Insane? Or something else?

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

I would like to think I’m not insane. I certainly do the same thing over and over again, but I don’t really expect different results.

But I hope for them.

I guess that makes me an eternal optimist?

Back to School

I’ve been seriously considering taking a class at the local community college next semester.  Not for credit, not to go towards a degree, just for fun.  A class that I find interesting, and fun, and enlightening.  Now I just have to decide which class to take, because I have a list of about 10 that I think would be interesting.

I found this post:  100 Totally Fun and Weird College Courses you can take online for free.  Offerings include:

• Magic, Witchcraft and the Spirit World, offered by MIT. 
• Creole Language and Culture, from Notre Dame.
• Physics of Rock Climbing, MIT.
• Kitchen Chemistry, MIT.  (I listed that one specifically for the two Jen’s!)
• Nine Lessons Learned About Creativity at Google, offered by Stanford.
• Eat Well for Less, Oregon State.
• The Dark Age, UMass Boston.  (I might have to take this one – I love studying The Middle Ages.)

There are some well-known and prestigious universities – just think, you could tell people you were taking classes at MIT or UC Berkley.  How much fun would that be?

I love classes that make learning fun.  If it’s fun, if you enjoy it, then you’re more likely to care about learning.  That’s one of the problems with the public school system in general, I think.  Learning isn’t fun, so kids don’t want to learn.  They study the basics, enough to pass the all-important tests, but it’s not retained for future use.

My favorite college professor was Dr. Hodges.  She was so enthusiastic about her subject, and she was always having so much fun when she lectured, that you couldn’t help but be drawn in.  I wouldn’t be surprised if she also had a theatre background, because she knew how to hold your attention, even in an auditorium with 100+ students.  I will never forget one lecture in particular, when she was talking about the “bathrooms” in medieval castles.  She drew it out on a transparency, told us how it worked, and said, “Isn’t that the coolest thing ever?”  And it kind of was, because she thought it was so cool.

The Amazing Race, Episode 7

I need to start doing some roadblocks – I think The Pilot is up to 4, and I have one, and the first was rockpaperscissors.  I already know what the roadblock is tonight, and I would know what it is if I was on the race, because I saw Kristy & Lena lose to those darn hay bales the first time around.  So I know that I would do this roadblock.

Off to Stockholm.  I didn’t realize we were already down to 5 teams.  This will probably be a non-elimination leg.  It’ll be this one or next one.

One member of each team must ride the “drop” ride.  This doesn’t seem to be a roadblock.  I love roller coasters, so I wouldn’t mind doing this one at all.  The first two teams have the right idea – work together to find the clue that you can only see at the top.  At this point, you’re the first two teams, so it’s the smart play.

Oh, and it’s time for the Travelocity Roaming Gnome.  I can’t decide if I like the extremely blatant product placement or not.  I mean, it’s rampant on the race, but the gnome is the primest example.

Detour:  Nobel Dynamite, or Viking Alphabet.  Blow stuff up or decoding a message.  Something tells me we’ll be blowing stuff up.  Because, afterall, there’s a boy on our team, and boys love to blow stuff up.  (What is that?!)

Oh, man, the faces on the “drop” ride are hysterical!  Flight Time just closes his eyes, scrunches his face, and shakes his head, not making a sound.  Hee hee!  I’ve been on rides like that – I completely lose all ability to make a sound or anything else.  In other words, I pretty much go into shock.  But it’s still fun!

BOOM!  Boys:  “WOOHOO!!”

Note to racers – If you are hopelessly lost, driving in circles (literally), STOP AND ASK FOR DIRECTIONS!!

Roadblock:  Who thinks they can spot a needle in a haystack?  And they’re calling it a “switchback”, a task that has occurred on another season.  186 hay bales, 7 clues.  Dem’s bad odds.  The odds kind of go in favor of later arriving teams, right?  If, say, 50 hay bales are already unrolled, and no one has yet found a clue, then it’s only 136 bales with 7 clues.  But since it’s such a crapshoot, does that matter?  I’ve never been good at odds.

OMG, Meghan totally psyched Cheyne out – it was AWESOME.  She said she couldn’t do it anymore, crying, then handed him the clue.  Yay, her!

If I remember from last time, the clue was just in between the layers of hay, so when you unroll it, you see the clue.  This time, it seems you have to dig a little more for the little flag buried in there.  Yeah, as if it wasn’t hard enough to begin with!!

Yes!!! Non-elimination leg!  I knew it.  Yay for the father/son team!  They’re awesome!

I’ll say it again – I pretty much love all the teams currently still in the race.  It’s so much fun to watch when there’s not an asshole or a bitch on my tv.  Note to producers:  Bad behavior does not equal bigger viewership. 

Next week:  Matt doesn’t know what a candelabra is.  Can-del-a-BRA?

The Amazing Race, Episode 6

Wow, seems like just today that Episode 5 was on! 

We are still in Dubai, for those who are curious….  Isn’t it funny how once something comes to your attention, you notice it everywhere?  Like when you hear a new word – let’s say “accoutrements” (fitting, since the first time I heard it was on TAR) – and you’ve never heard it before, and then you hear it ALL THE TIME.  Anyways…  Did you know the Palm Jumeira is bigger than 800 football fields, and cost more than $12 billion to create.  Wow.

I think the only team I don’t really dig is the Poker Girls.  I like everyone else.  Go figure.  There’s no team for me to actively hate.  That’s…different. 

Off to Amsterdam.  They have to drive on a 19 mile causeway.  Have I mentioned my fear of driving over long stretches of water?

I love this group!  They all get along so well!  It’s great to watch, after many seasons of bickering teams and asshat behaviour.  And, wow, did I just spell that the British way?

Roadblock – who’s got stong legs and keen eyes.  Well, crap.  We’re on top of a building.  Strong legs=stairs?  Keen eyes=looking for something?  The Pilot certainly has more attention to detail, I think.  He’ll do it.  Yep, must climb the tower and count the number of bells.  (I really must figure out how many roadblocks I’ve assigned each of us.)

Hmmm…Sam gave the number of bells to the Poker Girl, so she didn’t have to count.  However, isn’t that part of the clue, to count?  Will they take a penalty for that?

Detour:  Farmer’s Game or Farmer’s Dance.  In Game, they have to swim across the creek and play three holes of “farmer’s golf” – looks kind of like croquet.  In Dance, teams must learn and perform a dance, then eat salted herring.  Ew – salted herring?  I think we’ll do Game.  And evidently Matt is with me – he saw herring and switched tasks!  It kind of triggers my gag reflex just thinking about it.

Poker Girls pulled a Quadruple switch!  They chose a task, switched, switched again, and then switched again!  That may be a first in the history of the race.  Aaaaand they are done for.  

Fabulous episode – I think one of the better ones in recent history. 

Holy crap holy crap holy crap!!  Next week, they’re doing the hay bales again!  The roadblock that kicked the Mormon Sisters’ Asses.  And it looks just as bad this time around – can’t wait!!

 

The Amazing Race, Episode 5

I’m finally getting around to watching last week’s episode.  I didn’t make it home until super late last Sunday, and haven’t had a chance to watch it at all this week.  Here we go, Episode 5:

Oh, wow – and I just found out that I didn’t get the first part of the episode, for some reason.  Usually I have problems with the end  of the episode.  Thank god I can watch online, right?

The teams start out in Dubai.  “Dubai is like an island Vegas.” 

Roadblock:  Who’s ready to row row row their boat?  I think The Pilot will do this one.  Wait, how many have we done?  You need to row out to a yacht.

Oh, good, I only missed like the first 4 minutes or so.  Back to Tivo – it’s easier to stop and rewind than the internet.

Matt brought hair dye with him?  Dude, space is limited.

You know, I never knew people didn’t know how to row a boat.  I think people had a problem with it last season, or maybe the season before that.  It’s been a long time for me, so I probably shouldn’t talk, but really, is it that hard?  One guy knelt in the bow and paddled with one oar, like a canoe.  Two guys used their hands to paddle, rather than the oars.  Oh, but the GIRL knows how to row!  Ha, take THAT!

Detour:  Gold or Glass?  In gold, they need to weigh out $500,000 worth of gold.  In glass, they need to assemble 12 hookahs.  Hmmmmm……I don’t know.  Gold, maybe?  This might be a case of rock, paper, scissors.  Although, gold certainly seems easier.  Just load up the scale with one amount, check the exchange rate, and adjust. 

OMG.  “Does a Muslim clock work different?”  Really????

Hey, Ericka is wearing a VS bathing suit!  I recognize the top!

Ah, I am so loving the father/son team!  They’re having fun!  I don’t care what anyone says, THAT is the whole point of the race.

Mika can’t make herself go down the slide – she’s afraid of water and heights, and water slide is something like 90 feet, I think they said.  You could tell she was terrified.  I don’t doubt that terror.  I just don’t understand it.  I’m not afraid of much, and even stuff I’m afraid of, I can usually get through.  If they tell me I have to pick up a tarantula and carry it for the rest of the race, I could do it, even though I hatehatehate spiders.  And my heart would probably be in my throat the entire time.  But I could do it.  Mika can’t overcome, though, so they’re out of the race.

Buh-bye.

 

 

Terrible Twos

I just realized that I’ve been writing this blog for two years this month.  My, how time flies!  Read the October 2007 posts here.

Thankful Thursday

Today, instead of dwelling on the worries of everyday (and not so everyday) life, I thought I’d reflect on some of the things I am thankful for.

• I am employed and have a roof over my head. I am far better off than a lot of people right now.
• My dinner decision consists of the question, “What am I going to eat?” rather than, “Will I eat?”
• I can see the light at the end of my debt tunnel.
• I have friends who love me enough to worry about me.
• I have The Pilot in my life.

What are you thankful for today?

“Wait, so you want us to actually PAY your property taxes?”

I refinanced my condo, and the closing was yesterday. But it almost wasn’t.

Back in May, I found out that the county showed me delinquent on my property taxes for 2006, 2007, and 2008 – since I’ve owned the condo. Since the property taxed are set up to be paid through escrow, I contacted the mortgage company. They said they’ve been paying, and it must be a mix up. Long story short, the mortgage company has been paying the property taxes on the wrong parcel number. Once we (read: I) discovered the error, they were working on correcting it. I checked online in July, and the county showed me with a $0 balance, so I thought it had been resolved.

Flash forward to yesterday. My closing was scheduled for 3pm. Around noon, the title company discovered that I am now 4 years delinquent on my property taxes – 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. I contacted the mortgage company, and they said that disbursements had been made, and they would open a work order to research the issue. I asked if the disbursements had been made on the correct parcel number this time, but they were unable to answer that question, so they transferred me to the tax department.

The tax department showed the disbursement for 2009 taxes, but said that the other “disbursement” that should have covered the past three years was actually a refund from the county “for payment on the wrong parcel number.” Okay, so did they then reissue payment on the correct parcel number? Doesn’t look like it, but they’ll open a work order to research it.

The title company asked for something on letterhead stating the mortgage company would get this taken care of, otherwise I couldn’t close on the refi. I was told that the “supervisor is not authorized to issue any sort of promise to pay,” or, for that matter, any sort of letter stating that they were researching it. The turnaround on the research department was generally 10 business days, and “there’s no way to expedite it.” I asked for the number to call the people who would be researching it, but…they don’t have a phone number.

Great. It’s now 2:27pm, I have to leave work in 3 minutes to make the closing, if the closing is even going to happen, which, at this point, it doesn’t look like it will. My friend and mortgage guy says to go ahead and head that direction, they may be able to work something out.

Another long story short, I essentially had to promise to cash out my 401(k) to pay the taxes, should the mortgage company not get this worked out. The lawyer I was working with was flabbergasted (don’t get to use that word too often) over the whole ordeal, and recommended I threaten to contact the banking commission.

The closing went through, so yay. However, I was expecting to get some money back, and I was looking forward to buying new appliances for my condo. I didn’t find out until the closing that that part didn’t go through. I was, however, getting a whopping $125 back. Not quite the $1600 I was expecting.

I’m now on a 30 year loan at 5.25% interest, and I really never want to deal with any of this again. Of course, I know better than that, but it’s possible that I’ll never move. I’ll stay in my tiny condo for the rest of my life, alone, but for a series of cats. I don’t think it’s in me to become a crazy cat lady, but it might be worth it if I never have to get a new mortgage again…

Hypothetical Answers

Did you ever have one of those major decisions to make?  One of those decisions that you think you know the answer to, but you’re not 100% sure?

I was recently presented with an entirely hypothetical question, and I had a good idea of what my answer was.  But later, in the quiet of the night, thinking back over the conversation, I realized with blinding clarity that I knew the answer.  It was the same answer that I had come up with earlier, but this time I was sure.  Sure in a very contented way.

What’s funny is that if I twist the question just slightly, vary it ever so little, my answer is completely different.  The idea is the same, but the results are not. 

I’m being cryptic.  I know.  Maybe one day…

Weekend Trip

I looked at the US Airways e-savers today, and saw that Washington DC is on special for $83 each way.  I’ve always wanted to go to DC, so I’m going to go.  It’s supposed to be rainy on Saturday, but Sunday and Monday are sunny with highs in the low 60’s.  Should be fabulous.

Of course I want to walk through the Mall, and go to the Vietnam Memorial.  Maybe the National Arboretum?  The Smithsonian Institute, obviously.  The National Gallery of Art.  Is the Aquarium any good?  Kennilworth Aquatic Gardens.

Where else should I go?  Who’s been and can give tips?

Okay, so I’m not really going to DC this weekend.  It is on e-saver, and it is a great deal.  And one day, I hope to go.  So go ahead and leave your suggestions for where to go and what to do in DC, for future reference.