Attractive Tales from Grand Cities, a Social Memoir

When does a male, truly transform from a child, adolescent, and youth, into a legitimate full grown man? Should "manhood" be considered a physical achievement? Is "manhood" achieved once a state of adulthood, responsibility and grown-up level is conquered? Is "manhood" acquired once a male has become a rainmaker and created his own family? A family, for example with a wife and children? When is a male officially a truthful, gentle, full legitimate grown MAN? I am simply curious? In my humble opinion, a man's own merit is achieved at different time levels for each us. For example, let us a say a young boy, loses his father tragically to death at a youthful age. To such sadness as say war, a traffic accident or medical loss. If a youth under the age of 18, loses his father to death, this would probably force the boy to grow up faster than is necessary. Sometimes a man, must grow out of his father's shadows and legacy. For example, when P...

Greed. ɡrēd/ noun Definition. intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food. Courtesy of Wikipedia. Thanks wiki. Greed is a very strong and over-riding characteristic throughout American Culture. As our adult financial responsibility grows, one deeply feels the mounting pressures, and human desire for monetary wealth. Here is a simple test. Go outside, call and ask your friend for a free favor? Gauge the response. Next, ask your exact same friend for a PAID favor? Unless this friend is your significant other sexual partner, or an immediate family member, the PAID person is usually whom makes it happen. We live in a personal service, tech oriented, product, and evolving capitalist economy. Each unique person has different levels of greed. Personally, I would grade my greed level as very marginal. I can be content with the basics of food, love, and shelter. Some people become gluttonously spoiled to money, wealth, luxury, and a certain lifesty...

Lately, I feel as though I am responsible for generating everything. It seems that if anything at all is going to happen, than it is personally up to me. How about you? I personally generate the majority of my real estate business. I cold call, for sale by owners. I cold call for rent signs in yards. I cold call, coming soon new construction, builder signs in yards. I advertise. I market. I email previous clients. I email industry workers. I GENERATE EVERYTHING! Sometimes, my broker throws me some business that he is not interested in, or does not care to engage directly upon. So I get thrown a bone every now and then. I generate everything. As a single man, if I want to try and have a successful female companion, I have to generate everything. I have to go out at night and look sharp. I have to do the approaching. I have to do the follow-up, and the dating. All the bullshit. Can we make this easier? I am so tired of having to generate EVERYTHING in LIFE. "If it is goin...

What do you really want right now in life? What do you yearn for? What is that dreamy item, place, person or thing, you believe would place your life OVER THE TOP? As I've noticed working in the residential realty service industry, each unique person always WANTS something. My job is to help people acquire what they uniquely WANT. Whether their objective is cheap land for a builder, a fantastic scenic view for a new owner, or an immaculate kitchen for the Mrs. Each client has a different want. So, since my daily life routine SHOULD BE, focusing and filling the wants of others, now is my turn. Here is my public forum to tell you what I dream for, and want! You may notice, some of these specific wish list items, I have personally already obtained in the past. I'm in the 3rd decade of life, where I truly ponder, what is there really left for me to do here on Earth? I have had a great personal run. Does God have a different calling for me, now and in the future? We as fellow...

Timing and Decision making . To me, its seems the later two are intertwined together. Have you, our wonderful reader, ever noticed that your personal life decisions change, depending on the current mood and timing? For example, if at the age of 25, I had been offered a job, and residence in say....North Carolina, or Arizona, or a foreign land, I would have said HELL NO and rejected it. Why, because when I was 25 years old, I was gainfully and happily employed at the Hotel Gansevoort, living in Midtown West Manhattan, partying with celebrities and feeling the limelight of the Big Apple. I lived in happy awe, within the Meatpacking District's energetic environment. At that time, I had zero desire for change, and was content with the status-quo. Fast forward to that exact previous question today, and at a reserved, refined age of 34, I would take a much hardier and genuine look. Maybe I would actually uproot and move. Who knows? The question about a change in city or occupation...

Where are the BEST and WORST places to look for love from the opposite sex? Where should one go to SHOP for love? Is there a retail store? Should it be done online? Sometimes I wish looking for love, was as easy as consumerist shopping. Sometimes I wish love could be ordered as easily as a hot pizza, delivered right to your front door. In actuality, it is NEVER that easy. The sample spectrum of courtship, getting the phone number, dating, adjusting to comfort levels, can often be a lethargic, lumbering ordeal. Love is not always just a fun, fleeting, glorious one night stand. Personally, I do enjoy sexy one night stands though, and used to have them with more frequency. Have one-night stands gone OUT OF STYLE? Perhaps southern woman are more conservative than those in NYC. What do you think? Where is the BEST place to look for love? For example, is it ideal to pick-up your NEW LOVE interest at the grocery store, the neighborhood park, the bar, a friends referral, a hous...

In this modern current day and age, it seems like the art of privacy is slowing going the way of the buffalo. Could human privacy one day become extinct? Where does privacy live and how can we save it? With the advent of social media, government agency watchdogs, and neighbor lot lines creeping closer to each other, the art of privacy is becoming tougher to acquire. How do you feel about privacy? Do you cherish it, or are you willing to accept the spotlight of life's actions and choices? Personally for me, I am a mix of both private and public. As a real life writer, and as the "The Sample Spectrum" happily displays, I often advertise, promote, and willing disclose my personal lifestyle, real tales, and honest cultural opinions. Thus, this emptying of the soul and diary hopes to engage readers, people and friends. I think deep down, writers just simply yearn for readers, feedback and response. They hope their voice is heard, and listened to, regardless of the r...

As a High School senior ready to go College, I applied to only a few number of schools. I applied to TCU, Trinity, and Texas. I was tardy in my application process and missed the obnoxiously early entry dates for the West Coast California Schools. Oh well. They required full applications to be completed AND in by September. So who wanted this young athletic, intelligent, vibrant, handsome, outgoing recent graduate and college seeker? TCU and Texas said yes. I rightfully choose the Texas Longhorns. I was admitted! Hook Em it was. I recall my fraternity RUSH recruitment as the SUMMER OF FUN . RUSH as it is known, was a constant gift and flirtatious expensive recruitment. The process was driven by multiple big time established nationally recognized, Southern Greek Organizations. As a local Austinite, with the University Campus nearby, my fellow rush friends received all the perks of consistent fun, partying, trips, and attention. The Three Main Fraternity organizations whom sp...

Curiously what are your "USUAL DAYS" like? Are they similar to Bill Murray's life in the movie Ground Hog Day . If you have or have not seen Groundhog Day , its a movie where the lead character's days run in similarly eerily fashion on repeat. Some people enjoy the sameness and routine of life, while others sometimes must be prepared for the randomness. Here is a an example of what my "USUAL DAY" has been like for the past 3 to 4 years since I returned to Austin, Texas, after living in NYC for 5 years. I usually wake up in my studio duplex 1 bedroom in the central west Austin neighborhood of Clarksville. Each neighborhood in Austin is unique and has it's own moniker or nickname. Thus I have resided daily in Clarksville for 3 years roughly. My wake-up time varies between 7 am at the earliest to 10 am on a Sleepy Day. I slowly wake-up and watch the Today Show or Morning News Channels to catch up on outside world relevance. If I'm feeling a...

As a youth growing up, my first rock concert to attend was for the band "Better than Ezra". It took place at a now defunct, yet legendary live venue, Liberty Lunch. At the time I was an underage teenager. Right before the band was set to play, and the lights brightened, an older dude passed me a free beer to drink. In my excitement, I took a couple chugs, and while chugging, a Liberty Lunch bouncer saw my "X" stamped hands and escorted me out of the venue entirely. I was kicked out. I recall being outside and hearing the music, and being totally dejected and bummed. A couple of my friends were also standing outside, and Barbara B. was kind enough to BRIGHTEN our evening. Since we were already downtown, she invited myself and a few other kids to the state of Texas's Governors Mansion. Since her mother and father were the 1st family of Texas, this was allowed. They actually really lived at the Governor's Mansion. It was a wonderful invite, and bright spot ...

This will be dedicated to the athletic achievements, highs, lows and in between in the sports career of me, your author and aspiring literary leader. As a child and youth I gravitated and enjoyed hanging out at WAYA. What was W.A.Y.A.? The West Austin Youth Association. WAYA was a youth athletic compound with multiple indoor gyms, baseball fields, pool tables, offices, sports camps, activities, counselors and more. It was a jock kid's Disneyland . Early on for some reason, I became really fond of playing basketball. Traditional real hoops basketball. I played all the time, pick up games after school, team youth leagues, summer camps, etc. It was a year round joy. Like anything you practice and get paid guidance on, I became a top tier "baller". How good? As a child, one of the best. At the Rodney Page basketball camp, I often recall leaving on the final day with usually between 3 to 7 trophies. Each for a different basketball category. Most of the trophies I actual...

Here is the definition on Gentrification directly quoted from Wikipedia " Gentrification is the buying and renovating of houses and stores in deteriorated urban neighborhoods by wealthier individuals, which in effect increases property values and displaces low-income families and small businesses.[1] This is a common and widespread controversial topic in urban planning.[2] It refers to shifts in an urban community lifestyle and an increasing share of wealthier residents and/or businesses and increasing property value" I personally, am very PRO Gentrification . The only neighborhood I have met, encountered and actually lived in, that should NOT be gentrified is Harlem in Northern Manhattan. Harlem should just always be Harlem. God Bless 125th street and the Apollo Theater. The Chelsea neighborhood used to be known as a strictly male dominated gay only neighborhood, but the gay community actually cleaned it up and greatly enhanced the overall ambiance of the neighborhoo...

The burden, gift and torch of the handsome man is a real entity. Just like our Kindergarten teacher told us, "every single person is unique and special in their own way". Personally, I just happen to be a "really really good looking" Zoolander. Hopefully the sequel, model-themed movie is as humorous as the original. Moving forward, each person in this world has there own unique gifts. Some fellow humans are science smart, doctor intelligent, accounting wizards, athletic specimens, or overtly kind and generous. This human natural gift diversity is what makes life special. Personally for me, being tall, fun, athletic, easy going, and capable, has placed me in the top tier of physical handsomeness for the past 15 years . Let us rewind to my yesteryear personal age of 16. I was 6'1 inches tall as a sophomore in high school, and already on the varsity basketball team. My facial complexion was a disaster. My facial acne, pimples and zits were unstoppable. I...

ACL, is an acronym for the "Austin City Limits" Music Festival. I attended the full day and evening events this year again, for perhaps the millionth time. I can recall attending the festival since its inception, a decade or two ago. We truly local Austin folk, know our city and times. This year's spectacle was just that. Also, this year was the first year I had to "overpay" for the wristband ticket. Face value on the 3 day wristband for entry was originally $250. My last minute, procrastinator self, forced me to pay $300, literally on the black market. It all worked out, and I was granted access to enjoy. So how did it go? Was it different? My city of Austin continues to grow heavily in popularity. Outsiders, visitors and new people eat it up! Zilker Park is a formidable worthy location and setting. The downtown skyline hi-rise views, coupled with the expansive grassy knolls and trees, create an ideal music festival vibe. Plus, once the day's music...