Professor Lynch thought my in class presentation was so interesting, he voted for a round two. Almost exactly a year ago to the date, I bought my first home. After the honeymoon year, I think it is only fitting to reflect on the process; as well as pay homage to the lessons I have learned through home ownership.
The best way to begin the story of my journey is to describe the events, which took place during September of 2008 through May of 2009. I had been living in a home in Rowland Heights, owned by a friend’s parents. I lived that the home with my boyfriend, my best friend, and another roommate who turned out to be a complete psychopath. In a nutshell, during the time period described above, I had thousands of dollars stolen from me, learned a lot about California landlord/tenant laws, broke up and made up with my boyfriend countless times, went through a long process to evict the roommate from hell, and found out that after all the turmoil that the owners were selling the house we lived in and I had thirty days to pack and leave.
Thirty days is not a long period of time, especially during the final weeks of a spring quarter. After much debate, my boyfriend moved into an apartment in Fullerton with a friend, my best friend moved back to Temecula with her parents, and I moved back home to Yorba Linda until we could regroup and figure out what the next step would be for our living situations.
Spending more time with my parents, after a tumultuous high school life with them, was a blessing in disguise. We came up with a plan to purchase a home together, to start the new Landfield machine, a company built out of a family to cement a prosperous future through real estate. We started looking at homes immediately. The search began with a bang, we spent an evening every week touring homes with our amazing and supportive realtor. It was fun at first, but the constant barrage of non-livable homes was hard to stay positive for.
It is hard to describe the types of homes that we viewed. I could have sworn some of the properties had to have been previously used as drug houses, brothels, and hideaways for illegal aliens. So many homes that could have been beautiful single-family dwellings had been changed into unusual and frightening new structures that I would not feel comfortable in. The previous owners had added on strange rooms that seemed endless. I have seen two bedroom homes that had been turned into 7 bedroom homes, on 2100 square feet.
Finally, we stumbled upon some properties that were worth making offers on, and we started the process and paperwork too begin our ownership. This was a whole separate process and was equally nightmarish in comparison to the selection of homes to make the offers on.
I’ll take to my next blog to illustrate the next part in the route to my ownership status.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
CLA BUILDING CAUGHT FIRE-class assignment
At 3:00pm, the CLA building suffered a fire damaging 19 million, and killed two and injured 41 from smoke inhalation. The fire was put out at approximately 4:40pm.
President Ortiz’s dog, Fluffy, was found dead at 3:00pm in the rose garden yesterday, following its abduction from the Kellogg manor. ASI President Ismael Souley has been apprehended for the crime.
President Ortiz’s dog, Fluffy, was found dead at 3:00pm in the rose garden yesterday, following its abduction from the Kellogg manor. ASI President Ismael Souley has been apprehended for the crime.
showers and flowers
The last week has been a blur. For those of you who don't already know, I work full time as a counter manager for philosophy cosmetics at Nordstrom, and I am currently carrying a load of 16 units. Juggling such a heavy load is never easy, especially with the crazy weather in southern California lately.
This rain has been cumbersome in so many ways. I now need to carry an umbrella on my person most all of the time. I need to leave 20 minutes earlier to get to work, changing my commute time from the average 30-45 minutes to a cool hour; sometimes an hour and a half. I have to run my heater at home every night, which raises my gas bill considerably.
People keep telling me, “this weather is so beautiful,” and, “thank goodness the heat wave has stopped.” I could not disagree more. Why in the world would anyone live in southern California and wish for rain? Southern California is a land where tourists come to enjoy our weather. If somebody was looking to vacation in rain, I assume they would choose somewhere like Seattle.
I wish I could happily splash through puddles and pretend the rain was beautiful and fun. Thinking back to my earlier posts, I see the rain as only another situation to spend the days worrying upon. I fear getting into a car accident in the rain. I fear leaks in my home. I wish I could see only the beauty, but the rain in my life is nothing but a new challenge.
I need to ground myself in knowing that the rain will pass. If I can survive the traffic, the cold, and extra weight of an umbrella in my bag, I will see flowers. What happens after the rain is the true beauty of this weather in my eyes. I can find myself nostalgic in the thoughts of rainbows, flowers, and the greenery that comes directly from the rain.
In southern California, we are supposed a land where, “the grass is really greener.” In that case, I guess the rain will help. I'll just bundle up and wait for the flowers.
This rain has been cumbersome in so many ways. I now need to carry an umbrella on my person most all of the time. I need to leave 20 minutes earlier to get to work, changing my commute time from the average 30-45 minutes to a cool hour; sometimes an hour and a half. I have to run my heater at home every night, which raises my gas bill considerably.
People keep telling me, “this weather is so beautiful,” and, “thank goodness the heat wave has stopped.” I could not disagree more. Why in the world would anyone live in southern California and wish for rain? Southern California is a land where tourists come to enjoy our weather. If somebody was looking to vacation in rain, I assume they would choose somewhere like Seattle.
I wish I could happily splash through puddles and pretend the rain was beautiful and fun. Thinking back to my earlier posts, I see the rain as only another situation to spend the days worrying upon. I fear getting into a car accident in the rain. I fear leaks in my home. I wish I could see only the beauty, but the rain in my life is nothing but a new challenge.
I need to ground myself in knowing that the rain will pass. If I can survive the traffic, the cold, and extra weight of an umbrella in my bag, I will see flowers. What happens after the rain is the true beauty of this weather in my eyes. I can find myself nostalgic in the thoughts of rainbows, flowers, and the greenery that comes directly from the rain.
In southern California, we are supposed a land where, “the grass is really greener.” In that case, I guess the rain will help. I'll just bundle up and wait for the flowers.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
caught between a rock and a hard place.
My life is constantly in a state of being caught between a rock and a hard place. I am always being forced into decisions where I am expected to make the best choice for my future; which is usually a choice between the lesser of two evils. In my professional life and my personal life, I find myself stuck with choices I do not want to make.
In my professional life, I am faced with a choice to stay in school, or to join the ranks of my colleagues and commit myself to my career exclusively.
Both prospects could benefit my future. If I stay in school, I could gain more of the knowledge and contacts I will desperately need in my highly competitive field of choice. If I chose to continue working full time and to discontinue going to school full time, I could potentially get a promotion and start reaping the rewards of professional success at a very young age.
Staying in school is something I have always wanted, but the simple fact that I am doing so well in my current employment situation makes my thoughts run to the haunting words friends and some family members have been mumbling for years, “being in school is holding you back.” If I abandon my schooling, or push back graduate studies for a few years, I fear I will never make a master’s degree become reality. I don’t want a reality without higher education.
I do want to live a life of contentment. I want to do well at work. I want to be able to provide for myself and eventually I would like to be able to provide for my parents when they age. I fear if I do not get myself into a position of power in a company early in my life, I may not be able to make my dreams a reality.
Worrying is a part of my everyday reality. I am always worrying myself into a position between a rock and a hard place. I don’t need to make these choices at the immediate moment, but there are very tough choices in my future I don’t necessarily know how I will answer yet. Hopefully working my thoughts out through a blog will better orchestrate my thought process to help me make the right decisions.
In my professional life, I am faced with a choice to stay in school, or to join the ranks of my colleagues and commit myself to my career exclusively.
Both prospects could benefit my future. If I stay in school, I could gain more of the knowledge and contacts I will desperately need in my highly competitive field of choice. If I chose to continue working full time and to discontinue going to school full time, I could potentially get a promotion and start reaping the rewards of professional success at a very young age.
Staying in school is something I have always wanted, but the simple fact that I am doing so well in my current employment situation makes my thoughts run to the haunting words friends and some family members have been mumbling for years, “being in school is holding you back.” If I abandon my schooling, or push back graduate studies for a few years, I fear I will never make a master’s degree become reality. I don’t want a reality without higher education.
I do want to live a life of contentment. I want to do well at work. I want to be able to provide for myself and eventually I would like to be able to provide for my parents when they age. I fear if I do not get myself into a position of power in a company early in my life, I may not be able to make my dreams a reality.
Worrying is a part of my everyday reality. I am always worrying myself into a position between a rock and a hard place. I don’t need to make these choices at the immediate moment, but there are very tough choices in my future I don’t necessarily know how I will answer yet. Hopefully working my thoughts out through a blog will better orchestrate my thought process to help me make the right decisions.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Pets are a privilege, not a right.
Some people should not be allowed to have animals. I understand the stigma behind having pets. They comfort us. Some pets are a status symbol. Some pets are even economically useful. That being said, some of us are still incapable of giving back to the animals in our lives that give us so much.
Too often are pets abandoned. Our shelters are overcrowded, under funded, and frankly unacceptable to harbor man’s best friends in their time of need. Every time I hear those tear jerking Sarah Mclachlan commercials to donate money to shelters, I want to pull out my wallet and cry uncontrollably at the same time.
I buy my dog’s food at Petco, and at the front of the line to pay, there is a tray of treats, food, blankets, and toys to purchase to send to local shelters. I always grab a pack of puppy treats and occasionally a few toys to send to the local organizations. The donation costs me an average of five dollars a month, and I like to think the money is well spent to keep an animal more comfortable in its time of need.
Lately, more and more people close to me are mistreating their animals and it makes me sick. If you love your pet and you want the best for the animal, you must be able to properly take care of it. Without money for veterinary bills, food, toys, bedding, or any other reasonable amenities, people have no business owning pets. If you can’t provide for an animal, it definitely cannot provide for itself. Without the means to treat it correctly, you don’t deserve its company.
There are many alternatives to giving a pet up to a shelter. Organizations specializing in certain breeds are nearly always accepting rescues. There are also other kind, loving folks out there looking to foster neglected and abandoned animals you could reach out to. The most important thing is to ask for help when under pressure to give up an animal.
I think the best way to keep animals out of shelters is to think before taking an animal into your family. Think about the commitment you are making. Can you afford the animal? Can you promise them that you will treat them as a dependant and never let them go? Are you ready to fight tooth and nail to protect them and support them? A pet is like a child, with less paperwork. They have needs and expectations, and if they are met, the rewards are limitless.
Pets are a privilege, not a right. They need to be treated as such.
Too often are pets abandoned. Our shelters are overcrowded, under funded, and frankly unacceptable to harbor man’s best friends in their time of need. Every time I hear those tear jerking Sarah Mclachlan commercials to donate money to shelters, I want to pull out my wallet and cry uncontrollably at the same time.
I buy my dog’s food at Petco, and at the front of the line to pay, there is a tray of treats, food, blankets, and toys to purchase to send to local shelters. I always grab a pack of puppy treats and occasionally a few toys to send to the local organizations. The donation costs me an average of five dollars a month, and I like to think the money is well spent to keep an animal more comfortable in its time of need.
Lately, more and more people close to me are mistreating their animals and it makes me sick. If you love your pet and you want the best for the animal, you must be able to properly take care of it. Without money for veterinary bills, food, toys, bedding, or any other reasonable amenities, people have no business owning pets. If you can’t provide for an animal, it definitely cannot provide for itself. Without the means to treat it correctly, you don’t deserve its company.
There are many alternatives to giving a pet up to a shelter. Organizations specializing in certain breeds are nearly always accepting rescues. There are also other kind, loving folks out there looking to foster neglected and abandoned animals you could reach out to. The most important thing is to ask for help when under pressure to give up an animal.
I think the best way to keep animals out of shelters is to think before taking an animal into your family. Think about the commitment you are making. Can you afford the animal? Can you promise them that you will treat them as a dependant and never let them go? Are you ready to fight tooth and nail to protect them and support them? A pet is like a child, with less paperwork. They have needs and expectations, and if they are met, the rewards are limitless.
Pets are a privilege, not a right. They need to be treated as such.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
what happened to movies?
I miss a time period I was never even a part of.
It’s not often I find a movie worth talking about. I can’t seem to subject myself to the majority of films produced in the last few years. Most of the cinema brought to theaters nowadays are simple cash cows designed with simple consumerism in mind. Movies today lack story. Movies today lack captivation. Movies today lack humanity. These statements mostly can be targeted towards the “scary movie” genre that has become increasingly popular as of late. Old-fashioned horror films have become few and far between.
A new genre, classily titled, “torture porn,” has been sweeping the nation.
Suddenly, I can’t stomach watching many “blockbusters.” Call me crazy, but I have no inclinations to watch other people, even fictional people, be maimed, tortured, or subjected to violence at the hand of another. Big dollar horror franchises such as “Saw” have ruined the film experience for weak stomached people like myself. Speaking to the “Saw” franchise particularly, I am very disappointed in the portrayal of what could have been an amazing story; ruined by over use of fake blood, complicated traps, and sexual objectification woven into extreme violence and sadism.
I would love to start a petition with Lionsgate, urging for editing of particularly violent imagery from the “Saw” films, replaced with camera trickery and smoke and mirrors. At one point in time, it didn’t take a busty actress covered in blood to inspire an audience to feel butterflies of fear. It would be nice to have an opportunity to plan a “scary movie date night” without fear of the probability of subjecting myself to a night of sexualized violence.
Maybe if I lived during the days of Hitchcock I might have enjoyed the horror genre of cinematography. Hitchcock had the right idea. He knew how to captivate an audience. He knew how to draw a person into the story, and he knew how to give his viewers the shivers, without the added nausea of dehumanizing the actors in his films. I don’t like to sound like a dinosaur at the ripe age of twenty-one, but, in my opinion, this new era of blood, guts, sex, and gore has nothing to do with a good scary story. This new era is sick and unnecessary.
I guess there is some hope. M. Night Shyamalan renewed my faith in horror cinematography the first time I saw “Signs,” one of the most terrifying films I have ever experienced. His work with “The Sixth Sense” and even with the controversial, “The Village,” showed me a different side of the horror industry that I am growing ever more fond of. I look forward to experiencing more of his work, and continuing to boycott the foulness of “horror porn” that continues to haunt our generation.
It’s not often I find a movie worth talking about. I can’t seem to subject myself to the majority of films produced in the last few years. Most of the cinema brought to theaters nowadays are simple cash cows designed with simple consumerism in mind. Movies today lack story. Movies today lack captivation. Movies today lack humanity. These statements mostly can be targeted towards the “scary movie” genre that has become increasingly popular as of late. Old-fashioned horror films have become few and far between.
A new genre, classily titled, “torture porn,” has been sweeping the nation.
Suddenly, I can’t stomach watching many “blockbusters.” Call me crazy, but I have no inclinations to watch other people, even fictional people, be maimed, tortured, or subjected to violence at the hand of another. Big dollar horror franchises such as “Saw” have ruined the film experience for weak stomached people like myself. Speaking to the “Saw” franchise particularly, I am very disappointed in the portrayal of what could have been an amazing story; ruined by over use of fake blood, complicated traps, and sexual objectification woven into extreme violence and sadism.
I would love to start a petition with Lionsgate, urging for editing of particularly violent imagery from the “Saw” films, replaced with camera trickery and smoke and mirrors. At one point in time, it didn’t take a busty actress covered in blood to inspire an audience to feel butterflies of fear. It would be nice to have an opportunity to plan a “scary movie date night” without fear of the probability of subjecting myself to a night of sexualized violence.
Maybe if I lived during the days of Hitchcock I might have enjoyed the horror genre of cinematography. Hitchcock had the right idea. He knew how to captivate an audience. He knew how to draw a person into the story, and he knew how to give his viewers the shivers, without the added nausea of dehumanizing the actors in his films. I don’t like to sound like a dinosaur at the ripe age of twenty-one, but, in my opinion, this new era of blood, guts, sex, and gore has nothing to do with a good scary story. This new era is sick and unnecessary.
I guess there is some hope. M. Night Shyamalan renewed my faith in horror cinematography the first time I saw “Signs,” one of the most terrifying films I have ever experienced. His work with “The Sixth Sense” and even with the controversial, “The Village,” showed me a different side of the horror industry that I am growing ever more fond of. I look forward to experiencing more of his work, and continuing to boycott the foulness of “horror porn” that continues to haunt our generation.
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