Calamity jane

The House Chronicles: Epilogue

   So this post is way overdue.  I guess since Facebook, I haven't felt the need to blog.  But there is a lot to update, so here I am.

Anyhow, we finally have an end to our housing problem.  We bought our first house.  It's a double-wide in a trailer park.  I feel a bit embarrassed to say that; it somehow feels at first like a step backwards.  But it's really not.  It's just that we were so close (well, close for us) to getting the house of my dreams, that this feels like a concession.  And, in a way, it is.  We could still be looking.  We could still be dealing with the asshole landlord.  But a friend of mine kept suggesting we look where she lives, Walnut Ridge.  She kept pointing out that it's a nice park, they have their own 'special' financing for people in our situation, and we would live closer to her. 

I have nothing against double-wides.  In fact, the dream house was a double-wide, but it had been completely drywalled, was on a foundation and had that big addition.  It in no way resembled a double-wide.  I just wasn't sure that I wanted to live in a park.  I had had enough of living under other people's rules and I wasn't sure I would like going from living with no close neighbors to people living within 10 feet in every direction.  Plus it would mean either switching Syd to a school district I don't like, (no, no no, never gonna happen) or driving her a bit further.  

But, I relented.  I was tired of the fight.  The asshole landlord had become even more of an asshat and the prospect of going home every day to a place we had once loved, had now become unbearable.  So we looked at a few places.  Some were too small, or had funky layouts, or were on odd lots.  Finally we looked at a place that seemed to fit the bill.  It's 1900 sq. ft. with 3 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths.  It has a large kitchen with an island and it opens to a nice sized family room with a fireplace.  Our bedroom is quite large and has a really nice master bath with a garden tub (no jets-rats!) and a separate shower.  It had new paint and all new flooring, including a nice laminate hardwood in the kitchen.

We weren't really fond of the island as it was, but we had two very nice, solid wood cabinets that we had picked up at the Merillat outlet, so we decided to right away replace the island.  We installed the cabinets and bought a nice butcher block counter from Ikea.  Then Dennis built a wall so we could mount a high bar on the other side. I got a bargain on bar stools and, viola!  A new island.  It looks MUCH better.  It's likely we will eventually paint the cabinets since they are somewhat worn, and definitely replace all the counter top to match the counter we used for the bar.  

There are a few things I'm not nuts about, like the fact that it has a formal living room, which I'd rather not have.  I'd prefer that space be used for a fourth bedroom, but the way it's layed out it's not possible.  There is also a sliding glass door in the kitchen.  Unfortunately, they way they put it on this lot (it was already here) it's so close to the neighbor's lot that we won't ever be able to use it.  There's only a couple of feet to the back of the lot line.  This really annoys me since there are several empty lots that border the woods- why on earth wouldn't they have put this house there?  But oh well.

This is the island before we replaced it.  I'll post some more pictures soon. (just for the record, this is a couple of days into the move, which is why the kitchen is a mess)

Other than that, this is a great house, and buying it was a really good idea.  (thanks, Laurie!)  The park is nice, clean and quiet.  We're right across the street from the pool.  We're close to town, which I'm finding is better than I thought.  And this is the best part:  At times, we struggled to pay out rent.  While this house is technically $100 more a month, we aren't struggling.  That's because we pay our lot rent on the first of the month and our mortgage on the 15th, thus splitting our housing payment in two.  It's seems like such a small thing, but it's made a HUGE difference in our ability to budget effectively.  We got a decent interest rate.  Well, decent for us, considering how bad our credit is.  And our loan is for 12 years, so we have all that time to get our poop in a group.  I'm not sure I'd want to stay here 12 years, but it certainly is plenty of time to straighten things out.  It's nice being able to breathe.  I feel happy and stress free for the first time in a long time.

The move wasn't without it's problems.  Those of you who know me well, know what a slob I am.  I did a really good job fooling myself into thinking things weren't so bad at the old place.  Well, I got a HUGE wakeup call when we moved.  The amount of shit we I had accumulated was astounding.  And the place was filthy.  I mean nasty!  It was just this side of literally having shit on the floor.  (I do have standards, lol)  And it smelled. I was mortified, and ashamed of myself for allowing it to get that way. The three of us swore that we would change our ways when we moved.  We had a fresh start.  But quietly I had my doubts about myself.  I don't change easily.  I mean, I've been a slob my whole life.  But happily, it seems to have worked.  We all have taken on a new sense of ownership and are all doing our part to keep this place clean.  Is it spotless?  No, probably never will be.  But the floors are swept regularly and the kitchen is clean.  Everyone keeps their stuff pretty well picked up and we are keeping up on the laundry.  Dishes are done more often.  Being right next to the kitchen means that no one leaves their dirty dishes in the family room.  Christmas kind of interrupted my unpacking, and in some areas it still looks like we just moved in.  But I'm getting there.

A happy ending indeed.

So Now What?

I think 2009 will go down as the summer of waiting.  Waiting for summer to get there, waiting for my MIL to get here, for the sun and the warmth, for the realtor from hell to call, for an answer, for the right listing to show up in the paper, waiting, waiting, waiting.

Ugh.

Now I'm more confused than ever.  I have some limited options, but I just don't know which one is right, or maybe even none.  Who knows?

There is a house for rent near Lake Columbia.  It's pet friendly, 3 bedrooms with a garage for $850/month.  Fine, great, but can we afford it?  Doubtful.

Then there's a rental in Syd's district.  3 bedrooms for $750.  Great.  But it's near the railroad tracks and it doesn't have a garage, basement or a shed.  Crap.  Can't have that; where are we gonna put all our equipment?  I think that's a real legitimate problem.

Then there's the 'dollhouse', as my friend calls it.  It's a 1050 sq. ft. house for sale by owner just down the street from the dreamhouse.  We discovered it while driving past the first house.  It's cute, so we called to go see it.  The owner is a really nice man.  The house it cute.  Three bedrooms, one bath, which is a bit of a bummer, but the kitchen is gorgeous.  All brand new.  The whole place is pretty small, but it has everything we need: garage, main floor laundry, decent size livingroom, nice back yard.  The only problem is the bedrooms- they are super small.  But the seller is looking for only $800 a month and he sounds like he'd be really reasonable to deal with.

I keep thinking about it to the point that I'm starting to worry.  Am I getting myself caught up again?  Seems likely.

So I have a few problems.  Do we switch Syd's school (which we love) for some rental that might be temporary, knowing that we might move again in a few years?  Do we try to buy the dollhouse, not knowing for sure that we can get a loan in a few years.  It might take a level of financial commitment that we just can't maintain.  Or do we just wait, and most likely loose the oppertunities we have right now?  I hate this waiting and I'd really hate to have to move in the snow.  Been there, done that, didn't like it the first time.  We're in this holding pattern and I really can't stand it. 

*sigh*

The House Chronicles, The End.

Something about the SR who originally showed us the house felt funny.  A friend suggested that we talk to another realtor.  He was pretty cool, showed us the house again.  My MIL was in town again so this time she got to see it.  Of course, she loved it.  He said that he knew of a way to get the $8k tax credit quickly and was hopeful he could help.  Basically, you start the closing process, them amend this years' taxes.  If there's no other taxes owed and no complications, the credit arrives in a few weeks. 

He told us to talk it over and the call him and we'd write up an offer. 

After a few days, we had figured out that what we wanted was 7% interest amortized to 30 years, with the taxed and insurance in escrow, so that would put out payment at around $769/month.  We called him.  In the meantime, he had called the SR to let her know that he had talked to us and he was going to be helping us write an offer.  Professional courtesy I guess.  He said that the SR was very upset that we felt that she didn't want to help us, and that in reality she very much wanted us to get the house and really wanted to help us get it.  Sounded like she was hurt.  So he convinced me that I should try to work with her and that he would advise us if we needed help getting the down payment.  I was skeptical, but I agreed.

I called her and told her what we were looking at and she said that once we got her a copy of our budget and debt pay down schedule, she would take it all to the seller.  A week later, I mailed it off to her.  I didn't hear from her for a week so I finally called her.  She left me a message saying that the sellers were considering our proposal.  I called back wondering why we weren't writing a formal offer. Never got an answer to that.

A week later she called me to tell me that the sellers were "uncomfortable with the technicalities" of how we were going to get our down payment.  They weren't willing to wait for it.  I asked her what she meant.  She said that since she didn't understand how the tax credit worked, she called a tax attorney.  Fine, makes sense.  And the tax attorney said that without knowing our tax situation all she could do was speak generally.  That it can sometimes take up to 6 months to get the rebate.  We could get disqualified for a number of reasons.  And if we owed any taxes we wouldn't get the entire $8k. 

Ok, at this point, all of this is fine.  SR got herself informed.  But this is also where things went horribly wrong.  Instead of thinking, "well, gee I should have them talk to this attorney so they can find out whether or not they have any tax issues" she went straight to the seller and basically told them that we might never get the down payment!  SHE SCARED THEM OFF!

I have so many problems with this I don't even know where to start.  First, why didn't she let us find out if we'd qualify?  We don't owe any taxes, and our taxes are so simple we could do them on paper.  So what's the problem?

I guess it's over.  I called the other realtor, but he didn't seem like he thought there was much he could do.

We are all heartbroken.

Back to square one.  Do we go back to looking for rentals?  (Yuk!) Do we try looking for another house to buy?  Do we stay in Western Schools?  Do we look outside of that?  I mean, it was worth switching school for such a great house, but I'm not sure it's worth it for just any old house.

I just don't know what to do.

The House Chronicles, Part 2

Ok, so something I didn't mention earlier was that my previous post was really from early July.  That's when this all started.  But so much has happened since then I need to post this is several chunks.  Otherwise it's very teal-deer.  (too long, didn't read)

Where did I leave off?  We called the realtor (sellers realtor, or SR) and inquired about the house.  She said that they were in fact, willing to do a land contract, but only with $9k down.  I didn't know how we were going to get the down payment, but DH is due his retirement disbursement in December, so...maybe.  We made an appointment to see the house.  But this time, my MIl had gone back to PA, so she didn't get to see it. 

My Mom, she's so funny.  She kept trying to reel my expectations in by saying things like, "Well, maybe you'll see it and you won't like it anymore."  Uh-huh, ok.  She came with us to see it and she fell in love about as hard as I did.  Lol.  The neighborhood is wonderful.  It's on a peninsula, a quiet drive with lots of trees that loops around.  Perfect for walking the dogs because there is little to no traffic.  PLUS.  It's across the street from the lake and we would have access just down the road.  There's not really a view, but that's ok.  The front yard is a nice, manageable size and the front of the house is simple, but cute.  It has a 2-car garage loaded with shelves and storage.  PLUS.  The back yard is spacious and filled with trees.  there are two sheds, one of which has electric and would be perfect for a pottery barn.  PLUS.  The deck is in great shape and has a large tree growing out of the middle.  PLUS, and cool.  The yard would be really easy to fence in for the dogs. The house itself was quite nice, with an open floor plan.  Let's make no bones about it, this is a double-wide.  But it's obvious that the original owners got all the construction upgrades, because other than the typical trailer floor plan, you couldn't tell it was manufactured.  The carpet was in fair shape and white. MINUS.  There are 3 bedrooms and three full baths.  Plus there is a den.  All have nice sized walk-in closets.  PLUS.  There is a family room addition on the back as well as the third bedroom which is actually a second master suite.  It has a bathroom all it's own with a stand-up shower, not a tub.  Perfect for my MIL.  HUGE PLUS.  The kitchen was a decent size, efficient, and a little dated.  Not too bad though.  It has a fully equipped laundry room off of the kitchen.  PLUS. 

So, I am fully in love.  It's perfect.

The SR was pleasant enough, but as I was talking to her about our complicated financial situation, she seemed to have a problem with all of it.  Sort of.  It was really odd; she seemed both positive and negative all at the same time, if you can imagine that.  Very hard to read.  She said the sellers would consider a land contract with the $9k down, or maybe a lease option, but not with the dogs.  (Apparently they have cooties or something)  I told her I wanted to figure out a way to take advantage of the $8k tax credit, which would mean closing before November 30th.  It would be stupid not to try; it's free money.  All of which she was very skeptical of.  Really she didn't seem to be listening much- she kept saying that we really should just try to go and get a conventional loan even thought I told her repeatedly that it wasn't an option.  (Do people think I'm lying when I say that?)  She said she wanted us to go and speak to someone at a bank.  She wants them to look at our credit and say, "Well, if you pay off this, and this, and this, we'll be able to give you a loan in three years"  Do banks do that?  Whatever.  I'll do it.  She also wanted us to make a budget showing how we'll pay for the house, and a budget showing us paying off all our bad debt.  No problem.

So, we move forward, excitedly.

The House Chronicles, Part 1

*As usual, bad language and a very long post ahead.

So after 7 years of living here, I found out recently that we need to move. This apartment, which I love, (except for the high-ish rent) has been owned by the bank for well over a year. (Foreclosure) We’ve put up with being without water for a week on three separate occasions, and put up with the lawn being 3 feet tall, because we were grateful to still be allowed to stay and we like this place. It’s out in the country, quiet, and has lots of wildlife. There are 8 units here, ours is huge, the rest are tiny 1 bedrooms. Therefore, the place has been empty except us for 3 years. We are their only paying tenants.

Well, as of last month have a new owner. The asshole landlord-to-be that’s buying the place has been hanging around for the last couple of weeks working on the lawn and cleaning up the outside. Fine. Whatever. I’ve had a bad feeling about this guy ever since he stopped by and asked me who was the realtor on this place. I was polite and told him, and he was an asshole and told the realtor that we were messy and that would be a problem. Fuck you, it’s none of your damn business if I keep all my dirty laundry in a pile on the floor.

Then he informs me that he’s talked to his wife and they decided that they’re not going to raise our rent, but that they’re not going to allow pets.

Him: “We can’t have the liability of dogs here. We can’t rent to anyone with kids if you guys have those dogs, knowwhutImean?”

Me: “No, no, I really don’t. Did you notice, we have a kid?”

him: “well, it’s too much of a liability.”

Me: The neighbors next door have 5 small kids, see? (Points to them in the yard) Why don’t you go ask them what our dogs are like?”

Him: ”I’m sorry but we’ve decided not to allow pets. I hope that’s not a problem”

Me: “Uh, yeah it is a problem because there’s no way I’m going to tell my 10-year-old that she has to get rid of her beloved dogs and cat. You just don’t do that to a kid. So yes, it’s a problem and we’ll be looking for another place to live.”

him: “Fine. I understand, we have a pet; it just stays outside. We’ll rent month to month until you find a new place.”

(Dude, that not a pet, and that doesn’t make you a pet owner, just a dick who ignores some poor animal.)

ASSHOLE!! And the really fucked up thing is, he just got done telling the hubby that he’s going to renovate all the other units before renting them and he won’t be putting them up for at least 6 months. So what? Drive out your only paying tenant in the meantime? We keep our ‘vicious’ dogs to ourselves. We have 2 kennels and a cable leash out back. They don’t bother anyone. We keep picked up after them. What the fuck? Why do idiots always see things as boxers=pitbulls? Nothing alike!

Ok, so as all of this has been going on, I've been quietly lusting after a house I stumbled on.  I remember seeing the listing last year at $114k and thinking it was nice even then.  But now the price has been dropped down to $89k and I actually found the listing on a website listing homes for sale that would consider land contract.  That really got my attention.

So, let the daydreaming begin.  I couldn't help myself; I HAD to drive by.  It's great and in a wonderful neighborhood.  A little far south, but other than that, it's perfect.  It's across the street from a private lake and it has access.  About as close to a lake (my dream) as we'd ever get. 

At the same time, my MIL is out for a visit.  She has had her share of troubles the last few years including breaking her leg badly, being on workman's comp for over a year, multiple surgeries, and now being officially on disability.  Because of this she has been living with my BIL and his wife.  Unfortunately, it's not really a good match and she's not real happy there.  But here, she was so happy she didn't want to go home and stayed an extra two weeks.  So naturally we asked her if she'd like to live with us instead.  She agreed, and was really excited about it.  She said that when she moved here she would pay us what she was paying the BIL; $400 a month.  Cool.  I started crunching the numbers and that extra $400 coupled with DH and I quitting smoking, we could make buying the house work, with room to spare. 

I called the realtor and started moving forward.

The house truely is perfect!  It's large, about 1500 sq. ft.  It has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, but the best part is the third bedroom has a bathroom in it, perfect for my MIL.  Not only that, but the bathroom only has a shower, no tub, so less worries about her falling. 

We MUST get it.

Part 2 later.

RuPaul's Drag Race

    So sometime the strangest things drive me out of the blogging wilderness.  Been a while since I posted.  But not much has been going on.  This winter layoff has been pretty dull, since Dennis has been back to work since January.  He has a new position of sorts, working in the sports department.  They broke up the set, yo!  I miss working with him every day; we were a good team, and schools thought it was cute.  I don't know how many times I heard, "Oh, there's NO WAY I could work with my husband (or wife) every day."  But we did it, and did it well.  And now I get to work with other people that I haven't seen in a while, which is fun.  Dennis is happy to be working full time on sports.  Stressed, but happy.  And there are some exciting things going on at work, big changes going on now and even bigger things coming.  Next fall is going to be interesting. 

    In the mean time, I've been trying to find my place by myself.  At work, it's always been 'Dennis and Linda'.  And that's fine.  But now I need to find out the best way for me to contribute.  There have been many open positions lately as we've had a sort of 'restructuring'.  I was asked why I didn't apply for anything, and it's not because I don't want to move up.  It's just that with my ADD and the way I am I need to be careful what career I choose.  I must be careful not to set myself up for failure.    I am NOT cut out for an office job.  I need structured chaos.  Dennis calls it "Chaos in a box."  And that's what my job is now; my day is crazy but I have parameters that I have to work within and so for me, it's perfect.  My set of skills and talents don't fit into any of the job boxes that have been available. 

    So I'm trying to make my own.

    Recently I've hand the opportunity to do some photoshop work for the territory, and I think I've impressed some people.  Doing that on even a limited basis would be awesome.  And for a few years now I've been wanting to get into the warehouse and fix up all the broken, beat, tacky props that we use for proms.  Hell, I gotta use this shit, it outta be nice.  Hopefully that will happen this season.

    Anyway, what drove me back to my blog is this:  Have you seen this shit?  It's called RuPaul's Drag Race and it's on the LOGO network, which I don't get, but I found it online on my favoritest of sites, Project Rungay.  This shit is Fierce!  From Rungay:

"NOT ONLY is it a bitchy reality competition loaded with more gay than you've ever seen on your TV screen at once, NOT ONLY did it have some hysterically funny lines, which is to be expected when you get a bunch of drag queens together, NOT ONLY are there some potentially epic hot messes among the crowd (which is also to be expected when you get a bunch of drag queens together), darling's it's all THAT, PLUS, it's a nearly dead-on spoof of Project Runway and America's Next Top Model.

And this show is Fab.U.Lous!  Starring none other than RuPaul, the original Queen of the Drag Queens.  Girl, she is the shit, no doubt about it.  I guess I have a thing for Drag Queens.  I just love their bravery.  I mean, my favorite episode of Project Runway is the Drag Queen episode, "Good Queen Fun" and one of my very favorite movies is "Connie and Carla".  (Haven't seen it?  Go.  Now.  It's cute.)  I think I would really enjoy making drag costumes.  I mean, seriously, how fun would that be?  The sequins, flash and over-the-top outrageousness  of it all?  Super, super, super!

Ok, later from me. I gotta go watch more Drag bitchery.

More Gay & Lesbian Video At LogoOnline.com

For the Love Of God, Go Vote!

   I'm so excited that election day is finally here.  I've really gotten into this campaign this time around.  I have a feeling that if I hadn't been so young when Clinton ran, (My first vote) I would have been just as excited.  I watched MSNBC's coverage of his speech with Obama in Florida last week, and I had forgotten how much I loved Bill Clinton.  But the energy I feel from Clinton is the same as I feel for Obama.  I really do have hope.

So, go vote.  We wouldn't want to tempt the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing.

I will, however, be glad when tonight is over and we can be done with this.  I find myself getting increasingly angry.  Well, I guess 'angry' isn't really accurate.  Defensive, maybe.   Recently, a friend of mine, who I've never really talked politics with, told me he was a McCain supporter, and we got into a little political debate.  I've always had strong political beliefs, but in the past I've never been able to articulate them.  So i was looking forward to trotting out my shiny-new opinions, facts, and quotes.  For once I can clearly state why I support Obama, and why I feel McCain is not the right person for the job.  And I think I can do it in an intelligent manner that doesn't alllow me to sound like I'm completely full of shit. 

Yeah, I choked.  I think I scored a point or two, but I was flummoxed by being interrupted.  The post game review in my head has me standing up for myself better and asking some really pointed questions.  Hindsight is always 20/20, huh? 

Friend: "Obama wants to give us universal health care."

Me: "No, he wants to give us universal INSURANCE.  Big difference.  And what's so wrong with universal health care anyway? Most European countries have it, as well as Canada, and they're healthier and live longer.  And besides, I would think you of all people, would appreciate someone finally taking control of some of these skyrocketing insurance costs.  Wouldn't you have rather had someone else pay for your wife's major surgeries, or all the drugs she takes every month.  Do you think the $500+ a month you spend on prescriptions is fair?

Not to mention John McCain wants to TAX the benefits you get through your job AS INCOME for the first time ever!  The average 'value' of an employer-provided health insurance plan is $12,000.  That means that if you make 50k a year, you'll be taxed at 62!  You don't call that a tax increase?  And that $5,000 tax credit he like to talk about?  You'll never see it.  It will go straight to his buddies in the  insurance industry."

See? I can sound smart.

Oh well, opportunity missed.  I just keep reminding myself that after today it won't matter because Obama's going to win.

Oh, crap.  I gotta go turn 3 times, curse and spit.

18 Days To Go

How cute is this?  In case you're wondering, it's in the eyes.  You can't fake that. 

Did you watch the debate last night?  Kind of uncomfortable, but good overall.  Maybe addressing Bill Ayers and other distractions will put them to rest.  John McCain looks so grumpy.  Ugh, is it November 4th yet?

Exciting Times Ahead

Been kind of a while, eh?  Not a whole lot going on at this end.  After Cedar Point, the rest of the summer was rather dull.  Then it was time to go back to work.  DH has been promoted, I guess, and so now all he is doing is sports.  Otherwise, work is the same as always.  They did raise our mileage (yay!) and so that has been better.

Mom is doing pretty well.  She spent all summer at the campground, but she didn't interact much with the other campers.  I was really hoping that she would get to know her neighbors- I'm worried that she'd be lonely out there all by herself.  But she didn't seem to be.  She seems content to spend her time out there by herself.  Then, near the end of the season we found her a new site for her trailer.  Her old site had been taken over by ground moles, and was in awful shape; uneven ground, scrubby grass and full of mole holes, which were dangerous for her.  Her new site is beautiful.  Nice and level, with thick green grass.  And there are seasonal campers on either side, so there won't be new neighbors all the time.  She already met her neighbors from one side and looks like she hit if off.  Mom's a little shy sometimes, so this is progress.  Plus, when she was at the office making arrangements to mover her site, she told them that next summer she would like to start a knitting group. She asked me to help, and said "It will be a good way for me to meet some people." (!)  So, sounds like she's ready to get out and about. 

The only concern I have now is, she has been having some confusion issues.  She can't balance her checkbook anymore.  This could be nothing, but it could be something, and I need to know.  (I know it's a symptom of Alzheimer's.)  I've spoken with her doctor, and he's going to check into it with her.  We'll see, but I'm trying to stay optimistic. 

Speaking of optimistic, I have been so obsessed with the election lately.  I have been watching the news and reading the blogs almost constantly now.  I believe we are on the edge of a major change in this country, almost regardless of who gets elected.  And for sure, history will be made on election day.  But I am so excited about Barack Obama and what he has in mind for our country.  Admittedly, I have gotten into watching the liberal talk shows, especially "Countdown with Keith Olberman" and "The Rachel Maddow Show".  (they're smart AND funny)  and I know that both of those shows show a narrow point of view.  But I also have been watching and listening to more neutral programs.  Hey, I'm a liberal Democrat; that's the opinions I'm going to want to listen to.  But I'm not uninformed either. 

But this campaign has been hard to turn away from.  It's like watching "The West Wing", I swear.  But this bugged me:

"It's time to let Palin be Palin -- and let it all hang out," said Scott Reed, a Republican strategist."

And my thought exactly: (from commentor jfromson, further down the page)

Who would think that the day would come, that the Republican party would be so worried about candidate that they would try and hide their angst and frustration by quoting a fictional, Democratic administration. The last time I heard someone say something like "Let Sarah be Sarah," it actually sounded like "Let Bartlett be Bartlett."

Can't they let Gov. Palin stand own her own merits, such as they are?

I won't get into the many, many reasons I disagree with Sarah Palin; it could clog up the intertubes.  But I am worried about how many women will vote McCain-Palin simply because there is a vagina on the ticket.

And truthfully, I used to somewhat like John McCain, and I did once think he was a bit of a rebel.  And early on in the primaries I even thought to myself that if McCain was elected that he might be the lesser of all the evils.  But no more.  He doesn't seem to be the same guy he once was.  And , with supporters at his rallies shouting "Terrorist", "Off with his head" and "Kill him", I fear his campaign of late has set back race relations in this country 40 years.  Now yesterday, he finally started trying to walk the rhetoric back and put a stop to this kind of hate-talk, but I think it's too late.  Can open, worms everywhere.

But, back to The West Wing connection, I know there are many former fans of the show who would vote "Bartlett for America" if that were possible.  I know I would.  Jed Bartlett was always by far the smatrest guy in the room.  He wasn't a guy you want to have a beer with; (for that we got Bush and look how THAT turned out)  he was a nerd.  But you always knew that he had a handle on things, and always championing the middle class and average Americans.  Here was a man who, when elected, had never served in the military and had little forign-policy experience.  But he was smart enough to surround himself with people who were experts in the military and foreign affairs; people who were not only not afraid to speak their minds, but willing to argue with the President if necessary.  President Bush has nothng but yes-men in place and it shows.  I believe Joe Biden is exactly the kind of guy who will speak his mind. 

And I think Barack Obama embodies the spirit of Bartlett. 

Plus, I love this a little:  (from January 08)

Can We Go Back... Please?!?

And now for something completely different...a happy post.  After everything that's been going on we here at casa del Crazy needed a vacation.  Dennis and I decided to take the kidlet to Cedar Point for the first time.  I decided early on that I really wanted to do this trip 'right'.  Mom was kind enough to let us kick her out of her trailer and take it with us and we went for 3 days.  We arrived at about 2pm and after  we set up the trailer we went to the beach.  The next two days were in the park and Soak City,  and then we came home.  It's so much nicer to stay on-site, even though you pay nearly double to do so.  But by doing so, we get discount tickets, early entry, and at about noon each day we came back to the trailer, ate a cheap lunch, took a nap, and them went back in.  Naps are gooooood.

Syd has never been on a major roller coaster before so this was really exciting. She's a bit of a drama queen, so I told her that she had to start out on a couple of easy rides- The Mine Ride and The Iron Dragon- and if she like those then she could ride whatever she wanted.  Well, The Mine Ride wasn't open that early, so she rode the Dragon and loved it.  (She ended up riding it 7 times!)  Then, we decided to get in line for the Maverick, the newest coaster, before the line got too long.    We had seen the Maverick run the day before as we were driving in and it looked cool.  It's a very compact coaster and it didn't seem to have any major hills.   We waited in line about a half an hour, and since Syd was riding with Dennis I was a single rider.  They funneled off single riders, so I had to ride before them.  OMG!  This ride was WICKED!! 

It has a LIM launch system, meaning that instead of the chain dragging the car up the first hill, it launches you like a rocket up the first hill.  The first hill had a 95 degree drop, so it actually dipped in a bit going down- awesome!  The rest of the ride was filled with tight twists, turns and rolls so you never really knew where you were.  Then, about half way through the ride, it just stops in a tunnel.  You just barely catch your breath when it launches you again through the rest of the ride.  The first time I rode it I didn’t enjoy it much since all I could think about was how the kidlet was going to poop her pants on it.  It was too much ride for her second coaster ever.  When the ride was over I saw Dennis and Syd getting on the next car and I kept yelling for Dennis to not let Syd ride, but he didn’t hear me.  I thought for sure she would get off crying, but she didn’t.  She didn’t love it either.  It was a bit tricky getting her to ride anything else after that, but she eventually loosened up, riding everything but The Millennium Force and The Wicked Twister.   

         Half way through the day we went over to Soak City and cooled off.  Strangely enough we didn’t ride many water slides.  Mostly just hung out in the wave pool and lazy rivers.  Love that place. 

        All in all we had a great time, and I’m having a harder-than-normal time getting over the fact that we’re home.  I want to go back!