Random~

#2901

That's awesome! Any idea when you might hear back on the offer?

#2902

Epi come to the chatzy and tell us about it.

#2903

G-Man wrote:That's awesome! Any idea when you might hear back on the offer?

The real estate agent had to call the owner to figure out how to deal with the alarm (it was going off the entire time we were looking at the property because of some sort of malfunction), and when the agent told the owner that an offer might be put on the house, the agent told us the owner was over the moon (the house has been on the market for 111 days).

#2904

Keep us posted as to whether your offer is accepted! The house is really a find, I've got my fingers crossed for you.

#2905

We just got the call. The owners accepted all the terms of our proposal except that they met us in the middle regarding their asking price and offer.

#2906

Epignosis wrote:We just got the call. The owners accepted all the terms of our proposal except that they met us in the middle regarding their asking price and offer.

That sounds pretty great! Is the new offer doable?

#2907

A Person wrote:
Epignosis wrote:We just got the call. The owners accepted all the terms of our proposal except that they met us in the middle regarding their asking price and offer.
That sounds pretty great! Is the new offer doable?

The paperwork will be prepared tonight.

#2908

Thats great!! I guess my guess that their counter would be at 123K was close! When is the proposed closing date?

#2909

Epignosis wrote:
A Person wrote:
Epignosis wrote:We just got the call. The owners accepted all the terms of our proposal except that they met us in the middle regarding their asking price and offer.
That sounds pretty great! Is the new offer doable?
The paperwork will be prepared tonight.

congrats! When ya moving in?

#2910

A Person wrote:
Epignosis wrote:
A Person wrote:
Epignosis wrote:We just got the call. The owners accepted all the terms of our proposal except that they met us in the middle regarding their asking price and offer.
That sounds pretty great! Is the new offer doable?
The paperwork will be prepared tonight.
congrats! When ya moving in?

We still have to inspect the property. Assuming no setbacks, we're shooting for a few days before Christmas.

#2911

#2912

Epignosis wrote:We just got the call. The owners accepted all the terms of our proposal except that they met us in the middle regarding their asking price and offer.

#2913

I see Epi has kept everyone updated on here. We truly see you all as friends even though you are so far away. We don't blabber our mess out there to anyone.

I am so excited and relieved that this is actually happening. I know not everyone on the syndicate are praying people or even believe in a one true God, creator of all things, but I do. And I have seen his hand in this time and time again over the past couple months. I normally have very few cakes in October, November, and December as families are preparing for the holidays. But I have been blessed with work like it's mid-summer. Epi just so happened to be around when there was news of a homebound student needing a facilitator and the student lives in our neighborhood so he was able to volunteer to work extra hours without having to pay for any gas to drive to her home. Being approved, raising our credit so significantly in just a few months, even our lender was shocked. All we had to do was pay for groceries on a new credit card and then pay it off each month. We've been able to keep our grocery budget small (as Epi said, we know how to eat cheap). And then my friend on Thursday (at homeschool group), the only one I have shared our struggles with, gave me a gift of $50...just like that. I was overwhelmed at her generosity and love. She said she felt led to give after seeking God. Amazing.

#2914

I am so glad to hear your good news, Rob and Tasha! :yay:

I really hope you and the kids love the new place. Sounds like you will.

It's really refreshing to hear such good news.

#2915

Rob's been busy.

#2916

The mail ran very late today. I went out to get it not long ago (don't worry- the mailbox is still there).

While Eloh was crying stunned tears of relief, I was racing to consider what I could possibly say that would convey the magnitude of our thanksgiving. The postmark all but gave you away.

I want you to understand what you did.

You eliminated weeks of financial uncertainty that coincided with an upcoming period of transition, during which we would attempt to sell or pawn anything we had to in order to make that transition a reality.

You removed hours of intense number crunching from my life, my CPA-trained right hand blazing away at the number pad as it has done for over a month now.

You prevented us from opening a second line of credit in order to buy groceries and gasoline during the month of December.

You safeguarded Christmas traditions (or enabled the beginning of new ones).

You have, as you put it so simply, blessed us.

All I can think to do, beyond writing this, is match the extent of the generosity you have shown to us to others in the future. I don't know how and I don't know when, but we will find a way to do that. God's blessings are not standing water- they are a river, and rivers flow elsewhere.

We are humbled. We are encouraged. We are moved. We are moving.

And we will not forget what you have done.

-Rob and Tasha

#2917

I wasn't supposed to post that, but I'm not sorry- it needed posting. The Syndicate has a magnanimous, generous person among its ranks, and I can't sit still.

#2918

Epignosis wrote:It's time to go.

We live in an awful neighborhood, in case you were not aware.

In six years, our house has been robbed, our car broken into, our house was shot at during a drive-by, our mailbox was taken out deliberately by a van (after which a second car deliberately ran over what was left), and there was a street fight right in front of our house two days ago involving at least twelve people, one of whom was pregnant (a student of mine), and baseball bats.

We are at fifteen emergency calls in six years. That's not counting the ones we didn't phone in because we knew the neighbors were already on it.

We're not belligerent people or racists. We don't stir up trouble or make demands of other people. We live quietly and keep to ourselves. Yet people here mean us harm, and I don't understand why. I am told a gang has infiltrated this area, and that is why occurrences have escalated. Perhaps they are attempting to intimidate us- but to what end?

Tonight someone tried to come into our front door (it was locked, of course), and then a car drove past doing perhaps 65mph blaring the horn and shouting. The police officer tonight asked me if I had a gun. He told me if anyone tries my door again I should shoot through the door. Never mind that the person on the other side could be a friend or my pregnant student who lives nearby and comes over to do school work.

And so I stay up most nights, as long as I can lately, concerned that something is going to happen in the middle of the night. I go to work exhausted. I come home equally so. I watch. And I wonder. When will there be an escalation? And I think: What if my daughter had been playing outside the day the driver of that van roared into our yard and eliminated our mailbox, and he didn't see my little girl?

How would that change me as a man?

Our circumstances are about the change, however.

In May, we were approved for a mortgage. That might not mean much to you, but in 2008, I lost my job while my wife was pregnant with the daughter I mentioned above, and every expectation we had of a hopeful future went to shit. I couldn't find work and we were unable to pay for almost anything but the bills and groceries. We lost our car. I had to sell instruments to pay bills. We ate cabbage and baked cakes made of flour, parsley and water.

I learned to cook like Gordon Fucking Ramsay because I had to learn how to be creative in the kitchen.

Then this past May, as I said, we were approved for a mortgage. That was great news on its own- we could turn our rent into a mortgage and get out of this neighborhood. The trouble was that we could not save the down payment because our vehicle is as unreliable as a chimpanzee accountant. So I worked hard and worked hard to build our credit. We now qualify for twice as much as we did in May.

It's time to go.

My wife spent several of her evenings covered in sugar. I have taken extra work through my school, earned additional money through fantasy sports, and we are selling so much stuff- even our furniture- to get out. We are getting this down payment. I don't care if we have nothing when we move- that's less shit to haul out anyway. If all we have come the first of the year is a nice big ass empty house in a modest and clean neighborhood, and our children, so be it.

Right now my eyes burn and my eyelids sag, but I cannot sleep yet. I have to watch.

Tonight these tired eyes look over a crappy house in a shitty neighborhood sheltering a remarkable family.

But tomorrow they will gaze upon houses we could not imagine owning six years ago. And in six weeks, perhaps they will weep, knowing that we have a place that is our own. That we, of all people, arising from the gutter of bitter circumstance and despair, are homeowners.

I apologize for my lack of involvement here lately and in the immediate future. I really really do.

But it's time to go.

You are awesome. Both of you.

Good luck.

#2919

I love you guys. And I love this community. Some of the greatest people I have the honor of knowing, I have met right here in this community.

#2920

Spacedaisy wrote:

I love you guys. And I love this community. Some of the greatest people I have the honor of knowing, I have met right here in this community.

This.

Seriously, I couldn't be happier for you both, so glad to hear it!

#2921

Congrats Elo and Epi you deserve all this good luck! Your new house is beautiful and looks like a great place to settle your family. Time to celebrate!

#2922

Here's to a minty fresh start

#2923

you all are wonderful! We truly love our friends here. And once we get settled, you're all invited to come and visit with us.

(Just not all at once. The house is nice but it's I don't think we'd all fit

)

#2924

To fit with the random nature of this thread...

This is one of my favorite websites: Rejected Princesses

#2925

Elohcin wrote: you all are wonderful! We truly love our friends here. And once we get settled, you're all invited to come and visit with us. (Just not all at once. The house is nice but it's I don't think we'd all fit )

Maybe I'll apply to a university close enough that we can come by and visit once I'm on the job market!

#2926

That would be nice. Duke. UNC.

#2927

Elohcin wrote:That would be nice. Duke. UNC.

Not sure either of those universities would even interview me, but you never know. :P

#2928

Hey all

Just want to let everyone know who hears about the earthquake that me and my family are safe. My city (Wellington) felt it pretty strong and did take a decent amount of damage in some areas, but there haven't been any serious injuries or deaths here.

Closer to the epicentre, the town of Kaikoura which is a very picturesque tourist town seems to be completely munted (the New Zealand term for being completely fucked by an earthquake) and many roads are going to take a lot to repair. There are a couple of deaths in the south island too, sadly.

#2929

Golden wrote:Hey all

Just want to let everyone know who hears about the earthquake that me and my family are safe. My city (Wellington) felt it pretty strong and did take a decent amount of damage in some areas, but there haven't been any serious injuries or deaths here.

Closer to the epicentre, the town of Kaikoura which is a very picturesque tourist town seems to be completely munted (the New Zealand term for being completely fucked by an earthquake) and many roads are going to take a lot to repair. There are a couple of deaths in the south island too, sadly.

Good to hear from you! Annie and I just saw something about the earthquake and were hoping that you and your family were all OK.

#2930

Golden wrote:Hey all

Just want to let everyone know who hears about the earthquake that me and my family are safe. My city (Wellington) felt it pretty strong and did take a decent amount of damage in some areas, but there haven't been any serious injuries or deaths here.

Closer to the epicentre, the town of Kaikoura which is a very picturesque tourist town seems to be completely munted (the New Zealand term for being completely fucked by an earthquake) and many roads are going to take a lot to repair. There are a couple of deaths in the south island too, sadly.

Also, it's so outside of my experience to have a word specifically to refer to a place being completely fucked by an earthquake. I can't even imagine.

#2931

Glad to hear you're ok Golden. I've been keeping up with it via radionz online - there are some pictures on there as well. Thanks for letting us know.

#2932

Golden wrote:Hey all

Just want to let everyone know who hears about the earthquake that me and my family are safe. My city (Wellington) felt it pretty strong and did take a decent amount of damage in some areas, but there haven't been any serious injuries or deaths here.

Closer to the epicentre, the town of Kaikoura which is a very picturesque tourist town seems to be completely munted (the New Zealand term for being completely fucked by an earthquake) and many roads are going to take a lot to repair. There are a couple of deaths in the south island too, sadly.

Good to hear from you! Glad you are safe.

#2933

The worst damage in my house was Hamish, experiencing his first earthquake, who decided to evacuate from every orifice shortly afterwards. Poor terrified bub.

#2934

E and e: so sorry you had to go through the rough piece to get there, It so happy to see you have good to move towards. What amazing opportunity. Glad to see that thinks are working out!!! Sending additional blessings in your direction.

#2935

Epi, elo... that stuff moved me to tears. You guys deserve every blessing that comes your way, and more, and so I am so pleased for you that you have found a house. Good luck, I hope things continue to work for you.

#2936

Golden the Survivor! Glad you and your family are safe and sound.

#2937

I want you all to know I read this thread more than I post in it. I love you all.

#2938

So, some of you know that I shaved my head last year and the year before to raise money for childhood cancer reasearch. I decided tonight that I'm doing it again in January. The St Baldricks Foundation directly funds childhood cancer research through grants, towards finding treatments and, possibly, a cure. Only 4% of all federal funding for all cancer research goes towards childhood cancers. 43 children a day are diagnosed with cancer in the US, 15,780 each year. About 1/3 of those children die within 30 years of diagnosis. None of that (or the other statistics) is ok.

The world is pretty broken right now. For those of us in the US, wherever you are on the political spectrum, we're in a place right now where there's a lot of brokenness. And we need to start to find healing. And that's what I'm trying to do.

This is a thing I can do to try to work towards making one thing a little bit more right, and to make things feel more symbolically right. I'd love it if some of you joined me and symbolically helped.

Cancer sucks. We can all agree on that. Give a little bit to help find treatments to help kids who are suffering from cancer and make their lives, and their families lives, a little bit better. And help bring a bit of healing to the world.

From my previous times doing this, the small donations are the ones that make the biggest impact--that sounds strange but it's true. Must of my money the first 2 times came from donations under $20 (although I certainly welcome larger donations).

https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/rabbiisa5777

And if you want to know why this is an issue that is of particular interest of me, visit this blog: http://supermansamuel.blogspot.com The writers are dear friends of mine. Bring tissues. Like, a case of them. It's a story of a family and a little 6 year old boy named Sammy who became a Super hero. Only his story didn't end like super hero stories are supposed to end. But, after that, he managed to make a big difference in the world, and his influence continues.

So, yeah. Go to the link above and if you considered donating, that would be awesome.

#2939

Good job, Lorab! My sister got breast cancer last year and I agree with you that cancer does indeed suck. She's fine now, though.

I came in here to tell a lighthearted story about a medical emergency that happened in my apartment complex last night, but things are pretty heavy in here right now, so maybe I'll wait.

#2940

thellama73 wrote:Good job, Lorab! My sister got breast cancer last year and I agree with you that cancer does indeed suck. She's fine now, though.

I came in here to tell a lighthearted story about a medical emergency that happened in my apartment complex last night, but things are pretty heavy in here right now, so maybe I'll wait.

I think we could do with a bit of mirth. Do tell.

#2941

I agree with Epignosis llama - tell your story.

#2942

It's not a very long story, and not really all that mirthful. But I inquired today and they said everyone's fine, so I guess all's well that ends well.

Last night I was watching TV when I heard some guy running up and down the hall screaming "help me! help me!" I was about to go out, when I heard the police arrive. Shortly thereafter, and ambulance pulled up and one of the paramedics said "It's down the hall on the right. You'll see the blood." Whenever "you'll see the blood" is useful in giving directions, it's not a good sign. I never really found out what happened, but there is no visible blood in the hallways today and the leasing office assures me everything is fine. Rob's not the only one with crazy violence outside his door!

#2943

Yeah. You'll see the blood is never a landmark that you really want to be given in directions.

#2944

LoRab wrote:Yeah. You'll see the blood is never a landmark that you really want to be given in directions.

It's nice that I'm still able to find humor in the bloodshed of others.

#2945

thellama73 wrote:It's not a very long story, and not really all that mirthful. But I inquired today and they said everyone's fine, so I guess all's well that ends well.

Last night I was watching TV when I heard some guy running up and down the hall screaming "help me! help me!" I was about to go out, when I heard the police arrive. Shortly thereafter, and ambulance pulled up and one of the paramedics said "It's down the hall on the right. You'll see the blood." Whenever "you'll see the blood" is useful in giving directions, it's not a good sign. I never really found out what happened, but there is no visible blood in the hallways today and the leasing office assures me everything is fine. Rob's not the only one with crazy violence outside his door!

Speaking of violent neighbors, my excellent ol' neighbor who liked to sleep on his roof with a shotgun sold his house and moved about a month ago. I haven't met the new neighbors yet, but I'm moving in a couple weeks, so I'm excited for that.

#2946

Are you moving to my neighborhood? We'd love to have you.

#2947

thellama73 wrote:Are you moving to my neighborhood? We'd love to have you.

Your neighborhood is expensive in Oregon.

#2948

This country is too big. Even my friends who live near me live 45 minutes away.

#2949

thellama73 wrote:This country is too big. Even my friends who live near me live 45 minutes away.

My current thought on the subject: The only way I'd move back to a big city is if I was inspired to do something for the city. Otherwise, I'd be adding to that problem.

#2950

A quick update on all things earthquake.

I've ended up 'off work' all week, which is really code for 'working from home'. My building is safe but clearly some of its pipes ruptured, and we have no idea what the damage is or where in the building. We have what they are calling a 'staged reoccupation' from Monday.

They've just announced a building a block from my work building is going to have to be demolished. It's possible it won't be the last.

We are very lucky that this quake wasn't closer to Wellington at this size, in many ways. We are also lucky it happened at midnight on a sunday. We would likely have had fatalities in the city if it had come during the day, given the extent of damage.

Full Games	Civilian: Mafia: Independent:
Speed Games	Civilian: Fiddler on the Roof Mafia:
Heists	Civilian: MVP: RED vs BLUE
Burglaries	Independent: The Theme Is Literally a Burglary
Special Games	Civilian: Independent:

Full Games	Civilian: Mafia: Independent:
Speed Games	Civilian: Fiddler on the Roof Mafia:
Heists	Civilian: MVP: RED vs BLUE
Burglaries	Independent: The Theme Is Literally a Burglary
Special Games	Civilian: Independent:

Full Games	Civilian: Mafia: Independent:
Speed Games	Civilian: Fiddler on the Roof Mafia:
Heists	Civilian: MVP: RED vs BLUE
Burglaries	Independent: The Theme Is Literally a Burglary
Special Games	Civilian: Independent:

2014 Sockys
2015 Sockys
Miscellaneous

2014 Sockys
2015 Sockys
Miscellaneous

2014 Sockys
2015 Sockys
Miscellaneous