Moving On Up

to the Midwest. Back to the Midwest again. My life is a constant shift between the Midwest and the South.

Timeline: Michigan - S.C. - Kansas - Ga - Texas - Illinois

Yes, you heard it here first. We are headed to the Windy City. The suburbs, actually.

M will be starting his new gig, back to content management in the 150,000-strong Daily Herald, the 3rd largest Illinois paper after the sadly-Tribune-run Chicago Tribune and the Sun News group Sun-Times.

I will be staying in Lubbock to finish up a full year in my new gig, packing and cleaning house. I should be joining him in May.

Am I sad to leave Lubbock? Contrary to popular belief, heck yeah. We bought a house in July and love living out there. Now, we may not even afford to buy one for a few years in Chicagoland. Our getaway

There's also our employers (no, not Morris) - the publisher and the ad director. They may not garner too many fans but to Mand me, they are good, solid people. And you, my friends, know that I know good folks when I see them.

But like they said, there're always tradeoffs.

We're going to miss attending college football games, no matter how inconsistent Tech is. Northwestern football sucks! I'll be sure to wear my Michigan T-shirts on game days. But we'll have plenty of pro games to attend. Great, now I have to figure out baseball. Can never understand that game.

Housing: Much as I whined and complained about the exorbitant rental in Lubbock, it is not any better in Chicago.

Food: I'm starting to feel fat just thinking about it. Already, I spied a huge Asian supermarket, albeit mostly Japanese Asian markets; Mitsuwa. AND I get to pop into Chinatown in the city proper for dim sum anytime. There's even a Southeast restaurant there. Mmmm, Hainanese chicken rice, laksa, mee siam, popiah, rendang Penang Restaurant ...... And helloooo, spinach deep dish and all you ambiance-conscious restaurants.

Shopping: While not as ardent as I used to be, I still look forward to the variety when it comes to gift-giving time.

Culture: No stranger to Chicago's offerings, I no longer have to try to see everything in a short trip. But if you should come visit, you're on your own to the Art Museum if you insist on seeing the Impressionist paintings. I need to venture to the other wings. Oh, does Six Flags count for culture, too? I can't wait now that I'd gotten over my coaster fears.

Meet up with you later!

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Bob: I can see you can't wait to get out of texas! Happy packing!

Me: Regardless of what people think of Texas, or Lubbock, it does provide a good standard of living. The major inconvenience of Lubbock is its remoteness. Flying in and out of Lubbock can get costly in some instances. Mark and I love to travel and we are stoked by the idea of last-minute offerings from O'Hare. The other downside is its lack of good restaurants. I'm a Singaporean, for crying out loud. Eating is what we do.

Bob: and it shows too!!! ha ha ha ha

Patrick: Wow, you've lived in more places than most people in the military! That's so cool that you get to make the windy city your next destination. I have yet to hear a bad thing about that place. Congrats!

Dan: Hooray! Best of luck in Chicagoland. Just stay off the Ryan at all times. Evil, that thing is.

You'll also have to do The Taste during the summer. Hotter than Hades on a bad day, but good gracious all that food ...

So I now go from knowing 2 people in Lubbock to zero. Scratch that from my list of places to visit.

and you've passed me again on places lived. I figure I'll catch up eventually ... but not for a while. Me likes the beach too much.

Again, congrats!

Enough possessions already!

I'm looking around my rental home in Lubbock and wondered why the hell did I unpack so much of our load.

I had pictures hung up on the wall, loads of kitchenware stashed in cabinets. And now I'm moving out in mid-December. I know we leased this place for 6 months but the homemaker in me just can't resist making the present place homey. Now, I have to start taping up the boxes and packing the miscellaneous back.

I only started househunting (for rent, not to own) yesterday and today, I lucked out finding one in a good neighborhood that has two tennis courts, playground and lake nearby, and for $300 less.

Since I never got into a habit of soaking, the small tubs don't faze me either. I hope I can convince M to take it. The public tennis courts and cost more than make up for the flowery granny wallpaper.

The cost of rental in Lubbock is ridiculous considering the standard of living here is low and cost of living high.

Most newer homes rent for $1000 onwards, and the older houses with the panel wood walls and musty carpets rent for $900.

My renters in Augusta should realize they scored well with our home.

They got it for a song.

You Spin Me Right Round

I'm finally ready for Sandusky.

You see, ever since my first coaster ride in 1996, I'd never dared ventured on another until last week when I was at the happiest place on earth - DisneyWorld.

I hopped on the newest ride at Animal Kingdom in search of the Yeti on "Everest," Epcot's "Space Mountain," and the Magic Kingdom's "Splash Mountain". Then I did what every Disney aficionado recommended by heading to MGM's "Tower of Terror" and the Aerosmith "Rock and Rollercoaster", and finally, back to Epcot's "Fast Track"

And for the record, I got on those rides more than twice!

Now, I'm ready to combat the outside twirley-whirleys, I think. For those who had never been to DisneyWorld, the coasters at Space Mountain and Aerosmith are really indoor (read dark). You can't see the scare coming. We'll see how I fare if I ever make it to Arlington, TX or Sandusky, Ohio.

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Bob: I had thot Space Mountain was a kiddy ride! My son brought me along (all 5 years of age then) and when the ride started, I knew something was "wrong"! Darn! It was an indoor roller coaster! I was hanging on tight and one hand grasping my son Max lightly (I didn't want to scare him). When we came out I was flusterred (cussing under my breath) and Max was going "Pa, I like, y'know"!

Patrick:

Be careful though. It was this kind of ride that got me to go sky diving.

And congrats on conquering your fears!

Me: LOL. You know, we made sure to stop by and check out our faces after each ride. My next coaster goal is to make sure I look great in those pics. Talk about low self-esteem after scanning for our faces! But, seriously, now you're scaring me. That challenging, huh?

Happiest Place on Earth? Not Really

Tomorrow, I am setting off for a vacation I looked forward to since June, July? But I probably will be sobbing a little (I always cry at airports) as I make my way to check-in solo.

Some of you were recipients of my panic phone a few days ago when I found out from M that he had to cancel his end.

The root of this evil once again lies in the corporate tools. He went to KC at almost the eleventh hour last week for some corporate deal. I received a phone call the night before he's scheduled to return that he won't be able to make the vacation as some last-minute budget adjustments must be made. Needless to say, I'm devastated. And so was the rest of his family, whom we'll be having this unofficial mini-vacation with.

Hence, the rabid phone calls I made to friends who have kids or who are single to see if they want to take over his Disney packet. After all the panic, my sil managed to get her nephew to join us, I found out last night. All is almost well again. We didn't lose the money, and M's airfare with Southwest can be used for up to one year from day of purchase, with no penalty charge. One hurrah for Southwest.

But what makes me ill and so ironic is that we are going to the supposed happiest place on earth, and I doubt I can be truly happy without him there.

Feminists may deem me weak, that I need a man to make me happy, and that I can't be independent enough to enjoy by myself and with my other loved ones (I'm fortunate my in-laws and I get along fabulously). But he truly is my better half, and life is just simply more enjoyable with him around.

The other frustration is that while I'm enjoying myself in Orlando, M is toiling away for THE MAN (yes, we are actually serving the real man/men, keeping their McMansions, and golf club memberships intact). It's too infuriating. And there's nothing right now we can do anything about it. And really, that's another blog for another time, when I'm sure there're no "traitors" in friends of friends who will let slip my hatred for THE CORPORATION.

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Jeremy: In regards to the last paragraph, you have a "fellow traveler" in me. Just in time for Wednesday's "employee appreciation day" where everyone who doesn't work with the public can dress down. That's never meant me.

Patrick: Wait, you're going to the happiest place on earth? You should have told me you were coming to New York City; I'd totally be your tour guide!

Christina: You know you're preaching to the choir when you're talking about how evil THE CORPORATION is. And now THE CORPORATION and its minions have hacked me off even more by ruining your vacation with Mark. Comfort yourself that someday the corporation, The Man and his minions will burn in a very special room on the 13th ring of Hell. I've asked some of my associates at Vatican Central to help arrange this...

Professional Respect

Since joining a different set skill here, I've come to respect the worker bees that keep the business alive more.

When I was at the newsroom, the tension between the sales and news teams were rumored to be intense. I played along, being the follower I was, and created this animosity towards them within me.

Now that I'm with the sales force, I see and sense the tremendous pressure they are put under. And if you ask me now if these folks deserve the "high" pay they are getting, and driving the sort of cars they drive, then for the most part, I think so. It's not a fun job to ask a stranger to part with money. And it takes savvy and math acuity, to boot. I have it easy, to be honest. And I feel guilty when I approach the sales rep to see if they had considered this piece of research to support their cause, or why they didn't pursue that account. Although, to be fair, there are some lazy asses who'd rather be order takers, than soliciting new businesses, or thinking of new and creative ways to package a message.

Another newfound respect that I have for a while now are to the reporters. Today, I had a last-minute task to go interview a retired lady at a retirement home for a women's section that advertising is publishing in conjunction with a marketing women's event. No, this is not my job duty. But being in the committee means I help out when needed.

It was tough having to do that at 2 p.m. with a 4 p.m. deadline. The interview took an hour, and it got better as I got over my initial self-doubt. While it is a feature piece (150 words at most), there's the break-the-ice moment, the constant reminder not to come across as patronizing, to constantly smile. Absolute emotional and physical drain at the end of it.

To my friends out there in the many different jobs you do, unless you truly are doing a piece-of-cake work, you're doing great.

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Opposites do Attract

So, I often kill time after work by logging into myspace and seeing what the rest of you are up to. Tonight, I came upon Jill's new set of quizzes. I took them and upon sharing my results with M, he decided to take a break and do a few, too. Here are our results:

Which Classic Movie are you?

Me: Platoon
Him: Easy Rider

Which Famous Leader are you?
Me: Hitler
Him: Einstein

Which Hogwarts school do you belong to?
Me: Slytherine
Him: Ravenclaw

Ying, Yang

Milk to my coffee

We are perfect for each other -- we balance each other -- we complete each other

I'm sure my friend Karen can relate to this.

Eye Surgery Aftermath

I'm rid of my contacts and glasses.

Finally, after years of wondering and wishing, I confronted the searing laser.

The experience itself was pleasant -- my eye care center consultant was there to allow me to squeeze her tiny fingers and there pre and post-operation as well to asure me everything was going to be OK.

It was.

The only scary part is doing all the research before that and not knowing what the experience was going to be like.

For those who are considering laser eye surgery, other than having to find out who the trusted local surgeons are in your area, the only advice I can offer is GO DO IT!

I went through a battery of tests a few days before my operation, and on the day itself was provided plenty of numbing drops. I didn't feel except for the pressure of the little brush clearing away the epithelium (the topmost thin layer of the cornea) and then it's to stare straight into the orange light.

How did I keep my stare without blinking? Easy. Tape was plastered around my eyes to hold a Clockwork Orange-like contraption that prys my eyes open. Again, no pain.

A few seconds of the laser zapping away at my cornea and a bandage contact lens was put over my cornea to protect it as it heals.

I was told to expect lots of pain on the 3rd day, and fluctuating vision.

Sunday came, and no pain.

Today, I went for my 2nd post-op checkup, which included removal of my bandage contact lens. The verdict -- because I took care to use my medicated drops, lubricating drops, daily dose of Vitamin C etc, that my healing is remarkable.

Although I do not have perfect vision now (nearsightness has some blurriness), I can still make my way around really well.

For clarification, I did not have Lasik. I had PRK.

Lasik involves the cutting of the epithelium (resulting in a flap, which after the cornea lasering, the flap is restored and set to heal.

PRK involves the brushing away of the epithelium (no flap here), cornea lasering, and bandage contact lens, and new epithelium cells growth.

Flap for one, no flap for the other. Simple.

Another difference, Lasik vision restoration is almost instant. PRK is slower -- takes a few weeks to 3 months.

Eye Surgery Query

A really straightforward blog: does anyone know or has gone through PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) surgery. It is NOT Lasik. It does not involve the cutting and peeling and restoring of the cornea. Instead, the process is more akin to scraping the cornea. It's been around longer than Lasik.

If you have any information or feedback, let me know asap.

Forget the 3-second rule

And always wear shoes outside. While we are at it, gloves, too.

First of all, thanks to Christina for the advice pertaining to the critter blog. (Frankly, do you guys check back to see if your comments are answered? I do! Yeah, I need validation and a life.) My shoes will be thoroughly shaken to rid them of any pestilence.

Speaking of which, another set of critters were delivered to us, courtesy of our fearler predator Bubba.

I awoke this morning to find that our small patio table was shifted away from the wall. Since I told myself umpteenth times not to sweat the small stuff anymore, I let it be.

Now, my morning ritual involves lugging an array of supplies to bring to work, like my copies of the local paper and the WSJ, bills, sometimes, the travel coffee mug, my jacket etc. (and you fellas thought we stop at handbags), I flung today's offerings, the papers, on our bigger patio table.

The slam it made on the metal table would hardly serve as a wakeup call to one's neighbors but M jumped, and told me to essentially cool it, and take a chill pill. I'm paraphrasing, of course. But few things cause my husband to be jumpy and I asked what the big deal was. He asked if I didn't hear a sound, a squeak essentially. And I calmly said: Oh, is that what that sound was. What is it?

Now, most of you are pretty wise by now where the story is going. But trust me, if you were me this morning and you're not a morning person, you can be oblivious to a lot of things.

He said Bubba caught a field mouse. And he, M, rescued it, which explains why the small patio table is pulled away from the door cuz our clawed cat was flicking it about. I've seen him done that before. That cat is so sadistic, I love it!

Now, why the hell would you want to do something like that, I asked him. Just kill the damn pest. Yah, and I'm born Buddhist. He said there's no reason for a mouse to be subjected to such torture and he used my decorative tealight candle holder to store it for the time being.

Urghhhhh, I feel so contaminated. I know it's no big, mean rats but they are all in the same family. I don't feel so good living in the country all of a sudden. And I'm real proud of my cat who is serving us well in return for his maintenance and lodging.

As we were getting ready to head out, M noticed a limp gray matter on the deck and we recognized it to be another field mouse. A dead one. My cat managed to get to it in time. Good for Bubbs, I say. Frankly, sometimes, I'm really glad my eyesight isn't that great to see all the details.

So, this finally brings me to my point that I will never ever abide by the 3-second rule again. If any food, utensils etc fall anywhere in and outside the house, it goes right to the sink.

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Melissa: LOL!!! After that story, I'll probably think twice about abiding by the 3-second rule too! ;-) Along the same lines, when I was still living at my parents house (so, if memory serves me correctly, this took place some time during high school), a mouse somehow became trapped beneath the floorboards in my bedroom. All night long, I would hear it clawing and chewing. *shiver* I tried to convince myself that it was a 'friendly' mouse by naming it Fievel (from "An American Tale"), but it didn't work! LOL!!! Every night, I had visions of this monster mouse chewing its way through the floorboards and carpet, and then running across my pillow!!! ... We don't know whatever happened to Fievel. One day, the noises just stopped. We don't think he met his demise down there, because we never smelled anything. He must have just finally decided to turn around and go back out the way he came in! *shrugs*

Christina: We thank God have never had a problem with mice in our house here in Columbia although a few others have. What we HAVE had in the neighborhood, however, which is worse...is...(scary horror movie music inserted here)....RATS. This is because we have a lot of manmade lakes in the area with drainage pipes and spillways and etc. and unfortunately these are areas which tend to attract....rats. They thankfully rarely come up into houses but just to see one running around in any proximity to your dwelling is unnerving. This is why I am also thankful the lakes provide us with plenty of snakes to keep the rat problem under control. We also have red-tailed hawks from the nearby Fort that fly over and practice rodent control so that is a help. As for ever seeing one even near my home, I'd probably have a coronary.
As for field mice, I could probably handle them okay. and I'd rescue them too. However, any rat who ever came near me would get a shovel to the head!

Where the Wild Things Are

Since being in my home in the country for a little over a month now, the creatures are coming out of the woodwork. I only wish I have photos taken, but they won't look sightly next to the toilet paper floating in the toilet bowl where I tossed them. Gotta flush those suckers away.

First sucker: scorpion
Yup, not your typical dark shelled stinger. The 2 I've found so far are translucent white. They still have that curled tail.
The first time I found one, it was on my bathroom sink.
The second time I found one, it was on my bathroom floor.
They were both discovered in my groggy, almost-blind morning state. I could've stepped on it.

Second sucker: centipede
Before I had a chance to research on these babies, I picked it up and sent it to the porcelain bowl. Now, I found out that house centipedes are good controls for spiders and other small insects. Still, how am I to know if this centipede was a house or outside one. Apparently, outside centipedes cannot be controlled. Since I live out in the country, and surrounded by desert fauna, I better be safe than sorry.

Now, I add another routine to bedtime, flipping the covers, checking all surfaces. And to meal time, washing all cookware to make sure there ae no evidence of creepy crawlies.

This is the country lifestyle I've to compromise for being surrounded by beauty. Small price, I guess, until I'm stung or bitten by one of these creatures.
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Patrick: Oh wow, and to think I got worked up over mere camel crickets and cockroaches. I can handle big spiders too, but scorpions? Aw hell no!

Christina: Ling -- had no idea you were in scorpion country. Rule #1: CHECK YOUR SHOES. If you have closed toed shoes or slippers sitting around shake them out before you put them on in the morning. Scorpions love dark moist environments, especially shoes. This was the first lesson taught to me when I visited friends in Mesa, Arizona a few years ago. They were still freaked out by the scorpions having just moved there but I told them I'd trade scorpions in exchange for no humidity, no mosquitoes and no palmetto bugs anyday!

Good thing you're checking cookware because for some reason certain lizards like to curl up in teaputs, kettles and pots. Again, I wouldn't mind doing that in exchange for never having to see another three inch palmetto bug!

Melissa: Wow!!! Scorpions!!! And inside, no less! Ewww! *shivers* I didn't know there was such a thing as a tranluscent white one!

Brotherly Love

Every day, when we pull into the carport, Bentley runs up to the front of the car, delirious of the fact the one day, our feet may slip from the brakes, and his burgeoning body may end up in a flattened mess.

Thank goodness, my precious mutt had learned to back up a little before charging to the headlights, repeating the motion until the car comes to a stop.

Is it animal instinct or is it his brother, Bubba, the wiser creature, who meows at him from atop the steps, warning him to stay away from the steel machine?

The sight of the little tabby meowing gently at his brother never ceases to bring a smile to us at the end of a long day. What is he saying to him?

"Back off, you idiot?"Nah, he loves him too much to use that language.

Research has indicated that different breeds of animal communicate by body language and phermones. So what exactly is Bubba trying to tell Bentley when he meows at him? www.messybeast.com/cat_talk2.htm

Some of you had never met Bubba. He's the first cat that ever stole my heart. While he's independent (selfish, some may say but I disagree), he's extremely affectionate and always returns home after a long day outside, and speaks with you. He meows, we meow back at a similar pitch and style. He purrs, we reply by rolling our "r's". This exchange carries on until we the human get well, tired. Then he'll just be content to plop down by us, usually me. He's almost like the ideal dog. While Bentley is a lovable dog, he's hardly what I deem ideal.

He doesn't care for toys nor play catch. Bubba doesn't mind chasing things.

Bentley will lie still, contently, when we rub him. Bubba loves to his belly rubbed and will playfully try to scratch or gnaw gently at our teasing hands.

Another endearing trait of Bubba is his brotherly love toward his jealous brother. When he gets a chance to walk by Bentley, he will swish his tail gently at his snout, and stop for a moment, pressing his little body to Bentley's chest. Sadly, Bentley doesn't reciprocate -- he'll just be really still wherever he is, thinking that if he doesn't return the favor, Bubba will move on. My smart kitty got the message. But unlike us humans who may hold grudges, he just presses on daily. It frustrates and tickles us at the same time to see this act of love and oblivion.

Bentley does engage in some contact with Bubba, most notably the one where he would walk up to the cat, sniff and snort, and go on his way. We have no idea what that meant. Is it a macho way of his, saying "Here, don't say I ignore you!"

It's hard to think that many years ago, I swear I'd never want a cat or that I would have time for a dog. Now we have 2 boys, and I couldn't be more happy we have them to come home to.

Any Mousketeers Out There?

My sister-in-law is a topnotch bargain hunter. Our cruise to the Bahamas in 2004 was organized by her, and we paid an obscenely low rate (I forgot) for the weeklong excursion and we got to have a suite with a balcony.

This time, her intrepid skills has once again nabbed us a deal to DisneyWorld. $500 for 5 days, all meals, transportation, lodging, park passes included. And it's off-peak! She's done this for at least 5 years now. I'm going to start leaving the travel plans to her. The only downside is I gotta put up with her manic-depressive husband. Aargh. I know he'll tag along with M and me and leave the two kids to my sil to watch.

I digress.

I'm sure some of you had been to DisneyWorld, Epcot etc. Any suggestions on what I GOTTA do and see? BTW, I'm staying at Port Orleans. And don't stop at the parks. As you well know, M is an avid photographer. Any cities we should spend time visiting? Keep the details rolling.

Augusta in the limelight

Wow, it's been a while since I last posted. Good thing, too. Seems like I usually blog about shit happening in my life.

Well, life's been good. Enjoying the hard-earned house. Learned a new dessert - Lemon Ginger Cake with Blackberry Curd Filling. Doesn't that sound so Junior League or whatever those frou-frou ladies' club is called in Georgia?

Ah yes, the headline. The Wall Street Journal in the 8/21 or 22 issue profiled Augusta, Ga., as the dreamy retirement city. And it took up half the Berlin-sized page. Nothing against Augusta. I love you folks, I still have my house there. But, for those unsuspecting foreigners, the article made Augusta out to be the Bahamas of the South. When they wax poetic about the medical complexes, the "short" distance to mountains, and big cities, and oh, the Riverwalk. The Riverwalk's not bad, but it ain't the one at San Antonio, for crissake.

Ask Damon Cline for the past issue. No more than 3 days from today.

That's all, folks. Take care.

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Christina: "Short" distance to mountains???? What do they term short? It's at least two to three hours to the Georgia ones, and more than that to South Carolina/North Carolina...
That cake sounds like heaven...

Jeremy: Augusta is more like the Pittsburgh of the South, except hotter than a blast furnace from April through October, and sometimes November.

Patrick: You know, I've heard that of all the rust-belt cities (Cleveland, Detroit, Allentown, Springfield, Mass, Hartford) Pittsburgh has rebounded the best, and is actually a decent place to live. I never thought I'd say this, but for once, I agree with the Wall Street Journal. I mean, I haven't read the story, so I don't know if they went overboard (I'll wager sure they did), but I can see how Augusta would be a decent place to while away the last years of your life.

Or to put it another way, it's a lot better than some of the typical retirement destinations in Florida, that ultimate geriatric playground. The day I stopped looking down at Augusta was the day I visited Ocala, Florida, which is the kind of place where you only go there to die. There was no history, no culture, no center of gravity, no waterfront--just miles upon miles of strip malls, swamps, chain restaurants and gated-off retirement colonies where grandchildren can visit but never, EVER live.

Then again, Augusta ain't no Bahamas either. I'm just happy my parents are retiring in Northern Vermont. :)

A Tale of Sweat and Tears

"Thank you for choosing Bank of America. It is our goal that you be highly satisfied."

Yeah, try again. But not with me. Cuz you aren't getting my business ever again.

It's cliche to say I never thought the day would come to close on the house in Lubbock, but it certainly felt that way for since the beginning of July.

I did my homework by calling on a few financial institutions for preapproval and eventually settled on the one with the lowest interest rates and up to $2000 in closing costs covered by them. That would be Bank of America.

When the ordeal begins I don't rightly recall. It's definitely in the first week of July. But I do remember the process very well.

First, the rookie refused to give me anything in writing, not even a Good Faith Estimate, to show that my rate has been locked. I had asked him for 2 earlier for other houses we were interested in. We got those. But the final one, he said he wouldn't give because the "confirmation number" we got would be null and void and we would have to go to the back of the line, and that would slow the process down. But he assured me he will relock it in a few days' time at the same rate.

Well, in a few days' time, he called me and said we got the same rate but we also were hit with discount points. That's the money (roughly $500) we have to pay in our closing for relocking at a later time. I told him that I shouldn't be hit with those points due to his relunctance to lock the rates when I told him to, and that I am really furious with him for misleading him. I took the issue to his boss, who later reimbursed me with a credit to my savings account.

Second problem: the loan is now carried to the corporate BOA lenders who are checking for every detail in my past credit history. One of them called me and asked if I own any property. I told her I still own a house in Augusta, Ga., which I am currently renting. She indicated that is going to slow the process down as it wasn't "disclosed." I told her it wasn't "disclosed" because I wasn't asked about it, and wouldn't it be the local loan officer to ask me for every document (which he didn't ask for a single one) before sending my file up to corporate? They tried to pin it on me that I was "hiding" information. She said I told Bill the rookie I'm renting. I said, of course, I'm renting. I'm renting right now in Lubbock. But that doesn't mean I don't own a house somewhere, too. Bill the village idiot didn't ask the right question. And I can't think of providing every detail of my life as there's too much of it. The loan officer needs to ask the right questions. That's what they are paid to do.

Third problem: Another call from corporate. And they said this is the last one and we can close in a day or two. They need proof of my savings. That I have enough money in my bank account for the last 3 months, my paycheck, and my W2s from the last 2 years. I printed my bank statements from the computer as the paper version has not arrived. And I marched into Bill's office to have him copy and fax them to corporate. I got a call later that day saying they cannot accept the most recent statement as it doesn't have my account number on it. I told them the last "statement" is not a real statement as the month is not over yet. But if they use common sense and see that my name on it matches that from the 2 before it, it should work, right? But, no, they won't accept it. I called my bank and had a manager there fax me their copy with my SSN, name, account number.

Fourth problem: They called me that night (around 7 p.m.), and told me that they ran into another problem. The W2 shows a different name from the place of employment. I tried to explain to them that Mr. Morris, the man who owns the Augusta Chronicle, does not own only newspapers, but ranches, pecan farms, horses, tourist publications, radio stations, magazines, and they fall under the umbrella name that's on the W2s. They can google it and find out. But that took about 15 minutes of explanation and they said they'll do it tomorrow morning.

Oh, you'd have gathered the closing is not happening by now. But they said that should be last problem and we can close by week's end.

Fifth problem: They called and said the whole company name thing checked out OK, but do we know we are buying a leased land property? Now, this property works differently from most houses y'all would come to own, if you haven't already. We are on a state park. The house you buy belongs to you once it's paid for, but the land is yours for only 50 years. We don't care what happens after 50 years, personally, cuz we don't plan to be in Lubbock forever. But the bank is fretting over that. I told them I'm aware of it and am surprised they are not, since I asked every lender (3 if you recall) if they will lend for this particular venture. They all said yes. Bill the rookie said yes. Apparently, Bill the rookie didn't inform them that. Now, corporate is freaking out cuz this is something new to them.

Sixth problem: They need an appraisal. I told them they can get it from the seller who already has them. No, they need a new appraisal since they found out it is a leased land. We said fine, let us know when the appraiser is showing up.

Seventh problem: "Ling, why aren't you employed for 6 months?"
"Err, because I had to move and I can't find a job that fast. And I wanted to take a break."
" Can you write a letter explaining that?"
"Sure."

Eighth problem: "Ling, we can close tomorrow. But you have to pay PMI because you were unemployed for 6 months." Basically, the bank doesn't think I have the money to pay my mortgage.
"But I'm working now, and I'm not making any less from before."
It didn't matter with them. And they said the PMI is no big deal and I can pay it off fast.
I told them, I am still paying my PMI and it is not easy to shake off. Besides, the most important thing is, I told Bill the village idiot, when I decided to go with BOA, that I want an 80-10-10 loan so I won't have PMI, and that I also didn't want discount points.
Now, they try to hit me with both, one of which I managed to get out of.
They still insisted my 6 months of unemployment put me in an unfavorable light (that in spite of my near-perfect 750 credit score, and stable employment now), hence they can't give me an 80-10-10 but a 90-10.
I told them I need to talk to my husband about it but we are very likely not going to go with them if they insist on the PMI and 90-10.

Now, this is 3 weeks of ordeal, and 2 days before this final straw, we met with a local lender recommended by the Realtor. He went through all my papers, drew up a Good Faith Estimate, and basically told us all he needed was a letter explaining my 6 months of unemployment, a new appraisal and we should be able to close in 2 days' time. Oh, he had no trouble with Mr. Morris vs. Shiver Trading Co. vs Morris Communications. He googled it on the spot, and said it's no biggie.

And we closed on Friday, the last day of our vacation, with this local lender. BOA has cost me a vacation out of town when we were trying to close the week before.

So, BOA, you have a bunch of people not knowing the process, not communicating with one another. You basically have lost my business for life.
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Melissa: Ohhhh, Ling!!! Bless your heart!!! If it makes you feel any better, I understand how you feel! I went through almost the exact same thing when I recently refinanced my house. What should have taken a few weeks took several months. It was an absolute mess. And just like with you, the mortgage company wouldn't accept an online bank statement b/c the printout didn't have my bank account number on it (even though my name and address were!); they asked for pay stubs but then dragged their feet so long that they made me resubmit pay stubs again - not once, not twice, but THREE times; the loan officer quoted me a wrong estimate *and* told me if I accepted the estimate that he would pay off my credit card, but in the end when he couldn't do so, he waited to reveal that piece of information *after* I'd signed the papers, so now I'm locked into a piggy-back mortgage with exorbitant payments as well as the credit card debt... And on and on and on. They even screwed up the closing paper work so that in the middle of closing, we had to stop, have the company fax in the correct paperwork and then it was a week after *that* before I was able to close. Then it was 2 weeks after that -- and took a call from my lawyer -- before they deposited the money they owed me from the "cash back" into my bank account. It was unreal. I honestly considered going to the Better Business Bureau over this company. Their name is Eastern Residential Mortgage, by the way! Everyone, steer clear of them!! ... Anyway!! I'm so sorry about your fiasco!!! There's a special place in hell for those people! Bah!

Christina: Oh mY GOD Ling. I am so sorry you had to go through this with BOA, but from what friends of mine have gone through with them plus what I have read about them on various financial and credit-related forums, I can see you too have been a victim of the BIG CORPORATE MONSTER that is BOA. STAY AWAY PEOPLE.

Let me warn everybody about something else that can happen even IF you go with a local bank. I got my mortgage for the condo I own in North Myrtle Beach through a Columbia-based bank. Great experience. THEN three months later they made the "business decision" to sell their condo mortgage accounts to a huge corporate conglomerate, GMC Mortgage. This made me very unhappy but I didn't bother to complain. This is something smaller banks often do. And I have nothing really bad to say about GMAC except God help any of you if you deal with them and God forbid a check in the mail goes one day astray because of a holiday. GMAC's collections folks could summon the dead. They ought to call them to find Jimmy Hoffa.

But really, yes, Ling, it was the best thing to go with a local lender. Trust me I am only dealing with local banks and credit unions for the rest of my life. And I"M SORRY you had to go through this!!!!

Things nobody ever told you about house-buying Part 1

If you're ever going to buy a house, you'll find there are plenty of sites out there soliciting your money (Lendingtree brokers, etc) but very few that offer real-life advice. Here are a few of my humble tips if you are so inclined to pay heed to:

1. Do not bank with the big dogs
Especially Bank of America. It has consolidated so many banks that now it cannot even keep track of what it's doing. Saving that $2000 in closing costs is not worth the angst and ill preparation they put you through. Suck up the closing costs and negotiate on them if at all possible.

2. Do not have a rookie loan officer service you
In Texas, instead of having an attorney to handle the closing, we have what they call a Title Company. The title officer told us he asked the rookie for a most fundamental request and the rookie had no idea what he's talking about.

3. Save. Save. Save.
At least up to 20% of the house you're going to buy. For instance, if you think you can afford up to a $140,000 house, you need at least $28,000 for a 30-year conventional loan. If you cannot afford 20%, then go with an 80-10-10 loan. That means you pay 10% in closing cost of THE HOUSE (not all the closing costs that include fees, tax, insurance etc), and you are left with 2 loans at 80% and 10%. The 80% loan is lower in interest for 30 years, and the 10% loan is higher in interest for 15 years. You will now have 2 mortgages - 80% and 10%. But this will save you money in terms of not paying PMI.

4. PMI
It's the obscene interest you pay the bank for lending you money since you don't have 20% of the house price towards closing costs. The bank will try to tell you it is easy to get out of but it is NOT. Especially after they sell your loan to a different company, they do not have to deal with you anymore. That different company will require you to jump through lots of hoops to clear that PMI

5. Discount Points
What a misnomer. It's no discount. It's a fee the bank charges you to relock a rate. Be sure when you apply for a pre-approval that you specify you don't want discount points and PMI.

These are the lessons we've learned so far in our home acquisitions. I'm sure there'll be more growing pains to come. If you have any advice for me, I'm all ears.

Georgia still on my mind

I had the good fortune to return to Augusta for training last week. While I didn't get a chance to catch up with everybody, I did do a great deal of catching up with my ole friends from Augusta and Columbia, return to my old house that I'm renting, and got a trip down to Savannah and this time, really indulge in it.

The last time I was in Savannah was about 10 years ago with my good friend Sinclair. It was an impromptu trip to Jacksonville and we stopped in Savannah to see the squares, riverfront, and have lunch. It was also a trip where he introduced me to Monty Python Sings, when I got to pretend to be his subservient Asian mail-order bride to his friend (we fooled him good) and on the ride home, got soaked one side of me when his beat-up soft-top convertible on his gorgeous piece of antique gave slightly in a rainstorm. Oh, it was also a trip which my then-boyfriend got really pissed at me for taking a trip with another guy.
If it weren't so humid in the South, I will glad move back and be with y'all again. But I can't deprive the other states my temporary presence.

Anyway, for those of you who had not been to Savannah, here are pics: Beautiful Ole Savannah

Oh, and don't forget to click the other links below that read Savannah Misc., Savannah Architecture, Augusta 6/06

Another thing about the photo gallery for those not familiar with the interface: Click on the thumbnail to get the pic. Then click on the pic again to get a bigger pic.

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John Sinclair: Baby, if I could make my car spill on you again, I would. You were the perfect mail-order bride -- you even sang along to "I Like Chinese" with me. What can I say? We'll ALWAYS have Savannah.

Home on the ... canyon

Hi all, we have moved AGAIN! This time, we bought a house. What an ordeal and one that's still ongoing.

DO NOT BANK WITH BANK OF AMERICA. Too much bureaucracy, and if you're unlucky like us, you'll get a freakin' rookie handling your business. AAARRRGGGHHH.

Here's our new address should you plan to send a housewarming gift or even a Christmas card. I'm joking. No gifts, please. We are getting rid of shit we don't need.

223 Chuckwagon Rd, Lubbock, TX 79404.

Oh, here's the pics, and video to come once this craziness is over. Pray for us.

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John Sinclair: Holy crap, that looks beautiful. How many bedrooms? You taking visitors?
But Ling ... WHAT ABOUT THE MOSQUITOS???

Me: Not too many mosquitoes cuz the breeze is almost omnipresent. We have enough sleeping areas. Besides, there's always the camp ground! yup, you're welcome to pitch a tent!
Be sure to come soon b4 we leave Texas in the dust in a few years.

Christina: That looks gorgeous, Ling! Congratulations!
and I couldn't agree more on Bank of America.

House News 2

Remember the good news of the house we got? Well, we cancelled the contract. We are taking a risk by buying a house on the canyon, with a great view of the lake. It's one of the few water sights you'll get in this arid place.

Yah, it's messed up. Thing is, we could sign a contract and get the paperwork going right now. But I got locked into this other contract with that first realtor that's called a Buyer's Agent Agreement. NEVER EVER SIGN IT if you can help it.

When I first signed it, we thought that the first house is it. We were told this lake/canyon house is already sold. However, a runaway bride cancelled the contract and it's back up in the market.

Since I'm bound in this present Buyer's Agent Contract, which expires on June 30, the realtor of the canyon/lake house refused to go into any paperwork with me. (Note, she says it's HER listing. In other words, she doesn't wait to share her 6% commission. Greedy bastard. BTW, she lives in that area and thinks she is the grand po-bah of the listings there. Ego.)

Anyway, we decided to take our chances by taking her word that she will wait for us. Come July 1, which also is my b-day, we can get a contract going with her (that is IF SHE KEEPS HER WORD). Otherwise, it'll be a horrible b-day.

But is all lost? Not really, there are other houses shown by realtor 1 that appeal to us as well. So, we'll have a place to move into. But with time not being on our side, we may have to move stuff into storage, stay in an extended stay for a week, and move.

Housebuying is one difficult lesson of life.

Are you pregnant?

This is a question, women or men, should NEVER EVER ask a gal.

And it is this exact question I was stumped with at work in an e-mail today.

The question came from a colleague who's about 50 something years old, old enough to know better, and being a woman at that.

I know I'm not the hottest shite around. I know I've packed on a few pounds since my Myrtle Beach, Wichita, and Augusta days.

The point is such a question serves no purpose except to get around the real question -- are you packing on pounds?

For the uninitiated, even if you genuinely suspect a person is pregnant, don't ask her. Wait for her to share the good news. Preggies love to gush about it.

I know you men must be rolling your eyes now and saying I'm making a big deal. That hardly matters. What matters is I'm more confused than hurt that she, having had so much more life experiences than me, should know better.

Another side item, I received several compliments today about my green dress and jacket at work. And her comment was "You have a flower up your butt." What gives!?!?!?!

Oh, one more thing about this lady. She introduced me to an intern the other day. And she could have left it at my name, dept, and what I do. Instead, she decided to add that "Ling is also sleeping with the online director."

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Patrick: Wow, talk about someone to steer clear of! Even I know you don't ask someone that kind of question, for the exact reason that there's always a chance that she's not. I mean, that should be as embarrassing for the person asking the question as the person being asked.

As for the other questions, maybe she's just one of those people who when they get to a certain age, they decide that conventional manners don't apply to them anymore?

Me: That's what Mark thought - that she fancies herself old enough to not adhere to social mores. But he wasn't as sympathetic as you. Thanks, Pat.

Melissa: Wow. Nice or not, there's such a thing as "tact", and this woman definitely doesn't have it. I'm so sorry! But you know what? It also sounds to me like she's jealous of you!!! From her actions, she seems very insecure and possibly a tad bit threatened by you. But that's *her* problem! Acting so childishly certainly isn't going to endear her to anyone! Baaahhhh! LOL! Ya know, let her play this out. I've noticed that most people don't enjoy being around women like this. So eventually, she's only going to ostracize herself and end up miserable if she keeps doing this! Hopefully she'll change her tune when she notices that people aren't responding to her!! ... Of course, at the same time, I'm not saying to sit back and not stick up for yourself either! Next time she introduces you as the person who's "sleeping with the online director," just grin and say, "Why yes ma'am, I am! I'm a very lucky girl! ... And I'm not sharing." ;-)

Me: You know, other girls said the same thing as you -- that she's jealous? Of what? My youth? I do a different job from her. I have to play nice cuz we still have to work together, and she still has to return a pair of pants I had her alter. grrrrr

Christina: Wow...this heifer has just been inducted into my All Time Hall of Fame of Rude Idiots in the Office. My God. The pregnant question was bad enough. Yep, that's hugely tactless. But the other stuff? Either she's jealous or so insecure that she's trying desperately to mask her insecurity with inappropriate humor! My advice? Engage only in office-required civilities with her, and if needed, use the clever remark ala what Melissa suggested to make her shut up.
Truly, however,I thought I'd met some of the all time no-tact heifers at The State. But this one beats 'em!

Jeremy: O M G. I think she was born without a filter. Either that, or she's off her meds.

In the nick of time

We made an offer on a house and was accepted.

Surprisingly, we manged to find a house, with the help of an agent, over the weekend. We made the offer this Monday afternoon, and was accepted after the expected counteroffer.

And all in good time, too:

Our current landlord will be returning to our rental on July 22.

My in-laws (mom and 3 kids in tow) are coming to the Southwest for 2 weeks beginning July 14.

I'm going to training next week in Augusta.

And we are closing on July 13!!!!!

How close did we cut it?!?

There is a God. And the house is nice, too. It's in the neighborhood I want to be in - near a good supermarket, a park with tennis courts, pond, children's playground. And it has TREES!!!!!

Also, we believe property will be desired in the near future as there are lots of development coming up near it.

Oh, the floorplan is lovely, as well.

The process is a blur

It has started again -- the ordeal of home purchase.

I've been through it once, and it is still an ordeal. Particularly so when it has to happen when I have a full-time job. Ah, the irony. Kinda got the money but no time. And the only one with great credit (can anyone beat 750?)

But it hasn't gotten clearer. I swear these loaners are nickle-and-diming us to the state of confusion, agony and possible thougths of separation! Evilllllllll

Just got to get it out of my system. That's what you guys are here for!

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It's a Good Thing

I was asked to take donations via the phone lines for the Children's Miracle Network today. It's an event that's televised live sprinkled with national programming about the CMN. It's interesting how some people are so enamoured by local TV newcast celebrities. Don't get me wrong. This veteran news team is professional and you got to admire them for thinking fast on their feet, and being so undistracted by all that's going on around them. The event is enlightening. I only fielded two calls in 1 hour, and most donations only came in after viewers were courted by the hosts, and personal story of this local kid who appeared with his family. He was the victim of a teenager's driving. Poor thing, his face and eye were disfigured from the accident, and they had to mend the area by taking skin grafts. Anyway, I did my good deed for the day, and it feels good. Oh, I definitely don't have the face nor hair for TV. Next time, put moonface on the back row, PLEASE. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Amy: You are such a good girl. And isn't Moonface a Chinese dish. I like mine with shrimp, extra spicy - no MSG! And quite frankly Miss Ling, most TV news people suck ass. You know that and I know that. They are girls with pretty faces but often little else. Oh wait, they have good hair. I have suffered through way too many of their "interviews" waiting to ask real questions to have much real respect for them.

Life Times

Hard to believe ... It's already halfway into 2006. Time to start saving for Christmas; M's been in Lubbock a year and a month. I, 10 months; I've been in this new job for a month; Knowing what it's like when fatigue hit me an hour after coming home. Must be the waking up at 6 a.m. deal. Or is it old age? Moved into this recent rental, our 2nd in a year. And we're told today that we need to move by beginning of July for the landlords are reclaiming their house; Made lots of good friends here in Lubbock and on myspace; Will be seeing my ole Augusta pals in late June (that's right, guys, you heard it here first); Finally made it to San Antonio (pictures coming up soon in spotted.lubbockonline.com); Going to DisneyWorld in September; Contemplating buying a house here in Lubbock. Egads!

If you're sick, stay in and be sick ...

especially if you value your work status and reputation. An employee of M's called in sick on Monday (hmmm, being sick on the first and last day of a work week always rouses suspicion, Confucius said) and at the last minute, on top of that. Fine. What can you do? The way the U.S. work laws are set up, you don't question them, and there's no reason to bring in a doctor's order, unlike Singapore.The whole workforce dynamics is built on trust and accountability, which lend itself to horrible abuse of the system. On a side note, I say bring back the authoritarian, and none of that "I-Feel-You" Franklin Covey management psychology. The day had to go on with or without this bloke, who unfortunately, is one of the better workers M has. It so happened that was also the day that the WWE was going on, and at the last minute, we got the OK to go shoot pictures of the event and the fans. On our way there, M commented wouldn't it be funny if we catch said worker at the event. I found out that said worker is a fan. And I was more gleeful than M at the opportunity to catch him red-handed. You see, I have what experts call a revenge gene. Alas, I didn't catch him with my lens. Later that night, we returned home to process the picture. M stayed up all night to finish them. The next morning, he told me he thinks he spotted sick worker in the crowd shot inside the arena. Sure enough, sick worker with the stomach flu is it in the pic.We recognized his shirt, his features, and being a golfer, was wearing a notable golf cap. Before you knew it, word spread like wildfire in the office and everyone who knew him had a good chuckle, as I found out at a team meeting last Friday. Now, what would you do if you found out you were caught? Well, this bloke called in that morning and pronounced himself "still sick." Wow, the gall. We suspect he must be using his days off to conjure up excuses. Come hump-week, and he showed up with a doctor's note. I find that a most uncommon practice in the States. Like I said earlier, there never was a requirement to do that, but his guilty conscience obviously was working OT to cover his lies. Not a real good coverup as that note was FAXED IN! Like M said, if only his workers were as diligent about their work as they were about other people's job and covering their lying tracks, he would have no issue. His story went like this: he was really sick but since he had already spent that much money on his front-row seats, he couldn't possibly stay home. But he didn't have that great a time cuz he threw up the nachos at the person in front him. Now, I've had stomach flu before. It's not pleasant and I couldn't go into the torrid details of the agony. Suffice it to say you better stay near a waste receptacle and not be eating nachos. Pedialyte and antibiotics made up your diet, baby. So the advice is this, dear readers: stay home if you claim to be sick cuz you just don't want to come to work. Just don't leave the house. Murphy's law always works against you --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bob: Why do you want Singapore style "guilty till proven innocent" brought to the US??? Lying with a doctor's certificate is still rampant in Singapore anyway! Mark's colleague should have been more discreet! Explains why there are some characters who cover their faces with the newspaper or files when there are camera crews around Orchard road! Anyway, I am also saving trees now. When Doctors ask me if I need an MC, I say, no need, I am self employed. So they save on their medical chits, but I get the sympathy of Doctors going "MAKE SURE you rest! You can't work if you don't get well!" Well, and YES, I do buy their expensive Anti-biotics. (That explains the courtesy)

Flipper update

I happy to learn yesterday from an equally abused neighbor that Flipper is not racist, nor run over by a VW, nor anti-mutts. He's just off his rocker. Thanks, Flipper, for making our life experience in Lubbock a tad exciting!

Slamming bodies and almost-rabid fans

I never thought the day would come when I would go to a WWE event. M dragged me to it (like he does for a lot of events) to photograph fans for the Web.

I didn't exactly kicked and screamed on my way there. But I was quite ticked off that I didn't have the foresight to dress appropriately (and I knew this was coming up. I just forgot when). So there I was in a suede skirt, sheath sleeveless top and a cotton casual jacket. Oh, and high heels! I was unfortunately, the most overdressed idiot in the crowd.

The "assignment" was easy enough. Each armed with a camera, we would be taking posed shots of the fans. The sight of those eager fans were enough to validate my purpose. These fans are traditionally the undercovered in our newspaper biz -- hispanics and a relatively low-brow "sport." And by far, they are the most fun to photograph in all my time spent asking people to pose for me. (Not fun when the stiffs give you a half-hearted "hmm".)
These fans came with their amateurly-made signs, fake gigantic belts, tacky T-shirts, and were the most willing to be photographed. It made my "job" a lot easier.
The biggest surprise of the night came when we were allowed to go into the arena and photograph a few fights.
In we went along the tunnel like we were hot shots (and we saw some wrestlers), and led to the "press area." It was essentially the floor in front of the USA network cameramen who were stationed on the rows of seats. Now, my photographic endeavor just got a little trickier. I have no where to sit but the "floorboards" at the first row of seats. And since I had the short lens, and M the long ones, my task was to shoot more pics of the fans. So there I was, sprawled so precariously on the floorboard or the floor, depending on the angle I needed to be, hoping that a stray camera will not expose my fragile state for all of wrestling fans at home.

I gave up after a while and decided to watch the show. While I still don't quite appreciate WWE, the spectacle and crowd made up for my lack of enthusiasm. It was such a giddy experience watching grown folks and young kids chanting and screaming. And those signs. Wow. K, you are so right about that. If I knew this was the legit thing and they were going to show it on TV, I might have made one myself. And fill it with all kinds of Singlish gibberish that only few of us would understand.

WallyWorld

WallyWorld, our pet name for the behemoth known as Wal-Mart. To my fellow Singaporeans, think Carrefour or Giant. To many, WallyWorld is a threat to local shopkeepers. And to bring up WallyWorld in conversations is akin to talking about religion and politics at a casual dinner. Sparks will fly. However, I'm seriously seeking pro-Wal-Mart shoppers and anti ones as well. Tell me what makes you go to Wal-Mart or what makes you stay with your present supermarket of choice. And if you are one of those that will go to either one, what spurs your shopping habits, and what can local supermarkets do to entice you to continue shopping with them instead of bringing your dollars to Wal-Mart. I would really love to hear your thoughts. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bob: We have "Not To Use Cane" here too We buy from our local provision shops becos they are convenient (usually along our way back home) and also good when purchasing premium brand items. The premium brands usually are priced the same anywhere you buy them except maybe when they are on sale. Mega marts are good for OEMs. Those NTUC brand, No Frills, Giant....since they have slapped on their own labels, the items usually sell cheaply and are of reasonable quality. NTUC has the rebate system in place, so it is "alluring" to spend money there. Mega marts always tend to get their hands on your wallet due to their many sale items and we end up purchasing MORE than we need. As we don't drive, we buy at mega marts too because they offer delivery services and that spares ME carrying those diapers and milk tins!!! There is another source who "confessed that" he is usually cash poor at the end of the month and so uses his credit cards to buy groceries at mega marts as our local shopkeepers don't except credit cards. May not be relevant to you in the U.S...but putting in my 2 cents. My Response: I love your 2 cents. That's the kind of feeback I'm talking about. I think countries need to learn from one another (like the immigration issue) as they may/will have better ideas. -------------------------------------------------------- Patrick: There are many reasons why I don't shop at "Sprawl Mart", (I also like The Simpson's version, the "Try N Save") and you've probably read about most of them (they pay crap wages to employees, they drive manufacturing jobs out of the U.S., the quality of their merchandise is pretty poor, they're virulently anti-union, they obliterate small town business districts, etc.) But most of these things are abstract ideas, and it's hard to defend things in the abstract. For something a little more concrete, how's this: When a Wal-Mart moves into town, it kills off the local hardware store, grocery store, pharmacy, etc. Those stores therefore do not advertise in the local newspaper. But Wal-Mart doesn't advertise in newspapers either, because they rely strictly on television. So it's pretty straightforward: Wal-Mart is bad for newspapers. Which is why I shop at Target. Christina: I shop at Wal-Mart for two reasons: 1) the sheer convenience. In my previous life as a newspaper reporter and my upcoming life as a writer working out of my house and essentially supervising myself, I need to be able to get a lot of things at one place quickly. And Wal-Mart fits the bill. 2) The price. The Man has never paid me an equitable salary so any place that helps me save on anything is the place for me. Wal-Mart has given me low cost, quality supplies for everything from parties to hiking trips. I have bought great dress shoes there for $5.99 that got more compliments than designer ones from Dillard's. I also have a slightly different perspective on Wal-Mart because I know a lot of folks who live in extremely rural areas, where there is NOTHING close by, not even the "local" mom-and-pop hardware, drug, supermarket, etc. Case in point: years ago when a new Wal-Mart opened on Highway 76 in Marion County a local mayor had tears in his eyes because he said the arrival of the one-stop store would help so many of the area's poor people and seniors who previously had had to drive up to 30 or 40 miles to get to a place that offered them everything they need. In certain cases, Wal-mart is a Godsend for people for whom time,money and gas is a premium. I also know there are issues with their stance on unions and etc., but in certain cases for people I know, Wal-Mart provided them a job when they desperately needed one,case in point my friend in Georgia who was laid off from a car dealership and desperately needed a job at the same time she suddenly took over custody of a very young niece. Wal-Mart filled the gap in an emergency and gave her hours she could work with and money when nobody else was offering it. No company is perfect, but in general Wal-Mart is providing a much needed source of goods for a lot of people who often "fall between the cracks," and for those of us who just need to save a buck day to day, I say Go Wally World. Melissa: I have a love/hate relationship with Wal-Mart. I love the merchandise, the prices, and the fact that I can now purchase my groceries and my new shoes all in the same trip! B-U-T I absolutely can't stand the parking situation. You have to park 2 zip codes (sometimes it feels like TIME ZONES) away. Not only that, but I'm always blown away by just how little the people they hire to work in certain departments actually know. The automotive department, for instance. Recently, I went in to have them replace a flat tire. And what did they do? They replaced a perfectly good tire, and left the flat one on the car. ??!!! When I asked how that was possible, their excuse was, "Well, did you specify which tire needed replacing?" OF COURSE I did! However, it would seem to me that the pancake-shaped one might give it away if there were any doubts! ... The same automotive department forgot to replace my tire jack, and left tools in my engine during another visit. Grrr! LOL!! .... So, yup. It's definitely a love/hate relationship for me! Karen: I have talked about not ever shopping at Walmart again. It's a short drive away from us. In fact, drive 7 mins one direction from my house and there is a Walmart Supercentre and drive 10 mins the other direction, there is another. Of course, I also have three Targets near me (one of them being a SuperTarget) two are less then 5 mins drive away and one is about 12. When it comes to grocery shopping, I go to the local stores. There is Shnucks (www.schnucks.com) and there is a small (chain) gourmet/specialty grocery called Fresh Market (www.thefreshmarket.com). I don't need to safe time by buying my groceries and my necesseties altogether. I don't mind taking a few trips to different stores in one day. I am a housewife with no kids, what else do I have to do lol. Besides, I already need to go to two different kind of grocery stores. The regular one that everyone goes to and the Asian one. When it comes to the Asian stores, I might have to shop at a few different ones before I find exactly what I want. If I can't find it at the Chinese stores, I might hop over to the Indian ones - if you want cheap, this is where you should go for cheap spices :) Being a past-Walmart SuperCentre grocery shopper (when they first opened) I honestly did enjoy shopping there. People were actually friendly (hard to believe today), the grocery section was always fully stocked (no matter what day it was) and fresh and most important, it was CLEAN! You wouldn't believe the crap you see there today whether it's in their shopping carts, the floors, their products... you only need to experiance the filth once to realize saving 30 cts or a couple of bucks per trip isn't going to kill you (ok, it won't kill me at least); while shopping at Walmart just might. I get aggitated just being in their parking lot. The drivers are stupider then the general Memphian drivers (I swear!), they think 'coz they shop there they own the parking lot and I always feel like someone's trying to jump in front of my car to sue me for something I didn't do. The shopping experiance is about so much more than getting in, buying your stuff and getting out. Maybe it's a me-thing... but I really would rather not shop with women who still have curlers and plastic wrapped on their heads, screaming babies with snot coming down their faces then wiped all over by their dirty little hands (YUK!), women still in their pj's (I wouldn't be seen dead in mine in public) and just having to deal with my shopping counterparts. Yes, I'm a snob lol. ...and yes, I know it... so... no more Walmart for me If you care, my blog says a little also about not shopping at walmart: http://qomt.blogspot.com/2005/12/why-i-cant-shop-at-walmart-anymore.html Steven: What are you going to do. Sometimes you just need socks, a bag of pistachios, the Magnum P.I. Season 1 box set and a microwave oven at 3 a.m. Where else are you going to go?

A

Dog-walking paraplegic and his bird

I've been too busy in my 2nd week at the job to post any blogs.

Besides, I'm not so sure my anti-illegal immigrants stance is popular, either.

In spite of my mental fatigue, I just got to blog this run-in we had with our "neighbor." We often drive by this apartment complex on our way home, and often seen this giant of a man walking his little llhasa apso. What a sensitive guy, right?

Well, Mark remarked to me one day if I noticed this "gentle" giant's greeting? I told him no and that he must have been mistaken.

Lo and behold, I had the good fortune of being greeted by him this evening. We laughed so hard and decided that since we had our cameras with us, to return to the site to document it for posterity.

It's not a great picture as I was shaking from nerves and the sun was setting behind him. But you get the idea. BTW, he also shouted a verbal greeting as we drove by the 2nd time. We've no idea what. And we've no idea if we were the only couple on the receiving end or why. We suspect perhaps, he was hit by a VW.

*Update: he does it to practically everyone. ** Update Deux: M has a name for him. From now on, we'll call him "Flipper"

Ah, the irony

I just completed my first work back in the job circuit. I also had my first training of three so far.

Newsroom folks will know the cruel joke of our profession and our reason for choosing it -- and that is we are lousy at math, and excellent at sentence construction.

As my new job will have it, I'll be interpreting lots of columns and rows of numbers and percentages, and making correlations out of them. Sure brings me back to my college sociology major where I had to take 3 credit hours in statistics. That turned out to be the only college course I opted for the pass/fail option.

To my Singaporean friends, that option means I won't be receiving any grades, hence my overall grade point average (GPA) will not be affected.

It's been interesting so far, especially to have the privilege of a few to possess these figures of the marketplace and consumers' habits.

But it has also been frustrating cuz there's so much to figure out and so much unknown of the job to brace myself for.

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Amy: What are you doing??!!! Journalists can't do math!! you crazy girrrrlll!

Bob: the more you are scared of something...the MORE it comes to haunt you! Anyway, you need help with the spreadsheets, you know where to find me! I'll gladly help.

Melissa: Ohhh my! Just the mere mention of a college statistics class is enough to illicit sheer panic in me! LOL!!! I had to take a Psych Statistics course at USC (many, many moons ago!), and it would take 3 hours - and I can't remember how many pieces of paper - just to do one statistics problem! But I know you can do this new job! In no time, calculating those rows of numbers and percentages will be old hat for you! And then I'll be calling you for help with all my math questions! :-P I'm so glad the job has been interesting!!! Yay!

I like them dogs

There are so many of these prairie dogs out in the plains and they are too adorable. Here's a link to more:

http://spotted.lubbockonline.com/pages/gallery.php?gallery=73609

Been there, done that. Enjoying the moment.

It just occurred to me this afternoon after I returned from the garage sale (which I made a profit of $215 for having sold 40 items), settled into the couch with M and dinner and watching the Masters, that I AM WATCHING THE MASTERS!

I am not watching the Masters Golf tourney and dealing with the stress of my colleagues, and damning the rain delay. I am enjoying the Masters for the first time, and in front of my 50-inch flat-screen TV! Man, that National grass is splendid.

It will be difficult for those who have not worked in a newsroom to comprehend why I'm blogging this. And I bet it's extra-annoying for my Chronicle pals that I'm blogging this. Sorry, guys.

But believe you me, if you should leave the Chronicle, you will at moments wish you were back in the madness of Masters prep and toil. But you will also, like me, be hit with the realization that you are actually breathing normally for once during this week in April. And it just occurred to me in the 3rd day of the Masters that I'm kicking back and loving life.

So hate me if you must. But be sure to drop me a note when you get hit with this very moment of eureka.

Together, we'll take in the full beauty of the moment and the game.
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Ray: DAMN YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
OK maybe not!

Christina: Reminds me of what it used to be like when we worked in Myrtle Beach during Harley Week. This year I'm going to Harley week with friends to actually ride on a Harley, not interview people doing the same!

My Response to Christina: I forgot all about that Harley Week. So which Hogan-lookalike will you be strapping yourself to?

I'm that neighbor that's a disgrace to your hood

So I just returned from setting up my booth at the citywide garage sale that's held at the fairgrounds tomorrow. And I have the sorriest setup compared to my neighbors.

These guys are pros, with arrangements that rival those at consignment shops. And it appears I also priced my items quite high. Yikes.

It's a claustro#*!& Talk about not having a theme or a sense of spatial design. And I had a soon-to-be colleague ask me "Aren't you a designer?"

Thank goodness I was glib enough to say I deal with two-dimensional design in newspaper.

How embarassing.

I hope I am able to clear as much crap that I'd accumulated and grown out of, to justify my paying $35 and spending 8 hours ALONE at my booth. Oh, I have to there by 7:30. And I was told by M we may be going to a party where we hardly know anyone that night. I'm so not looking forward to Saturday. And I don't know why I keep doing these darn things (I've held 3 to date).

Going to the Dark Side

I accepted a job offer Thursday as a research sales analyst.

The role is newly created and from what I gather, it's to assist the sales reps. with presentations and making research data on the local market understandable for them to present to advertisers.

I'm extremely nervous and excited about this position.

Nervous cuz I've been in the editorial aspect of the newspaper for 12 years and now am venturing into sales.

But my goal this year is to learn about sales and marketing.

I think this is a step in the right direction.

Illegal immigrants Part 2

A bit of insight and education about this immigration situation that's getting kids leaving classrooms to demonstrate and Congress being more bipartisan than ever.

Lou Dobbs Tonight (CNN) has been in Cancun covering the Presidential Immigration Summit that had Bush, Vincente Fox and the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper participating. I have been following his coverage as I find him representing the middle class voice that is largely ignored by this vote-pandering government.

Here are some highlights from what I had observed from Lou Dobbs and also from Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room:

1. While the illegal immigrants that have been in the news are largely that of the Mexicans, the group of criminals also include those from Asia, Europe and other countries. The reason Mexicans are prominently the focus is because they make up the largest groups.

2. Vincente Fox adopts a double standard when it comes to the immigration issue. Fox, the Mexican president who BTW will be ending his term in 8 months, has closed HIS COUNTRY'S SOUTHERN BORDER to the illegal immigrants from the Central American countries. However, he is insisting that his countrymen, a la the illegals, have the right to cross MEXICO'S NORTHERN BORDER to the United States of America.Why? Because he has failed to create jobs for his people. No, he did not offer that reason himself. That would be admitting he hasn't delivered on his campaign promise. Rather, that fact was provided by a Univision (the Hispanic TV) representative in The Situation Room, a show hosted by Wolf Blitzer. The show follows Lou Dobbs Tonight.

3. Fox has a major role in dictating U.S. policies AND encouraging illegals heading to U.S.A. And it is obvious in Bush's podium speech at the summit when he told Fox he appreciated his "help." Transcript: Fox's newfound cooperation is not likely to have much impact, especially now that hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens and open borders advocates are now waving Mexican flags in demonstrations on American soil. And Fox is still refusing to do anything to stop the millions of illegal aliens who gather along Mexican border towns that are staging areas for illegal crossings, saying he won't restrict the freedom of movement of Mexican citizens. Despite that, President Bush thanked President Fox for his efforts.

4. L.A. has day centers where illegals gather to seek jobs. It is run by the local government. Daily, employers will select these illegals to perform the day's labor at low cost. They do not have to show any identification and the employers do not ask for them. The greatest shock in this scenario is that the local government sanctions it.

Read Lou Dobbs' transcipt from March 31, Friday: http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0603/31/ldt.01.html

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Christina's response: It is so hypocritical for Fox to have the southern border closed yet scream when we want to close OUR Southern border. And it is also a known fact that Mexicans while frequently yelling about immigration policies being discriminatory are also in turn VERY discriminatory to Hondurans and Guatemalans who enter their country or compete for labor with them here in the U.S. This whole situation is so full of double standards it makes me want to scream. I agree with you that Lou Dobbs has some of the best coverage. If you get a chance also catch the Lehrer news hour on PBS if you can for some very good discussions about this, and The Economist out of London has written some excellent essays!

Illegal immigrants Part 2

A bit of insight and education about this immigration situation that's getting kids leaving classrooms to demonstrate and Congress being more bipartisan than ever.

Lou Dobbs Tonight (CNN) has been in Cancun covering the Presidential Immigration Summit that had Bush, Vincente Fox and the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper participating. I have been following his coverage as I find him representing the middle class voice that is largely ignored by this vote-pandering government.

Here are some highlights from what I had observed from Lou Dobbs and also from Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room:

1. While the illegal immigrants that have been in the news are largely that of the Mexicans, the group of criminals also include those from Asia, Europe and other countries. The reason Mexicans are prominently the focus is because they make up the largest groups.

2. Vincente Fox adopts a double standard when it comes to the immigration issue. Fox, the Mexican president who BTW will be ending his term in 8 months, has closed HIS COUNTRY'S SOUTHERN BORDER to the illegal immigrants from the Central American countries. However, he is insisting that his countrymen, a la the illegals, have the right to cross MEXICO'S NORTHERN BORDER to the United States of America.Why? Because he has failed to create jobs for his people. No, he did not offer that reason himself. That would be admitting he hasn't delivered on his campaign promise. Rather, that fact was provided by a Univision (the Hispanic TV) representative in The Situation Room, a show hosted by Wolf Blitzer. The show follows Lou Dobbs Tonight.

3. Fox has a major role in dictating U.S. policies AND encouraging illegals heading to U.S.A. And it is obvious in Bush's podium speech at the summit when he told Fox he appreciated his "help." Transcript: Fox's newfound cooperation is not likely to have much impact, especially now that hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens and open borders advocates are now waving Mexican flags in demonstrations on American soil. And Fox is still refusing to do anything to stop the millions of illegal aliens who gather along Mexican border towns that are staging areas for illegal crossings, saying he won't restrict the freedom of movement of Mexican citizens. Despite that, President Bush thanked President Fox for his efforts.

4. L.A. has day centers where illegals gather to seek jobs. It is run by the local government. Daily, employers will select these illegals to perform the day's labor at low cost. They do not have to show any identification and the employers do not ask for them. The greatest shock in this scenario is that the local government sanctions it.

Read Lou Dobbs' transcipt from March 31, Friday: http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0603/31/ldt.01.html

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Christina's response: It is so hypocritical for Fox to have the southern border closed yet scream when we want to close OUR Southern border. And it is also a known fact that Mexicans while frequently yelling about immigration policies being discriminatory are also in turn VERY discriminatory to Hondurans and Guatemalans who enter their country or compete for labor with them here in the U.S. This whole situation is so full of double standards it makes me want to scream. I agree with you that Lou Dobbs has some of the best coverage. If you get a chance also catch the Lehrer news hour on PBS if you can for some very good discussions about this, and The Economist out of London has written some excellent essays!