Beginning the "Great Pack"

My Everlasting SoulMate somehow got picked to head up the move. Mostly, this was because I have my hands full working, coordinating the metric butt-load of paperwork for the new house, and hassling negotiating with the current owners about things we want fixed. To be fair, I am working on my office a bit at a time...but progress is slow.

I did get my act together (mostly) for the recent "e-cycle" event. For those that don't know, that is when one of these technology recycling companies comes to your area and (for a small fee) will take all your old electronic devices off your hands. Then they take them, strip them down, sort the pieces into different types of materials, then crush the crap out of them and reclaim all the useful compounds. Very ecologically responsible. And, in my case, now I don't have to move all that stuff! I took several old servers, monitors, workstations, a broken VCR and several other old bits and pieces. Don't worry fellow geeks...I still have plenty of good stuff left. [grin]

The ESM has been hard at work, packing the rest of the house. She's got quite far in the short time she's been working on it. There is still a ways to go yet, but there certainly are a lot of sealed boxes cropping up and an ever decreasing amount of our stuff visible.

We decided that the days of offering beer and pizza to our friends in exchange for the use of their muscles to move, were over. So, we're going to break down and hire professional movers to come do the heavy lifting. I still plan to move our computer, audio, video and kitchen-type breakables myself. Frankly, I just don't trust anyone but myself to move my 42" LCD, my workstation or any of the rest. Then, if I screw up and damage something, I can only beat my own head against the wall. Everyone else's noggin' is safe.

Looks like we only have a few more hurdles to get over before the closing date looms. Our seller resolution list is mostly done, and the few things that are left are either in the works to be done, or they have decided they won't do. I'm a little disappointed about the couple of items they decided were too much, but our real estate agent tells me that's the way these things go right now. I can do nothing but accept that as the truth, kick some sand around in frustration and then move on.

I just want everyone to know I just found out I am psychic. You want to know how I found out? I was following the Rockies game on the computer tonight, and when the top of the ninth came around and they were down 4-0, I had my moment of clarity. Barmes was on first with one out, after being hit by a pitch. Here comes Spilborghs to the plate, and I said to the screen, "I bet he grounds into a double-play." Sure enough, on a 3-2 pitch he grounds into the DP! Things just haven't went their way in NY this trip. I hope they can turn their mojo around tomorrow.

Nighty-night y'all. Sundown, out--

A Little Closer

Home ownership is looking somewhat more likely this week, despite a few setbacks.

The home inspection turned up a rather serious issue that we have been going back and forth with the sellers over. Looks like today, for the first time, there may be light at the end of the tunnel that is NOT a train. I'll know more probably next week on the issue.

On the home front, my Everlasting SoulMate and I have been going through the arduous process of sorting through five-plus years of detritus we've collected in the house we're renting. This is of course in preparation to move it to another location. Actually, we don't WANT to move it all, so with a heavy hand and at times a heavy heart, we are creating three piles. One to keep, one for donations to various worthy charities, and one for the stuff that is not even worth donating. I am still at a loss as to why that third pile is as large as it is. If it wasn't such good stuff in the first place, why did we end up keeping it?!? I wish I could find a way to curb my pack-rat tendencies, but I haven't been able to do that in more than forty years...what hope do I have now? Anyway, packing is progressing slowly but steadily. In about three years, I am confident we will be ready to move. :-) I'm kidding, it will only take two and a half years.

I am still shaking my head that someone is actually willing to say they will lend us over $200,000 to buy a house. I never thought that day would come, especially sitting in college classes, racking up student loan debt faster than I could learn all the stuff they were trying in vain to teach me. Of course, I thought I'd be a bachelor the rest of my life at that point too...and look how that turned out! :-) Hi, hon!

We've been doing some wishful thinking and planning out a few changes for the place. Little things like new colors for a few rooms, new light fixtures, and demo-ing the basement. Somehow that third one just doesn't seem as small as the other two, does it? Doesn't to me, for sure. But, looks like it will need to be done. When you buy a thirty-plus year old house, and the original owner probably finished the basement in a weekend the first week they owned the house, it's bound to have a few issues. And boy, does THIS one have issues! I think they started on the beers a little bit before they were done.

However, all the back-breaking work of undoing the current basement does have it's upside...I have tentative approval from the boss (my ESM) to finally build something I've been dreaming about for a long time. My very own home theater! I know, I know...we still have to get to closing before that dream can even hope to be fulfilled. I am also very aware that this will be one of those work-in-progress things for a couple of years, only moving forward when I can afford to. But, that isn't stopping me from doing a little online "window shopping."

In other news...there is no other news. "NEW HOUSE" is blazoned across the entire virtual sky in my mind and imagination in huge, bold, fiery letters, with no way for anything else to really grab any attention. Which is a shame, as I would really like to spend more time with the CitiesXL beta. Maybe I can sneak away from packing this weekend and take a little gaming break. Oops, I think I just let that cat out of the bag. Drat.

You're going to do WHAT???

I’ve been a bit preoccupied lately…as I’m sure you’ve noticed.

In my defense, we are in the process of buying a house.

This is a doubly big step for me, as I have never actually owned a home yet. And, I technically still won’t for thirty years, but I will be PAYING on a mortgage for a home rather than renting. This is somewhat new territory.

I’ve been waiting for several years now to think about buying. I knew the housing market was due for a “correction.” Just wasn’t prepared for how big a correction it took! But, I’m sure there are very few out there that would deny that now is a very good time to buy, if you are in a position to do so. We are, interestingly enough. Wouldn't have expected to hear myself say that ten years ago. However, it would not have been possible without a lot of hard work, and the great care that my Everlasting SoulMate has taken with our finances. She's done a lot for us. Thank you hon!

We’re doing the whole FHA, first-time-buyer thing, which makes down payments and such easier. We’ve also got the sellers to agree to pay closing costs, which cuts down on the cash we have to bring to closing. Don’t get me wrong…we’ll be bringing a substantial amount of money to the deal; however it won’t break our bank or our budget.

As you can surmise, we had an offer accepted. That’s a big step, and wasn’t without a few days of drama. We lost one house to a better offer, and almost lost this one to a cash offer. But, with hard work, perseverance, and an insane amount of luck, we won out!

Our victory dance was short lived, as we began to realize how long the journey through the minefield of inspections, paperwork, etc. leading up to closing was.

We just did the inspection, which went about as well as expected on a thirty-plus year old house. There are some issues, but none of them are show-stoppers yet. We’ll see how the negotiating goes with the seller on fixing the issues that need attention.

I cannot say enough about how important our agent and our lender have been through this process. If I could offer one piece of advice to another first-timer, it would be this: Find yourself a great agent and a great lender before you find a great house. They have helped us SO much I can’t even begin to put a price on it.

We’re hoping to close sometime in late August, get moved and be in place before September 1^st. We’ll see how close we get to that goal.

My Absence

So here's the thing. I got back from vacation and immediately had a ton of stuff at work to do, even though before I left I had carefully planned for things that could go wrong and completed a bunch of stuff so it didn't go wrong. It never fails. No matter how much I try to anticipate, crappola goes wrong I never saw coming. Ugh.

So, I spent a whole week working 47 hours a day cleaning all that mess up, only to have the next week eaten by training. Yep, you read right...a whole week's worth of I.T.-type training from 9am to 5pm. Now, I will admit the subject was enjoyable, but the amount of time away from my daily routine became somewhat long towards the end. I guess I can't complain too much...since I was the one who set up the training. :-)

At work we are getting a new packaged intranet system, and the training was for my department to become familiar with all the inner-workings before we have to start training/helping others move information into the new system. The gentleman that came from the company to train us was very nice, but VERY German. Dark hair, square jaw, thick Bavarian accent, the works. Since I put the training together, I got elected to organize lunches and such for him during his visit. The conversations we had over our meals together were enjoyable and I learned a ton.

For instance, I had not known that Germany has what our trainer described as a "church tax." If you belong to a church, the government automatically deducts 7% from your paycheck each month to give to the church. Consequently, there has been a sharp decline in the number of active church-goers in recent years. Stands to reason for sure...but was not something I had any inkling about.

Once I got through the week of training, I spent last week catching up on all the things I didn't get done the week before, plus showing off the new intranet software to some of the high muckity-mucks, plus scrubbing the plans and specifications for one of the new facilities we're building. We are getting ready for the final 100% construction documents to come out, so we can break ground in two months. I'll post in the near future more about that project and my role...but suffice to say it has taken a LOT of my time of late.

Then, to top it all off...I caught cold! IN JUNE!!! How screwed up is that?!? And, to add insult to injury, I came down with it on Friday night. Now I'm a reasonable guy...if I have to be sick, make it during the week! Then I can at least get some extra time off...but oh no! I HAD to get sick on a Friday and ruin my weekend with it! Grrr!! I am feeling some better today, but still not 100%...maybe 75%.

Oh, as a side note, the Rockies have been on a tear lately, haven't they! Last three series have been sweeps! I'm glad to see they're almost back to .500 now. Hopefully the next time they lose won't start another 10-game tail-spin. Tampa Bay starting tomorrow for three...and the Rays have also been doing well. Maybe we'll get a little of that old Coors Field magic back and keep on rolling!

Around the world and home again...

Well, it wasn't exactly "around the world" but the feeling of distance from my ordinary, everyday routine was quite large. I've had a week back now, and despite my predictions earlier in the week to my Everlasting SoulMate, I do NOT feel a need for a vacation again. Give me another week or two, and I'm sure I will. [grin!]

We took lots of digital images and video during the trip, and I have them all on the network now for my ESM and I to enjoy. (Hi honey!) I was somewhat disappointed to find out that some of the video I took with my new-to-me MiniDV camcorder did not work. It's like the tracking is off, or the tape wasn't tensioned properly before shooting. Bummer. Some of it does work, so I'll salvage what I can and hopefully come up with enough to make a decent 30-45 minute DVD of the trip for consumption by the parental units and anyone else foolish enough to ask about my trip. Heh.

During our first weekend back, my ESM took me to a movie. We saw "Star Trek" at the Movie Tavern in Aurora. First things first, I am a dyed-in-the-wool, true-blue, stark, raving lunatic of a Trekker. I must say, I had many reservations about how this movie and it's "alternate universe" storyline, would treat the canon I hold so dear. But, I decided by seeing it at the Movie Tavern, at least I would get a good lunch from the deal, even if the movie reeked.

I am glad to say, the movie was fairly enjoyable. However, there were some trouble spots. I'll get to those in a minute. Let's talk good points first.

Beware, Movie Spoilers Ahead!!! Find the matching double-line below and read on from there if you don't want to spoil parts of the film.

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Still here?  Good, here we go.

The casting for this film was probably the most successful I have seen in a while. I bought almost all of the characters, with McCoy, Scotty and Chekov as the best three. Karl Urban as Bones was awesome! He had me hooked after the first scene he was in. Kirk and alternate Spock are decent, but are not without some issues. Chris Pine as Kirk has the swagger, the mannerisms and the characteristic dry wit down...but his attempts at romantic encounters are not as smooth and sophisticated (if you can call it that!) as Jim Kirk's were in Star Trek:TOS. Some would argue that is because he is young...yes I suppose you could say that. But it still didn't sit right with me.

Spock is indeed both human and Vulcan, but his human side is a bit too pronounced for me in this film. I know, I know...he saw his mother and most of the Vulcan race wiped out. But IMHO, Spock would not have lashed out at anyone like he did at Kirk, even when provoked. Some might argue that with me, but there it is.

Ok, now some bad points. First, does ANYONE like the Kobyashi Maru scene??? I sure didn't. Too much lackadaisical attitude, especially from Kirk. Eating an apple during the test? Come on! And just having the simulation shut down momentarily, then start up with the changes? No way! Kirk would have been more dramatic! That scene alone just about ruined the movie for me.

The "villian."  Nero is way too 2D. No depth at all, no real motivation, no quirks, no energy, almost no life at all. And wash that crap off your face already! (see the movie, you'll understand.)

And, finally, the Enterprise. TNG and DS9 both recreated portions of the old NCC-1701 for the small screen, and were pretty successful at it. Then Paramount started reissuing TOS with new computer-generated graphics, and the new-old ship was very nice to see. True to the original 1960s version, but updated nicely and looking sharp! I was hoping J.J. Abrams would just carry over some of those graphics to the big screen, but flesh out the inside some more. You know, the old transporter room, sick bay, engineering...all redone with care and reverence for the originals. Well, that's a big negatory, good buddy! The new version of the ship is well executed, but it would be much more appropriate for replacing the NCC-1701A from "Star Trek IV:The Voyage Home", not the original great bird of the galaxy. Where are the blinking lights, the push-buttons, the gray-colored bridge with the red railing? I would have believed the film a lot more if they had been more true to the original designs of the ship, instead of taking the typical Hollywood path of "updating" it to be in line with modern technology. It looks a bit too much like a warp-capable iPod for me. Alternate universe, bah.

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End of Spoilers.

Anyway, the film is an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours. But don't expect too much from it.

Next week is going to be interesting. We purchased some new intranet software at work to replace an in-house programmed intranet site. The company we purchased it from included a week's worth of on-site training for our IT staff. The training begins on Monday, hosted by a very nice gentleman who has a German accent thick enough to cut with a knife and spread on toast. I know I shouldn't go goose-stepping around the room or anything like that, but it's hard not to imagine that kind of thing in my mind's eye. More information will be forthcoming as the week progresses.

Sundown, Out.

The Last Few Days of Freedom

Vacation-time is winding down, and while we've had a great time...I am starting to look forward to a few things about being home.

The kitties, for instance. It is always nice to have some time away from the 'constant companionship.' Don't get me wrong, I love them a lot. But being away from them, and knowing they are being well cared for, helps me relax even more. However, I have begun to miss them and look forward to petting and playing with them.

My own bed is also calling to me. I love traveling, but sleeping in my own bed sounds very nice right now. The house here used to have a good bed...but sometime in the last 20 months, the owner replaced it. The new one is...let's just say it has more in common with a morgue slab than a mattress. We even went so far as to put blankets and the duvee cover on top and sleep on top of all of that. It helped a bit, but not enough. Maybe by the time we come back it will have broken down some and be more comfortable. My own bed is definitely sounding good right now.

My techie toys are also on my mind. Unplugging for two weeks sounds great sometimes, especially after a hard work week. I do great for the first week, generally. It is nice to just be in the moment and enjoy my time with my ESM, without all the other stuff intruding. However, after that, the jonesing starts for my Internet fix. The house here is right on the ocean, and has a spectacular view (pictures will be forthcoming). There is NO high-speed Internet and very little cell service. But, there is a land-line phone and the house does have cable TV. The latter is starting to give me a weird guilt-trip.

Here I am, sitting in front of this wonderful view 24x7, and what I really want to sit in front of is the TV??? What kind of sicko am I?!? After some thought, I have begun to understand, or maybe I'm just justifying to myself...you be the judge.

I live in Colorado, right? Lots of beautiful mountains around. To a flat-lander, coming to and being in the mountains must seem wondrous. I'm sure those folks do the same thing I've done last week...sit and just stare at the scenery for hours. But, after living in Colorado all my life, seeing the mountains constantly, you begin to take for granted they are there. Complacency sets in. And we, as humans, starting looking for something new and shiny to focus on. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

I will be sorry to leave this place. The ocean offers a calming influence I really appreciate. Unfortunately, reality is about to intrude again.

Sundown, Out --


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Sent from my trusty Blackberry

Oceans and Such

These posts while I am on vacation will be mercifully short, since I am writing on my Blackberry.

There is a quote, and I do not know who said it or if it was a line in a song or what. I'll worry about looking it up later. It says to, "Give your troubles to the sea." I think I am beginning to understand what that means. Sitting here beside the ocean on the coast of Oregon, it seems very easy to relinquish my worries, stresses and fears to the waves. The sights and sounds of them have the seemingly unique ability to make me forget about my working world back in Colorado, and fully decompress and relax.

My Everlasting SoulMate and I took a drive north up highway 101 yesterday. She said she needed to get out, since we got cooped up in the house the day before with a huge rainstorm that lasted all day. We went all the way to Seaside and stopped for lunch at the Bigfoot Steakhouse on the south side of town. If you're ever there it's worth the stop...kitschy Bigfoot statues, footprints and all. My ESM had the "triple S", which was a soup, salad and slab of cheese-bread. I went with the clam strips, which were the size of chicken tenders back home. Huge!

We then stopped in at one of our favorite places, the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Again, if you're in the area, I highly recommend it! We took the tour again (self-guided), bought some cheese to bring back and had dessert...ice cream!

Watching the sunset from the deck last night, with a cold adult beverage, was a fitting way to end a wonderful day.

I can't wait to find out what adventures lay ahead of us during our stay! I'll keep y'all posted.

-- Sundown, Out


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Sent from my trusty Blackberry