Stick People Decals Could Be High Risk Behavior For Single Moms/Dads~Please Think Before You “Stick”

Lately in my area of Florida at least, people everywhere have decided to get these cute little “stick people families” put on their car window. These decals are to represent your family I am assuming….You can get Dad, Mom, Kids, Dogs, everyone in the family……Now while that is perfectly safe behavior when you have a solid family unit including the father/partners for protection…This is a seriously “High-risk” action to take as a single parent family.

I personally was a single  mother for many years of my life, and after completing a degree in criminal justice I realized that certain behaviors are considered “High Risk”. For example, if a 20′s something girl was safe about everything she does during the day, but every so often stops at an ATM after 11pm at night, this would take her from a “Low-risk” position to a “Medium-Risk”.  It has been proved that the more “High-risk” tasks you do during any given day, you increase the chance of a crime happening to you.

Now we get to the meat of it, SINGLE MOM’S/DAD’S PLEASE- I’M BEGGING YOU TO READ THIS! I have seen these single mothers with children buying these same “Stick People Families”. Please just consider this…..If some twisted psychopath or even someone with just road rage sees your “Stick Family”….You are telling them you are a single parent unit. THIS IS NOT WISE – If a murderer(or anyone who means you harm) was to see this sticker, he or she could follow you home KNOWING that they will meet with no resistance when they get there. This could inadvertently put you and your loved ones into the “High-Risk” category.

I know these stickers are cute, but would you tell a perfect stranger that you live alone with your small/teen children? HELL NO YOU WOULDN’T! So why are you displaying this information for all to see??? I think this may not have been taken into consideration because people always want to see the good in others. Well from experience I can tell you, IT ONLY TAKES ONE PSYCHO.

I mean think about how people become selected to be kidnapped or even worse. The criminal will look for ways to find out information about your family. THEY WANT a single woman/man with small children, it’s easy to overcome only ONE adult.

I am one of those people that are good, and also look for the good in everyone. The plain and simple truth is….not everyone is harmless.

So PLEASE consider what you are doing when you put your family dynamic up on the back window of your car/minivan/SUV…..BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHO COULD BE WATCHING, AND WHAT THEIR INTENTIONS ARE.

I wish everyone a wonderful and SAFE Holiday Season!

~ North Port ~ There’s No Place Like Home

Toto? I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore….

I moved to Pinellas County in 1981. The Skyway Bridge was one way each lane in the old metal frame bridge (geez that seems like a long time ago). I have watched Pinellas County grow and expand into a nice suburban alternative to Tampa. When the economy was better, this county commanded a pretty penny for land and property. I have lived in 5 surrounding counties, in mostly well populated areas and I have recently more now than ever before started to notice the “metro” areas are slapped full of people with nasty attitudes.

These people trickle into all sorts of areas of human interaction we have daily depending on their specific talents. Customer service is a joke and just forget about having any shopping line pleasantries. God forbid you get lost and have to rely on these people to be kind or helpful.

I have recently moved to North Port, FL. I must admit, when you drive by it on I-75 it doesnt look like much. However, the people here as a whole still have that smaller town politeness. Now I am not saying that this town is asshole free, but damn it – it’s close.

We are renting a home here newly built for 1/3 of what it cost in the other 4 counties. We have a 14,000 sq. ft. lot with a huge front and back yard. We have a virtual ruralness that is only a few miles from US41. In the other places we have usually only 9 ft total between homes, and some are two story so you are never alone….lol. Forget about having a back or front yard as well! Here we enjoy not having a neighbor until the end of the block.

North Port is definitely a suburban area for Port Charlotte(even the people there are just well, kind) Is it some magical SW Florida secret that I didn’t know about? Call it whatever you want…I can’t get enough of it.

So thank you kind people of North Port, for saving the last bit of hope I had for people. Thank you for taking time from your day to help a new resident. Thank you for being….well, you!

If I had to rank 1-5 (1 being the best) where I have lived and the people I met there it would be:

Sarasota County – 1

Pinellas County – 2

Pasco County – 3

Hillsborough County – 4

Manatee County – 5

Mr. Nathan Branch & FL Hot Shot Services in Thonotasassa, FL

Next up on this list is Mr. Nathan Branch & FL Hot Shot Services in Thonotasassa, FL.  — This guy is a real scumbag. Normally I wouldn’t start with name calling but when you see what he tried to pull off with my company you will see why.

My family runs a distributor company. We generally provide Biodiesel delivery to all kinds of people, including agricultural. Mr. Nathan Branch whom runs Florida Hot Shot Services has shady and quite unethical business practices. We dropped a load of 300 gals of fuel to Nathan, he gave us a check – everything cashed out fine and he liked the fuel.

We dropped off another load of 300 gals the next week, he gave us a check, everything seemed like normal. Nathan called us on Sept. 15 and asks if we can drop another load of at least 200 gals off to him, but he wanted to give us a check on Monday and ask us to hold it until Friday. Well in God We Trust, everyone else needs to pay cash LOL .

We declined his somewhat shady offer at the time, and asked him to call us back when he had the funds available. No biggie right? We tried to call him in earnest a few times after this call. Nobody ever answered! Well no wonder why…Well this asshole put a stop payment on the check for the 2nd load for the amount of $1080.00. WHAT THE FUCK?????? He kept the fuel, NEVER EVER called us to say something was wrong….so why?

I personally called this sorry ass redneck and left a message for him that I was going to sue him for the thousand dollars and we would be speaking with the police to let them know a bad check had been written for that amount.

Suddenly, surprise! He called me…he stated that he never called us on Sept. 15th which is fucking hysterical since he called my cell phone and I have data proof of this call. Then, he tells us the fuel was bad…so I asked why did you call and ask for more? He said he never did. LOLOL!

After a few calls of screaming obscenities & threats – suddenly he calls back and says…..I only used about 30 gallons and you can come get the rest….Hmmmm funny – If the fuel was bad, why did you use 30 gallons of it? We have run this fuel in our own personal diesel truck without any problems at all. I smelled bullshit for miles with this excuse.

Seems to me, he didn’t have any money. He stopped the check right after we declined to hold his next check. Coinscidence or UFO involvement? Hmmmm….

So to all you  people whom are thinking about using Mr. Nathan Branch or Florida Hot Shot Services — PLEASE DO YOUR SELF A FAVOR AND FIND ANOTHER HOT SHOT SERVICE!!

It has become disappointing to see the decline in American society which dictates scumbags like this being dishonest and down right unethical.

Advanced Vacuum Systems, d/b/a Automated Vacuum Systems, Sarasota FL

Since my family moved to the Manatee / Sarasota area in June of last year, most of the people or businesses we have had a chance to work with have been shady at best. One that makes the Top 5 – is the most recently encountered – Advanced Vacuum Systems d/b/a Automated Vacuum Systems on Lake Porter Drive in Sarasota, FL.

I am not even sure where to start with this one. Hmmm First of all, they wont put their name on the business outside at all – I think this is hinky at best, who DOESN’T want people to know where their business is??? Second they keep the doors to the company locked at all times. I do think this is a fire hazard and should be looked into by the correct authorities. My husband had the manager “Lenny” drop a piece of rolled steel onto his fingertip breaking it when he first started there. They had NO WORKMANS COMP – which I could have sworn was required by state and federal law. They sent him to a walk in clinic with a credit card! How professional! They had to pay him for 3 weeks of missed work. When he returned, he started realizing that certain things were amiss.

Craig Lanski (Owner of this rabble) is so hooked on pain killers from a self-inflicted leg wound from a few years back needs(he thinks he needs) a Morphine Pump attached to his body at all times. When Craig actually stays awake long enough, he has random people in and out of the shop. No new business was coming in regardless as to how many new “clients” showed up. This seemed odd until we found out the truth – Craig Lanski is selling prescription medication out of his office! No wonder he can afford a Plasma Screen television set in his office!

When my husband was first hired Craig said “Anytime you need to talk come to me”. My husband went to him wanting to talk, and got this response from the junkie…”I don’t have time for this shit – get out of here”.

The next morning my husband showed up early for work and parked in an empty unmarked spot in the lot. He was working away when Craig the owner came in screaming – “Who the fuck parked in my spot?” – He angrily told my husband to “move your truck the fuck out of my way”. -NICE -Atta crack head! Who talks like that to people that work hard for them? – a junkie thats who.

Another gem in Advanced Vacuum Systems is the shop manager “Lenny” or “Leonard”. This guy seems to be a waste of human space and oxygen. He has drug trafficking charges – HA! No wonder they made him Manager! Lenny spends most of his rotten existence at work on My Space – looking for love, friends or even stupid videos to amuse his dumb ass. – LOL The man is over 30 years old, and he cant stay away from My space. I think that is pathetic. When the junkie owner Craig is out of town, Lenny just fucks things up by not doing his job properly (ie – no communication at all what so ever). Then blames of course – so he can keep that cushy job. Oh wait – they can’t fire him. HE OWES THEM OVER $5000 IN COURT COSTS. Now thats job security!!!

The next jewel in the Advanced Vacuum Systems crown is “Valerie Pardoe”. She’ll tell you she runs things for the front office, that is until you really need her to do her job – then its Craig’s fault. Interesting pattern here (hmmm maybe my husband would have benefited from blaming others). She will talk to you like you are shit, then hang up on you when she doesn’t like what the caller is saying…..If I hung up every time I didn’t like what was said to me – shit all my calls would end up in the cradle.

Now to the meat and potatoes. Yes, it gets better than this! Of course it does!

Advanced Vacuum Systems has a bad habit of making their employees grind any welding work outside to keep grind dust down in the shop! This is hysterical when you see the back of the business. They have open lid 55 gallon drums of used oil, acetone in 5 gallon open ended buckets sitting outside collecting rain. They placed them in the dumbest spot possible (under the gutter overhang of building) Now of course you are thinking “what happens when it rains – like every afternoon in Florida?” The rain collects in the tops of these containers, then as per gravity and physics laws, it overflows when too much rain water gets into the container. Yes, the oil and acetone are spilling out onto the ground, thus seeping in or being carried to the close lake. There is a lake within 25 ft of the building….I wonder if the wildlife using this lake would be thankful. They also keep many hazardous materials not properly secured inside, making welding an exciting prospect — Torch + Hazardous Material = BOOM!

The last bitch I have is about their paying policies. My husband was owed money when he parted ways with Advanced Vacuum Systems. They told him to come down and get it on Friday. When my hubby showed up, they said Craig took your check and mailed it when he heard you were coming down. NICE – - Come to find out from a friendly employee, that Craig(junkie deluxe) asked him (the employee) to hold his check until Monday – because the funds were not in the bank, and the bank showed a hold on their account.

Ahhhh – so the real reason the junkie took my hubby’s check was so he couldn’t cash it until Monday or later. We still did not receive it as of today, and we call and get this answer – “We sent it by mistake to your old address will it not forward to you?”. Please. This afternoon 2 employees were threatening to leave because they still could not cash the worthless checks Valerie wrote out for them. NICER

We had to accept a deduction of $30.00 to put a stop on the mistake check….and then after yelling about our wage compensation lawyer over the phone, they wrote us another one. Thank God for AMSCOT – they will cash it without looking at the funds, and will ultimately charge the shady company any overdraft charges..

So If you are a WELDER, MACHINIST, SHOP KEEP, ETC… Please do yourself a favor and DO NOT ACCEPT a job at this place – unless you hate yourself, like to never get paid and are a glutton for punishment.

**AS OF 8/09/09** I have received information regarding OSHA’s investigation into this company. They were sited for 2-3 infractions as well as given a fine of Up to 18k…. I HAVE ALSO ATTACHED A COPY OF COURT RECORDS REGARDING THIS COMPANY BEING SUED FOR—

1 Compuvac also prevailed on two counts against Lubkey individually, but those counts do not support an award of attorneys’ fees.

2 The court did not award some fees requested for time expended before the parties reached the settlement agreement.

The fee award stemmed from Compuvac’s suit against AVS for damages based on a number of theories: breach of a settlement agreement, misappropriation of trade secrets, tortious interference with a business relationship, breach of fiduciary duty, abuse of a confidential relationship, usurpation of corporate opportunities, and conversion of corporate funds and assets.

Click here to read the appeal Craig and his worthless company sent back.

Mr. Lubkey, Craig, Hunter whatever the fuck you go by in your alternative drug enduced reality….your colors are showing Mr. Lubkey….yes they sure are!

“A Chance At Life” Animal Rescue Consignment Shop In Venice, FL

Yesterday I saw a decent piece of furniture on Craig’s list. I live in Bradenton, so Venice is a small trip for me (at least 25 miles each way) to take to get something to add to our collection. I thought how wonderful! “A Chance At Life” Animal Rescue Consignment Shop on Shamrock Blvd in Venice, FL. Had the furniture for sale. I thought how great to give back to the animals. I had just recently adopted another abused cat from my vet and was in the giving mood to animal cruelty prevention.

The picture on craigs list was showing the dresser/chest of drawers to be in excellent shape. IN FACT THE FUCKING AD SAID – In Excellent Condition!. Needless to say when we got there, the pulls were falling off the front of the dresser(the top had shit stacked all over it – so no real way to take a look at the top), and before we could really take a look at this, (btw the dresser was listed at 100 dollars) he said I have another piece of furniture for you to look at. He took me into a swanky back room piled high with shit, and showed me a desk from the 1930′s. It appeared to be okay, but nothing special. He told me he would give it to me at a discount if I bought the dresser. I didnt really want the desk, but then the gentlemen( J.D.) pulled open a drawer in the desk, and showed me a “Drexel” mark. I am a very honest person, and I thought this guy was being honest too. I should know better I guess, but I still hold out hope that people are still mostly good inside. I only took the desk because of the Drexel logo. We were followed around the store and we even asked if we could converse without him standing in my asshole. He said sure, then walked about 2 feet away. We address the concerns with the dresser falling apart, in hopes maybe he would take a bit of money off – because clearly the ad on Craigs list was misleading.

He never budged. We purchased a few other odds and ends – (come to find out some were broken and they never said one word, in fact they hid the fact on one decor item, by facing it away from me everytime I would get near it) When we went to help move the dresser, we found that  JD told us to grab the bottom part not the top. I see why now, when we took it out of the truck, the top came CLEAN OFF the dresser, as well as 3 of the remaining pulls fell off. LOL I have to laugh to keep from crying at this point.

The desk WAS NOT a Drexel at all. In fact who knows what the hell it is. I understand I did not have to purchase these items, but I felt as if I should warn others so at least they have a realistic view of this establishment.

They were suppose to be “for animals”, yet had a young poodle dog in the shop, tied with only 6″ of room on his leash. When JD (the shop owner) got near the poodle, it would growl loudly. I thought this was strange since the dog acted like he was pleasant around all 3 of us (hubby, me and baby). The poor dog acted like he wanted us to take him home.

We called and at least voiced our opinion about the furniture we purchased. I mean we spent 150.00 total and these people wouldnt even come off of a little bit of the prices. Be leery of people preying on your kind heart for animals. THEY CAN BE ASSHOLES TOO!

My neighbors are making me psycho!

My husband and I moved into this brand new subdivision in October of 2007. I was trying to be very kind to my neighbors when we first moved in (very unlike me, I generally keep to myself). I brought them cookies during Christmas (which they seemed very put out to get up and answer door when I rang). I talked to their stupid children and was trying to make things comfortable for everyone. Next thing I noticed, every single god damn day – their dogs (2) 1 obese lab (250lbs) and one POS black pug AND their child with her friends (up to 5 at a time) were in my backyard every single day using it as if it was their own. Crap from the dogs and noise from the children started to piss me off. The played with a kite one day and almost broke my window.

The next day my inside cat was crying and banging his head up against the sliding glass door which was very unusual behavior even for his crazy ass. Come to find during investigating the reason for the headbanging – the fucking kids were right at my sliding glass door taunting my animal with a stuffed mouse on the opposite side. They use my patio to put their shoes on while they play. May i mention they have a patio and they have their own yard. No reason should be valid for using my property except total lack of respect for others. These people are older (which makes this even worse – they should know better) and they are drunks. I lost it when I saw the cat issue (after about 3 months straight of them using my backyard) and marched over there and confronted the woman about everything. I did not swear, or use bad language, I didnt do anything except tell her I was very upset they had been doing this (I even had the stuffed animal those cowards left on my porch when I caught them). I told her if I saw them or her animals on my property anymore I would contact the HOA and file a complaint.

I thought that would be the end of it however, the adult man came back over to my home that same night drunk and beligerant. We had a brief discussion over the children and dogs, and then he refused to leave. We had to call the police to remove him. It has been a fucking nightmare ever since. This really pisses me off the next part, mainly because before this incident, we had never caused them ANY problems! Next thing I know I have Child Services ringing my door with accusations of drugs abuse and neglect, we were cleared of any wrong doing after inspection. But this was ridiculous. Next, my hubby called the HOA to ask for a citation to be issued for the animals mainly because there was dog shit all over our yard again. I guess they got it yesterday or Saturday – because we had 2 Sheriffs at our home last night – with vague accusations and not even our names. Nothing happened with the officers and us either. NOW – I am at my wits end with these ppl – they were ones that were not be respectful. NOT US – now we are dealing with having police at our home etc, when we have never been in trouble once in our lives!

ALL I wanted was some respect & peace for my family and property. We give this same respect we ask for to all of our neighbors. Now she has gotten a few neighbors to all hate us. WHAT THE FUCK!!! These people need to get a life! I am usually a reasonable person, but these twats have me in knots. The revenge ideas of course make me feel better, but I know anything else that is done will have immediate reprecussions on us. One thing I did find was rotten neighbor.com – I registered them as assholes and detailed the problems. We have sold this home and are moving out in late July. I just wanted some advice as to how to handle this until we leave, so I dont have the freaking cops at my home at 9pm for nothing every night. PLEASE ANY ADVICE TO KEEP ME SANE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. TYTY

And thanks for reading my rant. So sorry it was long, I have been keeping this to my self for months now and I am about to go sniper someone from a clocktower LOL

MissKitty -