Chipping off a piece of the American Dream

[retrosurfer1959]

Guess she said yes huh?

 

If she would have said no than that would not be a banner day.

[retrosurfer1959]

Interesting topic and congrats Izzy first house is always special, along with first career real career not a not job, marriage, divorce, better marriage the kid all seem like huge milestones.

 

Until this year i would have said registering for my first semester at Harvard was the defining statement that my plan had worked and life goals could all be reached. then I followed the plan hard study followed by hard work and long hoursto get the financial prizes that come with success but still not complete

 

than

 

I hit two huge milestones this year the first was I turned 50 which always seemed so far away then blink and it's here. the Second and even larger change was retirement at 50. it's a strange feeling when you hit the goals and realize that the 60 hour weeks with almost no time off have paid off and your financially set and that most of your future salaries are going to taxes anyway so every financial advisor says the same thing retire get a hobby your corporate days are done.

 

then you get to decide what life you want when all the needs are gone and want is all thats left. wow sounds deep I'm going surfing ALOHA!

 

[pippy]

Have fun, Retro.

 

You've certainly earned the right to it!

[TommyK]

...

Funny, after two girls I had the feeling even more when my son was born.

Hard to explain.

 

Something about knowing I was putting a Man in the world, hoping he would someday contribute.

 

I've met a few other people who understood completely, and others who simply labeled me a chauvinist.

 

Just tell the labelers, "It's a Dad thing, you wouldn't understand. B)

[flyingarmadillo]

Congrats on the house Izzy!! While Neo's idea of a pump was probably good, a back up generator might be a better 1st accessory. BTW, I think you misstated the configuration - didn't you mean 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath, and 1 music room???

[TommyK]

Yup, gotta stake out that music room early.

[jaxson50]

Milestones never stop...Learning that falling down and scraping your knee is part of life..Leaving home for the first time....Getting hired to your first real job..then being fired..finishing school...buying a home..selling it to buy a better one..losing your parents..getting married-then divorced. Burying your best friend(s). Watching your children graduate from school, watching go off to war return-get married-holding your grandchild in your arms-even better, giving the crumb cruncher back to your son, dirty diaper and all-and going home...Being diagnosed with a bad illness-going through months of treatment - coming out of it alive-and clear...having your first heart attack....finding out your wife has a incurable condition..taking care of her 24-7-and not *****ing about it...Learning that politics is all a shell game...life has so many bigger issues....and largest milestone, figuring out that without you the world will go on without even a hiccup.... Your employer is not your friend and never has been..you are as valuable as a office chair...replaceable in a instant..Losing all your siblings..all your cousins..uncles and aunts..and grandparents..and figuring out the death is just not that big of deal...just another part of life....and inevitable, and in some cases..many in fact a blessing..and still being able to love life...to find things that are enjoyable..like watching your grandson catch his first fish..hit his first home run..

When milestones stop..so do you.

[Izzy]

Deep, jaxon O.O

 

Yup, gotta stake out that music room early.

 

I already staked out the music room and I'm setting up an alarm system to secure the babies.

That room will have one computer, the amp, a stool and the guitars. I'm thinking there will only be two stands which will remain empty while I'm not there to fiddle, otherwise the girls will stay in their coffins so nothing gets on them while they're not being played. I also considered getting an OLD 60s tube record player for the vinyls, but I could also get the modern record player that burns vinyl to CDs. Not sure yet, I do love that old sound, but them things are bulky.

 

Sound advice on saving up for the furnace, or in my case the AC. I'm not a fan of spending a bunch of dough on decorating or keeping up with the neighbors. I want to do a couple of upgrades though. Practical I would think like better counter tops (from laminate to tile...not sure I can afford granite) and later on, replacing the carpet with tile. I just hate carpet, it is such a filth magnet. If I can pick up a couple extra shifts and I get a decent quote I want to kill a big chunk of grass and make a patio deck...I hate grass. Already dreading yard work, though it is a teeny yard.

 

Question: How advisable is it for me to try the do-it-yourself thing with flooring? My uncles both tiled their homes (they live in Canada, so can't come help me) and said it was SO easy...

[Robin Nahum]

....That room will have one computer, the amp, a stool and the guitars. I'm thinking there will only be two stands which will remain empty while I'm not there to fiddle, otherwise the girls will stay in their coffins so nothing gets on them while they're not being played. I also considered getting an OLD 60s tube record player for the vinyls, but I could also get the modern record player that burns vinyl to CDs. Not sure yet, I do love that old sound, but them things are bulky...

 

A mini-mixer is useful in a music room, particularly for piping sound from a computer, IPod, keyboard or other source into a proper powered speaker or two. It is also a useful way of routing a signal to the soundcard.

 

An old (pre-USB) turntable will need to connect to the mixer (or computer) via a phono pre-amp. The output is not line level like that from a CD player or a tuner. It is signal level and the bass also needs to be boosted. A phono pre-amp equalises the signal and gets it up to line level.

 

Sound advice on saving up for the furnace, or in my case the AC. I'm not a fan of spending a bunch of dough on decorating or keeping up with the neighbors. I want to do a couple of upgrades though. Practical I would think like better counter tops (from laminate to tile...not sure I can afford granite) and later on, replacing the carpet with tile. I just hate carpet, it is such a filth magnet. If I can pick up a couple extra shifts and I get a decent quote I want to kill a big chunk of grass and make a patio deck...I hate grass. Already dreading yard work, though it is a teeny yard.

 

Question: How advisable is it for me to try the do-it-yourself thing with flooring? My uncles both tiled their homes (they live in Canada, so can't come help me) and said it was SO easy...

 

Generally speaking, I would not think about major changes until I have lived in the house for at least a year and developed a good sense of what it needs.

 

That said, would you think about putting a whole lot of insulation in the ceiling? Makes a huge difference in winter keeping the heat in, and in summer, keeping the heat out. Energy ain't going to get cheaper in the foreseeable future.

 

Hardware stores often have "how to do it" sessions. I expect tiling would be a favourite topic.

 

RN

[TommyK]

Ever made s'mores? Laying tile ain't that much more difficult. It's the cuttin' and trimmin' that takes time and patience, and a special nipper tool.

 

You mix the mud. Some kits come in a bucket with the dry stuff and the wet and a big 'tater masher / egg beater you put on the end of a 1/2" VSWR drill. Mix it up, trowel the stuff down, then lay the graham cracker... I mean tile down and smush it it a bit.

 

Lowes or some other home center usually have How-To seminars on site. Find out if and when they have them. Go to whatever interests you.