Once mid-morning arrived, I was shocked when seeing our temps in the downtown hovering around 44 degrees, and I’m not sure how high it actually got because I wasn’t out and about that much the rest of the day, and without a doubt, I’m loving it.
My top priority today was to get some phone calls returned and emails to send out, along with getting several letters written and delivered over to the Post Office, and once my pressing duties were completed, I started busying myself with some additional chores I’ve been procrastinating over.
When the Noon hour arrived, I had a quick bit to eat and then headed out to get some banking done and then checking on several vacant homes before returning to office, so by the time the hour of two rolled around, I was desperately looking for something to keep me busy until closing time. Thank goodness I did have several drop-ins who wanted to talk real estate which lasted longer than expected.
For whatever reason, I’ve been getting more people stopping me and asking for my thoughts on the direction I believe our market is going, and pretty much my answers have always been my not really having any past memories of real estate periods like we’re in, which in turn ends up being a virgin voyage for just about everyone. I did mention how troubling it’s been when seeing so few homes coming on the market, and even though our past Januarys have been slower than other months, it’s still way slower than I’ve even seen it in all these years, so again, this year’s market is looking to be something definitely abnormal. I’m pretty sure even our ‘high-flying’ agents are getting concerned over there being so few listings to show and sell. I believe it would be the perfect time for a handful to either retire or go find something else to do, and believe me, there’s several I’ll not miss in the least bit, and only because I still remember enough times they enjoyed throwing me under the bus.
With about an hour to kill before heading home, I went back to my piano and got some practicing done on those difficult pieces I’ve been working on, and then I went back and went over the accompaniment I’ll be playing tomorrow for the two St. Paul Lutheran clarinetists. I think it’ll be a much better practice session than last week’s. Since I still have the accompaniment book that belongs to one of them, I sat and played around with several other accompaniments of popular hymns. I had to laugh to myself when suddenly realizing all those hymns were ‘tweaked’ by a group of three people who were listed on the inside cover, and for sure I was recognizing a similar style being used. It’s sort of like listening to a band playing various songs, and finding their style being the same for everything they’re playing. Different lyrics, different melodies, different keys, but always the same style.
Since I had to make a stop at a groceteria before heading home, I happened to run into a long-past client whom I’d not seen in well over two years who works in the real estate department of Lee Enterprise which happens to own the Globe Gazette. Of course I couldn’t help saying how disappointed I am in the direction the Globe Gazette has taken, and even though he didn’t offer his take on our local ‘rags’ future outlook, I simply told him I can’t see it hanging on indefinitely, and only because of the rising costs and now no home deliveries other than in the mail. So who wants to be waiting a day or two for old news to come in the mail? From what I was told, there’s been some major real estate liquidating going on with that company across Midwest. I wish them well, but I really don’t see anything they can do to stop their downward spiraling. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a newspaper similar in style to the Northwood Anchor, and what I like about them the most, is they’re always looking to the bright side when publishing local articles about goings-on in Worth County, which is a reminder for us all that we don’t have to be force-fed bad news all the time.
While chatting with one of my office visitors today, we somehow got on the subject of a certain smug person we both know, and of course I had to give a few examples of that guy’s annoying ways when always making it appear he’s got the answers for everything, when in fact he doesn’t. Of course after my visitor left, I began thinking about another exceptionally smug person who delights whenever having the opportunity to share his thoughts while looking down on humanity like children in a classroom. There was a time when I thought he actually had it together, but after paying closer attention to his words and actions, I discovered his opinions from ‘above’ tended to vacillate whenever talking about the misgivings of his precious inner circle. Once stepping back far enough, I came to realize he’d long ago created his own little work and home world which is very much out of touch with our real world. I internally refer to such people as clueless ‘smuglies’. Now come on, I’m sure you personally know a few of them yourselves.
Oh, I almost forgot about a visitor I had this afternoon who stopped by to invite me to a social gathering which would include a number of Realtors, and just so I wouldn’t be pestered later on as to whether I’d be in attendance or not, I abruptly said, “I’m sorry, but you need not plan on my going because there’s a particular who’s always one of the first at a serving line where there’s free food being offered, and I decided last year that I would no longer attend any more of them, and only because I absolutely cannot stand seeing him or anyone else, freely eating with their fingers.” I’m sorry but yours truly still has a number of hard-coded etiquette rules which were instilled in me during my formative years, and to this day, I still bristle whenever seeing someone eating like that, but the real zinger, is when they start licking their fingers between bites. Yuck!
Tonight’s One-liner is: People won’t behave if they have nothing to lose.
