Win a free $30 Cactus Car Wash gift card by solving the Glen Iris anagrams!

Solve the following Glen Iris anagrams and you could win a free $30 Cactus Car Wash gift card! 

1.  CREDIT USE BEGAN (2 words)                                             I                            E

2.  SCORN PIGPENS (2 words)                                            E                                    

3.  SLY DRAMA HUNTER (2 words)                                                                          

4.  BOD AT RISK (2 words)                                                                                         

5.  RECENT LOFT FICTIONS (3 words)                                                                     

6.  TRANSLATED HURTS US (2 words)                                                                    

7.  EACH COMING SIGN (3 words)                                                                          

Jot down the correctly unscrambled words in an e-mail and send to the Blog at gil@go.to by midnight, this Sunday (January 22) to win your free car wash.  If more than one correct (and complete) entry is received, the winner will be chosen at random from among the correct entries received.

Please be sure to include one of the following methods to receive your gift card, should you be the winner: your mailing address (if you would like your gift card sent to you via U.S. Mail); your parking space number at Glen Iris Lofts (your gift card will be left under your windshield wiper blade).

Also, be sure to indicate if we have your permission to use your name when we announce the winner or, if you would prefer that we use a screen name to identify you as the winner.  Either way, just let us know :-)

*One Cactus Car Wash gift card in the amount of $30.00 will be mailed to or left on the winner's car on Monday, January 23, 2012.

Enjoy!

the Blog

The solution to this anagram puzzle can be viewed on the continuing page. (Continued...)

Glen Iris Farm, Pt. 2: Napoleon gets an attorney

It was always the pigs who put forward the resolutions. The other animals understood how to vote, but could never think of any resolutions of their own.

-George Orwell, The Animal Farm, Chapter 3

THE PROBLEM (Oink)  The only problem with giving people the right to vote is that, all too often, they don’t vote correctly.

THE BACKROOM DEAL  Although the By-Laws specifically state owners are to write the names of those for whom they are voting, what we pigs must do is help them be better Comrades and voters by writing down only the very best choices for them, so they don’t become hopelessly confused and make the wrong choices.

‘But then what shall the purpose of voting be?’ squealed one pig, after pondering the scheme for a moment. ‘So there’s voting!’ boomed Napoleon. ‘And so that people have the opportunity to vote for my wise choices’, he added.  And, then, with a watery snort that misted the air a full three feet in front of his snout, he turned his attention back to the hushed and ominously intense conversation he had been having on the urgent matter of his continued Stewardship of the animals with a very sinister looking pig with nervous, darting eyes and whose eerie ability to move about a room unnoticed reminded everyone of a pig they had known many years ago but whom had not been seen since the day Jones left the farm and it was decided that one pig would go to the city to learn how to read laws and make resolutions and things.

A VIDEO PRIMER  The Blog created this video to help better explain exactly how homeowners were duped into a system where there is voting, but no choice.

THE BARNYARD SCOREBOARD  Pigs 2, Homeowners 0!

 

As long as people continue to accept the Board’s ‘ballots’ as though they are the only 'true' ballot, when, in reality, they are only an artifice specifically designed to ensure that homeowners actually (Continued...)

Glen Iris Farm, Pt. 1: The rise of Napoleon and the Stewardship of pigs

They had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere, and when you had to watch your comrades torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimes.

-George Orwell, The Animal Farm, Chapter 7

PROBLEM (Oink!) Too many homeowners participate in the Annual Meeting in February and, to make matters worse, they are watching their money more closely, after having over-spent during the holidays.  This untenable situation simply creates too much unnecessary risk to our eternal Stewardship of the poor animals – and they need us!

BACKROOM DEAL  Move the Annual Meeting from the middle of February, as the By-Laws clearly appoint as the time for the Annual Meeting, to the middle of December. ‘But people are so busy around the holidays!’ squealed one pig. ‘Oink, that’s the point’, grumbled another.

COVER STORY  By moving the meeting to December, you also make the new year's budget official starting January 1, as opposed to March.  As a result, the the new monthly assessment amount can be collected on a schedule that's more closely aligned with the budget and our fiscal year.

COVER STORY FACT CHECK  From a budgeting perspective, there's nothing more ‘magical’ about January than December.  If the two months present different levels of expense or income, then you plan for that - that's the purpose of a budget!  Contracts with vendors expire at staggered periods throughout the year, depending on the month they were first signed, so it isn't like our expenses are all radically different in January than they were the month prior.  And even with a December budget adoption, the marginal increase in revenue (this assumes every budget is bigger than the last because, I think everyone would agree that's the pretty much the norm anymore) comes only one month sooner than it would have otherwise – and we have sufficient working capital to cover well beyond the incremental new revenue represented by just one month’s assessment increase.  As for alignment with the fiscal year, whats so difficult about budgeting January and February with what you know will be the revenue and then budgeting the remaining ten months with what the new revenue number will be?

A change in the budget process that would make more sense than bumping forward its approval would be to construct it in an orthodox manner where 'pine straw' isn't its own budget category, but, rather, is included in a 'Landscape Maintenance' category. (Continued...)

Let's take it back!

Tired of backroom deals, half-truths and feeling like what's really being managed around here is you?

Change is coming.  Be a part of it.

A holiday recipe for you and yours: Grilled HOA served Sutherland Style!

This is the time of year for family, friends and celebratory feasts - so I thought it would be nice to share a recipe I recently stumbled across in my pantry - Grilled HOA served Sutherland Style .  It's a holiday recipe that is sure to keep you and your family in control of an association’s board for a millennia. Yum!

Note:  This recipe serves: 2
Ingredients:

• 1 spouse
• 1 large bowl of contempt for the poor, hapless homeowners who need you to save them from themselves
• 1 sharp knife (in case anyone’s getting out of line)
• ¾ Cup of nothing better to do
• 1 large ego
• A pinch of delusion (just enough to where you think you are doing everyone a favor)
• 1 Cup each of Plans B and C (in case anyone finds out about what you’ve been up to in the kitchen)!
• 1 Investment tax credit incentive (but any other incentive you have lying about will do ;-)
• A functional egg timer (so you know when your time is up)

Okay, let’s get started!

1. Lay all the Members of the association out on a platter and butter them up real well (if any won’t stay on the platter, just cut those ones off and discard or discredit) (Continued...)
   

Glen Iris Lofts Home Ownership for Dummies

Here's a scan of a satirical cartoon someone recently posted in the elevator of Ph. II.  Note to the author: Sorry I took your posting down, but it was just too funny to not find a place on the Blog...thank you!