In response to a columnist

In response to an editor's column in the Commercial Appeal.

Although I heartily feel for the mother who is now between a rock and a hard place, I believe that the fundamental question we must answer is - who should raise our children: the government or the parents? Should we allow a public instutituion, full of corruption and politics, to replace the loving guidance of family? How much power shall we give our government that they have control over the intimate aspects of our lives? Because we feel helpless, we turn to our govenment to rescue us; yet, in giving them our power, we weaken ourselves that much more. Rather than abdicating our responsiblities, we must learn to rise up and meet our problems. By turning to the govenment to punish the older boyfriend in this situation, what would be accomplished? The government can only "solve" this problem by momentarily removing him. This, however, solves nothing. The daughter and her boyfriend will be separated for a time, nothing more. When they are again within reach, it is likely that she will continue in her current behaviors. Governments cannot raise children; juvenile detention centers are proof of that. They punish without explaining why, and it is this "why" that is the keystone to solution. It is our family who must provide us with the wisdom and courage to become responsible, mature members of society.

And with all of this said, we must all learn from our mistakes. I can think of no one, including myself, who has not ignored the sound advice of family only to harken back to those words when we are at the end of our mislaid path. As mothers and fathers, we must early on instill our values in our children and continually nurture them against the influences of modern culture. And even still, when they stumble and fall, we must ever be at their side coaching, guiding, loving even when we think they are not listening, for one day they will come to honor our words.

G 14, Hit

Here are the two frontrunners in our house search thus far. Aaron and I really need some input on these two - we can't decide between them! I've also listed some of the pros and cons for each house that aren't obvious when you look through the pictures online. All honest feedback is appreciated!

10357 Ivy Laurel, Cordova - main information page and 360 degree virtual tour
Pros:

• lots of room
• reduced price due to sellers transfering to TX
• spacious front and backyard (huge backyard)
• split bedrooms downstairs
• newer home
• nicer appliances
• butler pantry off of formal dining room
• plenty of attic storage
• trees in neighborhood not going anywhere
• good elem. school nearby
• will probably be incorporated into Memphis later than 1939 Dartford (less taxes)
• private backyard
• spacious/open kitchen/keeping room/breakfast room
• spacious his and her walk-in closets in master bathroom suite
• bonus room upstairs redone by Trading Spaces (entire room made into a "helicopter." Owners agreed to restore room to its former normality, although I wouldn't mind keeping the handpainted trees around the walls.
  

Cons:

• large house to fill initially
• edge of huge subdivision
• because house is on small hill, front view shows subdivision rooftops
• crackerbox-esque house shape
• costs a tad bit more
• no pool
• great room not as open
• stairs aren't as open
• front drive is on slight incline
• laundry room is away from the bedrooms
  

1939 Dartford, Cordova - main information page (the virtual tour is linked from there)
Pros:

• open floor plan
• balcony overlooking great room
• nice inground pool
• a tad bit less money
• beautifully landscaped front and backyard
• corner lot
• established neighborhood with plenty trees
• big window in breakfast nook with gorgeous view
• upstairs bathroom fixture is gorgeous
• laundry room near bedrooms
• gorgeous fireplace

Cons:

• pool upkeep cost and labor
• higher utilities due to pool
• pool takes up 9/10 of yard, with small remaining backyard patch of grass
• slightly smaller house
• older house
• older appliances
• small kitchen
• no his/her walk-in closets in master bathroom suite
  

Living Room Forts

Gotta share the joys in life. Life's too short not to build the biggest living room forts you can.

Houses are better than Easter eggs

And so our house hunt has really begun in earnest now. In the beginning, before we'd met with a broker, we (I) had conservately estimated that we could afford a house in the $180-190,000 range. We met with Ray, our broker, and he said we could easily afford $250,000 - and this on a conservative 28/36 ratio (morgage should be around 28% of gross income and total monthly debt around 36%). Needless to say, it took me a few days to actually believe the calculator. I didn't really believe it until I plugged in all our bills, etc. into my monthly budget, using all conservative numbers of course, just to be on the safe side. And lo and behold, Ray was right - big house, here we come!


We just got back from looking at houses around Bartlett in our new price bracket. All of them were nice, and of course we liked the pricier ones best, but none of them screamed "I'm yours; take me." If I'm going to be spending this much money on a house, I have a difficult time "settling". That, and the drive to work for both Aaron and I would be fairly hefty; we're not too keen on that.

We saw a house in Cordova this past Saturday when we first looked at houses. Purely coincidental, as the only reason that we stopped at this house was so that Tommie could set up the keybox. The home isn't officially on the market until tomorrow. Everything about this house is perfect; except that although it's technically only paying county taxes now, whenever it's annexed into Memphis (could be 6 months, could be 5+ years), the taxes will double. Basically, we'll have to make the decision if an additional ~$83/month and a shorter commute is better than the Bartlett alternative of longer drive and less taxes. Plus, houses are cheaper in Cordova. The house that we like in Cordova would be $30,000 more in Bartlett. All things to make you go *hmm*.

But, whatever house we end up choosing, I know that we'll be in hog heaven. When we're looking at all of these pricier houses, we're pickier than an OCD chimp combing for fleas; but truth be told, we'd be more than happy in any of them if it came right down to it.

On a side note, I'd just like to share a wonderful site with everyone: http://mobile17.smashsworld.com Basically, it allows you to take any .mp3 file on your computer and send it to your cell phone FREE OF CHARGE. You can have literally any sound or song (or animations and graphics) and select which part of the song you want as your ringtone. All you pay is internet access - and that's usually only $1 or so (depending how long you're on there)- or free if you already pay for internet service. And that's just so much cheaper than buying ringtones the traditional way. Everybody, give me a call so I can jam out to InuYasha theme music! :)

Drowned Rat

Drowned Rat
Originally uploaded by empress e.

What do the Aerins do after looking at houses with their realtor all day? Why, they play outside in the rain, of course! It took a bit of coaxing to get Aaron to join me, but after reminding him of how much fun he had in just running from the car to the apartment, (and a bit of illegal puppy dog eye pouts) I got him to join me. Because really, you just can't have fun playing in puddles by yourself.

And talk about puddles!! The rain was coming down in buckets, I swear. I honesly would have been glad to put on goggles to keep the rain out of my eyes - it was like walking/swimming underwater. So the parking areas and little streets became instantaneous raging torrents. I was only too happy to obligingly jump around in them, as all good raging torrents deserve. Back in Kirksville, Aaron and I - along with a few friends - once went "swimming" in the streets during a similar storm, although that one actually had a tornado warning nearby. The nice part about that time was that we went out next to the street and waved the traffic to drive into a huge puddle next to the sidewalk - the splash we got was better than Oceans of Fun. :) Somehow though, I didn't think that I could try that sort of thing here in Memphis... people might not slow down... or they might aim for me instead of the puddle. Either way, I had a blast this evening. We should all play in the rain more often.

Bartlett Options

Thanks to a really great Crye-Leike IT guy, I've found a way to better manage my favorite houses. Unfortunately, I don't see a better way to share that list with you than to make a big list a mile long and post it here, with ind. links to each house. Since the one for Bartlett is currently a mile long, I'm going to hold off posting it here until Aaron and I drive by and hopefully eliminate a few. Until then, you can always look around here, the search perameters are set for our price range and Bartlett. All the houses we favorited in Bartlett are in there.

Because we all need to smile more often

Originally uploaded by seizethedave.

Those of you who know me realize that I'm a flickrholic. In one of the groups to which I belong (Comment on My Cuteness), I found this absolute gem. I'm particularly fond of this picture since it's virtually the Truman mascot, regardless of what that smelly bulldog tries to say. They rule the campus and let everyone know it by pelting them with acorns.

I can't stop looking at this shot - isn't it just the *cutest* little tongue?!

Have a great day, everybody! :)

House Hunt - Give me your input

As I've said before, Aaron and I are embarking on a house hunt now that we both have decently paying jobs. We're meeting up with a realtor tomorrow evening when Aaron gets off work, so I'm sure I'll have something to report after that... but for now, I just want feedback on some of the houses in our price range. Granted, we could buy in Cordova, where houses are much cheaper, but the market is flooded and property values may stay stagnant or sink. We're wanting to stick to Germantown or Collierville, maybe Bartlett. So anyhoo, any and all are welcome to check out the houses listed on this Crye-Leike page, which I've already narrowed down to our price range and location.

UPDATE: At this point, we've narrowed down the Collierville houses to two: 1065 Martinsburg Cv. and 141 Irby Glade Cv. And in Germantown, we're interested in just one or so: 7120 Mimosa Dr. and 7180 Mimosa Dr. I've been asking for feedback on houses from everyone (which I appreciate), but most people are withholding their judgement until they can have more information. Fine, fine. We're going to look at the houses this evening, so I'll be sure and take tons of interior pics of all the houses and post them here.

On the subject of... houses!

Having driven all the way down to S. Hollywood to pick up my new-hire forms, and having spent over 3 hours to get my physical, I now have an appointment next Weds. at 8:30 (S. Hollywood again) to sign my contract. I'll be official! With my new job, Aaron and I can start looking into the housing market. We've got the name of a realtor who has come very highly recommended by Aaron's supervisor and her daughter who works in the reality business. She'll hook us up with a person to figure out loans, etc. ... and I'm dying of curiousity to see how much house we'll be able to afford. I spent a good deal of time looking at housing listings online today... and it always seems like the kinds of houses I like are just $10-20,000 more than we should really afford. Course, I don't really know what we can afford at this point, lol. So maybe we can get the kind of house I like, who knows.

WCWF

Feel free to place your bets on the Chyna vs. O-ren rematch! (If you have any trouble reading some of the captions, just click on it for a much larger image.)

Jobless bum no longer!

So I told you about the last minute notice for the last available English position interview in all of Shelby county-dom - well, I got the job! During the interview, I knew it was going well and that I had most likely beat out at least the applicant right before me, but then of course there was a whole slew of applicants before us. After all, every middle or high school English teacher out there was also vying for this one opening as well. But I impressed the principal with my portfolio, and apparently wowed him with my answers and even questions with which I came prepared. At the end, they said they'd get ahold of my on Friday either way... to which I replied that I hoped it would be a positive conversation. (No real reaction on their part.)

Obviously, it's not Friday yet. The Human Resources guy, Mayo, called me early yesterday morning to ask if I had checked my email recently. (I had not.) He goes on to say that Mr. Joy had already called him back and expressed interest in working with me but needed to know my teaching status first. Because I obtained my TN certification so recently, Mayo couldn't find me in the system, at which point he emailed me effectively saying the above information, and could I send in a copy of my certification? Of course, I'd mailed my certification in to his office as soon as I had received it. (Many moons back.) Mayo soon found it in his files, thus his call to me to disregard the email. But because of the slight confusion, I got an early pleasant surprise. Hooray!

Poor Eric, he hasn't been feeling well lately. He was lounging on the tv tryin to breathe through all of the snot (he's related to the rhino) when he was startled abruptly by my screaming and squealing and thrashing about. (After I got off the phone with Mr. Mayo, of course.) I'm sure he thought I'd converted into a holy roller. He can be so serious at times; it's uncanny for a two-year old. I managed to squeak out a few "IgotajobI'mgoingtobeateacher's" so he wouldn't think I had a parasitic alien trying to break out. The cats just hid under the bed and stared at me with unblinking eyes, most likely calculating the odds on if this crazy person would have the mental facilities to ever feed them again.


And once I had managed to calm down a wee bit, (by replaying the millions of times that Mom told me to "Stop being silly" as a kid) I tried to call Aaron at work. Sadly, he was in the middle of one of his busiest days ever. (He didn't get home until 6:30 and had been at a dead run all day.) So I left a msg. How deflating; it is difficult to maintain the proper level of elation when prompted to leave a msg after the beep. So I called Mom; she's always available... humph, so there. And for the few minutes before some egocentric customer demanded Mom's attention, (I swear, just b/c she's the receptionist...) I got to relate my good news and bask in the motherly praise.

(Skip a bit, Brother.) (Two points if you can place that quote.)

At VBS that evening, Mom apparently told Jeanette and Wendy that I had some big news but then wouldn't tell them what that big news was. (Yeah, she's mean like that, lol.) While I was getting gorgeousified (at least, that was the goal) for my celebratory dinner at the Olive Garden with Aaron, Wendy called to solve the riddle.

"So which is it? Jeanette thinks you're pregnant, but I think you've got a job."

Sorry, Jeanette... it'll be about 2 years before you're right; my uterus is on a tight schedule. (Yes, Mum, I just used the word "uterus" in a public blog - *gasp!* She declares that she's a fantastic little contraction and doesn't get the PR that she deserves.)

Now that I've a steady paycheck coming in, Aaron and I can officially start dabbling in the housing market. (For Jeanette, that also means that my uterus's two-year countdown can begin.) Before all that ever happens, I have 1 1/2 months to plan what I'm going to do in my class. I'd like to have at least the first semester sketched out and all of August fairly outlined. Everything is so impersonal in this big Shelby county district, that I'm afraid I won't be able to get into my room and get the information I need to start planning. I already feel rushed - they hire SO late, and start school SO early... meh.

I like to leave my blogs with a sort of "eh" feeling, and I think I've done that here. (3 points if you can place that [slightly altered] quote!) I need to head to midtown to pick up some forms and arrage for a physical so that I can eventually head back and sign my contract. Plus, after baking an Italian meal (complete with lasagna, homemade Italian herb bread, Caesar salad, and 2-layer carrot cake) for $90, I've got another order for pumpkin bars and a 3-layer mud pie. Booyah for some sideline cash!

Weekend Happenings

Such an interesting weekend I've had! Melinda and her beau, Adam, came down Friday, so good times were gauranteed, of course. They gave us a call around 7pm saying that they'd missed an exit and were around 30 minutes passed the Germantown exit. Talk about feeling guilty! I was the one who had made this detailed - and apparently overly-complicated - set of directions to get down here. But arrive they did, in due time. We spent most of Saturday building up leg muscles and, in Aaron's and my case, getting a thin, pale tan on our even paler shoulders. Walking next to Melinda and Adam, we must have looked like two raw potatos in a McDonald's french fry container.

So what all did we do with our time? We learned that rhinos can exude 10 gallons of snot in the 10 minutes that you're listening to a zookeeper's chat. This is so that they can trap more air-borne particles and thus not only gross out everyone within 25 yards, but also get a better understanding of their surroundings. We also learned that after 5 hours of walking around in the zoo and downtown, $1/person trolley fare is more than worth it. Speaking of which, I also learned that most people are inherently honest. When you get on the trolley, there is no way to police who pays and who doesn't. The conductor doesn't watch you, and you don't get a ticket or receipt when you pay. You just put in the exact amount and sit down. I know for sure that they don't moniter it b/c Melinda only had a $5, and since the machine doesn't give back change, she didn't pay. During our 1 1/2 loop around downtown, I was amazed to find that every single person paid the exact fare, most knowing full well that it wasn't policed. Now really, that's a comforting thought, isn't it? In a time when most everyone's moral outlook on society is so negative, basic human goodness does prevail, and when nobody is looking, too.

On a completely different note (high B flat), I received less than 24 hour notice of an interview today for the VERY LAST available teaching position for either middle or high school in ALL of the Shelby county district. And I barely got that. My application had been on file for awhile now, but as I hadn't heard anything in a while, I emailed the main HR guy about how wonderful I am and how the school system might implode if I weren't immediately employed within one of their schools. He emailed me back this past Friday saying that if I was interested, there was one last opening at Germantown MS and the interview was this Monday at 11:30. Course, because of the busy weekend with Melinda and Adam, I didn't check my email until Sunday evening. Talk about pressure! I have only this one opportunity to get a teaching position in a school that is nearby and not completely overrun by gangs. (That interview is this upcoming Saturday, btw.) I have one hour before I head out and my nerves are running amok. Interestingly enough, did you know that the original use of that word meant to run around in a homicidal frenzy? If my current blood pressure is any indication, I'm guessing my nerves did.