Clean Elections

We watched a program last week talking about the "Clean Elections" movement.

For $300,000,000.00 or $1.00 per person in the U.S. elections could be staged with Tax payer, not special interest/lobbist/corporate donations at the Federal (Presidential) level.

This program allows for anyone to run for office.

Here's a link...

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/242/index.html

so you can check it out for yourself...

Amusing

Amusing how if one places the


word

"activist"

in front of a word such as


"judge"

or

"court"


suddenly

we are somehow thrust into a world of

George Orwell's "1984",

And so many people run crying

"The Sky is falling!"

and everyone stops

thinking

for themselves...

Judges and courts don't make legislation,

merly interpret was is precidence in the courts

already...

Gay Marriage

Having been a former opponent of gay marriage,

and having come around in my thinking

since a close friend 'came out'.


Just

exactly how

does same sex marriages

"take away"

from my marriage?

Kitties

Boo is doing well.
She keeps working the scab at the end of her incision and so it can't heal.
But everything else is fine.

I don't think she has tried to jump onto the bed.
We have been lifting her up, which insults her dignity, but she soon forget this when she see's Z and snuggles up with her.

I have been going at her pretty vigorously with the hair brush, pulling huge tuffs of old under coat from her. It must feel good as she cools and purrs as I pull her this way and that with the brush.
***
Wild fires in Cali.
They showed a man on TV yesterday who's house was spared by the wild fire.

His neighbor's homes were destroyed.

His comment to the reporter (at least the one they used on air) was (paraphrased),
"I asked G-d to spare my home and He traced his finger around it and He saved it".

I have to wonder

why G-d would spare his house,

but not his neighbors?

***
Someone is abusing G-d...

Follow Up

Our buyer's agent submitted our lot, plan, and elevation request to the builder Thursday.
We heard back Friday that we could build that lot, that plan, but not that elevation.

The house across the street 90 degrees (we want a corner lot) has the same elevation and the builder doesn't want two matching houses that close...

We counter offered sticking with our desire for that lot and that elevation.

I presume our agent would wait a day or so before responding.

We were hoping that with the slow market, they would accept.

(The sales agent was pushing for us and went to her manager to plead the case. But she doens't have last word...)

Yesterday morning we walked the neighborhood and discovered to our dismay that two other lots a block up had sold so the Builder may not care...

A year from now when he's gone, who's gonna complain?

sigh...

We instructed our agent to let them know we would have a check that very evening.

It's all a game...
***
The builder marked the house at 161, but then discounts 10k off the price if we use their lender.
If we use our own, we get 14k off....

Go figure...
***
For those wondering about what my brother was charged with, I have posted it as a comment on that entry.

Houses!!!

We met with our broker Sunday to look at the house.

The sales rep said they would not let us build the house we want on the lot we want because there are two of the same plans on that end of the street.

The lot is really choice though.

East light.
Corner lot.
No east side neighbor to block that east light.
Elevated pad above the side walk (no one can look in).
West side two story won't look into ours.
We can plant trees on the street.
North light in the "bonus" room, (that we pay for...)
And the elevation and plan we like.

Our broker is going to aproach the builder this week to see if they will allow the home on the lot we want to help them make their numbers for the month.

And the six month build time will help us set aside money for closing and other expenses.

Could y'all send positive energy our way and towards the Builder for the lot we desire?
***
If that fails, they have a spec house one street up that we will bid on. But Real Estate is about Location, Location, Location.
And the spec house could be hemmed in on both sides by two stories, and who knows what they will build in the current empty lot behind it...

Corner lot number 12...

(Am I silly or what?!)

Corner lot number 12...

Do not pass Go,

Do not collect $200.

Got a call Friday from my little brother.
From the jail.

Seems a room mate made an accusation
which landed him in jail.

And the room mate is
of course
still living in
my brother's house.

He wants to take it to jury trial so he can clear his name.

Seems the roomy took not one,
but four sleeping pills,
Ambien,
which I was prescribed when mom was sick.
Nasty stuff.

(I was told I had a conversation on the phone with a friend after taking an Ambien. I do not remember the phone ringing, let alone answering it. That same friend looked up Ambien in her father's med book and learned its a hallucinogen. I stopped taking it after that.)

So, he needed help getting in touch with his boss who will pay the bond.

We'll see what happens...

House Hunting

Zelda and I are meeting with a buyer's agent to show her the house and lot we are interested in buying!

Z will be working out of the house.

We'll find out more tomorrow!
*****
Gaea was scheduled to have her stiches out today. But she decided, collar or not, she was going to remove them herself.

So.. the Vet was happy she didn't have to put Boo under, as was the vet tech, who met Boo for the first time today.

Life is good.

Zelda Bunny Business

Z has come to the end of her rope with the new company.

Not a good fit.

And I think it's wise to be able to recognize when things aren't working out.
To be able to look past any fear of Not Having A Job to look for the Right One.

Her boss is "too busy" to give her direction.
Something she negotiated for in her interview.

And one of her co workers, she only has three, is a real peice of art.

Z also negotiated medical benifits, something this company is too small to offer.
They cut a check each month for Cobra.
That's the theory.

Co worker Didn't think to negotiate benifits.
Co worker fucks up Z's insurance check, (along with most ever other check she cuts)
every time.

(I'm not exagerating,
four months,
four checks,
each one processed completely differently...)

Monday Z gives her Two Weeks.

November 1 Z starts work at her new office.

Zelda Bunny Enterprises.
Working from home.


In...


wait for it...


her old line of work...


furniture layout design.


But she has to love the boss, and her co workers,

even if they are a little catty.

Common Sense

Every police officer knows that if you have a
hostage situation,

you

call

a negotiator.

A

specialist,

who
knows
how to deal with the situation and
defuse it.

So why does our
President,

decide it's a
good idea
to isolate
a meglomaniac
and let him
build
a
bomb

while
waiting on the
phone
for the

negotiator!?

new house

After living in my house of my youth,
I am ready for something Ours, new, and Ours.

No cracks in the walls, doors that won't shut, trim in need of replacing, old paint, crappy yard, and stuff piled up everywhere because we have no idea what to do with it.

In running the numbers, we can afford a new house.
And we have found one two neighborhoods over.

I keep picturing us in it, which tells me "I'm sold" on the idea.

Something that helped 'sell' me was 'Bubba', our yard man. This neighborhood no longer reflects who I am. Surround yourself with people whom you want to become like.
I am w-a-y past wanting to surround myself with Bubba's.
That and I'd like to have work friends over, and Zelda does too.

I'd like to get totally out of debt before we move.
But we, spiritually, can't afford that.

Then there is what to do with this old house.
Z wants to sell.
I'd like to repair and rent.

That is something I'm not sure we could afford.

So it may be that we sell, pay off as much debt as possible, and start fresh...
with...
new...
debt...

yeah.

Something
Ours...

Boo's Back

Home!

After a stressful two days for Zelda, Gaea came home from the Kitty Hospital.

We have a wonderful Vet.

She has taken care of all our kitties, from the late great One Eyed Woody Cat, to Milo the destructor.

Three weeks ago we noticed Boo had a swollen toe. (cancer)
We were referred to a specialist who was optimistic.

Scheduled the surgery.
Total wait time, about three weeks.

But in that time her foot began to swell as well.

So Wednesday we received a call from the vet recommending
a) we see the specialist again, or
b) we take the leg entire.

Zelda agonized over it, but went with her gut and authorized the surgery.

Gaea is half the cat, well...
3/4 the cat she used to be.

Z has told me that Boo is pretty much all fluff and fur. After seeing her all shaved and wrapped up, I believe it.

And is she EVER glad to be back home.
(And due to her disposition, the hospital staff is too!)

A couple four days in seclusion from the boys and she should be ready to roam the house again.

Glad you're home Boo!

Busy

Things are busy at work.

I am doing some lease space designs for a number of clients for the same lease space.

One company is a technology company.
Modest.

The other is a medical company.
Very sophisticated.

Dealing with creating medical gasses from combining powders.

It offers the opportunity to create a "clean room", which is something new for me.

Good experience.
One of the Architects in the office was excited for the prospect of a new product type.

In meeting with the medical company, it was polished and high tech. Security at the door.
A product that will save lives and make the owner lots of cash.
Again, a young man with vision.

And the intellect for creating a process where the mixing of two inert powders creates a gas we need to live.

I realize I have difficulty grasping the concept of making large amounts of money.
I have not surrounded myself with "rich" people, and so I can't understand how one lives or thinks to live like that.

Zelda is reading over my shoulder...

Anyway....

Surgery

Boo, our nickname for Gaea Cat, is scheduled to go under the knife on Wednesday to remove her little kitty toe, and hopefully all of the little kitty toe cancer.

She hasn't a clue.

Zelda is concerned...

Things will work out.

****
Zelda has begun the process of going independant.

("My wife has been cooking wonderful, yummy, things for me", "yummy" was my word, the others are Z's) (Yes, she is a great cook!).

She will slip the chains of working for others and start drafting and designing for herself starting Nov. 1.

It will be contract work...
her former employers,
in furniture.

But she will office out of the house and have a 30 hour work week.
Leaving 10 hours a week to making jewlery.

This will be good, but at the same time scary, no regular paychecks.

It too will work out.

Birthdays, movies, and new houses

My sister asked me yesterday if I felt "40".

I'm not sure exactly what 40 feels like just yet.

Mentally I don't feel it.

Maybe I should, but I can not say that I am a mature, responsible "adult".

Being honest with myself in all areas would be mature.

Having long term financial goals would seem mature.

Controlling my spending, (ie. that planning thing-saving for it- and only after having the money in cash in my hand, buying it with thought and with out debt, would be what I think of as a "40" thing.

***
Speaking of saving and planning, Zelda has been for the last number of months, saving her pennies to buy my birthday gift. And very nice it is.

I am the proud new owner of an ipod.
***
Being forty, one should own their own house, a nice one.

Last weekend we went house looking.

Our current house is in, as I have come to accept as of late (since it's the one I grew up in), a poor neighborhood that is continuing to decline. Cars are parked on lawns. A great many of them are rentals.

Only a few blocks over is a new development that has some higher end product.
We really like the one design and could have one built to our specifications.

I also want to build my wealth and resorces.

We incured a lot of debt when we married.

Some of which has been retired, but together we don't have the disipline to eliminate the bad debt as quickly as when I was single.

And being debt free is a Wonderful thing.

Freedom lives where there is little or no debt.

This old house provides for freedom in our future, to buy or build that new house...

I worry that the new home would not allow for the cushion to save.

We still have yet to work out what we can afford.

(That would be due to that "lack of discipline" thing.)

Chicken or egg...?

We can afford to live well because we don't have a large mortgage...

or...

we are not disciplined in our spending because we don't have to watch every penny...(like we might if we did have a large payment each month...)

Anyway, we had dinner and movie with my sister and husband, then we saw "the last kiss".

Delt with commitment and "where is my life going?" issues.

Timely I would say...

No one seemed very happy in the film though...

I liked it...