and the outsole is a gum rubber color which gives it a sporty and classy look.

I tried them on in store and they were surprisingly comfortable. Often when you try on different shoes, they don't fit well, but these seemed to be good right off the bat. The sizing definitely runs big. I usually wear a 9 or a 9.5 for most shoes, but in these I had to go down to an 8.5 and they are still pretty roomy. I even tried an 8 which was ok, but a little snug so I figured 8.5 would be the best.

One thing that really drew me to this shoe was the price. Retail was listed at $54.99 but they were on sale and had a coupon code option which brought the price down to $39.99! In a time where everything seems to be getting more expensive and name brand shoes like this can easily get up over $100, it's nice to see there are still some reasonably priced footwear options available.

I noticed the Sonoma Goods for Life brand seems to be a Kohls specific brand as they are not available in other stores. This might be one of the reasons they can keep the costs lower. I don't mind if it is a house brand, in fact I like how it does not have logos on it like most companies tend to do with their shoes. Given the style, price, and comfort, I couldn't pass these up, so I decided to buy them.

At home I tried them out some more. They are very comfortable and roomy in the forefoot. The heel height is noticeably higher than the forefoot. I would prefer a more level footbed, but it's not a big deal. Cushioning is ok and about what you would expect from a business casual shoe.

Even though the toe is a woven material, it does have some structure on the inside which keeps the shape and gives protection to the toes. The sole is stable and has a smooth transition from heel to toe. The bottom of the outsole is pretty flat with minimal tread depth so they are probably best on dry surfaces. Overall I was pleased with the build quality of the shoe.

Given the style of the shoe, it is probably best for warmer seasons such as Spring, Summer, or Fall. I would not recommend wearing them in snow or wet conditions based on the woven material and the smooth outsole.

I will update this review over time as I get more wear out of these shoes, but for now, I am impressed with them. They look good, they are comfortable, and the price is very reasonable. If you are looking for a shoe like this, I recommend trying them out!

Youtube Shorts Have Ruined Youtube

2022-12-09T20:47:00.001-06:00

Youtube Shorts were introduced last year and since, then they have slowly made Youtube worse. In the past, most Youtube videos were at least a few minutes long and creators would put effort into making them. Youtube Shorts on the other hand tend to be low effort videos that in my opinion usually are not even worth watching.

These days when I log in to see my subscriptions feed, about half of the videos are Shorts. I find myself skipping most of these as they are usually just clips from longer videos, or they are just something that is not worth even clicking on based on the title.

I get that Youtube introduced Shorts to compete with other streaming video companies, and I get that Shorts are geared towards mobile devices rather than computers. I can see how they might be easier for people to create and post using their phone.

The main issue is that they are mixed in with the regular Youtube videos. The Shorts should be separate or at least have an option to opt-out of seeing them or having them in your subscription feed.

There are a few reasons why I don't like Shorts. One, there is no time stamp to see how long they are. Two, you can't control the playback when they are playing such as going forward or back in the video. Three, they play on a loop. No one needs a video to replay immediately after it has finished. Four, the vertical video. I know its better for phones, but not for computers.

I say Youtube Shorts are ruining Youtube because it seems they are making creators lazy as well as making viewers lazy. Creators who are just going for views would probably rather just record a quick minute of themselves talking rather than take the time to sit down and record and edit a quality video that is several minutes long. Viewers may also start losing their attention span by getting in the habit of scrolling through these quick videos rather than watching the longer length videos.

Overall I think Youtube Shorts are ok as a separate format. I just think they should not be mixed in with traditional Youtube videos because they are bringing down the quality as a whole. What are your thoughts on Youtube Shorts? Are they the future of Youtube videos or are they the downfall of Youtube?

My Terrible Experience with CIT Bank 11 Month No Penalty CD

2022-12-01T17:03:00.000-06:00

Over the past few months the interest rates for CDs have been going up so I started looking into some options for opening up a new account. I wanted a “No Penalty CD” which allows you to withdraw the money whenever you want as opposed to traditional CDs where you are expected to keep the money in the account for a certain period of time.

After researching the rates, one of the best I found was from CIT Bank so I decided to give them a try and open up a new account. Setting up and funding the account was ok. It wasn't until a few weeks later that there started to become some issues.

A few weeks after funding the account I began to look for the withdraw option just so I would know what to do if I wanted to take the money out. On the website, it has a “Transfer Money” section where supposedly you are able to transfer money. The problem is, it doesn't actually let you transfer money. Every time I clicked on it, it would just say I had to call them at their customer service number.

They have an option to send them a secure message on the website so I tried that first. I emailed them asking how to withdraw the money. Many days went by and I did not receive a reply so I decided to call them.

The first time I called, it said there was a 56 minute wait time. It had the option to call me back instead of waiting on hold, so I did that. When it finally called me back and said I was next in line, it disconnected the call before I even got to talk to someone.

I tried calling back the next day and waited about 25 minutes before I was connected to a representative. I told them I wanted to withdraw the money back to my account, but they said they could not do that by phone. They said I had to send a message to request it. I told them I did already and never got a reply. The representative said they would check on it. A few minutes later the call was disconnected.

I sent a 2nd email directly requesting the transfer. After 2 days I still did not receive a reply. At this point I was starting to get worried. I had money in this account and so far 3 different attempts to get it back had failed.

I looked into what other options I had at this point and one was to file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau which is a government company that keeps an eye on financial institutions and helps with issues like this. So I filed a complaint with them and waited for a response.

2 weeks after sending my first message asking how to withdraw funds, they finally replied back and said I had to provide the routing numbers for the bank in order to do the transfer. I found this odd considering my account was already connected and on file, but I provided the information again anyway.

Another 2 weeks went by before I finally got a response saying that they would transfer the money back to my account.

In the end it took a full month to withdraw the money back to my account after first requesting it. Keep in mind, this was a no penalty CD which is supposed to allow you to withdraw the money at any time.

Overall it was a terrible experience and I am relieved to have been able to get my money out of that account.

My Experience Copying a Key: Minute Key vs KeyMe vs Key Hero

2022-10-26T20:54:00.000-05:00

I needed to make a copy of a house key so I looked for a local place to get it done. I saw there were some self-serve kiosk options so I decided to try it out since I figured it would be pretty easy.

Minute Key:
First I tried Minute Key which was located in a Walmart. I started here because they seemed to have a lot of locations and I thought I might be able to use a promo code and maybe even get a free key.

So I find the machine in the Walmart and the screen is messed up. It was blurry so you couldn't read it. I tried to use it anyway but it ended up getting stuck halfway through the process. My key was stuck in the machine and nothing was working to cancel it.

I called over customer service but they were not much help. After about 5 minutes it was able to cancel and release the key so that was a relief, but overall bad experience and I was not able to make a copy of the key.

KeyMe:
There was a Menards nearby and I saw they have a kiosk called KeyMe so I decided to try it out. This one seemed to work ok, the only problem was it said my key was uncommon so they would have to ship it to me. This was really disappointing because my key was as basic as they get.

I needed the key that day so I was not going to wait around for it to be shipped. So far 0 for 2.

Key Hero:
I decided to try one more, a kiosk called Key Hero which was in Home Depot. I go to the machine to start and immediately it says I need to call over an employee to do it. Again very disappointing. The whole point of the kiosk is so you can do it yourself and you don't have to find someone to do it for you.

After about 5 minutes I was able to get someone to help. I gave them the key and they were able to copy it. It was not that quick but they got it done. Also it was confirmed that it was a common key so I'm not sure why the other machine at Menards said it wasn't.

Conclusion:
After trying Minute Key, KeyMe, and Key Hero, I was let down by all of them. I'm surprised that this seems to be such a difficult task. Maybe I just had some bad luck with the machines, but overall the experience was difficult and I had to go to 3 different stores just to make 1 copy of a basic house key.

If you are looking to make a duplicate of a key, you can try them out if you want to, but you might be better off just asking someone at the local hardware store to make a copy for you.