A Changing Grasshopper

“You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel.” - Unknown

I'm sure you know Asoep's fable of The Grasshopper and the Ant. I think of my life this way sometimes and I hate that I identify with the actions of the grasshopper. There are some things where I have been the Ant in my life, especially when it comes to education and hard work. But I must admit, for the most part, I live the life of the grasshopper, enjoying my time and spending too freely, without properly saving/planning for the future. The winter has not hit, but we are all one life changing moment from very hard times. (Watch The Company Men with Ben Affleck and you'll see.) I don't regret all of my spending ways, mainly because I have priceless memories that I would not have had if I had always been doing the financially responsible thing since I turned 18. But still, for the most part, my hope is to take this year to turn my financial habits around and start focusing on this part of my life, especially since I'm picking up a mortgage now. I'm not going to become a super ant, as my grasshopper tenancies will always be there, but I'm going to search for a little more balance. My hope is that by the end of the year to have met with a CPA and a financial planner and have read a few more books on the topic. I pay way too much in taxes because I have not taken the time to plan properly. It is easy to think that my decisions only affect me, but they also affect my family and any future family I may have. Plus, since they affect me, I want them to be good ones.

I have started using Dropbox and think it is a great program. If you don't know what it is, it is a folder on your computer that you can sync with another computer or your phone. You get 2gb free online storage and let's say you are working on a brief for work, you can put it in your Dropbox folder on your work computer and when you get home, it will be there on your home computer. I get 500mb of extra space for each person that joins with my link, so I will shamelessly plug my link here: http://db.tt/QzaZU5s. If you don't like the program, just uninstall it, I get my extra space anyway. I'd appreciate the favor since I'm using it a lot now, especially as a type of backup for my files. I will say that the worst part is that I'm doing exactly what the company wants me to do, shill for them to my friends, but in this case I'll do it since I like the program, but I still feel a bit bad.

I recently saw the movie Source Code and I thought it was very good. It is one of those enjoyable movies where you feel good during and after, but don't really have a reason to watch again. One of the things I thought was interesting was that the male character falls for the female character in a just a few minutes of knowing her and is ready to embark on a relationship with this very attractive women without really knowing who she is as a person. And if you saw the movie, and saw her, you would totally understand how it could be so easy. But I wonder, if it was switched, and a woman had just met this guy/stranger on a train, if in the spur in the moment, she would be content running off with him. Maybe I'm biased by my thinking that men are more irrationally romantic than women. This will make more sense if you see the movie I think.

Along the same lines, I was thinking the other day about how I didn't tell women I had dated enough that they were beautiful. It wasn't that I wouldn't say it, but it became more rare as I got older. It wasn't because I didn't think they were beautiful/gorgeous/pretty, but I knew that each successive time you say it, it seems to mean that much less. Maybe I thought by saying less it would mean something more that way. The problem was that I got so used to not saying it, that I probably got to the point where I wasn't saying it enough and that I regret. This hit me when I was thinking how it would probably take me a really long time before I told a girl I just met that I thought she was beautiful. This didn't feel right and it made me wonder how I changed from the overly affectionate, ok I get it, you love me, to a more withdrawn, guarded person. Don't get me wrong, I can still be a wussie who shares too much too soon, but it is just not as usual. So, I'm not saying I want to be one of those guys who tells every woman she is beautiful and who says it so often that the words become as robotic and meaningless as saying the Our Father as a kid. I just think that you can't take for granted that people always know what you are thinking.

On Sunday, I had my second sailing lesson. This time I went on a bigger boat that went much faster and I had a blast. It is a great way to spend Sundays. Here are a few photos on Facebook. I'm testing out using Facebook public links for my photos to see how it works, but I still prefer Flickr. I hope to keep these lessons up. Abram went racing on Friday, something I have yet to try, but am looking forward to.

This weekend I also went to visit my good friend of mine from high school, Justin. He has been in the Austin area for as long as I have been here, but I've only seen him a few times because life gets busy. We knew each other through school since elementary and at one point as kids I found out that he was kind of my neighbor. We lived out in the country at that time, I'm using that term loosely. It was great catching up with him this weekend and meeting his wife and kids. It is so neat seeing how people have grown up when you have the memory of them from when they were younger. He is a great dad, runs a great business and gave me such great advice. I really enjoyed myself and hope to keep in better touch with more of my friends.

In other news, I bought my Dad an iPad 1 this weekend. He doesn't use computers, but is interested in the stuff that is on them. I figured an iPad would be easier to learn for him and give him access to a lot of information and entertainment. I take the internet for granted and to think he never gets to use it. So I found a used iPad 16gb for sale on craigslist, I made an offer and they accepted. When I got home with the package, I was surprised to find out that it was not just an iPad, but an iPad 3G, which is worth more than what I paid for it. I was happy to have scored such a great deal. I look forward to giving it to him when he comes to visit. Until then, I'll be setting it up for him, i.e. playing with it myself to see if I want an iPad 2.

In trying to be more responsible, I downgraded my cable. That was hard, but I went to the bare minimum and set up my TiVo with over the air reception to get the local channels in HD. That will help me save a few bucks which is cool. If you call the cable company to cancel, you usually get great deals they don't tell you about. I advise you give it a shot, but I guess you need to be willing to cancel, I was.

Construction is still happening on my house. Still waiting on final word on that loan. Here are some new photos of pictures of my house status on Facebook Photos. I was excited to learn that Memorial Day Weekend there is a tax free special on appliances, so I'll be buying my new fridge then. Not sure about buying a washer and dryer yet though. I have a long list of things I need to buy for this new house.

I get Good Friday off this week, so that is awesome. I haven't figured out yet how to best use my weekend. Easter did come fast this year.

everyone except you

Starboard

"The greatest wealth is health." -Virgil

I have a lot to catch up on, so I'll just jump right into it. Last week, I was talking with Abram and he told me about some sailing lessons he heard about from a co-worker and I decided to sign up and give it a shot. On Sunday, we headed out to Lake Travis and had our first lesson. It was awesome, especially considering I had only been on a sail boat once. We spent an hour in class learning some terminology and basics and then we got on a sail boat for about 2 hours and learned interactively how to sail. The wind was gusting and it made for such an enjoyable experience. I almost lost my hat at one point, but didn't feel that bad when our skipper lost his. Clearly, I still know very little, but I know a lot more than I knew before it. I hope to do it again.

On Thursday, my friend Rick hooked me up with some Guster tickets at Stubbs because he couldn't make it to Austin. I was pretty excited and it was a great concert. They put on a great show. The other great news is that he and his girlfriend are moving to Austin soon. I'm very happy about this because it is great to have more good friends in town. That last time I hung out with them was a lot of fun.

Here is my house update. My closing date and time have been set for May 31, 2011 at 11am. I have all my paperwork in for my loan and I'm waiting for underwriting to get my final approval. As excited as I am, I can't shake the fear things might fall through, so the day I get that final approval I'll give myself license to rest easy. I'm enjoying watching the home go up and can't wait until I'm moved in. I haven't given notice yet on the house I rent because I want to make sure I have it first. My first big purchase is going to be my fridge. I'm usually a big comparison shopper, but in this case I'll probably just go with any stainless steel one that holds my food.

My brother Abram moves out of the house we rent on April 22nd to live closer to his new job. It was a good run and I'll miss having him as a housemate. There have been so many changes going on recently. I can't wait to see his new place and am jealous that he has a jacuzzi tub. He will be taking his two dogs, so our farm will be a little bit smaller.

In more personal news, my grandmother has recently been sick and was in the hospital last week in Ft. Worth. From what I understand, she came down with bronchitis and/or pneumonia, but I know it is more complicated than that since I don't have all the medical background. I learned today that after getting out of the hospital late last week, she had to go back because she started to feel bad again. It is hard not to feel helpless when a person you love is ill, especially when there isn't a lot you can do about it. My main concern is that she is getting all the medical care she needs to make a strong recovery. Because she believes prayer has the capacity to make her feel better, in her case, knowing her family is praying for her I'll admit can have a positive effect. I love my grandmother, as I'm sure you love yours, and I'm glad that my aunts are there taking such great care of her. She is a remarkably strong women who has been through more in her life than I ever will understand, but the effects of age are something none of us can overcome. But you can delay it and I want every moment of wonderful health that is possible for her. My mother is flying up to visit her this weekend and stay for a week, which makes me very happy.

And back to the superficial. Friday, I'm going to see Wet Hot American Summer at the Drafthouse. I invited a lot of friends, but it sold out before most were able to come. This is one of my favorite movies that Rick introduced me to in college. If you haven't seen it, I recommend renting it, you will thank me.

As I'm preparing to move, I'm also doing some spring cleaning in the sense that I'm trying to sell old items that I no longer use. I'm using craigslist and ebay. It is funny how it hurts to part with an item that has been sitting in your closest for years because there "might" be a day when you "might" need it. I'm not clearing much money from it, but it feels good to declutter my life. I'm not a garage sale person, so this is the closest I get to it.

everyone you meet is the main character of their story

The Contract

“No man but feels more of a man in the world if he have but a bit of ground that he can call his own. However small it is on the surface, it is four thousand miles deep; and that is a very handsome property.” - Charles Dudley Warner

Tuesday, I signed a contract on a new house in Austin. I am very happy and excited. I'll probably close around Memorial Day and then I'll get to go through another important milestone in my life. This doesn't ensure that the house will for sure be mine if conditions are not met, but it is a great step forward in making that happen. This home buying process has been an ordeal, but a positive and challenging one.

Making my decision was difficult. I was down to three choices, 1) a smaller home with the perfect location, small yard and every amenity I would want, 2) a larger home in a less convenient location with no amenities or 3) the exact same larger home in a very far location, with everything I could possible want for much less, but in a brand new neighborhood.

I really wanted to go with the (3) home in the new neighborhood because it cost so much less, but other than being far out of town, there was the resell value issue which ended up playing a big role. Also, it wouldn't be ready until September. So I ended up picking (2) the exact same home in the somewhat inconvenient location, lacking amenities, because I liked it more than (1) the smaller place in the perfect location. The perfect location home cost just as much, but didn't allow off street parking, which I seem to use a lot of if experience is a guide. There were so many other factors I won't go into here but trust me I weighed them. You would not believe the spreadsheets I created, the research I did and the copious questions I asked.

My agent negotiated hard for me and I'm happy with the deal we got worked out. I thought I would be easy to work with and though I did what I could to make her job as easy as possible, I was very hands on and probably demanded a lot of effort. I can send a lot of emails and ask a lot of questions. It is nice having someone who knows what they are doing on your side.

The home is currently being built and will be ready in late May. I'm very excited and can't wait to be living in a house that I own. (Well the bank owns with me, but you get it.) I have always wanted to look at door knobs and be like, "yo, I own that." I mean, if I want, I can knock down walls or do whatever, though I probably won't.

I had planned in this entry to reminisce about Cherry Blossom Festival time in DC and share some thoughts about some of the people that played through in my life, but whose time made an impact. But life got busy, so I figured I'd just do a quick home update. Speaking of, here is a picture of my house in progress.

perfect timing

Hunting

"Problem solving is hunting. It is savage pleasure and we are born to it." -Thomas Harris

My mind has been consumed with thinking about houses, locations and how much my mortgage payment is potentially going to be. As soon as I got my pre-approval letter, I was able to hit the ground running because I had been doing research on houses in south Austin for over a month. I was able to get my 46 house options down to 26 in short order and then pick my favorite 10-15 from those. I had about 3 favorites. I had a dorky spreadsheet I created that had them all listed and compared on price, size, age, location, granite, and other random items all identified with color. It helped me compare, but I understood it would be a matter of just feeling it when I visited. I wanted my feelings to at least have the added support of some objective background information before I got irrational.

This house shopping process has been more stressful than I expected, but in a good way. I met with my Realtor for coffee last week and we talked for over an hour about what I was looking for, my wants and needs and what the process was like. I know about a lot of things, and educated myself on this, but there was a lot more than I didn't know, and probably lots still have have no clue about. She impressed me with her patience, how hard she works and how clearly she explains things.

We scheduled our first visit out to see homes on Thursday, and I got to finally walk a few homes that I only knew from pictures. I found a front runner, which I used for comparison for my future homes. It was a cozy home that included appliances and maybe even some furniture. It's best attribute was the location which was exactly what I wanted.

Saturday, I went to visit a neighborhood builder on my own because I had a feeling I might find something there that might be in my price range. I spent a few hours there discussing their floorplans and looking at examples of houses. The big day was Sunday. I had a marathon session with Abram and my Realtor to hit the rest of my favorite homes. I was out from 2-6pm and was very thankful to have Abram there in my corner giving me his insight. I know this is going to be my personal decision, but you need a second set of eyes and advice when making such a big purchase. My friends and family's comments, which were on my spreadsheet, were also very helpful. Every place I saw I felt like I liked, and I was concerned that it would be difficult to pick the right place. After we were done for the day, I had a lot to think about, but by bed time I made my decision. It is a trade off for a location that isn't as good though.

I have told my Realtor which house I want to make an offer on and what I wanted to spend, and am now letting her take care of of the negotiations from here on out. Have you ever seen the business sign:? "Work performed $20," "Let you watch $25," "Let you help, $40." I hope I'm not that kind of client.

I am happy with my decision. If I end up getting my first option, it is currently being built and will not be ready until late May. Talk about delayed satisfaction, but that isn't too far away. I won't feel like it is mine and can't be taken away/have the loan fall through, until I sign at closing. Until then, I'll see myself as a renter. But this is all cart-before-the-horse stuff, considering that no offer has been made yet. Exciting times I will say.

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