Well, I’ve been back from vacation a little over a month, and I’m still going nonstop to try to catch up. At my job, we are having ongoing IT issues. It’s usually bad – not having access to one system or another for hours every day. Currently, one or multiple systems are down for days at a time. Not once since I’ve been back have all systems worked at the same time. It’s turned a clunky, disjointed contracting process into a nigh-impossible endeavor. Hence the working nights and weekends just to keep from getting too far behind. Got to love the government! 
Beyond the normal work nonsense that soaks up so much time, my wife and I ended up overbooking our off time. Admittedly, we do this far too often. I’m in the process of buying and selling nine properties. The first eight I have been working on my own and should close in a week or two. Then, a week ago Sunday, my wife noticed a bungalow-style house just off the town center of our community. We came close to buying in this neighborhood a couple of years ago, but the demand was so high that prices exceeded what we were willing to (over)pay. Nothing has been available since. Until the Sunday before last. We made an offer on the house that Monday, and it was accepted last Tuesday. We’re scheduled to close this coming Monday. The previous owners turned the third bedroom into an office – knocked down a couple of walls, removed the closet, installed cabinetry. We’ll put everything back the way it was originally. I’m trying to decide if I have the desire (um, nope) or time (definitely nope) to do the work myself or if I’ll hire someone to do it.
At our commercial property, I recently finished subdividing a large vacant office space to turn it back into two decent-sized units per the original plan. Both of these units will soon have tenants. So, in a few days, the building will be fully rented out and everyone is under contract for at least the next two years.
Can’t have the good without the bad, unfortunately. We’ve had instances where some jackass is using the building’s dumpster to dispose of his construction waste – so much so that the dumpster has overflowed a couple of times. Taking something that’s not yours is stealing, and that entitlement mentality is far too prevalent today. I had security cameras installed (an unnecessary expense), so we should be able to identify the thief should he visit again.
I am also involved in two lawsuits. Both are stupid, but one particularly so. Some advice to wanna-be white-collar thieves out there. If you are going to embezzle money, be a little bit creative about it. If you withdraw millions of dollars from a group investment account, deposit it into your personal account, and leave town, you have essentially confessed to the crime. That you fled town but not the country just means that you’re doubly stupid. (Running off to the next county over is hardly out of reach of the legal system.) The fool has about 10 people (including me) suing him, and the police are involved.
We’ve been trying to schedule the last bit of landscaping at our house for months but can never coordinate our schedules with the landscaper. That has to sync up at some point – hopefully, by the end of May. On one side of our house, Lan has several raised veggie beds that have been noticed by the local deer. Now my wife is torn because she likes deer but doesn't want to share her food with them. Actually, there's very little sharing; they are eating nearly everything.
My Mom has been acting up regularly the last couple of weeks at her memory care community. She will never be satisfied with anything and refuses to realize just how good she has it. All her needs are provided, and she has no alternative accommodation-wise. She has long since been unable to take care of herself. Yet lately she has been very combative with the staff and other residents. I visit her weekly, and more than that the last month. I can reason with her at the time of my visit, but with her lack of memory she goes right back to the ridiculous behavior in no time. It’s as if there is no point in me visiting with her anymore.
My two brothers, who I’ve provided personal and business finance advice to in recent years, had dug themselves out of the debt hole. Well, now they are right back where they were a couple of years ago – behind on their income and property taxes, massive new car payments, and tens of thousands in high interest credit card debt. The idea of having any of those burdens makes me nauseous. All self-inflicted. Stupid!
I have six nieces and nephews, and I have offered to help pay for their college. Three will start college this Fall and the other three are still a few years away. I have been investing money monthly for this effort for a couple of years. I want to be generous but not so much that I encourage bad behavior. I want to help pay for tuition and the like, not alcohol and other stupidity.
Had I known April was going to be such a busy month, I would have cancelled my DC trip earlier this week. I am a George Washinton Univ alum, and when I still lived in the area, I would regularly meet with old colleagues and be a guest lecturer in an economics course for their “government in economics” topic. I would talk about the government’s influence on markets and the effect of deficits, unintended consequences, opportunity costs, etc. on the economy. My trip this time had the bonus of wading through all the pro-Palestinian protesters. It’s really just a catch-all for a grievance against everything (the US, the West, capitalism, patriarchy, white privilege, etc.). It’s one big snowflake meltdown. These dumb kids (or, more accurately, their parents or taxpayers) sure do spend a lot of money on childish and profane behavior. I guess they should enjoy their bubble while they can. Hopefully, they’ll smarten up before venturing out into reality. Or don’t smarten up; I don’t care. All I know is that my daughter will not have to compete with these privileged knuckleheads in the job market.
So, I hope to get all caught up soon. Because in a month, the family will be spending three weeks in Vietnam. We’ve almost got everything planned out and booked. I think the only thing of substance to get are our visas. Should have those is a few days.
So, you guys busy? What is this “sleep” I keep hearing about?
Beyond the normal work nonsense that soaks up so much time, my wife and I ended up overbooking our off time. Admittedly, we do this far too often. I’m in the process of buying and selling nine properties. The first eight I have been working on my own and should close in a week or two. Then, a week ago Sunday, my wife noticed a bungalow-style house just off the town center of our community. We came close to buying in this neighborhood a couple of years ago, but the demand was so high that prices exceeded what we were willing to (over)pay. Nothing has been available since. Until the Sunday before last. We made an offer on the house that Monday, and it was accepted last Tuesday. We’re scheduled to close this coming Monday. The previous owners turned the third bedroom into an office – knocked down a couple of walls, removed the closet, installed cabinetry. We’ll put everything back the way it was originally. I’m trying to decide if I have the desire (um, nope) or time (definitely nope) to do the work myself or if I’ll hire someone to do it.
At our commercial property, I recently finished subdividing a large vacant office space to turn it back into two decent-sized units per the original plan. Both of these units will soon have tenants. So, in a few days, the building will be fully rented out and everyone is under contract for at least the next two years.
Can’t have the good without the bad, unfortunately. We’ve had instances where some jackass is using the building’s dumpster to dispose of his construction waste – so much so that the dumpster has overflowed a couple of times. Taking something that’s not yours is stealing, and that entitlement mentality is far too prevalent today. I had security cameras installed (an unnecessary expense), so we should be able to identify the thief should he visit again.
I am also involved in two lawsuits. Both are stupid, but one particularly so. Some advice to wanna-be white-collar thieves out there. If you are going to embezzle money, be a little bit creative about it. If you withdraw millions of dollars from a group investment account, deposit it into your personal account, and leave town, you have essentially confessed to the crime. That you fled town but not the country just means that you’re doubly stupid. (Running off to the next county over is hardly out of reach of the legal system.) The fool has about 10 people (including me) suing him, and the police are involved.
We’ve been trying to schedule the last bit of landscaping at our house for months but can never coordinate our schedules with the landscaper. That has to sync up at some point – hopefully, by the end of May. On one side of our house, Lan has several raised veggie beds that have been noticed by the local deer. Now my wife is torn because she likes deer but doesn't want to share her food with them. Actually, there's very little sharing; they are eating nearly everything.
My Mom has been acting up regularly the last couple of weeks at her memory care community. She will never be satisfied with anything and refuses to realize just how good she has it. All her needs are provided, and she has no alternative accommodation-wise. She has long since been unable to take care of herself. Yet lately she has been very combative with the staff and other residents. I visit her weekly, and more than that the last month. I can reason with her at the time of my visit, but with her lack of memory she goes right back to the ridiculous behavior in no time. It’s as if there is no point in me visiting with her anymore.
My two brothers, who I’ve provided personal and business finance advice to in recent years, had dug themselves out of the debt hole. Well, now they are right back where they were a couple of years ago – behind on their income and property taxes, massive new car payments, and tens of thousands in high interest credit card debt. The idea of having any of those burdens makes me nauseous. All self-inflicted. Stupid!
I have six nieces and nephews, and I have offered to help pay for their college. Three will start college this Fall and the other three are still a few years away. I have been investing money monthly for this effort for a couple of years. I want to be generous but not so much that I encourage bad behavior. I want to help pay for tuition and the like, not alcohol and other stupidity.
Had I known April was going to be such a busy month, I would have cancelled my DC trip earlier this week. I am a George Washinton Univ alum, and when I still lived in the area, I would regularly meet with old colleagues and be a guest lecturer in an economics course for their “government in economics” topic. I would talk about the government’s influence on markets and the effect of deficits, unintended consequences, opportunity costs, etc. on the economy. My trip this time had the bonus of wading through all the pro-Palestinian protesters. It’s really just a catch-all for a grievance against everything (the US, the West, capitalism, patriarchy, white privilege, etc.). It’s one big snowflake meltdown. These dumb kids (or, more accurately, their parents or taxpayers) sure do spend a lot of money on childish and profane behavior. I guess they should enjoy their bubble while they can. Hopefully, they’ll smarten up before venturing out into reality. Or don’t smarten up; I don’t care. All I know is that my daughter will not have to compete with these privileged knuckleheads in the job market.
So, I hope to get all caught up soon. Because in a month, the family will be spending three weeks in Vietnam. We’ve almost got everything planned out and booked. I think the only thing of substance to get are our visas. Should have those is a few days.
So, you guys busy? What is this “sleep” I keep hearing about?
