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| Saturday, December 31st, 2005 | | 7:54 pm |
| | Tuesday, November 15th, 2005 | | 8:19 am |
Well, I've mananged to keep forgetting that Renee has been working out for about the last month. Three times a week with her mom she heads off to the Waukee YMCA. Last night, I went with. Last night I also managed to pull or strain my groin muscle. I've been in a good deal of pain for about 15 hours now. It was feeling better this morning, then I took the dog out for his morning constitutional. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the general area (which is nearly all of you... for shame), there's a hill directly north of my house. This is where we let Cooper do his sinful business. It's also where I happened to aggravate my injury. I was tender going up the hill, I was in agony on the way back down. So, I'm going to take the day off to rest it.
A non-groin reminder: Sunday is my birthday, I like shiny and/or expensive gifts. Mostly the latter. Also, I'll take cash, if that's the best you can come-up with. ;p | | Monday, October 31st, 2005 | | 4:56 pm |
Happy Hallow's Eve
I’ve decided to be a bit more forthcoming in this update than I’ve been in the previous couple. I’ve not been withholding information so much as I’ve just not cared enough about anything going on right now to worry about updating. That is nothing exciting has happened. Life has been, well mundane recently. Not that that’s a bad thing, just uninspiring to write about. This hasn’t changed since my last update, but I’ve felt guilty about the lack of communiqué leaving my brain to those who may care to read something about what’s happening.
As I mentioned last time, we really love having our own house. It’s a great and wonderful feeling knowing that it’s ours to do with as we please. The mortgage payments haven’t really made any sort of impact. We’re paying only slightly more than 700$/month. It hasn’t cramped our lifestyles much at all. Granted it is about a 275$/month jump from the apartment, but we’ve been here for over three months and other than eating a few more meals at home, nothing we’ve done has really changed — not that we really did anything extravagant anyway, I guess. Our first Halloween here was a bust. We bought around 20$ worth of candy. I also decorated our Jack O’ Lantern with fake bones and some thinned-out ketchup. Think anyone got to see it? No. Not a single person showed up. We were disappointed — Renee, more so because Halloween’s always been a big deal for her. For me it’s mostly been something that people around me really dig. Namely the Glazebrooks and Renee. I like Halloween, but mostly because other people get me excited about it.
We spend most of our time working. Our free time is spent basically watching TV (for me it’s spent playing games I already own and looking for new jobs). We go to bed early, wake up whenever we have to and if we don’t have to, then we sleep in. Though, I’m excitedly looking forward to buying a large-screen TV (birthday hint ;p) to spend my days with the Xbox 360 on, soon.
DMACC’s Spring registration starts in about 1.5 weeks, so I’ll get back to work on school. To be honest, I’m growing weary of school. That’s how I know I need to really hurry up and get it done. Since getting into college, I’ve not had the urge to get out of school. I blame this on owning a house and being married. Before, I never saw the need to really do anything at anything but my most convenient pace. If I didn’t want to go full time, I’d drop class at will — or not sign-up for fulltime. If I got half-way through and just got tired of a class, I’d drop the class and not finish it. Turns out, I should’ve gotten married a long time ago. I’d probably be well into a career by now. ;p
Anyway, I’m fin’ to stop here. I know it’s a bit awkward, but I’m out of energy. | | Wednesday, October 19th, 2005 | | 6:30 pm |
Robbystyle, your wish is my command.
Well, well, well. It has been a while, hasn’t it? To be honest, I’ve been avoiding updating this here blog. I don’t really have a good excuse, though. I have a half-assed excuse, but it’s not a good one.
The biggest news is my withdrawal from ISU. I have my reasons, and enlightened those I feel need to be enlightened. I’m using this semester as a transitionary period with which to reflect on things and adjust accordingly. If you’ve not been told and you’re curious or you think you deserve to know, email me. Maybe I’ll tell you and maybe I shant. It’ll depend on my mood at the time I return the email. Frankly, I feel stupid about the situation and don’t want to cop to it on the ‘Net.
Anyway, as it turns out, I hate working at DMACC. I had to leave about 45 mins after I arrived last Monday. They irked me, so I bid adieu for the day and flipped a chair over on the way out. A couple of days later, after being treated like a leper whilst my boss was away, I received an apology from her — though not from the offenders. So, since then, I’ve been forcing myself to even bother to show up. I’ve also had to force myself to stay once I arrive.
I don’t like being there. However, I hate the thought of having to interview for jobs slightly more. So, at least at this point, I’m stuck going.
Everything else is going swimmingly. I also don’t really feel like writing any more right now. | | Saturday, August 20th, 2005 | | 7:26 pm |
Transitionary periods
My apologies for failing to update over the last month. I could throw a bunch of excuses your ways, but I'll spare everyone the pitiful reasons and just get on with it. ;p
Personal stuff
For those of you not keeping track, Renee and I will celebrate our first anniversary on the fifth. It was the shortest year in my life, I believe. I really don't have much more to say. It doesn't really feel like a year's worth of activity. We don't have a lot planned, but we don't seem to need a lot to have a good time.
Renee and I have settled in nicely to our new home. Bit by bit we're getting things situated the way we want. It's not been a quick adjustment, but we're doing it at a pace that we're comfortable with and that we can do without breaking our accounts. The furniture is in place and accessories are starting to fill in the spaces. Our bedroom is the most complete, finished in fact. Well, not completely finished, we plan to paint the place, but that'll wait for spring moneys and weather.
Our newest addition is a three-year-old beagle named Cooper. We adopted him from the Animal Rescue League. There are some definite advantages to getting an older dog, and as it turns out some disadvantages. We don't know a lot about his previous family. But he's well trained and obedient.
Some of the advantages are that he already knows how to sit, shake and housebroken. He is very much a people dog -- almost to a fault. He seems really needy and is constantly begging for our food. He does love his car rides. We literally have to sneak out or use misdirection plays to get out the door. Sometimes both.
As I found out today, there is one *major* disadvantage to adopting an older dog. By the time you find out what he really doesn’t like, he’s big enough to let you know in a big way. As my hand discovered a couple of hours ago, he doesn’t like to take a bath. Sparing a long story, I ran the bath, he shied away and when I went to pick him up and carry him back to the bathroom, I got nipped. I have a nice blood blister on my hand for my troubles. So far that’s all I’ve discovered he doesn’t like. It makes me leery about whether or not I’ll ever come across anything else he doesn’t care for. For those interested, I won the face off.
Other than that one incident he’s been a terrific pack member. We’re getting a younger dog, of the German shepherd flavor, on Monday. Provided she and cooper get along. This one is a sister’s-in-law dog. She’s just a pup, not even a year yet. Should make for an interesting addition.
Scholarly pursuits
Monday will mark my first day at ISU. I’ve not thought much about it. Mostly this was a purposeful thing. I’m a bit… apprehensive about the move. I don’t really know why. I’m not nervous about the coursework or the day-to-day that I’ll be facing. Mayhaps it’s the scale of the whole picture. I just know I’m not nearly as excited as I usually am to restart classes. Normally by this time I’m chomping at my proverbial bit to get back to classes. The thing I’m most concerned with is where I’ll be parking. I presume it’ll be the stadium area, but I’m not 100% on that. I am anxious to prove to myself I can pull a 3.33 @ 12 credits while working a 40-hour week. Speaking of which…
Work schedule
I’ve decided not to pursue at second job for my weekends. I have understaffing at work to thank for that. I was able to scam my way into my previous position of “lab monitor” for the night shift. This is good because I get plenty of time to work on any class stuff and all the benefits of my flexible schedule.
Well that’s enough for now. I’ve got Britcoms to watch and chores to do.
Salut. | | Tuesday, July 26th, 2005 | | 4:47 pm |
Whew. We made it!
We're moved in. The bedrooms and baths are fully operational. Our new furniture has been delivered. Dishnetwork will be in Friday AM sometime. It's been a rough move and our house smells like paint, still. However, we're none the worse for wear and we have Internet again.
Internet is the key for me. Broadcast television never seems as bad when you know you can meander up to the computer to kill time when needed.
I'll try a more comrehensive update this weekend. Until then, we're continuing to unpack. | | Tuesday, July 19th, 2005 | | 7:56 am |
So much for my irrateness in my last update. Renee and I close this afternoon.
Go us! | | Thursday, July 14th, 2005 | | 3:03 pm |
Irritated
So, it turns out that Nationwide hadn't run our financials until this week... assholes.
There's a chance that our financing won't go through now. This is, in part, because I have been working an average of 25 hours over the last year or so. I've stepped up my hours now because I need the money. Didn't need that much before so I hadn't been working as much. I do this periodically. I step up my hours when school is down or we need extra money for something. It's 90% of the reason I work at DMACC. They'll let me work whatever hours I want and for as long as I want.
So now that we're -- in theory -- closing in less than a week, they let us know that this was an issue. We could have done this at the beginning and either gotten it straightened out or denied and moved on. As it stands, we're not only going through the steps of getting our deal closed, but now we also got to start looking for an apartment in case this falls through.
Nothing like being given the screw job at the last second. It's mostly irritating because we make enough that we can easily pay for the house, taxes, our cars, etc. and it's looking more likely that things are just going to fall apart.
The worst thing is that since we're packed and have given notice, we can't even hang out in this apartment. We have to be cleaned and out by the 31st. | | Friday, July 8th, 2005 | | 8:13 pm |
The times... ... that were: So, RayRay and I have been back from vacation for quite sometime. We had lots of fun. Though, I wish we'd spent a little more time at Effigy Mounds and not budgeted quite as much for Maquoketa. We only really had time to do the main trail; though, it was about a 5 mile walk. I hope to get back up there eventually. It's a pilgrimage of Mecca-like importance for anthropologists schooled in Iowa. I don't find much excitement in American Indian annals, but it was cool and is a special place. There were... vibes. Humbling to realize the mounds were pre-Alexanderian Macedon. Boy, pre-Alexanderian Macedon just doesn't have the ring pre-Caesarian Rome does. Caesar just wasn't born early enough, so it'll have to do. Maybe I should have settled for pre-dated Alexander the Great?? ... that make us giddy: RayRay and I did our walkthrough for our house today. All-in-all it was pretty clean. Those issues that showed themselves were superficial and easily remedied. We do our final inspection next Friday. We're still scheduled to close on the 19th. Though our financier did stress 26th as a fall-back date. I'd rather not wait that long. ... that make one think: Matt, our original loan officer, quit. So we got a female replacement (and yes, her sex is important to the story, read on ;p). Come to find out, her ex-husband, Andy, is a boss of sorts to Renee. She didn't seem impressed with Andy, neither am I from the stories Renee relays to me. ... that frustrate me: Ever wish you could strangle a situation? I do. My work situation, specifically. I've had it far too easy. In and out as I please, paid what hours I felt necessary. Now I have to play games with our new log book. We have to sign in and out now. Idiots. The full-time employees got pissed off (or scared (litterally) I'm not clear on which) that they might have to do some work one evening when they couldn't find someone who was in the bathroom. So, they complained to my boss. You'd think for $75k/year they could deal with the phones for 10 minutes... but they'd rather not be bothered. @$$#oles. [Rectum? Damn near killed 'em!] Now all of us temporary/work studies have to sign in and out. As much as I enjoy the freedom this job brings, I need hours when we move in. ... that we realise growing freedoms: We're making our second quarter payment to our HSA. If you're young and relatively healthy, you need one. Go, get one now. Go on. I'll wait. Good. We like it because we own our health care now. It draws interest, albeit a modest 2%, and we have access to the money if we have an emergency. If we go to the doctor, we write out a check. No income tax on the moneys. If we make it to 62 years-old (65?) we can use it for whatever we want. If we need it for said emergency, we can use it and just have to pay income tax on it. Sweet deal. ... that will make you weep: Renee and I have decided that next weekend we won't be able to make it camping. We, in our finite wisdom, have declared it far too close to moving to do anything except reserve it for emergency last-minute packing. Don't pity us, difficult choices must be occasionally made. ... that make you wish I had more to write: | | Saturday, June 18th, 2005 | | 2:23 pm |
A campin' we've gone
Last night: Went camping with my apparently deaf (technically just not listening... constantly) 8-year-old nephew, Shaun. Fairly tame, mundane break-in to camping life. No snipe hunting or such... I'll leave that to my more ornery adopted-family members sometime in the future. ;p Though, it's important for Rob to take notice: I got a fire going without any silly starter blocks *bows* :). Just me and Shaun Vs. Nature... but just the dead parts of nature. I kicked nature's arse-end. Also, there was a free heavy-metal concert that lasted until 1:00 a.m. I stopped listening about 7:02 pm. Well, I tried. I actually stopped listening at 1:00 a.m. Much to my chagrin. It was a sort of garage band event… As you can imagine, the already talent-less style of music was enhanced by the screaming impersonations by high school. Good stuff.
This morning: While packing camp to return to Ankeny, Shaun and I met a neo-Nazi. Recognizing we were white and probably non-Jewish, he was quite friendly... though his odor was not as inoffensive. Decatur County license plates (in case you're keeping score). We were at Hickory Hills, south of Indianola, and he asked if we were coming or going. After informing him that we’d be gone in 5 minutes or so, he regaled us — well me, because thankfully Shaun was already in the car waiting on me — with his hard-luck story. Seems he got there last night but all the camping spots were taken. So he and the rest of his Klan (two or three other skinheads in the car) drove 250 miles looking for another place to park. For those of you curious, a quick check on Google indicates that Decatur, Iowa is only 57 miles from Indianola. We were only about 50 miles from their general living area, how (perhaps why, is a better Q) the hell they drove 250 miles in search of a campground, I’ll never know. But I digress. Apparently everywhere they tried to camp was full. Here is a briefing of the conversation:
Me: Did you try Ahquabi? It’s only a few miles north of here.
NN (Neo-Nazi): Yup. It were full too. (Though he’d likely spell it “two”).
Me (nodding): Oh.
NN: Yeah, we tried a couple of other places, two (sic). They was all full.
**Then I swear to all that is good in the world he followed that with this (and as serious as someone talking about a funeral they just left):
NN: It was probably the Jews.
It was then I realized the shaved head was probably less a fashion statement than a political one, and what I thought was a stylized tai chi (Yin-Yang), was actually a stylized swastika… Turns out when I said 5 minutes, I meant 30 seconds. Go figure.
~~~~
Today: Babysitting for lil' ones.
~~~
Tomorrow: Renee and I are going to Effigy Mounds, (possibly) House on the Rock in Wisconsin, and Maquoketa Caves. Camping or hotel-hopping is still in debate. | | Friday, May 27th, 2005 | | 9:51 pm |
Townhomes and rants (singular for both) ;p So, Renee and I are officially on the hook for the townhouse which will shortly be located at 3004 Sharmin Ln here in Ankeny. It’s pronounced Share-min, though the lady just said she decided that because it sounded better than toilet paper. I resisted the strong urge to correct her on the spelling. Mostly I did this because I didn’t want Renee to beat me when we got back to the apartment. ;p Closing and move-in date is in mid-July, probably the 19th-ish. We signed about two forests worth of processed tree pulp earlier today, and then we came back and ate what is likely our last to-order meal for a while. Details WhyNow, I’m not a huge fan of townhouses normally. However, right now this is our best option. We’re a bit short on free cash, free time, and free patience. So, being 100% financed, complete with appliances, zero upkeep outside and warrantee-engulfed it’s everything that we were looking for and new. ;p Plus, it gets us out of here by August, which is excellent, IMNSHO. Builder Triton HomesTo see the floor plan (at the bottom) choose Des Moines Ankeny White Birch We chose the Boston floor plan. We’re a middle unit so we don’t have all the windows. More on the minute stuff in a few. LocationIt’s located south of Oralabor on Second/State Street. (It’s not technically either, since Second street in Des Moines ends a few miles prior to the house and State street here in Ankeny starts about a quarter-mile north of the turn into the development. Basically it’s diagonal south from DMACC. Which makes the drive to work about a three-minute effort. Close enough to walk/ride if gas prices jump again. It’s a straight shot to Fareway and Walmart and I-35. Also, Sharmin is an offshoot of “White Birch Drive” which is the main street through the development. So, it’s not on the main drag which will be nice. If you go to the Maps Site, we’re number 44 (on the far right of the map). BTW, north is on the right, not up on that particular map. InteriorThe townhouse is two stories stacked atop the two-car garage, making for three stories overall. The garage, as mentioned, will fit two cars. Plus room after that for the heavy bag we intend to buy so we can work out with all of the time freed by the lack of cable (see below). There’s a nice little cubby hole down there, good for possibly storing bikes (under the staircase). The second floor opens into the kitchen/living room area — it’s continuous. There’s a closet and a nice, large pantry that we get. There’s also a full bathroom on this floor. Good for dual showering, though not as fun as a 2-in-1, very functional. ;p The kitchen has a refrigerator, microwave and a stove. The stove I hope to upgrade to something akin to this smooth top. It’s only an extra $140, and I’ve wanted one of these orgasmically fantastic things since I first saw one in 2000. It’s really my only insistence for the downstairs. On the third floor is a larger bathroom and a laundry room (washer and dryer included), another full bathroom and a smaller bedroom. The smaller bedroom will serve as my office. It’s my only insistence/decorating plans on the second floor. Now the decision I have to make is old-world European, thought provoking library vs. subtle, Chinese, chi-inspiring décor. I could go either way. Good thing I have about 45 days to think about it. The association fees are actually worth it to. When one considers the cost of garbage/lawnmower and gas/ snow removal/ and most importantly, time saved. I consider it worth it. Also, the way they’re built, is sorta nifty. They build each separate from the others. So, you essentially you could cut apart each home from its neighbors and have the four outside walls standing. Then between each house they insulate the hell out of. While inside, you can’t hear any of the construction (particularly once the AC is on). Plus, they’re almost done with our part of the complex. After that they move south (behind) of us. Since there’s already another house there, it should be nice and quiet. Besides, they’re gone by 6:00 pm or so. Financial This’ll be relatively short. Mostly because the older I get, the tighter my lips get when it comes to divulging how much we’re paying/making. It’ll be about twice our rent. But our rent is cheap. We’ll be without cable/internet/whatever else we deem cuttable by then. ;p Mostly this is a choice rather than a “have to”. Theoretically, we could get all of it and still have money for gas and stuff. However, I figure it’ll be good for school if I neglect these things. ‘Sides, the office at DMACC has satellite on a plasma screen and all the computer labs we can handle. So, it’s a non-issue really. All I gotta do is scam a key. ;p Plus, I’m taking an extra student loan to eliminate my car payment. So with all this, we basically come back to what we’re paying for rent now. ;p It’s 6% APR, on the mortgage, if you’re curious. It’ll be the last time I privilege everyone to our finances. So enjoy. ;p Oh, also, since construction doesn’t end until next spring sometime, we have no property taxes to pay yet. So we get about a year, 18-months tax free. ConclusionI’m very pleased with the place, as is Renee. Pretty soon excitement will kick in. Go me! RantCaution: FlammableOn to other things. Earlier today Renee and I were watching Peoples’ Court (that’s always sounded Communistic to me. ;p) and the plaintiff was telling his story and happened to mention that the police officer who investigated was female. To wit the female judge replied something to the effect of “what does her being female have to do with the case?” Asinine. (I just discovered “asinine” only has one “s”, I think I prefer it with two. It just seems more fitting that way. ;p) Anyhoo, I’m all for equal rights. I dig the fact that women vote and can voice their opinions the same way that men can and I think it’s absurd they only make 15 cents on the dollar or whatever they insist the comparison to men is. However, correcting the dude like that was a bit much. She didn’t bother to correct him when he said, “axed” instead of “asked.” Nor did she seem to think it was a problem that the plaintiff described the officer as, “she.” And to top it off, she didn’t hesitate speak Spanish on the bench, yet she took time out to call him on the female thing. I’ll be the first to grant that knowing the sex of the officer didn’t matter anymore than whether or not she was Black or Asian or Purple. But, why call him on that? At least that’s English. Frankly, that he chooses to say “axed” and she chooses to speak in Spanish doesn’t bother me. Hell, nearly everything that’s law-oriented in this country is closer to Spanish than English thanks to the Romans and the Catholics. Much in the same way that his saying “female” doesn’t bother me. Who the hell cares? It’s all language. Bottom line: It’s more important to understand what he’s saying and that he gets his complaint out than it is to nit-pick the situation. It’s a lawsuit, not a class on political correctness and not an English class. It doesn’t solve anything and instead it took him a minute to regroup and get on with his point. | | Friday, May 13th, 2005 | | 4:31 pm |
So the numbers are in on this semester. I finished with "A" in Cultural Anthropology and Biology, a "B" in Small Business Mngmt, and a "C" in Speed Reading. For you math majors, that's a 3.16GPA. Bringing my overall GPA to a 3.0002. Go me!
For the record, I got screwed on my Speed Reading class. That should have been at *least* a B. I'm not sure what happened, except he really didn't like my style of writing. He gave essays that were an easy B+, C's. He didn't share my political stance either, but if that was reckoned into the grade then he hid it well. As far left as he proclaimed to be, it didn't seem to bother him when anyone put forth a different view. I only bring this up because usually (at least at DMACC) when you have a different view point from that of an instructor, you don't dare show it unless you feel like fighting all semester. However, to give this instructor credit, there was a free flow of ideas on the topics we read about. I don't understand the C, though. We had it drilled into our heads all semester that the class was mostly graded on improvement. I improved from about 120 wpm to around 400 wpm. I was also the fastest and generally had the highest level of comprehension in the class. How all of this translates into a C is beyond me. Ah vell.
Next on my scholastic progress is that I've decided to forego finishing my AA at the moment. Instead, I'm opting to jump to ISU. There are several reasons for the decision. Mostly, I just want to jump all the way in at State, instead of half-arsing it at DMACC and ISU. I hope it'll be easier this way without having to switch back and forth between learning levels.
In other news, Renee and I are tired of waiting for WellsFargo to get back to us with our approval. So, Sunday we're going to look at some townhomes. Far from my first choice, it maybe a good transition. Mortgage payments comparable to our rent and the minimal upkeep involved is a definite plus. I've never been really keen on townhouses, but we're looking at only staying there a few years and with school and work it might be the best. Neither Renee nor myself have the knowledge or the time to learn and put forth the effort to handle a stand alone right now (BTW, Renee is officially salary as of this Sunday. So, she's preparing to hit full throttle on her career path.). And since the construction companies around here don't seem to be building anything except townhomes at the moment, I'll trust they foresee a market for them in the near future.
Whelp, that's enough for now. I got some childsitting to get ready for. | | Sunday, May 1st, 2005 | | 2:54 pm |
So, it's been a minute or two since my last update. Life is fairly mundane at the moment. Classes are over for Renee and I. I have a final test on Wednesday at noon, otherwise I'm completely done. Which means that on the morrow I get start working full time again. Good for a house, not that great for someone who enjoys wandering off at a moment's notice. Then in about a month, I'll be taking stats. I need it and one other math/science course to finish at DMACC. I'm going 50/50 at ISU/DMACC in the fall.
Speaking of house, we were approved for about 21% less than we had hoped. So our house will be small, but we're still moving forward. Quaint, perhaps is a better word.
In addition, we have a new member of our family. After several minutes of debate while waiting for my car's preventative maintenance to finished, we bought a hamster. Her name is Molly, a Hebrew name meaning "bitter". It was a fitting name Friday night. Since then she's settled down a bit and isn't nearly as mean/scared as she once was. We have decided we should have bought a bigger cage -- we're going to rectify that situation in the next couple of days.
Well, the Cubs were winning today, but they've given up a whole heckuva lot of runs in the last few innings, so it's time to go play Jade Empire.
~Later~ | | Sunday, April 10th, 2005 | | 8:05 pm |
On my way to be orientated
On my way to Iowa State Orientation stuff. Renee and I decided to stay in Ames tonight.
Wish me patience for tomorry. | | Friday, March 25th, 2005 | | 8:39 pm |
Hmm, a brief update.
1) Got to spend a good chunk of this Spring Break with the nieces and nephews. Got quite a lot of pics, but no where to post them. ;p I'll be lookin' around sometime for a place to post. Unfortunately, this means that I didn't work a lick this week. A little hard on the ol' checkbook in a couple of weeks. Also, it really cut down on our plans to get a jump on the last half of this semester... ah vell.
2) Renee and I are slated to be Angelina's godparents (yea us!), so that's exciting. I think Renee is also a godmother (and hence I'm a godfather -- I think) to one or two of our other niece/nephews. I'll check on that, though.
3) I've officially been accepted to ISU. What the hell is an acceptance fee? I had to pay $275 to be accepted. *boggle*
4) The house thing is waiting on a prospective lender to come off of vacation. It turns out that we make (or very soon will be making) too much to qualify for the USDA's loan program. However, it's looking good for us to get on their guranteed loan program. Essentially, we get the loan and the USDA backs it so we don't have to worry about a downpayment/mortgage insurance. It's good to be a capitalist pig in the ever-increasing nanny-state that our country is becoming.
5) School's going well. I'm still expecting to cross the 3.x mark this semester. Then I'll split my classes between finishing my AA @ DMACC and beginning my BA @ ISU. Go me! | | Saturday, March 12th, 2005 | | 3:31 pm |
Just a quick update. I'm not really in the mood, but I feel guilty about not doing it, so I'm giving into guilt. ;p School is going well. Work is doing alright. Renee and I have an appointment to talk to the USDA people to see about getting a guaranteed loan for a home. The meeting will be mid next week. I stole the idea from Amber. She and her husband did the same a couple of years ago. It struck me as such I good idea, I decided to look into for myself. That'll do for a half-hearted update. ;p | | Sunday, February 27th, 2005 | | 9:17 pm |
Sore:So, Rob and I spent 10 or so hours moving Dave and Vi around yesterday. My first physical activity since I got my car and didn't have to ride my bike to work last summer. ;p On top of that I spent a chunk of the week installing labs at DMACC. As such, I'm extremely sore today. I really need to get out more. Cranky:So, on top of the move yesterday, it was a short night. Our idiot neighbors woke us up at 3:30am this morning with that incessant music of theirs. It was the second night in two weeks. This time we called the cops. I've *never* called the cops for any reason at any time. I was not pleased to make my first at 4:00am. We had tried to knock on their door first. The never bothered to answer it for us... or the cops. That's right. The cops came back down after a few minutes up there to tell us no one was home. My ass. We could hear them walking around. The cops said no one answered the door and they had their dispatch call the people. Since when this qualifies as no one being home, I don't know. Unfortunately I was more or less out of it and didn't think to tell the cops I could hear them walking around -- mostly I was in a tried, hazy disbelief that they were saying no one was there. I'll not hesitate to call them again if it happens. Next step is to let the landlord know. However, we can't even get him to answer his pager when we have stuff break and try to let him know. Maybe he'll answer if his pager starts to blow-up at 3am and he gets our 30-day notice. Rob, get ready, it may soon be time to help us move, sans your uncles. ;p And Tired:So, after our two-hour break from sleep, we got back up about 9 am or so. I put in a solid 11 hours at DMACC because of the mid-term. Got a little bit accomplished. Not as much as homework as I had hoped, but I got quite a bit extra-curricular official work. We were pretty slow. In a few minutes I'll check the Helpdesk email again and make any last minute password changes that need to be done so teachers don't get mad at us because they decided to wait for the last possible minute to do their work. ¿Ever notice...... any time anyone who hasn't seen him in awhile visits Rob in Ames, he or she walks away with a new tattoo? Renée noticed and pointed it out to me. ;p Good night:See above. | | Saturday, February 5th, 2005 | | 2:26 pm |
Quick update
Yo,
Just a quick few things. We're going up to Cedar Rapids later for a nephew's late b/day celebration. He'll be either three or four. I forget which. I think four.
Babies
Lillie is a gorgeous little thing.
Renee's sister, Pam, gave birth via C-section on Monday. A healthy 8lb 11 oz, 20-inch baby girl. Her name is Angelina Ann.
Renee's sister, Tracy is pregnant with her third child. Due late summer, likely.
Renee's sister, Julia may be pregnant with her second. We should know more in coming days with this one.
Jobs and such
Well, Renee quickly grew weary and irritated with DMACC. She had had a successful interview on last Thursdasy for a reception-type job at a law office downtown and was basically biding her time waiting hear "official" word. Then, fewer than 48 hours later, she found out that the owner of the McDonald's store where she worked had more or less told her store manager that he'd do what he could to help her get to coporate. Renee had wanted to be a trainer at corporate, but didn't want to be pidgeon-holed at McDonald's if something went awry. So, after she heard that, we discussed the matter and decided that she should go for it.
The route she'll have to follow is thusly:
1) Prove that she can do what she does at a different store (she is very good at floor control and training and running the shifts and such), to prove it's not a fluke. ;p ~~ 30 days or so
2) Then she'll go to 2nd assistant to learn inventory and ordering procedures ~~ six months at the most
3) 1st assistant to learn operations and how to run the store ~~ This will be longest time she'll have to put in, but nothing terrible. She should make store manager within two years. For those keeping track, in two years, she'll still be a year younger than I am right now. How's that for a reality check. :(
4) Store manager for a bit. Then it gets tricky. To hit corporate there has to be an opening (same for the store manager thing, but those are shifted around a bit more). The region that we're in (Minneapolis) has a very low turnover rate. Which means that we might have to change regions. But that's still a ways away.
The most immediate impact will be her switch to salary. Likely one considerably higher than her current wage. At the least it will probably mean a $4k/year increase. Also, she'll get to finish out her AA -- which she only needs 12 more credits for. All-in-all we're both pretty excited. She'll find out which store she's transferring to on Monday. She made a point of ensuring that which ever one it is needs to be a high-volume store. We're thinking hopefully Grand. It has a Ray Kroc winner for a store manager. It's as prestigious award.
Okay, well those are the big things. So, I'm gonna wander off for now. | | Sunday, January 9th, 2005 | | 10:58 am |
It’s been a while, eh? It’s not really been that I’ve been overly busy. And it’s not as though I couldn’t have found the time. Nor, was it, a fact of too few things happening to write about. It’s just been a lack of motivation. ;p
Le’see, for starters, Renee’s working at DMACC now. She’s still doing the managerial thing at McD’s, but mostly on the weekends. It’s just a 1000-hour, temp placement, but I think it’s a nice change of pace for her. She’s doing the registration-helper thingy. She’s got mixed feelings about it. She’s happy to be exposed to things other than the same ole, same ole. But, she’s not at all used to having to be the one to ask questions and be confused. She’s used to answering said questions, and confusing others… or clearing-up confusion … err something… Since it’s only a temporary position she’ll prolly end-up working at McArch’s Supper Club more in the coming weeks, but right now they’re keeping her busy in registration. Renee’s also veering-off from the paralegal program and is taking business classes this coming semester. If all goes well she’s even talking that she may end-up at ISU in the fall. Exciting, considering she’s generally thinks she’s got no business at DMACC. ;p
Classes went well for me last semester. I finished with a A- in Geography. If I had gotten the A that I deserved and earned in the class, then I’d have carried a 4.0. I’m still not pleased about the whole thing. This semester I’m doing something I’ve never done before: namely, taking a class with a significant other. I’ve never even wanted to attend the same school as someone with whom I was seeing. I guess that means we can mark this off as me growing as a person. ;p We’re taking biology together. She’s promised to make me attend most-all the classes. Showing up (or rather a lack thereof) is all that has ever really stopped me from acing classes on regular basis. This means good things for my GPA. Which should easily rise to a level of 3.0 by summer. After that, I’ll be short three credits. I’ll prolly opt to take a summer class.
Meh, I’ve grown bored. I’m really more or less out of stuff to say, anyhoo.
— Later — | | Sunday, November 21st, 2004 | | 2:41 pm |
Since everyone else is...
Unprecedented updates by everyone else has me thinking I should prolly update mine.
I used to have some stuff to update about, but that's since changed. Nothing terribly interesting going on, except of course that yesterday was my birthday and Jake came up for the weekend. We played video games from Thursday night until Saturday evening... we broke for sleep and eat and time to buy new video games, but other than that it was a marathon of video gaming. This morning we rearranged the living room. Something Rnee hates, but I find as a nice change of pace. I have to finish after this update. The rehooking-up of everything always takes the longest and is really the only part that I dislike. But I made the mess, so now I have to clean it up. ;p
Yesterday, apart from being my birthday, Renee went to her sister, Pam's, babyshower. Much like one of the other sides of my family, she is due in sometime in the January/December time frame. Poor kids, much like my birthday, they'll likely get screwed outta presents because of their birthdate's relative position to Christmas. They'll have my sympathy. ;p
Meh, that'll work for now. |
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