Our Furnace Tale of Woe

It started to get chilly last week, so we turned on the heat for the first time of the season. We heard a strange rumble and a click. The fan came on, but there was no heat. We have a gas furnace on the roof of our row house in DC. We just bought a new one soon after we moved into the house, so it is about 6 years old.

On Thursday morning, I used my trusty Angie's List to find a well-rated repairman and scheduled an appointment for Thursday afternoon. I talked with them later that day, and they pointed out it was raining, and since this involved electrical equipment, they couldn't work on it until it wasn't raining. I said fine, and made another appointment for Friday. It continued to rain. I made another appointment for Saturday. Guess what? Rain. Luckily, we have a gas fireplace we used to keep warm over the weekend.

The repairman finally came this morning (the fourth appointment scheduled). A fan motor needs to be replaced. The repair is going to cost at least $900 (including $20 off coupon) and he has to come back again once they get the part. This isn't the best time for this to happen, since we're in the process of buying a house in Florida. What can we do, though? We need heat. Waaaa!

Florida House Update

Here is a short slideshow of photos of the house we're buying in Punta Gorda, Florida.  We are set to close on the house on November 13, and we are planning on driving down for the week of Thanksgiving to start furnishing it and doing some repairs.  We hope to be able to fly down once a month or so for long weekends.  When we retire, we will use it to snowbird between Florida and Maine.   We can't wait!  

Today Marks 25 Years of Federal Service!

Today is my 25th anniversary of working in the Federal Government. I started working at the U.S. Army Ballistic Research Laboratory as a temporary GS-5 at Aberdeen Proving Grounds at Aberdeen, MD on October 15, 1984. I was an Editorial Assistant reading very dull technical reports all the live-long day. There were four of us in a room. My desk was opposite a girl that smoked like a chimney. We didn't have any computers. We had to make any edits using an eraser, white-out, and a typewriter.

I worked at BRL for 10 months before getting a permanent Government job at the U.S. Army Engineering Topographic Laboratories in Fort Belvoir, VA, as a clerk typist, GS-4. I was able to transfer into an Editor-Writer slot after a few months that was at the GS-5 level and became a GS-7 after a year and a GS-9 after another year. I mostly did "technology transfer," which is as boring as it sounds.

I stayed at ETL (later TEC) for 11 years and eventually became the acting supervisor of the office and a GS-12. That is where I found out one of my employees was exposing himself to little girls, so I had him arrested. That is also where I decided being a supervisor isn't my cup of tea.

I then got a position at the Consumer Product Safety Commission, as a Public Affairs Specialist. This was a much more interesting job. I got to work with reporters, write consumer recall press releases, and play with recalled toys. I stayed there for 10 years and got my GS-13.

Now I'm at another agency that shall remain nameless. I've been here for more than 2 years and I mostly answer Congressional mail. It is a great job. I'm eligible to retire in 8 years. I may stick it out here, or who knows where I may go next?

We Got the Florida House!

We got it! The third time was a charm. I reported previously that we did not get this house. Someone else got the contract. On our train ride back from New York City (more than 2 weeks ago), we found out that contract had fallen through. We resubmitted another offer. We waited and waited and suffered greatly, only to find out this Saturday that we again did not get the house. Then yesterday we got another call saying those people also walked away. (What is wrong with this house?) Anyway, we just found out our offer was finally accepted. The house is in Punta Gorda, FL, just north of Fort Myers. This area was devastated by Hurricane Charley about 5 years ago, but it has been rebuilt better than before. We are unbelievably excited about getting this house. Look at that view!

Gay Marriage Coming to DC?

As announced previously, DC council member David Catania introduced a bill allowing same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia. It is being supported by a vast majority of the other council members (not Marion Barry though, boo!), so it looks like it will pass. Mayor Adrian Fenty says he will sign the bill, but Congress has 30 days to "review" the legislation.

God forbid the children of DC be allowed to make up their own laws. They might come up with something like this: If a man cheats on his wife, or vise versa, both the cheaters must be put to death.

That actually isn't a crazy law from the DC Council --That is one from the Bible -- Leviticus 20:10. Passing that law sure would make The Jerry Springer Show a lot more interesting.

However, the Washington Post reports there does not appear to be strong movement by Congress to block the DC gay marriage bill from becoming law in DC. Keep your fingers crossed. Any suggestions where I should register for gifts?

Why Would They Think Polanski Might Run?

Roman Polanski lost his plea Tuesday to be released from Swiss custody after his arrest stemming from a U.S. extradition order for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl. Apparently, there was some question of him being a flight risk. You flee one felony charge more than 30 years ago, and a fella gets a reputation.

Hump Day Art -- Abstracts in the White House

"I think I'll..." 1983, Ed Ruscha

"Sky Light" 1973, by Alma Thomas

"Watusi (Hard Edge)," by Alma Thomas

Here's some examples of the art decorating the private areas of the White House. For complete details, click here to read the Associated Press article.

DC Councilman to Introduce Marriage Bill

DC Council member David Cantania plans to introduce a same-sex marriage bill at Tuesday's DC council meeting, according to a story in today's Washington Post. It is expected to pass at some point, but then it has to clear Congress, which can overturn DC legislation under Home Rule. Who knows if that will actually happen? Hopefully, all those closeted Republicans will stay in their wide stances in airport restrooms long enough to let the bill pass.

YouTube Top 100 in 4 Minutes

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #210

Hey dude, wanna play Yahtzee?

The above cartoon is the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #210. Let me know if you come up with any captions too. Click on the link above to enter.

NYC Highlights Part 2

This is Aaron Tveit (rhymes with eight) and Alice Ripley, two of the stars of Next to Normal, which we saw again this weekend. This is the first time we saw the show with the original cast. When we saw it in July, Tveit was not in the show. He returned in September, so we had to come back. There were a lot of young girl fans from Gossip Girl to see him. He plays Nate’s very wealthy cousin, Tripp Vanderbilt, on that show, though I've never seen it. He was good, but I thought the guy who played Gabe in Next to Normal in July was just as good. Alice Ripley won the Tony for her part in the show and the score beat out Billy Elliot (which is also amazing, but this is much easier to get tickets to). N2N really is an amazing show. Go see it if you're in NYC! The TKTS had tickets for 40% off.

NYC Highlights Part 1

Shane and I went to New York this weekend. We had tickets to see Next to Normal on Saturday night, but we got tickets to see Carrie Fisher in her one-woman show, "Wishful Drinking" at the Studio 54 Theater. It was not our first choice. We wanted to se "Rock of Ages," but they only had single seats. Carrie was funny, though. This is a taste of what we saw.

Choo Choo Charlie is Taking Us to NYC

Shane and I are going to New York City on the train tonight. I was talking about taking the train with a much younger co-worker today and I started singing the Choo Choo Charlie jingle. She looked at me like I was crazy. She never heard of it. This clip says it is from the 50s, but I remember it from the 60s. I'm not that old.

Blame Kindle for My Blog-Fading

I haven't been posting nearly as much on my blog lately and I blame my Kindle. I got it for my birthday last month (thanks again Shane) and I have been loving it. I have downloaded about 50 books or first chapters of books to read. I love that you get a free sample of the first chapter to read of books before you have to buy them. I also love that there are LOTS of free books to download. I have downloaded a bunch of classics, such as Pride and Prejudice, The Age of Innocence, Treasure Island, A Room with a View, and many others. I have purchased several books also. Right now, I'm reading Kathy Griffins new memoir, Official Book Club Selection. I'm loving it. She is hilarious.

At any rate. Sorry about the neglect of the blog. I'll try and do better.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #209

She's a hottie, but she says her husband is crazy jealous -- a real whacko!

The above cartoon is the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #209. Let me know if you come up with any captions too. Click on the link above to enter.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #208

I really think this is going to be the best

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang production ever!

The above cartoon is the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #208. Let me know if you come up with any captions too. Click on the link above to enter.

Mary Chapin Carpenter's "Grand Central Station" -- 9/11 Tribute

On her album, Between Here and Gone, Mary Chapin Carpenter sings about one man's pilgrimage to Grand Central Terminal in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Carpenter was inspired to write the song "Grand Central Station" after hearing an interview with an iron worker on the first anniversary of the attacks. The man, one of the first at the scene after the towers fell, worked at Ground Zero for days afterward. The iron worker said that at the end of each shift, he felt impelled to go to the train station so the souls of the victims could follow him.

"He'd find himself just going to Grand Central Station and standing on the platform and thinking whoever wanted to go home could catch the train home," says Carpenter.

I listened to this song for years before Shane pointed out to me that it was about 9/11. I'm not always very bright.

Florida House Not in the Cards

We got word tonight that our offer to by the house in Punta Gorda, FL, was not accepted. Apparently, someone with far more money decided to offer "substantially more" than us. Not to be a sore loser, but the people who stole our house are jerks (so much for the high road).

We've decided to take a break from Florida house hunting for a bit. We're not cut out to be real estate tycoons after all. We're extremely disappointed. Extremely.

Name the Book by its First Sentence

"Monday, 5 August, 1918 -- The day started in a downpour of rain."

OK... I have to admit this might be a tough one. The first person that figures it out and can name the book based on the above first line wins everyone's respect and admiration, especially mine. Here's a hint -- Not everything I read is found in the LGBT section, but this one is and is one of my favorites.

Outside Shane's Window -- Little Rock

Shane had to go to Little Rock, AR, on business today. This is the
view out his hotel window. Luckily, it is just for one night.

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Obama Hate is Off the Charts

The right-wing crazies have gone beyond crazy with their assertion that President Obama is trying to indoctrinate school children with his pep talk airing in some schools across the nation today. It is out and out hate against the president and his policies. No uproar was made against President Bush prior to him visiting school children in Florida on September 11, 2001, and hearing about My Pet Goat.

Though there was lots of criticism of President Bush, it doesn't compare to what Obama has coming at him. On Sunday's New York Times Best Seller List for Nonfiction, four of the top 10 books listed were conservative trash (counting Bill O'Reilly's memoir). What is wrong with this country that we pay good money for this BS when you can get if for free 24 hours a day on Fox News?

I looked up the NYT Nonfiction list for Sunday, September 9, 2001, and guess how many ultra-liberal or anti-George W. Bush books made the list? Zilch. Zero. Null. The only thing remotely political was John Adams by David McCullough. I don't remember anywhere near this much hate thrown at Bush at this point is his presidency. That's because there wasn't. Sure, there was some criticism. The man was an idiot. How could there not be? But even GWB was not deluged with nearly this much scorn and abuse this early in his presidency.

I know the crazies are going to say it is because Obama is ruining us, but he is doing (mostly) what he said he would do. He did win the election. He gets to be president for now. Too bad for the crazies.

Back from Florida House Hunting

Shane and I just got back from another trip to Florida. We were house hunting again. We went down certain that we were going to put a bid in on one house and came back bidding on another.

Both houses are in Punta Gorda, FL -- about 2 hours south of Tampa. The house in which we were first interested was in the Historic District of Punta Gorda. It was built in 1927 (or 1930) and was on a residential street about three blocks from Charlotte Harbor and a beautiful park with free tennis courts. The house is a Key West-style house with a fireplace, beautiful wood floors, a beautiful front lanai, and two "Florida Rooms" in the rear. It also has drop ceilings, a bouncy kitchen floor and a really ugly kitchen. We loved it mostly for the location. We could walk to great restaurants, galleries and that park with the tennis courts.

The House in Town

We were all set to make an offer on the in-town house, but the Realtors took us to another house. It is in another part of Punta Gorda, further south. I walked into the living room and saw the view out the lanai and said "Oh My God!"

We all but forgot about the other house and wanted to make an offer on this one with a salt water canal. The house is a foreclosure (more than $500K was owed on it). It was built in 1980 and is in pretty good shape. The bathrooms are nothing to write home about, but who cares with that view? The photo of the view above does not do it justice. It looks out over a mangrove (who doesn't love a mangrove?) that can never be built on. That view will always be there. The sun sets over the water behind the mangrove. It is a dream house nearly in our price range. The house is surround by big beautiful homes, many with pools. It is by far the worst house in the neighborhood.

We would have been perfectly happy in the old house in town, but now this house has ruined it for us. We put an offer in, hoping against hope, but we know deep in our hearts it is a long shot. Though the listing price is relatively low and its only been on the market a few days, we know there are other offers already in. We put in the highest and best offer we could -- far more than we were planning on spending. We are half terrified that we'll lose this house and half terrified that our offer might be accepted.

Look at that view! How could we resist?

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #207

Yes, he's a great dancer, but buying him pants is a bitch.

The above cartoon is the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #207. Let me know if you come up with any captions too. Click on the link above to enter.

Ben & Jerry's "Hubby Hubby" Ice Cream Celebrates Vermont Marriage Equality

The Vermont-based ice cream maker, Ben & Jerry's, is renaming its "Chubby Hubby" ice cream "Hubby Hubby" for the month of September in celebration of the State's new same sex marriage law taking effect. Though my Hubby loves Coffee Heathbar Crunch, we would buy "Hubby Hubby" if we could. It won't be sold in retail grocery stores, but will be given away for free across Vermont from wedding-themed ice cream trucks. Let's hope they expand on the idea and sell it nationwide!

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #205 + #206

Yeah, they ran out of the ankle things, so

my house arrest is a bit more obvious.

Aren't you Daniel Radcliffe?

The above are the cartoons for New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest for the weeks of #205 and #206. Since I was on vacation, I never got the chance to enter #205. Let me know if you come up with any captions too. Click on the link above to enter (#206).

Another Amazing Maine Sunset

Just after Sunset at Pumpkin Light

Sunset on Pumpkin Light in Maine

Isle of Haut

View from the Porch

Little Deer Isle, Maine--we're on the porch, watching the lighthouse.

Help Save Marriage in Maine

Shane and I are starting our second Maine vacation of the summer. We're staying at Moose and Squirrel, a house on Little Deer Isle with a spectacular view of Pumpkin Island Lighthouse. Shane is from Maine, and I am hoping that one day we can get married in there. We have purchased land in Maine and we're planning on building a house there when we retire.

Though Maine is one of the States that reportedly allows same sex marriage, it hasn't happened yet. There is a referundum up for vote this fall that could take that right away before any same sex couples get married there. Much like Prop 8 in California, Referendum 1 can take the civil rights away from LGBT Mainers. Do what you can to help win this fight. Go to Protect Maine Equality and help if you can. If you live in Maine, vote NO on 1! Thanks.

Police Ignite Wood with Taser

Police in Lancaster, Ohio, got new tasers on Sunday. That was bad news for Daniel C. Wood, 31, who was huffing a substance from an aerosol can and running in traffic. An officer caught Wood, but he was resisting arrest. He allegedly was kicking and biting and"made gestures with his hand as if he were reaching for a firearm in his waistband," according to Lancaster Chief Dave Bailey. That is when Mr. Wood's day started going very wrong. The officer zapped Wood with a taser, which caused him to catch on fire. The officers on the scene were able to pat out the flames, but I'm guessing Mr. Wood suddenly ceased in his resistance.

On the Bright Side

We have to stop and remember how good we have it. Sure, we lost out on getting the house of our dreams, but we really can't complain overall. You know you're spoiled when you are devastated that the cable is out -- no TV or Internet (I'm posting this on my iPhone). That's not the end of the world, right.

On the bright side, Shane is coming home from his business trip to Nashville tonight. He's only been gone since Sunday, but it sucks to have him away. On the not so bright side, he is going to grouchy we he finds out we don't have cable. (Actually, he got home as I was writing this and didn't care about the cable -- nix that.)

On the bright side, we only have three more days until we leave for our second week of our Maine vacation. We spent a rainy week in Maine in late June. On the not so bright side, it looks like it is going to be another rainy week and Hurricane Bill is headed that way.

On the bright side, our cactus is breaking out in a crazy amount of new blooms. The not so bright side is that we'll be out of town by the time it blooms.

On the bright side, Shane is home now!

Good Stuff Eatery--Suicide by Burger+Fries

Good Stuff Eatery is on Pennsylvania Ave. near our house in DC. I was walking home by it right after I got the news that we lost the house in Florida on which we made an offer (see below). Anyway, what better way to cheer yourself up than gorging on a burger with fries?

They had lines out the door this past winter, but I had not eaten there until today. It was busy, but no long lines now. I'm not a big fan of the Food Network, but apparently Chef Spike Mendelsohn won the South Beach Wine & Food Festival Burger Bash (which was on the Food Network in February). Spike took home three top prizes -- People's Choice, Judges Award and the Best Dressed Burger -- with his Colletti Smokehouse Burger.

I had the basic Farmhouse burger with cheese and fries. The burger was very good, but the fries were soggy with grease. It's a bit more than McDonald's, ($9 for the meal), but I'd go back for the burger. I will also go back for a milkshake, which I saw others enjoying.

I hadn't had a hamburger in a long time. I was not eating meat for several month, until I decided I wasn't getting enough protein for running. Not being used to so much greasy food, my stomach is a little churney, but I think I'll be OK.

Interestingly, I have a heart screening tomorrow morning. I will have a blood test for cholesterol and other heart-related stuff... probably not the best night to eat this meal, huh?

We Didn't Want That House Anyway

We made an offer on a house this weekend in Florida (see below). We just found out we didn't get it. Waaaaaa! Someone else made an offer on Friday that was accepted this morning. We're very depressed.

We had our heart set on waking up and looking out over that canal. Our realtor said that he only sees houses on canals like that on the market twice or three times a year, and they go fast. We live in DC, which makes it difficult to run down to Florida at the last minute to look at a house. This was a forclosure and an amazing deal. We were just a day late.

I now understand why you don't announce you're going to have a baby until after the first trimester. I know this isn't really anything like losing a baby, but we feel a little like there was a bit of a miscarriage.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #204

Shirley, you cut the cheese.

The above is the cartoon for New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest for week #204, along with my entry for the week. Let me know if you come up with a caption too. Click on the link above to enter. I realize my caption this week is juvenile, but I thought it was funny even though it doesn't really address why one of the businessmen in a rat. I like all their little hands.

We've Made an Offer on a FL House

We went to Florida this weekend to look for a second home. We used to have a condo in a golf community in Fort Myers, FL, but as the prices of real estate started to plummet a couple years ago, we sold it. Now prices seem to be at rock bottom (we hope), so we thought we'd see if we could find something we liked. We did. We have made an offer on the house above. It is in Port Charlotte and is on a canal. It is an older home, but our hope is that it being waterfront makes this a good investment.

This is the view a few feet from the back of our house, looking down past our dock. Yes, it comes with a small dock. That metal contraption in the foreground is a hoist that lifts boats out and into the water.

This is the water view from the master bedroom.

It is a foreclosure. Apparently, the previous owner went broke updating the kitchen with new cabinets and granite counter tops.

The living room and family room are tiled. This is the corner of the family room with a built-in bookcase. The doorway on the left goes to the garage and the other doorway is to the laundry room.

This is Shane on the dock of the canal. This house needs some work. Some of the appliances are old, it needs new carpeting in the bedrooms and one of the hallways, it needs some major landscaping, and there are some other small problems we can see. We're just crossing our fingers and waiting now to see what the response is to our offer.

On the Short List

Shane and I are house hunting in Florida this weekend. This house is
on our short list. We looked at about six houses yesterday and this
is the one we liked best so far. It is huge (2,000 square feet) and
in a nice area of North Port. We'd have to replace the carpeting, but
not much else. It is a foreclosure and listed for $114K. How can we
resist?

Shane Looks Over a Hole into the Attic

We may be crazy, but we're not crazy about this house.

The View from the Disaster

This is what we liked about the house on the canal--the only thing.

Crossing One Off the List

Shane and I are in Florida looking at houses this weekend. Shane had
high hopes for this abode he found on the web, but we quickly crossed
it off our list. It does have a beautiful view of a canal in the
back, but the house was a disaster. It said it needed a kitchen, but
it needed much more than that. it was completely gutted inside, had
rotted wood, broken windows (including a bullet hole through a front
window), and was a general mess inside and out. It was priced at
$95K, which is a pipe dream. The view is the only thing it had.

Hump Day Art - Beever Chalk Drawings

Julian Beever is an English artist who is famous for his anamorphic chalk art on the pavements around the world. Beever gives an amazing illusion to his drawings, so that the objects appear to be 3-D (at specific angles) rather than flat as they actually are. See more at his web site here. He also does nice oil paintings, such as the one below.

Back to the Grind

This is all the stuff I took and brought back from the beach. I spent the week at Bethany Beach, DE, and since Shane drove the car home Sunday (he had to go back to work), I didn't have a car. I had to depend on the kindness of strangers... well, actually, my sister. She drove me to my mom's on Friday evening and Shane came up to fetch me on Saturday.

Today was my first day back at work in more than a week. It was also my first day commuting with my new Kindle. Shane got me a Kindle for my birthday. I wasn't totally sold on whether I wanted a Kindle, but I have to say I'm loving it. And, technically, I haven't purchased anything for it yet. I did get a Washington Post subscription, but there is a 14-day free trial before I have to start paying the $9.99 a month. I've also downloaded about a dozen books, but they were all from the web site http://www.manybooks.net/. You can get various classics (and many not so classic) books with expired copyrights for free. So far, I've gotten Wuthering Heights, Emma, Pride and Prejudice, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, among others.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #203

I haven't come up with a caption for this one yet. Since I'm posting this from my iPhone, I don't know how to include the link to the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest. There is a link to the site from my web site links in my sidebar. I'm on vacation.

Beach Drag

On Sunday, we went to Rehoboth Beach to see Eyecons, a drag show by Christopher Peterson. He is an amazing performer. He may be most famous for being one of the Lucys in the movie Rat Race. In the show, he performed as Lucy, Marilyn Monroe, Cher, Judy Garland, Liza, Eartha Kitt, and many others. This is not a lip synch show. He is doing their voice and look. He changes costume on the stage before your eyes. If you ever have the chance to see him perform, I would recommend it. He is very good.

The original plan was for Shane, my Mom, sister, and myself to see the show. But, because Shane had to go back to work early, he had to miss it. It ended up being my sister and two of my nieces and me. In the end, my Mom elected to stay home. I offered to get more tickets so we all could go, but the one niece didn't want to go and my Mom didn't want her to stay home alone. We were having bad storms and a tornado warning. Fun times!

Happy Birthday Lucy!

Lucille Ball was born August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. The clip above is just one example of her genius. It is an edited down version of the classic Vitameatavegamin Commercial episode. Though Lucy died in 1989, she will live forever.