Cold Ale - The Blokes' Thread!

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Originally Posted by soundofmusic

Wasn't the time after WW1 and before the stock market crash in '29...it least, it seemed that way when I'm reading my little books of Hemingway, Fitzgerald and stories of the ballet troupes...

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That's true, and even in Europe the upper-class found plenty of money, but for the majority, the deprivations of war - which largely left USA intouched - were still apparent in the 1920s.

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Originally Posted by soundofmusic

What I remember of the 50's was that my parents lived on 1 salary, that of a welder, with 4 children, bought a new home and fairly new car, ate really well and had decent clothing on 75 dollars a week...The '80s to about '99 were also pretty good in the US; it's been all downhill since then economically

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Give it another six months and house prices will be back where they were in 1950s!

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Originally Posted by The Atheist

That's true, and even in Europe the upper-class found plenty of money, but for the majority, the deprivations of war - which largely left USA intouched - were still apparent in the 1920s.


Give it another six months and house prices will be back where they were in 1950s!

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Alot of times, I seem to notice what is going on in the literary world and forget the life at home...I seem to recall that my father, who was born in 1923, complained of wearing flour sack pants to school and eating beans 3 times a day at home.

My house, which I bought 32 years ago, is only going for about 15,000 more than I paid for it then at the moment. I'm okay because I never borrowed against it; but my friends all borrowed against there homes after the 2005 hurricane when the houses went to 5 times there value; now they owe all that and are stuck, they can't sell, they can't rent and get enough to pay the mortgage.

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Originally Posted by soundofmusic

Alot of times, I seem to notice what is going on in the literary world and forget the life at home...I seem to recall that my father, who was born in 1923, complained of wearing flour sack pants to school and eating beans 3 times a day at home.

My house, which I bought 32 years ago, is only going for about 15,000 more than I paid for it then at the moment. I'm okay because I never borrowed against it; but my friends all borrowed against there homes after the 2005 hurricane when the houses went to 5 times there value; now they owe all that and are stuck, they can't sell, they can't rent and get enough to pay the mortgage.

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A lot of people just walking away from their properties.

I scan the for sale columns for Detroit & places and look at a whole house and section being sold for $1000. Ok, these are not nice places, but they're probably still a lot nicer than a shed in Bangalore.

The world's a strange place.

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Originally Posted by The Atheist

A lot of people just walking away from their properties.

I scan the for sale columns for Detroit & places and look at a whole house and section being sold for $1000. Ok, these are not nice places, but they're probably still a lot nicer than a shed in Bangalore.

The world's a strange place.

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You could live cheap now, are you practicing your American accent haha

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Originally Posted by The Atheist

A lot of people just walking away from their properties.

I scan the for sale columns for Detroit & places and look at a whole house and section being sold for $1000. Ok, these are not nice places, but they're probably still a lot nicer than a shed in Bangalore.

The world's a strange place.

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Originally Posted by SilentMute

You could live cheap now, are you practicing your American accent haha

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Sorry guys, I accidently jumped in while Jessica was still on the computer; that's my post...So Atheist, are you planning to move from sunny NZ anytime soon?

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Originally Posted by soundofmusic

...I seem to recall that my father, who was born in 1923, complained of wearing flour sack pants to school and eating beans 3 times a day at home.

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Interesting conversation you have going. Both of my parents were born in 1924, God rest their souls. I remember similar "burlap" stories, such as my mother claiming to chew balls of pine pitch because they couldn't afford chewing gum. My father was born on an oil town in northern Oklahoma.

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Originally Posted by The Atheist

A lot of people just walking away from their properties...
...The world's a strange place.

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It is crazy. the interest rate on mortgage are at all time lows. I could swear I heard 3 to 4% recently on the news. We had re financed our home a few years ago when the rates were at 5.25% thinking that it would certainly not go lower than that.

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Originally Posted by SilentMute

You could live cheap now, are you practicing your American accent haha

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Atheist, you should consider settling in the Bible Belt. It might do you some good! ha

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Originally Posted by Gilliatt Gurgle

Interesting conversation you have going. Both of my parents were born in 1924, God rest their souls. I remember similar "burlap" stories, such as my mother claiming to chew balls of pine pitch because they couldn't afford chewing gum. My father was born on an oil town in northern Oklahoma.

It is crazy. the interest rate on mortgage are at all time lows. I could swear I heard 3 to 4% recently on the news. We had re financed our home a few years ago when the rates were at 5.25% thinking that it would certainly not go lower than that.


Atheist, you should consider settling in the Bible Belt. It might do you some good! ha

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I loved those stories! Dad said he didn't mind as long as his mom had enough fabric that he didn't get the writing on his bottom; but as his bottom widened, the words were always across his seat.
EVeryone was telling me to refinance, do you believe I just paid the house off last year; I thought I was paying 11.5; I was actually paying 12.75%:ack2:
I don't know about the bible belt, they have those long narrow roads where people drive their truck 100 mph from church to the country corn liquor still every sunday and one of his kids would probably be pogo sticking or skateboarding...Atheist, if you move over here you have to start getting those kids on microwave food and games that will put fat on them and deprive them of light and vitamin d:Yawn:

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Originally Posted by soundofmusic

...So Atheist, are you planning to move from sunny NZ anytime soon?

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No.

:D

First off, I really doubt I'd be allowed in.

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Originally Posted by Gilliatt Gurgle

It is crazy. the interest rate on mortgage are at all time lows. I could swear I heard 3 to 4% recently on the news. We had re financed our home a few years ago when the rates were at 5.25% thinking that it would certainly not go lower than that.

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You could have the same interest rates as Japan - about 0.1%. Imagine the mortgage payments on that sucker?

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Originally Posted by Gilliatt Gurgle

Atheist, you should consider settling in the Bible Belt. It might do you some good! ha

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Getting shot is good?

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Originally Posted by soundofmusic

Atheist, if you move over here you have to start getting those kids on microwave food and games that will put fat on them and deprive them of light and vitamin d:Yawn:

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Oh god, they'll never fit in then. They have fast food about twice a year, live outside and we don't even own a microwave! (horrible, taste-destroying machines)

My brother was considering buying property in Rochester because they're going at something like 20,000 a year, says they'd pay for themselves in 5 years of rents. Seems like a pain to manage property across the border though. Some connections have got him an offer for an office building downtown for only 1.2 million, which might be a good buy. You need to make 60% down payment on commercial though because banks don't like to take on risk.

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Originally Posted by OrphanPip

My brother was considering buying property in Rochester because they're going at something like 20,000 a year, says they'd pay for themselves in 5 years of rents. Seems like a pain to manage property across the border though. Some connections have got him an offer for an office building downtown for only 1.2 million, which might be a good buy. You need to make 60% down payment on commercial though because banks don't like to take on risk.

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Given the prices, I think residential rentals in USA must be pretty attractive.

If we were a lot closer to it it's certainly where I'd be heading for investment.

Paul:

What's this I see about councils wanting to sell allotment land? I see a large group of angry men with pitchforks confronting councillors!

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Originally Posted by The Atheist

No.

:D

First off, I really doubt I'd be allowed in.

Getting shot is good?

Oh god, they'll never fit in then. They have fast food about twice a year, live outside and we don't even own a microwave! (horrible, taste-destroying machines)

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I doubt if any of the bible belt blokes would want to tangle with a rough, tough, NZ bloke like you; remember, our folks get their brawn from potatos and beer.
Not own a microwave, oh my god, what do they eat when they come home from school...no microwave pizzas, little microwave potato skins...:confused:

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Originally Posted by OrphanPip

My brother was considering buying property in Rochester because they're going at something like 20,000 a year, says they'd pay for themselves in 5 years of rents. Seems like a pain to manage property across the border though. Some connections have got him an offer for an office building downtown for only 1.2 million, which might be a good buy. You need to make 60% down payment on commercial though because banks don't like to take on risk.

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Now, at least down here, there seems like there is more property than renters; I don't know about the rest of the country. Most of the buyers a few years ago were from out of the country and then they have a management person or company to run the day to day operations. I don't know how much they clear after paying a middle man though.

I've had one of the worst Mondays of my career.

Last one this bad was when I was 18. During a summer job cleaning swimming pools on Corfu, a waiter thought it would be funny if he substituted the big plastic bottle of pool detergent with a similar one that contained diesel. Then I broke his face with a punch, but also my own finger. After being treated by a fat guy who seemed to take pleasure in resetting bones and causing his patients unspeakable pain, I got arrested for assault and was sued by the hotel owner for losing him revenue (he had to close the pool for two days). My parents flew out to get me out of a cell and back home.

That was 20 years ago. Today was a little worse than that.

Hey Jack. Get me a double Teacher's. Not too many rocks.

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Originally Posted by The Atheist

Paul:

What's this I see about councils wanting to sell allotment land? I see a large group of angry men with pitchforks confronting councillors!

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I haven't heard about this. But fear not - I and my compadres will be standing firm, tools at the ready...

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Originally Posted by DocHeart

I've had one of the worst Mondays of my career.

Last one this bad was when I was 18. During a summer job cleaning swimming pools on Corfu, a waiter thought it would be funny if he substituted the big plastic bottle of pool detergent with a similar one that contained diesel. Then I broke his face with a punch, but also my own finger. After being treated by a fat guy who seemed to take pleasure in resetting bones and causing his patients unspeakable pain, I got arrested for assault and was sued by the hotel owner for losing him revenue (he had to close the pool for two days). My parents flew out to get me out of a cell and back home.

That was 20 years ago. Today was a little worse than that.

Hey Jack. Get me a double Teacher's. Not too many rocks.

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Parker will always supply the drinks you need in this thread - no problem.

I hope the problems turn out ok,