You can be the grammar police or opinionator of causes on your blog




I like to lead in with graphics that end up serving as a thumbnail recognizably identical to the lead in photo or art or image -- see the sidebar where it shows blogs that are popular with readers.  There was an upsweep of clicks during the last blog -- it must have resonated with folks.


I like to then start with a memorable quote.  That strikes my fancy or indirectly relates to the blog or theme.

The following quote was copied and pasted directly from a local newspaper with our local mayor.  It captures the atmosphere that is circulating around us with COVID19 has stretched our nerves thin and our mental health is brittle::~ unite us to save the local businesses that are falling off their hanging on with their fingernails.

"Seek a local retailer when you're doing your Christmas shopping or your regular shopping. People who pay property taxes, hire local people and sponsor your kid's softball team."

                                                                — Mayor Naheed Nenshi


I posted the quote on LinkedIn providing my own commentary or observation on the quote, image or article ..... this is a great way to show that you are multi-dimensional.  I shared it with my own p.s.  input, opinion, amendment, grammar:


Just to be clearer: parents sponsor kids' sports teams, paying for equipment, ice time, lessons, practices, skates, cleats, sharpening, fitness training ..... not local businesses! However, local business ARE the soccer moms & dads or the moms who play our solo music  at early morning figure skating choreography/solo practices/lessons.





UPWARD and ONWARD




OMG I don't follow my own advice!!

I tell ya, having a Blog can lasso you 

and whip you back around or narrow the road

back to a more manageable life.



As usual, I start writing about one thing and then 

veer off into a completely new direction.

I'm like that in person often and it can get

on your nerves because I could start one conversation

and swipe over to sidebars where you then have to

swerve back to the original tale when inhale before:

 "well, anyway....."

when I finally exhale to catch my breath, 

like a scuba driver without a tank.

There's been a jiggle and a jaggle of activity 

on OPTIONEERJM and

MEANDERINGSabout (LINK:  right side bar)


That's pretty reflective of what's going on in real life.

Then, like a nudge in the elbow to take a look.

There's been a jump in Word Press reader activity.

Alot of activity to my Blogs comes from Facebook.
Most of my Facebook Friends are those whom I engaged with on Twitter LIKE:

Calvin Lee​   Marcia Colliers    Grazy       and so many others I could go on and on

.... so I will, LOL, Libby first showed me how art therapy really works, complimented by a blog

she writes about mental health matters, and truly one of

 the first to pioneer mental health awareness on social 

media.


I realize I owe my blog about  just blogging and integrating social media and potentially valuable insights to this downsize and right size mentality
 that filters into personal lives as our twilight years unfold.



Maybe I'll segue into Career Advice on my blog.

  Who knows.

I do know that I want a semblance of order, 

actually crave it, since we're in the middle of packing boxes for movers who will be here in 36 hours or so.


Maybe I can help others, young men or women, veterans or leaders by giving a 

few pointers -- can't hurt.  I mean, I'm selling social

 media like my life depends on it these days.

Encouraging everyone, as an evangelist often narrates

 beautifully, to get on board.



Once I'm back to painting and writing and developing 

my ETSY store to sell my art, see right, I may have a 

few brain cells left and still a reign on sanity.




QUANTITY and ACTIVITY does not mean QUALITY results

Based on my conversation with my favorite advocate these days from our Bank, I'm more optimistic.



For the last couple of weeks, we've had our place up for sale amid all the fearfulness of COVID-19, Coronavirus.  That likely demonstrates that we continue to live on the edge.

For the past couple of years, I've had quite a great deal of conversations and "market evaluations" by realtors from my local cesspool of choices.

Overall, not mentioning any names, with the intention to share in generalities to avoid any privacy infringements.

They are a lazy bunch.

They look for listings to sit on and sell rather than showing around buyers for the most part.  My perception.

Real estate has changed so much nowadays.  The picturesque display of your home is the most critical aspect:  how does it look on a screen.  That is taking "staging" to the top in priorities.  Clean counters, no photos, no insight into who has lived here for 26 years.

It all comes down to the MLS:  Multiple Listing Service.  Any licensed realtor can access it, navigate what ones are showing up on websites or get looped into email streams of listing.

Right from the start, I showed our realtor a place and kept referencing it as a benchmark.

That was when I had done research from all kinds of emails from a number of digital fronts.

In Calgary, Justin Havre & Associates and Tost Real Estate have won my admiration for fine tuning and honing in on my preferences so that the notifications are really exceptional.

We signed up for our current realtor as is good practice, and it is just not as robust or attune to my clicks.  

All of the places we have gone to view, were found from third party emails and links, nothing from our realtor's website.  In fact, even when I do a search through those engines and websites - both corporately and branded - my favorite place in Q has never surfaced on any of the email generated links or searches.  

If anything, there is a really concerning subpar perception that speed and turnover should supersede quality.

That's not my style.  Even though it works for many.

Now that our house is conditionally sold, we EXPECT that the deal will be honored.

The buyers saw our home twice personally.
A home inspection is good sense but it is no where part of the law that it is required.
Our first offer earlier this year that is part of the same complex was outbid. I'm very aware of the conditions.  We're going to see another unit tomorrow.

I have a skewed perception to today's realtor:  skip through the homework and focus on flipping links and more places.

Before scheduling our viewing tomorrow, I expect our realtor to inform us of something sits on the title, what it is, what it means, what it costs -- ALL BEFORE scheduling our time for the viewing.

Coming back with:  I told you, I did this only shows that we're missing the critical points.

THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT IS WHAT IS THE CRITICAL POINT?

I am going to continue with a blog, leaving out your name and any traceable links .....

The end in mind is what all parties had agreed to.

Our realtor was given a link to a place that I found exceptional and was viewed on our first day out, continuing to impress.

The sale of our place, has to meet a certain number in order for us to be able to buy that place.  

Our realtor and us, the sellers, need to be on the same page.  Drilling us down in price was not representing our interests when it was $30,000 less than what we listed, $45,000 less than what the realtor's market evaluation was.  

The song and dance on how our place needs work, has had 30 showings in two weeks he said was all because of his work.  He missed the price point conversation.

The possession date and price were all danced to the buyers' bidding, but the removal of conditions was too lengthy - I see that now.

Expecting me, recovering from breast cancer and my brain injured husband to be able to move in less than 30 days is not looking after our interests.

With a quick possess, the home inspection deadline should have been set within 5 days or max a week.

Don't let a lot of flurry of activity disarm you into thinking that the sales rep you are working with is taking care of you.

A sales rep who continually reinforces the final goal, references it when a sale is being made, ensured it would cooincide with our outgoing offer.  We lost on an offer because our possession date did not tee up with the sellers.  That was a critical check point that should have been covered because our realtor had all that information at his disposal.

I'm sure he's doing the normal way to operate and he is cheered on by his company because they're fooled into activity demands.

Ruling by activity allows a lot of details to slip through from "sell at all cost" rather than shredding the company's reputation along with the realtors.  Making sure the customers needs are taken care of is going to impact that reputation and feedback.  Plus details like conditions removal deadline would not be missed.  Or, a realtor who grasps the injured spouse, would do the best in making it painless and as smooth as possible, not tossing it back on the caregiver.