I Am Reporting You to the Real Estate Commission

One of my agents contacted me the other day after having the following conversion with a potential buyer:

Buyer: I am sitting in front of the house on XXXX Street when are you going to get here to show it to me.

Agent: Did we have an appointment?

Buyer: No, but I want to see it now.

Agent: I am sorry I am home sick and my business partner is out of town. Could I show it to you tomorrow or the next day?

Buyer: No, you have to show me now. You are lying to me and you aren't really sick and your business partner isn't out of town. I am going to turn you into the Oklahoma Real Estate Commission (OREC) for not not showing me the property and not calling me back.

Agent: Not calling you back?

Buyer: I called at 9:30 last night and you never called back.

Agent: I don't return calls after 9:00 and it isn't even 9:00 a.m. I don't return calls, unless requested, before 9:00 a.m.

Buyer: Well, I am turning you into the OREC and I had my real estate license in Oklahoma, but I don't anymore and I know what you are required to do. You are discriminating against me!

The conversation was much longer and got even more involved. The Buyer had seen the house before back when it was a FSBO and she only wanted to rent.

It is amazing what a little knowledge (very little obviously) will do to some peoples attitude. I had to spend 15 minutes calming the agent down and getting her to understand that she had done nothing wrong. Now, she didn't think she had done anything wrong, but you know how it is when someone tells you "YOU ARE IN TROUBLE". 
We have never heard from the Buyer or OREC, but we did hear from the seller. The Buyer contacted him directly and tried to get him to rent the house to her. Of course, this was after the Buyer talked about what a terrible Real Estate agent he had and that the agent wouldn't show the buyer the home. BUT, my agent had already been in contact with the seller and the seller was expecting the call.
Guess what? Our seller is perfectly happy with how it was handled.

Train Ride: Done it

Went to Texas Friday by Amtrak

My wife and I flipped a coin to see who got (had to?) ride the train to Texas with the kids. Riding with the kids wasn't the problem in my eyes, it was the actual train ride. 

Here comes the Train

Waiting in 100+ heat

I won (lost?) and got to ride the train. The kids were great and the ride was pretty good, but it took 1 hour and 45 minutes longer than going by car! 

The station master told us it would take a few minutes longer, because of the extreme heat. The heat makes the rails wavy and the trains have to go slower in several areas.

My wife left an hour after dropping us off at the train station in Purcell, OK and still beat us to Forth Worth, TX by 45 minutes. That doesn't count the fact she made a pit stop along the way or the additional time needed to get into the station, find us and then get back on the road to our true destination.

Neither kid had ridden on a train, so my wife thought it would be a fun experience for them. I don't know how much they noticed. I read my book and they played video games and/or watched a movie the entire trip.

I made the mistake of sitting in seats that faced the back of the train. I got a little motion sickness from facing the wrong direction. Don't think the kids felt any difference at all. I think one train ride is more than enough for me.

I am bored!

Just getting started

No wonder Amtrak loses money every year!

Signs of the Times?

Signs making the rounds in emails:

Make sure you read WHERE the sign was posted -- makes it a little funnier. 

If life is a waste of time, And time is a waste of life, Then let's all get wasted together And have the time of our lives. Armand's Pizza, Washington , DC

 

 

  

Fighting for peace is like Screwing for virginity. The Bayou, Baton Rouge , LO

  

No matter how good she looks, Some other guy is sick and tired Of putting up with her shit. Men ' s Room Linda ' s Bar and Grill, Chapel Hill , NC

   

=0 A It's hard to make a comeback When you haven't been anywhere. Written in the dust on the back of a bus, Wickenburg , AZ

Trimming Trees is not for me....Anymore.. Part 2

If you are interested in the first part of this, unfortunately, true story just click the link below.
Trimming Trees is not for me anymore Part 1

Continuing the story:
I am now in the emergency room at Norman Regional Hospital and after a round of x-rays they have determined that I have several broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung. When you have a collapsed lung you do NOT get pain medication.

The Doctor was waiting to see if my lung would re-inflate on its own. The entire wait is about 6 hours.

So, we are "killing" time and this is what I here from my wife:

Wife: My husband has a DNS and I want it followed now!
Doctor: You mean DNR? He isn't Dead and hasn't been nor will he die from this injury. So a DNR does not apply.
Wife: Not DNR he has a DNS

Doctor: Ma'am it is DNR ----Do Not Resuscitate

Wife: NO! He can't stand pain so his is a DNS--Do Not Suffer and I want you to put him down..I mean put him out of my...er...his misery NOW!

Doctor: Ah, ummmm, there is no such thing as a DNS ma'am. I think you need to leave now.

Okay, Okay...it didn't really happen that way. But it DID happen like this.
Remember, I am NOT on pain medication, this is just my natural state. (You may feel sorry for my wife now.)As my wife is walking into my room in the ER:

Me: I heard you out there talking to the Doctor.

Wife: Huh?

Me: A DNS, really? Did you think that would work?

Wife: What are you talking about?

Me: I don't think they will fall for a DNS document.

Wife: Huh?...wait, what?

Me: They are not going to believe I have a DNS---Do Not Suffer document and you are not going to be able to get them to put me down!

Wife: Shut up! What are they going to think?
Me: The truth will set me free!

You should have seen the reaction of the Doctor, Nurses and trainees. Plus, my parents and both of my kids were there. I found it quite funny (as did most everyone there) Besides there wasn't any point in me lying there wallowing in self pity. What was done was done and best to have some fun with it. Granted my wife might disagree, but I try to keep people guessing and keep things lively!

11 Straight Days 100+ Degree Tempuratures...Wishing for this Right Now

Catching a Little Air

Ramp it Up!

Here's wishing for some cooler weather around here. Eleven straight days of 100+ temperatures and 20 days counting June! The record for July is 24 days over 100 degrees. The weatherman is saying we are looking at another 5-10 days before we get a break, so.......yuck!

We haven't had rain in quite a while either. Any moisture would be welcome.

Baking Cakes to Relax

Space Shuttle

A couple of years ago I started making cakes for birthdays, anniversaries and various end of year parties. The cakes that we were purchasing from the local bakery(s) were buried in an inch or more of sickly sweet icing covering a dry, tasteless cake.

The first few cakes are kind of plain, but I got a little better (plus I got better tools) as time went one.

Oklahoma State University Cake

Play on the MasterCard Commercials

Made the wife's cake playing off the MasterCard: Priceless commercials. She wanted all the stuff listed, but all she got was this delicious cake.

Land of the Lost

 Everything except the dinosaurs was hand made. The dinosaurs where given to the kids as part of the goodie bags.

 The volcano is several layers of cake and was a real pain to build. This is actually one of the first cakes I did. I have learned several tricks that would have made this cake sooooo much easier.

Dr. Seuss Book

This cake was done a local librarian. Dr. Seuss is one of her favorite authors of children's books. They requested a copy of the book shown. The character is cut from fondant and then hand painted.

Free Hand Painting/Drawing

This was a practice cake I made to see how free-hand painting the fondant would work. I learned the colors bleed quite a bit and you have to work slowly. Oh, and low humidity is better for the painting, but high humidity is better for the cake.

Rice crispy treat players

 The players are made out of rice crispy treats and covered with marsh mellow fondant and then hand painted. I can never get the fondant to a dark color when I make the fondant a color.

Someone forgot to water the infield

Dark green for the infield was hard to make and once it dried over night it was almost black. Not sure what I learned there, but it tasted good!

Basketball

A "simple" request. Half a basketball. The letters and lines are all hand cut fondant. I like the taste of it, so I use it when I can. Started using a marsh mellow fondant which is easier to work with and the rest of the family likes to eat.

Trimming Trees is not for me....Anymore

Last year we purchased a foreclosure property to rehab and flip. Immediately after closing I head home and change into my "work" clothes. I grab the chainsaw and 13' ladder and head out. Oh, almost forgot...grab the cellphone, my wife requires it, since I am going to be alone. (What a worrywort.)
You see, the property had not been properly maintained for years on the outside and was abused on the inside. I figured I would start clearing the tree limbs off the roof, out of the guttering and try to get the shrubbery and volunteer trees under control. Get the basics under control while waiting the final estimates for the real remodel work.
I spent several hours cutting limbs back, checking shingle damage (dang, worse than we thought...new roof required) and trying to get the shrubbery under control. Finally, nothing is touching the roof or guttering and what is still hanging over the roof is at least 5 feet above the shingles.
Time to get down and check it out from the ground.
Looking pretty good, but a few of those big branches are still too close to the house. They are 10' - 12' high, but are drooping and are getting close to the roof and gable end of the house. Fortunately, I have a 13' ladder and can take care of that little problem!

First few cuts are fine. Branches drop straight to the ground. Now cutting a limb about 10" in diameter, standing at the top rung (not the top of the ladder, I'm not a complete idiot...not far from it, but not COMPLETE). The branch snaps, swings down and knocks the ladder out from under me. I tossed the chainsaw and had enough time to think "This is gonna HURT", but landing on my right side and the back of my head smacks the ground.

A rather large miasma of purple and red exploded in my head. Don't think I was knocked out, but I definitely couldn't breathe very well. Managed to sit up and shut off the chainsaw and get my cell phone out of my pocket.

Called my....mother. (Really it was the logical choice. She lives closer and my wife had our two kids and two neighbor kids with her.)
Me: I..............need.......help.........
Mother: Who is this? (I am sure I sounded like a heavy breathing pervert.)
Me: Your.....son..... (I hear the phone move away so she can check caller ID.)
Mother: WHERE ARE YOU! I'll be right there! Do you need an ambulance!
Me: I....don't.....think...so.....
<click> 10-15 seconds pass and phone rings
Mother: I'm on the way and I called an ambulance. I told them if you didn't need it, I probably would.
Me: Fine...............

Ambulance arrives fairly quickly considering I am out in the country. They put on a neck brace, cut off my shirt, load me onto a back board and slide me into the ambulance. Off we go! (These country roads are a little rough!)
Fifteen or 20 minutes into the trip, the EMT says: "Okay, we are coming to a little bump, so be prepared."
BUMP then Me: I don't ...like...your...def..inition...of a.....little...bump!
EMT (Wide-eyed): We, ah, well, but we don't.....
ME (interrupting): Sorry...I.....guess....my... ..attempt...at..humor... ..failed..... (Note to self: Gritted teeth seem to remove the humorous tones from your voice)

Anyway, three broken ribs, a collapsed lung, 6 hours and one chest tube later I get admitted into the hospital. (They were hoping my lung would re-inflate on its own.) BTW, you DO NOT get painkillers when you have a collapsed lung AND you do not want a chest tube...ever! But that will have to be another story.

Four days in the hospital, one huge medical bill and I "saved" a couple thousand dollars not hiring the trees trimmed.