so as we all know the economy has gone to shit. now normally, in times of depression, men tend to turn toward vices as a way to relieve stress. so generally we in the business of pleasure are the last to feel the domino like ass fucking of economic hardship. but here i am, barely making enough to keep the doors open. quite the change from last year, where i was making up creative and kooky ways to spend my money.

i had seen the downturn in the economy starting with the housing market last year and i started to prepare for the worst. i saved an 'Oh Shit Fund' as i called it and prepared to weather the storm. then it happened,the royal assfucking that brought me to my financial knees. you see, im a born hustler. ive been working the system to my benefit and manipulating situations for a positive outcome for as long as i can remember. ive been on my own since i was 16, i had to learn to take care of myself. noone else would do it.

the benefit of being forced to grow up so young is i developed keen street smarts. i learned from a young age that most people will turn their backs and screw you if the stakes are high enough. family, friends, it doesnt matter. in the end, youre all alone. the lessons i learned i tried to apply to business and ,for awhile, it worked well. however, one of my weaknesses is my soft spot for family in trouble. i had nothing as a kid and so when i grew up, i would do anything i could to help family in need. i would trust them to a fault and in the end, i learned my greatest life lesson. 'Those who are closest, can fuck you the hardest'.

my mom is a pastor for a big biker church here in california. its a church filled with ex drug dealers, club members, murderers, drug addicts, all of societies outcasts. by and large, theyre all good people. they are desperately trying to atone for their pasts and are far more accepting of the flaws in people than many mainstream churches. i felt comfortable with these people. they know what i am, what i do, what ive done and they dont judge. many have been tempered in a fire that the rest of us can only dream of. people thast have seen the worst that man is capable of and (through those experiences) have developed a quiet, knowing calm that life can only get better. theyve seen the worst, and came out the other side on top.

my mom wanted to open a branch of her church in san antonio texas. she flew out there and in short time, began doing very good things. she needed help from another pastor here in california so she called her best friend to come out. this is a guy our family has known for years. i trusted him with my life. he owned a tattoo shop nearby and before he could move out to san antonio, had to sell it. exit sindicate the street smart business man, enter sindicate the sucker. i offered to buy the shop from him. not because i wanted or needed a tattoo shop mind you, but because i wanted to help them do something worthwhile. i believed in what they were doing.

so their i go like a tool paying thousands of dollars for this shop. i wont say a definite monetary amount, but lets just say new bmw. suddenly he stopped returning calls. the date of the exchange of ownership came and went and still, no shop. no calls back, no explanation. i went by the shop several times only to find it closed. i found out soon after that he had taken my money, bought a new truck, bought a new harley, and paid off his wifes credit cards. apparently he had fallen in with a local motorcycle ministry and began to think he was a tough guy, above any responsibility, untouchable. fuckhead, he couldnt be more wrong.

a little background. a motorcycle ministry is basically a group of men riding around on harleys preaching the word of god. sounds noble enough right? even the worst of sinners deserves absolution. however, as with any good institution, men find a way to exploit it. motorcycle clubs have to have what is called a charter to officially exist. not having that charter is a good way to get your ass kicked or worse by existing clubs. however, a motorcycle ministry doesnt count as a club, and therefore, can do anything a club can do without the repercussions. so some of these 'ministries' take advantage of the supposed street cred a patch gives you and begin to think they can do anything. my moms friend joined one of these ministries and apparently lost his fucking mind.

so there i was again, learning that most poignant of lessons. 'Those who are closest, fuck you the hardest'. its been hard to come to grips with, i got hustled by someone i trusted. my family has suffered because of it, will i take it lying down? not fucking likely. ill find my way back again, ill get my money back, and hopefully, my moms friend will do the right thing and get his honor back again. i wont hold my breath though. i dont blame the church, they do good things. but as i said, men have a way of taking a good thing and royally fucking it up. men like this guy give the rest of them a bad name. but worry not dear friends, he'll pay, oh boy will he pay...