Last night the temperature dropped to single digits for a span. This prompted several outside activities to prepare for the cold.
I covered the strawberries with leaf mulch and doubled up the row covers. Water hoses were disconnected and covers placed over the spigot.
Buckets and other vessel’s normally filled with water were turned over and their contents spilled out on the lawn.
We had snow the previous week, so much of the preparation was already partially completed.
My LEAF in the air.
The last chore for further cold weather is getting my tires refilled. The cold pressure has reduced the psi in my back tires by nearly 6 points.
The back tires are the new pair I got from the dealership. The mechanic said they didn’t see any signs of leaks and the drop in pressure was just the cold weather.
My next appointment will be in March for tire rotation. Shouldn’t cost more than $25. Then I’ll be set to drive for a good long while.
This is such a large city that It will take some time to write and photograph it, so this post will likely grow over time.
North Raleigh
My regular commute to source goods for my eBay shop takes me to North Raleigh every Wednesday. I shop at the Treasure Hunt Liquidators Bin Megastore on Capital Blvd, on their dollar day mostly.
My route takes me Southbound on US-401 and then I turn at Cavalry Drive, just past the Baptist church on the corner of North New Hope Road and Louisburg Road.
Further up the road, northbound, there is a Mosque in a residential development. There is some construction taking place in front, but I don’t know what’s going to be built.
Central Raleigh
Traveling south along Wade Avenue the traffic pattern begins to shift. My fellow drivers appear more frantic and aggressive in their movements. This is the city.
The portion of Raleigh I travelled through was just a slice of the full concrete and steel beam space. Afterwards, the skyscraper forest gives way to single story shops and sit down restaurant’s.
Have you ever performed on stage or given a speech?
In the course of my attendance of the Tongue Point Job Corps Center in Astoria, OR, I was granted the privilege of reading Martin Luther King Junior’s “Dream” speech, during Black History month, in front of the entire student body and staff.
Astoria’s Tongue Point Job Corps center was one of the first in the nation to open in 1965. Located on a former Navy base, it now hosts 313 students, many of whom live on campus, and 165 staff members.
The Job Corps program originated in 1964 as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” established by the Economic Opportunity Act (EOA) to combat youth unemployment by providing education, vocational training, and work experience for disadvantaged young people.
At the Job Corps Center, I was a member of the Student Government Association (SGA), representing the third residence as its president. I served for 3 terms in office. I had originally applied for and was elected to the role of Vice President of the dorm.
Mid way through the semester I took over the president role, after the current president had joined the college program and her class schedules conflicted with regular SGA activities.
I would go on to serve as president for the remainder of the term and was twice re-elected to office.
In 2007, during Black History Month, a call went out for a student volunteer to make a reading of MLKs reverent speech.
After my application and interview was accepted, I won the coveted role.
I read the speech numerous times, listening to and watching recordings, to familiarize myself with Dr. King’s manner of speech, his inflection, and voice.
My own voice is often colored by the British English accent I picked up from my father. I practiced speaking in the manner of a preacher, replicating a soulful black southern accent to better convey the words of MLKs speech.
Martin Luther King Jr.
In February, before the entire assembled student body and staff, I gave my reading.
Public speaking was never my strong suit, but I felt empowered that day. Constant practice had lent me confidence and strength.
I believe that day marked the pinnacle of my time at Tongue Point. It was the culmination of my efforts to improve upon myself as a person and a future member of the workforce.
It was also an especially poignant speech as I was living proof of the success of that Dream.
Born of mixed race parentage in the predominantly Caucasian Pacific Northwest, growing up, I had had my share of racist encounters in school and society, but it was during my time at the Center that I truly found acceptance.
I was uplifted, moving beyond mere tolerance to actively support, encourage, and help others to grow.
The success of the Job Corps program lies in its fostering of an environment where people feel valued, empowered, and inspired to reach their best selves.
I am reminded of my best self every February and following months are better for it.
I first saw Escaflowne in 1996 on TV in America. I must have been 11 years old.
I didn’t know it was a Japanese animation at the time. I really only became cognizant of Japan during my time at the Job Corps Center in Astoria, OR.
Escaflowne aired on Fox Kids (1990-2002) with 10 episodes before it was canceled. I wouldn’t find out about the cancelation until years later when I discovered the internet.
Escaflowne 1996
I didn’t have the best attention span back then and didn’t take notice that the show had disappeared, and it’s not like they issue notices on kids afternoon cartoon channel’s, “…oh hey, by the way, the shows been canceled.”
I didn’t even really remember the plot, only the first scenes with the dragon slaying and the mecha operation in the first episode. That sealed the deal for me. It became my favorite cartoon.
Later, in college when I was introduced to torrenting by friend and roommate Ian Dumych at Tongue Point JCC, I was able to download and watch the entire series in its original Japanese language with subtitles.
It was both nostalgic and new to me at the same time. Simply splendid.
I considered mentioning a synopsis or plot lines, but I feel that would be a spoiler. I will say, Escaflowne holds an older ascetic among anime and departs from some of the traditional tropes. The shows perspective centers on a female lead, while the trials and tribulations of the male protagonist are seen from her point-of-view.
At the time it was a fresh take storytelling. I understand Fox Kids had made many edits to the dubbed version I saw as a child. Notably, for their young Western audience, they reduced the importance of the female leads role in the show.
If you are interested in checking it out, but don’t have the energy for a full 26-episode anime series, I’d suggest watching the movie, Escaflowne (DailyMotion).
I watched a video on YouTube the other day that I felt especially compelled by. It got me to stop and think a bit more about my previous YouTube channels and to reconsider posting videos.
When I decided to close GameGirlsGallery (GGG), I also deleted my ASMR and Thrifting channels as well. They other two had fewer than a hundred subscribers, so it wasn’t any real loss.
After 18 months, GGG had well over a thousand subscribers and I regularly got comments and engagement on the content I posted. The decision to close the channel was difficult, but necessary. It was the same with removing that type of content from this website (Hard Choices: Removing Site Content).
Well, yesterday, I decided to go ahead and try again with YouTube. I’m terrible with following through on plans, but I will try to do a live stream every Wednesday and a recorded video once a week.
Ideally, I would like to be able to livestream with my phone, but you need 50 subscribers to do livestreams using the YouTube app. I thought about doing it in the office, but its so messy here, I’d be quite embarrassed.
I ordered an action camera off of eBay for 20 bucks and that should arrive sometime next week if holiday traffic doesn’t slow the parcel down. Its magnetic and has a lanyard and metal pad that can fit under clothes. That will allow me to film while I am out sourcing, but still keep my hands free.
I really wanted an Insta360 Go 3S, but its way out of my price range. My wallet can’t handle anything that fancy. Hopefully, the generic I bought will be able to manage my needs.
Other than videos related to eBay, I will likely include some slideshow videos of my domestic travel blog series.
In late 2012 I first heard about Bitcoin and started learning about how it worked and its potential to replace fiat currency. That never really came to fruition as we now know, but the world is perhaps getting more comfortable with the idea of transacting with crypto on occasion.
In 2013, I decided I wanted to buy one of the ASIC mining machines from a European company, it was called a Neptune or Saturn, I think. I didn’t have enough money in savings, so I headed to Suntrust (now Truist) and spoke with a loan officer.
My loan application was rejected; as I had no verifiable credit history. The only thing on my report was a credit card that had been opened without my consent back when I lived in Astoria, OR, by Wells Fargo, back during that scandal.
So, I went off to build a credit history, and that led me to Doctor of Credit and the FatWallet Forums.
First Business
I picked up several personal credit cards (Delta Blue) and also started mining Litecoin with a couple of old computers. I formed a Sole Proprietorship (Kasanje Technologies 13′-20′) and applied for an ITIN number, which I then used to apply for business credit cards.
All this while still working at nearly minimum wage for CVS/Health. At my peak I had 80k in personal credit and 14k in business credit. This was sometime in 2014-16. Of course by then the chip technology had vastly improved and the mining rig I originally wanted was obsolete.
Many things happened during my crypto period. I added more GPUs to my home rig, I fell for several scams, I bought and spent a couple hundred bitcoin on aging equipment, and my final mining venture was buying several Apollo Scypt miners. I still have those in my closet.
After some lightning strikes in 2019 and legal trouble in 2020, I closed the business and sold my remaining bitcoin to cover a portion of my debt. I had gotten a $3,500 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) from the Small Business Association (SBA) during COVID. I managed to pay it off in 2021, by paying $100 every month.
A couple of months later, Bitcoin hit 10k and I lamented my decision to sell. I would had enough to more than cover my expenses and been left with profit had I “HODL” a bit longer.
Second Attempt
In the course of my legal problems I struck upon the idea of building a talent agency for YouTubers. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I managed to convince myself enough to file Articles of Incorporation and start an LLC.
This is an old bad habit of mine going back to elementary school. I’ll often come up with an idea and create a framework around the idea without actually having any content to fill the space.
I still do it on this website, where I get hooked on a subject and then go out and design a template tailored to the topic without knowing anything about the topic or even knowing where to start researching.
Typically, I finish the template and then lose interest in the topic. That’s my Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) at work.
I had named the business “Bliss in Bloom: Influencers LLC,” I think it was the moment I came up with the name that triggered my old habit. I made social media accounts and a website for it. I designed business cards and had them printed. I went all out; without any idea of how to recruit anyone to join my idea.
That’s all it really was, just an idea. I went all in on an idea.
I did this recently when I coined the MSTT (Marginalized, Sexualized, Traumatized, and Trivialized) acronym. That led me to writing up a post, but all I had was those 4 words, so I had to research and build from the ground up.
That post didn’t really go anywhere because, its not in this site’s niche, and there really isn’t anyway to refer to it in conversation without things getting uncomfortable.
A week after forming the LLC I closed it. But I didn’t do it right, and I got a strongly worded letter from the NC Secretary of States office. I had to pay a small fine and then properly close the business.
3rd Times a Charm?
In July of 2024, shortly before graduating from Vance-Granville CC, I started selling items on eBay in earnest. I had previously sold Star Wars novels on eBay back in 2014-16, so my account had a good rating and history.
I had been getting a bunch of thrifting and reselling videos in my YouTube feed and that led me to getting hooked on the idea of being a full-time reseller.
So far its going slow, but I am making a small profit. Last year, I was in the red by about $30 come New Years Eve. This year, I should be finishing off with around $500 in net revenue from my eBay shops.
My main shop is (fatwalletrefugee). I sourced mostly men’s apparel from Goodwill, Safe Space, and Cause for Paws in the beginning. Over time, I picked up the odd women’s garment, mostly items with the tags attached.
After awhile I hit my free listings limit and looked up whether you could have more than one store. It turns out you can have multiple shops, they just need to have separate email address associated with them.
I have shops for women’s wear (lafemme1st), golf apparel (golfforless), and home hardware/automotive/building supplies (kingcastle).
Earning as of November for these other shops are:
Lafemme1st: $379.94
GolfforLess: $237.92
King Castle: $113.46
On my main account, I recently signed a revenue purchase agreement with Liberis (Oct. 30th). I received a $600 deposit to my bank in exchange for 30% cut of my daily sales. There was a $79 fee for getting the agreement completed.
Supposedly, this will be paid off sometime in June of 2026. My sales for the 4th quarter had plummeted so I am a bit concerned. But the 600 bucks was well spent paying down my AMEX balance after that trip to Washington State (Domestic Travel: Washington).
I had tinkered with the idea of this website being a part of my business, but I still feel its more of a hobby, especially now that I have purged the site of certain content (Hard Choices). Although, I have come up with a compromise that I think will allow some wiggle room.
Since I graduated from my college and am now holding a nice Business Degree, I ought to make some use of it.
So here are some tips for getting started with entrepreneurship.
Funding a Business
Securing funding is important for small business success and needs a smart approach to financing options. Considering personal risks and control can help you make informed choices that match your long-term goals.
Where do I get the Money?
Determining how much money you need is the first step in choosing the right funding source, like self-funding, investors, loans, or a mix of these.
Most places will want you to borrow a minimum amount ($1,000) they can charge interest on. For small amounts you might get sent to a Cash Advance site so be careful.
Self-funding means using your own money, like savings or family help, which allows you to have complete control over your business.
Crowdfunding is a low-risk way to keep full ownership while getting support from many contributors. I used Kickstarter for an art project once. IndieGoGo is another option.
Small business loans help you keep control of your company while getting needed funds. A good business plan and financial forecasts can improve your chances of getting better loan terms.
Venture Capital is a good choice for startups looking to grow quickly and willing to give up some ownership for funding.
Grants offer funding that does not need to be repaid, but competition is tough. Many grants are available for women and minority-owned businesses, like the Amber Grant.
Microlending can help startups that can’t get bank loans. It offers small loans that are important for starting up, though they come with interest payments.
Peer-to-peer lending platforms connect borrowers directly with investors, often offering better terms than traditional banks.
Small Business Administration
The Small Business Administration (SBA) is crucial for new businesses. It provides funding options like SBA-backed loans, which reduce risks for banks, helping entrepreneurs get financing.
They also have loans and resources for veterans, women, minorities, Native Americans, and rural businesses.
Using the SBA’s counseling and training services can greatly help entrepreneurs in securing funding and managing their businesses. Your local community college likely has a business aid office.
Long-Term Success
Selecting the right mix of funding sources (family loan?) for your business is essential. Entrepreneurs should consider options like personal savings, loans, grants, and investors, while keeping a balanced approach.
Taking into account risks, control levels, and financial knowledge can help in successfully financing business operations.
Continuous learning and consulting with financial experts (on Reddit) can help optimize capital structure, leading to new opportunities for business growth.
That’s it for today. It’s been rainy so I haven’t been out photographing towns this week. Expect a new Travel post sometime next week.
What’s the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make? Why?
A couple weeks ago I made the difficult decision to cease providing wiki pages and game art galleries for several mobile titles.
I was under a certain amount of duress after receiving multiple complaints and strong suggestions to make a change.
You may know, earlier this year my YouTube channel GameGirlsGallery was shutdown, most unfortunately. Complaints about the amount of sexually suggestive content present in mobile games, ranging from game art to dialog and plot lines, had built up over the years and ultimately killed the channel.
The reasons for the recent site content removal are the same as those that caused GameGirlsGallery to be removed.
The Top Girl / Apex Girl wiki hosted on fatwalletrefugee accounted for nearly 84% of all site traffic. The remainder of site traffic went to the mobile game art and character galleries.
Top Girl had been initially rated mature, but after being removed from the Apple Store and worries over possible removal from the Google Play Store they released several updates that brought the rating down to Teen.
Despite the artistic changes there was still a good amount of sexual suggestion and lewd imagery present. In fact, I think most regular people, if looking at most titles in the Google Play Store rated Teen, might think the games were for Mature audiences, and not be suitable for the age ranges the ratings board has decided on.
Even playing merge and puzzle games rated E for everyone, I still see ads for games rated Mature, AI dating chat bots, hookup apps, romantic story apps, and Harem anime games.
All this plus the mounting complaints and suggestions of actions taken led me to the hard decision to purge the site of all offending content. I deleted all of the posts, pages, wikis, and site media including images and videos that were likely to receive further complaint.
I was contacted by multiple subscribers afterwards asking where everything went and had to explain the difficulties I went through deciding to stop providing that type of content.
I had in fact been expecting to hit the 1 million page views mark by December this year, a new milestone stone for this site. Prior to the content removal, my average daily site traffic in early November was around 6k views. Sadly, now my average is closer to 450 views per day.
Total Weekly Site Traffic
As you might imagine, my ad revenue has fallen off a cliff. While I had recently received my first payout from WordAds since signing up in March of 2024, I am likely not going to receive another payment for some considerable amount of time hereafter.
The question as to how to recover from this loss also comes up. I still provide guides for family-friendly mobile games. I am in the process of detailing a guide for Fable Town at the moment. I am also expanding the written content for buildings and units in the Puzzles and Chaos wiki.
I used to get good traffic from Google and Reddit for my game guides, but once I began focusing on Apex Girl and Road to Rich, that traffic dropped and the algorithm sent those folks to other resources.
Fable Town: Merge
There is also the Travel and Food section of the site which hasn’t seen much writings since my last trip in 2019. That was originally what started my blog. A trip to New York City to see family prompted me to make kasanje.home.blog and years later I bought the fatwalletrefugee.com domain.
There are also side projects I started but never finished like the FatWallet Forums archives and the Lost Media directory.
Recently, I began redesigning the Travel page and restructuring the page hierarchy for that section. This also involves adding pagess for each US state I have visited and a separate section for my international trips.
My vacation to Washington last month inspired me to travel more locally here in North Carolina. I also was gifted a new camera. It’s an Olympus E-M10 II. There are two swappable lenses, one telephoto and a precision close up, and three batteries.
In the past month I have visited and photographed 6 towns and a state park. I am planning a trip to visit the Outer Banks next year.
Hopefully this move back to this site’s roots will boost site traffic and begin to shift the algorithm back home.
I came across Wilton while checking prices on Zillow for houses and land. When I checked the map, Wilton didn’t show up right away, so I had to futz with the zoom to get the name to show.
About Wilton
Its an unincorporated town with a few landmarks letting you know where you are.
The local Wilton Elementary and Wilton Grill bear the towns name.
Wilton is located in Granville county which lies along the state border with VA.
Wilton High School was originally built in 1924 and remained in operation until 1962 when the larger Granville High School was built to serve the county. The high school was then converted to an elementary and has been in operation since.
There is a local Wilton EMS / Granville EMS Station 2 is in town just down the road from the elementary school.
Photo update for Wilton EMS / Granville EMS Station 2 By Hillel Dorel (Local Guide Lvl 7)
After I decided on a trip to Wilton, I saw that I would first pass through Franklinton and end near Creedmoor, so I incorporated those two stops into my itinerary.
The center of town lies at the intersection of NC-56 and NC-96.
Sitting on the north east corner is a 76 branded fuel station, and the Wilton Grill sits at the northwest corner.
On the south-west side of the crossing you’ll find Adriano’s Pizzeria, and across to the east is a Dollar General store.
76 Fuel Center in Wilton NC76 Fuel Center in Wilton NCThe Wilton GrillAdriano’s Pizzeria
I will absolutely return any merchandise I purchase that doesn’t deliver on its promises.
Whether is distasteful yogurt or a deceptively labeled floor mat. Back it goes. I’ll not spend a dime on dysfunctional product.
2. Not signaling lane changes.
It’s not difficult to flip a lever or hit a switch. A flick of the fingers signals to the world and me in particular that your planning on cutting me off.
That’s fine. I’ll yield, as I am legally bound to do so. But, if you don’t signal, I promise I’ll glower at your car for miles.
3.
Advertising on a paid service.
There shouldn’t be any ads on a subscription or paid service. That’s the whole reason we cut the cord in the first place. Now they’re bringing back advertising for paid services. It’s entirely infuriating.
When I realized I wouldn’t have to see anymore ads if I downloaded programs, I canceled my TV service.
Before streaming services came to be, we were downloading all our media, happily ad-free. Sure it was limited to certain types of content, but I was predominantly watching Japanese and Korean programs, and back then there were no streaming services for that content.
To be clear, I’m okay with watching an ad to access a free service. But not if I paid money upfront.
Fat Wallet Refugee 