DavezMental’s Blog

There are significant moments in your life that occur where you know things are going to be different forever…..things will never be the same as you know them…..some people call them “new chapters.”

Maybe it’s the meeting of a new friend….maybe it’s the start of a new career, maybe it’s a move, maybe it’s some freak of nature that takes away a loved one…….maybe it’s an awakening….a point where you pick your self up by your bootstraps and say, “Hey! Wake-up! You need a change! And you do it!”

Well, tomorrow I fly out to Arizona for the first time since October 2004. The last time I was there, I closed a chapter in my life and started a new one…..Ironically, 2 years and 7 months later, the same thing is going to happen…..I am closing one chapter and starting a new one….

When I was in college I learned what it was to be an entreprenuer. I got a job selling knives in 1998….and as weird as it sounds, it made me into the man I am today…….It gave me confidence, belief, communication skills, compassion for people, a positive attitude, and a taste of success and all that I am capable of…..I started this gig, Memorial Day weekend in 1998….It was only supposed to be a summer job, but ended up being a 6+ year gig….I’m not going to get into the specifics of the job, but just know that it is a lot more interesting than it sounds….”selling knives.”

To make a long story short…..I ended up getting into management with this company….A manager’s job is to invest his or her own money into their own business. It’s very risky, yet very rewarding….As a 19 year old, in 1999, I did this…..I went out and rented out an office for the summer, hired receptionists, created an advertising schedule/budget and recruited my own knife sellers…..I did this for a summer job in Philadelphia. I did it again in 2000 and 2001. I made a lot of money (bought my first car at age 21). I living large for a guy in his early 20’s…I was financial independent, bought whatever I wanted whenever I wanted it…I developed a swagga….in addtion to that, I met a lot of amazing people, and worked very hard in doing so. Again, don’t underestimate the “selling knives” part. As a manager, with all those responsibilities I mentioned above and then some, this job is no joke….we are talking a work schedule of 70+ hours a week during the summer…..I gave up my early 20’s for this job….something, my family tried very hard to get me to stop doing, but I didn’t listen……and I have no regrets….

In April 2002, I decided to stick with the company after college, and moved up to Boston to become a District (year-round) Manager with this company…..I knew one person in Boston, so I would say this was a relatively bold move…..The first year and a half, was the most amazing time of my life….I was 22 turning 23, on my own….it was a rush….Again, I was making a lot of money and even managed to fall in love for the first time in my life….things were amazing…..there was wedding talks, I was looking into buying a house, and even started investing for my retirement….I won trips to Key West, Spain, and even a Caribbean Cruise….life was good…..but then…..

Everything came crashing down……part of it was my fault (over confidence, over spending, poor money management-I blew a grand at the Vatican on the first day of a 12 day Italy trip), part was outside influences(recession, bad advice from upper management, etc)…It’s now April 2003….I had just recovered from theft, lost my top guy to the war in Iraq, and just got back from going to Italy with my grandfather……and while I was away, the people that “ran” my office, ran it into the ground…….the lack of sales, and my overspending on vacation got me into a jam…credit cards were maxed…..I was forced to work harder, which strained my relationship……and boom, bang, bam….I crashed and burned…..from April 2003-September 2004, I fought and fought and fought….I worked harder than anybody I know, only to lose more and more money…..I lost about $30 K in 2003….I fought back in 2004 though….Got myself back to about even, found a new girl, and was having fun again….but a poor summer in sales (probably due to the recession) hurt, and put me back in the hole!! And would you know, not only did I eventually lose my business, but another girl! Coincidence, no money/no love…lol…fellas! Beware of golddiggers!!

In October, the company had a trip to Arizona…..it was there, when I decided to call it quits….being broke and in a tremendous amount of debt helped me make that decision….but I was excited….a new chapter was born….I moved back with my pops in PA and decided to start life over….

I decided to enter corporate america….not a good place to be for someone who has been his own boss for almost 7 years…..Although, I was ripping it up at my new job….I was miserable….I was 2 days away from signing a lease for an apartment (and moving out of my dad’s house) when I decided to quit and move back to NJ with my mom to get into teaching…..I throw away a 40K + commision job to work for $100/day….I was on pace to make close to $60K in my first 9 months….that’s how good I was at my new job…..but I chose happiness….although happiness came with a price….It’s hard being 26 and admitting you live with your mom….especially when you have as much pride and accomplished as much as I did in my early 20’s….

From December 2005 til tonite, I lived with my mom….I had no choice…..I was broke…had no steady job….but after this weekend a new chapter begins….although, I don’t have that permanent teaching job, I do have a steady enough income being a permanent sub and part-time entreprenuer…..and you see, my family is going out to AZ for my lil cousin’s high school graduation, but my mom is not coming back…she sold her house and is staying out there for good….I will come back to NJ and retreat to my new apartment…..alone again for the first time since my early 20’s….for the first time since, November 2003 to be exact (things got so bad, I lived with a friend from Dec 2003-November 2004)….

I’m excited….a new chapter….I have some money saved….am making enough money to survive, and am starting to get my swagga back(I believe I lost it sometime earlier this year…LOL)….it’s been a tough battle, and believe me, as long as this blog was, it was the condensed version!! LOL….Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger….I’m ready for the challenges and successes of this new chapter!!

Damn…2+ months…..2+ months too long!!! I can’t believe it’s been so long since my last blog….I apologize to my loyal readers for the wait…all 3 of you!!

It seems just like yesterday that I was about to write a blog, but didn’t…..damn, that was back in April during the Imus thing….wow…..anyways…too much has happened with me and our crazy world to not write about it!!

First! I survived my first semester as both a teacher and a student…time to brag for a hot minute….as a “new” teacher…a new “science” teacher that is….out of my 55 students…26 got A’s, 25 got B’s, and 4 got C’s (C+’s to be exact), not bad for a newbie…and some fyi, I didn’t pad those stats, all of those kids got what they deserved! No breaks!….and that my friends, is something to brag about….it’s amazing watching kids learn and achieve such great things at an early age……I have had a lot of rewarding moments in past jobs, but nothing like what I have seen achieved this past semester….and I don’t even know what I’m doing yet….I am so proud of my kids…I can’t wait to be a real teacher…..

Then for me the student….I took 6 night classes…something they said couldn’t be done!! Well, I didn’t get my grades yet, but I know I got atleast 3 A’s, an A- and two grades that one should be an A and the other no lower than a B….that’s a GPA over 3.7……mind you, as an undergrad, I never had a GPA over 3.19….here I am gonna have atleast a 3.7 with 6 classes and a fulltime job…..not to brag, but I am proud of myself….that just shows what you are capable of doing when you really want something….

Speaking of wanting something….who else want’s to see Paris Hilton go to jail! What a joke!!

Some more jokes….how about Akon in the news for dancing with a 15 year old at his concert…..what nerve we have for criticizing this guy when R Kelly is still selling records….How f’d up is this world….Akon practically gets crucified for dancing with a girl he thought was at least 18, or at least should have been 18 because it was an 18+ venue, yet R Kelly was not only seen on tape having sex (and urinating on a 14 year old) but was also married to a 15 year old himself back in the day…..some how that sicko is not in jail and still is selling millions of records, even though his music progressively gets worse…..I’ll even stick up for Michael Jackson on this one, his career is finished because of gold diggers and liars….he was innocent yet is living in hell….Michael Jackson might be a weirdo, but he is no child molester…he loves kids too much (no pun intended)…..Akon, did nothing wrong but caught hell last week, yet R Kelly’s sick ass is getting bigger by the moment….ladies and gentlemen, I work in a high school…I see little cuties all day, but I could never envsion myself being with one….nor would I want to be….that is just sickening….they are children for God’s sake…any adult that gets off to that should be hanged….R Kelly should be in jail….and I am waiting for the day when America wakes up and gives pedophiles worse off jail sentences then they get….how many of those sickos end up being repeat offenders! In my opinion, rapists should get life in prison and child molesters/rapists the death penalty….in my mind, child molestation is the worst crime possible….worse than murder…..

Speaking of murder…..how f’d up is our world……not only do we have those psycho islamic terrorists, but that Virginia Tech nut….how many of us started looking at nerdy Asians differently….I know it’s wrong, but I caught myself watching a few too closely myself that week of that tragedy….I got over that fad though, that is just wrong….any ways, speaking of being wrong….what was up with Imus….

Now, I am actually going to stick up for the man….maybe I’m wrong for doing so, but Imus should not have gotten fired….this is America…freedom of speech is a right of ours….although no white man should be making comments such as “nappy-headed ho’s,” it is his right for living in this country….and you know what?? He is a shock jock….what else would you expect from a shock jock?? If you can’t stomach that kind of talk don’t listen! I’m sure Howard Stern used to say worse things on his show!! I don’t think Imus should be making comments like that, but I also think he shouldn’t have gotten fired for it either…It’s not like he was singling out any one and going on a racist rant…it was just a generalization…a bad joke…..anyways….

How come black comedians could mock white people but white comedians can’t mock out black people?? I disagree with racism and prejudice, but people need to lighten up! Lastly, how come nobody made a big fuss of Floyd Mayweather entering the boxing ring in boxing’s biggest-fight- ever dressed like a Mexican?? You mean to tell me that wasn’t a racist gesture?? Wonder what would have happened if a white fighter would have done that??

Speaking of racism and white people….how is it that Dirk Nowitzki won MVP?? Honestly, I haven’t followed the NBA much the last few years, but I do know that the last 3 years the MVP was a white man…..you mean to tell me that those two honkies are the best players in the league??? Come on now America! Wake up!!! I thought the analysts that made a big deal about the refs calling more fouls on black players versus white players was ridiculous, but this takes the crown and might just prove the NBA is racist!! LOL There are 3 white players in all of professional basketball and 2 of them won MVP the last 3 years!!! What a joke!! Atleast we have baseball season back!! Anyone else hate Barry Bonds??

Anyways, I had to get that stuff off my chest!! It was 2 months in the making….pretty pathetic, huh?? Until next time….stay safe…and I promise, no more long delays!!!