I have a new blog. http://stevemind.wordpress.com
I liked it better. Drop by, leave comments, and change your links. Eventually this site will be set up to redirect visitors to the new blog.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
So We Backed Out
I know, the last post mentioned regrets or paying a lot of money, but we decided to back out. Too many things about the deal seemed fishy. I was getting different stories from the same person, the Mello Roos tax was ridiculous and didn't expire until 2020, and we didn't like the area.
Break Time. Now we wait. That's okay though since we have to ready this house for rental shape. At first I thought we'd just leave it all as is, but in order to attract higher quality renters we decided to make this house a lot nicer than it currently is. It's one of the rules mentioned in Property Management for Dummies. That requires time and since escrow would've closed in early May we didn't have enough time. Getting out from under that deal feels like a load off and now we have all the time we need. We're under no schedule except that I'd like to be renting it before next year so the improvements will count as write-offs for a rental property.
Just bringing you up to speed here. Now you know.
Break Time. Now we wait. That's okay though since we have to ready this house for rental shape. At first I thought we'd just leave it all as is, but in order to attract higher quality renters we decided to make this house a lot nicer than it currently is. It's one of the rules mentioned in Property Management for Dummies. That requires time and since escrow would've closed in early May we didn't have enough time. Getting out from under that deal feels like a load off and now we have all the time we need. We're under no schedule except that I'd like to be renting it before next year so the improvements will count as write-offs for a rental property.
Just bringing you up to speed here. Now you know.
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Preempting Virginia Tech
Let’s talk about Virginia Tech, the site of the worst shooting in U.S. history (32 dead). The gunman? 23 year old Cho Seung-Hui. It’s difficult to pronounce, but quickly becoming a household name. I’ve been following the news stories and was surprised to hear about the substantial number of signals that indicated something was definitely wrong with this kid.
Classmates from his playwriting class mentioned that his screenplays were ridden with violence and disturbing content.
“One was about a fight between a stepson and his stepfather, and involved throwing of hammers and attacks with a chainsaw. Another was about students fantasizing about stalking and killing a teacher who sexually molested them.” (Yahoo! News)
Classmates said they weren’t sure whether his writing was invented or speaking from the torment of experience. Fellow classmate Ian MacFarlane, in a blog post prior to the shootings, mentioned that he was concerned about Cho having the potential to actually become a school shooter. Stephanie Derry said that she and others would often joke about the likelihood that he would be capable of doing something like that, but that it was no joke when she actually received word that he’d committed this heinous act.
I’m especially intrigued by the large caches of Cho’s writing that the authorities are now uncovering. The writing is consistently being described as ‘troubling’ and ‘disturbing’.
All this begs the question, should we act on signals that indicate an individual is likely a school shooter type? Were his ‘disturbing’ writings enough of a warning that something should have been done to prevent the eventual outcome? That thinking probably would not have boded well for Stephen King, but for someone like Cho, it could have saved the lives of 32 people.
Minority Report comes to mind. In the movie, the murder rate dropped to zero when the Precogs saw murder before it happened. Tom Cruz played the role of the framed murderer and it brought preemptive action under ethical question. The idea that a person who writes such disturbing material might be a school shooter and should therefore be placed under suspicion sounds like an infringement of rights, but perhaps taking no action prior to the crime is a worse strategy. That inaction could potentially be blamed for the deaths of those people.
So, should we take action to prevent possible capital crimes? Is it placing your rights and mine under attack or is it protecting our lives from demented would-be killers? What do you think?
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
$2500 or Regrets?
Does $2,500 a month sound high to you? It does to me. That, my friends, is the price of purchasing a new home. One of the books I read explained the sense of fear before that big first step and I really understand it--intimately.
As it stands, right now, I can be viewed in one of two ways. In the first, I am courageously taking that first step toward wealth and prosperity and someday I'll look back on these days as the beginning of a fantastic journey to financial freedom. In the second, I am out of mind and jumping headlong into a trap that will ruin me for at least the next seven years. Maybe I'm out of my mind for taking this on AND I'll end up wealthy--a third choice I suppose.
I suppose that however things turn out will provide the answer to which of these descriptions applies to me. A $2,500 a month price tag might someday seem like small change in the big scheme of things. That's what I hope anyway. Fortunately, I've equipped myself with enough education to know that this endeavor is not impossible, it's just very difficult. Many people could do what I'm doing, but not many will. The fear simply overtakes them and all the rational thought and planning leading up to this point abandons them. The commitment is simply too great to bear.
It comes down to a question: do I want to try and see what happens with the possibility of an amazing adventure and the potential for great wealth or spend the rest of my life wishing I had just tried but never knowing what could've happened? We only live once and I feel that I must do as well as I can while I'm here. I don't want to reach the end of it all and be followed by those dreaded and haunting ghosts most commonly referred to as regrets.
As it stands, right now, I can be viewed in one of two ways. In the first, I am courageously taking that first step toward wealth and prosperity and someday I'll look back on these days as the beginning of a fantastic journey to financial freedom. In the second, I am out of mind and jumping headlong into a trap that will ruin me for at least the next seven years. Maybe I'm out of my mind for taking this on AND I'll end up wealthy--a third choice I suppose.
I suppose that however things turn out will provide the answer to which of these descriptions applies to me. A $2,500 a month price tag might someday seem like small change in the big scheme of things. That's what I hope anyway. Fortunately, I've equipped myself with enough education to know that this endeavor is not impossible, it's just very difficult. Many people could do what I'm doing, but not many will. The fear simply overtakes them and all the rational thought and planning leading up to this point abandons them. The commitment is simply too great to bear.
It comes down to a question: do I want to try and see what happens with the possibility of an amazing adventure and the potential for great wealth or spend the rest of my life wishing I had just tried but never knowing what could've happened? We only live once and I feel that I must do as well as I can while I'm here. I don't want to reach the end of it all and be followed by those dreaded and haunting ghosts most commonly referred to as regrets.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
College sucks.
I took an elective finance course and it should have had prerequisites. It's not that it's so incredibly difficult, it's just that I have no background in it. If I knew what they were talking about I could probably squeak by in this stupid class. Instead, I understand nothing of what even Chapter 1 says.
I'm dropping the class tomorrow. Although it will certainly cost me a lot of money to do so, I just can't keep on with it. I don't appreciate being so stressed out over something so stupid and trivial. It was an elective! It's not even a required course.
I'm dropping the class tomorrow. Although it will certainly cost me a lot of money to do so, I just can't keep on with it. I don't appreciate being so stressed out over something so stupid and trivial. It was an elective! It's not even a required course.
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Sunday, March 18, 2007
Upturning Rocks - Biblical Questions
Recent conversations about my questions have put some things in perspective for me. In one instance, I brought up my questions about the validity of the Bible in apologetics. Everyone received the questions as a challenge worth searching out the answers for.
I was a little reluctant at first to drop my questions on apologetics because I didn't want to shake anyone's faith, but then it occurred to me that the Bible is supposed to be able to stand up under any scrutiny. My fear was unfounded then since, given the infallibility of the Bible, there is no disproving it.
In another instance, I was talking with a Christian co-worker. Upon hearing my questions he cautioned me that I might be obsessing over my own understanding and causing a stumbling block for myself. After taking him through a little of my reasoning he was pretty convinced that I might be unraveling my faith. We prayed and laid it at the feet of God. In this instance, I really saw the reluctance people have to actually really question their Bible and faith. I doubt I'm on uncharted waters, however, so I'm continuing on.
In another instance, I spoke with a separate co-worker who is about to become a pastor. His reaction was to listen and admit that he didn't know the answers, but he never said that the pursuit was wrong. In his mind, questioning the Bible is expected.
With him, I was able to fully voice my theories. One of the logical consequences is that the New Testament does not belong while the Old Testament does.
I'm going to write out my whole list of questions and line of reasoning. Hopefully in so doing I'll develop some answers to my questions. We all know that the Bible can stand the test, right?
Don't be afraid to upturn rocks in fear that one of them holds the key to the destruction of the faith. I'm sure that many have done this before me. I plan on consulting them as well.
I was a little reluctant at first to drop my questions on apologetics because I didn't want to shake anyone's faith, but then it occurred to me that the Bible is supposed to be able to stand up under any scrutiny. My fear was unfounded then since, given the infallibility of the Bible, there is no disproving it.
In another instance, I was talking with a Christian co-worker. Upon hearing my questions he cautioned me that I might be obsessing over my own understanding and causing a stumbling block for myself. After taking him through a little of my reasoning he was pretty convinced that I might be unraveling my faith. We prayed and laid it at the feet of God. In this instance, I really saw the reluctance people have to actually really question their Bible and faith. I doubt I'm on uncharted waters, however, so I'm continuing on.
In another instance, I spoke with a separate co-worker who is about to become a pastor. His reaction was to listen and admit that he didn't know the answers, but he never said that the pursuit was wrong. In his mind, questioning the Bible is expected.
With him, I was able to fully voice my theories. One of the logical consequences is that the New Testament does not belong while the Old Testament does.
I'm going to write out my whole list of questions and line of reasoning. Hopefully in so doing I'll develop some answers to my questions. We all know that the Bible can stand the test, right?
Don't be afraid to upturn rocks in fear that one of them holds the key to the destruction of the faith. I'm sure that many have done this before me. I plan on consulting them as well.
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Saturday, March 17, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Hey, It's Been Awhile
The blog world seems to have faded to the background lately. I haven't posted anything of worth in sometime. Why? No good reason. Really, I should be posting regularly just to keep sharp on my writing skills.
What have I been doing lately you ask? Not posting on my blog. I've been doing school work on my way to an Associate's Degree. What an accomplishment it will be when I finally get that piece of paper. Both my sisters are well on their way to being fully degreed and I'm really proud of them. Leah did a great job figuring out the system. I only wish I could have tried to figure it out a little more. I just didn't realize that getting into a class merely required bringing an add slip into whichever class I wanted to take. I thought that it was full when it said it was full.
Since then I've come a long way. I should be graduated by September or October of this year. I'm working toward getting a BS in business. I figure its kind of an open ended degree for the current job market. A business degree can be utilized in every industry.
What else is new you ask? What, that wasn't enough for you? You want more? Okay. I'm also learning a great deal about real estate, mortgage loans, and investing. Why? Because I can't be poor my whole life. Wait, you mean to tell me that you want to be rich? Yes, absolutely. But aren't you a Christian? Yes. Don't Christians try to avoid the pursuit of money and all that? I'm glad you asked. It just so happens that I've done a lot of soul searching in the midst of disliking my job, seeking better money, and planning for the future of my family. My current situation will not allow Maggie the opportunity to leave her job and be a stay at home mom without tremendous sacrifices to our standard of living. I also don't want to work for somebody else my whole life where I get paid what they think I'm worth.
Well, that's all great, but isn't money a root of all evil? I have one word for you: Amplification. Judging by the funny look I'd guess that I've lost you. Allow me to explain. Money is, in and of itself, neutral. It is neither good nor bad. However, the person with the money has the option to use it for good or for bad. Money provides the amplification of the character of that person. If you were somebody that wants to help others, that is generous, and that has a good heart, those qualities can be amplified by money. With money, you can help out people in need, you can ease the burden of the check at the end of the meal for your friends, and you can use it to make a difference. Amplification. If a person is greedy and evil, those traits would be more obvious with money as well. Does that mean money is good or evil? No, it means the person that uses it is good or evil.
So, being a Christian and working with money to make it grow so that you can do good things with it is not a contradiction. Being responsible and investing, growing your money, and moving up in the world so you can do things like have a stay at home wife are good things.
Now that I've explained myself, I'll fill you in on a little bit. We've got lots of options on the table because we bought our house early. Now we have a significant amount of usable equity that can be converted to cash for investment. This is where we have some different roads that we could take. We could sell this house and put a hefty down payment on a nice new house, we could take the equity out in the form of a loan, rent out this house, and put a down payment on another less expensive house as well. We may find a foreclosure (cause there are a lot of those lately) and fix it up a little. Who knows. That's why I'm learning everything I can right now. I want us to be as educated as possible so that we can be good stewards of the money God has given us.
That's it! Of course that's not everything that has happened during the months of silence, but that's what's happening now. If I were to write down everything you'd soon lose interest and eventually fall asleep. Then you'd wake up with asdfghjkl written across your forehead the next morning and I just couldn't do that to you. I will, however, try to post a little more so we don't have to do all this catching up all at once. Till next time, may you dwell on eternal things and daily choose to serve the Lord and Him only.
What have I been doing lately you ask? Not posting on my blog. I've been doing school work on my way to an Associate's Degree. What an accomplishment it will be when I finally get that piece of paper. Both my sisters are well on their way to being fully degreed and I'm really proud of them. Leah did a great job figuring out the system. I only wish I could have tried to figure it out a little more. I just didn't realize that getting into a class merely required bringing an add slip into whichever class I wanted to take. I thought that it was full when it said it was full.
Since then I've come a long way. I should be graduated by September or October of this year. I'm working toward getting a BS in business. I figure its kind of an open ended degree for the current job market. A business degree can be utilized in every industry.
What else is new you ask? What, that wasn't enough for you? You want more? Okay. I'm also learning a great deal about real estate, mortgage loans, and investing. Why? Because I can't be poor my whole life. Wait, you mean to tell me that you want to be rich? Yes, absolutely. But aren't you a Christian? Yes. Don't Christians try to avoid the pursuit of money and all that? I'm glad you asked. It just so happens that I've done a lot of soul searching in the midst of disliking my job, seeking better money, and planning for the future of my family. My current situation will not allow Maggie the opportunity to leave her job and be a stay at home mom without tremendous sacrifices to our standard of living. I also don't want to work for somebody else my whole life where I get paid what they think I'm worth.
Well, that's all great, but isn't money a root of all evil? I have one word for you: Amplification. Judging by the funny look I'd guess that I've lost you. Allow me to explain. Money is, in and of itself, neutral. It is neither good nor bad. However, the person with the money has the option to use it for good or for bad. Money provides the amplification of the character of that person. If you were somebody that wants to help others, that is generous, and that has a good heart, those qualities can be amplified by money. With money, you can help out people in need, you can ease the burden of the check at the end of the meal for your friends, and you can use it to make a difference. Amplification. If a person is greedy and evil, those traits would be more obvious with money as well. Does that mean money is good or evil? No, it means the person that uses it is good or evil.
So, being a Christian and working with money to make it grow so that you can do good things with it is not a contradiction. Being responsible and investing, growing your money, and moving up in the world so you can do things like have a stay at home wife are good things.
Now that I've explained myself, I'll fill you in on a little bit. We've got lots of options on the table because we bought our house early. Now we have a significant amount of usable equity that can be converted to cash for investment. This is where we have some different roads that we could take. We could sell this house and put a hefty down payment on a nice new house, we could take the equity out in the form of a loan, rent out this house, and put a down payment on another less expensive house as well. We may find a foreclosure (cause there are a lot of those lately) and fix it up a little. Who knows. That's why I'm learning everything I can right now. I want us to be as educated as possible so that we can be good stewards of the money God has given us.
That's it! Of course that's not everything that has happened during the months of silence, but that's what's happening now. If I were to write down everything you'd soon lose interest and eventually fall asleep. Then you'd wake up with asdfghjkl written across your forehead the next morning and I just couldn't do that to you. I will, however, try to post a little more so we don't have to do all this catching up all at once. Till next time, may you dwell on eternal things and daily choose to serve the Lord and Him only.
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