I am ecstatic! Of our cats, Jesse James is absolutely my favorite. He's got a great personality and he's totally a Mama's Boy. When he was little he used to sleep in bed with me every night and he'd sit on the couch with me when I'd do homework or watch TV. He kind of grew out of it though, like a teenager who has decided his parents aren't the rockstars he used to believe they were.
The "I'm not a fan of my mom" stage grew into a full blown "I absolutely hate my mom" stage when we brought Daniel Boone home. We were totally heartbroken at Jess's reaction to Dannie because, based on their individual personalities, we thought they would be besties. We purposely introduced Jess to Dannie first because of this fact, but when we brought them together Dannie was pretty normal (for a guy that used to live somewhere else) and Jess flipped his sh-t. He fluffed out, hissed, growled, and fled.
We've been dealing with that fall-out for months. Slowly though, Dannie has been getting more excited, friskier. He's been chasing everybody else and thundering through the house. About a month ago we caught Jesse and Dannie playing together. Roughhousing and chasing each other through the house.
This weekend Jame-o hopped into my lap as I was watching TV! This was the first time he has willingly done this since before we moved. The love is returning!! And today he came up and sat next to me even though Dannie is also sitting here. I don't know what's going on in his little furry brain, but either he's bonding with Dannie or he has determined that he's not a threat.
The last hurdle is to get Jess to sleep on the bed again. If he comes over when Dannie is already there, he freaks out and leaves. Slowly but surely I'm getting my favorite orangie back!
Cheers,
Red
In other news, I have a mosquito bite on my cheek (face not ... the other one). I'm disappointed the bugs popped out so quickly, but I guess it's the price I have to pay for sunshine and warm weather.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Zoom, Zoom!!
We bought two brand-spanking new Kawasaki Ninja motorcycles a few months ago (yes we were hopefully awaiting warmer weather) and it's almost time to pick them up! The store has been holding them for us (for freeee) over the winter but now the weather is getting nice and we're getting antsy! So the other day AV and I went to Harbor Freight to pick up a trailer.
The trailer came in pieces in two boxes and we'll have to put it together ourselves. The Harbor Freight guy and AV put it in the car at the store and I watched. I am an excellent supervisor, FYI. When we got home we went to get the bits out of the car and, from my supervisory location inside the garage, I heard a loud "HOLY BUGGOU OF G-D" as AV attempted to get one of the boxes out of the car. The guy at the store was apparently Superman in disguise because he did not yell "Holy Buggou OF G-d" while he was loading our car.
After we got the boxes out of the Jeep and onto the driveway we determined that they were apparently full of lead. Using mainly my superhuman strength, we managed to get one box at a time onto AV's skateboard (poor man's dolly!) and, though we thought we might snap the board in half, wheeled them into the garage where they are now awaiting assembly. Due to the trailer, Baby Car is currently enjoying the wide open spaces of the driveway. I think he enjoys it.
In two weeks we'll be bringing our new babies home! Good thing too, because gas is like 4 dollars a gallon right now.
Time to get a motorcycle temps!
Cheers!
Red
The trailer came in pieces in two boxes and we'll have to put it together ourselves. The Harbor Freight guy and AV put it in the car at the store and I watched. I am an excellent supervisor, FYI. When we got home we went to get the bits out of the car and, from my supervisory location inside the garage, I heard a loud "HOLY BUGGOU OF G-D" as AV attempted to get one of the boxes out of the car. The guy at the store was apparently Superman in disguise because he did not yell "Holy Buggou OF G-d" while he was loading our car.
After we got the boxes out of the Jeep and onto the driveway we determined that they were apparently full of lead. Using mainly my superhuman strength, we managed to get one box at a time onto AV's skateboard (poor man's dolly!) and, though we thought we might snap the board in half, wheeled them into the garage where they are now awaiting assembly. Due to the trailer, Baby Car is currently enjoying the wide open spaces of the driveway. I think he enjoys it.
In two weeks we'll be bringing our new babies home! Good thing too, because gas is like 4 dollars a gallon right now.
Time to get a motorcycle temps!
Cheers!
Red
Friday, April 8, 2011
Dress-up Doll: Part III
Mom and Dad came up on Monday and we went to a bridal store south of here. They didn't carry my dress in the store but they said that it could be ordered from the company. For nearly FOUR HUNDRED dollars LESS than where I found it back home. YAYY!
Since they didn't carry the exact dress, I tried on a couple of other dresses to make sure the style/cut of the skirt would be what I expected. And, as an added bonus, the dresses I tried on were ACTUALLY THE CORRECT SIZE! Crazy talk!! Those suckers look significantly better when you're not being clipped in like some sort of woodworking project.
After going to this store, I figured out why people say that they enjoy looking at formal dresses! When the staff is helpful and there are affordable dresses in the correct size, it's actually pretty awesome.
After all that, I ordered my dress! It should come in June or July. So exciting!!
Cheers!
Red
PS Funny story! Monday morning I called the store and asked if they could tell me the price of the dress since it would have to be ordered. The owner called me back a bit later and told me the price. I was a little surprised since most places aren't willing to give out that information, but hey, awesome for me.
Apparently while I was setting up the order with someone else, Dad overheard a discussion the owner was having. She was rather angry because someone "with a 513 area code called this morning and asked the price of a gown. I didn't want to tell her because she's obviously just shopping around". Interesting... being that I called from a 513 area code in the morning and asked the price of a gown and then I was standing at the counter ordering it. EEeentereesting....
Since they didn't carry the exact dress, I tried on a couple of other dresses to make sure the style/cut of the skirt would be what I expected. And, as an added bonus, the dresses I tried on were ACTUALLY THE CORRECT SIZE! Crazy talk!! Those suckers look significantly better when you're not being clipped in like some sort of woodworking project.
After going to this store, I figured out why people say that they enjoy looking at formal dresses! When the staff is helpful and there are affordable dresses in the correct size, it's actually pretty awesome.
After all that, I ordered my dress! It should come in June or July. So exciting!!
Cheers!
Red
PS Funny story! Monday morning I called the store and asked if they could tell me the price of the dress since it would have to be ordered. The owner called me back a bit later and told me the price. I was a little surprised since most places aren't willing to give out that information, but hey, awesome for me.
Apparently while I was setting up the order with someone else, Dad overheard a discussion the owner was having. She was rather angry because someone "with a 513 area code called this morning and asked the price of a gown. I didn't want to tell her because she's obviously just shopping around". Interesting... being that I called from a 513 area code in the morning and asked the price of a gown and then I was standing at the counter ordering it. EEeentereesting....
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Find Me a (Rental) Home
AV is currently driving an hour to work each way. We're trying to remedy this particular "problem" by moving closer.
Normally in this situation we'd just grab a rental and deal with it. But apparently, by having four cats we've branded ourselves as "TERRIBLE RENTERS" so we can't rent an apartment. That leaves rental houses. Honestly, I was never a real fan of apartment living so that's not a problem. The problem is the fact that the rental houses that are available in the area are... how do I say... pieces of sh*t.
Where we are looking to move is a summer vacation destination, or so I've been told, so many of the houses are only on short term (and ridiculously expensive) leases. So those are out. Next we have the slew of houses marked "ABSOLUTELY NO PETS". If you tried, you could probably sneak in an animal, provided it was small and quiet. We, however, house a four part vocal ensemble that doubles as a stampede. So those houses are out.
Once those houses were all weeded out we were left with some real winners. One example is the house that has a garage where "all you have to do is get a new door". Excuse me? I have to get a new door? I don't think so. Besides, even if I did get a new door, it wouldn't keep somebody from crawling in through the gaping hole in the front corner.
How about renting the first floor of a two story house? But only the first floor. O..kay? When I asked about it the realtor said that the owner didn't want to clean the second floor so they weren't going to include that part. I stopped really listening at this point because my eyes glazed over and my mind was filled with thoughts of rodent droppings, black mold, and sawdust. No, I don't know why there might be sawdust up there, but it featured prominently in my horrific visions.
The next house just needed to be painted and have the carpet cleaned. "Oh wait... No I guess he's done painting." Ah yes, what a vote of confidence.
Or finally, the house that stank. Like gas. When I pointed this out to the realtor she proceeded to SWITCH THE STOVE ON!! OMGWTFBBQ!!!! There must be a God in Heaven because I still can't believe I didn't explode into flame with the rest of the kitchen! "Oh looks like one of the pilot lights are out. I guess I'll have to tell him next time I talk to him." Looks like?? Next time?? Whatever happened to opening a window and calling the gas company immediately??
After that particular near-death experience I determined that rental houses in the area were probably not the way to go...
Cheers,
Red
Normally in this situation we'd just grab a rental and deal with it. But apparently, by having four cats we've branded ourselves as "TERRIBLE RENTERS" so we can't rent an apartment. That leaves rental houses. Honestly, I was never a real fan of apartment living so that's not a problem. The problem is the fact that the rental houses that are available in the area are... how do I say... pieces of sh*t.
Where we are looking to move is a summer vacation destination, or so I've been told, so many of the houses are only on short term (and ridiculously expensive) leases. So those are out. Next we have the slew of houses marked "ABSOLUTELY NO PETS". If you tried, you could probably sneak in an animal, provided it was small and quiet. We, however, house a four part vocal ensemble that doubles as a stampede. So those houses are out.
Once those houses were all weeded out we were left with some real winners. One example is the house that has a garage where "all you have to do is get a new door". Excuse me? I have to get a new door? I don't think so. Besides, even if I did get a new door, it wouldn't keep somebody from crawling in through the gaping hole in the front corner.
How about renting the first floor of a two story house? But only the first floor. O..kay? When I asked about it the realtor said that the owner didn't want to clean the second floor so they weren't going to include that part. I stopped really listening at this point because my eyes glazed over and my mind was filled with thoughts of rodent droppings, black mold, and sawdust. No, I don't know why there might be sawdust up there, but it featured prominently in my horrific visions.
The next house just needed to be painted and have the carpet cleaned. "Oh wait... No I guess he's done painting." Ah yes, what a vote of confidence.
Or finally, the house that stank. Like gas. When I pointed this out to the realtor she proceeded to SWITCH THE STOVE ON!! OMGWTFBBQ!!!! There must be a God in Heaven because I still can't believe I didn't explode into flame with the rest of the kitchen! "Oh looks like one of the pilot lights are out. I guess I'll have to tell him next time I talk to him." Looks like?? Next time?? Whatever happened to opening a window and calling the gas company immediately??
After that particular near-death experience I determined that rental houses in the area were probably not the way to go...
Cheers,
Red
Friday, April 1, 2011
Bathroom ReSale Mistakes
1. Do not leave a toilet to roam free in a basement. It will look lonely and distressed without a few walls and a sink.
2. Just because you have room in your basement for a shower, it doesn't mean you should have one. There is more than enogh room in my work office for a small trampoline, but trust me it wouldn't work out.
3. When selling a house, kindly removes the caved in ceiling from the bath tub, it will look like you started to put in a skylight.
4. Install the shower head high enough so it can be used as a shower and not just a very confident bath tub facet.
Lastly....
5. Some interiors should just not be decorated, maybe keep the scripture off the inside of the toilet lid and in the bible. If you need to say a prayer every time you flush I would seriously consider seeing a doctor.
2. Just because you have room in your basement for a shower, it doesn't mean you should have one. There is more than enogh room in my work office for a small trampoline, but trust me it wouldn't work out.
3. When selling a house, kindly removes the caved in ceiling from the bath tub, it will look like you started to put in a skylight.
4. Install the shower head high enough so it can be used as a shower and not just a very confident bath tub facet.
Lastly....
5. Some interiors should just not be decorated, maybe keep the scripture off the inside of the toilet lid and in the bible. If you need to say a prayer every time you flush I would seriously consider seeing a doctor.
Where the Women Glow and Men Plunder
These three songs always remind me of Australia and that makes me feel all warm and snuggly inside :D
Men at Work - Land Down Under
Florence and The Machine - The Dog Days are Over
This music video reminds me a lot of the videos from The Empire of the Sun... Except that whoever made this one wasn't on as many drugs.
This music video reminds me a lot of the videos from The Empire of the Sun... Except that whoever made this one wasn't on as many drugs.
Kings of Leon - Your Sex is On Fire
This song must have been at the top of the charts when I was over there... I couldn't go anywhere without hearing it.
This song must have been at the top of the charts when I was over there... I couldn't go anywhere without hearing it.
Cheers,
Red
Red
It didn't look like that in the picture!
Houses seem to be like MySpace. Just because the profile picture is nice, doesn't mean that the house will look like that in person. Today I looked at a house that looked like a beautiful Victorian that was painted black and white (the one below), when I arrived to take a look at it today it was definitely dark beige with green accents.
Example Of MySpace Angle at work (not recommended for those still believing in honest profile pictures).
The first house I looked at had only 4 pictures, I guess that should have been a clue in there. If you use a low enough resolution camera then all that peeling paint and water damage blend right in.
Searching for houses online definitely gives the houses the benefit of the doubt. It seems to me that hi res pictures just do not exist on reality sites. Every cheap house has benefited from a low mega pixel camera.
My humble request, reality sites should have nice resolution pictures and lots of them. Especially a picture of that thing you are calling a bathroom in the basement (like the random toilet in the middle of the basement we saw today). We would have saved a good hour in searching with a realtor just knowing which houses would never work.
House hunting continues slowly but surely, one bad picture at a time.
PS from Red - Too bad the reality sites also don't have a line stating "This house smells really, really, ridiculously bad. For serious." Or maybe just check boxes for items such as: "Smells like cat piss" "Something might have died in here" and "Mothballs are a valid form of deodorizing".
Example Of MySpace Angle at work (not recommended for those still believing in honest profile pictures).
The first house I looked at had only 4 pictures, I guess that should have been a clue in there. If you use a low enough resolution camera then all that peeling paint and water damage blend right in.
Searching for houses online definitely gives the houses the benefit of the doubt. It seems to me that hi res pictures just do not exist on reality sites. Every cheap house has benefited from a low mega pixel camera.
My humble request, reality sites should have nice resolution pictures and lots of them. Especially a picture of that thing you are calling a bathroom in the basement (like the random toilet in the middle of the basement we saw today). We would have saved a good hour in searching with a realtor just knowing which houses would never work.
House hunting continues slowly but surely, one bad picture at a time.
PS from Red - Too bad the reality sites also don't have a line stating "This house smells really, really, ridiculously bad. For serious." Or maybe just check boxes for items such as: "Smells like cat piss" "Something might have died in here" and "Mothballs are a valid form of deodorizing".
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