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Notes from the field
Nov. 14th, 2011 05:36 pmAs noted on Facebook, Friday I got to watch the Carrier Classic (college basketball game). This was a Veteran’s Day (Armistice Day) event that was played on the deck of an active US Naval vessel (USS Carl Vinson) in San Diego harbor. I’ve got to say, I was impressed to see a full court surrounded by stands with over 7000 seats, tents for both teams as lockers/changing areas and a press booth. While the game was fun, I was marveling at the views in the background. The sight of San Diego in the background, the coastal mountains and in the other direction, and the absolutely stunning sunset over the Pacific made me more than a bit homesick for southern California. I guess it’s true that time and distance eases the pain and frustrations of the past. While Alabama is my home now, part of me will always long for California and someday I will go back.
I’ve contacted USAA and I’m going to see about the feasibility of getting the old house in Lancaster sold. Keeping it as a rental has not worked out well at all. I can’t afford this drain on my finances (especially since I really have never recovered from the financial hit in 2008). Realistically, I’m not sure we can sell it and break even. I’m not underwater, but with many houses in the area still being foreclosed, it’s driven the prices down. If it stays as a rental, I need a better class of people in it or a guaranteed rental check. Given the economy and what I’ve heard about how Lancaster has declined, I’m not sure that’s entirely possible either.
As for the rest of this weekend, it was a mixed bag. While Saturday was a slow paced day where Chris and I went to a local anime convention (Mini-Hamacon), yesterday was full of work. I am hurting this morning. Over the past few weeks, we’ve been slowly re-doing the guest room in our new house. I say slowly because the funds aren’t readily available. We’ve repainted the walls (except for the baseboards), drilled the floors to remove most of the squeaks, stripped the 50 year old varnish (with chemicals requiring a gas mask) and yesterday was ‘sanding day.’ I rented a large commercial sander with vacuum from Lowes to make the finish even and keep the job quick. Did I mention that the sander was large (100+ lbs heavy, bulky and not transport friendly)? While it got the job done in a matter of an hour, my back and shoulders are not happy today. Now I only have to stain the floor (if necessary) and put down polyurethane to finish up.
In addition to working on the guest room, we also raked the front yard yesterday. We have a number of oaks and maples in and around our yard. The recent cold snaps and wind pretty effectively filled the front lawn with a thick coating of brown, crisp, swirling leaves. Tammy and Chris raked everything to the street and I filled ten 30 gallon bags with leaves. The crisp breeze and smell of the leaves was intoxicating enough that I didn’t mind the constant bending and stooping to stuff the bags. Tammy actually paid for the effort though. Her back and shoulders were a mess today.
Work continues to be challenging. I was shifted from long range planning and scheduling to help on analysis issues. It’s a more defined position and certainly more familiar.
On a surprising note, I weighed myself for the first time in several months yesterday morning. Since I haven’t ‘worked-out’ in months, I was expecting to be reminded that I was out of shape and overweight. Instead of seeing the scale reach into the mid-240’s, I was stunned when it only made it to 226 lbs. I guess I have been eating less and keeping active. It really was a pleasant surprise.
I’ve contacted USAA and I’m going to see about the feasibility of getting the old house in Lancaster sold. Keeping it as a rental has not worked out well at all. I can’t afford this drain on my finances (especially since I really have never recovered from the financial hit in 2008). Realistically, I’m not sure we can sell it and break even. I’m not underwater, but with many houses in the area still being foreclosed, it’s driven the prices down. If it stays as a rental, I need a better class of people in it or a guaranteed rental check. Given the economy and what I’ve heard about how Lancaster has declined, I’m not sure that’s entirely possible either.
As for the rest of this weekend, it was a mixed bag. While Saturday was a slow paced day where Chris and I went to a local anime convention (Mini-Hamacon), yesterday was full of work. I am hurting this morning. Over the past few weeks, we’ve been slowly re-doing the guest room in our new house. I say slowly because the funds aren’t readily available. We’ve repainted the walls (except for the baseboards), drilled the floors to remove most of the squeaks, stripped the 50 year old varnish (with chemicals requiring a gas mask) and yesterday was ‘sanding day.’ I rented a large commercial sander with vacuum from Lowes to make the finish even and keep the job quick. Did I mention that the sander was large (100+ lbs heavy, bulky and not transport friendly)? While it got the job done in a matter of an hour, my back and shoulders are not happy today. Now I only have to stain the floor (if necessary) and put down polyurethane to finish up.
In addition to working on the guest room, we also raked the front yard yesterday. We have a number of oaks and maples in and around our yard. The recent cold snaps and wind pretty effectively filled the front lawn with a thick coating of brown, crisp, swirling leaves. Tammy and Chris raked everything to the street and I filled ten 30 gallon bags with leaves. The crisp breeze and smell of the leaves was intoxicating enough that I didn’t mind the constant bending and stooping to stuff the bags. Tammy actually paid for the effort though. Her back and shoulders were a mess today.
Work continues to be challenging. I was shifted from long range planning and scheduling to help on analysis issues. It’s a more defined position and certainly more familiar.
On a surprising note, I weighed myself for the first time in several months yesterday morning. Since I haven’t ‘worked-out’ in months, I was expecting to be reminded that I was out of shape and overweight. Instead of seeing the scale reach into the mid-240’s, I was stunned when it only made it to 226 lbs. I guess I have been eating less and keeping active. It really was a pleasant surprise.
