tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40475554833468678442024-03-13T13:49:41.533-05:00Our StoryDocumentation of a family who lives in Metro OKC. Formerly a resident of Orange County, we look at things differently.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-87738457033172625622014-03-04T23:01:00.001-06:002014-03-04T23:01:22.783-06:00Winter Weather Packs a WallopWow... it's been quite a season. Amazingly, I haven't posted since December of last year (gulp). Granted, it has been quiet compared to previous times.<br />
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For Winter Break, we took a road trip up to Branson, MO, for some quiet recreation time. We explored downtown some (pictured below is Dick's Five and Dime), but mostly spent time relaxing inside our accommodations.<br />
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In January, I had the honor of performing as a member of the Oklahoma Music Educator Association All-State Mixed Choir. It was a blast performing with 200 of the best high school choral singers from across the state, a true experience of a lifetime.<br />
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And of course, we have the snow. Counting today, we have used seven out of eight snow days available to the district. This is the first time that multiple snow days have been called during an educational year since the school day was extended to build in snow days rather than tack on extra days at the end of the year back in 2011. Of course, that begs the question of what will happen if the district needs to call more snow days? Already, OKCPS (a neighboring district) has already had to schedule make up days when it exhausted its reserve of seven snow days back in early February.<br />
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That's about it for now. The weather can only be so entertaining.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-31689300266472223972013-12-09T12:34:00.001-06:002013-12-09T12:36:19.380-06:00When Life Gives You Ice...<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Pssst: You may need to install Adobe Flash Player or use a modern browser if the Photospheres do not appear correctly. I recommend <a href="http://chrome.google.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Chrome</a>, but you can also use <a href="http://getfirefox.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mozilla Firefox</a> or <a href="http://opera.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Opera</a>.</i></span><br />
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<small> Powered by <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/views/" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">Google Views</a>: <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/views/view/102644546454784653440/photo/uPT7XgtW8aEAAAAGOoRGHg" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">Sunset After Snowstorm</a></small></div>
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<b>Just slide with it.</b> Anyway...<br />
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It's been ages since I've posted anything on here. Luckily, a couple of snow storms came along and put a damper on the crazy amount of things that we've been needing to do. Academia has been the main demand, with tests, projects, and other miscellania demanding our attention. My studies have been especially rigorous, with some classes rapidly advancing into and building on difficult concepts. Hopefully, the hard work will pay off come spring, where I have the opportunity to test off up to four semester college-level classes.<br />
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Enough about that. Extracurriculars have also been busy, with sis getting into North Central Honors Orchestra for the second year in a row. Her concert occurred on November 24th, to great success. You can listen to a clip of the performance below.<br />
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I also received the honor of being selected for Oklahoma Music Educator's Association All-State Mixed Choir for the 2013-2014 School Year. The festival will be held in Tulsa this January.<br />
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We also visited Martin Park Nature Center, a public park operated by the City of Oklahoma City. Somewhat akin to the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, its domain remains wild even though it's surrounded by suburbia. They do have a visitors center, where you can learn about the different types of plants and animals native to the area. We spent most of our time out on the trails: There are three of them, each of them providing different views and landscapes. Below, you can see a photosphere of one of the more impressive crossings that we encountered during our visit.</div>
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<small>Powered by <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/views/" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">Google Views</a>: <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/views/view/102644546454784653440/photo/kLHTncFcJYQAAAQGEMwlLQ" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">Spring Creek, Martin Park, OKC</a></small></div>
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If you want to see more, <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/102644546454784653440/albums/5955442557795267601?authkey=CLzTj-SI48CDswE" target="_blank">visit the Google+ Album</a>.<br />
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Another point of interest we visited was a corn maze located just north of Chickasaw. Each year, they choose a different theme that they design the complex around (you can <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=35.075176,-97.941517&spn=0.00763,0.00604&t=h&z=17" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">see the previous year on satellite imagery here</a>). This year, the theme was <a href="http://www.redsiloproductions.com/home.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Haunt the Zoo</a>. The map looks like a drawing of common zoo animals, but also served as the only guide to the winding pathways within.
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Also at the farm: hayrides, rabbits for sale, water pump stations (compete to get the most water flowing (or see who can actually prime the pump in the first place)), horseshoes, henna tattooing station, and a tetherball pole<br />
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Circling back around to the present, it's been wild the past few days. We experienced the heaviest wintry mix since our arrival in Oklahoma. Local reports say we got about 3-4" of snow, along with some sleet and frozen rain on Thursday afternoon through Friday early morning. Road conditions as of publication are still too hazardous for the school busses to maneuver. The photosphere at the top of this post shows conditions around dusk Friday Evening. Its been fun learning how to drive safely and maneuver effectively on icy roads. Apparently, not everyone here has got that skill, since there was over 30 accidents reported by Oklahoma Highway Patrol through Saturday afternoon. Hopefully, things will continue to improve, especially when we pop back up over freezing tomorrow afternoon.<br />
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For the latter part of winter break, we'll be headed back to Branson, MO for a more extended stay than we did previously. It shouldn't take me another two months to post again.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-1146103457622773022013-10-12T19:05:00.005-05:002013-12-09T12:36:49.169-06:00Fall is Falling In FastIt's been a while since I've posted here on the blog. Since we came back, we've participated in different library activities that seem to be funded either by the public library system itself or sponsors from family attractions such as the <a href="http://www.sciencemuseumok.org/" target="_blank">Science Museum Oklahoma</a>. They all are high quality and range from the pre-school to the adult levels of interest. They cover topics from exploring the world of <i>the Hobbit</i> to learning about local cultures through art and literature.<br />
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School has also started up, increasing the workload while also adding a sense of rigidity and order to our daily lives. Day to day work is uneventful, while academics are rigorous but not overwhelming. Thanks to the efforts of administrators, I was able to drop one of five of my scheduled AP courses prior to the beginning of the school year, which was probably the difference that allows my studies to continue without swamping me.<br />
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The temperature has also been falling with regularity now. Daily highs now range in the 70s, with rare extremes in the high 60s and low 80s. Humidity also seems to be reduced, although I think that's an illusion provided by the falling temperatures.<br />
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Extracurriculars have also started, with the Canterbury Choral Society opening the season with <i>Carmina Burana</i>. They invited Canterbury Youth Chorus' Chorale and the Oklahoma City Philharmonic to share the stage with them, and <a href="http://newsok.com/canterbury-to-bring-multimedia-spectacle-to-carmina-burana-in-oklahoma-city/article/3887584" target="_blank">it was quite the event</a>. Also, the corporate rowing team for Boeing participated in the <a href="http://oklahomariverevents.org/oklahoma-regatta-festival" target="_blank">Oklahoma Regatta Festival</a>.<br />
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Things appear to be quiet for the next couple of months. Just the regular daily activities for now. I'll post again when there's been something notable.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-25275156252797682892013-08-19T11:20:00.000-05:002013-08-19T11:20:31.097-05:00Summer's EndYeesh... I haven't updated the blog in ages.<br />
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It was great to see everyone back in Southern California in July! We had a splendid time <strike>being with y'all</strike> commingling and visiting. Yes, we finally got another family photo:<br />
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We most definitely enjoyed your weather, even though we missed a cool wave back in Oklahoma. Mom and Dad took advantage of the climate with long walks throughout Irvine and Newport Beach. We also enjoyed meals at our favorite restaurants not available in Oklahoma (shout out to Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes and Ebisu Ramen Restaurant, among others).<br />
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We also visited Seaworld San Diego since we were in the area. Quite enjoyed ourselves, in fact, since it wasn't too hot and the park wasn't too busy. (Click the image to visit the album.)<br />
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On the way back to Oklahoma, we visited the Petrified Forest. Other than the fact that it was quite warm, it was an interesting place to visit.<br />
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Since our return, things have been slow. Just prepping to gear up for school, hard to believe that it starts this Tuesday. I'll try to update this blog more frequently during the school year.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-68453099102676700022013-06-17T16:18:00.002-05:002013-08-18T20:08:43.404-05:00Back from the IslesWell, we came back from Hawaii. It was exciting, eventful and frustrating. Confused?<br />
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The family is all well, and we got to see some folks who we hadn't seen for quite a while. We also got to see some pretty neat sights as well.<br />
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If you want more pictures, you can check out the photos on Google+. <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/104414065631097518958/albums/5890515455644778897?authkey=CK6O2-3oyZybVw" target="_blank">Aircraft pictures are available here</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/104414065631097518958/albums/5890528222173723617?authkey=CNvc9c2q4b2DywE" target="_blank">pictures from around the island are available here</a>.<br />
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Our car log registered a total of 48 hours of driving... out of 9 effective days. Honolulu traffic seems to get worse by the minute. The weather was nice and balmy... not too hot, not too cold, not too many bugs, but meh on the humidity. It was quite enjoyable for us, even if it doesn't sound like a dream for the standard tourist. We mostly had fun, although there were some bumps along the way. Now that we're back home... its hard to believe that the weather is so different. We had the luck to connect through LAX, although we weren't able to stay long, though it was long enough to remind us of what we're missing.<br />
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What'll be next for us this summer? Stay tuned to find out.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-75834288428695108632013-05-26T23:36:00.004-05:002013-05-27T00:01:55.084-05:00We're Off to HawaiiSo we survived the storms this past week. According to <a href="http://newsok.com/oklahoma-tornadoes-moore-tornado-was-ninth-deadliest-in-oklahoma-history/article/3834164/?page=2http://newsok.com/oklahoma-tornadoes-moore-tornado-was-ninth-deadliest-in-oklahoma-history/article/3834164" target="_blank">NewsOK/the Oklahoman</a>, the closest tornado to us was an EF1 that went up a major street near commercial businesses about 5 miles away. It knocked out power lines all the way up the street, causing tieups and road closures, but nothing major like the Moore tornado about 20 miles south of us.<br />
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Efforts to recover and cleanup have been overwhelming, with emergency responders and relief organizers requesting that people stay home and allow those already on site to assist as quickly as possible. The tornado was eventually determined to be an EF5 and 1.7 miles wide at its strongest point, hitting multiple businesses and elementary schools along its 17 mile path. According to the National Weather Service, Monday's tornado was the ninth deadliest in state history with 24 fatalities.<br />
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Meanwhile, since school got out this past week (hooray!), we are now on our way to see family and friends in Hawaii! We'll be driving out to Dallas and flying out from there, spending a lovely two weeks traveling. Expect photos and pictures on our Google+ page, we'll keep it as updated as we can.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-4030513872242140122013-05-10T16:39:00.000-05:002013-05-10T16:39:00.395-05:00Muggy Heat and Soggy SpringWow, has it already been a month since I last posted?<br />
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I suppose testing made the time go by faster. <b>E</b>nd <b>o</b>f <b>I</b>nstructions (EOIs), or <b>O</b>klahoma <b>C</b>ore <b>C</b>urriculum <b>T</b>ests. A mouthful, no? At the very least, California's acronym of <b>S</b>tandardized <b>T</b>esting <b>a</b>nd <b>R</b>eporting<b> </b>(STAR) actually makes a word. But, I digress.<br />
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The weather here continues to be random. A few days ago, we were in the low nineties, now we're in the high sixties. At least the rain continues to be consistent in volume, if not sporadic in timing and otherwise grouped with other severe events. It's helping with the <a href="http://newsok.com/rains-alleviate-drought-conditions-in-oklahoma/article/3803339" target="_blank">drought that has plagued Oklahoma</a> for the past few years.<br />
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My sister's performance in Canterbury Choral Society's performance of Lennon Bernstein's <b>MASS</b> was a huge success. It was quite splendid performance, if a bit long. The main cast was associated with Oklahoma City University's Theater and Drama Department.<br />
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In other news, standardized testing is now completed for the academic year 2012-13. Personally, I'm pleased with how my ACT and SAT scores turned out, although the writing portion on the SAT was less than I hoped for. Computer glitches and bugs were mostly avoided, although <a href="http://newsok.com/computer-glitches-derail-school-tests-in-4-states/article/feed/535757" target="_blank">some other grades weren't as lucky</a>.<br />
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Soon, school will be over (8 more school days) and we'll be off to Hawaii in 17 days. Funny how time can pass quickly, but the "now" seems to be interminable? I've got some new pictures of neat places in Metro OKC, so hopefully I can piece together a new look for this blog soon.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-47380208776411933072013-04-11T16:59:00.001-05:002013-04-11T16:59:09.566-05:00Testing and CountdownsWell, here we are in the month of April, and we just has a bit of wild weather. Check it out:<br />
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We've been having increasingly warm weather, often getting into the high 70s F (breaching 80F a couple of days). Then we had a Thunderstorm/Lightning/Hail warning this past Tuesday that disintegrated into a Sleet/Snow/Freeze Watch on Wednesday morning. Lots of rain, I can tell you that.<br />
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Other than that, things have been calm. We have a few things on the upcoming... Testing in schools is happening this month, since Oklahoma schools usually dismiss in mid to late May. I'm due to take the ACT this Saturday to get a complementary score to the SAT test I took back in March. Also, Sis will be participating in an event this Saturday evening that may or may not be telebroadcast based on attendance at the Civic Center in Downtown Oklahoma City. More information as it comes.<br />
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Meanwhile, our much needed trip back to see family, relatives and friends on Oahu is less than two months away! We'll be driving down to Dallas and fly to Honolulu via Los Angeles. We'll start shortly after school ends, so heads up on that end. The blog and Google+ will be updated frequently when we get on the road.<br />
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For now, I'll leave it here. And this time, I'll actually push the publish button.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-70594747432691426802013-03-23T14:00:00.000-05:002013-04-11T15:50:37.540-05:00Here Comes SpringWow, time flew. And, the majority of March has passed us by as well. Yikes.<br />
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For the month of March, we've been less busy but more busy. How's that for a conundrum? Recently, we've been taking it relatively easy, settled into a pattern, shall we say. Yet, we've still managed to branch out and try new things and go new places.<br />
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Going back about a month, I attended with Dad a play that had one of his coworkers starring in the show. Called <i style="font-weight: bold;">Crimes of the Heart</i>, it was an exciting play that involved just six actors for a duration of over two hours.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eMswFOR7nqg/USBkv9NWKYI/AAAAAAAAEfE/aB4gEO6cNng/s1078/13+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eMswFOR7nqg/USBkv9NWKYI/AAAAAAAAEfE/aB4gEO6cNng/s400/13+-+1" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No photography was allowed, so this picture of the advertising poster will have to suffice.</td></tr>
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It was quite impressive watching the play, throughout its duration I was never once distracted. The storyline revolved around a trio of three sisters with wildly different personalities; and the interactions they had with each other and the other minor characters were always entertaining and well played. It was a pleasure to attend the show, I look forward to future productions from the company. (More information: Oklahoma City Theatre Company/<a href="http://www.okctc.org/" target="_blank">okctc.org</a>)<br />
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After the show, this picture of the newly built Devon Tower was too stunning to miss capturing, I've embedded it below:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E5osftZLXtE/USBizHJOK1I/AAAAAAAAEeg/cgc6hs6PVq0/s1078/IMG_20130216_224952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E5osftZLXtE/USBizHJOK1I/AAAAAAAAEeg/cgc6hs6PVq0/s400/IMG_20130216_224952.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not bad for a smartphone camera, no?</td></tr>
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Later in the month, Dad took Sister to an orchestra performance at the same venue, called the Civic Center. It has a pretty rich history that you can take a look at here: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civic_Center_Music_Hall" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a><br />
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Also, Dad's Diversity Dining Club decided to celebrate Chinese New Year a couple of weeks late, so February's restaurant selection was the <a href="http://www.mysunpos.com/onlineorder/szechuanbistro/" target="_blank">Szechuan Bistro</a>, a small Chinese restaurant whose cuisine is influenced more so by the northern part of the country, so the spices were definitely sharp and defined in its food. It was a stellar service, so not much to comment on here.</div>
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Swinging more towards an academic note, I took the SAT test at the beginning of the month. It wasn't exactly a pleasant experience, but it was completed. Scores will be released at the end of the month.</div>
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Coinciding with that test was a concert that was performed by the Canterbury Youth Chorus' Young Men Group as a part of a local library series. It was a pleasure performing with the rest of the teens and was an excellent diversion from the test noted above.</div>
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Not a lot to post from this month, as the majority of it was fairly unnoteworthy. April ought to have some surprises for us, so we'll see. Looking forward, we have school ending at the end May, which will be followed by our long overdue family and relatives trip back to the island of Oahu, HI. More on that as we get closer. As for returning to California... we'll see. Prices haven't been too kind lately.</div>
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This seems like a good place as any to end this post, so I'll wrap it up here. Thanks for reading.<br />
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Whoops, I didn't hit publish. Sorry.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-67150453020432276242013-02-15T23:11:00.000-06:002013-02-15T23:11:45.454-06:002013 Started Out With A PunchNo, not literally. But metaphorically? Yes.<br />
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School took over the majority of my time, hence why there has been no posts for ages. So, allow me to get you caught up... <span style="color: #999999;"><i>(click the read more link, there's a bunch of content that I don't want to slow you down with until you're ready to actually consume it)</i></span><br />
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Since I got my driver's license back in December, Dad finally got his own more fuel efficient commuter vehicle. (After all, why have two cars when there's only one driver in the household?) Since the beginning of summer last year, I assisted him in researching and selecting a car that would meet his requirements. He chose the Ford C-MAX and is very happy with it:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6ayqVzRbJyo/UN5CpwJvY3I/AAAAAAAAESY/Hq9S-4rVIN0/s640/IMG_20121228_190832.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the dealership, 28-Dec-12 around 6pm. Yes, it was below freezing. Yes, that's a Lincoln dealership in the background.</td></tr>
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All things considered, it was a very sweet deal, considering that he was able to get a top of the line model for a bit less than MSRP and not even have to custom order it (which would have resulted in a wait time of six to eight weeks). In fact, that vehicle was brought to the dealership that afternoon, so it was very good timing.<br />
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Ford has been challenged about the EPA's results of 47/47/47 MPG (city/combo/highway), but Dad's vehicle reports an average of 44 MPG and climbing (he's had it for about seven weeks now). Either way, it's a whole lot better than the 23 MPG the Highlander puts out.<br />
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Enough of cars. We've relatively recently been to a new place with some of Dad's coworkers called Van's Pig Stands (<a href="http://www.pigstands.com/" target="_blank">website</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/104753339936630375626/about" target="_blank">Google</a>), whose specialty is barbeque. Quite good, especially if you're a carnivore. Vegetarians may want to look elsewhere. For the sake of space, I'm going to collapse my comments about the restaurant.
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If you're truly curious, they had the best brisket I've tasted in a while, their chicken and ribs also have some pretty good tastes. Everything was focused on the cooking techniques, which as far as I could tell involved smoke and copious amounts of time. Everything else was a second thought. The restaurant itself felt homey, while food was served on paper plates and hotpans (for our party). There was no silverware, everything was plastic or paper. That being said, the food still tasted great. If you ever happen to come out to Oklahoma and eat here, be aware that the parking lot is tiny. Wasn't pleasant to get in and out of.
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<button onclick="if(document.getElementById('spoiler') .style.display=='none') {document.getElementById('spoiler') .style.display=''}else{document.getElementById('spoiler') .style.display='none'}" title="If you are truly curious, go ahead and open the content." type="button">More About Van's Pig Stands</button><br />
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If you're wondering about the house, we've had people come and go to fix items on the one month punch list. That includes wiring that was wonky, a front door that got horribly malformed during the winter, and driveway caulk for the connections between the driveway and the street. For the most part, it's complete and running relatively well. There are still a few things that are on our eleven month punch list, but hopefully that won't grow to include anything major.<br />
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Speaking of winter, we got a few days of snow in there. There was (of course) the White Christmas, but we also got a good two to three inches of snow just this past Tuesday. It was pretty impressive, but did not affect school (to the disappointment of the majority of most of the students in the school district, not including yours truly).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was directly after lunch, it started only a couple hours before this.</td></tr>
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Finally, I come to the final topic for this post: For the past couple of weeks, I've been working along with some of my classmates to create a toothpick bridge for possible entry into a state engineering fair as a project for physics class. Christened the <b>Cat Canary</b> by Mom (a play on the technical word catenary, which describes an arch that is not a perfect semicircle (think a negative parabola)). After 30 hours of group and individual work, it is now curing inside a back room at school. Here's a not so recent photo:<br />
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Since it has been decided that it will enter the state contest, I'll be updating the Displaced Socaler's Google+ page with updates directly from Science Museum Oklahoma with cool pictures of other entries and news for how it does. That will be on Tuesday morning, from approximately 10a-12p CST. Hopefully the signal won't be too weak, so we'll see how it turns out.</div>
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I think that should get you caught up on what's happened so far in 2013. The main rush is over, so I hope to post something at least bimonthly on the blog and weekly on Google+. Depends on what's happening with us, I suppose, since we no longer have the house to report on.</div>
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As for returning back to California for a visit... that has been floating as an idea for quite a while. Unfortunately, the family visit has first priority, so no news on that front. After all, it has been over two years since we saw our folks back in Hawaii... stay tuned for news on that as well.</div>
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If you haven't given up on me, I thank you for reading. And with that, I shall sign off with a belated holiday greeting:</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-5980717851926372262013-02-12T11:02:00.001-06:002013-02-12T11:02:17.943-06:00Snow, Snow, Let it Snow!<p dir=ltr>It's snowing (and sticking)! I'll have to post an update on us soon, if school weren't so troublesome....</p>
<div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-h1s3MgnJ5Pw/URp1lJRX-yI/AAAAAAAAEcw/oj33IoKkBeQ/s1600/IMG_20130212_105523.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border='0' src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-h1s3MgnJ5Pw/URp1lJRX-yI/AAAAAAAAEcw/oj33IoKkBeQ/s640/IMG_20130212_105523.jpg' /> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com0Edmond, Edmond35.652832 -97.478096tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-49054822893312267392013-01-01T10:21:00.001-06:002013-01-01T10:21:12.121-06:00Happy New Year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/AG9rq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Happy New 2013! </br> May your new year bring you great happiness and joy. </br> Here's to a new year of experiences, fun, and other whatnot. </br> (after all, what is life without that little spice called the unknown?) </br> We don't plan on going dark for quite a while, so you can keep on checking back here for the latest on us locally and on the go! </br></br> yours truly, </br> (the less so) Displaced SoCalers" border="0" height="480" src="http://i.imgur.com/AG9rq.jpg" title="Happy 2013 from Displaced SoCalers" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-78438652648415554922012-12-26T22:12:00.002-06:002012-12-26T22:12:18.971-06:00Finally.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, we got in about a month ago. That's how old that graphic is. Then came unpacking, and boxes, and garbage, and more unpacking, and then school finals. End result? This post's completion (and publishing) kept on getting pushed, and pushed, and pushed again. Hopefully, you won't mind a condensed reporting on the past month, as there is still work to be done.<br />
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We got all of our stuff the day before Thanksgiving. A 40ft semi trailer filled with crates full of boxes (about 400+ of them) dumped its contents into our house. We're continuing to unpack the boxes, the majority of the common rooms have been unpacked. Our kitchen is nice and roomy, although a lot of our tools seem to be misplaced (which we discovered when trying to cook a holiday dinner yesterday). The one car portion of the garage is still filled with boxes, as well as our spare (guest) bedroom.<br />
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In other news, I have now got my Driver's License (technically). I took the test on Monday and passed with an 80% (it would have been higher, except the tester's car performed erratically on the parallel park). We were also blessed (so some say) with a White Christmas yesterday.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dcJotXIJhA0/UNo2zei-gHI/AAAAAAAAERQ/9tCqGCU34xM/s1280/IMG_20121225_172906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dcJotXIJhA0/UNo2zei-gHI/AAAAAAAAERQ/9tCqGCU34xM/s400/IMG_20121225_172906.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Myself on our front porch Christmas Afternoon</td></tr>
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We were told to expect about 6-8 inches of snow, but fortunately didn't get much more than half an inch. Thank goodness for that, since Dad and I had to venture out for some last minute groceries from our local supermarket.<br />
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As we move forward into the new year (and our second year as Oklahomans), we want to thank all of you for supporting us and keeping us in mind. Your support and calls were a shining part of a tough year, and we look forward to the next year.<br />
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Even though the house is complete and we're now moved in, this site won't stop updating. Well, not completely at any rate. I will continue to update the blog and our Google+ profile as events occur, so check back when you can!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-29183364574872131232012-12-26T11:16:00.001-06:002012-12-26T11:16:10.707-06:00Merry Belated Christmas!<a href="http://imgur.com/sOZcW"><img alt="" height="480" src="http://i.imgur.com/sOZcW.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="640" /></a><br />
Yes, we did have a <b>White Christmas</b>. Whoopdedoo!<br />
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As for what we've been doing for the past month, expect another post in a couple of hours. Thanks for your patience!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-973828203454573982012-11-19T19:52:00.001-06:002012-11-19T22:30:56.386-06:00Down for moving.<p dir=ltr>Sorry about the delayed information. Been moving a lot of stuff around, and I don't have access to the Internet to do a full post. I will make a full report as soon as I have access to the Internet at large again and not just on my mobile. Thanks for your patience and keep checking back: it's bound to be sometime soon.</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-794489546274023762012-11-12T19:38:00.000-06:002012-11-12T19:38:04.352-06:00House Report, Week 32<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The end is nigh... check and double check, boys; we're wrapping up soon! This is the House Report on week 32 of the build project.<br />
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(If you were wondering why that sounds bizarre, check out <a href="http://theverge.com/" target="_blank">the Verge</a>'s <a href="http://90so.tv/" target="_blank">90 Seconds on the Verge</a> tech news overview video clip.)<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Click for pictures: <a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/Di93pwMgxrv" target="_blank">Mon 5-NOV</a> | <a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/dMGT2c3eAdA" target="_blank">Tue 6-NOV</a> | <a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/T3BsyHpofoS" target="_blank">Wed 7-NOV</a> | <a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/SGzPesorEGb" target="_blank">Thu 8-NOV</a> | <a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/67LKCq9ZTVi" target="_blank">Fri 9-NOV</a></span><br />
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You've Got Mail... and You Can Sorta Get It</h2>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qtrq0amDVFg/UJwoySvfkYI/AAAAAAAAEfM/mjAXptmqSsc/s756/IMG_2148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qtrq0amDVFg/UJwoySvfkYI/AAAAAAAAEfM/mjAXptmqSsc/s320/IMG_2148.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Way back when they built the mailbox, the brickers didn't quite realize that we needed to get in the back of it. Hence, we couldn't open the back panel at all. They did some work on it, so now you can open it to almost 45 degrees... and get some mail. Barely.</div>
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Grass + Winter = Slow To Implant</h2>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RLyPQKiMZsU/UJre9NE4cBI/AAAAAAAAEbY/sDEyYMecgxE/s567/IMG_2120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RLyPQKiMZsU/UJre9NE4cBI/AAAAAAAAEbY/sDEyYMecgxE/s320/IMG_2120.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sod was installed on Monday, however it has been disturbingly slow to take. We believe that the winter like temps we've been having can't be good for it, however the rest of the shrubbery seems to be doing fine. We'll see if the grass takes and survives through the winter.</div>
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Data Connections? Check!</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4CRcdNGU3WY/UJre_I0r2cI/AAAAAAAAEb4/F1mRnngxPOY/s756/IMG_2125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4CRcdNGU3WY/UJre_I0r2cI/AAAAAAAAEb4/F1mRnngxPOY/s320/IMG_2125.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From top to bottom: Coaxial (Cable), Ethernet RJ45 CAT-5 (Internet), RJ11 (Phone)</td></tr>
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Each and every room in the house has at least one data connection panel, which will allow for hardwiring a phone, a cable box, and a computer to the internet.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A look at where all the wires will be connected.</td></tr>
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Incoming (Vehicle)!</h2>
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The two car garage got its own motor on Tuesday, and it works well. Softer yet louder (engine is immeasurably softer than the one in SoCal, but the door itself is creaky. Perhaps some WD-42 is needed?), it works extremely well. The catch? We only only get one garage door motor in the contract, so the second one needs to be paid for out of pocket.</div>
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Dimmer Switches</h2>
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We got manual dimmer switches for dimming our lights in the kitchen, they glow when they are in the off position.</div>
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Roof on the "Chimney"</h2>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IooXhFqZvEg/UKGI2gIsZfI/AAAAAAAAEh4/SZG5b5PC_S4/s567/IMG_2161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IooXhFqZvEg/UKGI2gIsZfI/AAAAAAAAEh4/SZG5b5PC_S4/s320/IMG_2161.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We have finally got an actual roof over the "chimney", so that's cause to rejoice.</div>
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Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock</h2>
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Time is running out, and we're getting pumped for the day when the house is going to be finished. It's so very close, and we can't wait for that day to come. Keep a close eye out on Google+ for us, we'll let you know the instant when the <b>House</b> becomes a <b>Home</b>!</div>
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In other news: We salute all of our brave men and women in the United States Armed Forces, both past and present. We thank you for your service and your bravery. God Bless.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-77837124915784076202012-11-06T21:50:00.000-06:002012-11-06T21:53:30.778-06:00House Report, Week 31 + Branson, MO<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome back to the House Report. Now updating for the last week of October... we're getting close!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Click for pictures: <a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/i35xn5iiokb" target="_blank">Mon, 29-OCT</a> | <a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/gjHn6o7amJy" target="_blank">Tue, 30-OCT</a> | <a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/eWuoSuWvRCp" target="_blank">Wed, 31-OCT</a> | <a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/GYUv6bV2VGS" target="_blank">Thu, 1-NOV</a></span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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Electricity Rocks!</h2>
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Switches have been installed in all of the proper places. Exceptions include limited amount of dimmers and some that are defective from the getgo. The house is also completely live and hot, so plug in those appliances! (well, not really... yet.)</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SFam8lzQQAM/UJBHcyoDzuI/AAAAAAAAESk/E8jlW9LFnDw/s756/IMG_2058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SFam8lzQQAM/UJBHcyoDzuI/AAAAAAAAESk/E8jlW9LFnDw/s320/IMG_2058.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">power panel, located in the garage</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CfyN7lGKdt4/UJiGaLp5G4I/AAAAAAAAEXU/n1Dv5KSzAhM/s567/IMG_2092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CfyN7lGKdt4/UJiGaLp5G4I/AAAAAAAAEXU/n1Dv5KSzAhM/s320/IMG_2092.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">security system panel... woefully limited in number of zones</td></tr>
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<h2>
the Floor got Stained!</h2>
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No, really. That's a good thing. The first coat was applied, in a natural protective stain/varnish/layer:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2kdXGs9ee0s/UJCVyodBkxI/AAAAAAAAEUw/t0d5dCp-qP4/s567/IMG_2075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2kdXGs9ee0s/UJCVyodBkxI/AAAAAAAAEUw/t0d5dCp-qP4/s320/IMG_2075.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hard Water, Soft Water, Clean Water, Scale Blaster?</h2>
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In lieu of a water softener/RO filtration system, our lovely plumbers installed this:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PUfzGycabFg/UJCVyviwysI/AAAAAAAAEU0/59xI0jKEubs/s567/IMG_2071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PUfzGycabFg/UJCVyviwysI/AAAAAAAAEU0/59xI0jKEubs/s320/IMG_2071.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Bizarre? Yes. Does it work? We'll find out. (Visit the manufacturer's website <a href="http://www.scaleblaster.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.)</div>
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Who's up for a nice long soak?</h2>
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The hot tub jacuzzi with jets is going through some testing right now and is not open for the season. Not sure if you'd want to get in it anyway, it hasn't been cleaned since installation.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uK8lAP5Tang/UJCVtvllDFI/AAAAAAAAETk/I4cP6dAKZac/s756/IMG_2065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uK8lAP5Tang/UJCVtvllDFI/AAAAAAAAETk/I4cP6dAKZac/s320/IMG_2065.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Gutters</h2>
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Last, but not least. These suckers surround the entire house and have been installed to ensure that walking the perimeter while raining is not a trip through SeaWorld's Splash Zone. In addition, they routed the downspouts in the front of the house underneath the sidewalks and out to around the street where they can burst forth like a geyser. Really, take a look for yourself:</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P7KRkh8Aq7s/UJiHuwbnvrI/AAAAAAAAEZA/3mxKCBfbBHg/s567/IMG_2104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P7KRkh8Aq7s/UJiHuwbnvrI/AAAAAAAAEZA/3mxKCBfbBHg/s320/IMG_2104.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gutters ensure that the house occupants are not sieged by water during precipitation.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gLXkSlfu7F8/UJiHvQ_dY5I/AAAAAAAAEZI/Y_wINWFT4Y0/s567/IMG_2105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gLXkSlfu7F8/UJiHvQ_dY5I/AAAAAAAAEZI/Y_wINWFT4Y0/s320/IMG_2105.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The location of the geyser: Out by the driveway, this spring loaded cover is designed to allow water to burst forth and not soak the driveway with water from the roof.</td></tr>
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Where were we Friday?</h2>
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Enroute to a lovely place known as Branson, MO. A popular destination spot for Oklahoma residents, it is about a 5.5 hour drive from Metro OKC and a lot of fun to visit. Not that we spent that much time visiting of course... Mom and Dad got to listen to a <strike>90 minute</strike> <strike>180 minute</strike> <b>7 hour</b> session with <a href="http://westgateresorts.com/branson-woods/" target="_blank">resort representatives</a> trying to get them to purchase a time share. I will not disclose the results of the session to respect their wishes. And hey, we scored tickets to a wonderful group known as <a href="http://www.thesixshow.com/" target="_blank">SIX</a>. We visited the <a href="http://dicksoldtime5and10.com/" target="_blank">5ยข & Dime</a> store in downtown Branson in late afternoon, then attended the show. It was awesome. For those of you that are interested, their latest promo vid is embedded below.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/aE3ia5ug5qE?rel=0" width="853"></iframe></div>
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On the way home, we passed through some lovely forests on the border of AR and MO. <a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/STN9Pb3SC41" target="_blank">You can view the photo album here</a>.</div>
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When is the house going to be finished?</h2>
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Now, that would be telling, wouldn't it?</div>
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Stay tuned, it will be soon. <b>Within the month.</b> We hope. And pray. And wish.</div>
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Meanwhile, please excuse the irregular update schedule, life's become crazy as of late.</div>
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Vote, and have a good night!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-69473487056886055222012-10-31T21:04:00.001-05:002012-10-31T21:04:13.212-05:00Happy Halloween<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-23076785257656727472012-10-29T22:08:00.001-05:002012-10-29T22:17:39.060-05:00House Report, Week 30<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/mQvG7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://i.imgur.com/mQvG7.png" width="640" /></a></div>
I've decided I like the <a href="http://blog.displacedsocalers.com/2012/10/house-report-week-28.html">new format I demoed back a couple weeks ago</a>, so here goes nothing:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Click for pictures: <a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/FQErPY1voKt">Mon, 22-OCT</a> | <a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/2SevVN41Trh">Tue, 23-OCT</a> | <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104414065631097518958/posts/2CNspg6RBh1">Wed, 24-OCT</a> | <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104414065631097518958/posts/9ZiyTSxxaje">Thu, 25-OCT</a> | <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104414065631097518958/posts/fFsyBYaSWoL">Fri, 26-OCT</a></span><br />
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<h2>
We've got Lights (and Fans)</h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y0jRgGU0EdI/UIs3WHvbl7I/AAAAAAAAERA/OWDMiqijT6E/s1095/IMG_2048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y0jRgGU0EdI/UIs3WHvbl7I/AAAAAAAAERA/OWDMiqijT6E/s320/IMG_2048.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A picture of the fan and light in BR2</td></tr>
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Well, we have gotten our lights and fans in, both interior and exterior. Pictured above is a typical fan/light combo seen in bedrooms and common rooms. Also, there are special types of hallway lights, closet lights, and exterior lights.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EVXMW1Hzr4s/UIs3UPldFEI/AAAAAAAAEQk/bZHhFGlr1Iw/s1095/IMG_2043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EVXMW1Hzr4s/UIs3UPldFEI/AAAAAAAAEQk/bZHhFGlr1Iw/s320/IMG_2043.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some undercounter lighting (dimmable) in the Kitchen</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IXNct9j_BdU/UIdaYXl5MoI/AAAAAAAAEJA/i1fhI40feLA/s1095/IMG_1991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IXNct9j_BdU/UIdaYXl5MoI/AAAAAAAAEJA/i1fhI40feLA/s320/IMG_1991.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A look at the front of our house, showcasing our style of exterior lights</td></tr>
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<h2>
Foilage!</h2>
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We've got the majority of our bushes and trees in:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KPKQtWgifjA/UIs16hMIlCI/AAAAAAAAEM0/yB9GR-bGMBU/w407-h305-n-k/IMG_2014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KPKQtWgifjA/UIs16hMIlCI/AAAAAAAAEM0/yB9GR-bGMBU/w407-h305-n-k/IMG_2014.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hardware Delights</h2>
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Our doorknobs are in, and with it come the doorstoppers:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0D_iPIyejp8/UIs19kk9byI/AAAAAAAAENo/UGyRRgkX5fM/s1095/IMG_2022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0D_iPIyejp8/UIs19kk9byI/AAAAAAAAENo/UGyRRgkX5fM/s320/IMG_2022.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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and hinge stoppers...</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6BYfn3HlYf8/UIs1_ua_bCI/AAAAAAAAEOQ/ntS27XZkGZQ/s821/IMG_2026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6BYfn3HlYf8/UIs1_ua_bCI/AAAAAAAAEOQ/ntS27XZkGZQ/s320/IMG_2026.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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When'll Be Finished?</h2>
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Supposedly, November 16th. We'll see about that. They really are moving along though, adding the final touches and prepping it for occupancy. Meanwhile, we prepare to take a weekend trip to Branson, MO. Stay tuned for that!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-69092024514087351702012-10-23T21:58:00.001-05:002012-10-23T21:58:40.390-05:00House Report, Week 29<br />
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<a href="http://i.imgur.com/b9VbY.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://i.imgur.com/b9VbY.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Hullo folks: the house is so close to becoming a home, it's mouth watering. We're excited and can't wait for it to be finished... hopefully we'll get in before Thanksgiving now! Read on for all the juicy details (ok, maybe not juicy, but still details...)</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Oct 15</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><b style="font-size: x-large;">Monday</b></h3>
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Masking galore: all the exposed trim is getting covered up in preparation for the wall painting. In addition, the <i>faux</i> marble windowsills arrived and were installed today.<br />
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<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/anaZPhQuR5Y">View the Work @ Google+</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Oct 16</span> </span><b style="font-size: x-large;">Tuesday</b></h3>
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They continue to paint all the cabinetry with this great stuff called lacquer paint... (hint: do not enter a house that has lacquer paint fumes without proper protection, you will regret it). The rest of the <i>faux</i> marble sinks and countertops arrived today.</div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/C3bVrfQsxgq">View the Work @ Google+</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Oct 17 </span><b>Wednesday</b></span></h3>
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The walls are being primered today. Also, the granite countertops arrived today and were installed and covered quickly. </div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/iA6npPrFkGL">View the Work @ Google+</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Oct 18</span> <b>Thursday</b></span></h3>
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Colors! The majority of the house was painted an off-white (tinge of yellow, barely distinguishable), while one bedroom was painted a light green and the other a slightly more intense blue. The theatre got a lovely shade of dark blue to enhance the image quality while watching entertainment. Also, a lot of the protective covering was removed today, so we got a closer look at some of the countertops as well.</div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/Yoje1TcjW96" target="_blank">View the Work @ Google+</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Oct 19</span> <b>Friday</b></span></h3>
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They finalized the interior paint colors today. Also, the plumber came in and installed the majority of the sink faucets, and the landscaping team installed the sprinkler system.</div>
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<a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/JAi49gWoQHd" target="_blank">View the Work @ Google+</a><br />
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<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">the Week in Review</span></b></h3>
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Alrighty then... paint, finished. What's left? Appliances | Hardware | Lighting | Landscaping | Fixing of Odds and Ends | Electrical/Security/Automation Setup | Theatre Setup We have been given a new deadline of the end of the second week in November now, so lets see how close they can stick to their promise then. I do apologize for not getting all this stuff up sooner, however I caught a bit of a bug and wasn't exactly operating at 90% capacity Sunday and Monday. Still shaking it off, but here's to clearing the backlog!<br />
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As always, the information should keep on coming as the house becomes closer to becoming a home. As always, you can click the banner at the top of the website to view <a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts" target="_blank">our Google+ profile</a> and see all the latest pictures.<br />
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<strike>Our website is also there for a general overview of the whole project, so you can look at that as well. <a href="http://www.displacedsocalers.com/building-our-barbie-home.html" target="_blank">Just click here to view the timeline</a>, or click the main portal link at the top of the page.</strike> <i>Forget all that, it hasn't been updated in months. I'll let you know when I've updated it... although don't expect it too soon.</i><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>Most of all, thanks to the readers out there, it really is something to see on the analytics chart.<br />
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Whoo hoo!<br />
Brother</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-15780600840891972502012-10-15T16:44:00.001-05:002012-10-15T16:44:08.042-05:00House Report, Week 28<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://content.screencast.com/users/QuoraKlamath/folders/Snagit/media/6d7f5b66-f428-452e-9bfb-9735b681be42/10.15.2012-16.17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://content.screencast.com/users/QuoraKlamath/folders/Snagit/media/6d7f5b66-f428-452e-9bfb-9735b681be42/10.15.2012-16.17.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Normally, this would be the standard report that I fill in on a weekly basis. However, this past week has been... shall we say highly irregular? So, you get a custom based House Report for the second week of October. Whoopdedoo!</div>
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Click for pictures: <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/104414065631097518958/albums/5799646129737267297">Wednesday, 10-OCT</a> | <a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/EhiG5CZtt8p">Thursday, 11-OCT</a> | <a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/4f8drAr1LkG">Saturday, 13-OCT</a></div>
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Painters have been working all week on primering and caulking holes in the wood work. They expect to be finished with all the primering of the cabinetry and other wood designs and begin truly painting starting today (October 15th). Most of the house will be painted an off-white:</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/D5H7r.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://i.imgur.com/D5H7r.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This image sourced from <a href="http://behr.com/">Behr.com</a>. Due to the nature of the website, no direct link is available.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The home theatre will get some love and be painted an extremely dark blue:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Coming Soon</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Meanwhile, my room will be painted a light green:</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/g5Qaa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://i.imgur.com/g5Qaa.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This image sourced from <a href="http://behr.com/">Behr.com</a>. Due to the nature of the website, no direct link is available.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And Sis' room will be painted a light blue:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Coming Soon</i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We're excited for this step to be completed... this is one of the final steps to getting the house ready for final touches. (Carpet | Appliances | Hardware Fixtures | Landscaping | Redoing of the Tile Floor).</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Standard House Report should return next week. Stay tuned for more information! (which should be more freely flowing, since things have returned to a normal flow... I think.)</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-91401236954175223062012-10-07T16:35:00.001-05:002012-10-07T16:35:11.242-05:00House Report, Week 27<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://content.screencast.com/users/QuoraKlamath/folders/Snagit/media/fa1396d8-a448-4cd3-93e3-65688333b319/10.07.2012-16.21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://content.screencast.com/users/QuoraKlamath/folders/Snagit/media/fa1396d8-a448-4cd3-93e3-65688333b319/10.07.2012-16.21.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Howdy, and welcome to the weekly report on the status of the house in construction. A great way to look at what is happening as a quick overview, it includes links to pictures and other great content. Click on the read more link to find out the latest news this week.</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">
</div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4047555483346867844" name="more" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"></a></div>
<a name='more'></a><div>
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Oct 1</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><b style="font-size: x-large;">Monday</b></h3>
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Painters arrived today... started to prep the house for paint.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/guQRWLXNzx8">View the Work @ Google+</a></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Oct 2</span> </span><b style="font-size: x-large;">Tuesday</b></h3>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
More prepping, including the patching of nail holes and other holes in the drywall.</div>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/RwiAuUB5Ao5">View the Work @ Google+</a></span></div>
<div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Oct 3 </span><b>Wednesday</b></span></h3>
</div>
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We weren't able to visit the house today. Sorry.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #999999;">View the Work @ Google+</span></div>
<div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Oct 4</span> <b>Thursday</b></span></h3>
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<div>
They started the primer layer... boy did it smell bad. Couldn't enter the house, so a picture of the front will have to do.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/YvGsX2bUXXX" target="_blank">View the Work @ Google+</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Oct 5</span> <b>Friday</b></span></h3>
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<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
The smell abated slightly today... enough to take a few quick pictures, but it still did smell bad.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/5XDAyr2wpPb" target="_blank">View the Work @ Google+</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: start;">
<h3>
<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">the Week in Review</span></b></h3>
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</div>
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Painting has begun, and we're still amazed at the amount of work that is being done each day by the painters. We'll try and keep you updated, but school and other events made it difficult this past week. Hopefully this week will be easier on the mind.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Stay tuned for more information, as we are rounding the final corner in getting the house built. As always, you can click the banner at the top of the website to view <a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts" target="_blank">our Google+ profile</a> and see all the latest pictures.<br />
<br />
Our website is also there for a general overview of the whole project, so you can look at that as well. <a href="http://www.displacedsocalers.com/building-our-barbie-home.html" target="_blank">Just click here to view the timeline</a>, or click the main portal link at the top of the page.<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>Thanks for keeping up with us! It is a great pleasure to share all this information with you and know that we aren't forgotten back in lovely, sunny SoCal.<br />
<br />
Brother</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-52836065539756180342012-10-01T22:01:00.000-05:002012-10-01T22:01:22.456-05:00House Report, Week 26<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://content.screencast.com/users/QuoraKlamath/folders/Snagit/media/a15d2de0-2eed-46ac-bbe0-5225bdaae5fd/10.01.2012-21.35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://content.screencast.com/users/QuoraKlamath/folders/Snagit/media/a15d2de0-2eed-46ac-bbe0-5225bdaae5fd/10.01.2012-21.35.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Howdy, and welcome to the weekly report on the status of the house in construction. A great way to look at what is happening as a quick overview, it includes links to pictures and other great content. Click on the read more link to find out the latest news this week.</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">
</div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4047555483346867844" name="more" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"></a></div>
<a name='more'></a><div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Sep 24</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><b style="font-size: x-large;">Monday</b></h3>
</div>
<div>
They started to install crown moulding and the screen frame for the home theatre projector screen.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/HrqHCN3LKCq">View the Work @ Google+</a></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sep 25</span> </span><b style="font-size: x-large;">Tuesday</b></h3>
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<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
They added more of the crown moulding today, also the stone workers patched up the stone where the lightning protection system grounding line was broken. The theatre projector screen frame was completed, and the step in the garage has been broken out and larger framing has been placed for the bigger, code-legal step.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/9RqiFri4s5z">View the Work @ Google+</a></span></div>
<div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sep 26 </span><b>Wednesday</b></span></h3>
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They finished the crown moulding and added all the door embellishments. They also added the fixed door to the broom closet as well.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/bDgqM4gzdv6">View the Work @ Google+</a></span></div>
<div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sep 27</span> <b>Thursday</b></span></h3>
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They added all the window sills today. Also, some cleanup occured, although it wasn't that much better.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts/LBPmxnA2FbP" target="_blank">View the Work @ Google+</a></span></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sep 28</span> <b>Friday</b></span></h3>
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<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
The concrete people came today and poured the rest of the driveway (where the lightning protection system grounding wire is located) and the bigger doorstep in the garage.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104414065631097518958/posts/H881BRgdugz" target="_blank">View the Work @ Google+</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: start;">
<h3>
<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">the Week in Review</span></b></h3>
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</div>
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<div>
They may be able to paint next week... most everything is now completed and ready for this stage. We hope that the deadline of Halloween 2012 will prove to be accurate for the liveability of the house, because we are ready to move in to our home for real. Let the countdown begin!<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Stay tuned for more information, as we are rounding the final corner in getting the house built. As always, you can click the banner at the top of the website to view <a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts" target="_blank">our Google+ profile</a> and see all the latest pictures.<br />
<br />
Our website is also there for a general overview of the whole project, so you can look at that as well. <a href="http://www.displacedsocalers.com/building-our-barbie-home.html" target="_blank">Just click here to view the timeline</a>, or click the main portal link at the top of the page.<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>Thanks for keeping up with us! It is a great pleasure to share all this information with you and know that we aren't forgotten back in lovely, sunny SoCal.<br />
<br />
Brother</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-77209189780626140802012-09-24T20:21:00.002-05:002012-09-24T20:21:56.554-05:00House Report, Week 25<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://content.screencast.com/users/QuoraKlamath/folders/Snagit/media/41e41f2e-016f-4a25-a10b-6326cf52c4cc/09.24.2012-20.09.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://content.screencast.com/users/QuoraKlamath/folders/Snagit/media/41e41f2e-016f-4a25-a10b-6326cf52c4cc/09.24.2012-20.09.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Howdy, and welcome to the weekly report on the status of the house in construction. A great way to look at what is happening as a quick overview, it includes links to pictures and other great content. Click on the read more link to find out the latest news this week.</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">
</div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4047555483346867844" name="more" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"></a></div>
<a name='more'></a><div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Sep 17</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><b style="font-size: x-large;">Monday</b></h3>
</div>
<div>
Added trim and doors today. What else can you say?<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104414065631097518958/posts/eVfdHjEXS8w">View the Work @ Google+</a></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sep 18</span> </span><b style="font-size: x-large;">Tuesday</b></h3>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
Added some more trim and shelves, it's starting to look like a finished house (granted, there is no paint or appliances, but one can imagine).</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104414065631097518958/posts/59wTJuXo54D">View the Work @ Google+</a></span></div>
<div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sep 19 </span><b>Wednesday</b></span></h3>
</div>
<div>
More trim and doors. Just isn't a lot you can say about them after a while.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104414065631097518958/posts/MmEtGoTuhBi">View the Work @ Google+</a></span></div>
<div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sep 20</span> <b>Thursday</b></span></h3>
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<div>
In the kitchen today: they added some shelves in the pantry and added the vent hood over the stove.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104414065631097518958/posts/8F8k6yhCvEP" target="_blank">View the Work @ Google+</a></span></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sep 21</span> <b>Friday</b></span></h3>
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<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
Finally, they added the shelves in the den's closet and also added bedroom closet shelves.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104414065631097518958/posts/H881BRgdugz" target="_blank">View the Work @ Google+</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: start;">
<h3>
<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">the Week in Review</span></b></h3>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
So much for painting next week... we don't believe that they will be able to be paint-ready by next week. There is still more trim and framework to be added, as well as a defective (-ly laid) porcelain tile floor to be fixed. We also have some questions about some other small issues that they may or may not nickel and dime us for... more on that later.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Stay tuned for more information, as we are rounding the final corner in getting the house built. As always, you can click the banner at the top of the website to view <a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts" target="_blank">our Google+ profile</a> and see all the latest pictures.<br />
<br />
Our website is also there for a general overview of the whole project, so you can look at that as well. <a href="http://www.displacedsocalers.com/building-our-barbie-home.html" target="_blank">Just click here to view the timeline</a>, or click the main portal link at the top of the page.<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>Thanks for keeping up with us! It is a great pleasure to share all this information with you and know that we aren't forgotten back in lovely, sunny SoCal.<br />
<br />
Brother</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323575265906626228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047555483346867844.post-59944014500098522892012-09-18T16:34:00.002-05:002012-09-18T16:34:26.654-05:00House Report, Week 24<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://content.screencast.com/users/QuoraKlamath/folders/Snagit/media/b8deff6b-2e14-478e-b15c-781d35cabd87/09.18.2012-16.05.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://content.screencast.com/users/QuoraKlamath/folders/Snagit/media/b8deff6b-2e14-478e-b15c-781d35cabd87/09.18.2012-16.05.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Howdy, and welcome to the weekly report on the status of the house in construction. A great way to look at what is happening as a quick overview, it includes links to pictures and other great content. Click on the read more link to find out the latest news this week.</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">
</div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4047555483346867844" name="more" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"></a></div>
<a name='more'></a><div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Sep 10</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><b style="font-size: x-large;">Monday</b></h3>
</div>
<div>
They started work in the master closet today, adding framework for shelves and hanging bars. They also added the mantlepiece to the wall.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104414065631097518958/posts/Cj6Kk2Cc4HC">View the Work @ Google+</a></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sep 11</span> </span><b style="font-size: x-large;">Tuesday</b></h3>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: red;"><b>9/11.</b></span><span style="color: blue;"> We Remember.</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
They worked exclusively on the outside of the house of the day, weedwacking the backyard and removing some of the dirt that was piling up in the front yard. The lightning company also came and fixed the sliced line.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104414065631097518958/posts/Dkc1yEYhMRV">View the Work @ Google+</a></span></div>
<div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sep 12 </span><b>Wednesday</b></span></h3>
</div>
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More work done outside today: the whole backyard was leveled and upturned, while the front yard had all excess dirt removed.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104414065631097518958/posts/8Rqt8XoWH5b">View the Work @ Google+</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sep 13</span> <b>Thursday</b></span></h3>
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An anti-erosion barrier has been erected in the front yard in a hurry, must have been due to the rain. Also, more doors were hung and a lot more work was done in the master bedroom closet.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104414065631097518958/posts/GjAhY65GN9L" target="_blank">View the Work @ Google+</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sep 14</span> <b>Friday</b></span></h3>
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<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
They finished up in the master bedroom closet, and hung a few more doors. Other than that... not much.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104414065631097518958/posts/LYSuXy9998R" target="_blank">View the Work @ Google+</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: start;">
<h3>
<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">the Week in Review</span></b></h3>
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We now have an official countdown: the house (should be) (maybe) (hope and pray) finished and liveable by the end of October. Or so the builder says. We are highly ready for this house to be completed, so keep up to date (such as it is, with the schoolwork and all) with us and send those mental positive thoughts to the workers finishing our house. Meanwhile, the weather is finally cooling down a bit, so we're a bit more comfortable when venturing out into the world of Oklahoma.<br />
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Stay tuned for more information, as we are rounding the final corner in getting the house built. As always, you can click the banner at the top of the website to view <a href="https://plus.google.com/104414065631097518958/posts" target="_blank">our Google+ profile</a> and see all the latest pictures.<br />
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Our website is also there for a general overview of the whole project, so you can look at that as well. <a href="http://www.displacedsocalers.com/building-our-barbie-home.html" target="_blank">Just click here to view the timeline</a>, or click the main portal link at the top of the page.<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>Thanks for keeping up with us! It is a great pleasure to share all this information with you and know that we aren't forgotten back in lovely, sunny SoCal.<br />
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Brother</div>
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