The Atmosphere of Coffee Shops

I don't know what it is....maybe it's the fact that my mother made coffee every morning in the house, the fact that I've always loved a very diverse group, or the fact that it's a meeting place where people from all walks of life converge regardless or need or intention....I really love coffee shops. So much so that I've worked at a couple...One of the more famous chains Starbuck's, and the Lion's Den, which is Loyola Marymount University's version of Starbucks.  Working in those places really opened my eyes to cornucopia of lifestyles, beliefs, and ways of interaction. There were people who preferred not to communicate in words, but used smiles and tips to convey their appreciation. There were people who loved to talk up a storm, who saw their daily visits to their local coffee shop as a release of therapy before and sometimes after work. Still there were other people who loved the "control" that they believed they had over the works and made needless demands...I loved it all. I tend to look at life as more of a Sociology experiment. I'm always watching, always observing and always wondering what I will see/do next. Still another aspect that I love about coffee shops is their bubbly introspective "rock" music that they tend to play...that blends in perfectly with their old rusty Rnb/soul/blues cuts from some of the greats. See peopel, it's a certain kind of person who frequents a coffee shop, who works in a coffee shop, who lives in a coffee shop. They are searching for something, fixated on the idea that they can be anyone whom they wish to anybody in here...lost, but always aware of who they are, or at least who they'd like to be,...

LOL too deep...gotta go

I'm bad...Chamon!

Wow...what can I really say that hasn't already been said about Michael Jackson? As an artist,  I really appreciated the way that he innovated music.  Many people say that Madonna is the Recording Industry's Chameleon, but I think Mike gave her a run for her money. From his early years he explored Rnb/Funk/Soul Meldoies in the Jackson 5. They helped to  shape what we call the "Motown Sound" and set the tempo for the many other artists who would explore the Rnb world. When Michael ventured out on his own, he truly took his music, his image, and his artistry to another level. Michael's solo albums blurred the color lines that were still pretty apparent in late seventies early 80's music. Mixing elements of dance, New Wave and Soul he crafted a unique style all his own.  Michael's Album "Thriller" still remains the best-selling album of all time. Although little is known of Michael's children (with the exception of his son being named "Blanket") we do not have to look far to find his musical offspring. Many young Male artists are simply sliding right behind Michael's blueprint for Super Stardom....artists such as : Usher, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, NeYo just to name a few....have CLEARLY been influenced by the work of this great man. I mean just the severity of this in light of his comeback tour, is pretty heartbreaking....but there isn't just sadness. We can look to his last years of life as testament to his belief in himself, his gift, his fans, and his love for music. At 50 years old he appreciated the life his fans and fame and colleagues allowed him to lead. This is pretty remarkable considering that there are tons of negative things that came along with that. Some people say that he had to do this for the money, that simply isn't so. I am not in direct contact with his Finance department, not am I privy to any information that the general public isn't aware of...but I do know that he is Michael Jackson. If he would have asked all his fans to send him $1.00 his financial troubles would be over. If he would have contacted any major brand about doing a commercial, he'd have money for days, and if he would have put on this concert....he would have returned to glory. Unfortunately, we all didn't know how true the old adage that "art imitates life" was.....the title of his last tour? "This is it"....suddenly it takes on a new, darker meaning...

RIP 

Michael Joseph Jackson 1958-2009

SOLD!

Hello Everyone! I hope that everyone is having a really great day today...I sure am. This blog has seen the full range of my thoughts and emotions, and I am really proud that I have been able to keep things up with it! 

Real Estate has always been very close to me. I would just like to say that over the past couple of days, I have had a great influx of business that I must attribute to the focus that I have really had lately. I have clients who are making a really strong offer on a property that I know will be accepted. They are a really young couple who I'm glad to have made their dreams of home ownership come true! I will post a congratulations for them when the offer is accepted!  I also have successfully matched two good friends who are going into business together with a great lease property.  

I wanted to share with you some of the thoughts that I know are contributing to this new wave of positivity:

1. "What you think about, you bring about- Simple enough, the main things that you hold onto in your mind are the things that you see...and vice versa. If you continue to keep certain negative people, habits, and ideals within your consciousness and sphere of influence, then you will constantly dwell on such things in thought
2. There is no such thing as "bad"- Don't take this and run with it...of course there's a right and wrong, that's a different debate..but when things happen that we don't necessarily plan for or think that are good (such as death, job loss, financial woes, bad news) you must always look at them for an opportunity to boost yourself away from your current situation
3. Pay yourself first- It's really easy to make sure that everyone around you gets taken care of and neglect yourself. It's also really easy to spend your money frivolously and get things that you want before the things that you need. That's not the way to go, you must always pay yourself. Get the things that you need, pay yourself. Take care of the things that you need to grow your business, to grow your skills. This does include taking care of your bills. When you don't pay, you're stealing from yourself in the form of late fees, derogatory credit marks, and stressing on the bills next month

This is really what I've been thinking about so far, I'm sure that there are more to come but these are the most important that I wanted to get out while I was thinking about it....

The Obama Tax Credit-First Time Homebuyers!

Hello Everyone...I've been searching a lot of internet articles and speaking with a lot of people in the Mortgage and Finance business lately and it seems that there's tons of  misinformation out there about the Obama Tax Credit towards Buying a Home. Honestly this is a really great thing for those who are looking to purchase a home this year! How would you like someone to  GIVE you  $8000 towards the purchase of a new home? I thought so, we all would! Well if you purchase a home from now until November 20, 2009 when you file your taxes you will get an additional $8k with whatever return you would normally get. Another good thing? If you find that you owe the IRS a sum of money, whatever you owe for this year will be paid out of that tax credit and the balance sent to you! Even better news? If you purchase a home in a new Development you get an ADDITIONAL $10,000, that's $18,000 towards the purchase of your home! This Obama Tax Credit refers to first time home buyers...( legally  you haven't owned a principal residence within the Last 3 years, you could even have owned a vacation home!)  You must hurry though and take advantage of this market, as it wont last long! Most Recently in Late May the government has allowed this to become monetized, which means that you can use this for your closing costs and part of your down-payment!  If you were on the fence about buying a home get off, now is your year to own a piece of Real Estate.  Research shows that owning property is the key component of wealth building.  Think about it: at this point home prices will most likely only go up. Granted this isn't the bottom of the market (which we saw around 6-8 months ago), but it is merely a few steps above and prices are still reasonable! Real Estate Moves in a cycle, and it will only begin to appreciate from here, so  it's important to act now before things get too far out of your reach.  If you have any questions, or would like to get your FREE Pre-qualification to see how much house you can afford you can e-mail me : Laurence@teresapetersoffice.com, or call me at (310) 665-1145 x8. I can't wait to make your dreams of homeownership a Reality!!!

Bloggin away

Wow..there are really talented/creative people out there...So I assisted on a Listing Appointment in Santa Monica today ( I know, right?).  It was a great experience watching the master do her work. It never ceases to amaze me how my Broker has such a wonderful way with people and with words! Normally you think anyone who is that successful at dealing with people must have some sort of mind-control thing going on, or at least they are selling snake's oil, but this is never the case with her. I admire the way she is abe to talk to people and help them to arrive at better conclusions, it really reminds me of my mom and how she just had a way with people...

In other news, I think that I really have to continue to strive towards excellence...have you ever felt like you're doing a bad impersonation of yourself? I have sometimes, especially when I look at my past accomplishments and weigh them against where I am in life today (Granted it's not a bad place, I'm one of the youngest/successful people in LA Real Estate :) ), but it's not exactly a fortune. I have decided that I am going to start paying myself what I am truly worth. I deserve to be treated every now and then....I dont know why that reminded me of my ex...She and I have been talking again lately, and I really do miss her. Maybe I just miss the company of a woman, who knows. I think It's a psychological thing about feeling like no one will ever love me unconditionally or as much as I care about them (probably because the 'rents are dead)...but eh,  c'est la vie, no? I've also realized that I have to step my blogging game up thanks to a beautiful, witty and intelligent woman BougieApplebaum you can check her blog out here: http://www.bougieapplebum.com/

(PROMISE TO COME BACK TO MINE!) lol

Well off to get some work...

Quote du jour "When your attitude is right, the facts don't count"

Thinking On thoughts

Well...I know that I haven't posted in quite sometime, but I haven't forgotten about you guys. (I say you guys, and I wonder how many people really read this. Just know that when I do become famous, I was already thinking about my fans :) ). Things have been going really well in Real Estate. I've begun to COMPLETELY step my game up. I have begun intensive internet marketing via Twitter and Facebook,(Follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/DonLorenzo20 ) started doing walk-outs (100 or so a day), and really have managed my time more efficiently. I'm beginning to see the results in the way that I am respected as a business, and that people understand that I have a valueable service to offer. I really work hard for my clients and I really want to make their dreams of homeownership a Reality...so for the REAL fans...more about my music...

I really have decided to put actively pursuing my music on hold. I think that a jack of all trades can never really be good at one. That being said, I have delved pretty much head first into Real Estate...but don't worry this will definitely help me acquire the resources (financially and socially) to get where I need to be in music. I have really been writing things here and there, and I have seen my work mature as have I.  It's going to be really tough when I put out my first album because I really want everyone to see the growth that I have experienced in the last few years or so.   Other thoughts on my mind? Well I am really remaining positive and watching my thoughts, certain things are very hard to keep out of my mind. If you haven't read in my earlier posts, my father died this year...and so this will be the first Father's Day sunday June 14,2009 that I don't have him to celebrate with. We always went out to Coco's and BlackAngus, and really enjoyed ourselves no matter how upset we were at the time lol. I know that he is proud of me, and I am working hard on making him even more proud. He got a chance to see the beginning of his son becoming a man, starting with the death of my mom, and me going to college subsequently getting my Real Estate license..and then hearing the first couple of songs I wrote and recorded. Along with that thought the week after that June 21, 2009 will mark 5 years since my mother passed away. I can't do it. I mean I know that I can, but just that thought alone weighs so heavily on my soul. I try not to think about them, but I think that that would be doing a disservice to their memory and all that they mean to me. It's really tough finding a balance between being really emotive and feeling exactly how it makes me feel when I think about it without restraint, and then becoming numb and dedicated myself to my Real Estate and my music. Music provides such a release on that aspect, because I can  just write it and sing it and get all the emotions out...I love you both, and I know that you are really proud of me. I dedicate my first million-dollar sale, and my first grammy award to both of you I know that I will have them both soon, and it's because of the man who you raised as a boy. Just a thought I wanted to get out...I really have been blessed. Thank You Loretta for loving me no matter what and accepting that we do things so differently. You are a great example of how much value a loving heart can add to another person's life. I love you sis...and my aunt Teresa. Who knows where I would be had you not taken me in, and refused to let me throw my life away. I owe so much to you, and I know your big sis is proud of you and what you have done with her son. (Why do those sound like shout outs?) Hahah..Back to work.

It's Been Awhile

So I've Realized that I haven't blogged in quite a while...I don't really know why that is, I have been on Twitter the whole time! I should have been blogging about my Blackberry issues, but at this point in my life I really choose not to focus on the negative things. Well this last week has been really great/hectic. In the office we have been preparing for the LAX Chamberfest, which is a great event that allows all the business within in the chamberfest to "show what they've got". I really have nejoyed being a member of the LAX Coastal Chamber because it really has opened my mind and my business experience to encompass networking like I haven't really before. After attending their mixers and different luncheons I have been inspired to really self-promote. I have read several different Real Estate Blogs/Bios/Columns  (not to mention the fact that my Broker is always talking about the value of "word of mouth" and becoming well known within your particular farm area). I think that it's extremely important for today's businessperson to talk about themselves and the type of service that they offer. I've been told many times before that "you don't know what you don't know" and to that degree, we do not know which people are in need of our business, and a lot of the time they do not know that we can be a resource to them. Having become a Realtor@, I have the advantage of wearing my occupation as a PIN on my shirt, which let's people know that I am a part of an association that adheres to strict ethics and values in the Real Estate Profession. Well, I'm off to go to the LAX Chamber of Commerce and acquire new business contacts/clients and learn even more about becoming the TOP Executive.