Writing prompts set by WordPress
If you started a sports team, what would the colors and mascot be?
I would choose purple and gold for my sports team colors. I’d love to own a pro golf team.
In the game of Golf, an “Eagle” is when you get the ball in the hole on the second swing. It’s one step below a “Hole in One.
I know the sport if more of a solo or duo activity, but I like pro gaming leagues and I think that business model would work well with the sport of Golf.
Eagle Swing is about aspiring to greatness on the field.
How have your political views changed over time?
The stages of my political involvement are roughly: Democrat, Libertarian, Ineligible, and Revolutionary.
I first became eligible to vote for the 2004 election between George Bush Jr (R) and John Kerry (D).
My father, being British, could not vote and so my mother directed me to the democratic caucus. There I received guidance from family friends who all apparently were in the democrat camp.
My father had little faith in America’s elective process. Growing up in London and having lived through WW2, he held a worldly understanding of history and recognized the precursors of fascism.
He would often warn me of the course that American politics were heading in.
At the caucus, there was much excitement and hope. Riding the wave, I volunteered as an alternate to cast the local ballot at the larger county caucus. The other person called out sick and my father drove me to the county election where I put a name in for the town.
The blue’s lost by a wide margin that election.
My next election was between John McCain (R) and Obama (D) in 2008.
My father would often say Americans would never elect a non-white president. He said the roots of racism ran too deep in this country.
I was especially pleased when Obama won in 2008. Although over time a became disillusioned by the democratic party. I became more cognizant of the war mongering party members espoused. In particular their distinct hatred of China and Russia.
For the 2012 election, I switched parties. I had asked my mother if there were any other choices beyond red and blue. Prior to this point, I had never heard of the Green’s or the Libertarian Party. Regular media never covered them or mentioned their existence.
I joined the Libertarians and cast my vote for Gary Johnson (L) of New Mexico. The result was understandably predictable. But I felt more at ease with my decision.
It was my involvement with the Yellow team that lead me to voting in local and state elections. I briefly considered running my self as there were regular calls for candidates through out the state.
I met some other hopefuls who went on to be elected, but my introvert nature was not suited to political work. At best I could vote and send letters.
It was during the 2016 election that I seriously considered the party’s platform, it’s membership, and the potential fallout for people like me if they were to actually win.
The Libertarians are predominantly white wealthy Christians who support small ineffectual government and the mass privatization of all sectors.
For a person of color who was (and still is) reliant on government assistance, ardently Atheist, and generally living in poverty, the Yellow team wasn’t exactly a healthy choice.
In 2020, I lost the option of a political choice with my arrest and subsequent conviction.
Watching from the sidelines, I gained a certain degree of perspective. Being marginalized, helped me to see how the all the big changes affected the little guy. I recognized the suffering of the people and took time to rethink my politics.
While I am now once again eligible to vote, I choose not to. Instead, I feel that the necessary change this nation needs cannot be achieved through a democratic process.
What is needed is a revolution. I support civil war.
There is a divide that needs to be acknowledged. Red’s and Blue’s both hold starkly different views on numerous topics, views that cannot honestly coexist in peace.
When one side is in control, the other will suffer. When the balance shifts, the formerly controlled seek the oppression of their enemies. This cycle repeats endlessly.
Peace and prosperity can never be achieved while the two sides remain in conflict.
It was the same with the Catholics and Protestants, Socialism and Nazism, Liberals and Conservatives.
In America, Conservative Christians have largely embraced white supremacy and Nazism. Their politics and religion have become inseparable.
They have shown their hand plainly for all to see.
Suppression of history relating to non-whites including the slave trade, oppression of First Nation peoples, war crimes and atrocities committed in the Middle-East, travel bans on non-white countries, and establishing concentration camps for Hispanics (immigrants).
These are crimes against humanity and should not be tolerated nor forgiven.
These things and more are why I support revolution in America. Why I support civil war.
Half of this nation are dumbasses who should take a long walk off a short pier. Just my opinion.
You get to build your perfect space for reading and writing. What’s it like?
A small room, a bed, and a writing desk. The size of a singles dorm. No computer, no television, no radio, just me and my thoughts.
I did my best writing in jail. After about a month, the last dregs of mass media had seeped out of my mind and I finally began to think my own thoughts.
Creativity, whom I hadn’t seen since childhood, came out of hibernation, and he had all sorts of ideas.
So, I wrote them down. It was a team effort, with Creativity chatting away and me scribbling along with a pencil nub, page after page, around 100 pages actually.
When I got out I planned on typing it all up. I felt like I held a masterpiece, an epic that couldn’t be found elsewhere. But as the allure of television and other media called, I soon forgot my manuscript, and Creativity went back to bed.
Then in late 2023, generative AI showed up on the scene. My handwritten stories felt pretty simple compared to what the machine could do.
I wonder if maybe I had a small quite redoubt, somewhere, I could possibly wake up Creativity publish our stories.
What is your all time favorite automobile?
I bought my leaf in 2024 used from Smart Cars Weiland in Pittsboro. It had 17k miles on the odometer and I paid 18k with some financing.
The Nissan LEAF, launched in 2010, pioneered the mass-market electric vehicle (EV) segment, becoming one of the world’s best-selling EVs by offering affordable, zero-emission transport.
It evolved through two main generations, starting with modest range (around 100 miles) and basic tech, then adding larger batteries (up to 60 kWh), longer range (over 200 miles with LEAF PLUS), e-Pedal, and ProPilot Assist for improved driving and safety, solidifying its role in daily commuting worldwide.
-Nissan Global
List your top 5 grocery store items.
My parents would always buy coconut milk for curry dishes.
My father being British would make Indian Currys while my mother was fond of Thai curry. Coconut-fried rice was also a staple of many meals.
The fats in coconut are beneficial for health, and the pulp is a good source of fiber for digestion.
Apples and Oranges, Bananas and Berries, Seasonal Melons and exotic fare. Fresh fruit is always kept in ready supply.
A great alternative to sugary foods and full of vitamins, you cannot go wrong with fruit. As they say, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
But make sure you brush your teeth. All that natural sugar will rot your teeth if left unchecked, and will summon doctors of dentistry.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, salmon was a staple of the region for many groups including First Nation people’s. The Chinook and Sockeye in particular played a big role in the culture and lives of the people.
I can remember school trips to Native-American museums in Washington, totem poles, and visits to the reservation in Yakima. My parents would often say, I was conceived on the Res.
Living now in North Carolina, the salmon here is predominantly Atlantic and especially pricey. Canned Alaskan salmon however is inexpensive by contrast. The cans are tall and hold a good amount of fish, enough for multiple meals.
Canned Salmon was the first food we fed our family cat, Mei Mei. She eats dry food now that she is older, but occasionally, we will give her a fishy treat from out the can.
Our grain of choice when it comes to cooking, sometimes mixed with bulgur or buckwheat. Rice pairs nicely with most dishes. Sometimes the Rice is the primary focal point of the meal as with fried-rice and rice-balls.
As mentioned earlier, Coconut-fried rice is a nice Thai dish. My mother enjoys cooking East Asian foods like Korean Bulgogi, Japanese Miso Soup, or Chinese Egg-Drop Soup. Rice often accompanies these dishes as a side and staple.
Stir fry is probably the most common way we eat our vegetables, seconded only by tossed salads.
The pre-made stir fry mixes in the frozen foods section at the Food Lion grocery store seem to be shrinking, but we still buy them. I recall the bags were a couple pounds each back in the mid 2000s, but now they are often less than 16 ounces for the same price.
They have also begun to include sauce packets in the bag that take up space that previously help more veggies.
What we cannot get at the grocery store, we buy from local farm stands, or grow ourselves in our backyard garden. We sometimes also go to the Farmers Market.
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.
Read more at: https://dailyastorian.com/2025/05/30/tongue-point-job-corps-center-slated-to-close/
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.
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.
What’s your favorite cartoon?
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.
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.
Anyways, the channel is @FatWalletRefugee (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMzS1MYRiA570YCdXuEEQ-g)
Thanks for reading. See you next time!
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Thanks for reading!
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.
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.
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.
Fat Wallet Refugee 