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April 13th, 2009
Archive
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Making Bacon in the Microwave
January 25th, 2009
Did you know you could make decent bacon in a microwave without one of those “as seen on TV” microwave thingys?
From About.com:
There are fancy microwave bacon cookers on the market which work well, but they are not necessary. Place a microwave-safe paper towel in a micro dish large enough to fit a single layer of bacon slices (4 to 6 slices). Cover with another paper towel. Six slices should take about 4 to 5 minutes on high, depending on the wattage of your microwave and the thickness of the bacon. Start checking after the first two minutes, and continue cooking at one minute intervals until you can judge the cooking time for the way you like it. Consult your microwave manual for more specific times. A rotating base in the microwave is highly recommended for even cooking, and most come with one built in these days. Remember that foods continue to cook even after the timer goes off in a microwave, so let it rest a few minutes before you dive in to let it crisp up and avoid burns. Curly bacon never bothers me, but this method reduces curling of the bacon.
I tried it this morning - it’s not bad!
Friday Night Ramble
October 17th, 2008
I’m stuck here in Vegas. Was supposed to head out to SoCal today but got delayed. I haven’t left the city limits (well, unincorporated Clark County - did you know the Strip isn’t even located in Las Vegas?) in over 4 months. That’s kind of a record for me being in one place for so long. Looking forward to road tripping it tomorrow. Got the new Jealous Sound record and the new Walkmen album and I’m looking forward to blasting them while driving on the I-15.
House is going fine, just waiting for the appraisal to come in and then I fork over my life savings and it’s a done deal. As Tirza puts it, parts of the house are fugly but should be great once it’s de-fugged (fuck - anyone want to come out here on Halloween weekend and help me with interior design?). It’s hard to imagine I will be living somewhere else shortly since I’m kind of used to the place I have now. Also I now understand recent homeowners not wanting to do ANYTHING money related - I’m scared to spend a dime after making this purchase.
I’m on my third iPhone. Second one crapped out on me a couple of days ago. Apple Store here in LV has been real good about it. I hope Google develops push services for their Google Apps IMAP email real soon. That would make me happy.
Thinking about taking off the rest of the year post-Thanksgiving, just to fuck around. Maybe try to write a record (I’m starting to feel I have something to say again) or take a trip through Europe. This year has been highly profitable, but extremely rough. I’m generally tired, gaining weight again, and I’m running out of Internet development creativity.
I’ll be happy when the election is over so I can stop wasting time reading blogs and news sites for breaking news - it’s seriously cutting into my billable hours. HuffPo has been my main news source for the past 3 weeks. As much as I love Arianna Huffington, that can’t be good. Happy to be voting in a state where my vote makes a difference (Nevada is a swing state y’all).
Saw Chris’ film in the DVD section at the Fry’s here. It was in the “Action DVD” section. Hahahahahaha.
See y’all tomorrow!
I Just Bagged a Former Model
October 6th, 2008
My offer on a house went through. Former model home in a very nice area of town. She’ll need a little bit of work but it’s a great place and I look forward to living there!
House Update Again
September 28th, 2008
I think I found something in Snoberlin (Summerlin). I like it but I’m also willing to walk away. So we’ll see. Cross your fingers maybe.
I Can See Russia From My House
September 15th, 2008
If you already didn’t love Tina Fey, you will now. Sweet. If only the truth didn’t hurt so much…
House Update
September 14th, 2008
I went out with the real estate agent today for the first time. We looked at about a dozen places in the west side of town (near Red Rock). Agent showed me a range of stuff, from nice ready-to-move-in places to a place that had completely flooded and was in the process of being gutted and rebuilt.
More notes:
* Some of these floor plans are completely retarded. Not just a difference in taste, but like, retarded. There seems to be an abundance of places where a large open area is subdivided by a low wall. One area is designated the living room and the other is the family room. Yes, you are expected to put a couch in one, and then put another couch about 10 feet away. Not really sure what the house designers were thinking? What do you do with a layout like that?
* More bad taste. For the most part, if I buy pre-owned, I’m probably going to have to at least minimally redo carpet, paint, and landscaping. Need to investigate costs for that stuff.
* Some house builders built in recessed areas for TVs but somehow didn’t anticipate the emergence of widescreen TVs or Jon Regul-style massive TVs that won’t fit in the spaces. So that means unfortunately I have to rule these things out.
* The stories about foreclosures out here that people trash and abandon - well, they aren’t just stories. One house we visited - appliances, light fixtures, electrical plates, even the kitchen sink - ripped out and gone, with cabinets broken and the place completely filthy. Most of the places we looked at were maybe 4-5 years old. I just don’t get why someone would ever buy a new house and then not properly maintain it.
* We saw a place that had an awesome location - the backyard looked right out at the Red Rock casino with a view of the Strip as well. However, the house itself wasn’t so hot - it was pretty obviously somebody heavily smoked indoors (it was nasty inside), the layout was retarded, and the fit/finish just wasn’t that great. Unfortunately, pass.
I think I am going to rule out anything that isn’t in a master-planned community - the neighborhoods just don’t seem to be as well-kept over time. Although money is money, the HOAs here seem to be fairly low and if that helps to maintain property values, then I guess it’s probably worth it. That kind of leaves me only two areas of town but I think it’ll be fine.
So far the leading candidates right now are a couple of probably overly expensive but pretty much turnkey places which I could live in but am not super excited about, and the completely gutted house. I’m actually kind of intrigued by the idea of the latter (try to get it at a super-low price and then put money into finishing it out). It would kind of be a cool thing to be able to basically furnish a house from things of my own choosing, but I have no experience with construction so it might turn out to be too much work. It’s in a nice neighborhood though and there is enough of a backyard to put a pool in eventually. Have to think about that one.
Real estate agent just says that you know your new place when you see it. Hey Kelly, is that the case?
Chuck Norris Is No Longer Cool
September 10th, 2008
I Think They Like Me
September 4th, 2008
I just got word from the first bank that I am approved for a mortgage! I’m a bit relieved because every loan officer I talked to made a really big deal of my life as a digital nomad. One person just flat out told me to not bother applying (ironically, from the very same bank that has my checking and savings accounts).
Of course, nothing is guaranteed until I have keys, but I’m now on to the next step - actually looking for a place for real. Feels good, at least for today!