Thoughts by Richard Bleil
As I write this, it is actually July 5. And again, my neighbors are shooting off fireworks. On July 3, they shot off a barrage which doesn’t bother me much. At least there’s a sort of constant noise, but they continued until three in the morning. Towards the end, they were shooting off one at a time, with a delay of maybe a minute between them, and they were all very loud like the kind professionals use to denote the end of a show. That did bother me, as just as I was beginning to relax, there was another loud bang not unlike that of somebody firing a gun. I’ve never been in the service, but I can’t help but wonder if I’m suffering from some mild form of PTSD because it really bothered me more than I would have thought. Maybe it’s from my time working with the RCPD. On the fourth, the fireworks were again fairly steady, albeit not as many as the day before. I guess people were off to official displays, or maybe just backed off in preparation for work the next day, but, again that one neighbor began the slow unpredictable one shot at a time format they did the last night. And today, it is again occurring.
It feels like frequently we have to repeat things in our lives. Every year, like it or not, we have tax season, and every year it is a nuisance, especially when you’re less than happy with the job the government is doing. Today I received an email reminding me that my next real estate class begins tomorrow.
I’m not thrilled with this company, or their style. For example, a reminder the day before class begins with a set of instructions is not the way things should be done, at least not at this price. They tend to ramble, and are anti-education, insisting that they’re far more intelligent than college professors like me. And yet, here I do again.
Usually there’s a good reason for the repetition in our lives, unless it’s caused by an idiot living near you. I’m not so sure in this case. In Nebraska, before you can sit for the licensing exam, you are required to have a minimum number of hours of classroom instruction, which constitutes two classes, and one, well, seminar, I guess, on ethics which will be taught by the instructors who told everybody in my last class that if a veteran is reading the contracts as he is allowed to do then you can lie and bully and order him to just sign the damn papers. Yeah, looking forward to that seminar.
But, honestly, I’m not sure why I’m doing it. My friend asked me to take the first class (general information) with her, but I’m not sure if she’s taking this one (legal aspects). I guess I signed up because of my mild OCD. I just can’t really start it and not finish. Once the classes are finished, I believe I have a year to take the exam.
Some years ago, I took the insurance exams in South Dakota, which I passed on the first attempt. I was working with a company (which was the reason I took it) that then decided that they didn’t want me. Great, thanks for nothing. So, in the end, I didn’t even use the license, mainly because I’m a little leery of the insurance institution as a whole. I’ve seen too many sleezy tricks to keep the client’s money instead of dong what they said they would. Yes, there are some good insurance companies, but it just feels like there are far more that are sketchy at best.
Maybe, if I get my license, I’ll find a real estate company with which I can work. I do need to find a better income, and it feels as if real estate might be a good fit, but I’m not sure. I guess we’ll see. To become a broker and open my own company, I know it takes a minimum number of years working with another brokerage, kind of like an apprenticeship, I suppose. If I find somebody to work with that I like and respect (meaning they’re honest mainly), then maybe someday I’ll start my own brokerage. But first, I have to get through this class, biting my lip as they continue to insist that they are better at teaching than me.
As a final note, though, it does feel as if real estate could dovetail nicely with my new photography hobby. Selling properties will get me out and about to new places, and I could photograph the properties that I’m selling, so that might be a good thing. We’ll see. I have to get through this class first. Again.
Bleil's Banter 