[Part 1 of this story]

[Part 2 of this story]

[Part 3 of this story]

Many of you have asked if my parents knew about my activities. Yes, my parents were fully aware of my candy sales business, and would support me in any way. My father, being a business major and the descendant of a general store dynasty of the old west, was extremely pleased to see me follow in my grandfather & great grandfather’s footsteps, even in such a limited fashion.  My mother, the daughter of a shoe store owner, was excited I had started my own business, and she provided the tactical support I needed, aka driving me to the store. Read more

[Part 1 of this story]

[Part 2 of this story]

Word spread quickly of my continued business, and soon I was receiving orders out in the hall from students I had never even met!  They would casually call me over to their lockers where the exchange was made.  For large purchases, I’d ask them to step into the restroom to keep from prying eyes. My initial stock, which I thought would have lasted months, was transformed into a wad of cash in just under two weeks.  People were hungry for candy, and I was hungry for cash. Read more

[Read Part 1 of this story]

“I saw her giving you money at the beginning of class.  What’s going on?” This was it, the jig was up! The teacher hovered around my desk waiting for my response as I frantically tried to come up with something to tell her.

She knew too much for me to lie at this point, so I came clean.  I told her all about my business and how profitable it had been for the past few months, and how her use of candy had created this lucrative business opportunity selling to those that simply weren’t smart enough or cared enough to make the top 3 grades. I breathed a sigh of relief as if this huge weight had suddenly been lifted off my shoulders. Read more

About seventh grade, middle school was when many of my friends and classmates suddenly seemed to have cash at their disposal.  Lunch money, money for a bake sale later in the day, or simply spending cash given to them by their parents as something called an “allowance.”  My pockets rarely held a single dime, and this idea of an “allowance” was completely foreign to my sister and I, and is still a practice that has never taken place within my home.

Hanging out at the mall, going to the movies, or frequenting the local skating ring became a normal afterschool activity for us middle schoolers and disposable income was definitely required to keep up. So what’s’ a broke middle schooler to do to earn some cash? A simple interaction with a soon to be friend was all that was needed to spark me into action. Read more

What kind of video game fan would I be if I failed to mention anything about last week’s E3 Convention (Electronic Entertainment Expo) in Los Angeles.  E3 is where game companies such as Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo go and introduce some of their latest projects to the world.  Here is a quick breakdown of my top 3 presentations from E3 2009. Read more

As the “Bartender Saga” (Parts 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8) of the past wrapped up on the site almost three weeks ago, final exams were just commencing in the present. Final projects were wrapping up, study guides were being made, and lots of sleep debt accruing in preparation for this seemingly cataclysmic period of my education.

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