We won!

We finally got a bid accepted! We have to get a home inspection, secure a mortgage, and get an appraisal (so the bank will give us the $), then the real work begins at the end of February when we close.

It looks like a lovely place, but it needs a lot of work. On the plus side is it's 1600 square feet, has oak floors, windows, and trim throughout, and a relatively big yard (it's very long). Plus it was 1/3 cheaper than any other house we considered. On the down side, it needs 3 times more work than any other house we considered. My favorite thing is the auditor's site listed the date the house was built as "old."

Before we move in we have to remodel the kitchen and bathroom. Re-model isn't really the right word, because it needs all of the basics except for cabinets - broken bathtub, no stove, no fridge, nasty toilet...

There is a weird stairway up to the attic, which I can only describe as backwards. The bottom of the stairs run into a wall at the end of a short narrow hall, so you can't really get anything up them. We need to move the stairs in order to finish the attic someday. The stairs are next to the bathroom, so we might as well do that immediately so we can expand the bathroom when we fix it up the first time.

After all that is done we need to move in and paint, buy lights, furniture, repair and refinish the floors. That's where we run out of money. Eventually we will finish the 400 square foot attic, expand the 1 car garage, landscape, build a bigger deck, refinish all of the wood inside and probably 100 other things.

I'll post "before" photos soon. You really don't want to see it now as the seller has a bit of work to do before it meets our contract. The ceilings are falling down, walls are getting plastered, there are piles of clothes and furniture in the attic from the previous owner he has to remove (don't ask me how in the world they got furniture in the attic with the weird stairs). There was so much clothing and other stuff in there, the current owner brought in a snow shovel to push it out the door.

House hunting sucks

Well, we lost the bid on house #1. I'm still angry and bitter. 2 other bids came in within an hour of ours. I wish the seller would have bid us against each other, then we might have won. Big bummer.

House #2 is out too. It was pretty cool, but not nearly as great as house #1. The seller wouldn't negotiate and kept moving the sale price around in circles - exclude the stove, but include closing costs, then he gave us the stove but not closing costs. Effectively, he raised his selling price. Screw em, we'll keep looking.

House #3 is a maybe. It doesn't have a lot of frills, but what it does have is ENORMOUS rooms with lots of beautiful wood. It's the perfect starting point. The problem is that it has enormous rooms - 3300 square feet in all. We are finding out the heating costs and then will consider if we want to bid. I think this place is going to be worth a lot when the neighborhood improves.

Onward and upward.

Next week I'll be in SB for the film fest. I also get to recover my dining room chair from my former roommate who "borrowed" it while we were packing up our house. With 4 people packing, no one noticed that we only had 3 chairs. It tooks weeks to convince him that he should relinquish control of the chair (what?!?!) and we were never able to get him to send it to us. Apparently it's our fault that we didn't look in his room for the chair. Go figure. So now I have to get it from the neighbor, pack it up, and bring it back on the plane.

Our house?

Today we put a bid on a house. We love this house, but are doubtful we will be able to get it. It's priced low, but we think that other buyers are going to be able to bid above the asking price, which we can't do. The house is in immaculate condition - we couldn't fix up a cheaper house to be this good for the price. Here are a few of my favorite pictures, along with some stats:

2200 square feet (250 in the attic)
4 small bedrooms, 1.5 baths
3 wood burning fireplace, plus 1 gas/nonworking fireplace
dining room, living room, small parlor, kitchen, wet bar area
Columbus pubic schools (not a good school district)
smallest house on the best street in the neighborhood
slowly but steadily up and coming neighborhood
hardwood floors throughout, but with carpet on the 2nd floor
2.5 car garage



Front of House

Dining Room


























Kitchen






















Wet bar next to kitchen


























Dining Room


















Living Room




















Yellow Bedroom


























Back Patio



























































Attic

We're Heeerrrree!

We finally made it to Ohio and have pretty much recovered from the trip. Our last day of work was on Friday 12/15. My mom arrived that day and Jim's mom came on Saturday. We spent 2 days packing and then hit the road on Monday.

We rented space in a trailer to haul our stuff across the country, we pack and they drive. It turned out to be about 1/2 the price of driving it with a UHaul and way easier. After we transferred our stuff from a UHaul to the trucking facility 40 miles south, we drove 10 hours to Flagstaff, AZ. On Tuesday we drove up to the Grand Canyon, about 2 hours north. The Canyon was fogged in, but we could still get the general idea of how amazing the place is. I hope to get back there one day.

We spent a 2nd night in Flagstaff, then drove for 3 days through NM, TX, OK, MO, IL, IN, then on to OH. It took until yesterday for all of us to feel rested again.

The cats were mildly sedated throughout the trip and slept pretty happily in a large cage on the back seat. They are a bit cautious in their new temporary home at Jim's parents, but warming up to the place. If only that darn Beagle would disappear, they would be a lot happier!

Ohio or Bust!

Well, we are finally doing it... Jim & I are moving back to Columbus. It's been wonderful in Santa Barbara, but we feel it's time to give the ice and cold a shot. Seriously, we both have a ton of family and friends there, plus the housing and job markets are 10 times better than here.

We plan to leave around December 17th. We know it's really fast, but we'd like wrap things up here before Christmas. Plus, the moms are able to come out to help us drive 2400 miles east with the cats.

We don't know where we will live yet, but there are so many inexpensive options that it seems really easy to figure out compared to SB. I'm taking a job as Development Director at the Ohio Environmental Council, based in Columbus. I'm really excited about the position and look forward to starting at the beginning of January.

I'll be vacationing in exotic Santa Barbara at the end of January for the SB Film Festival. I've been volunteering and get a free platinum pass. For those not local to SB, it's a $1500 value which gets you in to all of the films, panel discussions, and most importantly - the parties. Al Gore, Forrest Whitaker, and Will Smith will be in attendance, so it should be a good time. If you are local and plan to attend any film fest events, then let me know!

We're having a going away party next Saturay 12/10 from 2-6 at our house. It's also Jim's 33rd birthday. Please come wish us well as we go to the hinterlands. We're at 609 W. Carrillo St.

We'll be taking almost everything we own with us, but will have a few things to give away, including our plants. On the flip side, we've compiled a wish list of stuff to help us on our move. Feel free to bring any of this stuff over! Some of it could be borrowed and returned.

Boxes of all shapes and sizes

Music & books on CD to listen to on our 40 hour drive. Please burn stuff for us!

MP3 player (& speakers?)

CD player power adapter. may need a tape player to CD player adapter too.
Large crate or 2 cat carriers to hold cats in car
gas cards
2 Walkie talkies

digital camera (looking to buy an inexpensive and small camera)

CONTACT INFO IN COLUMBUS

I'm changing my email address to jodisegal at gmail.com. Jim's email is jalama at gmail.com. We will change our cell #s, but let you know. Currently I am 805-895-8165. Jim is 617-417-2541. If you need to mail me anything, use my parents address: 10161 S. Crosset, Pickerington, OH 43147

Cute Lefty "article"

Hot off the presses from the Manitoba Herald, Canada

The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration. The actions of President Bush are prompting the exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they'll soon be required to hunt, pray, and agree with Bill O'Reilly.

Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal-rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night.

"I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn," said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota. The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. "He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left. Didn't even get a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?"

In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. So he tried installing speakers that blare Rush Limbaugh across the fields. "Not real effective," he said.

"The liberals still got through, and Rush annoyed the cows so much they wouldn't give milk."

Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons, drive them across the border and leave them to fend for themselves.

"A lot of these people are not prepared for rugged conditions," an Ontario border patrolman said. "I found one carload without a drop of drinking water. "They did have a nice little Napa Valley cabernet, though."

When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about the Bush administration establishing re-education camps in which liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR races.

In recent days, liberals have turned to sometimes-ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have taken to posing as senior citizens on bus trips to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a half-dozen young vegans disguised in powdered wigs, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizen passengers on Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney hits to prove they were alive in the '50s.

"If they can't identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we get suspicious about their age," an official said.

Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage and renting all the good Susan Sarandon movies. "I feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them," an Ottawa resident said. "How many art-history majors does one country need?"

In an effort to ease tensions between the United States and Canada, Vice President Dick Cheney met with the Canadian ambassador and pledged that the administration would take steps to reassure liberals, a source close to Cheney said. We're going to have some Peter, Paul & Mary concerts. And we might put some endangered species on postage stamps. The President is determined to reach out," he said.

Movie honors

Last week the Film Festival reviewers had a potluck and training session. Everyone introduced themselves and described their background in film. By the time it got around to me, at the end, I realized that I was the only person in the room except for the program staffer's wife who didn't have credentials. Every other reviewer has a film degree or has worked in the industry. I'm really lucky to get to play with the big kids!

My favorite Adam pic

New Movies

I'm getting to see a ton of new movies before they are released through a film club, so check out my reviews before plonking down your $10. See the link on the right.

Front Page!

Click on the picture to zoom. I'll upload a couple more photos of the Walk once I have them.

AIDS Walk results

The preliminary # is in, we raised $125,000! It's less than I hoped, but still on budget. This is a total of the pledges written on pledge sheets and $ is still coming in. It will creep up a bit to probably at least hit 130k. We had twice as many walkers as last year, many of whom signed up at the last minute and didn't raise $. We can draw on those people to raise $ next year and to grow our mailing list.

Tomorrow is the big day

Tomorrow is the AIDS Walk! Last year we raised $130,000. Usually I'm really good about guessing income, so I want it on the record that this year my bet is on $165,000. We've had a huge response to our recruitment efforts (which includes a part time staffer and an intern) and tremenous press (front page on this Sunday's News Supress). It doesn't seem unreasonable that we would do 20% better.

Any other bets? Following is the story:

AIDS Walk a chance to show heart and sole
October 1, 2006

When Crystal Young was diagnosed with HIV 15 years ago, she moved into a hospice. Back in the early 1990s, the virus that causes AIDS was considered a death sentence.

"I was scared," said Ms. Young, 40, of Lompoc. "That's what you did back then."

She is no longer afraid. It takes longer to recover from colds and infections, but other than that, life is normal. She is raising a teenage daughter, working and living the life of a regular adult.

Ms. Young will share her story this weekend as one of hundreds of participants at the 16th annual Heart & Sole AIDS Walk sponsored by the Pacific Pride Foundation, Santa Barbara's largest care and education organization for those with AIDS and HIV.

This weekend's event is the primary fundraiser for Pacific Pride, which, like other programs around the state, has seen its funding from the government slashed each year. Public funding decreased about 5 percent this year, a significant cut in a $2 million total budget.

That has worried health workers, particularly because the number of new HIV cases has risen as the number of people being tested has declined significantly. That trend is true around the country and in Santa Barbara County, where 33 new cases of HIV were diagnosed in 2004, compared to seven in 1999.

At the same time, the number of people who were tested declined to 2,790 in 2004 from 4,060 in 1999, according to the Santa Barbara County Department of Public Health.

The intent of Saturday's walk is to raise both money and awareness, organizers say. This year is especially significant: It is the 25th anniversary of the first documented case of HIV/AIDS in the United States.

"I remember when we first start doing this back in the late 1980s to early 1990s, we were going to funerals almost every week," said David Selberg, executive director of Pacific Pride. "It's amazing how far we've come."

Ms. Young was diagnosed on Jan. 7, 1991. She contracted the disease from a man who was using intravenous drugs.

"I was shocked," she said. "At that time, it seemed like there were no women being diagnosed. I thought it was just for gay men and drug users. It was scary, very scary."

She planned her funeral and moved into Sarah House, a hospice that opened in Santa Barbara specifically for AIDS/HIV patients.

Because of improved medical treatment and better understanding of the disease, Sarah House now has to room to admit people who are dying of other ailments, such as cancer and Lou Gehrig's disease.

The decline in death rates is certainly good news. But at the same time, health officials fear that the public has become complacent.

Decreases in funding have meant cuts in outreach and education. Much of the money Pacific Pride receives through grants, contracts and private donations is earmarked for specific causes, such as HIV testing, case management and primary health care.

The goal of Saturday's walk is to at least match last year's total of $130,000, which largely goes toward paying overhead costs that don't receive public funding. The money will also be used for the organization's food pantry, services for gay and lesbian awareness, and outreach to schools, the mentally ill, the homeless and others.

"We need to fill in those holes," said Jodi Segal, director of development for Pacific Pride and co-organizer of the AIDS Walk. "Without our donors, our budget falls apart."

Pacific Pride's fundraising goal throughout the year is about $300,000, roughly half of which comes from the AIDS Walk.

Mr. Selberg said a particular need is reaching out to youth, who account for many of the new cases. The organization recently assigned two part-time workers to reach out to online chat groups and Internet sites, which have become common venues for soliciting sex.

In Santa Barbara County, about 1,500 people currently live with HIV/AIDS. With offices in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria, Pacific Pride serves about 600 clients in its programs.

Organizers expect about 500 walkers and 200 volunteers to participate in this year's AIDS Walk. The 10-kilometer event starts at Leadbetter Beach, takes walkers along the shoreline and ends back at Leadbetter, wrapping up with a gathering for speeches, food, music and free massages. Also, prizes will be awarded to the biggest fundraisers.

Registration opens at 8 a.m. {this is wrong, it's actually 9am} Saturday, and the walk begins at 10 a.m. For more information, visit www.pacificpridefoundation.org, or call 963-3636.

My view:

Things you have to believe to be a Republican today:

* Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

* Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

* A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.

* HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart.

* Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

* A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

* Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

* The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's cocaine conviction is none of our business.

* Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host.
Then it's an illness, and you need our prayers for your recovery.

* You support states' rights, which means Attorney General John Ashcroft can tell states what local voter initiatives they have the right to adopt.

* What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.


...Ahhh, government at its best.

I need a sponsor!

Please sponsor me for the 2006 AIDS Walk. The AIDS Walk is my most important event for the year, raising $150,000, which is half of my budget. All money raised pays for HIV education and services provided by Pacific Pride Foundation (my employer!) in Santa Barbara County. If I raise $500 then I get a cool canvass tote bag!

You can sponsor my sending me a check or donating online.

Pacific Pride Foundation
126 E. Haley St., Suite A-11
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Thank you to everyone who sponsored me last year, and to mom and dad for donating $75 this year! Only $425 left to go until I get the tote bag!

End of an Era

I'm very sad to report that I sold my Vespa today. Even though I love it, I barely ever ride and never have felt comfortable on it. Here's a photo that was taken before I bought it by the owner of the Vespa shop, who bought it back from me. He loves this bike and wants it for his personal collection. It's a 1964 small frame with a new ET3 engine in it, so it goes 40mhp+. The guy drove me home on the back of a new scooter, which was fun. Maybe one day I'll get another one with a more solid frame that feels a bit sturdier.

Finally, Some Prime-Time Racism

From LA Times Weekly Columnist Joel Stein.

Battle of the races on 'Survivor' places discussion of stereotypes where it belongs -- in the mainstream.

September 19, 2006

I'VE NEVER BEEN interested in "Survivor," but the new, racist "Survivor" — that, I was psyched about. If "Battle of the Network Stars" made good TV, weekly competitions between poorly fed "tribes" of African Americans, whites, Asians and Latinos were going to be awesome. So, last Thursday night, I got some brie and water crackers, put on a J. Crew sweater vest and settled down on the settee to root for whitey.

None of my white friends wanted to watch with me because — although it was fine for the other races — they felt it was unbecoming for Caucasian Americans to root for their own kind. I found that condescending. Cheering for the whites is no different from rooting for my college football team, for U.S. Olympic teams or for men to finish before women in porn scenes. The latter, unlike the men's Olympic basketball team, never let me down.

But it turns out lots of people got freaked out about this. As soon as CBS announced this season's theme, leaders of the New York City Council demanded that the network abandon the idea, and GM, Coca-Cola, Campbell Soup, Johnson & Johnson and Febreze ended their advertising on the series. You know you've stumbled into a huge pile of it when even Febreze walks away.

No one got upset in past seasons when the show used gender and age to divide people. But we've somehow decided that racial issues can only be discussed in books, college lectures, NPR and other mediums that are so boring people can't get riled up. Songs by Coldplay are probably largely about race.

Unlike 30 years ago, when "All in the Family" and "Chico and the Man" made cutting jokes about race, we've set so many rules about talking about skin color that we rarely do it at all. "Survivor: Cook Islands" isn't trivializing race — it's just not avoiding it like the rest of us. If there really were a group of people stranded on a deserted island, this is exactly how things would go down. Just like in jail.

So I was pumped for some serious racial tension as soon as the contestants pulled up to the island. The giant old ship conjured different images depending on which team was on camera: a slave ship, a makeshift raft from the Dominican Republic, a boat full of Vietnamese or an afternoon sailing cruise to Nantucket. My team was going to rock.

Not only, to my delight, was my team the best looking, but the whiteys seemed to have a really fun attitude, joking and bonding and having a great time. A few minutes into the show, however — long before any contests or voting anyone off — something weird started to happen. I started to turn on my own people.

These white people were a little too preppy, too frat-boy, too happy with themselves. While other teams were fighting over hut building, the white folks were making toasts to each other over little bits of coconut milk and lying down to sleep half-naked and spooning en masse, thrilled with their total super awesomeness. It turns out I kind of hate white people.

The black team wasn't doing it for me either, with its sexism, infighting and talk about representing and feeling each other's vibes. They loved themselves almost as much as white people do.

The Latinos were kind of likable and hardworking if quiet, but those Asians — they were terrific. In fact, better yet, they were like me. They were laid-back and self-effacing. There was a journalist, a lawyer, a management consultant — just like my friends. One of them even went to Stanford four years after I did. And they won the first contest handily, even though their chicken was stolen by the white people. White people who probably didn't even eat the feet or eyeballs.

I don't know if my feelings are because of the fact that this is a particularly nice group of Asians, or if Jews are culturally more akin to Asians than other white people, or because Asians are a completely superior race destined to rule the planet. All I know is that the show is allowing me to make these kinds of racist comments in public.

And I think that's good. Not just because, as CBS argues, getting to know these contestants will help dispel stereotypes. It also will allow us to see which stereotypes are true and discuss which differences make us uncomfortable. Maybe if we admit that race is a factor — just like gender and age — we'll be a little more honest with each other. And maybe we'll also realize that, if we're going to survive, we really need to band together against the yellow people.

movie blog

I've just upgraded my movie blog, so go check it out. Jim can now add reviews and I may add a couple of other reviewers. Please comment to get a discussion going on the films!

Alimony Update

You may remember that Gavin agreed to pay me $800 a month for a longer period of time instead of $920 per month. Well, the first of the month came and went. I left him a message and an email telling him that I'm frustrated, etc and that he knows the penalties for not paying. A few days later I got a check for $400 with a promise for the rest later this month along with an email saying "don't flip, potato chip." He always was charming, but unreliable.

I'm going to tell him that he can either set up an automatic payment with his bank or see me in court. No more renegotiating and not following through. I have better things to do with my time.

SB in Vanity Fair

The News-Press Mess has made it to Vanity Fair. In case you don't read the papers, here's the scoop - The SB News-Press, our daily paper, has been corrupted by it's crazy owner. She is interjecting opinion into news (a major no-no) and been repremanding people when she doesn't like their stories they cover (also a major no-no). It's become a major first ammendment battle and international news. There is a 6 page story starting on page 190 in the October issue of Vanity Fair. It's not posted on the website yet, but hopefully will be at www.vanityfair.com. I have a scanned copy of the article if you want me to email it to you.

2 Fun Blogs

Ever wonder what fleas, tax evaders and fetuses had in common? Check out indexed.

Plastic action figures doing yoga. What's funnier than Barbie and GI Joe cursing over yoga? Visit yogabeans