The Curmudgeonly Professor

Abandoned McMansions as Monuments to Greed and Stupidity

High in Corner Canyon in southwest Salt Lake Valley, near the new Draper LDS Temple, sit at least a couple of dozen multi-million dollar McMansions.  Some are abandoned in various stages of completion.  Numerous others have For Sale signs, including Bank Sale signs.  Only a tiny few appear to be lived in.  These abortions are a testament to greed and stupidity, on the part of builders, lenders, would-be home owners, and anyone else with a hand in these pitiful excuses for rational thinking.   Many of these homes are replicas of castles, complete with everything but the moat.  All are huge beyond sensibility.  What were they thinking?  In watching the inevitable paths taken by builders and owners of these monstrosities over the years, a predictable course of action emerges.  People tire of their McMansions quickly, burdened by insurance, repairs, maintenance, cleaning, risk, and other negative aspects of building and living in one of them.  Some one gets sick; couples get divorced; children leave home--and often people just plain get tired of their overwrought stupidity and greed and want out.  What originally looked like a dream of Paradise becomes a trip to Hell.

Today's Winning Obituary: She Married and Jettisoned two Losers

Obituaries are the source of much information and are intended to provide solace to the living as well as an opportunity to dwell on the accomplishments, family, and trivia of a life, depending on how much money the survivors wish to spend to publish these events to the world.  Apparently there are no obstreperous, selfish, ornery, backsliders who ever die; or, if they do, they become instantly reconstituted into saints.  The critical data for women is to list how many home making skills they had, including how many quilts they made, how much tatting they tatted, whether their apple pies were the best in the world, and whether they were a cheerleader and an honor student in high school.

But here in yesterday's obituaries, what should we come across but this gem:

She is survived by her . . . overprotective sister.  She married a couple of losers along the way-later jettisoned.

 

Now there is unadulterated, unvarnished honesty for a change.