patrickrhett

The Lovely Wife and I were looking at houses. Thinking about them. Slowly. Now we’re trying to buy one. As quick and easy as that. It’s like falling in a hole (her phrase) because everyone (mortgage brokers, realtors, etc.) has a vested interest in getting you into a house. You tell the right couple of people that you’d maybe consider thinking about purchasing a house if it was just right and had wood floors and a nice yard for the dog and central AC and wasn’t really ugly and didn’t cost too much and suddenly pow, the process takes on a life of it’s own. We expected people to look at us and think, at best, “That’s cute, the retards want to buy a house. It’s like watching a kitten try to catch a string.” At worst we expected, “WHY ARE YOU WASTING MY TIME?” Of course none of that happened… and now we’re applying for a home loan and trying to decide what we should bid on this one particular house which we found that I refuse to get excited about because we probably won’t get it but if we do I already have plans for tile in the kitchen and a hedge in the back yard and on and on and on and on. It’s exhausting, confusing and a little scary… like falling in a really, really deep hole.

Oh well, it’s all out of my hands at this point. Papers have been submitted. wheels are turning, cards are being sucked in and holes are being punched and nothing’s going to come out of the machine until tomorrow. I can rest until then, at least. I’ll let you know how it all comes out.

13. Frontline: Ghosts of Rwanda

I am fascinated by Rwanda. What led up to the genocide, how it started and progressed, how we (the first world) did nothing to stop it and a few things to make it worse, how it continued, then ended, and how a country that’s been through something like that can even still exist without tearing itself apart. Mostly, I guess, it’s about how this could have happened outside the grainy black and white newsreels from the 40’s, because that’s where genocide is supposed to stay.

Click on the text link above the picture to be taken to the Frontline site for this documentary. It’s packed with interviews, video clips and more. If you’d rather read, I can’t recommend We Wish to Inform You… enough. I’ve read it twice, and I’ll read it again. To read about genocide in the 20th century and America’s response to it, I’d suggest A Problem from Hell.

To complement the Movies 2006 page there is now a Music 2006 page. Next up, Things I Picked Up Off The Ground 2006, to be followed by a comprehensive table listing every time I urinate, the length and strength of flow and a handy color chart. Or I could stop with the 2 I have now.

Yes, LED Throwies. OK, there may be some slight enviornmental issues with these, but just watch the video and tell me you don’t want to make some too.

We’ll need 250 LEDs with batteries ($129.95) and 250 wee magnets ($104.00). Help me come up with the $233.95 and I’ll spring for the roll of tape and a bottle of Jamieson. Who’s with me?

(via goldenfiddle)

Pictures of the newest family member can be found here. He belongs to my parents, and he has 5 sisters if you’re interested. TLW and I wanted to name him Inigo Montoya, but we were overruled.

beermapping.com – That’s right, you heard me. Places with beer. On a map. When I can get information like this projected onto my retina wherever I happen to be when I get thirsty, then I will be done with technology. I’ll need no more.

12. Blade: Trinity

This whole series is big and dumb, but likeable. That’s right, I’ve seen all three, and I liked them. I’m not ashamed.

Wow, I found 24 more posts from February and March of last year via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. The wierdest thing about the Wayback Machine? When you pull up one of your old pages, and you click on one of your links to another blog, it takes you to one of their old pages. Also, I’d completly forgotten that my page ever looked like that.

11. Star Wars, Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

Um, yeah. Ok. Let’s start positive. There are a couple of really good moments in this film. They both occur in the last 15 minutes. The helmet descending onto Darth Vader’s head. Luke, as a baby, being delivered to his Aunt and Uncle on Tatooine, and seeing that familiar landscape, with the waterpumps or whatever they were surrounding the igloo house. That’s the best I can come up with, but I had a strong, visceral reaction to those two shots… a reaction I’ll never have for anything I saw for the first time in this movie. As for the negative, well… let’s just try to go out on a good note. But this is your warning, Lucas. I’m done. Let it end. You’ll get no more of my money.

I’ve been a bit off the blog recently, between the post-vacation blahs, the not smoking angst (20 days and counting) and general blog burnout. That is, until yesterday, when I rescued some of my old posts from oblivion. In the midst of searching for them, there were a few big, important posts that I really wanted to find, posts that I still think about sometimes, posts that I thought were really good. I didn’t find them. What I did find was mostly made up of pictures of friends and pets, links, quizzes and assorted crap. And I really enjoyed reading it. My readership of 3 may not be overjoyed that the “I Own Plants” post was restored, but I really liked that day, and now I have it back.

So, in the interest of moving forward with some sense of organization about the place, I’ve created a bunch of categories which you’ll find to your right. This place was getting pretty unwieldy last year before I erased 300 some odd posts, so I’m trying to head off that happening again. Looking for a pic I posted of you last year? Maybe it was saved, click on Photos or Friends to find out. Really want to see my dog? Click on Pets. I created a Monkeys category, and was surprised when there was nothing to put in it. I’ll get on that.