FA+
Shop
I'm not dead yet!
Posted 11 years agoI'm still alive!
But those of you who follow me on Twitter already knew that.
Anyways, here's a brief rundown of what's been keeping my tail busy:
WORK! Business is still going strong, and I'm still pretty short handed. More so now than I've got some new people and some of them are as thick as two short planks.
Also, I've been taking a bigger role in the Missus' side work. Shameless plug alert, https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThePaperMedley ! Buy your paper supplies here! and https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThePartyMedley for the rest of your party needs.
In other news, Thing 2 got an official diagnosis for Autism. And I found out a couple of months ago that I had a diagnosis for Aspergers when I was a kid.
Now, we have very high hopes for Thing 2. She's pretty damn high functioning, and way too clever for her own good.
Anyway that's what I'm up to.
But those of you who follow me on Twitter already knew that.
Anyways, here's a brief rundown of what's been keeping my tail busy:
WORK! Business is still going strong, and I'm still pretty short handed. More so now than I've got some new people and some of them are as thick as two short planks.
Also, I've been taking a bigger role in the Missus' side work. Shameless plug alert, https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThePaperMedley ! Buy your paper supplies here! and https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThePartyMedley for the rest of your party needs.
In other news, Thing 2 got an official diagnosis for Autism. And I found out a couple of months ago that I had a diagnosis for Aspergers when I was a kid.
Now, we have very high hopes for Thing 2. She's pretty damn high functioning, and way too clever for her own good.
Anyway that's what I'm up to.
Signal Boost
Posted 12 years agoHey guys, 
fringedog is going through a rough patch right now.
Shower him with commissions!
And if not, a supporting word here and there wouldn't go amiss.
fringedog is going through a rough patch right now. Shower him with commissions!
And if not, a supporting word here and there wouldn't go amiss.
Signal Boost!
Posted 12 years agoYou guys remember Vinci & Arty?
Of course you do.
Well, they're in some financial hardships, so I'll let Vinci give you the details.
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5490431/
If you can't give, any signal boosts are a great help.
Of course you do.
Well, they're in some financial hardships, so I'll let Vinci give you the details.
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5490431/
If you can't give, any signal boosts are a great help.
FC 2014
Posted 12 years agoYes, I are going.
Yes, I intend to have a good time.
Yes, I'd like to know which of you guys will be there.
On at least one or two of the days, I'll probably have my son with me. While he's pretty well behaved, if I tell him something isn't ok to do, PLEASE DO NOT countermand me (Oh, it's ok if he...etc).
Looking forward to seeing y'all there.
Yes, I intend to have a good time.
Yes, I'd like to know which of you guys will be there.
On at least one or two of the days, I'll probably have my son with me. While he's pretty well behaved, if I tell him something isn't ok to do, PLEASE DO NOT countermand me (Oh, it's ok if he...etc).
Looking forward to seeing y'all there.
Dave Barry's Year in Review 2013
Posted 12 years agoIf you need something funny, this did it for me. I'm pretty sure I can read it again without giggling madly through it.
Enjoy!
http://m.washingtonpost.com/lifesty.....fac_story.html
Enjoy!
http://m.washingtonpost.com/lifesty.....fac_story.html
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Posted 12 years agoMay your day be filled with joy, mirth, all the stuff on your Christmas list, flaming eggnog and good tidings!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hzdKDXGIues
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hzdKDXGIues
More random musings.
Posted 12 years agoA common thread in modern philosophy (promogulated by Nietzche) can simply be summed up by the idea that what you do makes up who you are.
To a certain extent, this is true. I cannot deny that I am a manager because I manage people, or that I am a husband because I am married to a lovely, wonderful, and patient woman.
However, this is an incomplete picture as to ones identity. What is equally important to what we do is WHY we do it.
No matter how lazy, unimaginative, or small minded a person is, everyone sets out in life to accomplish something. These goals, whether their attainable or not, say as much about who we are as what we do to achieve them, and more importantly, what we do when we fail.
I would like to tangentially say that failure may be an event, but success is a process by which we fail repeatedly until we succeed.
Anyway, those are my random musings after a long day's work and before another one. One of the hardest things about my job is that I often can't be there for my lovely wife when she's got one of her migranes. I can only ask that you keep her in her thoughts and prayers, and thanks for indulging me in a bit of shameless pomposity and grandstanding.
To a certain extent, this is true. I cannot deny that I am a manager because I manage people, or that I am a husband because I am married to a lovely, wonderful, and patient woman.
However, this is an incomplete picture as to ones identity. What is equally important to what we do is WHY we do it.
No matter how lazy, unimaginative, or small minded a person is, everyone sets out in life to accomplish something. These goals, whether their attainable or not, say as much about who we are as what we do to achieve them, and more importantly, what we do when we fail.
I would like to tangentially say that failure may be an event, but success is a process by which we fail repeatedly until we succeed.
Anyway, those are my random musings after a long day's work and before another one. One of the hardest things about my job is that I often can't be there for my lovely wife when she's got one of her migranes. I can only ask that you keep her in her thoughts and prayers, and thanks for indulging me in a bit of shameless pomposity and grandstanding.
Car Reviews & Signal boost.
Posted 12 years agoSo, I posted this right before the Great FA Outage of 2013:
So, as some of you know, I run a local rent-a-car branch. As such, I have hands on access to a lot of new cars on the market, and can even take them home with me for a while.
As such, would you guys be interested in reviews of said new cars? Let me know!
Also, one of my friends has a new site up for making keeping track of commissions easier.
Details here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5331833/
So, as some of you know, I run a local rent-a-car branch. As such, I have hands on access to a lot of new cars on the market, and can even take them home with me for a while.
As such, would you guys be interested in reviews of said new cars? Let me know!
Also, one of my friends has a new site up for making keeping track of commissions easier.
Details here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5331833/
Amazing flash mob
Posted 12 years agoSausage Roll Recepie
Posted 12 years agoSince I received thunderous acclaim and interest from the last post (from all two of you), I decided to post instructions so you can make your own!
You will need:
2 packages of puff pastry sheets.
2lbs of bulk sausage (I use Jimmy Dean, but you are encouraged to try your own)
1/2 an onion
1 egg
sage
some flour
a mid-sized mixing bowl
a fine grater
a rolling pin
a baking sheet
an oven preheated to 350 degrees.
First, puff pastry is generally kept frozen until ready to use. In the packs we get, it's generally folded into thirds on top of each other. You want to let it thaw to the point where you can unfold it. Keep an eye on it while this happens, cause you don't want them to thaw to the point where they stick together. Then you'll just have one reaaaally thick stretch of puff pastry.
While the puff pastry is thawing, you'll want to prep your meat. Perversely, this starts with grating your half onion into the mixing bowl. If you've a standard cheese grater, you want to use one of the fine sides, so the onion is more or less pulpy when you're done (alternatively, you can use a food processor, but grating onions manually is a sign of virility in some cultures.) If you like onion, use more than half an onion, if you don't, use a little less. After you finish the onion, add about two teaspoons of sage (again, more or less to taste) to the onion, and then mix the sausage in your onion and sage mix. Set your meats to one side.
Now, you want to cut the puff pastry sheets into three equal sections (this should be simple, if you follow the creases from where they were folded earlier). Once they're cut, you want to dust them with flour and roll them out (if you're good, you can get them to be about half again as big). Once you're done, they should still be pretty rectangular.
Now comes the fun part. Take the meat, and lay it out in the middle of the strips, so you have a glorious line of unbroken sausage that runs the length of your pastry (that......didn't sound dirty in my head). Once you've a strip laid out, fold the pastry over the sausage and pinch the two sides of the pastry together. The goal here is to have about a foot long, 1 inch diameter tube of meat with pastry wrapped around it. Cut the tube into 1 inch sections, and be sure you poke at least two decent sized holes in the top.
Now, for the finishing touch. Take your egg, crack it into a small bowl, and mix it up. Then lightly brush the individual rolls with egg (this step is optional, but it gives the finished rolls a nice golden color at the end).
Fill up your baking sheet with the rolls, and cook them in the oven at 325 for about 10 minutes or until golden brown on top.
You are, of course, encouraged to try your own variations on spices and meats (like ground bacon, for instance.....=0.0= I'll have to try this) or the spices involved. Also, instead of making about 30 small rolls, you can make two or three larger ones and have that for dinner.
Bon Appetit!
You will need:
2 packages of puff pastry sheets.
2lbs of bulk sausage (I use Jimmy Dean, but you are encouraged to try your own)
1/2 an onion
1 egg
sage
some flour
a mid-sized mixing bowl
a fine grater
a rolling pin
a baking sheet
an oven preheated to 350 degrees.
First, puff pastry is generally kept frozen until ready to use. In the packs we get, it's generally folded into thirds on top of each other. You want to let it thaw to the point where you can unfold it. Keep an eye on it while this happens, cause you don't want them to thaw to the point where they stick together. Then you'll just have one reaaaally thick stretch of puff pastry.
While the puff pastry is thawing, you'll want to prep your meat. Perversely, this starts with grating your half onion into the mixing bowl. If you've a standard cheese grater, you want to use one of the fine sides, so the onion is more or less pulpy when you're done (alternatively, you can use a food processor, but grating onions manually is a sign of virility in some cultures.) If you like onion, use more than half an onion, if you don't, use a little less. After you finish the onion, add about two teaspoons of sage (again, more or less to taste) to the onion, and then mix the sausage in your onion and sage mix. Set your meats to one side.
Now, you want to cut the puff pastry sheets into three equal sections (this should be simple, if you follow the creases from where they were folded earlier). Once they're cut, you want to dust them with flour and roll them out (if you're good, you can get them to be about half again as big). Once you're done, they should still be pretty rectangular.
Now comes the fun part. Take the meat, and lay it out in the middle of the strips, so you have a glorious line of unbroken sausage that runs the length of your pastry (that......didn't sound dirty in my head). Once you've a strip laid out, fold the pastry over the sausage and pinch the two sides of the pastry together. The goal here is to have about a foot long, 1 inch diameter tube of meat with pastry wrapped around it. Cut the tube into 1 inch sections, and be sure you poke at least two decent sized holes in the top.
Now, for the finishing touch. Take your egg, crack it into a small bowl, and mix it up. Then lightly brush the individual rolls with egg (this step is optional, but it gives the finished rolls a nice golden color at the end).
Fill up your baking sheet with the rolls, and cook them in the oven at 325 for about 10 minutes or until golden brown on top.
You are, of course, encouraged to try your own variations on spices and meats (like ground bacon, for instance.....=0.0= I'll have to try this) or the spices involved. Also, instead of making about 30 small rolls, you can make two or three larger ones and have that for dinner.
Bon Appetit!
No Hopers, Jokers & Rogues
Posted 12 years agoSome days I wonder.
Posted 12 years agoJust about a lot of things, in general, really.
What's the point of having a well paying job if I don't see the kids at all?
Why do I bother trying so hard at work if I don't get the resources from my boss?
Am I crossing the line between "Friendly outgoing person" and "Obnoxious jackwagon"?
I'm mostly venting here, cause otherwise I'll probably wind up murdering everyone at work with a shotgunjo.
What's the point of having a well paying job if I don't see the kids at all?
Why do I bother trying so hard at work if I don't get the resources from my boss?
Am I crossing the line between "Friendly outgoing person" and "Obnoxious jackwagon"?
I'm mostly venting here, cause otherwise I'll probably wind up murdering everyone at work with a shotgunjo.
Help a guy out.
Posted 12 years agohttp://www.furaffinity.net/journal/...../#cid:36791334
Good friend of mine going through a rough patch. Any kind words help.
Good friend of mine going through a rough patch. Any kind words help.
Streaming for a good cause
Posted 12 years agoDo you like tf arts? Cool art in general? Check this guy out
Posted 12 years ago:icon Fringedog: is not only an awesome artist and, being Canadian, far more nice and polite than I could hope to be.
Check his stuff out! He does really good work and really deserves more attention.
Check his stuff out! He does really good work and really deserves more attention.
Absurdly cute YCH auction!
Posted 12 years agohttp://www.furaffinity.net/view/11846892/
I know most of you who watch me also watch :icon foxenawolf:, but in case you missed it, check out this absurdly cute ych auction going on here. And then go tell everyone you've ever met!
I know most of you who watch me also watch :icon foxenawolf:, but in case you missed it, check out this absurdly cute ych auction going on here. And then go tell everyone you've ever met!
State of the Iron Fox
Posted 12 years agoSo, it's been a while since I've done one of these, so, in the interests to all of you who read my journals (you both know who you are), here's what's been new.
Work has been going pretty well. Our branch posted pretty good gains in the 3rd quarter over last year, and we've been kicking butt and taking names (catching those two hoods certainly helped our reputation).
The BAD news, however, is that the company's started to change their accounting practices.
Let me explain.
See, in a company like Hertz, while you have a bunch of folks on the frontline who produce for the company, there's still plenty of folks who work on the back end whose jobs are no less vital to the company (recruiters, fleet managers, hr people, etc.) The thing is, historically, the costs of supporting those folks have been pushed off to the airport locations since they're so profitable (for a frame of reference, the nearest airport to us, San Jose International, makes as much in one month as I do in a year). So, going forward, some of those costs are shifted to us neighborhood locations based off of the amounts of rentals we do in a month. Therefore, the airports are still bearing the brunt of our costs, but we're helping out too.
So why is this bad news?
Well, they way my bonus is calculated is how my branch performs year over year, so I have to increase gross revenue and profits over what we did last year. The problem was that they hadn't managed to calculate last year's costs under the same program, so I didn't wind up getting my bonus for August until today (they usually pay out in the next month), but also my profits were a lot lower than we'd been expecting. Looking at it, my bonus would have been roughly double what it was if they hadn't changed their accounting.
In other news, I'm looking for other work, both inside the company and out. I'm putting out some feelers for out of state transfers, so there's a chance those of you in Texas or Florida may wind up having me nearby.
Try to contain your excitement.
Otherwise, I'm just soldiering on, moderating at
foxenawolf 's livestream (badly) and just trying to keep my head above water.
Work has been going pretty well. Our branch posted pretty good gains in the 3rd quarter over last year, and we've been kicking butt and taking names (catching those two hoods certainly helped our reputation).
The BAD news, however, is that the company's started to change their accounting practices.
Let me explain.
See, in a company like Hertz, while you have a bunch of folks on the frontline who produce for the company, there's still plenty of folks who work on the back end whose jobs are no less vital to the company (recruiters, fleet managers, hr people, etc.) The thing is, historically, the costs of supporting those folks have been pushed off to the airport locations since they're so profitable (for a frame of reference, the nearest airport to us, San Jose International, makes as much in one month as I do in a year). So, going forward, some of those costs are shifted to us neighborhood locations based off of the amounts of rentals we do in a month. Therefore, the airports are still bearing the brunt of our costs, but we're helping out too.
So why is this bad news?
Well, they way my bonus is calculated is how my branch performs year over year, so I have to increase gross revenue and profits over what we did last year. The problem was that they hadn't managed to calculate last year's costs under the same program, so I didn't wind up getting my bonus for August until today (they usually pay out in the next month), but also my profits were a lot lower than we'd been expecting. Looking at it, my bonus would have been roughly double what it was if they hadn't changed their accounting.
In other news, I'm looking for other work, both inside the company and out. I'm putting out some feelers for out of state transfers, so there's a chance those of you in Texas or Florida may wind up having me nearby.
Try to contain your excitement.
Otherwise, I'm just soldiering on, moderating at
foxenawolf 's livestream (badly) and just trying to keep my head above water. Signal boost & awesome artist
Posted 12 years agohttp://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5141168/#
Details here folks, but check it out. if you've any interest in the fba or getting amazing art, check out this artist.
Details here folks, but check it out. if you've any interest in the fba or getting amazing art, check out this artist.
Check this out!
Posted 12 years agoOne of my friends is doing a spiffy ych auction.
Details here. http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11622773/
Now go throw moneys at her!
Details here. http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11622773/
Now go throw moneys at her!
In Celebration of FA being back online
Posted 12 years agoA meme shamelessly stolen from 
dana and 
ginamaria
1. Full Name.
Gregory Sullivan Durando
2. Zodiac Sign.
Capicorn
3. 3 Fears.
Being Forgotten
Failure
Letting down my friends and family.
4. 3 loved things.
My Wife
My Son
My Daughter
5. Best friend.
My lovely wife.
6. Last song you listened to.
Irish Drinking Song- Da Vinci's Notebook
7. 4 Turn ons.
Sarcasm
Appeals to my ego
Laughter
Snuggly blankets
8. 4 Turn offs.
Humiliation
Itchiness
Chest Congestion
Sweatiness
9. What colored underwear are you wearing right now?
I'm....not wearing any. (Get your minds out of the gutter! I'm wearing pajamas. Geez)
10. How many tattoos/piercings do you have?
Just the top half of my family crest on my right bicep. (I really need to finish that)
11. The reason you joined FA?
I wanted to see what it was all about, and then it DEVOURED MY TIME!!!
12. How you feel right now?
Overall, pretty well
13. Something you really, really want.
A 1954 Chevy Apache pickup truck, a Springfield M-14, an airworthy Fairchild C-123 Provider, and an endless supply of Boston Cream Pie.
14. Relationship Status?
Married for 6 years this October and I've never been happier.
15. Meaning behind your username?
It seemed like a good idea at the time.
16. Favorite Movie.
The 13th Warrior and Silverado
17. Favorite Song.
If I had to pick one, it'd probably be Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.
18. Favorite Band.
Gaelic Storm
19. 3 things that upset you.
Rudeness
Selfishness
Hatred
20. 3 things that make you happy.
My Wife
My Kids
Making great beer.
21. What do you find attractive about people?
A sense of humor.
22. Someone you miss.
My Uncle Tim. He died when I was 13 from liver cancer, and it took him pretty quickly.
23. Someone you love.
My awesome wife. I honestly don't know how I managed to convince such a lovely, intelligent and wonderful
person that I was good husband material.
24. Relationship with parents.
I get along well with both my parents, though dad and I tend to butt heads pretty often. Probably because we're both stubborn.
25. Favorite Holiday.
After Christmas? I'd say Thanksgiving. We take our foods seriously.
26. Closest FA Friend.
tsume454
27. Someone on FA you dated.
nope
28. A confession.
I never actually graduated College.
29. 3 Things that annoy me easily.
Willful Ignorance
Not Listening
Having to repeat myself more than once.
30. Favorite animal(s).
Foxes!
31. Pets?
One absurd polydactyl cat.
32. One thing I've lied about.
Whether or not a particular car is available to a customer.
33. Something that's currently worrying you.
Whether or not I can sleep through the night uninterrupted by my children.
34. An embarrassing moment.
I've blotted most of 5th grade from my memory.
35. Where you work.
I run a local rent-a-car office.
36. Something that's constantly on your mind.
Beer and BACON!
37. 3 habits you have.
I drink a bit too much.
I don't work out enough (read: at all)
I don't tell my wife I love her enough.
38. Future Goals.
Buy a house and start my own brewery.
39. Something you fantasize about.
Owning my own home.
40. Favorite stores.
Fermentation Solutions
Think Geek
Target
IKEA
41. Favorite food.
Santa Maria style Tri-Tip, grilled.
42. What you did yesterday.
Worked my tail off.
43. Something you're talented at.
Singing, I'm a pretty decent baritone.
44. Your Idea of a perfect date.
Dinner at a nice restaurant with the wife followed by a full night asleep in bed.
45. Your celebrity crush.
Scarlett Johansson
46. A photo of yourself.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10152193/
47. Favorite Artist.
foxenawolf
48. Number of kids you want.
NO MORE! The Two we have are plenty!
49. Do you smoke or drink?
I use electronic cigarettes every now and then, and cigars on special occasions.
I drink far more often,
50. THE END.
....or IS it? *ooooOOooooOOOoooo*
dana and 
ginamaria 1. Full Name.
Gregory Sullivan Durando
2. Zodiac Sign.
Capicorn
3. 3 Fears.
Being Forgotten
Failure
Letting down my friends and family.
4. 3 loved things.
My Wife
My Son
My Daughter
5. Best friend.
My lovely wife.
6. Last song you listened to.
Irish Drinking Song- Da Vinci's Notebook
7. 4 Turn ons.
Sarcasm
Appeals to my ego
Laughter
Snuggly blankets
8. 4 Turn offs.
Humiliation
Itchiness
Chest Congestion
Sweatiness
9. What colored underwear are you wearing right now?
I'm....not wearing any. (Get your minds out of the gutter! I'm wearing pajamas. Geez)
10. How many tattoos/piercings do you have?
Just the top half of my family crest on my right bicep. (I really need to finish that)
11. The reason you joined FA?
I wanted to see what it was all about, and then it DEVOURED MY TIME!!!
12. How you feel right now?
Overall, pretty well
13. Something you really, really want.
A 1954 Chevy Apache pickup truck, a Springfield M-14, an airworthy Fairchild C-123 Provider, and an endless supply of Boston Cream Pie.
14. Relationship Status?
Married for 6 years this October and I've never been happier.
15. Meaning behind your username?
It seemed like a good idea at the time.
16. Favorite Movie.
The 13th Warrior and Silverado
17. Favorite Song.
If I had to pick one, it'd probably be Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.
18. Favorite Band.
Gaelic Storm
19. 3 things that upset you.
Rudeness
Selfishness
Hatred
20. 3 things that make you happy.
My Wife
My Kids
Making great beer.
21. What do you find attractive about people?
A sense of humor.
22. Someone you miss.
My Uncle Tim. He died when I was 13 from liver cancer, and it took him pretty quickly.
23. Someone you love.
My awesome wife. I honestly don't know how I managed to convince such a lovely, intelligent and wonderful
person that I was good husband material.
24. Relationship with parents.
I get along well with both my parents, though dad and I tend to butt heads pretty often. Probably because we're both stubborn.
25. Favorite Holiday.
After Christmas? I'd say Thanksgiving. We take our foods seriously.
26. Closest FA Friend.
tsume45427. Someone on FA you dated.
nope
28. A confession.
I never actually graduated College.
29. 3 Things that annoy me easily.
Willful Ignorance
Not Listening
Having to repeat myself more than once.
30. Favorite animal(s).
Foxes!
31. Pets?
One absurd polydactyl cat.
32. One thing I've lied about.
Whether or not a particular car is available to a customer.
33. Something that's currently worrying you.
Whether or not I can sleep through the night uninterrupted by my children.
34. An embarrassing moment.
I've blotted most of 5th grade from my memory.
35. Where you work.
I run a local rent-a-car office.
36. Something that's constantly on your mind.
Beer and BACON!
37. 3 habits you have.
I drink a bit too much.
I don't work out enough (read: at all)
I don't tell my wife I love her enough.
38. Future Goals.
Buy a house and start my own brewery.
39. Something you fantasize about.
Owning my own home.
40. Favorite stores.
Fermentation Solutions
Think Geek
Target
IKEA
41. Favorite food.
Santa Maria style Tri-Tip, grilled.
42. What you did yesterday.
Worked my tail off.
43. Something you're talented at.
Singing, I'm a pretty decent baritone.
44. Your Idea of a perfect date.
Dinner at a nice restaurant with the wife followed by a full night asleep in bed.
45. Your celebrity crush.
Scarlett Johansson
46. A photo of yourself.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10152193/
47. Favorite Artist.
foxenawolf48. Number of kids you want.
NO MORE! The Two we have are plenty!
49. Do you smoke or drink?
I use electronic cigarettes every now and then, and cigars on special occasions.
I drink far more often,
50. THE END.
....or IS it? *ooooOOooooOOOoooo*
If you find yourself missing my brand of snark and lunacy...
Posted 12 years agoHere's where you can find me reliably:
AIM: BushidoFox7
YIM: iron_fox21
Skype: ferrousvulpes
Twitter: Iron_Fox
I'm also a regular on :icon foxenawolf : 's livestreams, though I usually show up around 7-730 pacific.
Persist through the outage, my pretties!
AIM: BushidoFox7
YIM: iron_fox21
Skype: ferrousvulpes
Twitter: Iron_Fox
I'm also a regular on :icon foxenawolf : 's livestreams, though I usually show up around 7-730 pacific.
Persist through the outage, my pretties!
How dumb can you get?
Posted 12 years agoSo, all this month, from locations ranging from down here in the south bay all the way up to Vallejo, there's been a rash of people stealing cars by renting with fraudulent credit cards. My branch had two cars stolen like this earlier in the month, and one of the branches in the east bay had 2 cars stolen as early as last tuesday.
Now, having compared notes with other branches, everyone had a similar M.O: African American woman in her mid 20's, heavyset, renting with an out of state drivers' license and credit cards that wouldn't swipe in our system. Also, they'd generally get antsy when the rental would take too long.
Cut to about 4 this afternoon when I come back into the office from picking up a car from the body shop and I find one of my employees renting to a african american woman with an Illinois license. He's stalling and everything, telling the customer that he has to clean the car, etc.
Meanwhile, I call the police and while I'm describing the subject, she's waiting on the street outside and starts walking away. I follow her about 150 ft back, talking to the dispatcher as we're walking down a residential st behind our branch when I see her throw something into the bushes in a nearby planter. Right at that point, MVPD shows up and I give our statement.
Bout an hour later, it's more or less all over. The girl gave a different name than the license she provided (and then ditched), the credit card was fake, etc. And all the while we're busting out rentals and returns like it ain't no thing.
So, after it's all said and done (around 5:30), I'm sending an email to MVPD for everything we've got on the information on these girls and I'm on the phone with my boss describing this, when I get a text from my employee saying "Another 1???? Come help me with this rental". I go up, and sure enough, another chick, this time with a Texas license and an even more fake looking credit card. So I get on the phone with the cops while my employee makes a big show about showing her around to all the cars. In about 10 minutes, we have half of MVPD showing up at our office, and not only was this girl using a fake credit card (I called the number on the back. Went to a US Bank credit card line, but everything on the card read Chase), but she had an accomplice who had another 8 fake credit cards. To top it off, they also had the keys to ANOTHER rental car, this one flagged as stolen from out of Vallejo.
If this isn't a feather in our caps, I dunno what is!
Now, having compared notes with other branches, everyone had a similar M.O: African American woman in her mid 20's, heavyset, renting with an out of state drivers' license and credit cards that wouldn't swipe in our system. Also, they'd generally get antsy when the rental would take too long.
Cut to about 4 this afternoon when I come back into the office from picking up a car from the body shop and I find one of my employees renting to a african american woman with an Illinois license. He's stalling and everything, telling the customer that he has to clean the car, etc.
Meanwhile, I call the police and while I'm describing the subject, she's waiting on the street outside and starts walking away. I follow her about 150 ft back, talking to the dispatcher as we're walking down a residential st behind our branch when I see her throw something into the bushes in a nearby planter. Right at that point, MVPD shows up and I give our statement.
Bout an hour later, it's more or less all over. The girl gave a different name than the license she provided (and then ditched), the credit card was fake, etc. And all the while we're busting out rentals and returns like it ain't no thing.
So, after it's all said and done (around 5:30), I'm sending an email to MVPD for everything we've got on the information on these girls and I'm on the phone with my boss describing this, when I get a text from my employee saying "Another 1???? Come help me with this rental". I go up, and sure enough, another chick, this time with a Texas license and an even more fake looking credit card. So I get on the phone with the cops while my employee makes a big show about showing her around to all the cars. In about 10 minutes, we have half of MVPD showing up at our office, and not only was this girl using a fake credit card (I called the number on the back. Went to a US Bank credit card line, but everything on the card read Chase), but she had an accomplice who had another 8 fake credit cards. To top it off, they also had the keys to ANOTHER rental car, this one flagged as stolen from out of Vallejo.
If this isn't a feather in our caps, I dunno what is!
Random Thoughts on Thought & Stuffs
Posted 12 years agoJust some things I've been thinking about over the last few days. A few positions and the logical backing for them.
1: People are inherently rational and, ultimately, respond best to self interest.
This is one of the important things to Descartes' Cogito ("I Think, Therefore I Am"). Thought is one of the few actions that one can do that isn't verifiable by an outside source.
This is pretty straightforward. To an objective observer, an individual's actions may not be entirely rational. But to themselves, they obviously have a good reason for doing things. For instance, if I were suddenly convinced that my skull was made out of glass, I would think it perfectly rational for me to go everywhere wearing a football helmet covered in bubble wrap. To an outside observer, I would look incredibly daft. More so if I tried to explain myself. But! My actions would be entirely rational.
Furthermore, I would be interested in protecting myself and my newly fragile cranium.
2: Nobody sets out to do Evil.
This builds further off of premise 1. Very rarely, in my experience, do people wake up in the morning and go "You know what? I'm going to go and burn down an orphanage, just for the hell of it!". Ultimately people think they are doing good. Even Osama Bin Laden and Hitler, monstrous though their actions were, must have thought that they were accomplishing good things.
People are motivated by creating something, and rarely by destruction.
That's it for now. I'll write more as they occur to me.
1: People are inherently rational and, ultimately, respond best to self interest.
This is one of the important things to Descartes' Cogito ("I Think, Therefore I Am"). Thought is one of the few actions that one can do that isn't verifiable by an outside source.
This is pretty straightforward. To an objective observer, an individual's actions may not be entirely rational. But to themselves, they obviously have a good reason for doing things. For instance, if I were suddenly convinced that my skull was made out of glass, I would think it perfectly rational for me to go everywhere wearing a football helmet covered in bubble wrap. To an outside observer, I would look incredibly daft. More so if I tried to explain myself. But! My actions would be entirely rational.
Furthermore, I would be interested in protecting myself and my newly fragile cranium.
2: Nobody sets out to do Evil.
This builds further off of premise 1. Very rarely, in my experience, do people wake up in the morning and go "You know what? I'm going to go and burn down an orphanage, just for the hell of it!". Ultimately people think they are doing good. Even Osama Bin Laden and Hitler, monstrous though their actions were, must have thought that they were accomplishing good things.
People are motivated by creating something, and rarely by destruction.
That's it for now. I'll write more as they occur to me.
AAAARRGH
Posted 12 years agoSo, last month at work we had a banner, blowout month.
For the first time in my branch's history, we took in more than $200k in revenue.
So, in theory, this month's bonuses should be good, right?
Well, I went to check out our online bonus calculator, and evidently somewhere the company decided that it had overpaid not just me but every other manager in our area by $1700, and I effectively owe the company $500.
My boss is saying that those numbers can't be right, and I trust him there (he bonuses off of all our branch's bonuses, so if WE owe money, so does he.)
It's just frustrating that this is happening for 2 months in a row.
For the first time in my branch's history, we took in more than $200k in revenue.
So, in theory, this month's bonuses should be good, right?
Well, I went to check out our online bonus calculator, and evidently somewhere the company decided that it had overpaid not just me but every other manager in our area by $1700, and I effectively owe the company $500.
My boss is saying that those numbers can't be right, and I trust him there (he bonuses off of all our branch's bonuses, so if WE owe money, so does he.)
It's just frustrating that this is happening for 2 months in a row.
12 hours....
Posted 12 years agoAnd now, we unwind with some cabernet and some r & r.
