August, 2004:

I just spent $1300 on window shades. Yay! Ugh. And the $680 for the ‘fridge. Plus another $100 in cables and wall plates tonight. And about $300 in the establishment of various utilities.

It’s fun. :) Spending money with reckless abandon is a habit I could get used to. Anyone care to sponsor me?

Okay, so, we’re off to the title company to close on the house. Then to the house to get the keys.

Love me, I’m insane. Woooo!

Our loan was approved, despite my failed attempts to provide evidence of accounts on my credit being paid in full. We close this Friday at 1:15pm. We did the initial home walk-through on Monday, and we have the final walk-through tomorrow.

“Joel”:http://www.hijinksensue.com/ hooked us up with a nice discount on Whirlpool refrigerators, getting us the “ED5GHEXNQ”:http://www.insideadvantage.com/inside/product.phtml?sku=ED5GHEXN” for $678 (that’s cost, tax, delivery, and installation). It normally goes for $900 or more before tax and delivery.

My Mom and Dad offered to buy our washer and dryer. We decided to go with a GE 3.5 cuft. “washer”:http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=SEARS&pid=02603222000&sid=I0008300030000100085 and matching GE 7.0 cuft. “dryer”:http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@0873173598.1093465004@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccedadcmggijgiicehgcemgdffmdflk.0&vertical=APPL&pid=02604772000. Lowes has the best price on both of them, plus we get 10% off, which will save them a little money. We haven’t bought these yet, but probably will this weekend.

We’re trying to decide what to do with the windows. The builder works with a guy that installs Faux-Wood blinds with 2″ slats. Our house would cost about $1200 to have all the windows with these blinds. That price includes installation. Not knowing the exact window sizes, it’s hard for me to guess, at this point, how much it would cost to buy them and hang them myself. A rough estimate leads me to believe that they would run about $200 *more* at Lowes (prior to 10% discount) and that doesn’t include installation. However, we’re not really sure we want Faux-Wood, and, even if we did, we’re not sure we want them in every room. By my estimates, we could take the cheapest route possible and cover every window with plastic mini-blinds for about $200. But… then we have plastic mini-blinds. So… I really don’t know what to do.

I thought we could get DSL at this new place but, apparently we can’t. So I called the only cable provider that offers service, Cebridge. They have a package, which the sales person assures me is very, very fast, that offers a whopping 512kbps down… yes, down… for $30/mo. I guess it’s better than nothing, for now. The only unfortunate thing is that Jess and I are very happy with our VoIP service from “Vonage”:http://vonage.com/. Unfortunately, TiVo won’t work through it as TiVo requires a 56k connection, which you can’t get inside of Vonage. Supposedly, people with newer firmwares and different hardware than me are making it work, so it *might* be an option. But I won’t know until the day of installation which is too much of a gamble for me. So it looks like we’ll have to get a land line. At $10ish/mo (for measured rate service) that’s not too bad. That bumps our phone costs up to about $37/mo. With the same services and same amount of calls on a regular landline, our bill would be somewhere around $80/mo. Still it makes me upset to have to spend $10/mo for nothing. Especially when the TiVo has a fully capable USB port that supports USB ethernet… if only it were enabled.

We’re not anywhere near prepared to move in this weekend, and, even if we did, we won’t get a refrigerator until the 7th of September, so it would be difficult. The next weekend, my Dad (who has offered to help us move) will be out of town so, if we’d like his help, we’ll have to wait until the weekend after that. That works out pretty well since that Sunday is the day the DirecTv (thanks again, Joel) installer will be there and, that way, we can ensure that someone will be there to make sure everything gets hooked up.

So, yeah. There’s good news and bad news.

So… here’s the tentative plan for the next month of so.

This weekend, we’ll deal with stuff that needs to be changed right away. We need to seal the ceramic tile, and run a second strand (or more) of CAT5 to each of the rooms and get the face plates functioning correctly. I also need to drop a second line of COAX into the living room for the TiVo. I might run additional COAX to certain other rooms to allow them to choose between a Satellite signal, and whatever is being sent out by the TiVo. Additionally, I may also run a piece of CAT5 out to the Phone Box to allow me to plug the VoIP line into the house wiring without bypassing the RJ31X for the alarm system. That all depends, really, on if I want the alarm to run over the landline. If I decide to keep the landline, then I can just unhook “Line 2″ at the Phone Box and power the internal phones by connection the VoIP adapter directly into the wall (because phones are wired in parallel). I also need to talk to one of the cement contractors about pouring us a bigger slab out back. If I have time, I might also borrow my Dad’s truck and go buy and install the washer and dryer. That’ll make for a full enough weekend.

Then, Monday of next week, the Cable and Phone people will be there to install their respective services. Throughout the week, we’ll pack the seldomly used things and make a trip or two up to drop those boxes off. We’ll also plan what we’re going to do for window treatments… at least in the rooms that we’ll need them in right away (master bedroom, master bathroom, entry way, maybe living and dining room). Hopefully, we’ll have it all planned out and bought so that we can install them this weekend. And Sunday is Jess’ birthday!

The week after that we’ll get everything else packed up, slowly but surely. The refrigerator will be installed that Tuesday, so, someone will have to be at the house that day. Again, we’ll bring a load up whenever we feel we can without having a need for the things in those boxes. If all goes as planned, we’ll have everything packed by that Friday. That Saturday we’re celebrating Jess’ birthday and my sister’s birthday at my parent’s house. The next day, Sunday, will be the big moving day. We’re renting a truck from Budget and, hopefully, we’ll be able to fit everything in one load. I’m guessing 3 hours to load, 30 mins to drive, and 1 hour to unload. Maybe I’m too conservative. And the DirecTV install guy will be there.

Throughout that next week we’ll unpack. That Monday is Morgan’s birthday! That weekend, we’ll go back to the apartment, clean it out well, and drop off the keys and such.

Brad, Morgan and Zoe will be in town sometime during this time frame for somewhere between 3 and 12 days. They’re not quite sure yet. Hopefully, amidst all the packing and moving and unpacking and stressing, we’ll have some time to enjoy their company.

And… we’ll… that’s our life for the next month or so. Wanna help or just keep us company? Let me know. Have any advice on a better way to do this, or how to get it all done without killing myself? I’d love to hear it.

Despite all the stress… I’m very excited.

Oh… also… does anyone know when I’m supposed to switch gas, water, trash, electricity, etc into my name? I haven’t heard anything from anyone about doing this.

I decided to call Sprint PCS this morning in order to remind them that they have yet to remove two items from my credit report that I should have never had to pay in the first place, and paid anyway when I found out they existed.

At 8:20 I called. It took me 15 minutes to get through 4 transfers, finally, to a Collections Supervisor. I’ve been on hold waiting for the Collections Supervisor since 8:35am. It is now 8:55am. That’s 20 minutes on hold and 35 minutes total for the call.

I thought that, perhaps, the girl transferring me was just screwing around, so I called in, while still on hold, using my cell phone. As soon as I selected the option to speak to sales (because there is no other way to get to collections) I got the hold music. I waited 5 minutes before hanging up and deciding it wasn’t worth it to try twice.

So… here I sit.

Tick tock tick tock tick tock.

I waste all this time to take care of an issue that wouldn’t have been an issue if they weren’t incompetent in the first place. Thanks, Sprint. This is great!

Yesterday, my dad and mom came up to the new house with us to help us point out things that need repair and to make sure we weren’t making a mistake. My dad said he really liked the house, so I’m very happy about that.

My mom brought her camera and took a bunch of pictures. Like… a *bunch* of pictures. I deleted at least half of them as they were just repeats because she had forgotten that she already got that picture. Also, somehow, she never managed to get a picture of our tiny back yard. So… you’ll have to live without it.

Our First House (2004-08-21)

(click to see more)

So Canon officially announced the new Canon EOS 20D. If you really want the details, “dPreview”:http://www.dpreview.com/ has “all the information”:http://www.dpreview.com/articles/canoneos20d/. If you just want the highlights focusing on the differences between it and the Canon EOS 300D, the Canon EOS 10D, and the Nikon D70 then read on.

Most important of all, it will have an 8.2MP sensor. This is an upgrade over the 6.1MP sensors that come in the 10D, the 300D, and the D70. In order to give you a more accurate idea of what that means, at its maxium resolution, the 10D and the 300D are producing a, roughly, 3000 x 2000 pixel image. The 20D, on the other hand, will produce a 3504 x 2336 pixel image. So, even though you’re seeing a ~34% increase in “megapixels”, it really means a ~17% increase in real image size. Either way, it’s substantial.

The second most important thing is its magnesium alloy body. This is what the 10D has, and it is MUCH more durable than the plasic body of the 300D and the D70. This is what real professionals look for in their camera’s, and the 20D has it. My initial thoughts were that the 20D would have a plastic body, therefore making the 10D a viable product, still. However, with a cheaper street price, a bigger sensor, and a metal body, it looks the 10D will no longer be sold.

Another large improvement over the 10D, and on par with the 300D and D70, is the new 0.2 second startup time. With the 10D taking almost 2.5 seconds to turn on, this makes a huge difference.

The sensor data is processed by the new Digic II processor, first seen in the EOS-1D Mark II. This just means better quality, more math, faster processing, etc.

If you’re into this sort of thing, the 20D has 9-point TTL AF, as opposed to the 7-point in the 300D and 10D models, and the 5-point in the D70. I say who cares, but, for some people, this is a great feature.

The 20D will also support the new EF-S lenses, which the 300D does but the 10D does not. Of course, the D70 doesn’t support EF-S lenses at all, they are for Canon cameras, silly.

There is an optional battery grip, which is something not offered for the 300D or D70 yet much desired by professionals and amatuers alike.

And, finally, Canon debuts the E-TTL II flash metering and exposure system. On par with the i-TTL metering that debuted with the D70, this just makes it easier for inexperienced external flash users to get it right on the first try, and VERY easy for professionals to get the job done without having to think too hard. Of course, this is only the case if you buy E-TTL II flashes.

Overall, this is a HUGE jump in the market. With a street price of $1300, I’m sure there are a lot of would-be D70 purchasers that will seriously consider this camera in its place, especially if they haven’t already invested in Nikon glass. At only a $300 difference in street price, for most people that have the extra cash to spare, the upgrade is going to be WELL worth it. Those who have already invested in lots of Nikon Glass will simply drool and wait for Nikon to get off their butts and release something similar. For would-be 300D buyers, this camera doesn’t pose much of a threat. With a $500 difference in price as compared to an $800 camera, most buyers will be focused on one or the other. And of course, this makes the 10D market non-existant. Except in very specialized cases, no one in their right mind would pay more for a 10D than a 20D.

Since the “one person”:http://livejournal.com/~snow_cr4sh/ I know that would truly appreciate this is still asleep, I’m going to tell all of you.

First, allow me to introduce “Woot!”:http://woot.com/, a website devoted to selling electronics and, sometimes, other items at, what are usually, very low prices. They sell one item a day every weekday beginning at 12:00am. That’s it. The item remains on sale until it sells out, or until 11:59pm, whichever comes first.

Today, for instance, they are selling a set of Harmon Kardon Computer Speakers, 2.1 channels, 60W total output, nice sounding, lots of bass, for $19.99 each (up to three) with a $5 S&H charge. With both Jess and I in need of new speakers (thanks to our wonderful cat and his tendency to chew through wires) I bought two. If you’re in the need for a good sounding set of no frills computer speakers, it’s a good deal. Sometimes, they have much better deals. Like the set of Dell 5.1 surround sound computer speakers they had a week or two ago for $29.99. Some deals are better than others, but it’s always well worth the price if you’re in need of the item.

Now, here’s the funny part: About a week ago, the deal of the day was a neoprene mystery bag. It was a small neoprene pouch (worth about $5 on it’s own) for $0.01 plus $5 S&H. The pouch came filled with something… but you wouldn’t know what unless you bought it. Some people got recordable media, digital film, model cars, small speakers, cables, etc. Some people got close to nothing. One guy, however, supposedly got “this”:http://www.passwird.com/images/124_2446%20(Large).JPG. That’s right… a home theater system complete with receiver, 5.1 speakers, and a DVD player. That’s just terrific.

So, I truly suggest you check out “Woot!”:http://woot.com/. Even if you never buy anything, it’s fun just to look. They even have an “RSS Feed”:http://www.woot.com/feed.aspx to make it easy on you.

“digitalslr.org”:http://digitalslr.org is reporting news of the “Canon 10D’s successor”:http://www.digitalslr.org/2004/08/canons_successo.html, the Canon 20D. With an 8.2MP sensor, a 0.2 second startup time, a 25 frame buffer, and a Canon EF-S lens mount all for something around $1600, this new camera will push the world of digital SLR photography up another notch. Pictures are “available”:http://www.usa.canon.com/templatedata/pressrelease/genhtml_photo/photokit_EOS20D.dcr.html from Canon’s site.

We all know that, what one company does, the rest will soon be doing as well. I feel bad for Nikon and Pentax that Canon beat them both to the market with the 6.1MP SLR, and now, it looks like it will beat them to the 8.2MP market. Sure, the 8.2MP market isn’t as big but, there are still plenty of us begging for every last millimeter of resolution we can get.

*Update*: “Gizmodo”:http://gizmodo.com/ is “reporting this”:http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/canons-eos-20d-pictures-and-specs-leaked-019828.php a bit differently. According to them, the Canon 20D is meant to be a 300D successor, and not a 10D successor. Hell, it could, really be a successor to both. The most important, and yet untold, bit of information is whether the camera will have a plastic or metal body. The “leaked specs”:http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1019&message=9924289 from a Major Korean Camera Retailer will give more information and discussion if you’re interested. There are also reports that this camera will see a $1300 street price.

As a gift for buying “this home”:http://revjim.net/item/10098/ we’ve been given a $2000 gift certificate to Freed’s home furnishings. I’m not sure what their prices are, or how affordable it is, but, it’s something to help get us started. We’re also consdering using a Down Payment assistance program in order to keep our out-of-pocket expenses lower. That way it’s much easier to afford things like curtains, a washer and dryer, and a refrigerator. We’ve also been given a coupon for 10% off appliances and home decor items at Lowes. Again, I’m not sure how good Lowes’ prices are, but, on our budget, every penny helps.

If you know of any places in the DFW metroplex to get good deals on appliances, curtains, and furniture, I’d be happy to hear them.

I left my apartment at 6:07am, this morning, and drove to the new house. That reip was 17 miles and took 23 minutes. Unless you’re travelling during rush hour traffic, or on a busy mall weekend during the morning and/or afternoon, that time should be about average for anyone making that trip at any time of day. It’s possible you could do it a bit quicker if you managed to get more green lights (maybe at 2 or 3 in the morning).

I left the house at 6:31am. The trip was 35 miles and took 58 minutes. I went down lots of little 2 lane (one in each direction) roads with lights. There’s quite a bit of single passenger traffic that early in the morning, which makes those roads very slow. I’d guess that if I left a half hour earlier, I could shave 10 or 20 minutes off of that time. The little roads delayed it quite a bit. There were many intersections where I had to make a left without a light and had to wait for lots of traffic to pass. There were many other times where traffic was backed up far enough that you couldn’t see the light you were waiting at despite the road being straight as far as I could see. I-35E south was also a bit busy in the usual places (the George Bush junction and 635 junction). An extra half hour might really help all of those problem areas. A second option would be to take 380 West to the edge of Denton. It doesn’t seem like there was a lot of traffic going in that direction. It’s about 8 miles, which would put me on I-35E at about 6:40 (if I left at the same time). I can’t imagine it taking me 20 minutes to get from Denton to 121 and I-35E in Lewisville (which is where I picked up I-35E this morning), therefore, it’s possible that this route could put me in that area a bit sooner and shave off some time. Maybe 10 minutes or so, tops. I’m not sure that I-35E traffic would be much better 10 minutes earlier, but, it might help me shave off 5 more minutes, bringing my commute down to 43 minutes. It’s all about the trial and error.

That being said, my commute from my apartment takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Of course, that’s leaving at 7:30ish. That also costs me about $75/mo since I’m on the tollway quite a bit. Leaving at 6:30am from my apartment, which I’ve done before, takes about 30 minutes and still costs $75/mo. If my estimates about time savings are right, my commute from the house will take about 15 minutes longer than that, but will save me $75/mo. Everything considered, that’s not too bad.

Leaving at 6:30 instead of 7:30 isn’t THAT big of a deal. As it is, I’m usually up by 5:30 every morning now. And I’m certainly up by 6:00. I just don’t bother to leave until 7:30am or 8:00am because I sit at the computer and check email and catch up on news for an hour or so.

On my way home this afternoon (leaving work at about 4:00pm) I’m going to try taking I-35E almost all the way to Denton, and then cutting back, just to see what kind of time I’ll make going that way.

Regardless of my findings there, the commute is certainly doable, and not nearly as bad as I was anticipating. I imagine that, even if I left at 7:30 (like I do now) my commute wouldn’t take more than 1 hour and 30 minutes. Of course that’s just a guess, but I think that’s pretty close.