House improvements

We painted Nathalie's room this week. It is now Green, Blue, and white. Photos to follow.

Plus, we re-grouted the kitchen counter.

It went well; we learned a lot - especially about grouting.

X-mas

I wish I had a lot to say for some reason. I got up extra early and mostly...I got nothin'.

X-mas has had its usual 'what the hell is this all about?' moment. Peace on Earth, Good Will toward Men? I'm pretty sure I've never seen that in my life. Certainly not at x-mastime.

I know we've discussed this to death so that's all I'll say. It really doesn't bother me that much but it makes for a couple of uncomfortable but mandatory moments.

I enjoyed this John Mayer site. Good, young guitar player. And he has a trio. I love trios.

John Mayer

Floor Plan

JEL sent me an email about a discussion of Dad's visit to our house. It dawned on me that we have a picture of our floor plan thanks to 3d Home Architect. You can download a couple .jpg files if you want to see it rendered there.

http://www.geocities.com/fxlanglois/KlahanieHouse.zip

Latest trip

We had a great time while Christine, Nicole, and Red were here.

We did a lot of stuff while they were here. Namely, we stripped wallpaper, spackled/mudded walls and holes, primed walls and texturized some of them. Also, we visited a local hot, hole-in-the-wall restaurant where Mario Batali’s father makes cured meats. We saw some Coho salmon swimming upstream. And, we went to the Fry Art Museum to see somewhat of a up-and-down exhibit by a Northwest artist, William Cummings.

We walked around our majestic Yellow Lake – really a pond. Really not that majestic. But still, we walked around it and did enjoy it. We watched some video of the kids and their school stuff, looked at photos, and even watched a video about Normandy France – we’ll get to that more later.

Plus, Christine helped us with a gingerbread house.

And in between all that, we ate and drank like royalty. Wow! Were there ever some cooks in the hizzy!!

Thanksgiving itself was awesome. Fried turkey and delicious sides. The cranberry sauces/jellies/chutneys alone were worth the price of admission. I’m not a big cranberry lover and I was blown away by them. We even got a mention on a Microsoft blog – thanks to our Irish guest.

Regarding France, I want to re-iterate a plan we floated some time ago. We Issaquah Langloises plan to visit France next summer. Christine, Dad, and Nicole expressed strong interest in this. The basic idea is this. We rent a house or two in Brittany, where a friend of mine lives. From there people can use it as base to visit other areas. It is a longish train ride to Paris so you might want to take a trip to Paris and stay in a hotel for bit. You could do some organized tours for example. I think those are excellent for seeing a lot in a little time, letting someone else do the driving/arranging, and hearing the guide in English.

As we firm some of this up, let us know if you are interested and we can keep you abreast of the planning. Otherwise, I won’t burden you with the email. We can decide to stagger the visits or all meet somewhere too.

Life can be short

Today we got some bad news. One of the moms from our original PEPS group died suddenly yesterday. She was working out at the health club when she collapsed. She was taken to the hospital and sustained on life support until the middle of the night. She had no brain activity due to a brain aneurysm so her family pulled the plug. She was one of the two Theresas.

She leaves a husband Nicholas, and two boys, Logan (Nathalie's age) and Kiran (slightly younger than Marc). The kids go to summer camp with our kids during the summer.

Theresa and Nicholas were in our child birth class. We weren't close but the moms have stayed in touch now for over 11 years. Theresa was probably the closest of all the woman to Amy. She was certainly my favorite. The men have not stayed close but hearing the news made me sick to my stomach. Amy and the other Mom's Night Out women are going to visit the family this weekend. It's a terrible tragedy. She was vibrant, healthy woman. She was in her early forties.

Today, when you get home hug your spouse tight, kiss your kids, call your parents, call or siblings, just do something. Then live life.

Settling in

We are really settling into the house now. We should take some pictures. I've installed a faucet, some shelves; missed several studs when hanging the shelves; installed a toilet valve and flapper (different toilets); mowed the lawn; raked some leaves; re-wired a couple dimmer switches; moved out a washer; and moved several pieces of furniture and electronics more than one time.

It feels good to do that stuff. I'm looking forward to getting some of the interior stuff done so that we can look forward to the external stuff like a garden next year. I don't mind spending the money on the house either. Both of these are minor surprises to me.

We have no boxes in the house as of this week. The garage is a different story but we are making progress there as well.

In fact, I'd love to quit my job and work on the house. I toyed with the idea awhile ago as I thought you could make it so that it would be a financial wash. But I don't have the tools, the space for the tools, nor the know-how to really make that work. But still, I don't mind coming home tired and picking up a tool and doing a little work - for now anyway.

Big Brother

Look at blogs using an aggregator

Update:

(Most are Freeware - Wikipedia keeps an up-to-date list)

Firefox: If you use the Firefox browser on a PC, you can install Sage. It will allow you to type in the RSS or Atom feeds of any blogs you visit so you can quickly look and see if there is anything new.
http://sage.mozdev.org/screenshots/

Moi, I know that you have the Firefox browser on your computer so ask your hubby to install it for you.

Standalone: Sharpreader is still the best on if you want a stand-alone app. I use Sharpreader.

Mac's: I don't know the best. Here is one that Blogger mentions: Shrook

Minor update:
Two other considerations that integrate with Internet Explorer: Pluck (CNET's editor's choice) and Lektora

Newsreader and aggregators

I found a shortcoming in our current blog. Only one person is notified when there are comments. I thought it had a setting for each administrator but it doesn't. So when 'Moi' changed it to her email, Big Brother stopped getting notified. And it would explain why others are not 'pinged' after comments are added.

However, I think there is a solution. There are apps that aggregate blog feeds. In other words, you can have a web page or app on your machine that has your favorite blogs all in one place and tells you when a new post and, hopefully, new comment has been posted.

I have been using the freeware SharpReader, but it doesn't appear to have this feature. Anyone using another aggregator that does have this feature? Let me know.

How does the house fit

Favorite asks "how does the house fit?"

It fits real good. In fact I think we had a lot of things come together on this. The neighborhood is great for the kids, which means it's great for us.

The house, itself, is "all that." Now that all our stuff is in it, even if it is in boxes, it is not overwhelming us. I am surprised. It will take a little time before we are all settled but I think it will take less time than I first thought.

We have even staged our first 'improvement' project successfully. We had to have the water pressure stepped down with a regulator. A plumber came and one hour later our 120 PSI water was a pleasant 62 PSI. I think that might explain why none of the toilets work consistently. I might have to replace the valves in a couple of them as they probably were not treated kindly by the extreme pressure. If I'm not mistaken, 160 PSI is a pressure washer, for reference.

We still have to figure out a couple things, e.g. where to situate a bookcase or a couch, in order to really make it comfortable but it is quite liveable now, less than a month into it.

Large Male Sibling

Moved in and set up

Today, I feel like crap. I think it is my body/mind catching up with me. It is that we-can-finally-relax feeling in the immune system that is giving me this headache and nausea. It's like that after-final-exams bug that you get. I'm going to try an listen to my body and relax a bit today.

There is so much to do, but it can wait. I probably need to drink some water too.

The internet is set-up in the new house. Cable modem if you are keeping track, through Comcast. We have wireless network in the house for now though it appears to have Cat-5 wiring as well. I'll figure that out later. Wireless is working. Cable TV, phone, electicity, water, all working and now.

I felt a little lost without email. Funny because I don't feel that way about the phone. Now we can settle in. Marc started school today. Nathalie starts next week. Bus picks her up at 6:57. Ugh.

Next on my happiness list

The house purchase looks like it is going to happen. We get the keys on the 27 of August. I'm feeling really excited about that.

Now, my recent blogging apart from the house has been about not being happy. And, I discovered, happily, that getting into a "home" is a signficant part of that. Well, hooray me, mission accomplished.

However, there is a linking of things that has taken me back a little bit. I can't leave my job until we have settled into the house. This isn't a huge regression. In fact, it offers me a little bit of a reprieve, perhaps excuse, from thinking too much about it. For now, my job is what it is. (I've mentioned before that I hate the idea "overthinking," but that's another blog.) I can imagine the loan conversations, "yeah. I quit my job this week. Will that affect anything?"

I don't think that some kind of window of opportunity is closing. I'm pretty sure I can quit anytime. But, I do think it will make for some interesting internal conversations for the time being. I'm hoping Redsy will come out in the fall. Perhaps for a little parental validation, but also for some carpentry input. We'd like to close off one room downstairs for the TV room and the best room is a pretty open one with a staircase.

Look forward to seeing you all, too.

Big news

Our offer on this house was accepted. Provided the house passes inspection and it likely will, we will close at the end of august.

Click on the link below for more details on this listing:
http://www.windermere.com/lid6038559
Klahanie Area Home in Issaquah

Address: 4227 239th Pl SE
City: Issaquah
State: WA
Zip: 98029

Google map location

your sorry kid asses

I remember seeing you guys as kids do stuff that blew me away. It made me choke up to see you boys play soccer as well as you did. Or to see Nicole perform on stage. I had pride by association, but that takes away from your accomplishment. Really, I was flat-out impressed. It was recalling those things that helped me have kids. I remember certain instances with a lot of clarity. Now when I see my own kids do stuff, I get choked up.

I've learned that fear in our family produces contempt. We don't yell so much but we do get mad, then we just get amazingly sarcastic and contemptable. Sometimes that's funny and all, but sometimes it is our escape mechanism. Look at the title of this post and you'll see what I mean.

I'm so happy to have partaken in those experiences but I've never shared them. Why? Because I don't really know how. But I'm learning. So thanks for that, straight up.

The 39 Planation Street fixuh uppah is another great example of that. Way to go Mike.

It's not the money

New nickname: Big Brother - how'd I not think of that in the first place on a blog called Sibling Rivalry?

Aside: I've started a new post because long comments are easy to lose and it 'pings' me when a new post is there.

The thing I've realized is that the quibbling about the house is not about the money. Yes, you have to be prudent or at least not imprudent. But mostly I want to know that we are buying something that is good for us. Someplace that will help us create a nurturing environment for ourselves and our kids. Someplace that will provide a vehicle for the many talents/skills that make getting up in the morning worth it, from decorating to cooking to hosting family and friends, etc. If that's what you are getting when you pay $20,000 more dollars than you'd hoped, it is a lot more palatable.

Has this blog become too much about me

When I read my entries e.g. Sibling Rivalry: Considering Leaving Microsoft, I get the sense that I'm the only one reading this stuff. That's okay. However, I don't need a blog for that. I can (and do) write in my own journal.

I thought this would be a private (at least semi-private) place for us to communicate about big ideas. I like talking to you all and I don't get the chance very often. The time zone and the timing can be tough. And, it avoids the problem that I live 3,000 miles a way.

But if it isn't going to prompt discussion and input, then let me know.

Considering Leaving Microsoft

If heart surgery and the Chuck-snafu hadn't come up, I probably would be a little further along in this question. I have been relatively unhappy at Microsoft for about 3 years. Possibly longer.

When Amy asked me the last time I was really happy, I had to think a long time about it. My answer was before, during, and after our France trip. Prior to that, I couldn't say - probably the last Otis trip.

My point, and I do have one, is that my lack of happiness at work has had a considerable effect on me. I feel a bit of a failure at Microsoft too. I think quiting or getting another job would represent some sort of failure. I don't know why that bugs me so much.

Where does whining end and good sense begin? I just don't like being grumpy all the time at home and generally unhappy at work.

Redirect on the House discussion

I've been doing a lot of thinking about the house search lately. I realize that one of the main reasons for me that this is a big deal is that the house represents some kind of symbol for the journey through life.

All of this is subjective thinking but nevertheless...

Each house that we have rented has represented a step in journey. The direction of those steps has felt correct, that we were headed towards a collective vision, even if it was not well articulated or spoken. Of course, sometimes it was all that. It was overt, explicit and mutually accpepted.

That direction has become muddled now. I'm not saying that you must take discreet and perfect steps toward a goal. I'm saying that you head off on a path that vaguely has you traveling, together, in a direction that you both enjoy.

It's easier to get two people to agree on something than it is to get four people to agree, generally speaking. I know that 'the townhouse' is not part of that overall direction. Hopefully it isn't too long a layover in a bad airport, if I can mix metaphors.

I think the big fear for me is to get locked into something, by way of financial leverage, that is not where we want to go. Later, there would be a continued need to service something that you know is not the the right thing. That would be a big burden for me. Maybe not for others but for me, it would be big.

Townhouse blues

We are in the townhouse. While it is clean, new, and relatively comfortable on its own, it is less comfortable when it is filled with cardboard boxes.

We have decided to pare back even further in order to avoid some of the visual (and physical) clutter that all the boxes provide. We all agree that this is sub-optimal. The kids are stressed. We are stressed. We are coping but sometimes losing a bit of the grip. I quite surprised at what isn't fitting in a space purported to be 1,400 square feet.

As for the future, who knows. Our current goal is to make it past the July 4th holiday without adding to our stress level. No open houses, no hunting, no offers, just unpacking as little as possible to make ourselves as comfortable as possible in this space.

Hello Townhouse!

We completed our move on June 3, Friday. I would love to say it sucked, but I think that would be an unhealthy way to feed into my negativity.

To be honest, I don't mind moving, under the right circumstances. I like the purging that it creates. You have to take an honest look at whether you want to move something, or whether you would pay someone else to move it. That's a powerful decision. Our movers were great and fast. Started by 9:00, done by 2:30. Two trips.

The part I don't like is unpacking, even more than packing. For us, the last two moves have been downward moves, and maybe that's all there is to it. We are living in a space that was 60% of our Alder St house (where I recovered from surgery). Just think of getting rid of 40% of your stuff. It is probably a higher number than that because the kids' stuff is increasing, meaning our stuff must decrease propotionately.

To envision this place, think hotel. Embassy suites for example. It's livable, new, everything fits. Doors latch. Plugs aren't loose. But it also charm-free. Well, it is supposed to be temporary so maybe that will be motivating. I just hope it doesn't motivate us to do something stupid.

Family History 2

MY PARENTS:
This will be a chapter about your parents. Resist the urge to make this chapter overly long.

Remember, this is YOUR life story, not the life story of your parents. A page or two will suffice. Some things that might be included:
Where were they from?
What were their occupations, education, training?
Were they members of a church?
How did they meet and fall in love?

You might divide this into three areas: 1. Your Father 2. Your Mother 3. How they got together

We're Evicted

Well, our housing search just got a little more pressing. To paraphrase Jon Stewart: Eviction. Me no likey.

Our landlady told us that she needs to sell this house to pay for the house that she just bought in Seattle. I don't begrudge her. She is nice and has been quite accomodating to us. We haven't had a lease since November, with the mutual knowledge that we might move, if we had found a place, any time.

We learned a lot from this place. We learned that 2,000 square feet is just a little too little for us. We need the fourth bedroom/office to be comfortable. Much of this is encapsulated in the post A house is. That's good to know.

This comes at a bad time. Work is "big deadline" time for me. I have had to cut short a vacation with the McMurtry's due to this deadline. (It is essentially the final weeks that proceed from a 4 year development cycle. It sucks but I accept that it's the business I'm in.) We haven't had a lot of luck with this whole house thing. I can't see things getting worse, only better.

We plan to move into an apartment for a period and put some of our stuff into storage. The housing market here is a "sellers market." There is little inventory, as they say, in the mid and low price ranges. There is inventory in the 'starting at $600,000' market. More than one person has pointed out that the end of the world is coming when that is the starting price of a house. I don't know about that. We'll see how things go. Our search area is expanding everyday. We'll find something eventually.

The Advantage

Nathalie has discovered that I was in a band. She has been listening to the CD I sent you all. It is funny to hear her singing those songs.

I'm impressed with her other music choices. She just 'ripped' Queen's Greatest Hits Vol 1 & 2 on her computer. On the other hand, she is not crazy about our recent purchase of Beatles CDs. Also, she like the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Cool!

FXL

Maybe I am getting old BUT...

Sibling Rivalry

Our Life Story

I saw this a long time ago and held onto it. To give you an idea of how long, it is a .txt file. This is a family history outline developed by the Latter Day Saints, i.e. Mormons. It is adapted here. I think the blog will be a good format. I'll try a chapter per week.

CHAPTER 1
MY GRANDPARENTS: Tell what you remember, or what you've been told, about your grandparents. This should not be an overly long chapter. It is YOUR life story, not the life story of your Grandparents. Probably a few paragraphs or pages will suffice.

Some things that might be included:

• Where were they from?
• What were their occupations, educations, training?
• Were they members of a church?
• What are your childhood memories about them?
• Did they live with you?

I would divide this into two sections:
1. Grandparents on my Father's side.
2. Grandparents on my Mother's side.

Childhood Memories

What do you remember about your earlier childhood? Particular memories from your younger days. Just a list, off the top of your heads, not a lot of thought...

• First diaper change - Mike's and cloth diapers on Dartmouth street
• Getting in trouble with the kid's up the street
• Playing street hockey and baseball with the kid's up the street - by our Mémé's
• Sneaking in Mémé's and Pépé's house just to go pee
• Pool table on Dartmouth street
• First day's of school at Joslin and Chaffee
• Playing chase at school
• Flipping baseball cards at St. John's school at recess
• Walking to and from school
• Getting poison ivy
• Vague camping memories
• Later camping in Otter River State Park

Leaving NC soon

North Carolina is a nice place. It reminds me of Vermont a bit in geography. I am in the Research Triangle, a triangle with Chapel Hill (UNC), Durham (Duke), and Raleigh (NC State) at the points. It is very much "the country." It is southern well though most of my colleagues are transplants. Not much southern accent there.

But if you get out to a restaurant or store, the accent can get pretty thick. It hasn't been a big deal at all. I am here in spring and the weather isn't much different from Seattle. It isn't very warm. I've been told that it hasn't warmed up yet and that's a bit out of the ordinary.

I am now looking forward to going home.

Work has been good but not great. I am in the throes of hating my job. Supporting this team isn't working out well. They do not seem like a collaborative type of team. Out of site (in Redmond, WA), out of mind.

The issue for me is bigger than just that. Maybe I'm having a mid-life crisis. I can't see a future at Microsoft yet feel the so-called "golden handcuffs." I'm ready to try something new but not sure what.

Any input?

NF

North Carolina

I will be in North Carolina on a business trip Tuesday through Friday. Actually, I arrive late Monday. I'll be in the Eastern Time Zone for a change so perhaps we could chat or something, if any of you are interested.

I have no idea what the weather will be like because I haven't looked yet. I should do that before I pack.

Blog you later.

Nigel

Urban area

When I say urban area, I am playing fast and loose with the term. I mean more that you live in the central village of a town or city. I mean that sort of density in contrast with more of a rural density. In our area, those two distinctions are important because it influences the way property is developed. Laws were passed to limit growth in the out-lying areas to maintain habitat for animals.

It's a good idea, I think, in theory. However it is a bit weird in practice as density takes a while to gel. We'll see.

Here's where I have lived:
Issaquah - 14 years in July. Four different houses to date.
Reading - duplex near a park - 3 years
Wilmington - detached home near train station - 2 years
Lowell - Apartment in the 'triangle' 6-7 years
Oxford - 8-9 years (if you end at Freshman year)
Worcester - 9 years

It's hard to distinguish between the urban and rural in this list but much of the adult living was more urban. Wilmington was rather rural: big yard, not a lot of contact with the neighbors, but it was where I commuted from every day to Cambridge. For me, it was much more of a urban experience day-to-day.

I loved that place. It was a great time in our lives. Good people - Glenn, Adam, Owen (our exchange student). Nice kitchen (except for carpeting). Good band - that's when I started playing in the Angry Commuters. Drum set in the basement. Weight lifting in the basement. Tunes in the house. Piano in the living room. Bike riding in the town. Basketball court nearby. Video store nearby. Friends visiting the various housemates. Keg parties in the summer. Volleyball in the backyard. Those where the halcyon days.

A house is...

The commentary seems to be separate from your individual ideas about the house part of a home. It seems logical to then present a second post where comments about a home can be entered.

My thoughts: I don't like a big house. I have no designs on a "dream house." I like small but cozy. The ideas in the book The Not so Big House resonate with me.

Good
- Multi purpose space is good.
- Private places in public spaces e.g. nooks are good.
- Frank Lloyd Wright favored multiple ceiling heights. I like that idea but it is hard to find.
- Multiple level floors are a nice second choice.
- Prefer flooring (hardwood like stuff) to carpeting.
- I like built-ins in the bedrooms.
- Small yard.
- A little space between houses but definitely neighbor interaction.
- Parks and other public spaces nearby.
- Walking/running paths.
- Open plan.
- Eat in kitchen, e.g. French country style.

Bad
- Big bedrooms where you have seating areas. What is that about?
- Loud computers in public spaces - exception is the kids computers.
- Too open plan. TV needs isolation.

Optional
- Garage. However, you get one here pretty much everywhere.
- Home office for everyone. This is a big deal to some people.
- Multimedia room.

Just a few thoughts.

A home is...

A home is where you live.

I think it is interesting that in our family there are clusters. C and I have not bought. We rent. And we rent in more urban areas than J and Chou (didn't know how to give you a codename). M has bought a place "in the city." I was thinking that perhaps C and I prefer the city because we lived in one the longest.

I'm always surprised when I think about that. I remember living in Worcester quite vividly but who else does?

What is a home?

Recent discussions with C and J prompted me to consider this blog question: What is a home?

My goal is to create a thread like the one we created several years ago about x-mas, where each sibling chimed in with their thoughts about the Christmas experience. The thread showed that our experience today is often shaped by our recollections of youth among other things.

I want to provide a place for the collection of these disparate thoughts, where each sibling can offer them non-judgementally.

I want to avoid people disparaging another persons ideas. However, I think you should be able to comment on them for contrast. Feel free to expand on this rule.

You might say, "J says that his thought was modeled after Mom's view of "home." My interpretation is different." That way, you have set the context but not said J was wrong and therefore an idiot. No offense, J. You're just an example.

You can comment anonymously or not. Let me know if you want different code name.

Here is the basic question: What is home to you? In what ways, did your experience in our familial home influence you? What do you look for in a house?