New House?!? Not home quite yet......

Those wacky builders... they're giving me headaches. What's going on with the house, you say? Here's what's going down:

• 1st Major Item: When we first looked at the house I noticed that the living room floor was sunken in a little bit. I asked the builder to do some bracing to resolve that problem, but today the home inspector came and together we figured out why their new "bracing" didn't work. The morons who built the thing put the load-bearing wall 3 feet too far to the right of the laminated beam that's meant to support it. And that's why the front foundation wall now has a hairline fracture in it, due to the sheer pressure of it sitting there for one year not correctly supported. Now they're going to have to hire a 3rd party structural engineer at THEIR cost to analyze the situation and determine a proper way to fix it. 'Cause I certainly won't buy a damn house that's going to crumble the foundation due to code violations as major as that. They're going to have to add either another laminated beam (which would mean taking out a french door and making it a single door - GRRRRRR!!!!) or they're going to have to add some support beams, in effect reducing the size of the large downstairs room I was hoping to put a pool table in. (another GRRRRRRRR!!!!!!) They're going to have to PROVE to me that it's fixed before I'll EVER pick up a pen. You'd think people would do their jobs right in the first place so they'd save money in the long run.>.<

• 2nd Major Item: They used sheetrock instead of greenboard around the showers and tubs in the bathrooms. Hello!?!? How stupid do you have to be to do that as a contractor?!? In the upstairs bathroom there's not only sheetrock around a regular height tub that has a showerhead above it, but there's not even a shower stall or tile or anything protecting the sheetrock! What the hell is wrong with people that they'd do such a shitty job?!? Don't people take pride in their work any more?!? Grrr! >.<

There are quite a few other 'major' and 'minor' concerns, including a few safety issues as well. If this builder doesn't fix EVERYTHING on the inspector's list and quite a few things on my 'cosmetic' list, like proper caulking and painting,... guess what. They can kiss my ass and keep the fucking house. I'd be willing to bet they'd rather fix the items than sit on another year of financing. But who knows if they will. If I don't end up buying it, I sure hope that whoever comes along after me hires an inspector.

IF and ONLY IF they fix all the items, and fix them properly and DAMN WELL, will I buy the house. Below you can see some pictures of the exterior. I took them today. It was a beautiful day for it.

Looking almost due North. Apparently she comes with the house. 

Rear Eleavation Looking NE 

Rear Elevation 

Looking at back corner of house so you can see the backyard 

North to South photo 

Front Porch View toward East / SE 

Front Porch View toward SouthEast 

Front Elevation 

Garden Spot at SeaWorld Florida :) This summer we took a trip down to SeaWorld. It was a ton of fun. We got soaked by Shamoo, got to pet Dolphins, went over to the west coast of Florida to do some antique shopping, etc. Wow, we had some terrific seafood too! Ha! Pet them then eat them,.. ahh what a way of life. (No, we didn't have dolphin! =P but Shrimp,.. mmm... yummy shrimp were NOT spared!)

A new home

A new home is on the horizon. I've been cruising subdivisions for months looking at features I liked and disliked. Then one day I decided, "Well,... its about time to find a realtor." I found one on a Friday. Saturday I looked at homes all day long with her. Sunday I signed a contact on one. Closing is the 31st of October. I guess I should start packing, eh? hehe!

All the necessary functional rooms are on the main floor. There is also a "bonus room" upstairs with a full bath, and a full unfinished basement. It is at the top of a hill with an incredible view. It is on a cul-de-sac too! :) I'll post up pictures of it soon. It was raining today or I'd have taken some.

EDIT: Closing was delayed until the 4th, and now will be delayed indefinitely until they address ALL the items on the home inspector's list. See post above pictures for details.

Enter October

The end of September came but not without sadness.

My mother died.
Fuck you Cancer.
Fuck you Chemotherapy.
I love you mom - always will.

Carol Lynn Marchbanks
(formerly Pasterniak, McDowell, and Weidner)
At 58 years of age she passed from our physical presence on Monday, September 12, 2005 at 11 a.m. in Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.

She was born in Cleveland, Ohio, had lived a long time in Miami, Florida, and in Cordele, Albany, & Leesburg, Georgia. The Rev. Bobby Moye officiated the ceremony. She graduated from North Miami High School. She had an Associate's degree in Journalism from Dade Junior College.

She worked years in Advertising & Marketing, becoming a partner in an advertising firm. She was President of the Lee County Chamber of Commerce for ten years. She also worked for the Georgia Department of Investigative Services. She was a longtime member of St. Theresa's Catholic Church in Cordele, Georgia, where she had many friends.

She was one amazing woman. She was a Super-Mom. She worked HARD to support my brother and me when we were kids. She also taught us SO incredibly much about life and love and poetry, how to cook family recipes, how to laugh and be laughed at, how to get our points across and not burn bridges, how to be kind and compassionate, how to appreciate music & communication, and taught us a ton of values one couldn't begin to list. She was the kind of mom many kids dream of having. She was awesome. And very importantly, she will not be forgotten.

At her memorial service my brother and I did our respective duties. My brother is a music teacher. He played Amazing Grace on the Uillean pipes (similar to bagpipes) at her service, then I said a few words about mom then recited one of her poems about Ogden the Turtle and his trials in life.

Ogden's Demise
by Carol L. Marchbanks

There once was a turtle named Ogden
Who was left all alone and forgotten.
On the side of the road
He lay in the cold
Feeling unloved and lonely and rotten.

Then it came to his mind in a flash
He'd resemble a gray bag of trash!
Surely, someone would care...
Pick him up, if they dare.
A worthwhile deception, 'tho brash.

He thought....

They'd discover he really was nice.
Turtle soup or a steak wouldn't suffice
'Cause the love of a friend's
Better than a sad end
And a friend..... they would love him for life!

Sure enough....

A kinf lady drove past him that night
And so saddened by poor Ogden's plight
She'd risk life and limb
Rescuing him
And attempt to set everything right.

But alas, she arrived much too late.
Poor Ogden had gone to his fate.
He died in a heap
On the side of the street,
Never meeting or knowing a mate.

We'll remember poor Ogden so well
And his story, so often, we'll tell.
We'll all shed a tear
Whenever we hear
Of the turtle whose life was such hell.

There is an additional stanza I'll add to this post soon that she wrote 3/4 down in the poem. She added it I'm sure as a result of meeting Larry, her last husband. He's one hell of a guy and treated her well. Thank you Larry, for being such an amazing guy.