Project Update

The good: With the exception of the tub and toilet, the bathroom is disassembled. Those should be finished tomorrow night.

The bad: Removing 20 year old linoleum.

The ugly: Finding that the 20 year old linoleum was laminated on top of 30 year old linoleum.

I'm old(er)

Well, as of yesterday I'm numerically old(er) - 26. A surprising number of people (I think I may have had to count on more than one hand - that's a lot for a summer birthday) remembered and wished me well. The family birthday 'party' was last Saturday's dinner at Customshop- a new and very good restaurant on Elizabeth Ave then Allison's first attempt at making Sacher torte - which turned out well - a bit low profile, but still dense and dark-chocolate-y. My actual birthday was spent writing a Managerial Economics project, which is due later today and still not complete.

I'm not sure I'm taking the correct path through the mid 20's young professional life though. Typical 40 hour work week, 6 hours of class per week, another 2-4 of homework. Then there's the chosen expenses, mainly school ($9k year) and the house (even considering the number of cars I've rotated through they have not been a significant money gain or loss). The house recently has been the big one: over $2500 above mortgage spent on it in the past month alone. So, I'm essentially taking a nice paying normal job which could allow for a good life, but via choices I've made have no free time or money, and less of a social life.

I've always lived long term, am always planning the next step, always looking at the future and figuring out what it takes to get there.  There has always been a goal - it is adaptable and has changed many times over the years - and it's still probably way too idealistic, but I feel that with enough work and learning I can get pretty close. I've become rather good and efficient at fixing all of the minor technical issues that pop up in daily life, but every now and then things converge to just shut down forward progress, and that seems to be happening more frequently and the 'next step' is pushed further away.

At what age and at what step will I consider myself stable though, when can I step back and say, you know, this is a fine life I've worked toward, and be content? The current answer seems to involve 29, a real walkable city, and a dwelling where maintenance means a set monthly fee, possibly one garage space for an old Porsche.

How to get there? Looks like 3 years of running 100% to accumulate enough knowledge, degrees, money and home-investment-gains in order to make the jump. Will the payoff be worth it, or will the goal be moved forward again? Not sure.

But in the mean time I should finish this economics project.

How hard could it be?

So, most of the new bathroom was delivered today. Except they packed the wrong black accent tile (part numbers weren't even close) and forgot to deliver the floor tile.  Apparently the correct pieces and the remainder of the order will be delivered next Saturday. 

Oh well, at least the prep work can begin - rip out what's there, patch the walls, trim, repaint the ceiling, install the tub, so on. 

Onward! 

Suburbia...

Driving home, through the neighborhood, in the Miata after picking up the new sink at Lowes (had to tie down the trunk, but it fit)  I pass this couple walking their dog, wave as usual, and as I pass I hear her say 'Slow Down' - it takes me a second to process that and look down at the speedometer - 26mph. For all practical purposes I'm obeying the speed limit.  (As I tend to do - though it may be in higher revs in 2nd gear rather than a silent 4th gear and I may not slow down for turns - but still - for all practical purposes, obeying the speed limit)

So I stop, put the car in reverse, back up, and simply say that was 26 miles per hour.  She looks confused and says something about how that's still a little fast and I might run over someone's kid or pet or something.

Perhaps I could have mentioned braking distances for this particular car and how the very short stopping distance from 25mph would be pretty much identical to the stopping distance from 26mph, give or take a foot, but decide that would be too much detail for the situation and put the car in 1st gear, which I hold the rest of the way home, happy to have corrected someone's misconception, but wondering if she says that to everyone by default, or was drunk and thinking things were moving rather fast... beats me.

The oddities of living in the suburbs...

It has begun

Just ordered an entirely new bathroom. Some assembly required. 

Delivery scheduled for next Saturday morning. Probably a week or two later until we finish the work.

Before and after pictures will be posted.

Summer Mix '07

Finally got the computer set up to burn. Here's the track list.

1) Milton - In the City 
2) Aggrolites - Three Times
3) Stephen Marley - The Traffic Jam 
4) Benet - A-Town
5) Public Property - Power Trip
6) Brett Dennen - Ain't no Reason
7) Roots of Creation featuring John Brown's Body Horns - Universal Soldier
8) Hot Club of Detroit - Swing One
9) Wilco - What Light
10) Xavier Rudd - Messages
11) Kaki King - Yellowcake
12) Foxy Moon Baby - Eclectic Fanfare
13) 56 Hope Road - Carolina
14) Mooney Suzuki - 99 Percent
15) Wiseman - Slightly Stoopid
16) Nina SImone - Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter

Contact me if you would find a copy interesting.