times are caught in a jar
well we're under nearly a foot of snow; i'm bummed we didn't get to hang out with neef + bethany, eat delicious chinese food and watch be kind rewind. and i'm kind of itching to get out of the house, but it's improbably that we will actually get back up our hill if we leave.
speaking of houses, we are going to start looking. you have likely heard my concern in the past few weeks, knowing very little about what sounds like a complicated and, honestly, terrifying process and feeling overwhelmed and afraid that i'm going to botch what will certainly be the most significant financial decision i will make. been praying for peace, more than anything, and trusting that all we need to do is just keep our ears open, learn, try to make sound decisions, and take things one step at a time. we've (mostly) narrowed down a price range - i guess step two is figuring out where we want to go, and right now it seems like we are heading north, somewhere between fairfield and maineville.
then we need to decide whether we're going to build or not. i'd rather build - have a brand new place (so i won't have to fix anything, cause that'll just be a disaster) and have it set up how we want off the bat. except most of the places up north that we can build in are way out of our range. plus i am worried about how the cost of building will escalate beyond where we want...
as much as this has worried me, i'm surprised i haven't written about this before. impending decisions or events don't usually bother me, stress me out, etc and i'm not quite sure why this one does. anyway. as my tank of knowledge about this topic is pretty empty, i am soliciting any wisdom, suggestions, experience, helpful resources, etc. that anyone has. no one will be turned away!
since i have been stuck inside, i've had a chance to play a ton of warhawk. i expected it to be a serious FPS (much like resistence, which bored me to tears) and it turns out it's an almost cartoony third-person shooter mixed with very entertaining air combat. it's online-only - no single player to hone your skills in - but it hasn't really been necessary, once you get the controls down the on-the-ground element of the game is fairly simple. it might have worked better in first-person, though, movement and aiming are a little awkward; the weapons are well-balanced and most of the game modes are fun.
when you jump into the warhawk (the aircraft), though, everything changes. flying is a blast, and dogfighting is incredibly exciting - even though i'm getting blown out of the sky ten times for every kill i make. if the whole game was just that, it'd be worth checking out. when you mix that element with the on-the-ground combat, the end result is a great shooter packed with a million things to do. i may end up picking this up down the road, but tomorrow is smash brothers brawl and i imagine that'll take a little of my time for a while...
i've got 2 50+ year old homes for sale down the street from me that are just itching for your handywork.
or, you could go in with Dustin on that $20k mansion in Ross. that can't miss.
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I've bought two places now and my advice would be to spend several months looking to learn exactly what you like and dislike. Then you either build or buy and hire ED and Brad for little handyman things.
One suggestion I have is to wait until this summer is over to buy. I've been reading market trends and experts say that interest rates are not going up anytime in 2008 or early 2009. Most of the expert believe the rates will actually go down as the year progresses. Another reason to wait is that if you buy in the fall you are likely to get a much better deal than in the summer.
You'll have to paint anywhere you go so don't worry about the paint you see in any of the houses. Look for floor plans, price, and at the quality of the structure of the home.
Now you know my secret. I love looking at real estate.
7:37 PM
darren how do you know so much about everything? seriously, you have extensive knowledge. you know stuff from weather patterns to houses to creating a hit in volleyball that no man, save warnock, can possibly stop. i'm just glad you are on team jesus.
jw come to fairfield! its a great community, very family focused, good schools. plus if you ever want to lead again, there is room on team ff for you. and i can come over and eat powdered donuts off your chest.
-ian
I learn most of the random useless facts from blogs. For example, I learned that I have the right to have seizures, The US is a Continent and Kentucky is a city from your post a couple days ago. That kind of knowledge is priceless.
Oh and I read a lot of useless materials like brochures and if I meet an expert on any subject I ask that person a ton of questions (Usually in a barber chair so they can't leave). Otherwise when I have questions (no matter how ridiculous) I look up answers immediately. For example, the other day I wanted to find out if any culture has or uses human bones to make music. I learned that several culture in the past have and some in South America still do. Then I learned that our ribs make beautiful Xylophone sounds.
To be honest, not a single thing I think I know seems to have any real value for Team Jesus though.
yeah Barbers know everything man...they get paid to interview people for a living! Darren's job is to get people to talk about stuff, and then all he has to do is soak it up like a sponge. I don't know if everything Darren repeats is necessarily true or useful...but heck, I'd believe him!
J-dub, don't move to Fairfield. It's more of a cult than the Farms. Seriously dude. Don't do it mang! There are plenty of better places to spend the next years of you life!
Lisa's last house was crazy old. Yeah, stuff broke, but we figured out how to fix it. I think learning that kind of stuff makes you stronger and more... I don't know... grown up. It's terrifying, but worth learning it.
My only advice: move somewhere where it cuts WAY down on your commute. When we moved to Loveland when I was working downtown my commute was terrible (usually around an hour). Now that I live in Loveland and work in Mason, it's FANTASTIC. I can be at work in less than 10 minutes. I can go home at lunchtime. I can run home to help Lisa with something. It's great.
Oh, and everything is cheaper on the north side of 275. Oh, and the east side isn't as bad as you've been lead to believe. If anything, it's better.
yeah "help Lisa with something"...sure Artie...
"the east side isn't as bad as you've been lead to believe. If anything, it's better."
Simon, you're telling me that Fairfield is a cult? Listen to that from a converted east sider. Where's the cult now?
I live in The Fairf and you know I hate it. That'd pretty much be the worst cult ever.
I enjoyed Be Kind, Rewind. It was fresh, fun, funny, and Jack Black wasn't overbearing. In fact, whenever his character tried to force its way into something stupid, the other characters prevented that by shutting him down.
Plus, I saw it with a lady friend that made it fun.
Listen to Darren.
Also bring someone who has done this before along with you. He may see things you missed and then learn from them.
I love to paint! especially for food!