David Kelsen

Category: Daily Journal

  • Steve Jobs and Flash

    I never met the man, so I can’t say with any authority why, but clearly Mr. Jobs was not a fan of Flash.

    Adobe Flash (the engine that brought us many very cool animation tools.)

    Maybe if Macromedia had not been gobbled up by Adobe, it would still be cool…maybe not.

    Paraphrasing – Flash heats up our cpu’s…..too much.

    That’s why iPhones, iPads don’t support Flash.

     

     

  • The Answer Is Yes, What Was The Question?

    Can we change the top menu to say Register/Login?

    Yes.

    Can we change the sidebar width to 300px?

    Yes.

    Can we have live Maine lobster for dinner tonight?

    Yes.

    It’s like my mom said..can’t means won’t, because there is very little that “can’t” be done.

    We are only limited by our imagination and determination.

  • Conniving Collections Agencies

    The Aim Is To Intimidate, Frighten And Cajole

    I don’t begrudge anyone a chance to make a living, and for the most part, don’t judge what line of work they choose. Using less-than-honest tactics to achieve an objective is not ideal, but it has worked, so it’s use continues.

    My brother calls me-

    Mike (my brother):

    Dave, we got a call from someone saying they’re looking for Lisa (my ex-wife) to serve a summons

    Me:

    Mike, people who serve summons don’t call first (unless it’s a prearranged “friendly serve“).

    Mike:

    It sounds pretty serious.

    Me:

    Mike, it’s a collections agency.

    ***

    Collections agencies routinely use fear and intimidation to try to collect and they bank on your ignorance.

    I call the number Mike gave me and a deep, male voice answers:

    Voice:

    Corporate Office

    Me:

    Hey, somebody from this number called my sister-in-law about some kind of issue.

    Voice:

    What’s your name?

    Me:

    David Kelsen, they called for Lisa Kelsen.

    Voice:

    Nobody from this number called.

    Me:

    This was the number they gave her, so somebody called. I didn’t make it up.

    Voice:

    What’s it about?

    Me:

    They said there was a summons.

    Voice:

    Oh right, there’s a process server in San Clemente trying to find Lisa. There’s a civil case against her and we need to serve papers before we go to court.

    Me:

    Can you tell me what it’s about?

    Voice:

    Who’s Lisa to you?

    Me:

    My ex-wife

    Voice:

    We can’t share that information, if you were still married I could tell you but…

    Me:

    You said civil case right? Well that’s public information, you can share that with me or give me the case number.

    Voice:

    We don’t have a case number yet, the summons is for verification.

    Me (getting heated):

    You don’t get a summons without filing first and getting a case number, look, you’re talking to the wrong guy about this…this is some kind of collections issue, what’s the issue here? You guys are calling and pestering my family with phone calls about a non-existent summons..

    Voice (interrupting):

    Hey, don’t yell at me about how I do business, what do you want?

    Me:

    I want you to stop calling my family.

    Voice:

    Then ask me to remove their numbers from the call list.

    ***

    This company tries to frighten friends and/or relatives by threatening that there is a summons and they infer that the person could get arrested unless they comply.

    Total BS.

    Red Flags

    1. When I call the toll-free number, the voice answers “Corporate Office”.

    It’s totally anonymous, no company id.

    2. “There’s a process server looking for…”

    Unless it’s a prearranged “friendly serve”, which typically means the attorneys in the case arrange for the serve, a process server will never call to alert the subject. Threatening to serve a summons is a scare tactic.

    3. “summons for verification”

    No such thing. Summons are not issued without a case being filed. period.

     Bottom Line

    There are two major points to keep in mind when dealing with collections agencies.

    1. You can’t trust anything they say
    2. They are heavily regulated

    If you tell them to stop calling, they are legally obligated to do so. If they don’t, they risk legal retribution or they are not legit. In either case, if they don’t leave you alone, contact the police.

     Look, we all have times in our lives when things don’t work out they way we planned or would have liked. Ultimately, you are responsible and accountable for your financial obligations. Sometimes things go to collections, it sucks, but it happens.

    It doesn’t mean you have to fall victim to their lies and intimidation.

    The best thing I can leave you with is to be informed. Do the research.

    The cliche is true:  KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

     

     

     

     

  • 2013 – 2013

    Fresh (not really)

    But different, certainly

    Like to believe it’s fresh, whatever fresh is, what is fresh BTW?

    Let me find out what fresh is, and I’ll get back to you.

    Is that cool?

  • 2013

    Welcome my friend.

    Looking forward to meeting you.

    Certainly there will be twists, turns, roadblocks and thoroughfares.

    Heartbreak and elation

    But if you know me at all, which you don’t yet,

    There will surely be plenty of laughter.

    Can’t help it..I laugh at everything..

    My sick sense of humor keeps me (in)sane.

    I’d ask what you have in store for me, but it doesn’t matter.

    My plan is to kick your ass.

    Just sayin..

    Your brothers and sisters before you beat me up pretty good.

    Almost got me a couple times, but it’s my turn now.

    Hope you’re ready.

    Love, 

    Dave.

     

     

  • You’re An Ass

    Or you have an ass, but don’t we all?..

    No we don’t

  • regardless

    regardless of faith

    regardless of what you believe,

    when you walk out the door, you do it alone

    you take all your thoughts, judgements and perceptions with you.

    whichever ones suit you that day

    some are right, some are under, some are completely fucked up

    but they’re yours, you own them (at the time, even if you don’t admit to them later)

    you can believe that a higher power is with you as you get slaughtered by an oncoming vehicle

    but you’re still dead.

    you can believe that your soul will move on to another place,

    but you don’t really know.

    you can say you know.

    and you can believe it,

    but you don’t.

    you believe you know, but in actuality, you don’t.

    how can you know, without seeing it?

    believing and knowing are two completely different things.

    i wish i knew, but i don’t.

  • The 3 R’s and Doublethink

    Romney, Ryan, Republicans and Doublethink.

    Immediately (depending on socio-pressurized perception) you’ve formed an idea about my political leanings.  If I’m wrong raise your hand or .. at least tap the spacebar.

    Jeez, you can’t say anything anymore in this frenzied political arena spectacle without being attacked.  A couple of Rush, Keith, O’Reilly, O’Donnell, Hannity, Beck, MSNBC or Fox keywords come out and you’re instantly tagged, sterotyped.

    Listening and thoughtful discourse ceases. Ears become rocks. Brains, heretofore naturally absorbent, repel like fortresses in middle age Britannia.

    Bunch-a-gonads, the lot of you.

    The earth revolves on both axises, north and south poles, equally. Don’t be a dipshit.

    Party affiliation and common sense have become oxymoronic. Let’s get real. You really don’t know what is going on do you?

    Do you read the whole article and check it’s veracity or do you just skim the headlines and believe what you want to believe?

    Policy documents are way too long and dry right?

    You don’t understand any of it anyway right?

    Are you really that stupid? Can you say baa?

    There’s strength in numbers (or herds, flocks, whatever)

    Manipulation is king (just ask Hitler, Stalin, Amin, Mao [oh…right, those guys are dead], Ahmadinejad, Chavez, al-Assad).

    Which brings me to the onus of this piece.

    I don’t care if you’re democrat or republican. What happened to making decisions based on research, facts and common sense?

    The new manipulation is creating legislative documents that are so boring the average Joe or Josephine has zero interest in reading them through. And if there’s an attempt, part deux of the gauntlet is obfuscation.

    Walter Cronkite is dead. Facts in the media are all but non-existent, replaced by subjective truths.

    Subjective truths…Propaganda?

    It occurs to me that many may not even understand the traditional definition, purpose or impact of propaganda.

    “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana

    This week I heard the Mitt Romney campaign accuse Obama of robbing Medicare of billions of dollars. And yet, Paul Ryan’s (Romney’s running mate) “Path To Prosperity” plan will end Medicare as we know it (according to him).

    How is that supposed to be interpreted?

    Each of these “plans” are unproven theory. I have no desire to argue conjecture, it’s pointless, my issue is spin.  Enter Doublethink.

    One campaign is bashing the other for doing exactly the same thing.

    huh?

  • Ouch Again

    She left again

    My highest high, my lowest low

    again

    wanted her so bad

    wanted her so much

    Can’t believe I held her in my arms again, then let her slip away

    Kissed her delicious lips again,

    Then screwed it up again

    I can’t believe I screwed it up again

    Can’t move, can’t think, can’t speak

    Don’t want to do anything

    Don’t want to go anywhere

    My heart hurts

    There’s a hole larger than sadness crying into it

    Rivulets of tears soaking me in sorrow and regret

    A future that no longer exists

    My dream a mirror thrown against the wall and shattering on the floor

    Stepping on jagged shards, cutting my feet, bleeding

    Still bleeding, days of bleeding, gallons of blood

    Wounds don’t heal, pain doesn’t stop

    Echos of wailing against the hills

    Gentle tremors from teardrops falling vibrate through my injured soul

    Wishing today was a week ago, to get another chance

    Another chance

    I had another chance

    I blew it

    again

    Dave and Heather

  • Watching your mom die

    Slowly the secretions are filling her mouth as her pulse slightly fades

    A tear trickles jaggedly down septuagenarian face crevices.

    First a drop, then a drop, then the faintest stream.

    Breath inconsistently consistent for days

    Position, disposition, unchanged 31 hours

    Sub-Acute Stroke, a tiny smudge on an MRI, destroyed my mom

    Unable to conjugate CO2, brain under attack

    Thinking, thinking, no thinking, no, don’t know

    No food, no water, no meds, no movement, 72 hours

    Breathing, just breath

    And a heart that won’t stop beating.

    Unstoppable heart.

    beeps, buzzing, motorized transports, chatter, laughing, rubber souled shoes on shiny vinyl tile

    A needle

    Pain management, comfort care pathway

    A doctor shrugging shoulders

    Her smile and knowing look relegated to memory

    And memories…flood

    Her energy and brilliance, dimmed…but only in the physical sense, because her star continues to shine in the thousands of souls she has touched, and improved (BTW)

    The sun sets, a soul rises, music is playing somewhere, and it’s better because she was here.