north shore: Is that a pink bow on my ass?
- 10/19/08 06:46 AM
EEYORE
Winnie the Pooh's bellyaching, complaining, whiney, kvetching friend. Not only was Eeyore unable to see the silver lining in the dark cloud overhead... Eeyore was only able to imagine the lightning bolt hiding behind the cloud, waiting to hit him with 100,000 volts.
Some people are overly animated, spreading their joy wherever they go. Annette Funicello leaps to mind, but then I'm probably dating myself. Marylou Retton might be a more contemporary version (so cheerful, she's almost a Disney character herself!)
Others are more like Eeyore, ostensibly trying to spread information about the negative market, and share their insights... … (10 comments)
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north shore: Elephant or Donkey as Symbols... whose idea was that?
- 10/18/08 09:02 AM
Many years ago... Jerry Seinfeld asked... Why are the Democrats and Republicans represented by a Donkey and an Elephant? Whose bright idea was that? Wouldn't you like to have been a fly on the wall for that meeting?
[move to Democratic Headquarters] Q: What should we use to represent our party? A: I know, I know... how about an ASS!? All: yeah, that's a great idea... let's use an ASS!)... well, you get the idea...
[Zip to Republican Headquarters] Q: And what symbol should we use? A: How about a pachyderm??]
WHAT?
So.. how exactly did we end up … (4 comments)
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north shore: WHITE SPACE - or Photos with Borders
- 10/18/08 03:53 AM
Having been a graphic designer in a former life, I'd like to share something that, in my opinion, helps improve our blogs tremendously.
I'm sure all of you would agree, that our blogs are enhanced by adding graphics or photos. And many of you include a graphic (or sometimes MORE than one) in your blogs. But I notice that many of you aren't aware of something called "white space" that should surround your graphic. Meaning, you don't want the text encroaching on the graphic. OR more likely, you just don't know how to accomplish that. Here are a few random samplings … (7 comments)
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north shore: T.F.B.
- 10/17/08 12:46 AM
What, you may wonder, does T.F.B. stand for?
Too Freakin' Bad?, Ten Fingers Bloodied?, Tried, Fried & Battered?
or
The Friendship Ball? yep.. it's The Friendship Ball...
Liz Moras was kind enough to send The Friendship Ball my way... as a newbie, I don't really know many people, here at AR... so it puts me in an awkward position. I can't send it off to a bunch of friends, as those I already know are 1) the ones who sent the ball to me in the first place, or 2) Those who have already been bonked on the head by … (9 comments)
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north shore: Uncle Leo, the Con Artist - Part III (the end)
- 10/16/08 01:01 AM
And here's our final installment on the saga of Uncle Leo (I'm sure, based on all the comments - not -that you've been waiting with "bated" breath... but here it is anyway)
Okay... when last we left Uncle Leo he was on the lam (I love that word - say it with me... "lam".), and had just purchased a small resort in Nova Scotia, to escape the law. (Part I, Part II)
As Leo created a new life in rural Nova Scotia, detectives from Chicago were trying to find him. One of the most important clues they had was that … (18 comments)
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north shore: Above and beyond the call of duty!
- 10/15/08 09:16 AM
I knew I liked my dentist. He's charming, he has a good chair-side manner, and he's gentle (in other words "he don't hurt too much").
I like him enough that I've recommended him to quite a few of my friends and family members including my mother!
I had a call, today, from my mother. She told me she was at the dentist's office (about 5-6 blocks from my office), and I figured she wanted to go to lunch. But instead, she told me that she thought her tire on her little V.W. Bug was flat. I wasn't looking forward to this... … (13 comments)
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north shore: Uncle Leo, the Con Artist - Part II
- 10/15/08 03:23 AM
Okay, yesterday I told you a bit about my wife's great-great-uncle Leo Koretz, and his swindling ways... (Part I) today I'll tell you part II
Telegrams glowing with incredible timber and oil production begin flooding into Leo's luxurious office in downtown Chicago. The squat little man, with droopy eyelids and coke-bottle glasses sat behind a mahogany desk with a brass plaque that read "Made from the first log cut at Bayano, 1917". Potential investors, sitting in front of Leo's desk were supposed to notice that. The outer switchboard of Leo's office was constantly receiving long-distance phone calls from Panama, which were … (2 comments)
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north shore: Uncle Leo, the Con Artist - Part I
- 10/14/08 08:36 AM
This is Part I in a series of what should be 3 posts about my wife's great-uncle... who was (how shall we say) not so great - in fact, he was the black sheep of the family. And yes, this is a true story.
Lou Keytes showed up from nowhere in Nova Scotia during the roaring '20s. He was a bit of a ladies man, during a time when there were very few eligible bachelors. Not because he was the most handsome man, in fact, he was a bearded, balding 43-year-old, with stooped shoulders, a distinct middle-aged paunch and a pasty-faced … (2 comments)
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north shore: Here's winking at YOU kid!
- 10/13/08 04:48 AM
In order to attract attention, and new potential business, you have to do something that isn't currently being done by others. You have to be different. Unique.
Now I know what you're thinking. How is "blogging" along with 114,000 other Active Rain members, something different and unique? Aren't we just following the herd, just a few more lemmings hurtling toward the cliff?
Well, according to NAR there are currently 1.2 million Realtors® in the U.S., and there are more real estate agents who are not members of NAR. So those of us "blogging" on Active Rain represent only the vanguard, the … (7 comments)
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north shore: A little Friday Brain Exercise
- 10/10/08 03:35 AM
A little brain exercise for a Friday. Here are 16 questions to give your brain a little stretch. Keep in mind they are designed as "trick questions" so think about them carefully. (I don't want to see any comments like... "hey, no fair, that was a trick question"... you've been forewarned) The answers appear upside-down at the end. Enjoy!
1 If there are five apples, and you take away three, how many do you have?
0 1 2 3 4 5
2 If a United States airplane crash … (5 comments)
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north shore: Do you have balance in your life?
- 10/10/08 02:36 AM
Answer true or false to each statement below.
I find myself spending more and more time on real estate-related projects. True False
I often feel I don't have any time for myself -- or for my family and friends. True False
I am often negotiating a contract during dinner. True False
Sometimes I feel as though I've lost sight of who I am and why I chose real estate as as career. True False
I can't remember the last time I was able to find the time to take a day off to do … (0 comments)
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north shore: Yom Ha Kippurim
- 10/09/08 03:38 AM
Today is Yom Kippur (the day of atonement) for our Jewish members.
Yom Kippur is the highest of the Jewish high holy days. It is the day when we fast from Sundown (yesterday) to sundown (tonight), in an effort to purge ourselves of our sins... recall our transgressions against others... ask for forgiveness, and forgive those who've transgressed against us (does that language sound at all familiar?) We blow the Shofar (ram's horn) at our services to announce the day to the community and the world.
Today we fast... and at sundown we "break" fast which usually includes lox & bagels, … (7 comments)
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north shore: Debate Facts #2
- 10/08/08 04:56 AM
McCain and Obama debated for the second time, in Nashville last night. As with the VP debate, I went to FactCheck.org to see how accurate their statements were, (totally disregarding the disrespectful "this guy"). FactCheck.org noted some misleading statements and mangled facts and in an effort to be fair and educate... I'm presenting their findings (in toto) here: • McCain proposed to write down the amount owed by over-mortgaged homeowners and claimed the idea as his own: “It’s my proposal, it's not Sen. Obama's proposal, it's not President Bush's proposal.” But the idea isn’t new. Obama had endorsed something similar … (2 comments)
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north shore: Eat That Frog Alive!
- 10/08/08 12:48 AM
Many months back, I attended a time-management seminar. The leader of that seminar suggested a technique for getting through each day that he called 'Eat that frog alive. Basically, he explains, that each day we have a certain number of things on our “To Do List”, and we often choose to do the most difficult item on our list last. We will put it off, and put it off, often causing us to fall short and reposition it onto the next day’s list.Think about one of those items on your “To Do” list being “Eat a Frog – Alive”. Ewwww… gross! … (14 comments)
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north shore: Are you a "Used Car Salesman?"
- 10/07/08 07:22 AM
In today's market, it has become more and more important to differentiate yourself from other Realtors. One Realtor is definitely not the same as the other Realtor. Choosing the right Realtor can be the difference between a sale and an "expired", between a successful negotiation and a "capitulation", between a calm and pleasant transaction and a "blind-panic-run to the finish line, arriving out of breath and bloodied".
But more importantly, as we see on blogs all over the internet, consumers are viewing us in the same light as "Used Car Salesmen", and I'm not sure who's coming out on top. Used … (16 comments)
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north shore: The Credit Crisis for Dummies
- 10/06/08 03:56 AM
Okay... I'm the very first in line, to admit that I don't understand high-finance at all.
I don't understand the "whys" of the credit crisis, and I don't really understand the "wherefores" of the bailout, and why it should be helpful. (note that I say "should" be, because even as I type, the DOW JONES industrials has dropped almost another 500 points this morning, even after the bailout has been approved).
So... for those of you who are as "finance-challenged" as I am, 60 minutes aired a show segment last night that suddenly lit a lightbulb over my head, and I … (3 comments)
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north shore: The Jack Story
- 10/06/08 01:24 AM
The power of positive thinking... and the power of negative thinking.
A guy is driving through the desert when one of his tires blows out. He gets out of his car and pops open the trunk to look for a spare tire and a jack. He sees the spare, but there’s no jack. “Oh shoot,” he thinks. But realizes to his good luck, that he passed a gas station about 5 miles back, he'll just walk back, and they'll surely loan him a jack.So he starts walking. 'I'm sure they'll have a jack' he thinks... ‘I hope they'll has a jack,’.. … (5 comments)
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north shore: Sorry, son... the horse died.
- 10/04/08 03:12 AM
Young Johnny moved to Montana and bought a horse from a farmer for $100.00 The farmer agreed to deliver the horse the next day. The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news. The horse died." Johnny replied, "Well then, just give me my money back." The farmer said, "Can't do that. I went and spent it already." "OK, then just bring me the dead horse." The farmer asked, "What ya gonna do with him?" Johnny said, "I'm going to raffle him off." The farmer said, "You can't raffle of a dead horse!" Johnny said, "Sure I can. Watch me. I … (7 comments)
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north shore: Paul Newman and the Ice Cream Cone
- 10/03/08 06:33 AM
This story was just presented to me as a true story.
A Michigan woman and her family were vacationing in a small New England village where Paul Newman and his family were known to frequent.
One Sunday morning, the woman got up early and she decided to take a long walk. After a brisk five-mile walk, she decided to treat herself to a double-dip chocolate ice cream cone. She hopped in the car, drove to the center of the village and went straight to the combination bakery/ice cream parlor.
There was only one other patron in the store: Paul Newman, sitting … (18 comments)
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north shore: Debate Facts.
- 10/03/08 02:41 AM
There's been some back and forth about "who won the 2nd debate". I'm not sure if there was a decisive winner. I think that Biden did a better job, but Palin didn't implode as many were expecting... but in the spirit of full-disclosure, I'm a democrat... from Illinois, so I might be a little biased.
That being said... I hate it when the candidates accuse the other side, and the accusations turn out to be "untruths". So here are some "corrections" about some of the statements made last night... brought to you via factcheck.org. Please note, that these fact "corrections" are … (16 comments)
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EEYORE
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