The Inkbottle

The House Painting Ordeal Slideshow

One picture wasn't enough, so here's the whole story.

Our patio, newly painted (cat is optional)

House Painting ALL DONE, originally uploaded by Commodius.

We spent 3 months getting out house repainted. It was costly and stressful, but it's nearly done. Here's some proof. The cat on the lawn is Steve. He loves the lawn and the fact that the guys painting the house are now out of his back yard.

Ten Things I learned in 2008

1. That I can support a winning candidate for President. With one exception, before this year, the person I supported and voted for in the primary either wasn't nominated or lost in the general election [the one exception? 1996 when Clinton was the only choice.] I decided to support Obama back in 2007, and I stuck with him all the way, and somehow he won. It was a great year, but it was an election grounded in my support of sports teams that always go to the brink before crashing and burning (Angels, Seahawks). Hence, I never took anything for granted--up to 7:59 (my time) on election night, just before the results of California and Washington put Obama over the top. The elation that I felt at that moment, when the victory was confirmed, equaled anything that has ever happened in my life. Right now, it can't be January 20th fast enough.
2. That Sigur Ros is an awesome live act. Well, I knew that, but I'd never seen them live before. I went to their show in San Diego this year, and was blown away. Amiina wasn't even with them to provide all their beautiful ambience, but the band still rocked. I rarely go to concerts any more, but that was an exception I'd be happy to make over and over again.
3. That I really, really want to finish writing the book I've been writing for the last four or so years (on and off). I'm getting there. I have a few chapters done, and I like where I'm headed.
4. That Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is actually one of the best albums of all time. Seriously. Check it out, please, and read my post here at the Inkbottle.
5. That most people liked The Dark Knight more than I did. I still liked it, but I preferred Batman Begins because the creation of the myth is (to me) more interesting than its execution.
6. That I'm pegged by my friends and family. When a birthday or Xmas comes around, what do I get? Books and DVDs and that's it. No one ever gets me music because my taste is too weird for them to fathom. But that's cool--I can buy THEM CDs.
7. That the smartest purchase I have made in the past five years is my Prius. When gas was $4 a gallon in California, I barely blinked when going to fill up. I rarely paid over $20 per visit, and those visits were very infrequent. Even when my wife and I drove up to San Francisco, we didn't pay more than $120 or so for gas the entire way.
8. That Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are two of the smartest people in television (okay, I knew this before 2008, but 2008 reaffirmed it).
9. That I really, really like 30 Rock--more than The Office, even. Tina Fey, yay!
10. That I am happy and fortunate to have a job at a time when so many people are struggling. Unemployment in my area is over 25%, so there are a lot of people struggling around here. I'm glad to not be one of them, and I hope my job as a teacher at a community college can help others dig out of their own dire predicaments and make their lives better.

Happy 2009, everyone! Just a few more days and we'll finally have a REAL president!!!!!