Mortgage bailout what do you think I think

And of course I will tell you what I think.
We have been very fortunate these last 10 years of our home ownership with a fixed rated 30 years mortgage, we couldn’t rent for what we pay.
But this is our fifth home that we have owned in the nearly 38 years of our marriage.
Foolishly we got involved back in the 1980's with one of those ARM type mortgages, and then also without much thought took out a home equity making our payments quite high when that ARM went up three points higher.
Then my husband got his new job 5 hours away on the other coast of the state, and my company went belly up and ooops horrors I got very ill, not able to work.
He moved to his new job and rented while I stayed behind to try and sell our now overpriced home.
So we do understand how things financially can get out of hand.
If we didn't get some major help at that time and sell our home at a major loss we would have been not unlike the many of today that are in foreclosure, but we took the hit and got out.
So my emotions are mixed with this latest concept of bailing the unfortunate people that are in or near foreclosure out.
I must admit that at times our neighborhood has the look of a ghost town, and those empties would sure look better with live occupants, but at what price to us fortunate taxpayers with just enough to make all our bills by the skin of our skinny, skinny skin.
The times are truly hard, but I feel if we could possibly be cautious and help the ones who really are just unfortunately in this situation by trust issues, and perhaps over zealous banks handing our monies like candy.
But I believe those multiple home owners that were in it for the inflated short spurt of higher valued homes and over extended themselves and over bought with thoughts for of making a quick flip, nah they should figure a way out themselves, smarty pants!

Many have been suffering and rightfully so since they have basically been taken by mortgage brokers who wanted to look good with some type of quota.
Others were just perhaps first time buyers that truly didn’t know better.
Banks don’t want the homes but they should be wholly responsible for fixing the problem that they created. Lowering the values of the homes that they financed and then the mortgage rates with also adding on an extended time to pay, for young families that 40 year concept could work. Maybe now greed could be waylaid and true altruism could conquer the problem for the remaining lenders once the big bailout helps them.
But who really knows?

Good night to all and to all don’t hurt your brain on this, others have been paid to do that.

The election is over isn't it?

And Senator Barack Obama is our new president elect with Joe Biden as our new vice-president elect correct?
Well, the president elect Obama has been extremely busy doing the proper transitional preparations meeting with the right people etc., including yesterday visiting the White House with his wife Michele their future residence; all in accordance with a smooth changeover of power.
Then why is Governor Sarah Palin getting interviewed by Matt Lauer?
She was on the losing side, right?
And why do so many find her and her family so fascinating?
It boggles the mind, but for some reason they do.
And this is a two day interview that aired this morning on Today, and then on our local affiliate NBC station on news at noon with the trailer telling us of more of the story to air tomorrow?

Get this, just in… Lee County Florida gun sales have gone up since President elect Obama was elected, due to his concerns to stop the sale of assault weapons since too many are out there. I ask all you gun lovers, when is the last time you needed one of those to kill a deer?

You got it… I too am not happy with our lax gun laws.
Too many of the wrong people seem to me to have access readily available to weapons of human mass destruction, and it does seem too many use them way too often. Now that’s only from watching the news and reading the newspapers, but I could be wrong.
Decent people will do what is expected of them with licensing and going through the hoops for verification that they are not crazy killers, but bad people never will, really.
That’s what gets me.
Call me off the wall, but logically if there aren’t any guns then there would be none to shoot, ta da!
Yea, yea I know you could kill a person with a kitchen knife, a baseball bat, poisoning, in this case where there is a will there always will be a way.
But I ask why make it so easy?
You can miss with a bat, and maybe just hurt them real bad then you just get sued and a jail cell.
A kitchen knife might just cause a bad cut, but not necessarily kill them if you miss a major organ, then you just get sued and a jail cell.
Now poisoning who really knows how much it takes to do someone in?
The unknown factors are weight, metabolism, not to mention what if it tastes funny to them and they spit it out? Again just get sued and a jail cell.
What you forgot I write murder mysteries? And yep I have studied some.

But still, don’t we have enough troubles in our country?
The bailouts, the foreclosures, the stock market going up and down daily, food prices so high, nearly touching the sky, now the auto industry going down the tubes and we are considering bailing them out with more tax payer money, thankfully gas prices have come down a little, not too bad actually, 2.06.9 locally, shocker.
Why must we add to them by killing each other? Puleese… Those assault weapons are not for hunting!
Now is the time we should all be coming together, not tearing ourselves apart?

We surely have a long way to go, but at least now we have the right guy incharge, but still not until January 20th, that major day of hope for us all.

Good night to all and to all try and not lose hope.

Demise of an icon author...promises, and more

Michael Crighton, M.D. passed away on November 4. 2008 from cancer, and with the election going on I did not find the time to notice that major event.
He was really something and for those that have been living under a rock all his years on this planet here is a refresher course on some of his more memorable titles and accomplishments as the author of the Andromeda Strain ( published while still a medical student), Jurassic Park, as well as the TV show ER. From his bio I got quite a bit of additional information I wasn’t aware of. He did receive his M.D. from Harvard, which I did know, but he also taught anthropology at Cambridge University and taught writing at M.I.T., big WOW to that. What a man we as his consumers of his wares have lost, I believe he was what was given the title of a Renaissance Man. His interest in computer modeling went back more than forty years according to his bio, thus Westworld back in 1973. He will be sorely missed by all who welcomed his stories and creativity. Our condolences go out to his family what a great man.

My promise to myself was not attained today.
I did receive another email from that person I blocked many months ago, and yes I do forgive them and fear no more any ridiculous accusations, after all the election is over.
We also had a visit from an old neighbor who is now single due to his wife running off with another man. He seemed more annoyed by the fact that he had just bought her a new car than about her actual leaving him.
And yes, I also forgave my male cousin and called him today to find out how he and his lovely wife were doing.

Now to a couple of my pet peeves on the Today Show this morning they once again had professionals that were discussing what age was the best to marry.
It always amazes me that these psychologists seem to have these blanket statements that appear to be one size fits all.
They stated that people are marrying later in life, big surprise.
And they also said that the perfect age for marriage is 26 for a female and 28 for a male, since by then they should know themselves and be set in their careers.
I say how about the person they wish to marry, shouldn’t they know them?
My husband and I broke that new mold we were only 20, for me and 21, for him with some college in our resumes, and OMG it’s nearly 38 years that we have been married and still going strong! While our very well educated son, 8 years of college married at 28 and was divorced two years later!
Education seemed to meet their criteria for success.
Now I had a friend that waited until she was 35 to marry her lawyer husband, and after 20 years couldn’t wait for her relationship to be over, he died of pancreatic cancer.
Now all I can tell you is that I found that it seems to me that the more logical criteria to meet for such a bonding would be finding the right person and that could be at any age.
But doesn’t mean if you meet that person in kindergarten at age 5 that that is when you tie the knot, of course you wait until the proper age of an adult, but I still believe that lasting true love can happen anytime and anywhere. When it does happen you do really know.
I did. I told my friend that when I was only seventeen that I was going to marry my husband and I did three years later at 20.
It’s so special that feeling you get when it is right almost an out of body experience.
No rhyme or reason not at all clinical, more like the chemistry that some discuss, but I never took chemistry so I really don’t know, but alien in not much rationale.
But it can and does work.

Anyway, I definitely get annoyed with all those professionals that half of them are divorced or single it appears. So you do what is right for you.

Good night to all and to all you will know.
But if you already have it then you too know what I’m saying is true.

Is this my reality?

It occurred to me today that I am slowly losing real relationships with actual people;I don't know if it is this opinionated forum that is causing it or just the fact that illness is causing them to drop like flies.
Either way I need to do something to change things.
I must reignite my passions by becoming involved with things that used to spur my conscience and my abilities to be a fulfilling person in society.
So as of tomorrow, today it’s a little late to start tonight, so tomorrow I will try and list my interests now at this point in my life, and get involved in some tangible way; ta da!

Where there is a will there is a way.
We as humans have the ability to follow our desires.
Knowing ones self is extremely important.
I have recently realized that my dream of becoming some type of famous author is probably just a pipedream, yeah you say; it’s about time!
All successful writers, on the surface appear to have degrees in journalism or some other news worthy background, and mine is skimpy to say the least.
I did take journalism in college, but as a course, not a major.
And my writings although prolific are not desired by the publishers that they have been sent to… Although, at one time there was one who wanted to publish my mystery series, but due to a so-called friends helpful caution and too many questions asked they changed their mind; and to this day I regret the way I handle them since they are a legit publisher.
Oh well… what happens is meant to happen so they say; but who are they?

Life goes on and my somewhat prolific writing is interesting to me but who knows if to anyone else as this continues as monologues of my life's thoughts and experiences.

I do think that as a diary for my sons it may be somewhat of a family project that will leave my thoughts and feelings and general experiences for my legacy to my grandchildren. And for that if nothing else makes my reasoning to continue not so obscure. Boring to the world, but who knows what another generation may think.
It is very interesting that I think so often of grandchildren that seem not to be in the near future or if ever.
I suppose most of my baby boomer generation does too think of the children of their children often.
In my mind I should have done something different since whatever I did do it did not work to create that next set of beings to be loved fawned over, spoiled and sent home to their parents, our children.
Short changed, screwed, did something wrong all comes to mind jealously run amuck when I hear of others with that joy and legacy?

Maybe I wouldn’t be in such a gosh darn hurry if it wasn’t for my health issues.
I never know from one day to another how I will feel or if I will be able to enjoy those little offspring of my offspring.
I hope I will; it could be a long wait.
The only solace I have is that I am not alone… quite a few people I know are not grandparents either.
Good night to all and to all hug those little ones of your little ones, a little tighter for me too.

Moral dilemma and other fun things

Today my husband and I took it upon ourselves to accomplish different things. I the laundry and was also incharge of making something delish out of our softened eggplant, eggplant parmesan that is what I did at 10:30 A.M. since my hubby brought to my attention the fact that it had gotten so soft that he was concerned for its well being, thus the menu planning occurred!
He chose to clean our boat that has been basically in storage on our lift for many months, since we have not used it in quite some time.

While he cleaned with much gusto our neighbor from across the canal chatted with him, this is one of our Canadian friends that spend 6 months here and six months back in their homeland; in this case Montreal.
We were thrilled that they arrived back safely from their summer respite.

We being boaters have in the past offered them a few times a ride on our boat, but the man of the house was not one who cared to be on the water, but for some reason my darling asked for the heck of it one more time.
And this time he said yes, and his wife another very lovely person agreed to go too; Skipper our Bichon, went in my place since my body is not feeling too well and I have been quite sore these last few days. The thought of rough waves made my muscles and bones contort.

On their return, the report was he, Skipper behaved well, and that my husbands’ human crew also did quite well including the non boater.
They enjoyed the scenery, which is quite impressive with our beautiful harbor, and beach complex as well as the fancy shamcy homes at the entrance to our main canal. A must see for anyone who desires to live here.
After they visited with me on land for a short time they decided to walk home.

While getting our dinner ready my husband confessed that he mentioned that there lawn was made ready for their return just a few days before, by their next door neighbor.
He also mentioned that it had not been mowed very often or trimmed either and thought that perhaps this neighbor was just doing it out of kindness for free for a favor.
Shocked would be an understatement since they told my hubby that they were paying for a weekly cut of their lawn, and had recently been billed a few hundred dollars; ooops, moral dilemma, even when you tell the truth.
Boy that’s not right, and a neighbor too!

When we had been living in Punta Gorda my husband used to do our next door neighbors lawn for free every summer they were elderly snowbirds.
That’s just not right; they should be ashamed.
It will be interesting to find out how this very fine gentleman will handle this tough situation.
I personally wouldn’t know what to do if it was me since you have to live next door to them forever.
Actually, I think they said that they were going to leave it alone and just hire someone else when they leave at the end of the season, and that does sound very diplomatic to me.
Dinner was great and fast since all we had to do was to heat it up.
Tonight is movie night; and we have Journey to the Center of the Earth ready to play.

Good night to all and to all be honest.

All is well and rather quiet

Yesterday I neglected to mention that our President Elect Obama had chosen a few of his cabinet members, Rahm Israel Emanuel as his White House chief of staff, who is an old friend and Congressman from his home state of Illinois; described as a profane attack dog who will definitely have his back. There were more but this gentleman was the most memorable.
Today our President Elect Obama had a press conference that reiterated what he and all of us have been stating is that he cannot run the government until after the inauguration, but I knew that, apparently the media didn’t.
They wanted too much information about everything today.
He handled them beautifully; just like a pro.
Now we must all search to find his adorable family a hypoallergenic pound puppy! Since Malia is allergic.

Today, I walked and then we went on to the Wal-Mart for odds and ends.
We picked up another converter for the living room TV, and a new scale that I already hate!
It lied and said I gained more weight.
How could that be with all my walking and taking of the Alli product?
I had stopped both during the summer, walking due to the heat and Alli due to the expense; I had lost twelve pounds with that previous combo, but gained 15 back over the summer, and now more!
I am very sad.
Mainly because those walks are very painful; my hip hurts terribly, and I can’t take that Tramadol since I also have to take the Pepcid and they interact and my sleeping has been consistently erratic, and nearly non existent.
Thus the grump alert to all.

The other day I sent Oprah my Blog address I thought she might find what I wrote about the day after the election interesting, but so far I have not heard back.
I first tried sending her the Blog itself but again I was too long winded and I surpassed her limit of 2000 characters, thus the sending of the Blog site with the date of the one I thought she might enjoy reading.
Pie in the sky dreams, who am I but a mere mortal what do I expect.
I have written to her before, and no response.
She must get thousands of emails a day.
I guess I’m just one of those.

We do have some weather to report that I was negligent on discussing that yesterday too Hurricane Paloma (Pigeon in Spanish) is to our south in the Caribbean heading towards Cuba as a Category 2 possibly a 3, oh my! Watch out Havana!
Fortunately, for us it is not coming here.

Good night to all and to all try to get some rest and I will too!

Business as usual...

Time will tell, but right now The Market has dropped more than 800 points in the last two days.
Not due to the election by any means, but due to the awful drop and loss of jobs in the last quarter.
Hope is on its way, and none too soon.
It's just a sad thing that we have to wait until inauguration day for our choice to make things better.
That's not to say the President elect Obama hasn't already been on the job, he has been briefed on world concerns by the fee bees.
But his actual power isn't in full swing until that January day.
Frustrating to know now that we have the answer to our problems but his hands are tied for him to be able to perform his capabilities!

Our days since have been busy with mundane tasks.
On Election Day I got my flu shot at H2U a national organization that you join once a year and get a free flu shot and also have many other perks, copy and paste the site, and you will see: http://h2u.org/ it costs me $15 a year to belong,really a great deal.

Today I also went for my notorious blood work to check my infamous cholesterol.
Pray all is back to normal... way down, unlike the Market this down is good for my cholesterol.

With that I will bid you good night to all and to all think pleasant thoughts, only 75 days till our world will change for the better.