Real Estate Financing...

When I was 16 years old, my cat Max died.  It was so sad, in the condition he was in, that he went out like he did.  I won't go into great detail here, yet it was harsh.   I wrote a Poem for Max...I lost that Poem...but will never forget Mr. Max.  That little black fur-ball was anything but bad luck, he used to sit on my lap and go to sleep while I sung him ‘Silent Night.'  I used to think it's cause he liked my soothing voice, but in hindsight, he was a freaking cat and just liked to sleep.

That was the first time I'd written since I was an even younger chap.  When I was a pre-puberty type of guy, there was this short story contest, I entered and placed at the top of the heap.  I didn't much think about it in later years, I figured that no matter how good, bad, or totally boring what I or anybody else wrote was, they placed you just to make you feel good about you.  I sometimes feel like that now.

From 16 to 24, I wrote like a madman.  Slogans, Stories, One-liners, Greeting Cards, Pro-Wrestling Interviews and even started and almost finished a book, most of which I kept to myself.  When I occasionally showed friends, family members, and un-expecting readers, I was always told I was pretty good.  I knew I was decent, but I quit.  Damn right I quit... inspiration left me or I it.  That's all I have to say about that.

Fast forward to early fall of 2006, Active-Rain was already in motion and I started to post.  My early posts were for crap, so were a lot of my later ones.  In the future, expect more occasional crap as well.  Nature of the animal I guess.  I can't go back and identify the post, I can't go back and pin-point where I started to just say, "Yeah, I'm going to write as me and forget everything freaking else!"   I wish I could find that moment because it was one of the better decisions I've ever made.

Why I write, when I write, where I write, and how I write, had little bearing on why I began to enjoy it all over again.  This forum, Active-Rain, gave me the living diary and business enhancement that awoke the sleeping wolf.  Thank you folks, whether here or there or wherever, I haven't yet begun to write...but this was and is a great kicker in the arse!

Writing is a catharsis.  It's an ability to cope with anything life throws at you or you throw at life.  Writing means a lot to me, it's everything I want to be, yet haven't achieved.  Writing is the source, the guidance, and the observance of what I hope to become.  These little words you see and read mean a lot to me alright, like life, though it is often times hard to figure out how much.  I titled this post with the question of Why, I answer it with Because.

*On a side note, don't forget to tune in to my upcoming posts!  Look for: "How To Handle Bad Press," "So You're Only Giving Your Client One Option?" "Nicknames In The Rain!" and "The Life And Times Of Gus Hall."*

And whatever you do, please don't forget to unsubscribe to my blog!!!

"I think I made essentially a mistake in staying in movies.  It's a mistake I can't regret, because it's like saying I shouldn't have stayed married to that woman but I did because I love her.  I would of been more successful if I left movies immediately....Stayed in theatre, gone into politics, written anything.  I have wasted the greater part of my life looking for money and trying to get along, trying to make my work from this terribly expensive paint-box, which is a movie.  And I've spent too much energy on things that have nothing to do with making a movie.  It's about 2% movie making and 98% hustling....it's a terrible way to spend a life."  -Orson Welles-

Interesting words and vibes, don't ya think?  Ring a bell?  Is there anybody home?  Yeah, that's right...98% hustling is a terrible way to spend a life.  I agree Mr. Orson.....

For one moment in time, forget about the state and health or lack thereof of the Real Estate Industry right now....indulge me for sec.  Why do you do this?  Why are you in Real Estate?  Is it cause of money?  In the end, I bet so.  In fact, our society and culture is based upon us needing to make money to eat, drink, be merry, stay warm in the cold and stay cool in the warm.  Money is a part of survival folks, fancy me Master of the Obvious.

When I do this stuff, when I write, oft times I am talking to myself.  Yeah, well, it makes for a better conversation than a lot I've had with 'Real' people. 

At the tender age of 26 years old I worked for a semi- Fine Dining restaurant and decided that all the rich yuppies I waited on and I came across needed a Sardi spanking.  Heck, if these idiots can be rich with paper and prizes...I should just get in the game.  So, I got in the game.  Money, Power, Wealth, Greed.....what the hell is going on?

I bought into it, I did.  Point blank, I wanted the power that Gordon Geicko speaks of in the film Wall Street.  I wanted control; I thought it best for everyone if I had it.  And then I realized when walking down the street the other day....how all that crap really doesn't matter, in the end. 

I never got it, probably cause in reality, I never wanted to be a part of it.   I want to make a living, I want to love, I want to be loved, and I want to make sure the world is a better place because I existed one moment in time.  That's my greed, truly.  And as I sit back and watch & listen as the hustlers are running for the hills....I laugh...they have no idea what's about to come.

It isn't about the fall of an empire or our economy, this is our lives folks....we aren't given too many and don't live the ones we got nearly enough.  You want news, you want drama and front page recognition...try living and forget hustling.

When I took that walk down that street the other day, I encountered a Homeless Man, probably twenty years older than me.  I walk a lot.  When I ran into him on this particular walk, he didn't ask for anything but I knew he had no roof over his head to call his own.  I also knew, looking into his eyes, that he wasn't a victim, wasn't a charity case, and wasn't begging for anything.....we are the ones with the problem and the solution.  He told me so, without saying a word.

Tomorrow will come and when it does, we in the Mortgage Industry have a moral and ethical obligation to help those that need help.  It isn't about money anymore, never was, it's about humanity.  I don't work for a non-profit entity here, but I'm damn sure of my obligation when I was born onto this earth.  Help, don't hurt.  Rescue, even if you can't save.  Tomorrow is the first day of my life; it's time to go to work.

I'm over the worry at this point.  If I posted this as a Blog on MYSPACE, I'd probably include one of those little face icons that symbolize the mood one is in.  My particular mood at this moment would be that I'm irritated.  I will try to make this short and sweet, like my future ex-wife.

Now I'm no spin-doctor and not a big fan of vague or creative marketing public-relations rhetoric.  Yet, quite frankly, what I'm seeing being written about the Mortgage side of things is getting sensationalistic and the motives are suspect.  I'm not going to wax like there aren't problems, there's an abundance of them.  I'm not going paint a rose-colored picture of all the stuff that is really happening out there in Mortgage Land.  Nope, what I'm going to do is give you my opinion on the gloom and doom media I've read in regards to it all.    Call this the No-Spin Sardi Zone, not to be mistaken with Bill O'Reily's news cast.  He's much smarter at this point and I look better in a wife beaterJ  I will focus on two newsworthy items.  This say me....

Countrywide - Yes, that's right.  The top dog, big cheese, the giant enchilada, the numero uno lender on God's Green Earth has the financial world's panties in a bunch.  Are they going to go bankrupt?  Will they go under?  What will happen if those very things occur?  Don't know.  No clue?  See previous two pseudo-sentences.  My guess is that they aren't going anywhere, that's my guess.  No matter though, what kills me is article after article proclaiming their eventual demise and hyping the problems they are having to a level of pretty huge proportions.  They borrow 11 billion and change from their credit line and all of a sudden Goliath is going down.  If they did that same thing 6 months ago, I'd wager that few would bat an eyelash.  They are having problems.  They, as a lender, are in very good company right now.  To a large extent, it's out of our control whether they go down or move forward for a long time to come.  This wave we are riding can be surfed many ways; the best is working the wave, not riding it.  Don't panic just yet, and when it is truly time to panic, don't do it then either.  It really does no good, ever.

Wall Street - The financial gurus of our Capitalistic Empire.  I have a peculiar little feeling that certain sectors are in love with all this.  Fear creates Panic.  Panic creates an emotional response.   An emotional response and the handling of money are rarely smart bedfellows.  Let's say a certain investment firm decides to put the ‘Sell' stamp on a certain mortgage lender's stock after much Fear has been delivered by media outlets.  Panic ensues.  No matter the true health of the company, the stock drops significantly.  They then eat up the stock like a 98lb Asian woman downing hot dogs on ESPN.  The fear subsides and panic goes away and the next thing you know, the stock rises once again.  Money is made hand over fist.  What would be even more peculiar is if that certain investment firm owns a mortgage lender or two.  I not only look at the market, I look at the motives.

I haven't a definitive clue of what will happen next.  If I did, I'd probably be dating George W. Bush's daughter or something.  Thankfully, I don't.  All I do know is that I will continue to stay on top of the market, but will not let it or the media ‘defining' it sway my way of dealing with it.  Work it Sardi, don't ride it.

That is my opinion and this isn't my     but I've got one of those as well.

First of all, I want to extend my thanks to Mr. Brian Brady for the usage/borrowing of a term he coined (as far as I'm concerned) on this forum.  I've wanted to tell the story for awhile now, hoping that maybe others may see the light through the dim darkness of the current market or any market for that matter.  After all, you can never have too many good people in one profession. 

I wanted to get into this industry for a good 6 months before I had a chance.  I left message after message and never got called back.  I guess I was about as highly sought after as Pac Man Jones as a guest speaker at your local church.  While I didn't know what a mortgage was, I did know that I wanted out of the restaurant industry.  With all the respect in the world to those that are in it, I thought my being better at something else was eminent. 

While I never much gave thought about coin or power or prestige, after working at the Federal Grill  and serving the yuppies, political powers, snobs, and the rest of the often-times spoiled population in this neck of the woods....I wanted to enter the game and give it a good flush or two before I laid my head to rest.

One day, while working a lunch shift, two gentlemen entered and sat at the bar.  They were in suits and looked and acted, quite frankly, like car salesmen who had just won the lottery.  About 5 minutes after they entered, another young gent walked in, dressed in attire that was purely ‘Street'.  After about 5 minutes of this guy being ignored and avoided by the staff, I figured out that he was mentally handicapped and was looking for a job....and a lunch.  I was right on both accounts.

The manager of ‘The Fed' at the time saw this and said in no uncertain terms, "I'm not dealing with this....I'm going to have to get him out.  This could be very bad for business."   My retort was simple.  I said, "Bob, can I take care of this one, this situation, do your thing!  The lunch is on me and I'll handle him personally...Fair Enough?"  He agreed, thankfully.

The young man got a lunch on me and I listened to what he had to say about anything that was on his mind.  30 minutes later, he left and I felt as if I accomplished nothing, hadn't helped him a bit.  To this day, I wonder where he is now.  Then, one of those gentlemen sitting across the bar , got my attention.  "Excuse me, what's your name?"  I responded the only way I knew how, "Ed Baumcratz, pleasure to meet you!" 

"I'm Angelo, are you looking to change professions?  What I just saw you handled very well.  If you handle people that well, you will be a perfect fit for what we do!"

I was already on my way back to live with my parents and forget the whole thing.  I'd gone off course, I didn't need this.  I didn't need being a Corporate Hog or Financial Thug to live in this world.  At the time, I figured I would find my muse at the very place I left my soul....in writing while living this little life of mine.  My cooler head prevailed. 

Two weeks later, I was hired.  Two persistent and somewhat agonizing months after that, I closed my first deal and netted a whopping $450.00.   (I had to admit in the interim that my name wasn't Ed Baumcratz so I could bank the check.)   The birth of Jason Sardi, ‘Pretty Fly For A Loan Guy', had begun.  I quit the Fed and became a full-time Loan Hack, er, Officer.  Then, I started to do a hack, er, heck of a lot of digging.

I read everything I could about my side of the industry, I digested everything.  I remained poor, poorer than I'd ever been, still all the time trying to learn.  I was sponge without a clue of how I would dig myself out.  I didn't have a shovel and the ground was hard, I didn't have an umbrella and the rain was falling.

And then, even though I hated what I was going through and where I was from a commission-based financial point of view, I fell deeply in love...with the industry.  So many facets of it were so appealing to me.  I got to and get to touch people on a financial basis which helps control the Capitalistic World we live in.  I also got to touch them on a personal level, which makes things....well, more personal.  I like that! 

There are missing parts of this story, very many, yet this is a blog and not a book.  So, I'll leave the details out and continue on....

Continuing on!

Do you think for one moment in time that perhaps you look around and the things you see are about to change?  Being on the Mortgage side of things has its ups and downs, like life, and we are in for a not so modest surprise.

I've seen the hype, I've read the blogs that layed out the reality, I've read the stuff that reports with no spin.  I live it, 5 days a week...at least.  Are we in for a change?  Darn right, it's happening before our eyes.  It's happening daily.

This post will be no different than what you've probably already read.  I'm not going to identify a Crystal Ball or Magic Wand to make it easier, in fact, the very fact it is harder now isn't a bad thing at all.  At least to me...

Around 11:30 A.M. today, I gotta phone call.  No big ordeal, but my processor and friend Brenda paged me, "Jason, you gotta a call on line 2."  Sitting at my desk, I kind of looked at the blinking red light and wondered why she just didn't transfer this person over.  Quirky, OK, I picked up line 2.

"Hello Jason, Bill Archambault here."

It may not seem like a big deal to you folks, but when I heard that, I cringed.  You see, to me, that guy is to Mortgage Lending as Babe Ruth is to baseball.  I answered firmly, quickly, somewhat astutley, and off-the-cuff.  I probably muffled my words, but I had to answer quickly...so I did.

"Hey Bill, how's it going?"

What followed was an amazing lesson in life for me.  My mentor in this business is Scott Geary and Bill just happens to be yet another reason I respect the lending game.  I was on the phone with him for at least 15 minutes, I tried to let him talk as much as I could.  I just wanted to let him talk.  I find it an honor to soak up every word and experience that man has to share.  Bill has been in this game since '69 and just got Active again.  He's licensed in all 50 states, so he is a competitor by nature with little old me.  Grrrreat!  I don't mind competing against the best though, I'd rather lose than to win competing against anybody else.

Scott Geary was the guy that helped bring me into this biz.  He has 30 years of experience himself and his personality is similiar to mine, for better or worse.  Legitly, we are friends, yet he has taught me so much.  The thing he has taught me the most is....I have so much to learn.

So, getting back to the Brunch With Bill, it's simple.  I learned very quickly from the tone I heard.  I have heard the same tone from Scott.  Folks, this isn't the implosition of the industry as much as it's back to the basics.  At times, this industry seems easy.  Those players come and go in the cycles that commonly occur.  If you are still in right now, as a professional, take heed in the fact that the consumers need the true Professionals NOW...More Than Ever.  Give me all the statistics you can garner, I'll give you a person who just wants a home and a life to call their own.  This is a cleansing.  It isn't that bad when what happens now makes things so very good again.

I want Brunch With Bill, I want Drinks With Scott, I hope I can learn as much as I can about how this industry should of been run all along from them both.

I am very lucky that Bill called me.

I am very lucky that Scott trusted my potential.

I am what I am.

They are 2 more reasons I am proud to be in this business.

They are 2 more reasons what is happening will work itself out.

You want a Crystal Ball or a Magic Wand, so do I...yet it doesn't exist.

Rest Tight, Good-Night....

All will be different and sometimes better....tomorrow morning.

Believe it or not, I can't even recall the last time I read a book from cover to cover.  I do plenty of reading, just not in the traditional sense these days.  I read countless posts here on AR, digest a bunch of stuff Mortgage-Related in The Scotsman Guide and Broker Magazine.  Yet, what my eyes see and my brain digests far exceeds just the business I'm in.  I love psychology, philosophy, pain, heartache, the loss of God, wisdom, darkness, enlightenment, inspiration, and a whole lot of other stuff that's hard to bring to light in taking a 1003 Application.  I'm a Mortgage Broker by trade, I'm a Humanistic Recluse Idealist by heart.  Somewhere along the line, my soul stirs in all the great words I've read.  If you were to visit my home and do a bit of searching, you'd find plenty of reading material from all facets and subjects in life.  I've digested excerpts from a whole bunch of them.  It's been awhile since I've committed to an actual book though, so I'm working on memory here folks.  The following are my favorite and you can damn bet I'm going to revisit.  Thank you Carole Cohen for your initial post, I almost forgot how rewarding these books can be.

Sorry for the delay, I've been Book Meme'd twice now.  First, it was Carole Cohen.  Then came Sarah Cooper.  So, I shall answer what they asked.  You want my favorite reads of all-time....here we freaking go.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck-  Perseverance is king.  It has been at least 10 years since I've delved into this piece of work, but it needs revisited again.  Steinbeck is a brilliant writer, both ahead and in tune of his time.  The strength of this storyline pales in comparison to the strength of the characters Mr. Steinbeck writes about.  I look back on this book fondly, remembering no matter how bad it may be...true strength is in Spirit, never lose it.

On The Road by Jack Kerouac - I read this book cover to cover in my days in the restaurant business.  At that point, I was searching, for my meaning...for my life.  I'm more like Kerouac than I'd care to admit, though I wish I was on page with his ability to write.  In that context, he's a true icon.  The lifestyle, well, that's probably not the way to go.... but I live it anyway.

The Sky Is Falling by Sidney Sheldon - I finished this book quite quickly on a flight from Allentown to Florida, where I was to meet my parents and celebrate my mother's 50th birthday on a cruise to Mexico.  I know this is fiction, but damn....it hits close to home.  Easy read and a fantastic story, it has all the elements.  To me, this is one of the under-rated reads I never hear about.  Gee, I wonder is Sidney had the Kennedy's in mind when he wrote this?  RIP Sidney.

Stephen King's "A Memoir Of The Craft" by Stephen King of course -  If there is a better writer in my lifetime, I'm not sure who it is if it isn't Mr. King.  My god, before you write another sentence, check this book out!  In fact, I am going to make it a mission not to blog again until I've read this page by page one more time.  I don't throw the term 'Brilliant' or 'Genius' around too often.  Heck, I think it is an overused term.  But this guy and this book, fits the bill.

Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger- If you know me, are you really surprised?  I identify with Salinger's character Holden Caulfield more than I should.  I vividly recall first reading this book when I was dirt poor and first entering the Mortgage Industry.  My parents flew me down to my Uncle's beach house in North Carolina.  For that moment in time, I was living in the lap of luxury without a dime to my name.  My mother and I went into a bookstore and I immediately gravitated towards that book.  She bought it for me and I believe I finished it in about a hour and a half...even with interruptions.  Above just identifying with Holden Caulfield, J.D. Salinger's writing style was so refreshing to me.  He seemed to write like he would speak.  I love that style.  This, by far, is my favorite read I've ever come across.

The popular thing to do at this point would be to Book Meme 3 others here on Active-Rain.  Let me just say this.  If you are reading this and feel the urge to bare your bones on some of the best books you've read...

Have at it!

There has been a lot written about credit.  Without  you will need it.  Even with cash, you will probably need it in the economic reality we live in.  However, I don't want to concentrate on how you can repair your credit or make it look better, I am going to concentrate on the reality of why your credit stands where it does.

The old cliche 'Bad things happen to good people' is true.  I will vouch for such.  But, there is a certain part of credit not often talked about in the lending industry.  That part is you created the credit score you now have to live with.

There are 4 Keys To Lending:

Collateral - In traditional lending, this is the amount of money you have to put forth as a down payment when purchasing a home.  In refinancing, this is the scale that balances what you have with what you want, do see if the 'what you want' side can carry a little more weight.

Capacity - This is one's ability to pay back the money they are asking to borrow.  This is why you may be asked for pay-stubs, your last 2 years W-2's, bank statements, the most recent statements on your retirement accounts, etc.  Put it this way, if I have money and live in a Capitalistic Society, I don't care if I'm lending to God....I want to make sure God can afford to pay me back. 

Credit - Lenders are big on high credit scores, the higher your score the better you look.  Yet, they also look at your pay history on the credit you've had past and present.  If you have been trustworthy in the past, you are likely to be worthy of trust in the future, too.  As in life, you are often judged by your past.

Character -  Your job stability, your residence stability, along with your credit file, gives a glimpse to your character.  The more stable your job, credit, & residence history are....the better your character looks and probably is.

That said, we all know that things happen.  You may lose your job, live above your means, medical bills mount up, the amount of money you are making doesn't equal or exceed the economy you live in.  In fact, you get behind.  In some cases, you can't catch up at all.  It's hard borrowing from Peter & Paul and knowing you still owe Mary.

So, I say, know the other (Fifth Key) to Lending.  The Human Element!  Let's address why your credit isn't as proper and proud as it should be.   That element is a financial tool in this industry that is overlooked, understated, and not communicated in the proper way.  That (Fifth Key) is a letter, a Credit Explanation Letter. 

Personally, I love this aspect of lending.  Not because I enjoy basking in the limelight of somebody else's financial misfortune, but because it introduces the Human Element into lending.  With all the numbers, statistics, programs, products, guidelines, gidgets, jargon, yabba-dabba-freaking do....let's get back to being more than a number here folks.  I was always taught that any file I put together to be submitted to the lender, must have a letter addressing any credit problems or issues of the past.  Any late payments, bankruptcies, charge-offs, delinquencies of any kind....need to be addressed.  The Credit Explanation Letter, while mandated by some lenders, serves as a valuable tool in making your case stronger to ensure you get the best loan for your needs.

Time-lines must match, events that happened must correspond to the dates of delinquency on the credit report.  It tells a story and flows real nice....kind of like Mister Rodgers.   Not too many of us like paying bills, but if we can....we do (at least I'd hope).  If we can't, why can't we and how is that going to be turned around from here on forth?  This is your chance to make a case for yourself and with a Mortgage Professional working with you to make it all pretty and stuff, it lends an added boost to your credibility in attaining a loan.  So, if you have had credit issues currently and/or in your past, it may not be a bad idea to light a candle, grab a pen and paper, and pour your financial woe onto paper.  Include that with the documentation you provide your Mortgage Professional.  Consider them your editor, every human could use one.

                                                      Wake Up & Listen To The Parody!                              

     This has been an interesting week.  I had peculiar dreams about business, contests, people, and some came true and others just happened as reality would let it.  Business is there, coming in at acceptably & reasonable numbers.   I'm originating at a decent pace, nothing great and not so bad.  It could be better, but so could I.

     My focus this week wasn't the generation of business as much as it was the magnification of my own freaking ego.  I entered a contest, against some very impressive players, I won.  Ego swells.  Another contest I enter, I grasp Second Place.  Not bad, I must be good.  I entered another contest and didn't place, no biggie.  I'm a pretty big player, people like & read me.  "Wow, I'm not only a player, but turning into somewhat of an institution"....so I thought.

     It's quite odd that when you have the loner/wall-flower personality, when there is nobody else to concentrate on, you turn to yourself.  I did and I wasn't much impressed.

     Pride is an interesting trait to garner or feel for that matter.   I have always loathed people that are too down on themselves and equally disliked individuals all too into themselves.  Well, for one moment in time, I found myself starting to believe my own hype, being the latter of what I loathe.  Nah, that's not acceptable.  Real Estate is Real Estate, Life is Life, I am Me, & You are You.....let's cut the B.S.  Let's instead Be Real.  You suck as do I and we are both exceptional as well!  Or, quite frankly, we can just practice & preach the moderate word that should be used outwardly or inside.  That word is Respect.  I lost mine for one moment of time...for me and for everybody else because of it.

If there was ever a post where one was talking to one's self, this just might be it.

When I was eighteen years young, I wrote something.  Call it a quote.  I wrote, " Ripe & Ready, Fast & Heady, He Ran For His Life....Yet Life Moved On.  Move Life....never let it move you."

Philosophically, I knew what it meant.  Yet, I never lived it....until right about now.  Oh, the reality...

I spoke with Desiree "Desire with an extra E" Daniels today.  We talked in length, and it kept coming back to integrity.  We discussed all things concerning Real Estate in a short amount of time.  Integrity in what we do, how we do it, why we do it, and when we do it.  After I hung up the phone, I thought about what I came up with at a mere 18 years old.  It was about Integrity.

I've made more mistakes than O.J. Simpson on a bad batch of steroids and pain killers, OK, not that many mistakes.  None the less, when things work out in the end, it sometimes and often times is a hellacious (Is that  a word) ride to get there.  Especially if you have and are Integrity.  Integrity isn't easy, that's probably one of the reasons it is so highly sought after by the masses.  

Business is business and life is life.  I made a phone call today to a client, trying to sneak a loan in for August.  I'm commissioned based after all, I live on closed loans.  They answered, and as I was trying to make a "sale," the told me a story.  It was a family fiasco and this particular gentlemen is stuck in "Working Class America," spoke to me about a nightmare of a circumstance.  I gained two things out of that conversation, a sale and an experience.

That experience, my conversation with Desiree "With an extra E" Daniels, and a tad bit of thinking made me wonder if I had a concept as clean & clear & concise as Integrity.

Why I exist -  Well, there was this instance in the back of a 68 Ford without even a plastic bag for remote protection.  Or, I exist because of a reason far beyond me.   I exist because I add a tad more better than worse to the world I live in.

What I Stand For- Number One, The Pledge of Allegiance....well, not always.  I hope I stand for making this world easier because I existed.  I hope I stand for inherent and outward bound giving, I want integrity in the way I treat others....but it is even better if I have Integrity amongst myself.

Intentions...What I am up too -  I Cite a comic-book character, Loki, the God of Mischief!  Integrity peaks karma and the reality you call it.  My intention, I'm up to try to being all-good, while no good.  Difficult task, I want to be an "I" in Integrity.  I want to bring it back and call it my own....Integrity to them and me.

Integrity will never go away, it will be there, if even, it go alone.  Integrity is making mistakes, is owning up to your faults, is realizing you don't do well with giving 'Bad News."  Integrity is being you and seeing what that gets you out of life.  Integrity is "I."