Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Hey, it's a house video!!
Bone mentioned he hadn't seen the new house yet, and that reminded me, I shot and put together a walk through weekend before last. I forgot to upload it. So, here it is now.
It's about 5.5MB and 3 minutes long. It starts off with the outside views and then moves the inside shots. It's a little hard to tell much, but it sort of works.
Enjoy!
Aug 19 Video Walk Through
It's about 5.5MB and 3 minutes long. It starts off with the outside views and then moves the inside shots. It's a little hard to tell much, but it sort of works.
Enjoy!
Aug 19 Video Walk Through
Vacation Time!
I'm heading to Destin with Jawana, Shayla, and Dianna on Wednesday, and we're going to try and not get blown away by Hurricane Ernesto. Wish us luck! Rest assured, I'll have the video camera and will be adding this trip to Friends VOL III, to be distributed at this year's FESTIVUS celebration at Casa De Bone. Also included on this years volume will be the "Lake House Trip" and "ICE 2004". I can't believe it's been 2 years since we did that!
I got a haircut yesterday. Jawana has been telling me for the past week that I have an afro. I'm like, "I'm white and have straight hair, how can I have an afro?" LOL WOOOOOOOOO!!! It was out of control fluffy though. I'll give her that. Is that hetero? I have fluffy hair. Hmmm.
I'm moving
... and I don't mean across the Southwest side of town...
Today I was seriously thinking (that's always dangerous) that I want to live in Hawaii. Anyone with me on that? Honolulu is nice to visit, but it's a little too fast paced for me. I've noticed the older I get, the slower paced I like things to be. I think living in Hilo would be ideal. Maybe Kona side though would be alright, as it's really grown over the past 10 years.
There is just something very relaxing about being on a tropical island with no cares in the world. I find that highly appealing.
Annoying Car Things.
So we're going to Huntsville saturday, and Jawana's friend calls. They're talking on the phone and Jawana says, "What's that beeping sound?" her friend says, "My dog is in the passenger front seat and the car has a weight sensor in the seat and the dog weighs enough that he's setting off the seatbelt warning. The car is telling the dog to put on a seatbelt." So they talk on the phone for like 10 minutes and all the time, even I can hear the beeping through Jawana's phone. Like every 30 seconds it would beep. That would make me want to drive my car into a ditch.
Jawana's car does that too. Like it has the incredibly annoying red flashing light on the dash that tells you if a passenger not wearing a seatbelt. It was like 1000 degrees the other day, and we were sitting in her car at my lot. We were just sitting there in the air conditioning and like every 30 seconds it would chime at us to put our seatbelts on. WE'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE, WE'RE GETTING COOL! RAH! Jawana gave in and put hers on to make it stop. I did not. I don't need a car telling me I'm not wearing a freakin' seatbelt.
Hurricane Katrina - Prepare for something very NON-PC
Prepare to wrap your heads in duct tape my friends...
This morning I was listening to Glenn Beck (if you can believe that). A lady in LA called in and was telling the story of how she wanted to help the victims by donating a 27" TV and fairly new computer to either Good Will, The Salvation Army, or any other of the helping-hand organizations stationed there. She tried them all and was informed they were no longer accepting TVs or computers as aid.
Do you know why they were no longer accepting these items?
I'll tell you why.
Because the "victims" of Katrina used their FEMA checks to buy new big screen TVs and computers, and subsequently gave their old equipment to these organizations.
Hello? Last time I checked "PLASMA TVs and DUAL CORE INTEL PENTIUM IV BASED COMPTUERS" were not -staples- needed for survival in time of a crisis.
But you say, "Well the TVs and Computers were probably broken and water logged."
Wrong!
These organizations only accept equipment that is functional.
There is just something fundamentally wrong with the mentality of a large portion of our culture today. It's this thought that "I am entitled to________" You fill in the blank. It can be anything.
The reality is, no one is entitled to anything. 50-years ago, if this hurricane had happened... the mindset would have been to suck it up, work hard, and get your life back. A family would have been shamed if it had accepted a monetary hand out. (Also, people probably would have had enough sense to get the heck out there and ask questions later, instead of hanging around for a Cat 4 or 5 storm to blow through)
Now it's, "What can the government provide me to help in a time of need?" and hand outs are a way of life for a lot of people.
I'm not saying that the goverment can't provide first-aid care, and perhaps some basic nutritional needs for an unspecified amount of time during catastrophic natural disasters. I'm saying, the notion of giving out checks for $5,000, $10,000, $15,000 is utter insanity.
Should New Orleans be rebuilt? Absolutely not. Absolutely not without making the place at least sea level. If the decision is made by whomever that the city is going to be rebuilt just like it was before the storm, and people choose to move back in there. You know what? I'm thinking, "You're on your own buddy, because you're an idiot."
And here's the thing. I don't really feel an over abundance of sympathy for the humans who lived in NOLA. They had a chance to get out. They had ample chances and warnings. I really feel more sorry for the animals. Seeing dogs and cats stranded in trees as fast flowing water churns beneath them... that's who I really feel sorry for.
Humans can take care of themselves.
Wow, and that concludes my rant for today!
I got a haircut yesterday. Jawana has been telling me for the past week that I have an afro. I'm like, "I'm white and have straight hair, how can I have an afro?" LOL WOOOOOOOOO!!! It was out of control fluffy though. I'll give her that. Is that hetero? I have fluffy hair. Hmmm.
I'm moving
... and I don't mean across the Southwest side of town...
Today I was seriously thinking (that's always dangerous) that I want to live in Hawaii. Anyone with me on that? Honolulu is nice to visit, but it's a little too fast paced for me. I've noticed the older I get, the slower paced I like things to be. I think living in Hilo would be ideal. Maybe Kona side though would be alright, as it's really grown over the past 10 years.
There is just something very relaxing about being on a tropical island with no cares in the world. I find that highly appealing.
Annoying Car Things.
So we're going to Huntsville saturday, and Jawana's friend calls. They're talking on the phone and Jawana says, "What's that beeping sound?" her friend says, "My dog is in the passenger front seat and the car has a weight sensor in the seat and the dog weighs enough that he's setting off the seatbelt warning. The car is telling the dog to put on a seatbelt." So they talk on the phone for like 10 minutes and all the time, even I can hear the beeping through Jawana's phone. Like every 30 seconds it would beep. That would make me want to drive my car into a ditch.
Jawana's car does that too. Like it has the incredibly annoying red flashing light on the dash that tells you if a passenger not wearing a seatbelt. It was like 1000 degrees the other day, and we were sitting in her car at my lot. We were just sitting there in the air conditioning and like every 30 seconds it would chime at us to put our seatbelts on. WE'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE, WE'RE GETTING COOL! RAH! Jawana gave in and put hers on to make it stop. I did not. I don't need a car telling me I'm not wearing a freakin' seatbelt.
Hurricane Katrina - Prepare for something very NON-PC
Prepare to wrap your heads in duct tape my friends...
This morning I was listening to Glenn Beck (if you can believe that). A lady in LA called in and was telling the story of how she wanted to help the victims by donating a 27" TV and fairly new computer to either Good Will, The Salvation Army, or any other of the helping-hand organizations stationed there. She tried them all and was informed they were no longer accepting TVs or computers as aid.
Do you know why they were no longer accepting these items?
I'll tell you why.
Because the "victims" of Katrina used their FEMA checks to buy new big screen TVs and computers, and subsequently gave their old equipment to these organizations.
Hello? Last time I checked "PLASMA TVs and DUAL CORE INTEL PENTIUM IV BASED COMPTUERS" were not -staples- needed for survival in time of a crisis.
But you say, "Well the TVs and Computers were probably broken and water logged."
Wrong!
These organizations only accept equipment that is functional.
There is just something fundamentally wrong with the mentality of a large portion of our culture today. It's this thought that "I am entitled to________" You fill in the blank. It can be anything.
The reality is, no one is entitled to anything. 50-years ago, if this hurricane had happened... the mindset would have been to suck it up, work hard, and get your life back. A family would have been shamed if it had accepted a monetary hand out. (Also, people probably would have had enough sense to get the heck out there and ask questions later, instead of hanging around for a Cat 4 or 5 storm to blow through)
Now it's, "What can the government provide me to help in a time of need?" and hand outs are a way of life for a lot of people.
I'm not saying that the goverment can't provide first-aid care, and perhaps some basic nutritional needs for an unspecified amount of time during catastrophic natural disasters. I'm saying, the notion of giving out checks for $5,000, $10,000, $15,000 is utter insanity.
Should New Orleans be rebuilt? Absolutely not. Absolutely not without making the place at least sea level. If the decision is made by whomever that the city is going to be rebuilt just like it was before the storm, and people choose to move back in there. You know what? I'm thinking, "You're on your own buddy, because you're an idiot."
And here's the thing. I don't really feel an over abundance of sympathy for the humans who lived in NOLA. They had a chance to get out. They had ample chances and warnings. I really feel more sorry for the animals. Seeing dogs and cats stranded in trees as fast flowing water churns beneath them... that's who I really feel sorry for.
Humans can take care of themselves.
Wow, and that concludes my rant for today!
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Audio Tidbits For This Week.
In case you're new to my site, I'm a huge proponent of not being in debt. I encourage everyone to adopt this lifestyle, simply because it makes life easier to not have payments. And, we could all use a little easier time in life, right? Plus, when you don't have payments, you have money. It's amazing how that works.
The audio clips today, relate mostly to kids and money. My parents did a great job teaching me about saving, but I think the way this fella on the radio does the job of raising his kids is superior. So, give it a listen, and begin making changes to the way you and your kids handle money!
Kids and Credit History, College Funds, Kids and Cars
Here we learn the reasons why it is not necessary for a kid to have a credit card, how much you should save for college, and the best way for kids to get a car when they turn 16.
Work equals Money, an important life lesson.
His and Hers? No. Ours.
The caller has been married 16 years and still uses the pronouns "his" and "hers" instead of "ours". Indeed as Dave says, a marriage is about unity. Not a joint business venture. Bottom line is, you can't have a successful and healthy marriage when things are considered as "his" and "hers". It should be "ours".
Good stuff to remember for everyone out there who is getting married. Likewise, one shared checking account is the way to go.
His and Hers call
Teaching Teenages About Material Things
What do you do when your 13 year old gives you a guilt trip because you won't, or can't afford, to get all the latest and greatest toys, clothes, and other crap? Find out here.
Teenagers and their stuff
Personal Responsibility
I am all about this topic. Glad to see other parents teach this too, because it is the way life works and those who don't grasp it will be doomed for the rest of their lives to struggle in every thing they do. Why struggle when you don't have to? More adults need to grow up and act their age instead thinking they are entitled to things, because no one is entitled to anything.
You are entitled to nothing.
The audio clips today, relate mostly to kids and money. My parents did a great job teaching me about saving, but I think the way this fella on the radio does the job of raising his kids is superior. So, give it a listen, and begin making changes to the way you and your kids handle money!
Kids and Credit History, College Funds, Kids and Cars
Here we learn the reasons why it is not necessary for a kid to have a credit card, how much you should save for college, and the best way for kids to get a car when they turn 16.
Work equals Money, an important life lesson.
His and Hers? No. Ours.
The caller has been married 16 years and still uses the pronouns "his" and "hers" instead of "ours". Indeed as Dave says, a marriage is about unity. Not a joint business venture. Bottom line is, you can't have a successful and healthy marriage when things are considered as "his" and "hers". It should be "ours".
Good stuff to remember for everyone out there who is getting married. Likewise, one shared checking account is the way to go.
His and Hers call
Teaching Teenages About Material Things
What do you do when your 13 year old gives you a guilt trip because you won't, or can't afford, to get all the latest and greatest toys, clothes, and other crap? Find out here.
Teenagers and their stuff
Personal Responsibility
I am all about this topic. Glad to see other parents teach this too, because it is the way life works and those who don't grasp it will be doomed for the rest of their lives to struggle in every thing they do. Why struggle when you don't have to? More adults need to grow up and act their age instead thinking they are entitled to things, because no one is entitled to anything.
You are entitled to nothing.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
A Picture Share!
Rah! I have 5 minutes left on my cell phone. New minutes begin on Saturday. My cell phone will be turned off until then. Call my work number or my parents house since I am temporarily living with
them.
them.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
The Backe Door. Tried it?
I'm working on this site re-design, but the crucial piece of web authoring software isn't here yet. I'm waiting for Shane to get it for me. In the meantime, we'll have to continue to look at this old page for a little longer.
Jawana convinced me to try The Backe Door Gourmet Cafe' yesterday. That was a little different from the usual run of the mill food establishments. Mandie was there so that was cool. Her mom was there too. Haven't seen them since Jodi and Cristi's wedding in Florence a few years back. I hope her restaurant does well. The sandwiches we ordered were huge. 2 people, 2 sandiwches, 2 drinks.... $17.00... Good Lord Allmighty!
The house is coming along nicely. Met the electrician out there yesterday evening and we worked out a lot of things about the wiring. Thanks to Jawana for coming over today after work and helping my parents and I clean the place up a bit. I know it's insane... it's a frickin' construction zone for the next 3 months... but it looks better clean.
Found out tonight that one of the girls and guys that I went to high school with at Austin, got married and now live across the street to my left. Her dad is the pastor at Decatur Baptist, so they said they knew all the same people I did, according to my parents. Looking forward to having lots of church functions at my house in the coming months. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
This time next week we'll be on the way to Destin. I can't wait. I haven't had a vacation since the Hawaii trip last year. Looking forward to this get a way.
Got to get back to working on videos.
Hope you all have a great rest of the week.
Jawana convinced me to try The Backe Door Gourmet Cafe' yesterday. That was a little different from the usual run of the mill food establishments. Mandie was there so that was cool. Her mom was there too. Haven't seen them since Jodi and Cristi's wedding in Florence a few years back. I hope her restaurant does well. The sandwiches we ordered were huge. 2 people, 2 sandiwches, 2 drinks.... $17.00... Good Lord Allmighty!
The house is coming along nicely. Met the electrician out there yesterday evening and we worked out a lot of things about the wiring. Thanks to Jawana for coming over today after work and helping my parents and I clean the place up a bit. I know it's insane... it's a frickin' construction zone for the next 3 months... but it looks better clean.
Found out tonight that one of the girls and guys that I went to high school with at Austin, got married and now live across the street to my left. Her dad is the pastor at Decatur Baptist, so they said they knew all the same people I did, according to my parents. Looking forward to having lots of church functions at my house in the coming months. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
This time next week we'll be on the way to Destin. I can't wait. I haven't had a vacation since the Hawaii trip last year. Looking forward to this get a way.
Got to get back to working on videos.
Hope you all have a great rest of the week.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Thursday, August 17, 2006
House: Rear View
Check it out... it's the back patio with the breakfast area to the left (where the three windows are), and that's the billiards/darts room on the right.
So tonight, Jawana cooks dinner for us at 6:00 PM, and I walk in and she says something and I'm like, "Well I haven't been home yet, I've been at the house cleaning up and sweeping. And she's like, "It took you like 2 hours to do that?" Yes it took me two hours. You see, when you consider the entire house footprint, it's a grand total of 4,800 square feet. That's a lot of concrete to sweep!
So tonight, Jawana cooks dinner for us at 6:00 PM, and I walk in and she says something and I'm like, "Well I haven't been home yet, I've been at the house cleaning up and sweeping. And she's like, "It took you like 2 hours to do that?" Yes it took me two hours. You see, when you consider the entire house footprint, it's a grand total of 4,800 square feet. That's a lot of concrete to sweep!
House: Inside
This is a view looking from the master bedroom side, through the kitchen breakfast area, and into the great room. You can see the raised 12 foot ceiling in the great room. Behind that in the picture is the billiards room.
House: Left Side
It's the massive three car garage that I need for some reason. Or, don't need at all. Yeah it's overkill because I only have one car, but Jawana has one car too... so that's two cars. Plus I figure once the billiards and darts room gets all set up, Jeff will be over every day to play and probably crash (kind of like that movie, "You Me and Dupree) ... so the third stall will be useful since no cars are allowed to be parked outside per neighborhood covenants.
House: Front View
There it is... the front of the house. I am so excited. It's coming out looking exactly as I had designed it.. which is a very good thing. LOL I went ahead and ordered the cabinets this moring for right at $18,000. That's a chunk of coin for some cabinets right there!
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Remember Elementary School...?
I was sitting on the couch reading Shayla's "Monday Letter". It's a letter that is sent home to the kids parents on each Monday. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the list and the cynic in me came out when I got to item number 8 which read, "8. In Language/Penmanship we will practice writing our letters." and then item number 10 which read, "10. In Math we will work with numbers."
No Duh.
Something that disturbed me about the package the teacher sent home, which I guess was the class handbook, was the number of grammatical mistakes contained within its pages. Now, I'm no William Shakespeare, but for the love of Pete, if you're teaching kids in school, you should at least know how to run the frickin' grammar checker and spell checker in Microshaft Word, don't you think?
That's something else... it's been... ummm... 24 years since I was in second grade and now that I look at this Monday Letter, the letters look all "klunky" like it was done on a real typewriter. You guys remember that? When you would get copies made, and they would come out purplish blue from that cheap-o grade school copy machine?
Those were the days right there.
It's kind of like when we got to watch those reel-to-reel movies with the tape deck audio. Indeed that was the technology back in the day. We all survived. Didn't we?
You should see the list of rules in the handbook. Apparently there is this new discipline system that involves the use of "Card Pulling". There are 4 types of cards. A "Good Card" is a Yellow card. Does that make sense to anyone? What ever happened to the good ol' standard of "Green, Yellow, Red,"? I mean in every real world aspect Yellow indicates warning. Not "Good". At least the red card means "Bad". Craziness.
I'm sure I'll have more things to talk about as the year goes on.
Peace out.
No Duh.
Something that disturbed me about the package the teacher sent home, which I guess was the class handbook, was the number of grammatical mistakes contained within its pages. Now, I'm no William Shakespeare, but for the love of Pete, if you're teaching kids in school, you should at least know how to run the frickin' grammar checker and spell checker in Microshaft Word, don't you think?
That's something else... it's been... ummm... 24 years since I was in second grade and now that I look at this Monday Letter, the letters look all "klunky" like it was done on a real typewriter. You guys remember that? When you would get copies made, and they would come out purplish blue from that cheap-o grade school copy machine?
Those were the days right there.
It's kind of like when we got to watch those reel-to-reel movies with the tape deck audio. Indeed that was the technology back in the day. We all survived. Didn't we?
You should see the list of rules in the handbook. Apparently there is this new discipline system that involves the use of "Card Pulling". There are 4 types of cards. A "Good Card" is a Yellow card. Does that make sense to anyone? What ever happened to the good ol' standard of "Green, Yellow, Red,"? I mean in every real world aspect Yellow indicates warning. Not "Good". At least the red card means "Bad". Craziness.
I'm sure I'll have more things to talk about as the year goes on.
Peace out.
A Picture Share!
Another hard day at the office... Double checking kitchen and bathroom stuff. I do the electrical and plumbing walk through next week!
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Friday, August 11, 2006
A Picture Share!
I put in for my vacation today. As you can see from all the hi-lited dates, Jawana and I have several weekend getaways coming up. I'm ready to go!
A Picture Share!
So yesterday I was trying to convince her to stop using Dr. Pepper as an orange juice substitute, and today I'm drinking a Sunkist for the first time in 2 weeks instead of bottled water. The big
storms kept me up last night.
storms kept me up last night.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
A Picture Share!
Last nite Jawana picked me up from the construction site, and we went to Applebee's for dinner. Check out her parking job. lol. The joys of owning a new car.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Absolute Goofiness
Have you ever been around a girl who just makes you, for lack of a better term, goofy?
Sometimes when I see her I just get that way. Take for instance yesterday afternoon. We met for dinner after she got her hair cut. When I walked into the restaurant, I was basically absolutely floored at how beautiful she looked with her new hair cut. I guess I'm finding myself in disbelief that we are actually in a relationship. She's so hot… and then there's me, the nerd. You know? Maybe the nice guy will finally win for once ^_^
Why does this chick have bad credit?
Interesting call to Dave today… I agree 100% with this entire segment. If you're thinking about getting married in the near future, this would be an excellent call to listen to.
Back To School Shopping
Lately, I've been following Jawana around as she's done her back to school shopping. (Getting acclimated to the process for when we have our next child). I've never been around kids before, so I was somewhat in disbelief at the amount of garbage you have to buy for a second-grader.
Seriously, the list of school supplies was on a 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper and we ended up spending a little over $100.00 on school supplies. $100.00 FOR A SECOND GRADER! I don't ever recall my parents having to spend that kind of coin on me. I'm thinking all you need in second grade are a couple pencils, some crayons, and some paper.
Check this insanity out . . . you also have to now buy kleenex, wet wipes, band aids, hand soap and a few other toiletry type items to bring for what I would call "Community Chest", where you share it with the class. Sounds like freakin' communism to me. On top of all that, the school wants you to like pay more money on the first day of class. When it's all said and done, we estimated about $600 went into clothes and supplies for the second grade.
It seems like all I hear is, "We need to give more money to the education system so our kids will be smarter." Then I listen to talk radio and hear how kids that are graduating high school are dumber than ever. . . Not to mention when Jay Leno does his "Jay Walking" segment and does those impromptu interviews. . . It makes me question what is really going on in the government school systems and where all this money is going.
Going Back To School
Every now and then you all know I get in that mood where I want to go back and finish up my PhD. At this point, it wouldn't get me anything career wise. All it would be for is personal satisfaction. I've always been a huge proponent of continuing education. It's the only way to stay on top and ahead in the game. However, the older I get, the more difficult of a time I have accepting the fact that I would have to study and take tests.
I do believe though, there are other options instead of formal education. The most important thing is to continuously work towards moving in the direction of doing something you like. Training, apprenticeships, short course certifications, reading a series of books are all excellent ways to improve your knowledge. For a while, I was reading a book a month (Non-Fiction, business and such). I need to get back to that.
Sometimes when I see her I just get that way. Take for instance yesterday afternoon. We met for dinner after she got her hair cut. When I walked into the restaurant, I was basically absolutely floored at how beautiful she looked with her new hair cut. I guess I'm finding myself in disbelief that we are actually in a relationship. She's so hot… and then there's me, the nerd. You know? Maybe the nice guy will finally win for once ^_^
Why does this chick have bad credit?
Interesting call to Dave today… I agree 100% with this entire segment. If you're thinking about getting married in the near future, this would be an excellent call to listen to.
Character issues revolving around credit scores - 1:30 PM Aug 9, 2006
Back To School Shopping
Lately, I've been following Jawana around as she's done her back to school shopping. (Getting acclimated to the process for when we have our next child). I've never been around kids before, so I was somewhat in disbelief at the amount of garbage you have to buy for a second-grader.
Seriously, the list of school supplies was on a 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper and we ended up spending a little over $100.00 on school supplies. $100.00 FOR A SECOND GRADER! I don't ever recall my parents having to spend that kind of coin on me. I'm thinking all you need in second grade are a couple pencils, some crayons, and some paper.
Check this insanity out . . . you also have to now buy kleenex, wet wipes, band aids, hand soap and a few other toiletry type items to bring for what I would call "Community Chest", where you share it with the class. Sounds like freakin' communism to me. On top of all that, the school wants you to like pay more money on the first day of class. When it's all said and done, we estimated about $600 went into clothes and supplies for the second grade.
It seems like all I hear is, "We need to give more money to the education system so our kids will be smarter." Then I listen to talk radio and hear how kids that are graduating high school are dumber than ever. . . Not to mention when Jay Leno does his "Jay Walking" segment and does those impromptu interviews. . . It makes me question what is really going on in the government school systems and where all this money is going.
Going Back To School
Every now and then you all know I get in that mood where I want to go back and finish up my PhD. At this point, it wouldn't get me anything career wise. All it would be for is personal satisfaction. I've always been a huge proponent of continuing education. It's the only way to stay on top and ahead in the game. However, the older I get, the more difficult of a time I have accepting the fact that I would have to study and take tests.
I do believe though, there are other options instead of formal education. The most important thing is to continuously work towards moving in the direction of doing something you like. Training, apprenticeships, short course certifications, reading a series of books are all excellent ways to improve your knowledge. For a while, I was reading a book a month (Non-Fiction, business and such). I need to get back to that.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
I need a hoe
Over the past two weeks, we've been on somewhat of a home-improvement/cleaning adventure. First we cleaned off the computer desk area and the refrigerator. Then this past weekend we worked in the yard and washed her new car.
The flower bed, which I'm guessing at one point contained actual flowers, is now a weed bed. I had jokingly mentioned to Jawana that I was going to douse it with gasoline and set it on fire. At the time she seemed ok with that idea.
After I got done mowing the grass, I went into the garage and got the gas can out, but I didn't have a lighter on me. So I put it back and grabbed the hoe from the trunk of the car and figured I would proceed to de-weed the flower bed with that. I thought, "It's just some weeds, how difficult could it be to use this hoe and like break up the ground?"
Well let me tell you, it's a lot more difficult than one would imagine. I've never done any kind of yard work like that, so it was all new to me. I am sure I sounded like I was in the Ultimate Fighting Championship as I raised the razor sharp hoe above my head and swung it into the earth with a hearty and incredibly masculine, "Huhhhh!". Maybe I should have done a "Hi-Ya!"
Either way, after about 45 seconds of "hoeing", I came to the realization that, "This is just too much hard work." And at that point, decided to employ the chemical warfare technique.
Jawana had just gotten home, so we hopped in the car and headed up to Wal-Mart to get some Round-Up. Much much better. Just squirt it over the weeds, wait a couple days, and voila! Dead weeds!
Look at the size of that crack!
Still on the house subject, over the past several months, about a dozen 45 degree cracks have propagated from the corner of the door frames to the ceiling in Jawana's house. They are all occurring on the right-hand side of the house. They can be found in the opening from the foyer into the living room, her master bedroom, the guest room, and her daughter's room. Now, even some of the doors will not close.
She had a home inspector come out last week and he said it's definitely a foundation problem. Now the next step is to bring in an engineer with some type of sonar or x-ray equipment to look into the slab itself and see what's going on and look for problems there.
It's really a bummer because the house is only about 1.5 years old, and is falling apart at the seams. The builder says it's normal for the house to settle and for cracks to grow from the door frames like that. I did an informal survey of 6 or 7 people who have built houses and they all say that 45 degree cracks are a sign of a foundation problem, and to have so many is definitely a bad sign.
All I know is, we have to get this fixed the proper way before she sells it, so there is no liability on her part. Because I don't want to be involved in a lawsuit for non-disclosure sometime down the road.
Vacation Planning
They do vacation like really weird where she works. You get to pick two one-week periods to have off, and then you get a few extra days you can scatter about during the year, but you like can't take any time off the last quarter of the year.
What kind of vacation system is that?
I want to take vacation when I want to take vacation. I don't like the idea of being locked in to a specific time frame so far in advance. I guess I'm more spontaneous.
Personally, I don't like taking off more than a few days at the time, because with my kind of work, what happens is, it gets piled up. Thus, when I return from time off, there is a big fat stack of work to do, and I have to work like overtime to get everything done.
The whole point of vacation is to be able to get away from everything. How can you get away from everything when you know in the back of your mind, there is going to be a ton of work waiting for you when you get back?
Up until last year when I went to Hawaii for two weeks, I hadn't taken any real vacation in 4 or 5 years. Believe me, I'm not a workaholic, but I prefer the 3 or 4 day weekend kind of a thing as opposed to the 7 or 10 day thing.
Ok that's all I got.
The flower bed, which I'm guessing at one point contained actual flowers, is now a weed bed. I had jokingly mentioned to Jawana that I was going to douse it with gasoline and set it on fire. At the time she seemed ok with that idea.
After I got done mowing the grass, I went into the garage and got the gas can out, but I didn't have a lighter on me. So I put it back and grabbed the hoe from the trunk of the car and figured I would proceed to de-weed the flower bed with that. I thought, "It's just some weeds, how difficult could it be to use this hoe and like break up the ground?"
Well let me tell you, it's a lot more difficult than one would imagine. I've never done any kind of yard work like that, so it was all new to me. I am sure I sounded like I was in the Ultimate Fighting Championship as I raised the razor sharp hoe above my head and swung it into the earth with a hearty and incredibly masculine, "Huhhhh!". Maybe I should have done a "Hi-Ya!"
Either way, after about 45 seconds of "hoeing", I came to the realization that, "This is just too much hard work." And at that point, decided to employ the chemical warfare technique.
Jawana had just gotten home, so we hopped in the car and headed up to Wal-Mart to get some Round-Up. Much much better. Just squirt it over the weeds, wait a couple days, and voila! Dead weeds!
Look at the size of that crack!
Still on the house subject, over the past several months, about a dozen 45 degree cracks have propagated from the corner of the door frames to the ceiling in Jawana's house. They are all occurring on the right-hand side of the house. They can be found in the opening from the foyer into the living room, her master bedroom, the guest room, and her daughter's room. Now, even some of the doors will not close.
She had a home inspector come out last week and he said it's definitely a foundation problem. Now the next step is to bring in an engineer with some type of sonar or x-ray equipment to look into the slab itself and see what's going on and look for problems there.
It's really a bummer because the house is only about 1.5 years old, and is falling apart at the seams. The builder says it's normal for the house to settle and for cracks to grow from the door frames like that. I did an informal survey of 6 or 7 people who have built houses and they all say that 45 degree cracks are a sign of a foundation problem, and to have so many is definitely a bad sign.
All I know is, we have to get this fixed the proper way before she sells it, so there is no liability on her part. Because I don't want to be involved in a lawsuit for non-disclosure sometime down the road.
Vacation Planning
They do vacation like really weird where she works. You get to pick two one-week periods to have off, and then you get a few extra days you can scatter about during the year, but you like can't take any time off the last quarter of the year.
What kind of vacation system is that?
I want to take vacation when I want to take vacation. I don't like the idea of being locked in to a specific time frame so far in advance. I guess I'm more spontaneous.
Personally, I don't like taking off more than a few days at the time, because with my kind of work, what happens is, it gets piled up. Thus, when I return from time off, there is a big fat stack of work to do, and I have to work like overtime to get everything done.
The whole point of vacation is to be able to get away from everything. How can you get away from everything when you know in the back of your mind, there is going to be a ton of work waiting for you when you get back?
Up until last year when I went to Hawaii for two weeks, I hadn't taken any real vacation in 4 or 5 years. Believe me, I'm not a workaholic, but I prefer the 3 or 4 day weekend kind of a thing as opposed to the 7 or 10 day thing.
Ok that's all I got.
A Picture Share!
In order to be able to afford 1) my house payment and 2) Jawana's engagement ring, I've started bringing my lunch and drinks to work. We've also started clipping coupons, ordering kids meals, and
eating during 1/2 price appetizer time at Applebee's.
eating during 1/2 price appetizer time at Applebee's.
A Picture Share!
Yo. Check it. You can buy pot at the Wal-Mart in Hartselle. Everytime I go to WM, I get the urge to just go like postal when it comes time to check out. Am I alone with that line of thinking? 24
lanes, 3 open. RAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
lanes, 3 open. RAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
Saturday, August 05, 2006
3500 Downloads!
Wow, it's been a while since I've checked my stats, and in the month of July you guys downloaded slightly over 3,500 episodes of "The Jeff and Kyle Show" ! Awesome. Rest assured once the house is complete, we'll be doing more shows from the new and improved Studio A! If you thought our first season was awesome, you haven't heard anything yet!
We'll be returning with new guests, new feature segments, and more fun than ever before!
We'll be returning with new guests, new feature segments, and more fun than ever before!
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Day of Rest
We are commanded to rest and do no work on Sunday. However, I have decided to take today off as well since things have been so incredibly busy here with helicopter work, video work, and then the whole house building thing.
Plans for today include:
(1) Going to the gym at 9:00 AM
(2) Going to the dentist at 11:00 AM
(3) Picking up Jawana around 12:00 PM and going car shopping
(4) Some other stuff at some point
Tomorrow is payday, and then the weekend is here!
Plans for today include:
(1) Going to the gym at 9:00 AM
(2) Going to the dentist at 11:00 AM
(3) Picking up Jawana around 12:00 PM and going car shopping
(4) Some other stuff at some point
Tomorrow is payday, and then the weekend is here!
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Move along, nothing to see here...
I don't really have much to report. Things are just totally aweomse with Jawana. Could it be this is what I've been looking for all my life.... ? Good Lord she makes me happy.
Friday night was a date night for us. We haven't actually just gone out together in quite some time. That was a lot of fun! We watched, "You, Me, and Dupree". It had it's moments and was entertaining.
Saturday afternoon, we did a little house cleaning and then I helped her with some retirement stuff. Monday night at dinner, she made the comment about, "How are people our age suppose to know about 401Ks and Roth IRAs? No one ever teaches us about this!" Indeed, it is unfortunate that more folks don't get onboard with saving for retirement and investing.
Life is good my friends. And hey... tomorrow is Hump Day!
Friday night was a date night for us. We haven't actually just gone out together in quite some time. That was a lot of fun! We watched, "You, Me, and Dupree". It had it's moments and was entertaining.
Saturday afternoon, we did a little house cleaning and then I helped her with some retirement stuff. Monday night at dinner, she made the comment about, "How are people our age suppose to know about 401Ks and Roth IRAs? No one ever teaches us about this!" Indeed, it is unfortunate that more folks don't get onboard with saving for retirement and investing.
Life is good my friends. And hey... tomorrow is Hump Day!
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