Posted by snoopdogMs on 9/25/07 8:25pm
Msg #213117

Space cadet borrower from California

My last of three closings yesterday afternoon was with this borrower who has moved from Cal. to Miss. We were jumping hoops to fit her closing in. I drove 40 miles total after the closing to make the 9PM FedEx drop all because everyone was trying to please her (large loan) even though the split package did not need to be in the other notaries' hands in Cal. until Wed. morning. I got a call this afternoon from the company that hired me and she had told the escrow co. that she paid me at the signing! What!!! What was this lady smoking? What are ya'll growing out there in CA.? Fortunately my company had already figured out that they were dealing with a jughead. You get all kinds.

Reply by JanetK_CA on 9/25/07 10:22pm
Msg #213130

It does sound like this lady was smoking something - and I'm sorry you had to deal with this mess. But that fact that she is from California has nothing to do with it. Please don't paint us all with the same brush!! I hear it from my brother (who lives in Colorado) all the time. He says I live in the land of fruits and nuts and thinks it's cute to blame everything crazy on California, but I get a bit tired of state-bashing. I know people do it because there's hardly anyone left to pick on that isn't polically incorrect, you've heard it before, every one around you seems to agree, and no one stops to think about it. So here's my two-cents on that issue:

California is the most diverse state in the country. We have more different languages, cultures, religions, personalities, beliefs, ethnicities, races or any other type of categorization you can put people into than any other state. We also have the largest population - period. In fact, one out of every eight Americans lives in California. (Would that it weren't so!!) And a very significant number of them (I don't have a clue about that statistic) are born and raised somewhere else - whether it be another country or another state. So if you criticize California as a whole, you are picking on a major segment of the good old USA!

So what do you think, fellow state-mates? Should we start a movement to stop descrimination against Californians? Anyone interested in getting together to organize? (I'll bring the sprouts if you bring the white wine...)

[BTW, if you haven't already figured it out, this was written with tongue firmly planted in cheek (although the second paragraph is all true...) But I DO feel much better now that I have vented! ;>]

Reply by John_NorCal on 9/25/07 10:37pm
Msg #213131

Hear, hear! I'm with you Janet! But.....

I'll pass on the sprouts.

Reply by Kate/CA on 9/25/07 11:48pm
Msg #213134

Well said!!!

And what do you want to bet, she wasn't born here, but from another state!

Reply by CJ on 9/26/07 12:09am
Msg #213136

You certainly get all kinds in California

I get to go into so many homes that are so different. In my territory, we mostly have white, Mexican, Filipino, and blacks. (That is in the order of percentage). I think it is intersting how all the ethnic groups decorate like each other. The whites decorate either Tuscany, or Country. The Mexicans ALWAYS have a Last Supper in the Dining room. Filipinos have porcelin flowers and fruit (which I have never seen in a store, but they all find them), and blacks always have picutres of famous black leaders in their dining room. Oh yeah: Jewish people like the "museum look": all the artwork very tastefully displayed in modern settings with spotlights.

I am sure you see this too: Single women have houses crammed with knick-knacks, and single men have NOTHING but a big (falling apart) chair in front of the big TV. And of course, gay guys decorate the BEST! I think its becuase they have the good taste of women, and then the strength of men to get the wallpapering done.

Just my observations, no slam on anyone. I enjoy seeing how all these people live.

Reply by docs1954CA on 9/26/07 12:28am
Msg #213139

And don't forget the 6th largest economy in the world! n/m

Reply by Grace Gully on 9/26/07 9:28am
Msg #213178

Re: 6th in the WORLD theres some bragging rights here!!

Born and raised in CA I wouldn't move anywhere else. Perfect weather, beauitful beaches and great wine, Sonoma County California Rocks.

Reply by CaliNotary on 9/26/07 1:48am
Msg #213141

Re: You certainly get all kinds in California

"The whites decorate either Tuscany, or Country. The Mexicans ALWAYS have a Last Supper in the Dining room. Filipinos have porcelin flowers and fruit (which I have never seen in a store, but they all find them), and blacks always have picutres of famous black leaders in their dining room."

Ha! This is so true. What is the deal with the porcelain flowers anyway? I've also noticed a lot of Filipinos don't have carpet, but ceramic tile instead. And ornate furniture, that's another biggie.

Reply by CJ on 9/26/07 11:41am
Msg #213200

Re: You certainly get all kinds in California

Yes, the Filipinos like to decorate like royalty: white marble floors, expensive dark wood tables, and that porcelin everywhere. I don't know where they find it. One time I went to a Filipino house, and they didn't have that porcelin. I asked about it, and the wife said, "I HATE that stuff, but my family thinks I need it, so they give it to me every Christmas, and I have to hid it in the back bedroom."

Homeschoolers always have patriotic stuff (American Flag quilts, etc.)

Blacks also have black angels and Jesuses. That's okay, he wasn't a blue-eyed Italian either. One black home even had a black "Snow White". That was peculiar. They also seem to like black leather with chrome furniture.

Hispanics also have all their kids 8X10 school pictures framed.

Lower income Filipinos have the giant salad forks and the giant scenic fans on the wall.

One house, the people were dark skinned, but I could not figure out from their name or their decoratoin what their ethnicity was. (I am always just curious.) So I asked him about his name. He said he was Swedish-Persian.

One woman I signed looked like me: tall, oval face, long chin, straight fine hair. She was even wearing a navy blue dress with little polka dots, just like me. She was married, so I did not know her maiden name. I asked her if she was scandinavian (like I am), and she was!

Reply by mtnotary on 9/26/07 12:11pm
Msg #213207

Re: You certainly get all kinds in California

A Montanan's perception of California. I lived in California (Poway) from 1972 to 1999 (ok also lived in Humboldt County for part of that time...college) having moved there from the Detroit area.
In that time I saw San Diego quadruple in size but the freeways didn't change (except for perhaps getting way to crowded). I saw houses go up and so did the price of rent... so much so could only ever rent down there.
When given an opportunity to move to Montana I went for it...
Now I own 4 houses, each one having a lot of land.
When I moved up here the first thing that I was told by my Montanan born and raised husband is to get rid of my CA license plate and never never tell anyone that I was from CA. The funny thing is that when you do say that you are from CA 9 out of 10 people up here are also from CA.
Even though the winters are nasty cold up here, and I miss football and baseball games, and there are a lot of people moving up here (so that the population is begining to take a toll on the infrastructure) ... I would never move back.
By the way, for whatever be the reason California is thought quite strangely of up here.
Also, with Montana being 98% white, it was quite interesting to read about how the minority have their houses set up.

Reply by MelissaCT on 9/26/07 8:21am
Msg #213158

Re: California

Well, I agree about stereotyping, however, I worked in the HR dept of a very large company who did quite a bit of recruiting. Invariably, the candidates from the west coast would not know how to read directions and schedule their flight to arrive the day of their scheduled interview. Nothing like having your flight come in at 3pm for an 11am interview...

The same instructions were sent to candidates in all areas of the country, but it was only the west coast candidates that had this problem. Hmmm...

Reply by BetsyMI on 9/26/07 8:51am
Msg #213162

Melissa/CT

I get your point, and I assume you're right. But leave it to the corporate world to schedule an interview at 11am for a person coming in from the other side of the country, meaning "Someone" would have to pay for a hotel night. I worked in corporate america for years and they never did anything at the convenience of the employee. I had to go to Chicago and Washington for meetings all the time, and my bosses would always schedule an 830am meeting start. Fine for the locals but that meant those of us flying in had to get up at 4am to catch a 7am flight because the company was too cheap to put us up for a night. But then again this could be a whole other thread in the Leisure Forum...LOL!

Reply by MelissaCT on 9/26/07 11:46am
Msg #213202

Re: Actually, the instructions stated

for them to book flight the day before & plan to arrive by 6pm or something. Hotel, dinner, breakfast were all paid for & planned by corporate -- in fact, they regularly went to very fancy (i.e., expensive) restaurants for the dinner. This was all in the instructions to them. Funny it was never someone from the midwest (or any other area) that didn't understand the directions provided. Travel was booked through the Corporate travel agency & the schedulers pretty much knew when a "group" would be booking. The schedulers consistently stated that they asked if the traveler was sure they were booking for the correct day/time.

This was just my experience.

Reply by BetsyMI on 9/26/07 12:46pm
Msg #213220

Re: Actually, the instructions stated

Ahhh, okay you gotta read the instructions. IF my company decided we could come in the night before our meetings, I actually loved to do that...late afternoon check in..unpack..check email..return voice messages...go to the bar for a cocktail...and join other co-workers at a VERY nice restaurant..LOL.

Reply by John_NorCal on 9/26/07 10:42am
Msg #213192

Excuse me Melissa but there is a big difference in

west coast time and east coast time. We're more laid back and then there's Hawaii time. Even more laid back!

Reply by Philip Johnson on 9/26/07 11:20am
Msg #213197

Re: Excuse me John but there is a big difference in

Washington/Oregon time than there is in California time. We truly are more laid back than our southern neighbors who seem more and more to covet our lifestyle.

Reply by snoopdogMs on 9/26/07 12:03pm
Msg #213205

To Janet

Sorry Janet if you were offended. Just send me a case of those sprouts with a few artichokes and I will rewrite the post subject. Snoop

Reply by ToniK on 9/26/07 1:54pm
Msg #213242

To CJ I only wish

I saw Blacks with pictures of black leaders in their dining rooms. I dont get that over here in Va. I wonder if they were TRUE black leaders or if it was Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson, two pimps in my eyes!!!!

I have wondered about the picture of the black girl with a yellow dress and she is crying. My mother had that when growing up but I cant find it now.

I never really paid attention to the way each race does their house or maybe ebcause here in the DC area everything is pretty much uniform.