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Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
Good morning monkeys! Just another day so far but 3 hour scheduled meeting with my boss begins at 9 AM and cannot be done over the phone... at least it's not a You're Fired meeting, those are never scheduled and take less time.

@Adventurous - is it bike yet?
 
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slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,288
5,028
Ottawa, Canada
'mornin. I've got back to back bbq's today: work one this afternoon, and my son's end-of-school bbq afterwards. The school bbq is a big production with live band, large amounts of food, and about 8 bouncy castles.... it's pandemonium, but it's fun. It'll be hot and sunny today, so it's a good thing there's a splash pad there....
 

eric strt6

Resident Curmudgeon
Sep 8, 2001
23,186
13,441
directly above the center of the earth
one of those weeks, Volvo is dead until I fix it, old truck is running rough, it seems to be electronic (too rich a fuel mixture) work is hell. Wife will be gone at a horse show tomorrow so I am going to ae here Jetta to driv to LA to see pops. i need a vacation badly.
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,189
19,155
Canaderp
Its official mid-week group bicycle riding day! I am excited, we should have 6+ dudes out there this week.

Here is the new rollertoaster. :flirt:
 

Adventurous

Starshine Bro
Mar 19, 2014
10,260
8,765
Crawlorado
Mornin!

Slept even worse last night. It was one of those nights where I woke up tired. Oh well.

Good morning monkeys! Just another day so far but 3 hour scheduled meeting with my boss begins at 9 AM and cannot be done over the phone... at least it's not a You're Fired meeting, those are never scheduled and take less time.

@Adventurous - is it bike yet?
No bike yet. :(. My conversation yesterday went like, Him, "Yea, so our builders usually call when the bike is done". Me "Okay, so I should call tomorrow". Him "You could, but our builders will usually call when it's done". Me "Okay, I'll call tomorrow".
 

I Are Baboon

The Full Dopey
Aug 6, 2001
32,382
9,287
MTB New England
You know, you train and train and train and spend months beating the hell out of your body and feel good doing it, then when it comes time to rest leading into your race, your body feels like total hell. :dead: Good thing that is normal! I do have an easy bike ride after work today, which I am looking forward to.
 

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
12,504
In hell. Welcome!
No bike yet. :(. My conversation yesterday went like, Him, "Yea, so our builders usually call when the bike is done". Me "Okay, so I should call tomorrow". Him "You could, but our builders will usually call when it's done". Me "Okay, I'll call tomorrow".
In soviet Russia, bike acquires you.
 

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,514
7,058
Colorado
Ride home yesterday wasn't bad. The first two miles are what I would call my "risk zone". Minimal to no bike lane and depending on where, no bike lane or sidewalk. Ended up getting cut off by a local cop who gunned it around me and turned in front of me, just to set the scene for the next 2 miles. At the leg where there are no options but the street, which is probably no more than 10ft wide. I was at full anaerobic sprint for .5 mile doing 32 mph in a 30 zone, closing the gap with the car ahead of me and one jackass decided to go into oncoming traffic to pass me, only to slam on the brakes as soon as he was in front. Once I cleared that I only had one more risk point, crossing a major street without the shelter of a light. I need to find a better route home that will provide me with a safe crossing, without leaving me riding that road - Google Maps here I come.

Otherwise, Haley is 4 today and decided that she wants sushi for her birthday dinner. W.T.F. And work.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,559
24,181
media blackout
Ride home yesterday wasn't bad. The first two miles are what I would call my "risk zone". Minimal to no bike lane and depending on where, no bike lane or sidewalk. Ended up getting cut off by a local cop who gunned it around me and turned in front of me, just to set the scene for the next 2 miles. At the leg where there are no options but the street, which is probably no more than 10ft wide. I was at full anaerobic sprint for .5 mile doing 32 mph in a 30 zone, closing the gap with the car ahead of me and one jackass decided to go into oncoming traffic to pass me, only to slam on the brakes as soon as he was in front. Once I cleared that I only had one more risk point, crossing a major street without the shelter of a light. I need to find a better route home that will provide me with a safe crossing, without leaving me riding that road - Google Maps here I come.

Otherwise, Haley is 4 today and decided that she wants sushi for her birthday dinner. W.T.F. And work.
you clearly need an AR-15 for your commute.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,932
13,130
Portland, OR
Morning Monkeys.

It's team day! And since I am not on the team, that means everyone is gone and I get the place to myself. Nice. After yesterdays depressing real estate reality check, I think we have a solid plan that I feel pretty good about. I love it when a plan comes together, but it rarely does for me. At least it should be a fun ride. :rofl:
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,932
13,130
Portland, OR
one of those weeks, Volvo is dead until I fix it, old truck is running rough, it seems to be electronic (too rich a fuel mixture) work is hell.
:stupid:

I haven't been driving the car because it needs a clutch yesterday. I got all my parts, but being on "vacation" for 6 weeks cut into my savings, so I need to wait a few weeks before I can get it put in. Since I fixed the radiator in the truck, the new found pressure has caused the intake manifold to leak, yay! It isn't too bad on a '92 Chevy 350, but still something to add to the list.

All and all between the two rigs, they have been pretty flawless for the last 3 years even though I've been slacking on the maintenance. :D
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,375
12,529
In a van.... down by the river
Ride home yesterday wasn't bad. The first two miles are what I would call my "risk zone". Minimal to no bike lane and depending on where, no bike lane or sidewalk. Ended up getting cut off by a local cop who gunned it around me and turned in front of me, just to set the scene for the next 2 miles. At the leg where there are no options but the street, which is probably no more than 10ft wide. I was at full anaerobic sprint for .5 mile doing 32 mph in a 30 zone, closing the gap with the car ahead of me and one jackass decided to go into oncoming traffic to pass me, only to slam on the brakes as soon as he was in front. Once I cleared that I only had one more risk point, crossing a major street without the shelter of a light. I need to find a better route home that will provide me with a safe crossing, without leaving me riding that road - Google Maps here I come.

Otherwise, Haley is 4 today and decided that she wants sushi for her birthday dinner. W.T.F. And work.
Where is the new office again? Orchard/I-25?

Tell the little munchkin HMFBD. Maybe leave out the MF part.
 

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,514
7,058
Colorado
Where is the new office again? Orchard/I-25?

Tell the little munchkin HMFBD. Maybe leave out the MF part.
Yep. NE corner. I have to ride Orchard from there to Colorado. I currently cross Arapahoe unprotected, but I think I'm going to have to backtrack a bit to get a light. Arapahoe is just as scary during evening commute. Otherwise, I am actually off major roads most of the ride.

you clearly need an AR-15 for your commute.
Too hard to carry. I might bring some caltrops to make my point on Orchard though...:brows:
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,375
12,529
In a van.... down by the river
Yep. NE corner. I have to ride Orchard from there to Colorado. I currently cross Arapahoe unprotected, but I think I'm going to have to backtrack a bit to get a light. Arapahoe is just as scary during evening commute. Otherwise, I am actually off major roads most of the ride.
Yeah. Fuck the Tech Center. You can get ALMOST anywhere else in the whole metro area pretty easily on safe routes, but getting into the Tech Center proper always seems to be goddam puzzle.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,029
7,549
Ride home yesterday wasn't bad. The first two miles are what I would call my "risk zone". Minimal to no bike lane and depending on where, no bike lane or sidewalk. Ended up getting cut off by a local cop who gunned it around me and turned in front of me, just to set the scene for the next 2 miles. At the leg where there are no options but the street, which is probably no more than 10ft wide. I was at full anaerobic sprint for .5 mile doing 32 mph in a 30 zone, closing the gap with the car ahead of me and one jackass decided to go into oncoming traffic to pass me, only to slam on the brakes as soon as he was in front. Once I cleared that I only had one more risk point, crossing a major street without the shelter of a light. I need to find a better route home that will provide me with a safe crossing, without leaving me riding that road - Google Maps here I come.

Otherwise, Haley is 4 today and decided that she wants sushi for her birthday dinner. W.T.F. And work.
HBD to the giant little one. That route sounds pretty hellish. There has to be a better way. My current route has a half mile on the sidewalk in lieu of riding on a marked-35 mph 4 lane + turn lane thoroughfare but other than that everything is on protected bike paths or on campus. Being right and enforcing one's lane rights is less important to me than being unmaimed.

Morning Monkeys.

It's team day! And since I am not on the team, that means everyone is gone and I get the place to myself. Nice. After yesterdays depressing real estate reality check, I think we have a solid plan that I feel pretty good about. I love it when a plan comes together, but it rarely does for me. At least it should be a fun ride. :rofl:
What's the plan?

My workweek is mostly done, which is good since I worked like a dog yesterday with that pancreas conference. Doing fluoroscopy and reading plain films today (read: chill day), half day tomorrow where I'm going to use my research time to test ride recumbents since I've written plenty of papers thus far, full research day on Friday where I'll skip out early to pick up a rented Yeti SB5C for the weekend.
 

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,861
4,157
Copenhagen, Denmark
I need to find a better route home that will provide me with a safe crossing, without leaving me riding that road - Google Maps here I come.
I have done a lot to change my routes to work to get to safer roads. Rather 5 minutes extra and a more relaxing and safe route.

Going fast in traffic is always an added risk especially with crappy brakes. I really enjoy the stopping power of my hydro road dics in all weather conditions.

If in doubt just be more like this guy

 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,932
13,130
Portland, OR
What's the plan?.
We have a pretty good budget in place, so we are getting serious this year to pay off the remaining little things and then look to build out a down payment. Then once we have at least SOME equity (should have about 10% by next year we hope) look for a place to rent while we sell it. Once sold, decide if we want to buy right away in that area, or stash it until we find what we want where we want it.

One factor will be what the ex decides to do. If she bolts and takes the little monkey with her, we might rent for a while until the dust settles.

The good news is the houses in our 'hood that have listed (there is some funky history in my 'hood, wow) have sold in about a month. The house next to the mail box wasn't even listed 2 weeks before the sign was gone. Next is the crazy lady across the street from it. If it goes quick, it could be a good sign (listed at $268k).
 

RoboDonkey713

Monkey
Feb 24, 2011
678
462
Maine
Work. No bike ride today, but am gonna squeeze in a run at lunch. I hate that stressed out feeling more than I hate running, so it is better than nothing. It will also earn me some beer credits for later on tonight to burn up.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,559
24,181
media blackout
We have a pretty good budget in place, so we are getting serious this year to pay off the remaining little things and then look to build out a down payment. Then once we have at least SOME equity (should have about 10% by next year we hope) look for a place to rent while we sell it. Once sold, decide if we want to buy right away in that area, or stash it until we find what we want where we want it.

One factor will be what the ex decides to do. If she bolts and takes the little monkey with her, we might rent for a while until the dust settles.

The good news is the houses in our 'hood that have listed (there is some funky history in my 'hood, wow) have sold in about a month. The house next to the mail box wasn't even listed 2 weeks before the sign was gone. Next is the crazy lady across the street from it. If it goes quick, it could be a good sign (listed at $268k).
prices in my neighboorhood have been going up, and we've only been here 3 years. our house was a full flip, we paid $350k. now houses that need work are going for for $360+. there's a house caddy-corner to ours that sold for asking the day it went on the market, but we think there was something going on behind the scenes with that.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,030
5,918
borcester rhymes
so much drama on the internet.

looks like we might be pushed to sell our house as our neighbors are subdividing. Yay three houses on one lot. Good thing the housing market turned around here too, and we're looking at 575 to our original 400....and our neighbors are interested in the land behind our house, which shouldn't affect sale price. definitely made a good choice on this one...
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,559
24,181
media blackout
so much drama on the internet.

looks like we might be pushed to sell our house as our neighbors are subdividing. Yay three houses on one lot. Good thing the housing market turned around here too, and we're looking at 575 to our original 400....and our neighbors are interested in the land behind our house, which shouldn't affect sale price. definitely made a good choice on this one...
holy cow how small would their lots be? doesn't your township have an ordinance as to minimum lot size?
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,932
13,130
Portland, OR
prices in my neighboorhood have been going up, and we've only been here 3 years. our house was a full flip, we paid $350k. now houses that need work are going for for $360+. there's a house caddy-corner to ours that sold for asking the day it went on the market, but we think there was something going on behind the scenes with that.
So the child molester house that was empty for at least 5 years wasn't listed for more than a month after it was redone in under a month. Less than $10k spent on the rehab and it sold for about $70k profit.

My buddy/agent who scored me a sweet deal on my townhouse used to be bank owned buyers agent said Portland is so hot that banks have no issues selling foreclosures themselves, so he switched to listing. He's been averaging less than 2 weeks per listing, it's insane here.

Worse case scenario we just rent here, buy a lot in the gorge and park a trailer on it until I can build a house to retire in.
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,375
12,529
In a van.... down by the river
so much drama on the internet.

looks like we might be pushed to sell our house as our neighbors are subdividing. Yay three houses on one lot. Good thing the housing market turned around here too, and we're looking at 575 to our original 400....and our neighbors are interested in the land behind our house, which shouldn't affect sale price. definitely made a good choice on this one...
I will send you a top hat and monocle. :D
 

CrabJoe StretchPants

Reincarnated Crab Walking Head Spinning Bruce Dick
Nov 30, 2003
14,163
2,484
Groton, MA
Question to anyone that might know, related to today's discussions: How do real estate sites (Trulia, Zillow, Redfin, etc) arrive to the "estimated value" of a house that is not listed for sale? Comparable houses in the area? Is this a solid indicator of what an assessment done during a refi would come in at?

The reason I ask is, I am very close to minimum equity required (22%) to get rid of the PMI I've had to pay the past 6 years, assuming my house is worth what I paid for it 6 years ago. However, 1 site lists the estimated value right at what I paid, while 2 others estimate it at $35-40k higher, putting my equity closer to the 26-27% range. I'd hate to go through any hassles (and costs) to have it come back the same value.

After refinancing a few months back and saving $200/mo, saving another $100/mo by dropping PMI sure would be awesome. What say you wise monkeys?
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,559
24,181
media blackout
Question to anyone that might know, related to today's discussions: How do real estate sites (Trulia, Zillow, Redfin, etc) arrive to the "estimated value" of a house that is not listed for sale? Comparable houses in the area? Is this a solid indicator of what an assessment done during a refi would come in at?

The reason I ask is, I am very close to minimum equity required (22%) to get rid of the PMI I've had to pay the past 6 years, assuming my house is worth what I paid for it 6 years ago. However, 1 site lists the estimated value right at what I paid, while 2 others estimate it at $35-40k higher, putting my equity closer to the 26-27% range. I'd hate to go through any hassles (and costs) to have it come back the same value.

After refinancing a few months back and saving $200/mo, saving another $100/mo by dropping PMI sure would be awesome. What say you wise monkeys?
I don't believe PMI is based on what current market value / estimate is (like a home equity loan). but the amount you still owe against the sale price.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,559
24,181
media blackout
also, i'm pretty sure you just need 20% equity in your home to drop PMI. but that may vary by state.

where you're at, i'd submit the petition anyways. worst they'll do is say no.