Mission

Our Mission:

Find one of these:

Mailman

Yesterday at the closing the people who sold us the house mentioned that our new neighborhood has the nicest mailman ever.

I just met our new mailman. He may in fact be the nicest mailman ever.

WIN!!

Cleaning the duplex. Our movers sucked. Oh hello missing ceiling tiles... Oh goodbye security deposit. Added to that, our friggin neighbors parked in our driveway. Oh, so we didn't pay through the end of the month? It is September still, isn't it? Just another reason why I won't be missing Ashland Ave at all.

The First Morning

Welcome to our first morning as home owners. That's never going to get old.

Mini Living Room

We've set up one corner of the finished basement as a mini living room.

That is where we sit right now.... Completely out of gas.

....and really happy.

Woah

When did we get all of this stuff?

Why does it seem like there is more now than before we left?

Uncle Johnny's Clock

Uncle Johnny's clock isn't going to stay on the floor for long, but it's there for now.

In our new house.

Waiting to go in almost the same place it hung in his house.

Unreal

Someone is moving into OUR house.

Oh wait, it's us!

Home Owners!

We are home owners!

Bring on the movers!

Woooohooooo!

If this were the 1790's I'd be able to vote!

Jenny and I own a house!!!!!

Closing

The walk through is complete. We are meeting at the lawyers for the closing.

Wooohooo!

What's Going On?

Hey Robbo, what's with the boxes and stuff? Is something going on? Why aren't you getting ready for work?

Oh nothing big, just closing on a house and moving. That's all. No biggie.

Stay Awake

Caffeine is my co-pilot.

Someone Moving?

Hmmm... Wondering if today is the last trash pick up before these folks move out.

Hey Jen, someone took the microwave! WOOHOO!!

Sing-a-Long

Everyone sing along with me!

The cellar's almost done,
The cellar's almost done,
Oh my god I'm freakin' stressed,
The cellar's almost done.

The upstairs' almost done,
The upstairs' almost done,
I'm going to pass out pretty soon,
The upstairs' almost done.

The main floor...

I'm going to stop the song right there before it gets depressing.

AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!

Close But Oh So Far

The kids rooms are done. Everything is packed and all of the furniture that needs to be broken down has been broken down. For the rest of the house... well... just about everything that can be packed has been. There are still miscellaneous things that couldn't fit into other boxes or whatever, yadda yadda. There is also the pile of stuff that we're still using because, ya know, we still have to eat and sleep and work and live and stuff.

Tonight's goal is to get all of the trash out. There is a ton of it. A ton. Tuesday is our trash day so anything that doesn't go out before work tomorrow has to come with us.

All of that, and finish the last of the packing, and the last of the laundry, and the last of the breaking down of stuff that needs to be broken down. My gut tells me we're almost done and we'll be finished with everything in plenty of time, but my eyes are causing me to panic.

Birthday

Today's my mother's birthday!

Everyone wish my mom a happy birthday!

Happy Birthday Mom!

I'm a Loser

My team totally lost the first game.

Crud

Game Night

Sequence 2010

Sad News for an Old Friend

This morning during all of the storage space hubbub my mother called me and gave me some sad news regarding an old friend.

Jim Z was the keyboard player in a couple of the bands I was in during my high school and music school days. He's an awesome keyboard player. Just... damn, he's a hell of a keyboard player. With Jim on the keys and the best drummer I've ever known, Jeff, on the drums its amazing that they let a schlub of a guitarist like me hang around for as long as they did.

Jim's father passed away this week. My sincerest condolences go out to Jim, his mother, and his sister, and their entire family. Jim's father and mother achieved instant Sainthood in my book by letting us have rehearsals in their basement in the very early days. How they managed to keep their sanity through all of the horrible noise (especially from the guitar player) I will never know, but I will be eternally greatfull.

I don't see too much of Jim these days. We're friends on facebook, but that doesn't really count, does it? He did play a pivotal role in our joint not-bachelor/not-bachelorette party prior to our wedding. We didn't realize it at the time, but part of our night's celebration was a show at the Improve Asylum in Boston where the improvising keyboard player happens to be Jim Z. Again, eternally greatfull.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Z.

Curmudgeon

What is more curmudgeon than a curmudgeon?

Is there an adjective to describe someone who is more curmudgeonly than a normal curmudgeon?

Curmudgeonish?
Curmudgeonistic?
Curmudgeonociy?
Curmudgonamalamadingdong?

Some one's gotta think of these things. Who better than a fat guy who's approaching 40?

The Storage Shed is Empty

It's empty because it's in my office!

Funny how I don't recall the sectional being quite that large.

Super Busy Day

Today is going to be nuts. I am meeting up with my brother and brother in law shortly to clear out whatever is left in our storage space. It will probably require multiple trips.

After that it's packing like a fool. I just started underneath the bathroom sink. Two questions: what is all of this crap, and when did it get there?

There is a game night tonight too. We are still unsure if we'll make it. There is so much to do and so little time. Also, Jen, the love of my life, is a little under the weather and needs to rest up for the big move.

Other than that? Nothing going on today at all.

Moon Over the Loop

HDR version. Did you know the latest iPhone update has an HDR photo function?



Now the normal photo. Which is better?

No


No


Just no. Hell no.

Mile Stone

Last night and this morning mark major mile stones in our efforts to become home owners.

With the closing date set, and a couple of necessary little tweeks to the custody schedule, last night was the last night that the kids will ever go to sleep in this house. This morning is the last morning they will ever wake up in this house. A couple of minutes ago was the last time Jen will ever kiss them goodbye in this house.

The next time all of those things happen, they will happen in the new house.

We are well below one week away now.

Still tons of packing to do, but the to-do list gets smaller each day.

WOOOHOOO!

On this, the 23rd day of September in the year of our lord 2010 the official phrase that pays is...

wait for it...


CLEARED TO CLOSE!!!!


WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6:00

Let's see...

6:00? Check.
Stopped in an enormous traffic jam at a stop light? Check.

Yup, I'm in Walden Woods.

WTF? As the cool kids say.

They Break Down Too?

I thought there was going to be some emergency vehicle activity on Woburn Street in Tewksbury. Nope, just checking the fire engine in for a check up, I guess.

Nothing

Hmmm...



Hmmmmmm...



I keep looking for deer during my long traffic jams. They keep hiding on me.

Screw you deer.

Pack Fat Boy Pack!

Tonight is packing up the fragile stuff in the kitchen and as much of the bathroom as we can do without over the next eight days.

But first...




A huge traffic jam in Walden Woods!

I must be in a hurry to get home, huh?

Work

Work a full week this week, then a short week next week.

Why the short week next week? Oh no big reason, just took a couple of days off for closing and moving.

No big deal, ya know?

(eeek!)

Rush... Again... Still

You knew I would post something like this sooner or later, right?

Jen and I are in the office. She's on my desktop computer, looking for kid furniture. I'm just hanging out.

We are listening to music via iTunes.

We are listening to a bootleg recording of the Rush concert we saw last week.

Yes, yes we are.





Still no guitar.

Looking for Kids Furniture Ideas

The most amazing thing in this picture (apart from Jennifer, who is unbelievably amazing) is that it was taken in our home office and you can actually see the surface of the desks.

Amazing!

Tires Suck!

We were heading down to my brother in law's 40th birthday party. We were only going to stay for about an hour before heading back home to let the kids see the new house. We were just pulling off the highway when...

HOLY CRAP! What was that!

We blew a tire. When I say we blew a tire I mean the sucker burst! There were probably about five huge holes in it. It was sick!

We pulled over, couldn't find the freakin' spare underneath the damn van, called AAA, AAA called the State Police because we were on an off ramp at the time, the State Police called and told us we were getting towed because we were a hazard, the State sponsored tow truck came and changed our tire.

Sheesh!

Then Pep-Boys didn't have any of our tire in stock... figures. That royally pains things.

But...

The kids liked the house.

hehe

Awesome!

Point of no return

We just took a humongeous step. We just gave our landlord the date we're moving out!

Zoowemama!

Our Office

Our office stands as by far the scariest room in the house in terms of packing. It's got tons of electronic and computer equipment. It's also sort of the repository for all the crap we can't find a place for. There are a ton of things to pack in a very small space.

I started in the office this morning. I've got a loooong way to go, but right now you can see the shelves on my desk. The kid's desk is clear. You can walk from the kitchen to the back door without having to step over anything.

Wow.

Still miles to go before it's ready to move though.

There are two things on the schedule today. The first is a quick stop at a 40th birthday party. We're going to see my nephew, and I'm pretty sure my niece too. I love those two so much!

After that, something even better. We're going to the new house today. We're bringing the kids for the first time. They haven't been inside yet, although they've driven past the house about a thousand times. I hope they like the inside as much as we do. I really do.

After that? Back to packing!

8:34 PM

Half past eight on a Saturday and the two very exhausted packing fools are ready for bed



G'Night all.

Getting There

Our packing goal has been met. We haven't broken down any furniture yet, as we do still need to live here for a while, but other than that the whole second floor is pretty much ready to move. The cellar is close to being done, and the living room and kitchen have been started. We made huge progress today and I expect a repeat performance tomorrow.

Good work everybody!

Packing Day

Today's goal is to have the upstairs packed. One of the kids rooms is done save for the bed. The other isn't done, but is well on the way. Our room has been started, but is major league full of stuff.

We will attain our goal though... Oh yes, we will attain our goal.

Rush... One More... For now

2010-09-14 - Rush at TD Garden 1405
Originally uploaded by robj_1971

Just one more... for now... I mean it... for now. Probably just one more... probably.

Saving This for Later

I am really busy, I can't talk.

I just needed to enter a paragraph's worth of text into a report at work in order to test and issue. I improvised what can only be described as my first ever children's story. I wanted to save the text in case I ever meet anyone who is looking to illustrate a classic children's tale.

Here it is:

Once upon a time there was a police man. This police man loved donuts and coffee. "Mmmmm, donuts and coffee" said the police man. One day he was sitting on the side of the road in a speed trap. Cars were buzzing past him at excessive speeds. Each time a speeder passed him he would dip his donut into his coffee and take a bite. "Mmmmm, donuts and coffee" he would say. Then one time a speeder drove by and he dipped his donut into his coffee and took a bite. He did not say Mmmm, instead he said, "Eww." The coffee was cold and the donut was soggy. The police man then threw his car into gear and pulled over the speeder. He was so mad that his donut was soggy and his coffee was cold that he gave the speeding driver a huge ticket. He then went to the store and got more donuts and coffee. "Mmmmm, donuts and coffee."

Rush - A Few Pictures

I was using the little Casio camera. It has a multishot function. It actually has two of them. Fast and normal. I spent more than half of the show using the fast multishot before noticing that it greatly reduces the resolution. I then went to the normal multishot for the rest of the show. Most of these are higher res from the last third of the show.











My Rush Counterparts. (Get it? Counterparts is an album by Rush? Get it?) Mike and the love of my life Jen.






Probably post more stuff later.

Prior to Last Night's Rush Show...

2010-09-14 - Rush at TD Garden 001
Originally uploaded by robj_1971

...We had to stop and take a picture of the Bobby Orr statue. The Bruins had a 3 games to none lead over the Flyers when this statue was unveiled... they haven't won a game since.

Rush - 9/14/10 - Still No Guitar

Last night's Rush show...

During the final song of the second set there was a catastrophic equipment failure.  The guitar was gone from the mix.  The band continued on in the hopes that Alex would be returned to us, but it didn't happen. 

They came out for the encore but the guitar was still gone.  It was either the wireless system or the amps themselves.  This lead to a wonderful improv/rant that can only be titled, "Still No Guitar".  Eventually a work around was found (thank you guitar tech) and the show continued, albeit with one very pissed off guitar player.

I will now share pictures of the precise moment the failure happened...

At this point, everything is still fine...

....KABOOM!....

....and no more guitar.

Note Alex looking off stage to his tech.  No doubt wondering the same thing all of us in the audience were wondering:  WTF??

Moon Over McD's

Rush Train Wreck

Rush sets off some explosions during "Far Cry". Last night when the explosions went off Alex Lifeson's guitar went away. It was tough to figure out what the issue was. In the video you will see they replaced his wireless with a cable (ahh the good old days). I think it was more than just the wireless though, the sound he was getting after the work around was implemented was much different than what he had before. I think they might have sent him directly through the PA. I was also curious if maybe his pedal board might have been bypassed too. It's tough to tell... it was probably just his wireless receiver though.

Anyway, the next song gave the band a rare opportunity to be extremely goofy.

Enjoy...

Rush Recap

There are probably going to be a lot of these once I get the chance to sort the pictures from the real camera, but for now here is the story told in iPhone pictures.

Welcome to Boston!



In the parking garage we ran into an old friend of mine who was a fellow junior high Rush obsesser. I hadn't seen him since... Probably 1995 or so. Talk about your pleasant surprises!

We made it to the Rush Forum meet up at Boston Beer Works but because we didn't have a table we couldn't really hang out. We got to see a few friends we haven't seen in ages though, so it was very nice.

We met up with Mike near the jinxed Bobby Orr statue and headed in.

I tried getting a pic of my Rush Counterparts... Sorry Mike.


Here's the obligatory pre-show stage shot.




We met up with one of Jen's friends inside, as well as a cousin of hers who she hasnt seen in almost a lifetime! Everyone was there!

Now for a few crappy show pics:












The show was good, but not quite as spectacular as I've come to expect. I don't think the mix was great, some of the song selections weren't favorites of mine, and it was all capped off by a total systems failure for the guitar. That lead to some pretty funny attempts at improv while the band waited for the techs to find a work around.

Again, far from the best Rush experience in my opinion, but still way better than any other band in the history of bands.

Now finish that album and come back and play for us again!

RUSH!!!

Wooohooo!!!

Boston!

We are in Boston. I just ran into a Rush fanatic friend I haven't seen since the Counterparts tour in 1994.

Awesome.

Committed

You are reading the blog post of a guy who (along with his beautiful wife) has a commitment letter from a mortgage company.

That's right.

There is one more condition to be met, but it needs to be met by the bank, not by us.

Who is excited?

Robbie and Jenny are excited!

Almost Rush Time

Almost time for Rush.

ALMOST TIME FOR RUSH!

WOOOHOOO!!!