Weekend highlights

Its hard to imagine the weather being much less conducive to walking around Philly on Sat. The temperature was in the upper 30s as it alternated between rain and snow the entire day. Oh, and did I mention it was very windy too? We used umbrellas but the wind drove the rain and show under them.

When we arrived in Philly around noon we started with lunch at Pietro's. We had soup, salad, and pizza. Then we had a driving tour of Philly and Thad pointed out places of interest such as museums, beautiful old government buildings, and places where he used to live and work. Then we checked into the hotel and walked across the street to Reading Terminal Market. After walking around and getting the 'lay of the land' we took advantage of the vendors' desire to get rid of baked goods for $2. The 4 of us purchased 5 different desserts and enjoyed a Dessert Extravaganza along with some hot coffee. The coffee was especially nice on such a cold, blustery day. Since it was raining/snowing I wore a water-resistant windbreaker but it wasn't warm enough. (My warmer coat isn't water-resistant.) I felt like I was cold the entire weekend. Then we went to Macy's which is located in the old Wanamaker store. What a gorgeous building! Neither Spouse nor I bought anything, since Macy's isn't really our style. Afterward we rested in hotel room until it was time to get ready for dinner. The 4 of us took a cab and met up with Joe P, Allen, and Matt & Stacy for dinner at Farmicia. But after we'd been sat at our table our waiter advised us that they had no gas (which power the stoves and ovens) so they could not provide any hot food! We decided to go to plan B and went around the corner to Fork. I think the dicey weather was the only reason they were able to seat our party of 8 without a reservation. I had wild mushroom risotto which was delicious. After dinner Joe P went with the 4 of us to a bar called the Bike Stop to see some guys in Halloween costumes. Then we walked over to to Tavern on Camac to see more. It was a fun night!

Sun morning walked across the street again to Reading Terminal Market and had breakfast at Down Home Diner. Afterward we walked around the Terminal some more. Fortunately the weather cleared up. It was bright and sunny, but still cold. We packed up our stuff, checked out of the hotel, and headed over to Trader Joe's in the car so we could stock up on our favorite items. (We don't have Trader Joe's near us so we stock up when we're in Philly or in VA visiting family.) Then came home and relaxed and caught up on emails.

It was a very nice trip, although the weather surely could have been nicer.

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

A friend sent me this and I laughed out loud!A randomly placed price tag can change the entire meaning!

Once again I was disappointed with this season's winner of Project Runway. The last season where I agreed with the winner was when Christian Siriano won. This season it was Anya, or Last-minute Lisa as I call her. Anya allegedly just learned how to sow a few months before the show began. She never seemed to have a clear vision of what she was designing, and always appeared to fly by the seat of her pants. I was especially surprised that the judges didn't slam her for the fact that her Fashion Week collection had little diversity. While other designers made dresses, pants, tops, jackets, gowns, and tanks, Anya made 10 flowing shapeless dresses in tropical prints. Perfect for women who live on cruise ships!

I saw this on facebook and really liked the message.
I've had lots of property showings this week, which is a good thing since you don't sell houses if you aren't showing them. None of them wrote an offer yet but I believe at least 1 of them is getting very close.

Speaking of clients, 1 of my clients sent me box of chocolates as 'thank you' for helping them get to know the area and narrow down the home search for them. They sent the chocolates from some place in OH where they live so I'd never heard of the company before, but the chocolates were amazing!

I saw this on facebook and just had to share it.

Spouse & I are going to Philly this weekend with Steven & Thad. Of course the weather has suddenly changed. Today its cold and windy and tomorrow they're forecasting rain and possibly snow in Philly. I'm sure we'll have a great time anyway.

Have a great Halloween weekend!

The mystery continues

After confronting Steven & Thad about my belief that they were responsible for the 'banana mystery', the bananas appeared to stop which confirmed for me that they were indeed responsible, despite their protests to the contrary.

Just when I thought it was safe to go back into the produce department, another banana arrived today!

The 1st banana was porcelain, the 2nd was frosted, the 3rd was a real banana, and now the 4th banana is paper mache.

This one came via US mail to our house, and was postmarked in VA Beach, VA. This puzzled me since I've never EVER heard Steven & Thad mention having any friends or family in VA Beach, to whom they could have sent the banana with instructions to mail it to me.

A friend to whom I'd told the banana mystery suggested that Steven & Thad may have accomplices that travel for work who could have sent the latest banana from VA Beach. Indeed, the locations from which the bananas are sent need not necessarily be important.

Of course the thought has also crossed my mind that 'copy cats' could jump on the bandwagon, but this is highly unlikely since I've not shared my address on my blog. So I still think its Steven & Thad and their accomplices who are responsible for the bananas.

I wonder what the next banana will be made of???

Stoopid lyrics

Welcome to another edition of "Stoopid lyrics"!

A song's appearance here does NOT mean I think the song is stupid or that I don't like the song. In fact, often I like the songs a lot, but find the lyrics just don't make sense.

Judge for yourself!

Bright Lights
performed by Matchbox 20

She got out of town
On a railway New York bound
Took all except my name
Another alien on Broadway
There's some things in this world
You just can't change
Somethings you can't see
Until it gets too late
Baby, baby, baby
When all your love is gone
Who will save me
From all I'm up against out in this world
Maybe, maybe, maybe
You'll find something
That's enough to keep you
But if the bright lights don't receive you
You should turn yourself around
And come on home
I got a hole in me now
yeah,I got a scar I can talk about
She keeps a picture of me
In her apartment in the city
Some things in this world
Man, they don't make sense
Some things you don't need
Until they leave you
And they're things that you miss
Baby, baby, baby
When all your love is gone
Who will save me
From all I'm up against out in this world
Maybe, maybe, maybe
You'll find something
That's enough to keep you
But if the bright lights don't receive you
You should turn yourself around
And come on home
Let that city take you in, come on home
Let that city spit you out, come on home
Let that city take you down, yeah
God's sake turn around
Baby, baby, baby
When all your love is gone
Who will save me
From all I'm up against in this world
Maybe, maybe, maybe
You'll find something
That's enough to keep you
But if the bright lights don't receive you
You should turn yourself around
And come on home
Come on home
Baby, baby, baby
Come on home
Yeah, come on home
Yeah, come on home

Just because

Weekend highlights

Wow - where did the weekend go?

I worked on Sat, as usual, and Spouse & I had dinner with Steven & Thad at Bethany Blues. End of day.

Sun I was off so Spouse & I met Steven & Thad for breakfast at Crystal Restaurant, then we did a little shopping. Spouse needed a pair of jeans that actually fit him since he's lost weight, and he found a pair that fit him well AND were on sale. We also checked out the clearance racks at a few of the outlet/factory stores and Spouse got 2 shirts and a hoodie. Later that afternoon we did some housecleaning and laundry, then met Steven & Thad for dinner at Cafe Azafran. End of weekend.

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

I saw this on facebook and liked it so much I shared it with my friends there AND here on Blogger. It really makes a lot of sense when you stop and think about it.

I also saw this on facebook and laughed out loud. So true!!!

My friend Joe P shared this video with me about how to get corn on the cob with no silk and no shucking. I can't believe I'd never heard of this before!

So another celebrity has 'come out': Zachary Quinto.
I thought he did a great job as Spock in the Star Trek movie, and I think he's really attractive, too.

Here's hoping everyone has a great weekend.

Don't rush me

I've written before about my dislike for people and retailers who rush the seasons and the holidays.

Even here in this beach resort area, you can't find a bathing suit in any store in July because they've all been cleared out to make room for the winter coats... in July!!

I was in a store in September and was shocked to see Christmas decorations for sale!

Its also frustrating to see Valentines Day merchandise in stores between Christmas and New Years.

And although I don't shop at Nordstrom, I absolutely LOVE that they absolutely refuse to decorate their stores with Christmas decorations until the day after Thanksgiving. Why? Well, this sign in a Nordstrom window explains it rather simply:
I suggest we all vow to live and decorate 'in the moment' and resist rushing the seasons or the holidays. Who's with me?!?!

Stoopid lyrics

Now that I've figured out I can copy text and paste it into Blogger as long as I'm not using Internet Explorer, I can resume my blog feature "Stoopid Lyrics".

A song's appearance here does NOT mean I think the song is stupid or that I don't like the song. In fact, often I like the songs a lot, but find the lyrics just don't make sense.

Judge for yourself!

Stoned Soul Picnic

performed by the Fifth Dimension

Can you surry, can you picnic?
Can you surry, can you picnic?
Surry down to a stoned soul picnic
Surry down to a stoned soul picnic
There'll be lots of time and wine

Red yellow honey, sassafras and moonshine
Red yellow honey
Sassafras and moonshine (moonshine)
Stoned soul, stoned soul

Surry down to a stoned soul picnic
Surry down to a stoned soul picnic
Rain and sun come in akin
And from the sky come the Lord and the lightning
And from the sky come the Lord and the lightning

Stoned soul, stoned soul
Surry on soul
Surry, Surry, Surry, Surry

There'll be trains of blossoms (there'll be trains of blossoms)
There'll be trains of music (there'll be music)
There'll be trains of trust, trains of golden dust
Come along and surry on sweet trains of thought
Surry on down

Can you surry, can you surry
Surry down to a stoned soul picnic
Surry down to a stoned soul picnic
There'll be lots of time and wine

Red yellow honey, sassafras and moonshine
Red yellow honey
Sassafras and moonshine (moonshine)
Stoned soul, stoned soul
Stoned soul yeah
Surry on soul
Surry

Just because

Weekend highlights

I don't have a lot of 'highlights' from the weekend since I worked both days.

After work on Sat. Spouse & I had dinner with Steven & Thad and 1 of the Bobs at Fins Fish House & Raw Bar. Although Fins has been in business for several years, I've just started eating there now that I know it isn't just raw food. The food is very good but a little on the expensive side, even for downtown, which may be the reason they don't put any prices on their website's menu. After dinner we strolled the streets of town in search of jazz. Since it was jazz fest weekend I assumed we'd be able to duck into various bars and restaurants to hear a little music, as we'd done in past years. I don't know if we happened to stop in just at the time most performers were on break or what, but we had a difficult time finding music! One place had music but it wasn't jazz. Another place or 2 had jazz but they were restaurants so we didn't want to go in and take up a table and not order. We wound up sitting on a bench in front of a restaurant and listened to their jazz from a distance. But the weather was amazing so we didn't mind walking around town and just enjoying being outside on what was probably 1 of the last nights of the year that we didn't need a jacket.

While I worked on Sun. Spouse cooked boneless pork chops and roasted a veggie medley for dinner. Apparently that morning while he was having breakfast with Steven & Thad, 1 of them suggested he made dinner for the 4 of us, so he did. He didn't feel like cooking AND cleaning the house, so he told Steven & Thad he'd bring dinner over to their house to eat. It was delish and we had a nice time visiting with our friends after dinner was over.

Since I worked yesterday I was off today. I didn't have any special plans so I had time to washed 2 loads of clothes and 3 loads of towels. I also stopped in at my office for an hour or so to handle a few things like copying and dropping off offer #8 at the office of another realtor. It was nice weather to have the day off.

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget yet too small to be their own post.

A friend sent me this which I found funny and true.

A friend sent me this and I just had to share it. Love it!

This weekend is the big Jazz Fest in our area. There's a concert at the convention center and all the local restaurants and bars will also have live jazz musicians and singers as well. I'm scheduled to work Sat & Sun but am hoping to duck into a few places after dinner Sat evening to check out the live music.

Here's wishing everyone a great weekend!

Demolished

You may remember about 2 years ago when pediatrician Earl Bradley of Bay Bees Pediatrics in Lewes, DE was accused of sexually assaulting over 100 of his child patients over a period of several years. This scandal shocked the community, and many parents of children treated by Bradley remained in disbelief for months. He was found guilty and sentenced to multiple life sentences in prison.

The bank that held the mortgage took possession of the land on which Dr Bradley's ofc sat some time ago, and this week the structures were demolished. I pass this site everyday.
Some parents and local politicians attended the event which they hoped would erase the reminder of the horrific behavior. You can read the story and view more photos here.

Just because

National Coming Out Day

Today is National Coming Out Day.

NCOD was founded by a psychologist and an openly-gay politician to raise awareness of the GLBT community and equally. Gays and lesbians are encouraged to 'come out' on NCOD to someone who may not know they're gay.

Although I fully support the idea of NCOD, personally I've had very little need for it. Ever since I 'came out' the first time, I've always lived openly. My daily conversation contains references to my partner and our lives together. So rather than needing to 'come out' to anyone on any day, I'm always 'out'.

But 'coming out' isn't easy for most people. My 'coming out' to my family was extremely emotional. I delayed it for several years because I knew it would truly be a life-altering action. I've shared my 'coming out' story here before, but if you haven't read it and you'd like to, you can do so here:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

If you feel so inclined, please 'come out' to someone today.

Weekend highlights

As usual I worked on Sat. The offer I wrote on Fri for the small old house was countered by the seller on Sat and then ratified later on that day. That's deal #7 for me. That afternoon I met with a new couple and showed them a number of homes.

That evening Spouse & I met up with Steven & Thad and 1 of the Bobs for dinner at Ruby Tuesday. Then I went to the Blue Moon to perform as Neil Diamond in the encore presentation of the Legends show. There was a good crowd at the show, likely because it was a holiday weekend and there were several activities going on in town. After the show I hung out for a while with a couple friends from the show, but was home by midnight since I had to work the next day.

Sun I met with a client at 9:30 and took him to see a few homes he'd selected online that were very low priced. He's never bought a home before and is not sure if he can afford to buy or how much he can spend, so I gave him business cards for 2 local mortgage specialists and explained that they can pre-qualify him for a mortgage over the phone, letting him know how much he can afford to buy and what the payments would be. As we drove from home to home I asked him questions about his work and where he was from, and also helped explain some general real estate processes to him (home inspection, closing costs, transfer taxes). None of the homes we saw today suited him so I suggested that, depending on the results of his pre-qualification, he may find something he likes better in a slightly higher price range. He agreed and I look forward to working with him again in the future. Then after lunch, the guys I'd shown property to on Tues, saw at karaoke on Thurs, and showed homes to on Fri came in to write an offer on one of the homes. That's #8. It was a good week for me real estate-wise!

Sun evening Spouse & I used our VIP invitation to attend the 30th anniversary celebration of the Blue Moon. There were roving spotlights and red carpets announcing the establishment's special night. Inside it was very crowded and everyone was happy and enjoying themselves. There were passed hors d'ouvres and both of the bars were slammed. Then the emcee for the night, Miss Richfield 1981, did a short but hilarious stand-up act and then introduced the special guest entertainer: Thelma Houston! Thelma performed a Motown medley followed by her 70s disco hit "Don't Leave Me This Way". I was really impressed by how great her voice sounded after more than 35 years. Everyone danced and sang along. It was really great! Another fun surprise of the celebration was a photo booth. Spouse declined to have his photo taken so I hopped in the booth with 2 of my favorite drag queens Mona Lotts and with Phoenix Rising. It was a really, really nice celebration.

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

I saw this on facebook and had to include it here.
Seems pretty accurate to me.

Last night my clients to whom I showed property on Tues and earlier today showed up at karaoke! They didn't know I'd be there; its just 'the place to be' on Thurs nights. We hung out for a while and they got to hear me sing. It was fun!

Today I wrote an offer for a commercial client on a small, old house that's on a street that's now zoned commercial. Its rather inexpensive because the value is primarily in the land, but every deal is a good deal. They plan to renovate the house and relocate their office in the old house. Let's hope this one gets ratified too, so it will be deal #7.

I saw this on facebook and thought I'd share it.Feel free to send this to an ungrateful teenager you know.

I'm really looking forward to Sunday's 30th anniversary party at the Blue Moon. They'll have a red carpet, spotlights shooting up into the sky, and all kinds of surprises. Look for my recap on Mon.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Busy

Since I live and work in a beach/resort area, I assumed that shortly after Labor Day when "the season" was over, there would be fewer visitors and work would slow down from the hectic summer pace. I was wrong.

Its Oct and work has still been quite busy; so much so that I've had trouble taking a full day off. I was supposed to be off today, but the offer I presented a few days ago was countered by the seller last evening, so today I was on the phone with my buyers discussing the counter, their options and our strategy. Then I spoke with another client and eventually had to go into office to send some documents to the 1st buyers and schedule property showings for next day for the 2nd buyers. This seems to happen every time I try to take a day off.

I know I shouldn't complain. I mean, how many people start a brand new career in real estate and in just over 6 months are so busy they have a hard time having a real, full day off? I'm lucky to be this busy, but at times it gets a little frustrating.

Diva

This coming weekend marks the 30th anniversary of the Blue Moon restaurant and bar. As a part of the weekend's celebration we're doing an encore performance of the Legends show Sat night.

Its been over a month since we performed these characters so the bar owners asked each of us to come in today to run through our segments. I went today at 3:30 to rehearsal my Neil Diamond routine. I'm very comfortable with the material and really didn't need the rehearsal, but I dare not say so.

See, the night of our very first Legends show I was the last performer and after finishing my medley I left the stage knowing I had just a few short minutes to change out of my Neil Diamond costume and into my finale tuxedo. So as I exited the stage I handed my mic to the show coordinator and simply said "mic", then yanked my silk scarf from around my neck and handed it to the costume coordinator and said "scarf" and began unbuttoning my shirt. Thanks to this, the show coordinator gave me the nickname Diva.


So I dared not tell them I really didn't need today's rehearsal. That would have cemented my Diva status for sure!

After finishing the rehearsal we talked briefly about plans for the Legends Christmas show. I love Christmas music!! I was thrilled to learn that I'm going to be impersonating Neil Sedaka and singing 'Merry Christmas, Darling' - one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs!

Just because

Weekend highlights

Fri night we had Fri night dinner with 'the usual suspects' and a crazy weather front moved in while we were eating. There was lightning and rain and when we left the restaurant the temperature seemed to have dropped 20 degrees. It was really chilly! That night I wound up having to get up during the night to get a blanket from the amoir.

As usual I worked on Sat. I had an 8:30 walk-thru followed by a 9:30 settlement for my clients from CT. They aren't a young couple, but they were so excited about closing on their new home. They loved the beautiful decorative glass bowl I gave them as a settlement gift. That evening Steven & Thad went to a wedding so Spouse & I went to dinner at Saketumi with Joe P. I was in the mood for sushi and Joe P always says yes to sushi. Steven & Thad joined us there after the wedding, about 1/2 way through our meal. Afterward we stopped at their house for wedding cupcakes they brought home from the reception. I confronted them about their role in the banana mystery!! As I suspected they denied it, but I still think it was them.

Sun I was scheduled to be off work, but 2 of my clients wanted to come and see property so I wound up working from 11am-5:30. It was worth it, as 1 of the clients decided to write an offer. That's #6. That evening it was still chilly - only in the very low 50s - so we decided to have Italian food for dinner. We met Steven & Thad and Joe P at the Tuscan Grill and had a great meal together. I put on my flannel pajama pants and Spouse & I watched 'Pan Am' and 'Mike & Molly' on the DVR.