TheNiche

fyi: my 2 cents: you are a smart guy, you should start your own business, hard work and a little luck is all it takes. what's the worst that can happen, it doesn't work, so what, at least you tried.

dream

Been there, done that, with a partner on a real estate venture that was first conceived of during the heady days of 2007. Needless to say, some of our assumptions about the future sucked. If my partner is unable or unwilling to bring fresh capital to the company, we're looking down the barrel of a commercial foreclosure. If not...the company survives but sees relatively little return on its investment for several years, at least. It's not something I like to harp on, but true nevertheless.

In that context, honestly, it feels a little like I'm 18 again. No transferable professional experience. Degrees that for all intents and purposes barely convey one's stick-to-it-ive-ness anymore. Few attachments. Beans, rice, Ramen, and 190-proof neutral grain spirits mixed w/Tang as staples of my diet. Nothing much to show for my life to this point. ...but having that business is considered an asset on my balance sheet, and that creates problems where either student financial aid or even food stamps are concerned. It really does suck, even to think in those terms, much less to have such meager "entitlements", which I paid towards in better times and as a distressed entrepreneur, denied to me.

It's as though I were a starry-eyed little kid playing a video game, and an impish younger sibling came over and pressed the reset button...and then peed on my Nintendo. Frustrating as all hell, and I can't hurt the bastard or else I'll get in trouble with 'big brother'. In that context, I can't help but wonder whether gaining an 'in' with big brother (i.e. military service) wouldn't be a really good idea, long term. Obviously, I can't survive on my own with any semblance of peace or tranquility.

I'm rambling a bit. Sorry. I know it sounds creepy, but as you might've figured out I do commiserate with Joe Stack...and being stranded in Austin, I've come to find out that I'm by far not the only person, even out of the locals. I only think that his "solution" was suboptimal.

Nice. Snow like that would completely shut Houston down. 

Reporting in from south Austin, the snow was about on-par with what we experienced in central Houston back in early December. But since there tend to be thinner lawns around here, the snow seems to accumulate more effectively. Still, driving around wasn't the slightest challenge; roads were slushy but not iced over.

In other news, my car decided to die here. The way I understand it, I had a single-cylinder misfire coupled with random misfires in all cylinders, which caused gasoline to drain into the exhaust system and combust in the first catalytic converter. Debris from the first cat has clogged the second cat, and this is throwing off the O2 sensors, which screws up how fuel injection is controlled. My battery also failed while at the dealership service center, requiring a jump-start before they could perform diagnostics. And as I was about to park en route back to my friend's place, having left the dealership and hoping to use a repair shop like Midas to take care of the cats...my engine cut out. Good timing, crappy circumstance. So I'm stranded here, probably for the rest of the week.

At least I've got my kayak with me.

I would very much disagree. Whether or not the classes repeat what you may have had as an undergrad, a graduate degree will always look good on the CV and give you a leg up in the job market.

I agree, actually. This is a problem for a cynic like me, however, because if all I feel like I'm doing is paying lots of good money in order to spend countless hours jumping through academic hoops without intellectually challenging myself on new material, then I'll sabotage my own performance and skate by like I've done for the better part of my life since elementary school. Seeing as this would be a very expensive capstone academic experience, I'd like to enjoy it, actually do well, and have that reflected in my GPA and class rank...and that's only going to happen if I value the experience intrinsically. And if I can maximize my intrinsic satisfaction, frankly, I think that extrinsic benefits will follow later on.

If you are starting your career, is it the best strategy to target a specific sector? I should think that with a business degree the priority would be to first find a reasonable job and then work to develop an area of expertise.

Re-starting my career, actually. And yeah, I've been there and done that. I already had transferable experience and have frequently provided consulting services to organizations within this sector. Also, I had a highly-targeted sector-specific employment campaign in mind. It just occurred to me that pursuing this sector probably would've been a strategic blunder.

I wouldn't call anything outside 610 and even portions inside "urban." Just because a large city annexes something doesn't make it urban. It is still (decayed) suburb. There is really nothing that sets it apart from, say, the 1960 area to the north which is in unincorporated Harris County.

Wouldn't think the geographic size matters much, especially if we keep it on a per-capita basis. In raw numbers NYC will have more murders and robberies than Houston, though not per capita, and for its compact size you might be more likely to be close to one happening, but you're less likely to actually be the target. If that makes any sense. NYC still has upwards of three times Houston's population.

If urban form (using the term quite loosely in this instance) has any effect whatsoever on crime, I'd think low-density sprawl would be harder to keep a good police presence especially with manpower issues like HPD has dealt with as of late. That's a lot of ground to cover, and a lot of that ground is old suburban areas once perceived as "safe" but whose original residents have long left it for something newer.

Look, I'm just saying that if you're going to start using comparative stats to make your case, this probably isn't a good one because most of those are going to reflect annexed territory rather than "urbanity", however you or I desire to have it defined. Additionally, it is obvious that the crime rate is going to be a per capita measure (I'm not stupid)...but is it the daytime or nighttime population? Are Houston's and NYC's daytime and nighttime populations proportionate? And since each of these cities have so many very different neighborhoods of varying character, how would this comparison provide us with any meaningful knowledge? That is to say, what tips or tricks will it teach an urban planner?

If you want to draw conclusions about how crime relates to urban form, you MUST perform a neighborhood-by-neighborhood analysis. Comparing Houston and NYC is a vapid platitude.

So....yes, I don't buy the "urban = crime" story one bit. I think NYC now has one of the lowest if not the lowest violent crime rate among major cities? And that's about as urban as you can get.

If NYC were so geographically large as the City of Houston such that it included portions of New Jersey, then it may not retain it's ranking. ...that is, if the ranking is accurate, which I sort of suspect is the consequence of some statistical manipulation. The concept of "crime rate", for instance, isn't necessarily cut-and-dry where city vs. city comparisons are concerned.

Also depends on how you define "urban". Does the vicinity of Houston that is off of Laura Koppe Rd. count? It's in the City of Houston, a "major city", but it's certainly low-density.

For the shady ones, I have a serious feeling that most of the things stolen in the region (including College Station) end up there...

Uh...yeah, you're way off base. You really ought to go to an authentic flea market and look at what is being sold before you come to that kind of conclusion. Think about its business model, and think about how burglars would fit into it.

(Pawn shops are another story, obviously.)

Anti-Tax, IRS hating Lone Wolf Terrorist.

Narcissistic...not ill or unbalanced. Methodical and manipulative. I know mentally ill, I know despressed, I know narcissistic. This one was narcissistic. Didn't take responsibility for one thing being his fault. Blamed others for everything and left his family further in debt than they were evidently about to be. Total disregard for others' wellbeing and without empathy. Whole different thing. These are the Timothy McVeighs, UniBombers, David Koresh, Eric Rudollph. Smart. but no feelings. His imperfections were about to show and that was more than he could take...not all his other ramblings. so he chose to try to cover them up in a "grand manner" and linked it in his selfish little mind to nobility.

I agree with your analysis (it actually sounds pretty familiar from back on post #17), except that mental illness, depression, and narcissism are by no means mutually exclusive to one another. And in Joe Stack's case, certainly all three were at work.

Also, his psychological pathology differs from the guys you used as examples in that he had not developed a cogent system of beliefs, nor was he either a part of a movement or trying to start one himself. This would seem to indicate that he was more self-conflicted, in truth, than conflicted with others or with society. From his "manifesto", I'd tend to believe that he might have wanted to see himself as conflicted with society because he perceived that as more dignified, however that and the destruction that he brought to bear was just a half-assed attempt to rationalize the suicide to himself.

Just be careful and dont stick out like a sore thumb or you might get mugged.

Where personal safety is concerned, I've always felt much safer being the sole white guy in the company of poor illegal immigrants than I have in the company of poor white people. This is why I can't recommend flea markets in places like Channelview or Baytown.

Think about it. An illegal immigrant will most likely target another illegal immigrant because they're less likely to squeal to the cops. Whereas poor white people (on the whole) are just so plainly and obviously dumb that they don't have the ability to discriminate between good choices and bad...and you don't want to be one of their bad choices.

Well, I'm glad that I apparently wasn't the only person sending a "WTF!!! call me!!!!!" text.

You discovered what I recently did, that the formerly choice AF OCS is impossible to get into these days. My SO was a Navy

man and would recommend Amphib. Small ships, (relatively) shorter floats, with only a couple of big Med and North Altlantic

cruises during his enlistment. Home base is VA Beach/Norfolk, which does not suck. He was one of those smartypants with big scores and took the crap job of boatswains mate when he went in. Other than the occasional 'problem with authority' on account of being a smartass (you two are alike in ways) it was a good fit for him. We should probably stop with all the unsolicited advice. You'll figure it out.

Wow, that IS scary. I mean, there are many aspects of my preference surrounding the naval quartermaster example that I didn't flesh out, yet that are aligned with his experiences. The small ship opportunities are among them, for all kinds of reasons. I have to admit, this is a little bizarre.

Good luck, and thanks for wanting to serve our country. Do you play any instruments or can you sing?? That's a nice avenue to take in the military IMO. Every military branch has its own structure and arrangement of musical groups.

Yep, they give bonuses for military band members, too. It's a nice gig if you can get it. But as for me, I'll sing Roy Orbison sometimes after I've been drinking...but nobody should ever be subjected to me attempting to yodel in the high registers. That'd have to be a violation of the Geneva Convention, somehow.

Well, I am glad that you're able to handle the blows in life with composure. I've met people that simply would have fallen apart as the lives they knew fell apart and sincerely wish you the best on that.

It hasn't been easy, but I've suffered my indignities in private.

It's a whole lot easier for me than most new recruits. I am degreed and test exceptionally well. I can do anything (except fly, because of bad eyesight).

I'm going to shift this part of the conversation over to my unemployment thread.

The portion of the 'We may not be as immune as we thought' thread that went OT is transcribed below:

heh

houston apartment update

Run for the hills! It's a blood-bath, I tell ya'. ;-)

Not just quite yet. But once my military enlistment (prompted by the failure of the real estate development biz) goes through and I get trained and shipped off, I'll be sure to communicate back the number of confirmed kills.

WTF Niche!!! You did NOT! That's not just crazy, that's Roky Erickson crazy.

Maybe he wants to work in the Kremlin with a two-headed dog.

Army?

Possibly. We'll see.

he he. Nice one. But now we've gone and given the lad ideas.

Nothing is official just yet. Still have to go to MEPS.

The ASVAB test is basically an IQ and aptitude test covering things like mechanical ability' date=' organization and work efficiency, reading comprehension, and the like. It's designed to seperate the people able to re-wire a circuit board from the mouth breathers.

ASVAB has quite a few different scores that it spits out once it's graded but I believe the 'G.T.' score is the one most look at as a basic indicator of the testees ability to perform brain surgery and/or put food in their mouth when they are hungry and dress themselves with their underwear on the inside of their clothes.

I believe 60 is the low end and with a score like that you can pump gas, make a burrito, and point and fire your weapon in the general direction of brown people. Your essentially a high functioning excitable fixed gear enthusiast with a score like that but you're still good enough for the military.

90 - 110 is above average and you're probably capable of doing just about anything in the military while 120 and above is way above average and you won't even be offered shitty jobs once you have your sit down with the recruiter at the MEPS station. You will be offered jobs that can be very lucrative in the civilain sector so you will be offered big bonuses tacked on to longer then average enlistments.

Once your test has been graded you'll have a sitdown with a MEPS recruiter who will pull you back in an office cubicle and present to you a piece of paper with a bunch of jobs on it like 'helicopter rotor washer', 'fuel technician', 'chalk block'. Never select these jobs unless you want to make bread pudding all day, wash dishes, fill fuel tanks, or basically just stand around trying to look busy. these are 'Needs of the Military' jobs and they are offered to everyone who sits down.

the good jobs are in the computer and you have to ask to see them. they will be dictated by your ASVAB score and there is no getting around this so even if you want to fly Apache's really really bad if you have an ASVAB score of 70 the closest you will ever get it filling it's fuel tank.

as for how the different militaries dictate job placement i know this...

Air Force - they will let you pick a career field dictated by your Asvab. You will not be able to pick a specific job. so say you really want to work in Network management on the IT side of things. you can pick that field but you might end up pulling and digging trenches for cat-5 cable through a war zone. air force...additionally everyone at one time or another wishes they had joined the air force instead of army/navy/marines/coast guard. their bases are always in big cities next to big airports or in amazing places like the mediterrain or some coastal tropical island.

Army - you can pick your specific field and job. you will get stationed in shit holes through out your career. You will wish you had joined the air force.

Navy/Marines - I believe you get to pick your specific field and job but i could be wrong. i didn't even talk to either of their recruiters because I know I don't like sitting on a boat in the middle of the ocean for 6 months out of the year and Marines are always deployed to conflicts and war first.

let me know if you have any other questions.[/quote']

I've received several panicked PMs and text messages today over all this, so I probably need to put some details out there.

Up until this week, the niche sector that I'd been courting was the economic development industry, where my real estate experience and business degrees would be a good fit. However, as I've done my research and looked at the kinds of people that get these jobs, I've realized that a job of this nature would probably not be attainable even if I'm qualified on paper. Old farts with connections to the community tend to get jobs like these. Additionally, this would merely be a job, not a strategic career advancement. I wouldn't derive much satisfaction, even if the pay were decent. Worse, actually, it'd basically be about administering corporate welfare. So yeah, that just seems to be a way to assure the continuance of my present bout of self-loathing.

That was Plan A. Plan B, if that didn't work out, was to pursue a military commissioning or enlistment in the reserves or national guard and to use the funds to help finance law school. I'd rather not actually practice law, however my frustration with not being able to find a job during this past year would probably have been avoidable if I'd had some graduate-level credentials. But since I've already got a business degree, an MBA is largely redundant. And since I'm qualified for the CFA and intend to also pursue that designation, getting an MS in Finance would also be largely redundant. I don't like being taught at and don't respond well to merely jumping through academic hoops, so I probably wouldn't excel at these programs for lack of discipline. And for once in my life--for the last time that I'll likely ever be a full-time student--I want a traditional student experience where I'm not working full time (or overtime) in the private sector. I want to be a good student, have a good GPA, and rank highly, for once. Student debt is cheap and plentiful, and so I'll embrace it to the fullest extent possible. The military will supplement my income, allowing a few luxuries that would otherwise be beyond my reach...and hopefully will provide an initial bonus that will keep me going this year until I would start law school in the Spring of 2011. That'd give me the opportunity to take care of military training requirements and also get the CFA wrapped up this year, all without having to worry about job-seeking or month-to-month finances.

Longer-term, whether I start off as an officer or not, I'll probably be a good candidate after several years. And once I'm a reserve officer and have a law degree and have passed the Bar exam, I'd have the option to transfer into a JAG reserves capacity. That'd be sort of a wet dream, actually. I'd milk that opportunity for all it was worth, staying in until they retire me, while simultaneously creating a private-sector career for myself.

So that's the plan.

In the short-term, my options are diverse. The only limiting factor as to what I am qualified for is my eyesight. ASVAB is not any kind of obstacle for me. I am limiting my investigation of particular jobs to the Army Reserves or National Guard, Air Force Reserves or National Guard, and Navy Reserves. Having said that, I'm biased against the National Guard because they're everyone's b*tch. The Marine recruiters tried to get me to perjure myself on the initial medical screening forms, so that doesn't exactly reflect well on them...there's also that bit about "every marine a rifleman," and they mean it. And the Coast Guard doesn't offer enlistment bonuses to reservists, and is incompatible with other branches where personnel transfers are concerned.

The decision as far as branch will be dependent on what job openings there happen to be at local reserve or national guard units and will probably be made within the next couple of weeks. During this time, I'm also examining commissioning possibilities with the Army (AF and Navy officer commissions are extraordinarily competitive on account of the economy and their relative safety). I will also be doing a bit of research as far as active-duty alternatives are concerned. Active-duty guys get much better bonuses and a far-superior GI Bill that is fully phased-in by the time they get out, so there is a case to be made for it, provided I have an enjoyable job; at that point, bonuses matter less than my personal happiness. For instance: whereas a Navy recruiter might push sexy Nuclear or Cryptologic fields, I'd much rather be the quartermaster (the ship's navigator, akin to Mr. Sulu). It seems like fun, it'd be safe, there'd be lots of interaction with bridge officers, and the commitment isn't as long. That would work for me. Air Force has similar kinds of jobs that appeal to my nature; Army not as much, but again, it's still an option on account of commissioning possibilities.

Anyway, I'll let you guys know when things firm up. But I'm pretty sure that this is my path.

But, that's just you?

No, me too.

Wow.. I'm truly sorry if this offended you. I've recently been laid off and am just frustrated by the arch profession atm. I read that you have enlisted and I hope you do well on your ASVAB. Good luck and take care.

No harm done. You were right that my earlier comment was devoid of tact. I couldn't help myself at the time...and am easily distracted by Zeppelin lyrics.

And you're also right that I need to find something to do with myself.

Yeah, you can find Piper Cherokees for sale by the dozen for $40,000 to $60,000. What a coincidence! Just about what it would have taken to deal with his responsibility as a taxpayer!

Listed asking prices are not a good indication of market value for things like aircraft or boats. But look, my point was that with relatively little compassion on your part, you can see where he was coming from...not in the context of your life experiences but in terms of his. He wasn't so rich that he was less human.

F'k him.

Reactionary anger sure is cathartic, isn't it? Perhaps some introspection on your part would allow you to better understand the motivating force behind Joe Stack's actions.

So, he spends ten years of his life trying to keep $40,000 gained from a tax loophole that shouldn't even exist, while flying around in his private plane, and then decides it is "not worth it anymore"?

Btw, looks like the plane was a Piper Cherokee, which can be acquired for the price of a decent car. Though he certainly had means, it's not exactly emblematic of someone awash in money or that would necessarily think of the plane as a hallmark of success.

This spring break I was planning to go to Houston for a day or so. I don't know why, but I want to visit a good flea market in the area. An seemingly obvious choice would be Traders Village: it's big and just off of 290. Unfortunately, the reviews I've read indicates that it's mostly cheap imports. And for all intents and purposes, that's what flea markets at least partially consist of. But it was sorely lacking in antiques and vintage items (or so I heard).

I kind of tend to gravitate toward video game related stuff and the occasional vintage item. Does anyone know of any relatively good flea markets in Houston?

There's near Hillcroft and Westpark that has more of a Central American feel to it than the one on Airline, which is mostly Mexican. But I don't think that the online reviewers of Traders Village would be anywhere near as comfortable in those kinds of places. Those folks just need to start going to estate sales if they want antiques or collectibles.

So, he spends ten years of his life trying to keep $40,000 gained from a tax loophole that shouldn't even exist, while flying around in his private plane, and then decides it is "not worth it anymore"? His last thoughts were probably that he is a martyr. Another miscalculation on his part.

Lots of references to hypocrisy and self-importance in his rant. Too bad he could not afford a mirror. Good riddance. I won't shed a tear for this clown.

From the suicide note, it looks to me like the guy was disappointed with how his life turned out, was overcome by a sense of powerlessness and emasculation, and was severely depressed. Tens of millions of people in this country can probably relate to that, particularly given the tumult of the last several years as fortunes, careers, and relationships have been smashed by circumstances far beyond their control. I know I can.

But this guy--smart enough to be an engineer and a pilot, whose personality and career were oriented around bringing order to things--abjectly failed at articulating nearly any cogent string of thoughts...not that he didn't expend terrific effort to that end. Martyrs take a hard-line stand on such things as politics, religion, or social justice. This guy was all over the place. He didn't believe in anything larger than himself, however, and was merely frustrated with the way things are. That's not the hallmark of a martyr. He just tried to use martyrdom as a justification. He also wasn't a very responsible taxpayer, but tried to imagine the IRS as complicit in an injustice committed against him.

Everything about that manifesto indicates to me that he was looking for an excuse to do something that he'd already decided he was going to do. I suspect that he may also have wanted to abdicate personal responsibility for how his life turned out; he wanted to be a victim...because a victim can justifiably strike back and effect something.

Army?

Possibly. We'll see.

WTF Niche!!! You did NOT! That's not just crazy, that's Roky Erickson crazy.

Nothing is official just yet. Still have to go to MEPS.

Just because you say it, doesn't make it true. For all of the things you claim are not being discussed, I say that they are. Houston is investing in crime analysis programs, is constantly debating the merits of different patrol strategies (car, bike, foot, horse, neighborhood policing), and debates where to place new substations or storefronts from time to time. Your gripe appears to be that they have not invited you to the meeting. I do not find your absence from planning meetings to be cause that crime fighting is not being discussed.

I am constantly surprised by the statements of the uninformed on matters that I happen to know are being addressed. For whatever reason, crime and police matters seem to draw the most comments. Not a day passes that I do not read something from left field about what the police and city are doing or not doing. Your comments on Houston in this thread strike me that way...that because the RDA has not had a design competition to design the crime proof urban dwelling, Houston is not taking crime seriously. If you were actually in a position to be involved in the discussions, you might see what is being discussed.

Red, I swear to you that WAZ is right. (And as you well know, I don't make a habit of backing him up.) There are other fields where this subject matter is discussed obsessively, and you're involved in them. But in the real estate development and architecture circles, crime as it relates to urban form is swept under the rug. It shouldn't be, but it is. It isn't a subject that most residential or commercial tenants care about...and when they do, there are proprietary measures that tend to get implemented. It's just not as sexy an issue as pure aesthetics or pseudo-environmentalism, unfortunately.

Most urbanists agree that Houston will get more dense in the next 25 years. It'd be very interesting to see if we put cops back on foot as our City rediscovers density.

Lies, damned lies, and statistics.

Their conclusion depends entirely on how you deign to quantify city-wide density. It is insufficient to quantify density in terms of political boundaries, because political boundaries are senseless, yet that is the most common means utilized by the press and by politicians or special interests. A more useful method is to calculate a formula by way of which population density declines as a function of distance from a city center...however that is biased against seaside cities...also, since so few constituents as a percentage of the population of constituents know how to interpret inverse functions, it's just not very practical for policy purposes.

And that's all to say that this discussion is pointless.

Here is the noncompete language from the Toyota Center letter agreement:

Prior to and during the term of the NBA Club's lease of the Arena, the Sports Authority and the City, shall not, directly or indirectly, finance, subsidize, provide any incentives for, or otherwise assist any venue, including the Compaq Center (except as provided in the preceding section), which could compete with the Arena for events of a type appropriate for the Arena and generally targeted at audiences in excess of 5,000, except for the GRBCC (and any expansions thereof), Enron Field, the new Rodeo/Football stadium, and school and university facilities and except for other facilities while the same are being used during the Olympics or Pan-American Games or similar events, which the Parties agree are not and will not be considered in competition with the Arena.

That does look like it could be problematic.

It's a blood-bath, I tell ya'. ;-)

Not just quite yet. But once my military enlistment (prompted by the failure of the real estate development biz) goes through and I get trained and shipped off, I'll be sure to communicate back the number of confirmed kills.

They?

Probably the Uptown Management District. Possibly the TIRZ.