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No Longer a Homeowner!

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It really happened and everything went through as had been hoped for:  my Colorado Springs home now belongs to someone else!

Bye Bye, Lisa Drive

It’s surreal for it to be actually a true statement.  I no longer own a home.  HOLY SHIT.  Do you even understand the stress that has been on my back for the last 10 years???  It’s been a pretty good investment and a wonderful tax deduction, but to have to suck up the times when I didn’t have renters?  That only happened very rarely, but when living in NYC and having that situation occur was very painful to absorb.  It’s not so bad now, but I haven’t had renters since last July, so yeah, double rents for me!  And I paid to get it fixed up so I could sell it, which was totally worth it, btw.

All of this is just a long way for me to say I can’t really believe it happened and didn’t catastrophically veer into disaster.  The buyers obviously liked the house, my wonderful realtor made the deal happen, I got a good price for it and actually made a profit on the house (although let’s be honest, if I add all the money paid over the years and when I didn’t have renters…let’s consider it even), and on Friday, the closing happened.  And the proceeds just arrived today.  WOW.

Larry & I can actually and realistically start to plan for buying a home of our own now.  My VA loan is available again and I have the means to provide a good chunk towards a down payment.  We’re not in the market until early next year, which works out fine.  This is just…wonderful.

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Bye Bye, Lisa Drive

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It’s kind of shocking to report on this….but I have a buyer for my Colorado house!  Holy shit, this is kind of awesome and incredible and such a relief that while I’m massively excited I’m also going to have my breath held until it actually closes.   A part of me will miss the house – more the memories from living in that house as it was a pretty damn sweet house.  I loved making it my own with the painting and having my “Media” room in the basement. It was a great size for a single guy and one day, I hope Larry & I will have a house we’ll similarly love.

Here are some very recent pics of the house as it looks after having been repainted inside and out, along with brand new carpeting.  Having seen the new carpet, I kind of wish I’d have thought of doing that myself, as i like that a lot more than the poofy light-grey carpet I had.

In the meantime, some memories of the house…

…like when I first went and checked it out on a house-hunting trip….that was back in October 2005 and I was living in Las Vegas and did a roadtrip out to Colorado Springs to look at a few homes.  I knew that I was going to go with that house even by just seeing it online, and once I saw it in person, I was sold.  Too bad I bought right as the housing market was approaching the highest heights of the real estate bubble!

…or the summer activity of redoing my master bathroom with my dad, which was a blast.  I even noticed that the bathroom is still the same as it was, so I guess everyone since has been okay with it too!  What’s funny is that I see now that we did that in May 2007, so I really didn’t get to enjoy the fruits of that labor all that long before moving out!

….and then when it was time to leave Colorado Springs after having separated from the Air Force, I had to close up shop there and get it ready to be a rental.  No one was buying houses in mid-2007 so I was saddled with it.  I know I was freaked out about it, but I had an amazing partner in my property manager and she has taken care of me since that point and is my realtor now, 10 years later.  Very lucky to have her, that’s for sure.

There’s plenty of more memories associated with that house and a lot of them are here in this blog (I’ve slowly but surely been converting my old pages into WordPress pages, but not completely.  As of now, anything from November 2006 to the present is WordPress-y, while anything before then is in the Old Site archives).  Snowstorms, furniture re-dos, parties, friends and family over…it was a wonderful place for 2 brief years (Nov 2005 – Sep 2007).  And it’s been a really great investment and a wonderful tax deduction the last 10!  But I can’t tell you how relieved I am to be able to sell it (and make a decent profit!) and free up my VA loan once again.

All that having been said, I’ll miss this house.   It was pretty damn awesome.  And look at that bad-ass black Jetta!!!

just a post, on life, pictures

Greatest Hits 2007-style

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I did this last year and it’s kind of fun to reminisce and really think about what happened in my life this past year. ESPECIALLY this year.

I guess before I begin – and this may be a long post, so you have been warned, I’ll post my holiday pictures up from my trip back home to Los Angeles for Christmas. It was really wonderful to see the whole famn damily after 3 years of being a no-show at the typical Christmas festivities. It was definitely a brief trip and accordingly exhausting as I left here on Saturday night and got to LA about 2 in the morning on Sunday. We had Stacie and her family over that evening so there was really no rest for the wicked to be had. It’s always a blast to catch up with stister Stacie and it’s like things are always the same between us. Then the next day was Christmas Eve with the Sperskes, which has been a tradition as long as I’ve been alive or at least as long as i remember. Again, seeing the whole family with all the young generation around is crazy. I used to be the Baby of these gatherings – but I guess when the baby is now 31, that title has to be passed on eventually! I am really glad I went home, if even for a short time. Just hanging out at home with Mom and Harv was so nice. But this was a short trip and after spending Christmas day pretty lowkey with going over to the Jensens (my first time partaking in EB’s fantastic Christmas Prime Rib – awesome!), I headed back to New Jersey the day after Christmas. And so this week at work was a whopping two days but they were fairly busy for me as I’m trying to teach myself Oracle Reports based on other completed results and while that is a very good place to start (cue ‘Do Re Mi’…), it doesn’t quite get me up to the speed I need to be at. So my work laptop has been brought home to continue the working/learning. Anyways, that’s a brief recap of this week. You are free to leave at this point if you want as the rest is basically pics of family that probably only family will enjoy and then a long recap of this year that I’m sure will leave some asleep at the keyboard and others going WTF? and some going, “well, did he Really need to say that there?” And to all of that, I say, ‘this is my page and I can write pretty much whatever the hell I want!’ (For you Arielle fans, I’ve got nothing more for you either!)

23 & 24 Dec 2007 – Christmas in Los Angeles

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23-Dec-2007 13:06, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.005 sec
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23-Dec-2007 13:06, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 3.5, 12.523mm, 0.004 sec
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Mom and Harv are nuts. Here's next year's Christmas card photo....
Mom and Harv are nuts. Here's next year's Christmas card photo....23-Dec-2007 13:07, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 3.5, 12.523mm, 0.005 sec
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Stacie and her son, Trent
Stacie and her son, Trent23-Dec-2007 16:07, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.02 sec
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23-Dec-2007 16:08, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 8.0, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec
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Me and my stister Stacie!
Me and my stister Stacie!23-Dec-2007 16:18, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec
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23-Dec-2007 16:18, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec
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23-Dec-2007 19:59, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec
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23-Dec-2007 19:59, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec
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Stacie, Charlie's Angel
Stacie, Charlie's Angel23-Dec-2007 19:59, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec
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23-Dec-2007 19:59, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec
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24-Dec-2007 17:14, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.005 sec
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24-Dec-2007 17:15, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.006 sec
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Uncle Steve and Auntie Helen
Uncle Steve and Auntie Helen24-Dec-2007 17:15, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.006 sec
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Mom and Uncle JC
Mom and Uncle JC24-Dec-2007 17:15, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.008 sec
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Well, I guess there’s no time like the present to begin my 2007 recap!

  • Okay, well, hmmm….I have things that I want to write about but where do I start off? 2007 felt like a very LONG year. I guess at the beginning of 2007, I was hopeful. I knew that 2007 would be the year I finally got free from the Air Force, but I’d have to put in 8 more months of it before I earned that freedom. So I put on my Determined Face and was ready to be the Flight Commander of SCB for what I figured would be at least till the summer when Melissa would take over for me once she put on the rank of Captain. Alas, that little daydream didn’t pan out as expected. Around sometime in mid-January, the squadron leadership tells me that they’re excited about the fact that I’ll be stepping up to take over as deputy sq cc for a month or so and that Melissa will take over in February…. WTF? I was so pissed. Especially when that house of cards fell apart and I basically got left with nothing to do. For the remaining 6 months. A new phrase was coined during that time: Bitch Don’t Care. You can interpret that in many ways, and you’d be right in EVERY interpretation with regards to that situation. But it was hilarious that I muttered that under my breath and Melissa called me out on it – don’t misinterpret that as I was not directing it at Melissa at all but she heard it and now the phrase took on a life of its own. It was awesome.
  • Here’s a sort of awkward one to write about, but it certainly was a big part of my life the first half or so of this year. I finally had a true best friend again: Jeremy. It was an awesome time for a while. And then of course life, being life, says things must change. And Jeremy went off to find happiness and work satisfaction, but that wasn’t in Colorado Springs. And I lost my best friend. I hope this doesn’t make any of my other friends think that I don’t care about them, but I’ve had very few true best friends. Before Jeremy, it was Jason back at Lajes. In Las Vegas I never really truly had a best friend but a few great ones. In Colorado Springs there is/was a great group of us that I consider awesome great lifelong friends but Jeremy was the one who fit the mold I guess of being in the Best category. So when he left, it was pretty sucky. And to be honest, it was one of the prime motivators for me to leave Colorado Springs. I’m sure I could have searched harder to stay in CS, but I didn’t. I decided it was time for me to get where I needed to go…wherever that was. And I’m sure that was/is flawed thinking because even if Jeremy had stayed, it would have been foolish to have aimed at staying there as while Jeremy and I were good buds, it’s not exactly likely a great guy like him is going to stay single for long and at that point, I become the ‘extra’ around, which is how I basically felt my status was near the end of my time in CS anyways as everybody had basically coupled up. And since we all know now which way I am, that kind of left me on the outside looking in.
  • I guess the screamingly obvious one for this year would have to be coming out. After the awkward way things happened in October of 2006 when Jeff and Susan found out (don’t get any bad or weird thoughts – I wasn’t caught in the act or something – but it certainly was not exactly the way I had imagined things to have gone that’s for sure) I really had no clear idea of what was going to happen next. Turns out that Oct 06 while stressful was exactly what needed to happen for me. In April when my Mom and Harv came out, I told them. That was one of the scariest things I ever had to do. I can vividly remember that entire day and I’m sure I will for the rest of my life. They of course were awesome about it and that alone helped so much. I don’t know what I would have done if they had rejected me. But looking back at that time as well as basically the past few years, everyone who knows admits they weren’t really surprised and kinda figured. Usually those words exactly. It’s probably my awesome ability to dress myself which gave me away…. I’m so glad that it’s done with, but now it’s just a whole new set of things I have to learn and adjust to. I’ve never dated as an adult and so a lot of this stuff is so new I feel like a damned retard.
  • Finding a new job. Yeah, leaving the Air Force was great but I knew that I had to have my act together to make sure the transition period had as minimal unemployment time as possible as I know that I’d go crazy not having somebody pay me to be there. So this summer was definitely an exciting time of traveling the country (Chicago, San Diego, New York City) looking for jobs. Through the recruiters and agencies I used I learned a HELL of a lot on how to effectively interview and do resumes etc. I guess something worked. But I have to say that sending that one email to Rob Hemker saying I wasn’t interested in going to Houston for another hiring conference was the single-most important email I may have ever sent so far in my life. I had just come back from San Diego (which was a week or so after Chicago) and I realized that those two conferences had been major wastes of time for me (ultimately). The experience I gained from interviewing was certainly good, but the actual positions I was interviewing for were not at all anything I was interested in. So the idea of going to Houston was not appealing. I had just flown back in to CS that morning and I was at my laptop trying to be productive in my job search as I realized then and there that I had to change my hunting strategies somehow. First and foremost was being direct and honest with these recruiters who were constantly calling me with more conference invites. First up: Rob from JROfficer.com. I sent him a polite email expressing my thoughts and literally 10 minutes later I get a call from him. And the rest is history as one of the first jobs offered for my pursuit was the NBC one and well, I guess we see how that went.
  • Leaving Colorado Springs. You may think that from that paragraph a few back that I couldn’t wait to leave once Jeremy left. You’d be wrong. Jeff, Susan (my Grace!), KD, Eric, Melissa, Erin…. these are all great friends that made life in Colorado Springs awesome. A true circle of friends that I feel honestly blessed to have had as it hadn’t been since Lajes that something like that had existed for me. Once I actually got an offer from NBC and after a day or so of pondering the offer and accepting it, the realization came over me that I was WILLINGLY starting over, once again. And I wouldn’t have any friends out there nor a built-in network of military to depend on. That’s one thing that is great about the military community – you can almost always find a few in your built-in rank circle that are awesome to hang out with. And since everyone in the military always moves around, they understand where you’re coming from when you’re the new guy and don’t have established friends there. It’s up to you how good of friends you want to get with these new friends, but it’s nice to have that option there (unless you go to Vegas and your ‘peergroup’ deems you unworthy of association…. thank God for fraternization!!!!). So basically saying, okay, not only am I going to leave Colorado Springs, I’m going to go where I know basically no one. Great. It sucked to leave. Those last few days spent with my friends were really painful and sad for me. But once I got on the road, I knew I had to just look forward and not dwell too much on what I was leaving behind. I’ll always keep in touch with those guys but it certainly isn’t the same not having them around to drink with, eat with, go see movies with, etc.
  • Leaving my HOUSE!!!! I still look at pictures of my house every now and then and get bummed. I tried to sell it because I’d rather have a clean break, but with the real estate market as it is, that didn’t happen. Fortunately my property management company found a renter a few days after I left and they’ve signed a two-year lease, which is awesome. But still, my house!!! I miss having my TV room. I miss the porch out back. I miss my garage. I miss my awesome kitchen/bar area. I miss my dining room. I miss my redone bathroom. It sucks just writing this. That house was totally mine and it was pretty much just how I wanted it. But now it’s gone, all my furniture is pretty much sold and gone except that which I took with me. Now I wanna drink. <sigh>
  • Summer with my Dad and Pat. It was weird – I didn’t know what to think of my Dad and Pat coming out to Colorado Springs for the summer. I was excited but it had been so long since I’d lived within any reasonable proximity to parents. Las Vegas was close to LA, but that’s still 2.5 hours away from LA. So having actual parents around to go have an impromptu dinner with was nice. I loved having them around, and having them over for dinner on the weekends was nice, as it felt great to have company that was actual family there. And then dropping by in the mornings down at the KOA camp before ‘work’ (which at this point was merely a place that I had to make an appearance at – although I probably could have skipped that too in all reality) and have breakfast. They left about a few weeks before I did and that just added to the sadness of leaving CS. I’m glad that I got this opportunity as honestly, that was the first time spent with my Dad on that regular of a basis in… well, I have no idea. It was just nice.
  • Becoming a New Yorker/Jersey Boy. I have to pay taxes to both of them so why not claim both as heritage???? New York has definitely been an incredible experience. Working at NBC and Rockefeller Center with a great group of people. Lucking out into an incredible living situation with a wonderful roommate. Doing the tourist thing in the biggest city in the world. Dating. It’s crazy. I’m still working on trying to create a new circle of friends to hang out with here, but it’s not easy going in that regards. Dating has slowed down to non-movement so it’s been kind of a lonely month except for going home. It’s my fault I guess, but frankly I don’t know how much energy I have. And this month in New York is ridiculous with tourists, so I’m really not spending much time in the city as it’s just too aggravating. I’m looking forward to relatively calm January and February to resume my exploration of the city as otherwise I’m gonna commit murder. You should have seen the ridiculousness of this past Friday as I was going home. 49th St was literally CLOGGED with tourists – they were literally walking in the middle of 49th and blocking traffic. I have NEVER seen it this crowded yet. I knew then and there that waiting for the Ferry bus would be pointless as the bus itself wouldn’t be able to move. So I walked it from 49th St/5th Ave to 39th St/12 Ave. It was actually a great night for it as it wasn’t too cold but navigating through the area around Rockefeller Center and Times Square was ludicrous. Once I got to the 9th Ave/Hells Kitchen area, it was a lot calmer and I walked by a quite a few of the places I’ve been, remembering the good times I’ve had there. So yeah, New York has been fun and while it’s a lull right now, I fully anticipate January to resume what Oct and Nov were like.

Okay, that’s probably not exactly all the Greatest Hits but it is a fairly accurate recap of the biggest things that happened to me this year. I just finished rewatching Season 3 of LOST on DVD and when Charlie writes down his 5 ‘Greatest Hits’ in his life before he is about to die, it got me thinking that I don’t even know what would be my 5. But that led me to think smaller and at least think of what happened in 2007. So there you go. If I don’t write again until 2008, I hope everyone has had a fantastic 2007 and has a safe New Years Eve. I will NOT be in Times Square this year as I just don’t have the motivation to go by myself there and suffer needlessly. I’ll be safe and warm at home with easy access to a bathroom which is what those thousands of people will NOT be able to say. And my booze is a lot cheaper to drink then out there!

Happy New Year and see you in 2008.

just a post, pictures

Greetings from Cleveland!

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This is Night #3 of my cross-country journey!

I totally lied about not putting up pictures as you’ll see below. I realized I’d not get to these in a long time if I don’t do them tonight. So if you checked this site out earlier well, my bad.

The drive across has been fairly uneventful. Uneventful because there is absolutely nothing to see between Colorado and Ohio. Truly. There’s absolutely nothing but flatlands and corn fields and then occasionally a little river or something is crossed. And lots of ridiculous truckers. Lots. But I’m here safely so I can’t complain.

Not much to report on though so this’ll be a relatively short post. I did get to hang out with Jeremy yesterday and that was a lot of fun. In Joliet, Illinois, Harrah’s has a pretty cool casino and I actually mean that. They have really upscale restaurants and a their casino, while small, at least has craps and other games you don’t see at places like Indian casinos. What I was shocked about was that the casino had $10 Minimums!!!! WTF?! This is Illinois! But anyways, it was awesome to be able to talk with Jeremy and just realize how much I’ve missed having him around. I’m trying my best now to convince him how cool New York would be. I think that’s a possibility in a year or so. How much fun would that be?

So today is boring day in Cleveland and tomorrow I’ll finally get to see the infamous Jenny Jennertons in Philadelphia. I must be ready for anything. She’s insane. In a good way, but still.

And then after that, it’s Atlantic City time and you KNOW I’ll be getting my gambling on.

And for those who are looking for the massive amount of pictures that do exist, I’m sorry but I haven’t gotten to them just yet. Patience, patience. Such a liar, I am!

14 Sep 2007 – Dinner at AI

Gotta love TeppanYaki style Japanese food
Gotta love TeppanYaki style Japanese food14-Sep-2007 19:31, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 192
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14-Sep-2007 19:36, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 141
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Erin, Eric and KD
Erin, Eric and KD14-Sep-2007 19:36, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 141
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14-Sep-2007 19:36, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 141
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Me and KD
Me and KD14-Sep-2007 19:36, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 141
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Jeff is REALLY hungry
Jeff is REALLY hungry14-Sep-2007 19:37, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 141
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One of the Hobie Farewell events was the group having a bbq at Susan’s house and then fun afterwards. Originally I thought I’d pop for a limo and kind of recreate what my 30th birthday was like, but then I began to think, nah, why do that again? So the night became all about rollerskating and pimping… uh, I mean rollerskating and bowling. It was awesome.

15 Sep 2007 – Bowling Goodness

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Lauren and Tom ready for hearty family fun
Lauren and Tom ready for hearty family fun15-Sep-2007 19:37, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 4.0, 15.599mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 168
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The smallest and cutest dog ever: Linda
The smallest and cutest dog ever: Linda15-Sep-2007 19:40, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 4.0, 15.599mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 141
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Bowling alley nirvana - it was Rock'n Bowl Night
Bowling alley nirvana - it was Rock'n Bowl Night15-Sep-2007 22:22, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 1 sec, ISO 141
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Tom fixin to bowl
Tom fixin to bowl15-Sep-2007 22:24, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 233
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15-Sep-2007 22:24, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 233
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15-Sep-2007 22:25, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 233
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15-Sep-2007 22:25, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 233
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Jeff, Susan, and Eric
Jeff, Susan, and Eric15-Sep-2007 22:26, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 233
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Look at me - I'm a winner... at least that first game
Look at me - I'm a winner... at least that first game15-Sep-2007 22:26, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 233
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KD and Erin right before making out... okay, just kidding
KD and Erin right before making out... okay, just kidding15-Sep-2007 22:27, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 8.0, 7.7mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 233
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15-Sep-2007 22:27, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 233
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Weird white glow on these pics - feels kinda retro film camera-ish
Weird white glow on these pics - feels kinda retro film camera-ish15-Sep-2007 22:29, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 3.2, 9.028mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 233
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Continuing the retro vibe
Continuing the retro vibe15-Sep-2007 22:29, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 3.2, 9.028mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 233
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Me and KD
Me and KD15-Sep-2007 22:30, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 3.2, 9.028mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 233
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Tom is NOT amused
Tom is NOT amused15-Sep-2007 22:30, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 8.0, 9.028mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 233
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It wasn’t all fun and games though. The last two days I was in the Springs involved a LOT of cleaning up of the house. In fact, it took two days for me and Susan to get it done. And without Susan’s help, I’d probably still be there. She totally rocks and I am totally unworthy of her awesomeness. Below are some pictures from cleaning fun. Don’t be dissuaded by the pics of me sitting on my ass. It was a total random shot that does NOT illustrate how hard I was working!

16 Sep 2007 – Cleaning House

My kitchen slash office slash before Susan rocked it
My kitchen slash office slash before Susan rocked it16-Sep-2007 16:00, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 145
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My dining room slash bedroom slash office
My dining room slash bedroom slash office16-Sep-2007 16:00, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 233
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Living room empty but not carpet cleaned... yet
Living room empty but not carpet cleaned... yet16-Sep-2007 16:00, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 141
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Don't let Susan's expression fool you - she was LOVING this
Don't let Susan's expression fool you - she was LOVING this16-Sep-2007 16:01, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec
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I'm totally a critical part of the process
I'm totally a critical part of the process16-Sep-2007 16:01, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 141
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Seriously
Seriously16-Sep-2007 16:01, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 141
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Here's me using the Rug Doctor
Here's me using the Rug Doctor16-Sep-2007 16:25, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 141
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I could totally be a sticker on the side of that damn thing
I could totally be a sticker on the side of that damn thing16-Sep-2007 16:25, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 141
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16-Sep-2007 16:27, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 104
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16-Sep-2007 16:27, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec
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So my last night in town, my friends and I went to my ultimate favorite place to eat: Outback. I was sad to realize that this was it. As I’ve already written earlier, it is tough to leave such great friends. So what better way to make yourself feel better than to take lots of fun pictures!?

17 Sep 2007 – Last Night at the Outback

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This rainstorm left a gateway rainbow behind - little did I know I'd catch up to the storm the next day
This rainstorm left a gateway rainbow behind - little did I know I'd catch up to the storm the next day17-Sep-2007 17:56, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.005 sec
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17-Sep-2007 17:56, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.005 sec
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17-Sep-2007 17:56, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.005 sec
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Eric and KD
Eric and KD17-Sep-2007 19:44, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 200
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17-Sep-2007 19:44, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 1 sec, ISO 400
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17-Sep-2007 19:45, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 233
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17-Sep-2007 19:45, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 1 sec, ISO 800
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Last total group shot
Last total group shot17-Sep-2007 19:46, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 200
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Jeff just doesn't know what KD will say next
Jeff just doesn't know what KD will say next17-Sep-2007 19:51, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 3.5, 12.523mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 233
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Same as Eric
Same as Eric17-Sep-2007 19:51, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 4.9, 23.1mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 233
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KD
KD17-Sep-2007 19:52, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 3.5, 10.487mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 233
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Melissa returned!
Melissa returned!17-Sep-2007 19:52, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 3.5, 10.487mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 233
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KD and Melissa
KD and Melissa17-Sep-2007 19:53, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 3.5, 10.487mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 233
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Susan and her new hair length - I like it
Susan and her new hair length - I like it17-Sep-2007 19:54, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 4.5, 18.776mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 233
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Me and my mentee, Melissa
Me and my mentee, Melissa17-Sep-2007 19:55, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 4.0, 15.599mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 233
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And finally, here are some pics from my drive so far to Cleveland. I’m retarded though, and didn’t bring my camera when me and Jeremy hung out. So stupid. So all you get are scenery shots. Enjoy. (2014 Note:  I’ve also put these in their own page in my Travelogue section)

18-20 Sep 2007 – Colorado Springs to Cleveland

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18-Sep-2007 09:30, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.003 sec
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18-Sep-2007 11:17, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 8.0, 7.7mm, 0.003 sec
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18-Sep-2007 11:25, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 8.0, 7.7mm, 0.004 sec
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18-Sep-2007 11:28, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 8.0, 7.7mm, 0.004 sec
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What my view is while driving - dice, GPS, and abso-FUCKING-lutely nothing to see out the window
What my view is while driving - dice, GPS, and abso-FUCKING-lutely nothing to see out the window18-Sep-2007 11:28, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 8.0, 7.7mm, 0.003 sec
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Welcome to Nebraska, let the boring scenery continue unabated.
Welcome to Nebraska, let the boring scenery continue unabated.18-Sep-2007 13:40, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 4.0, 15.599mm, 0.001 sec
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18-Sep-2007 16:06, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 10.0, 12.523mm, 0.006 sec
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I think this bridge showed up in About Schmidt
I think this bridge showed up in About Schmidt18-Sep-2007 16:07, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 4.9, 23.1mm, 0.002 sec
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18-Sep-2007 16:07, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 4.9, 23.1mm, 0.002 sec
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That storm that hit Colorado on Monday - I caught up to it on Tuesday
That storm that hit Colorado on Monday - I caught up to it on Tuesday18-Sep-2007 17:01, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.002 sec
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And it was a doozy - it rained for the last 2 hours I was driving to Omaha
And it was a doozy - it rained for the last 2 hours I was driving to Omaha18-Sep-2007 17:08, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.017 sec
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The next day, I was driving through Iowa's wondrous scenery
The next day, I was driving through Iowa's wondrous scenery19-Sep-2007 09:36, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.003 sec
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19-Sep-2007 09:36, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.003 sec
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The view didn't change much except I added a cup of hot chocolate to it
The view didn't change much except I added a cup of hot chocolate to it19-Sep-2007 09:36, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 2.8, 7.7mm, 0.005 sec
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Wow, Iowa wasn't exactly stimulating scenery
Wow, Iowa wasn't exactly stimulating scenery19-Sep-2007 11:34, Canon Canon PowerShot SD900, 8.0, 7.7mm, 0.004 sec
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just a post

Listed (T-59)

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Spent this morning officially listing my house on the market. Time to sell sell sell.

Also went to work for about an hour. It was cool. Then we had a going-away luncheon for TSgt Iannotti – he is a pretty cool guy and it will suck to see him leave. Afterwards I went to Best Buy and Men’s Wearhouse – I got my suit pressed for free there (it’s a nice perk) in preparation for my Chicago trip and also ended up getting another white dress shirt, another ‘power’ tie, and a cool ivory lightweight sweater. As I was asking about recommendations for taking a suit on a flight, the clerk showed me this awesome travel bag that is basically a rolled-up suitcase that protects your suit from getting creases, holds your ties securely, and has room for two pairs of dress shoes. SWEET. So I totally bought it.

Anyways, yesterday I wanted to update on the fact that I had gotten in touch with a few people from my past that I hadn’t talked or written to in a while. First I heard back from my old boss at Nellis – I had asked him to be a reference as I need to compile those before heading out for my interviews. Then I had been talking to Robbie the other day and he mentioned that a guy I used to work with at Kelly was in the Reserves now and was down in San Antonio: Keith Piwowarski. I hadn’t heard from him in forever and so I sent him an email a few days back to see how he was. From what Robbie said and how his email sounded, it sounds like he’s doing good and hasn’t changed too much. It would be interesting to talk to him again. And finally, I got back in touch with Dave Fox again after nearly 2/3ds of a year. I’m so glad to have talked to him again – he really was an awesome friend to have out in Vegas, and it looks like I may get a chance to hang out with him on the Sunday night I’m out there in Vegas and play some craps. Let’s just say I’ll follow his lead on craps – the man has done well. 🙂 He also helped me out with some contacts on possible jobs out in Las Vegas. As I have been alluding to recently, I would really like to live back there again. With my clearance, it probably won’t be hard. But I’m jumping way ahead of the gun (mixed metaphor?). I really need to see how these next two weekends go. I’m not against seeing the opportunities available in the Chicago area nor back in LA. But I also know I want Plans B – Z at the ready just in case.

Here’s a picture of newly reorganized living room. I ended up moving it around because of my realtor’s suggestion to open up the room more, and damn, I should have had her come over earlier. I freakin’ love that room now as it’s so much more of an open space to go into and relax. I also cleaned the carpets in the high traffic area near the porch door, so that room is immaculate. I really hope this house sells sooner than later!

Oh, and before we get to that pic, I have put up DAY SIX OF THE EUROPEAN PHOTO PICS. This page has a lot of Crepeau shots at the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, plus our Paris Lunchtime cafe fun. Good times!

AFTER:

070703---Redone-Living-Room

BEFORE:

Okay, so you can barely see it in this picture. But I found out I didn’t take any pictures of it in its ‘before’ state. Go figure.

060108---2---Furnished-nook