In case you haven't heard by now, there was an earthquake in SoCal today. How could you not have heard by now? It is all over the internets and has continuous coverage on the news channels.
My problem is this.
We had the same magnitude quake here in NoCal back in October...remember?
There was zero news coverage about it. Well almost zero. Perhaps there was a blurb running across the screen. I had to go to google "earthquake + city name" and go to usgs.gov to find out anything about it.
I'm slightly disgruntled at this moment.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
House Hunting
We have finally decided to stay awhile and buy a house. The only thing I don't like about living on the west coast is that it is so very far from the east coast. If everyone I knew wasn't on the east coast, I could spend my life here. I love the weather. For that reason alone, I want to stay here.
Anyway, the house hunting adventure began about a month ago. We're pretty easy in this department. We know we want a townhouse because we absolutely do not want any type of yard to take care of. As a former yard slave, I am happy to have found someone who agrees with me. We have toured all of the new home communities as well as resales. I was so happy when it seemed like we found the exact place we were looking for. A brand new community where the homes are still under construction. This means we would be able to customize the interior. We started the task of loan applications and got preapproved.
Good thing we have a friend who is a realtor. He did some research and found out that this community is built in an area known to contain naturally occurring asbestos. It's in a type of rock found there. It wouldn't necessarily be a problem except for the high level of construction going on there. When the rock is disturbed it can cause dust to stir up and get into the air. Not good. This puts everyone in the area at risk for lung cancer and emphysema. Again. Not good. Supposedly precautions are taken by the builders to keep the area wet so the dust doesn't go airborne. But, that would be putting an awful lot of trust into everyone involved in the construction. Oh and we would probably have to sign some kind of waiver that prevents a lawsuit if someone gets sick years from now.
Not a risk we want to take.
So the hunt is still on. There is one other place we like, but we'd be paying a premium price because it is in an area with excellent schools. The thought of spending close to $700,000 on a townhouse is sick. I feel ill just thinking about what we could buy with that kind of money if we were back in ATL.
Anyway, the house hunting adventure began about a month ago. We're pretty easy in this department. We know we want a townhouse because we absolutely do not want any type of yard to take care of. As a former yard slave, I am happy to have found someone who agrees with me. We have toured all of the new home communities as well as resales. I was so happy when it seemed like we found the exact place we were looking for. A brand new community where the homes are still under construction. This means we would be able to customize the interior. We started the task of loan applications and got preapproved.
Good thing we have a friend who is a realtor. He did some research and found out that this community is built in an area known to contain naturally occurring asbestos. It's in a type of rock found there. It wouldn't necessarily be a problem except for the high level of construction going on there. When the rock is disturbed it can cause dust to stir up and get into the air. Not good. This puts everyone in the area at risk for lung cancer and emphysema. Again. Not good. Supposedly precautions are taken by the builders to keep the area wet so the dust doesn't go airborne. But, that would be putting an awful lot of trust into everyone involved in the construction. Oh and we would probably have to sign some kind of waiver that prevents a lawsuit if someone gets sick years from now.
Not a risk we want to take.
So the hunt is still on. There is one other place we like, but we'd be paying a premium price because it is in an area with excellent schools. The thought of spending close to $700,000 on a townhouse is sick. I feel ill just thinking about what we could buy with that kind of money if we were back in ATL.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Perhaps He Thinks He's Nostradamus?
In case you were wondering about this....
My father has now predicted WW III to start sometime in September.
The conversation went like this:
Him: Have you guys bought your tickets to come here for Christmas yet?
Me: No, not yet (really we have, but I didn't want to tell him just yet)
Him: Well, you might want to get on that soon since the prices are going up. Don't worry about it if you can't make it, with that war starting in September and all.
Me: Ummm....which war are we talking about?
Him: WW III of course. (some muttering about Iran vs Israel and Russia getting involved)
Me: Oh. September you say? I'll keept that in mind.
In other news related to him, he just got himself a new gun and his concealed weapon permit.
He's unlocked and loaded and ready to go.
My father has now predicted WW III to start sometime in September.
The conversation went like this:
Him: Have you guys bought your tickets to come here for Christmas yet?
Me: No, not yet (really we have, but I didn't want to tell him just yet)
Him: Well, you might want to get on that soon since the prices are going up. Don't worry about it if you can't make it, with that war starting in September and all.
Me: Ummm....which war are we talking about?
Him: WW III of course. (some muttering about Iran vs Israel and Russia getting involved)
Me: Oh. September you say? I'll keept that in mind.
In other news related to him, he just got himself a new gun and his concealed weapon permit.
He's unlocked and loaded and ready to go.
Monday, July 21, 2008
House Of Longevity
This is my grandmother's house. It has been her house since she was 5 years old. She's almost 84 now. Except for a few years when she first got married, she has lived in this house. My great grandfather saved the money to build the house during Prohibition by making moonshine and selling it.Things live a long time when they come into this house. There have been at least 2 cats that lived there for more than 23 years. There was Goldie the goldfish who lived 25 years in a glass bowl. He was so tame that he would swim into my grandmother's hand each time she wanted to take him out to change the water. I believe he would still be alive today if not for the "brilliance" of one of my uncles. Said uncle thought it would be great to get a real aquarium for Goldie. He lasted about 30 seconds in it before he was floating upside down, dead.
I keep telling my grandmother that she's got at least another 10 years. The house isn't going to let her go easily.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Always An Adventure...Or Something
I made it back from NJ yesterday, but not without a major snag along the way.
The flights to NJ went off without a hitch. First Class was great. It was nice to actually get food. And the food wasn't too bad either.
I had fun with my grandmother. We spent 8 days hanging out and talking and watching TV. She just got satellite TV and we were enjoying all the new channels. At 83.5 she doesn't leave her house very much. There was no car for me to drive since all the other relatives were working, so I didn't go anywhere except to and from the airport. At night we prepared for "the night people" and set trays of leftover food out in the backyard. Then we would sit at the window and wait. It doesn't take long for them to arrive. A family of 6 skunks comes first. Sometimes there are deer, raccoons, and the occasional opossum. The skunks are so cute! They fight with each other and roll around in the grass. You would think she lived on a farm with all these animals. The crazy thing is that she lives in a very residential area.
The flight home on Sunday started out good. The plane boarded just a little bit late. No big deal. Then we pushed away from the gate and it seemed like we were about to go. Instead we were told of weather delays in NY and that no planes at 4 airports were allowed to fly west. The pilot decided we would have to just wait it out. So we did. For 3 hours. Sitting on the edge of the runway for 3 hours. When we finally got clearance to go, there were 15 planes ahead of us. I had a connecting flight in Phoenix. I began to panic. We landed in Phoenix at the time my flight was supposed to be landing at home. When I got off the plane I checked the monitor and discovered that the next flight home was at 6:55am. It was 11:55pm. Totally fucked.
So, to Customer Service I went with about 50 other people. They already had a new boarding pass printed out and waiting for me for that 6:55am flight. Attached to it was a coupon for a discount at some nearby hotels. I made the decision to spend the night at the airport instead. It didn't seem to make much sense to go through the trouble of leaving the airport and returning in 6 hours. So I stayed.
For most people I believe this would be considered a worst nightmare. But let's not forget my time in the Bombay airport when I was so sick I thought I was dying. I could certainly do 6 hours feeling fine. With my backpack as a pillow I settled down for a long winter's night. The worst thing about it was the temperature inside the airport. It was so cold I think you could have hung meat. I was freezing. It was so cold that I couldn't sleep. However I must have drifted off for a short time because when I woke up it was even more freezing. I gave up the idea of sleeping. It seemed warmer to sit up in the chair instead of laying down. At around 4:00am a man from the airline came around with blankets. I was so happy! I was able to sleep for a short time again. Finally it was time to board the plane for the flight home.
I kept my souvenir blanket. It is very light. I now plan on carrying an airport survival kit whenever I travel out of my state. I will carry this blanket and a pillow pilfered from one of my international flights as well as some snacks and water. There was nothing open in the airport in the middle of the night so I was really stuck.
And since I am my father's daughter, I will be more than prepared for next time.
The flights to NJ went off without a hitch. First Class was great. It was nice to actually get food. And the food wasn't too bad either.
I had fun with my grandmother. We spent 8 days hanging out and talking and watching TV. She just got satellite TV and we were enjoying all the new channels. At 83.5 she doesn't leave her house very much. There was no car for me to drive since all the other relatives were working, so I didn't go anywhere except to and from the airport. At night we prepared for "the night people" and set trays of leftover food out in the backyard. Then we would sit at the window and wait. It doesn't take long for them to arrive. A family of 6 skunks comes first. Sometimes there are deer, raccoons, and the occasional opossum. The skunks are so cute! They fight with each other and roll around in the grass. You would think she lived on a farm with all these animals. The crazy thing is that she lives in a very residential area.
The flight home on Sunday started out good. The plane boarded just a little bit late. No big deal. Then we pushed away from the gate and it seemed like we were about to go. Instead we were told of weather delays in NY and that no planes at 4 airports were allowed to fly west. The pilot decided we would have to just wait it out. So we did. For 3 hours. Sitting on the edge of the runway for 3 hours. When we finally got clearance to go, there were 15 planes ahead of us. I had a connecting flight in Phoenix. I began to panic. We landed in Phoenix at the time my flight was supposed to be landing at home. When I got off the plane I checked the monitor and discovered that the next flight home was at 6:55am. It was 11:55pm. Totally fucked.
So, to Customer Service I went with about 50 other people. They already had a new boarding pass printed out and waiting for me for that 6:55am flight. Attached to it was a coupon for a discount at some nearby hotels. I made the decision to spend the night at the airport instead. It didn't seem to make much sense to go through the trouble of leaving the airport and returning in 6 hours. So I stayed.
For most people I believe this would be considered a worst nightmare. But let's not forget my time in the Bombay airport when I was so sick I thought I was dying. I could certainly do 6 hours feeling fine. With my backpack as a pillow I settled down for a long winter's night. The worst thing about it was the temperature inside the airport. It was so cold I think you could have hung meat. I was freezing. It was so cold that I couldn't sleep. However I must have drifted off for a short time because when I woke up it was even more freezing. I gave up the idea of sleeping. It seemed warmer to sit up in the chair instead of laying down. At around 4:00am a man from the airline came around with blankets. I was so happy! I was able to sleep for a short time again. Finally it was time to board the plane for the flight home.
I kept my souvenir blanket. It is very light. I now plan on carrying an airport survival kit whenever I travel out of my state. I will carry this blanket and a pillow pilfered from one of my international flights as well as some snacks and water. There was nothing open in the airport in the middle of the night so I was really stuck.
And since I am my father's daughter, I will be more than prepared for next time.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Yet Another Postal Debacle
A friend sent me a belated birthday present. A string of bad luck on her end over the past 3 months caused the delay. I was anticipating delivery of said package today. In fact, I wasn't even surprised when I opened my mailbox and found a key to the package boxes. There was no number on the key. I had no idea which box it went to so I tried them all. Finally I got one open. The package inside was not mine. WTF?
Clearly the postal person fucked up. I can see why. If the keys have no numbers on them, you're probably going to get confused.
I'm so pissed.
I took the box that was supposed to be mine and dropped it off at the front door of the correct address. I can only hope that person returns the favor.
Clearly the postal person fucked up. I can see why. If the keys have no numbers on them, you're probably going to get confused.
I'm so pissed.
I took the box that was supposed to be mine and dropped it off at the front door of the correct address. I can only hope that person returns the favor.
