I Have a Few Questions

I am a question asker or maybe I am more of a question thinker. On any given day, I think of  a few... more than a few...OK a  lot of questions, to which I would love to know the answers.  Mind you I don't always ask them aloud  or pose these questions to other people but still I question a  LOT of things. 

This has not always been the case.  There were times that I should have asked questions and didn't.  I got off to a rather shaky start  regarding  WHEN and WHEN NOT to acquire further information before moving forward.

When I started first grade, I was a nervous and timid.  These  traits would stay with me  for quite awhile  but the worst day was the FIRST day. (our school district didn't have kindergarten back then, so this was the first time I had been in a school)

After we all got seated  at our desks, Mrs. Wolfe passed out some paper and told us to get out our crayons.  I noticed the girl next to me started drawing a picture on her paper.  That seemed like a good idea at the time. So I start a little picture of my own.  When Mrs. Wolfe noticed "girl next to me" was drawing she had her come up to the front of the classroom scolded her and gave her a swat with a paddle.  (this was pretty standard fare in the late 1950's)

I had never been so frightened in my life (well...up to that point, I have topped that level of  being scared many times over since then).  I am expecting to be spanked in front of the class on the very first day of first grade. Of course, I had to get caught first.  I was shy but not necessarily stupid, so I had already flipped my paper over and now was waiting for further instructions.  By lunch time I was a mess.  As I sat crying in the cafeteria and proceeded to throw up my lunch. Someone from the school sent for my mother to retrieve me.

 I did, by the way avoid getting paddled for several reasons. (1) The other girl was repeating the 1st grade and had a history of being "a problem" so she had that going against her. I am not saying that was right, I am stating that it was a rare day when she wasn't in trouble over something or another.  (2)  Being really small for my age, I  looked like a baby  and seemingly acted like one too.  I was sent home at lunch time every day  for the first couple of weeks but hardly ever did I leave prior to crying and throwing up. (3) Mrs. Wolfe truly was a wonderful teacher and was patient with me.  I could read and write really well at that point and my missing some afternoons didn't seem to shake her up much.  Maybe she knew that I would be the subject of conversation for years to come and had pity on me.  My vomiting stories still are a  hot topic in the "remember when" category when I see my old classmates.  It must have left a lasting  impression as that was 51 years ago. 

Back to the premise...I should have asked the question...what next?  What are we doing here with this paper? 

 Over the years I have developed the tendency to be cautious  and make sure I have all the information I need before preceding.  This comes with some dos and don'ts, however.  There is definitely a protocol to asking the appropriate questions and the number of allotted questions before the people around you start begging for your head on a platter. This protocol is commonly referred to as O' QUAP. (official question asking protocol.)  I respect and adhere to O'QUAP as much as humanly possible.


For example:  Continuing education classes.   There is always that person that turns a 3 hour class into a 4 hour class because of their incessant questions.  Not only do they ask "not-stop" questions but they are STUPID, DUMB ASS questions.  Whoever said there are no stupid questions is NUTS.  Of course, there are stupid questions and there are stupid question askers.  These, by the way, are referred to in "question asking circles"  as SO QUAPPY (Stupid Obtuse Question-Asking People Perpetually Yammering)

As a Realtor, we take a lot of classes about ethics.  I suspect as Realtors we need a lot of classes on ethics as it seems a lot of the group still doesn't understand the concept.  In these classes we go over and over the fact if a real estate agent knows of a material defect with a property or something that can adversely affect the value of a property we need to disclose that to a potential buyer.  What each state considers "material defects" differs greatly but frankly if you want to CYA you really should be disclosing what you know.

 Invariably the instructor will be talking  ad nauseam about disclosing defects when someone will ask 

 Annoying Person "Do we need to disclose if the basement has flooded?"

Instructor "If you know this to be a fact, yes you do."

AP..."Do we need to disclose a leaking roof."

Instructor  "Yes"

AP "How about a murder?"

Instructor  "That's not really a material defect but yes if you know it, disclose it."

AP... " How about termites,....how about wood rot....how about mold....how about ghosts...how about the sinking foundation...how about recalled siding...how about the Walmart slated to be built next door...how about the pedophile that lives next door...how about the lead paint, how about crack in the basement floor, how about the previous owners meth lab, how about train track behind the fence..... on and on and on

I might mentioned that nine times out of ten, the person that keeps asking these questions has been a real estate agent for 15, 20, 25 years or some such thing.  The brand new agents think they have all the answers.

So...while I do ask questions, I try to NOT ask so many questions that it annoys the people around me.  Therefore, my plan is now to ask my blog readers to sporadically answer some of my questions.   On some days instead of the Good, the Bad and the Weird, I am going to throw out some of the things that puzzle me. 

Such as....here are a few questions on my mind today...

Why do the guys that spend the money to buy Corvettes drive 30 miles an hour in a 45 mile speed limit zone when they are in a residential area?  This isn't just once in a while.   This is chronic.   They have spent big money to buy a bright yellow car that is capable of going 60 miles an hour in 3.4 seconds but drive substantially under the speed limit in town.  WHY?

Conversely, why do the drivers of these powerful performance cars drive 85+ miles an hour in a 65 mile an hour zone on the Interstate?  Isn't he just asking for a ticket?  I mean he is in a canary yellow car? OR bright red OR metallic blue..whatever... aren't they "rolling the dice"  with both their insurance rates and the State Cop that is waiting  to nab them? Why do they still have a valid driver's license?

Why do all the schools have those signs that say this is a drug free zone?  If they are referring to illegal drugs, all the streets are drug free zones. If they are talking over the counter drugs and you have taken your Zantac or Sudafed, do you need to take a different route?

Why do people buy some piece of trash disguised as marketing genius off of an infomercial and then act shocked that it is a piece of crap?  THEN they throw out the "the man said it would do this and this without you having to ever do that and that".   Really, when you are buying something that is supposed to be miraculous for the low price of "not one but ...wait...two for $19.95", why are people surprised that it is garbage.

NOTE:  As a salesperson, let me point out something while we are here anyway....salespeople are trying to SELL you something.  It is their job to slant things creatively to get you to BUY what they are selling.  This is true of any product, service or political agenda. 

Why do people at funerals go on and on about how wonderful and/or beautiful  the deceased looks?  I have been to a lot of funerals and I will even admit that some morticians do  remarkable work.  Still the deceased is not looking their very best.  Never have I thought the guest of honor looked the best they have ever looked.

My friends, have you any answers to these questions?  I have plenty more to ask and I don't want to impose BUT I would welcome your insight to these little mysteries.

I would also, welcome your questions?  What troubles you? 

This video isn't really about questions but it was one of the things I listened to on my afternoons at home.  It was a big hit in 1958.