patrick.net

here comes a gender based slander now…..

No...that was already done before.

It’s interesting how the men in our society get a free ride here and no blame at all. -QT

Well, in closing..... I love Women,.... I have never..ever been called a sexist by anyone in my entire life. I know alot of Women and they think very highly of me....I have even been told that I am a ladies Man (by a Woman) . I really think you have mistaken an old fashioned guy for someone who is sexist. I have known some guys who are REALLY sexists that if you had known them, you would really understand what I'm trying to say. If you nit-pick at anything anyone says, you can take what they say as sexist when they really are not. I am not a psychiatrist, but I can say that maybe there is just a little sexist in all of us Men and Women....There is however a threshold at which point would make one a true sexist and I know that neither of us are...I hope you agree.

I'm sorry we had to have this argument, but I hope it did some good. I think you are a wonderful person and I am happy you are here on this blog. Have a good night :)

I do think the cat claws comment WAS totally sexist by the way. Guys that say that kind of stuff usually are jerks, basically. I am not saying you are a jerk. But they seem to be, so you should consider where the cat claw comment got learned perhaps…. And who else you heard say it. What were they like?

Jack....I never heard the cat claws comment before, I made it up spur of the moment. I don't think it was sexist at all...neither does my wife. Like I said, I got the image of a Woman trying to scratch my eyes out....this happened once before whe I was young, I was joking around with a Girlfriend and we got into an argument and she slashed my face with her nails. Two lines in my face that stayed with me for nearly 2 months. She did it by accident and she was so sorry afterwards, but ever since then I always was looking out to make sure it didn't ever happen again.

Here's my 2 cents...

All kidding aside, I agree that gender issues (especially in the context of housing - affordability, gender bias, DINKs & affordability, etc.) is fair game for this blog. As newsfreak said, "We learn by talking thru the issues."

However, when the tone becomes snide and/or peppered with insulting references ("claws", etc.) whether or not it's intentional, this is where the debate can become personal and go downhill very quickly. Man or woman, no one likes to feel slighted. Maybe it's just time to take a temporary breather, reassess and cool off. I'd like to see the debate continue, but on a less personal level.

Ok, I can't resist one more joke:

"I have even been told that I am a ladies Man"

I get this image in my head of Allah standing there like the Tim Meadows/SNL "Ladies Man" character in his bachelor pad with a bottle of Curvosier workin' his moves on the babes... :mrgreen:

"get this image in my head of Jamie (Women do sometimes have long painted nails) wanting to scratch my eyes out….. "

I don't have long nails, nor are they painted. Just for the record. :-) Tell me what I said to evoke this raving-female-slashing-with-long-sharp-nails image. Or is that just the image you get whenever a woman argues with you?

Oh, but wait, you've also compared me to an explosive chemical that has to be handled with great care (in a previous thread). So after I slash you with my freakishly long nails, then I explode? Is that how it goes?

LOL!

Clearly, trying to mute things out of the discussion that have nothing to do with RE is like sweeping back the waves. It has only multiplied and worsened.

I received the email with all of SQTs posts (reproduced below) and thought to myself "This is noise. This is bashing. This is flamebait. This is going to lead to a zero-content thread." Of course that is what has happened regardless.

So, by popular demand, here are the bits from SQTs posts you all missed. Enjoy.

Post 1:
Whatever…….. I just thought of you when I stumbled across and thought you’d be interested in reading it thats all. As for “desperate housewives”, I really didn’t know you watched garbage like that.

I'm sure allah never watches garbage. Never makes a fallacious argument. Never takes a cheap shot when he can't think of a rational argument. Nope, always perfect.

Post 2:
And I forgot to say, Desperate Housewives was a reference to how the idea of discrimination against mothers has worked its way into pop culture. Love how you turned it into a way to insult me.

Hey, I love Law and Order, does that qualify as garbage too? Let me guess, if it's on TV it's garbage.

_sigh_

What's a girl to do? I guess I should be cleaning house all day, waxing my husband's shoes, making the perfect meals and when I finally have time to breath my entertainment of choice should only be what my husband allows me to do. Oh and maybe I can contribute to a little housing blog, again, if my husband thinks it's ok.

Post 3
Hmm, tough one. It *could* be garbage since it’s on TV, after all, but traditionally any entertainment whose audience is primarily women is considered garbage. Better yet if it’s created by women, primarily *for* women, it is most DEFINITELY garbage. Trust me, I know.

Yes there are no ideas that spring from the mind of woman that can compete with the brilliance of MAN.

I must hurry and get the ironing done, and bathe the goat. Can't have a smelly goat hanging around.

...

Oh and I almost forgot. I need to make myself look pretty for my MAN. Girl's gotta have priorities you know.

Hey, one of those posts was mine, LOL! I've been censored! And then uncensored!

"also love that what is important enough for the rest of us to discuss has become a “zero content” thread because it isn’t what Matt wants to discuss. "

Yeah, this is interesting.

Can 800+ posts from a smallish group of people really stay on one topic? Sounds like a weird social experiment in the making. :-P Right up Peter P's alley.

I give up! My posting censorship days are over!

Though I must say that for someone who champions unrestrictedness, you find it suprisingly easy to express things that I 'need' to do.

You seriously need to lighten up.

...

Your need to work on your tolerance level, or leave the threadmastering to those who aren’t going to be so sensitive.

I give up! Again! I can't win either!

At least we can agree that the Lord is good.

and a thankless and impossible job that threadmastering is, even in the best of hands, mistakes are made.

Indeed, especially with a pack of wolves named Jack, Jamie, & SQT scrutinizing your every move! C'mon, I'm trying to ENCOURAGE more people to be moderators and you three are driving Matt NUTS!! Ok, so he made a mistake (with good intentions). Sheesh, everyone does on their first thread or two.

Give the man a little credit, ok....? ;-)

Well.....this thread is shot already, you might as well retitle it in case someone wants to create a script for a new reality show.

I cannot believe your wife doesn’t find that sexist allah. It just hits me at a gut level and evokes all those comments guys make about “cat fights” and such. I also can’t believe you’ve never heard it before because it’s an old one; but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt on it.

QT you are talking two different situations.... if I was to say this directly to a Woman who has long nails, it would most definetly be personal (smack worthy), something I would never do. I do not know what any of you look like..... I look at this blog as a meeting of the minds, which is a very good thing. The nails comment was just a figure of speech. If I had known how you and Jamie would have reacted to it I would have never said it...... I am sorry if you were offended by it,...it wasn't my intention..... Jack (the instigator) is the one (not "the guys") who brought up the "cat fights" because he loves to start wars.....you know that! But now we are beyond that because you labeled me as a sexist and I resent that....and Jamie when I said you were like nitro, that was also a figure of speech.... meaning that it doesn't take much to piss you off....I'm sure most anyone (besides Jack) will agree with me. Lets just try to get along.... I will think a little more about what I type before I hit the submit button....... I don't like to start wars,.....they waste alot of peoples time.

Just not my type!

That's ok...You don't have to say your kidding...I am not a weak person... the truth doesn't hurt me........besides, you remind me of how much I really LOVE my wife.

"Or did you think I was really sizing you up as a hot prospect! (sheesh dude!)"

ROFLMAO! Jack, Jack, Jack...I'm glad I'm not the only one so misunderstood by allah.

Allah, thank you for the apology. I believe you do not intend to say anything offensive. I apologize as well for taking some of your comments and joking on them too much.

Your comment about nitro-glycerin/claws was interesting to me, because I have not gotten angry, but you consistently seem to interpret my posts to you as angry.

ROFLMAO! Jack, Jack, Jack…I’m glad I’m not the only one so misunderstood by allah.

Ofcourse I know he was kidding....he said so twice in his post! :) :) :) (smileys to show my tone) :) :) :). ... I was to, but I didn't use any smileys....sorry :) :) :)

Swk:

I am with you...I have been looking for a rental as a backup plan to my possible purchase (the topic of this thread). It is REALLY tough to find a nice rental house. Yes, they are out there...but few are nice unless you want to spend $3000-3500 (at which point it is the same as my monthly owning cost).

Of the 3 we found after weeks of looking, 1 was in Menlo Park on the border of a bario, the other was in Palo Alto and had a barely-livable interior, and one was right next to Hwy 101 (constant noise) and train tracks. This is after SCOURING Craig's list, driving all over the place, checking with the wife, etc.

Additionally, at least in Palo Alto, if you want to rent you better have really good credit because every rental we looked at had a line of applicants. Some even have open houses - and they have been packed. Yes, many of them come from houses where the owner is selling...but the point is, there is still a shortage of housing.

It is really too bad that there is not a house-like apartment alternative...something where you are not going to get booted by a selling landlord but which does not share walls/ceilings with other people. Even in that case, a colleague of mine finds himself now getting raped with rent increases.

I will also guarantee you that you will not see mass vacancies of houses on the peninsula. Rat shacks in SJ - different story. But I have seen zero evidence of people buying peninsula houses on spec.

All that said, there are some factors that point to a major downturn. Let's compare today to 1999. In 1999, you could get a 3 Bdr house in SJ for $350,000 all day long. And yet there certainly were more people here, more people with good jobs and more people on the way. Even with higher rates then, it doesn't explain to me why houses are 2x what they were then. If the mortgage tax deduction squeaks through congress, there will be a major meltdown. It is also clear that there is a slowdown - ANY realtor will agree with that...it is indisputable.

So is this seasonal? Are we in for a dip, or a plummet? This is the issue I face. I have failed to find a nice rental. And it is clear that there are plenty of people who are in need of and willing to pay for $2500/month housing. I like my house. I've talked the owners down by $31k. It'll cost me $3200/month vs. $2500+ to rent (+ opportunity costs on the downpayment). And I'd have to move at least 2 more times. As irrational as it sounds, I'm basically prepared to take the risk.

Newsfreak: Good point on the piping. It's about $4,000 to have galvanized swapped with copper. It really is only an issue when you're not around for a while. But I really should have the quality checked out first.

Yeah, if I could snap my fingers and move, or had more time to decide clearly I'd sit this out. My consolation is that this is one of the more desirable areas on the peninsula, and so in the long run even with a dip this place will do well.