I know this is out of sequence, but I just had to write it. Yes, got the house last Thursday, will write about that later. Yes, been parking in the garage, yee haw - at least until I had to empty the house into the garage so I could have it cleaned top to bottom on Tuesday (ugh was dirty with dog hair etc). Tonight I got busy and moved everything back in. I finished at about 12:30, late, ugh. I saw light out in the backyard, peeked out the window and saw a beautiful moonlit scene over my pool.
Now, I had the pool guy here on Saturday, when we discussed the condition of the pool (fine) and maintenance (yes, he will do it, yay). After he left, I took my first dip in the water - during the day - the sun was hot and dazzled my eyes when going one direction. That was the last time I had a chance - until tonight when I looked out at the pool, late.
At first, I thought, "I'll go for a swim as soon as I wake up." Then I asked myself, "Why should I wait?"
So, I pulled on my trunks and grabbed my goggles, and headed outside. I didn't bother with the backyard lights, didn't need them - the light of the moon was enough to get me to the back wall and turn on the pool light, mmm. Then, into the water, did about 20 or 30 laps under the pale, full moon. Wow!
I think it will be better when I'm using the pool more often. There are leaves and flower petals in the pool, had to snag the net and scoop them up. I'm kind of anxious when there are "floaties" around me while swimming.
In any case, it was grand! Will have to do that more often. Very nice relaxation after some hard work. Now I'm having a teensy glass of wine, and writing this article. As I said, these past couple of weeks have been quite eventful, but writing them up will have to wait. Sigh. Not enough hours in the day?!?
19 September 2013
03 September 2013
25 to 31 August: Getting a mortgage is like a three ring circus - without the rings!
So finally the mortgage got going this week. It turns out that it
was sent to the wrong department by mistake, and it took a week to
recognize the error and correct it. In the meantime, I was trying to
add up the numbers as to how much cash I had to come across with, to
close the deal - and could not make the numbers add up. It was looking
like they wanted about US$5,000 more than I had - and I needed
clarification. Over the weekend, however, I sat down and went through
every line, and figured it out. The difference was the "earnest
deposit" that I had put in with the offer, and some weird math they do just to make it too complicated for mortals to figure out.
Oh yes, and Monday they came and replaced my car windshield. Sure enough, came to the office, did it in the parking lot, took just over an hour. Wow.
There were about 60 pages of documents to sign, and many more that I initialled and crossed out open space on. Yikes, my wrist was sore after all that. Then I found out that some of the documents weren't in my "keep" package, so I had to break up the bundle and duplicate them. Then, I found out that there were "information" sheets that I needed but weren't in my "keep" package, so I had to break up the bundle and strip them out. Yikes.
Then courier'd it all off to the mortgage office.
I contacted the company - apparently I misunderstood - I have to pay the whole closing cost up front and then apply for reimbursement! Ouch! Good thing I brought in more than enough... but, now I don't have time to do a check, or even a bank to bank transfer, as they take days to clear!
So, I went three days in a row, transferred US$1000, US$1000, and US$900 from Atlanta RBC Bank to local Wells Fargo.
I had to get proof that the money was available to me locally. Wells Fargo did up a statement showing all the inflows and that the money was available.
Then, on Thursday, I finally got to an insurance broker and got a single quote on home owner's insurance - ouch, about $400 more than expected! I had to go back a fourth day and transfer US$500 more to ensure that I could cover it. And, get another statement.
The government needs documented evidence of cash flow sources, to ensure that it's my money that I'm using for down payment. What, as opposed to somebody else's? I wonder what kind of games they were playing down here before 2010! Anyway, all this money exchange was complicated, so I had to write a story book about the cash transfers and why. Ugh.
In the end, I hope I satisfied the documentation requirements. We shall see.
And, after all that, I was able to get a second quote that lowered the cost about $450, back down below the original target, so the last panic wasn't necessary in the end. Oh well, I have the cash. Good. And, now I have insurance - that's good too, they won't go on processing the mortgage without it. Whew!
On Saturday, I ordered Internet for the house. It's starting to become more real. Let's hope the mortgage goes through.
Saturday afternoon, I visited that second auto museum in the Metrocenter. It was great, but not many cars. Now, apparently they have some 200 more cars in storage, and the shopping centre is preparing a huge display space for them to showcase them all. It's going to be impressive when done.
They told me that there is a car show in the parking lot of the Metrocenter once a month. I missed last Saturday's, which was the biggest ever, with something like 800 cars and over 4,000 people attending. Where was I???? At the jazz concert, oh yeah. Well that was fine too. A lot fewer people.
So, at the end of the week, I'm looking for dancing bears. Or tight rope walkers. Or trapeze artists. Or something like that. Kind of feeling like the T-shirt - "I went through the mortgage process, and all I got was... wait a second, I didn't get anything!!"
Oh yes, and Monday they came and replaced my car windshield. Sure enough, came to the office, did it in the parking lot, took just over an hour. Wow.
There were about 60 pages of documents to sign, and many more that I initialled and crossed out open space on. Yikes, my wrist was sore after all that. Then I found out that some of the documents weren't in my "keep" package, so I had to break up the bundle and duplicate them. Then, I found out that there were "information" sheets that I needed but weren't in my "keep" package, so I had to break up the bundle and strip them out. Yikes.
Then courier'd it all off to the mortgage office.
I contacted the company - apparently I misunderstood - I have to pay the whole closing cost up front and then apply for reimbursement! Ouch! Good thing I brought in more than enough... but, now I don't have time to do a check, or even a bank to bank transfer, as they take days to clear!
So, I went three days in a row, transferred US$1000, US$1000, and US$900 from Atlanta RBC Bank to local Wells Fargo.
I had to get proof that the money was available to me locally. Wells Fargo did up a statement showing all the inflows and that the money was available.
Then, on Thursday, I finally got to an insurance broker and got a single quote on home owner's insurance - ouch, about $400 more than expected! I had to go back a fourth day and transfer US$500 more to ensure that I could cover it. And, get another statement.
The government needs documented evidence of cash flow sources, to ensure that it's my money that I'm using for down payment. What, as opposed to somebody else's? I wonder what kind of games they were playing down here before 2010! Anyway, all this money exchange was complicated, so I had to write a story book about the cash transfers and why. Ugh.
In the end, I hope I satisfied the documentation requirements. We shall see.
And, after all that, I was able to get a second quote that lowered the cost about $450, back down below the original target, so the last panic wasn't necessary in the end. Oh well, I have the cash. Good. And, now I have insurance - that's good too, they won't go on processing the mortgage without it. Whew!
On Saturday, I ordered Internet for the house. It's starting to become more real. Let's hope the mortgage goes through.
Saturday afternoon, I visited that second auto museum in the Metrocenter. It was great, but not many cars. Now, apparently they have some 200 more cars in storage, and the shopping centre is preparing a huge display space for them to showcase them all. It's going to be impressive when done.
They told me that there is a car show in the parking lot of the Metrocenter once a month. I missed last Saturday's, which was the biggest ever, with something like 800 cars and over 4,000 people attending. Where was I???? At the jazz concert, oh yeah. Well that was fine too. A lot fewer people.
So, at the end of the week, I'm looking for dancing bears. Or tight rope walkers. Or trapeze artists. Or something like that. Kind of feeling like the T-shirt - "I went through the mortgage process, and all I got was... wait a second, I didn't get anything!!"
18 to 24 August reprise: Cash flow foibles!!!
I got a fun E-mail on Tuesday morning - a bill payment out of my
Canadian account was denied because of lack of funds. Hmm, there should
be lots of cash in there!?! Oh no, what about the rent cheque for
CA$900 that was dated last Friday???? Panic! I called the owner of the
condo and advised that if his cheque was returned, I would cover
everything immediately! Then I called ING Direct and asked what was
going on. Well, apparently, the bank-to-bank transfer that I had done
the week before, takes up to seven business days to clear,
and the bulk of the funds was on hold!!! This has never happened
before. I scrambled, used the Interac eTransfer to move cash immediately from another account to cover the cheque. Then, held my breath.
Nothing happened. But the cheque didn't clear either.
Then, on Friday, I got a note from the owner - the cheque had been returned, with a back charge fee of course, plus they took the cash out of his wrong account, and it cost him a total of CA$75 because it went under their magic "lower limit".
I immediately issued an Interac eTransfer to cover the whole thing, plus a few bucks in case his institution didn't do eTransfers directly.
ING called me about 1/2 hour later. Because the transfer was done from Arizona, and because the target E-mail account was a Hotmail account, they were questioning it. After satisfying their concerns, everything was cool... or so I thought. I had to call back again for clarification, but everything was good.
An hour after that, I saw that the transaction had been cancelled! I called ING again (the third time), oh yes, they cancel the transfer, not just question it. I wonder when they were going to tell me that? I re-did the transfer, and all was well.
Moral of the story: Keep a close eye on available balance, and if out of the country, make sure they know about it. I was pretty sure I had advised them, but I guess I didn't. Oh well.
Nothing happened. But the cheque didn't clear either.
Then, on Friday, I got a note from the owner - the cheque had been returned, with a back charge fee of course, plus they took the cash out of his wrong account, and it cost him a total of CA$75 because it went under their magic "lower limit".
I immediately issued an Interac eTransfer to cover the whole thing, plus a few bucks in case his institution didn't do eTransfers directly.
ING called me about 1/2 hour later. Because the transfer was done from Arizona, and because the target E-mail account was a Hotmail account, they were questioning it. After satisfying their concerns, everything was cool... or so I thought. I had to call back again for clarification, but everything was good.
An hour after that, I saw that the transaction had been cancelled! I called ING again (the third time), oh yes, they cancel the transfer, not just question it. I wonder when they were going to tell me that? I re-did the transfer, and all was well.
Moral of the story: Keep a close eye on available balance, and if out of the country, make sure they know about it. I was pretty sure I had advised them, but I guess I didn't. Oh well.
18 to 24 August: Plumbing the depths, talking does help, and checkin' out the junque store!
I went to church on the 18th. I was feeling down. Things just weren't feeling good. I am so far from home, in a foreign land, by myself... alone...
After church, I asked Pastor Paul Self-Price if I could come see him some time during the week - he of course agreed, and said Tuesday morning would work. We chatted about therapy and Emotions Anonymous - which he had never heard of, but asked if it was like Alcoholics Anonymous... which of course it is very much like. He has been in AA for over 30 years, so I knew that I was talking to the right person! I mentioned that I had had trouble with the 5th step and now having trouble with the 9th step, and of course, having been in the program, nobody has to remind you what the 5th step is... or the 9th. Yes, I will be talking to the right person.
They were having a luncheon get-together after the service, and I was invited to stay. Of course, everyone was so gracious, and tried so hard to make me feel at home... but somehow, by the time I left, I had to run (not walk) back to the condo, to be alone in my misery.
So Sunday afternoon, I hit the bottom. I was feeling low, so far from where I want to be, moved so much, lost and given away so much, not even knowing who the Hell I was any more. I've lost my touchstones, relationships. Given it all up. Moved. Moved back. Then given it up again. Moved away. And now I am here. Is this supposed to be better? I tried to read, but could not. I tried to watch a couple of movies - a sci-fi movie, even Casablanca - but could not. I tried to surf the web, look at news, blah blah... Nothing worked. Yikes! I flopped in bed, looked at the ceiling, and pondered... and cried.
By Sunday evening, the darkness had started to lift. Thankfully! I do not want to be there again. Not that this is any surprise, mind you - but there is no need to revisit this place.
I went to see Pastor Paul on Tuesday morning, on my way to work. It was very helpful. He understands much more than I might expect, at least initially. It generally helped to buoy me up, and I felt much better.
At the Emotions Anonymous meeting on Tuesday evening, there was some crosstalk about my situation. One of the other members called on it, and I was placed in the uncomfortable position of having to jump in and tell them both that their input was appreciated but unnecessary. I will move forward in the program when things settle enough that I can find my stuff and move forward in the program. Not entirely satisfactory for them, but damn it, it's my program, not theirs! Yeah, I'm probably over reacting, it wasn't nearly that dramatic. I need to get moving, not change direction... again. I can... and I will.
Skyping with mom and Eric on Wednesday was nice. Mom is flying out to Alberta on Saturday to see James and his kids for a week. They are all going camping (yikes :-) ), shall see how that works out.
I slithered through the rest of the week without incident. Well, found out that Autopac will cover my windshield replacement, have to pay my $200 deductible (in US funds, waa waa), so scheduled it for Monday. They come to me, and do it in about an hour, apparently. Wow.
On Saturday, I went to Apache Reclamation and Electronics, south of downtown Phoenix. It's in a rough part of town, obviously hit hard by the recession of these past few years.
Anyway, the shop was amazing and fun! It would not be if I wasn't into electronics, mind you. Narrow isles full of dusty, dirty electronics of all types - surplus parts, new parts, circuit boards pulled from electronic assemblies, power supplies, test equipment, specialized old equipment, computer equipment, some just plain junk. If you wanted to make up a sci fi movie set from the 1950s, you could do it here! I tell you, they have everything! There's even a full room of shelving units chock full of many vacuum tubes. I even held an 807 tube in my hands, the type used in my old No. 19 set... wow. I almost bought it, just to mount it and put it on display as a memory of my old hobby... perhaps next time.
Anyway, it was a cool place to visit. There was an older, retired fellow there who was working on a little project to recondition his car batteries - a line-powered capacitively coupled de-sulphur device. Sounded dangerous! I gave him a bit of advice - including to put a high resistance across that big motor run capacitor that he was holding, so it didn't electrocute him - and to use a big monster bridge. He asked about putting a fan operated from the output, perhaps using that cool LM7812 regulator to run it - which I dissuaded him from doing. I've burned up a few LM7812s in my time, by not putting proper decoupling... plus it won't take the extra high voltage for a open (completely failed) battery, or when the battery isn't there and the thing "accidentally" gets turned on... I think I gave him good advice, and stern enough warnings to be careful. Well, hopefully he didn't electrocute himself or blow anything up.
After church, I asked Pastor Paul Self-Price if I could come see him some time during the week - he of course agreed, and said Tuesday morning would work. We chatted about therapy and Emotions Anonymous - which he had never heard of, but asked if it was like Alcoholics Anonymous... which of course it is very much like. He has been in AA for over 30 years, so I knew that I was talking to the right person! I mentioned that I had had trouble with the 5th step and now having trouble with the 9th step, and of course, having been in the program, nobody has to remind you what the 5th step is... or the 9th. Yes, I will be talking to the right person.
They were having a luncheon get-together after the service, and I was invited to stay. Of course, everyone was so gracious, and tried so hard to make me feel at home... but somehow, by the time I left, I had to run (not walk) back to the condo, to be alone in my misery.
So Sunday afternoon, I hit the bottom. I was feeling low, so far from where I want to be, moved so much, lost and given away so much, not even knowing who the Hell I was any more. I've lost my touchstones, relationships. Given it all up. Moved. Moved back. Then given it up again. Moved away. And now I am here. Is this supposed to be better? I tried to read, but could not. I tried to watch a couple of movies - a sci-fi movie, even Casablanca - but could not. I tried to surf the web, look at news, blah blah... Nothing worked. Yikes! I flopped in bed, looked at the ceiling, and pondered... and cried.
By Sunday evening, the darkness had started to lift. Thankfully! I do not want to be there again. Not that this is any surprise, mind you - but there is no need to revisit this place.
I went to see Pastor Paul on Tuesday morning, on my way to work. It was very helpful. He understands much more than I might expect, at least initially. It generally helped to buoy me up, and I felt much better.
At the Emotions Anonymous meeting on Tuesday evening, there was some crosstalk about my situation. One of the other members called on it, and I was placed in the uncomfortable position of having to jump in and tell them both that their input was appreciated but unnecessary. I will move forward in the program when things settle enough that I can find my stuff and move forward in the program. Not entirely satisfactory for them, but damn it, it's my program, not theirs! Yeah, I'm probably over reacting, it wasn't nearly that dramatic. I need to get moving, not change direction... again. I can... and I will.
Skyping with mom and Eric on Wednesday was nice. Mom is flying out to Alberta on Saturday to see James and his kids for a week. They are all going camping (yikes :-) ), shall see how that works out.
I slithered through the rest of the week without incident. Well, found out that Autopac will cover my windshield replacement, have to pay my $200 deductible (in US funds, waa waa), so scheduled it for Monday. They come to me, and do it in about an hour, apparently. Wow.
On Saturday, I went to Apache Reclamation and Electronics, south of downtown Phoenix. It's in a rough part of town, obviously hit hard by the recession of these past few years.
Anyway, the shop was amazing and fun! It would not be if I wasn't into electronics, mind you. Narrow isles full of dusty, dirty electronics of all types - surplus parts, new parts, circuit boards pulled from electronic assemblies, power supplies, test equipment, specialized old equipment, computer equipment, some just plain junk. If you wanted to make up a sci fi movie set from the 1950s, you could do it here! I tell you, they have everything! There's even a full room of shelving units chock full of many vacuum tubes. I even held an 807 tube in my hands, the type used in my old No. 19 set... wow. I almost bought it, just to mount it and put it on display as a memory of my old hobby... perhaps next time.
 |
| Yup, the venerable 807 tube |
 |
| A No. 19 set - I had a much larger setup than this - all the accessories - long, long ago... |
02 September 2013
11 to 17 August: Delivery of Elizabeth, interesting haircut, a banker's tale, and let there be Jazz
On Sunday, I went to see The Last Starfighter. It was good.
Monday, we went back to the house to double-check some of the contents that I'm thinking of buying from the present owner. For instance, a big television set. As I suspected, it was an older, internal projection unit - nice, but not worth a whole pile. It works well though, so I'll try to acquire it.
Later Monday, I went to Wells Fargo and got my US$900 through the Visa cash advance, right out of my RBC Bank account. Now, I was ready for the delivery of Elizabeth.
I also found a place to store her, outdoors, at least until I have the house with garage. It's only a mile or so from the office, Deer Valley Mini and RV Storage, so she will be close by.
The truck driver had to unload two other vehicles first, then roll her down off the carrier. He insisted on using her own brakes, whereas I wanted to use the winch; it worked out great because without the winch, the suspension was "up" and the rear cleared the ground better.
I started her up and drove her into the compound. She sounded terrible! But she made it to the designated spot, and eased in, for a rest. I brought a bunch of the stuff out of her interior - all the tote bins - then put the cover on her, and left her there, hopefully just for a couple of weeks... shall see.
On Wednesday, I got to Skype with mom and Eric. It was good to see them both. Am I missing Winnipeg? Oh yeah.
On Thursday, I went to The Men's Lounge Barbershop. What an experience! It was a nice cut, then a straightblade shave (a first for me, eek), then ear and nose hair trimming (another first), and a hot towel at the end. I was pretty nervous about the straightblade thing, but, like going to India, I just said, "whatever, let it roll", and it was fine.
So Friday was my first payday, but my direct deposit wasn't finalized yet, so I got a cheque. The amount was less than I expected, but then again, I realized that they only paid up to the previous Friday, which is of course the way it is done.
I went down to Wells Fargo, opened an account, and deposited my paycheque (oops there I go again, paycheck) and another US$5600 check drawn on my RBC Bank account, into it. The idea was that there would be plenty of time for it to clear, and then, "boom!" I would have the local funds needed to close on the house deal.
The amount I put into the Wells Fargo account was based on the understanding that the relocation package would pay for the actual closing costs that weren't equity, i.e. the inspection, the legal fees, etc. I had asked if the company would be paying directly for the fees, saving me the trouble of having to float the amount. I had been told that they would be paying directly, so I put in more than enough to handle the rest. [ cue ominous music ] Oops.
On Saturday, I had to get out and about. I went to the Martin Auto Museum just off of I-17. It's an unassuming building, but has a large sign. I had seen it back in March when I was here, but it was closed that day, and I forgot about it. Wow, fantastic! It has the "Baby Ruth" car that Jeff Gordon drove back when, and apparently Jeff is friends with Mr. Martin who owns the museum, and stops by whenever he is in Phoenix. The fellow behind the counter was quite knowledgeable, having driven all the cars (except that one, which does not get driven) and worked on some as well. It was a fun visit.
There's another auto museum, the Scottsdale International Auto Museum, in the Metrocenter Mall, but it was closing when I got there, so I didn't go in. The mall itself is fighting for its life - it is over half empty, by my estimation. When we were here three years ago, it was having trouble but it was mostly full. Signs of revitalization are apparent though - and they have signs saying "Metro CentRe" with the accent on the "Re", then saying, revitalization, rebirth, etc. I hope they make it - it's a huge mall with good parking and lots of retail space.
Later on Saturday, I went to a Jazz concert at the Musician's Union Hall in downtown Phoenix. It was Sherry Roberson with the Armand Boatman Trio, and was fantastic! I bought the two CDs that she had for sale. There were only maybe 15 of us in attendance, too bad because it was a great performance. Fortunately, the hall was fairly small, about twice the size of a large living room, so it wasn't too too empty. There were rows of chairs up front, but more lounge-y seating in the back, including several sofas. I stretched out on a sofa at the back, and just chilled. It turns out that a very nice couple from Mesa were right beside the sofa, and we got to chatting. I didn't realize that this was a "bring your own food and drink" event, as was evidenced by a group of six people that came in later, with wine and sandwiches and cheese and crackers... the whole deal. Wow. After the show started, my friends beside me cracked open their picnic kit as well, and offered me a glass of wine, which was very nice of them. I obliged, it made the event that much nicer. Good folks everywhere.
Monday, we went back to the house to double-check some of the contents that I'm thinking of buying from the present owner. For instance, a big television set. As I suspected, it was an older, internal projection unit - nice, but not worth a whole pile. It works well though, so I'll try to acquire it.
Later Monday, I went to Wells Fargo and got my US$900 through the Visa cash advance, right out of my RBC Bank account. Now, I was ready for the delivery of Elizabeth.
I also found a place to store her, outdoors, at least until I have the house with garage. It's only a mile or so from the office, Deer Valley Mini and RV Storage, so she will be close by.
The truck driver had to unload two other vehicles first, then roll her down off the carrier. He insisted on using her own brakes, whereas I wanted to use the winch; it worked out great because without the winch, the suspension was "up" and the rear cleared the ground better.
I started her up and drove her into the compound. She sounded terrible! But she made it to the designated spot, and eased in, for a rest. I brought a bunch of the stuff out of her interior - all the tote bins - then put the cover on her, and left her there, hopefully just for a couple of weeks... shall see.
On Wednesday, I got to Skype with mom and Eric. It was good to see them both. Am I missing Winnipeg? Oh yeah.
On Thursday, I went to The Men's Lounge Barbershop. What an experience! It was a nice cut, then a straightblade shave (a first for me, eek), then ear and nose hair trimming (another first), and a hot towel at the end. I was pretty nervous about the straightblade thing, but, like going to India, I just said, "whatever, let it roll", and it was fine.
So Friday was my first payday, but my direct deposit wasn't finalized yet, so I got a cheque. The amount was less than I expected, but then again, I realized that they only paid up to the previous Friday, which is of course the way it is done.
I went down to Wells Fargo, opened an account, and deposited my paycheque (oops there I go again, paycheck) and another US$5600 check drawn on my RBC Bank account, into it. The idea was that there would be plenty of time for it to clear, and then, "boom!" I would have the local funds needed to close on the house deal.
The amount I put into the Wells Fargo account was based on the understanding that the relocation package would pay for the actual closing costs that weren't equity, i.e. the inspection, the legal fees, etc. I had asked if the company would be paying directly for the fees, saving me the trouble of having to float the amount. I had been told that they would be paying directly, so I put in more than enough to handle the rest. [ cue ominous music ] Oops.
On Saturday, I had to get out and about. I went to the Martin Auto Museum just off of I-17. It's an unassuming building, but has a large sign. I had seen it back in March when I was here, but it was closed that day, and I forgot about it. Wow, fantastic! It has the "Baby Ruth" car that Jeff Gordon drove back when, and apparently Jeff is friends with Mr. Martin who owns the museum, and stops by whenever he is in Phoenix. The fellow behind the counter was quite knowledgeable, having driven all the cars (except that one, which does not get driven) and worked on some as well. It was a fun visit.
There's another auto museum, the Scottsdale International Auto Museum, in the Metrocenter Mall, but it was closing when I got there, so I didn't go in. The mall itself is fighting for its life - it is over half empty, by my estimation. When we were here three years ago, it was having trouble but it was mostly full. Signs of revitalization are apparent though - and they have signs saying "Metro CentRe" with the accent on the "Re", then saying, revitalization, rebirth, etc. I hope they make it - it's a huge mall with good parking and lots of retail space.
Later on Saturday, I went to a Jazz concert at the Musician's Union Hall in downtown Phoenix. It was Sherry Roberson with the Armand Boatman Trio, and was fantastic! I bought the two CDs that she had for sale. There were only maybe 15 of us in attendance, too bad because it was a great performance. Fortunately, the hall was fairly small, about twice the size of a large living room, so it wasn't too too empty. There were rows of chairs up front, but more lounge-y seating in the back, including several sofas. I stretched out on a sofa at the back, and just chilled. It turns out that a very nice couple from Mesa were right beside the sofa, and we got to chatting. I didn't realize that this was a "bring your own food and drink" event, as was evidenced by a group of six people that came in later, with wine and sandwiches and cheese and crackers... the whole deal. Wow. After the show started, my friends beside me cracked open their picnic kit as well, and offered me a glass of wine, which was very nice of them. I obliged, it made the event that much nicer. Good folks everywhere.
 |
| Sherry Roberson |
 | |
| Armand Boatman - master jazz pianist! |
04 to 10 August: Financing (ugh), house inspection... and... termites!?!
Well, the pace picked up this week. It became clear that I must have the entire "closing funds" here, in Phoenix, on the closing date, because of course they want a cashier's cheque (oops check sorry, forgot that I'm in the USA now) or cash. Well, I am using RBC Bank based in Atlanta, because they give me ready cross-border transfers, allows me to bring money in and push money out, as required. RBC Bank doesn't have any branches outside of Georgia, as far as I can
tell - RBC Canada bought a bank in Georgia and renamed it RBC bank. Atlanta is too far to go to get that cashier's cheque (oops again).
Someone said "go to BMO, they are all over the valley". Well, so they are! There is a BMO four blocks from the office, so I went there on Tuesday at lunch. Oh, they would happily give me an account, but there is no facility for cross border transfers. Curses.
I redeemed some of my Canadian RRSPs, took a hit on the tax withhold, and brought the cash into RBC USA. One step closer. I got more than enough, although the company advised that they would pay the closing costs (non equity input) directly - but I wanted to make sure.
I went to four other institutions for consideration of mortgage loans. They were all very eager at first! Canadians are very popular in these parts, but then I found out why. Three of them (eventually) came back saying that they don't do the FHA high ratio loans. Most Canadians don't qualify for FHA, so they either come in with close to 100% cash, or at least 40% down. Minimum for them is 20% down. Ha ha, not going to happen for me, that would clean me right out, and RRSP money is very expensive money.
The fourth institution was "in", but could not respond fast enough. They dropped out a week later, so sad.
When you buy a home here, you get 10 days to have a house inspection done, and demand that the seller fix problem issues. Or rather, you can negotiate over fixing.
For me, Wednesday was "house inspection day". I paid some guys to give the prospective home a once-over. One did the basic house inspection, and he found lots of stuff that I didn't even see - outlets broken and hanging out (bah, I can fix that), cracked grouting (ugh, pay someone to fix that), broken tap sets in the bathroom (I can fix that), wiring problems to the pool pump (hmm, I guess I can fix that), a cracked window (ick, in the master bedroom too), and a bunch of other little things. Oh, and some significant roof issues. I had no idea!
The other guy was the termite inspector. Here, you also have to disclose all the issues that your home has had, and sure enough, a few years ago it had termites, and they were dealt with. But, OMG, they were back! EEK! Now what?
Well, as many people have told me, it turns out that either a house has termites, or will have termites. No big deal, unless they are left unchecked for a long time. It's big business down here, detecting and removing termites. They actually live in the ground around the house, so most of the treatment is in the soil. Then they get up into the attic where they were actually seen (well not the termites but the tubes they leave behind) and knock out the evidence, treat the affected area, and repair the structure, as required.
My general observation is that they use a lot of chemicals for pest control down here. I suspect that it's because they have to - nasty little things like scorpions, poisonous spiders, and poisonous snakes, ugh. Gotta keep your house and yard clean and free of debris!
On Friday, Elizabeth was picked up in Fargo ND. Eric drove down to supervise the loading. It went smoothly. The car should be here early next week. But, when it arrives, I have to have US$900 cash in hand! Ouch, how to do that? I spoke to the RBC Bank folks, and they advised that I can go to any Bank of America or Wells Fargo, and take a cash advance against my RBC Bank account, using the Visa option. It turns out that my RBC Bank card is not just a debit card, it's also a Visa cash card, connected to my account. Well, actually, the banking system is very different down here - debit appears to be processed through the credit card network (in this case, Visa) and can be delayed in showing up in your account, sometimes up to a day or two - so you have to be careful. A side benefit is that you can get up to $1000 cash advance, a day, at any bank that does Visa. Hmm, this could come in handy later...
On the Saturday, I went to the Phoenix Art Museum. They have a display of
Video Games as Art, but I really went for the screening of The Last Starfighter, a sci-fi movie from the mid eighties that I never saw. Well, I missed it by a day, the screening was on Sunday! So I checked out the art museum anyway, and bought a ticket for the movie the next day, vowing to be back.
Someone said "go to BMO, they are all over the valley". Well, so they are! There is a BMO four blocks from the office, so I went there on Tuesday at lunch. Oh, they would happily give me an account, but there is no facility for cross border transfers. Curses.
I redeemed some of my Canadian RRSPs, took a hit on the tax withhold, and brought the cash into RBC USA. One step closer. I got more than enough, although the company advised that they would pay the closing costs (non equity input) directly - but I wanted to make sure.
I went to four other institutions for consideration of mortgage loans. They were all very eager at first! Canadians are very popular in these parts, but then I found out why. Three of them (eventually) came back saying that they don't do the FHA high ratio loans. Most Canadians don't qualify for FHA, so they either come in with close to 100% cash, or at least 40% down. Minimum for them is 20% down. Ha ha, not going to happen for me, that would clean me right out, and RRSP money is very expensive money.
The fourth institution was "in", but could not respond fast enough. They dropped out a week later, so sad.
When you buy a home here, you get 10 days to have a house inspection done, and demand that the seller fix problem issues. Or rather, you can negotiate over fixing.
For me, Wednesday was "house inspection day". I paid some guys to give the prospective home a once-over. One did the basic house inspection, and he found lots of stuff that I didn't even see - outlets broken and hanging out (bah, I can fix that), cracked grouting (ugh, pay someone to fix that), broken tap sets in the bathroom (I can fix that), wiring problems to the pool pump (hmm, I guess I can fix that), a cracked window (ick, in the master bedroom too), and a bunch of other little things. Oh, and some significant roof issues. I had no idea!
The other guy was the termite inspector. Here, you also have to disclose all the issues that your home has had, and sure enough, a few years ago it had termites, and they were dealt with. But, OMG, they were back! EEK! Now what?
Well, as many people have told me, it turns out that either a house has termites, or will have termites. No big deal, unless they are left unchecked for a long time. It's big business down here, detecting and removing termites. They actually live in the ground around the house, so most of the treatment is in the soil. Then they get up into the attic where they were actually seen (well not the termites but the tubes they leave behind) and knock out the evidence, treat the affected area, and repair the structure, as required.
My general observation is that they use a lot of chemicals for pest control down here. I suspect that it's because they have to - nasty little things like scorpions, poisonous spiders, and poisonous snakes, ugh. Gotta keep your house and yard clean and free of debris!
On Friday, Elizabeth was picked up in Fargo ND. Eric drove down to supervise the loading. It went smoothly. The car should be here early next week. But, when it arrives, I have to have US$900 cash in hand! Ouch, how to do that? I spoke to the RBC Bank folks, and they advised that I can go to any Bank of America or Wells Fargo, and take a cash advance against my RBC Bank account, using the Visa option. It turns out that my RBC Bank card is not just a debit card, it's also a Visa cash card, connected to my account. Well, actually, the banking system is very different down here - debit appears to be processed through the credit card network (in this case, Visa) and can be delayed in showing up in your account, sometimes up to a day or two - so you have to be careful. A side benefit is that you can get up to $1000 cash advance, a day, at any bank that does Visa. Hmm, this could come in handy later...
On the Saturday, I went to the Phoenix Art Museum. They have a display of
Video Games as Art, but I really went for the screening of The Last Starfighter, a sci-fi movie from the mid eighties that I never saw. Well, I missed it by a day, the screening was on Sunday! So I checked out the art museum anyway, and bought a ticket for the movie the next day, vowing to be back.
01 September 2013
28 July to 03 August: A busy week! Buying a house, first days at Alstom Grid, dinner with Don Bartrip, 10 pin bowling
On Sunday, 28 July, I went back to Mission Bell United Methodist Church for the first time since I arrived. I went up and sat right beside the pastor in the front row this time - although unlike in March, there was lots of room. Paul recognized me right away, and of course we chatted. Actually, many of the people recognized me, that was nice.
I zeroed in on the idea of buying the house on E Utopia Rd. We put in an offer, just under asking. Just before we submitted it, the asking was reduced to exactly our offer! The seller agreed, but wanted an extra week - closing on 06 September instead of 30 August - I agreed, and then the real odyssey began!
It turns out that there are different options for mortgages, as there are in Canada. you can do the "standard" mortgage with 20% down, or you can do two types of high ratio mortgages, with downpayments in the 3-1/2% to 5% range. The one I chose was FHA type, with FHA having the same role here as CMHC has in Canada. There was some confusion about whether I would qualify, since I'm not an American citizen - but apparently, I qualified because my work visa is 3 years in duration. Wow.
Then they wanted 30 days evidence of pay from current employer. Oops, won't have that until 30 August. OK, OK.
Then they wanted credit check in the USA - surprise, surprise, nothing. So then to Canada - oops a lot of debt - but credit score that was very strong. So, good then.
Then IRS tax returns going back 3 years - evidence of earnings. Damn. And it goes on and on, with more requirements every day, or so it seemed.
They needed a 1% earnest deposit with the offer. Ouch! I had to shuffle money around to ensure that there was enough in the RBC USA account, but I managed to do it. This was before I had the cash from my RRSP - that wouldn't arrive until next week.
Thursday was my first day at Alstom Grid! On the way to work, a truck on the 101 loop kicked up a rock and put a big crack in my windshield, argh. No time to worry about it, though.
They have my desk here, and a phone, but no computer. The day was one of filling out forms, meeting people, generally being confused. I had brought my own laptop, for access to important documents, so was able to at least do something. I didn't want to plug into the network, didn't know if I'd cause a problem. At least I have my phone to communicate with, while at work.
My boss, Jim Blake, won't be back until Tuesday, he had to extend his holiday to deal with an important family matter out in California. Nothing much is going to happen until then, oh well. So much of the system is online, that some of the forms generate the circular quest - to answer that question, get onto the network and sign in, well to get onto the network you must have an access card, to get the access card you have to go to the help system and ask for it, ha ha.
In the meantime, there's lots of documentation to review, and a lot to learn. Best get to it!
On Thursday, Don Bartrip of Winmer, from Albuquerque, NM, was in town for business meetings. He and I had a great dinner and a couple of beers at The Yard House. He regaled me with tales of his travels - he is trying to get out and see the world - Alaska Cruise, Cruise through the Panama Canal, trip to the UK and ferry to Normandy at D-Day (had quite a chat with a Canadian veteran on the boat, wow), seeing the battlefields, chatting with the (still grateful) locals. In turn, I shared my long meandering story from Winnipeg to Markham to Winnipeg to Phoenix, and we lifted glasses to toast our (hopefully) future positive experiences.
On Saturday, I was invited out for bowling - for the first time in my life, 10 pin bowling. It took me a while to catch on, and by the time I did, my arm was getting very tired. In spite of that, I got three strikes in a row in the last game. Lest you think I became an ace, you should know that I blanked the next two frames. Yup, hot and cold. Something like the Blue Bombers. Well, no - they are just cold, ha ha.
Of course, the next day I was very, very sore. My neck, my back, and my arm. My tennis elbow was demanding to know what the @#$%@# I thought I was doing, playing tennis or something???? And my wrist, argh!
22 to 27 July: Adjusting to being on my own, becoming more American, looking at houses - to buy!
What is it they say about idle hands? Oh yeah, not something I want to associate with myself :-)
So, although Eric left on Sunday, 21 July, I didn't start work until Thursday, 01 August. What to do? Plenty!
I applied for my Social Security Number. All you have to do is have a valid work permit in the US (a TN Visa qualifies of course) and be in the country 10 days. You take down your proof of identity, citizenship, and the valid work permit, and apply. It arrives a few days later in the mail. Wow.
I was busy with the guys from Easun Reyrolle in India. Srini and Mani had lots of questions, and I am helping them a bit more on their relay designs. I was talking to them pretty well every day, often in the evenings (they are 12-1/2 hours ahead of Phoenix), but sometimes early in the morning too - hey, hey, not that early :-) I am developing a bit of a bad attitude toward mornings.
I connected with an Emotions Anonymous group in Glendale, meeting Tuesday evenings. It has been quite helpful. As you can imagine, it has been quite stressful to go so far, experience so much climate change, so much culture change, be alone, and then not working for a couple of weeks. EA helps.
I went looking at houses - being uninspired by my rental choices, I wanted to look at a home purchase instead. There were about 40 potentials, which I whittled down to about a dozen right away, then cut down again to six. So Fla and I zipped around to six houses. Oops, well, one I rejected right away - although it looked great because it was 2 acres with a shop c/w overhead crane, storage for over a dozen more cars, lot backing out on a wash so I could race off on the bike... when I drove by there the night before, it was in a dumpy area, rather scary actually... too bad. Plus the listing had *no* pictures of the interior of the house - and as I recall, said something about "as is" - so you know that it must be scary. So sad.
The houses were... interesting. A low cost one was a foreclosure, I could see myself doing a lot of work on that one, saving a lot of money... but man, was it grubby. The bank had tried to do some work, but it just wasn't clean. Yikes.
There was a house with a large iron gate between the living room and the kitchen. Hmm, looked like something that would be more appropriate in the yard, to restrict access to the pool. Not sure what that was all about.
Then there was a 3,000 square foot house with a 26x36 garage/shop!!!! And another 10x20 shop attached behind that. And an RV storage area on the other side. And a huge pool. Wow. I would love that, but sadly, couldn't see being able to fill even half the place with furniture - and the cost to cool the place in the summer would be astronomical. Sigh.
So we entered the next week pondering... and thinking of the one place that seemed to be a balance of most of what I was looking for - 3017 E Utopia Lane, Phoenix, AZ 85050.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were playing again on Friday, 26 July, with the Calgary Stampeders in town. I tried to hook the computer up to the big screen TV again, but it did not work nearly as well - very frustrating. The image started to go out for 5 to 10 seconds every minute or so, argh! Eventually just cut off the TV and watched it on the little screen. Ooh, the game wasn't all that good, we lost pretty convincingly. Just as well that I couldn't see it on the big TV.
So, although Eric left on Sunday, 21 July, I didn't start work until Thursday, 01 August. What to do? Plenty!
I applied for my Social Security Number. All you have to do is have a valid work permit in the US (a TN Visa qualifies of course) and be in the country 10 days. You take down your proof of identity, citizenship, and the valid work permit, and apply. It arrives a few days later in the mail. Wow.
I was busy with the guys from Easun Reyrolle in India. Srini and Mani had lots of questions, and I am helping them a bit more on their relay designs. I was talking to them pretty well every day, often in the evenings (they are 12-1/2 hours ahead of Phoenix), but sometimes early in the morning too - hey, hey, not that early :-) I am developing a bit of a bad attitude toward mornings.
I connected with an Emotions Anonymous group in Glendale, meeting Tuesday evenings. It has been quite helpful. As you can imagine, it has been quite stressful to go so far, experience so much climate change, so much culture change, be alone, and then not working for a couple of weeks. EA helps.
I went looking at houses - being uninspired by my rental choices, I wanted to look at a home purchase instead. There were about 40 potentials, which I whittled down to about a dozen right away, then cut down again to six. So Fla and I zipped around to six houses. Oops, well, one I rejected right away - although it looked great because it was 2 acres with a shop c/w overhead crane, storage for over a dozen more cars, lot backing out on a wash so I could race off on the bike... when I drove by there the night before, it was in a dumpy area, rather scary actually... too bad. Plus the listing had *no* pictures of the interior of the house - and as I recall, said something about "as is" - so you know that it must be scary. So sad.
The houses were... interesting. A low cost one was a foreclosure, I could see myself doing a lot of work on that one, saving a lot of money... but man, was it grubby. The bank had tried to do some work, but it just wasn't clean. Yikes.
There was a house with a large iron gate between the living room and the kitchen. Hmm, looked like something that would be more appropriate in the yard, to restrict access to the pool. Not sure what that was all about.
Then there was a 3,000 square foot house with a 26x36 garage/shop!!!! And another 10x20 shop attached behind that. And an RV storage area on the other side. And a huge pool. Wow. I would love that, but sadly, couldn't see being able to fill even half the place with furniture - and the cost to cool the place in the summer would be astronomical. Sigh.
So we entered the next week pondering... and thinking of the one place that seemed to be a balance of most of what I was looking for - 3017 E Utopia Lane, Phoenix, AZ 85050.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were playing again on Friday, 26 July, with the Calgary Stampeders in town. I tried to hook the computer up to the big screen TV again, but it did not work nearly as well - very frustrating. The image started to go out for 5 to 10 seconds every minute or so, argh! Eventually just cut off the TV and watched it on the little screen. Ooh, the game wasn't all that good, we lost pretty convincingly. Just as well that I couldn't see it on the big TV.
20 and 21 July: Bein' Lazy, and then Bein' Alone
It has been too long since I updated this blog. We were lazy on Saturday, then Eric flew home on Sunday. It sure was good to have him along with me, but it was sad to see him head off.
And then... I'm alone. The place is sooooooooooo quiet. Oh well. That's kind of what I wanted - or at least, what I expected. I washed the linens, cleaned up a bit (as much as needed - which wasn't much :-) ), and then got on with it.
 |
| Eric and I outside the Mesa Gateway Williams Airport |
And then... I'm alone. The place is sooooooooooo quiet. Oh well. That's kind of what I wanted - or at least, what I expected. I washed the linens, cleaned up a bit (as much as needed - which wasn't much :-) ), and then got on with it.
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