Sue Teller Mashes It Up

This is TOO funny. Check it out.

Chick Peas, Check Please!

Had lunch with Sham Reddy today. Sham and I are becoming fast friends. We are working on a real estate deal together and have found out we have a lot in common. He is on the board at the DABR and we have had many great conversations about technology and real estate. I was able to talk to him about not being able to use FireFox to access the MLS, so he is going to check into it for me. Anyway, we had a long talk about a lot of things, but we always seemed to drift back to technology and how to apply it in this industry. I also showed him OpenOffice.org 2.1 running on my laptop and he is going to try it and see how it works for his business. I think he'll be very happy with it. I have been using it for over a year now and can't ever see myself going back to the more expensive option from a certain company in Redmond.

We met for lunch at Amar India by the Dayton Mall. They have a lunch buffet that has to be one of the best in the Greater Dayton Metro Area. If you like Indian cuisine, this is the place to go. And if you've never tried it and are curious about it, I suggest trying the buffet since they have such a variety. Dana and I usually eat there at least once a month, and I can honestly say that I've never had a meal I was disappointed with when dining there. Oh, and the service is fantastic. Click here to view their menu. And, no matter what you order, I suggest you try a cup of the Dal Soup. Man, now I'm getting hungry again just thinking about it!

Well, back to the salt mines for now. Have a great week-end!

Yes Deer

While I was in the office this morning, a group of about 12 deer wandered into the field next to our building. It was so amazing to watch them! By the time I got my camera out, they had already started running (right across Main Street - they all made it safely!) but I caught a few of them before they went out of view. Please forgive the blinds and screen in the window when I took this picture.

Dana and I spent a large part of the day yesterday with my parents. We hadn't seen them in a while so it was nice to relax at their home and chat. Mom is doing OK and dad is taking swimming lessons at the 'Y' a few mornings a week. I showed him a few funny video clips from YouTube and expect he will spend some time surfing and looking for other ones to tell me about. My, how technology has changed the things my dad and I talk about.

Ankle Pain

Don't quite know how I did it, but I did something to my left ankle yesterday evening and this morning I could hardly walk on it. Don't know if I somehow twisted it when Dana and I took the dogs out to play in the yard but it really hurts.

Kim and I had a listing appointment this evening and then met Dana at Fiesta Charra again for dinner. Kim had never been there and really liked it. I got the Rancheros Cinco (as usual) and a taco. So much for eating better this week!

I love my new RAZR phone so Dana and I went this morning and got one for her. Her Nextel contract will expire shortly so I took her to Cincinnati Bell Wireless to get a new service & phone. I just hope we don't get them mixed up.

Open Office 2.1

Just a quick note to remind everyone that OpenOffice.org 2.1 is available for download. Click on the OpenOffice.org logo to be taken to the site. Oh, if you're on a dial-up account, don't even attempt this. It's a little over 90 megs. If you want a copy of the software, I would be happy to make a CD for you that you can pick up at our office. I only ask that you share it with someone else who might be interested in it and is tired of the high prices of other Office Suite packages.





OpenOffice.org is one of the best kept secrets out there. It's a great Office Suite that is compatible with MS Office, and is totally free! I have gotten rid of all my MS programs with the exception of Windows and Access (which is a great database tool) and moved to OpenOffice.org.

Have a great week-end!

What a great day!

With the great weather we are having today, I decided to treat myself to lunch at a fairly new place here in West Alexandria called 'Barney's'. All I can say is that the food was really good and you need to stop in and try it for yourself. I'm going to see if I can talk Dana into stopping by there this evening for ice cream (one scoop since we're eating healthier).

Angry Wheaties

Is it just me, or does Kyle look like he's mad at his bowl of Wheaties this morning? I know he's not much of a morning person, but it looks like he could chew nails!

Had a busy day today running all over the place, working on different deals. It's exciting but tiring. I have cut back on my coffee intake and started drinking Monster Energy drinks. They're good and remind me of the Jolt Cola that I used to drink in college (the official drink of the elite hacker!). I picked up a case at Sam's Club after my open house on Sunday. After 4 days, I do notice that I'm not as worn out in the evenings and don't need that 4:00 cup of coffee. I also started going to a chiropractor last week, and it has made a difference. I was always a bit skeptical about going to one, but after starting, I wish I had done it years ago. I noticed after the second visit that I was already sleeping more comfortably. If you're skeptical like I was, try it if you have any kind of back pain. I am a believer now.

iTunes Rocks!

Finally had a little free time this evening and went out to the iTunes online store to download some more music. My wife is the best, she buys me iTunes cards when she's out shopping so I always seem to have money on my account. We were coming home from dinner tonight (went to Fiesta Charra in Eaton) and heard an old song on the radio by The Cowsills (remember them?). I downloaded Indian Lake and Bad Love by Eric Clapton, I do have and unusual taste in music.

Check out the iTunes screen, how many of these do you listen to?
(Click to enlarge)

February's Longaberger Winner

Congratulations to Sarah Webb of Englewood for being February's Longaberger Basket winner! Thanks to everyone who entered, and remember to enter again for the March drawing.

Check out my new Motorola RAZR!

I finally broke down and bought a new phone today. My old one lasted almost 4 years, but I am glad to finally be rid of it! Between the Phone, Palm and iPod, I'm going to need a utility belt to carry all the stuff around with me.

Wednesday - Hump Day

The fog and ice were bad again today. Kyle had a 2 hour delay from school, that kid will never get a summer vacation at the rate they are going now.

Had lunch with an old friend and talked about real estate, he is considering a new property and has enlisted my help. Went to Rob's in Brookville, it was good as usual.

Working with a listing in the City of Dayton that is under contract. AARRGGH!!! The new rules for selling residential properties are driving me up a wall. The online form has changed in the past two days since I printed it and sent it to the other brokerage. The city needs to get on the ball and make this easier to work with.

Dana and Joyce are going to visit her grandfather tonight, so Kyle and I are getting ready to head out and get something to eat. Not sure what we are going to get, maybe Mexican at Fiesta Charra in Eaton.

It's Friday and it's cold!

It was 6 degrees below zero when I got up this morning to take the dogs out. As much as I like the snow, I will be glad to have some warmer weather, you know, something in the 30's.

I'm back on my soapbox about Firefox vs. Internet Explorer. I can't stand the constant issues we have with our business because we have to use IE to access the Dayton Area Board of Realtors website. Security issues and updates seem to be taking more and more of our time. If you are tired of IE and it's issues, and don't have to use IE, click on the Firefox link below and download a great browser for free.




Have a great week-end!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Tons of stuff going on in real estate for me right now which is a good thing. My team is really starting to come together and we are planning a First Time Buyers seminar for two different dates in March. If you know anyone who is interested in purchasing their first home and not sure where to begin, have them contact me and I will give them all the details.

With all the snow comes snow removal. Seems like whenever I have a free moment I'm taking the dogs out or shoveling more snow. Kyle is glad to be out of school, but I think they are going to cancel their Spring Break to make up the days. Poor Dana has to be at work no matter how bad the weather is since she works in a hospital. Our office has actually been closed the past two days for weather related issues.

Here's some shots of me and the boxers relaxing and trying to get warm. No wonder they are so tired, being so cute all the time!

February Already???

Where is the time going? So far this year seems to be flying by. Met with a new client last night then Dana and I met her father at Mimi's at The Greens in Beavercreek for dinner. The food was good, but the Strawberry Lemonade was the best.

Here's a few shots of what going on at our house tonight. Kyle is playing a flight simulator on his PS/2 and Winston is watching him.

More Photos For The Same Low Price!

I promise not to turn this into a dog BLOG, but who can resist taking pictures of their canine pals when they are this cute!

Sorry I haven't posted more frequently. I just spent the majority of this week in continuing education classes that all Realtors must do, and had to work my business during breaks and the evenings. I'm glad the classes are over, that's all I'll say about that.

Welcome Winston To Our Family!


Meet the newest member of our family, Winston! We just got him today from a Boxer Rescue in Milan, Indiana. He is a two year old Brindle and he and Holly are getting along very well and have been playing ever since we got home. He seems to be adjusting just fine and is sitting here in the office with me while I enter this post.

Holly is ready for Santa!

Not a lot to write about today, too many things going on and not enough time to get it all done before the holidays. I did want to share this picture of Holly laying under the tree last night. She is much bigger this year compared to last year.

Sadie is doing great!

I got a wonderful phone call Saturday from the person that adopted Sadie, the stray dog that showed up at our house this past July! She brought me up to speed on how she is doing and thanked us again to taking such good care of her.

She is in the Cleveland area and appears to have spoiled her rotten (isn't that what you're supposed to do?). We talked about how hard it is to imagine someone just dumping a wonderful dog like that. But, the important thing is that she has a great home and is getting lots of love and attention.

She promised to send some pictures and keep in touch with us. We are happy that such a caring person has Sadie as part of her family. I will post pictures as they come in!

Holly Turns 1










It's hard to believe, but our little girl is already a year old! My how she has grown since we got her last year. What a wonderful addition she has been to our family!

Train Show Junkies

What a great way to spend a day with my son and my dad!

Last week-end was the big Hara Arena Train Show, and I think I was as excited as Kyle. My dad was able to attend the show with us this year and we had a really great time. After walking around the show a few hours, my dad joked that maybe he should move the boat out of his wood-working shop and put up his old American Flyer HO set. Kyle loves the boat, but would love the trains even more.

Kyle spent some of his hard earned money from being the cleaning service for our office. He bought a set of Amtrak Passenger cars as well as another Amtrak car (I can't think of the name of it but I think it's a Super Liner or something like that).

We got there a bit early ( I thought it started at 9:00, but that was for the vendors) so we went to Bob Evans for Breakfast to kill some time. I'm glad we did considering the high cost of food and drinks at the show! If you don't live in a state where Bob Evans is located, you are missing out on a real treat.

There was quite a large turnout, and a lot of vendors from all over the place. There were even more displays this year which was great, but only one Lionel set-up in the whole place. N scale seemed to be the layout of choice this year, which is great since that is what Kyle is now collecting. We were pleasantly surprised to see the largest Lego train set-up in Ohio. I hadn't seen Lego represented at the show as a display before and it was really cool, a lot of work went into it (and money!). Kyle has a Lego train set at home and is constantly building new cars and engines.

I'm glad that Kyle got to see the show and spend some of his money. I think he appreciates things more knowing that he earned the money, and the importance of saving (not buying on credit!) for something special.