It’s Gotta Go Wednesday

I’m sure we’ve all heard about how we should live in the moment. OK, how about retailers doing the same.

I absolutely cannot stand how places such as Walmart, Target, Costco, etc. seem unable to actually let us consumers get through a holiday before the bombardment of goods for ones in the not-so-distant future.

In June, crap for Halloween started hitting the shelf. Costco has had Christmas stuff out for 3 months. THREE MONTHS!

Personally, I’d like to just get past Halloween before I start thinking about the Holidays. I’m someone who has a 1-month rule. No decorations for an upcoming holiday until it’s within 30 days. I don’t hold everyone to that rule, but I think that it’s logical to focus on the holiday you’re in rather than the one 3 months ahead.

Stores who are always 4-6 months ahead with their holidays… they’ve gotta go.

Last Days

OK, not THOSE last days… I’m speaking of MY last days. Here are the “highlights” of the past 5 days:

• We sold (another) car. 4-wheel drive is something that is a must with my new job, so we’re on the lookout.
• My newish vehicle (the precious minivan) was involved in a very minor fender bender this weekend. NOT my fault, and has left me feeling that maybe  people over the age of 70 (or 85 in this case) should be required to repeat their driving test every few years.
• FINALLY got everyone’s costumes. Talk about waiting until the last minute.
• Royal India in Sandy is the best. Going there with great friends followed by some serious board game playing until 3 a.m., it’s good times.
• The next night another delish meal and a movie with our other awesome pals made for an excellent weekend.

I’m happy to report that we all survived the end of the world on the 22nd.

It’s Gotta Go Wednesday

Being on the board of a local organization means that I’m always looking for ways to help raise funds. The problem for us is that we are small beans, and unfortunately when it comes to fund-raising, it definitely takes money to make money.

Last night I was watching some lame reality t.v. They were showing the cast at a fundraising luncheon. The decor and spread were ridiculously over the top. This was just one of the many times that I’ve been really bothered about “fundraising” dinners and such. If people REALLY want to give, then why don’t they skip the whole pony show and just ask for donations rather than spending tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars throwing a “party”?

I think I get it… because that defeats the purpose for many. If there isn’t a shin-dig of some sort, then they don’t get seen. If a tree falls in the forest but no one is there around, did it really make a sound? Philanthropy… if people don’t see how generous you are, and you don’t get your photo in the paper or your name up on a placard, did the donation really happen?

I guess I just wonder how much money could be actually be donated if the funds that were used to throw a big gala were part of that donation, what would that kind of money look like. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of legit and amazing fund-raisers that I am sure actually make a difference. The type I am talking about are the ones in which are over the top. I think it’s a little ironic when people gather to eat Foie Gras,  Filet Mignon and lovely champagne to raise money for the starving children in Africa, or to help pay for cancer treatments for the under privileged.

Donating for a good cause SHOULD be done because you genuinely want to help, not because it’s the social event of the month. And people who go to these events for the sake of showing their faces and proving how generous they are, to me, are just a step (if even) above media whores. Doing something for a photo op… it’s gotta go.

Christmas Miracle!

I can’t believe it. If you were here, I’d ask you to pinch me… in a nice way, of course.

1+ year, 1 messy contract, 9 Addendum, tons of back and forth, four letter words, laughing, crying, yelling, begging, countess hours in email and phone time, and the hardest deal of my life as an agent has finally closed AND funded.

Everything literally came down to the last-minute… 6 minutes before a deadline and a possible blow up of everything I’ve worked so hard for, and not only did my deal close (last week), but it actually funded this afternoon. Which means IT IS OVER! I’ve never put so much of myself into my job like I did on this sucker. I worked and fought hard for my client, and definitely earned every penny. Think of it this way: the last two months has been like an endless root canal, and today I just strolled out of the dentist’s office.

For those people out there who think real estate agents just fall arse backwards into money, let me tell you something… I WISH! Agents play not only the role of real estate expert and professional, but also wear the hat of friend, reality check-er, therapist, lawyer, thug and arm twister, negotiator, contractor, secretary, babysitter and hand holder. Seriously, it’s a lot of hard work, especially these days. The time of easy deals is over, and they are harder to come by and a lot more work than even 5 years ago, when I began. The good thing about all of this is that it was an educational experience that money could never buy, and I had to get through it to learn these pretty important lessons.

It still hasn’t totally hit me that I can take a deep breath and celebrate. I’m grateful to have such a great broker who was a great source of support and advice, as well as my tolerant husband who put up with my busy schedule and nights spent putting out fires. I’m looking forward to volleyball tomorrow night with the girls, and plan on taking any pent-up anxiety out on the ball.

So give me a “Whoop whoop”. Sweeeeeet.

Under The Gun

I just need to keep telling myself…

I love my job. I love my job. I love my job.

Work life is feeling like an episode of 24, and I’ve got 30 minutes until the entire world blows up.

ROCK ON

Flashback approximately 11 years ago. I was watching VH1 in my downtown apartment (you youngens may not know this, but MTV & VH1 actually used to play music videos. Go figure), and my life changed forever that night. OK, maybe not, but I saw what became one of my all time favorite videos.

I still love it!

That was when I was first introduced to the Foo Fighters. That video led to the purchase of the first of my Foo Fighters albums, and 11 years and a few cds later, I’m still a fan. Greg loves them as well, so when we heard they were coming in concert, we were all over it.

Tuesday night the Foo Fighters rocked the E-Center… I mean Maverick Center. They were amazing and put on a fun, energetic, and incredibly loud show. Dave Grohl is not only an amazing musician, but he has an amazing sense of humor as well. Cage the Elephant opened the show, and unfortunately their drummer suffered a burst appendix earlier in the day. At first some guy in underwear (only) was the fill in, but for the last 4 songs, Dave Grohl sat in for the drummer and he was, as always, awesome. I hadn’t seen him drum since Nirvana, and at one point during the concert he talked about how it had been a very long time since he had played the drums in a big arena. For Cage the Elephant, Dave, and everyone at the concert, it was a pretty cool experience.

I may have some permanent hearing loss, but it was totally worth it, and this is one more thing to cross off my bucket list.

 

It’s Gotta Go Wednesday

I admit it… I am a teeth snob.

When I was dating, bad teeth were the kiss of death (and a guarantee there would be NO kiss of any kind). I could get over hair, looks, body, the way a guy dressed. But really bad teeth… not gonna happen. No, their chompers didn’t have to be perfect, but if your teeth look something like Steve Buscemi (who I love as an actor), we’ve got problems. Again, it’s not about being flawless… it was all about being kissable. Because if the teeth were really bad, who knows about the breath!

On the flip side, if I’m talking to a person, and it feels like I’m looking directly into the sun because of obsessive whitening, maybe it’s a sign that you’ve taken it too far.

 

Wanting to look better, or even your best, is great. This, my friends, just makes you look like a freak.

Taking your teeth to a level of white that has no name… it’s gotta go.

Show Me The Money

Have you ever heard the saying about how it doesn’t matter how much money people make, they always spend what they have? What about it doesn’t matter how much money you have, it’s never enough.

True? Maybe, maybe not. But it does seem like for many, spending rises as fast, or faster, than the money comes in. Sure, you make more, realize maybe you can buy some of those things which you wanted but felt like you couldn’t afford, and you can never really get ahead. Helloooo… highest foreclosure rates ever in the history of this country! Personally, I think this country has become a slave to their stuff.

But that is neither hear nor there. This post isn’t about the shit show the U.S. economy has become. It’s about asking the question: how do you get to the point where what you have is enough. Because for many of us, we never reach that point.

I have friends that span a huge gamut in terms of income. Some live very modest lifestyles… living paycheck to paycheck, getting by and surviving, but barely. I also have friends who have a monthly income that is comparable to a typical family’s yearly gross. The funny thing is, many of these people also live paycheck to paycheck, and what would seem like a fortune to others is barely enough for them to pay all of their many bills.

What I have also noticed when I look at all of these people is that it doesn’t matter what kind of money they bring in, everyone has problems. Money doesn’t buy happiness, securing, fidelity, love, or respect. Getting that $400 raise each month doesn’t “save” the struggling family and solve all of their problems. You can live in a mansion or a shack because misery isn’t biased.

Finding the niche where you are content with what you have, comfortable in your own skin, in healthy relationships… I think that’s the only way for any resemblance of happiness.

Of course, I am no exception to the rule. More times than I’d like to admit, the thought goes through my head that if only we had a little bit more money, then (fill in the blank) . While I’m not sure if that will ever change, I often remind myself of how incredibly lucky and blessed me and my family are. That reality check helps to keep me grounded. We have a nice home, clothes in the closet, can enroll our kids in various extra-curricular activities, food in the fridge & pantry, cars that get us where we need to go, a vacation to Disneyland last Christmas, and have the luxury of going out to dinner and a movie every once in a while.

Do I wish we had “more”? Sure! However, I do know that we have enough. And I am proud that we have very little debt, no credit cards (I never have owned one), and pull our heads out of the clouds every once in a while to keep a realistic perspective. And that is a true feeling of freedom and happiness.

Not Ready

Last weekend we decided to take a drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon so the kids could check out where I work and have a nice picnic at Solitude.

The weather was beautiful and the changing leaves awesome. On the drive home, I talked to Greg about how much I enjoyed my commute to and from work. The scenery is unmatched.

This picture was taken last week:

This photo was taken just minutes ago from the door of my office:

NOT COOL.

It’s Gotta Go Wednesday

In a world of billions of people, I get wanting to be an individual. Wanting to stand out from the masses and be original is nothing to be ashamed of or apologize for.

However, when you have a personalized license plate that states “BOY TOY”, like the one I just saw on this car, well it does make a statement about you. That statement happens to be: I’m an idiot, and kind of a ho.

I especially like the diamond decal in the window. So, you’re a gold digging ho? Nice. I’m sure this gal is attracting some quality guys.

Personalized license plates are not my favorite, mostly because rarely are they every anything but moronic.

Advertising your lameness on your car… it’s gotta go.