I have finally finished playing an online game that has been taking up my blogging time. My team won tonight, and now I can safely exit the world of the real-time simulated browser war game. Never to return again.
I am so ashamed, but I wasn't ashamed enough to stop playing, so take that for what you will.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Death and Taxes
Today I would prefer death to taxes. Well, not really, but man did they suck this year. Combine the fact that we sold our big deduction-stuffer with moving to a state where we have to pay 10% income taxes over and above the federal taxes, and they just were not pretty this time around. The sales tax is maybe half a percent higher in Texas with no income tax, so this was a rude, rude awakening. Where does all that money go? I can tell you it doesn't go into the highways. At least not the ones I drive on. I feel like I'm paying the state government for the good weather. I'm just going to assume that money is used on services that don't apply to me, which while not particularly ideal, makes me feel better than some alternative idea that some politicians or lobbyists are getting fat on my 10%.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
House Update
The pests have been exterminated, the rotted wood has been replaced, the deposit has been wired, and lots of other details have been figured out. I'm returning from Hawaii (another post to come) today, GB returns from his work trip Thursday morning, and we will be signing lots of paperwork that afternoon. Then I leave on Saturday for a week in Austin during which we officially become house owners in California. Nothing like cramming a few too many things into a few too few days.
Anyone have ideas for gifts for the many people involved in pulling this all together? My current list looks like this:
1. Our realtor -- Above and beyond doesn't begin to describe what she's done over the last seven months. Everything from updates during the nothing-is-happening part of this process to pulling strings to make a pest fumigation occur with 24 hours notice. She's gotten quotes on custom spindles for the front porch, and her contacts for various parts of the necessary renovation and repairs have been wonderful, professional people. I can recommend her whole-heartedly to anyone that needs a realtor out in this area -- just drop me a line! And some ideas on an appropriate gift!
2. Our mortgage broker -- GB and I are beyond financially risk averse. Any more afeared and we'd just cash our paychecks and keep the money in our mattress. Combine that with a sketchy mortgage market and a significant hike in real estate prices and you have a couple of nervous nellies that need a whole lot of assurance that we can really do this thing. He did more calculations and comparisons among different possible products and options and payments and craziness than any person should have to do. To make us comfortable with what we're doing would take superman, and that's what we got. (No worries -- we're not getting in over our heads...at least not too badly.)
3. The bank manager -- At the last minute, we needed to wire money from our bank account while we were in Hawaii. The bank manager, while indicating that she couldn't wire money without our original signature, came up with the alternate solution that we could do a cashier's check without said signature. Deposit crisis averted!
What great people we've had to work with through this process. Now I just have to figure out now to properly thanks them.
Anyone have ideas for gifts for the many people involved in pulling this all together? My current list looks like this:
1. Our realtor -- Above and beyond doesn't begin to describe what she's done over the last seven months. Everything from updates during the nothing-is-happening part of this process to pulling strings to make a pest fumigation occur with 24 hours notice. She's gotten quotes on custom spindles for the front porch, and her contacts for various parts of the necessary renovation and repairs have been wonderful, professional people. I can recommend her whole-heartedly to anyone that needs a realtor out in this area -- just drop me a line! And some ideas on an appropriate gift!
2. Our mortgage broker -- GB and I are beyond financially risk averse. Any more afeared and we'd just cash our paychecks and keep the money in our mattress. Combine that with a sketchy mortgage market and a significant hike in real estate prices and you have a couple of nervous nellies that need a whole lot of assurance that we can really do this thing. He did more calculations and comparisons among different possible products and options and payments and craziness than any person should have to do. To make us comfortable with what we're doing would take superman, and that's what we got. (No worries -- we're not getting in over our heads...at least not too badly.)
3. The bank manager -- At the last minute, we needed to wire money from our bank account while we were in Hawaii. The bank manager, while indicating that she couldn't wire money without our original signature, came up with the alternate solution that we could do a cashier's check without said signature. Deposit crisis averted!
What great people we've had to work with through this process. Now I just have to figure out now to properly thanks them.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Recommended: Theories of Relativity
This was another book suggested for reading by James. This one was phenomenal. It was one of those books I was happy wasn't 1000 pages, not because 230 pages was enough, but only because I couldn't put it down. I've never been able to read 1000 pages straight, without sleeping. I could have easily gobbled up anything more that Barbara Hawother-Attard had told us about our protagonist's life. He was just that fascinating.
Dylan is a 16-year-old kid whose mom has decided he's inconvenient for the story she's telling the latest boyfriend. Dylan has to go, and she doesn't really care what happens to him after that. He's relegated to street life where he befriends good and bad while learning to navigate this entirely new world. There's no time for school, what with needing to beg for money and food and looking for places to sleep that won't end up with you on the wrong side of anybody. But he's a smart kid -- he wants to use that brain of his. As someone who's never lived on the streets, it seemed to be an appropriately alternating experience for him, from destroyed trust to hunger to opportunity to lost chances to self-discovery to rock bottom to second chances. I ached with him and rooted for him and found myself hoping desperately that he would find some sort of redemption through all of this.
Pick up a copy, and enjoying this journey of the human spirit. You might just find yourself volunteering at the local homeless shelter, and how can anything that makes you help your fellow man be bad?
Dylan is a 16-year-old kid whose mom has decided he's inconvenient for the story she's telling the latest boyfriend. Dylan has to go, and she doesn't really care what happens to him after that. He's relegated to street life where he befriends good and bad while learning to navigate this entirely new world. There's no time for school, what with needing to beg for money and food and looking for places to sleep that won't end up with you on the wrong side of anybody. But he's a smart kid -- he wants to use that brain of his. As someone who's never lived on the streets, it seemed to be an appropriately alternating experience for him, from destroyed trust to hunger to opportunity to lost chances to self-discovery to rock bottom to second chances. I ached with him and rooted for him and found myself hoping desperately that he would find some sort of redemption through all of this.
Pick up a copy, and enjoying this journey of the human spirit. You might just find yourself volunteering at the local homeless shelter, and how can anything that makes you help your fellow man be bad?
Travel Crisis Averted
We had booked our next trip, a flight to Hawaii for an old friend's wedding, through Southwest on some airline no one's heard of. Said airline declared bankruptcy and ceased passenger operations this past week. Today I spent one hour, 16 minutes, and 37 seconds on the phone with Southwest as they worked to reaccommodate us on another flight. The rep on the line was so apologetic with the time it took to get it all done, but ultimately? Success! We have a flight out on Northwest and a flight back on US Airways. The timing of these flights aren't as nice, but what the heck -- I don't have to call the bride and tell her we won't be there, so that's a win-win in my book! Yay for reaccommodation!
Thursday, April 03, 2008
The Foolish Man Built His House Upon The Sand
Do you remember that old Sunday school song?
Something like that. And then there is a verse about the wise man building on the rock and doing so much better, but hey, that doesn't apply to us and our house.
After our offer was accepted, we went into inspection overdrive. We started with the physical inspection, which uncovered some concerns. So, we had a pest company, three electricians, a plumber, and four foundation experts come out over a two-week perios. We'd had the pest report done before when this process stalled out six months ago, so we knew what to expect there. The electrical review looked pretty much like we expected. However, the plumber found that our water heater under the house is incorrectly vented, so we are at risk for carbon monoxide in the living areas. I haven't keeled over dead yet, but I'm all for blaming any slow down in my productivity on low-level CO poisoning. :) Meanwhile, the foundation review was the most disheartening of them all. We knew that some retrofitting of the foundation had been done, but it was less that what was necessary, so we now need a full perimeter redo and some drainage correction (there was a lot of moisture under the house and rotting boards in the existing foundation). I guess this is common out here, but there's something about a repair that is half the cost of your last house that is downright depressing. But, we really like this house. So we put together our request for repair, and sent it to the owner who, shockingly, approved it.
At this point, we're targeting a closing for two weeks from now. With all the scare about mortgages, the lender won't give us a loan without a whole lot more paperwork, including the pest work being done. While we were in Oregon, they did the tenting and fumigation of the house for the flying termites that appear to get every house out here about every 10 years. This house had had them for a while, and there was also dry rot, so now we've got carpenters at the house every day working on replacing the rotted or eaten porch boards and siding areas and whatnot. They are expecting to be done next week some time, so the painter can get in and do his thing, so the pest company can say the house is pest free so the lender will give us the biggest debt we'd never imagined. The hoops, I tell you!!
In order for the fumigation process to be done, the gas company had to turn out the gas. When they came out today to turn it back on, they said they couldn't legally turn on the water heater because of the venting problem. They left us with no hot water. Ugh. We turned the water heater on anyway, but it's clear we're going to have to take care of that issue pretty quickly. With all the work we need done, all kinds of folks will be in and out of here with permits, etc., and it just won't do if they all complain about the heater.
Who knew that in addition to an unstable wreck, we were also getting ourselves into a death trap? We've been living here a year, and paying rent, and that just makes me grumpy. Soon enough we'll be able to take care of these issues and get the house back to where it belongs.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
And the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down and the floods came up.
The rains came down and the floods came up.
The rains came down and the floods came up,
And the house on the sand went splat.
Something like that. And then there is a verse about the wise man building on the rock and doing so much better, but hey, that doesn't apply to us and our house.
After our offer was accepted, we went into inspection overdrive. We started with the physical inspection, which uncovered some concerns. So, we had a pest company, three electricians, a plumber, and four foundation experts come out over a two-week perios. We'd had the pest report done before when this process stalled out six months ago, so we knew what to expect there. The electrical review looked pretty much like we expected. However, the plumber found that our water heater under the house is incorrectly vented, so we are at risk for carbon monoxide in the living areas. I haven't keeled over dead yet, but I'm all for blaming any slow down in my productivity on low-level CO poisoning. :) Meanwhile, the foundation review was the most disheartening of them all. We knew that some retrofitting of the foundation had been done, but it was less that what was necessary, so we now need a full perimeter redo and some drainage correction (there was a lot of moisture under the house and rotting boards in the existing foundation). I guess this is common out here, but there's something about a repair that is half the cost of your last house that is downright depressing. But, we really like this house. So we put together our request for repair, and sent it to the owner who, shockingly, approved it.
At this point, we're targeting a closing for two weeks from now. With all the scare about mortgages, the lender won't give us a loan without a whole lot more paperwork, including the pest work being done. While we were in Oregon, they did the tenting and fumigation of the house for the flying termites that appear to get every house out here about every 10 years. This house had had them for a while, and there was also dry rot, so now we've got carpenters at the house every day working on replacing the rotted or eaten porch boards and siding areas and whatnot. They are expecting to be done next week some time, so the painter can get in and do his thing, so the pest company can say the house is pest free so the lender will give us the biggest debt we'd never imagined. The hoops, I tell you!!
In order for the fumigation process to be done, the gas company had to turn out the gas. When they came out today to turn it back on, they said they couldn't legally turn on the water heater because of the venting problem. They left us with no hot water. Ugh. We turned the water heater on anyway, but it's clear we're going to have to take care of that issue pretty quickly. With all the work we need done, all kinds of folks will be in and out of here with permits, etc., and it just won't do if they all complain about the heater.
Who knew that in addition to an unstable wreck, we were also getting ourselves into a death trap? We've been living here a year, and paying rent, and that just makes me grumpy. Soon enough we'll be able to take care of these issues and get the house back to where it belongs.
Oregon Trails
We returned last night from our long weekend trip to Oregon. We took the train up there...correction...We took the train to Sacramento, and then mudslides on the tracks required us to take a bus the rest of the way. The train ride was wonderful, the bus ride was cramped and awful. Let's just talk about the train ride and pretend the bus ride didn't happen.
The train runs along the coast from where we caught it in Santa Barbara up to just about San Francisco. You've got the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other, and it's like you're in this gorgeous mural. It just doesn't seem real -- the colors are too bright or something. The train was also very relaxing. We were just hanging out in coach, but the seats are like first class on an airplane with a nearly full recline, foot rests, and extra-wide seats. It makes it confortable for sleeping when you're on the train for 12 hours at a stretch. Then, you don't have to stay in your seat -- you can get up and walk around, sit at a dining table for lunch, or strike up a game of cards with one of the strangers you're traveling with. Very relaxing and almost luxurious travel. It's cheaper than flying, but takes longer than driving, so there's your tradeoff.
Once we got up to Oregon, we saw several plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. A Midsummer Night's Dream had been done in a 70's disco style, and was a lot of fun. High energy and happy people in the audience always make a play more fun to be at. We ended up seeing Coriolanus on opening night, and it was clear there was still some rust to be worked out, but it's a good story on class struggles that, while it's not one of Shakespeare's most commonly done play, is a good thought-provoking study. I'm sure this one will get better as the season progresses. Then we saw two non-Shakespeare plays, too. One was a play that had been commissioned for OSF called Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter. This was a different take on the war play, focusing on the difficulty of one returning vet to readjust back into civilian life after her experience. It was well done, with great little quirky characters to keep it from getting too heavy. Finally, we saw August Wilson's Fences. This is GB's favorite play, and I can see why. The characters have such powerful relationships with each other, and they're such good people struggling with the changes in the world, that the poignancy is strongly applicable to virtually everyone (okay, awkward sentence, but I'm moving on). When you have a play where three separate characters move you to tears, there is no way to get out of the theatre afterwards without everyone knowing you've been crying -- red face, puffy eyes, the works. But a great story, and really well done.
All in all, a great weekend. The kind that makes you ready to get back to work and hit the ground running. Time to get back to that!
The train runs along the coast from where we caught it in Santa Barbara up to just about San Francisco. You've got the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other, and it's like you're in this gorgeous mural. It just doesn't seem real -- the colors are too bright or something. The train was also very relaxing. We were just hanging out in coach, but the seats are like first class on an airplane with a nearly full recline, foot rests, and extra-wide seats. It makes it confortable for sleeping when you're on the train for 12 hours at a stretch. Then, you don't have to stay in your seat -- you can get up and walk around, sit at a dining table for lunch, or strike up a game of cards with one of the strangers you're traveling with. Very relaxing and almost luxurious travel. It's cheaper than flying, but takes longer than driving, so there's your tradeoff.
Once we got up to Oregon, we saw several plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. A Midsummer Night's Dream had been done in a 70's disco style, and was a lot of fun. High energy and happy people in the audience always make a play more fun to be at. We ended up seeing Coriolanus on opening night, and it was clear there was still some rust to be worked out, but it's a good story on class struggles that, while it's not one of Shakespeare's most commonly done play, is a good thought-provoking study. I'm sure this one will get better as the season progresses. Then we saw two non-Shakespeare plays, too. One was a play that had been commissioned for OSF called Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter. This was a different take on the war play, focusing on the difficulty of one returning vet to readjust back into civilian life after her experience. It was well done, with great little quirky characters to keep it from getting too heavy. Finally, we saw August Wilson's Fences. This is GB's favorite play, and I can see why. The characters have such powerful relationships with each other, and they're such good people struggling with the changes in the world, that the poignancy is strongly applicable to virtually everyone (okay, awkward sentence, but I'm moving on). When you have a play where three separate characters move you to tears, there is no way to get out of the theatre afterwards without everyone knowing you've been crying -- red face, puffy eyes, the works. But a great story, and really well done.
All in all, a great weekend. The kind that makes you ready to get back to work and hit the ground running. Time to get back to that!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Spring Travels in Full Swing
We have managed to seriously overschedule our spring this year. We have quite a few trips planned, and we just got back from our first one.
We went to Orlando for a week. GB had a class to go to for work along with a couple of coworkers, so I tagged along with the intention to work in the hotel while they were in class. The hotel internet connection had different plans for me, so it became a catch-as-catch-can week of work. That part of it was stressful, but somewhere along the line I've figured out how to turn off the work thoughts when I stop working. I think it's called something like "burnout". Oh well. The world shouldn't cave in on itself if I have a less than 110% productive week, and it turns out that it didn't.
While we were there, we did Universal Studios and Disney World. While I had a nice time, I think I have enough of prepackaged fun for a while. We also went to a science museum with lots of cool hands-on exhibits. I enjoyed that quite a bit, especially the phone-booth-sized category one hurricane simulation. We hit up a dinner murder mystery theatre, played pirate mini golf, and ate a lot of good food.
But the clear highlight of the trip for me was the early Tuesday morning shuttle launch that we witnessed. The launch was at 2:30am, and it was a cloudy pitch black -- no stars, no moon, no natural light at all. We were set to watch the launch from about 6 miles away. As we listened to the countdown approach zero, the light from the ignited jet fuel lit everything up like it was mid-day. It was phenomenal how fast the dark went to light, and then when the shuttle got past the cloud cover, it went right back to black again. I worked as an intern in one small portion of the space program back when I was in college, and I've always wanted to see a launch, so this was extra exciting. I did try to take pictures, but they just didn't do justice to the experience, so I'm leaving them out.
This was also our next installment in vacationing with another couple. It worked pretty well, but there's nothing like spending 24 hours a day for 9 days with people to find out what annoys you about them. But, for the most part, we all got along pretty well. Course, GB actually has to work with them, so if there is going to be any awkwardness, it'll be on him. Poor guy.
Anyway, so we made it through our first trip. More installments coming soon!
We went to Orlando for a week. GB had a class to go to for work along with a couple of coworkers, so I tagged along with the intention to work in the hotel while they were in class. The hotel internet connection had different plans for me, so it became a catch-as-catch-can week of work. That part of it was stressful, but somewhere along the line I've figured out how to turn off the work thoughts when I stop working. I think it's called something like "burnout". Oh well. The world shouldn't cave in on itself if I have a less than 110% productive week, and it turns out that it didn't.
While we were there, we did Universal Studios and Disney World. While I had a nice time, I think I have enough of prepackaged fun for a while. We also went to a science museum with lots of cool hands-on exhibits. I enjoyed that quite a bit, especially the phone-booth-sized category one hurricane simulation. We hit up a dinner murder mystery theatre, played pirate mini golf, and ate a lot of good food.
But the clear highlight of the trip for me was the early Tuesday morning shuttle launch that we witnessed. The launch was at 2:30am, and it was a cloudy pitch black -- no stars, no moon, no natural light at all. We were set to watch the launch from about 6 miles away. As we listened to the countdown approach zero, the light from the ignited jet fuel lit everything up like it was mid-day. It was phenomenal how fast the dark went to light, and then when the shuttle got past the cloud cover, it went right back to black again. I worked as an intern in one small portion of the space program back when I was in college, and I've always wanted to see a launch, so this was extra exciting. I did try to take pictures, but they just didn't do justice to the experience, so I'm leaving them out.
This was also our next installment in vacationing with another couple. It worked pretty well, but there's nothing like spending 24 hours a day for 9 days with people to find out what annoys you about them. But, for the most part, we all got along pretty well. Course, GB actually has to work with them, so if there is going to be any awkwardness, it'll be on him. Poor guy.
Anyway, so we made it through our first trip. More installments coming soon!
Monday, March 03, 2008
I Guess We're In Escrow
For the strangest house-buying story in these many years, you've come to the right place.
Labor Day week, 2007 -- We made our first offer on this house a full six months ago. The owner said she had to get a few things in place to be ready for that. By the end of September, we were already steeling our resolve for this process.
October, 2007 -- By this point, we'd mostly figured we were in to waiting for the old year to leave and the new year to appear before there would be any moment.
November, 2007 -- The owner has the gall to say something to the effect of "I'm still not ready to deal in writing, but let's talk verbally. If I would have come back in September, XX would have been the number." I was ready to walk away. The number was only 4% off her asking price that was excessive. (Why do you think she's had this house on and off the market for two years with no offers? hmmmm...priced too high, maybe??) Besides being disgusted with the number, what's that about pretending that two months hadn't passed since we put our offer in? Doesn't that count for anything? We say thanks, but no thanks, we'll wait until she can deal in writing.
December, 2007 -- We keep getting updates every couple of days that she's "really close now."
January, 2008 -- We get the word that she's ready to deal in writing! Hallelujah! We submit a new offer that looks remarkably like our offer from September. The market here basically hadn't changed, so that seemed reasonable to us. Two days later we get a request for a 5-day extension. The extension is granted. And expires. Apparently she wasn't as ready to deal in writing as things were presented to us. Meanwhile, there are a lot of new houses going on the market, so we get out and look at the new inventory. There's not a lot we're interested in, so we keep waiting.
February, 2008 -- Crisis! We find a house we LOVE! It's quirky, cute, in great shape, cheaper than the house we're in, and quirky. Ultimately, we decide it's too quirky and that limits resale potential (and there's nothing we want less than to be stuck with a piece of expensive California real estate we can't sell). We go back to waiting.
Last Wednesday -- We hear she's ready to deal in writing. Yeah right. Pardon my skepticism, but we've heard that one before. So, we resubmit our same offer a third time. Friday afternoon I get a call from our realtor. Sit down -- we have a written, signed counter! And even better, it's in the ballpark of our offer!! We sleep on it, and send our counter back on Saturday (split evenly between our offer and her counter, and magically, our target price). We have counter 3 back to us within a few hours (just $5k more -- she apparently had some superstitious issue about the number we countered with, and over 30 years, that's just $43/month, so I think we can handle that). She signs it, and we have an executed contract Saturday night. Wait -- did that actually happen? After six months of waiting, we have a deal in three days?? And it's a deal I'm happy with?
Well, I've slept since then and rechecked the docs. We do actually have a signed contract. She wanted a 30-day close, too, rather than the 60-day one we proposed. So, that would put us closing on April Fools Day. I think we found the joke. Since we'll be on a train that day, we'll actually likely close on the 2nd or 3rd and avoid all that. Why will we be on a train? We've got a long weekend we planned to Oregon back in our we're-never-buying-a-house-anyway days. In the meantime, there is a lot to do. And since I'm the one with the early afternoon schedule, I'll be dealing with most of it. Tomorrow we have the inspection scheduled. Tuesday I meet with the mortgage company. The pest inspection will be no later than Wednesday. We'll probably have to have a carpenter out for a quote on some of the pest work that will result in some wood replacements. All needs to be done by Friday. Why Friday? Well, we leave for Orlando on Friday, and we'll be gone for the week on a trip we planned back in (you guessed it!) our we're-never-buying-a-house-anyway days. Since we're pretty confident the house will need to be tented for pest issues, we want that to happen while we're gone. Plus, with these two trips, we'll be gone 14 of our 30-day escrow, which means we have some really busy days the 16 we're actually in town.
I'm overwhelmed just thinking about it. But I'm smiling, too. Can't you tell how excited I am by all the punctuation I've used in this post? That and the run-ons and sentence fragments? Hee hee. :)
Labor Day week, 2007 -- We made our first offer on this house a full six months ago. The owner said she had to get a few things in place to be ready for that. By the end of September, we were already steeling our resolve for this process.
October, 2007 -- By this point, we'd mostly figured we were in to waiting for the old year to leave and the new year to appear before there would be any moment.
November, 2007 -- The owner has the gall to say something to the effect of "I'm still not ready to deal in writing, but let's talk verbally. If I would have come back in September, XX would have been the number." I was ready to walk away. The number was only 4% off her asking price that was excessive. (Why do you think she's had this house on and off the market for two years with no offers? hmmmm...priced too high, maybe??) Besides being disgusted with the number, what's that about pretending that two months hadn't passed since we put our offer in? Doesn't that count for anything? We say thanks, but no thanks, we'll wait until she can deal in writing.
December, 2007 -- We keep getting updates every couple of days that she's "really close now."
January, 2008 -- We get the word that she's ready to deal in writing! Hallelujah! We submit a new offer that looks remarkably like our offer from September. The market here basically hadn't changed, so that seemed reasonable to us. Two days later we get a request for a 5-day extension. The extension is granted. And expires. Apparently she wasn't as ready to deal in writing as things were presented to us. Meanwhile, there are a lot of new houses going on the market, so we get out and look at the new inventory. There's not a lot we're interested in, so we keep waiting.
February, 2008 -- Crisis! We find a house we LOVE! It's quirky, cute, in great shape, cheaper than the house we're in, and quirky. Ultimately, we decide it's too quirky and that limits resale potential (and there's nothing we want less than to be stuck with a piece of expensive California real estate we can't sell). We go back to waiting.
Last Wednesday -- We hear she's ready to deal in writing. Yeah right. Pardon my skepticism, but we've heard that one before. So, we resubmit our same offer a third time. Friday afternoon I get a call from our realtor. Sit down -- we have a written, signed counter! And even better, it's in the ballpark of our offer!! We sleep on it, and send our counter back on Saturday (split evenly between our offer and her counter, and magically, our target price). We have counter 3 back to us within a few hours (just $5k more -- she apparently had some superstitious issue about the number we countered with, and over 30 years, that's just $43/month, so I think we can handle that). She signs it, and we have an executed contract Saturday night. Wait -- did that actually happen? After six months of waiting, we have a deal in three days?? And it's a deal I'm happy with?
Well, I've slept since then and rechecked the docs. We do actually have a signed contract. She wanted a 30-day close, too, rather than the 60-day one we proposed. So, that would put us closing on April Fools Day. I think we found the joke. Since we'll be on a train that day, we'll actually likely close on the 2nd or 3rd and avoid all that. Why will we be on a train? We've got a long weekend we planned to Oregon back in our we're-never-buying-a-house-anyway days. In the meantime, there is a lot to do. And since I'm the one with the early afternoon schedule, I'll be dealing with most of it. Tomorrow we have the inspection scheduled. Tuesday I meet with the mortgage company. The pest inspection will be no later than Wednesday. We'll probably have to have a carpenter out for a quote on some of the pest work that will result in some wood replacements. All needs to be done by Friday. Why Friday? Well, we leave for Orlando on Friday, and we'll be gone for the week on a trip we planned back in (you guessed it!) our we're-never-buying-a-house-anyway days. Since we're pretty confident the house will need to be tented for pest issues, we want that to happen while we're gone. Plus, with these two trips, we'll be gone 14 of our 30-day escrow, which means we have some really busy days the 16 we're actually in town.
I'm overwhelmed just thinking about it. But I'm smiling, too. Can't you tell how excited I am by all the punctuation I've used in this post? That and the run-ons and sentence fragments? Hee hee. :)
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
What do They Say About the Eye of the Beholder?
I have a new piece of art. It's jewelry, sort of. At least that's how I've decided to treat it. Here it is -- my new bracelet:
I know, it's a piece of bike chain. But you have to understand that it's not just any bike chain, it's the piece that caused so much fun a few weeks ago.
There's nothing like a bracelet with no opening requiring a person to slide it on and off to remind you that the right side of your body is significantly larger than the left side of your body. It's really hard to get this thing over the right hand, but on the left, I'm convinced it will slide off of its own accord. My right foot is half a shoe size larger than the left, and let's not even discuss what that means for brasierre purchasing. Regardless, do you have one side of your body that's bigger than the other? Which side is it?
I know, it's a piece of bike chain. But you have to understand that it's not just any bike chain, it's the piece that caused so much fun a few weeks ago.
There's nothing like a bracelet with no opening requiring a person to slide it on and off to remind you that the right side of your body is significantly larger than the left side of your body. It's really hard to get this thing over the right hand, but on the left, I'm convinced it will slide off of its own accord. My right foot is half a shoe size larger than the left, and let's not even discuss what that means for brasierre purchasing. Regardless, do you have one side of your body that's bigger than the other? Which side is it?
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
My Husband and Privacy
My husband (let's call him GB), has an overdeveloped conspiracy gene. I had a boss many years ago that woud spout off these theories from way out in left field (his one about how the sniper in DC some years back was actually a mercenary of the US government planted there so they could declare a military state is one that comes to mind). I would bring these home and share them, and GB would chime in, "Well...you know, that might not be that far off."
He is a technophile, but won't pay bills online. He's convinced that there would be a breach of security and our number would be used by everyone and their dog. He freaked out when I was buying things online before he'd gotten a chance to research a company and their security methods. Every once in a while he mumbles something about a manifesto and moving to Montana and living like a hermit.
When he found out that I use my real name on my blog, he lectured me on the need for anonymity in this internet world. Because there aren't, you know, a gazillion Heathers out there in the world. But see, he knows I have a tendency to share too much. Sure I've had bad experiences (stolen credit card numbers, threatening phone calls, house eggings, car keyings, attempted break-ins), but I've had significant good experiences in life to feel optimistic about what I share on the internet. Like the time I told a church member that I would love to play French Horn in the church brass group, but I just couldn't afford to buy one, and wouldn't you know she had one sitting in her closet at home waiting for one of her boys to want it. Or the time I shared I would cook something different every day for a month and got invited to write my first feature article for an actual printed publication. Plus, I don't generally think people are out to get me, which is likely the primary difference between GB and me.
Meanwhile, last year he saw his name in a couple of early posts, and nearly went ballistic. DIDN'T I UNDERSTAND THAT HIS NAME NEXT TO MY NAME NARROWED THE FIELD OF WHO WE ARE DOWN TO A MUCH SMALLER NUMBER??? Well, yeah, but most of the people that read this set of drivel are people I know in real life. Or at least the ones that comment. And others are such regular commenters that I feel like I do know them. But, since I'm apparently supposed to be afraid of all of you if I put GB's first name on here, I decided to come up with that nickname for him. See, typing the word "husband" is exceptionally tedious and lends to very poor sentence construction around any reference to him. So, I'm done with that. He will be referred to as GB, and for those of you who know his real name, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't cause panic in our household by using his actual name in the comments.
It took me a surprisingly long time to come up with a nickname for him, considering GB is short for the most common thing I call him. Creativity has never been something I've been particularly good at. I can brainstorm with other people towards a good result, but I can't really do it on my own. I've tried and it's always a really bad attempt. GB thinks all blogs should be completely fictitious. Or at least mine should, anyway (you know, so that way I don't give out any real details). Essentially, I should make up a persona and write entries from this completely other point of view that I should inhabit as wholly as possible. And that sounds much too much like a novel or creative writing or some other thing that sounds like a pretty daunting thing to attempt. How would I keep my lies straight? I've never been good at that. On the other hand, there are topics I could feel a lot more comfortable writing about if no one I knew was reading. So maybe it's worth a try. But if I do that, don't expect me to ever link off this one to the other.
He is a technophile, but won't pay bills online. He's convinced that there would be a breach of security and our number would be used by everyone and their dog. He freaked out when I was buying things online before he'd gotten a chance to research a company and their security methods. Every once in a while he mumbles something about a manifesto and moving to Montana and living like a hermit.
When he found out that I use my real name on my blog, he lectured me on the need for anonymity in this internet world. Because there aren't, you know, a gazillion Heathers out there in the world. But see, he knows I have a tendency to share too much. Sure I've had bad experiences (stolen credit card numbers, threatening phone calls, house eggings, car keyings, attempted break-ins), but I've had significant good experiences in life to feel optimistic about what I share on the internet. Like the time I told a church member that I would love to play French Horn in the church brass group, but I just couldn't afford to buy one, and wouldn't you know she had one sitting in her closet at home waiting for one of her boys to want it. Or the time I shared I would cook something different every day for a month and got invited to write my first feature article for an actual printed publication. Plus, I don't generally think people are out to get me, which is likely the primary difference between GB and me.
Meanwhile, last year he saw his name in a couple of early posts, and nearly went ballistic. DIDN'T I UNDERSTAND THAT HIS NAME NEXT TO MY NAME NARROWED THE FIELD OF WHO WE ARE DOWN TO A MUCH SMALLER NUMBER??? Well, yeah, but most of the people that read this set of drivel are people I know in real life. Or at least the ones that comment. And others are such regular commenters that I feel like I do know them. But, since I'm apparently supposed to be afraid of all of you if I put GB's first name on here, I decided to come up with that nickname for him. See, typing the word "husband" is exceptionally tedious and lends to very poor sentence construction around any reference to him. So, I'm done with that. He will be referred to as GB, and for those of you who know his real name, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't cause panic in our household by using his actual name in the comments.
It took me a surprisingly long time to come up with a nickname for him, considering GB is short for the most common thing I call him. Creativity has never been something I've been particularly good at. I can brainstorm with other people towards a good result, but I can't really do it on my own. I've tried and it's always a really bad attempt. GB thinks all blogs should be completely fictitious. Or at least mine should, anyway (you know, so that way I don't give out any real details). Essentially, I should make up a persona and write entries from this completely other point of view that I should inhabit as wholly as possible. And that sounds much too much like a novel or creative writing or some other thing that sounds like a pretty daunting thing to attempt. How would I keep my lies straight? I've never been good at that. On the other hand, there are topics I could feel a lot more comfortable writing about if no one I knew was reading. So maybe it's worth a try. But if I do that, don't expect me to ever link off this one to the other.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Recommended: Speak
Periodically, people recommend books that actually sound interesting. More often, people recommend books that sound perfectly hideous, and I tend to smile and nod and forget the title and author as quickly as I can. Every once in a while, though, something strikes my interest and I put the book on my list. At the beginning of the year, I took my list and ordered them all. I thought I'd tell you about some of the ones I read and what I thought of them.
Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, was brought to my attention by James, and sounded like an easy read, if not an easy subject. It only took a couple of pages to figure out what had happened at the party last summer. So, while the story seemed to be trying to accomplish some big surprise ending, that part of it didn't work. However, the rest of the story really gets you into our protagonist's, Melinda's, head, and that makes the whole read valuable and even enjoyable.
After the "party incident", Melinda retreats into her own mind. She loses all her friends and starts to fall way behind in school. She won't talk to anyone, not to peers, not teachers, not her family. She has no one that really sees or notices how much she's changed since last year in the "before". Her only sort-of-friend is a new girl who moved in this year. She has all new teachers. Her parents are much too self-absorbed to notice anything about her personality changes. So, she is left to her own devices, and they aren't really enough. Through some caring teachers and some well-placed graffiti, she finds that she must give voice to the secret she's carried all year, leading to a triumphant turnaround in her life.
It's an interesting read, especially since so many people are the victims of the myriad varieties of sex-based crimes. I would imagine that a lot of people would draw strength to share their own stories based on a book like this. The more stories people hear, the more likely they are to see the signs of such a sad situation for what they are. Not everyone reacts to such an experience in the way our character did here, but it's one more reaction to add to your known list of "symptoms" for the sufferer.
Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, was brought to my attention by James, and sounded like an easy read, if not an easy subject. It only took a couple of pages to figure out what had happened at the party last summer. So, while the story seemed to be trying to accomplish some big surprise ending, that part of it didn't work. However, the rest of the story really gets you into our protagonist's, Melinda's, head, and that makes the whole read valuable and even enjoyable.
After the "party incident", Melinda retreats into her own mind. She loses all her friends and starts to fall way behind in school. She won't talk to anyone, not to peers, not teachers, not her family. She has no one that really sees or notices how much she's changed since last year in the "before". Her only sort-of-friend is a new girl who moved in this year. She has all new teachers. Her parents are much too self-absorbed to notice anything about her personality changes. So, she is left to her own devices, and they aren't really enough. Through some caring teachers and some well-placed graffiti, she finds that she must give voice to the secret she's carried all year, leading to a triumphant turnaround in her life.
It's an interesting read, especially since so many people are the victims of the myriad varieties of sex-based crimes. I would imagine that a lot of people would draw strength to share their own stories based on a book like this. The more stories people hear, the more likely they are to see the signs of such a sad situation for what they are. Not everyone reacts to such an experience in the way our character did here, but it's one more reaction to add to your known list of "symptoms" for the sufferer.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Interesting Movies about a Lack of Interestingness
This week, we went to a screening of Helvetica over at UCSB. My husband has an obsession with documentaries, so we've seen a lot of them. Some of them are beyond boring and some of them redeem the genre. I fully expected 80 minutes about a boring typeface to fall into the former category. And while it didn't fall into the latter category, either, I learned something, so I guess most documentaries would consider that a win.
The font ended up just being a starting point from which to examine the changes in the graphical design world over the last 50-60 years. Who knew people could get so worked up about how great or evil a font is? The whole film pitted the Helvetica-is-so-clean-there-is-no-confusing-what's-being-said folks against the Helvetica-is-so-regimented-it's-akin-to-"The Man"-keeping-you-down folks. You'd think a little conflict would make for a compelling story, but it barely made a story. At least they tried to have a plot, of sorts.
I guess there's a reason I'm not in graphic design, and I can't really recommend that you run out and watch this immediately. However, if you are interested in the design aspect of various printed materials, you could find this an enlightening little piece. I personally found this a perfect reason to dig up this old YouTube video about a different font. I found this a lot funnier, and it's certainly shorter.
The font ended up just being a starting point from which to examine the changes in the graphical design world over the last 50-60 years. Who knew people could get so worked up about how great or evil a font is? The whole film pitted the Helvetica-is-so-clean-there-is-no-confusing-what's-being-said folks against the Helvetica-is-so-regimented-it's-akin-to-"The Man"-keeping-you-down folks. You'd think a little conflict would make for a compelling story, but it barely made a story. At least they tried to have a plot, of sorts.
I guess there's a reason I'm not in graphic design, and I can't really recommend that you run out and watch this immediately. However, if you are interested in the design aspect of various printed materials, you could find this an enlightening little piece. I personally found this a perfect reason to dig up this old YouTube video about a different font. I found this a lot funnier, and it's certainly shorter.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Friday Random Ten
"Daddy" by Jewel on Pieces of You
"When I Get Home" by 4HIM on Face The Nation
"Cry the Name" by Rich Mullins* on Brother's Keeper
"Everything I Said" by The Cranberries on No Need To Argue
"Papa Loved Mama" by Garth Brooks on The Hits
"Fear" by Elizabeth Donihoo* on Dream
"A City on a Hill" by Patsy Moore on Regarding the Human Condition
"Say It All Again" by Wayne Watson on A Beautiful Place
"Heaven Knows" by When In Rome on When In Rome
"The Scotsman" by Brian Bowers
I can't find any kind of theme on this one, but any random ten that includes lines like these especially choice ones is okay by me:
"Papa loved Mama; Mama loved men. Now Mama's in the graveyard and Papa's in the pen'."
"I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath their kilt."
And so, I accept this random ten, even if it's too random to come up with anything to say about it.
*Acts I've seen live.
"When I Get Home" by 4HIM on Face The Nation
"Cry the Name" by Rich Mullins* on Brother's Keeper
"Everything I Said" by The Cranberries on No Need To Argue
"Papa Loved Mama" by Garth Brooks on The Hits
"Fear" by Elizabeth Donihoo* on Dream
"A City on a Hill" by Patsy Moore on Regarding the Human Condition
"Say It All Again" by Wayne Watson on A Beautiful Place
"Heaven Knows" by When In Rome on When In Rome
"The Scotsman" by Brian Bowers
I can't find any kind of theme on this one, but any random ten that includes lines like these especially choice ones is okay by me:
"Papa loved Mama; Mama loved men. Now Mama's in the graveyard and Papa's in the pen'."
"I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath their kilt."
And so, I accept this random ten, even if it's too random to come up with anything to say about it.
*Acts I've seen live.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Friday Random Ten
This week appears to be an instrumental week. Normally I would mind, but these were good instrumental things.
>"Six Days At The Bottom Of The Ocean" by Explosions in the Sky on The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place
"Twisting By The Pool" by Dire Straits on Money For Nothing
"Oh, Boy!" by Buddy Holly & The Crickets on From The Originial Master Tapes
>"Linus And Lucy" by the Vince Guaraldi Trio on A Charlie Brown Christmas
"Cuyahoga" by R.E.M. on Life's Rich Pageant
"When You Called My Name" by the Newsboys on Going Public
>"Horn Concerto No. 2 in E Flat Major" by Mozart, played by Dennis Brain on Mozart: Horn Concertos
>"78 Eastonwood Green" by Rich Mullins* on A Liturgy, A Legacy & A Ragamuffin Band
"The Icicle Melts" by The Cranberries on No Need To Argue
>"Rainbow Chaser" by Hewlett Crist on The Rio Grande Songs II
The Horn Concerto would be the sleeper of the group, except that I played that as a solo for contest one year, so I know it very well. Mozart wrote annoyingly difficult pieces for piano (almost difficult for the sake of being difficult, rather than for a particular sound), but his pieces for French Horn really highlight the strengths of that instrument. I wish I still had one of those laying around to play periodically.
* Acts I've seen live
> Instrumental entries
>"Six Days At The Bottom Of The Ocean" by Explosions in the Sky on The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place
"Twisting By The Pool" by Dire Straits on Money For Nothing
"Oh, Boy!" by Buddy Holly & The Crickets on From The Originial Master Tapes
>"Linus And Lucy" by the Vince Guaraldi Trio on A Charlie Brown Christmas
"Cuyahoga" by R.E.M. on Life's Rich Pageant
"When You Called My Name" by the Newsboys on Going Public
>"Horn Concerto No. 2 in E Flat Major" by Mozart, played by Dennis Brain on Mozart: Horn Concertos
>"78 Eastonwood Green" by Rich Mullins* on A Liturgy, A Legacy & A Ragamuffin Band
"The Icicle Melts" by The Cranberries on No Need To Argue
>"Rainbow Chaser" by Hewlett Crist on The Rio Grande Songs II
The Horn Concerto would be the sleeper of the group, except that I played that as a solo for contest one year, so I know it very well. Mozart wrote annoyingly difficult pieces for piano (almost difficult for the sake of being difficult, rather than for a particular sound), but his pieces for French Horn really highlight the strengths of that instrument. I wish I still had one of those laying around to play periodically.
* Acts I've seen live
> Instrumental entries
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Jars of Clay in an Unlikely Spot
So, I admit it. I watched the pilot of "Eli Stone" that came on after "Lost" last week. Go ahead. Get in all the comments you know you want to make about me being sucked into the marketing monster.
I probably won't watch it again. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you this is no earth-shattering piece of television work. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.
The thing that makes it notable was that while I was watching it, I thought I was going crazy. Just after the opening credits, I frantically looked to see why my iTunes spontaneously started playing. See, I heard "Good Monsters" by Jars of Clay, and who'd've thunk that would be in any mainstream TV show. But there it was.
And, of course, it makes sense. A song about people struggling to do the right thing in a world that expects the other (a big law firm in this case) would fit nicely into such a song. Jars had attempted such a foray into mainstream video media before, with a song they wrote for the movie The Long Kiss Goodnight. The scene the song was for was cut, but the song was still on the soundtrack for the movie. It was nice to see they didn't get cut this time, though I don't imagine it will be long before this show is cut. Unless the writer's strike lasts and this is all they have filmed.
I probably won't watch it again. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you this is no earth-shattering piece of television work. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.
The thing that makes it notable was that while I was watching it, I thought I was going crazy. Just after the opening credits, I frantically looked to see why my iTunes spontaneously started playing. See, I heard "Good Monsters" by Jars of Clay, and who'd've thunk that would be in any mainstream TV show. But there it was.
And, of course, it makes sense. A song about people struggling to do the right thing in a world that expects the other (a big law firm in this case) would fit nicely into such a song. Jars had attempted such a foray into mainstream video media before, with a song they wrote for the movie The Long Kiss Goodnight. The scene the song was for was cut, but the song was still on the soundtrack for the movie. It was nice to see they didn't get cut this time, though I don't imagine it will be long before this show is cut. Unless the writer's strike lasts and this is all they have filmed.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Non-Standard Cell Phone Uses
I know cell phones are primarily for talking to people that are somewhere else, but golly gee whillickers, they have some fancy other uses. I'm sure others of you have used them for clocks (who wears a watch anymore?) and for alarms (who travels with an alarm clock or wants to depend on the one in the hotel room?).
But do you use yours as a flashlight? I do. Every morning I get up, get dressed in the dark, so as not to disturb the sleeping husband, grab my phone off the nightstand, and step into the dark house that exists outside of the bedroom at five o'clock in the morning. It's a scary place, and I don't keep it as picked up as I should. To avoid stubbing my toe and making all manner of loud noises that would undo all the quiet dressing I did moments before, I open my phone and let the soft blue backlight lead the way to my upstairs office.
Any odd uses you put your phone to?
But do you use yours as a flashlight? I do. Every morning I get up, get dressed in the dark, so as not to disturb the sleeping husband, grab my phone off the nightstand, and step into the dark house that exists outside of the bedroom at five o'clock in the morning. It's a scary place, and I don't keep it as picked up as I should. To avoid stubbing my toe and making all manner of loud noises that would undo all the quiet dressing I did moments before, I open my phone and let the soft blue backlight lead the way to my upstairs office.
Any odd uses you put your phone to?
Monday, February 04, 2008
Running Again
I've decided I'm done being a slacker. I haven't been running or doing much else in the way of exercise for a long time, and that's just not acceptable.
Today, I just got back from my 1-minute run. I know that sounds pathetic, and it is, but hear me out. There is a certain amount of aerobic exercise that is just there to get you going and warmed up and to remind your body how to burn fat and not just the easy glucose that hangs out in the bloodstream. Most everything I've ever read says that takes about 30 minutes. That means everything before that half-hour point basically is just the stuff you do before the part of the workout that actually does you any good.
And after months of no running, I'm just glad my run today actually counted.
Today, I just got back from my 1-minute run. I know that sounds pathetic, and it is, but hear me out. There is a certain amount of aerobic exercise that is just there to get you going and warmed up and to remind your body how to burn fat and not just the easy glucose that hangs out in the bloodstream. Most everything I've ever read says that takes about 30 minutes. That means everything before that half-hour point basically is just the stuff you do before the part of the workout that actually does you any good.
And after months of no running, I'm just glad my run today actually counted.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Friday Random Ten
I think iTunes was trying to make me feel bad about not using the random feature for a while. It served up a lot of old favorites, and seems to nearly read as a "who's who" of bands I've seen live.
"Keeping My Eyes On Him" by Geoff Moore & The Distance* on Pure And Simple
"Peace (A Communion Blessing from St. Joseph's Square)" by Rich Mullins* on A Liturgy, A Legacy & A Ragamuffin Band
"Just Around the Riverbend" from Pocahontas
"One For My Baby (And One For The Road)" by Bette Midler on Experience The Divine
"California Girls" by The Beach Boys on The Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
"He" by Jars of Clay* on Jars of Clay
"Peace To The World" by B.B. King on Live At The Apollo
"No Holly For Miss Quinn" by Enya on Shepherd Moons
"When I Was A Dinosaur" by Trout Fishing In America* on Big Trouble
"Blind Man, Deaf Boy" by PFR* on Great Lengths
It was an excessively mellow ten, but it was just right for where I was today.
"Keeping My Eyes On Him" by Geoff Moore & The Distance* on Pure And Simple
"Peace (A Communion Blessing from St. Joseph's Square)" by Rich Mullins* on A Liturgy, A Legacy & A Ragamuffin Band
"Just Around the Riverbend" from Pocahontas
"One For My Baby (And One For The Road)" by Bette Midler on Experience The Divine
"California Girls" by The Beach Boys on The Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
"He" by Jars of Clay* on Jars of Clay
"Peace To The World" by B.B. King on Live At The Apollo
"No Holly For Miss Quinn" by Enya on Shepherd Moons
"When I Was A Dinosaur" by Trout Fishing In America* on Big Trouble
"Blind Man, Deaf Boy" by PFR* on Great Lengths
It was an excessively mellow ten, but it was just right for where I was today.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Lost Speculation
Just in time for the start of Season 4 of Lost this week, I completed rewatching all of seasons 1, 2, and 3. I was looking for clues, and I think I found some interesting ones that have me onto a new theory. For example, the guy that child-Ben meets in the woods when he goes looking for his mother is Richard (the guy that gives Locke the file on Sawyer). I'm almost certain of it, though I can find no confirmation nor denial of that in the credits -- that character is entirely uncredited. Or maybe he's not, because he also appears elsewhere in that episode, so he's credited for that name. Also, I was reminded of the fact that Mikhail came back from fatal injuries twice (being pushed through the sonic wall and the speargun to the heart in the Looking Glass station).
This really got me thinking that there are people that must really be "special" people. These people are completely invincible on the island. This is why some of them actually want to stay. Richard is one of these people (no aging in the time from Ben's boyhood to adulthood -- 30ish years?), and Mikhail and Walt. John Locke is also, clearly, one of these people. Not only was he cured of his paralysis, he recovered from the shot Ben made to his chest. Those are pretty much the only ones I know for sure. Ben, however, is not special. He is aging, he got a spinal tumor, he didn't recover from that quickly, etc. He is a poser, and works very hard to keep up the facade, but he knows he isn't really one of the special people. He's even more afraid when he finds that Jacob talked to Locke -- more confirmation that Locke truly is special...and will figure out that Ben isn't, soon enough.
This also makes me think that John Locke is the man in the coffin during the flash-forward. Locke's specialness must have been revealed somewhere along the way, and Jack is now convinced that he was the only way back to the island. Of course, off the island, Locke would be without his invincibleness, and could die.
There are also a couple of unanswered questions that I have no idea how to fit into what we know. For example, in the season 3 finale with the flash-forward, Jack's dad is alive again. Does this mean time was really split before the crash event, and there's a timeline where Jack's dad didn't die in Sydney? That doesn't seem to jive with the idea that the island magnetic event caused the crash/split, which seems pretty crucial to be true. Why did the Others/Hostiles allow Ben to become their leader after the purge of the Dharma Initiative folks? Are there any of the rest of that group still around, or were they all imports that have since died? Also, it's clear that some people are "special" and some aren't. What this "special-ness" really entails is still a mystery. It's odd that Ben puts so much emphasis on having been born on the island, like that's what does it, but we can be pretty sure that 3 of the 4 "specials" weren't born on the island. Maybe the importable "specials" are very rare, and that's why they are working so hard to get on-island pregancy to work out. That's my best guess, at the moment. There are plenty more questions, but those are the big ones in my mind. What are your biggest questions? Your wackiest theories?
I'm so excited to see what transpires in the next couple of seasons. I don't have any TV reception (no antenna, no cable), so I'll be watching online the day after it airs. Please don't ruin any surprises for me, but I shouldn't be too far behind you. Happy puzzling!
This really got me thinking that there are people that must really be "special" people. These people are completely invincible on the island. This is why some of them actually want to stay. Richard is one of these people (no aging in the time from Ben's boyhood to adulthood -- 30ish years?), and Mikhail and Walt. John Locke is also, clearly, one of these people. Not only was he cured of his paralysis, he recovered from the shot Ben made to his chest. Those are pretty much the only ones I know for sure. Ben, however, is not special. He is aging, he got a spinal tumor, he didn't recover from that quickly, etc. He is a poser, and works very hard to keep up the facade, but he knows he isn't really one of the special people. He's even more afraid when he finds that Jacob talked to Locke -- more confirmation that Locke truly is special...and will figure out that Ben isn't, soon enough.
This also makes me think that John Locke is the man in the coffin during the flash-forward. Locke's specialness must have been revealed somewhere along the way, and Jack is now convinced that he was the only way back to the island. Of course, off the island, Locke would be without his invincibleness, and could die.
There are also a couple of unanswered questions that I have no idea how to fit into what we know. For example, in the season 3 finale with the flash-forward, Jack's dad is alive again. Does this mean time was really split before the crash event, and there's a timeline where Jack's dad didn't die in Sydney? That doesn't seem to jive with the idea that the island magnetic event caused the crash/split, which seems pretty crucial to be true. Why did the Others/Hostiles allow Ben to become their leader after the purge of the Dharma Initiative folks? Are there any of the rest of that group still around, or were they all imports that have since died? Also, it's clear that some people are "special" and some aren't. What this "special-ness" really entails is still a mystery. It's odd that Ben puts so much emphasis on having been born on the island, like that's what does it, but we can be pretty sure that 3 of the 4 "specials" weren't born on the island. Maybe the importable "specials" are very rare, and that's why they are working so hard to get on-island pregancy to work out. That's my best guess, at the moment. There are plenty more questions, but those are the big ones in my mind. What are your biggest questions? Your wackiest theories?
I'm so excited to see what transpires in the next couple of seasons. I don't have any TV reception (no antenna, no cable), so I'll be watching online the day after it airs. Please don't ruin any surprises for me, but I shouldn't be too far behind you. Happy puzzling!
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