Dora's BIZ Corner: An Evening At A Seminar!

...Tonight was the much anticipated business seminar.  Sara and I were sent special (V.I.P.) invitations.  The business gurus leading the seminar are people whose business prospective strategies I have used for a long time.  As I have often stated, I do not have heroes outside my circle of family, but these people are as close as heroes might get--in my life.

I am so glad that we made this seminar.  We almost did not make it because of other business matters.  The topics covered were exactly two of the most intriguing topics that have captivated my attention for a long time.  We signed up for other work seminars and for a weekend training retreat.  I hope all of this leads to something positive.

Most of the topics, as I stated above, was not new to me.  The terminology was also well-known to me.  However, being able to use all that knowledge (old and new) is what I really wanted and needed to know.  It is like baking a cake.  You know which ingredients you need, but you are not sure how to mix it all together in a cohesive manner in order to garner the best outcome.  That cohesiveness is what this person requires in order to begin another venture in the real estate market.  I already deal in mortgage notes so this new market is kind of icing on the cake, per se.  I am now going to go full force with tax liens and buying foreclosed properties in order to flip for a huge profit.  I can do this.  I have been studying the real estate market for a long time.  At one time I even interned as a realtor.  It was short-lived, but I got a foot in and learned a lot.  It was because of the internship that I delved further into real estate. 

Real estate has always been a passion of mine.  Buying older homes, fixing them and selling has always been something I loved to do.  I am actually great at it.  Everyone who knows me knows that I always had a knack for building and fixing houses.  Bob Villa was someone I looked up to way before flipping got so popular.  Sure I love computer programming first and foremost; CP is my true career, but the real estate thing is what I would love to do on the side, and if I can become more successful doing that, then maybe CP will take a backseat. 

All I know is that I am ready to start on a path towards different, bigger and better.  Since I am already continuing my education in computer engineering, then this other real estate venture should not interfere.  I can do both things at once.  Just like I know that I will still have time for sports, politics, writing, etc...  It is all a new opportunity for me--a new day, if you will.  It is all good.  All I have to do now is to focus on what I have already learned and to be open to new ideas and to mesh it altogether to make lemonade.

Just my take for the day!

 

Dominguez Siblings: Happy #NationalSiblingsDay 2014!

In our family, we are blessed!

Happy #NationalSiblingsDay 2014!

Love to all siblings out there...enjoy yourselves!

Dora's BIZ Corner: To Start A Business Or Not To Start A Business!

...Well, when a person has too many options/choices, making decisions can become difficult.  Too many choices is often not a good thing.  Personally, when I have too many choices I tend to get a little irritated.  But not like I did 20 years ago.  Through the maturity of my later years, I have learned to retain my composure, but there remain days when some people just bite through the very last nerve I have for them.  LOL (or not)!

Anyway, I have the opportunity to open my own business, and I am not certain what I should do.  I am still following through with my return-to-college, but if I open a business or go into a joint venture with family or friends (more options), then school might take a backseat, per se. 

I am not sure if I want to open my own franchise, go into biz with family, go into biz with friends or to focus primarily on college.  I really want to tweak my computer programming skills and maybe apply for a job with the government (Austin, TX).  I have seen several postings on different job sites for government-related jobs in programming, IT, system's administration.  Sara works for the government and often brings job postings home to me or she emails job links to me.  The pay is bar none especially when you consider the fringe benefits.  The benefits alone are outstanding as is the tenure-track.  I know that tenure-track is more for college professors and such, but the government offers such a thing, but it is called something else--the term eludes me for the moment, but, hey, no big deal.

Anyway, the government jobs are everywhere in the state (TX), but the best ones are at our state capitol.  Matter-of-fact, all 50 states offer excellent opportunities as does our fare state.  I would not mind Arkansas.  Sara and I have been to Little Rock several times, and the camaraderie we experienced there was awesome.  The best area to live would be North Little Rock.  It can be pricey, but not as bad as Midland.  Heck, there are not many areas that are more expensive than Midland these days.  Midland is probably the most expensive area to live in for the entire state of Texas.  St. Louis, MO is another area that we fell in love with during our vast and many travels.  If Sara had her way (and one day she probably will), we would be living in NYC.  She would live anywhere in the New England area; she loves the cold and the ocean.  Perhaps I should clarify that she (like me) prefers the Atlantic over the Pacific.  Sara loves the snowy weather so any state along the eastern seaboard starting with the state of New York northbound to Maine would appease my Sara.  I know I would be happy living in NYC.  We just do NOT want to live in the south.  It is not progressive enough for us.  I do not welcome the cold weather as much, but I do love the vibes that a big city has...I will live almost anywhere as long as I am there living a healthy and happy life with the love of my life--Sara!

The chance to move has never been within reach and probable as it is right now.  For a long time I have wanted to move to another part of the state or to another state; anywhere as long as we live in a large city.  I love and welcome the opportunities that large cities would afford us.  I am a family-oriented person so I did not rock-the-boat when moving away came up.  I simply acknowledged that one day I would be open to the idea, but for many years my family was too important for me to make waves and move.  I especially wanted to be close in proximity to my mom.  Mom passed away a couple of years ago, and it hit me so hard.  Words fail to describe what her death did to me.  I am slowly coming around to find some kind of normalcy (whatever that is), and I am getting stronger.  With my Sara by my side, I feel myself ready to begin yet another chapter in my life.

So, with all of that stated above, I now need to decide what that next chapter in my life will be.  I know that we do not always get to do what we had hoped.  Like the saying goes (paraphrasing): "if you want to make G-d laugh, make plans!"  I have so many options before me right now as far as a career goes.  I have always been the type of person who needed to have a career.  I regret that I often do believe that a career defines a person.  Maybe I do not look at others in that manner, but I set the bar rather high for myself, and I do require a career of some sort.  Family still being important to me, but having a career is right up there after Sara, family, G-d, etc...  I have a career now, but it is far from what I want for myself.  I want more--not just to make money, but to enjoy what I will do for the rest of my life.  Like the other adage goes: "if you do something that you love, then you will never work a day in your life!"

Just my take for the day!

Dora's Corner: Learning To Be Understanding: The Art Of Autism!

...So I have friends and family with children who are autistic.  Heck, these days, having children with autism or any form of autism seems to be the "new norm"!  I am not sure why we are seeing more and more children with autism, ADD, ADHD, and such.  It makes one wonder what is going on with the world and/or the environment.  Actually, some of these used-to-be childhood illnesses are found in many adults.  Maybe the latter were never diagnosed properly or at all. 
Let's face it, back-in-the-day, there was a stigma about going to a doctor for mental issues.  Most often, people's mental-health was not addressed.  Mental issues were not talked about--most often it was all taboo.  Going to a psychiatrist or a psychologist was not for the sane person; it was a form of being broken and/or weak.  Regardless of one's mental state, it was just assumed that everything and everyone was okay.  So maybe, just maybe, because of all the "sweeping under the rug" which was done so long ago with people's mental health, maybe it all just got so out-of-control and created the pandemic that we now see, as aforementioned, in relation to illnesses such as autism.

I am no expert by any means.  People with loved ones with autism are way more informed than me, and they barely brush the knowledge of autism.  There are no real experts really or there might be a cure or a sound reason why some people get autism.  Studies have shown that the environment might be a factor.  The things we use to make things/build things, to grow food--all of it is atrocious.  Some people do not want to believe in the scientific studies which prove that what we are doing to pollute our world (i.e. toxins) is having a detrimental effect on all of us.  The greenhouse gases, fracking, spilling poisons into our water, soiling our ground, spewing toxins into our air--every negative action that we take against our earth, without batting an eye, is not just ruining our earth, but it is, in fact, ruining our health; mental and physical. 

Like I previously stated, I do not know how autism (or other mental illnesses) began or why it attacks certain people, all I know is that we need to seriously educate ourselves.  This dilemma is not our burden until it affects a loved one.  Perhaps that last sentence is a little jaded, but nonetheless, it is the truth.  We look away at these things which cause uneasiness in our lives.  If we do not have to see it then we do not need to address it and the issue simply goes away.  I hate to intrude upon your perfect little world, but if we do not take part (via a collaborative effort)  to understand illnesses, then we will in a way keep sweeping these issues under the rug, and nothing will be fixed.  Future generations will continue having such illnesses until such illnesses become embedded in all of our DNA.  Maybe they are already part of our DNA.

But for now, until we can get better answers, just stop expecting people with autism and such to keep conforming to what we assume to be a perfect society.  I never liked the word perfect.  What in the hell does it really mean anyway.  Utopian societies are not real.  They have never been real.  We live in a cruel world.  However, it does not mean that we have a right to keep being cruel.  Let's just stop expecting perfection from everyone and how about, once in a while, we conform to other people's needs.  Hence the quote below!

Just my take for the day!