My debtor in Morgantown has now defaulted on me twice. Enough is enough. Foreclosure time.
I now have a riding mower, and it certainly makes managing the property easier. In addition, Zanne and I figured out where our actual boundaries are and discovered that the northeast boundary is quite further than we thought. So we up and planted a nice pine tree out there and made a perty little island of mulch around it. It looks nice, but everyone in the neighborhood wonders why there's a tree out there in the middle of nowhere. I respond by leveling my shotgun and shouting: "Get off my lawn!"
Peter came over tonight, and we played two games of Combat Commander: Europe. In the first, his Germans attacked my Russians, who were holed up in a military school. I made a tactical blunder by setting up my defenses too far forward. (I do that a lot.) His Germans set up a heavy machine gun on a hill that ranged my defenses easily. As the battle opened, I had some good luck and got fooled into thinking I was a genius. But his firepower soon changed that, and I lost half my men to that machine gun. Then he advanced a squad with a flamethrower down a line of buildings I was defending, and I kept retreating until he finally whacked one of my guys. Then, I counterattacked and killed the flamethrower squad in hand to hand combat. But he kept attacking, and my guys finally surrendered, the pussies. Very bad set-up on my part.
In our second game, Peter chose to play scenario 3--one of my favorites. I actually wrote up an article on it a while back, using military terrain analysis to analyze the scenario. I made a small mistake in setting up, but I was able to whack Peter pretty good anyway. As I expected, he made his main effort on my left and ran into a virtual wall of concertina wire, along with my devastating machine gun fire. He pressed his attack, but in the closing moments, I was reinforced with an infantry gun that sent one of his squads to hell and ended the fight. Much funness.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
September Update
Been in the new house for about a month, and we love it. Every corner of it reminds me of my Zanne-Zanne. I really feel that we worked together perfectly to create each part. I love the dark hard-wood floors and cabinets, the beautiful stained staircase, and, of course, the porch. Zanne painted Joe's room, Kadey's room, and the guest room, and they look amazing.
So far I installed the chandelier, fixed up the family room ceiling fan (after Matt installed), installed Joe's and Kadey's fans, installed edging on the flower bed, and cleared out the garage. I'm contemplating what to do with the east side of the house--there are lots of possibilities there. Mainly, we need to save and budget for projects.
Meanwhile, I'm completing a few projects at the Lab, trying to clear the decks so that I can get back to writing about the evolution of strategy in the war on terror.
Played a great game of Combat Commander: Europe with Peter the other day. I set up an American defense against his German night attack. Although his attack on my left flank was making progress--especially with the flamethrower--it was too little too late, and I won.
Have been looking hard at the evolution vs. intelligent design debate lately. A frustrating endeavor, because I feel torn between evidence in both directions. In the end, I'm concluding that I should relax. Never be afraid of the truth. Never accept the conclusions of any particular crowd, because fanatics lurk everywhere, and they can't be trusted. Remember that "science" is the same crowd that decides every other year that eggs are good for you/will kill you quickly. Scientists used to believe rats spontaneously generated from garbage and that the earth was the center of the universe.
In the end, I will die and know the truth. And then I will laugh at all of you ignoramuses.
So far I installed the chandelier, fixed up the family room ceiling fan (after Matt installed), installed Joe's and Kadey's fans, installed edging on the flower bed, and cleared out the garage. I'm contemplating what to do with the east side of the house--there are lots of possibilities there. Mainly, we need to save and budget for projects.
Meanwhile, I'm completing a few projects at the Lab, trying to clear the decks so that I can get back to writing about the evolution of strategy in the war on terror.
Played a great game of Combat Commander: Europe with Peter the other day. I set up an American defense against his German night attack. Although his attack on my left flank was making progress--especially with the flamethrower--it was too little too late, and I won.
Have been looking hard at the evolution vs. intelligent design debate lately. A frustrating endeavor, because I feel torn between evidence in both directions. In the end, I'm concluding that I should relax. Never be afraid of the truth. Never accept the conclusions of any particular crowd, because fanatics lurk everywhere, and they can't be trusted. Remember that "science" is the same crowd that decides every other year that eggs are good for you/will kill you quickly. Scientists used to believe rats spontaneously generated from garbage and that the earth was the center of the universe.
In the end, I will die and know the truth. And then I will laugh at all of you ignoramuses.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Closing on Tuesday
Stuff I want to do to my new house:
1. Install pond/waterfall in front and do up the landscaping. Put ground cover in front.
2. Finish basement--office, bath w/steam shower, fitness room, wargame room, guest room, family room.
3. Install morning room deck and sunroom deck w/gazebo.
4. Build patio and outdoor kitchen.
5. Install in-ground pool w/hot tub.
6. Put rockers, end tables, swing, and flowers on porch.
7. Install garage door openers and build work area and storage areas in garage.
8. Furnish a beautiful sunroom--fountain, birds, plants, rattan furniture.
9. Build custom bookshelves and create an elegant library in formal living room area.
10. Build play area for grandkids.
11. Plant lots of trees.
Please send money.
1. Install pond/waterfall in front and do up the landscaping. Put ground cover in front.
2. Finish basement--office, bath w/steam shower, fitness room, wargame room, guest room, family room.
3. Install morning room deck and sunroom deck w/gazebo.
4. Build patio and outdoor kitchen.
5. Install in-ground pool w/hot tub.
6. Put rockers, end tables, swing, and flowers on porch.
7. Install garage door openers and build work area and storage areas in garage.
8. Furnish a beautiful sunroom--fountain, birds, plants, rattan furniture.
9. Build custom bookshelves and create an elegant library in formal living room area.
10. Build play area for grandkids.
11. Plant lots of trees.
Please send money.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Victory for the PLAN!
For you unenlightened, PLAN = People's Liberation Army Navy. It's what the Chinese call their navy. Go figure.
Anyways, Peter came over for wargaming, and I totally trounced his Yankee hiney in a game of Fleets 2025: East China Sea. During a naval exercise off the coast of Japan, a flight of Chinese J-13Cs approached within 25 miles of a US carrier battle group and were intercepted by two US F-35s. Reports are conflicting, but the PLAN aircraft were shot down and the Chinese launched an immediate retaliatory strike.
I began the campaign by cautiously moving my submarines eastward. I was determined to keep my sole carrier safely behind its screen of destroyers and hugging the coast of the motherland. To my delight and surprise, the Yanks elected to move toward me and steamed just east of Japan. I believe this was a mistake, because they should have awaited their reinforcements.
My carrier aircraft launched a strike against his nuclear submarine and sent it to the bottom, but he responded by shooting down some of my aircraft. Those were the last casualties for a while. My intelligence teams worked overtime to gain me a lot of tactical advantages, but time was not on my side. It became clear to me that if I didn't inflict serious damage on the Americans, my government would lose heart and sue for peace. Because of the Americans' overly aggressive moves, I was able to get into a position to hammer his carrier battle group with submarine-lauched precision weapons that damaged his carrier and escorts! He learned wisdom late and began to steam back east with my PLAN forces in hot pursuit. At this point, I toyed with the idea of launching a nuclear strike against his forces, but in the end I chose not to, because I knew world opinion would turn against me. As I vacillated, his ships' crews repaired at sea. Opportunity lost.
In the closing hours of the war, I maneuvered while the American commander wasted time on operational logistics. I managed to shoot down two squadrons of Yank aircraft, and then I launched a submarine strike against his advanced guided missile cruiser, sinking it. The gutless Americans sued for peace.
In other news, we did our final walk-thru on the house today. It is GORGEOUS. I can't believe that Zanne and I built this beautiful castle together. It was truly a team effort. We were both involved in every step: she negotiated a great deal and had a clear vision of what we needed. And I...ummm...well I did something really important, too.
Anyways, we are now waiting for the West Virginia Development Fund to complete the paperwork on our loan, so we can close. We are hoping for a closing this Friday or early next week, but it may be as late as the 31st of July. Once we close, the work really begins.
We also attended the memorial service for our dear friend and sister in Christ, Alicia Barylski. She was just 44 years old when cancer struck her down. About a year and a half ago, she told us that she had fallen and hurt her knee. It turned out to be a tumor in her leg. For the next 18 months, she fought hard. She was such a little woman, but she never gave in--always smiling, always optimistic. I remember visiting the home when she was recovering from another round of chemo. She was exhausted...but still undefeated in her spirit. Now she is with our Lord--home at last. She is the first of our home group to cross the finish line. Way to go, Alicia! We miss you!
Anyways, Peter came over for wargaming, and I totally trounced his Yankee hiney in a game of Fleets 2025: East China Sea. During a naval exercise off the coast of Japan, a flight of Chinese J-13Cs approached within 25 miles of a US carrier battle group and were intercepted by two US F-35s. Reports are conflicting, but the PLAN aircraft were shot down and the Chinese launched an immediate retaliatory strike.
I began the campaign by cautiously moving my submarines eastward. I was determined to keep my sole carrier safely behind its screen of destroyers and hugging the coast of the motherland. To my delight and surprise, the Yanks elected to move toward me and steamed just east of Japan. I believe this was a mistake, because they should have awaited their reinforcements.
My carrier aircraft launched a strike against his nuclear submarine and sent it to the bottom, but he responded by shooting down some of my aircraft. Those were the last casualties for a while. My intelligence teams worked overtime to gain me a lot of tactical advantages, but time was not on my side. It became clear to me that if I didn't inflict serious damage on the Americans, my government would lose heart and sue for peace. Because of the Americans' overly aggressive moves, I was able to get into a position to hammer his carrier battle group with submarine-lauched precision weapons that damaged his carrier and escorts! He learned wisdom late and began to steam back east with my PLAN forces in hot pursuit. At this point, I toyed with the idea of launching a nuclear strike against his forces, but in the end I chose not to, because I knew world opinion would turn against me. As I vacillated, his ships' crews repaired at sea. Opportunity lost.
In the closing hours of the war, I maneuvered while the American commander wasted time on operational logistics. I managed to shoot down two squadrons of Yank aircraft, and then I launched a submarine strike against his advanced guided missile cruiser, sinking it. The gutless Americans sued for peace.
In other news, we did our final walk-thru on the house today. It is GORGEOUS. I can't believe that Zanne and I built this beautiful castle together. It was truly a team effort. We were both involved in every step: she negotiated a great deal and had a clear vision of what we needed. And I...ummm...well I did something really important, too.
Anyways, we are now waiting for the West Virginia Development Fund to complete the paperwork on our loan, so we can close. We are hoping for a closing this Friday or early next week, but it may be as late as the 31st of July. Once we close, the work really begins.
We also attended the memorial service for our dear friend and sister in Christ, Alicia Barylski. She was just 44 years old when cancer struck her down. About a year and a half ago, she told us that she had fallen and hurt her knee. It turned out to be a tumor in her leg. For the next 18 months, she fought hard. She was such a little woman, but she never gave in--always smiling, always optimistic. I remember visiting the home when she was recovering from another round of chemo. She was exhausted...but still undefeated in her spirit. Now she is with our Lord--home at last. She is the first of our home group to cross the finish line. Way to go, Alicia! We miss you!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Grandkiddies
We got to have the grand-kiddies (Rosie Posie and Monster Trey) for a week. Matt and Sarah came over, and we played a bloody game of Apples to Apples last Saturday night.
We took the grand-kids to bowling, Inwood water park, to feed the ducks at Poorhouse Farm park, to the movies (Ice Age). We also set up the little pool in the back, and they LOVED it!
At the water park today, Zanne simply would not accept my victories at the Go-Kart track and in the bumper-boats. Even when the totally neutral umpire announced that "Bob won", Zanne continued to deny the reality of my splendor and glory and victoryness. Rosie loved the water slide. Kadey was a huge hit with the boys (aged 8-60). Trey earned a dollar from his grandma Suzanne by sitting on a fountain. This recession has resulted in strange new earning patterns.
It will be quiet when the kiddies leave tomorrow night.
We took the grand-kids to bowling, Inwood water park, to feed the ducks at Poorhouse Farm park, to the movies (Ice Age). We also set up the little pool in the back, and they LOVED it!
At the water park today, Zanne simply would not accept my victories at the Go-Kart track and in the bumper-boats. Even when the totally neutral umpire announced that "Bob won", Zanne continued to deny the reality of my splendor and glory and victoryness. Rosie loved the water slide. Kadey was a huge hit with the boys (aged 8-60). Trey earned a dollar from his grandma Suzanne by sitting on a fountain. This recession has resulted in strange new earning patterns.
It will be quiet when the kiddies leave tomorrow night.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Virginny Beach
On Wednesday I drove with Zanne to the lab, where I gave a presentation on comparative eschatology. Afterward I picked Zanne up from the Columbia Mall, and we ate at a fancy Chinese cafe. Then we drove toward Richmond, stopping to visit with Raine and Jeff. They are having a hard time dealing with Harv's terminal illness, and we really feel for them.
We then drove down to Virginia Beach, and along the way I called Pam Bourgoine, and we made plans to meet with them later. We arrived at the hotel and headed to the beach as it was starting to get dark. I, of course, swam a little, and then we ate at our hotel restaurant right on the beach. I had delicious fried shrimp, and I was totally in the relax mode.
The next day we spent at the beach. Zanne read Heinlein's "Tunnel in the Sky" while I played in the water for six hours. I covered myself with waterproof SPF 50 sunblock and got burned to a fine red crisp anyway. The surf was really rough! I spent the whole time body-surfing, and the waves beat me up pretty bad. It was really fun and exhausting.
That evening we ate at a Mongolian Barbecue while we watched the news about Michael Jackson dying. We then returned to the hotel, where I trounced my bride in a game of Bokus (or whatever it's called). She whined and insisted on redesigning the game.
On Friday morning, we slept in and then had breakfast at IHOP. I had had too much sun, so we skipped the beach and started heading home. We met Dan and Pam (and John and Amy) at a Starbucks. Dan has a beard! And Amy has transformed from a cute little tomboy into a stunning and elegant young lady! I was amazed! John is about 8 feet tall, too! Pam and Suzanne got on very nicely, just like old friends. It was really great seeing them again.
We drove home to Martinsburg without incident and checked on the house. The stairs are stained beautifully, and the house is just about done. They graded the driveway and the surrounding lawn, too.
Today is Saturday, and Rosie and Trey have arrived for a week of fun with Grandma and Grandpa! Woot!
We then drove down to Virginia Beach, and along the way I called Pam Bourgoine, and we made plans to meet with them later. We arrived at the hotel and headed to the beach as it was starting to get dark. I, of course, swam a little, and then we ate at our hotel restaurant right on the beach. I had delicious fried shrimp, and I was totally in the relax mode.
The next day we spent at the beach. Zanne read Heinlein's "Tunnel in the Sky" while I played in the water for six hours. I covered myself with waterproof SPF 50 sunblock and got burned to a fine red crisp anyway. The surf was really rough! I spent the whole time body-surfing, and the waves beat me up pretty bad. It was really fun and exhausting.
That evening we ate at a Mongolian Barbecue while we watched the news about Michael Jackson dying. We then returned to the hotel, where I trounced my bride in a game of Bokus (or whatever it's called). She whined and insisted on redesigning the game.
On Friday morning, we slept in and then had breakfast at IHOP. I had had too much sun, so we skipped the beach and started heading home. We met Dan and Pam (and John and Amy) at a Starbucks. Dan has a beard! And Amy has transformed from a cute little tomboy into a stunning and elegant young lady! I was amazed! John is about 8 feet tall, too! Pam and Suzanne got on very nicely, just like old friends. It was really great seeing them again.
We drove home to Martinsburg without incident and checked on the house. The stairs are stained beautifully, and the house is just about done. They graded the driveway and the surrounding lawn, too.
Today is Saturday, and Rosie and Trey have arrived for a week of fun with Grandma and Grandpa! Woot!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Father's Day and Some Movies
First, the movies. Recently have seen Up, Pelham 1-2-3, Mall Cop (DVD). Up was cute, especially the dog and the bird. Pelham was forgettable but okay. Mall Cop was better on DVD than it would have been in a theater. Zanne and I have been watching the HBO series ROME, and we really enjoyed it. Caesar just got whacked.
Molly and Joe came here to Martinsburg for Father's Day. We played Clue, and Molly won. We played Hearts, and Molly won. Excuse me...I thought it was FATHER'S Day!?!?! This morning we had panny cakes, chicken gravy, eggs, bacon, etc. Then we drove out to Poorhouse Farm Park, which we've decided to come back to with our fishing gear. They have a bass pond there (catch and release), and a whole bunch of trails.
We took Abby and Romy, who played frisbee and threatened all other dogs with instant death, respectively. Molly is making brocholi soup for lunch, and I can't wait! Bobby had to work all weekend in Wheeling, but he called. I'm anxious to hear from Sam to see if he's going to be able to go on his final FTX with his fractured wrist.
Best surprise of all: Suzanne and Kadey conspired to give me a really cool gift: Zanne and I are going to Virginia Beach next week for a couple of days, while Kadey holds down the fort, dogs, and cats, and Joe. They both gave me real nice cards, too. I'm very blessed!
I also picked up the Nana (aka "Bloody Nana", due to her volatile personality when playing cards...) and brought her down here. I'll be taking her back tonight.
Molly and Joe came here to Martinsburg for Father's Day. We played Clue, and Molly won. We played Hearts, and Molly won. Excuse me...I thought it was FATHER'S Day!?!?! This morning we had panny cakes, chicken gravy, eggs, bacon, etc. Then we drove out to Poorhouse Farm Park, which we've decided to come back to with our fishing gear. They have a bass pond there (catch and release), and a whole bunch of trails.
We took Abby and Romy, who played frisbee and threatened all other dogs with instant death, respectively. Molly is making brocholi soup for lunch, and I can't wait! Bobby had to work all weekend in Wheeling, but he called. I'm anxious to hear from Sam to see if he's going to be able to go on his final FTX with his fractured wrist.
Best surprise of all: Suzanne and Kadey conspired to give me a really cool gift: Zanne and I are going to Virginia Beach next week for a couple of days, while Kadey holds down the fort, dogs, and cats, and Joe. They both gave me real nice cards, too. I'm very blessed!
I also picked up the Nana (aka "Bloody Nana", due to her volatile personality when playing cards...) and brought her down here. I'll be taking her back tonight.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
