BINGO ANGER

One would think that playing bingo should be fun and most of the time is it.  This last Monday night our jackpot reached just under $3000 so people were tense, and that is an understatement. 

The evening started by a man coming up to Steve at the payout table telling Steve that he put his bingo stuff down on the table and someone moved the "stuff" from his lucky spot.  He told Steve that after he had a cigarette and came back in, if his stuff was moved there is going to hell to pay.  Well, he came back inside and the ladies moved his stuff from his lucky spot so once again, up to Steve he goes telling Steve that they moved his stuff.  Steve got up and went out to the spot and asked if they couldn't just get along and pointe dout that the room was packed and perhaps they could sit some other place.  He said "she moved my daubber" so the lady said I'm sorry, and moved it back about an inch which really got him going.  Finally a friend of his came along and got him to sit on the upper balcony.Now keep in mind, these are people in their 30's and 40's at least.

For anyone who has played bingo it is usually played "last number called" meaning if thenext number is called and you do't have a bingo you can't call the previous bingo late.  Well, Joyce called bingo just as the caller began the next number thus she lost.  This lady went nuts and it wasn't even the lady who won.  She began yelling at Steve that he (Steve) heard the call and they are being ignored at the bar where they sit.  The call back lady asked if she thought we should be them wireless microphones.  She settled down for a minute then went to the bathroom.  She must have been constapated because she came out more angry and this time she blamed the floor worker at the payout table and we were too noicy.  We finally told her that everyone plays on the main floor and she whould play out there.  She left in a huff.  The call back lady told the caller and he announced that if he does not hear the bingo at the stage it is invalid.  Well, that got her going again.  It as just horrible.  I was sitting there and I heard Joyce call the bingo after the next number was called.  Joyce never said a thing and the call back lady heard the late call all the way across the room.   Steve took the brunt of most everyone's anger that night.  It wsa frustrating but he has a way of handling this with a great amount of composure.  I'd have told her to go -----herself.  She is just mean. 

For those of you old enough to remember Lily Tomlin she had a great line that Steve had altered to fit the event.  "Wouldn't you rather cooperate than lose the game and possibly the use of one eye".  We laughed about it the rest of Monday night.  This next weekend should be a real hoot.  The jackpot will be around $3500.  Steve willneed a body guard. 

You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

Well, after a long class in real estate law, many test, 250 flash cards and 72 hours of watching Wisocnsin Realtor's Association DVD's, I finally had the nerve to take my state license exam and it was not easy.  Every now and then I'll think of a term off the top of my head and will look it up on the itnernet to keep my old brain working.  The funny part, if there was a funny part is that the test hardly ever asked about easements, incumberances, or any of that stuff.  It was all about fair houseing, lead based paint, material adverse facts, and you'd better know every one of the forms you will need to go into practice.  I wrote to the teacher of the law class and told her to let the other classmates know that if they know the forms you can answer even the most difficult questions because you just have to find it on the forms.  There was a bunch of stuff about time limits regarding the submitting of papers but you could find it all in the forms IF you know which form to look at. 

I was blessed anough to have a friend of mine, Chris Nash take me on as a "very part time" sales associate.  I am really doing this to help out down there when there isn't a realtor on the floor.  I usually work on Fridyas so the hope is that someone will come in or call on Friday.  This next week I work Wednesday and Friday. 

I did make the local paper and did get a "sort of" lead from it.  Trina is working on my newspaper inserts so maybe I'll land a coupld customers.  The article is below.  I've been told I look like a murderer in the picture.  A local mailman asked Chris how he got my mug shot numbers off my shirt.  Boy it's a rough crowd in Jefferson.

MONFRE JOINS CENTURY 21 INTEGRITY GROUP

 Century 21 Integrity group of Jefferson is proud to announce the addition of Brian Monfre to their sales staff.  Brian received his real estate sales license in December 2011 after successfully completing the Wisconsin Realtor’s Association class along with a course in real estate law at MATC.  Brian is currently working on obtaining his license to practice real estate in Florida with an emphasis in home sales in The Villages, Florida where he owns a home.

 Brian’s goal is to maintain a smaller number of real estate clients so I can provide personalized, convenient service while making a sometimes difficult transaction as pleasant as possible. 

 Brian is better known in the community as the owner of Jefferson Bus Service where he has worked for 33 years purchasing the company from his father in 1990.

 In his spare time Brian is the current treasurer for the Jefferson Council for the Performing Arts and is known as the 50-50 raffle man every Monday Night Bingo.  “I really enjoy the time I spend working for the Council.  Every event is a challenge”.

 Brian is currently offering a free Comparative Market Analysis through the end of June 2012 to anyone who might be interested in listing their home with Century 21.  It is important to remember that as an MLS (Multiple Listing Service) sales representative, Century 21 Integrity Group is able to show homes from any other MLS listing from participating agencies, not just homes listed by Century 21. 

 Brian is now accepting customers through the Century 21 Integrity Group office at (920) 674-2041 extension 111. 

Mr. Moes is Captured ??????

Well, Mr. Moe finaly got put in jail, so to speak.  Moe, Moe has been going up and down the steps for a long time but never sat on the bridge and cried.  We have yet to figure out what his problem was.  I finally had to go half way up the stairs to get him to come down.  His new thing is to come running down the strps and jump from about the third step landing on the woor floor.  I'm trying to get him to stop it so he doesn't get hurt but you know how kids are, they just won't listen.  In any event, he was so cute up there.  He is starting a new thng by whimpering when he wants something.  It's a good and bad thing.  He did wake me up the other morning as he sat byt the door to go out so that's a good thing.   

Mr. Moe is a real pistol.  At night when I take him out he goes by the door but a soon as I reach for him to hook the leash up he runds into my office, growling, going in circles then he comes back again just far away from me that I can't get him.  Then he runs back into the office, through the bar, into the living room, through the kitchen, into the dining room and then all over again.  After I capture him, laughing hysterically at him I hook up his lesh and then he pulls on the other end so it's a tug of war with an 8 pound pup full of attitude.  when he loses that battle he unties my shoes.  The part that makes me mad is that Steve finally got me to give up my velcro shows and look what happens.   Had I stuck with velcro Mr. Moe's hair would have stuck to it and I could have captured him sooner than I do.  I think laughing at him might be part of the disciplinary issue.   Needless to say, we're really enjoying our little boy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE

On May 2nd Moes experienced his first birthday party as the three of us celebrated Steve's 53rd birthday.  Neither Moe nor Max ever get people food other than a lick of the birthday cake during our birthday celebrations.  Max would take a bite of the cake, Moe was not so sure.  He licked it a little but was leary to bite.  I suspect that by his birthday on July 19th Moe will get the hang of it.  He really is a good boy.  He'd be even better if he'd make sure to go pottie outside "all the time" and not just some of the time.  We have the number one pretty much down but the number two is still a bit of a problem. 

I got Steve a Kindle thing.  He loves to read and has the thing in his hands all the time.  I think he's read at least five books already so it was a great gift selection. 

We were going to head to Steak Fire for dinner on the 2nd but he wanted to go to Salamone's for pizza so that's what we did.  As usual it was very good.  We ate too much as always.

MIDLIFE CRISIS

As many people know, Steve was driving a "hot" black Mustang that everyone in town loved.  I must say, it was a very nice car however, it was not very preactical and the thought of stuffing someone or something in the back seat was laughable at best.  We always had to take my Ford everywhere because we never knew who would be joining us or if we'd be bringing home doors to install in tha basement.  Whoever gets Steve's car will get a gem as it only had 6000 miles on it so it made for a very sweet trade in car. 

I loved driving the car.  Getting in was not really a problem, it was getting out of it that posed issues for me, and admitedly, Steve as well.  Driving it in the winter was a hzaard to say the least.  It is so low to the ground that you get stuck in even the smallest snow bank.  What's worse is that when there was a lot of snow you couldn't see around the snow banks and would have to pull half way out into the road to see what was coming.  It was a fun car in any event. 

Steve's new Lacrosse is very nice.  A good old family man car.  It has lots of fun things and the drivers seat is like sitting in the cockpit of an aircraft.  Unlike myself, Steve knows what all the buttons are for and won't crash into a pole trying to figure it out like I will.  (See previous entry).   We now have two practical cars that we can take where ever we go.  I have to say this, Steve spent weeks and weeks researching the car he wanted. Every day I waited to see what the car of the day was.  After he got that down the next issue was color.  That was a little more limited but an issue nonetheless.  It is a very nice car and I'm sure he's enjoyng it but has been hearing a lot of crap about trading his "hot Mustang". 

It's Buick Time

As much as Steve and I don't want to admit it, it's Buick time.  As we've been told by our frinds in Florida, "old people drive Buicks" and the Champagne color I selected is an "old person color".  Funny thing, the person who told us this is older than us. 

I really like my Enclave however it is huge.  I know that one day Steve will hear the crash in the garage and it will be me after I run the car into the freezer.  I think we're going to have to get a hanging tennis ball that hits the windshield so I know when to stop.  I'm certain that this car would never fit into the garage at our house in The Villages. 

I'm sure we all know what the word complex means and how technilogically challenged I can be, well, this care is like driving a computer.  It has this touch screen navigation-radio, do everything for you computer.  Steve and I played with it and thought we had it figured out.  The next day when I was going to work the lady who lives in the dash (we call her Evelyn) started talking to me.  "Follow the highlighted route and the navigation will begin".  I thought, how nice, it's going to help me find the office.  When I looked further, she was taking me to Florida which would not have been a bad thing.  This thing even gives us live traffic and weather reports.  Go figure. 

I was proud of myself today.  I had to go and find a house that was located on Wishing Well Lane in Fort.  I had no clue where that was.  I had done some preliminary research on the house and then headed out to find it.  "Evelyn" took me right to the house without a problem.  The issue arose when I wanted her to shut the hell up again.  I finally stopped at McDonals in Fort Atkinson and figured out how to shut her up. 

What's so scary to me is that I can start the car from my cell phone.  I could be in Florida and unlock the car 1200 miles away.  I can start it, check the fuel, tires, mpg, you name it and all from my cell phone.  A person has to wonder what they will think of next.  I think it's going to take some time to get used to this and most likely replace the freezer that sits in front of my car.