Birth Of The M2 Project: Enter The Bossman Low

Peace to the blog Fam! As you know, this is The Hustleman Chronicles dedicated to all things Hustle (business) related and then some. First off if you haven’t downloaded your FREE copy of “Wealth Programming and The Science of Getting Rich” AKA “The Little Book”, then don’t hesitate and get it now! CLICK HERE (make sure you come back though LOL)

This past week has been extremely busy for me, then again I’m always extremely busy... I’m juggling so many things I feel like an acrobat for real. There’s a new business in the pipeline (known as the M2 project – my SECOND step toward manifesting my first MILLION), a new love interest, I’m holding down my other 2 businesses, striving to stop smoking cigarettes once and for all and also making posts here on the blog so you can share my journey, the good and the bad.

*** WARNING!!! This is a very LONG post. But for good reason. ***

I was going to split this up into parts but I have never made a post of what it’s like to get into a new business so I know many of you out there would like to see how I learn and do what I do. There’s a lot of Game in here if you know what to look for and it also represents how much easier things can be if you can have someone to show you the ropes. I literally saved weeks of work and a few thousand dollars just by being introduced to the right person.

The new business venture is ahead of schedule but definitely on time.

Also this post is broken up into “Chapters” so you can stop and come back later if you need too.

There’s so much to catch you all up on but let’s cover the important stuff first. Let me introduce you to a new character in the world of your Hustleman; the Bossman Low. My Hustle partner New York has connections all over the place but he only does business with a few. He first introduced me to the Bossman Low a couple of months ago, they do alot of business together so it was only natural that we would meet sooner or later.

He’s a laid back African brother, but his accent isn’t all that prevalent. New York refers to him as the quarter million dollar man for good reason; he runs about 5 businesses, all legit. Low is an old school Hustler pure and simple. He plays by high standards of integrity and has his hands into a little bit of alot of bit.

I’ve seen Low from time to time and I always greeted him respectfully mainly because he was New York’s man. We never had what you would call a conversation but he always returned the respect. I did notice that this dude would pull up in a different vehicle almost every time he came through the block but I never asked any questions, it wasn’t my place. Important street rule: KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT IF YOU DON’T KNOW! AND EVEN IF YOU DO KNOW, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! So Low never said anything and I never asked.

>>> Wednesday: February 14th – Opportunity Knocks

“Hey yo Shai!” New York said calling me by my street AKA, “Low’s going to the auction nigga! You should come.”

“Come where?” I asked

“Low goes to car auctions, he’s going this week coming up. You got some money stacked?”

“All the time. Low has a car dealer license?” I asked very intrigued now.

“Hell’s yeah! You didn’t see all those cars he comes up in? He gets those at auction nigga. We’re going Monday and’ll be back like Tuesday night. So… what’s up?”

I paused a moment. It’s funny how when you look for things they sometimes come to you. Let me explain… I currently have 5 Millionaire projects planned; one of which was used car buying and selling. It’s an easy Hustle from what I heard just as long as you know what you’re doing. This was the perfect opportunity for me to see how it’s done from the inside. This is the way I like to learn new things, although that doesn’t always happen when the opportunity comes I jump on it.

“Yeah I’ll go. Shit, how much money you need?” I asked

“Take about a stack (one thousand dollars) and you’ll be straight. Plus gas money you know in case you get somethin’.” New York said this with his not so subtle grin that always let’s me know he’s planning a move.

“A stack? That’s it?” Didn’t sound right to me but then again I knew little about the business. But going off of what I heard, you can get cars for literally pennies on the dollar. I continued.

“Shit nigga, no problem I got that. But that’s on your man though. He’s the one with the license.”

“Shai!” New York switched to his confident voice. “My face is as good as gold. If I tell him (Low) my man wants to come he’ll say yeah. Watch what I tell you.”

True to form, a man of his word; next time Low pulled up he asked him on the spot.

Low looked at me briefly with the kind of look that sized me up to see if the money matched (which it doesn’t, but I’m far from broke feel me?). In other words, was I a sucka part-timey Hustler looking for a free trip or was I serious? I didn’t flinch. Low’s been around enough to see how I take care of business so I wasn’t worried. He looked back at New York and was like “Yeah.” Enough said. Fast forward…

>>> Tuesday: February 20th – Up and Out

I’m up early. For anyone that knows me I’m NOT a morning person. Hell, I usually don’t go to bed until around 3,4 or 5 AM. The original plan was to go to an auction in Pennsylvania but Low switched it to a public auction in Darlington, South Carolina. The prices would be lower and less competition. Also this would be an easier place for me to learn the Game and get my feet wet, follow me? New York already had a little experience so he knew what to expect.

I got dressed and mentally prepared to be alert; to watch, listen and soak up Game. I met New York at his place and was just getting there as he was escorting one of his many females out the door. His latest catch was a younger sister who supposedly had been lesbian for about 8 years and was tired of the lifestyle. Of course New York was more than willing to help her make the transition back. What a caring gesture from such a nice dude.

We had a 4 hour plus drive to South Carolina. We were taking New York’s truck. The auction started at 6pm and we were almost running late. We picked up Low in Jonesboro and then we were on our way. We stopped, gassed up, grab some snacks and headed out. New York already tired from his morning activities wanted to sleep so I took the driver’s seat with him taking shot-gun, Low sat in the back.

Being already tired after about 3 hours I had to stop. Low took over at the wheel and New York continued to sleep.

It was about 4:30pm when we finally arrived. The weather was cool with a strong breeze but not too cold. It was overcast but I was amped, I was ready to pick Low’s brain about what to do and what not to do, but he had some business to take care of so he went straight to the office and New York and I began to check out the cars.

I was like a kid in a candy store. They had it all; trucks, economy sizes, luxuries, SUV’s, mid-sizes. Every make and model you could possibly think of. They even had tractors and golf carts.

The area was all dirt and went on for a good distance. Vehicles were scattered everywhere. All in all I probably counted about a hundred and fifty and it was still early.

New York and I hopped in and out of cars. They leave the keys in so you can start them up and even drive them if you want. Some cars were clean and in good shape, others were just plain garbage.

Outside of the gate a long line began to form with even more cars coming in to be auctioned off.

Now from a business stand point I was looking for good quality economy to mid-size cars, they move the fastest and are relatively cheap from what New York was telling me. The nicer more upscale vehicles represented a larger upfront investment but could actually be sold for more; more profit but would take more time to get off your hands.

Being as I’m just getting in the Game I focused my attention of cars I could quick flip. My dumb ass forgot though to write down the auction numbers written on the cars so I could remember which ones I thought were good quality. If I would have done this it would have been a hell of a lot easier to remember which cars to bid on and which ones to avoid. Ah well, lessoned learned, I’m never afraid to make mistakes. I’m a Hustler; I take calculated risks every single day.

Low finally came back and began his walk around looking at what was available. He was meticulous to say the least.

He looked over the body and the tires, popped the hood and checked out the engine. He then started up the car and tested all the gears to check the response of the transmission. He then would rev up the car to listen to the engine. Next he would check the lights, the radio and the windshield wipers.

He did all of this in a matter of one to two minutes. I could see him making mental notes so I asked him what he looked for. He spit some Game at me and I soaked it up.

Between all of this we lost track of New York. New York already has 3 cars so he wasn’t looking for something to flip as much as he was looking for a car to floss in. He also looked over some of the older vans for business purposes.

Whenever I look into a new business venture I look at the upside first and then the downside. EVERY business has a downside. I focus on the upside but I don’t ignore the downside, follow me? This is how a Hustler thinks. We always want to maximize our upside and minimize our downside. I immediately recognized the potential in buying and selling used cars. It has very little risk to be honest, IF you know what you’re doing.

The profit margins can be a little smaller than what I’m used to and it’s not quick money (at a beginner level) but it’s solid. You really can’t lose if you’re smart and keep your head on straight.

Still with me so far? Let’s continue…

>>> Auction Time: 6pm – Let the Games Begin

So here I am standing in a large gutted out warehouse. The crowd is there and being that it’s an auction open to the public I began to pick out the regular people and the professional car dealers (yes they were there too). It wasn’t hard.

The car dealers we much more relaxed and confident; you could tell they’ve done this before. An advantage of having car dealers there was that they would bid more carefully, I watched them as the auction went on to see at what price they would stop to get a feel of what I should be bidding on for certain years, makes and models. The dealers would never let the bid price get too far out of control.

There were 2 lanes through the warehouse where cars could drive in. They would come in from one side, stop infront of an auction booth to be auctioned off and then leave through the other side.

The middle area was clear for bidders to stand in as well as the outside of both lanes. Also on the outside of the lanes were the auctioneer booths set up with mic’s and speakers so the auctioneers could run their auctions. There were two on each side for a total of four.

I immediately realized that having four auctions going at the same time, although a way to speed up the whole process, also served to created confusion. They subtly forced you to bounce from booth to booth to see what car was where and if you didn’t pay attention, you could be bidding a lot higher than what you originally intended.

Game recognized Game here.

Also what comes into play is the case of the car title. Sometimes it’s there, sometimes it’s not. This particular auction doesn’t mail them so if you want it, you have to go back and get it. You have to pay close attention at all times.

Low stood in front of New York and I and said in a low tone so not many others would hear, “Wait until later in the auction to start bidding, people will run out of money and the bids will be lower. You can catch something good that way.”

I didn’t look at this perspective so I’m glad the Bossman dropped that wisdom on me. This Game was about patience, I’m all for that.

The bidding began. The cars rolled in. Now, if you’ve ever been to an auction before (or seen one in a movie or on TV) you know that the auctioneers talk fast. I mean REALLY fast. Again, more confusion thrown in the mix to keep you off balance so you might make a mistake. Also they start high in price and if no one bids, they slowly work their way down. Low and New York put me on Game with this, so I watched to get the feel and rhythm of it.

The crowd was amped and the energy in the place was electric. Being that I’m used to being in unfamiliar territory I settled myself and blended in. I was watching and listening closely.

To get myself recognized by the auctioneers (and to let them think I was a possible dealer), I bid on a few cars and would stop long before the final bid was placed. I was very careful about this; I didn’t want to get stuck with some bullshit. You know your Hustleman, I jump in with both feet. Hesitation gets you no where.

Throwing out bids like this also allowed me to get comfortable with the whole bidding process which really is just a matter of shouting out numbers. But you have to make sure you’re shouting out the right numbers, feel me?

Keeping my budget in mind I came to the conclusion that I would have to eventually bid on a late 90 models, so that’s what I focused on. I ignored everything else. I’m focused at all times.

I began to really enjoy the vibe of the place. This was a place for Hustler’s plain and simple. If you’re smart you win and if you’re not, you lose. If you’re focused you win, if not you lose. If you have the balls to push ahead and the next person doesn’t, you win and if not, you lose.

>>> Play Time Is Over

So after about an hour I’m comfortable now, my confidence is building and I think I have a strong grasp as to proper bidding prices. New York is running around from action booth to auction booth doing what I was doing; seeing what things went for what price.

Low on the other hand was like a damn ninja; there one second, blink and then POOF! You don’t see him anymore. He actually left one time to get something to eat from one of the food vendors. This dude was serious! He was not rushing for any reason. He was walking around eating while the rest of the people were eagerly shouting out numbers trying to get a good deal.

I thought there were still some good deals moving so I decided not to wait too long and began to get serious with my bids. A car would pull up and if it fit my criteria I placed bids on it. When the price got beyond a certain point I stopped bidding.

I missed out on a 98 Cadillac Deville (I would have honestly kept that for myself – but I tried to keep my emotions out of the equation – I was here on business). I also missed out on a 98 Honda Accord – I got to the auction booth too late.

About an hour had past and the crowd was getting impatient, I could feel the tide changing. People felt as though they were going to miss out. At the same time though, they didn’t want to make any mistakes so I was ready to strike at any and every opportunity I could get. They were hesitating so I saw opportunity.

My time came pretty quick. A silver 94 Pontiac Bonneville pulled infront of one of the auction booths. A couple of dealers ran up to the car to check the mileage and lift the hood to look at the engine. I trailed behind.

This thing was clean! I mean no cracks on the body or in the interior. The fabric seats looked freshly shampooed and the tires were a little worn but in excellent condition.

The engine was clean and I could see new wires and a new battery – this car was obviously taken care of and fixed up just for the auction.

I listened to the engine and it seemed to run fairly quite – as much as I could hear with all the noise in the air anyway.

In all of that I forgot to check the mileage. Another mistake. Lesson learned though. The bid started at around $2,000. No bids came in. The auctioneer went down to $1,700 then $1,500 and so on until eventually he was at $550. One of the dealers called out $550.

“6 do I hear 6?” The auctioneer called out. I jumped in.

“6 hundred!” I yelled out loud enough to be heard.

The dealer didn’t hesitate, “6 twenty-five!”

“6 twenty-five, 6 twenty-five do I hear 6 fifty? 6 fifty?” The auctioneer went on.

I stalled for a moment faking lack of interest. Another bidder, obviously a dealer, chimed in, “6 fifty!”

The auctioneer continued, “6 fifty blah blah blah (couldn’t understand a word he said). 7 do I hear 7?”

The first dealer jumped back in, “7!”

I jumped back in just to test the waters, at this point my heart was beating fast and my blood pumped. I held a poker face and calmed myself down. I hate to lose but I couldn’t be stupid here. We had 2 and a half more hours to go in the auction. I wanted to see if these two dealers would out bid me at $750. If so, maybe the perceived value of this old 94 was more than I thought.

“7 fifty!” I yelled out. The second dealer was silent but the first dealer came right back in.

“8 hundred!” He called out. Seems I was right. I was even more surprised when the second dealer came back in with $825.

I called out, “8 fifty.” It was a little higher than I was willing to go but what the hell I thought, if worse came to worse I could easily sell this car for $1,200 to $1,500. Not much profit but I didn’t lose anything and the experience would more than pay for itself.

As a Hustler you never want to pay more for something than you can get back for it. You may not make a profit, but you won’t lose money either – you can break even easily.

The auctioneer ran with my bid, “8 fifty, 8 fifty do I hear 9 hundred? 9 hundred? 9 hundred? 8 fifty do I hear 9 hundred? 9 hundred? 8 fifty, you bought it!” he pointed at me and I went up to the auctioneer booth to fill out some paper work.

For a brief moment I wondered if I had made a mistake. Should I have really bid $850? New York and Low weren’t around to check me on this, I worked off of pure instinct. A couple of days later Low would come through to check out the ride, he did his inspection on it and said I actually came out pretty good.

>>> The Bossman Cometh… Finally

Just as I get through with the paper work inside the auction office, New York and Low come by. I asked Low where do I pick up the car and he pointed me in the right direction. I went to find it and sat inside. I looked at the interior and started the car up.

It was dark by now so I fumbled around to look for the interior light switch and I eventually found it. If I was smarter I would have just left the door open for the lights to come on by themselves LOL. I was excited though, I wasn’t thinking quite straight.

Plus, this was my time to see if I had made a big mistake and if my instincts failed me.

I looked around and finally my eyes rested on the mileage. Over 300,000 miles! Damnit! That’s waaaay too many miles, even for a 94. Shit, I thought, I got a little ahead of myself in the auction.

I drove my way out of the car lot and into the outside parking area. I parked by New York’s truck and made my way back inside to the auction. I had to see the Bossman Low in action. He hadn’t even started bidding yet.

The crowd was thinning out and once again Low was M.I.A. New York was walking around and had finally decided to get him a car to floss in. His budget was bigger than mine so he had more room to work with. He looked seriously at the Cadillac’s and Lexus’.

As the night rolled on Low finally showed back up and finally began bidding. He was smoothly moving from auction booth to auction booth looking at cars. He eventually won an auction for a 97 or 98 Crown Victoria. From what I saw it looked damn good and ran pretty well.

New York began to feel the pressure and began to panic. Time was running out and he refused to be the only one that didn’t buy a car. He made a bid just for the hell of it on the VERY last car. A 98 Ford Taurus. Not in the best condition. Matter of fact, we couldn’t even get the windshield wipers to stop and once he had a chance to get in it and drive it he was pissed!

“I got fucked!” was his choice line for the night. I laughed on the inside but I told him he should’ve followed his instincts; he fucked himself. Once he finally settled down slightly, he agreed. But that didn’t stop him from being 38 hot.

He actually left the car at the auction and said he’d take that loss. He didn’t want it. He has since changed his mind though, so he’s going to go pick it up this week. The car seems to run fine for the most part so it should make the 4 hour trip… hopefully.

Rest of the story short, we stopped and gassed up all the vehicles and stopped to get something to eat. Low left his Crown Vic at the auction and switched to a mini-van that he had purchased a week before. We made our long trip back to the ATL. By the time I made it back it was about 3 AM. Saying I was exhausted was an understatement. I called up Mz Chanel, my current Lady of sorts, to fill her in on what went down and to say goodnight. My Ex, Mz Mental, who I live with, was already sleeping when I got home. I showered, shaved and went to my room to get what little rest I could.

I woke back up around 10am; I had to get the car insured and get ready to hit the block. It was time to put some work in. When I get hold of the car title I can put the car up for sale. In the meantime Low is schooling me on the easiest way to go about getting a car dealers license and how to make the best use of it – I HAVE to get in this Game. The M2 project should be up and moving in about 2 to 3 months. I’ll keep you all posted on the progress as it happens.

Thanks for taking out your time to check out your Hustleman, it’s greatly appreciated.

Peace and blessings Fam! Keep it moving and keep it simple – always.

A Hustleman Introspection: Fold or Function

First and foremost let me formally invite all of my Blog readers to download a copy of what I have nicknamed “The Little Book”. This book literally changed my life when it came to making money. It’s a “spiritual” approach to the whole process. And when I say “spiritual” I don’t mean religious, but an awareness of yourself in the grand scheme of things; a sort of inner knowledge if you will.

Again this book is FREE of charge and any commitment. This is the pre release version of the book so it is a little rough around the edges, but all the vital information is intact. To get your copy simply click on the “The Little Book” link at the end of this post. This book will only be available until March 31st so do not delay too long.

*** Side Note: Recently on Oprah she’s invited teachers of the DVD called “The Secret”, which supposedly claims to contain the secret to a fulfilling and meaningful life, to speak about how the mind and the correct use of thought can change your life. “The Secret” as the panel explains was known by great and wise people throughout history and is based on many factors such as gratitude for what’s in your life right now. I mention all of this to say that I agree with a lot of what these guests on Oprah’s panel were saying because I use it everyday; I found this so-called “secret” out along time ago. If you will, go download “The Little Book” because although it uses this “Secret” as it applies to becoming wealthy, there’s definitely enough information in it to learn how to apply it to any area of your life. Back to the post…

I sit back and think sometimes about where I’ve come from and all the dues I’ve had to pay to get where I’m at. I mean I’ve been through a lot, I’ve been homeless; engaged twice and never married; my mother and I don’t get along for a number of reasons which keeps an uncomfortable distance between my little brother and myself. I’ve had nice things and lost them all piece by piece. My life in my early and mid-twenties was so unstable that I never thought I would get out of the hole I dug for myself.

I’ve fought throughout all of this because I knew that deep down this was not my life, feel me? When we’re young, I think we all have a vision of what our life will be like when get older. We have goals, dreams and aspirations that very seldom develop and come to pass. Hell, I had a hard time seeing myself even alive at age 30 and now that 32 approaches this year I consider myself very blessed and thankful. My life, just as everyone else’s, is a direct reflection of my thoughts and perspective on things as well as my actions. When you look at your life you have to take responsibility for the way it is and either fold or function. Either curl up, punk out and continue living in frustration and stress, or push with everything inside of you to make things better.

The idea of fold or function isn’t mine, it was a name given to the concept of give-up or fight by a close friend of mine some years ago. The concept always stuck with me because it represents choice. As a matter of fact we make a fold or function choice every single day of our lives.

Do you continue trying to make your love relationship work, or do you give up on it? Do you choose to apply yourself to becoming better at your job or business or do you just continue to do enough to squeeze by? Do you fight to keep your children on a good and honest path or do you let someone else raise them and teach them? Do you trust that that the food you got from that fast food restaurant was prepared with your health in mind and not dropped on the floor or something worse? Do you fight to get the things that you want out of life or do you just settle for a close second or third?

Fold or function; the constant choice that is in our face to go left, go right, make a way up the middle or to not move at all. The ability to keep going despite all the bullshit that seems to be piling on top of you. The strength to live life on your terms and not fall into the trap of what’s called “normal”; what’s normal for the next person may not feel right to you. To accept that every thought we think, everything we say and everything action we take will at some point come back to us and we will have to deal with its results whether positive or negative. You can lie to anyone except to yourself and to the Higher Power. Bottom line. Simple.

So do a favor for your Hustleman; the next time you are faced with a decision to take action to improve your life, do it! Push the fear and doubt aside and move forward. Some say that the window of opportunity open and closes, if you miss it, you may never get another chance. This isn’t true! There’s always opportunity around us if you are focused on the greater good. While not all opportunities are right for us, there is always one that is. Take it from someone whose been there and back, went there again and is back this time to stay. There is no burden placed on you that you cannot handle and there is no greater feeling than facing all your opposition (internal and external) and still coming out a winner.

My Hustle partner New York once said this to one of his people, also a fellow Hustler. “You don’t have shit because you have the game wrong. You hustle for you; you only hustle for yourself. You don’t hustle for your family; you don’t hustle to make things better. All you care about is what you can get right now. You don’t even look out for people who look out for you.”

I bring this quote up because it’s another fold or function principle. The more you focus on your survival (and only your survival), the harder it is to survive. When you get selfish and stop caring about others, they will stop caring about you. This life is built so that sooner or later we will eventually need to involve ourselves with other people to help us, assist us and advance. This is yet another choice to make as you go throughout your day. More to all and less to none; I hope you’re hearing me.

Be good all. Peace and blessings Fam, until next time.


*** The Little Book That Changed My Life - Get it now for FREE

CLICK HERE

Late Night Hype Of The Island Persuasion

Greetings to the Blog-Fam! Sorry for the late post but your Hustleman is tired. Had a late night last night. It was my first date in a long while with a very interesting young Lady which I’ll get to in a minute. Hope everyone out there is doing well and preparing for bigger and better things.

My second book which I nicknamed the “Little Book” is done (the pre-release version anyhow) and I will have it up for you all next week. Subscribers of my website, Hustle and Profit.com, and my valued customers have already begun to download their copies. This version of the book is free of charge and any commitment. I’m looking forward to the feedback.

The “work” week went well, I expected it to be a little on the slow side but was pleasantly surprised. You know my Hustle partner New York and I killed them out there! It’s been awhile in the making but we have successfully locked down the area we work in; the street term for this is called “The Spot”. The block being locked down means nobody comes in or out to sell anything that we are selling. Of course we show love to other Hustler’s who have different things to offer but the other part-timey Hustlers have been pushed out. Customers are checking for us and us alone; it’s a beautiful thing.

This brings me to the introduction of Mz Chanel. I met this young lady doing what I do, making money. She was a customer of mine but since there was definitely an attraction there we decided to have some phone conversation to see where each other was at mentally. Although she’s an ATL southern-bell, which I usually don’t find myself attracted to very often due to the difference in mentality; we hit it off just fine and have grown rather close. So… back to the dating scene.

I spent some time over her place a couple of times this week and I met her two children. Her daughter, 14 and her son, 9. When I look at a women with children I like to watch her children. I do this because the way the children behave says alot about the mother. They were respectful to her and to myself and seemed to take to me pretty well, which is cool because they’re good kids. They appreciate their mother and what she is doing for them. But I really picked up on the lack of structure in the household which is due to the fact that their mother Mz Chanel busts her ass at both her jobs to provide for them. How can you knock that?

Being a Hustler is more than just having a business mentality but also a perspective on life. We approach situations differently. We realize that not everything will fall in place and that things have cycles to them; ups and downs, sort of like a rhythm if you will. We experience this everyday in those streets and building a relationship with someone follows those same universal laws. To put it another way, we Hustlers are very opened minded toward possibilities and push toward the positive, on top of that we overstand (stand over, not under) what it’s like to be committed to something even if it’s just an idea.

Saturday was the official date night so the plan was something simple. You know the regular, dinner and a movie. I was so used to seeing Mz Chanel in work clothes or in chill around the house wears, so when I saw her completely put together I was shocked. She was stunning and definitely had her own flavor which I like. That’s a Queen B mentality right there.

First stop was to eat. Since every restaurant within the radius of the movie theatre was packed tight, we went on to IHOP a few miles away. I don’t like being in Clayton county but it’s good to get out of the hood every now and then. We conversed a little bit and enjoyed our meal then off to the movies. Since we both enjoy comedies you know Norbit with Eddie Murphy was what was up. Sad to say I was a little disappointed in the movie, it just wasn’t that funny to me; or to her for that matter. Eddie Griffin and Katt Williams did their thing though playing the role at two pimps. I would have to give the movie 6 dollars and 50 cents out of a possible 10.

By the time we got back to her place it was around midnight and although the date went rather well it lacked a little fun. Now Mz Chanel has that island blood in her and she runs with a Jamaican dance crew here is ATL. They are usually at the Royal Peacock, a Reggae club downtown. Big-ups to the Pop-Off Crew, respect!

I was up for anything at this point and although I’m nowhere near a club dude, I figured what the hell, why not go enjoy myself and watch her enjoy herself in an environment she’s comfortable in? This would also give me further insight into her personality.

She was excited to go, she doesn’t get out much and told me that hearing her music and being around that vibe really lets her unwind and let out alot of stress. She just loves to dance. I was already familiar with the reggae club environment because I used to work at a recording studio that was right next to one, so I knew what to expect. Now, if you’ve never been to a reggae club I need to point out a few things to you. It’s a similar environment to a regular club; music, dancing, a huge smoke filled room and people drunk falling out all over the place.

The difference lies in the fact that the reggae club scene is smaller and more tight-knit, so everyone knows each other, for the most part, so everyone is a lot more laid back and friendly to each other; although not so much so to outsiders. It’s very secular. Also smoking weed is just like smoking a cigarette. No one pays it any mind. Hell, even the DJ smokes as he spins the records. Oh, and a final note, if you ever go don’t forget to bring a lighter with a very tall flame. It’s a show of respect to the DJ and the music he’s playing when you hold it up in the air.

The club was dark. And I do mean dark, it took about 5 minutes for my eyes to adjust. The only light was near the bar and the restrooms. I grabbed a Red Strip beer, lit up a cigarette and chilled at the bar as Mz Chanel made her rounds to see her fellow crew members and the owner. They all look at her as their little sister so when she began to introduce me to her people I could sense that protective vibe coming off of them. Add that to the fact that she usually is solo and I’m “outsider” can lead to some pretty shitty attitudes. Didn’t bother me, I wasn’t there for them.

One thing about Mz Chanel that I do love is her smile, and she was smiling BIG time. That “Hey Koolaid!” type smile. I watched he dance and wind and she eventually pulled me onto the dance floor which threw me off a little because I don’t dance, feel me? And I made that clear to her. But it was like whatever, you have to actually LIVE life to enjoy it right? She pushed me up against a one of the posts on the dance floor and proceeded to dance like that. Although I don’t dance I do have a little something like rhythm so I followed her lead of movement and really didn’t have to do much. Eventually we made our way to the back of the club which more private and we chilled and danced over there. Her people gave her some funny looks as they past by from time to time and I just smirked. You might not like the Hustleman but you have to respect the way I do what I do.

I dropped her back off around 4:30am and by the time I got back home, showed and got in the bed it was around 7am. I had to turn right back around and wake up around 10:30am to call up my suppliers and see if they had an order ready for me which they did so I had to go pick that up. The Hustle never stops… work now, rest when you’re dead.

All around that was the best date I’ve had in a long time and I look forward to seeing where all this will go with her. In the meantime, there’s more work to be done so be good Fam and you know I’ll be back at ya! Peace and stay up.

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The Unscrupulous Curse of the L7's

And just like that your Hustleman is back in the building. Peace to the Fam out there, I’m a little amped; it is Super Bowl Sunday you know! Can’t say I’m leaning toward any particular side, we have two black coaches and since there was never ever never a black coach in the Super Bowl, to have two at one time is history in itself.

Well I finally decided to put the stomp on a bad habit of mine which is smoking. Call them what you will, squares, cigarettes, cancer sticks or L7’s (put the letter L and the number 7 together side by side and they make a square)… I figured it’s time to stop. Now this is NOT an easy thing. To anyone who’s ever quit cold-turkey you have my deepest respects, no doubt. Currently I’ve cut my intake in half. A was a-pack-a-dayer; about 20 cigarettes a day, so now I’m down to 10. And although that doesn’t seem like a lot, cutting 70 cigarettes out of my habit per week has had some ill effects on me.

When you do the research on quitting you find that there will be some symptoms that are just a natural physical and psychological reaction to your body weaning itself off of nicotine (and whatever the hell else they put in cigarettes). Some of the most common symptoms are as follows:
> Irritability
> Shortness of breath
> Shakiness of the hands
> Difficulty sleeping well
> Weight gain (mostly from an increase in appetite)
> Mild depression
> And an all around shitty attitude

Sounds like fun doesn’t it?

So throwing caution to the wind and being inspired by a couple of people around me who have successfully stopped smoking I decided it was time to go ahead and do that for myself. After all, I thought, quitting can’t be THAT bad. Well… I was wrong.

Let’s look at the side effects of the symptoms I just listed above:
1) Irritability – Oh yes! I had (and still have) this one. I mean the littlest and slightest things get on my last damn nerve. I’m serious! Now I’m normally a laid back type dude. I go with the flow until I realize it’s time to move, then I move. But trying to run a business with a bad attitude is just not the business, feel me? Customers who already work my nerves have worked it like times 4. My patience is thin as tissue paper and I swear I was about to slap this Chinese dude yesterday for laughing at me when I was trying to explain what I wanted in my food order. Real talk. Everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING gets on my last damn nerves. Even the phone ringing… “WHY ARE YOU CALLING ME and WHAT do you want!” But seriously, I light up a cigarette and things within me settle down; life is good again. Cigarettes are a drug, fuck what “they” say. Moving on…

2) Shortness of Breath and Shakiness of the Hands – Haven’t really experienced these yet, but then again I haven’t completely stopped smoking. I will say this though, it has been harder to concentrate lately.

3) Difficulty Sleeping – A definite yes on this one. I haven’t had a real good nights rest in about a week now. Some of that has to do with the load of things on my mind, but even when I’m exhausted it’s still hard to get comfortable and get in a deep sleep. Over the past week this has improved a little bit.

4)Weight Gain – Nothing I’ve noticed as of yet but I’m hungry almost all day, at least I think I am. Now this is a BIG for me because I normally have a snack here and there and have one meal a day. But to know you’re not hungry and have the desire to eat (possibly to have something to do with your hands; to replace not holding a cigarette) can definitely lead to weight gain. All good though, I wouldn’t mind putting on a few more pounds, but I would definitely want to tone those pounds up.

5) Mild Depression – I can’t say I’ve felt depression, but since everything irritates the fuck out of me I can see that also I’m a lot more emotionally reactive than I am normally. When I start crying over one of those emotionally riveting Oprah shows then I’ll let you know.

6) Shitty Attitude – Already have that to some degree so everything checks out in that department. No change there as of yet.

My good friend Mz Nici Nicole got me “The Patch” for Christmas (gee.. thanks Nici... NOT! Jus playin’ LOL) and I was so confident that I wouldn’t need them, but the more these side-effects start to weigh on me the more I realize that I just might. Oh, and gum just makes me WANT to smoke so that’s not really working for me.

To wrap this all up here’s my plan:
For this first month (about 2 weeks into it already) I will smoke half of what I normally smoked. So about 10 cigs a day.

After that for the next 30 days I will be cutting back to no more than 5 squares and finally I will do my best to either kick the habit completely or smoke 2 cigs a day. One in the morning and one at night, these are when my urges are the strongest. Why 30 days at a time you ask? Because it takes about 30-45 days for a human being to form a new habit. So I have to form the new habit of smoking less so that when I stop completely, it won’t be missed that much. For the time being, as long as I keep busy I really don’t think about smoking that much, which is good because I usually keep busy.

Sorry, I can’t do cold-turkey but I feel this plan will work for me. I’ll keep you all updated on my progress.

Peace Fam, thanks for stopping by and pray for a brother! The Hustleman is out…

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