Throwback: My Job Interview With H Ted Levine at Capital One Bank

Capital One Bank Massapequa Park NYI remember after getting out of college in May 2007, I truly struggled with finding a job. It wasn’t until June 2008 when I found my first professional job.

Unlike my brother who interned at IBM and then got offered a job there (where he still works to this day), I had to work in the deli department of King Kullen while living with my mother for a year. And it felt degrading the entire time I was there.

I not only looked for jobs related to my college degree (like an interview with Executive Business Media), I only wanted to find a position I’d be making more money & feel better at then I did in the deli department. I applied to the Capital One Bank in Massapequa Park NY and got an interview.

This bank was in Southgate Shopping Center, which is the same shopping center as my deli position at the time. I interviewed with H. Ted Levine, who was the branch manager at the time. I felt we had a good rapport and I answered the questions well.

However, I wound up not getting a position at the Capital One Bank. I was unhappy about it since I thought I did a good job. I guess I wasn’t meant to be in banking, but I think about what would have occurred had I gotten the position.

I wouldn’t have had the flexibility to get my first position to launch my career. I don’t think I would have seen banking as my career path, more so a temporary stop. I’m sure H. Ted Levine saw that based on my resume, so that makes sense to me in hindsight.

Additionally, I wouldn’t have moved to New Jersey, started wrestling in the way I did, gotten married & divorced and met the love of my life, which led to the family I have now with 4 children (2 human and 2 fur).

That Capital One Bank in Massapequa Park NY is now marked as permanently closed according to Google. As for H. Ted Levine, I took a look at his LinkedIn and saw that he’s Certified Notary Signing Agent now doing business in South Florida.

Boca Raton to be precise. And that reminds me of how cold it is here in the northeast. Brrrrrrr.

Business Card Count: 41,900

Giving My 5-Year-Old a Haircut & Remembering My 1st Barber Shop

Twins Barber Shop Bay Shore NYCOVID-19 has taken away pretty well everything including the ability to get a haircut. And my 5-year-old son’s hair was growing long, so I took a bold step and decided to give him a haircut at home.

I was nervous about it since I didn’t want to mess up his hair, but I knew it would grow back. So, I did a quick Google search of “how to cut a mohawk on a little boy” because I know about my son’s affinity for having a mohawk. So I began with the electric razor I use for my beard that my uncle got me one year for my birthday.

I buzzed around the sides like the video showed me but, unfortunately for my boy, the electric razor died when I got to the back. That made his hair look really off as I charged it overnight. How to cut a mohawk on a little boy… more like how NOT to cut a mohawk on a little boy, as evidenced by the sadness my son had in the haircut.

But the next morning while my son was eating his breakfast, I finished off buzzing the back and then I scissor cut the top to the best of my ability. The result was actually a pretty impressive haircut for my first time & my significant other let me know it, too. My son felt bald because of how closely I buzzed his hair at the end and kept touching it out of curiosity.

How to Cut a Mohawk on a Little Boy

The photo to the left is when the razor died and the photo to the right is the final product. Not too shabby if I say so myself!

My First Haircuts at Twins Barber Shop

Haircut Bay Shore NYAs you can tell from the multitude of business cards I put in this blog post for Twins Barber Shop in Bay Shore NY, this is the first place I ever got a haircut. And I know I was a handful when it came time to get my hair trimmed.

At 5 years old, my son was calm getting his haircut. As for me… I was not a fan of going to the barber shop since I remember always feeling like the scissors cutting my hair would equate to getting cuts on my skin.

I wasn’t the only one traumatized by getting a haircut. The barbers at Twins Barber Shop would know me by face and they would either find a way to hide in the back room or conveniently take their lunch break. Eventually, as I’ve been told by my mother, one of them would have the courage to come out and then do my hair.

And getting me ready for my haircut was an adventure in of itself. Here are the steps of making sure 5-year-old me would get my hair cut properly:

  • My mother would have to sit in the barber’s chair.
  • I would have to sit on my mother’s lap.
  • My mother would have to wrap her legs around mine.
  • My mother would have to bear hug my arms & find a way to hold my head in place.
  • I would scream bloody murder as the barber would have to hold my head while cutting.

I remember Twins Barber Shop’s first location was the 700 Sunrise Highway one and it was inside of the mini-mall that contained a couple of stores. It was on an awkward elevation with the big name store being a Stearns that eventually became a Macys if it’s not mistaken.

I stuck with them as that mini-mall was converted into an empty lot, followed by a Lowes, and they moved a block over to a new location in the Gardiner Manor Mall. For years, Gene was my go-to barber until I graduated college.

Twins is still in business to this day, though I’m sure some of the older men who were there when I got my hair cut are retired.

Business Card Count: 41,517

How I Almost Got a Toyota Prius & Cadillac SRX Instead of My Minivan

My last blog post spoke about buying a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan GT as my new vehicle from Enterprise Car Sales. But I considered purchasing a couple of different models instead last winter before my Infiniti I35 completely crapped out on me.

Prime Auto Imports Bloomingdale NJToyota Prius

Every since I was shopping for a new car for myself, I desired a Toyota Prius because of the high fuel efficiency it provides. I recall test driving a smaller Prius c at Crestmont Toyota a few years back when I bought my new Nissan Sentra.

But this time, I wanted the larger Toyota Prius and found a couple of used models online to test drive. I first went up to the Prime Auto Imports location in Bloomingdale NJ when there was snow on the ground. After driving about an hour up to the dealership, the Prius I was looking at was being sold to someone else!

Brookside Motors Union NJI did a cool business card out of it (as well as others at a bagel store I stopped at for lunch off of a bulletin board). I was not defeated since I saw another Toyota Prius at Brookside Motors closer to home in Union, New Jersey.

I actually got to test drive the Prius this time and spoke with Fernando Marques, who was the manager at Brookside Motors at the time I went and may very well still be. When I drove the Prius, it felt smooth and I had just enough room behind the wheel to be comfortable.

However, the backseat behind me did not have a lot of space and that’s a problem when you have 2 growing kids. As much as I would enjoy the Prius as a bachelor, I’ll have to wait another time to get something that fuel efficient. Or until all-electric vehicles become more commonplace & affordable, which is where the auto industry is trending towards.

M&R Auto Sales Plainfield NJCadillac SRX

I was also in a similar phase of wanting to own a luxury car with a lot of great features at a lower cost. That’s when I saw a Cadillac SRX, a more spacious SUV than the Chevy Equinox we have.

And the dealer who had this particular model? My friends at M&R Auto Sales who had the smelly Jaguar and the pretty mint condition 1989 Oldsmobile did. Well, I took the test drive and it was brief.

It was literally around the block, so I didn’t get too proper of a feel for the Cadillac SRX. I almost considered buying it, except that I didn’t have the full cost of it and the payment plan was a bit steep.

That’s because M&R is a “buy here pay here” dealership that would only allow payments of $100 per week until the vehicle was bought off. And at the time, $400 a month of a payment was too steep for my pocketbook.

It’s a good thing I didn’t see a Toyota Prius or a Cadillac SRX since I can’t picture driving anything else besides my Dodge Grand Caravan.

Business Card Count: 41,513

Getting LASIK Done by Eric Donnenfeld at TLC Laser Eye Centers

Eric Donnenfeld TLC Laser Eye CentersFrom the time I was 9 years old, I’ve needed glasses or contact lenses. Until 9 years ago when I decided to get LASIK surgery after trading in my savings bonds.

My sister has gotten LASIK and she loved it, so that helped confirm that the laser eye surgery was the right choice. I’m not sure how I chose them (maybe my sister used them), but I went to TLC Laser Eye Centers to get the procedure performed on me by Eric Donnenfeld.

I was so fed up with waking up to blurred vision on a daily basis. I was told that it was measured at an unbelievable 2000:20. The glasses became cumbersome and I just got annoyed with contact lenses after a while.

I honestly remember the first day I got glasses and actually being excited to get them, even picking out a thin frame with a baby blue color I’d never choose for myself. I also know I had prescription googles I used for basketball & baseball.

Eventually, I grew tired of the glasses after a couple of frame changes and they added to my growing self consciousness that also including horrible acne and always being told I was only liked by girls as a friend (even to the point where a girl avoided kissing me in spin the bottle).

So, I got contact lenses and it didn’t really help me too much with the ladies. But I did enjoy not having to worry about my glasses breaking. I did fall asleep a couple of days in a row in my contacts & got an eye infection.

As a result, I went back to wearing glasses and that was the least of my worries in terms of being self conscious since I was massively heavy when this switch occurred. But I dieted & exercised like never before after graduating college and being stuck at a PT supermarket job.

But back to the LASIK surgery. I met with Eric Donnenfeld at the TLC Laser Eye Surgery location in Garden City NY and set up the procedure. I was nervous, but it was only 20 minutes (10 for each eye) and I had to be blindfolded for a full day.

I woke up the next morning with even better vision and eventually got to the 20/20 vision I share today. Fact: I always wear sunglasses outside because of my LASIK and the fact that Donnenfeld told me that our eyes aren’t naturally made for the outside light without them.

The LASIK was the best $5,300 I ever spent and would recommend TLC Laser Eye Centers to anyone.

Business Card Count: 41,410

Throwback: The Genius Business Card Placement of Shine Office Cleaning

Shine Office CleaningThe coronavirus is starting to wreak havoc on businesses, so the blog posts for the next little while will most likely be throwbacks since I’m trying to be out of the house for as little time as possible.

This business card takes me back to when I actually worked at my job’s office. I started working remotely 2 years ago and I got the business card for Shine Office Cleaning probably like 6 months before since I remember it being cold outside.

It was after work and I made a mental note of taking the pic of this card when I got home for a future blog post. I guess it was a distant future blog post, but here we are.

Shine Office Cleaning put a bunch of their business cards on the table of the lobby at my office building. It’s not really a lobby as much as it’s just the entrance of a hallway with the table on one side and mailboxes on the other.

But it’s pretty slick since there are not only tenants looking for office cleaning people, but they might pass it onto their friends or may be looking for someone to clean their house. I’m just picturing Vilma going around to all of these office buildings and placing business cards there in a stereotypical maid outfit.

I know that our office building has cleaning people hired, but the floor was always dirty and never vacuumed. Also, our garbage bags were sometimes not taken out. So hopefully Shine Office Cleaning got the gig, even though nobody in our building was hiring.

However, I’m sure they’re busy with between offices, stores, new construction & churches. I never thought of anyone cleaning a church, I guess I’m picturing a nun with a mop and a priest sweeping the pew aisles with a broom.

Business Card Count: 41,387

Throwback: Staying at the Landmark Resort in Myrtle Beach SC

Landmark Resort Myrtle Beach SCTwo of the more interesting family vacations I’ve taken in my life were with my mom and grandma in Myrtle Beach SC, where we stayed at the Landmark Resort.

I remember it being the first real resort setting I’ve ever been to and was amazed by the number of pools offered, as well as the lazy river and how it was right by the beach.

I also recall it being one of the first times I’ve experienced a hot tub. And I was even chatting up a girl around my age at one point and mind you, I was very shy around women & this was sort of like an awakening for me. It was going well until my mother arrived. Cockblock.

Another part of one trip I remember is going to a small theme park called The Pavilion. I pronounced it Pav-a-lon instead of Pa-vil-e-un how it’s supposed to be and my family found that funny.

Right down the road from the Landmark Resort were several beach shops and one of them really stood out. That’s because it had a huge sign that wasn’t technically lying, but surely deceiving:

Going Out

for

Business

I always loved that sign because it creates the ultimate loophole, especially for tourists looking to save a buck. I can’t remember anything else about those trips since those were from when I was a pre-teen and teenager like restaurants we ate at and any other business cards I got from the trip.

I do have the home video from at least one of those trips somewhere in my basement and I’m sure there’s footage of the Landmark Resort in it along with the other things I forgot about my vacations to Myrtle Beach.

Business Card Count: 40,260

My Bizarre Job Interview With Executive Business Media’s Murry Greenwald

Murry Greenwald Executive Business MediaJob interviews can be nerve racking, especially when you’re trying to find your first employment out of college. And that was the case when I met with Murry Greenwald in 2008.

At the time, he ran Executive Business Media. This company is a magazine publisher that focuses on the military, the government & college/university industries.

I knew I wanted a job that utilized my writing major and was excited when I got called for an interview by Greenwald. I was working in the deli department at King Kullen at the time, feeling like a loser since I was a college grad working hourly at a supermarket.

My self confidence & interview skills were not the greatest at the time I tried to get a job at Executive Business Media, and this interview did not help it. I was so determined to get this job that I shaved the beard I had for almost 2 years off to try & impress Murry Greenwald.

It did not work. I remember the interview being unusual since I felt like I was on the Titanic. And then Greenwald asked me if I had any questions at the end and I asked a couple. Then, he asked me a question that sounds like a test question…

“Don’t you want to know how much the job pays?” The tone in which he asked it was a bit startling since it was so blunt and out of left field. I just said yes since I knew the interview was sunk and he said $30,000. Keep in mind that it was an entry-level job in 2008 in publishing just before the economy crashed hard and the industry took a brutal blow.

As predicted, I didn’t get the job at Executive Business Media. As for Murry Greenwald, I read online that he passed away on February 19, 2012. According to a tribute article I found, he was a vetreran during the WWII era, hence the focus on military for his business.

Business Card Count: 40,054

Throwback: Buck Kalinowski, Cupid & Arrow at Hillside Equestrian Meadows

Hillside Equestrian MeadowsI enjoy profiling unique business cards because there are so many ways to represent yourself or your company. Yet very few do something truly different to stand out.

I think Buck Kalinowski of Hillside Equestrian Meadows did just that with his card. It profiles 2 special (and beautiful) horses that have white hair that make the shape of a heart and an arrow, hence the website… and the names of the horses.

I went to said site and found out that Cupid is the subject of a children’s story, presumably about his life being a rescued horse. You can also apparently book a party with these 2 horses (if they’re still alive), or at the very least with Hillside Equestrian Meadows.

There’s a shop button at the top of the site that does not work, but you can just scroll down to buy the book or book a party. But upon going to the business’s website (different from CupidAndArrow.com), I found that they do lessons and even sell horses.

They’re based out of Wolcott CT (pretty well in the middle of the state), so I guess there’s a culture there where having horses is more commonplace than where I came from on Long Island. Unless you’re rich, like one girl named Jennica I went on a blind date with back when I was 18.

Not really a date, more of a party. Spoiler alert: it did not work out. I would have enjoyed riding horses regularly had we continued dating, but not enough to have my heart broken by the rejection. Well, not that one rejection at least.

But, I digress. I’d like to read the book sometime and it only costs $10. Perhaps I’ll buy it one day and update this blog post with my thoughts. Until then…

Business Card Count: 39,538

Throwback to the Band Named After Mr. Bighead From Rocko’s Modern Life

Sometime a long time ago, I found a business card for a band named Mr. Bighead with just a website. Of course, I see it through my organizing and want to give them a listen and the website doesn’t work.

They’re now on Bandcamp and found their most recent release Did You Assume My Genre?. And that name is fitting since they’re listed as a jazz/metal/punk fusion band on their Facebook page. So I took a listen to their sound and it was interesting.

I can tell that the genres fuse together very well. Their first song Hip Replacement clocks in at almost 8 minutes and that’s a little long for my taste, but I enjoyed others from the album like the rocking Whiskey Cat, the funky Lizard Man and the hard Drones.

The songs all have different sounds but you can tell they’re from the same source. The only other track Falling Into Place wasn’t really my cup of tea either, though I think it would have worked better as an instrumental.

But the real question is: would their namesake have enjoyed their music? Mr. Bighead is a reference to the character Ed Bighead from Rocko’s Modern Life and he’s the grouchy boss of the main character Rocko who doesn’t seem to enjoy much.

Though his personal singing style sounds more like a musical than jazz/metal/punk, I can see him needing to forget the world for a while and turn on Mr. Bighead to do so.

Business Card Count: 38,607

My First-Ever Business Cards in My Collection: Hatteras Reality

Hatteras Reality

Every story has a beginning and that’s the same for my business card collecting. It actually started when I was 9 or 10 years old in Cape Hatteras NC, one of the places I mentioned in my road trip blog post earlier this year and we had to sit in the Hatteras Realty rental office for a property my godfather & his wife rented. I remember being bored (as any kid would be just sitting somewhere) and I decided to grab the business cards.

From there, I would grab the other business cards I would see throughout the trip. After that week, I had a nice little collection. I’m sure at that age, it was a cute thing and perhaps a phase. A phase it was not, as I still go around collecting cards to this day as a much-less-cute man.

I don’t know why this hobby stuck with me and others didn’t. Then again, my other hobbies were baseball (which I always batted 9th in and got thrown into right field), pogs (which stopped being a thing), Magic the Gathering (which I was conned out of my original Jester’s Cap) and playing action figures (which might be weird for a 33-year-old man to do).

People are fascinated by this hobby asking me how long I’ve collected and how many I have, which is why I started counting my cards weekly once I hit the 30,000 milestone back in 2015. Since that photo was taken, I’ve had to expand to more bins and that same gift box holds more oversized business cards.

It’s been almost 25 years, so I decided to look up each of these individuals. Vicky Grist is the easiest since she has the most unique name and shockingly, she still works at Hatteras Realty as a broker associate under her (what I assume to be) married name Vicky Barris. Her hair is a lot different, but it was the 90s and female hairstyles have changed a lot since then. She also had 29 years of experience, so I guess she just began her career when I got her card.

Though he has less hair than his photo from almost 25 years ago, but rental manager Dick Davis is also still in real estate as an agent down in the Vero Beach FL area (which happens to be another destination I’ve road tripped to). Finding info for facilities manager John Hunter was a bit more of a struggle because of the common name, but LinkedIn is a beautiful thing. It turns out his career took him out of Hatteras Realty in 1999 and he now works close-ish to me at Princeton University and has been a Sr. Tech. for their SoA Laboratory Systems divisions for the past 20 years.

I look different than I did 25 years ago also. If I could have grown my hair longer and had a beard at 9 or 10, I surely would have.

Business Card Count: 38,538