Thanks Criagslist

Can you believe the month of August is almost over?  Where do the days go?  The news is talking like we might get some much needed rain out of the hurricane that is in the gulf right now… it sure would be nice to put an end to the drought we’ve been suffering through this year.

Craigslist helps us out:

We had a pretty busy weekend – On Friday, someone replied to my Athens craigslist “want to buy” ad for UGA at Missouri tickets.  He dropped them off with my parents yesterday, now they just need to make it halfway across the US to us.  I can't wait to see the Dawgs play in person again, it has been almost 3 years since I last went to a game.  Mizzou is only a 3.5 hour drive for us, so it should be an easy trip.

I also had Karen’s old 626 posted for sale on craigslist and one of the tech’s from the mazda dealer recognized the car and texted me about the car Friday evening.  He has worked on the car several times and knows what is good and bad about the car.  We agreed on a price and Karen and I dropped it off at his house on Monday night.  It was somewhat bitter sweet, as that was the first new car she ever bought and she has had it for 11 years and 178,400 miles.  So, you might be wondering, what is Karen driving now?

On Saturday morning, we purchased a 2012 Honda CRV EX AWD for her.  We have been looking at and talking about vehicles for her for many months (there was snow on the ground when we started shopping) without taking any action.  I’m not quite sure why we decided to finally do it; I guess it was the second test drive of the mazda cx5 last weekend, which confirmed that the CRV was the vehicle that we were going to buy.  Since I spent 9 months selling cars when we first moved up here, I was looking forward to being the buyer and hopefully put some of the knowledge that I gained to use.  The process ended up being pretty easy and I think that we got a really good price on the vehicle.

If you are curious, here is how we handled the buying process:

 “We’re just looking”: 

We drove several vehicles over the past few months to make sure we knew which one we wanted.  Surprisingly, only one dealer out of 5 ever bothered to follow up with us about the test drive we did with them.  We made it clear when we drove vehicles that we were doing research and were not going to be purchasing that day.  Dealers are fine with that and will usually back off when you are adamant about that (unless you are driving something more exotic, then they might balk a bit).  I think that it is necessary to drive several vehicles so that you can figure out exactly what you want.  Once you do that, then you can start the serious shopping.

The internet: 

I did some online research and found that, for some reason there aren’t many EX trim levels CRVs out there (they are all the EX-L with leather, which we didn’t want) and that there was only one EX in the color that she really wanted within 250 miles. 

I also did some research online to find out what the invoice price was on the vehicle.  Not the MSRP (sticker price) but the “invoice” price that the dealer pays for the vehicle.  This information is readily available and is something you need to know before you go buy a new vehicle.  While this may be what the dealer initially pay for the vehicle, they typically get some money back from the manufacturer after selling the car so they will still make a little when they sell it, even at invoice price.

Sell your old car yourself:

You could trade in your old car, but you aren’t going to get as much as you would if you sell it yourself.  Yes, it can be a pain to do that, but you could get extra money to put towards your new ride.  Plus, it eliminates a haggling point when you are buying your new car, which makes the car buying process easier because you are only discussing the price of the new car, not the new car minus X for your trade in.  However, depending on how your state handles it, your trade in might be subtracted from the new car price before they calculate sales tax, which could save you some money.  Get online and figure out what your car would be worth private party and trade in and then make the decision yourself.  You can also take it as a trade and then decide not to trade it if they don’t give you enough for it.  Just because they appraise it doesn’t mean that you have to trade it, you can always drive it home with the new car and sell it yourself. 

Financing:

We researched available vehicle loan interest rates and saw that our credit union had the lowest rate available.  Honda was not offering any special financing on the CRV because it is selling so well.  Since I had an idea of what the car was going to cost (from my research) I was able to estimate sales tax, tag fees, etc and calculate how much money we would need to borrow.  We filled out an online application for the credit union on Monday evening and by 10 am on Tuesday we were approved for the loan.  My theory is that you should always have a financing source worked out before going to buy a car.  This is the only way to guarantee yourself the best rate. (more on this later)

Buy at the end of the month:

Every sales person at a dealership (and the dealer itself) is trying to meet a goal for the month and they are going to be more aggressive about deals at the end of the month.  An offer that wouldn’t be accepted at the beginning of the month might be accepted at the end of the month because it puts them one car closer to meeting (or exceeding) their goals.  If you can set your buying schedule, buy at the end of the month.

Negotiations:

The internet has totally changed the car buying process.  If you search for a particular vehicle online, you will find some dealerships list the MSRP, others list an “internet price” less than MSRP.  If your local dealer has the car you want and you can find a lower price at another dealer online, then, by all means try to get your local dealer to match the lower price.  Most will do that in order to get your business.

The vehicle that we wanted was only in stock at a dealer about 1.5 hours away and the dealer here in town did not have a comparable EX in stock, all they had were EX-L’s.  We could have gone to the local dealer and asked them to locate a similar vehicle, but I know that legwork costs the dealer time and money and we wouldn’t get as good of a deal that way.  I decided to forgo working with the local dealer and decided to negotiate with the dealer that had what we wanted in stock.  The local service department doesn’t care where you bought the car, so don’t sweat it if you buy it elsewhere.

On their website, the dealer that had the one we wanted was advertising all of their cars at invoice price.  My guess is that they are going for pure volume, getting bonuses for meeting sales goals instead of trying to get the most out of each car they sell.  Since they were already at invoice, I decided to make what I felt was an aggressive yet reasonable offer below invoice price, figuring that they would haggle me back up to the invoice price.  Either way it would be a good deal.  

I submitted my offer through their website and, 5 minutes later, my cell phone was ringing.  To my surprise, they were willing to accept my offer if we would commit to buying the car that day (Remember, the month is almost over).  I was somewhat shocked (and disappointed) that there was no haggling.  I asked them to send me a breakdown of all costs/taxes/fees so I could see what the bottom line would be.  That arrived in my email box 30 minutes later and it matched my calculations within a few dollars.  Happy with the numbers, I called back and put a $500 credit card deposit on the car for them to hold it until Saturday.  Sold.

Back to financing:

The dealer then asked if I had financing set up, to which I replied, “yes, but if you can beat it, I’ll finance through you.” They make money off of financing, so it is in their best interest to have you finance through them.  I knew that I already had a good rate, but I’d definitely say yes to a better rate.  Unfortunately, they weren’t able to beat the credit union’s rate, so we ended up financing through the credit union.  We picked up the check from the credit union on Thursday and were ready to buy a car.

The easy car buying experience:

By the time we walked in the door at the dealership Saturday morning, we had already selected the vehicle that we wanted, negotiated the price, coordinated our financing, and were ready to test drive the car to make sure there weren’t any obvious issues with it.  We each drove the car, pointed out a couple places that they needed to clean/polish, finished the paper work, had a tutorial about how the controls worked and were out the door in less than 1.5 hours.  No stress, no pressure and we got a great deal on the exact vehicle that what we wanted. 

Sounds easy, right?

Pimp my ride… or bucket?

I wrote this o. Tuesday, but forgot to post it:

Only one more week until the college football season kicks off!  It seems like the football-less run from January to September takes forever and then the season flies by once it starts.  We’ve been hunting for reasonably priced UGA at Missouri tickets, but have been unsuccessful thus far.  People seem to think that doubling the face value is reasonable!  I definitely do not think so.

Last weekend we went to Champaign, IL for an arts show and to roam through some of the shops there.  We bought an abstract painting that was done by an art teacher who was there, but not much else.  We also test drove a Mazda CX-5 for the second time, basically to reaffirm our opinion on the vehicle.  We drove one a few months ago and we both questioned the transmission’s performance.  After reading several positive reviews by automotive magazines, we decided to give it one more chance.  Perhaps we were missing something in our initial drive. We really liked the way the CX-5 looks, but the way it drives is most important since we keep our cars for 10+ years.  After the second drive, our initial feelings were confirmed and the CX-5 was, unfortunately, struck from the list.

As usual, I also spent some time in the yard pulling weeds, my never ending conquest.  Thank goodness for my iPhone and headphones… at least I’m entertained while I work.  When I pull weeds, I use 3 basic tools: a trowel, a set of pruners, and a 5 gallon bucket from Menards.  The problem that I’ve been running into is that I can’t keep the hand tools in the bucket as I fill it with the weeds that I’m pulling.  I don’t like having to dig through the weeds to find them.  That forces me to set the tools on the ground, which I then slowly move away from as I work and then when I need one of them again, I’m halfway across the yard.  It definitely is not the end of the world or very important, but it is frustrating none the less.

I have been kicking around ideas to fix this issue and was considering one of those fabric tool holders that hang on the buckets, but I’m not sure they are durable enough for what I am doing.  I entered into “Martha Stewart” mode on Sunday and added my own tool holder to the side of my bucket.  I butchered up a plastic pot that a plant came in, heated it up to bend it and attached it to the bucket with some rivets.  It isn’t the most beautiful thing, but it will get the job done for me. 

This coming weekend is the "Sweet Corn and Blues" fesitval in Normal, IL.  This event always has the best tasting corn, hopefully this year doesn't disappoint. 

olympic withdrawals

The CFO flew back to town on Friday and we had a nice quiet weekend of running errands, cleaning up around the house, yard work and watching the Olympics. I’m 99% sure that she was glad that she was out of town for a majority of the Olympics, as I had it on the tv all weekend. Between the mountain biking, track and field and other events, I was more than willing to let time pass by while I sat on the couch. However, I didn’t give the closing ceremony much attention, as it seemed way over the top and I didn’t need to watch all the summaries of what had happened during the past two weeks.

I am sure that I'll be suffering from some Olympic withdrawals this week, but at least I have professional football to fall back on.  Besides, I need to start studying up for the fantasy football draft on labor day weekend.

Outside, the high temperatures finally receded a bit over the weekend and we were able to eat a majority of our meals out on the deck and enjoy the peaceful backyard. We shared this time in the yard with a variety of birds, who are all consuming the seeds from our purple cone flowers and the sunflowers. A pair of brightly colored Gold Finches really caught my eye and made me grab my camera. However, my  zoom isn’t long enough and every time I slowly approached them, they flew off. After several attempts, this is the best photo I could get:

While I was out stalking birds, I also snapped a few pictures of the remaining flowers in the yard. The yard, as a whole is still is a work in progress and not very photogenic, but the individual plants were worth a few photos.

Home alone (again)

I’ve managed to survive another 'solo' week in IL while the CFO travels the east coast with her family… of course, I am pretty self-sufficient and able to cook and take care of myself, so it isn't a big deal.  A lot of our neighbors are jealous of her ability to up and leave due to her work schedule… I guess all that education was worthwhile after all. She returns tomorrow, just in time for the nicest weekend, weather wise, that we've had all summer. They are saying the highs will only be in the high seventies to low eighties. That definitely sounds good to me.


The last week was pretty uneventful… I watched the olympics, played a little golf, watched more olympics, practiced golf at the driving range, watched more olympics, pulled weeds out of my native grass plantings, watched more olympics, harvested vegetables, watched more olympics, and went for a couple bicycle rides.  I followed all of that up with watching more olympics... I told you I was addicted. I thought about tackling a garage project, bought the wood for it and then ran out of motivation because it was so darn hot out in the garage (and the olympics were on). I opened up the doors in the evening to cool the place off, but couldn’t turn on the lights due to them attracting insects. Since I can't work out there in the dark, this has sparked a new project idea that involves a fan in the ceiling to suck out the hot air and draw in some cooler, evening air from the window.  Maybe I'll tackle this later, after the olympics.

As always, I’m full of project ideas, if only I could come up with an idea that would be of interest to millions of people so we could benefit financially from it! I’m continuing to consider the idea of going back to school for a masters. I think I have ruled out getting a masters in Landscape Architecture since it would keep me pigeon holed in my current profession. If I can get accepted to an online program so that I can continue to work during the day, I might just go for an MPA or MBA.  I just can't seem to decide which would be better for me... The Masters in Public Admin would be beneficial for government/non-profit jobs and the Masters in Business Admin would be better for private sector work. It would definitely help if I knew what I wanted to be when I grow up!  The other thing that bothers me about going back to school is that I would be 38-39 years old when I graduate, which seems really old to be graduating and looking for an “intro” level job in a new field. I guess it is better than the current mental suffering, though.

I’ll leave you with this photo, which I took in our yard as the sun was rising… I had to get up at 4:45 to take the CFO to the airport and then headed out to the garden to water as the sun was coming up over the horizon.

Photography: another thing that I enjoy, but don’t see a realistic way to make any money off of it.

summer 2012

If you need me over the next few weeks, you'll be able to find me sitting on my @$$ watching the Olympics.  I don't know why, but I just can't stop watching it.  I'll watch just about any of the sports, it doesn't really matter.

Last weekend, Karen and I made a quick beach trip....  in Indiana.  Yes, it was a great lake instead of the ocean, but it has a sandy beach, water as far as you can see and waves (not really tall, though) so I'm counting it as a beach trip.  On Saturday, we went to the Indiana Dunes State Park and the beach was packed, full of families enjoying a hot (90 degree+) summer day.  On Sunday, we went to the adjacent Indiana Dunes National Park.  We got to the National Park at about 9:00 am and beat a lot of the crowd.  We walked the beach, hiked up some of the dunes, and stood in the water.  Here are a couple photos from that trip:

The view from the top of one of the dunes, all the trees you see are growing in sand, which is pretty amazing considering the wind that comes off the lake.  The tall dunes were over 130+ feet above the water level.

Beach level view, with a steel mill's smoke stacks visible in the distance.  It looks just like the ocean!

Me enjoying the waves.

And, the CFO found a cupcake shop (her favorite), so we split a "Big Texas" chocolate cupcake with a chocolate cream in the middle, chocolate frosting with chocolate chips on top. 

Unfortunately, the big city to the north of us made some news this week when a council member targeted my favorite restaurant, Chick-fil-a.  Several people have brought up the topic to me and it is definitely getting me wound up a bit.  Everyone knows that company is, and always has been, a Chirstian, religious based company.  Hence the fact that they are closed on Sundays and many locations play Christian music inside the restaurant.  Based on the fact that we know it is a southern, faith based, privately owned company, are we really surprised that the owner said what he said?  I sure wasn't.  I'm pretty surprised that it is creating such a stir.

Do I agree with his opinion?  No.  I have many gay friends and I totally support them being able to get married, adopt kids, share benefits, etc.  What ever makes them happy.  While I do disagree with his position, I'm still going to eat there.  Why?  Because they sell a great product, they put a lot of their young employees through college with scholarships and they allow their employees to be off on Sunday for church and/or family time.  They could make a ton of money if they were open on Sundays (I, for one, always seemed to crave it the most on Sundays), but they are following their values and are sticking to them.  I am not sure when believing in your religion suddenly became such a negative thing and makes you a huge target. I don't think this is a good thing.

 If you disagree with him and feel like you need to make a statement, then don't eat there.  Go get a crappy chicken sandwich at McDonalds instead.
Do I think his statement is something that a city can use as a reason not to grant a business a permit? Absolutely not. It is totally, 100% anti-religious, against our right to free speech and it isn't the American way.  Allowing them to reject a permit based on this would be a huge step backwards and would open the door to other opinions becoming factors.  If they do reject a permit, I expect that it would get overturned in a court of law. 

Based on my personal experience on helping businesses get  building permits, I don't think the city of Chicago can keep them from getting a permit based on this.  It isn't like there is a series of check boxes on the application for your business's opinion on gay marriage, guns, the death penalty, ObamaCare, etc.  That would be ridiculous.  If someone can afford to, and wants to, open a business then the government shouldn't stop them.  If they get enough traffic, they will stay in business.  If they don't have a great product or piss off everyone, they won't make any money and will close down.  Welcome to the free market, the basis of what made the USA what it is today.

After all the bad press, I guarantee you that the council is wishing this issue would just disappear.  If they do reject the next permit for a Chick-fil-a, they will try to say it is because of "traffic" or some other Bull-$hit excuse, but we'll all know the real reason.  

Just Say No

Hello all, I hope this post finds you well. There wasn’t much going on in Blo-No this week, so I don’t have too much to report…. Since I spiraled down a hole of self-pity last week, I’ll try to spare you and stick to the facts this time. How about this crazy weather? It has been hotter and dryer up here than back home in Georgia. This is not the way this relocation was supposed to go. I was supposed to be able to look at the summer temps in Georgia  and laugh, being grateful for the moderate temps and nice breeze…


The high temps and lack of rain has all of the farmers concerned about their crops and, judging by my small planting of corn, I can see why. Some of my corn is less than 24” tall, but it is tasselling anyway. Who knows if we will get any ears out of this planting or not. Even the sweet corn that we’ve bought at the farmer’s market hasn’t been nearly as good as it was the previous two years. The rest of our veggies are still doing well and we’re continuing to harvest more than the two of us can consume. In fact, I just picked two zucchinis and a cucumber this morning while I was watering.

Last Saturday evening, we went to a country music concert at the Corn Crib (the baseball stadium) and had a good time. The area was hit by a big rain storm about an hour before the concert, but it blew through by the time we found a parking space and got ready to walk to our seats. The good news is that the storm cooled the temps down into the low 70’s, which was perfect for an outdoor show. Of course, that meant that the CFO was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt… I swear that there is something wrong with her internal thermostat!

The “people watching” at the concert was particularly entertaining, as we had seats on the isle that everyone with floor tickets had to walk down. I really wish that I had the nerve to take pictures of total strangers, this blog post would be WAY more entertaining for you if I did. The movie title, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” would definitely apply to what we saw. The Good: My wife (of course) and some of the college students/young professionals. The Bad: some crazy hairy biker dudes and Larry the Cable Guy look-a-likes. The Ugly: well, just keep reading…

I’m no fashionesta, but there were a few instances where I really wanted to stand up and exclaim, “Just because you can squeeze (vacuum pack?) yourself into it, doesn’t mean that you should wear it.” It is a known fact that Americans, on average, are getting fatter. Not that I’m calling any of you fat, I’m just saying on average our society is getting a bit plump. Evidently some people just aren’t willing to accept that fact.

I am sure that, in everyone’s mind, we all know where the limits are. Unfortunately, some people decide to ignore them… I’m not quite sure how these people don’t realize that they crossed the line about 10 sizes ago, but they do.  Is what I'm saying unfair and somewhat discriminating? Yes it is. Does it promote a healthy figure? Yes it does. (by the way, I don’t understand why promoting a healthy, in shape figure has recently been so heavily demonized by the media, but thats a rant for another day)

Heck, even I know, and accept, the fact that there are limits that apply to me. For example: I don’t walk around outside without a shirt on; for fear that the glare of the sun reflecting off my pale skin might blind an oncoming driver, causing an accident. I fully understand my personal situation (redhead with pale skin), therefore I dress accordingly by wearing a shirt. I also know that I don’t have muscular, “gun show” arms; therefore I don’t wear tank tops or sleeveless shirts. Easy enough, right? Do I ever wish that I was tanner and more muscular so that I could strut around at concerts shirtless, showing off my “guns” and tattoos? Of course I do, but what guy doesn’t? (laughing) However, I accept the fact that, unless I seriously hit the gym and the spray tan booth, I shouldn't do it.   

In order to stop this issue before it becomes an epidemic, I have decided that it is time for us to bring back an old anti-drug slogan: Just Say No. If the person dressing themselves won’t think their outfit through all the way, then I believe that it is the duty of their friends/husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend/parents/siblings/grandparents/children/pets to save the rest of us from having to look at their muffin top and rolls.  We really, really, REALLY don’t want to see them, so please, Just Say No.

Is it going to be an awkward conversation? Probably. Will there be tears and hurt feelings? Maybe. Just remember, this is for the greater good of the general public. Besides, deep inside these people already know that they shouldn't be wearing it, they just need confirmation.  From this point forward, anyone who sees a friend preparing to go out in something that they probably shouldn’t is responsible for stopping the atrocity before it happens. It is up to you America, Just Say No!

I must also add that this also applies to older people who still try to dress like they are teenagers. No grandma, we really don’t want to see you in those short jogging shorts and a tube top. Sorry, but we really, don’t.  Unfortunately, there comes a time in everyone's life when you just have to hang up the short shorts.

I can only hope that this catches on before we go on our cruise this fall, please, spread the word!

AHHH… so much for not going off on a random tangent, sometimes I just can’t help it.

Work & Family

Over the fourth of july holiday, my sister +family and my mom visited us… our house is normally very quiet, except for the TV or radio that I typically have on, so it was been a big change to have two young children running through the house.
For those of you who always seem to be hoping that experiences like this might change my “kid free” life plan, I’m sorry to say that it has not. My nephews are good kids, but I still don’t see the appeal in being a parental unit. Sorry. Luckily, there are plenty of other people willing to populate the planet, so, in the grand scheme of things, this choice isn’t a big deal… Plus, I’m saving some poor kid from the possibility of growing up as a redhead. Why subject someone to that? Speaking of people with big families, Karen and I saw this horrific sight in the Moe’s parking lot Monday night. Can you imagine? This will haunt me for a while…

With the kids around, especially the super smart 6 year old, I did take notice of how they look at things differently than adults do and it made me wish that I could remember what I was thinking about back then. Unfortunately, my memory is crap and I can barely recall what we had for dinner last night (actually, it was chicken casserole with green beans from the garden). More specifically, I wish I could remember more about what I wanted to be when I grew up and compare that to where I am now. I know that my parents say that, when I was little, I always wanted to drive a garbage truck. Big aspirations, I know. Sometime around high school, that changed to wanting to be a Landscape Architect. It was a fairly unusual profession selection, but since a family friend was an LA and I liked a lot of aspects of the field (design, plants, being outside, etc.), it made sense.
I followed that “dream” through a college degree in Landscape Architecture and I’m closing in on the 13 year anniversary of graduating from UGA. I can’t honestly remember what I imagined my career would be like at this point, but I am 100% sure that I’m not where I thought I would be. Over those 13 years, I have been fortunate enough to work on some interesting projects but now I feel like I’m in a bit of a professional funk. My current position isn’t exactly ideal and the job market around here hasn’t been very fruitful. The only thing that is keeping me halfway motivated at this point is the professional development work that I’ve been doing. I’ve gone to two conferences that reminded me about what is cool about this profession, but then I return to work and realize that what I’m doing isn’t what I want to do.
It is official, I’m in a professional “midlife crisis” or perhaps a more friendly title would be “a professional crossroads.”
Do I keep slogging through where I am now, hoping it improves and/or something better comes down the line, or do I jump ship to venture out into another realm and basically start over? 36 doesn’t seem like it is too old to start over, but is that wise? If I did start over, what the hell would I do??? I had a 9 month foray into auto sales right after we moved up here, and, while I enjoyed parts of it (and was salesman of the month twice), I don’t see that as a career I’m willing to commit to for the next 20+ years.
So, where does this leave me? Maybe I should go to my original plan of being a garbage truck driver?! I drove a bus while in college, so why not? Realistically, I know that neither of those would tap into my potential, so let’s rule them out for now.
The CFO suggested going back to school to get my masters in LA, so that I could be a professor too. That sounds like an interesting idea, until you look at college prices… Then you add in the fact that it would be nearly impossible to find two teaching jobs close together geographically. I don’t think that is realistic.
I could go back and get a teaching certificate and teach younger kids, but part of me would consider that only because of the schedule. It would be nice to be off when the CFO is off, that way we could spend more time traveling. It’s kind of like my own little version of the movie “Bad Teacher,” where the main character proclaims, “I thought that I was doing it (teaching) for all the right reasons. Shorter hours, summers off, no accountability…”
Other ideas that have come up are getting a paralegal certificate, applying at the insurance company that has a huge presence in the area, or possibly something in the medical field… but, I’m not sure I could handle being around blood and stuff, so that is off the table for now.
Enough of that for now… In other news, while our grass is brown, dry and crispy, or garden has been doing pretty well. We’ve collected several pounds of green beans, and probably 9-10 each of zucchinis and squashes. We’ve made several batches of zucchini bread and probably should make another batch tonight. We’ve also started giving stuff away because the two of us can’t eat it all. My corn is suffering pretty badly, so I’m not expecting much out of it. The tomatoes have had some blossom end rot, probably from inconsistent watering, so I’m trying to be more methodical about watering. I’m also mentally designing a drip irrigation system for next year.

With the sudden inundation of veggies, we’re starting to experiment with other ways of preparing them. My favorite so far came from good ol’ Paula Deen: fried green beans. They were very tasty, but I’m sure the frying negated any health benefit. We also fried some squash medallions that were almost as good as the green beans. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

This picture didn't do the frying justice, for some reason the green really shows up in the photo.