More on the House not Moron House and Showing the Apartment
Well, I wouldn't go so far as to call it a moron house. Its got its share of shortcomings but its also got quite alot of potential that we're only just beginning to explore.

I have come up with some new Cheddar X questions as a result of my drive in to work this morning. Is it better to lead with bad news so that the final thought is on a positive note or is it better to lead with good to soften the bad news blow?

I think I lean more towards leaving it on a sweet note and going bad news first.

The bad news? Our toilets suck, the sightlines for the house are not especially good, the windows are somewhat badly located and its pretty apparent that the previous owners repaired or replaced things only when they absolutely had to. I can't understand how they could have even used the dryer with all that impacted lint stuck in there. The toilets are all a little different and the real problem is that they don't suck hard enough.

Case in point, the master bathroom's low flow model needs to have its handle held down for a minimum of five seconds and usually for about ten seconds to flush decently well. And there's still the possibility of some dookie peekaboo, i.e. you flush it, all the goodies go away and then one pops back out to spin around the bowl again. Let me be one of the many who've said it, low flow toilets are a fucking waste of money. Having to flush the same thing three times to get it cleared isn't saving ANY water at all. Oh yeah, and all the toilet seats are the slumpy kind, you know, when you sit on them they slump to one side? Great fun.

The sightlines from the windows are poorly thought out. My office window looks directly at the front entryway of my neighbor when it would have made far more sense to have it facing the backyard. There are only two windows looking towards the driveway, one in our bedroom and one by the front door. There is no window or door in the garage at all. There is no natural light in two of the three bathrooms and the stairway is postively claustrophobic.

The upkeep from the previous owners is all but non-existent. If it wasn't on fire then they didn't do a damned thing. Anybody who could put up with a toilet seat that "settles" to one side when sit on it, could likely put up with alot of hassle. The dryer vent thing is amazing to me. It took me all of a half hour to clean it out so that it works well again. A few minutes with the new shop vac, the plumbing snake and a new vent cap and it works very well now. But they didn't even invest the minimum amount of time in doing that.

And I'm positive that there will be more instances of poor maintenance as we get deeper and deeper into the house. And yet, I'm still having fun, still enjoying the home ownership, still liking the freedom that comes with the lack of a landlord, still liking the freedom to do what we want with the space.

[Update: One more bit of bad news. My big old TV has about given up the ghost. I accidentally tore the cable in off the back and the screen's gone a little wonky in the move. The good news is that now we get to get a new TV too!]

So what's the good news? There's plenty really. We are operational with the washer and dryer which means we've started to dig into the huge pile of dirty clothes. I didn't know it at the time we bought them but we got some damned nice equipment. They're the Maytag Neptune washer and dryer. The washer is all but silent when it's running and doesn't abuse clothes like a washer with an agitator does. The touch controls are super cool and the front loading is just plain handy. Washer and dryer are a huge, huge, huge good news item. No more quarter scrambling, no more hassles of washing one place and drying at the laundromat. All in one place, easy cheesy!

Other good news, the huge bush in the back yard will succumb to my saw blade and hatchet easily. I thought it was going to be a nightmare to get under this monster but nope, I can walk between the bush and the fence and chop it down without even getting down on the ground. Ha! Sucker bush will disappear soon and I may even let it dry so I can burn it on the spot where it once stood! Oh yes, the dryer fire is at the house and awaiting a location from which to operate. Ought to be interesting to see how the neighbors take to that!

There is also ample space for my plants on the deck and in the back yard. The climate is better too and we've got a better exposure to the sun so everybody back there will be able to grow stronger and more full. I will be putting my bonsai rack back together tonight to get my bonsai back in their places. Other stuff will have to be figured out as we move forward. But I've got some cool ideas and plans for the backyard that will be cool if I can get them approved by P and get the time to do them. The fence is an early priority though. Until that's done, there's no way I'm getting a puppy knowing that the neighbor's big old Rottie can come over and make a snack of the pup. No sirree!

By the way, I did have a kind of peculiar moment the other night when I had to go out to my truck after midnight. I walked around the corner of the garage and saw a large doggish shape in the driveway. The rottie was going for a midnight walk. Bear in mind that this dog's gotta be more than a hundred pounds and I've not been properly introduced yet. But it walked back its yard and that was that.

With some luck we'll be getting TV back this week. Jay turned me on to a sweet deal on a dish with a Tivo that we're thinking about. And we might even be able to have some people over later on this week.

And I wonder if the kids who's parents were away this weekend got busted for having several hundred of their best friends over on Friday night. It was kind of funny and kind of annoying but there were kids all over the neighborhood with lowered Hondas racing up and down our street until 11 or so.

Apartment Showing
We had our apartment showing yesterday afternoon and used it as an excuse to really start busting it out and doing the final cleanup on the house. As of right now, the two bathrooms and the bedroom are "done". Kitchen and living room remain to be cleaned and then the backyard needs a good spray down. Some spackling and painting and the place is finished and ready for its next occupants. We had a few people come by to check it out. One excellent prospect was there early, had already been by before and was very interested in it. It would be a perfect spot for her too. And I got another email this morning from someone with an interest so we should be able to rent it out and not have to pay February rent which would be groovy by us!

Another day or two and we should be finished up there entirely. And we'll be getting all of our security deposit back! And if that doesn't work then I've got an ace up my sleeve to play if I need to. I hope I don't have to but I will if they start dicking with me. I do know they basically nickel and dimed one of the other recent people who've moved out. We will not allow that to happen quietly and will fight them for our money.

Funny side note, the signs we put up sparked two of our neighbors up pretty good. One has finally decided to move out as well because the owners told her that her sliding glass door that's been broken for a long time is no longer a door but a big window and she should stop trying to get them to fix it. The other neighbor was pissed off because he's been there for five years and was paying the same rent as we were and he gets alot less sun.

That's all for now. Life's busy but we're having fun with it. And my favorite store now? Orchard Supply Hardware! They kick ass!