Buying That First Home: The Finish Line

So my agent followed up with the selling bank regarding the proposed deal. He called me back to inform me that the bank accepted the arrangement! So it's only a matter of time now; closing is scheduled for August 28th. For the record, here's what my deal entails:

• Original asking price was $227,000. I initially offered $230,000 with a $1,000 earnest money deposit and a $12,000 concession, for a net asking of $228,000.
• The bank counter offered at a $235,000 asking price with a $2,350 earnest money deposit and a $8,000 concession, for a net asking of $229,350.
• We accepted the counter offer and I put the earnest money into escrow.
• My broker got conditional approval on financing, contingent upon all of my credit cards being paid of (~$3,000 owed).
• My agent submitted an amendment asking for an additional $3,000 in closing (no offer price increase, which made me a little nervous)
• The bank had to follow up with the investor (don't understand that piece) for the response - approved!

So when I close, my credit cards (which are the bulk of my separate accounts) will be paid off, leaving only my car and mortgage to pay, and I'll own my first house.

Before folks start cheering, I still have to get the appraisal results. The property might have depreciated so severely as to not make it worth while, or there might be bums during the walkthrough or anything else imaginable. I'll have to sit on my hands and wait and see.

Jury Duty...

NOTE: This is a migrated entry.

So I got summoned back in February to go to Jury Duty. I was asked to postpone until August. So I went today.

Before, when I was paid hourly, I could easily get out with a letter from HR stating that they would not pay jury pay. Unfortunately, that doesn't fly now that I'm salaried, as part of it is paid by my company. However, I still managed to make do. Before I reveal the magic, I just had some observations.

First off, I think the current process for JD is unnecessarily bureaucratic. They send you a notice in the mail to show up on a certain day at a certain time to wait to possibly be called to serve on a jury. Why not just send a notice telling you that you've been explicitly selected for a trial, and must show up to court by a certain date unless you have a viable excuse? Get rid of the interstitial waiting period, it's a waste of people's time and not worth it. $15/day? For potentially 8 hours x 20 days worth of serving? Seems as though it hasn't caught up with the economy.

There is one good thing about JD: there is always at least 3 sexy females up there waiting right along with you. It's a prime place to get phone numbers - if you're into that sort of thing. Me, I like looking at them, not necessarily talking to them (because they're always stuck up anyway).

Anyway, how I got out of it: generally trials are quoted at 3-7 days long. That's business days, of course. That means, if your company pays less than 7 business days, you're in a good spot. Using mine as an example, they pay "a week" - which equates to 5 business days. The possibility that the trial could go 7 business days is the catch. That means two business days your company is not paying. That's money not going to bills/expenses. That's your hardship, and even if they require you show up at the waiting room, you won't get assigned to a trial.

Now, your company may pay 10 days or even unlimited in some cases. You're screwed. Accept it and get ready for trial. But if your company pays little to no days for jury service, you have an out.

DISCLAIMER: The above presentation does not apply to Federal jury service which does not acknowledge financial hardship as an eligible excuse reason. Only County jury service allows for financial hardship.

Review: Final Fantasy IV DS

NOTE: This is a migrated entry.

In continuing with tradition, I intend to post one review a day, until I'm caught up. Then it's all full steam ahead. Tune in tomorrow, when I review a custom bed cover.

For now, Final Fantasy IV DS.

Final Fantasy IV is actually the sixth Final Fantasy game, but the fourth to be released as part of the official series. If you didn't know, the Final Fantasy games (with the exception of X and X-2) have little to do with each other and are not true sequels. Think of them as separate books under a brand; each one tells a different story, even if they might use slight pieces concurrently (such as spells). There were Final Fantasy games released on GameBoy, as well as "Mystic Quest" which didn't really count, but since it held the name, I list it here.

Back in the days of Super Nintendo, Squaresoft released this game as "Final Fantasy II". There were two separate versions, referred to as "Easy Type" and "Hard Type". The SNES version was allegedly the "Easy Type", though I can't fathom why that was...*cough*EvilWall*cough*...Final Fantasy IV was then re-released on the Final Fantasy Chronicles game set along with Chrono Trigger, replete with new CGI cutscenes to further the gameplay. This version was allegedly the "Hard Type". As if that weren't enough, Square Enix (as they were now called) released Final Fantasy IV on the Game Boy Advance - again, allegedly the "Hard Type". And now here we are.

But wait - this isn't the same as either previous version. This is a remake, not a port. The game has been converted to full 3D. Some of the spell and summon names have been changed. And Square Enix has added some features to the game to make it just enough "new" as to make it interesting. So I'll go down the list of good and bad, and then elaborate.

*** THE GOOD ***

• The difficulty is now more in line with some of its latter forefathers, especially with the Active Time Battle system. Bosses such as the Mist Dragon (the first "boss" you'll encounter) are actually challenging if you don't know what you're doing. New gamers might actually get whooped repeatedly. Veteran gamers who understood the patterns will find challenge, but not nearly as much as new gamers. Oh, and by the way...Dr. Lugae? He's no longer a pushover. That's all I got to say about that.
• Certain characters who where difficult to use because they just weren't useful were given additional skills to help them contribute in battle. One character's ability was so blatantly useless as to be laughable, yet he was one of the final characters in the game. This has been changed to where his skills contribute almost as well as Rydia's spells.
• "Augments" add a whole different dimension to the game. With these, you can effectively take the natural skills of other characters and apply them to anyone you want. SO for example, you could have Cecil set up with Counter, Kain set up with Draw Attacks, and have Cecil cover, which effectively makes Cecil a tank while Kain is free to dish damage. That's just one example of the various combinations you can employ to go through the game.
• Item limit is removed - no more relying on the Fat Chocobo to store excess Elixirs.
• Summons, now referred to as Eidolons, have been powered up substantially. In the older ports there came a time when your summon could barely do the damage of Fire 1, so by the time you got Fire 3, there was no point in using Ifrit. (There is a negative to this though, more later)
• The graphical detail of the game is top notch for the DS, especially in certain caves and dungeons. It's clear they put some work into making the game as visually appealing as they could.
• The audio has been remixed, and even improved in some areas. FFIV's music had always been quite good, but the remixes are even better (negative here, more on that later).

*** THE BAD ***

Yes, there are some not-so-good things to this, I'm sorry to say.

• Eidolons. Remember how I just got done praising them for what they bring to the table now? Well, there's a new problem. With the exception of the Four Fiends there's really no point to using them over spells except to watch the scene. This has more to do with how slowly it takes Rydia to call them than anything else.
• Some tracks were remixed with added instruments that totally kill the spirit of the original song/atmosphere it was used in. Troia comes to mind.
• The "sudden death" set of notes was removed. This is what plays the moment someone dies as part of the story, usually at a point when Cecil is yelling their name out. I have no idea why they removed this.
• Cecil's "Darkness" ability was nerfed. On the SNES version, he didn't have this ability. On the PS1 and GBA versions he did. It sent out a wave of dark energy to hit all enemies and caused you damage when you used it, but it was quite useful. Here, it just makes his attacks stronger and takes energy when you attack, but you can only hit one enemy.
• The ability to equip weapons has been altered. Characters who could easily equip certain weapons no longer can or the way they equip said weapons has been changed. For example, Cecil could always equip a bow and arrow as an alternative to a longsword, which was particularly useful in one specific cavern, but now he can only equip daggers and swords, making him effectively useless when you get to that part except to Cover. Plus, depending on how you equipped Rosa's bow/arrow combination, her power went up a bit. This has been removed as well.
• Because everything is in 3D it makes navigating caverns and towers extremely difficult. I'm sure this was intentional, but because you can't change the camera, you can't easily tell which way you're going. Some might actually like this as it forces you to learn the paths all over again, but I don't care for it. The camera is almost directly in front of you, you don't get a "top down" view and can't tell which path leads to a dead end and which does not. I don't mind the camera angle, as long as I can move it at will. This also causes a minor annoyance at one castle where someone is eavesdropping on the throne room: in the older version you can clearly see the perpetrator as they jump up momentarily. This adds suspense that is missing on this version.
• A brief cutscene plays before almost every special ability. It detracts from the fluidity of combat to have to watch Kane for two seconds before he executes the Jump command. I really wish you could disable this.
• The placement of "Switch Rows" has nearly cost me battles. It should be on the left rather than right under "Defend". Because I'm used to fast paced battle, I'm used to pressing right to defend and left to switch rows. No idea why they would change this.

So...do I recommend this game? Absolutely. My negatives are personal nitpicks based on my extensive knowledge of this game, for the most part. I would say if you're a vet like I am who remembers the game from SNES, just don't expect the exact same experience. Square Enix has tried hard to freshen the game in quite a bit of areas. A lot is the same, but a lot has changed, including the names of things.

Buying That First Home: The 'Dream Team'

NOTE: This is a migrated entry.

For the record I'm working with a REALTOR and a broker to get this home taken care of. I met the broker by way of the REALTOR. I have to admit...once we found a house and got a contract signed, my agent kicked it to the extreme; calling early or late as needed to give me status updates about the progress of the purchase. The broker is not only working to get the financing done, he's working to get the best rate possible.

I was told recently that the two of them are working to not only get the lowest rate, but to also get more money on the loan and pay off all of my various credit cards. My credit is clean, but I do have a couple of credit cards carrying balances at present. When it's all said and done, I won't have to bring any money to the closing table, I'll have the house and all of my credit cards will be paid in full. That will only leave my car payment - which will get paid off by the time tax day comes around in 2009.

Don't get it twisted...the broker has quite the attitude problem, and doesn't like to talk to you the customer, only to your agent...but the two of them together are quite effective as a team. It's too bad all of my friends are broke, or I would absolutely recommend the two of them for anyone trying to buy a home.

Why women of different countries act differently.

NOTE: This is a migrated entry.

You might be wondering what that title means; it's pretty clear. Women in different countries act so different it's uncanny. Men seem to be men no matter what country they're from, for the most part.

For the record, I've dated more women than I bothered to keep track of; I'd put the number at around 40 by now. Of course that's "dating", not necessarily "in a relationship with", mind. In my younger years when I bore a striking resemblance to Tevin Campbell, I got quite a bit of attention...and I didn't really care too much about commitment at that time, I just needed the occasional diversion - non-sexual, of course. I'd go so far as to call myself a borderline expert on the subject of dating: Why dates go wrong, what to do on a date, signs the person is/is not into you, how you get out of a date, how you avoid a date, etc. Shameful that it should be that way, but so it is.

Anyway, the one common thread I've noticed about American-born women is, if you don't remotely resemble someone they have a crush on from a magazine, or a movie, your chances of developing a relationship (or a friendship, in some cases) are slim to none. A bodybuilder who is a jerk has a better chance of getting a "yes" from an American woman than someone who is tone, but not muscular, with a positive attitude. Then there's the whole race/skin tone dynamic that I still don't quite understand. It likens to walking through a cornfield, at night, to try and find a baseball with only a flashlight, while trying to not get stung by various insects.

I've known girls from Canada, Europe, UK including Bulgaria, Japan, China...and with the exception of the Canadian girl, they've all been a total opposite to what you encounter out here. Maybe it's the mystique about American men, who knows. All I know is that it's easier to talk to and get along with them than it is with the ones out here. This is especially true with the girls from the UK, who I consider quite educated and easy to relate to. Mention 50 Cent and they nearly puke, whereas out here, I'd be hard pressed to find a girl that didn't think he was attractive.

You're likely wondering about the Canadian girl. She was nice and all, but stupid. She had some guy that was a long time friend, they were at her house and he raped her, unprotected (you know where I'm going with that one). I advised her to get checked out and report it, and she refused...because, according to him, he "...just wanted her to like him". I never spoke to her again. I don't like ignorance, no matter what the circumstance. That's the last thing I need in my life is to be stressed over someone who refuses to listen to reason.

But I digress.

I met a young lady through a blind set up recently...Bulgarian. We talked for a while, and she invited me to see a movie (which I posted a blog entry about, BTW). She had sent pictures which didn't really do her justice, because in real life she could easily pass for a magazine model. What really attracted me to her was her personality; she was easy to talk to and laid back, not judgemental at all about my looks or background. Most impressive of all, I think, was the fact that a 28 year old girl had no children and was never married. If nothing else, I'd keep her as a good friend.

Why can't (young) American women be so simple?

Buying That First Home: Bank Drama

NOTE: This is a migrated entry.

So I got a call from my agent, who got a call from my broker. It seems my financing has been approved!...with a contingency. Ugh.

Before I go into the contingency it's important you get a little background. My credit report is pristine. I have no negative accounts. I did file Chapter 13 BK back in 2004, was discharged this month. I really did it because at the time, my income far exceeded my debts - even though I wasn't really delinquent on anything, I just needed a reprieve. By the time the BK was near discharge, my income had tripled, so it was significantly easier to deal with the debt, plus the biggest loan I had on there was a private loan from Sallie Mae - but the school closed before I finished. California's Student Tuition Recovery Fund made that go away and gave me all of my money back. Also, I had managed to open some credit card accounts to get some positive account history going on. I have three credit cards that I've had for over two years.

So now you know the history. The contingency is...the lender wants all of my credit cards paid off. That's no easy task, at least not in the short timeline they want it done. I can pay off my credit cards in roughly a month, give or take...unfortunately this has to be completed by July 29th. Not happening. It's not a lot being asked...it's the timing of it all.

So, my guys are going to work with the list agent and bank to see if they will do one of the following:

1. Accept a loan price increased by $3000, offer a $3000 credit at closing, and set a requirement that the credit be applied to pay off all credit card balances, with an agreement from the lender that we're doing that; or
2. Excuse the earnest money deposit (which is just shy of $3,000) so I can put that towards the credit cards instead, and close with no money out of pocket.

I actually prefer the first option, because the bank will still get the earnest deposit, which they should get. The second option is dangerous, both to me and the bank, because the bank doesn't benefit at all except they get the house off their books.

So...I continue to wait while I play this juggling act between banks. Fun.

Review: Flavia Fusion Coffee Maker

NOTE: This is a migrated entry.

There was a time when I could down 6 cups of coffee or so, and I desperately needed that much coffee in previous jobs where I would work a 6am shift. In my current job under previous management, the workload was stressful enough that I still required that much coffee to stay energized enough to continue contributing to the team. Under my current management, I've toned it back to one cup of Breakfast Blend every morning - nothing after that except water and non-carbonated drinks. Quite impressive, if I do say so myself.

Anyway, I have had three separate types of coffee machines. The first was a one-cup machine that came with a cup. You put grounds in the top, poured hot water in another area, and it spit out a cup. Of course this meant constantly purchasing bags of coffee grounds or grounding my own beans - neither of which I was inclined to do. The problem I always encountered was the loss of freshness after some time (the grounds). And of course, during this time I was drinking more than one cup, so it was quite inconvenient. That machine was trashed.

Second machine was a much spiffier take on the same methodology, but it supported up to 8 cups from one ground load. It also supported push button, so you could just press your cup to the button and get coffee. Quite nice actually - but then (ironically enough) I toned back to the one cup, making this option overkill. I also grew somewhat lazy, as I just want to set it and forget it. So I got to researching various automated coffee makers.

Word to audience: the Starbucks brewers are a blatant rip-off. They probably paid $50 wholesale for each yet try to charge $300-$400 for something you can get elsewhere at $100 that does a better job. And then had the nerve to assume that their brand name would make those machines fly off the shelves. Nuh uh.

In comes Flavia Fusion. Our job has the enterprise Flavia machines in the break rooms. They're simple and efficient to use. Different sealed coffee pods are put in, coffee comes out roughly 30 seconds later. Of course, the enterprise versions are tapped directly into the water line, so coffee is nearly instant. There are also sensors so it doesn't shoot coffee if there's no cup, and a reservoir for used pods that's easy to dump. LCD screen so you can more easily make selections, and we've found it saved money hand over foot vs. the old pot version.

Flavia Fusion is a personal version of the same. It does not tap into the water line and does not have an LCD screen, but the pods are still used. What's more, you can brew nearly anything: hot tea, hot chocolate, coffee of various strengths and flavors, cappuccinos, mochaccinos, lattes including tea-based lattes, and espressos. Because each pod is sealed and separate, your drinks will never get mixed together or anything - every drink is like a fresh pot was brewed. It takes roughly a minute to warm up the first time if it's been off for a while, then 45 seconds to brew the first cup, so altogether maybe 2 minutes to your first sip. It seems like a while, and I much prefer the enterprise version, but you won't even notice it if you brew coffee in the morning.

Some issues I have:

• No timer. The enterprise version doesn't have one either, but it would be nice for the Fusion to just have the ability. If you get up at roughly the same time every morning and have roughly the same routine, it'd be nice to just leave a cup and a pack in there and schedule a hot coffee for the next morning so you don't have to do it.
• No hot water function (this was resolved with the newer Fusion Deluxe, but Flavia will not upgrade you)
• Discontinuation of various drinks. Like Darjeeling - I know people were claiming it's too similar to Earl Grey, but a tea specialist such as myself can clearly tell the difference. Darjeeling is a morning tea, like English Breakfast, while Earl Grey is a midday-to-early evening tea. They're not the same.
• No reservoir for used pods - this is a nitpick, but it would really be helpful.
• Water reservoir holds about 3 cups worth of drinks. To me that's just pathetic.

I still recommend it for those who drink coffee, tea, or like specialty drinks. I believe it to be a great investment...it's saved hundreds of dollars while providing quality drinks.

Movie: "Wanted"

NOTE: This is a migrated entry.

So I was invited to go see this movie a little while back. Mind you, it's been years since I've actually gone to a movie theater to watch a movie. This one seemed interesting. However, a number of issues ruined the experience.

First, the theater smelled like urine. Yes, urine. As though it'd never been cleaned. And this is AMC - once known as the best movie theater in the United States, now just a pale shadow of its former glory, as Edwards Cinemas and the drive in easily make AMC look small time. Second, the actual showing room was extremely tiny - I'd say maybe 50 seats. That's pathetic for a movie like Wanted, and made me think they just didn't care. Yet "WALL-E" gets a huge theater and is half empty. Great. The only seats left were two rows from the screen - horrible on your eyes and senses. Especially since AMC still uses analog film reels and projectors to show the movie.

To the movie itself: I said it before and I'll say it again. The first 40 minutes of the movie felt like a cross between "Office Space" and "The Matrix". There were red staplers, offices, training, running, etc. I was really not impressed at first. As the movie progressed the plot fleshed itself out quite nicely, but the first bit was rather painful. Apparently this was a movie adaptation of a graphic novel, so I didn't expect much, however I did expect more than what I got. "Sin City", I felt, did a much better overall job at fluidity and continuity than this one. This felt like some frat boys got together and slapped a storyline together, which added to the lack of impression.

Do I recommend it? You might like it...but personally I say it's a rental. Not worth the theater visit.

When you just don't feel like doing anything.

NOTE: This is a migrated blog posting.

A new day, a new blog category. Personal thoughts, feelings, opinions, whatever...just information I felt like sharing.

I'm going to work in reverse order, starting with today.

The boss - Senior VP - had informed us previously that she noticed certain concerns about attendance from the team. Likely not me, since it's next to impossible for me to take PTO. Anyway, my colleague took the day off...again...so I was pretty much on my own. I was called upon to assist in some projects, meanwhile I had my own tasks that needed to be completed (I fell behind due to the additional tasks that I've been asked to join in on). Meanwhile, I'm (re) training a co-worker from another department on our current solution that I administer - he's a standup guy, I know it'll be in good hands - but it was another task to do today.

Once I got past all of that, and came home, I ate my food, then shortly thereafter, I began to feel ill. Nauseous, just "ill". As though I'd just gotten off a 3-day cruise or something (I get seasick). To be honest I've felt a general "ill" feeling for about three weeks now. Part of that is due to the heat - I'm absolutely intolerate of sweltering heat (Anything over 20 degrees Celsius, basically). Part was my bed - I'll never own a memory foam mattress again, basically. The other part...I don't know. Thank goodness for GABA or I'd never get sleep.

So now I'm up at 9pm, watching Law & Order, and still feeling ill. My stomach isn't upset, but it feels like I've got some indigestion. That could have caused my nausea; not sure. I have a very picky stomach; one day I can pig out on things, the next they make me sick, then I can go back to eating them again.

Oh well. Time to find out if el cuerpo humano can self heal.