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KISMIF:
Keep It Simple, Make It Fun! Let this be your Halloween motto.
Just because we try and make Halloween night safe and nutritious, doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. The costumes, the party, and your own antics help make it fun. In fact, kids like to see parents lighten up and act like kids again. As long as you weave in safety rules with fun, children both accept it and expect it. Consider these safety issues:
- Masks and hoods can obscure the view of oncoming traffic, and in the midst of all the excitement your impulsive little ghosts and goblins may not be as attentive as they should be to what’s going on around them. Insist on the pack staying together. Don’t allow children to wonder off on their own to various houses or rush on ahead.
- Be vigilant when crossing streets in neighborhoods. Children must travel with buddies, older friends, or parents. If you’re the designated adult trick-or-treater, why not dress up and have fun? Older trick-or-treaters may be more inclined to accept a chaperon who’s dressed for the occasion.
- Walk on sidewalks instead of the street.
- Stand outside the home that your child visits. If your children are
invited inside the house, go with them.
- Bring a flashlight.
- Give your child a cell phone, if possible.
- Use reflective tape on costumes if they’re walking along dark streets.
- Wear comfortable shoes.
- Costumes should not be so long that children can trip on them.
- Make sure masks are easy to see and breathe through.
- Teach burn protection: tell children not to touch flaming jack-o-lanterns. If possible, use flame-retardant costumes and review the stop-drop-roll burn prevention with your child in case the costume catches fire.
- Use non-toxic face paints.
Source: Tips from Dr. Sears on how to Trick-or-Treat Safely.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No 
Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland
Does all this new social media have you confused and guessing about what everything means?
All the vocabulary is different, its uses are different and now comes word that a “poke” is a form of harassment. Who would’ve thought? Wasn’t a poke considered fun? I always thought a poke was a nudge, a friendly reminder, just a simple gesture, the elbow in the rib’s kind of thing or a thumbs up. Or, maybe its meaning is more like a “poke in the eye” because now you can go to jail and it’s considered harassment. According to Webster’s Dictionary a poke is:
poke (verb) : to send an electronic message intended as a reminder, salutation, or flirtation
When I started posting to Facebook, I admit I poked someone. I thought it was in jest, just a friendly nudge. I don’t even remember who I poked, but I thought it would be fun to say, “Hey, I’m here, just wanted to say hi, give you a wink, or just a reminder”. Never did I even consider it to be a bad thing or form of harassment. Who knew it wasn’t a good thing? There was no manual that came with Facebook. Who are the people who come up with this?
Conclusion
It all comes down to being as careful on-line as you are in public or face-to-face. Perhaps there are some people taking Facebook and Twitter all too seriously? However, now that I know, I guess I won’t be ”poking” anyone any more.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Once Fall is here, it seems the year is almost over because the next several months seem to whizz past us so 
quickly. However, Halloween comes first and is just around the corner. Since Monday’s are my “fun” day, here are some tricks and treats for you. Also, check out some of my past posts:
- Halloween and Haunted Houses (2008)
- Fall Festivals and Events (2008)
- Pumpkin Patches (2008)
- All-Hollows Eve (2008)
There is lots of concern and talk these days about living “green” – reduce, reuse and recycle. Therefore, to help make your Halloween green, here are some tips:
- Buy organic and local. Visit one of the many pumpkin patches I wrote about last year on this blog. After Halloween, break your pumpkins or gourds into pieces and place them in the woods or a field far away from your house to feed deer or other animals providing them with their own Halloween treat of seeds and pumpkin flesh. Or, dry the pumpkin seeds for the bird feeder.
- If you purchase bales of hay to decorate your porch, buy barley hay which can later be composted and used as mulch for your garden or flower beds.
- There have been dentists in our area who buy back unused candy to avoid trips later to their dentist. Or, Wheels on Meals and children’s charities appreciate donations of unused and unopened candy. You can also crush hard candy and use them as toppings on your Christmas cookie dough before baking or as dessert toppings.
- Reuse old clothes from around the house for costumes. Here’s some tips for “green” costumes. If you’re out of time and need a last minute costume, here are some ideas for eco-friendly costumes.
- Donate any costumes to children’s hospitals or any number of charities.
- Instead of purchasing a plastic container or plastic pumpkin to collect those goodies, craft a treat bag by sewing a drawstring on old pillowcases and let the kids decorate them with non-toxic markers or paints instead. Or let the kids decorate brown paper bags you’ve recycled.
- Bake cupcakes without paper muffin cups or make other healthy snacks or treats and make your own goody bags with the kids and especially include Monster Toes!
- Use nature’s bounty for decorations utilizing Fall leaves, hay bales, corn stalks and more of the pumpkins,gourds and apples. Make old- fashioned candy apples as the treats. Help the kids make a scarecrow, or two.
- Craft – Buy or make decorations that can be reused. There are many outlet stores locally where you can buy inexpensive items and decorate further for Halloween to make them look like something out of a magazine.
- Check out this website – Green Halloween - for more eco-friendly ideas.
- There’s an eco-friendly website that lists “green” crafts, projects for Halloween.
- Recycle items from around the house. Use old milk bottles and use as luminaries to light your walkway or cut off the top and use as a plastic bucket for the treats. Use egg cartons to create decorations like this bat.
- When buying treats, buy in bulk or products with limited packaging. Or, better yet give non-food treats like funky pens or pencils.
- You can also reuse a brown paper bag by crafting items that can be reused later for other purposes like this grocery bag.
- Don’t litter with left-over candy wrappers, figure out a craft project to use up all the wrappers. While in Hawaii last year, there was a cart in the local shopping mall that had purses and other accessories all made out of recycled candy wrappers, juice containers, etc. that they were selling.
- Walk, don’t drive to neighborhoods for trick-or-treating. Better yet, have a masquerade party for the kids.
- Trade decorations or costumes with the neighbors or family. Get more mileage out of what either you or they already have.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
There’s a lot going on in the world of real estate and some good news for housing; but, since this is my blog, I am taking a day off from stats, first-time home buyers, tax credits, the latest S&P/Case-Shiller report, Ben Bernanke, the economy and the like. Today I am on overload and seem to have a need to write about something silly. This is even the first post I have uploaded from my BlackBerry® instead of writing on my computer.
Speaking of writing, school is starting soon and every student will no doubt have a pencil, make that a No.2 pencil, in their school supplies. Have you ever wondered why a pencil is yellow? Or who in fact invented what we use on an almost daily basis without much thought?
From Pencils.com comes this information:
- The pencil has been mass produced for more than 400 years.
- The first pencils were created in Germany from graphite wrapped in string.
- American cabinetmaker William Monroe helped create the first machine-cut pencils in the 1800s.
- John Steinbeck used 300 pencils to write “East of Eden”.
- Unpainted pencils were stylish in the 1800s, showing off fancy wood casings.
- What does the No. 2 mean on a pencil? It refers to the lead’s softness.
- Why are pencils yellow? China, which produces superb graphite, associates yellow with respect. Thus, to honor the Chinese, pencils were shaded in yellow.
Now you know probably more than you wanted to know about pencils. We’ve come a long way since the 1800s but we are still using the No. 2 in spite of computers, BlackBerry®’s and all the other gadgets available to us.
Thanks for indulging me today, as it’s already been a very long week. Enjoy your last dog days of summer. Back to real estate tomorrow…..
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
I know how everyone gets excited here in Oregon about the Beavers and the Ducks. Here’s the up-coming schedule for both:
Enjoy!
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Melina Tomson in Salem, Oregon wrote a charming poem having to do with buying real estate. Since today’s Monday and my “fun day”, I thought I would do something different for a change of pace and post it today . It’s her original composition so please don’t copy or post it without her permission. Remember those copyright laws! My thanks to Melina for giving me permission to post it here.
That House For Me© 2009 by Melina Tomson, Tomson Burnham, LLC, Realtor® Salem, Oregon:
That house for me, that house for me
I cannot find that house for me.
Would you like it
here or there?
I would not like it on that lot.
I would not like it in that spot.
I do not like that house for me.
I do not like it can’t you see?
Would you like it really old? Would you like it plated gold?
Not really old.
Not plated gold..
I do not like that house for me.
I do not like it can’t you see?
Would you? Could you?
fix it up?
I would not , could not, fix it up
I do not like it with that tile.
I do not like that compost pile.
I do not like it with some mold
I do not like it painted bold.
I do not like it with lead paint
I do not like it “somewhat” quaint.
I do not like it with a leak.
I do not like it with that peak.
I do not like that house for me.
I do not like it can’t you see?
You may like it with a well?
I do not like it with a well.
I do not like it with that smell.
I do not like this house for me.
I do not like it, can’t you see?
A short! A short!
A short! A short!
Could you, would you
try a short?
Not a short sale! Nothing that’s “stale”!
I would not, could not, by a school.
I could not, would not, with a pool.
I will not buy one at that price.
I will not buy it once or twice
I do not like it with small trees.
I do not like H-OA fees.
I do not like this house for me.
I do not like it, can’t you see?
Say!
On the creek?
Here on the creek!
Would you, could you, on the creek?
I would not, could not, on the creek.
Would you, could you, with this plan?
I would not, could not, buy that plan.
Not on the creek. Not with that plan.
Not on that street. Not painted tan.
I do not like this house for me.
I do not like it, can’t you see?
You do not like them. So you say.
Let’s look! Let’s look! And you may.
Let’s look and you may, I say.
Say! I like that house for me!
I do! I like it can’t you see!
And I do like it painted blue.
And I do like it with that hue.
And I do like it with that door.
And with that roof.. And with that floor.
And with that pond. And with that tree..
It is so perfect, so perfect you see!
So I do like it on that street.
And I do like forced air heat.
And I do like it near that park.
And I do like that birch tree bark.
And I do like the RV pad
And I do like the price it had.
And I will buy this home right now.
If you will just teach me how.
I do so like that house you see.
Thank you!
Thank you, a home for me.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
In honor of Veterans and the sacrifices they have made on our behalf to protect the freedoms our great country enjoys daily, last year I wrote a more serious post on this Memorial Day. However, this year I decided to do 
something more fun. This post is not meant to minimize the importance of today and all those who have made contributions to protect us. We thank you.
Many people are hitting the road this holiday to get outdoors, go camping, listen to concerts, shop at the farmers markets, and of course attend our Rose Festival that is currently in full swing. I read the post below late the other evening, had a good laugh and wanted to share it.
When I lived in California and of course here in Oregon, I’ve done a lot of camping. Among those camp sites in California my favorite place was Devil’s Postpile in Yosemite National Park. Once we did have a run in with a bear. Thankfully nothing serious happened nor was the experience as funny as what these Realtors® encountered while actually selling real estate. I’ve never, gratefully, come face-to-face with a bear while selling real estate. Enjoy your Memorial Day holiday and these real-life Realtor® stories. They come from Agentgenius.com and Gwen Banta. Watch out for those bears!
Recently I have heard some hilarious tales of wild animal capers at open house events. Many of these anecdotes come from my agent friends in Lake Arrowhead. And you thought YOU had problems…
Easy Rider
I’m told there are bear travel routes at Lake Arrowhead. I’m not sure if there are biker bars for the critters to hang out and knock back brewskis, but the routes are detours created by the animals themselves as they cruise around the mountains. As a result, there are many bear sightings in the area.
An agent I know was with a client when they parked at the cabin she had just listed. As they approached the porch, they glanced at the pickup truck parked in the driveway and were delighted to see a baby bear asleep in the flatbed.
They observed the little guy for a short time, ooh-ing and ah-ing and discussing whom to call. Duh. Suddenly the answer came to them…in the form of a shadow the size of the Statue of Liberty. Paralyzed with fear, they tried not to move a muscle. Finally, when the words “main course” permeated their individual skulls, they turned on cue and walked slo-o-o-ly to the front porch. They managed to get inside without losing any limbs, but not before the frantic client had wet her pants. After the bears eventually left, the hapless women departed. The agent was shaking uncontrollably, and the client had to sit on a towel all the way home.
(Moral of the story: Ya’ know how you just want to pick up a little bear and cuddle it? Well Mama Bear wants to cuddle you, too…and then crack your head open, rip out your eyeballs with claws the size of hedge clippers, and then suck the meat off your skinny little flailing legs…accompanied by a fine Pinot Noir of course. So avoid even baby bears, fool!)
Bears Need To Relax, Too
One agent had seen bears in the area of his listing and had dutifully informed his clients. While preparing for Brokers Open, he set a bag of dog food on the back porch in his efforts to tidy the kitchen. Halfway through caravan, there was pandemonium in the back forty. When he and several agents ran outside to investigate the chaos, they saw the dog food scattered everywhere.
As the agent stooped to retrieve the bag, he looked across the yard. To his shock, a brown bear was splashing lazily in the spa right under the hand-crafted “Don’t Piss In Pool ” sign. The group high-tailed it inside, barricaded the doors, and armed themselves with whatever they could grab. The agent had to scream out the window at any latecomers, warning them to get outta Dodge, while everyone already there remained holed up in the house until animal control arrived.
When Animal Control finally burst in, they admonished the agent for a lapse in judgment, but only after they had a good laugh. It seems that one guy was brandishing a fireplace poker as a weapon, and the listing agent was armed with a lovely umbrella. The agent was very embarrassed, but the worst insult was the floater left in the spa by the annoyed bear.
(Moral of the story: If you are on a bear route, never place Dog Food outside unless the bears on your route are Harvard grads and can read the words “Dog Food,” and “Don’t Piss in Pool.” Less educated bears may think the sign says “After enjoying the bear bidet…please help yourself to the squealing agents huddled inside and screaming like girly-men.”)
Let’s Not Forget the Raccoons
This story was enough to make me stop serving food outside. An agent had set up a lovely luncheon at a house near the lake. Out of nowhere, there was a blur of action on the hillside. A raccoon scampered down the hill, a barking dog with a beer belly close at its heels. The raccoon ran around the trash bins and then took shelter in a tight space behind the pool equipment. The determined dog apparently had gone to a Tony Robbins seminar and did not know the meaning of giving up. He did everything possible to get the raccoon to expose himself (so to speak). However, the wily raccoon, while less educated, had street smarts and was waiting for his posse to show up and ice the dog.
Enter the agent. Upset by the ear-splitting chaos, the agent grabbed a utensil and a metal dish and created a cacophony of noise, hoping to scare off the intruders. It worked. Sort of. The raccoon screeched, tore out of his hiding place, and for a split second in time, he stared down the source of the mind-numbing noise. Finally he headed for elevation…the luncheon table being the nearest high spot. The portly dog was too fat to jump onto the table, so he tried to claw his way up the table cloth. The agent, frantically banging her bowl, watched helplessly as inch by inch the entire spread headed south in slow motion. The food explosion was followed immediately by the sound of the table collapsing. The last she saw of the quiche-covered dog or the crazed raccoon was a departing blur back up the hillside. She gave up and threw the bowl in disgust before collapsing in tears.
(Moral to the Story: If you’re going to Bang a Gong, know your audience, Wang Chung!)
And This One is For The Birds
Picture a lovely summer day in California. French doors were open wide, flowers were in bloom, and the agent was preparing for the first Public Open House. Suddenly a Blue Jay flew into the living room and became disoriented. Confused and frazzled, the feathered intruder attempted to fly out via the skylights. After being thwarted in its numerous attempts to escape, the bird landed on a beam to rest. The agent, also confused and frazzled, decided to deal with the party crasher after the open house was over.
Enter the public. As the agent showed the house and gave her pitch, a menacing kid turned on a screeching musical toy that set off the downfall of society. The bird, already confused and excited, began to circle overhead frantically seeking an exit. As the voices of the startled group melded into a chorus of screams, the bird responded back in kind…by crapping all over the well-appointed living room. The more the visitors screamed, the more the bird emptied the contents of his well-stocked bowels. By the time the agent managed to herd everyone out, the seller’s furniture was upholstered in cottage cheese. The bird remained for several hours more, no doubt taking photos and texting his friends.
(Moral of the Story: If a bird crashes your party, call the wily raccoon to chase the feathered interloper outside. Then call the dog in as an enforcer to offer the raccoon a deal he can’t refuse. Then hire the bear to scare the beejeesus out of the wiseguy dog. Then call animal control to drag the bear away after he uses your spa as a bidet, but before he gets out his dining utensils and slaps you onto a plate. After that, call all the agents who called you “fool” and invite them to a party in the spa…and leave the floater.)
And a Short One For the Road
Did you hear about the German Shepherd who knocked down the agent’s tent sign and relieved himself all over it as the caravan was arriving? I actually witnessed the performance…and the two curtain calls.
(Moral of the Story: It seems everyone is a critic. Go do the same thing in his bowl – that will teach him to be a bit less judgmental next time.)
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
No, I didn’t win the lottery, but it sure felt like it. 
Since it’s Monday and my Fun Day, I thought I’d share something that recently happened to me. You hear about those people showing up on your door step with a check in hand with money you had no idea you had coming to you. You hear about it on the news too and there have been reports saying there’s lots of unclaimed property in the State’s coffers. Well, it happened to me. No, Ed McMahon didn’t show up at my front door with a check and I wasn’t on the evening news, but it could have happened.
About a year and a half ago, I was notified by the State of Oregon’s Unclaimed Property Division that I had unclaimed property at the State and it had been there for 13 years. At first, I thought it was a scam and didn’t do anything about it. Then, I checked on line and sure enough my name was listed but it didn’t say what it was, where it came from or how much. Again, I let it sit for a while but eventually called them because my curiosity got the better of me. I had absolutely no reason to believe I had any unclaimed property. It couldn’t possibly be me. Besides, I’d be the first in line if that were the case. However, it was true.
Perhaps you have some money or property that you don’t even know you have just waiting for you. Here’s the link to check on it for Oregon and other states. Just remember, when you get that “big” check, we’re related aren’t we?
Now I need to see if the other states I’ve lived in have anything for me……I need a new car.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Every year on this day I think of someone. It happened on my first “real” job. My first adult job. I was naiive, very gullible, yet eager to 
learn and conscientious.
My new boss one day kept asking if Loof Lirpa had called. It started out casually then as the day wore on, he asked me constantly if Mr. Lirpa had called him and had left him a message. I kept insisting that Loof Lirpa had not called. He started to become somewhat agitated with me and because I was so “green”, I almost started taking it personally.
The day ended and Mr. Loof Lirpa still hadn’t called my boss. Increasingly I started getting concerned. Right before I left for the evening, I went into my boss’ office, apologized and explained to him that I was certain Mr. Loof Lirpa had not called him. At that time, he started laughing and said “No, indeed Loof Lirpa had not called him and APRIL FOOL!”.
If you hadn’t figured it out by now – Loof Lirpa is April Fool spelled backwards and he sure got a kick out of fooling me. I’ve never forgotten that or him.
HAPPY APRIL FOOL’S DAY!
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Today’s Monday and my “fun” day so I thought I’d share this.
We’re all unique – well aren’t we? Years ago on a 20/20 segment on T.V., there was a lady with a common last name. 
She went on a quest to meet every single person with her exact name. Turns out there were 100’s of women that had her identical name. From all races, all cultures, all walks of life, she went across the U.S. and met each and every one of them.
I’ve often thought there couldn’t be anyone else with my name. It’s not that my name is so ordinary. However, I’ve read obituaries 3 times of people with my exact name in our local Oregonian newspaper just here in Portland. Once in fact, one of my clients called to see if all was well with me as she had read the same obituary. Another time, I received a bank statement with my name on it, and my nephew’s name on it from the bank where I had an account. Turns out, it wasn’t me at all. How odd that not only would someone have the exact name as I did but who’s relative also had the exact same name as my nephew. At one time, I had an out-of-state bank account, made a deposit, and the bank had put the money in another person’s account instead who – you guessed it – had my exact name.
With the Internet, it is much easier now to search. Going on line, there are lots of women with my name. There have been times I’ve searched friends’ names as well and invariably, each and every time, no matter how unusual or how “average” their name is, there are always lots of people with identical names. I have a friend who has a unique spelling of her first name. At a local video rental store she returned a rental on its due date and then later was assessed a late fee. Turns out there was another customer not only with her name but the exact unusual spelling.
Frankly, I find all that to be odd. I’ve always remembered that show because I’ve always thought we were “unique” and “special”. I’ve always thought we were like snowflakes, each an individual. How many people have your name? If you search Google™, chances are good you’ll find more than one of you. Isn’t that odd?
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
During the last several months, many Portlanders had their “fill” of all the snow and cold weather, including me. The groundhog saw his shadow so we have a couple more months of winter. And, our weatherman said that we’ve had 16 days (a record) of snow on the ground. Typically, our winters are somewhat mild, but not this year. Some have blamed our arctic blast on global warming. Yet, while it seems that our winter was colder this year, climatologists are saying we’re getting warmer. Proof, even the birds are flying north for the winter rather than going south. However, I was “dreamin” of places to go that were nice and warm while looking at our 18″ of snow recently. Didn’t those birds see our snow as they were flying north? What’s up with that?
AARP has a Location Scout Program where you can plug in your ideal amenities and conditions. A pop up screen suggests places you could move to that would suit your desires and/or needs. So just for fun, I used that program to see where I could or should go “according to AARP”. I’m not wanting to move or leave Portland, however it has been tempting this winter.
Here are the locations their Location Scout suggested I move to:
|
1. Honolulu, HI |
Funny, the locations for the most part are all in California where I originally moved from including one spot in Hawaii. Guess I was “California ‘dreamin” or should I say dreaming for some sun. If nothing else, I’m certainly ready for Spring.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Mondays are my “light” posting days. Usually over the weekends I do stats and that can get pretty depressing some times and boring to some so I like to follow some of that with silly, funny or light posts.
During the inauguration of President Obama I had to laugh. I found out we (the President and I) have 3 things in common: 1) we are both addicted to our BlackBerry™ 2) He’s a “south paw” just like I am and 3) we are both night owls.
Ever since childhood, I’ve been a “night owl”. Growing up in an old house, my bedroom was super small but I happened to have a walk-in closet. I would sneak into the closet and read with the light on and my parents never knew I had stayed up all night. No one could wake me in the morning, however, to get me to school on time.
It hasn’t changed. I’m still that night owl only now my computer has become the books I used to read. That’s why blogging is so great for me to do, because I usually blog late at night, in a relaxed setting.
I read on Yahoo!® night-owls like me (and President Obama) are more imaginative and intuitive. Well, that suits me just fine and now I don’t feel so guilty for not being able to get up in the morning! But, Mr. President, you have to get up in the morning.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
I read on Phyllis Harb’s Los Angeles Blog that it was the Year of the Ox in the Chinese Zodiac Calendar.
THE YEAR OF THE OX
1/26/2009 – 2/13/2010 (Earth)
According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2009 is the Year of the Ox. The Ox, or the Buffalo sign symbolizes prosperity through fortitude and hard work. Those born under the influence of the Ox or Buffalo are fortunate to be stable and persevering. The typical Ox is a tolerant person with strong character. Not many people could equal the res
olution and fearlessness that the Ox exhibits when deciding to accomplish a task. Ox people work hard without complaints at work or at home. They know that they will succeed through hard work and sustained efforts, and do not believe in get-rich-quick schemes.
When I clicked on what the year will mean to us I thought how appropriate and what irony. According to the Chinese Zodiac Calendar it means that prosperity will be achieved through hard work. What a fitting symbol for a year where that will be so meaningful to most Americans and what a summary of what the American Dream is all about. Further, we have a new President that feels the same way.
2008 brought us into this financial crisis with those get-rich-quick-schemes that the calendar mentions above and it’s only fitting that this is The Year Of The Ox.
Stable and persevering describes Americans. Inspite of the greed on Wall Street, Americans are continuing to go forward, to make their world better for themselves and their families; they endure and survive. Here’s to 2009.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Back in the day, I remember very vividly the time we as women were not permitted to wear pants to work. Yes, for those younger than me, we weren’t allowed to wear pants on the job.
We always had to wear skirts or dresses, never mind the fact that it was during the “mini-skirt” era. Sometime in the early 1970s, we were finally allowed to wear pants as long as the top matched i.e., the pantsuit. 
During the presidential campaign, you probably remember hearing a lot about Hillary and her pant outfits. She was a product of that era as well, so she was wearing her pantsuits.
This is not a political post but I want to mention that I like the fact that I haven’t seen Michelle Obama in pants too often, maybe once. I know she likes to emulate the elder Mrs. Bush with the pearls and all. There’s nothing wrong with pants, but frankly I like a First Lady looking like a lady and wearing dresses. Mrs. Kennedy wore dresses and was a fashion icon. However, that was also during the time period when pants weren’t the norm. Had Hillary been elected, she would have worn the pants for sure. This is a different time and a different era and everyone wears pants these days, but I think a First Lady should dress like one.
Now I hear all the designers are soliciting Michelle Obama to wear their designs. I am sure she will be elegant in any of them. I’m looking forward to four years of class and style.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Image from Microsoft Office
Inasmuch as the last couple of days I’ve had what I consider to be “heavy” posts, I thought I’d lighten-up today with this post instead.
Besides, today is my fun day since as a Realtor®, I always work on the weekends and my ”week” usually starts on a Tuesday. That is if I’m lucky, as most weeks I work 7 days a week!
Whenver I would go to a conference, lecture, movie, etc. I would jokingly tell whomever I was with when asked where I wanted sit that “I needed to see in order to hear”.
People would laugh thinking I had lost a “marble” or that I was just being silly. I couldn’t believe what I read the other day. My joking around is for real! Scientists have now found out that what I said is true, that some people can see to hear. It has always been easier for me to hear when I see the speaker, screen, etc.
CLICK HERE to read all about it. We can see sound…I haven’t lost my “marbles” afterall. The brain can, if it must, directly use sound to see and light to hear. I’m amazed, I never thought what I was experiencing was anything scientific. Does the same thing happen to you?
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
It has definitely been HOT and we’ve been in the triple digits. The heat reminded me of a really nice experience I recently had. Summer’s almost at its end and I didn’t want to forget to write about this. With all the “stuff” happening in the world I could “rant” but I decided to do a “rave” instead! 
There seems to be so much ”negative” talk (food prices, economy, oil, housing, etc.), but during the summer, I happened to have a complete day without any of that. On a recent 100+ degree day, everywhere I went, people were happy, upbeat, joyful, joking, and even singing at one place I went. How refreshing was that!
That particular day on my way back to the office, I stopped at our local Office Max. I’ve been shopping there for a long-time and have my “Max Perks” card and receive their coupons on-line, in the mail and in person whenever I shop there. In addition to all of that, they send me a credit in a dollar amount based on how much I spend every month that I can apply to future purchases.
Did I mention I liked Office Max? Further, I found out that I get money back to recycle my printer cartridges that initially cost on average $100 apiece and I need four. Not to mention how great and helpful the employees at the Tigard store are. So, all in all, I’m already a happy customer. Here when it was 100+ degrees in Portland they went above and beyond. Office Max was serving free, cold beverages. It reminded me of “Little Havana” in Miami where they have water in front of each storefront.
On days when there seems to be nothing but negativity, it was nice to see a business, in tough economic times, thinking about the customer for a change. (This is an unsolicited, unpaid commercial!). In the whole scheme of things it wasn’t a big deal, but it was a big deal as far as I was concerned and a model on how other companies should treat their customers. I could “rant” a lot about those “other” places, but I won’t. How about a “rave” instead? WELL DONE, Office Max!
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Photo from Microsoft Office
Portland’s Summer Movies In The Park
The “dog days” of summer are here and August typically is a hot month. Movies in the Park are also “hot” this year. Personally, I am a huge movie fan and have seen 99.9% of the movies listed below and they are all great. The best part, however, is that admission is FREE.
Portland Movies in the Park
Here’s a list for the month of August and a couple thru September.
For additional information visit www.portlandparks.org/ or call 503.823.1641:
- Friday – August 1-Shrek 3-Gabriel Park
- Saturday – August 2-Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory-DeNorval Uthank Park
- Sunday – August 3-Nancy Drew-Sellwood Park
- Tuesday – August 5-Spiderwick Chronicles-Woodlawn Park
- Wednesday – August 6-Juno-Colonel Summers Park
- Wednesday – August 7-ET-Kenton Park
- Friday – August 8-ET-Laurelhurst Park
- Saturday – August 9-Zathura-Dickinson Park
- Tuesday – August 12-A Few Good Men-Sellwood Riverfront Park
- Wednesday – August 13-Jerry Maquire-Colonel Summers Park
- Thursday – August 14-Superman 3-Brooklyn Park
- Friday – August 15-Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory-Kenilworth Park
- Saturday – August 16-Shane-Sewallcrest Park
- Wednesday – August 20-Field of Dreams-Sellwood Park
- Thursday – August 21-Dirty Dancing-Colonel Summers Park
- Friday – August 22-The Mask of Zorro-Irving Park
- Saturday – August 23-The Princess Bride-Lents Park
- Saturday – August 23-Horton Hears a Who-Hazeltine Park
- Friday – August 29-Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory-Holly Farm Park
- Saturday – August 30-The Sound of Music-Laurelhurst Park
- Friday – September 5-Horton Hears a Who-Berkely Park
Lake Oswego Movies in the Park
Lake Oswego’s Movies in the Park on Thursday evenings in Milennium Plaza Park – Movies begin at dusk (between 8:45 – 9:30 p.m.). Low sand chairs only please
- August 7-Surf’s Up
- August 14-The Water Horse Legend of the Deep
- August 21-Enchanted
- August 28-Meet the Robinsons
More Movies in the Park
- Flicks on the Bricks at Pioneer Courthouse Square - Friday evenings
- Multnomah Outdoor Cinema at Multnomah Arts Center - Selected Friday evenings in August
- Movies on Ecotrust’s back patio - Tuesday evenings through September 2.
- Flicks by the Fountain at Beaverton City Park - Friday evenings in August
- Movies in Vancouver parks - Friday evenings in August
- Movies at Memorial Park in Wilsonville - City Seasonal Events & Movies in the Park Friday evenings in August
- Movies at Tualatin Commons - Events Calendar. Saturday evenings in August
- Flicks in Columbia Park in Troutdale - Troutdale website for updates. Saturday evenings in August
- Movies in North Clackamas Parks - Certain Fridays and Saturdays in August. Different parks
- Pix on the Plaza in Downtown Hillsboro - Thursday evenings in August
- McMenamins Edgefield – See the movie listings - Thursday evenings in August
- Friday Night Flicks - Newberg. Newberg Public Library
- Friday Movies In the Park. St. Helens Riverfront - St. Helens, Oregon
- Movies In the Pearl. @ Jamison Square Park. NW Portland, Oregon
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
There’s a saying in the real estate industry that 20% of real estate agents do 80% of the business. Or perhaps you’ve heard when lenders loan on new construction they want no more than 20% of the value in land and 80% in the value of the house. Has anyone ever said you should focus 80% of your time and energy on 20% of work that is important? Even Ronald Reagan has been quoted as saying: “That person who agrees with you 80% of the time is a friend or ally and not a 20% traitor”.
Have you ever wondered where that 80/20 rule came from or never knew there even was a “rule”?
In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923 — his photo is at right from WIkepedia) created a mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country, observing that twenty percent of the people owned eighty percent of the wealth.
After Pareto made his observation and created his formula, many others observed similar phenomena in their own areas of expertise. Quality Management pioneer, Dr. Joseph Juran, working in the US in the 1930s and 40s recognized a universal principle he called the “vital few and trivial many” and reduced it to writing. In an early work, a lack of precision on Juran’s part made it appear that he was applying Pareto’s observations about economics to a broader body of work. The name Pareto’s Principle stuck, probably because it sounded better than Juran’s Principle.
As a result, Dr. Juran’s observation of the “vital few and trivial many”, the principle that 20 percent of something is always responsible for 80 percent of the results, became known as Pareto’s Principle or the 80/20 Rule.
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
EBAY photo
No, this isn’t a typo but the heading is in a foreign language! I get questions almost daily about the origin of my name. I was born on a barge on the Danube River in Southern Germany. In the last 20 years, I haven’t had a lot of people to converse in German with unless I went home to Los Angeles for a visit. Yes, I’ve been to the Oktoberfests in Portland, Mt Angel, Los Angeles and Germany.
For years I have been looking for German-speaking Oregonians. I did find two groups called a Deutscher Stammtisch (loosely it means a group getting together to drink beer and speak German!). However, both of those groups were Americans speaking German and during the entire evening only spoke English. That was fine for them but not what I was looking for. Recently, I met a German-born Mortgage Broker here in Portland who also missed her German culture. She went on a quest to find a group and she did. Apparently, there are 25,000 German-born Portlanders. Where are they?
There is a website Meetup.com that serves all of the United States and connects different languages and cultures together if you are looking to reconnect with your past. Even if you are not a “native” of that country, there are groups that get together for the sole purpose of learning the language or to continue speaking it. I have an Italian friend who belongs to a group like this and when they get together it’s everything Italian! So have some fun and learn a new language…“it’s a small world, after all”! AUF WIEDERSEHEN!!!
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Photo from Loew's Website
Recently fellow Real Estate blogger Teresa Boardman posted that Fridays are her “fun” days and that Friday she was playing in the dirt. When I read her post I realized not only did I become a gardener at age 8, but I think I also became a real estate agent around the same age.
“Play, learn and pass it on”. – Dusty Skye
All these years I’ve wondered whether I garden because I love it or garden because I have to maintain my yard. When I was a little girl I played in the dirt on a vacant lot next to our home. I built a play house with extra wood, all the sheets of plywood I could find and I planted flowers (most likely weeds).
You hear about “doing what you love” or are passionate about for work. Donny Deutsch on The Big Idea TV show said “pay attention to your kids’ dreams and passions, and how they play, because one day they could become the next Bill Gates”. Like the words in the Honda Accord commercial ….”Hold on tight to your dreams!”
A friend of mine played with match boxes and built houses when she was little. Today she’s an architect and builder. Another friend of mine built those small model airplanes that come out of a kit. Today he has a company producing large remote-controlled replicas of World War II planes. The son of a woman I know used to play with small cars all the time and today he loves selling cars.
We were immigrants and didn’t have a lot of money. I didn’t have dolls to play with. As a kid my imagination was in full gear and I figured out a “game” of my own to play with the limited resources I had. My mother went to the bank and I’d pick up those deposit and withdrawal slips and take a stack home. I made up “clients” and had customers who made deposits and withdrawals at my own bank with names I had given them.
Maybe I didn’t exactly become a real estate agent at age 8, but business was definitely on my mind at that young age. Later in school, I won the Bank of America Business Award (did they know I took their bank slips home??)… I guess I was destined to be in the business world or own a business of my own. On second thought, I did build a house with those scraps of wood on that vacant lot!
Perhaps your child’s play will be the beginnings of becoming a real estate agent (heaven forbid!) when they grow up or maybe they’ll be the next Bill Gates! Maybe you’re unhappy with your current job. I heard today that 84% of workers are unhappy with their jobs – that’s 4 out of every 5 workers. Ask yourself what did you love to play when you were a child and maybe you should be doing that instead?
Today’s Monday….it’s my “fun” day and I’m probably out playing in the dirt!
© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.
(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
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