I have arrived at the point, two and a half years into blogging, where I have forgotten more about blogging than I know today.

At one time I had a couple of OPML list boxes with my blogroll and a few links, written using activeRenderer. When I moved to the theme you see today, I jettisoned them for a more streamlined look.

And now I've completely forgotten how to use activeRenderer to set up those OPML lists.

Damn! They were the tool I think I need to set up a "News Headline" feed!

I've now spent about six hours trying to read through every resource I can find on the subject; they're either out of date or not particularly clear. (It seems to me I had the same problem way back with this, too.)

Bear with me if I don't post anything particularly noteworthy for the next 24 hours. You know I'll be either working on the house or flailing away here in activeRenderer.

(Note to self: I should check my blood pressure and take a break to meditate before I spend another six hours on this...and stop yelling at the computer, the kids are sleeping!)

9:53:25 PM    comment []

Agh!  The shoe is going to drop at some point.  Interest rates are going to rise; it's only a matter of time as to when.  We've got to get that mortgage rate locked in and we've got to have a certificate of occupancy in hand to do so.

This week hubby and I need clarification on exactly what needs to be completed before the building inspector will give us the certificate of occupancy.  Must all the flooring be down, or no?  We don't have finish floor type specified on the drawings we submitted; could I get away with simply putting primer on floors and call it finished? (We'd put in the carpeting, tile, cork or vinyl within the next month, not to worry.)  Handrails are certainly going to be required.  Are all light fixtures required, though, or can we simply cap some of them?  Landscaping doesn't have to be done, and I've been assured by the project manager that walk ways are not required.  Or are they?  I don't even want to think about the fireplace...

We've already been burned once by this particular inspector.  He came two weeks early, without anyone calling him, and his first inspection reads like a to-do list.  "Windows and Doors", he noted as his first item.

Duh!  What an idiot!  We weren't planning on calling him until they'd been delivered and installed!

Given this inspector's predilection for noting the obvious or asking for excess (like demanding joist hangers on joists that weren't hung -- gah...), I can only wonder what he will expect for the certificate of occupancy.

If you are building a home at some point in the future, you may not have this problem.  You may get a construction loan that is converted to a standard mortgage.  You might even be lucky enough to find a home under construction that's close to occupancy and may be able to skip the construction loan.  Both options are going to be more expensive than the route we took, financing ourselves and getting a mortgage after the fact.

But fewer headaches and worries about timing may be well worth the extra money on the mortgage.

Oh yeah, exterior light fixtures -- one of these is an expensive fixture (more than $250 each) made especially for Arts and Crafts style homes.  The other is the version we've ordered for our house (less than $100 each).  Which is which?  I don't think it's worth the price difference for this house to get the designer lamp, but that's my opinion.  I think this house is enough of a hybrid with Euro/Tech style that the less expensive lamp is a better fit. 

Primer coat of paint starts Monday.  Hardwood floors next week.  More later.

4:39:24 PM    comment []