Hey folks, we met with the inspector yesterday and was able to take some more pictures.
Enjoy!
Dream House on flickr.com
Weird Dream
Lately, I’ve had some real doozy dreams, mainly about the house. But yesterday morning I had one of the strangest experiences of my life, and that is saying something because I’m a very vivid dreamer and often remember them. Sometimes I’ve even been able to control them.
First, the real life events. Jess and I were asleep early early morning. I don’t think it was even light out yet. We have been sleeping with the window open because it is already pretty warm upstairs without the AC on.
Anyway, we were both dead asleep when there is this large BOOM outside. I mean loud. I’m a deep sleeper and it was loud enough to wake me up. In that groggy way, we both kinda turn to each other and ask what the hell that was. I couldn’t come up with an answer. I still can’t. It wasn’t like a firecracker or gunshot, it was much deeper. It wasn’t a sonic boom because it sounded much closer and there were no reverberations. Just one crisp, loud, deep “boom”. It wasn’t preceded or followed by any other sounds. Very strange. I kept my eye on idahostatesman.com to see if something happened that was newsworthy. But no such luck.
So, in my dream, I only remember a very short snippet before I woke up. Maybe 7 or 8 seconds. But its the content that freaked me out. In my dream, Jess handed me a large party balloon tied to a ribbon. She then took one of those safety letter openers and slid it along the ribbon until it hit the balloon and popped it. AT THE EXACT SAME TIME AS THE BOOM OUTSIDE.
I just don’t know what to make of that. Is it purely coincidence? That seems unlikely to me. Is it that my brain distorted “dream time” to make it seem longer when in fact all of that action took place instantaneously upon hearing the boom? Kinda like deja vu or something? Something else? Brain tumor? I really don’t know.
You gotta admit, that is pretty strange.
House update: We’re meeting with the home inspector today. Perhaps I will get some more photos actually taken by me to post on here. Check back.
News Flash – Room to Move!
Along the history of time, man has always striven to improve his lot in life. Specifically, his place of residence. Beginning when the first caveman brought home a new mammoth skin to spruce up the old homestead, and continuing up to and including April 28, 2008.
What am I getting at? Well, we went out and did something a little crazy. That’s right. We’ve bought a new house! We have been watching the housing market for awhile. Watching prices fall and keeping an eye on the houses we liked, we pondered. Never seriously considering making a move right now. I mean, we have enough cooking at the moment without that sort of craziness.
But, we were looking to refinance the house we’re in now, to lock in a lower rate. At the same time, just for informations sake, Jess asked the mortgage broker what we might be able to realistically be able to purchase without literally putting us in the poor house. The answer surprised us. Suddenly, a house we happened to walk through an open house back last Labor Day was well within striking distance. We found a good rule of thumb as far as how much house you could afford which was a monthly payment of no more than 25% of your gross monthly income. Needless to say, we’re well below that. (As an aside, it took us a bit to realize just how well off we are with our dual incomes. Amazing.)
Wedding Plan Setback or Back Where We Started
Well, in the midst of my working 70 hour weeks recently, we’ve had what some might construe a setback in our wedding plans.
For a number of reasons, we will no longer be married in St. John’s cathedral here in Boise.
This has sort of been building ever since we thought that was what we might want to do. We had plans and hoped they would all work out. However, the Catholic Church has ways of making even the best intentions fall short.
We started off exploring the idea, and began all the paperwork to get my previous marriage “annulled” in the eyes of the church. They certainly don’t make things easy, as we had to wait for weeks and weeks to get cleared.
One of the main reasons we wanted to get married at that particular church was for the priest there. Fr. John Legerski. I’ve really liked him, and he has been sort of a family friend to Jess’ family. Well, Jess was speaking with him when he dropped a bit of a bombshell on us. The diocese is switching up all the priests in June, so he most likely won’t even be there to perform the service. Well, that sucks. Something one would think he might mention at the beginning of the whole process, no? Who knows who would be the priest there, or if we would even like him.
As far as times for the service on Saturday the 16th of August we had two options, neither of which were what we wanted. Either 2pm or 7pm. Well, 2 is way too early, and 7:00 is pushing the limits on when the reception was to start. Apparently, there was zero flexibility in those times. Not to mention, the near 200 people guest list would either be too big for the small chapel there, and look rather paltry in the main church.
Throughout this whole process they have succeeded in making this great celebratory event feel more like a burden to them. Damn near like we weren’t wanted. We have had to pull and prod to get any information or anything. Just disappointing.
I guess what really sealed our decision was the cumulation of the above factors combined with the fact that neither Jess nor I are practicing parishioners. We got to thinking that we might have been making this choice for incorrect reasons. Namely, it would make all of the parents happy. It was perhaps a bit hypocritical of us to try and go this way. Frankly, the church route just didn’t feel like “Us”. And after some discussion, we finally reached our decision. It appears that we aren’t the only ones… we fit squarely in the “younger” category of this story.
That being said, we’re back at square one. We’re probably 95% sure the service will be in the upper level of the Linen Building where we originally thought it would be. Personally, I think this is a great place, specifically because it is such a great space, plus there is no transportation back and forth… nobody has to be in charge of moving gifts or making sure everyone knows where to go.
So, now you’re up to date. Hope we didn’t get anyone’s hopes up for a big church wedding. Who knew that this was such a stressful deal when you are actually included in the decision making process?
Those who know me and my story will get that comment.
Where U been?
Some of you might be wondering where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to… ok… maybe not. Perhaps I have an inflated sense of self-worth… No matter. I’m telling you anyway, whether you want to know or not.
Working. That’s it, that’s the list.
I got handed a rather large website project last week. I spent last weekend dipping my toes into the pool but began with vigor on Monday. This site is quite involved, and consists of many many gradient background pieces and other items which just add to the complexity. I spent so much time staring at gradients that when I got out of bed to go to the bathroom Thursday night, the light through the window cast a gradient on the wall… All I could think was how I needed to slice that up and make it into html. Yeah, I need more sleep.
I’ve got <div>’s, classes, and pixel widths coming out of my ass. Don’t get be started about Internet Explorer’s, shall we say, “limited” standards implementation…
Plus, there were a number of technical challenges I ran into. Strange corner cases with CSS and javascript that took me forever to try to solve. The worst day this week was Wednesday. I was at work for over 12 hours and when I left I was in the EXACT same place as I was when I started the day. I actually accomplished nothing. Spent the day banging my head against the wall. I would fix one little thing, or think I had, only to find it didn’t really work, or worse yet, broke something that was previously working perfectly. Let me tell you, that was frustrating.
Counting the 9+ hours I worked today (Saturday), I am at over 62 hours for the week. It was nice and quiet at the office today though. I was the only one there. I do think I need to invest in an additional monitor for my home PC, so I don’t have to always work in the office. Any of you out there with dual monitors will agree with me on how much more efficient you can be with them. I think Costco might be a destination tomorrow…
As of this evening, I have conquered all of the real sticky technical pieces… and even better, I can reuse all of the code I’ve developed on future projects, which will save me a ton of time. Sometimes, there is nothing better than really getting in that groove where everything is working and you are making killer progress.
Speaking of which, as an aside, have you seen those bumper stickers that say something like “A Bad Day Golfing Still Beats A Good Day At Work”? Bullshit. I would MUCH rather have a good day at work kicking ass, than have one of those rounds where you put 12 balls into the water. It’s not even close to a tough decision. Maybe that’s just me.
On the plus side, Jess is actually out of town in Portland, OR visiting an old college friend this weekend. So, I’ve been able to completely focus on work. Not that I can’t when she is around or anything, but it is tough when you have a metric shit-ton of work but would rather spend time with a certain someone, ya know?
So, the ‘beta’ site is due to show the customer by end of business on Wednesday. With the stuff I got knocked out today, I don’t think I should have a problem hitting that deadline. That being said, I will be working long hours up until then to be sure. Not to mention, that the client will then review it, then provide feedback. Judging by how this client has been up until now, there will be a TON of changes and alterations. I think the final product is due the 8th or 9th.
I will be neck deep until then. It’s unfortunate that I’ve been so slammed, because there has been a lot I wanted to blog about lately… bitching about daylight savings time, Boise State winning the WAC and making the Big Dance, my brackets performance (or lack thereof), so on and so forth… maybe I’ll get to them sometime.
Marcus Samuel has entered the building
I’m a little slow on the draw, but last Friday, the 14th, my sister gave birth to the latest (and last) member of their clan…
Marcus Samuel. 7lbs. 9oz., 20″. Since he didn’t go through the Playdoh fun-factory of life, his head isn’t all squashed. So, he’s pretty cute.
By my calculations, I’m the last ‘blogger’ in the family to announce this information, well, if you don’t count Kim herself as she has been a bit preoccupied…
Jess and I visited on Saturday and the little man was just sleeping away. Despite being passed around like a bong, he didn’t seem to mind a bit. Although, when the doc came in to check on him, he started squawking a bit. Actually, he sounded a bit like a puppy. Amusing. All three of the women in the room were whimpering like puppies as well, since this particular doctor was quite the hunk. Hell, I’m 100% hetero and I thought this guy was good looking. A true life McDreamy.
I have already decided his nickname… or at least what I’ll call him until it sticks. I’m going with his initials MSE… and since its Marcus: MASE. Bang. How’s that for snappy? I like it. Either that, or “Marc Sammy” but that sounds like a pet name for a lunch item. Plus, “Zach and Mase” (their first son) sounds like a kick-ass rap group.
Speaking of which, imagine what sorts of adventures those two are going to have… Having never had a brother, I can only speculate that it is going to certainly be a sight to behold.
So, there ya go. Keep your eye on Kim’s Blog for the inevitable 10,000 pictures to come.
Congrats you guys!
Uncle Jason
So, my sister is about to pop. We’re talking über-pregnant with their second kid. She is actually scheduled for ye olde dash and grab method (c-section) this Friday. Of course, this makes me “Uncle Jason†yet again.
Actually, I’ve been “Uncle Jason†for a while now. Not just starting with Zach, who was their first (now 3.5 years old) either.
See, “Uncle Jason†has been around for many many years. It started with little Marcus Allen Dreps, the son of by buddy Mike. Born sometime around the mid 90’s. I was “Uncled†again when my buddy John and his wife had little Jason Peaslee (yes, named after me… how cool is that?) around the same time (then followed by Tristan and Tanner). The trend continued through my friend George’s kids Catie (4) and Jack (1).
There were even a niece and nephew by marriage in there for a few years, but let’s just move on.
Somewhere along the line, something interesting happened. I used to feel super awkward around kids. Never knowing what to do. Thus, I would avoid the situations. “Wanna hold the baby?†someone would ask. “Uhhh… no thanks†I would reply. However, through more exposure I became more and more comfortable around the wee tykes. I would say I’ve built up my tolerance levels quite a bit from where they were. Now, mind you, I’m not about to start babysitting or anything like that. But, I am good for moderate stretches.
When Zach came along, and I was finally officially legitimized as Uncle Jason by blood. Gee, that sounds kinda gross… like some sort of ritual involving sun-god robes and the still beating heart of a goat… Anyway, I digress.
Watching all these little ones grow is quite an amazing thing. I’m flabbergasted to see the beginnings of personalities. To watch them learn. Absorb. Just fascinating stuff.
Now, we’re (I say “we’re” like I’m involved somehow…) about to add another. It is really quite exciting. Lemme tell you, I never thought I’d be thinking that.
Imagine how geeked out I will be when the day comes for me to welcome the fruit of my own loins into the world. I can’t ponder that too hard or it will make my head asplode.
So, good luck on Friday Kim. We’ll be thinkin about you… and number 2.
Groomsmen
This past week, I went about the process of informing my groomsmen to be that they were, in fact, groomsmen. What follows is my email and good old George’s response.
For the record, I would just like to say that I love bein’ a guy. Reason 9,486: Life is so much simpler. I see Jess sparing with her chosen bridesmaids, spending hours upon hours looking at dresses for them and knowing that at least one, or perhaps all of them won’t like it. Me? I just fire off an email and within 2 hours, all 3 responded and we’re good to go. That’s it. They get a tux and I guarantee that not a one of them will complain about the cut, or the color, or anything. They get it, they put it on, they return it to the rental joint. Bing, bang, boom. No muss no fuss.
The emails…
Actors Studio 10 Questions
This past weekend, we watched a little Inside the Actor’s Studio since there is no longer any football on TV. I always kinda enjoy the show. If you are unfamiliar with the show, it is basically an interview show featuring those in the movie biz. Lots of actors and directors. They pull big time guests too. Granted, it usually a big love-fest, not exactly hard ball questions or anything, but the long format lets the subjects to be a little more real. If you would like to watch some clips, go here.
Anyway, every show they ask 10 questions of the guest. Every time I see it, I get thinking about my answers to the questions and figured, that would make a great blog post. One caveat, I will undoubtedly go longer on each answer than they do on the show. I got unlimited space here, and some of the questions will have multiple answers.
Also, I would like to invite all of you out there to answer the same questions. You can either do it here in the comments section, or if you have your own blog, answer them there, then link to your answers in my comments section. Could be interesting.
Without further ado…
Weekend
Here is what we accomplished this past weekend:
http://jesswink.blogspot.com/2008/02/im-smilin-from-ear-to-ear.htmlÂ
It was rather embarrassing that the garage was still unusable condition with all our crap (ok, mostly my crap). But really there wasn’t all that much out there. I got the shelves up on Christmas break, but they sat there unused since. Now, however, they are full of our junk and we’re parking in the garage. Wait… check that. SHE is parking in the garage. I’m still stuck out on the drive way and scraping my windows. *sigh* Such is life with a one car garage.
By the way, the pizza was gooood.