I know, I know…its been a while. In fact, I think its been 16 months since the last installment of The Monthly Bug.

Yes, I miss you, too.

Some of you may ask, “What is this bug all about and why have I received it?” To which I reply, “Keep on reading..”  A handful of others might exclaim, “Where have you been? We missed you and your Monthly Bug!!” To which I respectfully thrust a rock star fist into the sky and yell, “It’s good to be back!  What’s up with you these days?”  And a dreadful handful of others might say, “Dammit!  I don’t want anything to do with you or your bugs.  Get me the hell off you list!” To whom I point at with out stretched finger and laugh at with all the compassion and genuine love I can, to alas, bid farewell.

The Monthly Bug is about me, Aaron Loring Davis.  Its about who I am as a man, what I think about, what I’m up to, where I’ve been, where I’m going, and how we might be able to interact on a deeper level.  The Bug also serves to let my circle know of ways in which I wish to be of service.  They include all things:

Los Angeles Real Estate
Business  Start Ups and Finance
Online Education and Learning
Internet Technology and Development
Search Engine Optimization and Online Marketing

If you have a question or an idea about any of these concepts, or even think you do, try me.  You might be surprised at the direction the conversation might go or the door that begins to open from our dialogue.

You’re receiving it because our lives have intersected at some point and I have saved your email address.  Don’t worry, most editions of this news letter do not have all of this mumbo jumbo, but it has been a while, so I figured a refresher was due.  Now, on to whats bugging me..

I’ve been busy.

Thinking back over all that I’ve experienced since we last connected, I find it hard to build a summary that can be read in a sitting. Where to start..

Near the time the Bug went on hiatus, I went back to my college roots.  I needed to be around fun people, a good vibe, and tasty libations thus hitched a gig working behind the big oak bar of Air Conditioned Lounge in Santa Monica for a few months.  That was pretty cool.  I’ve always enjoyed working late in a classy joint.  Part mixologist, part tease, part psychiatrist, part “I’m going to tell you like it is and you’re going to like it”, being a bar keep is some what of a right of passage in my eyes.

I went on a soul searching journey. I spent a month in some of America’s best national parks. Big Sur, Bonneville Salt Flats, Lake Tahoe, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and parts of the Appalacian Trail…unreal! A number of factors said, Aaron, you need to take a break. You need to get out of Los Angeles for a minute. The teeth of the city can be sharp sometimes. So, I listened to myself and it served me well. I’m a better man for doing so.  Watch the video here.

I got certified as an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician). I feel that no matter what I do or where I go, knowing how to save another person’s life (or my own) is good information to know. I took my course at Cape Fear Community College and had a blast.  Since taking the course I have assessed two strangers in distress in the street before the paramedics arrived and may have made a difference.  It gives me peace of mind to know I can help another.  Read the whole story here.

I’ve started a campaign to reconnect, personally, with each and every contact I have.  Its gonna take a while, but the results so far (and i’ve only started) have been most interesting and fruitful.  Some of you may have already been contacted by me in some capacity, however it might be next spring if you name is Zohan..hahaha (I wish I knew the Zohan). Here is the whole enchilada.

I’ve been sailing with my neighbor and travel agent extraordinaire quite a bit and look forward to taking a class to get certified (so that I rent a boat for the weekend and such) later this year. The freedom and exhilaration of the sea excites me like nothing has in many years.  Here is a synopsis of my latest excursion.

I’ve tried to get on the yoga mat as often as I possibly can.  I actually went 12 out of 15 days last month and my body hasn’t felt better in a long time.  I realize I am a fortunate soul to live so close to Power Yoga and Exhale and able to learn from Bryan Kest,  Erich Schiffmann and Annie Carpenter.  Allowing my mind to quite has been a most interesting challenge.

I was asked to model for Bed:Stu shoe company. My dear friend Nicole Beltrami is their publicist and asked me to work it work it for an afternoon.  That was fun..and I got some killer shoes out of the deal.  We got some press here and here.

Despite retiring from top level rugby in 2007, I did strap on the boots in Jan and April of this year. The results scared me a bit. I had not been working out. I’d had more than one cheese burger, cigarette, and sleepless night since I’d been training with the egg twice or more a week.  But, I strapped the boots on any way. They say once a rugby player, always a rugby player and I guess they are right. Despite it being a rag tag team on a completely drenched summer day and not speaking the language, I borrowed pair size 12 boots (i wear 14′s) and my squad won the championship.  Click here for the whole tomato.   In April I traveled to North Carolina for my annual college alumni game.  On game day I woke up with a beer in my hand and donned a pair of pink slacks for a day in the sun.  I purposely did not bring my cleats or mouth piece or shorts, because I knew how tempting it would be to run around a bit…but my buddies egged me on and the the devil got the best of me..I borrowed a buddy’s cleats to get in a little jog against the current university side.  Not only did the alumni beat their asses, but I got MVP for the day.  I had so much fun playing ball with the boys at UNCW, I felt compelled to build them a simple website and managed a fund raising drive that raised $1,385 (to date). I’m so proud of myself for that one  (the money, not the retarded running around in pink slacks) This is what scares me a bit. The devil on my shoulder tells me that at 32, I’m faster, stronger, and more knowledgeable about the game than I ever have before.  Given I understand the game so much better now coupled with my growing belly and increased laziness, I am so much more efficient on the pitch its down right silly. My back, on the other hand, tells me to take up ping pong. We’ll have to see how things shake out.

I spent a month in South America. I made friends with some of the coolest humans I’ve yet to meet, sailed, played rugby, visited amazing museums, attended ridiculous outdoor parties, lounged on beaches listening to music I didn’t understand, observed some of the most beautiful people I have ever witnessed, sculpted pottery, did yoga for the first time in a class taught exclusively in Spanish, and reconnected with a limb from my family tree that had not been scene in nearly 40 years. Argentina in a word: AMAZING!  I wrote a ton about it, whereas the start is here and the summary is here.

I took my families company, InternetCE, online. My father has spent nearly 20 years building a successful professional education company and over the last year I’ve digitized our systems and curricula to deliver our course materials on the internet. To date we are approved to do business online in North Carolina and Maryland.  California, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and South Carolina are pending approval and we look forward to being able to be of service to the rest of the United States by years end or sooner.   In the mean time, through a partnership with national providers, Webce.com and examfx.com, we are able to afford prospective students an incredible library of accredited, relevant course work with which to renew their insurance, security, and capital markets licenses. My role with the company is technology and sales. I know just enough about coding to really break the site, but my knowledge base for search engine optimization is really starting to take off.   I have been asked twice to volunteer at the prestigious SMX conferences in Silicon Valley and Seattle this coming month.   My other hat, all things sales, is just starting to hit stride and I’ve been fortunate to secure several national insurance brokerage houses and a few more insurance service companies, as clients.  I’m proud to say that we’ve experienced growth every month since we launched the site and it doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon.  I asked a fellow while in South America about his awareness of the usage of the internet for learning and his answer was a resounding “No!”  Sure, the sample size was small, but I believe that given the overall presence of technology in Argentina, his view was probably not far off, if at all.  Talk about a market?!?  While the physical classroom will not be going anywhere any time soon, as tech gets cheaper and cheaper, the restrictions on growth for online learning are nearly inconceivable. I’m syked!!

The real estate market is starting to breathe clean air..a little bit. Its starting to take shape.  Increases in value are yet to be realized in any sort of recordable capacity, however deals are ripe for the picking.  Understand, that while I believe this is the trend across the country, I can only speak to the specific markets in which I am intimately familiar.  Those markets are Venice, Santa Monica, Brentwood, Bel Air, Beverly Hills, and the Sunset Strip.  When I say that deals are to be had, allow me to explain.  Even in this market, where the media and your neighbor continue to talk about a sky that is falling, there are still sellers that want to sell and buyers that want to buy.  People are still  having babies, getting married, having the in-laws move in, thus need more space..which means they may need to buy, which means they also may need to sell.  The other side of that reliable coin are those families that send a child off to college, get divorced, or get laid off and need less space…which means they may need to buy, which means they may need to sell.  You see, the dynamics of living life do not change.  A home may not be the revenue source for families like it was 5 years ago, but people still need a place to live.  Inasmuch, given the rarity of a buyer that is poised and able to make a purchase coupled with the genuine need of some sellers (I’m not talking about the seller that has defaulted on 3 loans..I’m talking about the guy that just got transferred and has 60 days to find a new place in another city), there are deals in this marketplace.  There are deals where everyone wins.

Now, given the pulse of the market, a lot of eligible sellers are not publicly advertising their homes for sale.  In fact, almost every single transaction I’ve been fortunate enough to broker over the last 2 years has been private.  For this reason alone, it is essential that one enlist the service of a broker that is connected to the market place when searching for or attempting to sell property.  A lot to soak in, I know.  Chew on it a bit.  Think about how individuals and families have used real estate to not only build wealth since the beginning, but relish in coming home.  To make a physical structure a place they can call their own..  Think about how you might be able to take advantage of opportunities that are quietly presenting themselves.  If you are toying with the idea or just are curious where to get started, feel free to drop me a line.  I would be honored to be of service.  If you retain assets and may be interested in divesting in order to put those funds elsewhere, feel free to connect with me in confidence.  I can very quickly let you know if my network of buyers and investors might be a match for your property.  It is also ok to tip toe.  You do not have to dive in.  Test the waters.  Interview different people and ask advice from those you trust.  Get a feel for the person you are working with.  Listen to your gut.  In fact, I might not be the best fit for you and your interest, but I am happy to help where I can.  And even if you’re not in Los Angeles, I may also be able to furnish a solid referral via my network of colleagues that span most major metros in the world.

In any event, I love real estate.  I think its cool.  I an fascinated by it.  I love the way property can used for so many different things.  I love to watch a house become a home.  I love the numbers and finance that go hand in hand with real estate.  I love being a part of the transfer of important properties on the West Side of Los Angeles.  If any of that makes your ears turn up a bit, let me know.  The conversation will probably be fruitful.

All in all, its been an interesting year or so. Ive been fortunate to be able to travel, learn, grow, and meet a most interesting collection of people from all over the world. Now, I’ve settled back in my home in Venice, Beach California and my schedule is taking on more structure, however if history repeats itself, that probably will not last to long before the next adventure peeks around the corner.

Whew! That was a hell of an email.  I like to write, but that was a lot, I know..To recap:

I’ve missed you
I’m thankful to be back
I’m open to talk Internet, Real Estate, & all things Fun
I live beautiful life and want to share it
I hope your life is beautiful and hope to be a bigger part of it

With all of that in mind, if more time has elapsed since we last connected than you are comfortable with, please give me a jingle. I love to debate, discuss, advise, learn, and engage in thoughtful conversation. The door to my home and office is always open.

Some other ways to stay in touch with me are to:

Subscribe to my blog
Friend me on Facebook
Link to me on Linkedin
Follow me on Twitter
or, for the love of all things easy, call me 310-663-2865

Stay close,

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ps – I’m working on uploading all past editions of The Monthly Bug (almost 2 years of writing) to my site as we speak for your reading pleasure.

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