12-19-05

Ugh, it's Monday. It's such a damper, going from the weekend to the work week. Mondays are usually bad, but hopefully we are close enough to Christmas that people will be more concerned with shopping instead of visiting us.

Aside from getting a couple of things for the kids to give the wife, I am officially finished shopping! Gimme a golf clap, people!

With five shopping days left! I didn't even get a gift card, either. I think I messed up on a couple of gifts, according to my sources, but that is why the stores have the return desk.

I still haven't gotten all that excited about Christmas. I miss the way you felt as a child, the excitement of opening gifts and being with the family. Perhaps it's just another hint that I'm getting old.

I still like a lot of things about Christmas, of course, including the giving of gifts and seeing the smiles when they receive something they like. I'd like to get the kids a gag gift just to watch their reaction, but I imagine the wife would exercise her veto powers over that.

There needs to be some way to take the stress out of Christmas. It should be a time of celebration and joy, not all the hustle and bustle. We had planned on having a nice and somewhat simple Christmas at the mother-in-law's house, but that was before a good majority of her relatives decided to visit.

Now, it's going to be a madhouse. Hopefully the weather will be nice enough to sneak outside. I don't have anything against my wife's kinfolk. Most of them are really nice. I just have a quota as far as screaming people in a house, and know this will go beyond my limits.

I know two things: One, the food will be good; Two, I'll get questioned as far as financing by somebody.

I'm used to this, of course. It's hard to escape from it. After all, people call me at home all the time and say things like, "Say Craig, you are looking especially svelte! I was just wondering, what would the payments be on fifty thousand for ten years or so?"

Okay, I must admit, that isn't exactly what they say. It is usually a different amount and years. I know this will surprise people, but my brain does not have a financial calculator inside. Some would question if my brain actually has a memory disc along with a calculator.

People, I don't know what the payments would be at home. I'm sorry. I do not carry a calculator around with me. That would be far geekier than I choose to be. If I am home and want to figure out payments would be, I go to the internet and do some research.

That isn't as bad as total strangers calling me at home to try and get approved for a loan to buy some junker that costs $5,000 and won't book out for that, but it's a really good vehicle and they would like to add the tag, taxes, insurance and the boy's birthday bash in with the loan.

What do I do in this situation? I refer them to my buddy, old Swiftwater. Not really. Just tell them to call the bank during WORK HOURS.

We have a lot of good customers who never cause any problems. Others aren't so great. Back in the old SNB days, for some reason another bank did something that irritated me. So for a couple of weeks, every credit challenged person who entered the door looking for finance was told to go to that bank and talk to a particular loan officer.

"That's the kind of loans they like," we'd say. It was all done for fun, until we got the report showing liens and titles filed and we saw the names of several people we had referred.

Anyway, enough for now. I must start my Monday.