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Jul 22, 2007

Opportunity strikes 

Blogging across America is not happening, but I do have the chance right now to post this update. Supposedly - pending my signature on a stack of papers when I arrive - I have a house to move into. We'll see. I'm thinking it'll be okay, but I'm pretty wary of these clowns still. Anyway, that's the latest and greatest. See y'all when I get there.
Posted by: Mike the Marine / 18:43
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Jul 15, 2007

Off into the sunset sunrise 

So that's a wrap on the West Coast, people. I'll see ya when I see ya. If I have a house that provides me a hookup into this series of tubes when I get to Florida, I'll be back up and running in a couple weeks. If not... well... who knows...

Whatever may come of my living situation, I don't really care I guess. I've got this:

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

See you all sooner rather than later, I hope.
Posted by: Mike the Marine / 19:09
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Jul 13, 2007

Navy Fed sucks 

Never ever ever under any circumstances associate yourself with Navy Federal Credit Union. I am presently learning this the hard way.

For those of you keeping track at home (all both of you), it's been three years. That means it's time to go again. PCS move, folks. Blogging across America will not happen this time. I'm not even gonna fake it. I will miss California a hell of a lot more than I missed North Carolina, but this time I'm breaking the paradigm. I'm off to Florida, and know this: the base I'm going to IS NOT run by the Marine Corps. The Air Force may suck, but they do have all the cool stuff.

I tell you that to tell you this: I'm trying to buy a house down there and it has been the worst experience I can remember in years. I went with Navy Fed for a house loan, and stuck with them to the bloody finish and now it's gonna cost me.

See, somehow, someway, ON PAPER, they had a better deal than I could find anywhere else. But I now know that piece of mind is worth much more than a couple thousand dollars. Unlike any of the other loan agencies I looked into (USAA springs instantly to mind), Navy Fed pigeon-holed me into working with only one person. I suppose that would work IF that one person actually did their goddam job. But sadly, no. I called USAA, whoever answered the phone gave me answers. They busted their ass to hook me up. I called Navy Fed - "Who are you? Oh, you can only deal with Joy, let me put you through to her." But I just want to... "Joy has that info sir." But, it's just a quick... "Please hold for Joy sir."

And so I'd hold... and then get shot to voicemail... and then not get called back...

And when Joy DID call back - after I'd say something like "I'm on my cell phone, in Florida, looking at houses, call me at this number" she'd call MY HOUSE... in CALIFORNIA... and I wouldn't be home to get that message for another 10 days.

"Joy," was anything but. Oh, she was friendly and even seemingly professional when I'd get her on the phone. But then the next time I'd talk to her she couldn't find any of the stuff I'd faxed or emailed to her. She straight up lied to my mother-in-law (a real estate agent, who's been a godsend in trying to unscrew this whole mess) about some insurance inspection stuff, telling her that she'd talked to me about something that she most definitely had not. And then... the coup de grace...

She's losing me my home.

See, for me to get my house, it has to be appraised at the cost agreed between me and the seller. Then I get the loan for the amount I asked for and all is right with the world. During the process of negotiating a price (as any of you who have bought houses know), you barter like an Arab trader. You start low, they start high, you meet somewhere in the middle. Only problem is, Joy gave the appraiser one of our first lowball bids to go off of, NOT the agreed price. In this case we're talking $16,000. So the appraiser - working off jacked up info - appraises the house $16,000 below where it needs to be for us to get a loan that will cover the agreed selling price.

But here's where the fun part comes in. This appraisal happened three weeks ago. Joy doesn't tell me it's f'ed up until two days ago. I'm supposed to close this house on MONDAY. Today is FRIDAY. SHE SAT ON THIS INFO FOR TWO AND A HALF WEEKS. And now it's gonna cost me.

My real estate agent somehow worked a miracle and got the appraiser to come up by a sizable chunk, basically leaving me $6,500 short. But, of course, the sellers won't budge (why would they, and I wouldn't expect them to - we had a deal), and so now they basically want me to write them a check for the difference. But if I could just write them a check for that much money, I probably wouldn't have stuck with Navy Fed in the first place, because - like I said - ON PAPER they had the best deal.

So, about an hour ago, Joy's boss got torn a new hole by me for about 15 minutes. Screw Joy. I'm through with her. I want somebody who knows what they're doing. I've got a wife, a new kid, a dog, two cats, a bird, and a household goods shipment that I now have no home for. What Joy doesn't know yet is that if this falls through, I'm going to have free time on my hands and I know which office she works at in Florida. I'm pretty sure that a pissed off Marine who drove across the United States to tell your boss how much you suck at your job might impact your future with the company.

So, in conclusion, Navy Fed can bite me. I will never soil myself with their "services" again after this. Even if things works out, I'm going to be telling this story far and wide. I know I can't put them out of business, but I will do my damndest to keep as much future business from them as I can. I'll live in a damn hotel and be a geo-bachelor if I have to, but as soon as you put my family out on their ass because of your ineptitude, we are at war. Believe it.
Posted by: Mike the Marine / 13:51
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Jul 12, 2007

"Do not be so proud of this technological terror." 

This blog is insignificant next to the power of the Force.

Which Revenge of the Sith Character are you?


Darth Vader baby. Recognize. Not Anakin. VADER.

Freaking. AWESOME.

And if this means that my son will restore balance to the Force, then double super freaking awesome.
Posted by: Mike the Marine / 15:45
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Jul 8, 2007

Instant content, just add moonbat 

The answer to all conservative bloggers' search for content has arrived. Pull yourselves out of the doldrums folks, because you've got months of free blog fodder right here:

Cindy Sheehan May Run Against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2008

oh please oh please oh please
Posted by: Mike the Marine / 18:33
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Jul 7, 2007

A' gimme some... a' PT... 

A' good for you... a' good for me...

I don't know but it's been said...
I don't know but it's been said...

Air Force wings are made of lead...
Air Force wings are made of lead...

I don't know but I been told...
I don't know but I been told...

Marine Corps wings are made of gold...
Marine Corps wings are made of gold...
Posted by: Mike the Marine / 11:31
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Jul 4, 2007

231 years young 


UPDATE: News from the old country.
"The cause of virtue and liberty is confined to no continent or climate. It comprehends, within its capacious limits, the wise and good, however dispersed and separated in space and distance." -- George Washington
Posted by: Mike the Marine / 15:01
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Oh c'mon! 

Free Online Dating
This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:
* crap (3x)
* bomb (2x)
* hell (1x)

How does Blackfive pull an NC-17, and all I got was this? Obviously this thing didn't look through my archives...
Posted by: Mike the Marine / 14:54
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