Matt Tipple Online

Sunset at Lake Hodge Park in Casselberry, FL

2013-05-30T21:25:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to share a photo with you guys I took a few hours ago at a local park by my house. Believe it or not, this photo has not been edited. Hope you all enjoy this photo as much as I do :-)

Bye for now!

Xbox One : Can We Get Any Lazier?

2013-05-25T00:32:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone,

So I happened to watch the release video of Microsoft's new gaming console, The Xbox One. It's big, expensive, and will be hitting store shelves near you this holiday season (how convenient). Am I the only one who is completely appalled by this device? Apparently it's become too big of a hassle for us to switch inputs on our TV, or even pick up the remote control.

The Xbox One can be controlled with voice commands and hand gestures. You say things like, "Xbox on",
"Watch TV", "Listen to music"... blah blah blah. It's a new take on the old shtick, "When I was your age, I had to get up and change the TV channel by hand!" Will we really be telling our children that when we were there age we had to use a remote control?

I also read that the new Xbox WILL NOT be compatible with previous Xbox games. So we have to pay hundreds of dollars for a device we don't need, and pay a monthly fee to access things that are already accessible (usually for free) on most computers, and buy all new games ($50 and up I'm guessing) to play on this piece of junk. That doesn't even sound good, much less look any more appealing in writing.

But they will sell... like hotcakes. I've got to get out of this country.

Unplugged : Has the Smartphone Ruined Our Lives???

2013-05-18T13:26:00.001-04:00

Hey again,

I was sitting on the porch smoking a cigarette a little while ago when my phone went off... It was my turn on Words with Friends. I keep a few games going and I hadn't played since last night. So as I finished clearing out my games I happened to look over in the ashtray. Much to my amazement, there were 3 cigarette butts sitting there instead of the 1 that I came outside to smoke. I checked the clock, I had been sitting here for an hour playing this stupid game. Has this ever happened to you guys before?

How much time do we spend each day checking Facebook, playing words games, tweeting, and just killing time in general on these damned smartphones? How about every week? Why do we waste so much time when we aren't guaranteed tomorrow? Do our iPhones and Evos and Galaxy S whatever's really enhance our life that much? Do we move on to our next task a better, more enlightened person because we just saw that Susie posted a picture of her cat sleeping, and then spent the next five minutes reading all the comments below it?

Maybe we should all take a step back and figure out just what the hell we are doing. We always say that there aren't enough hours in the day, but maybe there are... maybe we just aren't using them right.

My Life : Unplugged (Kind of...)

2013-05-17T18:14:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone,
I was sitting around twiddling my thumbs today after starting a load of laundry and thought I would log in and see what's been going on around here. Imagine my surprise when I find that I have now had over 2,000 unique visitors. How awesome is that?

For those of you who don't know, I've had a lot of time to myself lately as I left my 9-5 in search of greener pastures. This also happened to coincide with the end of the semester at school. This have given me plenty of time to de-stress and regroup. I'm proud to announce that my partner and I are house hunting. The days of handing over money to a stranger to let us keep our shit in their house is fast approaching and I couldn't be more excited.

I've really enjoyed my time away from squeaky office chairs and fluorescent lights, perhaps a little too much. I can't help but wonder what it would be like this all the time. What if money wasn't a concern? Or better yet, what would it be like living off the grid? Maybe not entirely, for those who know me know that I'm no Amishman (< if that isn't a word it should be)... But if rather than spending our time gossiping around the water cooler, we tended to our gardens?

Call me crazy, but everyday this week, rather than listening to hum of the air conditioner, I've opened
up all the windows and let the outside come in. Sure it's hot as hell (I'm in Florida after all) but there is also something quite calming about the blow of breeze through my sheer draperies. The heat causes me to spend a lot more time on the front porch and it's funny to notice things that life made me too busy to notice before. For instance, the neighbor and his wife walk their dog around the block everyday at five o'clock...

Maybe I'm on to something here?

Day One : My New Life

2013-01-23T23:13:00.002-05:00

Greetings all,
After my blog post last night I had a pretty lengthy conversation with a great friend of mine, and it definitely got me thinking. In response to all of my questions from last night, I'm looking at it all the wrong way. I need to start smaller, I need to start from the beginning. I need to start with me.

Impacting the world positively starts with impacting others. How can I impact others positively, if I myself, am not positive? Helping myself first is really the only way I'll ever get a chance to help others. What better time to start than now?

So this morning, I got up, showered, hit the road, played my music a little louder, I sang when I knew the words, I sang when I didn't know the words, who cares who was watching as I hit EVERY stop light on the way to work? Maybe they laughed, maybe they smiled, maybe they will giggle to themselves next time they hear that song playing on the radio... who knows. All I know is that it felt good.

Today at work, I said "Good morning" to everyone I passed. I smiled more. I made more conversation than I generally do. I worked a little faster, and I got a lot more done. When I left work, I went and signed up at the gym. Why not get into shape and participate in all the marathons and things that I always see in the name of a good cause? So, my current personal goal, make time to consistantly go to the gym and by the end of the year, I want to have participated in a minimum of FIVE events...

Do you think I can do it?

Attempting to Cope

2013-01-22T22:23:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone,

Craig Small
1982 - 2013

Long time no post. Lame, I know, but life gets in the way. Anyhow, I've had so much on my mind lately and I feel the need to vent. What better place than a public forum that is rarely visited? Now, where do I begin?

I guess what is weighing the heaviest on me right now, and probably for some time, is the recent passing of an amazing guy who is very dear to me. His name is Craig and he left us last Tuesday morning. This is the first time I've been confronted with loss, and man is it confusing. I think the thing that I find to be the hardest to wrap my mind around is what an impact this is having on my day to day life.

See, Craig and I weren't best friends. We didn't ever hang out in the same group of friends. In 2010, I met him on Facebook. I was living in Alabama at the time, him in Florida. We texted back and forth for a few weeks before I ended up moving back to Florida myself. We hung out a total of TWO times. After that, we continued to text but little by little the messages slowed until we really weren't talking at all. No falling out or anything of the sort, just distance. So I guess the question is, how can the passing of someone who I knew so little about be such a tremendous weight on me?

Nothing makes sense anymore. He was such a good guy who did so much for so many people. Why would someone like that be taken so soon. I'm not even a quarter of what that man was, and yet I get to stay? What have I done that makes me so deserving? Who have I helped? What have I done for others? Nothing. By comparison, I live a pretty selfish lifestyle. But what can I do to change it?

I spend my days at a job that helps nobody. I'm going to school for nursing, but that isn't going to help anyone for a long time. Then there's homework, laundry, dishes... Where does one find the time to help people? Where can I find the time to make a difference? How did Craig do it? And now it's too late to ask him.

Rossman Reunion : Full of Ideas

2012-05-27T11:36:00.002-04:00

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! Yesterday, was the annual Rossman family reunion. I had a great time catching up with family that I hadn’t seen in a while as well as stuffing my face with a bunch of yummy food. Many people asked me how work was going and what I had been up to. All I could talk about was my blog and everyone seemed really interested in it.

My grandmother talked about about her old high school, which was located on French Ave. where Sanford Middle School stands today. She told me that two schools in the state of Florida got selected to go to a national band competition in New Orleans; her school being one of them. She remembered how they were informed that sleeping arrangements had already been taken care of but they had to bring their own bedding. When they arrived, they discovered that they were sleeping in abandoned barracks. She said there were no covering over the windows and they had to tack sheets up, and that the beds weren’t the cleanest place she had ever slept to say the last. She also mentioned that they were each given $3.00 every morning to go and get breakfast, even though $0.75 would have been plenty.

One of my aunt’s mentioned that what she finds most interesting is all of the different business that have come and gone and moved throughout the years. She said that where the DriveTime car place is on 17-92 used to be a McDonald’s when she was in school. The Taco Bell on 27th/17-92 used to be a fish and chips restaurant. Burger King was behind the pest control place and the old Zayre’s plaza was where the on-ramp for 417 was built. This was all very interesting to me and I couldn’t help but wonder what my older family members could remember.

Anyways, I have a feeling that I will start interviews sooner rather than later beginning with my family, which was an avenue that I hadn’t even thought of before. Hopefully, I will be able to make it down to the Museum this week, if not next weekend at the very latest, to pick up some reading material and do some research. I also need to spend some time going through old family photos and speaking with my great aunts and uncles. All in good time… Today however, I’m going to get dressed, grab a bite to eat (in Sanford of course) and head to the Flea Market. I wonder how long that place has been there… maybe I can find some information on that while I’m there. Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone.

Sanford, FL : An Obsession

2012-05-23T20:13:00.001-04:00

Welcome back everyone! Well, we're half-way there again. I've got a great weekend planned and I hope you do as well. So... I've noticed something. Recently, my blog posts have been about my hometown (Sanford, FL) and I find that these posts have been MUCH easier to write than the others. Actually, I have to hold myself back because truthfully, I want to get all in depth and history-ish; but I don't know if you guys are into that and I definitely don't want to scare you away. But another thing that I've noticed is that you, my faithful readers, seem to enjoy, or at least be interested in, reading about Sanford. As of right now, my Sanford posts are #2 and #3 among my most read updates. So, I think I'm going to ride this subject as long as it will carry me, what do you think? No objections? Good :-)

THE PLAN

This, of course, will mostly likely change over time, but here's what I'm planning. Finances permitting, I'm going to purchase a few books on Sanford, talk about some things I find interesting, etc. Also, TONS more trips downtown.. this will probably bring us more in depth restaurant reviews as well as posts about all the little shops around town; lots of photos and probably some videos as well. I foresee many posts about the architecture as well as the many history pieces regarding people I find to be most notable. I would also like to cover areas outside of downtown, and talk about how and why Sanford has expanded and changed over the years. BUT WAIT... THERE'S MORE!

This one may take a little while because it isn't entirely in my control but I would like to do interviews; audio recordings, video recordings, whatever those involved are comfortable with. I want to talk to people who grew up in Sanford. I want to hear all of those fantastic memories and share them with my readers and the rest of the world. There is so much I can learn from a book, but there is a great deal more I can learn from the people who were there, whose parents and grandparents were there...

So let me know what you think. Does this interest you? Is this something you would like me to do? I'm going to do it regardless, but how public I make it is entirely up to you. I really look forward to your input and suggestions. I wish you all a relaxing evening, and I want to leave you with something to think about, especially my more mature readers. Keep your memories alive... write them down, tell them to your friends and family, pass them to other generations. Do your part to preserve the past... it will benefit those in the future.

My Weekend Downtown

2012-05-22T20:56:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone! I hope your week is going splendidly. I didn't get much of a chance to blog this weekend; company Friday/Saturday and I spent my Saturday evening and Sunday downtown! It was amazing :-).

The old Mayfair Inn, currently headquarters of NTM.

We parked the car and walked up and down 1st and 2nd Street before stopping in at Taste of Thyme Cafe in Magnolia Square for coffee as there was a slight chill in the air. Jim ordered a caramel macchiato, which was delicious, and I had a cappuccino. Just a word of caution, a cappuccino is merely frothy black coffee. So, make sure you order it flavored. Despite my coffee, I would definitely recommend it.

Next, we went to an art galley (right down the road of course) which embarrassingly enough, I can't remember the name of. Surprisingly, they had live acoustic music and to top it off... beer! We walked around and looked at everything. There were so many different styles, I was blown away. The staff was very knowledgeable and helpful as well. Jim had inquired about an acrylic piece and within minutes, he was speaking to the artist using the owner's phone. Unheard of in any place I've ever been.

After deciding that we should leave before we spent money we didn't have, we decided to check out Christo's for dinner. This came as a recommendation from the friendly folks two different Facebook groups that I joined I grew up in Sanford, Florida and am not ashamed to admit it and We Grew Up In Sanford Florida. Anyways, I was told that they had the best greek salad in the world, so of course we had to try it. We soon learned how true that statement was. I had a burger and Jim had a french dip. Delicious to the very last bite!

After dinner we walked down to the lakefront for a little while and then walked 1st and 2nd Street again before heading home for the night. The next morning when we got up, we still had Sanford fever. He got dressed and headed back downtown. We rode Magnolia, Park, Palmetto, and Sanford Avenues up and down looking at all of the houses. Then we rode up and down every street from 1st to 20th doing the same. We had lunch at the Willow Tree (German cuisine) which was good although I didn't know what most of the items on the menu were...

Needless to say, we had a fabulous weekend and neither of us can wait to go back. So, if you have some spare time, head downtown and walk around for awhile. There is really nothing else like it.

Top 5 Places to Visit in Sanford, FL

2012-05-16T22:36:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone,
Monday's over for most... HOORAY!***EDIT: It has just been brought to my attention that today is not Monday.. it is in fact Wednesday. Where is my mind?*** And now for something completely different. Sanford, FL is my hometown. I grew up there and have tons of fond memories. Sanford used to be amazing back in it's day heyday and it shows; there is a lot of history there (which I adore), a lot of which you can actually see to this day.

Anyways... the recent Treyvon Martin case has definitely damaged Sanford's reputation. If you are unsure who Treyvon Martin is, look him up on Google and then please let me know what bridge you have been living under that you have been able to escape all forms of news media. So, Sanford is now going through a "revitalization" project of sorts. Businesses have been hurting so many are doing all they can to show that Sanford isn't such a bad place after all. The following is my feeble attempt to do my part.

5 Places You Must Visit In Sanford, FL

A view of Downtown Sanford at Magnolia and First Street

1. Downtown Sanford - If I listed everything in downtown Sanford that I thought was worth seeing you would never be able to make it through this post in one sitting. There are so many old building from the late 1800's and early 1900's, many of which have been restored, that house businesses and apartments. The architecture is so eclectic... I've never seen anything like it in my 23 years. If you visit the museum, you can even get a walking-tour that highlights all of the must-see buildings. This may not be a big one for everyone, but it definitely is for me.

2. Historic Homes of Sanford - After checking out the businesses, why not check out some amazing homes? Take a trip down many of the streets that reach to the Downtown area (Sanford Ave, Palmetto Ave, Park Ave) and you will find some AMAZING homes. Some of these have been restored and are registered with the Historical Society. I'm a big history/architecture guy, so these places tend to take my breathe away. I've admired these places since I was a kid and I think it's time you take a look.

3. Sanford Grammer - This building was the old high-school, then I believe it was the grammer school, and now it's a museum. I remember going there on a field trip in 4th grade and how interested I was in all of the exhibits. If I remember correctly, there is also a garden out back. It's definitely worth stopping in for a few minutes.

4. Little Fish Huge Pond - Ok, this one is actually Downtown too, but still, if you are looking for a few drinks (beer only.. maybe wine, I can't remember) you have to at least check this place out. It's the smallest little hole in the wall you'll ever see, but it's a very strange place. There's crazy artwork everywhere, there are couches to sit on, a dining room table... it kind of feels like hanging out in your buddy's basement. Oh, and every time I've gone there's always been really good live music.

5. Lee's Chicken - This place has the best chicken, and sides for that matter, that I've ever had in my life. It's been in Sanford forever! Maybe I'm partial because it was in walking distance from my old house, but still, I've never had anything that wasn't delicious. Oh! And the sweet tea is to die for, just make sure you ask for the crushed ice from behind the counter. Stop in for lunch, and don't forget your appetite.

And there you have it... my top five favorite places to visit in Sanford, FL. I could go and on forever about downtown, but I'll save that for future posts :-)

Reinvent Your Passion: Find Your Golden Ticket!

2012-05-13T23:43:00.001-04:00

Welcome back! Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. I was getting ready to call it a night when I realized that I didn't have any clean clothes for work tomorrow. What better way to spend the next hour and a half then to talk my readers? I had a really great time today with my mom. I brought her some flowers and then we drove around for about two hours trying to decide where to eat. We finally decided on a little European restaurant in Lake Mary. After taking a look at the menu, mom decided that she wanted to go elsewhere. I cancelled our iced teas and we were gone. We settled on a pizzeria since it was only a few doors down and we were both famished by this point. Lots of laughs and a lot of great conversation.

Anyways, sorry for the cliffhanger last post, I don't intend to make that a habit. So, where were we? If I remember correctly, I had just talked myself out of all of my grand ideas, right? Ok, so where did I go from there? The truth is, I did nothing for a long time. I went to work and fell into the 9-5 ritual that I've become so unhappy with today. This is not the path you want to take for yourself. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the paycheck. We all need money to survive, but as I've said before, right here actually, I want more from life than the same mindless tasks day in and day out, and if you've been following my posts, I can only assume that you are looking for the same, or at least to watch me do it. :-)

So, as I searched the web frantically on the night before this blog began, it hit me. I was seeking advice from random unknown people on the internet, the majority of which had blogs. After researching blogs, I've found that with a lot of hard work and dedication, they can, big emphasis on can, be quite lucrative. This was a completely new idea to me and it really got me excited. It was like I was Charlie Bucket and I had just found the golden ticket!

So, in a nutshell, what am I saying? I'm saying that you need to take an unconventional look at your conventional passion. Why? Doing something the way that others have done it may sound like a safe route to take, but you aren't that person before you. You think differently, you feel differently, and you may even be in a much different financial position. This is a BIG reason why most people don't pursue their dreams; they lack the capital... not only to bring their dreams into reality, but they lack the cushion in the bank to keep them from losing what they have if their dream doesn't pay out.

Suppose I actually could write about life experiences without getting depressed, or I really did have a knack for writing fiction. Then what? Then I need someone to publish it. This can be quite costly and can take up a lot of time, time that the traditional 9-5er doesn't have. However, I don't think most people realize how technology and the internet have completely changed the world forever. Take me for example. I can have a free blog and write about WHATEVER I want. I can write articles, or poems, or thoughts... I could write a whole book and post it on here... all for no money. I can still go to work, still get my paycheck every two weeks.... if nobody likes what I have to say, or they don't buy my e-book, I'm not out anything but my time. I don't get evicted, my lights stay on, food remains in the fridge and so on.

My effort may have been a flop, but was it really? It was a proactive step taken towards my future and I also get to learn something along the way. Maybe it's about my writing, maybe my promotional tactics, but in the end I will have learned that something needs to be done differently next time. There should always be a next time...

Speaking of promotion, you don't have to pay for advertising or promotion. Social networks and a little thing called YouTube have made it INSANELY easy to promote yourself. This gives you total control over your image to the public. You have no idea what kind of empowerment this gives you. No longer are you held back by your circumstances. Your success and future rest in your hands solely and that is an amazing feeling.

So give it you're best shot, the only one holding you back now is yourself.

A Pre-Mother's Day Analogy

2012-05-10T21:59:00.000-04:00

Picasso: Woman With a Flower (1932)

With Mother's Day quickly approaching, here's a festive analogy for everyone. When you were a kid, how many of you would make a card for your mom from scratch? I'm talking construction paper, Elmer's Glue, confetti, elbow macaroni and all... Chances are, most of us have done this at one point or another. Now, when you got a little bit older and thought you were too big or too cool to be a Picasso anymore, how many of you bought cards for your moms? Yep... me too. I can't speak for anyone else, but I know that, while my mom appreciated the store-bought sentiment, she cherished those things that I made with my hands the most. I could take you to her house right now and there would be several items that look terrible, may be broken, but are proudly displayed where everyone can see them. It's the clay necklace I made in kindergarten, or the jewelery box I made out of popsicle sticks. What you won't find out in the open are those Hallmark cards I bought in my later years. This brings me to the analogy.

Hallmark Cards : Clay Necklaces :: Active Income : Passive Income

(For those of you who were born after me and aren't so sure what an analogy is due to the fact that they have been removed from all standardized tests, it's read: "Hallmark Cards are to Clay Necklaces as Active Income is to Passive Income")

If I lost anyone with Passive/Active income click here to catch up, and remember, you can find a list of every post published to date on the Archives Page. Anyway, simply put, while Hallmark cards are a Mother's Day gift, and they get the job done, it's the clay necklace or the macaroni card that gets displayed and cherished for as long as it's poor construction will allow it to survive. So, if a self-made gift from the heart can be seen as more "valuable" than a gift from the store, then why can't a self-made income from your heart be more "valuable" than an income from the office? Aha! There IS a method to my ramblings...

But let me say one last thing about Mother's Day before I change subject on you. While macaroni cards and playdough don't hold quite the same appeal to your mother coming from you as an adult, it's still a good mindset to carry with you this Sunday. Sure, mom's like to be pampered and showered with gifts. But, I intend to spend some quality time with my mom this year. I know that when we look back, much more will have been gained from our meaningful conversations, advice to each other and our laughs than from a memory of a shopping spree. With that said, let's talk money!

I've been preaching since the beginning of this blog that passive income is they way to go. The question is, how can you make a passive income? The answer is that I can't tell you exactly. There is no "one-size-fits-all" here. Only you know the answer, and that's the beauty of it. What I mean is that by making you're own money, you are free to pursue the things that really interest you. Yes, money is an interest, but above that, what are you passionate about? Do you paint? Do you love to write? Is you're cell phone full of photos that you pulled over on the side of the road to get?

What you don't want to do is pick something only on the idea that it will make you money. When you do this, it's almost certain that you won't make any. It's our passions that should push us, not the payout. I've been researching this topic for years and I've found that when you are doing something that you truly want to do, something that you enjoy, the dollars usually aren't far behind.

After you've found that thing that you would jump out of bed excited to do, it's time to start thinking about it in a different way. How can you turn your interest into something that others would find valuable. What do they get out of it? Sometimes this is easy, sometimes, not so much. Let's say you're like me and really enjoy writing; it's easier for me to talk about my interest because I've gone through this thought process before. So, what value do people get out of my writing? What's in it for them? Well, this certainly depends on what and how I write. I could try to write a book. I could try to write articles for a newspaper or magazine. I could write greeting cards. I could write damn near anything... it seems this needs to be narrowed down significantly.

Ok, so let's start with writing a book. Shouldn't be too hard. I've had plenty of life experiences that I'm sure people would like to hear. So, I actually tried this. Then I realized something. It's hard to write about yourself, especially when you have had some unpleasantness in your past. Every time I got a few pages in, my writing would get dark. Not that there is anything wrong with that, plenty of people enjoy this type of story. So I carried on until I found myself in a depression. That's when I stopped. If what you are doing causes bad things to happen it's defeating it's purpose.

Then I tried fiction. I could write the next Harry Potter or Twilight Series, right? So I got back to work. I thought it was going rather well until I finished the first few chapters and started rereading it. What I had in my hands wasn't the next Harry Potter or Twilight. It was Harry Potter or Twilight. Make sure your content is original. If the work you are producing isn't original, there isn't much value in it, not to mention copyright infringement, blah, blah...

How about articles for a newspaper or magazine. This already has red flags. The word "deadline" comes to mind. This causes another little word to come to mind; "stress". This is already sounding like job. If you factor in the reality that to write for any notable publication you need education, experience, and references you can talk yourself out of this one before you even get started. Don't turn your passion into a job that you don't like. It's unnecessary; you already have one of those.

Greeting cards sound fun and easy. There's a card for everything now. I could write about being happy, sad, funny, ugly, pretty, sexy, fat, skinny... the list goes on forever. Cards are usually no more than a few lines long... this is sounding better and better. Time again for another reality check! What is the purpose of a greeting card? Why would people buy my greeting cards over other people's? The truth is, they wouldn't. No matter how great my cards were, the big thing about cards is how accessible they are. You can pick them up at the grocery store, the gas station, the drug store.. pretty much anywhere. There is no reason that someone would buy my cards over Hallmark's or the cheapy generic ones that are everywhere. Stay aware of the world around you.

Damn! Looks like I'm back to the drawing board... and just in time because it's getting late. 6:45 comes early and I need some time to wind down for the night. Next time I'm going to talk about where to go next once you've talked yourself out of all your great ideas. I wish you all a fantastic Friday and I give you this to think about... Just because you're feet are on the ground doesn't mean that your head can't be in the clouds. It just requires a little stretching.

What Does The Food You Eat Say About Your Life?

2012-05-09T22:12:00.001-04:00

Welcome to pre-pre-Friday everyone... we're over halfway there. I'm not sure how everyone will feel about this update, but I figured I would give it a shot. Afterall, you miss 100% of the shots that you don't take, right? So, as I was eating lunch at work today, it really got me thinking. Well, let me stop for a second and explain that I use the term "lunch" very loosely. In my case, I get 30 glorious minutes for lunch. This time is extremely precious to me. I have 1,800 seconds where I don't have to sit at my desk, I don't have to answer the phone, I don't have to constantly check my inbox... in fact, I don't have to do anything. Anyways, I normally don't eat, even though I should. Ok... I've got a confession to make. When it comes to food, I am EXTREMELY picky. I don't like most sandwiches, nor do I care for leftovers; this makes my list of goods that I deem acceptable for lunch pretty short. Ordering in all the time was getting expensive and picking up something is normally out of the question because 30 minutes doesn't give me enough time to get there and get back... until I found a KFC two blocks away last week. Let's move on.

As I sat in my car gobbling up my chicken strip, potato wedges, and slurping a delicious, ice-cold Mountain Dew, something hit me. "This is ridiculous!", I thought to myself. I may have even said it aloud, although I doubt anyone would have been able to make any sense of the exclamation due to all of the greasy goodness that was preoccupying my mouth at the time. What was ridiculous was that I was sitting in my car, in the heat (mind you I live in Florida and my car has no air conditioning), stuffing my face full of food that I really didn't even like, as fast as I could. For what? Why?

The first question is simple enough. I was hungry. After all, isn't that why you normally eat? But why? Hmm... Well, since I am sadly still earning my income actively rather than passively (Click here if you aren't sure what I'm talking about) there are quite a few reasons why...

Sitting in my car - This, my friends, is a time management technique. If I have to leave to get lunch I eat in my car to gain the few extra minutes it would take me to unload my lunch, take it inside to the break room, and put my food on a plate. This may seem ridiculous, but by the time I get to my car, drive to KFC, and drive back, I usually have between ten and fifteen minutes to eat my lunch. Of course, if I weren't under time constraints, this wouldn't be necessary, however these are the joys of my active income-ed-ness.

Sitting in the heat - It's Florida... it's May, and there isn't anything I can do about that. What I could do is turn on the air-conditioning in my car, if I had it. Unfortunately, my ability to earn money actively does not allow me the ability to pay to get my air conditioner fixed. Go figure!

Eating food I don't really like - KFC is fine every now and then, but when you eat it everyday, it tends to lose it's appeal with a quickness. Some would say that I should go elsewhere. While certainly logical, it's not really possible. This isn't only an issue of time, but an issue of money. If I were to venture out a little further there would be other places to choose from, but at what cost? I would either be sacrificing more time for more fast food garbage or putting myself into a financial bind by going to places that, while being much more appealing, and probably healthier, come with a much heftier price tag.

But what can you do? By working for someone else, you are bound to their expectations, rules, and policies. Sure, sometimes suggestions can be made and these things can change. But, if you rally for too much change, don't be surprised if you find yourself standing in the unemployment line. Although what choice do we have? Ok... so, we can save up some money, try to strike out on our own... hire a handful of "us's" to abide by our policies... but what change is that making? Don't get me wrong, going into business for yourself can be very rewarding but at the same time it's difficult. It's not uncommon to get in over your head and to lose your ass. Just some food for thought...

In my next update, I'm going to discuss what other options we have in freeing ourselves from thirty minute lunch breaks and an income that we aren't exactly ecstatic about. Until then, it's KFC for me.

Passive Income vs. Active Income: A Tale of Two Wallets

2012-05-07T22:45:00.001-04:00

Good evening everyone! I hope you all had a productive Monday, despite how unpleasant Monday's tend to be. Have you ever really put much thought into why most people absoultely loathe Monday? I mean, afterall, it's just another day isn't it? Well, I've put quite a bit of thought into it. For starters, what makes Monday different from Sunday? If you're like most people, Monday means the end of your two non-working days and the beginning of a new five-day working stretch.

But what's wrong with that? When you're working, you're making money. Most people enjoy having money so it would stand to reason that most people should like to work, meaning that Monday should be an enjoyable time. But we all know that this isn't the case. The truth is most people don't like going back to work because they either don't like what they do, or they don't make enough money doing what they do. Which is it for you?

In my case, it's a little bit of both. I enjoy what I do, to a point... especially at first. I'm the type of person that needs constant change to stay interested. After being at the company for nine months and in my current position for six, everything has gotten a little too redundant. Redundancy does not equal enjoyment in my book. Then there's the money. I make enough to get by, but there isn't much for leisure, or savings, or anything of that sort. It's pretty much a paycheck to paycheck situation, like many Americans. Why is it that so many people fall into this type of financial lifestyle?

Active Income

Many of us earn our money actively. Simply put, we're only making money if we're on the clock. We have to get up, get ready, race to our place of employment with all of our fellow active incomers (which can be somewhat costly in itself depending on your commute) to arrive at work, punch in, and begin muddling through the tasks that have been set before us by those who make more money than us. This is the problem. We spend our lives racking up hours hoping that by the time the pay period ends, we will have enough to cover our cost of living. Call me crazy, but there has to be a better way. Did you know that the hours you work aren't only making you money? It's true! Every hour you work you aren't only earning a wage for yourself, but also a wage for someone above you. If for some reason you're reading this while standing, you may want to take a seat for this one. Did you know that the people above you are making more money off of your sweat and tears than you are? Let me give you an example to clarify...

Say you are a mechanic in a repair shop. If you've ever had you're vehicle worked on before, you know that you have to pay for the parts they put on your car (usually at a slight mark-up) as well as the hours it takes to complete the work. So, as a mechanic you make $20 per billed hour that you work. You do a job that took 5 hours to complete so you earned $100 for that job. Not bad, but let's think about it in a different way. If the customer only paid $20 per hour, the company wouldn't make any money other than the mark-up on parts. So in reality, the customer is billed $70 per hour for labor. This would mean that you make $100 for working on this car, and your boss makes $250 because you worked on the car. Let's also look at it on a larger scale.

The average full-time work week is 40 hours. Let's apply that to our little scenario. You, the mechanic, worked 40 hours, earning yourself $800 for the week or $41,600 per year assuming you work the same amount every week. Congratulations! You made it to middle-class. But what did your boss make? Off of your 40 hours, every week your boss earns $2,000 bringing his annual income up to a whopping $104,000. If this doesn't make you grit your teeth enough in protest, brace yourself. In most situations, you aren't the only mechanic working there. In fact, he may have five or ten others just like you earning him just as much money. So tell me this... who would you rather be; the mechanic or the boss? I thought so...

Passive Income

I'm hoping the above example got you thinking. But what are you thinking? Is the mechanic's boss a terrible person for making so much more money than the mechanic? Certainly not! Realistically, assuming the boss owns the company he has overhead to keep the business running, as well as bills of his own. The key here is that even though he wasn't the one turning wrenches, he is able to secure a substantial income for himself. In fact, he doesn't even have to be in the building to make it. This my friends is passive income. This is the better way. Do you have to run a mechanic shop or other type of physical business to earn this type of income? Absolutely not! In fact, you can most likely earn more without a physical location because overhead would be much less.

Think about Facebook. Where is Facebook located? No, not Facebook heardquarters, but Facebook itself? The living breathing Facebook lives on the internet. It isn't a subscription service. You don't have to pay every month to use it, They aren't really selling anything and yet in 2011 Facebook brought in $3.7 billion dollars. I hate typing it like that because it tends to lose it's meaning. What I mean to say is that Facebook brought in $3,700,000,000.00! That's pretty impressive for something that started in a dorm room.

The Moral of The Story

So what does it all mean? Well, honestly that depends on you. What does it mean to you? For me, it's proof that we've got it all wrong. In my mind, the 9-5 is nothing more than a form of indentured servitude. We are slaves to the almighty paycheck and spend the majority of our lives working for it. I know that if I'm ever to make anything more of myself than I am today, then it has to stop, and quickly, for the clock continues to tick whether we want it to or not... and I'm not talking about a timeclock.

New Orleans, Louisiana: A History

2012-05-06T18:40:00.000-04:00

Front of tile shingle

Happy Sunday everyone! I just wanted to share with you all something from my yesterday that I found to be very interesting. Yesterday I drove out to my Aunt Sharon's house in Deltona, FL to pick up a party tray for the upcoming family reunion at the end of this month. We hadnt seen each other in a month or so, so we took the opportunity to catch up on this lazy Saturday.
After a Strawberry Daqueri or two, conversation changed to local history and other Florida related topics. We talked about my future, what I wanted out of life and things that interested me. Through this converation with Sharon, I learned some things about myself. I learned that architecture, particularly old architecture, travel, and history were much bigger interests of mine than I had ever thought they were.

It was at just about this time, that she excused herself from the porch saying that she would be right back. As I waited for her return, my mind raced with images of Downtown Sanford and Enterprise, as well as architure in Europe. I don't know how long Sharon was gone, but when she came back she was carrying what looked like a long skinny piece of slate. It was gray in color and I noticed that it had been pained on the front. She explained that she had picked it up at a yard sale for a dollar. She handed it to me and told me to check it out. The edges were very rough, almost sharp, and I felt the need to handle it carefully as to not cut my hands.

It was a very simple painting; a building with a second story porch, some greenery, a light hanging from a lampost, and a horse and buggy. At the bottom, the artist had painted "New Orleans 1980". Sharon told me to flip it over. I did, and saw that there was a write-up that looked like it had been typed on a manual typewriter, on rather yellowed paper attached to a piece of cardboard which in turn had been attached to the piece of slate. Mesmerized, I began reading...

IN 1718, NEW ORLEANS WAS FOUNDED BY JEAN BIENVILLE. ALL BUILDINGS WERE BUILT OF WOOD WITH WOODEN SHINGLES ON THE ROOFS.

Back of tile shingle

LOUISIANA WAS ACQUIRED BY THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT IN 1762 AND FLOURISHED UNDER VARIOUS SPANISH GOVERNORS. IN 1788 UNDER SPANISH GOVERNOR DON E. MIRO, THERE WAS A MASSIVE FIRE WHICH DESTROYED 700 HOUSES, PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND THE ST. LOUIS CATHEDRAL. ALTHOUGH THE CITY WAS REBUILT, ANOTHER FIRE IN 1794 DESTROYED OVER TWO HUNDRED BUILDINGS.

BARON de CARONDELET, WHO INQUIRED ABOUT THESE FIRES, WAS INFORMED THAT WOODEN SHINGLES BURNED AND SPREAD FIRE QUICKLY. HE THEN SENT TO HAVANA FOR SUPPLIES AND ORDERED FUTURE BUILDINGS BE CONSTRUCTED OF BRICK OR ADOBE AND ROOFED WITH TILE.

HENCE, THESE TILE SLATES WERE PUT ON THE OLD FRENCH QUARETER - VIEUX CARRE BUILDINGS FROM THAT DAY FORWARD. THIS SLATE IS 100-200 YEARS OLD AND YOU CAN SEE THE HOLDS WHERE THEY WERE NAILED TO THE ROOF AND WAS REMOVED FROM TOSE BUILDINGS FOR VARIOUS REASONS.

HAND PAINTED ON VERY OLD SLATES FROM ROOFTOPS OF OLD FRENCH QUARTER BLDGS. VIEUX CARRE , NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

I finished reading and looked up at Sharon. She said two words to me, "Take it!" I couldn't believe she was giving this to me. Why wouldn't she want to keep this for herself? She told me that when we were discussing history and architecture, there was an excitement about me that she hadn't seen in me in a long time. I instantly thanked her, took the slate to my car, and enjoyed the rest of my afternoon with her.
I'm not quite sure where to hang it yet, but I know that I want it displayed. Something about holding something in my hands that is potentially 200 years old is amazing to me. This also makes me think more about where my life is headed, or better yet, where it could be headed. Time will tell all, but I definitely can feel that there is durastic change in the air, and that it's coming my way!

What Am I Doing Here?

2012-05-05T18:46:00.000-04:00

To be quite honest, I have no idea... yet. Let's rewind to a few days ago. Thursday afternoon (5/5/12) my boss finally had time to have the sit down with me that I had requested earlier in the week. I'm Assistant of Operations at a company in Lake Mary, FL called Applied Concepts. We are a phone-based training company that works in the automotive industry. I won't bore you with the details, but I started there on Augest 25th of 2011 as a trainer. After a few months, a position opened up and I become the glorified paper-pusher that is writing to you today. Anyways, I had planned to discuss implementing some new reporting methods and such when a bomb was dropped on me. My boss asked me if I planned on making my job with the company a career.

I suppose at that time fireworks should have been exploding in my brain and I should have been filled with happiness, or relief, or something. This wasn't the case however. For some reason all I could think of was one word... RUN! This shocked me, and even scared me a little. Up until this point I was content with what I was doing and where I was. I may have even been one of those people who would have said that I loved my job. As I sat there, all I could think to myself was that I had reached the end of the road. This was it. I was going to sit at the same desk doing the same meaningless nothing that I had done for the past 9 months for the rest of my life. Obviously, I'm not ok with this.

I feel like I want more out of life. I want to go places and see things. I want to do something that will make a difference, and at the rate I'm going, that type of lifestyle doesn't factor into the equation. So I got home that day and turned my leisure time over to Lord Google. I don't know what I was trying to find or where my mind was at that point but looking back at my search history today, it was pretty laughable. I was honestly googling things like "where is the cheapest place to live in the united states" and "how to eat for less money". It's semi-apparent that at that point I must have been thinking that I needed to make money stretch further so that I could accomplish all of the things in life that I wanted. But really, eating different variations of mac-n-cheese and hashbrown casserole isn't going to get me anything, is it?

And then it happened...

Somehow, Lord Google was smiling at me that day and after a ridiculous search for "how to live without having a job" I struck webpage gold... stevepavlina.com. Now, I can't say that I've read everything he has to say for there are weeks, possibly months, of reading material there, but I know that I've read enough to know that I can do something different with my life. With a little luck, this "something" will be bigger and better and more fulfilling than I can even imagine at this point in time.

This, my friends, is what has brought me here and will keep me, and hopefully you, coming back. Now what does the future of Matt Tipple Online hold? This is still unclear, but I know for certain that it will be a positive, constant, and welcomed change to my life... maybe even your own. So if my journey interests you, please come back and let's see what happens.