I saw a woman at the Metra Station wearing a sweat shirt with “Guess” on it. So I said “Implants?”

Both she and my wife weren’t too happy about that. Oh well. I used to do stand up at open mike nights in Chicago in the 1990s, but as you might guess my career didn’t go in that direction. Thank goodness I had my accounting degree. Too bad I worked in print media. I’ve been out of work for seven months now.

The worst part was when the water heater broke down and I wasn’t sure where the money to replace it would come from. So I searched online and found Grayslake Title Loan, a car title loan business that allows you to borrow using your auto as collateral — car title loans are more or less like how a home equity loan borrows against your home value.  You go online, fill out the forms (takes less than 15 minutes), and the money arrives the next business day in your checking account.  We ordered that water heater as soon as we were approved.

It was the thing I needed to keep my family warm this winter. And that’s not a joke.

By the way Grayslake is near Libertyville, Millburn, Wadsworth, Hainesville, and Lake Forest.

I had a buddy who lived to fish in the Chain O’ Lakes. On vacations he’d go up to Wisconsin to fish some more. His philosophy was simple: Treat each day as your last; one day you will be right.

Believe it or not, he died fishing. The dumb thing was he actually had his laptop with him because he was trying to work while fishing – it fell in the water, he jumped in to get it and drowned.

I liked his philosophy of living each day to the fullest. Unfortunately, I did that a bit too much last year and now I’m paying for it. The bills really built up just when the economic slow down hit. I’m in construction, so you can guess where that went. Then I got hit with some medical bills not covered by my insurance. I needed $2500 and there appeared to be nowhere for me to find it.

Then a friend (who is still alive) told me about car title loans. They’re easy — fill out an online form, get approved right away and you get your cash in one day. The car title loan company I used was Fox Lake Title Loans. I was able to cover a hospital charge and protect my credit while I look for winter work and possibly a new job (if this economy keeps going down, that will be necessary).

By the way Fox Lake is near Johnsburg, Lakemoor, Volo, Millburn, and Grayslake.

Here’s my definition of marriage: A very expensive way to get your laundry done free.

Because since my divorce, I’ve lost my house, my boat (and therefore, fun on the Chain O Lakes and all chances of ever catching the Batman fish on Loon Lake) and my credit worthiness. And if I think back to those hazy days in the 1980s, I actually did start dating Angie because she had laundry in her high rise on Lake Shore Drive while I had to go to a laundromat in Wrigleyville. See, what sometimes looks like convenience is anything but.

It’s not all bad. I was able to keep her paws off my Range Rover, and that has come in handy lately. I made a bad investment last year (who didn’t???) and was short of cash for various things I needed in my new apartment. So since the Rover was paid for, I was able to go to Antioch Title Loans and get a cash advance on the vehicle. It was easy to do online, I got my money in a day, and I now know so much more: do your own laundry, and leverage your physical assets when necessary.

By the way Antioch is near Lindenhurst, Millburn, Gurnee, Grayslake, and McHenry.