Crystal Groves

Today we are celebrating father’s day with just a meager cook-out out back, just me and my dad. We have buffalo burgers and he wanted hot dogs. I made brownies yesterday just to use up what was left of my brownie-making supply. And hopefully the weather will be nice.

I didn’t buy him any gifts, since we’ll be spending the insurance money on the new deck, which incidentally my uncle said he’ll probably start next week. But the boyfriend did get him a canvas print of our old farm back by Liberty Reservoir (dad teared up). It looks really nice, I think he’s going to go show it off to his brothers and sisters this morning. Man I miss that place…

My uncle said the materials for our new deck will only cost about $1700, so I have a lot of breathing room I think to make sure he gets some money for this work. I figure they can probably get it done in a few days. I’ll take pictures as it’s in progress, as well as some before and after pictures.

My dad also mentioned what I wanted to do to the bedrooms upstairs, tearing out the ceiling and exposing the underside of the roof to the peeks to make it taller, and tearing off one side of the roof to expand the bedrooms out like the bathroom [Photo for Reference] (which incidentally will give me an additional 6 feet or so in each bedroom, that’s a -lot-). My uncle said that’d be easy, so I might start saving up for that

• The boyfriend got dad a canvas print of the old farm by Liberty Reservoir for father’s day. He teared up #
• is spending her weekend off cleaning and then doing web work. I’m washing everything under the sun. I love it #
• Desktop of the Day: http://bit.ly/QD4Es #
• Thunderstorm, Sunlight, Thunderstorm, Sunlight, goodness make up yo mind! #
• On weekdays the internal clock hates getting up at 6am. On weekends it gets up at 6am by default. I feel like something is…backwards. #
• saw Benjamin Button and enjoyed it, but thought it too long #
• the boss is about to make me sing @ work #
• loves some unagi #
• figures. Go out to dinner with co-workers, get speeding ticket on the way home. No wonder I play hermit these days. #
• When you confront a problem, you begin to solve it – Rudy Giuliani #
• does not like it when people try to make her feel stupid #
• Desktop of the Day: http://img1.socwall.com/People/Women/200917064015-13700.jpg #
• parem name=”wmode” value=”transparent and THEN embed wmode=”transparent” #
• needs to get a djembe strap #
• People who can’t afford to eat, buy gas, or pay utilities, have no business getting frickin tattoos #
• late night last night. Early night tonight. #
• has gotten dad’s loan under a grand Will post details on July 1st. #
• has put on approx 60,000 miles on her mustang since buying it in January 2006 #
• wonders why Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman was on the Gospel Music Channel. #
• is excited at the prospect of actually buying a new pair of shoes for the first time in at least 5 years. Least I can make em last. #
• Thousands upon thousands are yearly brought into a state of real poverty by their great anxiety not to be thought of as poor -Robert Mallett #
• is pondering what to do for Father’s Day next weekend #
• zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz #
• is finally home, now to start work #
• Track someone through GPS and their cellphone. Pretty nifty, I just tracked myself http://www.themobiletracker.com/english/index2.html #

In 2007 and 2008 I was involved in working on a project at work called “Scientists Without Borders“.  I’ve been meaning to do a post about it since, but for some reason never did.

It actually felt good to work on this project, despite the pains that come with every project.  I felt like I was somewhat contributing to the less fortunate from my little corner of the world.  Like “Doctors Without Borders“, this site was intended to help spread science and the skills of science teachers and programs to third world countries, or less fortunate countries.  It’s a project started by the New York Academy of Sciences (another site we are in the process of redoing that should launch this year), who is I believe a leader in the Science World on the Webosphere.

Almost all of the html/css you’ll see on the site is mine, but don’t look too closely, because when merging html/css with a .NET framework, it loses a lot of it’s w3 validity luster.

The biggest problem with trying to live cheap while paying off debt is the motivation.  After the third can of tomato soup or the fifth peanut butter and jelly sandwich you just want to say “Screw it” and go order take-out.  Sometimes you do, and you feel intense buyers remorse, so you go back to eating soups and sandwiches on the cheap.

The biggest method that keeps me motivated is speaking out about my goals and the wins and failures I go through to reach them.  Even if I don’t really have an audience, in my mind placing a statement or oath or promise or goal out on the internet keeps me feeling obligated to my goal.

It’s like a public declaration of sorts.  And posting so many updates about it on your blog allow you to not only keep track, but then to go back and see how far you’ve come.  That’s why I keep a progress bar on my blog, as a visual stimulation of what I’m trying to achieve.

I tell you what though, I’m craving some indian food.

• Dad will be ending hyperbaric chamber treatments soon. It hasn’t fully cured him this time, but has definitely improved the ulcers. I hope whatever treatment comes next will finish it up.
• I’ve made $825 extra this month doing side work. That is mostly going towards two parts for my dads vehicles, a new pair of shoes for me, and the rest as a cushion to supplement my dad since he’s already out of money for this month. Any that I don’t use at the end of the month will go towards his debt.
• My weekends have been hellaciously busy lately. This past weekend I put in over 14 hours worth of work, plus drove down to Baltimore, PLUS went to a baby shower. I’m somewhat taking off this weekend. I have ritual in Hanover with some friends, and if side work comes in I’ll do that. But it’s father’s day weekend, I’m taking OFF.
• I realized today I’ve put on approximately 60,000 miles on my mustang since purchasing it in January 2006. I attribute that to all the trips to the Grove and some to work, because I haven’t taken it on -any- road trips.
• Our guineas are doing well, and starting to roam around. We try to pin them up at night, and keep a radio on all night to deter foxes (which we’ve lost 1 to).
• No progress on the back deck yet, I’m hoping within the month we’ll be started though.
• I did get a chance to take a look at the wood my uncle is saving to make my new bed out of. It’s gonna look very nice, and very woodsy
• I did win the brownie cook-off at work. The prize was a gift card to a new chocolate shop that opened up in town. I made cherry brownies and home made chocolate ganache, which I might post the recipe for.
• Does anyone know if you can get a record of all the cars you’ve ever had registered with the DMV, including VIN? And if so, if you’re able to track the VIN of a car once you’ve found out what the VIN is, and who the new owner is? I’ve been thinking of tracking down my dads old 1969 Roadrunner.

I was having a conversation with my dad on the way home last night, mainly because I wanted him to know that on August 15th his loan would finally be gone and hoping that would make him happy. I also said that I’ll be taking over his Tractor Supply payment so he doesn’t need to use that card anymore. I was trying to explain to him that soon we would be free of all interest-accruing debt besides the house, but his reply was “I already know I’m always going to be in debt.” I asked why, and he said because “I only ever have $170 left over from Social Security every month after paying bills”.

I told him that’s not always going to be the case though. Once everything is paid off he’ll have over $300 more (so about $500) left over each month because he won’t be making payments anymore, and quite frankly that’s more than what I’ve been living off lately while trying to pay off these bills.

I guess it’s just hard to try and explain to him without feeling like he feels I’m lecturing him. I think the best route is just to do the payments, get it done, and then tell him when he needs to stop making a payment. Eventually it will add up and he’ll see, and maybe won’t feel so defeated when it comes to finances.

• has already made an extra $700 this month doing sidework. When I look at it that way, it’s so worth all these long days. #
• Desktop of the Day: http://bit.ly/sLYqt #
• saw “Elizabeth” this morning and quite enjoyed it. Now I want to see the sequel. #
• Icecream sandwich recharge! #
• I think my brain is mush, and I may be only like half done. #
• just loves fresh mint lemonade #
• will be working all day #
• is playing with beanstalk and lighthouse, and starting to <3 both apps very much #
• forgot about something important she’s gotta do, and not sure how she’s gonna get everything done. #
• is finally home from work and reflecting on the day and how to make Monday better. #
• lunch break? Not for me! #
• is having an epically bad day. TGIF. #
• is gonna have lotta extra hours and a lot more $$ from the second job this weekend I think #
• really hates it when someone says “We’re not gonna do that” and then a week later “WHY DID YOU NOT DO THAT”. Seriously? #
• Noooo, Microsft Money to be discontinued! Oh well, I use an old version anyway and don’t use any of the integrated stats anyway #
• is filling out the omen book for the Grove. Who knew that ancient technique called “writing” took so long. #
• thinks our potatoes are gonna rot with all this rain. #
• is going to try and learn a new song on guitar for a funeral that may be happening soon #
• thinks she’d make a good backup singer for Dilana. We like to sing the same type of music, and both sing rather throaty. #
• loves a bit of lavender for calm #
• just saw Gran Torino. That seems like my grandfather almost to a tee. Even the chasing people off the lawn with a shotgun part. #
• is going to be all nerves for the next 15.5 hours. I hate that feeling. It’s so unnecessary. #
• is preparing and updating #
• is brownie’d out. Vegan cheese was good though! #
• is trying a vegan cheese at lunch. Should be interesting! #
• found out one of the judges doesn’t like cherries, and she just happened to make cherry brownies #
• house smells like brownies #
• is trying to work on a post about a year ago this month, but it all comes out sounding like tripe. I really should reflect on it though. #
• is about to make a crapload of brownies so she makes sure the co-workers can all haz some. #
• that’s right, Peter was wrong the 6th time in HIS LIFE. #
• “A man who finds no satisfaction in himself will seek for it in vain elsewhere.” – La Rochefoucauld #
• Kinda cool, visual history of the credit card – http://is.gd/TaKr #
• thinks there’s nothing like going to bed at midnight after coding for job #2, then up at 6am to code more before going to job #1. #
• gets annoyed when designers don’t group up their psd layers into layer sets #
• is not feeling very good this morning, and didn’t sleep very well. No time to be sick. #
• tried to do too much today, just now getting started on side work :/ #
• says her brownie idea for the cook-out Tuesday was AMAZING. Lets hope it’s just as good when I bake a new batch for Tuesday. #

1. Dad debt-free except the house by end of 2009 – This one is very on schedule to happen around October. This includes his loan that will be paid off in August, and his Tractor Supply bill.

2. Pay back remaining down-payment loan to friend by August 2010 – Once dad’s interest-free debt is gone from #1, we’ll be piling all of those payments onto the very last person who loaned us money for the down payment on the house. I’ve already paid all of the other awesome people back. My payments plus my tax return for 2010 leads me to believe I can have this paid off by August 2010. But the time frame is lenient so I’m not too worried about it.

3. Save up $20k in emergency savings – I’m happy with the emergency savings I have now, but I like a big cushion. $20k seems like a very respectable cushion, and I live cheap as it is. I think a lot of my fears would not be so bad if I had $20k in the bank for emergencies. This -may- take 2 or 3 years to do.

4. Buy dad a new pre-owned vehicle in cash (and subsequently build up the $20k again if needed) – Though I never plan to buy a new car ever again, I would like a newer car for my dad. A nice pre-owned car that I don’t have to worry about him in. I’ve also made the commitment to never have a car payment again after paying off my mustang in February, so this will be paid for with cash. I’ve already started looking around at prices for pre-owned cars and they are -really cheap-. Lets hope they stay cheap for a few years This also may interchange with #3 as far as priority.

5. Pay back interest-free first-time home-buyer credit to government – Being a first-time home-buyer, I qualified for the $7500 tax credit from 2008 (sucks that they made it so much better for 2009). Since it’s an interest free loan that you can pay off over 15 years ($500/year), it’s really last on my priority list, but I do plan to get rid of it just to get it out of the way as soon as I’m able.

6. Start maxing my contributions to my Roth IRA – I will probably up my contributions to my 401k as well, but I really want to max my Roth IRA. Can’t do that until we’re debt free though. At least I am still contributing to it as much as I am able. That compound interest is important at my age.

7. Start heavily paying down on the mortgage - While I still plan to put a huge chunk of money on the house when the boyfriend sells -his- house, in the mean time I still want to put at least 2 extra payments a year on the mortgage, and any additional money I get throughout the year. -If- the boyfriend happens to move in, I suspect we’ll have it paid off in 5 years. If he doesn’t, then it’ll take me a while longer, but I still plan to pay it off way early.

8. Increase my income – I’ve already started this by taking up a second part-time job, but I am going to be looking at other ways to increase my income. This is only last on the list because it’s an ongoing thing with no set time-frame. I want to make sure I’m at least making enough to supplement my dad’s contribution after he passes away.

In addition to this, I received an offer from USAA for a no fee 0% balance transfer for a year. However the offer ends July 13th. I was going to wait until August to transfer over my fathers Tractor Supply balance, because I wanted an accurate count on how much money and such I spent on my dad’s loan without the interference of any other debt, but I don’t think I can pass up this offer. Honestly I think I can figure out the numbers enough to keep things accurate.

• Desktop of the Day: http://bit.ly/sQRFR #
• thinks google’s logo today is kinda cute, but….hard to see #
• is watching her bosses and co-workers dance around the office drinking wine and singing journey #
• Desktop of the Day: http://is.gd/PoCP #
• is pondering brownie recipes for the brownie cook-off at work on Tuesday #
• is amused how many people say they love her laugh, and how apparently co-workers can hear her laugh downstairs #
• is taking tomorrow off for herself, but only to clean and do more side work. #
• is done workin for the night. zzzzz #
• is listening to dad trying to sing to oldies music and clapping his hands. Hilarious. #
• got her first paycheck for her side work, yay Now to do more side work *rolls up sleeves* #
• is sad that a respected elder in the community may be ending her battle with cancer soon #
• I love this house, I wants – http://is.gd/OdIW #
• knew I should have stayed in bed today. #
• is being inundated with Twitter followers lately. I imagine they are all spam or something. #
• is investigating SmartyPig https://www.smartypig.com/ for a place to organize savings goals. #
• is pondering trying to put her electric guitar for sale again since her “promised” sale fell through last year. Keeping the acoustic. #
• I’ve just entered to win a $5000 Twitter contest! Just follow @JohnChow and @clickbooth and RT. http://xr.com/clickbooth #
• had her first philly pretzel, yum #
• just got woken up by a massive thunder/lightning storm. Like the kind you see in Twister. #
• will be happy when I can live off something other than tuna, pb&j, or tomato soup Sacrifices for getting dad debt-free I reckon #
• made the mistake of googling “largest insect in the world” in google images. Blech. #
• QOTD: Yes… amongst being fluent in “Gypsy” Crystal is also fluent in PhpList as well. – Mike K #
• is thankful for nice co-workers who bring her a passionfruit smoothie #
• loves that honeysuckle is in full bloom, cause it makes breathing AWESOME. #
• got the last half of the insurance money, now to empower my uncle to buy supplies and get started when he’s ready #
• just remembered today is her 3 year anniversary at her current job #
• is gonna have tons of side work to do this week *excited*. Almost feels like I have two jobs now #
• already has the first part of her insurance claim money. Sooner than expected! #
• is happy to be at work today to get back into some sense of routine after not being home all weekend #
• has officially washed the green and white cake icing from her hair, already had most of it off my face #
• is finally home after being gone since 8am #
• is happy that effective tomorrow, dad will officially have life insurance #

Some pictures I took around the house today, including several off my awesome stream, and catching my dad sleeping in the garage:
http://picasaweb.google.com/acousticdryad/AroundTheFarm

Some more pictures of the tree damage (towards the end of the album):
http://picasaweb.google.com/acousticdryad/TreeDamageMay2009

More Bastian pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/acousticdryad/Bastian

I especially like this one

From Bastian