It can't hurt... right?

I have heard stories of my Grandfather sitting at the dining room table, plunking away on his type writer. Papers, books, research on every topic from Plants to genealogy all stacked in a organized chaos around him. Spilling to the floor.... kitchen.. office. Him shifting from one idea to the next while finding a open crevasse in his mound of cigarette ashes to lay the next one to rest.
A driven slightly grumpy man, with brilliance that oozed out of his pores like a grease on the ol' creeper of an uncle we all claim to NOT have in the family.

G-pa Jim {{James M. Wolf}}

Sadly, I never met the dude. He died a few years before I was born. I have always liked to think I had a small part of that brilliance someplace packed into my gene pool. Hell, we almost have the same name if that mattered any. {{James}}  But... as I aged, I began to waver on this thought/wish/hope. I did "ok" in school. Then I found out I was SEVERELY dyslexic... (yes, I can't spell for shit. I mix up were/where all the time. Then/than Too/to Threw/through...etc. It's all a non-issue to me. Soak up the content and deal with it people.) I choose the mommy/wife route just as college got REALLY hard for me-and 20 years go by.. bla bla bla. Same ol crap story.
Still no "Ta-da!" {{with Jazz hands}} about my inner super-awesomeness.
Crap.

Then... I found the job of my dreams. Well, as close as I can get without going back to school. Bred out of shear experience, way too much in the "people skills department", some insane need to find MORE information, and one lady-Shari, here I am today. Damn you Shari. lol
Now when I'm not being lazy, I rock a name tag that has the word REALTOR on it. I get to look inside of all kinds of houses. (and yes, it is fun to see how people live. I know you're jealous.) I get to help others list/buy too.
Sweet right? Bet your ass it is! But what does that have to do with anything on here?

I think... I see IT.

I'm a history junky. I love OLD houses. Really, just old stuff in general. When I walk into an old house, I turn into this hopped up 4 year old girl who can't stop running around pointing, screeching and if I didn't keep myself in check, start drooling. ((So hot.. right? lol)) I want to restore life/structure/love in these old SOB's.
The more professional side of me says.. I can see the possibility. I can show/teach/love/guide on how to make 100years old WORK for a family. I can feel the energy of years of families. 90 years of kids running down stairs and threw halls. 110 years of "mom" cooking in the kitchen. (Or maids if they were lucky bastards. ) 115 years of couples struggling to find common ground, fighting for the "today" and not giving up. I love to find out who those people are and how they fit in the fabric of the area.

So back to G-pa Jim.... He and my G-ma bought 2116 Melrose Ave. in 1960. In the cruel way life cycles, I'm the one who is now the listing agent on said house. (( Really, it's an honor. I'm not hatin'.)) As part of that process, I got/requested the Abstract title. As I began to thumb through it I felt like..... HOLY FUDGE NUGGETS BATMAN!
I got lost in the past. In researching the who built/lived/lost the house. The construction of the property. The history of the area. It's absurd really. Above and beyond what I assume I am supposed to do in my "job". I don't give a shit, it's AMAZING. When I'm lost in books, Abstracts, in my computer.. in this type of thing-I feel IT. Not quite all Katy Perry Fire-workish.... But pretty damn bright.
One house leads to another. I am starting to gather these "historic biographies of real property". Now that leads me to think, "what do I do with all this crap?" Clients LOVE to hear about what was. It brings a new color or life back. The house becomes an entity on its own, rather than a shell of walls that needs love. But after the house is sold/bought... then what? It's depressing to watch that information go to waste.. To be lost again in space.
So I'm going to pull up my big-girl panties and blog it just like the rest of the world does. It can't hurt... right? I'm not an expert by any means, but I will research the hell out of something till I am. (TY G-pa Jim.) I like to swear and I'm sarcastic as hell. I refuse to put on a suit and tie facade because this could be job related. ((That drives me nuts btw!)) I have a kick ass Hubby who is of like mind.. so you might hear about him or the kids too. Oh.. and I kinda suck at "writing". ;)
I'm 100% real and these are my tales of an old house junky.