Advanced Improv

My Advanced Improvisional Comedy class started last night. A great group of 12 students and 2 awesome teachers (Amy Talbot & scOtt summitt from the Pale Imitations troupe). I have taken at least one class with each of the other students so it was reunion time. We are divided into two troupes of 6 people and will be doing a Public Show together - not just at the Senior Center like classes before but really out in the public in a venue!!! Both troupes will perform and then we will challenge the other troupe to different improv games. We will be our own hosts and doing it all ourselves. Fun Stuff! We hit the ground running with games and working on skills - our teachers mean business and will whip us into shape. So be on the lookout for a future posting with the time and place to see Faux Real (my group troupe) perform!! I am so excited to be working and playing with my troupe: (in alphabetical order) Amy T, Donna, LuAnn, Mary, and Shelley [yes, the Amys are together again - teacher & 2 students]. Plus it is fun to be in class with Erin, Carol, Diana, Gigi, Sharon, and Tom (the "other" troupe). Let's bring on the funny!!

UGH - Termites

The house we are in contract to buy has termites. Our house inspector had pointed out the signs of major termite treatment (not just prevention) in the basement but saw no evidence of recent activity inside the house. The current owners had no knowledge about it and had an inspection report from 1999 (when they bought the house) by a pest control company giving the house the all-clear for termites. The garage has a termite tunnel and the mulch on that side of the house has the critters alive and probably well-fed according to the termite inspector. So we gave an additional Request to Remedy to the sellers to treat the house for termites and get a transferrable warranty. We are awaiting their response. Initially I was quite stressed about the termites since they cause a lot of unseen damage and I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with that and however long it takes to get rid of them. Plus we learned about this the day of the Request to Remedy deadline and it was taking many, many phone calls to get the inspection report (the inspector was going to do the paperwork the next day) and the forms filled out and submitted to the sellers on time. After some termite research on the internet and talking with a couple people, I realized that it didn't have to be a deal-breaker and we may not be so bad off. I am learning so much about houses, the house-buying & mortgage application processes, and that I need to find some better stress relievers! And I looked at way too many termite photos - ick!! But they are natural wood recyclers and help the forests...I just don't want them eating my house!

Labor Day weekend

We are in contract for the house! This week we had the inspection and the house is in great shape. We did realize, a bit late, that it has an electric water heater which will means a higher electric bill. A normal gas water heater & vent won't fit because of the duct work in the ceiling above the area so we will have to consider if the extra cost for replacing the water heater and a special vent set-up is worth it. The water heater is something the inspector thinks will need to be replaced within the next couple of years. We are in the midsts of the "Request for Repairs" with the sellers - what are they willing to fix/handle and what will reduce the cost of the house. We also are shopping around for mortgage loans and have two contenders...now we'll see who can do the best rate and closing costs. It kills me that over the life of the loan we pay just as much in financial expenses/interest as the house is worth!! Going through my first house-buying experience just reiterates to me that the whole housing/mortgage crisis was created by greedy people lending money for amounts people couldn't really afford and by people wanting more than they could truly afford. Thank goodness we both have always lived within our means.