The siding is up; we painted kind of a greenish tan color, with bright white trim. It was only completed because my little brother gallantly came and helped after I fell off a ladder attempting to paint some of the higher up points and broke my foot. Oh yeah, that’s my other excuse for not writing for months, I was recuperating from a broken foot. I highly recommend never doing that.

Still haven’t painted the bathroom, maybe this winter, maybe. We’ll at least do it before selling the house in the next decade or so. Probably.

A couple of weeks ago we were watching Stephen King’s The Stand (it really hasn’t held up to the test of time, but that’s another story) and it got me thinking–if the apocalypse were to strike would I even notice? I mean honestly, those are the kind of things that pop into my head these days, I have a bit more time on my hands than I used to and the silence of the house makes you think odd things, but it’s a valid point. I can go a week or more without stepping a foot outside, unless I want the mail. I wouldn’t actually physically talk to other people if I didn’t live with someone. Unless the cable or power goes out I wouldn’t really notice what’s going on. I think, unless my house actually blew up or zombies broke in, I’d likely survive whatever is going on just due to sheer obliviousness, at least until my next Safeway delivery didn’t show up.

If the apocalypse strikes it won’t be the gun nuts or the people who stocked up on supplies who survive, it’ll be the telecommuters.

Over a month ago we started down the path of updating our siding. The old cedar shingles were slowly rotting and the paint was peeling; the idea of replacing more shingles and once again painting the house (something we did just a couple years before) just seemed like a waste. So enter a project to update to fancy HardiePlank Fiber Cement siding. Then, because hey the majority of the labor for replacing the windows would be done with the siding job we decided to get rid of our old, falling apart, drafty, leaky, horrible, aluminum windows and replace them with über energy efficient ones. And hey while they’re at it I’d wanted a new kitchen floor for ages…. It was already adding up.

First, they found rot under the siding. Then, they found mold under the rot. Then, the windows didn’t fit as perfectly into the interior trim as we’d hoped necessitating replacing that AND one of the windows arrived from the manufacturer broken (still waiting on the glass guy to repair). Meanwhile, while replacing the kitchen floor it was discovered that the previous owners (dating back to the 50s) had never actually removed flooring, they just kept putting layer after layer after layer on top of each other (it was like a time machine even including avocado green at one point) so there was no way to actually get the floor level with the rest of the rooms without a huge job at triple the cost (let’s just say it’s not level now and I’m happy that way, probably how all those past owners ended up with layers of floor not removed). All in all it’s been an…experience.

My, should be done in just a couple weeks, project has already spanned a month and we still have to tear the bathroom down to the studs (the location of the black mold discovered under the rot!) and put in new drywall and a shower surround.

You never learn this stuff as an apartment dweller. Up until we bought our house a few years back apartments were all I knew. It’s been a real eye opener! Next time I’m taking my projected budget and tripling it, would probably be closer to the reality!

Is this what it’s always like? There are still other small updates I’d like to make, not to mention the dream of adding a second bathroom. With the way this project has gone I can’t help but think that buying a new house would be less hassle!

The house, once upon a time:

The house, a month ago (well okay, a couple years ago right after we finished painting last time):

The house, right now:

I still have to decide what color to paint. Decisions, decisions! Any suggestions?

By the time I was 18 I was already on the path to a career and a jagged hop through an assortment of gray cubicals, large corporations, small companies and everything in between. I’ve been a designer, a developer, a webmaster and a code monkey (not my official title, but really, it should have been). It’s been a dozen years and until recently I never really stopped to think, is this what I want? It just was what it was. The bills were paid; some days my mind overflowed with excitement and ideas, and other days my feet had trouble moving I was so numb from the drudgery. It was work, basically. It wasn’t until a few years ago when I really sat down and thought about what I wanted to be when I grew up and even that didn’t go further than a constantly changing idea of “what could be” and an unused bachelor’s degree achieved while still working the same sort of jobs.

When I was a kid computers were always there (despite it being the early 80s), but they weren’t my overriding passion. From the time I was 6 I wanted to be a doctor (before that I wanted to be an actress/singer, I’d still take that job, if only for the paycheck). First a pediatric cardiologist (try asking most 6 year olds to pronounce that much less explain it!), then later a research biologist (but still a medical doctor) once someone introduced me to medical laboratories and let me play for a couple of days with centrifuges and other assorted equipment. The mysteries of the universe opened up before me, it was thrilling.

Now though, now I don’t know. I’m rushing towards 30 and I still don’t truly know what I want to be when I grow up. I can keep following the path I’m on and will likely continue to grow and enjoy my career or I can put on the breaks and completely change paths now, while I’m still young enough that I’m not that set in my ways.

So how about you? Are you doing what you’ve always wanted to do? Or did you fall into something that you really enjoy, but wasn’t an overriding passion or an intentional decision? What would you do if someone handed you 4-8 years worth of living expenses and said “go to school and study your heart’s passion, you just have to come out of it with a paying job and support yourself after”? What would you study?

Me, well I still don’t know. I know I’d miss what I’m doing now, it has become a passion. Maybe not my first passion, though. When do you give up on the what-ifs and what-could-have-been kind of thoughts? Is it when you finally grow up?

Now though, now the first big change is about to occur, the first time I’ve had to hire more than a simple handyman and where the cost…well it’s when I start thinking of things in terms of how much of a Mini Cooper S (with the options I want) that would have bought me (roughly 1/6th of a Cooper in this case). We’re not doing anything luxurious, my dreams of new kitchen counters and a jacuzzi tub are still unfulfilled, but the sense of joy the idea of new siding and windows is bringing me is, quite frankly, weird. You never realize until you own a house just how much of “you” gets invested in it. And it doesn’t happen to everyone, Jer couldn’t care less, but me I’m wrapped up in U-factors and debating colors to paint. To each their own I guess.

The contractors though, that’s been the worse part. First, getting them to actually call or email me back was a trial. Of the 20 or so I actually contacted to get them to give me a bid only 9(!) actually responded. For such a down economy I guess business must be booming for them. And then the actual appointments, good grief.

First, there were the guys who talked down to me; pretty little girl, hasn’t a clue in her head about what she wants, so I’ll just tell her what she wants or ask if her husband will be home soon (next please!).

Then, there were the creepy ones, the ones where I wish I hadn’t been home alone during their bid (um, police?!).

Third, there was the salesy one, thankfully this was only one of the 9, but he made up for his minority status by pulling out every cliché there is. He started off asking me what he needed to say to get me to sign on the dotted line today (how about “I’ll do all the work and pay you $500 for the privilege.” No? Then I’m not committing during a bid). He then proceeded to tell me how they do everything differently and better than every other company out there. Then he told me how they’ll match the bid of any other company, as long as they’re using the same materials and exact process as they are…hmm what about how they’re completely different? I guess he didn’t think I’d catch on to that. He also insisted I sit down with him to go through his brochure (which was pages and pages about how they’re different, addresses of houses they’ve worked on, obviously as proof they’ve been hired before, their better business rating, etc), before he’d even get into the product OR the costs. All the while talking about how he’s not really a “salesy” type person and not at all pushy. And then of course he wanted an answer. Wasn’t too thrilled when I wouldn’t give him one OR when I said please don’t call me, I’ll call you (he said he WILL call within a week, um thanks). Listen, just take your measurements, listen to what I want and hand me your bid. Include a reference sheet if you want, if you don’t and I’m interested, I’ll ask for one. Otherwise, be on your way. You can ask questions, suggest products or methods you think would be better, but if the whole thing takes an hour you’re doing it wrong!

Fourth, there were the low pressure, listen to what I want, cheerfully respond and promptly give me my estimate ones. There were 2. Still trying to decide which of those 2 will get my business. Too bad I can’t hire them both.

I’m not sure which will be the tougher decision, which contractor to hire or what color to paint the house. Both won’t be easy. A bad contractor will be more expensive though.

To those contemplating getting braces, really they aren’t that bad. I’m sure it’ll be worth it in the end. It’s not some delusion forced upon me by the orthodontic industry. I think. I hope.

Oh, and silicone wax is far better than standard wax, but it takes 3 times as long to put on, so get both.

First, as CEO John Sargent says, “All the new adult trade books for which we have the rights to publish in e-book format will be available at the first release of the printed book.” Meaning, Macmillan books won’t end up on my boycott list.

How will they do this you ask? The same way publishers have been doing for ages now, with tiered pricing, meaning the initial release will be priced higher. Think of it as a hard cover for ebooks. If the book you want is released as a hardcover first and you want to read it the day it comes out, expect to pay more than you would if it was a paperback. They say that prices will be lower than the paperbacks, “between $14.99 and $12.99; a few books will be priced higher and lower” and as a paperback version is released or time goes by (for those that do not come out in paperback) prices will be lowered.

Is this going to solve everything? No, odds are their prices are still going to be higher than many are comfortable with paying. It’s a step in the right direction, though. I like that at least one publisher is recognizing that ebooks aren’t just another medium like paperbacks vs. hardbacks, it’s another market entirely. Pricing higher at release and lower over time is the way to go in my mind. If I want a book the day it comes out and it’s something being released in a hard cover edition, I’m already conditioned to pay more–I’m fine with this. As long as it’s cheaper than the actual hardcover (showing both the savings from the print costs and the loss of value in terms of resale, sharing, etc, to me as a reader) I’ll be happy. Will they actually hold firm to prices the market is willing to pay? That’s the real question.

Never again would I be afraid to try a new author because now I could download free samples allowing me to read a couple of chapters and try things out. Nothing is worse than buying a book based on reviews or the back cover description and getting it home only to realize the writing is so appalling that you can’t make it past the first few pages. Never again would I be forced to make the decision to part with my precious books because of lack of shelf space, they can all be stored on one small device or online.

However, now I feel like I’m stuck in the middle of a war and I’m nothing but fodder. Here I am, a passionate reader. For the entirety of my life books have been one of my best friends, as pathetic as that may sound. I’m fairly certain I’ve seen more of the interior of books than I have that large glowing ball of light up in the sky. But I’ve become a second class citizen in the realm of books.

Publishers have decided that I’m not worthy of reading books the day they come out unless I want to go back to dead tree versions. Instead I need to wait, because ebooks are second class citizens. Ignore the fact that the majority of ebook readers are generally the passionate types who love books, we don’t seem to matter. I guess they think we love books enough that we’ll buy those we truly want no matter the format. They ignore the fact that it’s not a hard cover vs. paperback kind of debate. eBooks are a completely new medium that deserve completely different treatment and they need to move with the times.

Well no more. I love books. I have a very long list of authors who I previously would have purchased their most recent book the very day it came out, and that list keeps growing every time I discover a new author (made so much easier by my lovely reading device). But I’m being thwarted by publishers who won’t allow that behavior.

I don’t think publishers are going to listen to anything but money, so that’s what I’ll speak with. If the ebook doesn’t come out the exact same day as the initial release…too bad. I’m just one person, but it’s better than none. Maybe if they see an overall drop in sales of a book when they delay the ebook launch it will mean something.

Publishers, please don’t get caught in the same stupid abyss that the music industry has been and refuse to recognize the digital medium or try and restrain it. I’m never going back to non-digital versions. It isn’t a pricing decision (I can, have, and probably will again discuss that topic, though, so don’t think price doesn’t come into play with ebooks). I don’t see ebooks as an alternative to hard covers or something like that. It’s a convenience choice, it’s a delivery preference. Just as I don’t want CDs cluttering up my house and I want to be able to carry hundreds of them with me easily, I want the same for my books. You don’t see the music industry trying to impose restrictions on when the digital version of an album is released vs. the hard copy, do you? Don’t tell me that the music industry is behaving better than the publishing industry! That’s just sad.

I’m not really that different than I was at 21 when I got said hole added to my body. Sure, I’m a few pounds heavier and I live in the suburbs now, but I still delight in dying my hair random colors. Halloween is still my favorite holiday. I don’t know how mature and responsible you can really call me. When did I hit that sudden barrier where it seems a waste of time and money to get a piercing? When did I get that old? Will the hair color be next? Will I give up metal and alternative rock for easy listening?

It’s probably just personality and pain tolerance shifting with time. But I’m feeling like an fuddy-duddy right now.

1. Americans get all the crappy cars. I’d like to move to Europe just to be able to buy the cars they show every week. Even the less fun hatchbacks are much more awesome than the ones we get over here.
2. I’m easily encouraged to drive like a maniac. It doesn’t take much watching to make me want to drive super fast and attempt handbrake parallel parking.
3. I have an inexplicable crush on James May.
4. I’m never going to be happy with the car I’m driving.

That’s all. For now.

Boring I know.