Plan vs Execution

Plan

3:45 Leave desk

3:50/54 Catch 41 in the tunnel at Pioneer Station. [3:50 = ID; 3:54 = University Station; No timestop for Pioneer Station.]

4:10 Arrive at Northgate transit center

4:14 Depart via the 75

4:30 Jump off the 75 at 115th

Trundle downhill to my house and wander in the door around 4:36 pm.


Execution

3:45 Leave desk.

3:52 Arrive in tunnel just as a light rail train pulled away northbound

3:54 Catch 41 in the tunnel at Pioneer Station. FWIW, I believe this may have been my originally intended bus since it was labeled "Northgate only" and my planned bus 3:50/3:54 doesn't go to LCW.

4:14 Leap off the back of the 41, flash my badge to the driver in the front, and RUN-HANDS-IN-THE-AIR after the 75, just BARELY missing it pull away from the bay, as in, I almost touched the back of the bus...

4:15 *sigh*

4:17 Catch the next 41 to LCW from the Northgate transit center. (Alternative: Wait until 4:44 for the next 75 and get home around 5:02.)

4:30 Hop off the bus at 125th and 30th.

Speed walk in the cold for 16-18 minutes until I walked in the door at 4:48 pm


Action Items

Clearly, for this plan to ever succeed, I need to catch an earlier 41.

i like

From adorn.

i would like this shot - with a different dog and a different bride and groom

From junebug weddings.

i heart the blue and gray

Inspired by this blog post by Carissa of JL Designs, I have to confess a love of alliums... but I would much rather have blue than purple any day. From Brecks.



I also like curl willow used in moderation.



And finally, I love this little gray succulent boutonniere Carissa made! (It's just a simple succulent accented by some cream colored reindeer moss and finished in off white grosgrain according to her comment here.)

cute cute cute

Yesterday, Jason was sitting on the back porch watching the birds, and he commented, "It's like living in a bird sanctuary."

Our number one common love is plants, but just being outside and enjoying the sun and the sound of the birds is probably somewhere in the top ten.

Too bad these cards are $1 each. [etsy] They're adorable.

the dress that got away

It is terribly unfortunate that this dress is probably too short for the future in-laws.

Style PL238 | Priscilla of Boston

It is also unfortunate that it's only name is PL238. It needs a cute - but scandalous - girl's name like Trixie

Let's get serious

The boy is away tonight.

He worked hard last weekend taming the lilac trees in the backyard.



So tonight he's out with his friend Rishi.



And I'm getting serious about the wedding planning.

It helps that this OJ isn't just OJ.



Last night, while we were cuddled in bed, I tried looking at evening gowns at Nordstrom's to get inspired. You see, I've reached white-poofly-marshmallow-overload with real wedding dresses. I desperately needed to see something in color.

Jason then suggested that I look at various other sites like bliss because he had thought he had seen some cool dresses there. (We realized later that we just liked the photography and there were few "inspirational" dresses to be found there.)

But... BUT!

This got me thinking that I need to start collecting ideas. I'm running out of time, and I need the wedding to be perfect.

It's time to get serious folks. No more kittens for this blog. It's time to talk weddings.

Two for one special on... kittens!!

This just in from the Seattle Animal Shelter volunteer email list... They're having a 2-for-1 special on kittens!

-----
Hi Everyone!

As many of you know, this Sunday from 10am-12noon, we will have a special kitten adoption event here at the shelter. [...]

Also, starting with this event and running through September, we will be doing a 2-for-1 adoption fees on all pairs of cats or kittens that are adopted. Total cost will be around $129 instead of $214 for two. Licensing fees still apply for both cats.

Of course, the screening process is still the same, but we hope this convinces adopters to take home two kittens instead of one. It's better for the kittens to have a buddy to grow up with.

----

Whooo! Hurry on down to get your basket full of kittens!

Thanks for being so "helpful"

Frank and Aaron aren't at work today, so I have no way of venting my frustration other than to blog about it.

I asked folks at work about finding someone to service a commercial range. The responses have ranged from somewhat helpful to downright annoying.

Here's my first email request:

This is a long shot, but why not…

Does anyone on this list have a commercial stove in their home?

If so, who do you get to service it?

FWIW, it turns out a lot of folks licensed to work on commercial stoves in commercial installations don’t want to touch them in residential installations,

Here's the first "helpful" response - not too bad really:

Liability is probably why they don’t touch them. Commercial stoves are not as well insulated as residential ones, and therefore get much hotter on their outer surface. I have heard a couple horror stories involving children when these stove/ovens were used residentially.

Here's my clarification email where I try to steer back to my question:

> Liability is probably why they don’t touch them.

Yep. Agreed. I’ve read all about them.

For those that are curious and want to know more about pros and cons of commercial stoves, this is a great resource:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/appl/2004064556019303.html

People do have them though.
e.g. http://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/811-14th-Ave-E-98112/home/135289
(This is NOT the house I’m buying, btw.)

We are inheriting one with our new house, and the only “con” that we are finding difficult to deal with is the servicing.
FWIW, we know Seattle Home Appliance in Bothell will take a look at them, but it would be good to have a second opinion.
(We’ve asked the sellers to have it serviced before closing.)

Thanks for any solid leads on servicing you guys can provide!

And HERE is the one that set me off and caused me to feel the need to blog my frustration with "helpful" people:

At one time I was the housemate of a guy who’d had a catering business, and he had moved its commercial stove into the house when the business ended. It was an unbelievable nuisance. Using that thing for anything like normal home cooking was a nightmare. It got way too hot (this was Texas, too), and it was so large that it was actually physically difficult to work around. We actually ended up using the gas grill in the yard for a lot of cooking!

If it hadn’t been the last vestige of a bankruptcy, it would have seemed like an preposterous indulgence, like putting a mounted polar bear in the bathroom or something.

Yeah. You read it right.

Mounted polar bear.

WTF?

Thanks for your "help" finding someone to SERVICE THE STOVE.

Arson dog!

The most exciting post I've found on Everyblock so far:

Incident type Arson dog assisting other district

This occurs when the fire department sends the arson dog and the captain of the fire investigation unit to assist another jurisdiction.
Units MAR50

http://seattle.everyblock.com/fire-dispatch/by-date/2009/6/2/729814/

Who could resist that face!!!

From yesterday's photo shoot at the shelter...

Sam

More pictures from the shelter

Thomas


Roxie
I have to admit. I really liked Roxie. She reminded me of Grete in some indescribable way.

Don't wake me. I must be dreaming.

Last night we got to a verbal agreement with the sellers of our dream home. I'm still in shock.

It was such a roller coaster evening. We just got home from doing another walk through, and I thought for sure the sellers were going to walk away from our offer. I was down in the dumps. Then our mortgage broker called. We were on the phone with our mortgage broker who alerted us to the craziness that happened in the markets / 30 year rates -- and then our agent (mid mortgage broker call) finally called with their offer and we accepted it. Hopefully fear of raising rates didn't cloud our vision. I really don't think it did. The house is really a dream home. I keep saying that -- and someday you will all believe me. :-)

Regarding rates... Apparently the 10-year Treasury yields spiked because of massive debt being sold off, and that sent the 30 year mortgage rates up. [1] Here's a slightly better explanation of the yield issue and some alluding to the future. [2]. There is a potential for the rates to inch back down. We'll see. In any event, for now, we locked in 5.125% with no points. (APR 5.1719) We're pretty sure there isn't a better deal in town that can be sure to close in time. *knock on wood*

Jason blogged about the house here Thirty-eight, and the pictures are here: Thirty-eight Set on Flickr.

Really... it is a dream house. We would never be able (both mentally and financially) to afford a remodel like this. We're just to frugal. However, when the end result is presented in a format we can afford... it is just too beautiful to resist.

Branching out...

I've recently joined the Seattle Animal Shelter's digital photography team. Last Tuesday was my first shift, but my regular shift will be on Sundays. Someday, I hope to be as cool as The Food Lady at Three Woofs and a Woo, but until then... here are my first three shelter pictures.


Cheeky



Howie


Laurah


There were two more cats, but I can't find them which means they were already adopted. Yay!

Disconnected

We've subscribed to the Seattle Times via the Kindle. I've been feeling more "in touch" with news. Or so I thought...

This afternoon my physical therapist mentioned flooding in the Midwest, and I told her about the Fargo flood of 97 that I survived in college. I figured not much could top that.

Tonight I went online. Wow. The flood in Fargo / Moorhead going on right now is much worse than the flood of 97 -- many feet worse. Tonight, my college closed and asked everyone to evacuate. That area of town is "protected" and in 97, we never shut down. (Students were excused to volunteer to go sandbag the homes of friends, family, and professors, but the college did not close.)

Clearly, I need a better and/or more personalized national news source than the Seattle Times if I'm going to be truly connected.

The Quest for Cubic Feet

[Reposting because I accidentally left this in draft mode when adding a vehicle to the list]

Before it gets lost in the sea of useless information on my hard drive, here are the alleged cubic feet of most of the AWD SUVs (and one or two minivans) that I've at one time or another considered. I find it humorous and a little unbelievable that the Sienna has more room behind its 3rd seat than I have in my entire Golf.

My Current Tiny Car: VW Golf
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 18.0
Cargo to 1 41.8

BMW X5
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 21.9
Cargo to 1 61.8

Subaru Forester
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 30.8
Cargo to 1 63.0

Ford Escape
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 29.2
Cargo to 1 66.3

Grand Cherokee
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 29.5
Cargo to 1 66.8

Dodge Journey
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 37.1
Cargo to 1 67.6

Jeep Commander
Cargo to 3 7.5
Cargo to 2 36.3
Cargo to 1 68.5

Jason's Subaru
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 36.1
Cargo to 1 69.5

Mazda Mazda5
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 44.4
Cargo to 1 70.9

Volkswagon Toureg
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 31
Cargo to 1 71

Subaru Tribeca
Cargo to 3 8.3
Cargo to 2 37.6
Cargo to 1 74.4

Toyota 4runner
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 42.2
Cargo to 1 75.1

Nissan Pathfinder
Cargo to 3 16.5
Cargo to 2 49.2
Cargo to 1 79.2

Chevy Trailblazer
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 41.0
Cargo to 1 80.1

2007 Highlander Hybrid
Cargo to 3 10.5
Cargo to 2 39.7
Cargo to 1 80.6

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 46.4
Cargo to 1 82.0

Lexus 400h
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 38.3
Cargo to 1 84.7

Ford Explorer
Cargo to 3 NA
Cargo to 2 45.1
Cargo to 1 85.8

Ford Taurus-X
Cargo to 3 20.8
Cargo to 2 47.0
Cargo to 1 85.5

Honda Pilot
Cargo to 3 18.0
Cargo to 2 47.7
Cargo to 1 87.0

2009 Highlander Hybrid
Cargo to 3 10.3
Cargo to 2 42.3
Cargo to 1 94.1

Mazda CX-9
Cargo to 3 17.2
Cargo to 2 48.4
Cargo to 1 100.7

Chrysler Aspen
Cargo to 3 19.0
Cargo to 2 67.25
Cargo to 1 102.4

Ford Expedition
Cargo to 3 ..
Cargo to 2 55
Cargo to 1 106.3

Saturn Outlook
Cargo to 3 24.1
Cargo to 2 68.6
Cargo to 1 115.9

GMC Acadia
Cargo to 3 21.4
Cargo to 2 68.9
Cargo to 1 116.9

Chevy Traverse
Cargo to 3 26.1
Cargo to 2 68.3
Cargo to 1 117.9

Toyota Sequoia
Cargo to 3 18.9
Cargo to 2 66.6
Cargo to 1 120.8

Toyota Sienna
Cargo to 3 43.6
Cargo to 2 94.5
Cargo to 1 148.9

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

10" of hair - qwickening

I had been growing my hair out for a few years for various reasons. At first, it was to get past a weird phenomena of my hair where it "wings out" just above my shoulders. Then, I got engaged and "wedding hair" was just around the corner. Then, we decided to postpone the wedding a year so "wedding hair" was no longer an immediate excuse. So... why not? Time for some change!

Yes, I consulted with Jason before hand. He re-iterated his love of short hair, and we agreed on a length. It will soon be summer. :-)

At the salon, Lyndsay mentioned that I might be cutting off enough to donate it -- and, bing! That was it. I was so excited about having enough to donate that concerns of the "wing out" phenomena were secondary. I proclaimed bravely, "Hair grows! I can learn to use a blow dryer and a flat iron if necessary!"

Leaving the salon, I actually skipped like a little girl. I felt good about my cut and I felt extra good about donating my hair to Locks of Love.

Right now, I have no regrets. I'm off to hop in the shower soon. We'll see if the "wing out" demon returns. But even if it does... whatever. :-)

Either way, you should check out the cute-cute-cute pictures that Jason took of me immediately after my hair cut.

Jason's photos of my new hairdo

The Brown Boot Quest

Fashionistas of the world, I need your help. I'm looking for the perfect (cheap) brown boot. Requirements include: the color brown, mid-calf or taller, some buckle / ruggedness to it, and less than $125.

At $61.59, the Rampage Women's Murphy Tall Boot is leading the race, but I would like a slightly shorter heel... maybe. Maybe not. Maybe this is perfect.

my pizza tastes like fajitas

my pizza tastes like fajitas - qwickening

The cafe has been alternating Asian noodle bowl with fajitas. Tuesday and Thursday had fajitas. Today, the pizza with peppers is clearly recycled fajitas. It is decidedly weird. (And thank goodness they didn't decide to provide an Asian noodle pizza option! Eew.)

but will it make me happy?

I've got a problem; I've got an addiction. Seriously. I get on a "kick" researching something, and I can NOT let it go. When I bought my house, I was obsessed with the various sites that provide MLS listings. For years, I was addicted to Petfinder. (Actually, I still am.) I didn't even mind shopping for new appliances because it involved research. Hours and hours and hours of research. I like sites that have list pages and search results. Bonus points for drill downs and comparison engines.

Research skills are an asset. Addictions are a liability.

So, it is with this in mind that I admit that I'm addicted to researching a new car. My reasons for wanting a new car range far and wide, and I'm not sure any of them are honestly good reasons to buy a new car right now. The truth is that almost all my dog agility crap fits in the Golf now that I've rearranged it a bit. I don't NEED a new car. The Golf doesn't even have 37K on it. It runs perfect. It gets average-to-above-average mpg. It was once my dream car. Why isn't it still good enough? The only thing that the Golf lacks that I'm still tempted by is AWD, but perhaps new tires and maybe shifting my commute times to daylight hours are the simplest answer. Really... The only thing the Golf lacks is a confident night time city driver.

But now... There's a really good deal in play, and suddenly I am forced to ask myself if a new car will make me happy? Will getting this really good deal mitigate buyer's remorse? Will it make me love my commute more and hate my job less? Will it make it make my relationship with Jason easier? Will driving suddenly become fun? Will I have the confidence to drive in the middle lane on the Aurora bridge on a dark and stormy night? Will it give me ninja night vision? Probably not.

I'm tired. I've been researching the perfect cargo liner for a car that I may never buy. Time for bed.

Yeah, that's red f'n meat

Yeah, that's red f'n meat - EightBallDefense

Jason is in New York for work, and his gluten-free-ness was communicated, but the vegetarian-ness was somehow lost.

I was pretty upset when he told me that they served him a steak. Just looking at this picture makes me upset.

Dealer Update

For the record, all three Toyota dealerships gave me painless quotes below MSRP. I thought I was 2 for 3, but it turns out one was in my spam folder. I blame Yahoo, not the dealer.

On the other side of the fence, I've gotten 1 quote out of 3 Ford Dealers. The quote was outrageous. (See previous post.) The other two Ford Dealers seem unable to use email to provide quotes. They called on Monday, but despite my pinging them via email repeatedly, I have received little love from them via email. I might call them this weekend, but then again, I'm starting to feel less of a patriotic need to save Ford and more of a capitalistic need to see the inferior merchant go down in flames.

As far as the Mercury Mariner goes, one of 2 dealers got back to me and told me the following: "We have been having tremendous success with the Hybrid, so much that they are only building sold orders and will not ship Hybrids for store stock." As much as I want to be part of the hybrid market demand, I don't know how I feel about paying full MSRP (or worse) for a built-to-order car.

And finally, I've started looking at used cars more. There's a beat up old Jeep Grand Cherokee on a lot on Aurora for less than $4k that looks tempting. Nice and square. Boxy is my friend. :-)

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Ford!

I just received a quote from Bill Pierre Ford for a Ford Escape Hybrid and nearly shit my pants once I got past the sticker he presented.

As you can see, the MSRP is $34,455. Along with that we are asking for a $2,995 mark up because of the small availability of these highly demaded vehicles. Your total price would be $37,450. I understand you are shopping around, and looking at the toyota product along with the Mercury. I know from my previous Hybrid customers that the toyota product is running anywhere from $4,000 - $6,000 more with the same equipment. And being an informative internet based consumer, I'm sure you know this already. As for the Mercury product, it is the same vehicle with minor cosmetic differences, and pricing should be very close. Please let me know when would be a good time for you to come in so I can go over all the finer details with you. I look forward in meeting you and have a great day.

$3k mark up ABOVE MSRP? Seriously?? Surely you're joking, Mr. Ford!

And, furthermore, Toyota isn't pulling any of this "high demand" shit for their Highlander. I've been quoted prices well below MSRP. In fact, I've been quoted what I would consider as fairly fair prices above invoice. At the very least, they're definitely prices I am not offended by.

Gah! And the reason I would pay another $4-5k for the Highlander is because it's a bigger vehicle! GAH! AND the Toyota dealers spell check their emails!