Last week I spent time talking to a guy in a networking group I belong to.  The conversation turned into an avalanche of life sucks.  He had left the mortgage industry for greener pastures and had a lot to say about how crappy things are.

I tried to lighten it up with:  I don’t think things are as bad as they seem.  It got:  Really?  I think they’re pretty bad.

Some people can’t be convinced.  I learned a long time ago that I can’t compete with Katie Couric or Brit Hume’s rendition of the sky is falling.

So next time you want to share some doom and gloom – don’t.  It’s contagious – like tuberculosis.

Now for some good news:

Housing Outlook Hopeful as Labor Market Improves

Cisco Adding A Few Thousand More Hires

photo credit

Every time I watch this I smile. I don’t know why I’m so surprised that we all need a little more fun in our lives. I now have a post-it on my dash board that says: How can I have more fun? What about you? Are you having enough fun?

Get the feed here.

Thanks for reading the San Mateo Real Estate Blog.
I love questions and comments. So please leave one!
Vicki Moore, Realtor
Alain Pinel Realtors, specializing in San Mateo, CA Real Estate.
Need real estate help?
Contact me at 650.888.9268 or Vicki[@]CallVicki.com.

Four friends spend weeks planning the perfect girls getaway trip -
shopping, massages, facials.

Two days before the group is to leave Mary’s husband puts his foot down
and tells her she isn’t going.

Mary’s friends are very upset that she can’t go, but what can they do.

Two days later the three get to the hotel only to find Mary sitting in
the bar drinking a glass of wine.

“Wow, how long you been here and how did you talk your husband into
letting you go?”

“Well, I’ve been here since last night……….. Yesterday evening I
was sitting on the couch and my husband came up behind me and put his
hands over my eyes and said ‘Guess who’?”

I pulled his hands off to find all he was wearing was his birthday suit.
He took my hand and lead me to our bedroom. The room was scented with
perfume, had two dozen candles and rose pedals all over…………On
the bed, he had handcuffs and ropes! He told me to tie and cuff him to
the bed, so I did. And then he said, “Now, you can do whatever you
want.”

So here I am.

Steven (age 3) hugged and kissed his Mom good night.  “I love you so much that when you die I’m going to bury you outside my bedroom window.”

Susan (age 4) Was drinking juice when she got the hiccups.  “This juice maks my teeth cough.”

DJ (age 4) got on the bathroom scale.  He asked, “How much do I cost?”

Clinton (age 5) was staring at his bed.  His mother asked what he was doing.  He said, “What will happen when I grow up?  My wife won’t fit in my bed.”

Any Realtor who wrote this post at The Simple Dollar would be creamed.  At one time the bubble enthusaists would rip me up one side and down the other for saying, “First of all, the problems in the housing market are not due to home ownership.”

Now that the bubble has burst, tempers and opinions aren’t as heated but I still think a Realtor would get smacked upside the head for even hinting that real estate is a good investment.  But – dare I say – it is.

I’ve been smacked around before so I’ll go on.  Real estate is a long-term investment.  It’s your home – your shelter.  You have to live somewhere.  Why not invest in it – get some equity – have pride – have community.

We all got greedy.  It wasn’t just the lenders making those ridiculous loans.  Somebody – a lot of somebodys – signed on the line.  The credit card companies didn’t create all that debt by themselves.

Real estate is cyclical – about 7 to 10 years per.  So we’re likely to be visiting this place again.  Hopefully we’ll all be a little more prepared – but probably not.

photo credit

Two little boys, ages 8 and 10, were
excessively mischievous. They were always getting into trouble and their parents knew all about it.

If any mischief occurred in their town,
the two boys were probably involved.

The boys’ mother heard that a preacher
in town had been successful in disciplining children,
so she asked if he would speak with her boys.

The preacher agreed, but he asked to see
them individually. So the mother sent the 8 year old first,
in the morning, with the older boy to see
the preacher in the afternoon.

The preacher, a huge man with a booming
voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly,
‘Do you know where God is, son?’

The boy’s mouth dropped open , but he
made no response, sitting there wide-eyed
with his mouth hanging open.

So the preacher repeated
the question in an even sterner tone,
‘Where is God?’

Again, the boy made no attempt to answer.
The preacher raised his voice even more and shook
his finger in the boy’s face and bellowed, ‘Where is God?’

The boy screamed and bolted from the
room, ran directly home and dove into his closet,
slamming the door behind him.

When his older brother found him in the
closet, he asked, ‘What happened?’

The younger brother, gasping for breath,
replied,’We are in BIG trouble this time,’

‘GOD is missing, and they think we did it!’

Which way is the bus below traveling? (If it was going forward) To the left or to the right?

Can’t make up your mind?

Look carefully at the picture again.

Still don’t know?

Pre-schoolers all over the United States were shown this picture asked the same question. 90% of the pre-schooler’s gave this answer:  The bus is traveling to the left.

When asked, “Why do you think the bus is traveling to the left?”   They answered:  Because you can’t see the door to get on the bus.”

How do you feel now???