Real Estate

Oh, the joys of selling and buying a home. Why builders and escrow companies have to make it so difficult for potential buyers is completely beyond me. Every little thing has a rediculous charge associated with it.

We are listing our current home and intend to purchase a new one as soon after as possible. However, I have never heard of Earnest Monies being so extravigant! Has anyone ever dealt with D.R. Horton? Despite the nice homes and quality building, they require $15,000 in Earnest Moneys which really is outrageous. Quite discouraging for a homeowner intending to purchase on contingency. It is JUST a house!

The cost of homes these days is pretty high as it is. Then one is still expected to pay out thousands more for everything under the sun it seems. Really quite discouraging. Why does home buying have to be so stressful? It really should be an enjoyable and exciting experience. Instead it is a ROYAL BITCH!!

End Of Vacation

Tomorrow, it is back to the "old grind." Amazing how fast 11 days can go, especially when on vacation. On one hand, it seems like just yesterday I was working. Yet, it also seems I've been away for quite some time. Will be interesting to see what conditon the dept. is in upon my return. I do know there have been some changes in the company and some are not exciting. Apparently accountability has been taken to a whole new level. We are now required to provide weekly and monthly updates to General Management, giving a run-down of pretty much everything that has gone on in the dept. I guess it could be worse. I tease my boss by calling him Darth Fluff. Darth because he is much like Vader in that he "keeps changing the terms". His response is always "Perhaps you feel you have been treated unfairly? Pray I don't alter the terms any further." Fluff because he is the Finance Manager and always "fluffs" the numbers according to the GM. Hence, Darth Fluff! *chuckle* It's really all in fun.

People make a great deal out of New Years. Truthfully, it is ONLY another day. Really nothing like Christmas, Thanksgiving or birthdays. New Year's resolutions, like rules, really are made to be broken. Therefore, I merely set goals for myself for the next 12 months. Here are 3 of them: 1) Move into the new house BEFORE summertime hits. Moving in Vegas is a real chore but during the summer, it is a BITCH! No more. Getting too old for that! 2) Increase income by a minimum of $5K/year, and, 3) Ramp up my free-lance business.

2006 does appear to have many challenges ahead. I hope I am ready to deal with each accordingly and be successful.