Home Buying

Ryan and I are starting the process of looking for houses. We got approved for the mortgage and are starting to shop around a little bit. We found a little house in a really nice location with a lot of land that we were interested in, but it went off the market about 2 days after it was listed. So there went that. I was really disappointed. We drove by the house and it was hideously ugly, but I think it was all cosmetic. Who knows, though.

So we're continuing to look. We drove by another one that was NOT in a nice location, as far as convenience or desirability, and I dismissed that one immediately.

Then today, out of the blue, Ryan started looking up empty lots in our area. We were finding that they're not too outrageous. Then we started to consider a modular home. I started doing some research and so far I'm finding that I can get a really big, really nice, brand new house for under $75,000. Most of them are significantly less than that. I, of course, started freaking out and getting really excited about this new discovery. It seems too good to be true. How can it even be possible that we could afford a home like that?

I think the trick lies in the additional work and the timing. We'd have to prepare the lot, build a foundation/basement, and do the finishing after the house was on site. That includes hooking up all of the utilities and stuff. But if we can get an inexpensive lot, we could probably cover the rest of those expenses as part of our mortgage, which shouldn't be a problem, I think..

The other disadvantage would be, because we're renting, we'd have to probably continue to live in the apartment for a month or so while we prepare the lot and wait for the house to be finished. So that means we'd be paying for two locations at once. But I think it might be worth it for the quality of home we'd be able to have. And if we're looking for empty lots instead of houses, we'd be more likely to find one in a good location that we can afford. That would be great.

So, we'll see. We're going to start asking some questions and shopping around, seeing what all is involved, how much it will cost, and how all the logistics work. But I think this might be a really great opportunity for us. I hope so!!

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Identity Theft

Well, something really scary happened to me a couple of days ago. I had tried to change my bank information on my PayPal account last week and had some trouble with it, so when I got an e-mail from PayPal's security team, I didn't think much of it. It told me I needed to update my security settings. So I clicked on the link, signed into my account, and started filling out the information. It wasn't until I got to the bottom of the form that I started smelling something fishy. It didn't click until they asked me for my ATM pin and my SS#. That didn't sound right...

So I asked Ryan if that's something they would need and he came over and spotted the fraud right away. It turns out there were a number of red flags before the atm and soc. questions. First of all, a legitimate website shouldn't ask for information in an e-mail, or send you a link. They should tell you to sign into your account, and then change the information there. Second, the link was bad. All websites that require personal information start with an https--the "s" is for secure websites. And the word "paypal" should have probably been in the link, which it wasn't. Apparently if you type the address in your toolbar instead of clicking on it, that can help you determine whether it's a fake or not.

So I reported the e-mail to PayPal who promptly e-mailed me back and told me it was in fact fraudulent. I was literally one click away from giving away all of my personal information and creating a huge nightmare. I did give them my password, so I had to go through and change my password on PayPal and on all my other important accounts that had the same password (not really a good idea anyway..)

I thought I was smart enough to see through those things. It turns out I was, but barely. If I hadn't been paying attention, I would have had a big problem... Very scary..

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Transformers

We went to see Transformers last night. It was so awesome. I never watched the TV show, but I did have one of the action figures. It was a tractor trailer. I thought it was red, but after seeing the movie I realized that it was probably Optimus Prime. I also remember taking it with me everywhere, and losing it one day. My grandfather's a tractor trailer driver, so there's something about seeing those trucks that makes me all tingly inside. So of course, when Optimus Prime rolled in, I got all excited.

The rest of the cars (and planes and tanks...) featured in the movie were pretty sweet too--especially the new Camaro.

Who then becomes Bumblebee...


I agree with others who claim that this will be the movie of the summer. It's an epic story featuring action figures that, even if we didn't play with them, still think are really cool. And it has some great one-liners.

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Let's Give This a Shot

Well, here we go. After 5 months of Ryan telling me that I should start a blog, I'm finally going to give it a try. I've been in the mood to make a lot of changes, lately. For one, I'm starting a new "diet." More of a lifestyle change, really. Trying to eat more whole foods, and eliminate white sugar and flour, and cut back on dairy. Today's only day 2, so I'm not really sure how it'll go. But hopefully that, on top of a new cardio workout I'm doing 5 days a week, I should be seeing some improvements relatively soon.

I was at my friend Heidi's wedding last week, and they showed a slideshow of her and her husband Tim. Heidi's a pretty crazy girl, and very outgoing. It also seems like Tim (and his whole family) are like that too. I felt like I have been trying too hard to "grow up," so I'm making a conscious effort to be more crazy and spontaneous--without shirking my responsibilities.

And finally, I suddenly felt the need to start writing more. Journaling, fiction, whatever pops in my head. I've been reading Myst (which was also influenced by Ryan). If you've read the books, or played the games, then you know what I'm talking about.

Which leads me to this blog.. I feel like I should write--get my thoughts out. If no one ever reads this, it's still a good exercise for myself. And who knows, maybe someone out there will actually enjoy/relate to me and my ramblings. We'll see. :-)

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