If Tanta specifically identified WYPR, then ignore this post please.
However, if she lived in Upper Marlboro, then I believe it would have been more likely to be able to pick up WAMU (http://www.wamu.org) which serves the Washington metro area vice YPR (which serves Baltimore.)
Of course, one can listen to any station via the net, practically.
Tanta was a member of Normal Community High Schools Drama Club and made headlines at 17 with her impassioned plea to the School Board to allow the students to do the play The Bad Seed, considered controversial at the time due to the subject matter and language in the script.
Champion for free speech. Awesome. I didn't realize that you guys did "Saturday Rock Blogging". That's great. Here's a great Pink Floyd one:
at 17 with her impassioned plea to the School Board to allow the students to do the play The Bad Seed, considered controversial at the time due to the subject matter and language in the script
I have to laugh. Tanta was always Tanta, wasn't she?
I don't mean to go on ad nauseum here, but I so admire her grit and moxy (?). I hope someone does a wikipedia entry for her. I'd love to know more about her. You go, girl.
As a long time resident of Bloomington-Normal, a product of the Normal, IL educational system, and an Illinois State University graduate, my sincere condolences go out to the family of Tanta.
She had the not-so-subtle ability to clarify and inform in such a civil yet informative way, her contributions and intelligence will be deeply missed, and I am a better person for having bumped into her on the internet. She was one-of-a-kind person. Godspeed.
I recall that Tanta could not read the comments for some time when the reality of the situation became overwhelming for those looking for others making sense of whats happnening.
dont give up on hope.
dream big.
pay your debts.
and work hard.... work hard for those who have less.
Let us know if the family will be setting up any scholarships in her name, a better memorial couldn't be found. For you and yours, know that she touched us all deeply. I'm sure most of us are envious that you've known her so much longer than us-UNFAIR!
Done. Thank you CR for your efforts at what has to be a tough time for you.
It's a tough time for your readership. As I once noted to her, the intertubes are a strange place - the person on the other end is anonymous in most ways, but you end up really caring about that entity on the other end.
We agreed a lot. We went at it the proverbial hammer and tongs a couple of times. I'll miss the latter more.
been a cr follower since i decided it was important to keep up on debacle that began when??? 1982/1989/1998/2001....i was drawn to cr for lots of reasons.
tanta being premier...in the land of financial blogs the other gender (f-male) is in absence unless you count cassendra/naked capitalism. being f-male i found tanta's world view absorbing...acerbic when necessary...but above all grass roots knowledge of subject matter. i've had 3 people within my immediate family die of cancer and today i feel that i've lost a fourth member....cheers and salutations....sorry if this shows up in the wrong whatever...1st time poster...
I've been going back on some old posts, and comment threads.
Yet another (among the thousands of memorable exchanges) came to mind.
This one I remember in particular on account of feeling my heart drop a little when she wrote this reply back (to a comment of mine which was pretty typical of the type of BS I would give her on the regular):
...and dammit if TANTA wasn't RIGHT AGAIN!....(and I totally owe her a beer should she ever be able to sneak me by St.Pete somehow).
Chill Bear writes:
"She picked those charities Saturday.
She knew. She had to have known."
Of course she knew. Last year my father told the hospital staff all day that he would die that night. He died at 5:30 the next morning, while it was still dark.
Tanta, thanks for the comments on the Kindle. I hope you are strong enough now to pick up a hardcover dictionary and read it.
Dickeylee - I did ask her about about a scholarship fund and there just wasn't time for us to discuss it. Because you know she'd have to take her time and get it right.
She felt very strongly about the recipients that are listed - except I did kind of talk her into the Drama Club. I think she was afraid someone would scare up a picture of her in her Christine Penmark dress or standing before the School Board waving a sheaf of script pages in the air.
I don't know if any of you all have ever been to Normal but I've been there a gazallion times - it is a 'splendidly unremarkable' little city. A great place to live full of wonderful everyday people. I stop there all the time on my cris-crossing of Illinois - sometimes staying there overnight (or in nearby Bloomington).
Irony is I used to email Tanta occasionally telling her some of the dumb stuff I had seen while driving across the Midwest - knowing she was a Midwesterner and would 'get it'. Probably did it from her hometown & never even knew.
A lot of people benefitted from Tanta's work,financially and otherwise.Several friends and family members were convinced not to jump into Real Estate or got out of risky investments after being forwarded posts from this blog.One friend of mine promised to buy me dinner anywhere I wanted,any time I was in town for the rest of my life.i take him up on it from time to time,Chez Panisse still has good food.The Rape Crisis center for me,all are worthy.
A donation is not about us feeling better but rather a part of us fostering the will and spirit of others. There is some latin saying here that I cant recall. Sorry.
I hope peace for her, her family and you Bill. As to the community she fostered, we shall try to gain a bit of peace in our own individual way.
--Andrew writes:
"Boy are you going to be surprised someday when my obituary picture turns up in the paper."
I certainly hope that day will be far in the future Tanta.
--Andrew | 04.03.08 - 11:47 am | #
Thanks for reminding me of that comment thread Schnaps.. At the time I thought her response to you was a bit grim and hoped I might cajole her into letting slip the blog persona a little and providing us a hint of how things were going for her. She never did..
Damn how I hate having been panglossian-ly wrong. (Sorry, I had to throw that in there, I think she would have liked the reference.)
I would like to highlight two things I remember Tanta for, early on.
1) Neg-Am for Ubernerds. The first ubernerd post that made me fall in love with her style.
2) When she used to remind us it's not a full-blown crisis until a mtg insurer goes bust.
We've all had that one teacher that we remember all our lives. That one whose lessons and words stick with you. I never thought that I'd ever 'meet' another one of these teachers.
CDS - thanks for stopping by, and thanks for the laugh. I hope everyone in her extended family can appreciate how many lives she touched here on this blog.
I kept trying to write something down in the way of a serious euology to pass along to CR today, and each time it felt like I was slipping into hyperbole and I could almost hear Tanta calling out in her BOLD ALL-CAPS to say "oh, stop, already!"
She was, always, waaay too modest. I am so very sorry for your loss.
CR, appreciated that you post the information in Tanta's honor. I do sincerely hope that many others on this blog will follow to extend a donation in her memory.
I am touched by the fact that she picked those charities on Saturday.
I have not often given to charity, never for the cause of a person that I did not know, however I do believe in intellectual stimulus that Tanta provided. May there be in the future a new intellectual blogger amongst us. Perhaps from Illinois State University.
She picked them Saturday, not when she was first diagnosed (ie. before she was able to go with the Tanta_vive email). I suspect she took a sharp turn for the worse, and she didn't know, she knew. Damn.
I have been there, and I've done that. That last time period as the inevitable approaches , be it hours or days, is Hell. My sympathies to all those who knew and miss her, but a double dose for those who were aware as then end came.
And now I'm all veklempt.
Lets see what I can do to convince the Normal High School drama club to put on "Mortgage Pig, the Musical!"
Thanks for the suggestions, CR. If everyone who read this blog donated 1% of what they made (or avoided losing) by reading what the two of you have shared, those charities could be swamped with money.
It's nice to be able to do something at a time like this, even if it won't get me any more UberNerding.
Since she's not at her keyboard, I'll always imagine Tanta going for a long walk in the rain, musing about the unlikely circumstances that led to someone whose heart is steeped in poetry, dealing in the dry numbers of mortgage finance. (Perhaps seeing an imitation of T.S. Eliot's stint as a bank clerk.)
I'll see what I can do for the Drama Club, not "for the drama", but in the hopes that some of the students throughout the high school might be encouraged to see that there is a larger life out there; more than the mainstream media, more than the daily struggle for status and survival, more than their own narrow circle.
In spirit I'd say Tanta was a latter day Thoreau, living among us and yet seeing with clear eyes the thousand little traps and snares quotidian life has set for us. And like Thoreau, it may seem the effort is wasted on the sophomoric dance of youth, but as long as the true seeds are planted, the harvest comes not in a day, but over their lifetimes.
I hope that her notoriety encourages some to read her posts. Man, they are going to be scandalized to see what the kids are reading!
Mortgage pig t-shirt, yep, I want one. That way, when people ask about my shirt, I can tell them about Tanta and besides, when I were it, I'll remember.
I'm really glad to read of those who were spared jumping in at the wrong time because of Tanta's wise words (or for any other reason). [My friends laugh when I say that house prices will drop.]
Being still a bit of one that follows my own way though, I'll probably look for a 'cancer be gone' organization to donate to. I've known too many people who have suffered to be content with treating those who have gotten it, I'll bet it is more preventable than we think.
Tanta and I discussed worthy causes for donations on Saturday when we both knew she only had hours to live.
Some of her favorite places we also discussed:
The student union (Memorial Terrace) at UW-M and Lake Mendota.
The Quad at ISU where we attended the annual Rites of Spring - starting while we were in HS, as any local knows.
Sleeping Bear Dunes in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan.
The Garlic Press in Normal, IL.
Stratford, England.
Mount Vernon.
The Thirsty Dog Brew Pub.
St. Julian Winery in Paw Paw, MI.
New York City.
Grandma Tanner's house.
Williams-Sonoma.
San Francisco.
Annapolis. Including the Naval Academy.
South Haven, MI.
The Smithsonian.
Any bookstore.
Park Benches. Especially if there are ducks to feed.
A bar in Des Moines whose name neither of us could remember. Where she and Max and Erika ended their long days at Amerus.
I hope you all don't mind these little blurbs from me. She was my only sister - my only sibling. I'll let you in on who she was in real life while you let me in on who she was in the virtual world.
I grew up in Central Illinois, apparently about 45 minutes from Tanta. I knew she was from the Midwest (I don't know how dryfly knew, but there was a grammatical tic in the "Eunice" comment that nobody outside the midwest could even have heard of) but not exactly where.
I wish I could have shared this with her...There is a town named "Oblong" also nearby, leading to the best newspaper headline ever: "Normal Boy Marries Oblong Girl."
CDS, Please keep posting, for us and for you. I loved that list, it reminds me of how important each day is. Tanta's posts all seemed to convey that, which is one of the many things she gave me.
I hope you all don't mind these little blurbs from me. She was my only sister - my only sibling. I'll let you in on who she was in real life while you let me in on who she was in the virtual world.
They're delightful! Thank you so much for sharing.
ditto what bacon said, CDS! Nice to hear from you again, btw, Dr. Dreamz.
For some reason the reveal that she was from Normal, IL doesn't surprise me at all. It reminded me of yet anotherfun chat in the comments from a ways back after I claimed that Tanta hailed from "Haddonfield, IL".
I hope you all don't mind these little blurbs from me. She was my only sister - my only sibling. I'll let you in on who she was in real life while you let me in on who she was in the virtual world.
CDS | 12.02.08 - 6:41 am | #
I thought "I can't think of a nicer way to remember someone". Now, I think I will have a mental picture of an Excel bench saying
CDS, I want to thank you for these snippets into your & Tanta's lives, please keep them coming when you feel up to it.
Isabel, since I first read the news of Tanta's passing, I have wanted nothing more than to donate to a physical memorial of her awesomeness.
I lost a very dear friend to ovarian cancer two years ago and besides donating to cancer research her friends and family also donated to a physical memorial in a peace garden in Sacramento, Ca.
While I am happy to have donated towards research to cure/prevent this disease, nothing gives me more pleasure than to know that Peggy has a beautiful memorial in a place where people can feel happy and see the beauty in Nature.
I would like to donate towards both causes in Tanta's case.
Yes CDS thanks - keep blurbs coming! My sister mixed drama club with an English major, which turned her into a highly literate party animal (the very best kind). Couldn't help suspecting the same thing of Tanta as she let us in on her musical tastes, fashion timeline (I think there was a big hair/shoulder pads/earring thread out there somewhere-man I wish I could find that) and drink recipes.
It was really easy to donate - CR big thanks for posting and hanging in there!! Maybe you can add a link to donation post somewhere below the In Memoriam box at top of page? -- lest it get buried by all the news.
Wonder if the drama club could be force-funded into a Bad Seed production each and every year...or maybe the most edgy script of the times?
CR and David did their best to prepare me but no, I really couldn't grasp the reality of her infuence and impact on all of you. I was very lost in my own grief and this has all been very comforting to me and my parents.
I was Hoover to her on here (another old family joke) but I didn't comment - since I was still "in the belly of the beast" as she liked to remind me I felt I needed to observe quietly.
"Not everyone gets the pig, you know" she'd say.
Bacon Dreamz - it is good to hear from you. She and I talked of the pig often and I love the movies. She wanted my help on the pig smacking down the S&P cow but we just ran out of daylight on it.
There are many others of you who I recognize from talking with her. Believe it or not she worried about you when some of you didn't comment for awhile!
I am working today to finish some things we started together last month. She was the finisher - I was the starter. I keep hearing her say "if you're not going to finish that give it to me".
By the way, CDS, Tanta and I once had an email exchange regarding the origin of her nick-name, in which she also related to me the story of where yours came from, though she said she wasn't telling me the whole unfortunate story because she promised she never would. Still, even though we didn't agree on celery, we did agree that Drambuies on the rocks are totally gross. (She said you always started boasting that the famous Tanta of CR fame was your sister when people bought you enough Drambuies on the rocks--or "whatever horrible thing she's drinking lately"--at the National Secondary.)
She wanted my help on the pig smacking down the S&P cow but we just ran out of daylight on it.
Ooh, that sounds like a good one. The last movie she sent me was unfinished too (it's just 80 pages of the Pig dancing--there was no end in sight so we both abandoned it, but it was still funny). Have you seen it?
we here at http://www.fakepaycheckstub.com will miss tanta being appauld and deleting my spam posts! THINGS WONT BE THE SAME HERE! MAY GOD REST HER SOUL!
As I read this article on the investor suit RE: loan mods, I couldn't help but remember that it was one of many lessons that Tanta taught us.
When the idea of Mods first began circulating, Tanta was on the blog commenting and patiently explaining the ins and outs of Mods. The very real possibility of law suits by investors was part of her comments.
Thank you very much for sharing some of Tanta's favorite places with us. With winter coming to Wisconsin, the Mendota shoreline is starting to ice up. But come springtime, I'll raise a glass in her honor at the Terrace.
Can you locate the comment thread where you wrote you were in love with Tanta, and she wrote back about getting mash notes? I loved it, and don't want to forget anything. It's very strange, I was mostly a lurker, but what a huge part of my life is now missing...
CR, is there any way to retrieve holoscan posts from the last several years? There were some great Tanta comments. Maybe you could post them on the Blog with a separate link for those of us who wish to view them.
AnonyMiss and others - my daughter is checking into a bench or tree on ISU's campus (that way my parents can visit easily). I will let you know.
CDS | 12.02.08 - 9:39 am | #
Thank you. I never really interacted with your sister (I was kinda skeered because she was so smart).
But I always respected, and was in awe of: her wit, her intelligence, and her kindness.
I honestly can't think of anything that would make me happier right now than to give you and your family some comfort.
CDS-Thanks for sharing more about Tanta. I always loved reading Tanta-and now that I know that she was a fellow drama club/English Major party animal-I look forward to having a drink with her on the other side. G-d, I hope there are no shoulder pads there.
I would love to make a donation to the Tanta Park Bench Memorial. When you can-please let us know where to send donations.
Take care, CDS. We are thinking about you and your family.
Rape Crisis Center, The Sexual Assault Prevention and Survivor Services, ISU
This is in memory of Doris Dungey, Tanta as we knew her at calculatedrisk.blogspot.com. Tanta taught many of us at the online community all the intricacies of Mortgage underwriting, securitization and leverage. Her uber-nerd posts were ahead of time in pinpointing the issues facing us in this economic crisis. The essays were classic, humorous and immensely readable. I will dearly miss the sharp analysis and wit of Tanta in fending my way through these troubled times.
Regards
Sereno Barr-Kumarakulasinghe
p.s. I saw a post about a bench or tree. Please let me/us know. I would love to contribute
Thanks for sharing memories of your sister. I have followed her published work on CR for 2+ years and her work has no equal. Period. What happened in '04-'06 in the real estate market, mortgage industry made me start doing research on this subject matter and I stumbled upon CR and Tanta. Excellent researchers and writers, your sister topped it all. A very special person. My condolences to you and your family.
CDS, I don't think you need to hint much to this group. You'll probably actually have a hard time getting us to shut up and stop telling you how much your sister meant to us and/or how great she was.
There will probably always be a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on here for you and a story or two to tell. As virtual as this is, we feel that we have also lost a family member and friend - if this keeps up that is going to be one of the best damn funded drama clubs in Illinois.
I hope it's not to forward of me to say "welcome to the family" (that is if you'll have us)...
Considering that Tanta and CR have saved some of us from being raped by the financial system, I made a donation to the Rape Crisis Center that Tanta designated.
CR, were Tanta's medical costs covered? Cancer is not just a rotten experience all around, it's expensive and very often not fully covered. One of the major factors driving foreclosures is bankruptcy due to medical costs and job loss.
It's great to give to charity, but I would like first to know that Tanta's family is not left with a burden of debt. Do you have any news on that?
As another Tanta follower, I have to chime in - I was first caught by her wit and erudition. I shared RaindropsKeepFallingonMyPig with a few other Excel-lovers and hope to see more movies. Also buy the t-shirt. As I read more T posts and comments, I came to recognize her integrity, wit, and compassion - if they've influenced many of us, i suspect that might the memorial she would most appreciate. Nonetheless, I'll make donations just to be safe. Heartfelt condolences to all.
And CDS, I agree with all who want as many anecdotes as you choose to share.
Yes that was it! Thank you. How did you search? There are other comments I would like to retrieve.
My family sent a donation to the cancer center in Maryland in memory of Tanta, and I too am awaiting the park bench fund. I was born and spent my childhood in Illinois and like to think of Tanta there.
Thanks, and here is bacon dreamz' mash note. I hope she loved it as much as I did.
bacon dreamz writes:
p.s. i used to think Tanta was sexy with her sweet mortgage knowledge. Then she revealed her age with her old "word processor" machine. Now i think she's super sexy!!!
bacon dreamz | 03.14.07 - 9:46 pm | #
and Tanta's note that precipitated his
outpouring:
Tanta writes:
I don't know, Hoseman, I think it might be a false dollar of security.
What are "SWAPS," by the way?
Many years ago, I rewrote the Secondary Marketing policies for the bank I worked at. It was the olden days; I had a word processor--a cool technology called the IBM DisplayWriter, if anyone else remembers that, with those giant floppy discs--but the old policies I was working with had been typed (on an IBM Selectric, if you want to know). Anyway, at some point the word "swaps" (as in a GSE trade, where I swap a pool of loans for a security) had been changed to SWAPS. Apparently a secretary had decided that was an acronym. Even better, in the final version, a sharp-eyed editor changed it to S.W.A.P.S. I realize there's no point to this story, except that it just sounds like a whole lot scarier a financial instrument when you capitalize it, like the Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Tanta | 03.14.07 - 7:36 pm | #
To CDS (and anyone else who knew Tanta "in real life" -- whatever that is),
As a lurker here for a couple of years, I knew Tanta only from her writing and the interplay with some others in the occasional comment thread I would read through. I was almost always awed by her abilities. As someone with no finance background, I never had anything worth cluttering up the threads to contribute, but I learned a lot by reading them, and immensely enjoyed her humor. As someone trained in philosophy, I also studied some of the things she wrote with an eye to learning about the way economic institutions interact with law, incentives, and those people who exemplify decent behavior, like Tanta. I think there's a lot for me to learn from her.
With that as prelude, if I may selfishly request it, I'd be grateful to hear that she enjoyed in real life some of the happiness she brought us here, and that she had friends, co-workers, etc. that were as appreciative of her, and kind to her, as her efforts here were warm and generous to people like me. It would be nice to think that there's at least that much karmic justice in this world.
I donated to the UM Cancer center in B-more. My father was also treated there. They were wonderful and gave him two extra years which he wouldn't have had if they didn't treat him.
I'll miss Tanta's posts--she taught me a lot about the mess and the Mortgage industry. I used the info a lot as a reference when I wrote my Econ paper.
CDS, I am so sorry for your loss and I will surely miss Tanta. Tanta's brilliance shined so clearly through the internet that we were all just naturally drawn to her. We didn't know her name, her credentials or really much about her background, but her mastery of the subject was so self-evident that we immediately came to trust her.
I think we were so drawn to her in part (and will miss her so much) because during these times of uncertainty and crisis we could turn to her words to receive insight, education and usually a hearty laugh to go with it.
I wish your family the best in dealing with your loss.
I'm afraid to start writing because I could go on and on and while cathartic for me, it would border on the edge of mania. And at the risk of a little egotistical,...most people still don't realize how good Tanta was with the English language. Her ability to communicate not only facts but emotion and state of mind without pausing to edit and rework is phenomenal.
As one bookworm to another I "knew" a lot that she didn't have to write. I know that any time she walked into a library she felt like she was coming home. I "knew" she was attractive and hated to be vain, by casual dismissal of fashion while at the time being cognizant of it. She looked for the good in people, which means she was painfully of the reverse. And most ironically,...being good at so many things and being aware of so many things, I'm sure she was her own harshest critic.
And although her niece is not going to appreciate going down in history as "that clumsy shopper" (did she read that post?) there's no doubt Tanta would have been that most-beloved aunt that some of us have been lucky to have. I'm going to stop now leaving so many more things unsaid, but as Horace said brevis esse laboro, obscurus fio
in working to be concise, I become obscure.
Darn it! should be "painfully aware of" and there are a few more typos are in there. Anyway, although she would deny it, comparing her writing to Mark Twain and George Orwell is not hyperbole,...using exact language, understanding human nature,...I wish she had found more stories to tell us.
Donated to UMMS in memory of Tanta.
Great organization.
CDS - Tanta was a star.
I would also like to donate to a physical marker.
Please post details when available.
Thanks CR - and deeply sorry for the loss of your friend.
c.adejd
CDS, This will not help, but it is just fyi - I am at home using my laptop and following shnaps' instructions for searching and can turn up nothing - even for things that I was able to locate doing exactly the same thing at my office. My point is that the "clumsy shopper" post will be found - it will just take a village on its computers. I can imagine how important these are to you - I did not know your sister except in type and I want to find her answers to my few posts! What a huge presence she was. Keep posting - I think there are many of us who will check back here and try to help in the little ways we can.
You do have to root around in Chico's these days to get past the over-decorated polyester. But hell, it's the one store my mother, my niece and I can visit and all buy something. (My mother and I have also bought clothes at Coldwater Creek, but my niece spent so much time rolling her eyes that she walked into a shelf of sweaters and had to be sent outside to wait for us.)
Tanta | Homepage | 09.10.08 - 1:32 pm | #
Tanta writes:
Blogger hates me, this I know
'Cause the page loads are so slow.
Older posts to us belong
But the look-up takes too long.
Yes, Blogger hates me!
Yes, Blogger hates me.
Yes, Blogger hates me,
The page loads tell me so.
Just a little hymn-singing by a frustrated blogger this morning. Hope all you blogees are having a better time than I am.
Tanta | 09.12.07 - 9:52 am | #
I just wanted to write and say how Tanta influenced my life so that you might get a feel for what she did online.
When I first started reading this site in 2006, I was financially ignorant. It wasn't that I didn't read or consider information, but I tended to believe professionals in the finance business.
Tanta, through her witty, sarcastic and incredibly articulate articles helped to educate me. I still don't know or understand a tenth of what she knew. However, she still managed to instill an inquiring nature in me that allowed me to question conventional wisdom and butt heads with financial bigwigs.
All I can say is that I am so sorry for your loss. I enjoyed discussions with her and will also greatly miss her. She behaved with the highest integrity and by being here she made this world a better place.
I was born and raised in "the Gem City" on Rtes 104 and 72 on the Mississippi to your south and west deep in "Forgottonia Illinois" and practiced law in the city of the orange and blue. I'd like to think of myself taking a little drive to Normal on a sunny afternoon when I'm visiting to sit on that bench with your sister. We'd munch a sandwich, have a cold drink and laugh about the current insanity.
Doris was my first English professor at Illinois State University (English Composition 1 & 2). I am so saddened by hearing about the news of her death. I was unaware of her blogging until a few days ago and I am so delighted by her posts and spirit. She influenced me to write well and often.
For the information of the blog, I intend to find an equivalent local (I.e. Australia) charity or charities to those on Tanta's list and donate to them.
I hope and believe Tanta (* darn it; I'm still tearing up just typing the name *) would understand the supremely prosaic logic, which is that I can donate about 75% more money locally for the same net cost because it's tax deductible.
Dear CDS,
Thank you so much for sharing your stories about your sister, and I hope it helps you to know she touched so many different people.
This is a silly little thing, but my first memory of reading CR was a very funny Tanta post where she snarked about getting "chastized" for cursing during professional meetings.
Apparently, "some people" took exception to Tanta's hurling the F-bomb every now & then, & as "some people" always do, they went sneaking off to management to complain about their delicate sensibilities being offended-- so Tanta retaliated with the "Well FUZZY baby bunny slippers!!" epithets instead... much to their annoyance.
I just loved that-- it was so Tanta-- puncturing the sanctimonious. Wish I could find that post-- I tried the google method outlined above but so far no luck.
I also love knowing that Tanta started off young championing "The Bad Seed"-- one of my all-time favorite movies (& to any here who've not seen the original with Patty McCormick-- go rent it & watch it in memory of Tanta) When we were kids, my own sister & I used to amuse ourselves acting out bits from The Bad Seed-- ("Give me MAH SHOES!!") (& sometimes when drinking in refined restaurants we still do)
How ironic that the adult Tanta, in a way, played Leroy to the mortgage industry's Rhoda. She knew evil when she saw it, and called it for what it was.
Thank you for the suggestions.
I am happy to have made a contribution in her name to a charity of her choice.
Thanks CR.
If Tanta specifically identified WYPR, then ignore this post please.
However, if she lived in Upper Marlboro, then I believe it would have been more likely to be able to pick up WAMU (http://www.wamu.org) which serves the Washington metro area vice YPR (which serves Baltimore.)
Of course, one can listen to any station via the net, practically.
I will send a contribution.
I will continue to snark in her honor.
Someday this war's gonna end...
Tanta was a member of Normal Community High Schools Drama Club and made headlines at 17 with her impassioned plea to the School Board to allow the students to do the play The Bad Seed, considered controversial at the time due to the subject matter and language in the script.
Champion for free speech. Awesome. I didn't realize that you guys did "Saturday Rock Blogging". That's great. Here's a great Pink Floyd one:
Paint Box
YouTube - pink floyd paint box
at 17 with her impassioned plea to the School Board to allow the students to do the play The Bad Seed, considered controversial at the time due to the subject matter and language in the script
I have to laugh. Tanta was always Tanta, wasn't she?
I don't mean to go on ad nauseum here, but I so admire her grit and moxy (?). I hope someone does a wikipedia entry for her. I'd love to know more about her. You go, girl.
As a long time resident of Bloomington-Normal, a product of the Normal, IL educational system, and an Illinois State University graduate, my sincere condolences go out to the family of Tanta.
She had the not-so-subtle ability to clarify and inform in such a civil yet informative way, her contributions and intelligence will be deeply missed, and I am a better person for having bumped into her on the internet. She was one-of-a-kind person. Godspeed.
real people read this stuff.
I recall that Tanta could not read the comments for some time when the reality of the situation became overwhelming for those looking for others making sense of whats happnening.
dont give up on hope.
dream big.
pay your debts.
and work hard.... work hard for those who have less.
I've got the drama club.
Normal, Illinois should consider renaming itself Extraordinary, Illinois.
CDS
Let us know if the family will be setting up any scholarships in her name, a better memorial couldn't be found. For you and yours, know that she touched us all deeply. I'm sure most of us are envious that you've known her so much longer than us-UNFAIR!
May peace be with you.
...Oh, and from an earlier post, just imagine what $700B towards cancer research could do...
Normal, Illinois should consider renaming itself Extraordinary, Illinois.
Maybe, Dawg, 'Normal' is well-named as is. It's the rest of the world that is AB-Normal.
I think that is it. We should all aspire to be so Normal. The world would be a better place, just like Tanta made it.
Done. Thank you CR for your efforts at what has to be a tough time for you.
It's a tough time for your readership. As I once noted to her, the intertubes are a strange place - the person on the other end is anonymous in most ways, but you end up really caring about that entity on the other end.
We agreed a lot. We went at it the proverbial hammer and tongs a couple of times. I'll miss the latter more.
been a cr follower since i decided it was important to keep up on debacle that began when??? 1982/1989/1998/2001....i was drawn to cr for lots of reasons.
tanta being premier...in the land of financial blogs the other gender (f-male) is in absence unless you count cassendra/naked capitalism. being f-male i found tanta's world view absorbing...acerbic when necessary...but above all grass roots knowledge of subject matter. i've had 3 people within my immediate family die of cancer and today i feel that i've lost a fourth member....cheers and salutations....sorry if this shows up in the wrong whatever...1st time poster...
Tanta was brilliant.
I've been going back on some old posts, and comment threads.
Yet another (among the thousands of memorable exchanges) came to mind.
This one I remember in particular on account of feeling my heart drop a little when she wrote this reply back (to a comment of mine which was pretty typical of the type of BS I would give her on the regular):
...and dammit if TANTA wasn't RIGHT AGAIN!....(and I totally owe her a beer should she ever be able to sneak me by St.Pete somehow).
Tanta writes:
Marilyn O'Connor is kind of how I picture Tanta.
Boy are you going to be surprised someday when my obituary picture turns up in the paper.
Tanta | 04.03.08 - 11:34 am | #
She picked those charities Saturday.
She knew. She had to have known.
I'm 47.
Cr, she is probably so proud of you right now.
Chill Bear writes:
"She picked those charities Saturday.
She knew. She had to have known."
Of course she knew. Last year my father told the hospital staff all day that he would die that night. He died at 5:30 the next morning, while it was still dark.
Tanta, thanks for the comments on the Kindle. I hope you are strong enough now to pick up a hardcover dictionary and read it.
Dickeylee - I did ask her about about a scholarship fund and there just wasn't time for us to discuss it. Because you know she'd have to take her time and get it right.
She felt very strongly about the recipients that are listed - except I did kind of talk her into the Drama Club. I think she was afraid someone would scare up a picture of her in her Christine Penmark dress or standing before the School Board waving a sheaf of script pages in the air.
CR,
I hope you're doing ok. Thank you once again.
CR,
Thanks for listing the right places to donate in her name. Certainly, all are worthy causes.
Only 1 goal tomorrow, pick 1 and send something to them that cared.
I don't know if any of you all have ever been to Normal but I've been there a gazallion times - it is a 'splendidly unremarkable' little city. A great place to live full of wonderful everyday people. I stop there all the time on my cris-crossing of Illinois - sometimes staying there overnight (or in nearby Bloomington).
Irony is I used to email Tanta occasionally telling her some of the dumb stuff I had seen while driving across the Midwest - knowing she was a Midwesterner and would 'get it'. Probably did it from her hometown & never even knew.
A lot of people benefitted from Tanta's work,financially and otherwise.Several friends and family members were convinced not to jump into Real Estate or got out of risky investments after being forwarded posts from this blog.One friend of mine promised to buy me dinner anywhere I wanted,any time I was in town for the rest of my life.i take him up on it from time to time,Chez Panisse still has good food.The Rape Crisis center for me,all are worthy.
She knew.
My Mom knew. Her Mom, my grandmother, knew.
A donation is not about us feeling better but rather a part of us fostering the will and spirit of others. There is some latin saying here that I cant recall. Sorry.
I hope peace for her, her family and you Bill. As to the community she fostered, we shall try to gain a bit of peace in our own individual way.
Ya and a lot of people shorted or bought puts because of Tanta, and I would even wager a lot of people bought ABS CDS and made money thanks to her.
--Andrew writes:
"Boy are you going to be surprised someday when my obituary picture turns up in the paper."
I certainly hope that day will be far in the future Tanta.
--Andrew | 04.03.08 - 11:47 am | #
Thanks for reminding me of that comment thread Schnaps.. At the time I thought her response to you was a bit grim and hoped I might cajole her into letting slip the blog persona a little and providing us a hint of how things were going for her. She never did..
Damn how I hate having been panglossian-ly wrong. (Sorry, I had to throw that in there, I think she would have liked the reference.)
Candide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thanks for the donation info CR. I will follow up on them.
I would like to highlight two things I remember Tanta for, early on.
1) Neg-Am for Ubernerds. The first ubernerd post that made me fall in love with her style.
2) When she used to remind us it's not a full-blown crisis until a mtg insurer goes bust.
We've all had that one teacher that we remember all our lives. That one whose lessons and words stick with you. I never thought that I'd ever 'meet' another one of these teachers.
How lucky we are.
Thanks CR. Donation to follow.
CDS - thanks for stopping by, and thanks for the laugh. I hope everyone in her extended family can appreciate how many lives she touched here on this blog.
I kept trying to write something down in the way of a serious euology to pass along to CR today, and each time it felt like I was slipping into hyperbole and I could almost hear Tanta calling out in her BOLD ALL-CAPS to say "oh, stop, already!"
She was, always, waaay too modest. I am so very sorry for your loss.
CR, appreciated that you post the information in Tanta's honor. I do sincerely hope that many others on this blog will follow to extend a donation in her memory.
I am touched by the fact that she picked those charities on Saturday.
I have not often given to charity, never for the cause of a person that I did not know, however I do believe in intellectual stimulus that Tanta provided. May there be in the future a new intellectual blogger amongst us. Perhaps from Illinois State University.
She picked those charities Saturday.
She knew. She had to have known.
She picked them Saturday, not when she was first diagnosed (ie. before she was able to go with the Tanta_vive email). I suspect she took a sharp turn for the worse, and she didn't know, she knew. Damn.
I have been there, and I've done that. That last time period as the inevitable approaches , be it hours or days, is Hell. My sympathies to all those who knew and miss her, but a double dose for those who were aware as then end came.
And now I'm all veklempt.
Lets see what I can do to convince the Normal High School drama club to put on "Mortgage Pig, the Musical!"
One donation headed out to the drama club in the morning.
A scholarship is a great idea.
WBWUCR?
Went to grad school at ISU , and walked by that high school every day. I'll donate.
Thanks for the suggestions, CR. If everyone who read this blog donated 1% of what they made (or avoided losing) by reading what the two of you have shared, those charities could be swamped with money.
It's nice to be able to do something at a time like this, even if it won't get me any more UberNerding.
Since she's not at her keyboard, I'll always imagine Tanta going for a long walk in the rain, musing about the unlikely circumstances that led to someone whose heart is steeped in poetry, dealing in the dry numbers of mortgage finance. (Perhaps seeing an imitation of T.S. Eliot's stint as a bank clerk.)
I'll see what I can do for the Drama Club, not "for the drama", but in the hopes that some of the students throughout the high school might be encouraged to see that there is a larger life out there; more than the mainstream media, more than the daily struggle for status and survival, more than their own narrow circle.
In spirit I'd say Tanta was a latter day Thoreau, living among us and yet seeing with clear eyes the thousand little traps and snares quotidian life has set for us. And like Thoreau, it may seem the effort is wasted on the sophomoric dance of youth, but as long as the true seeds are planted, the harvest comes not in a day, but over their lifetimes.
I hope that her notoriety encourages some to read her posts. Man, they are going to be scandalized to see what the kids are reading!
Thank you for posting those CR. Being an old academic medicine nurse for many years,Ohio State University Medical Center receives my remembrance.
How difficult would it be to publish a book of Tanta's articles and message exchanges?
Mortgage pig t-shirt, yep, I want one. That way, when people ask about my shirt, I can tell them about Tanta and besides, when I were it, I'll remember.
I'm really glad to read of those who were spared jumping in at the wrong time because of Tanta's wise words (or for any other reason). [My friends laugh when I say that house prices will drop.]
Being still a bit of one that follows my own way though, I'll probably look for a 'cancer be gone' organization to donate to. I've known too many people who have suffered to be content with treating those who have gotten it, I'll bet it is more preventable than we think.
Beth
Tanta and I discussed worthy causes for donations on Saturday when we both knew she only had hours to live.
Some of her favorite places we also discussed:
The student union (Memorial Terrace) at UW-M and Lake Mendota.
The Quad at ISU where we attended the annual Rites of Spring - starting while we were in HS, as any local knows.
Sleeping Bear Dunes in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan.
The Garlic Press in Normal, IL.
Stratford, England.
Mount Vernon.
The Thirsty Dog Brew Pub.
St. Julian Winery in Paw Paw, MI.
New York City.
Grandma Tanner's house.
Williams-Sonoma.
San Francisco.
Annapolis. Including the Naval Academy.
South Haven, MI.
The Smithsonian.
Any bookstore.
Park Benches. Especially if there are ducks to feed.
A bar in Des Moines whose name neither of us could remember. Where she and Max and Erika ended their long days at Amerus.
I hope you all don't mind these little blurbs from me. She was my only sister - my only sibling. I'll let you in on who she was in real life while you let me in on who she was in the virtual world.
I grew up in Central Illinois, apparently about 45 minutes from Tanta. I knew she was from the Midwest (I don't know how dryfly knew, but there was a grammatical tic in the "Eunice" comment that nobody outside the midwest could even have heard of) but not exactly where.
I wish I could have shared this with her...There is a town named "Oblong" also nearby, leading to the best newspaper headline ever: "Normal Boy Marries Oblong Girl."
Thank you again, CDS.
CDS, Please keep posting, for us and for you. I loved that list, it reminds me of how important each day is. Tanta's posts all seemed to convey that, which is one of the many things she gave me.
This summer I passed by a village in Scotland that had a park bench in a very central spot, with the following engraving:
1920-2004
Marjorie Wilson
Schoolteacher & Friend
I thought "I can't think of a nicer way to remember someone". Now, I think I will have a mental picture of an Excel bench saying
2005-2008
Tanta
Teacher & Friend
I hope you all don't mind these little blurbs from me. She was my only sister - my only sibling. I'll let you in on who she was in real life while you let me in on who she was in the virtual world.
They're delightful! Thank you so much for sharing.
CR:
Thanks for the updates on donations.
I'm in for the cancer center at Maryland.
ditto what bacon said, CDS! Nice to hear from you again, btw, Dr. Dreamz.
For some reason the reveal that she was from Normal, IL doesn't surprise me at all. It reminded me of yet anotherfun chat in the comments from a ways back after I claimed that Tanta hailed from "Haddonfield, IL".
I hope you all don't mind these little blurbs from me. She was my only sister - my only sibling. I'll let you in on who she was in real life while you let me in on who she was in the virtual world.
CDS | 12.02.08 - 6:41 am | #
I thought "I can't think of a nicer way to remember someone". Now, I think I will have a mental picture of an Excel bench saying
2005-2008
Tanta
Teacher & Friend
Isabel | Homepage | 12.02.08 - 8:31 am | #
CDS, I want to thank you for these snippets into your & Tanta's lives, please keep them coming when you feel up to it.
Isabel, since I first read the news of Tanta's passing, I have wanted nothing more than to donate to a physical memorial of her awesomeness.
I lost a very dear friend to ovarian cancer two years ago and besides donating to cancer research her friends and family also donated to a physical memorial in a peace garden in Sacramento, Ca.
While I am happy to have donated towards research to cure/prevent this disease, nothing gives me more pleasure than to know that Peggy has a beautiful memorial in a place where people can feel happy and see the beauty in Nature.
I would like to donate towards both causes in Tanta's case.
I'll let you in on who she was in real life while you let me in on who she was in the virtual world.
CDS | 12.02.08 - 6:41 am | #
CDS, I think I can speak for us all in saying we'll be waiting with bated breath.... And did you know Tanta was so highly respected here?
CDS, Thank you for sharing your memories of Tanta. I wish the best for you and your family.
Yes CDS thanks - keep blurbs coming! My sister mixed drama club with an English major, which turned her into a highly literate party animal (the very best kind). Couldn't help suspecting the same thing of Tanta as she let us in on her musical tastes, fashion timeline (I think there was a big hair/shoulder pads/earring thread out there somewhere-man I wish I could find that) and drink recipes.
It was really easy to donate - CR big thanks for posting and hanging in there!! Maybe you can add a link to donation post somewhere below the In Memoriam box at top of page? -- lest it get buried by all the news.
Wonder if the drama club could be force-funded into a Bad Seed production each and every year...or maybe the most edgy script of the times?
CR and David did their best to prepare me but no, I really couldn't grasp the reality of her infuence and impact on all of you. I was very lost in my own grief and this has all been very comforting to me and my parents.
I was Hoover to her on here (another old family joke) but I didn't comment - since I was still "in the belly of the beast" as she liked to remind me I felt I needed to observe quietly.
"Not everyone gets the pig, you know" she'd say.
Bacon Dreamz - it is good to hear from you. She and I talked of the pig often and I love the movies. She wanted my help on the pig smacking down the S&P cow but we just ran out of daylight on it.
There are many others of you who I recognize from talking with her. Believe it or not she worried about you when some of you didn't comment for awhile!
I am working today to finish some things we started together last month. She was the finisher - I was the starter. I keep hearing her say "if you're not going to finish that give it to me".
And this time it's not cheesecake.
By the way, CDS, Tanta and I once had an email exchange regarding the origin of her nick-name, in which she also related to me the story of where yours came from, though she said she wasn't telling me the whole unfortunate story because she promised she never would. Still, even though we didn't agree on celery, we did agree that Drambuies on the rocks are totally gross. (She said you always started boasting that the famous Tanta of CR fame was your sister when people bought you enough Drambuies on the rocks--or "whatever horrible thing she's drinking lately"--at the National Secondary.)
The James Fund for Life got my donation, but I'd still love to donate to a place where a physical marker wouldd memorialize her exceptional life.
She would say that.
She forgets I've been grounded from going to the Natl Secondary for the last 3 years. Some companies have no sense of humor.
She wanted my help on the pig smacking down the S&P cow but we just ran out of daylight on it.
Ooh, that sounds like a good one. The last movie she sent me was unfinished too (it's just 80 pages of the Pig dancing--there was no end in sight so we both abandoned it, but it was still funny). Have you seen it?
we here at http://www.fakepaycheckstub.com will miss tanta being appauld and deleting my spam posts! THINGS WONT BE THE SAME HERE! MAY GOD REST HER SOUL!
I'll go back through what she sent me - there were a couple of works in progress.
AnonyMiss and others - my daughter is checking into a bench or tree on ISU's campus (that way my parents can visit easily). I will let you know.
As I read this article on the investor suit RE: loan mods, I couldn't help but remember that it was one of many lessons that Tanta taught us.
When the idea of Mods first began circulating, Tanta was on the blog commenting and patiently explaining the ins and outs of Mods. The very real possibility of law suits by investors was part of her comments.
As she predicted, here they come.
Investor Sues to Block Mortgage Modifications - BusinessWeek
"Investor Sues to Block Mortgage Modifications"
No doubt more of her predictions will come true.
Looking forward to the MGT PIG clothes.
She will be missed.
CDS,
Thank you very much for sharing some of Tanta's favorite places with us. With winter coming to Wisconsin, the Mendota shoreline is starting to ice up. But come springtime, I'll raise a glass in her honor at the Terrace.
bacon dreamz,
Can you locate the comment thread where you wrote you were in love with Tanta, and she wrote back about getting mash notes? I loved it, and don't want to forget anything. It's very strange, I was mostly a lurker, but what a huge part of my life is now missing...
CR, is there any way to retrieve holoscan posts from the last several years? There were some great Tanta comments. Maybe you could post them on the Blog with a separate link for those of us who wish to view them.
Calvert, I have no idea where that might be. Sorry.
AnonyMiss and others - my daughter is checking into a bench or tree on ISU's campus (that way my parents can visit easily). I will let you know.
CDS | 12.02.08 - 9:39 am | #
Thank you. I never really interacted with your sister (I was kinda skeered because she was so smart).
But I always respected, and was in awe of: her wit, her intelligence, and her kindness.
I honestly can't think of anything that would make me happier right now than to give you and your family some comfort.
I hope that doesn't sound too selfish.
CDS-Thanks for sharing more about Tanta. I always loved reading Tanta-and now that I know that she was a fellow drama club/English Major party animal-I look forward to having a drink with her on the other side. G-d, I hope there are no shoulder pads there.
I would love to make a donation to the Tanta Park Bench Memorial. When you can-please let us know where to send donations.
Take care, CDS. We are thinking about you and your family.
CDS,
Your sister was a wonderful writer and an amazing voice here. We share your loss.
J.
CDS,
I too am an ISU alum. Let us CR know about the tribute so he can post a link here.
I did not know your sister as I graduated several years before she did.
Rape Crisis Center, The Sexual Assault Prevention and Survivor Services, ISU
This is in memory of Doris Dungey, Tanta as we knew her at calculatedrisk.blogspot.com. Tanta taught many of us at the online community all the intricacies of Mortgage underwriting, securitization and leverage. Her uber-nerd posts were ahead of time in pinpointing the issues facing us in this economic crisis. The essays were classic, humorous and immensely readable. I will dearly miss the sharp analysis and wit of Tanta in fending my way through these troubled times.
Regards
Sereno Barr-Kumarakulasinghe
p.s. I saw a post about a bench or tree. Please let me/us know. I would love to contribute
CDS,
Thanks for sharing memories of your sister. I have followed her published work on CR for 2+ years and her work has no equal. Period. What happened in '04-'06 in the real estate market, mortgage industry made me start doing research on this subject matter and I stumbled upon CR and Tanta. Excellent researchers and writers, your sister topped it all. A very special person. My condolences to you and your family.
CDS, I don't think you need to hint much to this group. You'll probably actually have a hard time getting us to shut up and stop telling you how much your sister meant to us and/or how great she was.
There will probably always be a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on here for you and a story or two to tell. As virtual as this is, we feel that we have also lost a family member and friend - if this keeps up that is going to be one of the best damn funded drama clubs in Illinois.
I hope it's not to forward of me to say "welcome to the family" (that is if you'll have us)...
Considering that Tanta and CR have saved some of us from being raped by the financial system, I made a donation to the Rape Crisis Center that Tanta designated.
Calvert, I see bacon is still weak with teh google. Was this the thread you were looking for?
HaloScan.com - Comments
CR, were Tanta's medical costs covered? Cancer is not just a rotten experience all around, it's expensive and very often not fully covered. One of the major factors driving foreclosures is bankruptcy due to medical costs and job loss.
It's great to give to charity, but I would like first to know that Tanta's family is not left with a burden of debt. Do you have any news on that?
As another Tanta follower, I have to chime in - I was first caught by her wit and erudition. I shared RaindropsKeepFallingonMyPig with a few other Excel-lovers and hope to see more movies. Also buy the t-shirt. As I read more T posts and comments, I came to recognize her integrity, wit, and compassion - if they've influenced many of us, i suspect that might the memorial she would most appreciate. Nonetheless, I'll make donations just to be safe. Heartfelt condolences to all.
And CDS, I agree with all who want as many anecdotes as you choose to share.
Mary
I don't know how dryfly knew
Cause she said she shopped at an obscure supermarket. He knew it.
CDS thanks for sharing. It means a lot.
BD - good to hear from you too.
CR or others is there anyway to get a compilation of the Mortgage Pig movies? It sounds like there is a lot of them floating around?
Thank you.
Snapes how did you access the old comments in Haloscan?
A donation will be on its way to the Drama Club.
Wouldn't it be great to have a small engraving of Mortgage Pig on the future bench?
CDS, thank you for letting us know a bit more about Tanta. She was truly a Renaissance woman. How fitting that she'd had flowing Raphaelite hair.
Shnaps-
Yes that was it! Thank you. How did you search? There are other comments I would like to retrieve.
My family sent a donation to the cancer center in Maryland in memory of Tanta, and I too am awaiting the park bench fund. I was born and spent my childhood in Illinois and like to think of Tanta there.
Snapes? You know ella, as many times as I've had tell people there is no 'c' in Shnaps, I must confess "Snapes" is a new one.
Anyway, try this method:
Google
Thanks, and here is bacon dreamz' mash note. I hope she loved it as much as I did.
bacon dreamz writes:
p.s. i used to think Tanta was sexy with her sweet mortgage knowledge. Then she revealed her age with her old "word processor" machine. Now i think she's super sexy!!!
bacon dreamz | 03.14.07 - 9:46 pm | #
and Tanta's note that precipitated his
outpouring:
Tanta writes:
I don't know, Hoseman, I think it might be a false dollar of security.
What are "SWAPS," by the way?
Many years ago, I rewrote the Secondary Marketing policies for the bank I worked at. It was the olden days; I had a word processor--a cool technology called the IBM DisplayWriter, if anyone else remembers that, with those giant floppy discs--but the old policies I was working with had been typed (on an IBM Selectric, if you want to know). Anyway, at some point the word "swaps" (as in a GSE trade, where I swap a pool of loans for a security) had been changed to SWAPS. Apparently a secretary had decided that was an acronym. Even better, in the final version, a sharp-eyed editor changed it to S.W.A.P.S. I realize there's no point to this story, except that it just sounds like a whole lot scarier a financial instrument when you capitalize it, like the Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Tanta | 03.14.07 - 7:36 pm | #
I've made a donation in memory of Tanta to the Univ. Maryland Cancer Center.
And CDS, it warms my heart to hear about your sister. Thanks for telling the stories.
To CDS (and anyone else who knew Tanta "in real life" -- whatever that is),
As a lurker here for a couple of years, I knew Tanta only from her writing and the interplay with some others in the occasional comment thread I would read through. I was almost always awed by her abilities. As someone with no finance background, I never had anything worth cluttering up the threads to contribute, but I learned a lot by reading them, and immensely enjoyed her humor. As someone trained in philosophy, I also studied some of the things she wrote with an eye to learning about the way economic institutions interact with law, incentives, and those people who exemplify decent behavior, like Tanta. I think there's a lot for me to learn from her.
With that as prelude, if I may selfishly request it, I'd be grateful to hear that she enjoyed in real life some of the happiness she brought us here, and that she had friends, co-workers, etc. that were as appreciative of her, and kind to her, as her efforts here were warm and generous to people like me. It would be nice to think that there's at least that much karmic justice in this world.
Nades, it was a reference to HyVee Supermarket meatloaf that gave her away as a midwesterner to dryfly.
Here it is.
HaloScan.com - Comments
And Dryfly's Background and HyVee based-business plan that started it all.
HaloScan.com - Comments
I donated to the UM Cancer center in B-more. My father was also treated there. They were wonderful and gave him two extra years which he wouldn't have had if they didn't treat him.
I'll miss Tanta's posts--she taught me a lot about the mess and the Mortgage industry. I used the info a lot as a reference when I wrote my Econ paper.
CDS, I am so sorry for your loss and I will surely miss Tanta. Tanta's brilliance shined so clearly through the internet that we were all just naturally drawn to her. We didn't know her name, her credentials or really much about her background, but her mastery of the subject was so self-evident that we immediately came to trust her.
I think we were so drawn to her in part (and will miss her so much) because during these times of uncertainty and crisis we could turn to her words to receive insight, education and usually a hearty laugh to go with it.
I wish your family the best in dealing with your loss.
Snapes= too much Harry Potter
I'm afraid to start writing because I could go on and on and while cathartic for me, it would border on the edge of mania. And at the risk of a little egotistical,...most people still don't realize how good Tanta was with the English language. Her ability to communicate not only facts but emotion and state of mind without pausing to edit and rework is phenomenal.
As one bookworm to another I "knew" a lot that she didn't have to write. I know that any time she walked into a library she felt like she was coming home. I "knew" she was attractive and hated to be vain, by casual dismissal of fashion while at the time being cognizant of it. She looked for the good in people, which means she was painfully of the reverse. And most ironically,...being good at so many things and being aware of so many things, I'm sure she was her own harshest critic.
And although her niece is not going to appreciate going down in history as "that clumsy shopper" (did she read that post?) there's no doubt Tanta would have been that most-beloved aunt that some of us have been lucky to have. I'm going to stop now leaving so many more things unsaid, but as Horace said brevis esse laboro, obscurus fio
in working to be concise, I become obscure.
Darn it! should be "painfully aware of" and there are a few more typos are in there. Anyway, although she would deny it, comparing her writing to Mark Twain and George Orwell is not hyperbole,...using exact language, understanding human nature,...I wish she had found more stories to tell us.
Donated to UMMS in memory of Tanta.
Great organization.
CDS - Tanta was a star.
I would also like to donate to a physical marker.
Please post details when available.
Thanks CR - and deeply sorry for the loss of your friend.
c.adejd
OK sdtfs - you are all better than I am at this. I can't locate "that clumsy shopper" post. Is it from '06 when Kate took Tanta to Chemo?
CDS, This will not help, but it is just fyi - I am at home using my laptop and following shnaps' instructions for searching and can turn up nothing - even for things that I was able to locate doing exactly the same thing at my office. My point is that the "clumsy shopper" post will be found - it will just take a village on its computers. I can imagine how important these are to you - I did not know your sister except in type and I want to find her answers to my few posts! What a huge presence she was. Keep posting - I think there are many of us who will check back here and try to help in the little ways we can.
Is it from '06 when Kate took Tanta to Chemo?
It was this one about Ann Taylor stores:
Calculated Risk: Actually, They Hate You Too
You do have to root around in Chico's these days to get past the over-decorated polyester. But hell, it's the one store my mother, my niece and I can visit and all buy something. (My mother and I have also bought clothes at Coldwater Creek, but my niece spent so much time rolling her eyes that she walked into a shelf of sweaters and had to be sent outside to wait for us.)
Tanta | Homepage | 09.10.08 - 1:32 pm | #
Shnaps,
Many thanks, I will try it.
On the spelling of Shnaps... some times the mind, fingers, key board thing just doesn't come together.
Shnaps,
I did it. WOW! I had no idea all of those comments still existed.
Tanta writes:
Blogger hates me, this I know
'Cause the page loads are so slow.
Older posts to us belong
But the look-up takes too long.
Yes, Blogger hates me!
Yes, Blogger hates me.
Yes, Blogger hates me,
The page loads tell me so.
Just a little hymn-singing by a frustrated blogger this morning. Hope all you blogees are having a better time than I am.
Tanta | 09.12.07 - 9:52 am | #
HaloScan.com - Comments
I did it. WOW! I had no idea all of those comments still existed.
And I add - haloscan comments.
After nuclear fallout, they say the only things that will survive will be cockroaches and Cher.
Outsider,
True but only Cher and the cockroaches will be readily identifiable. Absent the internet / computers / code ... who knows about haloscan.
Upon rediscovery into the distant future the scientist of the day will wonder? Just what was a Tanta mortgage pig anyway.
CDS,
I just wanted to write and say how Tanta influenced my life so that you might get a feel for what she did online.
When I first started reading this site in 2006, I was financially ignorant. It wasn't that I didn't read or consider information, but I tended to believe professionals in the finance business.
Tanta, through her witty, sarcastic and incredibly articulate articles helped to educate me. I still don't know or understand a tenth of what she knew. However, she still managed to instill an inquiring nature in me that allowed me to question conventional wisdom and butt heads with financial bigwigs.
All I can say is that I am so sorry for your loss. I enjoyed discussions with her and will also greatly miss her. She behaved with the highest integrity and by being here she made this world a better place.
Thanks, bacon. Another classic thread. Even tho I had very little to add on that one.
CDS-
Count me in on the park bench fund.
I was born and raised in "the Gem City" on Rtes 104 and 72 on the Mississippi to your south and west deep in "Forgottonia Illinois" and practiced law in the city of the orange and blue. I'd like to think of myself taking a little drive to Normal on a sunny afternoon when I'm visiting to sit on that bench with your sister. We'd munch a sandwich, have a cold drink and laugh about the current insanity.
Doris was my first English professor at Illinois State University (English Composition 1 & 2). I am so saddened by hearing about the news of her death. I was unaware of her blogging until a few days ago and I am so delighted by her posts and spirit. She influenced me to write well and often.
For the information of the blog, I intend to find an equivalent local (I.e. Australia) charity or charities to those on Tanta's list and donate to them.
I hope and believe Tanta (* darn it; I'm still tearing up just typing the name *) would understand the supremely prosaic logic, which is that I can donate about 75% more money locally for the same net cost because it's tax deductible.
Dear CDS,
Thank you so much for sharing your stories about your sister, and I hope it helps you to know she touched so many different people.
This is a silly little thing, but my first memory of reading CR was a very funny Tanta post where she snarked about getting "chastized" for cursing during professional meetings.
Apparently, "some people" took exception to Tanta's hurling the F-bomb every now & then, & as "some people" always do, they went sneaking off to management to complain about their delicate sensibilities being offended-- so Tanta retaliated with the "Well FUZZY baby bunny slippers!!" epithets instead... much to their annoyance.
I just loved that-- it was so Tanta-- puncturing the sanctimonious. Wish I could find that post-- I tried the google method outlined above but so far no luck.
I also love knowing that Tanta started off young championing "The Bad Seed"-- one of my all-time favorite movies (& to any here who've not seen the original with Patty McCormick-- go rent it & watch it in memory of Tanta) When we were kids, my own sister & I used to amuse ourselves acting out bits from The Bad Seed-- ("Give me MAH SHOES!!") (& sometimes when drinking in refined restaurants we still do)
How ironic that the adult Tanta, in a way, played Leroy to the mortgage industry's Rhoda. She knew evil when she saw it, and called it for what it was.
I am very sorry for your loss, CDS.