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Carole's 2007 Memesolutions

By
Real Estate Agent with Howard Hanna Cleveland City Office

Stop The Treadmill I Want To Get OffThe anticipation of a new year, full of promise and hope. Even though I always resist making resolutions on New Year's Day, I have been memed and have no choice. And not only one resolution but five! ? !

1. I resolve to learn one new 'tekkie' program. Yes it will be good for me, but that's not the reason. A few of us determined that we would find programs, platforms, etc that we all wanted to know how to utilize, and each of us would learn one and teach the others in the group; you know, just like in forced study groups in school only this time we are volunteering so we don't mind. I would love to tell you what 'tekkie' adventure I will be on, but that is TBD (TBD....that is also how our '1/2 year tax amounts' show up on MLS when there is tax abatement). (See I'm teaching already!)

2. I will become more organised. Last year I managed to get more organised at work. When we moved to our new office I know Manager Mark was grateful I did not want to be in the 'front' row because my prior office desk looked like the Tasmanian Devil had visited. In 2006, my office was serene and pristine. Why? I moved the chaos home. It seems like pushing a large boulder up a hill, but I am determined to do it - I lose way too much time looking for things. How do you all keep the paperwork monster at bay? When I was teaching, the coolest 9th grader watched me walk into a classroom with neatly paper clipped piles of paper. In no time he said to me "Wow Mrs. Cohen, I don't know how you do that." ME: "Do what?" STUDENT: "Take neatly organised stacks of paper and within 30 seconds have them in indistinguishable piles." (YES, he did say indistinguishable. This was a private boys school they use words like that)

3. I will take one day off a week. Alternatively (yes I'm hedging), I will take four days off a month. It's all the same no?

4. I will gather up a Friend once a month and explore Cleveland. I'm not one of those people who lives in a city and does not do the things visitors do, but let's face it, being a full time Realtor® doesn't leave me much time for this kind of exploring. This 'combo tasking' will let me see all the new exhibits at the Cleveland Museum of Art , hike the Emerald Necklace , take my baseball mitt to a Lake County Captains minor league game, maybe enjoy the summer events at Edgewater Park . Mitchell Hall even has me wanting to go bowling (who'da thunk!). I can gather up more than one friend for that excursion and check out the trendy new Fourth Street Bowling Alley  and martini bar in Downtown Cleveland. You get the idea.

 

5. I will not make any New Year's Eve resolutions on December 31, 2007. Hey, that counts! 

 

I should take this opportunity to thank Jason Price for 'meme-solutioning' me on New Year's Eve. But I can't. (OK OK, Thank You, Jason

 

I am tagging this Resolution Meme Favor to: Laurie Manny (because she is new and fun), Leanne Paynter (because she might smack me for it), and Mitchell Hall (who is from NYC so most definitely will smack me for it).  Happy New Year Everyone!

Peace Out - 3C

Bonnie Erickson
Tangletown Realty - Saint Paul, MN
Carole, That's a great list.  Submit your resolutions to josh@biggerpockets.com.  They're doing a group writing project on "resolutions and business plans".  You send your name, the URL link to your list and the name of your blog by January 5.  You can check it out on my RES blog.
Jan 01, 2007 07:20 AM
Carole Cohen
Howard Hanna Cleveland City Office - Cleveland, OH
Realtor, ePRO
Thank you Bonnie I will do that! You always have good ideas for me :-)
Jan 01, 2007 07:25 AM
George Souto
George Souto NMLS #65149 FHA, CHFA, VA Mortgages - Middletown, CT
Your Connecticut Mortgage Expert

Carole, I can identify with #2, my wife gets on my case about the office I have in my home.  I told her a story about a friend of mine that was a newspaper reporter.  I went to see him at the Paper and his dest was the biggest mess that I had ever seen.  The only thing that you could see was a sign on the side of the desk that said "A Clean Destk Is A Sign Of A Sick Mind".

I guess that makes you and me very healthy......LOL 

Jan 01, 2007 07:25 AM
Carole Cohen
Howard Hanna Cleveland City Office - Cleveland, OH
Realtor, ePRO

George that makes me feel better already lol.  Happy New Year!

Jan 01, 2007 07:33 AM
Mitchell J Hall
Manhattan, NY
Lic Associate RE Broker - Manhattan & Brooklyn
Carole, I'm a dreamer too. handouts in Time Square. I saw people wearing strange hats last night.  I avoid Time Square on New Years Eve. I went right under it, we took the subway last night.  I just went out, its dark a dreary and foggy although warm an balmy, I was suprised all the stores are open. Must have been a bad Christmas.
Jan 01, 2007 07:42 AM
Carole Cohen
Howard Hanna Cleveland City Office - Cleveland, OH
Realtor, ePRO

Interesting that we both have fog - then again we are both near water lol. I would probably skip Times Square as well, but what I love about it is the ability to get back to the large crowds and celebratory moods after 9.11 put a damper on it for a bit. That part is very cool.

Jan 01, 2007 07:52 AM
Laurie Manny
Long Beach CA Real Estate - Long Beach, CA

Hi Carole,

Ok here is is my 2007 Goals/Business Plan.

Thank you,

Laurie

Jan 01, 2007 03:45 PM
Jessica Hughes
Ambiance Staging - Boulder, CO

Carol it's good to know that I'm not the only messy one.  I can always find things though, I know exactly where they are in the 'mess'.  I always get ticked off whenever my husband moves anything.  "But we needed the table to eat dinner" he says!  The nerve.....

You need to take more time off.  Enjoy life.  Make number 4. explore X city once a month.  Manhattan one month (I'm sure Mitchell can put you up), come visit Kristal and me in Denver (we can split the hospitality services), Rich in Silverdale.......

Jan 01, 2007 04:34 PM
Carole Cohen
Howard Hanna Cleveland City Office - Cleveland, OH
Realtor, ePRO
Jessica I always know when it's definitely time to organise, because then I can't find a thing; you sound a bit better at it than me! I also appreciate the offer of hospitality more than you know :-)
Jan 01, 2007 04:44 PM
Melissa Kruse
Gryphon - Lewis Center, OH

Carole, I'm a pile person too and am working to cut down on the clutter. One thing I've started doing which seems to be helping so far, is to scan articles, documents etc that I want to keep. It seems like it is easier to keep them organized as pdf's on my computer. And then I don't worry when I toss them that I want them again next week.

Enjoy your Cleveland explorations, it's always hard to find time to explore our own cities. When I was in DC usually the only time I explored was when friends came in and I had to play tour guide.

Jan 02, 2007 02:22 PM
Carole Cohen
Howard Hanna Cleveland City Office - Cleveland, OH
Realtor, ePRO
Hi Melissa, it was so easy to get around in DC (Metro) that I used to go a lot, there was so much to do! Certain things (and I bet you will smile in agreement) like the White House tour. It's not all that spectacular at least it wasnt to me, so I waited for out of town guests for that one.
Jan 02, 2007 02:56 PM
Kay Van Kampen
RE/MAX Broker, RE/MAX - Springfield, MO
RealtorĀ®, Springfield Mo Real Estate
Carole, one of my resolutions was not to say one negative word and no 4 letter words like:  fall thru or with draw.  I never thought about taking a day off or checking out the town.  Think I might check out Branson, Missouri.  Thank you for adding me as an associate.  I've been watching you too.  Great Blog.
Jan 03, 2007 11:54 AM
Carole Cohen
Howard Hanna Cleveland City Office - Cleveland, OH
Realtor, ePRO
Hi Kay! I lived in St Louis for two years; loved it! Anyway, as to the four letter words, I agree I don't lilke those either lol @ u.  I would add s  n   o   w to that list lol
Jan 03, 2007 12:43 PM
ARDELL DellaLoggia
Better Properties Seattle - Kirkland, WA
I have heard about the 5 things people don't know about you Meme, but not his resolution one.  My resolution is to not worry about things falling through, sometimes it's the right thing for that to happen.  I have one tomorrow where the house is taking on water during escrow, heavy rains, and the seller is not responding well.  Saying, Oh it hardly ever rains this much.  Doesn't seem like an appropriate response.  Maybe this one SHOULD fall through...with everyone's blessing and no regrets.
Jan 04, 2007 04:47 PM
Carole Cohen
Howard Hanna Cleveland City Office - Cleveland, OH
Realtor, ePRO
Hi Ardell, well, you are safe from me because I've already tagged three people. lol  I know I am memed out. It's hard not to be invested in something falling through but you may be right about this seller. I think When you say 'have one tomorrow' you mean a closing, right? Nothing like having that happen right at the last minute! I will think good thoughts good luck
Jan 04, 2007 04:58 PM
Maggie Dokic /Indialantic | 321-252-8696
Magdalena Dokic - Indialantic, FL
Selling the beach in Florida's space coast

I laughed repeatedly with this one.  Thank you one and all.

I didn't make official resolutions this year but I did try to do away with my "piles."  They kept backfiring on me, for when I needed the space that all the piles were on I'd make the 17 piles one big pile and then not only was I back at sqaure one, but I had wasted all that time sorting.  The way I did away with my piles was simply a rolling filing cart.  I labeled each folder one of the "piles" and now they're still piles, just sideways!  It's a work in progress.  I'm sure I'll adapt it as I go along.

As a newbie, I have to ask: what's "memeing?"

And Mitchell, as a former New Yorker (lived there 30 years) I concur on Times Square.  Not once did I ever make it there on New Year's Eve. 

Carole, if you decide to take Jessica up on her recommendation, you can add Miami to the list.  I'd be happy to show you around!

Jan 07, 2007 02:59 PM
Carole Cohen
Howard Hanna Cleveland City Office - Cleveland, OH
Realtor, ePRO

Hi Maggie, it's really nice to meet you! And I appreciate your gracious offer of hospitality! For those of us having trouble finding one day off a week in general, that is still a fantasy but a nice one (travel).

As for the memeing: Mary McKnight (another AR Blogger) got us all involved in it, it's like a game of tag; you get 'memed' and then you have to meme however many people are set up in the 'game.' LOL  It was all new to us (for the most part) until right before Christmas and then wham. Luckily this NYears's Resolution thing didn't get as whacky as that other one. But if you go to Jay Thompson's blog site you will see (late December) or Maureen Francis's how all this got started. Myself I'm hoping for a looong break between the now and the next meme.

As for Time Square, you can watch it on webcam LOL

I'm looking forward to reading your blog posts. AND I am going to seriously consider your rolling cart. Something has to work!

 

Jan 07, 2007 03:06 PM
Maggie Dokic /Indialantic | 321-252-8696
Magdalena Dokic - Indialantic, FL
Selling the beach in Florida's space coast

Carole, thanks for the warm welcome and much needed explanation!  After a hectic day yesterday (all good, new leads and a 7% listing!) I realized that I better schedule "blogging" time each day or I'll never get around to it.  Let's see, 3:15AM is open ;-)

 

Jan 08, 2007 08:54 PM
Carole Cohen
Howard Hanna Cleveland City Office - Cleveland, OH
Realtor, ePRO
Hi Maggie, and 3:15am works for me :0) Congrats on the new listing!
Jan 08, 2007 11:22 PM
Maggie Dokic /Indialantic | 321-252-8696
Magdalena Dokic - Indialantic, FL
Selling the beach in Florida's space coast

Thanks for the congratulations Carole.  I haven't seen any cash in 5 months (thank heavens for HELOC's and the equity in my home :-/ ) and look forward to selling one of my listings soon!

I finally posted my first blog!  I had to think for days and then just get over that initial hump.  There's so much to learn, though.  It seems I'll never get there.

Blessings <3

Jan 10, 2007 11:16 PM