Christmas

So, I am not sure who all reads this Blog, maybe it is just my Pookie. I don't know. But, we were discussing finances the other day, and have determined that we cannot afford to buy gifts for friends this year. Please forgive, but Paris was a bit more than we had saved....

So, after talking with Kristen, at aFaDS on Saturday, an idea has surfaced. A secret Santa exchange, where people draw names. I am not sure who will organize it. But, there it is.

Sick
I have a creature in my head. It is stuck there. It is trying to block all air passages in my head. When I can make it go away temporarily, it gives me a sore throat. *Sigh* This sucks.

The Test

I took the test at http://politicalcompass.org/. It was an interesting diversion from normal right/left politics. I scored similarly to Gandhi on both a political and libertarian set of viewpoints! Take the test!

My results:
Economic Left/Right: -4.62 (3/4's of the way left)
Authoritarian/Libertarian: -4.97 (3/4's of the way to complete libertarianism)

Why Will You Go To Hell?
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Time

Ever notice what a premium it comes at? It seems no one I know has any of it lately. I am growing tired of being overwhelmed. I am looking forward to the time when the Holidays are over, and we just get a few weeks to breathe. Now, don't get me wrong...I am looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas...New Year's Eve. I am just also looking forward to those few quiet weeks afterwards...

Housing
So, interest rates are back up to 6%. While not great, those are still pretty low. We still haven't had time to view the property we are interested in seeing. (See the whole thread above.) Eventually....

Housing
So, last night, we saw the 2 houses that were listed not too far from us. After seeing the second house, we decided that the first house wasn't bad at all. We had thought it was before. One would think that 2 houses listed for between $183,000 and $197,000 would be worth seeing. One would be wrong. The first one was a reject from the early 80's. Wallpaper on anything that stood still, it was pealing and scary. The bathroom was in dark Blue, and, get this, Peach. Yes, it was as bad as you can imagine. With tiles of pink flowers mixed in as well. The second house, a bi-level, was scary. We walked in, and the first words out of my mouth were "No.", then "No possible way." This was while standing in the foyer. So, needless to say, building our own looks better all the time. Though, we did have a discussion about why we were considering moving. Mostly, because we want a main floor bedroom with a master bath. Having to walk downstairs in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom sucks! Beyond that, I have formal dining room furniture which needs a home. There is also the very low interest rates to consider. They are still holding at 5.875% for a 30 year fixed mortgage. Of course there is the whole issue of selling our house. Commissions on home sales ar 7%. Thats a lot of money to give away to a broker. I think we need to sell the house ourselves if we want to do this, and retain the value we have added to the house.

Vacation Day
I have decided that tomorrow must be a Holiday somewhere in the world, so I am taking the day off to celebrate it.

Which Buffy archetype are you?
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or if I change one answer...


Which Buffy archetype are you?
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Homes

So, interest rates are at 40 year lows. A 30 year fixed rate is at 5.875% right now through Standard Federal Bank. So, ahead of schedule, we were thinking about waiting another 2.5 years, we have decided to consider looking around. Nothing serious, but we have a friend, who is a realtor, emailing us listing in the areas we think might be decent. We have also considered building something. It will just depend on if we can get something we like, in our price range, in the area we want. So, in my mailbox, I got 2 listings that don't look bad. Within a few miles of where we live now. So, now we have to decide how serious we are. Do we make arrangments to see these properties? Do we just keep looking? Do we really want to build? Pressure is something we don't need in our lives right now. Our schedule is something to be feared. Right now, it looks like we have one free weekend currently this year. The weekend after Thanksgiving. This makes 2 months so far that we haven't had a free weekend. Many of our friends are in the same busy-schedule boat, one has to begin to ask when it will slow-down. Next year? Do we have time to even think about a total life changing move? Can we afford what we really want? Can we afford not to look? What is most important to us? We need to make some decisions.

So, Fall is fully upon us. Our yard has filled up with leaves. It is dark when I leave for work, and when I return. I can see my breath more often than not when outside. I used to be totally enamored with Fall. Back in the days when I was a kid. I loved the crisp, but not too cold air, and the smell of the leaves. Why is it that now I look around and think, "Damn't, I have to rake the fucking leaves." I also catch myself thinking how much I miss sunlight. I never see it from Fall through Spring. A bit of an overstatement, but not too much. What happened to my childish innocence and joy with the season? Hell, I used to get completely geeked about Christmas. Patrick thinks I go overboard now, but he has no idea how much more geeked I used to get. I miss that childhood exuberance. What's the best way to recapture it, I wonder? Can you? Somehow, I doubt it will ever be the same. I could try, and possibly succeed some amount, but it will never again be the unbridled exuberance of youth. Maybe it comes from the cynicism that seems to creep into ever part of your life as you age? The older I get, the more I see it. Even in myself, which is somewhat scary. How does one turn back the hands of time, as it were? *sigh*

I thought I would die laughing as I read this quote.... Just thought I would share. True Porn Clerk Stories

"While I'm on the topic, I'll mention another quick gender-based misconception: when men refer to big, satisfying cocks, they talk in terms of length. Case in point, Mr. Eighteen Inches. Women, to the extent that they care at all, care about girth. When was the last time you heard a woman say "Wow, I bet that guy could really bruise my cervix!"?"

So, I awoke this morning to the startling revelation that I fear my National Government. I have made jokes of that before, but for the first time, I realize that I actively fear what "George W." will do now that his party controls both the house and the senate. There is no check on the S.O.B. What happens if, God forbid, a Supreme Court Justice dies or retires? Will he continue to squander what was once a surplus, and leave us a legacy of even more enormous debt? Will his personal agenda continue to outshine his productive acts? The only bright spot is that Granholm won the state. Engler and his lackeys are out. *sigh*

So, I got up this morning and voted. I was about the 8th person in line. We waited for the doors to open. People talked. Why is it people will talk in their polling location lines, but not in supermarket lines? Not in bathroom lines? Whats up with that?