What A Difference A Year Makes...

nobody@vox.com(SNIFFDAR) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 03:46:03 -0700

The House, Circa August 2008

This post has been a long time in coming. Granted I haven't written much in the past months, but that's not the point. No it's the simple fact that I've yet to write about my home. Last year this time, I was still searching madly for a home to purchase. I had pretty much ruled out purchasing a home because the cost of home ownership had gotten so out of control.

I remember it was during a break from a training class that I first saw the house on some website. I was immediately drawn to the modern profile of the home. There were no interior photographs on the site, but the price was right. For certain it looked like it needed some work, but I liked the bones. At the time, my brother was dabbling in real estate on the side. He could get the keys to the lock boxes, so we arranged to look at a few homes over the weekend.

We visited a few other houses before we saw the one above. The first home we saw sported a flat roof and modern profile too, but once we got inside it was all downhill. It reeked of mold, the kitchen cabinets were in disarray and there was a huge empty pool in the back yard that needed to be repaired. Plus it took up the entire back yard. Next, we viewed a house that was completely out of my price range. It had been freshly remodeled, but no one was living there. It was beautiful and had a large backyard. It too had a pool that needed help. Lastly, we went to the home above.

It wasn't what I expected. We opened the front door to find a wrought iron gate enclosing the entryway. Adjacent to that was a half brick wall that had been painted fire engine red. The house had been vacant for months. In the living room was gray carpet that had been soiled with dirt, soda spills and perhaps wicked pet urine. Walking into the kitchen area was an immediate step back into the 1960's. The small galley kitchen featured white cabinets that looked as if they had been refinished on the cheap. They were also missing a couple of doors. As we moved to the bedrooms, it was more of the same. The first bedroom was a decent size and also had gray carpet. The second bedroom was smaller, but for some strange reason had green carpet. The master bedroom was the scariest of them all, as it was missing any form of carpet at all. Just bare concrete and tracks from where the glue held the carpet in place. It did have a large walk-in closet. The vanity area was a nice size, but the actual bathroom was tiny, with a small shower to the left. The master bedroom had an Arcadia door which lead to the back patio. The entire back of the house was covered by the patio (a nice touch), but the backyard itself was tiny. Worse was the fact that it directly bordered a major shopping complex. A strange touch was that there was a gate that allowed access to the shopping center.

All could be fixed was the rationale. The fact that my mother loved the huge walk in pantry just to the right of the kitchen sealed the deal. A bid was placed on the house in early September. A few anxious days later we found out that another bid had been accepted. The process began all over again. We looked at more houses, placed more bids and went to home auctions. Paperwork was filed. We were outbid. We underbid. I forced myself to look and like other homes. And they soon had names. The Green House, The Rooster House, The Roach House, The Dead Pool House.

And then in late October it happened. The original house we had looked at came back on the market. In fact, I spotted it again before a new Realtor had been assigned to the property. Using my brother's connections, we placed a bid as soon as it became available. And then we waited. And waited. And waited. Buying a home that has been in foreclosure is a terrible process. In all, we waited almost 45 days to have the offer accepted. During those 45 days I continued to look at other homes. In the end, it was the first home that I considered that I ended up with.

Before, 2008

After, 2009

The first thing to go was the popcorn ceiling. Then the gray carpet was removed from the living room and hallway. In its place went tile that also covered the bare master bedroom. The painting went rather quickly, replacing the 1970's yellow tinged color with a more modern Swiss-Coffee color. The most dramatic change came in the kitchen. We gutted the existing kitchen and moved the refrigerator out of the galley kitchen. This allowed for more cabinetry to surround the refrigerator in its new place and the removal of the cabinets that had blocked-in the kitchen before

Kitchen Before, 2008

For certain, there is a ton of work that still needs to be done. The front yard needs to be stripped. I'm not sure if grass or more rock is the way to go. The house needs to be painted. The kitchen/den area needs to have the Linoleum replaced. I've read that the flooring in a home should be continuous. That would mean more tile, but I was looking for a more modern appearance. The tile that was put down earlier this year seems to give the home a Mediterranean feel. Still, everything is 100% better than what it was when I first saw the place, that's for sure.

Kitchen After, 2009

I still need to purchase furniture for the dining room, the master bedroom, the kitchen/den area. Actually just about every room needs something else. But it will get there, in time...

Living Room, 2009

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You Remind Me...

nobody@vox.com(SNIFFDAR) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:58:21 -0700

So today my brother came over to visit and he brought his family. The little one, Konner, ran freely through my mostly empty house and found bliss. Korey, the 6 year old, found my computer and quickly located my Netflix account. Thank God I didn't have anything "scary" in my queue. He was quite content once he found Sonic the Hedgehog cartoons.

Since there's no real form of entertainment in my house yet, we all popped up to Fry's Electronics. While my brother and sister-in-law searched for DVD players, I was diverted by my nephew to the video game department where he promptly selected a new game to take home.

From there, we headed off to dinner at some Mexican restaurant. Not a bad Sunday at all. While I was driving home some song came across XM radio that sounded familiar. Familiar, but this particular song I had never heard before. For the next 3 hours I racked my brain trying to remember what it sounded like.

And then it came to me.

Bent. The English electonica band.

It was the chords of the song that triggered a memory.

The song is called Sunday Boy.

The song is strangely folksy, but has elements of electronica thrown into the mix. The electric mood never overpowers the composition and the concoction is almost as smooth as velvet.

And there are some haunting lyrics too...

"You remind me of somebody I used to love
Something familiar in your smile...
Suddenly saturday blazes through blurring light
'Til you return to me"

It's the perfect Sunday song...

See what you think...

10 Sunday Boy (Album Version)

Bent

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HOWDY!

nobody@vox.com(SNIFFDAR) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:06:01 -0700

I haven't touched this blog in close to a year. Quite a bit has gone on during the past year. I moved from Surprise back to Phoenix. Changed jobs. Bought a house. Killed a computer. Revived an old computer. Far too much to mention in passing.

What has finally brought me back to Vox is the final nail in the coffin for my first blogging site, Yahoo 360! They are officially closing shop on July 13th. I've taken the time to archive my posts on their site and wish Yahoo the best of luck, because they are going to need it. Their new platform seems like an afterthought.

So this is where I will be for now on.

As I mentioned earlier, I've gone through a computer or two since my last post. The short of it is that I gave my old roommate my Vista computer which he proceeded to fry in less than a month. I gave him my other XP computer as a stop gap because he had killed his own ancient computer. He is still using it to this day. I thus inherited my mother's old XP computer. All of which was fine, while I searched for a home. That search lasted 6 months.

Well, that's it for now.

This writing thing is much like riding a bike. I'll get back in the swing of things shortly...

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nobody@vox.com(SNIFFDAR) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:39:12 -0700

Bran Van 3000 is one of my favorite non-heard-of, not released in the United States artists today. Their first album, Glee (1998), did see release here in the states and the single Drinking In L.A. received moderate airplay on college radio stations. What has remained consistent with all of the releases by BV3 is their eclectic mix of musical styles woven into a complete sonic experience.

I first discovered BV3 on a listening station at the now defunct Tower Records. When a friend of mine and I decided to take an impromptu 7 hour drive, I picked up the disc for the trip. It proved to be the perfect soundtrack for the road ahead. Our musical tastes differ by quite a bit, but we both managed to find something memorable on the first album. Later on, he purchased the disc too.

So here I am, almost 10 years later still expounding about the beauty of BV3. Their latest album, Rose was released in their native Canada late in 2007. Considering that most releases are now placed immediately on I-Tunes, I was shocked to see its exclusion. So here I present to you the third album by Bran Van 3000, Rose. Stand out tracks include Call Me (I'll Be Around Medley), Sea Of Life and Tony Roman. I'm sure you'll find something equally satisfying of this set.

Tracklisting:

1		Call Me (I'll Be Around Medley) (6:35)
		Co-producer - Guillaume Chartrain , Jez Colin
2		House Lights (4:05)
		Co-producer, Mixed By - Mathias Schneeberger
3		Feline Fantasy (5:18)
4		Da Lion (0:32)
5		Sea Of Life (5:01)
		Co-producer - Dave Hodge Co-producer, Mixed By - Mathias Schneeberger
6		Let It Go (0:46)
		Producer - Quicksound
7		Trees (0:29)
		Mixed By - Neil Citron
8		Beautiful Girl (3:03)
9		Stand Up (4:21)
		Mixed By - Neil Citron Mixed By [Additional] - Mathias Schneeberger
10		Rappy Rappy Rappy Rap (0:15)
11		So Fine (4:12)
		Mixed By - Joe Smooth (2)
12		Palm Springs (0:31)
13		Forever (5:43)
		Producer, Mixed By - Jez Colin
14		Mon Réal (4:00)
		Producer, Mixed By - Jez Colin
15		Rosé (0:39)
16		Tony Roman (2:04)
		Co-producer, Mixed By - Ivan Evangelista
17		Sex, Love & Peace (7:42)
		Co-producer, Mixed By - Ivan Evangelista Producer [Additional] - Jez Colin
18		Rainbow Princess (0:28)
19		Can You Handle It (1:04)
20		I Won't Lie (5:43)
		Producer [Additional] - Guillaume Chartrain , Jez Colin
21		Our Haze (4:04)
		Mixed By - Dom Camardella
22		Kiss (3:40)


Genre:	Electronic, Hip Hop, Pop
Style:	House, Pop Rap, Disco

DOWNLOAD ALBUM HERE - Courtesy of SNIFFDAR

Bran Van 3000 - Rose (2008)

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nobody@vox.com(SNIFFDAR) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:32:19 -0700

Here is the 7th album from my favorite electronic pioneers, Fila Brazillia. Just like the cover implies, this is a wild mix of down-tempo, break-beat fusion. Ok, maybe not fusion, but there is definitely some George Duke (courtesy of Frank Zappa) mixed in there. I also heard The Pat Metheny Group sampled on The Bugs Will Bite too. This album is a stereophonic marvel and is best enjoyed from a great pair of headphones. It's one of those rare albums that you can listen to from start to finish. A Touch Of Cloth was the first release by Fila Brazillia on their own label, TwentyThree Records. Enjoy.

Tracklisting:

1		The Bugs Will Bite (4:56)
		Piano, Trumpet - Josef*
2		Airlock Homes (4:17)
		Clarinet - Bernard Moss
3		Ridden Pony (3:18)
		Drums - Jason Moy
4		Slow Light (4:19)
5		Swann Todd (3:19)
		Drums - Danny Ward Flute - Bernard Moss
6		Snakeskin Bib (5:16)
		Guitar - Gary Gillyett
7		XII (2:04)
		Drums - Jason Moy Trumpet - Josef*
8		Trivia (3:53)
		Drums - Jason Moy Percussion - Aaron Gammon
9		Pigsblood And Chalk (4:14)
		Bass - Mike Scott (2)
10		Dervish Controller (4:37)
11		Leonids (8:16)
		Drums - Gary Burroughs Trumpet - Josef*
12		Spores (3:55)

Genre:	Electronic
Style:	Freestyle, Future Jazz, Downtempo

DOWNLOAD ALBUM HERE - Courtesy of SNIFFDAR

Fila Brazillia - A Touch Of Cloth

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nobody@vox.com(SNIFFDAR) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 09:06:19 -0700

This question was posed by my neighbor, Minger. It's a question that I've tried to answer in lesser terms in a earlier post. So, what do you do on a blog? I'm not sure. It's where the day takes you or where the day has taken you. It's what you remember to be true. It's all those things. That's what I wrote back in January when I first joined the Vox Neighborhood. I feel that the same holds true today.

Minger also asked the following, there are so many things in the world that can grab your attention in both positive and negative ways? What is your responsibility? Do you have a responsibility to the people that will view you? Do you think your voice is a fainting echo or a powerful boom in the various nooks and crannies of the Internet and the world at large?

In terms of responsibility, I try to make sure that the topics I discuss do not harm anyone in my current realm. When writing about friends and family, I try to envision how they may interpret my writings. Would they view my posts in humorous terms or would they view it as hurtful? I've never viewed this as a place to vent venomous statements. More importantly, it's not my nature.

When I'm writing about a specific topic that is open for further research, I try to make sure that I've done my own fact checking. Sometimes I write about cars and I like to make sure that my information is factual. I've posted several pieces regarding the long forgotten documentary film, Streetwise. I made sure that I had the right dates regarding it's release and the director involved. And to further clarify my own recollections, I triangulated the events in my life based upon this information.

Perhaps what I find more paramount about blog writing is that you never know who or when someone will stumble upon your writings. I'm writing today on the the 5th of July, 2008. This may not be viewed by someone until 2011. What is my responsibility then? How will they react? Will my views change? Today I may champion the most cholesterol loaded diet known to man, but tomorrow I may become a vegetarian. What I think is most important is to be as honest as possible in that moment.

Beyond that, I try to write and move on. I'm not writing news articles (although I did take journalism in high school and college). This is a fluid, free-form experience. I didn't ponder how this post would turn out when I sat down to write it. Rather, I took the points of the question and addressed them one by one.

This is where my thoughts concluded, on the 5th of July, 2008.

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nobody@vox.com(SNIFFDAR) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:46:14 -0700

Alright. This looks good enough for me. I'd still like my page to look a little cleaner, with more white space. I guess I'll get there in time. I'm not sure why I'm so concerned about the look of this page when it seems that only about 2 people read it including myself.

Last night I pulled down Chinese Democracy by the reformulated Guns N' Roses. Some of these tracks I've had for over 2 years already. There were 3 songs that I had never heard however. The new songs are pretty good. Still I wonder what the big hold up is regarding its official release. More importantly, most everyone who had any care for Guns N' Roses has probably already secured a bootlegged copy via the Internet. It's been rumored that the album cost somewhere in excess of $15 million to record. And just think, they haven't even started to promote it yet. Silly.

.....

So if you haven't heard the new, new Guns N' Roses, check it out. It's not that bad. I can't tell you the name of the song since it hasn't been offically released yet. The end is actually quite nice. The strings are beautiful.

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nobody@vox.com(SNIFFDAR) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:51:11 -0700

So I've created another wood bordered box to insert pictures into. In this particular case, I inserted an aborted album cover from Bran Van 3000's Rose album. If you look closely, you can see that it's a dead bird at the bottom of the illustration. Nice.

I'm still messing with the format of the photo wood box. I can rotate the image as well as the box in Photoshop, so mainly I'm just making sure that it all looks ok. And if it doesn't... you know I'll just redesign the whole page again.

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nobody@vox.com(SNIFFDAR) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:58:00 -0700

I've chosen to do away with the titles that are normally required when creating a blog entry. In its place, I have inserted a list of dots which will signify the day of the week. In this case, Thursday is represented by 5 dots. The actual blog title will be created in Photoshop using the wood templet I created earlier today. The font used is Futura Light. I love this font.

My wish now is to get a few posts under my belt to see what a full page look like under this new format. I've yet to insert any music or photographs, so I know there will be a few more "mock" posts today.

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nobody@vox.com(SNIFFDAR) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:45:40 -0700

So it was time for a make over. Or maybe I was just restless again. Who knows. The pink from the other banner was starting to bother me. It's not as if I woke up this morning and decided that I would reset this page for the 4th time. It just sort of happened that way. A little tinkering here, a little tinkering there. Perhaps part of the problem is that I'm still maintaining my Yahoo 360 account too. Earlier this week, I changed the format of the page to reflect green grass. My 360 account allows for more customization than Vox does. Since I used grass on the other site, I thought I might use wood as a theme here. Let's see how long this lasts...

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