Would You or Wouldn't You?

Two Thoughts for Tuesday

Last week hubby and I decided to do a marathon of Continuing Education classes to keep our real estate licenses current.  We actually have another year before either Kansas or Missouri is due but we had the time and the inclination to surround ourselves with a couple of hundred smooth talking salesmen/saleswomen and listen to the light hearted banter that this "housing market" brings out in them.

1st Thought

One of the classes was called Dynamic Seller Services which was a class that was a four hour version of  "do what you need to do to get it sold".   In these types of classes, the discussion always turns to what you need to disclose about any given house, what you should disclose about any given house and what you must disclose about any given house. 

Missouri law and Kansas law are differ on this subject but for the sake of my post today, I am talking about Kansas.  In Kansas we have to always disclose adverse material defects about a house. Well...let's not say always.... If we know something that would impact the value, we are suppose to disclose it.  BUT there is a provision in the law that says if the house has an inspection report by a qualified third party that states the physical condition of the house the agent isn't obligated to disclose the condition of the property.  Do I sense a loop hole here???

Now this is where the class got kind of interesting.  Kind of might be an exaggeration....but I did perk up slightly and listen  for a few minutes.   In Kansas we don't have ANY law that says we have to disclose psychological defects associated with a house.  Other states require this but Kansas has NO law that discusses this.  AND seemingly no one has ever sued anyone claiming they bought a house with a "questionable" past that they weren't already aware of. 

So if you were a Realtor here  in Kansas, it is strongly suggested that you tell a potential buyer anything negative about the house you are trying to sell them.  The fact of the matter is that there isn't a law that says you need to spill your guts if the house has a psychological defect.  If you know that the house has a foundation crack you are supposed to tell that to a potential buyer.  On the other hand, if the place has been a scene of a crime....HMMM should I speak up??? 

Take for example:

This house is dirt cheap compared to other homes in the neighborhood. Not particularly attractive but then  no one has lived there for a couple of  years.  I don't really know why there are trash cans out.  It is listed way below the appraised value.  It has been on the market since December of 2009. 

If you knew that a house had a violent incident in it would you buy it?  If I showed you this house (and I wouldn't) would you expect me to tell you why it isn't selling? 

Would you buy a house that is haunted?  Would you buy a house that has had a death in it?  How about a violent death?  Would any of that matter if you otherwise liked the house and could get it at a great price?

2nd Thought 

In 2010 you could have bought a FAMOUS haunted house. 

May 26, 2010 10:00AM

 

The Long Island home where the infamous "Amityville Horror" murders took place has hit the market for $1.15 million, according to the Wall Street Journal. The home was the site of Ronald DeFeo's grizzly murder of his six family members in 1974, which inspired the 1979 Oscar-nominated movie "The Amityville Horror." Although it's unclear how much DeFeo spent on the home at 108 Ocean Avenue, it sold for $55,000 shortly after he slayed his family. The waterfront home has undergone several renovations since the murders, and now includes central air, a deck and patio. Laura Zambratto, an agent with Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty, has the listing

The Good For the Day...I loved this song when I was a kid.

The Bad for the Day...

My husband went to the classes with me as he got his real estate license just for the sake of getting one.  This isn't what he does for a living.  He took the side of  "he would buy a house that had a violent incident in it for the right price and if he truly liked the house".   I wouldn't of guessed this.  If and when we ever buy another house, I will be eyeing him suspiciously and asking a lot of questions about the houses history.

The Weird for the Day.... The "fake" Amityville Horror House is currently on the market.  This home located in New Jersey was used as the set for the 1979 movie The Amnityville Horror starring Nicole Kidman and James Brolin. 

TOMS RIVER (AP) — The New Jersey home that was filmed for the 1979 movie "The Amityville Horror" is for sale.

The 10-room colonial-style structure in Toms River was built in the 1920s and is listed for $1.35 million.

For the movie, a superstructure was built around the outside to make it look like the home in Amityville, N.Y., whose owners claimed was possessed by evil spirits.

Owner Odalys Fragoso tells the Asbury Park Press the home isn't haunted.

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My Car Has a New Passenger

In the last several days, I have noticed some rather odd circumstances surrounding my car. 

While it isn't unusual to be surrounded by idiot drivers in the Kansas City area, it is rather unusual to see them get swatted with some car karma right before my eyes.

For example:

Husband and I were going through a subdivision the other day and a pickup truck was tailgating us.  Not just close to us, but literally inches off our back bumper.  Mind you, I am  talking about a residential area where the speed limit is 35 miles an hour...two lane road...sloping hill toward a  T.    So to get "Mr. driver in such a hurry" off our ass we pulled to the side of the road to let him pass.  AND Mr. DISAH gunned his truck to prove (I guess) he is such a cool driver.  Unfortuneately, for him, he went into a spin.  He spun 360 degrees twice before continuing to spin through a stop sign and was then facing the wrong way on the wrong side of the street.  Luckily for him  there was no oncoming traffic or his hoopty ride would be toast.

As husband and I sat there looking at this guy, I was NEARLY tempted to feel bad for him because he looked like he might of peed himself he was so scared.  He rebounded after a minute and gunned the truck again and sped off.  At that point I didn't feel bad for him at all. 

The very next day, I am coming home from the gym and I come up to a stretch of road that goes from two westbound lanes to one.  This stretch of 143rd Street. is hilly and winding with a 25 MPH speed limit.  It is also a speed trap.  As I live near here and take this road all the time, I slow down.  I know better than to take the chance.  I haven't ever gotten a ticket but rarely do I escape seeing all the others getting written up as I drive by. 

SOOOO...I am coming to the area where the right lane merges to one lane and I notice an SUV coming up on me as if I am standing still. He guns it and passes me on the right where there is no road left....just a sidewalk.  See Google Earth picture above.  Another "Mr. Driver in  such a Hurry".  He leaves me in his dust.

Too bad for him, I see that a motorcycle cop is pulling him over. 

I have come to the conclusion that my vehicle came equipped with a fairy Godmother that seems to not like bad drivers to be around me.  She, also, must be more that a little hormonal lately from the looks of it.

The Good for the Day...Could we hope that the guy in the pickup slowed down and realized how foolish that was.

The Bad for the Day...Never fun to get a ticket. 

The Weird for the Day......

Friday Around the Water Cooler 8/26/2011

Another Friday and no shortage of oddballs in the news.  Seems there have been a steady supply of weird happenings between the major headlines.   Maybe the earthquakes and hurricanes take top spot for headlines but the rest of the news is littered with bizarre.


She Wanted  a bikini wax and Wanted it ASAP



 An Iowa woman became enraged when she went to her local salon and was refused a bikini wax. The salon employee thought the woman, Anna Bacon-Silveira was too intoxicated to receive the service. 

Anna wasn't taking no for an answer and struck (well..snapped) a towel in the head of the employee.  The Iowa City police were called.  The police picked her up as she was fleeing the scene by taking a path behind the police headquarters building.

According to the police report Anna was extremely angry that she didn't get her bikini wax.  She was charged with public intoxication and misdemeanor assault.




If the alcohol limit is .08 for driving, what is the limit for waxing?  Seems like a lot of commotion for snapping a towel at someone.  I would think the salon employees can be thankful she had a towel in her hand and not a  bat.

Pants and Man on the Ground


Juan Luis Gutierrez was booked into the Polk County Jail on August 18th and charge with one count of petit theft (petit???)  Juan confessed to stealing two 18 packs of Bud Light.

The crime happened last April when Juan and Angel Miguel Ortiz went for a beer "run". The two borrowed a black Chevy Malibu that was caught on a security camera at the time of the heist. Then on August 16, a patrol deputy spotted a black Chevrolet Malibu in the Lake Wales, FL area, and recognized that it was the same make and model vehicle as the suspect's getaway vehicle in the beer robbery. After tracing the auto back to the owner, she told the police about her two friends that went after beer and came back without any.



I think the trick to making a beer run is the ability to actually run. Seems like a waste of 36 Bud Lights.

Rogue Pandas on the Loose


This story caught my eye as it was in Flagstaff, AZ.  Among one of the many places, I have lived and I consider it a beautiful city. 

 Authorities in Flagstaff, Ariz., are assuring residents there are no rogue pandas roaming the city after some pranksters got creative with an electronic street sign.

The Arizona Department of Transportation-controlled sign was set up to warn drivers not to make left turns at a busy intersection. But motorists heading to work Monday morning got an entirely different message: "Rogue panda on rampage."

A passer-by reported the hacked sign to police at about 3 a.m. Monday.

Transportation Department spokeswoman Mackenzie Nuno says the sign was restored to its original message by 11 a.m. She says the agency has no suspects, but she noted the hackers would have needed specialized equipment to change the sign.

Flagstaff police Lt. Ken Koch tells the Arizona Daily Sun that residents can rest assured there are no problems with rogue pandas in the city.

Out of all the possible choices of things a hacker would put on a sign, he/she put Rogue Panda on Rampage...Still, how many people got on their cellphones to warn others about the Panda problem?


Sandy Sex Leads to Beach Bust

An overly amorous and overtly sexual display landed two Floridians facing felony charges.  Erica Huerta and Steve Perry were arrested for a lewd and lengthy tryst on the beach in full view of diners at a beachside restaurant on the sands of Treasure Island.

The couple's encounter that included a variety of sexual acts lasted more than 30 minutes in front of onlookers which included children.  David Netzog, a seminary student and pastor who is on sabbatical approached the couple and asked them to stop.  He stated he was concerned about the presence of children that were watching the X rated show.

State prosecutors have reduced felony lewd and lascivious exhibition counts to misdemeanor disorderly conduct. 





Doesn't Erica look happy for her mug shot?







Why did onlookers continue to watch for 30 minutes before someone stopped it?  Must have been a pretty interesting show.

A Lot of Days Late and A Lot of Dollars Short

Frances Ragusa, 75, was back in court in Brooklyn, N.Y., in June claiming child support she said was never paid by husband Philip Ragusa, 77, in their divorce settlement of 33 years ago. (The "children," of course, long ago became adults, but the $14,000 judgment has grown, with interest, to about $100,000.) Frances told the New York Post in July that she called Philip several months earlier to discuss the amount but that Philip merely began to cry. "Don't let this case go to trial," she recalled telling him. According to Frances, "If you think I'm going to forget it, Phil, you're stuck on stupid."

That must have been one NASTY divorce!

I Meant to say....

Jonathan Schwartz called 911 in New York City to report that he had stabbed his mother to death. A few minutes later, but before police arrived, Schwartz called back 911 to report a correction: "No, she committed suicide." The mother's body was found with multiple stab wounds, and police, notwithstanding Schwartz's "correction," charged him with murder.

Jonathan probably isn't genius material.  Not only trying to call in a do-over but the fact mom had mutiple stab wounds.  How many times would a person committing suicide stab oneself?


The Good for the Day...funny video that I got

The Bad for the Day...Hurricane Irene is causing a lot of problems for people. 

The Weird for the Day... As I was looking around the Internet for the odd and lesser reported news, a story about a flag thieving squirrel kept showing up.  Several sights had headlines such as

Veteran Memorial Flags Stolen by Felonious Squirrel

That sounds serious, doesn't it?  However, when I read the story, it hardly sent me to the level of "How dare you?"  The little guy was, in fact stealing little 99 cent flags off of the tombstones.  My thought is we are dealing with a very patriot squirrel.  The real story would be if someone bothered to take a picture of the squirrel's house.  I envision it to look like this.

Things You Might Not Know

Did you know that August is "Admit You're Happy Month"?  No?  Neither did I and more importantly, I am not sure that I am all THAT happy at this exact moment. I guess I need to establish my level of happiness or lack thereof. Actually, while I was still pondering the "should I or shouldn't I" profess my happiness  to the world I made the mistake of reading the Kansas City Star. 

For my regular blog readers (yes, you... my dear blogee friends) by now I am sure you  sense that I am just a big ole barrel of sunshine. My natural tendency to be over the moon in my optimism is unfortunately curtailed due to the fact I have to analyze every detail of every facet of my life and thereby  finding an alternate point of view to pretty much squash any moment of joy.   In other words, any happy event can be countered by the equal or opposite negative aspect of said event.

This should be called Cheryl's Conundrum

 Happy + Research = Cynicism² 
                                    Pessimism

So part of the solution to this conundrum would be that I should stay away from newspapers, Internet and the TV news programs.  However, as I am seemingly a glutton for punishment, I read anything I can get my greedy little hands on. 

But, I digress.  I picked up the newspaper and this is one of the articles that was my unfortunate fate to see.

Oatmeal and the word "gloomier" is perhaps not the ideal start to any given day.

So, of course, I had to keep reading by going to continued on page 10.

Really, did anyone need a survey to prove the fact that pessimism is growing?  They could of just called me and I would have clarified the matter without a survey.  You know how I ADORE (dripping with sarcasm)surveys.  Remember the Who's Lazy? survey that I wrote about.  The Center for Disease Control did a survey to find out who the lazy people are and where they live.  Turns out there is a Lazy Belt that runs through the country.  I happened to luck out on that survey by the grace of living in Johnson County, Kansas.  There surely is a margin of error though as my career is in the dumper therefore leaving me less than BUSY.    So technically, I have escaped being considered lazy but I absolutely deserve to be counted as one of the growing pessimists. 

***Please, note that I haven't had anyone actually ask me to weigh in on either of these studies so I am one of the silent majority, evidently.



A statue of one of the Greek philosophers
known as the Cynics. 

 ***To further clarify, At this point I would consider myself a cynic not a pessimist.  I might be growing in my pessimism but it is still a work in progress.


So after realizing that I am one of the growing pessimist in the world, I went to my ever helpful calendar to see what I might have going on of interest in my life that would renew and give me joy and VOILA...discovered the fact about August being "Admit Your Happy" month and it further shows the month is broken down into weekly categories.  Unfortunately we are now three weeks into the month  (plus 3 days) not only have I not admitted my happiness but I seemed to have missed a couple of other categories.

• Week 1    National Simplify your Life Week
• Week 2    National Smile Week
• Week 3    Friendship Week
• Week 4    Be Kind to Humankind Week

Now I find I have also pretty much screwed up my weekly obligations such as  simplifying my life, smiling for a week, and probably I could have been a better friend.

I have one last chance to make good for the month of August.  I need to be kind to HUMANKIND.  Tall order for me considering my cynicism and all. 




The Good for the Day... The 27th is Just Because Day.  I think I could work with that. I Need a new [fill in the blank]?  Just because...


The Bad for the Day....Today was Vesuvius Day.  Isn't this a bad month to place Vesuvius Day.  How happy could the Greeks have been during that particular event.

The Weird for the Day.....The 28th of August is "Race Your Mouse Day".  Truly, that is what the calendar says.  Your guess is as good as mine.

Happy song!!

Totally Unrelated Thoughts for Tuesday

Two Thoughts for Tuesday



As some of you already know, thanks to the Facebook fiend that my hubby is the new roof did go on this past week.  Now that we no longer are hearing the

BANG, BANG, POUND POUND, BANG, POUND things may get back on track around here.  OR NOT.

As a Realtor, I know a lot about roofing.  Not necessarily a fun or interesting subject, I know.  Pretty dull, as a matter of fact.  However, in the event of a hail storm that destroys thousands of homes in one ginormous swath it turns out to be helpful to know a bit about roofs.

My current frustrations with the having to put a new roof on my house is two fold.

1.   Fourteen years ago, the HOA of this neighborhood mandated that the roof HAD to be wood shake.

As the process of creating wood shingles and installing them are PRICEY, neighborhoods wanted to make sure that all the homes in the neighborhood had this expensive style of roof and there wouldn't be anyone with some crappy version of "god forbid" composition.  (say the word composition with resounding disgust in your voice).  This little by-law in all the Home Association Covenants was to keep the tacky, tacky cheapskates from desecrating the look of nice respectable neighborhoods with their low-end composition shingles. 

Then a few years later, after 1000's of subdivisions around Johnson County, Kansas had 10s of thousands of homes with wood shake roofs, the insurance industry said they wouldn't insure the roofs or if they did it would cost you up the wazoo.  Warning, Warning, Fire Hazzard!!!!

Remember the house four doors down from a previous post?
Wood shakes really make good tinder.

So, THEN we all got hit with huge surcharges and higher deductibles on our roofs.  In fact, the deductibles in some cases would pretty much have you paying for your new roof if there was a ....you guessed it...a hail storm.

As our entire neighborhood had their roofs demolished in April, the wood shake roofs are disappearing one by one.

So, no longer can the neighborhoods have rules to mandate wood shakes because... tsk tsk...they aren't safe.

Now the by-laws say....

IT HAS TO BE A HIGH DEFINITION SHINGLE TO MIMIC THE LOOK OF SHAKE AND BE WARRANTED FOR 50 YEARS OR MORE.

Oh, ppuuullllleeeezzzz...you just have to be kidding about this.   I live in Kansas.  Why in the hell do I need a 50 year or more warranty???? This roof will be cut to shreds in the next two years by hail. 

But still we picked a fiberglass shingle that "supposedly" sorta kind of resembles a wood shake roof with a lifetime warranty that will last as long as it takes for the next hail storm that throws baseball sized balls of ice onto our roof.

Warranted for Life....giggle, giggle, snort

The Good for the Day...Pounding has stopped.

The Bad for the Day..Actually for the last three days, storms have been going through.  What is the record for the shortest life span on a roof?

The Weird for the Day.....Kansas weather.



I was looking for a video about "roofs" when I happened to think about James Taylor's Up On the Roof.  Of course, that led me to also think of his song Fire and Rain.  Too bad, that song wasn't Fire, Rain and Hail.











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Monday Musings

Sorry to say that today I am being a lazy blogger.  It happens from time to time that my heart is well-meaning, my mind is totally not co-operating and my available time is non-existent.  

I have to be at the gym in 40 minutes so my trainer can beat my body into submission.  I am  toning up just thinking about it. 


So here I sit, laughing at some billboards that were posted on the Internet.  Seems the people over at dribbleglass.com had someone traveling the highways and byways with a camera. 

The Good for the Day...The weather is cooler.

The Bad for the Day...this is the 3rd day for severe storms in Kansas City

The Weird for the Day....The words "cassette tape" has been removed from the Oxford English Dictionary  as it is now considered obsolete but the word "brontosaurus" is still in it. 

Seven Links Challenge

A couple of days ago Bud, from over at Older Eyes sent me a challenge.  Bud writes an really interesting blog on a myriad of topics as they are viewed by his "older eyes".  Bud, I believe is 67ish and I am not sure that I think of him as "older" but I certainly think of him as a great writer of interesting viewpoints.

Back to the subject....he sent me a challenge that I can participate in if I choose to.  Here are the rules.  Only two...that shouldn't be hard...should it?

1.  The blogger who is nominated must publish 7 links of his/her own blog for the categories below. (1 link per category)

2. The blogger then nominates 5-7 bloggers to take part, and it (hopefully) goes on.

For you bloggers out there that are grabbing a brown paper sack to either breath into or vomit because your mind is screaming out "Please, dear God, don't let her pick me."  I understand these can be extra work but this one is A.  not so work intensive and B.  If you don't want to participate I won't put an evil hex on you and your future generations. 


So as far as my posts, this may be difficult.  These categories suggest that I have posted some substantive articles.  Beautiful??? Controversial?? Helpful...really, I am pretty sure none of those apply.

1. Most Beautiful Post...perhaps I could call the Taking to the Trails post as my most beautiful.  I don't mean it is beautiful in the "sentimental, heartwarming" way but more the "aren't walking trails pretty?" kind of way. 





2. Most Popular Post - my most popular post was one that I did  last April called Last Chance Deductions, Maybe or Maybe Not.  Hopefully, no one was relying on my advice to finish their tax returns.  I suspect it's popularity was because of idiots waiting until April 15th had Googled the words "tax deductions".  Poor, babies didn't get any help from me.

3.  Most Controversial Post - I try to not get too controversial...well unless I am in the middle of a meltdown which does happen with me from time to time.  I was poking fun at KC's most "interesting" mayor which further escalated into me throwing some irreverent comments in about Rod Blagojevich.  Just for good measure I threw a couple of other disgraced politicians under the bus.  All of that, of course, caused a  couple of my readers to implode.  Frankly, I thought everyone in the world thought of Blago as an idiot.  (just to further clarify...this isn't about the party he belongs to but the fact he is a moron) None the less, a few harsh emails and a couple of readers who promptly "unfollowed me", makes this one  the most controversial. I am hesitant to even stir up this hornet's nest again by admitting this post even exists but What is to Become of Them? is one of my most controversial.

4.  Most Helpful Post is Idiots Using Smart Phones.  I guess that would depend if anyone took away the point that texting or sexting isn't a great idea when driving. This is also, one of the posts that I saw other people post remnants of as their own.   I always find it interesting that people would need to steal anything from me. If they can't be at least as imaginative as me, they aren't trying very hard. Perhaps they need to text me when they are driving to work and I can give them some ideas.

5.  Most Surprising Successful Post was FBI Lulled To Sleep.  This post was a result of me coming back from being fingerprinted and having a background check done for Missouri to renew my real estate license.  The fact that this was a rant on my part because I was finding the process stupid, inept freakin' waste of time, bureaucratic and poorly executed.

6.  Post that Didn't Get the Attention it Deserved might be We Appreciate Your Call.  There is no true answer for this category.  I realize that my bizarre sense of humor is not every one's cup of tea, so when something falls flat.......I get it. For those of you that found this penny credit of interest...I am still getting a bill every month showing that they still owe me a penny.

7. Post that I am Most Proud Of---This is tough one.  I can't think that of any post that I am particularly proud of.  Some of them took more research than others but none of them were ever meant to impart wisdom to last through the ages.  The Drug of Choice might be one of those that I can say took some serious effort.  I had to research a realistic drug name for my pretend pill.  Then I had to track down a toll free number that actually spelled out something and not already be in use.  1-866-723-4968 or  "1-Too Sad 4 You"  could be a real toll free number but at the time I did this post is wasn't assigned to anyone.

So here are my picks for 5 bloggers that I love to read.  There really are a lot that I enjoy but for today, I am going to pick on...oops..I mean pick.  Really, for you five play if you want or not.  I know you are busy.



1.Kimberly at The Wyatt Zoo
Kimberly has the cutest of families...truly...cutest.  She writes the sweetest stories of how they live their life and this is what good parenting looks like. Her stories are always fun and interesting. 

2. June at  The Neurosis Files
Let's just cut to the chase, here.  June is a riot.  Super funny and has the knack for taking any subject and making it hysterical.  She just redesigned her website and it is very cool.

3.  Aleta at Fleur de Aleta
Aleta is a true southerner that writes about her life and interest.  I love that she is such a good fellow blogger and weighs in with comments.  AND her comments are always insightful, smart, clever and kind. 

4. Anne Dickens at Anne Dickens: The Day After Yesterday
Anne Dickens not only has the most beautiful little girl but she also has the cutest dog that she refers to as Naughty George.  I prefer to think of him as Darling George.  Anne lives in Oxfordshire, England which makes her life seems more interesting than most.  She always has loads of great photos that has me wanting to jump on a plane and go see the glorious sights that surround her.  The other thing about Anne, she is perhaps the kindest, most helpful of all humans on earth.  Not only in the blogosphere but if you follow her posts she is forever doing for others. 

5. Madge at  I-Madge-Ine The Twaddle
Madge is the uber-commenter.  If I were picking a select group to have read my blog she would be on the short list.  I love her ability to converse via the Internet in a way that I know her and I would be the best of friends if we lived next door to each other.  I say that without a doubt.  Her blog has such variety.  AND always entertaining.

6.  Nicky and Mike at We Work for Cheese
These two should be paid by me for teaching me some things about Canada. Very interesting blog which continues to tell me all kinds of things I didn't know.  I didn't even know that I didn't know some of this.
Plus they also, are great commenters and I appreciate their points of view. 

So consider yourselves challenged but really, my friends, if you don't want to participate, just take it as a "high five" from me to you, that I really enjoy you as friends and writers.  I can't tell you how much entertainment I get from reading your blogs.  You can carry the burden as to why my house isn't as clean as it used to be. 

Friday Around the Water Cooler 8/19/2011

A lot of the back page news this week dealt with forms of transportation.  Seems every story I read this week had something to do with a vehicle.  Trucks, cars and planes along with clueless or confused owners make for odd news.



The Drive-Through

First on the list today is a story out of Panama City, FL that a husband called his wife at her work.  Wifey said she couldn't talk as she was busy being a waitress at the Waffle House.  Husband guy didn't take that well and thought he would drive on over to the Waffle House and kill her.  His weapon of choice was his pickup truck.

This might not have been the best way to settle the argument.  Charles O'Bryan was charged with attempted murder. 

Talk about bad parking jobs



What is it with Panama City?  PC keeps showing up in "Around the Water Cooler" news. As for this story, I wonder at what point the guy thought "This probably wasn't a good idea".


Drive Through Part II


A NYC garbage truck dangled from the third floor of a building in Queens.  Firefighters removed the injured driver who was taken to an area hospital with back and neck injuries.  No explanation was given as to what the circumstances where that resulted in the accident.

Definitely made a wrong turn.  RECALCULATING!

Drive Through Part III

A woman seeking revenge on her husband in New Zealand smashed her car into the wrong apartment complex, according to The Nelson Mail. The paper said, the woman thought she was plowing into the home of her husband’s mistress, but she actually drove through the wrong building. The woman, 25, whose name has been withheld, pleaded guilty to causing almost $43,000 worth of damage to the property in the town of Nelson. The flames of jealousy were fanned when the wife read text messages sent to her husband from another woman, The Mail said. The wife, with her husband as a passenger, drove to the mistress’s address. The wife allegedly drove through the complex’s gates and into the garage of an apartment that belonged to someone else.

The husband was in the car...  HMMM...how could she of not gotten the right house? 



Planes in the News, too

Gerard Depardieu couldn't wait any longer to use the loo. The actor was thrown off a Paris to Dublin CityJet flight on Tuesday after a fellow flyer claimed he stood up and relieved himself while yelling: “I need to p***.”
Cabin crew refused to allow him to go the restroom as the plane was awaiting take-off.

The flight was delayed for more than two hours.

Probably peeing in full view of a plane full of passengers isn't the most brilliant career path ever taken.  I wonder if the delay was covered by any one's flight insurance?  It definitely wasn't weather related.

Planes and Pugs

 Another milestone for a California Pug.  This week Otis made  another jump with his owner. Otis, a ten-year-old pug hailing from Galt, Calif., made his 64th jump (tandem, of course) with his owner, Will DaSilva, on Monday afternoon.  "He's just like a first-time skydiver," DaSilva says "He's all excited about it, gets nervous at the door just like all the rest of the skydivers, and then once he gets out he's just having a ball. He's just like a dog with his head out the car window. 




AAAWWWW 


A Love Story

Roy Fitts was doing 10 years in an Oregon prison for attempted murder. Jessica was doing time for bank robbery.  They met on a prison pen pal site and fell in love, got married in the slammer and upon release from prison wanted a fresh start in Los Vegas. 

Roy, however, was on parole and didn't the hassle of talking to his parole officer about his impending relocation.  So he and his pregnant bride, Jessica, decide to steal a car and head for the Vegas.

The first of many problems with their plan was they decided the best way to get reliable transportation was to steal it.  After shooting the owner of a van and leaving him by a highway, they were on their way.  The police didn't take kindly to their methods of obtaining transportation and started pursuing them.  After a high speed chase, the police placed stop sticks across the roadway.

The couple had to ditch the van and make a run for it.  As luck would have it they found an old man in a pickup truck that was to become their new ride.

The chase became far easier for the cops as the Fitts tried to drive in 1st gear and continually stalled the engine.   Neither knew how to drive a stick shift. 

I guess they will be back to being pen pals in the near future.

The Good for the Day...Skydiving dogs are cute.

The Bad for the Day... A Florida babysitter, was arrested after being spotted on Wednesday driving around with a 8 month old baby in the

back of a pickup.  Keyona Davis was arrested for child neglect.

The Weird for the Day.... A Detroit area man decided to drive his truck despite knowing that the brakes did not work.  He thought he would be able to stick his foot out of the door and stop it "manually". 

After coming to a stop light, he, indeed, did put out his foot but was unable to stop the truck.  After hitting two cars, continuing through the the intersection and hitting two more cars the truck came to a stop.

Respect for the Fallen

Four men will be laid to rest this week in our area as a result of Taliban insurgents shooting down the Chinook transport helicopter in which they were riding during a night raid in Afghanistan.  They were among the 38 on board that lost their lives on August 6, 2011.

                                                

This has been a solemn week in Olathe, KS.  Tuesday 15,000+ people lined the streets near my house as the funeral procession went by for Army Spc. Spencer Duncan. His  remains were brought back to his hometown, Olathe, KS.  His funeral services will be held this morning (Thursday).

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 Tuesday, we  received an email from our church regarding the services for US Navy CPO (SEAL) Matt Mason.   Here is a small excerpt...


On Wednesday morning The Church of the Resurrection is hosting the funeral for Matt Mason, one of the Navy Seals who died in Afghanistan last week. Several of Matt and Jessica's friends are members of our church and we are honored to serve the family and to make our building, volunteers and staff available to care for them.  I will be assisting with the service but the Mason's pastor from San Diego will preach.
We understand that the Topeka "church" that seems to specialize in spreading hurt and hate plans to protest from 135th Street.  We've discussed a variety of options for addressing these protesters but in the end we believe that the best approach is to ignore them. They come seeking publicity and attention.  We'd rather not give it to them.  I'm hoping the media, too, might simply ignore them.  They are a very small group that shows up at funerals because it gets them noticed.  I wonder how long they would do this if no one paid them any attention.

I am told there are some planning to counter-protest.  I would discourage you from participating - it only makes for a bigger media event.  The Patriot Guard Riders will be here ensuring the family doesn't see the protester's signs. 



Sure enough, I look up the schedule for the Westboro Baptist hatemongers and this funeral is on the schedule. Now this just makes me tremendously sad.

Yesterday morning, like every Wednesday morning, I meet a group of ladies for coffee at the Panera Bread Company that is located one block west from our church.  As we were settling in for our chat, the cafe started to fill up with the Patriot Guard Riders.  If you are not familiar with  Patriot Guard Riders  you can click  here for more information.

The Patriot Guard Riders and another group that is named Patriot Guards come to funerals as invited guests of the families and they form a barrier to keep the family from having to view the likes of demonstrators and protesters that disrespect the funerals of individuals that give their lives to service for their country or community.  This includes military, firefighters and police officers.

Yesterday, Matt Mason's family did not see the protesters. I have a tape of the protesters being held back  back by the Patriot Guard Riders but decided not to post it as I don't want the hatemongers to get any exposure.  I will instead, insert a picture taken outside of the church.

Today, the service will be held for US Army Spc Spencer Duncan at another Olathe church. The Patriot Guards will be there as well.





I send up my sincerest condolences for the families and friends for all the men that lost their lives.