The Housing Bubble

Yeah, at 1.2 million they’re such a bargain!

P.S.

BwaHaHAhAHAhAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAAHAAA!

(Somebody had to say it…)

which city would you be in, herr professor bear

Based on the Grüß Gott I’m gonna say somewhere in Bavaria.

good point. servus

He needs the umlaut:

Herr Professorbär.

I hope y’all have a great time Pbear, I loved Bavaria. Have you been to Rothenburg. Between that and mad king Ludwig’s castles you won’t run out of things to see. You should try to find an alpine slide too, they are like roller coasters where you get to control the brakes. Them Krauts is crazy!

Well, I just feel grateful that someone stepped up to the laughter plate, is all. ‘Cause it was feeling sparse-like.

PB, I am looking forward to your observations, all of them. Real estate and otherwise. Happy travels.

Well, perhaps this means we can eliminate PBear as the possibility secret identity of Mysterious Flying Miser?

Read about Ross and the 1996 election and why we will never have a 3rd party again in americka

http://www.fec.gov/pres96/presgen1.htm

I think so too (exodus).

oxide,

Again, I’m not exactly sure where I was taking this, I just wanted to get some feedback, so thanks for posting.

By “casual” I mean people, people… like my BROTHER! After having a great career in tech. he decided they didn’t appreciate him for being the genius mom always ’said’ he was so went into finish carpentry. They pay was excellent and he made his own hours.

Still not good enough as the hours he ‘did’ work “cut into his party time”. Got a job doing makeovers for various Target stores in the area. Off and on. Then perfected the art of the Unemployment Claim. Now he works just hard enough to ‘not’ get fired and just -long- enough to initiate another claim! How many young people ( with families they actually SUPPORT ) would kill… for his job? That’s what “I” mean anyway?

Oh yes, we MUST get him “back to work” immediately!

( Dude needs to go thru Re-Hab ‘first’ ) then… we can talk about making him a productive member of the workforce.

Casual == no benefits

High expenses created the two-income trap. About 8-9 years ago there were noises about one spouse staying home because the cost of working and daycare was more than the second income … Even people who want to stay home with the kids can’t do it.

Well said, oxide.

I’m a stay-at-home parent for the time being, but I don’t think it’s sustainable for us in the long-term.

Even in the short/medium term, we have multiple advantages over a typical young family: low debt, low expenses, a thrifty mindset, excellent health insurance (through my wife’s job), relatively high savings, my ability to do freelance work from home, and … of course, renting.

We have many other friends who are managing to pull off a one income family successfully, but the common denominators are A.) conditions similar to ours, B.) one high-paying, stable job, or C.) a combination of the two.

DinOR,

I have a brother like that who sort of bounced from job to job. He’d do a good job when he got hired but any time they’d start to rely on him and tell him he was doing great, he’d let his performance go to pieces. Then he’d laze around for a couple of months before picking up a new job.

That worked fine until there stopped being new jobs to pick up. Now he’s REALLY hurting.

sfbb,

I had a mgr. I completely detested. But the one thing I ‘did’ learn from that OR cowboy was “Work like you could get fired any minute… ( and you’ll always have a job! )”

LOL. I know quite a few people who get by on SSD, off-books part-time work, subsidized housing, food stamps, this and that, go to county health clinic. Some are so fat they couldn’t stand on their feet for long hours anyway, have bad backs, diabetes and well, just all sorts of problems. Others keep real irregular hours, just can’t get up in the morning. They watch a lot of TV and of course can go off about how politicians and everyone make it hard for them to work.

One insists no one will hire her because of her arm tattoos which is BS because you see them everywhere now.

Most all of them were enabled by over-indulgent parents, who sized their kids up as losers who would never make it without their help. I kinda envy them sometimes.

“High expenses created the two-income trap.”

I believe it’s the opposite of that - that two incomes create high expenses.

It’s very difficult to make higher prices stick long term in absence of rising incomes.

It’s very difficult to make higher prices stick long term in absence of rising incomes I’m sure the present generation of financial geniuses will figure out how to make it so.

Eudemon,

I don’t disagree. There is definitely a chicken/egg problem here. However, I don’t think the second income created yuppie couple who wanted lots of goodies. Rather, I think there were two problems:

1. Industries (insurance and education) raised their prices because they KNEW the family had two incomes and could pay.
2. The second income created the need for lots of convenience stuff, which is expensive.

Hmm, now that I think about it, it’s rather amazing that high-fructose corn syrup and corn additives (prepared food), the consumer microwave (for food), the home computer (for entertainment), Cable TV, 24-hour stores, AND AND AND the explosion of consumer credit cards debt culture arrived all at the same time…right about the time women went to work. And we started getting fat at the same time too.

Coinky-dink? Heck no, must be some overarching plot by the Illu..min..ati.

I would argue that there were those in light of the changing social climate of the 60s and 70s made the decision to sacrifice lifestyle for two incomes. Having two incomes is a great trade when only 1 in 25 families suppliment their income this way as there is little tangible effect on prices.

As others saw the wonderful consumer based lifestyle two income families lived, they too sacrificed down time for increased income. They wanted the big house and nice vacation and good toys. It worked great until everyone decided that the consumer based lifestyle based on two incomes was the way to go.

Once that happened, demand rose such that two incomes were required to afford what 40 years ago only required one income. We ended up back where we were before.

“One insists no one will hire her because of her arm tattoos which is BS because you see them everywhere now.”

I see so many younger people sporting a face full of metal, and a body covered with tattoos, and I wonder who hires them. It seems like a hindrance, to me.

“Industries (insurance and education) raised their prices because they KNEW the family had two incomes and could pay.”

I cannot believe how expensive colleges and universities have become. As has been mentioned here before, the financial burden placed on the individual who has to borrow tuition funds is a heavy one. Instead of a goal of education, it turned into a money grab. It’s absolutely disgusting. Tuition’s need to come way down. Will they? That certainly remains to be seen.

I cannot believe how expensive colleges and universities have become … Tuitions need to come way down.

Likewise, I’m appalled by the cost of higher education these days, and have been wishin’ for a (partial) bust in that sector for many years.

I see so many younger people sporting a face full of metal, and a body covered with tattoos, and I wonder who hires them. It seems like a hindrance, to me.

It seems like ‘boring’, to me.
Many, many years ago tattoos were daring and indicated a free spirit, a daring soul, a raconteur, a bon-vivant, etc etc, yada yada..nowadays? Jeeze, man, EVERYONE* has one. My mail-lady has a nice big one. (And I must say, tattoos don’t look quite as cute and counter-culture on a leathery 60- year- old.)
I just wonder what’s gonna be the next thing? You know, when you want to show that you never follow trends?

*Not me. I like my skin the way it is. Translucent. I only decorate myself with Magic Markers sometimes, and glitter, when I get festive.

“And I must say, tattoos don’t look quite as cute and counter-culture on a leathery 60- year- old.”

You can say that again. Methinks that many people are going to be VERY disappointed with their choices to cover their young bodies in tattoos, when they’re old. A tramp stamp might look cute on a young, hip 20 year old gal. Not cool on that leathery sixty year old.

“I just wonder what’s gonna be the next thing? You know, when you want to show that you never follow trends?”

Why, it’s bagel head, of course! Google it, and click images. Where have you been? (Bothering bivalves, I’m sure)

I’m glad you said it Olygal !

I’m no prude either and I have fought my way out of some of the nicest paratrooper, gyrine and biker dive bars known to man but any women take walks into a room with me on rare events in an evening dress won’t be sporting tattos with or without the dress.

Forget it, tattos on a chick, no matter how pretty she is, says to me, this chick has been through the mill, or it gives me and others I associate with the impression she wants to be.

I’m just a clean cut, double-standard kind of a guy that wants an unbranded angel in church and a whore in bed but forget the tattos babe.

Ignition…and flame away, like I give a $hit whatever anyone else thinks on this issue!

I tell my daughters to imagine what those “tramp stamps” are going to look like when gravity has 40 years to work on them.

A buddy of mine way back when drove his girlfriend to get a tat back in the early 90s. I was sitting outside when they came back and she had a dolphin jumping over her navel.

It took me one sip of beer to point out that once she had a kid it would stretch out to a whale.

Neither one of them were much of a friend of mine after that…

but any women take walks into a room with me on rare events in an evening dress won’t be sporting tattos with or without the dress.

That’s how I know you’re a tasteful sort of guy.
Oh, but, ummm.. how do you feel about Magic Markers?

It took me one sip of beer to point out that once she had a kid it would stretch out to a whale.

Oh, my goodness.
I’m saving that remark in my special ‘HBB folder’. I’ll probably never need it but I still want to keep track of it.

I tell my daughters to imagine what those “tramp stamps” are going to look like when gravity has 40 years to work on them.

And I bet your daughters say, with a lot of impatience, “Oh, Daaaaaaad!’ And then they pilfer your pockets for the car keys.

Look. You’re a softy.
Don’t lie to me! I can tell!

Re tuition: ridiculous increases coincided with the rise of the Student Loan industry and with the rise of need-blind admissions (i.e., anyone who has absolutely no money gets to go to Yale anyway).

Re fat: coincides with anti-smoking jihad.

“That’s how I know you’re a tasteful sort of guy.
Oh, but, ummm.. how do you feel about Magic Markers?”

I always planned to empty your pockets of frogs and clams, then boil and scrub you well before we went out for dinner and some fun slumming.

You’ll be fine unless your allergic to soap and hot water Olygal.

Bill is ALWAYS shilling for something. Always.

They are able to pay generous salaries in return for years of loyalty

What company would that be?

And even today, there is no reason in principle why the labor market should have trouble “clearing”–

I disagree.

One word — outsourcing. This is what globalization does: right now have about 2 billion people competing for 300 million people’s worth of jobs and standard of living. (on average) Result: standard of living finds a weighted average over those 2 billion, which of course is much lower for the original 300 million.

The only way to solve it totally is to either go totally protectionist, OR to reach TOTAL globalization, where 7 billion people compete for 7 billion in jobs and standard of living. Of course, this will never happen. There’s just not enough standard of living to go around. Politics would never allow it, religion would never allow it, and at the end of the epoch, Mother Nature would NEVER allow it. Not enough natural resources.

Maybe we should stop funding NASA

Knowing our luck, we’d develop Warp Drive, and find out that Alpha Centaurians have eight hands, a 300 IQ, and will “do the jobs that Terrans don’t want to do”.

At least they will be easy to spot.

Call it “Galaxyization”.

Another reason for unemployment that is largely ignored is the minimum wage.
The minimum wage encourages companies to classify employees as salaried and work them long hours, it also gives a perverse incentive for manufacturers to outsource jobs overseas.
I’d start a company today and hire a number of people if it weren’t for the over regulation including but not limited to the minimum wage. I’d be willing to bet there are 1000s like me nationwide that have the capability, the capital, and the plan, but are unwilling to take the risk of burial beneath governmental red tape.

crash1,

Agreed! I realize ( for ‘most’ ) that when you’re unemployed, your “job” is to find… a job, but this is ridiculous. My brother ( no issues ‘there’? ) has milked the system for almost 8 years now.

Mom ( widow on fixed income ) was aghast to find one of his stubs for a weekly “entitlement” amount of over $300! He found that there’s “no rent like free rent” and has been mooching off her for at -least- the last 4 years.

Now he’s permitted himself to slide into such a state of disrepair I’ve no doubt it will be no time at all before he’ll be able to file for SS Disabilty. ( The Ultimate! )

I was thinking about this as well. Perhaps the same with welfare? If you live in the projects, help not make the projects look bad?

But then what would happen is people would rely on those unemployed as cheap labor?

I did a little work for this contract company called Tek Systems. They 1099 everyone. I found that everyone working similar jobs for them (very low rates) were on unemployment.

If Mom is truly “aghast”, why isn’t she charging him a fair market rent? (Assuming I read btw the lines correctly that he is living with her for that “free rent”.) Say, half of his unemployment checks sounds about right. And tell him he needs to buy his own food with the other half.

It sounds like she wants to be aghast, but is instead a classic enabler.

Prime,

No doubt, and I TOLD her as much. That’s when she finally changed the locks. If only… we could get him to eat?

To be fair, she had only briefly drawn UN ( and that was years ago ) so she really had no idea just how “lucrative” it was?

“DinOR, here’s what I don’t understand. Why do we pay unemployed people to just stay home?”

I don’t know about unemployment ins but around here, if you’re going back repeatedly for food stamps etc they will make you take computer classes and do volunteer work. One chronic case I know helps out at the Red Cross.

I’m all for social safety nets. I’m a hard worker but if some calamity struck me I’d like to know that I have some temporary stop-gap measure to help me back on my feet. Key word: “temporary”. What really angers me is how many people in our society make horrible life choices with these safety nets factored in as an entitlement. It’s completely grotesque. Through her workplace my sister knows a young woman who’s had three children with three different fathers (she’s white) and she and her mom just shrug because the gob’t will pay the child support. My sister resents like hell the taxes she must pay to support these losers, who by the way, invite her to baby showers!

Your anger is misplaced. Wall Street has stolen more money from this country than all the welfare cheats combined, yet still most of the anger is directed at those lower in the social order.

Since you read and post here, you are probably angry with Wall Street as well. However, for the average J6P all the anger is directed in the completely opposite direction. Sure, I work hard, and I get annoyed at those who milk the system from the bottom. I also get annoyed at my taxes being wasted in various ways at the city, state, and national levels.

BUT, the people who don’t work so they can eat bad food and watch daytime television, and the five city workers you see leaning on shovels to fill one pothole, are SMALL POTATOES. Getting mad at them is like getting mad that ants got into your picnic basket, when a bear is gnawing on your leg.

Good post Bub. I’ve never considered it that way, but it is intensely common. How many folks blame GM’s fall on the union instead of the guys who actually made the investment decisions? How many folks think this country is falling apart not because of the grand theft of the national treasure by investment banks but because Vermont lets gays get married?

I wonder if it is American social conditioning or some innate human instinct?

I’m not saying there isn’t ’some’ validity to that position, but at this point, it’s more important to focus on the things we ‘can’ change.

Don’t worry, when this admin. is done w/ WS you won’t even recognize it. Long overdue.

I think one of the major disservices we did for the American workforce was when we put a 3-Day Weekend into -every- month! Older posters here recall a time when if Washington’s B’Day fell on a Tuesday, well then ‘that’ is when you celebrated it!

In the early 70’s the travel ind. lobbied to have most Nat’l Holidays moved to a Friday or a Monday to get people to stay longer and spend more. They argued that we’d all be working the same number of days ‘anyway’ and that it will actually -increase- productivity and continuity!

Well I for one don’t see it that way. “Everybody’s workin’ for the weekend..” Rather than submit and surrender to the fact that we’ll spend the majority of our time working, we all became rockstars. For many, where work is concerned, their every action is guided by ramping up for those big weekends. We need to go back. Sorry.

Once again, I see the anger being misdirected to the wrong people.

Divide and conqueror works wonderful doesn’t it?

This has been my point all along. It is the gubmint, ’sanford’types, madoff types, paulson types that have ruined the ’stopgaps’ that were in place. Not perfect, but indeed better than letting “free mkt” run amok/wild with no one getting punished for their greed/corruption.
The other schmucks that are on unemp etc are less than 20% of the entire grp that needed the temporary assistance>Temporary.

“”"”"Good post Bub. I’ve never considered it that way, but it is intensely common. How many folks blame GM’s fall on the union instead of the guys who actually made the investment decisions? How many folks think this country is falling apart not because of the grand theft of the national treasure by investment banks but because Vermont lets gays get married?”"”

I think one of the major disservices we did for the American workforce was when we put a 3-Day Weekend into -every- month!

Yeah, yeah, Wall Street blahblahblah, but what’s REALLY ruined this country is the fact that people get an occasional THREE DAY WEEKEND! Nope, not NAFTA. Or outsourcing. Or thirty years of declining wages. Or our insane health care policies. Or the widening of income inequality to Gilded Age levels. Or the fact that Americans work the longest hours and get the least amount of time off of any major industrialized country. Yeah, can’t even mention those as “major disservices” to the American workforce, when there is a much bigger problem that calls for attention instead: too many three day weekends!

Really? Seriously? Did you just type that? Did I really just read that? My mind is boggled.

I think I’m done reading the comments on this blog for today.

Goodbye.

The folks “milking the system from the bottom” are about to have big problems anyway. Some CA politician pointed out that the reason all the suggested cuts in state services were from programs pointed at the low end of the economic spectrum was because (surprise) almost all the spending was going that way already.

Well, I supposethey can continue to give IOUs to the wealthy for tax refunds and IOUs for state employee paychecks but continue the same benefit levels to the poor. At least until all the state employees become “poor” (besides being functionally unemployed) themselves and the stores become IOU storage warehouses and the rest of the wheels finally come off the train.

Bub Diddley,

A few people agreed with your post ( don’t let it go to your head )

Look, on one hand we’re constantly b!tch slapping down the FB’s, extolling that they “take accountability for their actions” but on the other we’re all of sudden feeling so generous we’re going to give the American Worker a total “pass”?

Hint? They’re one in the same! Additionally, three day weekends aren’t as rare as you’re making them out to be. I think there’s only 1 month that *doesn’t have one. When using adjacent SICK days ( when you run out of Vac. daze ) you can string it out long enough to get a good sense for what “retirement” actually feels like?

The media ( and Lou Dobbs etc. ) are constantly stroking the AW’s ego, but I guess asking you to look at it from a different angle than the steady drumbeat of flattery ( if only for a minute! ) was just too much. I guess we can go back to making that potty-break last 20 minutes now?

But please feel free to go right on playing “hero” to the AW until the last (1) of us is outsourced!

Bub Diddley,

…. that’s fine. Go ahead and take that position. Go right ahead and play “hero” to the American Worker right up until the last (1) of us has had their job outsourced.

Additionally, three day weekends aren’t as rare as you’re making them out to be. I think there’s only 1 month that *doesn’t have one.

Maybe it’s because I work in the private sector, but I have never had a 3-day weekend in the following months except when I used a vacation day:

March
April
June
August
October

and only about half of my employers have given one in February (for President’s Day).

drumminj,

Funny you’d bring that up. I’ve heard it said both ways and I believe you’re right. If it ‘is’ a grammatical error, it’s not as glaring as say “irregardlessly”?

I’ve always felt that ‘vice’ was, from a speaking standpoint, more concise. It’s seems to imply “either or” not, “a number of different possibilities” as versus tends to leave in the listener’s mind? Whether or not you’re a fan, Larry King says if you’re going to be successful at interviewing people ( and getting to the bottom line ) you have to do away w/ words like “hopefully” and “potentially”.

One of the things ( now that FB’s have suddenly rediscovered math ) and the glow of the boom has completely worn off, is that now everyone fancies themselves a “hardball player”. You think you were just having a conversation and they’ll startle you by saying “That’s NOT what I asked you!” Then you feel like the one Presidential Candidate that -refused- to raise his hand if he believed in global warming?

Look, I may not be giving you “the answer you ‘want’ ” but please reserve your angst for your elected officials that brought you this mess. The fact that you’re looking for “concrete” answers in a world that’s surviving day-by-day just shows ‘your’ ignorance. I’ll answer how I please. If you want Yes or No answers, I’ll expect to be in deposition. Are we?

Yeah, like a lot of posters here, I’m ex-Navy ( still a Guard member ) and grew up in Chicago.

This is way off topic, but I’m curious about people who use “vice” instead of “versus”

In short, that usage is wrong. You can look it up any number of places.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/vice

Is saying “vice” just a short way of saying “vs.” which is the written contraction of versus?

I thought “vice” is used as in “vice is nice but incest is the best”. No?

Ahem -
“Vice versa” is a Latin phrase, which means “the situation being reversed” as in, “Ants often find picnics, and vice versa”. It is properly pronounced as “vise-y versa”

“Versus” by itself means “against”. It has often been abbreviated as vs, as in “Yankees vs Redsox tonight at 6″. Many people have the mistakenly pronounced the abbreviation as “vice” instead of “versus”.

“Vice versa” and “versus” are both Latin in origin but mean completely different things and are not interchangeable.

Don’t even get me started on “putting your whatever in a vise”, or “Vice is nice”…

Now you’ve done it……..got me started with the Arkansas jokes.

How does foreplay start in Arkansas?

“You awake, sis?”

I got a million of ‘em……..

What do West Virginians do on Halloween? Pump-kin.

x-Gsfixer, keep going! It is a wknd, almost. Keep the humor coming.

How can you tell whan an Arkansaw girl is a virgin?

She can run faster than her brothers.

(I think I’ve told this one before….)

Guy goes into doctor, says “Doc, I’ve got a real problem”.
Guy drops trou, and “Mr Weenkie” is ORANGE!

Doc says, “You’re right, never seen anything like that before….” So they do tests……and more tests……and lab work……

Month later, Doc calls him in..”We’ve done every kind of test we can think of, and we can’t find any reason for it. we’re wondering if you have had exposure to radiation or hazardous chemicals at work?”

Guy says, “Can’t be that, I’ve been out of work for eight months”

Doc says “What have you been doing all that time?

Guy says, “Not much……..just watching internet porn, and eating Cheetos……..”

and……

Hear about the 13 year old boy that O.D.d on Grandpa’s Viagra?

Got third degree burns on both palms……..

Ahem, yersef, CB. Unless Latin has changed appreciably since I studied it in school, “Vice versa” is pronounced:
WIH-keh WEHR-sah
and it’s literal translation is “the change being turned.”

And Bub,if you’re back reading this, thank you.

potential buyer,

I AM sorry to hear that. A few weeks back we discussed on the Portland Blog that often “the trades” lead people down this path? In fact one poster opined that IBEW stands for “I’m Broke Every Winter”!

They get laid off when it’s slow, indulge in a variety of “vices” ( proper use ) and each time come back a little less enthusiastic about “work”. Unfortunately I feel my brother fell into that trap. I don’t know ‘how’ gets UN but as noted above, he has it down to fine science.

potential buyer,

I didn’t mean to make generalizations and I’m heartened to hear you’re angry. People that don’t give a rip actually BRAG about getting laid off.

SaladSD ( above ) describes the situation better than I -ever- could.

Actually It does if your boss is chasing you around the room with his johnson hangin out….That is considered good cause to quit.

———————–
it does not pay out to someone who voluntarily quits.

DJ,
Us lawyers call such situations a “constructive termination”. In general it’s treated just like a firing.

…and I didn’t even mention all the yacking women, herds of little strange kids, everybodys dogs.

Sheesh… I was two steps and one Jack Daniel’s from walking out onto the ice, putting a blacket over my head and BEGGING the friendly wolves…to please EAT ME !

…must stop thinking …about that one…another christmas…IS comiiiig

Sounds like Mikey needs to catch himself a nasty case of influenza (with GI distress added for emphasis,) round ’bout Xmas time.

“Sorry, Mom (wratch, bleeeghhh,) I’m too sick to even get out of bed. You guys go on without me and I’ll try to get up there later.”

More verifiable are those that have now become “negative equity stranded.”

But the gov doesn’t like to count those people.

Oxide:

Summer of 2009

Here in the O.C (Irvine, Ca.) prices [with
the exception of an area known as
Shady Canyon] are in a stalemate.

So far, sellers haven’t blinked. Ditto for buyers.

One way to breakup the log jam is to lowball.

Dang! I would have thought that, by this time, Realtors would have ditched that sort of ‘tude. And how do you blacklist a buyer anyway? They collude to refuse to take your money?

Oxide:

On reflection, it has occured to me that Realtors (at
least many I know in my area) and Bernie Madoff
have something in common.

That is, in order to be considered to even buy, you must
become a member of some sort of elitist club.

After all, ‘”it’s different here” and so very exclusive..

Of course, once you are accepted for membership, the
true believers don’t ask each other embarrassing
questions such as “isn’t this price too high?”

The flippers in ‘Shady Canyon’ had to have resources to buy. Oh… the schadenfruede.

Got Popcorn?
Neil

There. I feel better now. I’ve had that rant bottled up inside much too long.

We’re here for you, baybee.

Housing Wizard,

Allow me to re-phrase that for you,

“The appraisers took **ALL** the comps during the boom and did not know which ones were the by-product of FRAUD”

There, fixed! Exactly my friend. They were basing their assumptions off of defective ( and deceptive ) data! It’s a big hole to fill, even by government standards.

Thank you DinOR .

Residential real estate is done by market comps ,but the
presumption is that the transaction is arms length and the buyer is a willing and able buyer,and the market isn’t declining . Certainly a huge percentage of the purchases at the peak of the boom were speculation and the buyers had no intentions of even living in the property .
If you have that much of a demand from flippers and speculators ,than it’s a set up for a big fall . Add that many buyers didn’t qualify and the down payments were low with no skin in the game . Add the transactions that were cash back fraud and you have a fraudulent market with no basis in the value that was given .

In spite of the real estate prices being determined by a “crime wave” during the boom years ,the talking heads won’t touch this concept with a 10 foot pole because …….well
than people would bitch about it more . How would you like your property taxes raised based on fraud in lending and appraisals on a massive scale ?

Everybody knows what I’m saying ,but I restate it from time to time . The nerve of the REIC to now want to go back to them controlling the appraisal process so they can get “Hit the Mark Appraisal .” What a joke ,the Appraisal is the most important part of a loan ,including the potential for a decline in the market further .

We’ve made offers on 3 or 4 houses in the last couple months that we “lost” to a better offer.
Funny thing though, none of them have closed escrow.

“Macaul-iiiiiiieeeeeeeeeee”

I never understood why it was apparently impossible to like both bands.

I like neither! But I can dig Pink Floyd.

I never understood why it was apparently impossible to like both bands.

It was always a false dichotomy dreamed up by the music press.

sfbb,

To a point, myself included. For me, the truth is, I like them equally ( when… ) they were basically covering Chuck Berry songs! ( and Chuck is where this whole business started )

By the time the Beatles were busying themselves becoming “the voice of a generation” with Hey Jude, TLAWR… yawn, The Stones were still pumping out that primitive, primal beat. Can’t You Hear Me Knocking, Brown Sugar etc.

“I” happen to believe, had it not been for disco, they would have never tinkered w/ the formula at all.

ET Chicago,

M….ostly true. Andrew Loog Oldham worked w/ both groups and it turned out they we “packaged” ( by coincidence ) as complete opposites. It was actually the Beatles that were pill-popping beer swilling louts, and the Stones were quiet well mannered kids.

The only ‘exception’ I take is that the Beatles performed their last gig 40 years ago, so the term “always” wouldn’t apply.

Good morning, Ranchaaa.
Now I’m on MY second cup of coffee. It’s from New Guinea via Costco and has a pretty blue butterfly on the bag, which is probably why I bought it. Then it turned out to be tasty.
I did not weed this morning, I wisely stayed in bed and listened closely to a bird that was singing outside my window as I woke up. It sounded like my Singer sewing scissors snipping along, except somehow also sweet in tone.
At this time I’m sitting here pretending to be working industriously.

“Nothin personal” is also a phrase that I’ve detected as a sign of a weak mind and generally a weak person.

It seems to say; “If the playing field were level, there’s no way I could beat you. So I hope you understand that I have to resort to underhanded tactics”.

“Frankly, to be honest with you, I’ve already
been out to the garden and started weeding…
Going to bust a hundred degrees today down here in southern Oregon.”

- - - parallel universe rejoinder - -

Well, in northern California they are earnestly gardening the weed, Frank.
They might go bust or get busted but it’s highly likely they’re starting to get high up there, 100%, for sure!

Oly,
While you were in bed resting up for the day, my first cup was sipped on the back porch overlooking the creek. A doe stepped
timidly from the undergrowth and ventured
out into the grassy area between the creek and the house. Seconds later her fawn crept
out and joined her. Scenes like this are
a constant reminder of what a wonderful world we have when we can slow down and
observe mother nature.

Awww….! Bugg*er nature!

*appalled gasp. I can’t believe I said that! Anyway, I don’t mean it—I have moss specks in my hair this very minute, in fact, and plenty of nature on my shoes and rubbed into my knuckles *

Bugg*er deer, then! I remember the good ol’ days when I liked seeing deer wandering around my yard. I was iggerant then.
Those wretched deer, they can smell my delicious veggies and roses and lilies in my fenced-off back yard and they hang around just waiiiiiiiting for the lovely moment when I will forget to latch either gate, so they can dash in there and gobble themselves so full that they can’t even waddle and have to ROLL themselves back out, like that one transformed blueberry girl in Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory.
Those deer are like freakin’ Viet Cong in their cunning and guile! For a while they were actually tunneling under my fence, through a space I would have thought wouldn’t have passed a tennis-ball. I happened to behold it in action one time and was struck dumb with amazement.
NOWadays if they got in they would meet ‘Mr. Zappy’, which is a nice electrical fence I put up so that raccoons, possums, and bunnies wouldn’t fondle my veggies. I betcha deer wouldn’t like it either…
Hmmm. Maybe I’ll leave the gates open tonight and then sit out there eagerly waiting for a comical sight.

Although I will admit that the prettiest sight in the whole world is a newborn fawn the size of a cat following its mother through the forest, all dappled with sunlight-looking spots on its back.

…But then it grows up, see. And becomes another Viet Cong deer.

cobaltblue,

LOL, Olygal! You beat me to it, exposing the eeeevil agenda of deer, and in such a poetic way. No gardener could ever be accused of having a “Bambi complex”.

At the other end of the size spectrum, and nearly as destructive, is the chipmunk.

Oly,
We live in the city = no hunting. On the
ranch we had two groups of deer, about
35 all told, but they stayed faaaaaaaar away
from the ranch headquarters.

About the only way the deer could get to our
garden is if they followed an M-1 Abrams tank
through the fencing. Nothing gets into our
garden, nothing.

Nothing gets into our
garden, nothing.

You challenge me, sirrah!
I happen to lovvvvve fresh vegetables and fruit, and I happen to love absconded-with fresh vegetables and fruit best of all.
(I learned that as a wee lass, growing up in the remote sticks of Utarr. But you know what? It’s still true, that’s what. )

So, anyway, moving on….
…Say, where do you live, again, Ranchaaaa?

LOL, Olygal! You beat me to it, exposing the eeeevil agenda of deer, and in such a poetic way. No gardener could ever be accused of having a “Bambi complex”.

Yes, verily, I am super poetic, especially on THIS subject. Hmmm. Oh, here we go, a haiku:

Electricity:
Is it popular with deer?
Let’s find out right now!

OG

Hhahahaah!

Dang, Elanor, there must be a ’silly poetry’ filter, because I see no haiku appearing.

Ya mutant. Quit confusing me!

I’ve used them both, so I guess I’m a lyin’ scumbag, and didn’t even know it.

Guess i’ll have to go back to, “Do you want to hear the “official line”, or do you want what I really think?”.

I’m trying to break my “like” habit. So like… it’s difficult.

Like, I so sympathize.

I’ve got Steven Spielberg’s cellphone number (don’t ask).

Maybe I should call him and see how he’s doing?

YARRRRRR! Inquiring minds want to know!

Oh, yeah, and while you’ve got him, ask him what was with the last Indiana Jones movie? Translucent aliens on a merry-go-round?!
I almost barfed onto my feet when I watched that. I had to quickly turn away and drink more beer to settle my stomach.

Oly, your sympathy for the wealthy always brings a tear to my lil’ cheek.

Oly, your sympathy for the wealthy always brings a tear to my lil’ cheek.

Yar, I’m a gentle soul.
Also I’m patriotic! How about you? All stocked up for a merry 4th?

My daughter blew a fart bubble the size of an extremely large cherry tomato in said tar-like substance. My wife didn’t believe me, so I made sure to show it to her after finishing the diaper change. And yes, it lasted until after the diaper change.

That is awesome!

My daughter blew a fart bubble the size of an extremely large cherry tomato in said tar-like substance. My wife didn’t believe me, so I made sure to show it to her after finishing the diaper change. And yes, it lasted until after the diaper change.

Once again I say it: I am extremely glad I am such an avid reader of Ben’s Blog. ‘Cause you just don’t get this exciting sort of detail anywhere else.

PS. What? You didn’t take a photo?

Oly, I am sorry, but I don’t believe there is photographic evidence of that particular poop. Strangely enough, there ARE photos of other poops. Being a parent does weird things to you.

They tax the people all the more?

He moved to Raleigh, got married, and still has it. He wrote software to run it.

Very patient wife … or programmable diaper-changin’ robot arm?

Very patient wife … or programmable diaper-changin’ robot arm?

Haha! You beat me to it, ET.
Maybe he painted it nice and pink, and glued on a pretty wig!

Seriously, though, VaBey, you did not dispel my vague unease at all.

I’ll buy the golf course! Then as the owner I can set par on each hole to whatever I want. Let’s see, #1 is a 385 yard dogleg right with numerous traps protecting the green. Par 8 sounds about right. On a good day I’ll be able to birdie it!

Hey Oly, do you think Officer Ben will write me up for “PUI” (actually, 2 beers)…:)

Hey Oly and everybody, used to race Prof Mot. What Cam Sinclair did (double flip off a ramp) is an exceptional example of athletic ability and luck.

I really couldn’t believe my eyes. Part of is nuts, equipment, youth, ability, and courage. Total package, that young man has…

Speaking of packages, where is the nearest package liquor store…

No money, no kitty cats either.

That’s a good point X.