I want to be the gatekeeper; not like Zuul in Ghostbusters, but more of a medieval one controlling the drawbridge over the moat to the castle. In fact, what I really want to be is Dana shutting the door in Bill Murray’s face in Ghostbusters, since we all know what Bill’s intentions were. Unfortunately, modern society doesn’t assist the parent in doing so. Let me explain.
The other night Lucy Gordon announced that she was meeting some friends at someone’s house and they were just going to hang out. I said fine, but when you get there have the host’s parents give me a call just so I could confirm they are at home. And just to make my point, I added that they do it from their land line if they have one. Lucy Gordon looked at me like I was from Mars, which is something she does often. And although I trust Lucy Gordon implicitly, I have a problem in that there are no gatekeepers anymore.
When I was Lucy Gordon’s age and wanted to speak with a member of the opposite sex who had caught my eye, I had to call the one land line the family had. Invariably, I had to speak with a parent before gaining access to their daughter. I learned quickly that access was gained faster when I identified myself and preceded my request with a please. These days there are no gatekeepers. Children have cell phones and laptop computers by which they communicate silently without drawing the attention of parents. I am constantly amazed at how few call minutes my children use each month on our cell bill, yet their phones constantly beep or vibrate with bombarding text messages. And P.O.S (parent over shoulder) died several generations ago in the tech world as younger and younger children obtain the tech trappings of our world.
Think about it. Whenever I walk by Lucy Gordon’s room and see her on her laptop I inquire “Who’s in there with you?” As parents, we are so in the dark these days about our children’s activities that the Middle Ages would be an Enlightenment for us. Our children operate in secretive stealth world of communication where we, as parents, can only hope we’ve instilled them with the right values. I think Mary Stuart and I have; or so I want to think.
Confession is good for the soul, so here goes! Yesterday, I blew a gasket. At one point I was standing outside of my office, screaming into my phone at the top of my lungs. I wanted to be sure that everyone heard me, including the sales clerk at the other end of my wife’s cell phone in Fredericksburg. See Mary Stuart went up to have lunch with our son, Stuart, at UMW yesterday. I was kind of jealous; but I am firm believer that each parent needs special alone time with their child periodically, so although envious I wanted them to have a nice outing. Well, I ruined that wish.
Here’s what happened. Shortly after Mary Stuart had departed for Fredericksburg, Stuart called to say his cell phone had broken and would need to be replaced. Basically, I told Stuart to see which of the 4 phones I paid for had an upgrade due and to take it. In this instance, it was his sister’s phone. A few hours later Mary Stuart called asking for my user name and password to access the Verizon account. At his point, she informed me that Stuart had picked out his new phone and that it required a data package, which would add $30 @ month to the Verizon bill. Well, I lost it. I asked to speak to Stuart and tried to extract an answer other than he has had the same phone since his junior year of high school from him as the reason for this upgrade. I know why he wanted it. Hell, there are many occasions I’d like to have it, but frankly he doesn’t need to receive his email or be able to surf the web from his phone. As I kept reminding him, my plan allowed him to make calls and to receive and send unlimited texts. What else did he need; and yet he kept repeating the age of his phone agrument. I won’t bore you with the full details, but this was a very heated exchange of about a half an hour with numerous threats and ultimatums, which finally culminated in a return trip to the Verizon store to return the new phone and cancel the data package.
Yes, I am an ogre, but I can’t tell you how sick I am off this Linked-In, can’t wait, have to know this second world we live in. Is anyone else sick of being engaged in an actual face to face conversation with someone and their phone beeps and they compulsively check it? Even worse they immediately start texting or sending a reply email. It’s just plain rude and inconsiderate. Have some friggin’ manners. Whenever someone accuses me of being a dinosaur about my phone, I remind them I was one of the early users of a Blackberry. I HATED it. I’ll read my email when I want to. I’ll take your call when I want to. I’ll return calls when I want to. I’ll check on that property when I get to the office. Just because you have the attention span of a gnat doesn’t mean I need to immediately give you my full attention, because of some whim or passing thought. Get a life! Unless it’s life or dead, it can WAIT. Thanks for letting me vent. Later this week, I vent some more about a recent conversation I had with my daughter, Lucy Gordon.
Happy Easter! I won’t waste much of your time today with chit chat. I am sure you’ve got things to do and want to get on with them. Remember my lists are the most current and accurate of any distributed on the Bank Owned inventory. I hope if you find this information of value, you will recommend it to your friends. They can sign up at the appropriate link below.
To receive Bank Owned Weekly for the West End of Richmond, click here.
To receive Bank Owned Weekly for Glen Allen, click here.
To receive Bank Owned Weekly for Western Chesterfield, click here.
Here are the links for Bank Owned Weekly for March 27th.
I still see some great buy and hold rental options out there along with some incredible deals for owner occupants using Renovation Financing. Call me and we can discuss these options. And if you’re just beginning your investigation of the opportunities found in reos and foreclosures, you should consider one of my workshops. My next monthly Renovation Finance Workshopis May 18th and May 12th there is the Real Estate Investment Seminar.Both events start at 7 p.m. and are held at my offices at 1106 N Thompson Street, Richmond, VA 23230. You can register for these programs at the links above.
And don’t forget the Saturday Morning Tour, it’s still the best introduction to Bank Owned Properties. Click the link above for information and to register.
Great weather lately here in the Commonwealth! Now if we could do something about the pollen, but then, of course, it wouldn’t be so green. It’s a trade off!
Need I tell you that was Leo as Jack Dawson in Titanic last week? As you can imagine, I got numerous correct answers. Whenever I do a chick flick this seems to happen. This week is pretty easy, too.
I am moving the Renovation Finance Workshopto the 3rd Wednesday of each month, so our next one will be on May 18, 2011. The Real Estate Investment Seminarwill remain on the 2nd Thursday of each month, so we’ll see you on May 12th. You can register at the links above.
And don’t forget about our Saturday Morning Tour of Bank Owned Properties. We’re in our 3rd year doing this popular event. There’s NO tour this week due to Easter, but join us soon on another Saturday. For more information and to register see the link above.
If you’re interested in receiving Bank Owned Weekly, then click on the appropriate link – West End, Glen Allen, or Midlothian. When you sign up for Bank Owned Weekly, you will also receive Foreclosure Friday Flash delivered to your inbox every Friday.
Call me, 804.301.7598, if you want to see anything.
Since learning about Buddy Roemer just a few days ago, I have been fantastic by this improbable candidate for President who has vowed that he will only accept political contributions of $100 or less. He comes from that great cesspool of politics, Louisiana, so you should expect him to be battle hardened. He sounds like an evangelical minister, who like Huckabee can swat away past inconsistencies with a he-who-is-without-sin tale that produces the perfect sound bite. For days now, I have been going around quoting parts of an interview I heard/watched on C-Span’s “Road to the White House” seriesto anyone who will listen. This guy is from Central Casting; and if he’s for real, he has arrived on the scene at the perfect time that, dare I say it, Mr. Roemer Goes to Washington.
Is he just another empty suit seeking office portraying himself as everyman? He did go to Harvard and has an MBA from Harvard, too. He has been in and around politics for 30 plus years. He’s been both a Democrat and a Republican. He has been a Congressman and a Governor. He has been a successfulbusiness man. Is this guy another Reagan or a populist Southern Governor like Carter? So far, I cannot find where he has turned up on anyone’s radar. Check him out. Let me know what you think.
Last evening, I attended the 3rd Annual Tea Party Tax Day Rally at Kanawha Plaza. I even hastily made a sign (Roemer 2012 – Put Scarlett in the White House), which got a few looks but no interaction with other Tea Partiers. Frankly, I think my sign was a “fly by” since it wasn’t until yesterday I even knew who Roemer was; and I am pretty confident, if folks even knew who Roemer was that they wouldn’t know that his 3rd wife is Scarlett. I thought it was clever especially considering who the current occupants of the White House are. Unfortunately, I got there late and didn’t see anyone I knew like in past years, so I never got the chance to pontificate on my boy, Roemer.
Since I wasn’t there from the start, I can’t really comment on the size of the crowd. I am fairly confident that it was smaller than in past years; not because the movement is dying, but because the message has been sent and Downtown may not be the best venue for this event. I was there in time to hear Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli speak. He basically recapped where Virginia stood in its suit against Obamacare. One interesting item the Cuc mentioned was 28 states have lawsuits against the Federal government. I guess there is something to this Tea Party after all, despite what the MSM claims.
I guess you wondering why I have the PETA logo in this post. Well, I got a twofer last night. Coming home, Ringling Brothers, which starts its run at the Coliseum Wednesday night, was having its annual parade of the animals to the Coliseum. I can remember when this spectacle was done in the daylight and lots of kids lined the street in excitement that the circus was in town. Sadly, it looks like it is now done in the cover of darkness. Anyway, I shot some quick video for you to compare the two protests.
BTW, when I googled “PETA” in images, I got all these photos of hot nude women protesting the wearing of fur. If I thought I’d see some of these women at PETA protests, you might make me a supporter.
Unfortunately, I don’t sleep much, so I have a tendency to wake up very early. Since my mind immediately engages in what I need to do for the day, the ability to fall back to sleep is virtually impossible. This morning, as is a bad habit, I started surfing the dial looking for a diversion. History Channel was a no go. Bravo had one of their inane “real Wives” shows. TMC weighed in with a bad oater. HCTV (one of my favorites) was flashing PSAs. I was almost ready to abandon the boob tube in favor of my political blogs, when I saw a face I didn’t recognize on C-Span with a voice reminiscent of a Southern backwoods preacher. Game on.
Meet Charles Elson Roemer III, aka Buddy. Actually, he was Butch until some girls renamed him in high school. Is this guy for real? I pride myself on being a political junkie of the conservative variety; and here was someone saying all the things I want to hear. Since I picked up the interview midstream, I had to learn more. I have since logged on to C-Span and listened to the interview in its entirety. And guess what, the entire 50 minutes is incredible and you can see/listen here. Why wasn’t this guy on my radar? He is now.
Several weeks or so before Sarah Palin was selected as John McCain’s running mate; I had seen her for the 1st time on one of the business channels discussing the country’s energy policy. I was blown away. Here was a politician who actually had a sensible position, because we all know how successful the Department of Energy created in 1978 has been in accomplishing its prime objective. Forgotten that founding objective? To get the U.S. off foreign oil. How’s that working out for you?
Buddy, I hope you don’t get palined. I still need to check out your social issues, but at this point you’ve got my vote. And more importantly,a contribution. Oh, what a great start to the day. I’ll see some of you this afternoon at Kanawha Plaza for the Tea Party Tax Day event. I’ll be the guy babbling about Buddy.
Since it is Sunday, you know you’ll see another publication of Bank Owned Weekly. Week after week, you know you can count on me to bring you the most current and accurate lists of bank owned inventory. Here are the Bank Owned Weekly lists for the week of April 17, 2011. I hope if you find this information of value, you will recommend it to your friends. They can sign up at the appropriate link below.
To receive Bank Owned Weekly for the West End of Richmond, click here.
To receive Bank Owned Weekly for Glen Allen, click here.
To receive Bank Owned Weekly for Western Chesterfield, click here.
Here are the links for Bank Owned Weekly for April 17 th:
There will be no Saturday Morning Tour of Bank Owned Properties this Saturday, April 23rd, due to Easter, but it’s never too early to sign up for one of my workshops. My next monthly Renovation Finance Workshop is May 18th and on May 12th there is the Real Estate Investment Seminar.Both events start at 7 p.m. and are held at my offices at 1106 N Thompson Street, Richmond, VA 23230. You can register for these programs at the links above.
Well, it’s that dreaded time of year unless you enjoy paying taxes. Looks like we’re in for some real fireworks in D.C. Let’s just hope they accomplish something.
I stumped you last week with the name the Hollywood Guest contest. I only got a correct answer after giving one of office workers lots of clues. The correct answer was John C. Reilly as Gus Sinski in A Love of the Game. There is no way I don’t get a slew of correct answers this week!
Both of my workshops this week were well attended. Don’t miss out on our next ones. We’re moving the Renovation Finance Worskhop to the 3rd Wednesday of each month, so our next one will be on May 18, 2011. The Real Estate Investment Seminar will remain on the 2nd Thursday of each month, so we’ll see you on May 12th. You can register at the links above.
If you’re interested in receiving Bank Owned Weekly, then click on the appropriate link – West End, Glen Allen, or Midlothian. When you sign up for Bank Owned Weekly, you will also receive Foreclosure Friday Flash delivered to your inbox every Friday.
Call me, 804.301.7598, if you want to see anything.
Good Morning! I just discovered that I didn’t post Bank Owned Weekly on my blog last week. That doesn’t mean Bank Owned Weekly didn’t get published, it just means I didn’t post it on my blog. You see each week over 600 folks have Bank Owned Weekly delivered to them via email. This happens EVERY Sunday morning. Repeat EVERY Sunday morning. Why not make Bank Owned Weekly part of your Sunday morning ritual by signing up at the links below. Remember my lists are the most current and accurate of any distributed on the Bank Owned inventory.
To receive Bank Owned Weekly for the West End of Richmond, click here.
To receive Bank Owned Weekly for Glen Allen, click here.
To receive Bank Owned Weekly for Western Chesterfield, click here.
Here are the links for Bank Owned Weekly for April 10th:
Presently, the REO inventory is low and pretty picked over due to the robo-signing flak that raised its head last fall. Banks are much more cautious presently and it is causing delays in bringing properties to market. This is creating a backlog of inventory which will have to come to market at some point. I am thinking mid summer. Now would be a perfect time to attend one of my workshops and seminar so that you can take advantage of this situation when this backlog finally comes to market. My next monthly Renovation Finance Workshopis April 13th and on the following night April 14th there is the Real Estate Investment Seminar.Both events start at 7 p.m. and are held at my offices at 1106 N Thompson Street, Richmond, VA 23230. You can register for these programs at the links above.
I want to be the gatekeeper; not like Zuul in Ghostbusters, but more of a medieval one controlling the drawbridge over the moat to the castle. In fact, what I really want to be is Dana shutting the door in Bill Murray’s face in Ghostbusters, since we all know what Bill’s intentions were. Unfortunately, modern society doesn’t assist the parent in doing so. Let me explain.
Happy Easter! I won’t waste much of your time today with chit chat. I am sure you’ve got things to do and want to get on with them. Remember my lists are the most current and accurate of any distributed on the Bank Owned inventory. I hope if you find this information of value, you will recommend it to your friends. They can sign up at the appropriate link below. 
Since I wasn’t there from the start, I can’t really comment on the size of the crowd. I am fairly confident that it was smaller than in past years; not because the movement is dying, but because the message has been sent and Downtown may not be the best venue for this event. I was there in time to hear Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli speak. He basically recapped where Virginia stood in its suit against Obamacare. One interesting item the Cuc mentioned was 28 states have lawsuits against the Federal government. I guess there is something to this Tea Party after all, despite what the MSM claims.
Since it is Sunday, you know you’ll see another publication of Bank Owned Weekly. Week after week, you know you can count on me to bring you the most current and accurate lists of bank owned inventory. Here are the Bank Owned Weekly lists for the week of April 17, 2011. I hope if you find this information of value, you will recommend it to your friends. They can sign up at the appropriate link below. 
Good Morning! I just discovered that I didn’t post Bank Owned Weekly on my blog last week. That doesn’t mean Bank Owned Weekly didn’t get published, it just means I didn’t post it on my blog. You see each week over 600 folks have Bank Owned Weekly delivered to them via email. This happens EVERY Sunday morning. Repeat EVERY Sunday morning. Why not make Bank Owned Weekly part of your Sunday morning ritual by signing up at the links below. Remember my lists are the most current and accurate of any distributed on the Bank Owned inventory.