"In a day when you don't come across any problems, you can be sure you are travelling on the wrong path". Swami Vivekananda  "Three things for getting success: Know more than other, work more than other, expect less than other". William Shakespeare Me? I come across problems every day in almost everything, and I solve them, so, I'm pretty sure I'm on the right path. I disagree with Bill though; I know more than other, and I work more than other, but,  I EXPECT MORE THAN OTHER. 10/25/2009

Monday's don't have to be like this; let's try something different. When I saw this I was reduced to tears... ...of laughter. Hope you get off to a good start this week. Click the link below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXxRjC5C7e8&feature=player_embedded The devil made me do it. HERE COMES THE DEVIL. I might make this a weekly feature just to get you all going. 10/25/2009

"In the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes". Andy Warhol Much, (too much), has been reported on the "Balloon boy" and his dysfunctional family. A gigantic hoax, perpetrated for 15 minutes of fame. (CNN doesn't see it like that though, they ran it for 15 days, and it's still ongoing). They seem to have got Andy's Warhol's quote wrong. H-e-l-l-l-l-o? Can anyone hear me out there? Your 15 minutes is up! Move on to something else. That got me wondering about parental responsibility.  Remember this case? Jonbenet Ramsey. One of the "Tots in Tiaras". This wasn't about the kid at all; it was about abusive parents living their lives through their children's talents. I believe the mainstream media needs to be reined in on promoting this garbage. MOST of us don't watch this crap but ... 10/22/2009

Taking a page out of Lou Ludwig's book, some notable sayings from previous scholars who once walked among us. How do these apply to you?  From Charles Dickens: "Never break four things in your life. Trust, Relation, Promise and Heart. When they break, they don't make noise, but pains a lot". From Leonard Tolstoy: "Every one thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself". This from Thomas Edison: " I will not say I failed 1,000 times, I will say that I discovered 1,000 ways that can cause failure". HOW'S YOUR BUSINESS GOING? HAVE YOU FOUND SUCCESS YET, OR ARE YOU STILL IN THE EXPERIMENTAL STAGES? 10/22/2009

As many of you realize, Vancouver is hosting the 2010                 winter games. Surprise, surprise, everything's built on time and ready! People from all over the world have been leaving various questions on the International Tourism Website. These were actual questions. The responses are from THE BLOGGING GUY. Q. I have never seen it warm in Canada, so how do plants grow? (England) A. We import our plants and then sit around and watch them die. Q. Will I be able to see polar bears on the streets? (USA) A. It all depends on how much you've had to drink. Q. I want to walk from Vancouver to Toronto; can I follow the railway tracks? (Sweden) A. Sure. It's about 4,000 miles. Take lots of water and dress warmly. Q. Are there any ATM's (cash machines) in Canada? Can you send me a list of... 10/21/2009

I had been chasing this guy for a while. The first and last time I got my foot in the door, he was rude and looked out the window constantly. (See my last post on this idiot gentleman.) http://activerain.com/blogsview/1279938/totally-devoid-of-a-personality He's got some major issues, but I was persistant and kept at him. I did a previous post on this guy and received a lot of comments, and I also received a lot of advice from various "Rainers", but I tried him one more time. On the final phone call, he said, (very abruptly), "I don't want to do business with you". I asked him if he had had a problem with another realtor in the past. No answer. (Read into that-Yes) I maintained the high ground, thanked him for his time, and told him, "when you're serious about selling your house, call ... 10/20/2009

I've mentioned in a previous post that my eldest daughter is a hairdresser in a high-end salon. I had lunch with her the other day and mentioned I was planning a trip to Cabo San Lucas and was having trouble finding accomodations. She mentioned that one of her clients owns a place down there. To make a long story short, I'm renting it, we've talked on the phone and are getting together for coffee next week. When he found out I am a Realtor, he wants to talk about his many real estate holdings. From our discussions on the phone, he likes what I have to say so far. You just never know where the next bit of business is coming from. BUSINESS IS EVERYWHERE! 10/20/2009

WAKY NEWS is a weekly feature from THE BLOGGING GUY One dog who devoloped a habit of jumping out the window of his owner's first floor apartment to get to the garden apparantly forgot or didn't realize that his owners had recently moved to a new apartment on the sixth floor. Of course, he tried the same stunt without looking. The only thing that saved the hapless pooch was the balcony of the apartment below. He won't be trying that trick any time soon. Dogs aren't like cats that always land on their feet; this guy was lucky not to break his neck.   This is a true story from THE BLOGGING GUY. 10/19/2009

Before Active Rain, I led a fairly balanced life. (Not really); I would network in the usual way, which was totally ineffective. Then, Liz Moras happened! She introduced me to the world of blogging on Active Rain. That was the day the addiction set in. Now, my day is not complete until I write a post or two, and respond to at least 10 other posts. If I miss a day, (or 10, as was the case  when I went on a holiday); I go into serious withdrawal. I had no cell phone or Internet for 10 days! I was way out in the boonies where the buses don't run. No cell phone reception.  My hands actually started to quiver, so I grabbed a fishing rod and relaxed and actually caught a few fish. The first of many posts were rudimentary to say the least,           but eventually I developed a style and intr... 10/19/2009

Of notice to all illegal immigrants to Canada, a special new emergancy phone number has been set up for your use. If you are trapped in a burning house, or have a medical emergancy, or need assistance from police, the new number is: 1-800- 50069982775849377596871618405869283746592019584379281766450198677391749950386763574654 87463541442424650069982775849377596871618405869283746592019584379281766450198677391749 40069982775849377596871618405869283746592019584379281766450198677391749950386763574654 97463541442424650069982775849377596871618405869283746592019584379281766450198677391749. Extension: 9968772635478 For English: Press  1 For all other languages: Press 86740798106984736662510968306987428684 Thank you for your patience. Operators are standing by. 10/18/2009

The other day we had finished an inspection on a property were going to list and we were heading back, when Bob said, "I could use a coffee". We had just passed a coffee place, but I reluctantly turned around. It was my turn to pay, and as I was doing so, I gave the owner my card. She said, "Wow, I need to talk to you! Can you come out and look at my place?" We did the next day, listed the property and made a list of things that needed to be done. Very cooperative people and nice to work with. You never know where your next bit of business is coming from. Pass out those cards-10 a day minimum. 10/18/2009

 I've been hearing rumours lately that Ted Turner is thinking about taking control of CNN. He says he's fed up with listening to panels of "talking heads" waxing on and on  endlessly about "stories" that should have been an item and forgotten but get debated among "experts" in their field. CNN claims to be WORLD'S NEWS LEADER. Me, I'm fed up with listening to stories about "The Balloon Boy" and whether it was a hoax or not. So far, I've been treated to this story and all its variations for over a week. Time to move on and report on some real news. If anyone's interested, you can get the Globe and Mail on line. This paper has news from around the world. 10/18/2009

Bob & I went on a listing appointment the other day; it was a FSBO I had been chasing for some time. He was actually ready to list and then he asked what we would be doing. We explained that we would have an open house for the realtors, and be marketing his home on the internet and holding open houses for the public. He didn't want any of it. He didn't want people in his house, expecially a bunch of realtors! What I got out of that is that we supposed to somehow find a buyer, bring them through, but not show them anything, and then they should buy. All the time this conversation was going on, (some 30 minutes), he never once looked at us. Most of the time he had his back to us. I was the most bizarre situation I had ever experienced. Finally, he pointed to the door and said he would th... 10/15/2009

I was in the market for boots. A good sturdy hiking boot, with good eyelets and hooks, leather laces. Premium stuff. But I refuse to buy anything from China, Singapore, India or from any other country that employs child labour or uses free prisoner labour. And, it's really tough-you have to look. That's the main reason I don't do Wal-mart; it's all Chinese crap. I finally found a pair in Mark's World World. Made in Canada. They were $30 more than the identical pair from China, but I picked them up. As I'm standing in the check-out, the guy ahead of me is bitching about the jobs that are going to China and Mexico, AND, he has a pair of Chinese boots in his hand. (The one's that are $30 less than mine.) I explain to him about them using kids and prisoners to manufacture this crap and he t... 10/15/2009

This orangutang was in a rescue mission in South Carolina and doing poorly. He was depressed and slipping fast. One day, this Blue Tick Hound wandered in and they became the best of buddies.  Suryia the orangutang and Roscoe, the Blue Tick Hound. They spend hours every day swimming together. These two are inseparable. These two see the funny side of most things...  ...and there's always time to chill. Too bad we couldn't take a lesson from these two. 10/15/2009

Only in Canada can you swim with the polar bears. In the town of Cochrane, Ontario, you can swim with the bears. This is pretty snuggly; who will blink first? Here he comes. Du-dum, Da-dum, Da-dum. What big teeth those are! I can see you.   Nice doggy. When this place opened, it attracted 11,000 visitors the first six months. It's probably a good thing that the bears are separated from the humans with 9 centimeter thick bullet-proof glass. Bullet-proof glass? Are some of the bears packing? 10/14/2009

Waky News is a weekly feature from the BLOGGING GUY. The local zoo in Gaza lost its two zebras due to Israeli shelling, and because of the expense of replacing them, decided to cut corners a teeny-tad and paint a couple of donkeys using masking tape and hair dye. A neighbouring Israeli mayor upon hearing this. has offered to replace the two bogus animals with the real McCoys. I thought that was kinda' nice.   This is a true story from THE BLOGGING GUY. 10/14/2009

When you go into a casino, the house issues you with  a "players card". Every time you enter the casino, they swipe this card and that allows them to keep track of your losses and gambling habits. This is useful information for the casinos. If you lose enough money, the casinos will give you what is called "comps". "Free" gifts to keep you coming back. Lose enough, and you'll be receiving Rolex and Tag Heuer watches, theatre tickets, limo rides, hockey tickets, cruises and meeting celebrities. The list is endless. The point of this exercise is to keep you coming back. Instead of trying to restrain problem gamblers, the casinos reward them, fueling  a $13.67 Billion dollar business. The government of Ontario last year spent $39 million on treatment for problem gamblers and in the same ye... 10/12/2009

Thousands of people in Canada  have a major problem. It's an addiction to gambling in the Provincial legalized casinos and V.L.T's. (Video Lottery Terminals). One tragic case was John Hallett. After his wife died, he started gambling and it took over his life. He was debt-free and had his house paid for. Seven years after he started gambling, he had re-mortgaged his home, cashed in his insurance policies and RRSP's and gambled away about $381,000. On September 23, 2005, he hung himself. The Provincial Gaming Corporations spend millions of dollars each year promoting gambling and very little money on addiction recovery and treatment. Why should they? To them, this is a cash cow. Does social responsibility come into play anywhere here? 10/12/2009

Business has experienced a bit of an up-tick, so I bought a new boat. Designed by Wally-Hermes Yacht Group, this creature is luxury unsurpassed!                                               In my wildest dreams maybe!   10/12/2009