It all started a couple weeks back when I finally realized it's time for me to be done with my musical hiatus and start getting back into writing.  I started out with picking up this:


For those of you who don't know what that is, it's an interface that lets you record sound from instruments, audio files, cds, virtually any source - directly to your computer and then, using a software suite called Pro Tools, it allows you to manipulate that data.  Most of the world's leading producers are using Pro Tools to put together most of the music you listen to every day.

Well.. having Pro Tools is great but it made me think: I need a new 7-string guitar because the cheapie Fender Squier Strat just isn't cutting it as far as electric guitar sound quality goes.  So, with that in mind, I started shopping 7-string'ers.  My buddy, jorgedebasso , was able to hook me up with a sweet deal on this:



Well, I can't exactly just do all my work using just a decent pair of headphones.  So, I decided to pick up some studio monitors.  Which I also happened to get a fuckin' sweet deal through jorgedebasso .  So, this weekend, my office/studio will have these badboys set up & ready to rumble:



The final item I'm going to be picking up (for now) is this fucking SWEET H.R. Giger Ibanez.  

Now that I've spent all this insane money building this thing up and I'm finally gonna get back into it, perhaps Liza will think twice about hounding me to play more.  :)

So I'm trying to find some nice steps to get in and out of our hot tub.  I went to walmart.com and did a search for Hot Tub Steps.. and check out one of the results. ROFL.

So a lot has gone on in the past few months but I've been pretty busy at work, what with training newbies and everything.  I haven't had much time or desire to do much of anything productive online while at home because the past few months have had me completely inundated with all the rigor of BUYING A HOUSE!

Yep.  My wife and I are finally homeowners.  We bought a 1750 square foot, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom house down in Hollister.  Now here's the part where pretty much everybody starts going "Why all the way down Hollister??!" And here's the part where I feel like saying "Shut up!" but I always have to give the whole spiel about how we can actually afford a nice, big HOUSE in Hollister and we would only be able to afford some fucking townhouse or condo virtually anywhere closer to where we work. 

There are 2 major reasons why we decided to buy a house.  One of them is that I'm sick and fucking tired of shitty, disrespectful, inconsiderate assholes who live in apartment complexes.  It doesn't fucking matter how much rent you pay or how nice your apartment is, some asshole is sharing a wall with you.  Some douchebag is always honking their fucking horn out in the parking lot instead of going up to someone's door.  Some piece of shit neighbor is stomping up and down the stairs at all hours of the night.  Some fucktard is letting their door slam, forcing everyone in the building to have their day interrupted by that sonic boom.  Fuck apartments.

The other reason is that when we first moved into Avalon at Parkside, our rent was $1600 a month.  In the 3 years we'd lived there, the rent was increased nearly $200 a month each year.  So, when our lease was scheduled to renew this year, our rent was going up to nearly $2200 a month.  That is complete bullshit.  Our mortgage is slightly over $2200 a month (not including insurance & taxes).  Why the fuck would anyone prefer paying rent to owning?  So, here's a big FUCK YOU to Avalon.

Anyway, we're loving our new place.  It's a lot of work but it's work that we don't mind doing.  Except for yard work - I can't hang with yard work because of my fucked-up allergies.  It really sucks because I wouldn't mind doing it if it weren't for the misery that would ensue afterwards.  So, I'm pretty much relegated to doing tasks that make the place nicer on the inside.  So, here are some pics of our work-in-progress.  I expect we'll have a lot more complete within the next month.  The lengthy commute makes for a lot less time to do stuff around the house during the week.

DVD/Game Collection



Guest Bed



Kickass LG Washer & Dryer



Living Room



Kitchen



Master Bedroom TV



New King-Size Tempurpedic to get our "sleep" on hahahaha



Kickass Lamb of God vinyl that Liza had framed for me for all my effort to get us the house



New bookcase in the Living Room



Dining Area



Entertainment!

1. Reply to this post and I'll assign you a letter.
2. List 5 songs that start with that letter.
3. Post them to your journal with these instructions.

We'll start with Stabbing Westward's "Inside You"
next, we have "I Am Him" by Nothingface
My next selection will have to be "I Am Legend" by White Zombie
In our next-to-last place, we have "I Clean Up Real Good" by Dave Brockie and the Dave Brockie Experience (DBX)
Lastly, I'd like to mention "I Die in Degrees" by All That Remains

I could probably list 20 'I' songs but rules are rules.  Lisa.. you probably only know maybe 1 of those.  LOL.

:)

If you're on my f'list, I want to know 36 things about you. I don't care if we never talk, if you're more of a lurker, or if we already know everything about each other.

BE HONEST! Answer the questions in a comment, then repost on your own journal (if you like).



1) Are you currently in a serious relationship?

2) What was your dream growing up?

3) What talent do you wish you had?

4) If I bought you a drink what would it be?

5) Favorite vegetable?

6) What was the last book you read?

7) What zodiac sign are you?

8) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.

9) Worst Habit?

10) If you saw me walking down the street, would you offer me a ride?

11) What is your favorite sport?

12) Do you have a pessimistic or optimistic attitude?

13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?

14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?

15) Tell me one weird fact about you.

16) Do you have any pets?

17) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly?

18) What was your first impression of me?

19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?

20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?

21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?

22) What color eyes do you have?

23) Ever been arrested?

24) White or red wine?

25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?

27) What's your favorite place to hang at?

28) Do you believe in ghosts?

29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?

30) Do you swear a lot?

31) Biggest pet peeve?

32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?

33) Do you believe/appreciate romance?

35) Do you believe in God?

36) Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?

Yep - that's right.  With the market continuing to drop, we can FINALLY afford to buy a home.  The downside is we're looking in Hollister.  The upside is that in Hollister, we can get a fucking enormous house for less than what we qualify for and we want nothing to do with condos or townhomes.  We're so fucking sick of the apartment life... it's incredibly fucking stupid to have to share a wall with someone or have someone live under or above you. 

Now we're in the position to get the hell out of that whole lifestyle.  We're looking in Hollister because, not only is it way cheaper, it's closer to Liza's family and when we finally have some kids her family will be able to help us out by looking after the kids while we're at work.  We're looking at 3 bedroom 2 bathroom homes that are bigger than 1300 square feet.. and there are a TON of them down there for under $350k (which is the amount we're pre-approved for our FHA loan).  The apartment complex we live in (Avalon) is a decent place but when we moved in we were only paying $1600 a month for rent.  That number has gone up close to $200 a month each year since.  This past year we've been paying $1940 a month.  In June, our lease is up and they're trying to jack the rent up to $2133 a month.  Basically they're raping renters.. which there are a lot more of now that so many people have lost their homes.  The place was worth it at $1600 but at nearly $2200.. fuck no.  Besides, we've outgrown the place by far. 

So.. with all that info being dropped, here's the skinny on what we're looking at:  a $350k loan at 6% for 30 years is roughly $2200 a month.  Add in mortgage insurance, property taxes & home insurance and we're looking at right around $3000 a month.  Seems like a lot, right?  $800 more a month than the douchebags at Avalon want and we're actually OWNING instead of getting ass-raped by paying rent.  Now, factor in the whole tax benefits thing - paying that much on a mortgage w/ property taxes can generate about a $12k tax return.  Spread that $12k over 12 months, put it toward the mortgage payment and what do you have?  You've got a $2000 payment.. that's LESS than what Avalon faggotry wants for their shitty 1100 sq. foot 2 bedroom apartment.  Fuck you!

Now, here comes the tricks.  Say, after a couple years, we're able to pay off our car loans and credit cards with all the tax breaks we get from the house.. Liza finally has a kid or two.. I can let her quit her job and be a stay-at-home mom because I'll be making enough to cover the house and other bills.. factor in all the tax benefits I'd get by being able to file as head-of-household, having dependents.. holy shit it's like I'm an actual adult. 

Oh and one more thing:  Fuck you, Avalon at Parkside.  Fuck you in your stupid, greedy, loose asshole.  In fact, DOUBLE-FUCK YOU AVALON AT PARKSIDE!  You can keep your shitty $500 deposit because I'm not spending a calorie of energy dedicated to cleaning that place when we leave.

So, if you're reading this, you obviously have seen all the pictures of the baddest fuckin' bike in my past journal entries.  Well, someone took it upon themselves to STEAL MY FUCKING MOTORCYCLE on Friday while I was at work.  It was the perfect day for it too - fucking stormy as all fuck, dark, cold, the bike was locked & covered so these pieces of shit had to have come by with either a van or a truck and pick the whole thing up and drive off with it.  SONSOFBITCHES!

I shit you not, if I would have rolled up on anyone trying to take my shit I would have run them the FUCK down with my Durango.  I swear to fucking god, whoever did this needs to die in a fire. 

Funny thing about it is.. I don't want it back.  Who the fuck knows what's been done to it since it's been taken?  And why would anyone take this particular bike to strip down for parts?  It's too noticeable to drive around without raising eyebrows.. it's just really fucking pathetic.

This is just one more confirmation for me that the vast majority of the human population needs to be wiped out.  Fuck everybody.

"Would you like to sign our petition to end the torture in Guantanamo Bay?"

"Would you like to move your operation to Berkeley?"

*stunned into silence*

And then they crossed the street.

All this in downtown Walnut Creek celebrating Hillary's birthday.  We had such a damn rad time - I still can't believe how quick I was with that little line.  LOL!

This is pretty much a way for me to see who still reads my journal, so please take the time to fill it out, I don't care if you don't fill out every single question but it'd be nice if you try to. :)

Repost it in the next few days and I'll fill it out for you.

YOU
name:
age:
sex:
AIM screenname:
do you enjoy reading my LJ?:
why:
interesting fact about you:
weird fact about you:
favorite quote:

RECOMMEND
1. a movie:
2. a good book:
3. a song or album:
4. an LJ user that isn't on my friends list:
5. something to do in the next two months:

Since nobody commented on the awesomeness of my bike in the previous entry I posted, I wanna see some goddamn responses!

Over the weekend, I discovered The Duskfall, Sparzanza, Scar Symmetry.

DOES ANYTHING BAD COME FROM SWEDEN??

No, I think not.

Something's happening...

I'm not holding my breath for replies but here goes...

If you're on my friends list, I want to know 30 things about you. It doesn't matter if we've never talked, or if we already know everything about each other. You are obviously on my flist, so let me know with whom I'm friends!

1. Your Middle Name:
2. Age:
3. Single or Taken:
4. Favorite Movie:
5. Favorite Song or Album:
6. Favorite Band/Artist:
7. Dirty or Clean:
8. Tattoos and/or Piercings:
9. Do we know each other outside of LJ?
10. What's your philosophy on life?
11. Is the bottle half-full or half-empty?
12. Would you keep a secret from me if you thought it was in my best interest?
13. What is your favorite memory of us?
14. What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
15. Tell me one odd/interesting fact about you:
16. You can have three wishes (for yourself, so forget all the 'world peace etc' malarkey) - what are they?
17. Can we get together and make a cake?
18. Which country is your spiritual home?
19. What is your big weakness?
20. Do you think I'm a good person?
21. What was your best/favorite subject at school?
22. Describe your accent:
23. If you could change anything about me, would you?
24. What do you wear to sleep?
25. Trousers or skirts?
26. Cigarettes or alcohol?
27. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together?
28. Favorite Book
29. Favorite Computer/Video Game
30. Will you repost this so I can fill it out for you?

So.. it's been a little while since I've written anything in here about this roller coaster.

So, in summary, here's a short list of things that have gone on in the past few months:

• Hired back at my previous job of over 6 years.  It's true what they say, the grass IS always greener on the other side...
• Got myself up-to-date with ALL the current "next-gen" gaming systems.  That's right - I have a Playstation 3, an Xbox 360 and a Nintendo Wii.  I also have the HD-DVD attachment for the Xbox 360 and an amazing surround system that perfectly matches the 50-inch Plasma TV I got back in October (I think).  My home entertainment center is, truly, a force to be reckoned with.  It literally shoves me down on the couch and pins me there, forcefully.
• Turned 32.  This does not make me happy.  I wish I could rewind but, alas, we know it's not possible.
• Helped Liza get a new Scion TC, all tricked out with nice rims, tail lights, iPod, the works.  She loves it.  Made me happy to help her get outta that piece of shit Rav4 she'd been driving around for a decade.
• Bought a 2007 Honda CBR 1000RR Repsol Replica
• Wrecked aforementioned motorcycle exactly 1 week from purchasing causing $6700 in damages to the motorcycle.
• Overhauled my PC - dropped a lot of money into it but I'm satisfied with the results.
• Hung my guitars on the wall.. it looks fucking awesome.  Now, if only I could find the motivation or inspiration to take one of 'em off the wall and play some.  I've pretty much lost my drive to play music.  It doesn't give me the satisfaction it once did, and that's pretty damn sad.
• Still battling with alcohol.  It's always an uphill struggle.  Got a week under my belt today so we'll see how long I can make it last.  I basically need to just not start that shit again.  It's a demon that's continually taking stabs at me.
• Had my sister, her boyfriend, and my best friend from high school up for the Chimaira/Dragonforce/Killswitch Engage show a week ago.  Hence the newly-established cessation of alcohol. 
  

That's about it for now.  If I think of anything else, I'll write a little more at some point.

I will be risking my life on this:

Give me your Wii addresses so we can send each other our Miis!

My address is 2122 6860 3033 4956

\m/