Beauty is in the Eyes of the ... Pot Holder (Not What You're Thinkin'!)

Beautiful home. But it was the kitchen that did it. The walls covered with exquisite examples of the implements of crockery down through the ages.

"I decorated it all myself," the owner exudes, "Used things from my collection. This one is an iron pot from the Mybasa tribe,...oh this one -- a fragment -- found in a dig in the Chesapeake Bay: at first we thought it was Delaware Indian, but it might well be Pre-Clovis. We are going to get a mold replica made, then we'll send the original to the Smithsonian.

"OHOHOH, this one! Used to boil an egg for President McKinley. And this stained glass -- purchased in Rome. We had to do some touch up painting. It does cut out the bright sunlight, but just look at the subdued dark and the flashes of color!"

Great, I tell her and we move on to see the rest of the home. It is a good home; shows well and is pleasing to the eye, what with all the cooking regalia tacked to the walls.

So it is that on the same day, by pure coincidence, the following appears in the local rag, the Belmont Citizen Herald .

"POLICE LOG Wednesday, April 15 -- An employee of the Belmont Housing Authority reported the they [sic] were concerned about a Trapelo Road resident's mental wellbeing [sic] after finding that the resident had painted over all the glass panes in the apartment's windows, and glued pots and pans to the walls. The resident was involuntarily committed to Cambridge City Hospital."

As we noted. "Beauty is in the Eyes of the Pot Holder".

First Time Buyer; Third Time Perp

This from a "Newbie" agent who came to me seeking comfort and consolation:

"I got the e-mail requesting info. It came from my website! Finally, that site paid off!

"They were interested in a house in Watertown or there abouts: 3 Bedrooms 2 baths. Did not have to sell current home -- first time buyer.

"Sent out some ideas, wheedled down to a list then made for the "let's set up an appointment'. thing. No response. Sent out some more stuff. Got back questions on homes, like have I been in them, what is the neighborhood like -- is it quiet?, streetlights at night?, traffic?, you know.

"Gave them all they needed. Asked them to come into the office for a 'meet and greet'. Nothin' Nada.

"Waited a few days, then sent off an email. Got back something to the effect of, 'Due to the suspicious nature of this inmate's email correspondence, this inmate had had his library computer privileges revoked until further notice.' I was given a number to call at the local penitentiary.

"What should I make of all this?"

Poor newbie. Can't tell her what to make of it, but I can say she won't be making any money of it. It all goes to show -- Real Estate is Local and face to face. All the virtual highways in the world aren't going to get you that good buyer or seller, it all comes down to face time...unless you're looking for a cell block.

A Toot of the Horn to Belmont

The NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Foundation today (April 16, 2009) announced the results of its tenth annual “Best Communities for Music Education” survey, which acknowledges schools and districts across the U.S. for their commitment and support of music education in schools. As the economy challenges state and local school budgets to adequately support education, the 124 school districts named by the NAMM Foundation demonstrate the unwavering commitment to provide music education for their students. The NAMM Foundation’s mission is to ensure that all children have access to quality music education programs that encourage lifelong participation in music making.

"The potential of music to help children reach their full development is understood by the school districts represented in this year’s survey results,” said Mary Luehrsen, executive director, NAMM Foundation. “We celebrate these communities that are committed to providing access to music education programs and bettering the lives of their students.”
The 2009 survey, which opened on Thursday January 15, and ended Friday, March 13, was available to all districts nationwide. This year, teachers and school district administrators, representing communities across the country, participated in the Web-based survey. The districts were measured across curricular and programmatic criteria as well as public support of their music programs. The survey was developed and administered by The Institute for Educational Research and Public Service, ! an affiliate of the University of Kansas.

Participants in the survey answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and other relevant factors in their communities’ music education programs. The responses were verified with district officials, and advisory organizations reviewed the data.
Throughout the survey’s ten years, many districts have reported that making the “Best Communities” list has had a positive effect on their ability to preserve music for their students amid budget cuts in arts programs.

In conducting the annual survey, the NAMM Foundation is joined by advisory organizations in the fields of music and education including, Americans for the Arts (www.americansforthearts.org), League of American Orchestras (www.americanorchestras.org), The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation (www.mhopus.org), The Metropolitan Opera Guild (www.operaed.org), Music for All (www.musicforall.org), Music Teachers National Association (www.mtna.org), National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts (www.nationalguild.org), National PTA (www.pta.org), Yamaha Corpora! tion of America (www.yamaha.com) and VH1 Save The Music Foundation (www.vh1savethemusic.com). The survey was conducted by The Institute for Educational Research and Public Service of Lawrence, KS, an affiliate of the University of Kansas.

Go to http://www.namm.org/news/press-releases/nationwide-survey-finds-best-communities-music-edu for the complete listing of school districts.

Fools Every Day (Not Just April)

It ever perplexes me that so many of the so-called service folk (real estate agents are in this fold) need excuses to keep in touch; an excuse to call, an excuse to pop by, an excuse to bother you, the reader, with an inane newsletter (usually prepared by an outside service).

Of all excuses, the most insidious is the birthday “note” or “e-greeting” or call or whatever acknowledgement of a day many folks do not want acknowledged. Sending a card to a person with whom your connection is generally of such a disposition that you would not ordinarily know, so to speak, when they were dropped into the “ol” litter basket, seems to me invasive.

One supposes, that such birth date information comes to a person via two sources: the personal -- I know you and I know of you and yours; this is ok, and then there is the other -- rather impersonal -– I looked at your personnel (or personal) files that have the date even though the supplied date was put there for another purpose. So it is that service folk use personal information (supplied to them as a requirement for getting service [and nothing else]) as an excuse to “make contact”.

Now, I do not do this. I treat a person’s birthday as a bit of his or her own little inner sanctum, and let it rest. Sadly such is not the reciprocal for me. In my corner of the world, Real Estate agnets have their birth day emblazoned on their licenses; one’s license lives and dies (or renews) on the very date the quack gave “ya” the slap on the hidden cheeks in the maternity ward way back when.

I have on this April Fools Day, received a card from a mutual fund (read used money) salesman (who got a token $57,000 from me last July and has parlayed into $33,000 [but I got the card!]), an e-greeting from my office (that I will not open), a personal note from an attorney (do I need a will?) and a host of other sharks.

I have decided to give them all a nice reciprocal gift. The e-greeting was sent back with an April Fool worm; the fund salesman will see my account transferred to Fidelity, and the lawyer, well he’s already a joke.

I DO NOT need excuses to make contact people. As a professional at what I do, my information is unique, timely, well placed, original and highly sought after. Folks want to hear what I have to say…and I don’t need to spy on them.