October 6, 2009

He Can’t Stand The People He’s Sold Property To

by ahansen

My weekend neighbor invited five of her alpha-female friends up from Santa Barbara for a few days of extreme horseback riding and caloric self-indulgence. Because I know the mountain trails pretty well, I was asked to ride along and play scout for everyone.

Well.

Every time I get the feeling I’ve isolated myself from humanity for too long and that I should maybe think about moving somewhere within 35 miles of a gas station, I simply spend a few days hanging out with a group of people from “The Big City,” and it completely disabuses me of the whole notion. It’s not so much that I find these folks lacking in some aspect, as much as that all their zingy energy scares me—akin to the feeling of dread I get when I confront a brass doorknob after shuffling my feet over a wool carpet. I know I’ve got to touch the knob to get the door open, but I also know it’s going to hurt.

We rode and cooked and drank wine and sniped, and generally had a grand old time before the weather hit and the cold winds sent everyone scattering back to the coast. The culmination of the weekend’s events was a gala dinner thrown in our honor by our local default real estate broker; a youngish widower who knows how to cook amazing Santa Maria-style BBQ, is legitimately rich, multi-multi-faceted, and who looks like the studly Three-Fingers Tequila dude in those old print ads. Exhausted as we were by the day’s ride up the mountain and back, there was no way we were going to miss this party, even if it was being hosted by a default real estate salesman.

I say “default,” because the man is by trade an internationally known breeder of Arabian horses— which even in this lousy economy sell in the $30-50K range. Most of his buyers are in Europe and Saudi Arabia, although his customers are scattered around the United States as well.

I personally find it unsettling that in an era when you literally cannot give away fine horses, and in which the knackers’ auctions are booming, people are still buying bloodlines and colors—pretty little horses for the same show circuit once run by “Heckuva Job Brownie.” The common wisdom says there is no market these days, but this guy is genius at creating and maintaining demand. When times get tough, there is money to be made catering to the needs of the monied and/or the untutored— and he’s become an expert in telling people what they want to hear.

He’s set things up so he lives on site of his business and he markets his products online. There he creates a mystique— a romance if you will— then sits back and lets his horses sell his real estate, and his real estate sell his horses.

Every spring he puts his beautiful new babies and their mom mares out in the big pasture that fronts the main road. People driving through to admire the wildflowers invariably stop to ohh and ahhh over them, and like spiders, the broker’s minions descend. “Oh, you’re a horse lover, too?” they’ll say. “ Why, we’re having a BBQ this very afternoon! Why don’t you come on in for some tri-tip and let us show you around some of our wonderful ranch properties?” It’s a brilliant marketing ploy, and one that’s been put to good use here over the last 30 years. It’s also made for some great impromptu parties and brought me some wonderful new neighbors like my riding buddy.

Now, what they don’t tell all the folks they draw in, is that at the county auctions or in private, un-brokered sales, (which are rife up here,) land in the “neighborhood” goes for anywhere from $600-$2,000 an acre— tops. A livable house on decent acreage can be had for well under a hundred thousand dollars. That is to say, a house in the real market. The last house on acreage that traded hands up here without a broker sold a couple of months ago for its 1984 sales price of $138K.

But in the Real Estate market where the brokers live, there exists a parallel economy. In this fantasyland-come-to-life, raw acreage goes for $10-30K per acre, and a livable mobile, er, manufactured house costs $280K. Most recently in this world, an older one bedroom, one bathroom home with outbuildings (on an admittedly gorgeous piece of property) sold for 550K.

For a while, the FSBO land-flippers took advantage of this price discrepancy and threw up some truly dreadful houses that despoiled some of our most splendid vistas. Never lived in, unvisited and forlorn, they are already beginning to disintegrate; someone’s dreams blowing away in the arid winds along with the asphalt shingles and pressboard siding.

But for those savvy enough to list their spec houses with the real estate broker, there are always (or so it would seem,) people for whom a place in the country is an affordable alternative to the high rents and truly insane prices of the city. Just boarding a horse in LA can cost enough to pay for a mortgage up here. “If you compare what your $1500 a month in rent will get you in LA with what your $1500 mortgage will get you in… (East Nowhere,”) says our broker in one of his sales videos, “it’s not even close.” For those who don’t mind the long drive through the canyon to get anywhere to work, or who are retired on a pension and love the lifestyle, it’s quite possibly a good choice.

But more often than not, people tire of the isolation, the lack of shopping malls, and the hard physical work that maintaining a rural property entails. Splitting firewood, getting up at dawn to feed your stock, and having to repair your perimeter fencing every time a longhorn crashes through it in pursuit of your apple orchard tends to lose its glamour pretty quickly. After four or five years, a good number of would-be “ranchers” pack it in and take off for some place less challenging. That turnover is precisely what the brokers count on. Having already sold the same property three or four times, they know its selling points and what sort of client will find it attractive. Then it’s just a matter of listing it, filling out the paperwork, and collecting the commissions over and over again.

I had rather expected our dinner party to be a thinly-veiled pitch to the well-heeled urban women the broker had invited to dine with him. An appeal to their inner-cowgirl sort of affair designed to sell them the ranchette of their horse-boarding dreams. Or at least a pretty palomino gelding for arena work. But this time his motives were entirely different; our perfectly prepared and artfully served dinner turned out to be a good-bye party. For himself.

You see, after all the laborious years of building the business into a multi-million dollar enterprise, and maintaining his beautiful property as the premier showplace of the whole basin, our broker had sold his ranch to a new dreamer, and is planning his move away—for good.

He says can’t stand the people he’s sold property to.

Here’s a guy who has such an affinity for his horses (and they for him,) that he can singlehandedly breed a stallion to a fractious mare; a bona fide outlaw who rode for years with a notorious motorcycle gang and still bears the scars of countless sacrificial bar fights. A man so har-dass he once came back and shot a horse dead after it kicked him in the teeth while he was shoeing it; done in after all this time by the fussy dentists, and beauticians-gone-HOA , and newby real-tress ex-clients who now have taken over the area and “just don’t get it.”

How karmic is that?

His extraordinary wife, a dear friend of mine despite being both a real estate lady AND a horse seller, was actually the business maven behind this empire. When she died last year after (and yes, this is true,) her new Hummer was rear-ended by a big rig alfalfa truck, the broker was shattered. I’d never taken him to be a sentimental person, let alone a man in love.

But now, he tells me, he is getting over it, happily dating a VP of an international entertainment conglomerate who lives in the Big City, and has made arrangements to rent a breeding barn from a veterinarian who lives down in LA. He plans to take the proceeds from his ranch, his four best stallions, his client list, and what’s left of his small respect for humankind, and set up shop.

I am going to miss him terribly—this place grows short on authentic characters, let alone good farriers. And land pirates who also give good BBQ are so hard to come by these days.

His destination?

Temecula. He say’s it’s a great time to buy real estate there….




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162 Comments »

Comment by exeter
2009-10-06 08:18:34

“He says can’t stand the people he’s sold property to.”

An old theme of mine finding a place in reality…. finally.

If I had a dime for everytime I’ve heard variations of this issue back home in VT……… But never fear, the cretins from NYC, NJ, CT can always been counted on to bail when the going gets tough. You too will see the dreamers, tools and sneaker wearing fools run FROM the hills.

Good Riddance.

Comment by polly
2009-10-06 08:26:15

Yah got tah summah ‘em and wintah ‘em….

I actually think that is a saying from Maine, but it would work for large chunks of NH and Vermont too. No use getting to know a new neighbor that used to be a flat lander until they’ve been though at least one turn of the seasons. They’ll likely be gone soon enough.

Comment by Arizona Slim
2009-10-06 08:50:48

Another thing about Vermont, and this is a thing that’s often missed by people who visit for a week or two:

Vermont Is A Poor State

There’s a lot of unemployment, under-employment, and cobbling together a collection of part-time jobs in the (vain) hope of making ends meet.

Yes, the state is a magnet for so-called rich people, but lemme tell you the story of my cousin Tom’s $3,200 sliding door. Tom is a builder and remodeler, and, if I may say so myself, a very good one. This is also the consensus of the community that he lives in.

Seems that Tom had installed this door in the house of a Very Rich Person. Who didn’t pay Tom for the door. So, Tom uninstalled it and put it on the south side of his house. It gives his family a very nice view of the Winooski River valley.

Comment by SanFranciscoBayAreaGal
2009-10-06 15:45:42

I like how Tom does business.

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Comment by Arizona Slim
2009-10-06 16:11:00

I do too. I wish he was here, but he, the wife, the son, and his mother are pretty adamant about staying in VT. Even during the winter.

 
 
Comment by goirishgohoosiers
2009-10-07 13:41:15

Further to your comments about VT, Slim:

One of my friends from law school went to UVM for undergrad. He told me that you could always tell the in-staters from the out of staters (read: metro NYC and Boston types) just from observing the make and model of their transportation.

Thus a new BMW invariably belonged to an out of stater. A fifteen year old banged up pickup truck that hadn’t seen a washing other than rain or melted snow in about that much time was always owned by a Vermonter. He said that he never saw an exception to this rule.

He’s an elected state official now, and he has told me about VT’s budget travails and yes, despite the fantastic scenery they and influx of allegedly wealthy big city burnouts, it remains very much an Appalachian sort of place.

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Comment by exeter
2009-10-07 17:03:56

Your friend hit the bullseye. Natives don’t drive Vulva’s, Audi’s(glorified VW’s), bmws and other assorted EuroTrash.

 
 
 
Comment by ahansen
2009-10-06 09:39:59

Four years seems to be the tipping point hereabouts. Not sure why that might be, (some weird cyclic thing?) but if they last that long there’s a good chance we’re stuck with ‘em.

Comment by Michael Viking
2009-10-06 09:51:29

I think Pondering the Mess missed some of the human nature that your post sums up.

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Comment by ahansen
2009-10-06 10:31:58

Hi Michael
One of the more intriguing aspects of writing these pieces for Ben’s blog is pondering the way people read and interpret them. I suppose that only I know what I intended to throw out for comment, but it’s fascinating to read all the divergent scenarios and suppositions my words have suggested—and what may have prompted that particular reaction from that particular person on that particular day.
With an audience as diverse and articulate as HBB, this stuff practically writes itself as the day goes along.

 
Comment by Big V
2009-10-06 10:47:59

Of course, we’ll never know how most people “interpret” the information that Ahansen posts, because she e-mails Ben and asks him to chastise people who are critical of her content. She even gets her friends to write in on her behalf!

That’s why I can’t comment on any of her posts anymore (after this one, of course).

 
Comment by ahansen
2009-10-06 10:56:35

See what I mean?

 
Comment by scdave
2009-10-06 11:18:07

people who are critical of her content ??

What happened ?? You to were like best buds on the bus in LV…

 
Comment by Housing Wizard
2009-10-06 11:43:46

I don’t exactly get what is going on either with both these women that I really appreciate reading their posts.

 
Comment by ahansen
2009-10-06 11:53:16

Big V has always been one of my favorite posters as well.

 
Comment by GrizzlyBear
2009-10-06 12:07:00

If my memory serves me correctly, Big V hosted an HBB get together which SFBAG attended. I’m guessing that’s a one-off.

 
Comment by alpha-sloth
2009-10-06 14:00:43

Cool! An HBB soap opera! There’s always something new here…

 
Comment by Blue Skye
2009-10-06 16:20:51

OK, in more polite terms: V, I doubt that Ben has much energy for such unproductive game playing as you suggest.

 
Comment by I am Sam
2009-10-06 17:37:44

I haven’t been here for so long, I kind of didn’t “get” the whole change-over in content format after the German Movie thing… or maybe I thought it kind of Jumped the Shark as it were, but I wanted to let ahmansen know how much I enjoyed her blog. It’s kind of become an all american blog now, a bit like walking into the big sky country after fighting all the battles you’re ever going to fight, taking a shrug, looking up at the stars and asking yourself why all over again. Thanks for this blog, a very delicate and subtle class of blog for sure.

 
Comment by ahansen
2009-10-06 18:34:57

I write it for you, Sam. Thank you so much for the lovely compliment!

 
Comment by DinOR
2009-10-07 09:06:16

ahansen,

Nice post. I just wanted to add after watching a History Channel special on “The Crumbling of America” ( and the utter state of disrepair in every aspect of our infrastructure from damns and bridges right down to the power grid ) that a lot of that “high turn-over” you see around you ‘may’ become more permanent?

Trust me, when “I” contemplate raw acreage in a far flung place, I cringe. After all, I’ve been down this road before! I ‘know’ what’s involved in “staking your claim”! Believe me I do. But I imagine, like a lot of others, as the BILLS come due for all that crumbling infrastructure, more and more of us will head to the hinterlands, not so much for the “romance” of it ( but b/c it’s what we can afford? ) IMHO.

 
Comment by rms
2009-10-07 12:00:13

“I don’t exactly get what is going on either with both these women that I really appreciate reading their posts.”

Nothing like a cat fight…and a dark beer.

OT but noteworthy, Jim Morrison’s three-ways sometimes ended with a cat fight over who got the tadpoles. :)

 
Comment by DD
2009-10-07 12:20:47

NO way. rms. Where in the &*( did you hear that one?

That is a funny story/tale. get it?

 
Comment by X-GSfixr
2009-10-07 15:45:07

“…….fight over who got the tadpoles.”

Thanks for painting that picture in my head, dude.

 
Comment by rms
2009-10-07 16:58:38

The so called sexy Hollywood hunks like George Clooney or Tom Cruise don’t even come close to Jim Morrison and his ladies. Recall that Jim Morrison was the Backdoor Man back when the Beatles wanted to Hold your Hand. I supposed Freddie Mercury could, and probably would, top Jim Morrison. :)

 
Comment by ahansen
2009-10-07 18:37:54

No one even came close, rms. What a waste of a fine mind.
Daddy was an admiral. JM’s death was the beginning of the end.

“This is the end….”

 
Comment by SanFranciscoBayAreaGal
2009-10-07 19:41:18

ahansen,

I’m going to kiss _______ again and say great post.

Have you noticed any of your posts missing?

 
 
 
 
Comment by Silverback1011
2009-10-07 12:19:04

Wow, great post Ahansen, and what beautifully composed prose ! I loved it, and can just picture the magnificent ranches and Arabians frolicking in the grasslands. Very pretty LITTLE horses, indeed.

 
 
Comment by In Montana
2009-10-06 08:25:35

[sigh] I love reading how the other half lives…

 
Comment by scdave
2009-10-06 08:34:14

Ahansen…Just wondering…How old is our Gentleman ??

Comment by Rancher
2009-10-06 16:35:00

Ahansen Ma’am,
Your story is centered in what area?

Comment by ahansen
2009-10-06 18:39:07

Southern Sierras in Central CA.

 
 
Comment by ahansen
2009-10-07 15:21:17

Seventh attempt to post an answer here, dave.

The gentleman in question is 58 years old, (although I doubt he’d be appreciative of the characterization.)

 
Comment by ahansen
2009-10-07 18:18:20

Ninth attempt to reply to your post. Will try later.

 
Comment by ahansen
2009-10-07 18:39:22

Tenth attempt to respond to your question, dave.

58 years old.

 
Comment by ahansen
2009-10-07 18:47:04

Ninth attempt to respond.

 
Comment by ahansen
2009-10-07 19:18:50

Tenth attempt to reply, dave….

 
Comment by ahansen
2009-10-07 19:57:35

My eleventh attempt to post a response, dave.

The guy is 58 years old.

 
Comment by ahansen
2009-10-07 20:18:41

dave/Ben–
Twelfth attempt to respond

8:22 PM 10/7

 
 
Comment by peter a
2009-10-06 08:58:14

“let alone good farriers”.

It is impossible to find a good farrier in my part of CA, Yucaipa. This was considered horse country, before the boom. Now that they build 5000 new mcmansions, and 20000 more people moved in it just awfule. All the farriers have moved away and it takes 3 months to get a crappy one.

 
Comment by FRED
2009-10-06 09:14:57

What does this stupid article have to do with anything? You, are a blow-hard. And you’re dull.

Comment by GrizzlyBear
2009-10-06 12:17:35

I may disagree with lot of what ahansen writes, and I’ve her painted her as hypocritical and phony, with an air of frivolity (assertions bolstered by this, her latest post), but dull is not an adjective which accurately describes her or her musings.

Comment by bink
2009-10-06 13:11:48

Life has been hard for Fred since the Loyal Order of Water Buffalos lodge closed down.

Comment by lavi d
2009-10-06 13:17:43

Life has been hard for Fred since the Loyal Order of Water Buffalos lodge closed down.

http://ergoshirt.com/images/yabba.png

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Comment by scdave
2009-10-06 13:27:43

+1 Bink….

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Comment by SanFranciscoBayAreaGal
2009-10-06 15:47:08

Flintstones meet the Flintstones

Yaaba daba dooooooooo. ;)

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Comment by Housing Wizard
2009-10-06 19:31:33

I don’t think so …..I think ahansen has had many more seat of the pants ,pulled to the depths of despair moments than you give her credit for .

 
 
Comment by Muggy
2009-10-06 14:09:37

What does this stupid article have to do with anything?”

It shows us that it is o.k. to admire a UHS, so long as he’s moving out!

 
 
Comment by Pondering the Mess
2009-10-06 09:15:12

Human nature summed up in a single post. The ignorance, the fraud and crooked schemes, the amazing ability to move someplace unspoiled and then spoil it to match what was left behind in the first place, and the irony of watching people’s greed come back to haunt them.

Comment by polly
2009-10-06 09:38:58

Hey, pondering, you managed to negociate a rent reduction in our little slice of heaven - Montgomery County, MD?

If you have, would you like to share the %-age? I’m still collecting info for my negotiation. I think I know where to start. I’m trying to figure out where to draw my line in the sand…

Comment by Pondering the Mess
2009-10-06 09:53:11

Hey, Polly!

No rent reduction for me this year, but I did get the same rent as last year, which is good since every other year the rent has gone up. So, I’d use that as a goal to shoot for: ask for a reduction, and if that fails, work your way back up to the same rent as last year. This seems fair: the landlord isn’t losing anything, but it IS pretty insane to try to increase rents in this environment.

Good luck!

Comment by polly
2009-10-06 10:41:39

That isn’t going to do it for me. I overpaid last year as I couldn’t move due to impending knee surgery. If they insist on the same rent, they can give me a month free or say good bye to a good tenant. I’m willing to move this year and I have at least two weeks of leave in which to do it. If I move it would probably be to a two bedroom for the same rent as I am paying now for one.

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Comment by Arizona Slim
2009-10-06 16:12:30

If they insist on the same rent, they can give me a month free or say good bye to a good tenant.

When I come to DC, I would like to drink a toast to you. And I’ll buy what the toast will be proposed with.

 
Comment by Pondering the Mess
2009-10-07 09:16:04

Polly - best of luck to you… you don’t need this grief on top of the knee problems.

 
 
 
Comment by 20910
2009-10-06 10:15:53

I also got a rent reduction in MoCo — inside the beltway, single family house — 10 percent off.

Comment by polly
2009-10-06 10:44:52

I have been looking through Craig’s list and seen several single family houses. Not sure I want to take on that repsonsibility, but a few have been tempting.

And there seem to be quite a few basement apartment ads as well. God, a few of those are really cheap.

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Comment by GrizzlyBear
2009-10-06 13:29:32

Go ahead and get the house. I’ll move in as your butler/? and cook, clean, and maintain the entire premises. You’ll be wowed by my culinary skills (not FPSS gourmet, but rather “make something delicious out of almost nothing”), and love having me around, in general. I’ll go to work for a local botanical garden earning a pittance because that’s what they pay, but in due time, you’ll fall madly in love with me despite my paltry paycheck, and we’ll live happily ever after.

Nevermind, I think I’m running a fever today- maybe the swine flu or something.

 
Comment by SanFranciscoBayAreaGal
2009-10-06 15:49:49

Grizzly, you got me at cook. Will you marry me? ;)

 
Comment by REhobbyist
2009-10-06 15:55:55

Polly just ignored a backhanded marriage proposal. I love a good romance. Hang in there, Grizzly (after you recover from swine flu.)

A friend of mine who has money wants me to help him find two rental houses. This will be fun. I haven’t made a lowball offer in months.

 
Comment by polly
2009-10-06 15:58:29

So, you want to be a kept Bear? I think ahansen would warn me against keeping bears around….

Funny thing is I was *that* close to having such an arrangement with my younger brother once. I was going to rent a two bedroom apartment in Brooklyn while starting work as a lawyer and he would take the second bedroom and do most of the house work while working as a private school teacher. Seeing as I expected to have almost no free time and he expected to have almost no money, it would have been a good deal all around, except for the whole privacy issue. But he didn’t get the job. He was the second choice, but the first one said yes and I ended up in a studio. A studio with dust bunnies.

I am honored by the suggestion, whether you have a fever or not.

 
Comment by DD
2009-10-06 16:03:58

But does he clean up after? Sfo you are to easy!

 
Comment by SanFranciscoBayAreaGal
2009-10-06 17:26:52

DD,

I don’t mind cleaning up afterward. It’s the cooking I just don’t like to do.

 
Comment by DennisN
2009-10-06 18:20:23

That’s just so wrong. Cooking is fun, and a way to calm down after a stressful day.

Tonight I’m out of time so I’m just making shrimp scampi with extra veggies over a bed of rice. Cheap red wine on the side.

Cooking is good. Eating is good. Drinking is good. Cleaning up sucks.

 
Comment by DinOR
2009-10-07 09:37:19

DennisN!

Oh… that reminds me..? How IS the wee vineyard coming along in the “back 40″? Should be just about ready!

Actually I love Grizzly’s idea. More people should consider ‘that’ lifestyle. It’s like the 70’s all over again only this will be like Jerry Seinfeld’s “maid” that never really lifted a finger around the apartment?

 
Comment by ahansen
2009-10-07 18:54:45

I’ll be glad to entertain all offers….

 
Comment by DennisN
2009-10-08 02:10:38

DinOR,

We got an unexpected frost a week ago that put an end to the grape’s ripening. I had to pick last Friday at 20 deg. Brix. Got 30 pounds of grapes, which is astonishing for such a small immature vineyard. All cab. Three are 2 years old, one is 1 year old, and three were planted just last May.

Crushed, destemmed, and sulfited the must Friday evening. Put in the Lalvin K1-V1116 yeast clone Saturday evening. Boy is that a strong fermentation. Added a pound of sugar to the must to simulate picking at 24 degrees Brix (illegal for commercial wineries but home winemakers can cheat). Give me another day or two and I’ll move it into the secondary fermentation bottle.

Geez my house smells like a winery. ;)

 
 
Comment by polly
2009-10-06 10:47:47

Whoa, I just reread that one. You got 10% off INSIDE the beltway? Wow. If you don’t mind, how close are you to the Metro? Was you reduction aided by the problems on the Silver Spring end of the red line?

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Comment by 20910
2009-10-06 16:23:31

Polly,

We are less than 1/2 mile to the Forest Glen Metro. This is a house whose owners are out of the country for several years. When we resigned the lease this spring (before the train wreck) we asked for 10 percent off since my hubs had a 10 percent pay cut. They agreed, I think, since they are overseas, and we are great tenants and even one month’s vacancy would end up costing them more than out price cut.

Since this is THEIR house, they want good tenants.

 
 
 
 
Comment by SaladSD
2009-10-06 21:22:51

Ah, but there’s some justice in him moving to Temecula. Used to be beautiful open terrain, now just another CF off the I-15. Though he’ll probably find himself a nice mountain ridge far from the madding crowd.

Comment by DD
2009-10-07 10:21:04

Though he’ll probably find himself a nice mountain ridge far from the madding crowd.

Although that will be way way overpriced. Nice area, just way overpriced. And you nailed the Temecula environs. Total CF. Too bad, grew up in that area when it was just a massive land tract deed.Gorgeous then.

Comment by ahansen
2009-10-07 18:41:59

Test, DD

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Comment by CarrieAnn
2009-10-06 09:35:58

I have a good friend w/a couple of Arabians. She has this saying about another woman at the barn: She’s in love w/the idea of owning a horse. Unfortunately, the thought of actually taking care of one totally repulses her.

Hilarious! But isn’t that true of a lot of things?

Comment by DD
2009-10-06 16:05:17

I feel the same way about Brad Pitt. Just to much to take care of, but nice to ‘hang around’.. yuck yuck.

Comment by CarrieAnn
2009-10-06 17:34:04

Tee! Hee! : )

 
 
Comment by robiscrazy
2009-10-06 20:30:30

This reminds me of a place called Incahoots here in Sacramento. Back in the Mid 1990’s the cowgirl/cowboy craze was big. Young women at my workplace would put on boots and a 10 gallon hat then head out for some CW line dancing.

Nothing like getting away from the ol’ apartment and riding your trusty Honda civic on down to the local watering hole right next to the biggest indoor shopping mall in Sacramento. Give me a break!

 
 
Comment by X-philly
2009-10-06 10:29:50

An appeal to their inner-cowgirl sort of affair designed to sell them the ranchette of their horse-boarding dreams.

He should include this vid in his next pitch:
(type in youtube.com/ then
watch?v=mYIzs37gFzk)

That ought to wake up their inner cowgirl.

Save a horse ride a cowboy! Indeed.

Comment by DennisN
2009-10-06 17:24:13

Those who find their inner faux-cowgirl awoken around Boise drive their pickups down to Cowgirl Saloon.

http://www.cowgirlsaloon.com/

Geez the place has the most parking lot bar fights over women of any bar I’ve ever heard of.

Comment by DinOR
2009-10-07 09:39:45

Oh, and don’t forget the “No Gang Colors Allowed Inside” sign?

Must be ‘rocking’ on Sat. nite though?

 
Comment by X-philly
2009-10-07 10:27:07

well if the clientele looks anything like the ladies featured on the home page, I could see why the mens get a little feisty…

(at least the site’s soundtrack is more country than the alt/indie/pop mess that a lot of the genre has become)

Are you a regular - and how many teeth have you lost in those fights?

Comment by DennisN
2009-10-08 01:55:47

Not really. I’m into classical.

But the stories about the fights are in the newspaper every weekend morning. The sheriff keeps a couple of squad cars there just in case.

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Comment by aNYCdj
2009-10-07 11:52:19
 
 
Comment by Hwy50ina49Dodge
2009-10-06 18:39:48

“…Save a horse ride a cowboy! Indeed.” ;-)

Horse’s do not transmit herpes (or worse)…I could be wrong…forget what I just said…ride away! :-)

 
 
Comment by Kim
2009-10-06 11:26:13

“It’s not so much that I find these folks lacking in some aspect, as much as that all their zingy energy scares me—akin to the feeling of dread I get when I confront a brass doorknob after shuffling my feet over a wool carpet. I know I’ve got to touch the knob to get the door open, but I also know it’s going to hurt.”

I’m in the process of preparing for houseguests, my husband’s sibling and family. These folks are so laid back they’ve twice missed flights simply because they couldn’t manage to get to the airport on time. They’ve been known to roll into town at 11 PM with their little one wearing the last diaper. They’re the folks who are always at least two hours late so the family has learned to adjust time accordingly when issuing invitations.

So I had to smile as I read your words and realized that my houseguests are probably as fearful of my “zingy energy” as I am of being inconvenienced by their disorganization.

Comment by ahansen
2009-10-06 11:47:15

It’s ironic, isn’t it.
We go to so much trouble in our lives to find our “comfort zone,” then go out of our way find new ways to disturb it….

Comment by Kim
2009-10-06 12:11:40

Yup… that about sums it up.

 
 
Comment by ET-Chicago
2009-10-06 11:58:22

They’re the folks who are always at least two hours late so the family has learned to adjust time accordingly when issuing invitations.

Sigh — two of my brothers-in-law are like that. It takes some getting used to. I’m not sure I have “zingy energy” by comparison, though. More like chronic fatigue from chasing around a soon-to-be toddler with “zingy energy.”

 
Comment by Hwy50ina49Dodge
2009-10-06 18:33:06

A “teeter-totter” doesn’t work “properly” if one side is anorexic and the “other side” is obese… the theory is thus: “YOU get on one side …and… YOU get on the other side…now, have fun kids! ;-)

 
 
Comment by Housing Wizard
2009-10-06 11:39:04

I read a post the other day on a music channel and the young person was saying in essence that they wished they had lived in the 50’s and 60′’s when music was so creative and people seemed so free .

I think about the kind of America we had in which a person could become a eccentric character like the man described in ahansen’s post . I look at the young people today that are being put in a box that prevents that wide range of possible creative opportunity and piece of the American pie that past generations got . Sometimes I look at a young couple in a restaurant
and I think …… “shit ,you guys have to compete with a billion foreigners ,no contest ,it’s rigged against you “…and I can barely contain myself with grief
for that young couple who has a system that is becoming stacked against them .

Americans were creative because of a system that allowed creativity ,not something you usually find in Third World Countries where its just a struggle and a task just to survive daily on low wages .

There is no greater sin than to not appreciate what you got ,and to keep it safe and sound for future generations .

Comment by In Montana
2009-10-06 17:01:08

shit, when every teacher (1950s on) complained about how big each Boomer class was, I figured I was up against 40 million kids who were just like me. Anything I wanted to do, I’m competing with all them..it wasn’t all that great.

Comment by DinOR
2009-10-07 09:52:01

Housing Wizard/In Montana,

( While I’ve got the ‘both’ of you here? )

We’ve kind of touched on this in the past and I tend to agree on both fronts. In the 50’s/60’s ( and the early part of the 70’s ) music, really ‘was’ a blank slate. As In MT pointed out, just about anyone with a haircut and a Vox amplifier could cut a 45 RPM!

That whole scene is SO crowded now, they’re elbowing each other in the gut just to work a far corner of the canvas. I’ve heard some of the “indie” stuff and it’s almost as if they go out of their way to sound truly ( truly ) AWFUL just to create something “different”.

Good friend just got back from ( of all places, Borneo ) and was… just crushed. He expected nothing but wild jungle for miles. Instead he found signs of civilization at every turn and talk of “ramping up”! ( So now the kids will get to compete with ‘them’ too! Is there ‘anything’ left wild and unexploited left?

Comment by ET-Chicago
2009-10-07 11:02:00

I’ve heard some of the “indie” stuff and it’s almost as if they go out of their way to sound truly ( truly ) AWFUL just to create something “different”.

Laugh — you sound like your parents …

There’s amazing music made in any era, and there’s schlock made in any era. The main difference now is it’s easier to record and distribute.

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Comment by lavi d
2009-10-07 13:07:33

Laugh — you sound like your parents …

yeah. Pull your pants and turn your hat around.

There’s amazing music made in any era, and there’s schlock made in any era. The main difference now is it’s easier to record and distribute.

Amen!

 
Comment by aNYCdj
2009-10-07 13:28:13

WELL a DJ chimes in:

What music today is memorable? Brittney? Coldplay? JayZ?

That’s why i am so hot on zydeco music, real musicians kick azz party music and guitar solos….

Plus i am not ghetto…so that leaves out the rap and hip hop junk

The indie musics sounds like Winey Wussie hipsters…very disposable music..

Can you give me some thing memorable?

 
Comment by DinOR
2009-10-07 14:29:03

I… think I’m being less than articulate here? My original intent was ( just as w/ patents, inventions and intellectual property ‘these’ days… ) it’s a VERY saturated market place.

If we could go back in time and introduce the Model A ( just before Henry Ford ) the airplane ( just before the Wright Bro’s ) etc.., how much money would we have today?

As with music, any guitar has just 6 strings and 21 frets ( well ’some’ 22 ) but I’m'a pretty sure just about all imaginable combinations thereof have been tried and tried again.

“Can you give me something memorable?”

I don’t know indie music well enough to render an opinion, and besides aNYCdj, you’re probably more generous than I am? I was going to say; “Where’s the “Golden Age” of indie stuff?” What could ‘that’ have been? All of a week?

( Patiently waiting for the Guitar God’s return ) :)

 
Comment by aNYCdj
2009-10-07 15:28:25

Click on my handle and this…they are hiding in zydecoland:

http://www.youtube.com/aNYCdj

Patiently waiting for the Guitar God’s return

 
Comment by hip in zilker
2009-10-07 15:50:32

What music today is memorable?

Come to Austin: Erik Hokkanen plays at Flipnotics (coffeeshop near my house) every Tuesday night. Other nights he plays around town with varying musicians. I’ve heard that his latest band is called The Hip Replacements. I don’t know if that’s true or if it was just a joke told during his induction into the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame.

Erik on guitar with his trio, Going Back to Zilker Park:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu2aRJauNc8&feature=related

Erik on fiddle, with trio and a bunch of guest artists:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oHgtKnyzIU&feature=related

 
Comment by Carl Morris
2009-10-07 16:00:09

Patiently waiting for the Guitar God’s return

Me too, but I assume it’ll be young and won’t look much like what’s been done before. EVH’s appeal to my generation had a lot to do with the older master’s having to learn something new before they could sound like him. I try to imagine what form it would take, but probably not possible. If I could I’d be showing it to my 9yo right now and make the family a lot of money in about 10 years…

 
Comment by DD
2009-10-07 18:41:39

Patiently waiting for the Guitar God’s return

Stevie Ray Vaughn’s birthday was this past Saturday.
Gosh, I miss his music.

Now, Strunz and Farrah are a great switch from the stuff we have. Spanish guitar. Just sharing.

 
Comment by hip in zilker
2009-10-07 23:01:52

exeter and I were chatting about SRV the other day. I didn’t know about the birthday, perhaps exeter did. Yes, SRV is much missed.

 
 
 
Comment by ahansen
2009-10-07 20:11:02

Absolutely, Montana.
Every teacher I ever had told us that we were “the worst class I’ve ever had.” —from kindergarten on!

What a horrid thing to say to a group of young impressionable children. And they wonder why everything went weird after that….

(I graduated HS in 1969.)

 
 
 
Comment by Blue Skye
2009-10-06 12:59:15

Grief, loss and anger. Sounds like he is running from himself. Most of us find that wherever you go, there you are.

Comment by hip in zilker
2009-10-06 19:35:41

I think you’re right. Grizzly below (He should look in the mirror) too.

Comment by GrizzlyBear
2009-10-07 09:21:32

I do, and am happy with what I see, zilker. I’m principled, and don’t sell out in the name of greed, or kill animals for being animals. I can be a little fiery, but my heart’s always in the right place. Comparing me to some RealtWhore moonlighting as a farrier who rips people off for a living, and kills his clients stock in anger is quite a stretch to say the least. Do you always make baseless assumptions about people you know nothing about?

Comment by hip in zilker
2009-10-07 13:23:52

You misunderstood me, Grizzly. I meant that I agreed with Skye that he seemed to be running from himself, and that I agreed with your post below:

“He Can’t Stand The People He’s Sold Property To”
He should look in the mirror.

They seemed like two ways of saying the same thing about that guy.

I wasn’t comparing you to that character.

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Comment by GrizzlyBear
2009-10-07 13:27:54

Please accept my apologies, zilker. I always enjoy your posts.

 
Comment by hip in zilker
2009-10-07 13:30:59

I think you’re right. Grizzly below (He should look in the mirror) too.

=

I think you’re right. I think Grizzly below is right too: He should look in the mirror.

 
 
 
 
Comment by ahansen
2009-10-07 18:45:56

I’ve tried to respond a dozen times to your post Blue.

Maybe when thing get back to rational we can have this conversation to your evocative post….

 
 
Comment by The_Overdog
2009-10-06 14:20:46

I’m sure Angelo Mozillo would have said he hated the creeps he sold houses to too, if you asked him at one of Dennis Kozlowski’s orgies.

And shooting a horse because it kicked you makes you a dick, not a character. Way to go big man. Tell me again how he’s a much better man than a fussy dentist?

Comment by CarrieAnn
2009-10-06 15:35:35

“And shooting a horse because it kicked you makes you a dick, not a character.”

Agreed, wasn’t sure why we were supposed to be impressed w/that as some manly, individualist act to emulate.

My friend who owns Arabians and therefore has a very long list of injuries due to them being extremely high strung animals would have something a little more colorful than that to say about him. I’m sure we’d have to go down some long, dark path about all the nasty things she’d like to do to him. Ahhh, but when she says it w/the Texas accent and that unbalanced gleam in her eye, it is a howl. I’m gonna go call her up right now and partake in evil discussion. Then we’ll laugh and go mix ourselves some margaritas to calm down.

Comment by GrizzlyBear
2009-10-06 15:52:53

“A man so har-dass he once came back and shot a horse dead after it kicked him in the teeth while he was shoeing it…I am going to miss him terribly—this place grows short on authentic characters, let alone good farriers. And land pirates who also give good BBQ are so hard to come by these days.”

Good characters? HAHAHAHAHA! Doesn’t take a lot to impress you, huh? A complete lack of regard for an animals life, mixed in with rapacious greed and self centered-ness is a recipe for good company in your world, I suppose.

The wonderful breeder who I purchased my Akita from also breeds Arabians. I actually met her through a friend who just so happens to be a farrier. He’s actually the best in the whole Puget Sound Region. Aside from that, he’s a masseuse for horses and dogs, and is renowned for rehabilitating animals. He’s a “good character”. Your friend, on the other hand, is a scumbag.

Comment by GrizzlyBear
2009-10-06 16:13:24

This is in response to the post by ahansen, not you CarrieAnn.

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Comment by RioAmericanInBrasil
2009-10-07 16:15:42

But if he would have eaten all the horse meat after, then killing the horse wouldn’t have been as bad maybe.

I shot a rabbit once. I felt a little bad but I’m glad I ate it even though we didn’t cook it right.

 
 
Comment by SanFranciscoBayAreaGal
2009-10-06 17:38:31

Yup, horse should never have been shot. To bad the horse did stomp him to death.

My grandpa was kicked in the mouth by a horse. I remember him bleeding profusely from his mouth and saying “the son of bitch kicked me in the mouth.” My grandfather never punished the horse, because he knew it was his fault not the horse’s fault.

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Comment by DinOR
2009-10-07 09:57:47

Not to take up *ahansen’s defense but I took it completely differently. Google “Keith Richards+Quotes” and you’ll see a great many along those very lines.

What it means is, “I’ve been doing ‘what’ I’ve been doing for so… long.., I could very WELL have done what I’m claiming here and you wouldn’t be the wiser ( because it was before your time, now run along! )”

Note: At 50 y.o and an adulthood spent in the same industry, “I” have my share of BS claims too!

 
 
 
 
 
Comment by GrizzlyBear
2009-10-06 15:26:13

“He Can’t Stand The People He’s Sold Property To”

He should look in the mirror.

 
Comment by Molly
2009-10-06 15:35:49

“And shooting a horse because it kicked you makes you a dick, not a character. Way to go big man.”

Yeah, I’m surprised no one else seemed bothered by this except you and me.

Good thing his wife never accidentally kicked him in his sleep, or he’d have offed her before the big rig did.

Comment by Blue Skye
2009-10-06 16:16:08

That’s quite a stretch. I put down a bull once after he crushed his keeper, a friend and neighbor of mine. Never have harmed a female human.

Comment by ahansen
2009-10-06 17:27:10

For what it’s worth, the horse deliberately kicked him in the teeth then spun on him and tried to strike. The owner had represented it as “a sweetheart” and left him there to shoe it alone when it attacked him. Forty years later, he’s still paying for dental reconstruction.

He also did a year in prison for it.

But in the fourteen years I’ve known him, I’ve never so much as heard him raise his voice to one of his horses (or mine,) nor did I ever see him resort to any of the rough or tactless treatment I’ve seen most farriers pull. You can tell a lot about a person by their stock, and his are always calm and friendly. Mine love him.

As in most things, I’m sure there’s more to the story.

Comment by Hwy50ina49Dodge
2009-10-06 18:16:37

“…the horse deliberately kicked him in the teeth…”

“The horse”… needs a liar… (I might have mis-spelled that). ;-)

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Comment by X-GSfixr
2009-10-06 21:00:12

Not meaning to demean the women-folk again, but your tolerance of ill-tempered, downright mean and worthless animals just amazes me.

Stable/horse hotel where my daughter worked/kept her horse at, has several examples. They have this one registered quarter horse stallion that is basically unrideable, even after he was gelded.

So basically he is just a nasty-a$$ feral tomcat that they are putting up in a studio apartment.

(My view of horses is colored by the fact I saw this stuff up close and personal for 10 years).

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Comment by Bad Chile
2009-10-07 04:28:35

I agree. A good friend of mine is also from “out west” as they say up here in New England. When he first moved out here he got a rescue dog that was a needy SOB. He loved that dog, took care of it until a few years ago the poor thing was a walking disaster. He was always there for the dog, and the dog was always there for him. Hip surgery, cancer, some digestive problems. Finally thing was just plain old. Needed to be put down, out of his misery.

We were talking over beers when the decision was made to but the dog down, and we commented that “out west” we’d grab the .22, tell mom to take the kids to the pizza joint, and do the dirty work of putting an old friend out of misery. Nope. In this modern day and age we have to drop a couple day’s pay to take an old friend on a ride to the vet.

The end result is the same, only the means are different. Yet one method is illegal in these parts, the other is sanctioned by the state and costs a couple days pay.

Where did we go wrong?

 
Comment by CarrieAnn
2009-10-07 05:18:57

“your tolerance of ill-tempered, downright mean and worthless animals just amazes me”

The story was that he was kicked while trying to shoe the horse.

My friend’s Arabians are gentle. They let me go in with them all the time and I’m a skiddish type around larger animals. I don’t ride. Believe me. They know that but they offer up their muzzle for a good scratch anyway. Their 16 year old just showed the most uppity one for the first time. Took 1st and 2nd ribbons. Doesn’t sound unridable to me. But they do get skittish in the their stall and lose their heads. A LOT. A loud noise will spook them. Another unexpected animal on the trail will spook them. Any pain they are experiencing that you might not be aware of will spook them. They’re big animals. That means it up to us to figure it out and stay safe.

And even if this horse was a problem who was this farrier to take the destruction of another’s animal into his own hands? (Before you jump all over me as a bleeding heart, I’d destroy my dog in a second if she ever once bit anybody. But unless she was in an attack mode, I would expect it would be me/ my arrangements doing the destroying)

 
Comment by ahansen
2009-10-07 07:34:49

There is a huge difference between a horse that “spooks’ and a horse that attacks a human being.

 
Comment by exeter
2009-10-07 09:32:03

I’m not a horse guy but my wife has competed in gymkhana and barrel racing for years. One of her horses intentionally gave my father in law a shot and his reaction to that was much the same.

 
Comment by X-GSfixr
2009-10-07 13:38:10

“…….out west…….”

That’s what’s kinda nice about living out in the “Great American Desert” People tend to take care of their own problems.

Buddy of mine had a neighbor that had a Rottweiler that terrorized the neighborhood. Came home one night at 2:30am (after 2 hours of O/T), dog jumped him as he was getting out of his car in the garage.

Unfortunately for the dog, he had his S&W .44 Special with him. Problem solved.

 
 
 
 
Comment by potential buyer
2009-10-07 11:15:16

I was bothered. I quit reading after that part.

 
 
Comment by Otto
2009-10-06 16:26:07

One thing’s for sure - this man is no bona fide outlaw. Just some wannabe coward. What kind of man shoots a horse?
Ahansen, it takes a bona fide outlaw to recognize a bona fide outlaw. You don’t get to do that by hanging out with nice girls riding tony ponies.

Comment by ahansen
2009-10-06 18:26:04

I rather doubt you’d say that to his face, Otto.

And I’d argue that the “nice girls’ I met this weekend are just as deadly in their own way. Up here, you don’t get a lot of choice in who you get to hang with—you kind of have to take folks for what they are and hope for the best.
Or else consign yourself to a pretty lonely existence.

Comment by michael
2009-10-07 11:28:10

i thought the point of a “get away from it all” lifestyle was so you don’t have to hang out with those kind of folks.

 
 
 
Comment by SanFranciscoBayAreaGal
2009-10-06 17:29:39

Okay,

Some of my postings have gone missing. Has anyone noticed if any of their postings have gone missing.

Goblins and Gremlins oh my.

Comment by Prime_Is_Contained
2009-10-07 09:04:25

Even more weird: _part_ of a post I replied to yesterday went missing. Look at my first post in the BB from the 6th. The part I quoted from coug’s post I was replying to was gone by the time my post went through…

Ben, is someone other than you editing posts??

I didn’t see anything offensive about the bit that disappeared…

 
 
Comment by az_lender
2009-10-06 17:47:27

Hey, folks out west in Mountain and Pacific time zones. DO watch Lehrer tonight. There’s a fun segment on NYC commercial real estate crash. Really fun!

Comment by WHYoung
2009-10-06 19:05:19

There is an audio file of the segment news hour on the PBS website.

Frightening… esp. the idea that World Wide Plaza - a huge office building in NYC - is 50% empty and just sold for $600 million after selling for $1.7 Billion a couple of years ago…

Comment by sleepless_near_seattle
2009-10-07 01:04:41

Heh heh. And bought with a 3% (first-time buyers?) down payment of $50M (on the $1.7B) if I heard right.

 
Comment by aNYCdj
2009-10-07 09:55:03

Sorta of similar:

A friend of my moms works for a city agency in pest control and demolitions, and this depression is the worst see has seen in 20+ years, so she sits around all day does maybe 2 hours of work…and listens to her ipod……nobody is building so nobody is demolishing buildings and nobody needs to do pest control…so her permits are down 70+% since 2007….

And they cant fire her..since she is the only person assigned to do this job

 
 
 
Comment by Housing Wizard
2009-10-06 19:17:00

ahansen …..I don’t know why you are taking such a beating for simply
talking about a aspect of life on a short post that prevents you getting into the full details of why you have drawn some conclusions .

Comment by Prime_Is_Contained
2009-10-07 09:11:27

+1.

People react to the strangest things…

Personally, I enjoyed reading the anecdotes—it’s one of the things I love about the HBB is the diversity of anecdotal “pulse” from all across the country.

I particularly enjoyed the irony of this har*dass not liking his community after working for SO long to cultivate his pitch and sell to a particular market. That’s DEEEE-lightful in my book. :-)

 
 
Comment by CentralCoastDude
2009-10-06 19:29:40

Temecula! What I hate about Temecula, is that all of the failed OC’ers head there. OC is horrible, but now you get to live with everyone who was not successful enough to live in OC. Yuk. Not too mention Tem is hot, dry and windy. It was only expensive for about 4 years, been dirt cheap, white trash Riverside County the rest of the time.

Comment by Suzyk
2009-10-06 21:08:23

Yep not fan of Temecula myself. We tried to live there for a year after selling our place in O’side. Even got jobs there and hung out with winemakers learning about the industry. We were actually going to buy some property (It went up in smoke in the midst of the deal… WHEW got lucky there!) It was enough to help us realize we really did need to get back home to the Nor Cal. Sometimes though we miss the oh so entertaining Temecula “Barbies” and their Skipper daughters driving around town in white Escalades with their ever present Starbucks cups. We’ve slipped back into the small town life that doesn’t care the we have a beater truck, work at nursery or know everyone in town.
AHansen, this lurker and seldom poster, have always enjoyed your posts. It’s like sitting down with a good book and I know all the people in the story.

Comment by lavi d
2009-10-07 13:29:46

Sometimes though we miss the oh so entertaining Temecula “Barbies” and their Skipper daughters driving around town in white Escalades with their ever present Starbucks cups.

That’s a great description.

 
 
Comment by In Colorado
2009-10-07 10:20:10

A lot of people commute from Temecula to jobs in San Diego. I don’t see why not being able to afford a 600K shack makes one a loser.

Comment by CentralCoastDude
2009-10-07 20:52:46

60-90 mins each way. Not exactly a “winner” lifestyle either.

 
 
 
Comment by Sammy Schadenfreude
2009-10-06 19:51:28

Great writing, ahansen.

 
Comment by hip in zilker
2009-10-07 09:57:03

Boy. I’ve got a lot of time on my hands today. :-)

Comment by Housing Wizard
2009-10-07 10:10:47

Time …its on my side …yes it is .

 
Comment by realestateskeptic
2009-10-07 11:59:50

Not kidding, I’ve actually had to do some work today ;-)

Here’s what’s wrong with America. A union using the swine flu to try to get another paid week off, that just great - NOT!

Mass. unions push bill requiring paid sick days
October 7, 2009

BOSTON—Unions are pushing a bill that would require Massachusetts employers offer workers up to seven paid sick days a year.

The sick days could be used for workers to care for themselves or to attend to a sick child, spouse or parent. They could also be used to visit a doctor or for victims of domestic violence to address psychological, physical or legal concerns.

Unions say the threat of a swine flu outbreak makes it even more important to encourage workers to stay home when sick.

The sick days could carry over from year to year, but employers wouldn’t be required to offer more than seven sick days a year and would not be required to pay out unused sick days.

The bill’s supporters say an estimated 1.4 million workers in Massachusetts lack paid sick days.

Comment by jim
2009-10-07 12:13:10

How horrible. Next they’ll be demanding that 8 year olds not be made to work in coal mines.

 
Comment by Bad Chile
2009-10-07 12:32:17

According to the Census, the Population of Massachusetts is approximately 6.4 million. Of that, 22.0% are under the age of 18 and 13.4% are over the age of 65. That leaves 4.13 million working age adults.

Unemployment in the Bay State is currently around 10%. That removes another 413,000 workers, leaving us 3.72 million adults of working age. Assuming everyone that is an adult that is of working age that isn’t unemployed, that means according to the union, 38% have no sick or vacation time.

I smell something fishy. I suspect that the union is saying professionals that have PTO and no sick time (and hence, can call in sick any time they want, it just comes out of the same bank of time as vacation) count as people with no sick time.

 
 
 
Comment by Housing Wizard
2009-10-07 10:09:04

This horse man payed for his crime of maybe overreaction out of anger by doing a year in jail . The man still has physical problems with the dental or jaw because of his mistake maybe with the horse . I don’t know if he deserved more punishment or not ,but it looks like he got some .

I remember a horse threw me once and I landed in front of him as he was about to come down on my chest with his front legs with full force . At the last second the horse attempted to pull his legs away so he didn’t crush me ,and he ended up hitting my leg instead . I don’t know what spooked the horse ,because i didn’t see a rattler ,but I’m telling you the horse attempted to save my life in a move that was hard to do for a horse .

Comment by GrizzlyBear
2009-10-07 13:24:36

Farrier’s get kicked. That’s the nature of the job, and the risk one takes if they choose that profession. My friend has many stories of broken ribs, dislocated shoulders, etc. For someone to kill a client’s horse for kicking them is unconscionable. The guy has no business working around animals.

Comment by ahansen
2009-10-07 15:17:55

Well, actually, he has a very GOOD one.

 
Comment by Housing Wizard
2009-10-07 18:42:58

OK GrizzlyBear ,,,I don’t know enough about that world so I will take your word for it .

 
 
Comment by ahansen
2009-10-07 23:58:19

It’s been my experience that a horse will tie itself into knots trying to avoid stepping on you. Once my Peruvian Paso literally twisted himself into an upside down pretzel to avoid falling on top of my young son when they slipped off the side of an unstable cliff. Saved the kid’s life by doing so, and it took me half a day to extricate the horse from the boulders he got stuck in upside down. A dear dear animal. I had him for fifteen years after that before he died of old age.

Considering all the nonsense we put them through, horses are truly gracious and forgiving creatures. I’ve learned so much from them over the years.

 
 
Comment by DD
2009-10-07 10:29:44

October 7th.

first-hehe. JK.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Banking/YourCreditRating/the-rich-bail-faster-on-mortgages.aspx

This is a little bit on How The Rich Bail Faster on Mortgages.

Comment by Arizona Slim
2009-10-07 13:00:34

Some wonderful comments follow this story. Such as:

Well, when the new standard for business seems to be lie and cheat to achieve maximum profits, it’s easy to understand why folks feel it’s OK to cheat right back. In both cases, what is lost is “only” reputation.

Comment by CA renter
2009-10-08 02:26:45

Yep. They’re following the examples given to them by their “masters.”

 
 
 
Comment by DD
2009-10-07 12:22:16

What happened to my RE post.

crickets…chirp chirp

chirp

chirp

Comment by DD
2009-10-07 18:44:53

Again with the blog gollum stealing posts.

My post for way above was, Stevie Ray Vaugh’s birthday was Saturday.
What a loss.

Comment by ahansen
2009-10-07 20:23:35

Test

 
 
 
Comment by Cal
2009-10-08 06:30:22

Temecula is a pit, and soon to be a ghetto. I have been there since 1996. At that time is was “ok”, not great but at least filled with good country people and traffic not too bad. Now it is a mess of illegals owning $400k homes, angry L.A. trash, and Riverside white-trash-wanna-be. Temecula is 100% pure phony and fake. The only city I’ve seen that all the Japanese restaurants are Korean. Nothing is real here other then the enormous foreclosures and rising crime rates. I felt safer in the shadier areas of Corona. Buying in Temecula is pathetic uneducated advice.

 
Comment by sahansen
2009-10-09 12:31:37

test

 
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