This weekend we had the house to ourselves and just enjoyed having our first mellow, low-key weekend in a long time. Very few discussions about where we are going to spend the next 8 months, and instead we focused on spending some fun time together. "Fun" to us even involves chores like grocery shopping.
Friday night we went to some friend's house who have.....CABLE! We are in the rapidly shrinking group of people that still use *gasp* an antenna. Cable is just too pricey for us right now, and with how busy we are we don't need the distraction. Five fuzzy stations, the internet, and Netflix provide us with plenty of entertainment. But MY OH MY how we love cable. Our friends DVR stuff for us, and every other Friday or so we hang out, eat pizza and beer, and watch 4+ hours of TV in amongst lots of chatting with our friends. We love it!
Saturday we went to our favorite local diner for breakfast, did a bunch of chores, and watched some episodes of Six Feet Under, the current Netflix series we are watching. A super mellow fall day. The weather is getting colder here, but I'm avoiding turning the heat on quite yet since by next weekend the high is 83.
Sunday...oh how we love Sundays during football season! We "studied" (Bryan for nursing, me for the eval class I'm teaching) while watching the games (and I mowed the lawn). My lone trip out of the house was to get pizza (shh, don't tell that we had pizza twice this weekend!).
October is shaping up to be a fantastically busy, fantastically fun month. The first weekend is fall break for UR (meaning no school Monday), so we are going to spend the weekend in Toronto. Thanks to the wonder of the internet, we got a 4.5 star luxury hotel in an excellent location for $99 a night! We are so excited to have a get-away weekend and to explore Toronto before it gets cold. The biggest dilemma is if we should cough up the $100 a ticket to see Cirque du Soleil while we are there. With our current financial shortage we'll probably pass, but it sure is tempting since it is the last weekend they will be there. Bryan has hinted that our weekend might have a special *surprise* associated with it, but we'll see ;)
The second weekend will be a trip to Niagara Falls with 2 friends from high school. One lives in Pittsburgh and one lives in Erie, so we're meeting in NF for a girl's weekend. It will be great to see them both and catch up. We haven't ever been together as over 21, so it should be a fun time!
The last weekend my parents come. Yipee! It's so hard to be so far from them, and I'm so excited for their visit. I think I'll take them to Niagara-on-the-lake for wine tasting one day, and maybe the Corning Museum of Glass for the second. We'll see! It is going to be a great month with lots of trips. October is nice here - the time when the air is crisp and the leaves are changing colors, but no humidity and no snow. I'm glad I'll be able to enjoy it before the long cold winter sets in. It always seems to come so quickly!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Thursday, September 6, 2007
The end of summer
Labor Day weekend is always sad because it is the unofficial marker of the end of summer. Here is Rochester, it is more the beginning of the wild swings in weather. Yesterday was overcast and a bit chilly, the first day all summer (minus the gym) that I wore shoes and socks. Today was 91 and humid.
To celebrate Labor Day weekend, we went wine tasting with some friends in the finger lakes. The weather was beautiful, and we had a great time. I think we ended up going to 6-7 wineries, but the hands-down winner for everyone was the organic winery.
The gang...Bryan, me, Kim, Anthony, Kristina, Nick
A winery/meadery
Bryan at Belhurst winery, Seneca Lake in the background
Our loot...the apple one is for our apple themed supper club on Saturday
Now it's back to school for Bryan and Krista, and working for me as usual. I'm also going to be co-teaching program evaluation at UR to grad students on Mondays this term, and I'm super excited about that. It's nice to have some thought-provoking evaluation discussions now and then. I think Bryan doesn't appreciate me saying "Please, before you go to bed, let's discuss the merits of RCTs as the gold standard" (and yes, I did that last night, and he was a good sport and played along).
I'm not sure of the last update here, but the condo is back on, hopefully to close late this month. No one seems to be able to do their job, so no one will commit to a firm closing date. The house didn't sell and officially went off the market on the 4th. I learned a lot of lessons in that process, but won't elaborate too fully since I don't know who all reads this thing. We hopefully have a renter lined up though (I'm still waiting for her check to arrive). We'll reassess what we want to do in the spring.
To celebrate Labor Day weekend, we went wine tasting with some friends in the finger lakes. The weather was beautiful, and we had a great time. I think we ended up going to 6-7 wineries, but the hands-down winner for everyone was the organic winery.
The gang...Bryan, me, Kim, Anthony, Kristina, Nick
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| From Wine tasting ... |
A winery/meadery
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| From Wine tasting ... |
Bryan at Belhurst winery, Seneca Lake in the background
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| From Wine tasting ... |
Our loot...the apple one is for our apple themed supper club on Saturday
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| From Wine tasting ... |
Now it's back to school for Bryan and Krista, and working for me as usual. I'm also going to be co-teaching program evaluation at UR to grad students on Mondays this term, and I'm super excited about that. It's nice to have some thought-provoking evaluation discussions now and then. I think Bryan doesn't appreciate me saying "Please, before you go to bed, let's discuss the merits of RCTs as the gold standard" (and yes, I did that last night, and he was a good sport and played along).
I'm not sure of the last update here, but the condo is back on, hopefully to close late this month. No one seems to be able to do their job, so no one will commit to a firm closing date. The house didn't sell and officially went off the market on the 4th. I learned a lot of lessons in that process, but won't elaborate too fully since I don't know who all reads this thing. We hopefully have a renter lined up though (I'm still waiting for her check to arrive). We'll reassess what we want to do in the spring.
Monday, September 3, 2007
"That's hot"
Yes, my friends, "hot" barely begins to define S. Florida in late August. It is a kind of heat I can't even fathom, which lies right up there in "things I don't understand" with swimming in the ocean. The idea of the ocean being 89 just doesn't compute to me. My brain's dictionary definition of "ocean" is: "thing that is too cold to get in, even in the summer, even just your pinky toe."
Our trip to Florida may have been unbearable hot for my tastes, but it was a beautiful slice of respite that Bryan and I so desperately needed. His mom spoiled us rotten with a trip to the spa, shopping, 3 days in Venice (gulf coast), wonderful food, and just an all-around good time.
While we were in Venice, we got to see some beautiful sunsets.
Venice is known for it's shark teeth. I sadly didn't find one, but Bryan and his mom found a few. His mom (on the left in the pic) also invite along a very nice friend of hers from work, Lynn, and we all had a great time. Especially at the bar watching some crazy 40-year-olds dance. I don't know what age it is when people lose the ability to be embarrassed, but everyone there clearly was passed it, to the great amusement of me!
A fabulous dessert I had our last night there.
Despite religious application of SPF 45, I still got a tan! Much to the amusement of Bryan, we discovered that when I am exposed to the sun, I get freckles. Huge, ugly ones! But at least I got somewhat of a "tan" (whatever that means when you start out a zero on the tan scale!) and my hair is quite a few shades lighter. Although I like the warm oceans and the sun, but I'll pass on the heat and humidity! I think I'm a northern girl at heart :)
Our trip to Florida may have been unbearable hot for my tastes, but it was a beautiful slice of respite that Bryan and I so desperately needed. His mom spoiled us rotten with a trip to the spa, shopping, 3 days in Venice (gulf coast), wonderful food, and just an all-around good time.
While we were in Venice, we got to see some beautiful sunsets.
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| From Florida 2007 |
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| From Florida 2007 |
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| From Florida 2007 |
Venice is known for it's shark teeth. I sadly didn't find one, but Bryan and his mom found a few. His mom (on the left in the pic) also invite along a very nice friend of hers from work, Lynn, and we all had a great time. Especially at the bar watching some crazy 40-year-olds dance. I don't know what age it is when people lose the ability to be embarrassed, but everyone there clearly was passed it, to the great amusement of me!
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| From Florida 2007 |
A fabulous dessert I had our last night there.
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| From Florida 2007 |
Despite religious application of SPF 45, I still got a tan! Much to the amusement of Bryan, we discovered that when I am exposed to the sun, I get freckles. Huge, ugly ones! But at least I got somewhat of a "tan" (whatever that means when you start out a zero on the tan scale!) and my hair is quite a few shades lighter. Although I like the warm oceans and the sun, but I'll pass on the heat and humidity! I think I'm a northern girl at heart :)
Friday, August 31, 2007
Letchwork State Park
This weekend marks the end of Bryan's two glorious weeks off from school. Last week we went to Florida (blog about that to be done soon). This week has been lots of lounging around and just taking it easy.
Today was a beautiful 75 degrees and sunny, so I decided to take Bryan to Letchworth State Park, about an hour drive from here. We hiked around, ate lunch, saw some beautiful scenery, and just had an all-around good day (which started with breakfast at Ezzy's, our favorite neighborhood diner).
It was late by the time we got home (about 9pm). Ladies, feast your eyes on what happened next.
Yes, this is my beloved voluntarily cleaning out the fridge (wiping it down, the whole 9 yards!). He just "wanted to do it, and I'll mop the floors too." I did not ask him to do this, nor did I even mention that these chores needed to be done. I bet you're all sad that he's already taken! :)
Today was a beautiful 75 degrees and sunny, so I decided to take Bryan to Letchworth State Park, about an hour drive from here. We hiked around, ate lunch, saw some beautiful scenery, and just had an all-around good day (which started with breakfast at Ezzy's, our favorite neighborhood diner).
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| From Letchworth |
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| From Letchworth |
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| From Letchworth |
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| From Letchworth |
It was late by the time we got home (about 9pm). Ladies, feast your eyes on what happened next.
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| From Letchworth |
Yes, this is my beloved voluntarily cleaning out the fridge (wiping it down, the whole 9 yards!). He just "wanted to do it, and I'll mop the floors too." I did not ask him to do this, nor did I even mention that these chores needed to be done. I bet you're all sad that he's already taken! :)
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Let's Make a Deal
Bryan and I were talking last week about how much we liked Let's Make a Deal. Maybe that is one game show they should resurrect. None of these stupid new-fangled primetime "game shows." Who in their RIGHT MIND wants to watch an HOUR of BINGO on TV???
If they brought back Let's Make a Deal, what do you think the loser prizes would be now? I don't think a donkey would cut it anymore. And what ever happened with those donkeys anyway. Did someone really take home a donkey?
Thanks to the wonder of the internet, I just discovered the the GSN cable network currently broadcasts episodes of the classic Let's Make A Deal each weekday at 10:00 A.M. ET and late night at 2:00 A.M. & 2:30 A.M. It's a good thing I don't have a channel as wonderful as GSN, or I would never get anything done. I love game shows, especially old ones. I also just learned that the costumes were the idea of the audience, and not originally part of the show. People started to bring signs and funny hats to attract Mr. Hall's attention. It spiraled from there to the outlandish costumes they used to wear.
Anyway, the real point of this blogging episode is that no one seems to want to make a deal with us. On Monday the offer on my house fell through. I guess the husband lost his job, so they could no longer afford my house. We should have another offer coming in either Friday or Monday from another, so we'll see if that actually happens. Also, the deal fell through on the condo we were going to buy. The inspection "found" a faulty breaker (it popped FOUR times in the hour we were there, and got really hot. The scummy owner declared "that has never ever happened before." Right. Even my inspector said he had to be lying. The guy refuses to fix the breaker, or even get an estimate to fix it. Now, regardless of him being a jerk or not, this is a HUGE fire hazard that even he shouldn't want to live with. There also is a flue pipe that isn't properly connected and has asbestos tape on it. Estimate to fix - $315. The seller refuses to put a dollar into it, so we told him to take his condo and shove it (well, we would have liked to say it that way). Now we are out at least the $275 inspection and whatever attorney fees we have racked up to date with the offer...at least $200. But I guess that is all better than getting a place with issues. Back to the drawing board. We found another condo that we love, but the taxes are $3,864 with a $253 a month HOA. That's $575 before we even paid for the unit! For now we are thinking about just renting and deciding what we want to do when we are back to a two income family.
If they brought back Let's Make a Deal, what do you think the loser prizes would be now? I don't think a donkey would cut it anymore. And what ever happened with those donkeys anyway. Did someone really take home a donkey?
Thanks to the wonder of the internet, I just discovered the the GSN cable network currently broadcasts episodes of the classic Let's Make A Deal each weekday at 10:00 A.M. ET and late night at 2:00 A.M. & 2:30 A.M. It's a good thing I don't have a channel as wonderful as GSN, or I would never get anything done. I love game shows, especially old ones. I also just learned that the costumes were the idea of the audience, and not originally part of the show. People started to bring signs and funny hats to attract Mr. Hall's attention. It spiraled from there to the outlandish costumes they used to wear.
Anyway, the real point of this blogging episode is that no one seems to want to make a deal with us. On Monday the offer on my house fell through. I guess the husband lost his job, so they could no longer afford my house. We should have another offer coming in either Friday or Monday from another, so we'll see if that actually happens. Also, the deal fell through on the condo we were going to buy. The inspection "found" a faulty breaker (it popped FOUR times in the hour we were there, and got really hot. The scummy owner declared "that has never ever happened before." Right. Even my inspector said he had to be lying. The guy refuses to fix the breaker, or even get an estimate to fix it. Now, regardless of him being a jerk or not, this is a HUGE fire hazard that even he shouldn't want to live with. There also is a flue pipe that isn't properly connected and has asbestos tape on it. Estimate to fix - $315. The seller refuses to put a dollar into it, so we told him to take his condo and shove it (well, we would have liked to say it that way). Now we are out at least the $275 inspection and whatever attorney fees we have racked up to date with the offer...at least $200. But I guess that is all better than getting a place with issues. Back to the drawing board. We found another condo that we love, but the taxes are $3,864 with a $253 a month HOA. That's $575 before we even paid for the unit! For now we are thinking about just renting and deciding what we want to do when we are back to a two income family.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Nothing like a wasted day
My work laptop froze today. Sure, that sucked, but what was even worse was that the proposal I had been working on ALL day was gone. Poof. No trace anywhere, even in a full system search. It turns out my computer ineptness bit me in the behind. The document was linked from another document. I saved it, but it turns out that unless you re-open that saved copy, you are working on some cyberspace version that doesn't really exist. So all the times I clicked on the save icon were for naught, and I have to start over tomorrow. Sigh.
In other depressing news, the condo we were all set to close on has now fallen apart. We are looking into suing for the lawyer fees and inspection fees that we had to outlay, but we are probably just out the money. It sucks that the jerk seller did this to us. All because he refuses to fix two issues that came up in the inspection because he is a cheapskate. He already hated us for making him pay the $50 for the HOA documents (duh, of course we need to READ what the restrictions are!) and $50 for a carbon monoxide detector (it's required by NY state, don't get mad at us!). Back to the drawing board. Can't wait for the vacation to Florida on Saturday. We are both SO excited for a real vacation! (even if I will be working part of it).
In other depressing news, the condo we were all set to close on has now fallen apart. We are looking into suing for the lawyer fees and inspection fees that we had to outlay, but we are probably just out the money. It sucks that the jerk seller did this to us. All because he refuses to fix two issues that came up in the inspection because he is a cheapskate. He already hated us for making him pay the $50 for the HOA documents (duh, of course we need to READ what the restrictions are!) and $50 for a carbon monoxide detector (it's required by NY state, don't get mad at us!). Back to the drawing board. Can't wait for the vacation to Florida on Saturday. We are both SO excited for a real vacation! (even if I will be working part of it).
Monday, August 6, 2007
Lots to be grateful for
Sometimes, when life is crazy and stressful, I think I get so overwhelmed in the "to-do" list that I forget all of the great things in my life. Buying and selling a house is one of the most stressful things one can do, but in the midst of it I am truly a lucky girl. Just a small sampling of those things I have to be grateful for:
- A mom who loves us enough to put together packages to make us smile...familiar treats from home, my favorite coffee, some new stylin' duds, and some coin so we can enjoy a relaxing vacation. We love you mom!
- A job with a fantastic group of people and the flexibility to work abnormal hours (early, late, normal, weekend, whatever) that fit my work rhythms better and allow me to spend time with Bryan when he has free time (which can be during the afternoon or morning sometimes)
- A boyfriend who, without saying a word, does all of the chores I reallllly don't want to do (like being the brave one to go vacuum up the flea power in the flea infested room....yuck!). He also is always grateful when I do something nice for him, always complimentary about my cooking (even if it sucks), patient with me as I learn tennis, and always is just a sweet guy
- Friends who let you come over with your pets while you are putting yucky poison in your house, buy you lunch, and let you swim in their pool, all the while feeling like they are the lucky ones since you are hanging out with their kids while they go see a movie
- A roommate who puts up with endless cleaning for house showing without complaining and who is willing to stick with us when we change the deal she signed up for
- The ability to go on a vacation! In 2 weeks we are going to Florida, and some days that is all that is keeping us going right now with all of the house/school stress. I am grateful for parents who help us out so we can take vacations without worrying about finances, and I am grateful for a job where I can work from anywhere, including Florida for a few days.
For those of you following the house saga, we are closing on the condo September 21st. The inspection was today, and most things were fine except for a small issue with the electricity that the owner was fine with fixing. My house has a contingent offer, but we still have regular showings, so we are hoping for a better, non-contingent offer.
- A mom who loves us enough to put together packages to make us smile...familiar treats from home, my favorite coffee, some new stylin' duds, and some coin so we can enjoy a relaxing vacation. We love you mom!
- A job with a fantastic group of people and the flexibility to work abnormal hours (early, late, normal, weekend, whatever) that fit my work rhythms better and allow me to spend time with Bryan when he has free time (which can be during the afternoon or morning sometimes)
- A boyfriend who, without saying a word, does all of the chores I reallllly don't want to do (like being the brave one to go vacuum up the flea power in the flea infested room....yuck!). He also is always grateful when I do something nice for him, always complimentary about my cooking (even if it sucks), patient with me as I learn tennis, and always is just a sweet guy
- Friends who let you come over with your pets while you are putting yucky poison in your house, buy you lunch, and let you swim in their pool, all the while feeling like they are the lucky ones since you are hanging out with their kids while they go see a movie
- A roommate who puts up with endless cleaning for house showing without complaining and who is willing to stick with us when we change the deal she signed up for
- The ability to go on a vacation! In 2 weeks we are going to Florida, and some days that is all that is keeping us going right now with all of the house/school stress. I am grateful for parents who help us out so we can take vacations without worrying about finances, and I am grateful for a job where I can work from anywhere, including Florida for a few days.
For those of you following the house saga, we are closing on the condo September 21st. The inspection was today, and most things were fine except for a small issue with the electricity that the owner was fine with fixing. My house has a contingent offer, but we still have regular showings, so we are hoping for a better, non-contingent offer.
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