Give Me Land, Lots of Land

Inspirational song: Hot Stuff (Donna Summer)

I got to pretend that I had a hot date this evening. I went out to dinner, had sangria and good conversation, and enjoyed myself. Of course, it was a business dinner, and it was a continuation of the conversation from last weekend, as we explore the possibility of scrapping the house hunt for existing homes, and focus on undeveloped land where my clients could build exactly what they're looking for, and get the house of their dreams. I'm still going to call it a dinner date. You can't talk me out of it.

The property my friends are eyeing has amazing views. I went out just at sundown this evening, to see it in person before meeting them for food. From the road, I had easily 120-130 degree views of the mountains. There is open land behind this lot for now, but it's under zoning review for a commercial/industrial venture that might interfere with some of the views. Oddly, the planned development would end up a boon for my clients rather than a reason to avoid this property. While I might have been uncertain about the prospect of a long-haul build-to-suit project, I'm coming around to being fairly excited about all the new things to learn and do and participate in over the coming year or two. None of this will be easy, but some of it might be fun. Only time will tell.

So I wouldn't be true to myself if I didn't mention the football game. I had such high hopes early in the day and early in the game. For the first twenty minutes of play, my Buffaloes manhandled the number four ranked Michigan Wolverines. Then one of our players reinjured his knee on a quarterback sack that led to our second touchdown. And then there was a blocked punt (our first of the game) that ended in a touchdown for them. And our place kicker tore his Achilles tendon on a kickoff, but he still attempted a field goal later (and it ended poorly). Our momentum slowed and then had dropped off a cliff by the time our quarterback left the game with a damaged ankle. And by the fourth quarter, a little of the team (dis-)spirit of the last ten years snuck back into our players. For a few shining moments, it seemed like this was the start of a Cinderella season. Unfortunately, the clock struck midnight, and as our QB stood on the sidelines wearing just one shoe, we were left in rags with smashed pumpkins all over the field. Still, I'm so proud of how far they have come, and my enthusiasm for watching these kids is undiminished. I am not the kind of person who can be scared off by a few setbacks, even several years' worth of them. If the last decade of my life is not proof of that, you're not looking hard enough.