Proud Owners

I'm happy to inform you all that Wendy and I are now proud owners of our very own indentured servant.

Notice she's raring to go.  Filled with superhero-like vigor.  We hope we can wait a week before we crush her spirit.


When we got back from dinner, we all watched a movie before bed. 



At first I thought it was going to be a raunchy excuse of a movie that relied on boobs and sex.  It turned out to be rather hilarious.  One of my favorite scenes had the whole 300 cheerleaders at cheer camp watching Bring It On and reciting the lines verbatim. 



Hehe.  Cheerleaders are so hilarious.  I wouldn't be caught dead being a cheerleader.

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In other news, we got word from American Savings Bank.  They want a contractor to go out and inspect the roof.  Sigh...  Now we have to spend $100-200 to get someone to look at the broken shingles on the eaves to make sure it's not leaking.  I mean, it's a quarter inch drip edge on the asphalt shingles on eaves that extend a couple of feet past the house wall.  Duh.

But there's a glimmer of hope.  Looks like Congress is trying to pass the Home Buyer's tax credit as a stand alone bill.  It got 409 yea to 5 nay votes in the House.  Now it has to pass in the Senate, where Republicans have been busy trying to block anything that has to do with America.

Thanks Republicans...

H.R. 4213, a bill that would have extended the Homebuyer's Tax Credit until September, appears dead.  The bill also included an extension on unemployment. 

There was a cloture motion in the Senate today to end any filibuster attempts, and to move the bill along.  There were only 57 yea votes.  Three shy from preventing any filibusters.  No Republicans votes yea, and 1 Democrat voted nay.  The Senate will now be forced to debate the bill again... only problem is the tax credit and unemployment expires next week.

Looks like Wendy and I gotta suck rocks.  I also pray for those who got laid off.

(The underwriter is still reviewing our appraisal, so we're still waiting.  Less than 5 working days until the end of the month.)

Maybe Nick and I can start a business to ride out these tough times:

We're Expecting an Addition to Our Family!

Wendy and I recently found out.  We're expecting a girl!

She's due June 29.  She's expected to be 63 inches long and 100 pounds.

Not sure what we should name her yet.  Any suggestions?

What's Elspeth's Email?

Wendy is in the field today, and I have important info on the Hawaii plan.

The Key to a Successful Marriage

Funny how a lot of people tell me that marriages take a lot of work.  I haven't found it to be all that hard so far.  Granted I've only been married 9 months, but still...  I find my days are a lot more fun when Wendy is around.

I have a theory on why I haven't found my marriage to be work yet.  First, you need to communicate.  I know a lot of people say you have to talk, but it's more than that.   A lot of people talk.  Some people even listen.  However, they're still missing the point.  It's not just saying and hearing; it's also understanding the meaning.

For example, one night while we were cuddling, Wendy rubbed my furry belly and said, "I love how soft your stomach feels."  A normal "man" would have thought that was cute and taken it as a compliment.  However, since Wendy is the man and I'm the woman in the relationship*, there was a deeper meaning.  The meaning was:  you're putting on weight since I first met you.

*I got up before Wendy and made fried egg and bacon sandwiches for her breakfast while she got ready for work.

The other day I made us lunch.  I was using leftover spaghetti sauce because I'm the woman.  Wendy didn't eat much so I asked her if she didn't like my cooking (total woman way of asking... esteem issues).  She said, "I ate some, didn't I?"  Translation:  Yeah, it wasn't that good.

Communication is a lot more than just words.  It's knowing the meanings behind the words.  Once you know that, you'll become a Buddha in Love.  And you'll also start exercising again.

Another key to a good relationship is having a symbiotic relationship.  Each partner needs to provide the other with something that they need to survive.  The trick, though, is that it can't be forced.  If you have to force yourself to provide something, then it's artificial, and bound to fail.  Lucky for me, our symbiotic relationship is pure nature.

My pores have the special ability to trap every single speck of dirt and grim to form blackheads.  Wendy has an innate need to squeeze blackheads.  Thus, my body automatically provides the blackheads for her compulsive need to squeeze.  And our relationship is stronger for it.

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House update:  Been calling insurance companies for quotes on homeowners and hurricane insurance.  Got some interesting results.  One company wanted a thousand dollars more per year than the others.  How do they stay in business?

We also got some papers from the escrow company.  They gave us the reports on the property lines, taxes, liens, etc.  We also filled out some buyer's info papers.

UFO!

A couple of weekends ago, Wendy and I took my mom to the first bon dance of the season.  The Obon season lasts during the summer, and the dances take place at different temples around the island.  My mom likes to get out of the house, see her friends, and dance.





If you're into taiko drumming like Kenny Endo, there are drum groups on the island that perform.



 One of the biggest thing at the Kauai bon dances are the flying saucers.  No, not spaceships.  These flying saucers are the edible kind.  They're toasted, circular sandwiches filled with a sloppy-joe type ground beef and some cheese.  The line to purchase flying saucers never got below 30 people the entire night.

So Wendy, being the loving wife that she is, let me buy a sandwich maker with her hard-earned tips.



My mission:  make flying saucers.

The problem:  I have no idea how.







For my first attempt, I tried using pre-made spaghetti sauce.



It came out OK, but not that great.  It's the sauce.  Wendy believes we could use my mom's spaghetti sauce and it would taste great, however, her recipe would make way too much filling than we could use.  So the quest is on for the perfect flying saucer sauce.

(Oh, apparently flying saucers are a Kauai thing.  I can't find any true recipes on the internet.)

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House update:  Our lender, American Savings, sent out their appraiser on Saturday.  Now the bank is waiting for the report.  They'll also let us know if we need to turn in any more paperwork.  We also found a nice washer/dryer combo made by LG.  Home Depot have them for sale at near-Mainland prices.  Hopefully we'll know when our closing date soon so that we can buy the appliances.  There's a $300 coupon for Garnet Hill if we buy the LG stuff before the 26th.

Celebrity Look-a-Like; Part 2 (and a big update)

OK, now try this one:



Does this goof look like...



Ken Watanabe in the Last Samurai?



Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones?



or Sean Connery as James Bond?

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In other news, we FINALLY got the Bank of America written approval.  Over 3 weeks of waiting.  Even more crazy?  It's barely 3 pages long, and most of it is a standard form letter.  Sheesh.  No wonder Bank of America needed a bailout.

Hopefully we can close before the end of the month.  Our lender, American Savings, will try to push it forward as best as they can.  We've been told that 15 days is not impossible.  We're also going to capitalize on the meltdown of the Euro and get a kick ass mortgage rate.

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(added in)
After Wendy read this entry, she asked, "where is the none-of-the-above choice?"

"You should have added a Mexican guy."

Point of View

Since I'm currently on vacation, we went out to lunch at the Port Allen Bar and Grill.  It was a nice day, so we sat in the outdoor area, across the street from where all the tourists park to go on the boat trips.  I faced the ocean, and Wendy faced opposite me, toward the restaurant.

While we ate, we talked about a whole bunch of things.  One thing that came up was Sterling.  Sterling is Adin's brother's best friend.  He works at Captain Andy's boat tours.  Wendy said it would be funny if we ran into him.

Later in the meal, I looked behind me and noticed the restaurant was right next door to Captain Andy's.

"Hey, Captain Andy's is right there.  Maybe we can see Sterling after all," I said.

"Um, yeah... I know it's right there.  That's why I mentioned it," Wendy replied.

"Ah.  Well, it seems we have completely different perspectives of the world.  Mine faces this way," and I stretched out my hands to mark the boundaries of my field of view.  "Yours is the complete opposite," I continued."

I leaned in closer to Wendy.  "But you know what?  You're in the center of my world."

Wendy smiled.  Beamed, more like it.

"Yeah, you're totally blocking my view," I said while motioning for her to get out of my way.

Then Wendy gave me another look.  I think it was a cross between I-love-that-you're-so-funny and I'm-going-to-make-you-pay-for-that.

*****

In other news, Chico, the world's dumbest dog, has managed to make himself useful.  While on his walk on the canefield road, he stopped to sniff around a bush.  When I looked at what he was sniffing at, we found a $20 bill.  Kaching!  Dog gets to live another month.

*****

Still no word on the written approval.  The seller's agent went over to the house this weekend to clean it up a bit to make it better for the appraisal.  She even got the front yard mowed.  Other than a weird, out of place patch of tall green grass, the yard looks good.  I bet our friends will think we're moving in already.

Celebrity Look-a-like Anime Version

This has been going on for a while.  I've been telling Wendy that she looks like an anime character.  See if you agree...

First, some wedding pics:





Now a pic of Wendy when she lost a bet and had to wear clothes I bought from Habitat For Humanity ($8)



OK.

Does Wendy look more like Lt. Nova from Star Blazers?



Or does she look more like Maetel from Galaxy Express 999?



 Click here to vote!

(Just kidding.  There's no vote link.)

BTW, the Bank of America negotiator called the seller's agent and said to expect the written approval soon.  I told Wendy that I'm not going to stop worrying until we close since BoA sucks.  However, the fact that the negotiator actually returned a phone call is a good sign.  I've read a lot of stories where agents couldn't get a response from their negotiator for weeks.

Plenty of Fish

So Wendy is still camping in the mountains and I am totally bored at home.  I've spent over 2 hours tonight researching operating cost differences between gas and electric dryers.  Using our last utility bills, our cost for electricity is around 34-36 cents per kWh.  Our gas cost around $4.27 per therms.  Both of these expenses decrease as our use increase due to stupid customer charges (that we get billed for actually being customers) being spread over more units.

That being said, the difference between a gas and electric dryer might be only about $1-30 a year. if I can believe the websites I checked out.  Gas and electric stoves seem to be a wash, with microwaves and toaster ovens being cheaper to operate.

On the other hand, several websites reference the Dept of Energy's statement that gas dryers cost 15-25 cents per load and electric cost 30-40.  That makes a big argument in favor of gas.

However, that statement seems very general and broad.  It doesn't seem to consider regional differences.  I've also run across several statements that indicate natural gas and propane prices have been going up since 2006.  The price of natural gas and propane on Kauai is a lot higher than the mainland too.  The national average for electricity was 10.9 cents per kWh in 2010, for gas it was $1.22 in 2007.  (gas doubled since 1999)

Also, we're currently using gas for our water heater, dryer, and stove.  Granted we eat most of our meals at my parents', I doubt that our gas use would increase, and thus lower our average cost per unit.  This is because we're planning on getting a solar water heater on the TARDIS house when we can afford it.

So from where I'm sitting, it looks like we would save the most money by going solar for hot water.  We could possibly save some money by using a gas dryer IF gas prices remain stable or go down AND we do more than 5 loads per week.  We probably wouldn't save any money switching the electric stove for a gas one.  We'd probably lose money on installing gas lines.  However, cooking on gas is much better... it may have to wait until Wendy wins money on a game show.

***I still have to run this by Wendy and try to convince her that my findings are the cheapest options we have.  But she likes to shoot down my arguments with logic, sound reasoning, and facts.  She plays dirty.***

So I was watching (500) Days of Summer.  I liked this movie.  Wendy hated it.  That's why I'm watching it now.  She's in the mountains and can't stop me from playing it on the DVD.

In the movie, there was one scene where the friend of the main character was trying to console his grieving pal.  He said that there were plenty of other fish in the sea.  And you know what?  He's right.

That's right.  I'm here to tell you, without Wendy watching, that there are plenty of fish in the sea.  There's only one scary, gruesome Kraken though.  And that's my Wendy.  Sure there are many others, but there is only one Wendy.  Well... there are millions of Wendys.  Common name since Peter Pan.  But there is only one Wendy M. Kraken.  And she's mine.  Because I'm Poseidon, baby!

Just for Emily

No.  we're not homeowners yet.  (heh heh heh you said 'homo' heh...)  (Wendy thought that previous Beavis joke was really immature heh.)

We're still waiting on the written approval from Bank of America.  Last week, the seller's agent called BoA about it.  The negotiator for our files actually called her back (this is a big thing for BoA) and said the written approval is being prepared.  The seller's agent is confident enough that she changed the status of the property listing from Active to Contingent.

Right now we pretty much have all the funds we need to close, and the paperwork to back it up. 

Now the bad news...

My to-do list is growing.  Funny how something simple like, "let's paint the TARDIS before we move in," can grow and grow.  Now the entire living room, part of the dining room, the three bedrooms, and two bathrooms are on the paint list. 

Of course, part of the problem is me.  I'd rather get all the painting done before we move our stuff in.  It also doesn't help that we have had over 4 months to stew about this, coming up with everything we want to do to our house once we own it.

In other news, Wendy has learned how to make my mom's beef stew (you guys had it on Kauai).  We're going to make it the family recipe, along with the lasagna.  We'll probably make some the next time we're in Indiana.