Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Lots O' Thoughts........

I can't seem to keep them all straight in my head, but I'll see if I can make this into a somewhat organized, coherent post. But if it goes off into a tangent, don't be offended.

::::::::::: WORK :::::::::::
I guess I'll start with work, since that is what I'm supposed to be doing right now. I had big plans to be out and about travelling today, but the weather is not cooperating and no one wants to meet up. This is getting tough - not having a routine, not knowing the customers well enough to just drop in. I have to have a plan to implement....like, visiting so many customers per day / per week, etc.

I managed to develop a master task list a couple of weeks ago so I can keep on top of the administrative part of the job, and it is working very well....but I don't have anything similar for customer visits, and I know I'm not getting out there as much as I should.....so, that is Priority Uno today - make a plan to get out visit customers and implement it by the end of this week. Got it? Good. Me too.

::::::::::: ARE WE SURE ITS APRIL? :::::::::::
Ugh. This weather SUCKS MY ASS!!!! I can handle a cool spring, but waking up to snow and sleet in APRIL just is NOT cool. NOT AT ALL. You hear that GOD - NOT COOL! I just want a nice spring like any other normal person on the face of this earth. If April Showers Bring May Flowers - what do April Snowstorms bring? Huh? Does anyone have an answer to this????

::::::::::: MORE TV NEWS :::::::::::
So, we're still trying to sell our ginormus old TV...therefore the new one is not set up in the appropriate position yet. But, do you think Pat could leave it in the box until we got the other one moved? Nosirreebob. The new TV is out and on the floor, all hooked up. Seriously, though, it is amazing. HD is amazing. We were mesmerized....the dishes didn't get done - we went to bed super late. I'm a huge fan of the Discovery channel in general, but the programs they have for HD are just, well, amazing.

The most hilarious thing about it - is the cats like to watch it too. No joke! Ok, not both - Milo is too lazy to really notice anything, but the minute we turned it on Thalia was sitting right in front of it WATCHING TV. She sat there with us all night the first night - eyes always on it - following the waves - the fish - the birds. Even when Pat was watching basketball (or maybe it was sportscenter?) she was plopped on the couch watching it. It is kind of hilarious!

::::::::::: CAR SELLING :::::::::::
Well, it turns out this process has been more promising than I expected. The car has been on the market for 5 days or so, and I've had a handful of inquiries. We actually showed it to a guy and his mom last night, and they made an offer, which we accepted. It is a bit less than we listed the car for, but a tiny bit more than our lowest acceptable price, and its almost sold, which is great.

However, there are some caveats to take into consideration when selling or purchasing a used car from a private party. Basically, I've taken the stance that EVERYONE could be out there trying to scam me....and I think these people feel the same way. What that means is that everyone is a bit jumpy about everything - which makes me even more uncomfortable.

The situation is this - I still had a loan on my car, so the title is not mine, free and clear. In order to give the title to the new owners, I need a lien release from the bank which holds the loan (in this case, Chase). This process takes a couple of days AFTER the vehicle loan is paid off. So, this would mean withholding the title after the purchasers give me the money. This makes people nervous. Understandably so! If I buy a car, and I give my money to purchase that car, I would want everything I need so it is mine free and clear too.

Thankfully, we had our tax return and bonus money available to pay the car off. So what we ended up doing is paying the car loan off last night in order to expedite the lien release process - with the intention that we would have the new owner's money in hand the day the lien release is here. Which should be Thursday or Friday. Hopefully. But, each time I talk to the potential owners, it just seems like they are skeptical about the whole situation. Again, understandable I guess.

If the whole deal falls through I know I'll be able to get other offers on the vehicle, it would just be nice if this whole thing was able to be done and overwith this week....you know? And even if it does fall through - the next process will be easier because we'll already have the lien release and everything taken care of.....and we should be able to survive until it is sold. Hopefully.

The other issue I ran into unexpectedly was telling the new potential buyers that I had the car with me when I was living in Mexico. That automatically sets off red flags (again, understandably, I guess). People just automatically have visions of "The Three Amigos" and chickens & donkeys running around in a barren desert front yard. I guess the common misconception is while there are many things that are different in some parts of Mexico - for the most part, at least in Toluca and Mexico City, its just as industrialized as it is in the US. The guy called and asked if they used the same octane of fuel and vehicle care as we do in the US. I told him yes, and assured him I took care of the car at a very reputable US trained mechanic shop, but I have no idea if he believed me or not. Just one more thing for them to be wary about.

::::::::::: BASEBALL :::::::::::
Last but not least, baseball. I have't been able to get into it much lately, and I'm not sure why. I'm getting much more coverage than before - but maybe its the overwhelming presence of Cubbie and Sox ball that makes me miss my Tigers even more. And, man, the Tigs aren't doing so hot.......I'm not sure what happened to our bull pen, but its not clicking....at least not yet. I still have hope that it will.

Of course, it could be that maybe, just maybe, its the weather.

I remember a few years ago (1998? 99 maybe?) around this same time I took Karli and our cousin's Janelle and Nikki to a Tiger's game at old Tiger Stadium in the cheap seats. They didn't have much interest in the game - but they did like being outside in the sunshine and blowing bubbles. It was gorgeous outside - mid 70's - not a cloud in the sky. The girls also took the cutest picture in the universe that day....I don't have it handy now...but I'll have to find it to show you....

OK, thats all for now. I've got to get to developing my big work plan.......

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Aww we have that picture in our bathroom! haha . . . I totally remember that day. I'm actually watching the Tigers right now, and I can assure you I am about a thousand times more interested in the game now than I was when I was nine! haha . . . love you!!

Anonymous said...

P.S., that was me, janelle