michaels view: (not so) Wordless Wednesday...
- 05/24/11 10:37 PM
(not so) Wordless Wednesday...
As many of you know the new CEO (Niki) Nikesh Parekh, has offered the community a challenge. A challenge to create a collage of what ActiveRain means to you. Being the dismal hack at Photoshop that I am, I came up with the entry below. C'mon, get in on the fun and show us what ActiveRain means to you. Hurry, the contest ends real soon. Oh, did I mention that there is the chance to win 5,000 ActiveRain points? Oh, I just did...
… (36 comments)
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michaels view: Go Knock on Someone Else's Door...
- 05/23/11 11:59 PM
Go Knock on Someone Else's Door...
In this business you meet types. There are those who have big, brass door knockers. Occasionally, I get calls from dissatisfied sellers wanting me to change my report. I explain to them that this is a legal document and I must write what I see the property conditions are at the time of the inspection. The buyer has a right to know and is paying for my knowledge. It doesn't matter that "The Other Inspector" didn't catch or mention what I did. Shame on them. Just because you happened to hire an inspector that was blind … (26 comments)
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michaels view: Monday Morning Motivator & Some Points to Ponder...
- 05/22/11 10:46 PM
Monday Morning Motivator & Some Points to Ponder...
"So what do we do? Anything, something, so long as we just don’t sit there. If we screw it up, start over. Try something else. If we wait until we’ve satisfied all the uncertainties, it may be too late." – Lee Iacocca I liked Lee. To me, he was one of those straight shooters who told it like it was. His philosophy on business and leadership was a simple, roll up your sleeves, common sense approach. I am ambidextrous. I can take a job and screw it up with either hand. Lord knows, … (35 comments)
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michaels view: Good Night ActiveRain...
- 05/22/11 01:46 PM
Good Night ActiveRain...
Wow, here I am, at the end of another blogging week and at at the end of another week of working on and off on the pond. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is a pond, at least the magnitude of what I have been building. Koi ponds are ecosystems that if done correctly, not only support the fish, but frogs, dragonfly larva, and a host of other beneficial organisms.While the Lilly pond is 95% done, I've had to shift focus to the bog which is the septic system for the two fish ponds. Sometime in … (16 comments)
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michaels view: Let's Make it an Even Dozen...
- 05/21/11 11:03 PM
Let's Make it an Even Dozen...
Checking in with the ActiveRain Leaderboard last night, I noticed that one of the original faces to the rain, John Novak, reached the millonaire status, rounding the elite to an even dozen. John's first entry, dates all the way back to August, 2006. Talk about longevity and stick-to-itiveness. I guess we can relate John as the proverbial tortoise in the Rabbit and the Tortoise story. While there were those who jumped out and lead the pack quickly surpassing the MM mark, John kept plodding along, slowly but surely; putting one blog down after the … (32 comments)
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michaels view: Weathering the Storm...
- 05/20/11 11:01 PM
Weathering the Storm...
As we all may know by now, Douglas Ching and Steven Graham have left ActiveRain and have found employment elsewhere. While we may be sad at their leaving or shocked at the news, that is life in the corporate world. Generally, there will be a few key folks that will leave when a new skipper takes the helm. Although I did not know them personally, I wish Douglas and Steven the best in their new endeavours. So where does that leave us, the loyal ActiveRain patrons? We too have a decision - we stay or we too jump … (102 comments)
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michaels view: Friday's Fotos...
- 05/19/11 10:54 PM
Friday's Fotos...
Today I will deviate from my typical, picturesque type of photo - maybe tonight. There are some photos that belong in the hall of fame, while others belong in the hall of shame. Not that they were badly taken, but for the subject matter. This one belongs in the latter category. One expects a certain level of workmanship based on the location and price point of the property. On a renovation of an early 1900's Victorian, with a price point of over $700K, I expect a lot. What some folks do to desecrate a property is a crime, and … (26 comments)
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michaels view: D-u-u-u-h...
- 05/19/11 02:08 PM
D-u-u-u-h...
Flippers. Ya gotta luv 'em. They can find 5,982 ways to save a buck and keep us home inspectors employed and give us blog fodder to boot. The way I look at it, there are 3 ways to do a job: the right way, the wrong way, and the flipper's way. Although the flipper's way is wrong too, it is so much fun to tell them what a dunderhead they are. Folks pay good deal of money to purchase a house nowadays, and while properties are not perfect, they should be functionally acceptable and workmanship should conform to some … (13 comments)
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michaels view: And Now There's 11...
- 05/18/11 11:04 PM
And Now There's 11...
Although not quite there yet, fellow ActiveRain member, home inspector extraordinaire, and blogging sensation, Steven L. Smith, will become the next King of the House as he joins the ranks of ActiveRain millionaires. Poised at 999,950 points, Steven and his assistant, Nutsy, have been around the Hallowed Halls of Blogdom since April 2007; entertaining us with his inspection blogs, photos and of course Nutsy's antics. Now he is just a stones throw from being our next millionaire. Let's all stop by Steve's Blog to congratulate him on his lucky day and reaching this milestone by subscribing to … (33 comments)
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michaels view: My 2¢'s Worth...
- 05/18/11 02:02 PM
My 2¢'s Worth...
I have come to the conclusion, that unlike men, all vehicles are not created equal. They have not been bestowed by their creators with certain basic functions. Some have not been equipped with turn signals. Be it far from me to be a smart a$$, or even for even a moment, give the hint that folks behind the wheel are too busy texting, yakking on the cell, or otherwise preoccupied by being engaged in meaningful conversation with someone else in the vehicle. And it couldn't be that they are too self absorbed, rude, ignorant or inconsiderate of … (17 comments)
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michaels view: (not so) Wordless Wednesday...
- 05/17/11 10:53 PM
(not so) Wordless Wednesday...
I remember the first time I saw the Mackinac Bridge bride, I was standing on the fan tail of the ferry with my dad on one of our family get-together's in the Yooper. I marveled at the insect sized workmen scurrying over the steel super-structure like ants devouring a PB&J sandwich. Full of child-like wonderment, I pondered in my minds eye what the yet unfinished suspension span would look like when done. That was the last time I saw the bridge. In the early 90's, I made my first of 9 white-knuckled trips across the bridge … (28 comments)
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michaels view: The Big "O"...
- 05/17/11 10:41 AM
The Big "O"...Ya ever have one of those days, you roll out of the sack feeling like your feng has shui'ed and ying has yang'ed? Well my dear readers, today was one of THOSE days. Now I'm one of those who is not real buddy-buddy with the Big "O". No, I'm not talking about the queen of daytime drama, I'm talking about the other "O". Quite frankly, my skills in the dot your "i's" and cross your "t's" department on a scale of 1 - 10 are a minus 5. Gawd knows when I saw my desk top that didn't have … (15 comments)
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michaels view: Monday Morning Motivator & Some Points to Ponder...
- 05/15/11 11:00 PM
Monday Morning Motivator & Some Points to Ponder...
Life is Just like A Merry Go Round ~ Enjoy the Ride & Get Off… I can't remember when or where I first heard this, but it is one of these sayings, mantras, if you will, that has stuck in the back of my mind. I must have heard this at an early age, as I have lived the saying. When I was a kid, I can remember the roundabouts at the school yard. What fun! I would love it when the bigger, stronger kids got into the act as they could … (29 comments)
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michaels view: Cicada 2011 - Brood XIX...
- 05/15/11 01:04 PM
Cicada 2011 - Brood XIX...
Ever since 1998, they've been silently lurking underground, growing stronger and larger by the day. And when the old biological clock strikes the bewitching hour they emerge from the earth's womb; leaving their spent carcass' everywhere. Soon, they will be ready to once again claim the skies and deafen those near and far with their constant din of discord. The dreaded Cicada Brood XIX is upon us.. On my outside blog, RadnorLake Photography, I have put together a slide show and video showing a time lapse progression of a nymph emerging into adulthood. The photos were taken … (21 comments)
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michaels view: (not so) Speechless Sundae...
- 05/15/11 12:16 AM
(not so) Speechless Sundae...
There are those days when we've all have gotten out of the wrong side of the bed and our whole world seems to come crashing down around our ears. We hit the ground with that proverbial "thud" and life in general goes downhill quickly thereafter. Needless to say, we are not "happy campers" and the looks of displeasure we wear makes friend and foe alike give us an extremely wide berth. If you are reading this, it means that you have been given another wonderful day of opportunities. So put on that "Happy Face". It's Sundae, … (37 comments)
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michaels view: Americana ~ Guardians of the Sea...
- 05/13/11 11:27 PM
Americana ~ Guardians of the Sea...
As I thumb through images of the past, I have come upon the silly notion to start a series on what I will call Americana. Those images of bygone days that evoke memories of simpler times in our Nation. I may be talking through my my hat, but I think we all have items or images we collect. An example of what I am talking about is Super Blogging Star Rob Thomas and his images of barns in the Bristol TN/VA area. Me? I have collected, and still do, images of lighthouses - those silent … (31 comments)
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michaels view: Friday's Fotos...
- 05/12/11 11:24 PM
Friday's Fotos...
There is something about a wind mill that stirs thoughts, feelings and emotions of early life in the Prairies. Silently standing as the lone sentinel; sill, ever faithfully guarding his post today just as he did eons ago, he scans the horizon, watching, ever watching. To me, these lone, forgotten, sentry's are as much a part of Americana as Grandma, base ball and apple pie. Once dotting the landscape by the thousands; now, they are few and far between. If only they could talk, what stories they could tell of the life, love and the hardships the early pioneers … (27 comments)
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michaels view: Putting it All Together...
- 05/11/11 11:06 PM
Putting it All Together...
Whether we like it or not, we are in the digital age. Smart phones are going to continue to get smarter and folks are going to want information on your listing - like now. As professionals, we, like the market, are in constant flux, ebbing and flowing with the changes in the digital tides. Boomer's, as an entity are slowly being replaced by the Millennial's as the next major block of home purchasers. Marketing strategies are changing, so too will we. Boomers were "Turned On and Tuned In" - Millenial's are "Tuned Out and Plugged In".Today, we … (32 comments)
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michaels view: (not so) Wordless Wednesday...
- 05/10/11 11:36 PM
(not so) Wordless Wednesday...
As I stated in yesterday's post, "Those Were the Good Old Days..." I miss film, especially slide film. Slowly, I am sorting through thousands of slide images that I have taken trough the years and will be posting them here in "The Rain" and on my website/blog - radnorlakephotography.com.Having packed the gear in the Conestoga, I hooked up the horse and left the Salem area in the wee hours of the morning and headed for New Hampshire. Meandering up the coastline, I cruised by estuaries, soaking in the scenes silhouetted by the early morning light. The grey … (28 comments)
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michaels view: The ActiveRain Photoblogger Contest ~ Those Were the Good Old Days...
- 05/10/11 11:55 AM
The ActiveRain Photoblogger Contest ~ Those Were the Good Old Days...
I miss the good old days of film, especially slide film. Depending upon the scene or the setting, the photographer knew whether to either pop in a can of Velvia or Ektachrome. Gosh, there were so many things that a photographer, wading through swirls of emulsifiers in their mind could do. The possibilities were endless. I could add filters to saturate, add another to polarize unwanted light, soften or sharpen through minute exposure adjustments. Ah, the pallet was unlimited. In the good old days, photography was a unique blend of … (23 comments)
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