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Ireland Photos

cthrax — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 03:50:48 +0000

There has been many requests for photos from our trip. Well I hurried through my photo organization process and have posted photos up at Smugmug. They have no descriptions and they’re not organized into smaller categories, so you get 33 pages of raw photo goodness. Enjoy. I’m still editing the daily log of our adventures, but as that finishes I shall post that here as well. Maybe in small installments. So it actually gets read.

All Moved In

cthrax — Wed, 13 May 2009 04:49:16 +0000

Our New Home

Saturday was move day and the transition went very smoothly. We had Matt and Catherine Trumbo, Kaaren and Raymond McIsaac, Sean Rees, and a sick-but-helping-in-spirit Mary Phillips to help us move the big stuff. It took 2.5 hours from start to done. We then sat around chatting, eating pizza and drinking homebrew. I made up an Irish Red just for the occasion, dubbed “The Crew Brew.” The first couple bottles were a little harsh, but they sat for another few days before the move and have since mellowed out into a very pleasant beer.

This week has been spent frantically getting prepared for our trip to Ireland. Kim has been the travel agent for Sean and I on this one. In addition to being a Rockstar mover the entire week leading up to move day, she has also been booking accomodations, tours, and various forms of travel necessary for the trip. Her free time from the unfortunate layoff of was truly a blessing in disguise.

Speaking of work, Kim has a third, and hopefully final, interview this Thursday. The position is for an engineering project assistant similar to what she has been doing in the last two positions. It sounds right up her alley. Send good thoughts her way Thursday morning.

My work has been going very well, I’m really growing professionally. I think a lot of that has to do with the stellar team I happen to be working with. I feel quite lucky to be part of this awesome group, both personally and technically. If you’re reading this and you’re part of that group, don’t let it go to your head. Otherwise, know the Pelco CDL rocks!

Purchase House: Check.

cthrax — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:06:16 +0000

Tomorrow marks our long awaited closing date for our first real estate transaction. Kim and I are extremely excited and very ready to move in.

Overall the whole process has gone very well. We found, through recommendations, an awesome Realtor named Tim Leonard. He has done an excellent job listening to our home wishes. In fact, we wouldn’t have found this home if he hadn’t taken the liberty of showing us something not rigidly within our guidelines, but meeting the spirit of our guidelines. He’s also done an excellent job keeping us informed throughout the process.

Our relationship with our mortgage broker has been a little less than smooth. I won’t name her name, because she did make things in right in the end by us, but we feel we had to fight every step of the way. The basic contention was whether we would be paying a point or not. From the get go, we decided we were not interested in paying a point. 6 times we went back and forth where she gave us a quote with a point, we told her no point, and we get another quote. We get the papers from the loan processor, it has a point. We get all the way to today, the day before closing, it has a point. When we got the papers from the loan processor I made it very clear I was not happy, as a concession she gave us the rate we would have gotten by paying a point, without the point. After the correction goes through today, that will be our final word on the loan. In the words of Tim, “[we're] getting a smoking deal.”

Once we close tomorrow, we’re taking the next week to move stuff in piecemeal, do any painting/cleaning that is necessary, and just reveling in our house. The following weekend we are moving all the large furniture over with the help of many (hopefully) of our friends. The weekend after that we go to Ireland. A few weeks after we get back from that, it will be time for a house warming party. Phew, I’m tried just typing that schedule. It’s going to be awesome though.

That’s it for now, see you on the flip side.

Home Ownership

cthrax — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:38:24 +0000

In case you don’t read Kim’s blog, then this will be news to you. Kim and I are under contract for a house.

We had the home inspection March 16 and the only thing of note was the radon readings were pretty high. The EPA reccommends mitigating radon when levels are at or above 4 pCi/L, our test came back at 13 pCi/L. We had been afraid this would be the case and worried that we would end up paying for it. We asked the sellers to take care of and they said “ok.”

So with that simple “ok” the path to homeownership looks very clear. May 1 is the set closing date. We are very excited and have all kinds of plans about things that we want to do to our new house. It’s also nice timing because of the first-time homebuyer tax credit that was approved recently. Yay!

One last thing to make the whole event a little more interesting is we are going to be leaving for our Ireland trip on May 16. Plane is booked, Iron Donkey is booked, and we are discussing things to do on the last week of our trip. It’s going to be the culmination of some three years of dreaming. We’re very excited about that too.

Just a lot of excitement all around, as soon as we get into the place I will post pictures. Until next time!

A week of twitter, in review

cthrax — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:23:00 +0000

Ugh. I think I am fighting off a sickness. Yuck. #
@seanrees even more favorite then “and squeeze”? in reply to seanrees #
@vadavia I saw it! in reply to vadavia #
@vadavia and I still see it. in reply to vadavia #
@kbostwick way to go! in reply to kbostwick #
I feel fantastic this morning! Yay for great workouts. May you all feel as good as me. #
@zymurgy it’s obvious they weren’t using Pelco. in reply to zymurgy #
Difficulty getting started this morning. Possibly due to the headache caused by my coffee detox. #
The magic of weakness leaving my body(read pain) has done wonders for my feeling of awesome. #
@seanrees @kbostwick isn’t planning on it either, for similar reasons. in reply to seanrees #
Wondering if tomorrow will be a snow day at work. #
Thinking if this snow keeps up, it will only be a half day today. #
Half-day may have been optimistic after looking outside. #
@seanrees you got served! in reply to seanrees #
I have become a SKUing machine. #
@seanrees Did you recently acquire it? in reply to seanrees #

A week of twitter, in review

cthrax — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:23:00 +0000

@hypexr I think that’s a good thought. in reply to hypexr #
What’s the difference between an Irish wake and an Irish wedding? One less drunk. #
“The problem with some people is that when they aren’t drunk, they’re sober.” -William butler Yeats #
@lenthegr8 that’s a good thing right? in reply to lenthegr8 #
Why’d God invent Irish Whiskey? …To keep the Irish from ruling the world. #
“May those who love us, love us
And those who don’t love us,
May God turn their hearts
And if he can’t turn their hearts..” #
“…May he turn their ankles
So we will know them by their limping!” -An Irish Blessing #
Irish jig dancing at CB & Potts! http://twitpic.com/27buc #
@carnivillain that you’ll happily take care of your own taxes unless they plan on giving you a W2 and taking withholdings. in reply to carnivillain #
RT: @digsby: What is Twitter? Video LOL http://snipr.com/e4y9q #
Time for the home inspection! #
Home inspection complete. Nothing obviously major. #
@jheddings closing should occur May 1st, move day will be May 9th. Homebrew and Pizza!! in reply to jheddings #
@seanrees wait until the basement remodel starts. in reply to seanrees #
@seanrees thank heavens! Those things were hideous. in reply to seanrees #
13.6 pCi/l avg radon rating. Looks like we’ll be getting some mitigation done. Hopefully by the sellers! #
@_jared srsly. They’ve had the place since it was new too. in reply to _jared #
Sweet! All loan documentation has been found and sent. We should be on the fast track to signing our lives away! #
@vadavia you can join ours! in reply to vadavia #
@vadavia I think the wordpress dashboard is pretty well done. in reply to vadavia #
I got a router! No not an Internet router, a wood router. Porter Cable, unfortunately a fixed base. Also drill press, laser level, & clamps. #
Now at okole maluna for some ahi poke. #
WOOHOO!!! Sellers are paying for the mitigation! Looks like the last obstacle is removed! #

A week of twitter, in review

cthrax — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:23:00 +0000

The time change was brutal to my gym schedule. I actually had to stop mid-routine due to sleepiness-induced sore stomach. #
@seanrees it will. BTW, the gym was great this morning in reply to seanrees #
@vadavia wake-up pre-7am. I like 5. in reply to vadavia #
Stonehouse great plates special FTW. I has great love for bridie pie. #
@vadavia an opera station from pandora. in reply to vadavia #
@seanrees way to waste electricity. in reply to seanrees #
@vadavia they are when in the wrong hands! in reply to vadavia #
We put an offer on a house! A different one this time! We should know by 6pm tomorrow if they like it. #
Celebrating the offer write-up with half price steak and an Irish Red at Cooperamiths. I must say the Irish Red is astounding. #
On another note, coops also has a limited time sour brown called Oud Bruin. Very pleasant, more mellow than La Folie. #
@hypexr 4 packages hot chocolate, 1 package powdered milk, and 1 package instant coffee. Add water to taste. in reply to hypexr #
@hypexr true, but you put that into a water bottle and leave out all night while backpacking, it’s a welcome treat the next morning. in reply to hypexr #
They countered, but with an acceptable counter. We shall be starting the buying process tonight!!! Yay!!! #
That is assuming that there’s nothing hidden in the offer we don’t like. #
Contract is signed and sealed may the fun begin! #
@jheddings Around the May 2 is moving time. So around then. in reply to jheddings #
Darnit forgot about the parade this morning. Now I’m I’m off to core strength. #
@seanrees I think you can request some from their website. in reply to seanrees #
It is a positively wonderful day today. Just fantastic! #
Awesome! I wanted to walk around a furniture store just to look at styles and prices without hassel. And I did! #
what a coincidence! I have family there in van buren. #
For any of you not following @lenthegr8, the previous tweet was supposed to be directed at him. in reply to lenthegr8 #

A week of twitter, in review

cthrax — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:23:00 +0000

@pbeiser Maui would have been a better choice. in reply to pbeiser #
I has great love for colorado. Beautiful sunrise this morning and close to 70 degrees expected. Feels fantastic! #
Disregard that last tweet if you’re not in CO. It is an icy tundra here and I have to walk through snow INSIDE just to use the restroom. #
Avoided taking computer to apple store for 2 months because I Was afraid it would magically work for them. What happens? It works. Grrrrrrr. #
Well they decided to replace the harddrive anyway. So it should be 3-5 days. #
@jheddings lame, but not as lame as tables. The lesser of two evils. #
Woohoo! Final weigh-in for company “biggest loser” competition, 189 lbs or 14.48%. That’s down from 221 just 8 weeks ago. #
@zymurgy now that’s a quality camera! in reply to zymurgy #
@seanrees way to be an encouraging supportive friend. The extent of cheat was that most people weren’t willing to work as hard. in reply to seanrees #
Thanks @jheddings @kbostwick and @vadavia ! #
http://bit.ly/KOEWp inspiring article. #
@evillile I tried that, but I finished doing it properly in CSS before the timer ran out. in reply to evillile #
@lenthegr8 I’d bet they are coMing from your latest software creation. in reply to lenthegr8 #
@jheddings I’m currently on Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. That’s straight where my time is going, to oblivion… in reply to jheddings #
@jheddings I never got to KHII, but I remember being hooked on the first one. in reply to jheddings #
@carnivillain UPDATE wp_options SET option_value = 0 WHERE option_name = ‘use_ssl’; Assuming you have access to your db. in reply to carnivillain #
@carnivillain that also assumes WP >=2.6. in reply to carnivillain #
@seanrees that’s kind of like Rhode Island… in reply to seanrees #
Took a day off from the gym yesterday. Felt good to go back this morning. #
Shameless plug for me to enter win a copy of Quicken. http://hex.io/arz #
@_jared so you make up by having three? in reply to _jared #
@jheddings if you’ve got more than one computer in the house, NAS is the way to go, IMHO. in reply to jheddings #
@jheddings seagate. Awesome warranty. in reply to jheddings #

A week of twitter, in review

cthrax — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:23:00 +0000

@seanrees go to the nearby creek. in reply to seanrees #
Thank you @zymurgy for introducing me to rolcats. in reply to zymurgy #
@hypexr then he’d be just like Kevin Costner in “Water World!” in reply to hypexr #
So I realized I haven’t mentioned my gyming recently. I’m still going consistently, in fact, this is week 8 of 5 am and I am down 19lbs #
I managed to miss my goal weight for this week. I wanted to break 200lbs, I instead weighed in at 200.0. *sigh* #
The seller has been contacted by the bank’s negotiator, offer acceptance should commence shortly. #
Hopefully the offer accepted is ours. #
Swimming is HARD work! Particularly after a long day. #
@lenthegr8 no issues for me. in reply to lenthegr8 #
I’m quite anxious to find out whether our offer on the house is going to be accepted or not. The anticipation is killer. #
@vadavia Nested tables are EVIL!!! in reply to vadavia #
@vadavia oh that’s true. Then it’s a necessary evil… in reply to vadavia #
My body is ready for a day away from cardio. I was dragging this morning. I guess 9 hours between sessions isn’t enough. #
*sigh* our offer was not accepted. The bank went with the higher percentage down. At least we still have 4 months to find one! #
Fish has a deceptive atmosphere. The food is very high caliber and extremely tasty. #
@seanrees well there goes all the weight lost in the biggest loser competition. in reply to seanrees #
Filling out the CSU Fort Collins undergrad application. They want EC activities from HS. 9th grade was over a decade ago, still useful? #
@seanrees probably the “credit is scarce right now” part. in reply to seanrees #
@pbeiser don’t get me wrong, the atmosphere is great, but the quality of was that of white linen tablecloths and waiters with french accents in reply to pbeiser #

House Acquisition in Progress

cthrax — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:02:34 +0000

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After years of dreaming, planning, and wishing Kim and I have started the house hunt. In fact, we actually have an offer on a house right now. When we put in the offer, we were expecting to wait a month or two for a response due to the transaction being a short sale. We submitted the offer 4 days ago and 2 days ago found out the bank contacted the owner. This means we should know any day now whether they accept our offer or not.

Our offer made number 4 being submitted to the bank by the seller. The 3 previous offers already waited 2 weeks without so much as a peep from the bank. Secretly I’m hoping the bank’s sudden contact is due to our offer being acceptable, but it’s more likely coincidence.

The house itself is a ranch style 3/2 with an unfinished basement and a sun-room. It’s a corner lot in quiet subdivision very near to my work. The location is biking, or walking in most cases, distance to a grocery store, my work, Sean’s place, and a movie theatre, making it an ideal location for Kim and I. If this deal goes through, we plan to relieve ourselves of a vehicle.

In other news, I am competing in the company’s “Biggest Loser” contest. According the optional weigh-ins, I am currently in first place with 9.5% loss of body weight. That translates to 21 pounds! This whole gym thing appears to be paying off. Speaking of which, today marks the 8th straight week of 5AM gyming. I might have missed a day or two during that time, but it is close enough. My ultimate weight goal is now only 10 pounds away!

In other, other news, Kim, Sean, and I finally purchased our plane tickets for our trip to Ireland. This trip took over two years to make a reality, but now it is finally happening. May 16-31 we will be in Ireland. The first week is a bike trip through the Connemara region with touring company IronDonkey. The next week is a little up in the air, but we plan on going to Galway and Dublin for sure. We are planning at least a couple, more likely 3 days, in Dublin. I am hoping too that we go see some castles while we’re there. It should be a lot of fun.

Thus ends month two of my 12 month trek towards a post a month. Yay for New Year’s resolutions.