Tuesday, May 8, 2007- a big day

Today is Tuesday, May 8, 2007. Quite a busy day is on tap. I have to travel to Zebulon and attend a hearing on a dispossessary after a foreclosure sale for Morris, Schneider & Prior. You may remember that M, S & P is the same northside law firm which summarily quit using my services without informing me of such on the day of a series of foreclosure sales I had on schedule back several years ago. I think I had about twelve foreclosures scheduled to be cried out and was awaiting final instructions from M, S & P. After several hours had elapsed without any instructions, we called them and the paralegal sheepishly informed me that they had hired some one else to cry them out. They had done this without informing me of anything. This all happened about the same time I received a lunch invitation from the same law firm to discuss standards and practices. I wrote one of the name lawyers a letter informing him how unhappy I was with the manner in which the whole situation was handled. I never received a letter or communication back from him. Oddly, several months later, I was hired by the same law firm to handle dispossessaries for them. Odd indeed.

Well that was simple. The Defendant was all ready to leave the house, had already packed up her possessions and was attempting to corral some cats to effectuate the move. It seemed like she had resolved the matter herself. It also appeared that she had been working on moving for quite a while without bathing or cleaning herself up. When you are in Magistrate's Court the only people who seem to be cleaned up and dressed up are the attorneys. A lot of times even the judges are pretty casual. I would have to say I have only experienced one situation in front of a magistrate's court where it seemed like the judge was hostile and attempted to lord it over me. That was when I was told by the defendant after court that I better leave Columbus as fast as I could. Of course, when presented with a situation like this I have a tendency to respond in kind and not take the advice given. I think its either the Irish in me or maybe my prior experience in football.

Patti and Lisa are getting ready for an audit by First American for tomorrow. I say that despite the fact that Lisa keeps taking personal calls which take her away from the work and cause her to involve Patti in personal matters. We have a new software package which should take care of most of this but we haven't been able to get the software linked between my computer and Patti's computer, which causes a glitch in the process. Then Patti hasn't been working, until recently, like she can. First American told us it had to be a spotless report or there might be trouble for the future.

I am ready for a closing with a new lender. This is so despite the fact that the rep from the lender keeps calling me to let me know that the numbers are wrong. I hope this closing goes off smoothly. I need to develop a new lender. Something has got to give soon. The real estate part of my practice is almost dead. Everything takes longer and is more complicated than before. And all the closings are small ones rather than the big ones as in the past. Fun.

I had to drive up to Atlanta this afternoon. The hardest part was trying to find a parking space downtown. I thought the meeting went well. We'll see.

I didn't look forward to driving to McDonough after my Atlanta meeting. I knew what the traffic would be like. As I expected, once I passed the I-75/I-675 interchange I was surrounded by southbound cars. I spoke with my borrower on my cell phone. She gave me the cheerful news that there was no better way to get to her other than to continue being stuck in the afternoon traffic on I-75. It reminds me why I like living in Griffin and bearing that five minute commute every morning and afternoon. Unfortunately, the borrower lived about ten or fifteen miles outside of McDonough on the east side, almost near the Rockdale County border. Aggh!

Well, I got to eat at Cracker Barrel. I think I almost fell asleep at the table waiting for my meal. Its not that it took so long, its just that I was so worn out from the day. I had meatloaf and mashed potatoes and green beans and pinto beans with chowchow and a biscuit. Sweet tea and its all you need. Is it true that sweet tea is the wine of the South?

And here I am at my computer desk at work, writing this blog, when I should be creating final policies on the files in Patti's office. I guess its time to perservere and buckle down. Aggh, again!

Tomorrow to Harris County for another dispossessary hearing, this time at 9:00 o'clock a.m. Why did the one in Pike County, fifteen miles (if that) down the road was scheduled at 10:00 o'clock and the one three counties over is at 9:00 o'clock? Oh well, I've got to take them. They are money in the door. At this point, I can't afford to turn anything down.

There is one thing that I have found in doing this legal practice as a solo practioner. I have found that I am not lazy and I am not afraid to work. That's a little gold star for the first of birth.