It is an extreme rarity that I re-blog anything.  It is also a rarity that I make myself find the time to WATCH a video like THIS one.  But, I made myself do it, and YOU need to make yourself watch this video as well.

From the video, it appears that we, as women, get heart attacks quite unlike the male half of the species does.  (Those doofus guys still ARE a part of our species, arent they ???)

Anyway.  Please... watch this video.  It may either save YOUR life, or may help you save the life of a woman you know and love.

Bless Your Heart !

Karen Anne

I recently noticed that I am sneaking up on both my 1000th blog post... and should be hitting the 800,000 point mark here on Active Rain in about three weeks.

So... I just wanted to say "Thank You !" to all of you who... week after week... read my blog posts... comment on them... share your thoughts... and join in "our conversations" and our "dialogues.

Perhaps about half of my posts have been "real-estate-related."  I think I must be getting old... because I have been finding, though, that as time goes on... that I seem to be writing more and more about personal issues, family situations, and other things not very related to "real estate."  So... this "real estate blog" has also become more of a personal journal of sorts.

There are a few blogging "purists"... very few of them, luckily, who kind of jump over that personal stuff... but everyone's different, and so are their tastes in what appeals to them.  I think that applies to all of us.  So... an additional "thank you" to those of you who continue to share my "personal journaling."  You have no idea how much it means to me.

Also... quite often, my nine years of teaching experience grabs hold of my little typing fingers... and I end up writing some tutorial posts in response to questions that have been asked of me.  As time wears on... these tutorials have ended up being about a quarter of my posts.  Yeah... there really is no such thing as a "former" teacher.

Some others of my posts have been either mildly political or even pointedly political.  Sometimes I even get into the areas of religion, spirituality, and even an occasional stab at Psychology.  Yes... that "Nice Catholic Girl from Cleveland" occasionally DOES grab my nun's ruler.  Some "habits" are hard to break.  <impish grin>

There have been a few times that I have either written about, or shared pictures of my baby... Mollie T. Cat.  Mollie tells me that she feels she has quite a few "Aunties" and even some "Uncles" out there... from some of the comments she has read.  So, Mollie T says her "Thank You's" to you, as well.

I have always encouraged everyone to comment on my posts... long ones... even if they think that what they have to say has already been said. 

If it's a religious, spiritual or political post... most are in agreement with what I have to say.  Some are occasionally in mild disagreement, and some... luckily a very few... tend to, in a much less than subtle way, more than hint that some of my ideas are spawned by the devil... LOL.

I am so thankful for all of you !  I really AM !  I know the frequency of my posts has dropped... and I thank those of you who still look for, and welcome, my posts, and for your gracious understanding. 

By the way... besides all of your wonderful comments... the biggest and best compliment I can get from you... is when you subscribe to my blog. 

So please, if you like what you see but have not subscribed... I would just love it if you would.

Newbies, Oldbies, and In-Between-bies.  You add so much to my posts... and I am grateful.  Thank you all so very, very much.

Yeah... I know.  My last post was quite the bummer... talking about what New Year's Eve meant to me, and the baggage I carry around concerning it.

Some days I think I should trundle over to Southwest Airlines and try and hire a baggage handler so I don't hurt myself with all that blasted baggage.

But... occasionally things happen that lighten the baggage load.

In fact... I just found something that does just that.

It is so cute, so sweet, and such a treat... that I wanted to share it with you.

I stumbled upon this just a few minutes ago.  It's a duet... with Zooey Deschanel (who I think is just adorable) and some young dude named Joe Gordon-Levitt (I have no clue who he is.)

I also had no clue that Zooey could sing... but she surprised me.  She is also playing the ukulele... which, when I first saw it, I thought was going to be really dorky.  Au contraire.  Miss Deschanel does a great job with it.

And... these two can sing.  Really great harmonies, too.  I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.

Ahhhh... I feel better, now.

She knew it.  She just knew it.  Even after last year... once again... today is December 30, 2011... and tomorrow is here again.

She wished she could figure out a way to make that particular "tomorrow" disappear.

You see... she is stuck.  Stuck in some sort of a Star Trek time loop.  Or maybe a better comparison would be what happens in one of her favorite movies... GroundHog Day.

In some ways... waking up tomorrow is a once-a-year kinda thing.  But in many other ways... it seems like it happens to her every single day.

I know.  I am talking nonsense.  Up until now.

But tomorrow is the anniversary of her wedding day.  New Year's Eve... 1965.  She and her childhood sweetheart got married that day.  The two of them... 21 and 19... had known each other for eight years.  Eight years since that day they met.

Is being 13 and 11 too young to fall in love ?  They thought not.  Way back then... Paul Anka had a song on the charts called "Puppy Love."  Of course, it was all about young love, how it feels, and how so many others saw it as childish.  But they knew better.  They knew it was the real thing.  They really did.

And so... beginning with December 31, 1965... and every New Year's Eve for the next eighteen years... these lovebirds were just that.  Lovebirds.  Right up until they weren't.

Adultery raised it's ugly head.  The cheating, the sneaking, the disguised meetings.  Somehow it all escaped her.  Somehow she had no clue... until she stumbled upon it.  There they were... her childhood sweetheart... and her best friend... boinking.

Recently I saw a story about Sandra Bullock.  Her short-time hubby had been cheating on her.  She had no clue.  She trusted.  And when she found out... she filed for divorce.  And since then... she has used two words to describe herself.  She said she felt "permanently broken."

Of course you know that this story is about me.  And how I have used those same words for years.

It is so funny... the ironic kind of funny... that when someone shares with me that she is feeling the same kind of reaction... when she is beating herself up in much the same way... I can be so very understanding... so very able to listen, to console, and to be there in a sisterly way for her.

But for me... the same things don't seem to work the same way.  Permanently broken.

So far I have had a pretty positive day here on Active Rain... having written both a new blog post that attracted all sorts of positive comments, and then making some of my own comments on some really great Active Rainer's blog posts.  It's too bad I have to end it with somewhat of a rant.

I thought we as agents, and as media, had gotten over this "craze" of making blanket negative statements about the housing market in general, but I guess I spoke too soon.

Earlier tonight I read a post that listed a series of "great real estate articles" for one and all to read.  I will not be specific about who the author was, because my rant here is going to be pretty "ranty."

I'm not so sure I would call something a "great list" when it begins with a highly negative linked-to article about how home values dropped all the way down to 2002 levels. 

As a blanket statement... this is JUST NOT TRUE.  And, I don't care who says it is... or who the article refers to as the source of this overly negative news.

Here in the Fort Worth market area values have done nothing of the sort.  They have not plummeted.

I know there are many other areas in the country where what the article, and in turn, what the writer's blog post said may be true... but still.  To make a blanket statement like that can be so hurtful to so many buyers and sellers in other areas where values are either stable, or actually increasing... which IS the case in Fort Worth.

I thought we had gotten over the need to wallpaper the walls with total doom and gloom.

I suggest that those "media types..." and some of us as Realtors... either hold off making untrue blanket statements, or suggest that they put in a disclaimer that states very plainly that although the "dropping of home values" may be true in some areas, there are many other areas where values are actually climbing.  And climbing so well that they are actually experiencing a shortage of properties to sell... because the homes are selling so quickly after being listed... and in many cases... are selling with multiple offers being made.

The national media, and even the National Association of Realtors may not know enough about what is going on... but those of us in the trenches who deal with it every day... should.

A few weeks ago Richard Yates wrote an interesting post titled Subscribers make you a Successful Blogger. True or False?  In the post Richard bounced around some great ideas about how he finally made it to number 90 on the list of the Top 100 AR bloggers - by number of subscribers. 

Many people do value the number of subscribers they have.

But... over the last many months... there have been many, many, many posts written about "Featured Posts."  Some Rainers tried to explain their ideas on what would get a post "Featured."

Others have been very, very upset because they felt that some post by other Rainers got Featured, and (in their opinion) did not deserve it.  And of course, along with that feeling... they were also upset... some very upset... that some of the post that they had written... did NOT get Featured.

On and on and on it went.  I often found it quite amusing, and also quite perplexing, that such high degree of emotions would bubble over simply about being, or not being Featured.

So... we have two ideas, here.  Being Featured, and having Active Rainers "subscribe" to your blog.  Many things that bring about either of these "honors" are pretty much out of our control. 

Sometimes it appears that the only thing we DO have control of... is the number of blog posts we write.  But, then again, that doesn't necessarily bring anything except points.  Many folks go bonkers over points... but what does a boatload of points really mean... if nobody comments on your posts... or if nobody even reads your posts, or values what you have to say, or... best of all... what good does a ton of points do if it doesn't result in lots of closings and commission checks ?

I believe the number of subscribers you have is an indication of how "readable" your blog posts are.  Also... I remember back in the earlier years of Active Rain that there were some groups... perhaps you could call them "cliques..."or gangs of people who mainly commented on each other's posts.  They also subscribed to everyone else's blog... in their little "clique."

By the way... I do not think that has been the case... ohhhh... over the last three years or so.

So, for me this beings a question ? 

What IS a good indication of a "good" blogger ?  Is it the points ?  The number of Featured Posts ?  Or the number of Subscribers ?

Do "good" and "popular" equate ?  Sometimes yes, sometimes no.  It's just another one of those questions where the best answer is... "it depends."

So... aside from the number of closings your blogging gets you... which do you value more ?  The number of subscribers you have, or the number of Featured Posts ?  Or... perhaps neither of them is important.

For me, the answer is the number of Subscribers.  But, that is just me.  That is also one reason why I am so amused by the tons and tons of questioning and argumentative posts about "who or what deserves to be Featured."  Anything can be featured... but it takes a certain something to cause one's readers to subscribe.

What floats your boat ?  The number of Featured Posts you get... or the number of Subscribers who subscribe to your blog ?

Most folks I know turned their clocks back One Hour last night.  That's because the end of Daylight Savings time is here.  So now, it gets darker one hour earlier today than it did yesterday.

That, of course, gave ALL of us one extra hour yesterday (Saturday) to finish all the things on our "To Do" list.

The younger you are, the less trouble or confusion messing with that "one extra hour" will cause you.  But some of us older kids... well... just that one hour can mess with what the sleep doctors call our "circadian rhythms."  For some of us, it will take weeks to adjust. 

Also, it not only affects humans, but plants and animals, as well.  I have even read stories by dairy farmers... that even their milk-producing cows can have a difficult time adjusting.

I don't know about you, but just that extra one hour we got yesterday really doesn't help me catch up with all the "stuff" on my "to do" list... so I am proposing a new idea.

What if... instead of doing the "same old, same old" routine of turning our clocks back only ONE hour to get that extra hour of sleep, or work-time... what IF... we turned our clocks back TWENTY-FIVE hours ?

Instead of getting an extra hour, we would get an entire extra DAY.  We could use it for work... or... we could use it for sleep.  I am tired... I could use the sleep.  So... for almost all of you... today is Sunday.  For me... I get the full extra 25 hours... so for me, it is still Saturday.

I have been reaching into the far corners of my brain... dusting out the cobwebs... and thinking about this.

So... whaddya say ?  Could it work ?

Just wondering...

I could begin this post with the words... "Ooops, they did it again..." but I fear it would drive folks away... thinking it would be about a Brittany Spears song.  Yikes.

But no... you're safe.  But yes... it's a post about getting "Featured Posts...", or, in this case... about NOT getting "Featured Posts."

I do not want this post to be "personal"... so I will not mention any names.  But... a post was written earlier today about how the Featured Post System was Broken... and asked for ways to change it.

Obviously, the person writing the post did not think that their posts were getting "Featured" enough.  For you Newbies... a post gets featured when one, or several of the Active Rain staff feel that the particular post is of excellent quality, or was thought to have "wide appeal."

All posts don't need to be about real estate.  The subject could be about almost anything.  Although there are many reasons why the AR staff "Features" posts... I would guess that those thought to have the widest appeal, or those thought to be "special..." end up being Featured.  Which, I think, is the way it should be.

Some folks think that many of the Features go to the same old Favorite Folks... just because of who they are.  On the whole, I don't think so.  Some may occasionally get Featured more out of "respect" rather than favorite'ness... but heck... who knows ?  And... who cares ?

So, I have some questions of my own.  Perhaps thinking about the answers might shed some light on this "awwww I don't get featured enough" question.

Who is the "best blogger" on Active Rain ?

Is it the person with the most points ?  I don't think so.  All that means is that they wrote a bunch of posts for a very long time.

I am number 5 in Texas as far as points are concerned.  Does that make me the fifth best blogger in Texas ?  Heck no.  There are many, many bloggers down the list who have fewer points than I do... who do a much better job of blogging.  Texas bloggers Dorie Dillard and Marchel Peterson come to mind.

Who is "the best?" 

Well, that depends on what you value.  Perhaps it has to do with the number of Active Rainers who have "subscribed" to your blog ?  If you write a quality blog, if it has wide appeal, and if you've been around for awhile... you will get readers who like your posts well enough to subscribe to them.  That makes sense. 

There is a list for that.  Top 100 AR bloggers - by number of subscribers.  So... if you have folks whose posts you really, really like... I suggest you hit their "subscribe" button... and subscribe to their blog.

Then... there is the number of "Associations" you have.  That can be seen at the very top of your profile page.  It "might" also be seen as a measure of "top blogger'ness" by some.  Or... there are those who look at it as more of a "popularity contest."  And there are some who ignore it.  Again... it depends on the person. 

Another word about "points."  If you see someone who has lots of points, take a look at their "points summary."  Look at points earned from simply "writing" blog posts, and points from "making comments on the posts of others."  Are those two points sub-total numbers "in balance ?"

If I see that the great majority, if not almost all of a person's points are from "writing" blogs... but that person does not take the time, or give any respect to other Active Rainers by commenting on their posts... I am sorry, but this sounds much too much like a "one way street."  And one-way streets often become dead-end streets. 

Or... to give it a sports analogy... they sound like a "ball hog."

Perhaps the answer to that is really easy.  Perhaps someone who gets fewer "Features" than they think they deserve... perhaps it is simply because their posts and their writing just do not have wide enough appeal ?

Points are not everything.  Blogs, and bloggers, are multi-faceted.  And each of those facets, or qualities, attracts different readers.  That's the way it works.

Please share your thoughts... I would love to hear them, and so would my readers...

Life is Never Easy When You Have Two Heads...

Why I thought it would be... I'll never know.  Some things work better... other things... not so much.

But... keeping everything all bundled and bottled up inside just one head... ouch... it used to hurt.  So... I grew another head.

I know... it sounds funny.  And yeah... many of my everyday expenses have gone way up.  Just think... two trips to the dentist.  Twice as much to get my hair done.  And Yikes... just the cost of all that extra lipstick, eye-liner and mascara.

But... I did it.  I thought I had to.  I thought I had no choice.

Have YOU ever thought you needed two heads ?

Today my Texas friend Donna Harris hit an Active Rain Milestone.  She became a member of the Active Rain "Million Point Club."

Donna has been a member of Active Rain since 2006, and wrote much of her blog as a Dallas area Realtor... (Richardson, TX actually).  Then... in April 2009... Donna made the move to the Austin, Texas area.  You can read Donna's blog post about her "points" achievement in her post here.  Donna tells a great story about it IN her post.  Her post, like all of what she writes, is very well done, and tells a lot about her.

Major Congratulations to Donna on her hitting the Million Point Mark.  I am very proud of her.  And yes... her accomplishment means all that much more in view of the fact that she did it with hundreds fewer posts that many of the others currently over the Million mark.

BUT... one of the many reasons she also has done so well, money and transaction-wise... in my opinion, is because she has NOT only written about real estate nuts and bolts stuff, but she shared "the personal" with us.  We have gotten to know her, her family, and many other fun things about her that make her who she is. 

Yes... we have learned this... but, so have her "public" readers.  Through those personal posts... many of them about her children... we have come to "like" her.  So if anyone tells you that "personal stuff" doesn't belong on Active Rain... tell them about Donna Harris.

It's one thing to "like" someone on Facebook... but growing to know, like and trust someone through their sharing of themselves on their blog... is something else.  I am thankful for her "mixing it up."

Donna... once again... Congratulations !