My ex-husband and I had a very successful divorce. We remained good friends during the divorce procedure, and afterwords, through his remarriage, until the day of his untimely death 2 years ago. I remain good friends with his widow. A few years ago, when our son got married out-of-state, the 3 of us went on the same flight, rented a car together, hung out together when there were no wedding-related activities going, on, etc., and generally had a good time.
During the recent trip to my home state, I discussed the purchase of a permanent grave marker with his widow. Turned out she had been shopping for one, but couldn't decide. And it was expensive! So, my son and I offered to split the cost in equal 3 way parts, which suited her just fine. So, while I was there, she and I went to the tombstone company to complete the selection and purchase. She had already visited with them, so they knew who she was, but when she introduced me as the first wife, they were jaw-dropping astonished! It was not only because this was a joint decision and a joint purchase, but that it was obvious from our give-and-take that we were friends.
We were giving them the facts and dates for the tombstone, and neither of us could remember the exact day that he had died. Was it the 10th or the 11th? At this point, the widow turned her back to me, pulled up her T-shirt, and asked me to read the tatoo. Yes, she had his birth and death date tatooed on her back. Now, it was my turn to be surprised!
Friday, July 20, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
What a strange trip it was!! - Part One.
Earlier this month, I made a trip to my home state for business purposes. I had aquired a little money from the sale of my house here, and since retirement is approaching, I thought it would be a good idea to use it as a down payment on a house in my home state. The idea was to rent it out short term, then perhaps move into it at retirement. The tenants would make my payments for me. I have had some rental property for some time, and I find that by using a rental agent, it is usually a pleasant and money-making enterprise.
I stayed with some friends while I was there. I'll call them Jack and Jill. They had been trying to sell their house for about a year, but after no success for some time, they gave up and took it off the market. They love the house, but it has 2 stories, and the lady of the house is getting older. Her knees will no longer allow her to go to the second floor. I asked Jill if they were still interested in selling, and she said yes, and quoted me a price. I thought about it, but believed it was out of my price range.
So, I enlisted the aid of a real estate person and looked at several other houses. I decided tentatively on one of them, and asked my property manager to look at it. He was willing to manage it for me, but pointed out some things that would need work. Then, I asked him to look at Jack and Jill's house while he was out and about, and he agreed. Wow, was he excited! Their house has charming architectural detail, and is close to a major college campus. He said he could rent it in a heartbeat, for about 50% more rent than the other place. He also pointed out it would appreciate over the years much more than the other house.
So, I made a return visit to my new best friend at a local bank, whom I had approached about loaning me money on the first house. She ran some numbers and seemed to think she could probably help me out!
That evening, I talked to Jill about going forward with a sale. She was taken by surprise! Turned out she had not taken me seriously in our earlier conversation. But, after I convinced her, she and Jack were both delighted! They took me out to dinner to celebrate. That very evening, they drove around to look at some houses that Jill had noticed on the internet. The next day, they enlisted the aid of a real estate agent, and looked at several on the inside. Both of them seemed to be quite engaged in their search for a new house.
Then some conversations happened that turned out to be more important than would seem at first glance. I happened to be in a car with Jack, without Jill along, as he was taking me somewhere, and he said "Jill is a wonderful woman but she can't manage money." Later, I was with Jill alone, and she said "Jack is a wonderful man but he can't manage money." I almost laughed out loud because she used almost the exact same words as Jack did. I did not tell either what the other had said. Did not want to get in the middle of that! But I did think that I was glad I would be going home soon, and would not be around when the discussions about their purchase of a new house got serious. I thought it might get ugly.
Last Tuesday morning I flew home. Wednesday morning I checked my email, and there was a message from Jill. It seems that Jack had told her he was leaving her, and had packed some bags Tuesday night and moved into a friend's apartment!! Yikes! Jill thinks he had decided this is what he wanted some time ago, and was just waiting until the house was sold before he made his move. But, it seemed to me that he was very engaged in the joint house search with Jill, so who knows? I was stunned, as I have known both of them for some time, and from all outward appearances (even while I was staying with them), they seemed to be getting along fine. Except for that "little" disagreement about money management! Perhaps discussing the price range of the new house purchase had led to the last and biggest money disagreement.
The sale is still on, as this is what they both wanted. Jill is trying to buy a house by herself. So, the closing might be delayed, but that's OK.
More later about this strange trip.
I stayed with some friends while I was there. I'll call them Jack and Jill. They had been trying to sell their house for about a year, but after no success for some time, they gave up and took it off the market. They love the house, but it has 2 stories, and the lady of the house is getting older. Her knees will no longer allow her to go to the second floor. I asked Jill if they were still interested in selling, and she said yes, and quoted me a price. I thought about it, but believed it was out of my price range.
So, I enlisted the aid of a real estate person and looked at several other houses. I decided tentatively on one of them, and asked my property manager to look at it. He was willing to manage it for me, but pointed out some things that would need work. Then, I asked him to look at Jack and Jill's house while he was out and about, and he agreed. Wow, was he excited! Their house has charming architectural detail, and is close to a major college campus. He said he could rent it in a heartbeat, for about 50% more rent than the other place. He also pointed out it would appreciate over the years much more than the other house.
So, I made a return visit to my new best friend at a local bank, whom I had approached about loaning me money on the first house. She ran some numbers and seemed to think she could probably help me out!
That evening, I talked to Jill about going forward with a sale. She was taken by surprise! Turned out she had not taken me seriously in our earlier conversation. But, after I convinced her, she and Jack were both delighted! They took me out to dinner to celebrate. That very evening, they drove around to look at some houses that Jill had noticed on the internet. The next day, they enlisted the aid of a real estate agent, and looked at several on the inside. Both of them seemed to be quite engaged in their search for a new house.
Then some conversations happened that turned out to be more important than would seem at first glance. I happened to be in a car with Jack, without Jill along, as he was taking me somewhere, and he said "Jill is a wonderful woman but she can't manage money." Later, I was with Jill alone, and she said "Jack is a wonderful man but he can't manage money." I almost laughed out loud because she used almost the exact same words as Jack did. I did not tell either what the other had said. Did not want to get in the middle of that! But I did think that I was glad I would be going home soon, and would not be around when the discussions about their purchase of a new house got serious. I thought it might get ugly.
Last Tuesday morning I flew home. Wednesday morning I checked my email, and there was a message from Jill. It seems that Jack had told her he was leaving her, and had packed some bags Tuesday night and moved into a friend's apartment!! Yikes! Jill thinks he had decided this is what he wanted some time ago, and was just waiting until the house was sold before he made his move. But, it seemed to me that he was very engaged in the joint house search with Jill, so who knows? I was stunned, as I have known both of them for some time, and from all outward appearances (even while I was staying with them), they seemed to be getting along fine. Except for that "little" disagreement about money management! Perhaps discussing the price range of the new house purchase had led to the last and biggest money disagreement.
The sale is still on, as this is what they both wanted. Jill is trying to buy a house by herself. So, the closing might be delayed, but that's OK.
More later about this strange trip.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Haulin' A**
It must have been nice for all of you out there that had an actual holiday on Memorial Day Weekend, complete with barbeque, friends, family, beer, etc. I did not. I was haulin'.
I moved to a new domicile on May 8. When I was packing, I knew I was filling lots of boxes, but I did not count them. When the movers were moving the stuff into the new place, I had them first put the boxes on and under the dining table, then put the rest in the second bedroom. When that was fairly full, they said "What about the rest of them?" I said "The rest of them?" They said there were about 50 more (!!!). I told them to put them in the garage, which is, of course, on ground level. My new condo is on the second floor, and there is no elevator. Yikes!
Due to other obligations, before this weekend I was limited in the time I could devote to this project. I tried to devote an hour or two each evening, but progress was incridibly slow! I started by grabbing a box, putting it on my left shoulder and puffing up the stairs. I am no longer young. My lower back hurts most of the time and my knees are arthritic, so this was not easy. Since my new place is smaller than my old place, some boxes had to go back down to the garage for storage, and some items were destined for donation to worthy charities, so I was hauling nearly as much back down as I was hauling up. I needed a new system.
So, this weekend I came up with plan B. I found some tote bags and overnight bags. I would go to the garage with the empty bags, and open some boxes. The stuff that needed to go upstairs was transferred to bags. The stuff I wanted to store was repacked in boxes and left in the garage. The stuff for charity went into the car. The empty boxes went to the trash. Then I hauled the full tote bags up the stairs, one in each hand. Much easier! I am now down to about 5 boxes!!! But the entire weekend (except for a trip to church) was spent haulin'.
In the middle of all this my son called, and I told him what I was doing. Always one to look on the sunny side, he told me that all that up and down the stairs would give my "core" a good workout. I told him my everything was getting a good workout. Including my patience.
Some of you might say I should label this weekend "haulin' b***" since I was hauling bags and boxes. However, one cannot haul bags and boxes without also haulin' a**. And my a** is harder to haul than my bags and boxes.
But there are a couple of trips that I am looking forward to later this summer, so I will have to make up my missed holiday-ing at that time.
I moved to a new domicile on May 8. When I was packing, I knew I was filling lots of boxes, but I did not count them. When the movers were moving the stuff into the new place, I had them first put the boxes on and under the dining table, then put the rest in the second bedroom. When that was fairly full, they said "What about the rest of them?" I said "The rest of them?" They said there were about 50 more (!!!). I told them to put them in the garage, which is, of course, on ground level. My new condo is on the second floor, and there is no elevator. Yikes!
Due to other obligations, before this weekend I was limited in the time I could devote to this project. I tried to devote an hour or two each evening, but progress was incridibly slow! I started by grabbing a box, putting it on my left shoulder and puffing up the stairs. I am no longer young. My lower back hurts most of the time and my knees are arthritic, so this was not easy. Since my new place is smaller than my old place, some boxes had to go back down to the garage for storage, and some items were destined for donation to worthy charities, so I was hauling nearly as much back down as I was hauling up. I needed a new system.
So, this weekend I came up with plan B. I found some tote bags and overnight bags. I would go to the garage with the empty bags, and open some boxes. The stuff that needed to go upstairs was transferred to bags. The stuff I wanted to store was repacked in boxes and left in the garage. The stuff for charity went into the car. The empty boxes went to the trash. Then I hauled the full tote bags up the stairs, one in each hand. Much easier! I am now down to about 5 boxes!!! But the entire weekend (except for a trip to church) was spent haulin'.
In the middle of all this my son called, and I told him what I was doing. Always one to look on the sunny side, he told me that all that up and down the stairs would give my "core" a good workout. I told him my everything was getting a good workout. Including my patience.
Some of you might say I should label this weekend "haulin' b***" since I was hauling bags and boxes. However, one cannot haul bags and boxes without also haulin' a**. And my a** is harder to haul than my bags and boxes.
But there are a couple of trips that I am looking forward to later this summer, so I will have to make up my missed holiday-ing at that time.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Final exams - a bright spot.
Most of the time, grading final exams is slow, routine, and dull. But occasionally, something comes along that creates a bit of a bright spot. Today I was grading a final that required the student to describe a computer related situation that would create an ethical dilemma. The student described one in which management decided to adopt the use of new software that might eliminate some jobs at the company. Here is the quote:
"Most of the employees are against the decision made by me and the management. They think that use of the technology would made some jobs obsolete and reduce the number of employees. Most of them are in fear of getting laid."
"Most of the employees are against the decision made by me and the management. They think that use of the technology would made some jobs obsolete and reduce the number of employees. Most of them are in fear of getting laid."
Friday, April 27, 2012
It's that time of year!
In the academic calendar, it's that crazy time of year. Both students and faculty are tired, and say and do goofy stuff. This week, one of the other faculty was helping me gather signatures on a secretary's day card. She gave me the card, complete with signatures, which I stuck in a drawer and promptly forgot about. Then I asked her where the card was. Duh. She forgave me, as she had been talking about going to the dentist to get her eyes checked. Duh.
To make things worse, I sold my house and now I am trying to pack to move. The move is scheduled for finals week, as the new owners must take possession quickly. So, that is more craziness and rush at a time I already have plenty of that. It also involves faxing papers back and forth with my son, as he is co-owner. Microsoft has a crazy way of doing faxes. The fax number goes to someone's computer, not an actual fax machine. That someone must manually route the fax to the right person. It takes hours. My son says Microsoft is really not very good with using technology. I believe it.
And of course, there are students worried about their grade. A friend posted on his blog that it's a little late in the semester for that. My view - as long as it is BEFORE the final exam, there is hope. Two years ago there was a group of angry and upset baseball players who came to me AFTER their algebra final, wanting to know what they could do to improve their grade. Yes, they did. I said "nothing", so they went to the department chair and said I was a terrible teacher and they understood nothing I said all semester. This is probably true, as for most of the class periods they were not actually in the classroom. It's hard to understand an algebra lesson while asleep in your dorm.
Graduation is in 2 weeks, and I can't wait!
To make things worse, I sold my house and now I am trying to pack to move. The move is scheduled for finals week, as the new owners must take possession quickly. So, that is more craziness and rush at a time I already have plenty of that. It also involves faxing papers back and forth with my son, as he is co-owner. Microsoft has a crazy way of doing faxes. The fax number goes to someone's computer, not an actual fax machine. That someone must manually route the fax to the right person. It takes hours. My son says Microsoft is really not very good with using technology. I believe it.
And of course, there are students worried about their grade. A friend posted on his blog that it's a little late in the semester for that. My view - as long as it is BEFORE the final exam, there is hope. Two years ago there was a group of angry and upset baseball players who came to me AFTER their algebra final, wanting to know what they could do to improve their grade. Yes, they did. I said "nothing", so they went to the department chair and said I was a terrible teacher and they understood nothing I said all semester. This is probably true, as for most of the class periods they were not actually in the classroom. It's hard to understand an algebra lesson while asleep in your dorm.
Graduation is in 2 weeks, and I can't wait!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Catholics and the Bible.
I have been a Catholic officially for 5 years now, and attended regularly for a year before that. Still, there are people that warn me to keep up my Bible reading, as the Catholic Church discourages it.
Baloney!!!
Most Protestant church services have only one Bible reading. We have 4 every Sunday. One is always from a Gospel, which we stand up for, to show how important it is.
Yesterday started Holy Week, and it's Bible reading on steroids. Yesterday's service included a very lenghthy reading from the Gospel of Mark - about 1/2 hour of standing. Then there is a church service Thursday night, and 2 services on Good Friday. Saturday evening is a service called the Easter Vigil that is 3 hours long, and includes an entire hour of Bible reading, essentially describing the history of the universe, starting with Genesis.
The Catholics love the Bible so much, it is bigger than the Protestant Bible. There are 7 Old Testament books, plus parts of 2 others, that are retained by the Catholics, having been removed by the Protestants (for a variety of reasons--perhaps I will go into in another post). And it is historical fact that the Catholic church wrote the New Testament, and they still stand by it.
A person can be a Catholic or not, of course, as one wishes, but I hope it is a decision based on facts, not misinformation. Most non-Catholics seem to get their information on the Catholic church from people who have never been to a Catholic service, and are full of misinformation. It's easy to get the facts about Catholic beliefs. Go to any major bookstore, or Amazon.com, and purchase the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It's all there. There are no secrets. The book is not expensive. Also, why don't you actually visit a Catholic service? I promise they will not nail you to the pew, or make you eat a live chicken. And, you will get to hear the 4 Bible readings for yourself.
Baloney!!!
Most Protestant church services have only one Bible reading. We have 4 every Sunday. One is always from a Gospel, which we stand up for, to show how important it is.
Yesterday started Holy Week, and it's Bible reading on steroids. Yesterday's service included a very lenghthy reading from the Gospel of Mark - about 1/2 hour of standing. Then there is a church service Thursday night, and 2 services on Good Friday. Saturday evening is a service called the Easter Vigil that is 3 hours long, and includes an entire hour of Bible reading, essentially describing the history of the universe, starting with Genesis.
The Catholics love the Bible so much, it is bigger than the Protestant Bible. There are 7 Old Testament books, plus parts of 2 others, that are retained by the Catholics, having been removed by the Protestants (for a variety of reasons--perhaps I will go into in another post). And it is historical fact that the Catholic church wrote the New Testament, and they still stand by it.
A person can be a Catholic or not, of course, as one wishes, but I hope it is a decision based on facts, not misinformation. Most non-Catholics seem to get their information on the Catholic church from people who have never been to a Catholic service, and are full of misinformation. It's easy to get the facts about Catholic beliefs. Go to any major bookstore, or Amazon.com, and purchase the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It's all there. There are no secrets. The book is not expensive. Also, why don't you actually visit a Catholic service? I promise they will not nail you to the pew, or make you eat a live chicken. And, you will get to hear the 4 Bible readings for yourself.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
As head #3 goes bouncing down the stairs...
In a post last fall, I mentioned that there were 3 other people besides our former president that were cited in the judges ruling as having done bad things--an administrator, a long time staff member, and a faculty member. The administrator has resigned, the long time staff member suddenly retired. Now, I find out that the faculty member is retiring. Someone who teaches in my department talked to him recently, and said "Gee, I didn't know you were retiring" to which he replied "Neither did I."
This president is holding people accountable! Good for him! But, since these folks were acting under pressure from another party, the president had the sense to let them leave gracefully. Even better.
This president is holding people accountable! Good for him! But, since these folks were acting under pressure from another party, the president had the sense to let them leave gracefully. Even better.
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