We have stupid reality shows and the Japanese have this.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Housing Post #1 - is it supposed to happen like this?
So, Steve and I recently decided to get into the real estate market. The market left us behind 5 or so years ago when everyone was buying houses with no money down, no inspection, etc., for crazy money and bizarre loan schemes. We were happy where we were living, were happy paying low rent and spending our hard earned money on booze, food, and entertainment.
However, we regularly cruised neighborhoods and pulled leaflets out of every for sale sign that attracted us. We dreamed of winning the lottery so we could buy the house of our dreams. Right. Silly boys.
We talked to our first realtor 3 weeks ago. Nice guy, Portland Alternative Realty. I liked him enough. Steve got a "meh" vibe. So, I remembered that I had a friend who's partner opened her own realty office. EXIT Realty. Jen, it's Nancy's partner (Nancy of DCI fame). We met with her two Thursdays ago. We chatted, she seemed nice, knowledgeable (35+ years in the Portland market), and Steve got a good vibe. Great.
She started sending us listings in our price range and minor wants (it was all about price and location for us). Some in St John's, some in NE, some in SE (next to the scary Apostolic Christian compound). We would send her back notes on the ones we liked and she created a list of 9 houses we were to look at on our first trip out together on Saturday.
We saw some nice homes. All in our price range, some in the right neighborhoods, but not quite right for one reason or another. My favorite before 5 pm Saturday was an attached townhouse on Multnomah Ave in the Lloyd district (technically Sullivan's Gulch). Banked owned foreclosure property, run down, needing some work, but good potential for a 3-4 year turnaround. Not crazy about the work and cost, but it wasn't a terrible option.
Then we saw our house. Really.
The last house on our first tour was a great house on SE Tacoma (2800 block). Just east of 99E. Nice wooden fencing. 3 bedrooms, 2.1 bathrooms, nice floor plan, fireplace, outside deck, well kept yard which overlooks the 5th green and 6th tee of the Eastmoreland Golf Course. Master bedroom balcony overlooking the same vista. Double garage plus parking for 5 or 6 other cars. Right price. Not our target location, but too much house not to seriously like it.
So, we came home. Went out to dinner with Matt and Kellie. Talked about it and decided to go for it. Crazy.
Steve called our realtor (Pam) this morning and told her we were interested in making an offer. She said she'd start the paperwork. Steve called me at work today and we filled out the loan application online over the phone (Steve typed, I answered his questions). I left work at 5 pm. Pam met us at our house at 6 pm. We talked it over and decided to definitely go for it. We initialed 900 times (or so it seemed) on all these offer docs, disclosure agreements, etc. She left our house at 7:30 pm. Her plan was to talk to the listing agent to arrange a time to present our offer herself to the sellers. Because it was Sunday and late, we expected to hear back tomorrow.
After she left, we talked about moving and decorating, packing, and weekly visits to the garbage dump. Then we started talking about alternatives: what if they say no? do we wait to get back in the search? do we slow down this crazy 36 hour train? do we think about the problem property in Lloyd? Oh, well, it was nice to dream.
Pam called at 9 or so. They accepted our offer.
Check it out!
However, we regularly cruised neighborhoods and pulled leaflets out of every for sale sign that attracted us. We dreamed of winning the lottery so we could buy the house of our dreams. Right. Silly boys.
We talked to our first realtor 3 weeks ago. Nice guy, Portland Alternative Realty. I liked him enough. Steve got a "meh" vibe. So, I remembered that I had a friend who's partner opened her own realty office. EXIT Realty. Jen, it's Nancy's partner (Nancy of DCI fame). We met with her two Thursdays ago. We chatted, she seemed nice, knowledgeable (35+ years in the Portland market), and Steve got a good vibe. Great.
She started sending us listings in our price range and minor wants (it was all about price and location for us). Some in St John's, some in NE, some in SE (next to the scary Apostolic Christian compound). We would send her back notes on the ones we liked and she created a list of 9 houses we were to look at on our first trip out together on Saturday.
We saw some nice homes. All in our price range, some in the right neighborhoods, but not quite right for one reason or another. My favorite before 5 pm Saturday was an attached townhouse on Multnomah Ave in the Lloyd district (technically Sullivan's Gulch). Banked owned foreclosure property, run down, needing some work, but good potential for a 3-4 year turnaround. Not crazy about the work and cost, but it wasn't a terrible option.
Then we saw our house. Really.
The last house on our first tour was a great house on SE Tacoma (2800 block). Just east of 99E. Nice wooden fencing. 3 bedrooms, 2.1 bathrooms, nice floor plan, fireplace, outside deck, well kept yard which overlooks the 5th green and 6th tee of the Eastmoreland Golf Course. Master bedroom balcony overlooking the same vista. Double garage plus parking for 5 or 6 other cars. Right price. Not our target location, but too much house not to seriously like it.
So, we came home. Went out to dinner with Matt and Kellie. Talked about it and decided to go for it. Crazy.
Steve called our realtor (Pam) this morning and told her we were interested in making an offer. She said she'd start the paperwork. Steve called me at work today and we filled out the loan application online over the phone (Steve typed, I answered his questions). I left work at 5 pm. Pam met us at our house at 6 pm. We talked it over and decided to definitely go for it. We initialed 900 times (or so it seemed) on all these offer docs, disclosure agreements, etc. She left our house at 7:30 pm. Her plan was to talk to the listing agent to arrange a time to present our offer herself to the sellers. Because it was Sunday and late, we expected to hear back tomorrow.
After she left, we talked about moving and decorating, packing, and weekly visits to the garbage dump. Then we started talking about alternatives: what if they say no? do we wait to get back in the search? do we slow down this crazy 36 hour train? do we think about the problem property in Lloyd? Oh, well, it was nice to dream.
Pam called at 9 or so. They accepted our offer.
Check it out!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Saturday, April 05, 2008
N.C. Biscuits have arrived
This past Thursday, Steve and I began the process of buying a house. We met with a Credit Union mortgage adviser and then met a realtor. In between, we found some time to have breakfast. This post is all about the breakfast (real estate posts to follow later).
The spot next to the Triple Nickel has been many things since we moved into the neighborhood: a kid's clothing store, a skate shop, and a coffee shop. The latest business to move in is Pine State Biscuits. They used to have a booth at the PSU farmer's market, but now they have set up shop.
I read something about it on a recent post on PortlandFoodandDrink.com blog.
The food is great. The biscuits are crunchy and flaky and moist and tasty. Steve ordered the egg, cheese, and sausage biscuit while I ordered the egg, cheese, and bacon sandwich. Delicious!
They have gravy, grits, honey, and pimento spread to go with the biscuits. They also have buttermilk fried chicken. I know!
Prepare yourself, Noland. Their pièce de résistance is "The Reggie": a biscuit sandwich with fried chicken, bacon, cheese and topped with country sausage gravy. Oh my. The deluxe comes with a fried egg. Esquire recently dubbed this very sandwich one of the best sandwiches in the country.
Although the place is small (only four tables and a bar that seats 5 or so), the food is worth it. We highly recommend it.
The spot next to the Triple Nickel has been many things since we moved into the neighborhood: a kid's clothing store, a skate shop, and a coffee shop. The latest business to move in is Pine State Biscuits. They used to have a booth at the PSU farmer's market, but now they have set up shop.
I read something about it on a recent post on PortlandFoodandDrink.com blog.
The food is great. The biscuits are crunchy and flaky and moist and tasty. Steve ordered the egg, cheese, and sausage biscuit while I ordered the egg, cheese, and bacon sandwich. Delicious!
They have gravy, grits, honey, and pimento spread to go with the biscuits. They also have buttermilk fried chicken. I know!
Prepare yourself, Noland. Their pièce de résistance is "The Reggie": a biscuit sandwich with fried chicken, bacon, cheese and topped with country sausage gravy. Oh my. The deluxe comes with a fried egg. Esquire recently dubbed this very sandwich one of the best sandwiches in the country.
Although the place is small (only four tables and a bar that seats 5 or so), the food is worth it. We highly recommend it.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Roomba for your lawn!
For those of you who hate mowing the grass (or moss in our case), here's the answer for you - the Automower!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Building the future, shaking the present?
Here's something mildly interesting. I was talking to THE Mike Douglas about this last night at Plan B.
- Apparently, we have created a building so heavy that it may be causing mini-quakes. Yikes.
- Also, here is an artist's rendition of how cities in the future will be re-designed from car-cities to ecological pedestrian cities.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Interesting tidbits from the Information Superhighway
- Slaughtered pigs plot their revenge?
- This is a perfect example of how we don't export Democracy, we export Capitalism. This binding arbitration nonsense has to stop.
- For you Covey fans, here's a stylized version: Seven habits of highly effective spaceship captains. My favorite - #3. Don't be afraid to hookup with cute spacemen.
- Ricky Gervais' new movie.
- MST3K fans rejoice! (sort of) From io9.com - MST3K Crew Reunites for Post-Robot Mayhem (with funny preview video)
- Noland? Is this what made you sick?
- We're staying at a Travelodge on our next vacation for sure.
- Finally, for better or worse, this kind of stuff makes me feel good.
- This is a perfect example of how we don't export Democracy, we export Capitalism. This binding arbitration nonsense has to stop.
- For you Covey fans, here's a stylized version: Seven habits of highly effective spaceship captains. My favorite - #3. Don't be afraid to hookup with cute spacemen.
- Ricky Gervais' new movie.
- MST3K fans rejoice! (sort of) From io9.com - MST3K Crew Reunites for Post-Robot Mayhem (with funny preview video)
- Noland? Is this what made you sick?
- We're staying at a Travelodge on our next vacation for sure.
- Finally, for better or worse, this kind of stuff makes me feel good.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Football and the most recent failure of "America's Team"
I'm an unapologetic fan of the Dallas Cowboys. I've been a Cowboy fan longer than most readers of this blog have been alive. (That doesn't mean you, Noland, you're too old for that.) I have felt the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat as a fan. From Roger "the Doger" Staubach and the 70's to "No!" Danny "broken wrist" White, Gary Hogeboom, and Steve Pelluer, I have lived and died with the Cowboys. From the inception of the Hail Mary to "The Catch" and the Seattle Slip, I have supported the 'boys. When the hick from Arkansas bought the team and fired the only coach they have ever know (a jerk, to be sure) to replace him with his successful college buddy, I stood by and continued to be a fan.
So, I keep on truckin'.
It is not easy to be a fan of the good team from Texas. No siree. Those of you haters out there know exactly what I'm talking about. You take every opportunity to hate the Cowboys. That's fine. I don't care. America's Team? Whatever.
Anyway, I'm fine with them losing to the Giants last week. They played poorly and didn't deserve to win. The defense couldn't tackle, the offensive line couldn't block, and the receivers couldn't catch passes. The kicking team played like high-schoolers and the offense (Tony and the crew) couldn't take advantage of a banged up secondary for the second year in a row. The killer was the NY Giants drive at the end of the first half. Stop them and they go into halftime ahead 14-7 with the ball to start the 3rd quarter. Instead, the defense decided to let Eli look like a Pro Bowl QB and allowed the WRs to catch passes and get out of bounds. The NY offense was so efficient that they scored the TD in 51 seconds and didn't have to use either of the 2 timeouts they had left. Plus, even the Baltimore Ravens can't expect to score only 17 points in a playoff game and win.
So now I am a Green Bay Packers fan. There are four possible outcomes left, including four possible headlines. Only one of them is interesting to me. See if you can spot it.
Perfect Pats
Norv Turner Vindicated or Norv Turner Proves Critics Wrong
A Manning Dynasty or The Other Manning Wins
Favre Wins, Announces Retirement from Football
Go Pack, Go!
So, I keep on truckin'.
It is not easy to be a fan of the good team from Texas. No siree. Those of you haters out there know exactly what I'm talking about. You take every opportunity to hate the Cowboys. That's fine. I don't care. America's Team? Whatever.
Anyway, I'm fine with them losing to the Giants last week. They played poorly and didn't deserve to win. The defense couldn't tackle, the offensive line couldn't block, and the receivers couldn't catch passes. The kicking team played like high-schoolers and the offense (Tony and the crew) couldn't take advantage of a banged up secondary for the second year in a row. The killer was the NY Giants drive at the end of the first half. Stop them and they go into halftime ahead 14-7 with the ball to start the 3rd quarter. Instead, the defense decided to let Eli look like a Pro Bowl QB and allowed the WRs to catch passes and get out of bounds. The NY offense was so efficient that they scored the TD in 51 seconds and didn't have to use either of the 2 timeouts they had left. Plus, even the Baltimore Ravens can't expect to score only 17 points in a playoff game and win.
So now I am a Green Bay Packers fan. There are four possible outcomes left, including four possible headlines. Only one of them is interesting to me. See if you can spot it.
Perfect Pats
Norv Turner Vindicated or Norv Turner Proves Critics Wrong
A Manning Dynasty or The Other Manning Wins
Favre Wins, Announces Retirement from Football
Go Pack, Go!
The Onion Rules Completely
Thanks to Chris for bringing this to my attention - Jessica Simpson Completes Elaborate Plan To Destroy Cowboys' Season
Hilarious.
Here are some other Onion sports related triumphs:
Vegas Gives Patriots 1,000-Point Spread Over Chargers
Brett Favre Promises To Throw Ball As Far As He Can In NFC Championship Game
Dallas-Area Suicide Hotline Operators Get Their Popcorn Ready
Oh, this is too good not to add
Mitt Romney Defends Himself Against Allegations Of Tolerance
Hilarious.
Here are some other Onion sports related triumphs:
Vegas Gives Patriots 1,000-Point Spread Over Chargers
Brett Favre Promises To Throw Ball As Far As He Can In NFC Championship Game
Dallas-Area Suicide Hotline Operators Get Their Popcorn Ready
Oh, this is too good not to add
Mitt Romney Defends Himself Against Allegations Of Tolerance
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Oh, right. Happy New Year and all.
Random items from the interwebs:
- From the sci-fi blog io9 and this post (15 movies to watch (or avoid) this year) - the Gotham Times (part of Christopher Nolan's Gotham City schtick)
- Pro Blog Design - a blog focused on giving other bloggers advice on how to “tweak your blog, making it more profitable, usable and attractive.”
- Comediane and gay icon Kathy Griffin with news anchor and gay icon Anderson Cooper talking about balls (via YouTube)
- Several items of interest in this story. First, "Hot Rod"? Really? Second, he's 27 AND a strip club owner. Wow, that's ambition. Third, who makes a bet about having to have your johnson tattooed? That's crazy.
- From the sci-fi blog io9 and this post (15 movies to watch (or avoid) this year) - the Gotham Times (part of Christopher Nolan's Gotham City schtick)
- Pro Blog Design - a blog focused on giving other bloggers advice on how to “tweak your blog, making it more profitable, usable and attractive.”
- Comediane and gay icon Kathy Griffin with news anchor and gay icon Anderson Cooper talking about balls (via YouTube)
- Several items of interest in this story. First, "Hot Rod"? Really? Second, he's 27 AND a strip club owner. Wow, that's ambition. Third, who makes a bet about having to have your johnson tattooed? That's crazy.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Um, huh. Really? Wow.
Oh no! Those are some of the things I said while watching this. StumbleUpon Rules. Absolutely, definitely, with out a doubt NOT SAFE FOR WORK - Lesbian Erotica - Queen vs Abnormal Big Tits Moma Ranger
Steve and I watched The Golden Compass the other day. It's a story based on the first book of the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. It's a fantasy story about parallel universes, the control of the Church, and ultimate free will of humanity. There has been much made recently regarding Philip Pullman and that he is an atheist trying to "preach" his atheism to children under the guise of a fantasy trilogy. Well, so? Didn't C S Lewis use his Narnia books to proselytize his Christianity? Aren't there countless of Left Behind books being sold by the truckloads all over the world? Here's a lesson for all those who don't like his books: don't buy them and don't read them. Simple. Just move along.
As for the movie, it was hit and miss. It turned out to be better than The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe but fell short of the excellence of Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies. The pacing was too fast (there were little to no transitions between scenes), some of the acting was bad, and the changes made to the story line were puzzling. However, it was an entertaining film at the end. Not one I would pay to see again, but not a waste of time.
Last night Steve and I joined Dave, Diane, Kathy and another lady at a performance of Mars on Life: The Holiday Edition starring Susannah Mars at the Artists Repertory Theatre. It was a cabaret-style show a la Judy Garland. She was very entertaining and sang some very funny songs. In particular, she sang a series of carols broadway style, meaning she mixed hit Broadway shows melodies with carol lyrics. She had a special guest in the second half of the show: Portland's own Robert Hicks (jazz singer and pianist). It was fun. Thanks to Dave and Diane for the free tickets!
Steve and I watched The Golden Compass the other day. It's a story based on the first book of the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. It's a fantasy story about parallel universes, the control of the Church, and ultimate free will of humanity. There has been much made recently regarding Philip Pullman and that he is an atheist trying to "preach" his atheism to children under the guise of a fantasy trilogy. Well, so? Didn't C S Lewis use his Narnia books to proselytize his Christianity? Aren't there countless of Left Behind books being sold by the truckloads all over the world? Here's a lesson for all those who don't like his books: don't buy them and don't read them. Simple. Just move along.
As for the movie, it was hit and miss. It turned out to be better than The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe but fell short of the excellence of Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies. The pacing was too fast (there were little to no transitions between scenes), some of the acting was bad, and the changes made to the story line were puzzling. However, it was an entertaining film at the end. Not one I would pay to see again, but not a waste of time.
Last night Steve and I joined Dave, Diane, Kathy and another lady at a performance of Mars on Life: The Holiday Edition starring Susannah Mars at the Artists Repertory Theatre. It was a cabaret-style show a la Judy Garland. She was very entertaining and sang some very funny songs. In particular, she sang a series of carols broadway style, meaning she mixed hit Broadway shows melodies with carol lyrics. She had a special guest in the second half of the show: Portland's own Robert Hicks (jazz singer and pianist). It was fun. Thanks to Dave and Diane for the free tickets!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Yeah, I know
I'm not very good at this blogging thing. I like to read blogs, but I don't seem to follow up with posting on this one very much at all.
Well, I'll try a little harder.
Here are a few things that have caught my attention the last few days.
1. My bootcamp experience was a lot different.
2. I wish I had this kind of time, money, and patience.
3. I think I've found the beginnings of my Halloween costume for next year.
Steve and I went to see No Country for Old Men last week. Wow, what a movie. Just about every actor does an outstanding job - Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Barry Corbin. Tommy Lee Jones is really funny as the tired old sheriff. Barry Corbin looks about 100 years old and very sad in his turn near the end of the film. And Javier Bardem is just plain psychopathic (that haircut is the icing on the cake).
The Coen boys have hit a home run here. I was really impressed with the calmness of this movie despite the fact that there is a lot of death and destruction. There is barely any music (that I noticed, anyway. John Williams DID NOT right the score.) and the film is quiet and yet sets an excellent pace. And, like many other Coen brothers movies, there is no typical Hollywood ending.
All in all, it is a masterful film.
Well, I'll try a little harder.
Here are a few things that have caught my attention the last few days.
1. My bootcamp experience was a lot different.
2. I wish I had this kind of time, money, and patience.
3. I think I've found the beginnings of my Halloween costume for next year.
Steve and I went to see No Country for Old Men last week. Wow, what a movie. Just about every actor does an outstanding job - Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Barry Corbin. Tommy Lee Jones is really funny as the tired old sheriff. Barry Corbin looks about 100 years old and very sad in his turn near the end of the film. And Javier Bardem is just plain psychopathic (that haircut is the icing on the cake).
The Coen boys have hit a home run here. I was really impressed with the calmness of this movie despite the fact that there is a lot of death and destruction. There is barely any music (that I noticed, anyway. John Williams DID NOT right the score.) and the film is quiet and yet sets an excellent pace. And, like many other Coen brothers movies, there is no typical Hollywood ending.
All in all, it is a masterful film.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Cesar's SabbatiBlog
http://cesarsabbatiblog.blogspot.com/
I'm on my awesome 8 week paid vacation that Intel calls a "sabbatical". I don't have to do anything during the 8 weeks. By that I mean that it's not really a sabbatical where I have to write a paper or take a class or earn a certification. I just get to sit on my ass, or go play golf until I am broke, or whatever. So, right now, I am sitting in the Phoenix airport awaiting my flight to El Paso, my home town. Fun.
I haven't seen my family since Nov. of '05 when I went down for my grandmother's funeral, so it'll be good to see my mom, dad, sister, brother, brother-in-law and niece and nephew. The rest of the crazies in my family: not so much.
Anyway, I've started a sabbatical blog where I will chronicle my deeds during this exciting time.
I'm on my awesome 8 week paid vacation that Intel calls a "sabbatical". I don't have to do anything during the 8 weeks. By that I mean that it's not really a sabbatical where I have to write a paper or take a class or earn a certification. I just get to sit on my ass, or go play golf until I am broke, or whatever. So, right now, I am sitting in the Phoenix airport awaiting my flight to El Paso, my home town. Fun.
I haven't seen my family since Nov. of '05 when I went down for my grandmother's funeral, so it'll be good to see my mom, dad, sister, brother, brother-in-law and niece and nephew. The rest of the crazies in my family: not so much.
Anyway, I've started a sabbatical blog where I will chronicle my deeds during this exciting time.
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