Breathe In, Breathe Out

Before long someone will have to tell some people how to breathe.  I'm shocked about some of the common sense things being announced on the news.  When did the general public take leave of its collective senses? 

I'll copy a Facebook post I did today. 

"Couple gets this man to be a sperm doner so they can have a baby. Apparently he signed something giving up parental rights to the child. Also apparently one of the women gets pregnant the ordinary way. Couple breaks up and one or both women apply for welfare. Welfare is going after the sperm doner for child support. He thinks he shouldn't have to pay child support because of the documents he signed giving up parental rights. ...

WHAT WAS THIS IDIOT THINKING? He should have told the women to go to a sperm bank. You never know what could happen down the road. The women had a name to give Welfare, something they wouldn't have had if they'd gone through a sperm bank. At this point how interested were the women in protecting this man's anonymity? People think; don't do things that could so easily come back to bite you in the butt. How could he not consider this eventuality and protect himself? He should stop whining, suck it up, and get wise. ... This was a recipe for disaster and that's what they got. I seriously doubt if an attorney drew up their papers." 

We're having bitter cold temperatures, single digits and teens with wind chill factors of zero or below.  The Atlanta Public School System has announcements on the radio telling parents to dress their children in layers, with hats and gloves, because of the cold weather.  All a person has to do is hear the temperature to realize they need to bundle up their children.  I think this is common sense yet I had quite a few Facebook comments talking about seeing children improperly dressed for the weather. 

Last week the news was full of advice about what to do when it's cold.  They were telling people to put antifreeze in their cars.  Don't cars use that stuff year round?  Bring in your pets.  It's supposed to get down to single digits and somebody has to tell people to bring in their pets.  Drip you faucets so your pipes don't freeze.  That one I can understand.  If you're not used to this kind of cold you may not know that one. 

Atlanta was hit with a big snow storm in 2010.  I still can't get over the fact that people left their cars on the freeway and started walking.  After a couple days the police announced they'd start ticketing  cars if people didn't come get them.  You've got to tell people not to leave their car on the freeway and start walking in a snow storm?  

The TEA Part in me cringes at this one.  Another proposed Government program to help the children.  If these programs are helping the children these same programs are fostering more Government dependence for the people and taking more and more responsibility from the parents.  The proposal, school dinner.  So parents who choose not to feed their kids don't have to.  (Except on weekends)  Georgia has a high percentage of Title 1 Schools, these schools are subsidised by the feds because they have lots of low income Students.  https://www.gadoe.org/School-Improvement/Federal-Programs/Pages/Disadvantaged-Children.aspx  In order to receive Title 1 funding 40% of the student body must qualify for free or reduced lunch.  http://www.dpsnc.net/about-dps/title-i-in-durham-public-schools/general-information-about-title-i.  Because I've had children in school I know if the family gets food stamps the student automatically qualifies for free breakfast and lunch. 

So if kids aren't eating at home what are their parents doing with their food stamps?  Parents who get food stamps YOU ARE GETTING THEM TO FEED YOUR KIDS, NOT SELL THEM OR USE THEM FOR UNAUTHORIZED PURPOSES.  I'd be willing to listen to anyone who can make a case for kids getting reduced meals to have school dinner.  This is the only group I can see a slight possibility.  For those having to pay full price you can cook at home for less than the price of school Dinner. 

When will your kids have family time and learn your family's values?  If they're on the school bus at 6:30 a.m. (See my article about that) and stay at school until after dinner, what time will they get home? 

We laughed at the lady who sued McDonalds because they didn't warn her the coffee was hot.  Now we've got this man not wanting to pay child support for a child he admittedly fathered.  What next? 

I'm telling you so you can't say nobody ever told you.

Bundle up your children when it's cold
Unless you order iced coffee, your coffee is hot
Your car is safer than the open in a snow storm
Don't father children the ordinary way if you don't want to pay child support no matter what
documents you sign
If you have kids plan on feeding them instead of buying them cell phones, designer sneakers and such.  Just Sayin. 
Pets should be brought in during extreme temperatures

 

That Damn Martin House

When will I be totally free of this albatross around my neck?  When it is finally over I will rejoice.  What next?

Nobody wanted to pay a high enough price for it so I wouldn't need to bring money that I don't have to the table.  The first time it was on the market all the lookers talked about how much work the house needed.  When I set up a water collection system to catch the roof leaks I took it off the market and borrowed money to replace the roof. 

We resolved to stay and hired a painter to paint the exterior.  People gave me compliments on how good they thought the house looked.  I contented myself with the rock maple floors and charming architecture.  My contentment was short lived.

My eyes were getting worse and I wanted to learn a new city before they got so bad I couldn't see much.  This is the first time I've mentioned this.  To add fuel to the fire, nearby fast food joints we closing or moving to other parts of town.  I was afraid I'd be stuck in Pine Bluff with no way to get around to anywhere. 

Then came the Wood Revolution.  We'd gotten some wood circles from somewhere.  They don't burn like split wood or even round wood.  FYI, round wood is branches cut to length while wood circles are like trees cut into six inch slices.  Even when split, they don't fit in the stove in a manner conducive to burning.  One day I caught the devil getting and keeping the fire going.  I'm out splitting wood circles and smash my finger.  Right after that Andrea comes out to tell me the fire had gone out again.  I can't begin to describe the fit I had.  After I calmed down I turned the furnace all the way up to 66 and considered myself done.  With or without the wood fire our gas bill was still in the mid $300's.  My consolation; no more scrounging wood, shoveling ashes, splitting wood circles, buying wood, or bringing in wood.  The Campbell s were the only holdouts now. 

I decided I had to go.  Because I was dissatisfied with the former real estate agent I decided I'd market the house myself.  That man couldn't even figure out how to get the pictures I emailed him on the MLS.  I held an open house almost every Saturday and Sunday, ran ads in the paper, advertised on Oweners.com, zillow, Front Door, Craigslist, and even Ebay; no takers unless you count people wanting to rent to own.

I listed with another agent.  Pine Bluff agents are allergic to pictures.  He managed to post two or three exterior pictures.  I don't know what possessed him to post those backyard photos.  For the record they were crap he took.    I didn't choose my cousin who's a real estate agent because he said he likes to work with sellers.  He said buyers were too much trouble because he had to find houses for them to look at and then take them around to see them.  Anybody can get listings and hope another agent shows the house.  I had more people through that house than the last agent had.  There was no way in hell I was giving him 7% for nothing.  I stopped calling to find out how things were going.  I just let the listing time expire and told him to come get his sign. 

I half heartedly posted a few more free ads and a Lady contacted me.  She was looking to rent to own: I was so over the Martin house I agreed.  We worked out the dates and we moved to Atlanta and she moved in.  She stayed until her job transferred her across the country. 

I ended up renting to another couple.  What a disaster.  They had no concept of rent to own or much else.  I would have sent them on their merry way if I'd known.  Beazle was my property manager and she let them move in without their paying the full rent and deposit.  Beazle gave me the full amount as if the tenants had payed it to her.  Later I found out they had payed her part and she had made up the rest. 

Hurricane Isaac brought it all to a head.  Pine Bluff got so much rain that the old oak tree in the back yard of the Martin house toppled over.  It was a miracle nobody was killed or hurt.  It damaged the tenants cars, neighbors carport, truck, and work van.  The insurance declaired it an act of God and didn't pay for the tenant's car damage.  They only had liability so their insurance wouldn't pay either.  Her estimate to fix the car was more than the blue book value and I couldn't pay even if I had to.  They decided not to pay rent.  I reminden them if they didn't pay rent I wasn't paying the mortgage. 

The Martin house was foreclosed on almost a year ago.  I thought I was rid of it and good riddens.  I'm still glad to be rid of it.  As cold as it has been I can't imagine trying to keep warm there and not to mention how high the gas bills are now. 

The Martin house has sense sold.  I keep up with it on realtor.com.  It was priced several thousand dollars less than what I owed on it.  I saw when it sold but realtor.com hasn't posted the sales price yet.  I'm curious though.  I'll keep watching.  I wish I could have seen the expression on the new owner's face when they got their first gas bill.  

The other day I got a 1099A reporting the outstanding balance as ordinary income. I did my taxes today and found I owe $1003 in taxes.  OUCH.  I hope the IRS will let me pay in installments for such a small amount to most people.  I look at it this way, if I'd stayed I would owe that amount in two or three months of weather like this and take about the same amount of time to pay it off.  I'll call the IRS on January 31st to see what can be arranged. 

When I get the IRS payed off I sincerely hope I will be done with that damn Martin house. 

Driving Culture

Lately I've been encountering the driving culture.  Yes, drivers have a different culture than those of us on public transportation.  Drivers pay little attention to time and distance when it comes to local venues.  MARTA runs from around 4:30 a.m. to midnight or 1:00 a.m. so technically we're more fortunate than many of my bus bound friends. 

Just because the bus is running at midnight is no reason for a 16-year-old girl to be on one at that hour.  Even though I told Andrea to make sure her new employer knows she is on MARTA they still scheduled he to close some nights.  If she takes the bus around 10:30 at night she'd get home around midnight.  No regard for the time it takes to get anywhere on public transportation. 

My neighbor and I usually picked Andrea up from work when she closed.  One rainy night my neighbor told me she couldn't pick Andrea up because she was sick.  She sounded terrible.  Only problem, Andrea was scheduled to get off in half an hour.  I couldn't go get her because it takes about an hour and a half to get there on a week night.  This was a Saturday night and buses and trains don't run as often.  To make a long story short, a co-worker and his dad brought her home. 

One Sunday Andrea's boss called to see if Andrea could come in to work right now.  She needed her for only three hours.  She should have called somebody who lives close by or someone who drives.  Spending the same amount of time commuting as working is rediculous. 

Today one of Andrea's co-workers came to visit.  He said he had to be at work by one.  His dad dropped him off but he'd planned on taking MARTA to work.  So he and Andrea are looking at the schedule trying to decide what time he needs to leave.  He said no to the 10:37 because, "I don't have to be there until one."  He decides the 11:07 looks good and goes on with his visit.  At 10:55 I tell him I don't mean to get rid of him but he'd better hustle if he's going to catch that bus.  He said he'll call his dad to come get him later because he had been here only a short time.  We live a ten minute drive from work. 

The missionaries and a Ward member came to visit one evening.  The missionaries asked me about my New Year's Resolutions.  I mentioned getting more photographic ideas.  The ward member seemed ashtonshed because there are all thee mountains around here.  I reminded (or told) them that no MARTA buses go into the mountains.  No bus even goes into Stone Mountain park.  No knowledge of where a person can get on public transportation. 

If I could be Queen for a day I'd declare a car free Month.  Everybody would have to take public transportation or stay home.  Then the general public would be conscious of it limitations and by extension its riders limitations.