Who decided that Sunday was the first day of the week? Why does a week have seven days? I have no idea. One thing I know is that Sundays are lazy days for most of us, unless you are a Mortgage Originator. She is upstairs at her home office desk tapping away. Trying to satisfy the insatiable.

After a long night of steak and wine, I am a little weary today. After sleeping in a bit we went out to get brunch/breakfast or something. Every place we went was full of potentially infected people. Ended up going Greek. Not fabulously tasty and filling as I was hoping. In any event, I was fueled up and ready for a nap.

Oh, there was an F1 race this morning. Watched that. It was a little more interesting that usual.

So, lets get on with that nap..

Yep, a miserable day to end the work week. Earlier I drove the Mortgage Originator to a clients house so he could sign some relevant documents and move to a refinance closing. Terrible driving conditions. Fog, spray and crazy drivers …. a wonderful combination.

The MO had a lunch appointment with her assistant today so i stayed in. Coffee machine was not playing nice to I dismantled it, cleaned, then reassembled. That was a nightmare as the screen kept telling me something was wrong. Finally, I got to the maintenance screen and ran the coffee cleaning program. After that, the descaling program. Finally got the coffee I needed. I am worried that tomorrow, the marching will not work properly. It is 10 years old but still …

We have already planned dinner tomorrow evening at a local restaurant, with friends. I spoke to my own restaurant manager and planned a wine dinner in Souther Pines next month. Feeling good that I have a few things on the go. Did I mention Highlands NC? Heading there for a week, early next month. Thinking it will be nice to catch up with old friends while breathing that mountain air. I hope we can all avoid the virus.

With all the crazy election and political antics being played out in real time on the screen, it is easy to forget that we are incredibly lucky to live in a great country. Sadly, it does not seem we can collectively come together, however if we all try to simply be nice to each other, we will all be better off. It costs nothing to be nice, and it actually costs more in emotional energy to be mean.

Rain rain go away, come again another day …

Out walking this morning. Dodging slight rain showers, until the last mile. From there it was a quick dash home. Panting for breath, and shaking off water logged clothes.

I guess i should check the weather before retiring each night so I would be prepared.

Had drinks with an old school friend of the Mortgage Originator. They have not seen each other since high school so that was fun. He is in radio and communications and had great stories of people he had met along the way. Also found out that he goes on ‘Journeys’. These being natural drug induced. Supposedly, they free the mind and allow you to explore yourself. Interesting, but for me, nor her. Give me a good bottle of wine (or two) and some great food and I am good to go.

Market is up a little as I type. No telling where it will close however it is satisfying to see green instead of red.

Fajitas for dinner tonight I think. I have all I need, so it will be a quick process. The hard part is selecting a wine to go with that food … so I am off the review my stock.

Today I was able to collect my car from the crash repair shop. A week ago, a woman backed into me in a home improvements parking lot. Not a lot of damage, just a busted grill. Anyway, the total repair was just over $1200. So happy she had insurance and I paid nothing

Driving home, top down, I stopped to pick up a biscuit for me and one for the Mortgage Originator. I love a biscuit for breakfast, with some great coffee. On the topic of coffee, I cannot understand why fast food places have such terrible coffee. I assume they don’t want to spend on having something good. So they settle for bland, weak and generally unappealing. I grind my own beans, and control the strength of the brew so I end up with a great, strong coffee.

Getting back to the Mortgage Originator, she is fueled up and typing away upstairs. I think she has three purchases this morning so its a busy time collecting documents, and inputting all the data. You can bet that these are all scheduled to close at then end of October so look out, a stressful month awaits.

The stock market is way down this morning. The tv is full of crazy political ads. The new cycle confirms that you cant trust any politician. It’s difficult to see how we can have a coherent country when there is so much vitriol and hatred in our political leaders. Another vote of TERM LIMITS!

RBG was the perfect example of someone who stood up for fairness. A great jurist who will be sorely missed by any thinking person.

Being the father of daughters, I understand perfectly well how society is male dominated and how the struggle for gender equality is real.

May she Rest In Peace.

So, wine last night was a little more than I bargained for. The solution was to walk/run 5 miles earlier this morning. Home with coffee and feeling alive again.

I can hear the chattering of the keyboard upstairs, assuring me that the mortgage industry is alive and well. Not so much phone so far, although that can change in a skinny minute.

Fridays are either crazy, or quiet in the mortgage business. If the Mortgage Originator has closings on a Friday, things get out of control, and especially if the Friday is an end of month. Otherwise Fridays provide a healthy respite from the stress of dealing with peoples finances.

So, what are you up to for the coming weekend? I have no clue what I am doing, and that’s the way I like it. Nothing planned, so anything is possible. I suspect my weekend will be filled with cooking and wine. Two of my favorite things.

Watching the market right now. The broadcast media treat the market like a football game commentary. The so-called experts pontificating on various stocks and their likelihood of price gains and falls. It seems these shows are designed for day traders and gamblers. Most people who have money invested in the stock market through their 401K plans, pension plans, IRA’s etc don’t trade daily, if at all. The stock market is designed for long term investing. Being invested in great companies with strong balance sheets and great cash flows seems to me to be the ideal way to invest. Look at the long term and disregard the day to day swings of the market.

On that note, I am going to get another coffee and consider the remainder of the day.

Wet day, so I decided to stay in. No morning walk.

It’s all going on upstairs. The Mortgage Originator is at it, phone ringing non stop, Mortgage jargon perfumes the air. She had to drive to the office to scan documents earlier, so I agreed to drive her. Crazy people on the road … wet weather means drive more aggressively, apparently!

Wine time tonight. Meeting with a neighbor to say goodbye to her brother who is visiting from California. It’s been three days (reminds me of a song) since my last glass and I feel the need to imbibe. Not that I have any sort of dependency, rather I really enjoy a glass of red wine. I guess I will have to take a bottle with me, so as soon as I finish typing, I will check out what I have available, and what grape and region speaks to me.

Thursday is the worst day of the week. Seems like we are caught between mid week and weekend. It’s never been my favorite. Apart from the rain, markets are down and I need to go find pistachio’s for the baklava I need to make tomorrow. Actually, I don’t ‘need’ to make it, but rather I want to. The sweet treat really makes me feel happy and reminds me of a recent (2019) trip to Greece and in particular, Santorini. I have learned that everyone in Greece makes ‘their’ baklava a little differently. More honey, more nuts, more spice etc. Anyway, I am going to make ‘my’ baklava.

Ok, off to the store…and wine selection.

It’s fascinating to me that we seem to crave summer. Once here, and a few weeks pass, we seem to crave cooler weather.

I was out walking this morning. High 60’s. The smell of fall in the air. I was reflecting on the summer just (almost) past. Man it was hot. Maybe it is just the ravages of time on my body, but I really felt the heat this year. Of course, allergies seem to always present in the summer and early fall months.

Anyway, while walking down the greenway, i noticed a few more people than usual walking/running also. One couple walking towards me immediately donned masks as they saw me. I was about 75 yards from them. I was maskless as I rarely get within 25 feet of anyone while I am out exercising. As we passed (about 25 feet apart) I waved and said ‘Good morning’. They responded with a scowl, as if to denigrate me for being massless. I do understand the safety of wearing masks, but really … 25 feet and exercising in the open air?

Returning home, the Mortgage Originator was absent. She had gone to her office to scan documents received from a neighbor who wants to refinance. Another quiet day with no mortgage sounds!

Checking on the financial markets, basically flat early. Checked the news … fires, hurricanes and endless political craziness. Going to switch off and listen to some Rachael Yamagata ….

The mortgage originator is out of her home office today, visiting her elderly mom. That means I have the house to myself. I am sure her cell phone is on fire. It seems to not matter her location. Always someone wanting financing. In these times of ultra low rates, its a never ending story.

Have you ever stopped to simply listen to your home, during a ‘quiet time’? No music, tv, distractions.

I can hear the house breathing. Must be the quiet humming of the AC. I can hear the house flexing. Must be the expansion and contraction of studs in the heat, cool.

I have the chili cooking for tonight’s dinner. I need to make some bread, or maybe cornbread later to accompany the meal. The sweet smell of chili powder mixing with beef and pork perfumes the house.

Earlier today I saw my dentist for the six monthly cleaning. I was surprised how few cars were on the road. I though in days prior, that traffic was picking up. Not so.

I do love these cooler mornings. Anything to put on nicer clothes. Covid has dulled my fashion sense and I need to remind myself that dressing up on occasion is good for the soul.

My eldest daughter is checking on this blog to see I am doing everything right. She is way more ‘techy’ than me. That’s her job so makes perfect sense.

Now, on to bread ….

Mortgage nomenclature flowing down the stairs this afternoon. OMA, fixed, variable, points, 15 year, 20 year, 30 year, processors, underwriters, closers. Down here I am thinking of sous vide chicken breasts with sweet potato for dinner tonight.