New Stuff

I updated the links and rearranged them on the side. Not for any reason, other than to add the new stuff, but there is one I had to add just because it made me laugh and still does - I Can Has Cheezburger. :) If you haven't already, check it out. This is a photo from the site that I had to copy and save:



Who could resist the cuteness?

Has to Be Said

I like Ann Coulter as much for her entertainment abilities as her view on politics. She says what I would be thinking if I were that smart and informed. What she lacks in tact, she makes up for in accuracy. She had this to say in a recent column:

"...the natural state of the world is Darfur. The freakish aberration is America and the rest of the Anglo-Saxon world.

The British Empire once spread the culture of prosperity around the globe -- Judeo-Christian values, tolerance, equality, private property and the rule of law. All recipients of the British Empire's largesse benefited, but the empire's most successful colony was the United States."

You can read the rest of the article here. Today's column is really good, too.

And Now A Word From Our Sponsors.....

OK, so they're not really sponsors, but I just wanted to mention the new ad on the sidebar.

It probably would come as no surprise that I am politically, socially, and financially conservative. Not that I don't have a heart; I just believe that, given the government's stupendous track record with anything it takes over, most things like charity, health care, etc., are better left to the private sector.

I don't think the government owes anyone health insurance, retirement benefits, or most of the other stuff that "people" (and by people I mean those on the left of the political landscape) say the government should provide. Socialism and communism failed in every country they've ever controlled - whereas privatization works.

Anywho, the reason I'm making this little announcement is because it looks like Fred Thompson is going to run for President in 2008. Of the candidates out there, I'm not sure if he is the best, from a conservative standpoint. However, I am fairly certain he stands the best chance of winning the election. Giuliani is too liberal a candidate, and McCain scares me. Romney isn't bad, but I don't think he could carry the conservative side - and none of them (other than possibly that sheriff in Aracopa County, AZ, who isn't running) has the right idea on immigration.

The worst thing I could envision for this country would be the election to the Oval Office of Hillary (and Bill - you know we'd get both of them), Obama or Edwards. Without a strong electable candidate on the other side, though, whoever makes it through the Democratic primary could take the election if the conservatives in this country can't pick a winning candidate.

It's a shame that we can't get someone more like Ron Paul or Howard Phillips or that doctor guy who is a part-time legislator in Colorado or someplace, but there are just too many people who have stopped thinking about what is best for the country as a whole. They want peace, they want what makes their own lives more comfortable, and frankly, they just want to be left alone. I don't blame them - I wish things were different, too. I just can't agree with them that not supporting the principles this country was founded on is the best way to go.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents. Back to regularly scheduled programming tomorrow, cuz I have work to do.

Summer Goals Meme

Summer Goals:

1. Clean my house - really clean it, not just straighten,
2. Which will involve organizing the basement and throwing things out,
3. Going through the clothes I've accumulated and donating anything worthy of donating, but tossing the stuff I don't need/wear/haven't worn in a year, and
4. Thoroughly washing and airing all bedding items, including comforters and pillows.
5. Preparing for the Detroit Turkey Trot and New Year's Eve run. (I was going to say "runs", but that sounded a bit too excremental).
6. Having the brakes and serpentine belt replaced on my car.
7. Restoring the china cabinet I bought on eBay earlier this year.
8. Moving everything out of the existing china cabinet and into the new one.
9. Making a decision about whether I am going to sell the old dining room set, donate it (for the tax deduction), or keep it (and if so, where????).
10. Replace the vanity in my half bath - which has already been painted in a color that still makes me smile!!
11. Develop a workout that I will actually do regularly in furtherance of item #5.
12. Make (and keep) an appointment with a dentist for a cleaning.
13. Make (and keep) an appointment with my doctor for a physical.
14. Take all of the books I've weeded out of my book collection to a local hospital (except for 2 that I'm not sure should be out in the public, such as "The DaVinci Code" and "Purpose Driven Life").
15. Having at least one weekend a month of fun that is memorable enough to think back on and smile when it's winter and I'm bummed.

OK, that's my list. You're it - what's yours? :)

Category: Slacker Songs

Not to rag on Sheryl Crow unnecessarily, but the category really requires mentioning that song from the early 90s called "All I Want To Do." You remember the one I'm talking about - Billy peels the labels off his bottles of Bud? Total slacker anthem. As is "Margueritaville," although I like that song. Sheryl Crow has another more recent song that follows the same pattern - "Soak Up The Sun." Catchy tune, slacker lyrics.

Other songs talk about leisure in a different way - as in, relief from the work day (like "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" - which is a spin-off of "Margueritaville") - but it's the slacker-as-role that gets me. Maybe it's a function of my warped upbringing, but I just can't imagine a life in which I didn't have to do anything I didn't want to do.

Procrastinating Leads To This......

Today's word is "Cal•li•pyg•ian."

Pronunciation: "ka-l&-'pi-j(E-)&nVariant(s): also cal•li•py•gous /-'pI-g&s/
Function: adjective
Etymology: Greek kallipygos, from kalli- + pygE buttocks: having shapely buttocks.

Trying to avoid doing something I really don't want to do but have to do anyway, I glanced at an MSN article about Cameron Diaz's current concerns about the new romantic interest of her former flame, Justin Timberlake (about both of whom I normally would care nothing).

Apparently, Le Timberlake has the hots for Jessica Biel (?no idea who she is), who has been described as callipygian. Procrastinator that I am, I had to look up the word, since I'd never heard or seen it before, and voila! a new vocabulary word that I probably will never in my life have occasion to use.

Losing at Musical Chairs

What a day!!

I was driving most of yesterday - best time I've had working in a long time, BTW - because I had to be in Flint at 9:00 a.m., in Saginaw by 11:00 a.m., and then in Battle Creek by 2:30 p.m. The first couple of legs of the trip weren't too bad; Battle Creek was a bit tricky, but that was because of road construction. All in all, not a bad day.

Plus, of the three hearings I attended yesterday, I won 2 of them. .667 is a pretty decent batting average..... :)

I'm saying this to distract myself from the current debate going on with my mortgage lenders..... When I bought my condo, I bought it with what's called an 80/20 loan, which means that I borrowed 100% of the purchase price. The stupid broker I dealt with told me that the prinicipal mortgage (i.e., first mortgage) would be a fixed rate loan, but the 2nd would be an ARM. I said "fine." Not great, but not really another way to do this.

I did not get the documents until the day of closing because of repeated delays on his part even though I'd told him that I needed to be out of my apartment by July 5. He kept telling me that the deal would be done the way he'd promised. When I got to the closing, I saw that he'd structured it backwards. Instead of having the ARM on the 2nd loan, the first loan was an ARM and the 2nd was a fixed rate mortgage. And, the fixed period was only for 2 years.

Since I'd had to give my notice at my apartment and had packed everything up already, I had no choice - either close as scheduled or be homeless. Knowing what I know now, I wish I'd taken everything to the nearest storage unit and waited, but this was my first purchase. I closed, moved in and went on.

Now that it's almost time for the ARM to adjust for the first adjustment, it's going to go up 3.4% - which means that my payment would jump from $758/month to $1,015/month.

My mortgage company is trying to work things out, but the 2nd mortgage being fixed is kicking everything to pieces. Since they're in a fairly secure position, they don't want to do what is called a subordination (which would put them back at 2nd place on the property) because the property may not be worth what is owed on it. If they subordinate (in the event of default), the first lender would get first crack at the property, including any proceeds. Even if they foreclosed, they would have a property subject to the 1st mortgage, which they wouldn't be able to sell.

So they've decided that if the property isn't worth what is owed on it, they would rather risk getting nothing than to subordinate their position, so they won't subordinate.

Which is to say that, in the game of real estate musical chairs, I might be without a seat.

UPDATE: I found an amendment to mortgage form and sent it to the guy at the 1st mortgage company. Bless his heart, he is going to ship it to his underwriter. Maybe I'll even get a new client out of this deal!! :)