Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Gnarly pics...



Just a couple more pics I came across...they speak for themselves...enjoy...

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Long Days at the Office...



Today is another glorious 8am to 8pm workday. I finally have a lunch break and am spending it updating this blog, for no other reason than to take my mind off work. Surf has been flat lately, but it appears there is some liquid joy in the making. Feel free to check the surf report I view daily for independent verification http://magicseaweed.com/Deerfield-Beach-Surf-Report/357/

Hopefully we'll be seeing those 7ft faces breaking on the shore in a day or two. I also ran across two surf photos this week that piqued my interest enough to include in this post for your viewing pleasure. The first photo basically sums up my dream day for a surf session. I believe it is somewhere in Spain or Portugal, the posting did not have an exact location. The second photo is of Mike Parsons at Jaws. I simply cannot fathom the sheer dynamics of what Mike is experiencing in this particular photo. I have a lady friend joining me on the beach Thursday, so hopefully I can coax her to snap some photos of this Burro Brother surfing from the pier.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Stealing Cardboard Boxes...




Some of you know my first corporate job out of college was selling sub-prime loans and mortgages in Hawaii. It was a less than desirable job simply because it felt very predatory in nature. Selling high rates to customers who could more than likely qualify for much better rates almost anywhere else. Such is the nature of sub-prime financial lending. I definitely feel the mighty dollar that was made by these corporations, especially with the magical "three year arm" loans, caused the foreclosure chaos we are currently dealing with. Having said that, I was very enthused to start my new career last year as a public insurance adjuster instead of as my friend Matt so eloquently put it "stealing cardboard boxes out from underneath people" like they were poor homeless people. Basically that means I do the same job I did as a property insurance adjuster, except now I represent the homeowner instead of "the man".

One would think after all these years of representing "the man" in business dealings I would feel justified in helping the everyday layman stick it back to "the man". At first I have to say things were great and I was definitely making a difference in recouping funds for those that were shortchanged by the insurance company. But now my views are starting to change. It's becoming very clear why large corporations act the way they do. There are so many greedy people in this world with their hands out expecting things that aren't deserved.

For instance, I recently settled a claim for a client helping them receive over $30k from the insurance company for being underpaid on a claim from hurricane Wilma almost three years ago!! This client was originally told their damages were minimal and claim would be under their deductible so no payment was made. What a great job, right? I can not tell you the hell this client raised when I told them, with great pride, I was able to recover 30k in new money. The client basically cussed me out and threatened legal action because it wasn't enough. The story goes much deeper into legal issues between the client and insurance company that I can't discuss here, but I see this on a weekly basis.
Now that I have represented both sides, it's sickens me to see how each side is out to get the other, but in some strange way they need each other to exist. Leaves me to wonder where I fit in the business world between all of this mess. Other than that, I am meeting the Swiss ladies tomorrow at the beach for lunch, surf is flat and I'm taking my boat out this weekend for some drunken shenanigans. Oh yeah, it hit 92 degrees today with 100% humidity. Looooove South Florida!!