Saturday, July 30, 2005
Down South...
We're down south visiting family this week...hence the weak updates to the blog. I'll post news when we get back, with pictures of the new Kannapolis Middle School. We'll be back in Buffalo on Wednesday!
Sunday, July 24, 2005
New Pics from the house...
As promised, here are some photos from the new house. We'll start here in the new walk in closet. This used to be the fourth bedroom, but with Closet Maid attachments, and $500 worth of hardware later...it's the new closet! More below:
Walk-In Closet View 2
The Moose bedroom...view 1.
View 2
The living room...
This is the dining room. We put shelving in the closet here so that it can serve as a cabinet for extra dishes as well as a linen closet.
Last, but not least, is the kitchen. We'll put up more later as we get stuff unpacked!
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Wedding Crashers Movie Trailer...
My brother sent me a link with which you can "improve" the Wedding Crashers Movie Trailer. Please click below to experience the "better" versions. You may want to have a sedative or four before you click...
Doug: http://www.weddingcrashersmovie.com/crashthistrailer/index.htm?id=77855
Mike and Liz: http://www.weddingcrashersmovie.com/crashthistrailer/index.htm?id=77796
Liz and Paula: http://www.weddingcrashersmovie.com/crashthistrailer/index.htm?id=77908
Jacob and Corbin: http://www.weddingcrashersmovie.com/crashthistrailer/index.htm?id=77546
If the links don't work on your computer, just cut and paste into the address bar above.
-Mike
Doug: http://www.weddingcrashersmovie.com/crashthistrailer/index.htm?id=77855
Mike and Liz: http://www.weddingcrashersmovie.com/crashthistrailer/index.htm?id=77796
Liz and Paula: http://www.weddingcrashersmovie.com/crashthistrailer/index.htm?id=77908
Jacob and Corbin: http://www.weddingcrashersmovie.com/crashthistrailer/index.htm?id=77546
If the links don't work on your computer, just cut and paste into the address bar above.
-Mike
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Brody's and Hooper's Birthday!
Today is Brody's and Hooper's birthday. They are "5" years old, but when translated into "doggy years," they are "35." Which means they should have their own jobs and money, and I just don't see it happening. They're too content to laze about, eating our food, barking whenever they feel like it, and generally ruling the roost. We are currently in a custody battle over them, though, as Doug does not want them to leave to come and live with us in the new house. He said we could *maybe* have them on the weekends. (If it's not raining...)
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Cross Your Fingers, and Pray Hard!
We got an offer on the house in North Carolina today! (YEAH!) It's just barely under what we were asking, and we have a verbal commitment that the buyers want it. We just need to get everything on paper...hopefully by the end of this week. They're looking to close mid-August!
I think I'm going to sleep better tonight than I've slept in the last two years!
Just keep those fingers crossed and prayers coming that all of this works out!
On a side note...tomorrow, we're moving Liz's stuff from school to the house, as well as the rest of our stuff from Barb and Doug's. We're renting a U-Haul and doing it ourselves. Tonight, we went through all of our clothes that were in bags in the basement, and took a lot of stuff over to Salvation Army. We're slowly but surely getting things rapped up, and are planning to sleep in the house for the first time tomorrow night.
I think I'm going to sleep better tonight than I've slept in the last two years!
Just keep those fingers crossed and prayers coming that all of this works out!
On a side note...tomorrow, we're moving Liz's stuff from school to the house, as well as the rest of our stuff from Barb and Doug's. We're renting a U-Haul and doing it ourselves. Tonight, we went through all of our clothes that were in bags in the basement, and took a lot of stuff over to Salvation Army. We're slowly but surely getting things rapped up, and are planning to sleep in the house for the first time tomorrow night.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Mischief Managed...
I just finished Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Of course, it was fantastic, and I can't wait to read the next one.
There were many mythological and religious references in this one...Rowling's done her homework. I'm surprised at the number of people that find the books evil; there are many allegorical tales within the book that mirror bibilical stories. I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if I see in the next book that the character who dies in this book somehow rises again. It would fit into themes Rowling has already established. Speaking of themes, I'm going to have to reread the entire series again, I think, as the number 7 has become crucially important, and I'm thinking I've overlooked something that could be a great clue as to what will happen in the next book.
Good Night For Now...if you haven't read the book yourself, go and get it! It's incredible!
There were many mythological and religious references in this one...Rowling's done her homework. I'm surprised at the number of people that find the books evil; there are many allegorical tales within the book that mirror bibilical stories. I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if I see in the next book that the character who dies in this book somehow rises again. It would fit into themes Rowling has already established. Speaking of themes, I'm going to have to reread the entire series again, I think, as the number 7 has become crucially important, and I'm thinking I've overlooked something that could be a great clue as to what will happen in the next book.
Good Night For Now...if you haven't read the book yourself, go and get it! It's incredible!
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Everything On Hold: A Literature Emergency!
Well, we got everything into the house yesterday, for $400 under the estimate. We've unpacked about 1/2 of our stuff that is at the house, and now just have to move the rest of our belongings from Doug and Barb's. We're planning on our first night in the house on Monday night.
However, we've had to stop unpacking late this afternoon in favor of Harry Potter. The sixth book came out today, and we are reading like mad. Liz, Barb, and I each bought our own copies, and are enjoying what we've read so far. Already, there have been some major surprises and questions answered. However, we are not holding fast to the early revelations, as things may soon turn a different way...as they have in past Potter books.
I promise I'll have pictures up sometime next week, once we've got the marjority of stuff unpacked!
However, we've had to stop unpacking late this afternoon in favor of Harry Potter. The sixth book came out today, and we are reading like mad. Liz, Barb, and I each bought our own copies, and are enjoying what we've read so far. Already, there have been some major surprises and questions answered. However, we are not holding fast to the early revelations, as things may soon turn a different way...as they have in past Potter books.
I promise I'll have pictures up sometime next week, once we've got the marjority of stuff unpacked!
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Well, Tomorrow's The Day!
We are moving our furniture in tomorrow, finally! It's been in storage almost exactly a year! (We moved up on July 21st last summer...)
I'm sure I'll have a lot to say once we are completely in, but right now, everything looks great! We've painted, had the new carpet installed, cleaned out the gutters, gutted a small bedroom and transformed it into a closet, and gutted the dark sunporch painting everything white. We've worked 8-12 hour days since last Tuesday getting things ready, and the house has been transformed! We've still got a few things to do, though. The electrical wires coming in to the house need a little work. The drains in the yard are full of muck and need to be cleaned out, and we're having a little water issue with the windows on the sunporch, which we hopefully resolved today. (We'll test tomorrow and make sure that what we did will work!) We've also got one other bedroom to paint, and something will eventually have to be done about the Master Bathroom and Kitchen...the colors might have been great in the 70's, but are a little too funky for us modern folks.
We'll post much more later, with pictures, once we have everything set up!
On a different note, I submitted a letter to the Buffalo News this week, and they called today to say that they were going to publish it. It was in response to the condescending comments made by the new superintendent of the Buffalo School District. He seems to think that leadership means being a dictator, and that all of his employees should bow before him. He left a school district in Ohio under shady conditions, and preaches about how he will definitely improve test scores for Buffalo, even though he did not do it where he came from in Ohio. This is my letter:
Very few professions are as scrutinized as education, yet, as teachers, we continue to do what we do in the best interest of children. Dr. James Williams underscores the negative public perception with which teachers are viewed: as “convenient” professionals. We are professionals when we do great things, and unprofessional when we ask to be compensated fairly. We’re not missionaries, teaching is our career, and our livelihoods and our families depend on us to bring home the bacon. If we’re truly professionals, should teachers agree to less compensation for more output? Dr. Williams’ public comments suggest that he is a lone martyr in a sea of dissention. He says that everyone in the community needs to step up to the plate. That’s great if you’re making a $200,000 superintendent’s salary, but quite different when you’re the “professional” making 1/5 of that. Dr. Williams, your “lead by example” agenda may end up costing you more than you bargained for, when your best and brightest educators find a better place to go. It may be a cliché, but you really do get what you pay for. If quality and improvements are what you’re after, you may want to rethink your strategy.
I wrote this five minutes after I saw the guy on TV, seemingly in shock that teachers didn't want to "do what it takes" to make education work in Buffalo by giving up their sick days, and contributing 20% more to their health care. This guy's already in a small boat, and he's stirring up a hurricane of turbulent waters. Supposedly, the Buffalo Teacher's Federation spent today in negotiations, but nothing came of it yet. I hope this guy loosens up in the near future, or he may be teaching all of the kids himself!
I'm sure I'll have a lot to say once we are completely in, but right now, everything looks great! We've painted, had the new carpet installed, cleaned out the gutters, gutted a small bedroom and transformed it into a closet, and gutted the dark sunporch painting everything white. We've worked 8-12 hour days since last Tuesday getting things ready, and the house has been transformed! We've still got a few things to do, though. The electrical wires coming in to the house need a little work. The drains in the yard are full of muck and need to be cleaned out, and we're having a little water issue with the windows on the sunporch, which we hopefully resolved today. (We'll test tomorrow and make sure that what we did will work!) We've also got one other bedroom to paint, and something will eventually have to be done about the Master Bathroom and Kitchen...the colors might have been great in the 70's, but are a little too funky for us modern folks.
We'll post much more later, with pictures, once we have everything set up!
On a different note, I submitted a letter to the Buffalo News this week, and they called today to say that they were going to publish it. It was in response to the condescending comments made by the new superintendent of the Buffalo School District. He seems to think that leadership means being a dictator, and that all of his employees should bow before him. He left a school district in Ohio under shady conditions, and preaches about how he will definitely improve test scores for Buffalo, even though he did not do it where he came from in Ohio. This is my letter:
Very few professions are as scrutinized as education, yet, as teachers, we continue to do what we do in the best interest of children. Dr. James Williams underscores the negative public perception with which teachers are viewed: as “convenient” professionals. We are professionals when we do great things, and unprofessional when we ask to be compensated fairly. We’re not missionaries, teaching is our career, and our livelihoods and our families depend on us to bring home the bacon. If we’re truly professionals, should teachers agree to less compensation for more output? Dr. Williams’ public comments suggest that he is a lone martyr in a sea of dissention. He says that everyone in the community needs to step up to the plate. That’s great if you’re making a $200,000 superintendent’s salary, but quite different when you’re the “professional” making 1/5 of that. Dr. Williams, your “lead by example” agenda may end up costing you more than you bargained for, when your best and brightest educators find a better place to go. It may be a cliché, but you really do get what you pay for. If quality and improvements are what you’re after, you may want to rethink your strategy.
I wrote this five minutes after I saw the guy on TV, seemingly in shock that teachers didn't want to "do what it takes" to make education work in Buffalo by giving up their sick days, and contributing 20% more to their health care. This guy's already in a small boat, and he's stirring up a hurricane of turbulent waters. Supposedly, the Buffalo Teacher's Federation spent today in negotiations, but nothing came of it yet. I hope this guy loosens up in the near future, or he may be teaching all of the kids himself!
Monday, July 11, 2005
Not Cut Out For Contracting...
During the summer preceding my senior year in high school, my grandmother got me a job with this guy installing refrigerated units in gas stations down in Charlotte. Besides actually working on the units, this guy also had me run errands for snacks/drinks, or to places like Lowe's for materials. He had an old truck, that should have gone into all five gears, but, being a young driver, I could only find 2 of them...so each excursion was painfully slow, as I could only drive that truck about 20 miles an hour.
Besides the heat and driving conditions, the physical labor I endured taught me very quickly that I'm better as a thinker, rather than a laborer. I thought of myself as more of a supervisor, but over the course of the time that I worked that summer, I downgraded myself to chief complainer. It dawned on me then that working this way was not for me.
Fast forward 15 years, and here I am again. I started hanging the super simple, easy-to-install, forever durable, ClosetMaid closet components yesterday, wondering out loud why I was participating in such physical torment. All of us are tired, aching, and fitfully exhausted, yet we keep getting up and going over to the new house, and opening up new cans of worms.
Today, just so you know, is finish the closet day, touch-up paint day, and hopefully by this evening: clean up the mess day. The carpet is finally coming tomorrow, and I just thank the heavens above that I'm not having to install it! There aren't enough complaints in my head to get that job done in a day, were I to be in charge of it.
People keep saying Rome wasn't built in a day. They say all good things take time. I suspect these people also appreciate posters of a kitten dangling from the end of rope with a tagline that says something like, "When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." I'd like to take that rope, and, well you probably get the picture.
I'm ready to be done with all this house stuff, for two reasons: A) I'm tired and want to get our stuff moved in and be done with it, and B) we're almost out of Ben-Gay. This time next week, though, things should be relatively settled, and maybe the complaints will dwindle to just a slightly audible, only somewhat negative babble.
Besides the heat and driving conditions, the physical labor I endured taught me very quickly that I'm better as a thinker, rather than a laborer. I thought of myself as more of a supervisor, but over the course of the time that I worked that summer, I downgraded myself to chief complainer. It dawned on me then that working this way was not for me.
Fast forward 15 years, and here I am again. I started hanging the super simple, easy-to-install, forever durable, ClosetMaid closet components yesterday, wondering out loud why I was participating in such physical torment. All of us are tired, aching, and fitfully exhausted, yet we keep getting up and going over to the new house, and opening up new cans of worms.
Today, just so you know, is finish the closet day, touch-up paint day, and hopefully by this evening: clean up the mess day. The carpet is finally coming tomorrow, and I just thank the heavens above that I'm not having to install it! There aren't enough complaints in my head to get that job done in a day, were I to be in charge of it.
People keep saying Rome wasn't built in a day. They say all good things take time. I suspect these people also appreciate posters of a kitten dangling from the end of rope with a tagline that says something like, "When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." I'd like to take that rope, and, well you probably get the picture.
I'm ready to be done with all this house stuff, for two reasons: A) I'm tired and want to get our stuff moved in and be done with it, and B) we're almost out of Ben-Gay. This time next week, though, things should be relatively settled, and maybe the complaints will dwindle to just a slightly audible, only somewhat negative babble.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Liz's Birthday!
Today is Liz's birthday...33!
I would have posted a "doctored" photo, but I would like to remain married.
Happy Birthday, Honey!
I would have posted a "doctored" photo, but I would like to remain married.
Happy Birthday, Honey!
Thursday, July 07, 2005
An Update on the Money Pit
I'm not neglecting the blog...but we did close on the house on Tuesday, and we've been busy since then.
We've got the painting done, and thanks to our intensive study of Trading Spaces and Extreme Makeover Home Edition, we think we did a pretty decent job. We have accent trim and artsy accent walls...and we did it all ourselves!
We're going to eventually paint and wallpaper the kitchen and bathrooms, but not right now...everything in due time (and money...).
Speaking of money...we're going through it like water...thanks to moldy asbestos tiling that we didn't know was under the carpet. The new carpet was supposed to be installed tomorrow, but now they're not coming until Tuesday, and asked us to hire a contractor to get rid of the tile and mold. Liz, Barb, and Doug took this as a challenge, and ripped all of the tiling up themselves, and bleached the floor. Tomorrow, they are sealing the floor, and filling a couple of cracks with concrete.
Because the carpet won't be in until Tuesday, we had to postpone the delivery of our furniture to next Friday. Cable's coming on Saturday, which is also the day Harry Potter comes out. We had originally set a goal of moving in mid-July, so it looks like that is exactly how it's working out.
I'll mass email everyone our new address and phone number, but that's pretty much all that's going on right now. Liz starts summer school on Monday for two weeks, and then we're coming down south at the end of July to visit.
More to come as the moving in saga continues...
We've got the painting done, and thanks to our intensive study of Trading Spaces and Extreme Makeover Home Edition, we think we did a pretty decent job. We have accent trim and artsy accent walls...and we did it all ourselves!
We're going to eventually paint and wallpaper the kitchen and bathrooms, but not right now...everything in due time (and money...).
Speaking of money...we're going through it like water...thanks to moldy asbestos tiling that we didn't know was under the carpet. The new carpet was supposed to be installed tomorrow, but now they're not coming until Tuesday, and asked us to hire a contractor to get rid of the tile and mold. Liz, Barb, and Doug took this as a challenge, and ripped all of the tiling up themselves, and bleached the floor. Tomorrow, they are sealing the floor, and filling a couple of cracks with concrete.
Because the carpet won't be in until Tuesday, we had to postpone the delivery of our furniture to next Friday. Cable's coming on Saturday, which is also the day Harry Potter comes out. We had originally set a goal of moving in mid-July, so it looks like that is exactly how it's working out.
I'll mass email everyone our new address and phone number, but that's pretty much all that's going on right now. Liz starts summer school on Monday for two weeks, and then we're coming down south at the end of July to visit.
More to come as the moving in saga continues...
Monday, July 04, 2005
Late last night, Liz and I stayed up to watch the impact with Comet Tempel 1. The mission was called Deep Impact, and about a year and a half ago, I added many of your names to a list that would be burned on a CD and housed in the object that impacted the comet. In the next few weeks, you should be able to print out a certificate from NASA. I printed out the certificates when I uploaded our names, but they are packed right now. Everyone in my family and Liz's family was included, as well as extended family members. I also put in all of the names of the students I had in my last school year at KMS. I gave them their certificates at school. I hope you all felt a little closer to heaven last night...because you were! (83 million miles closer, to be exact...)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)