2004.01.22
Andrew wrote:
> "Early candidate for 2004: Paycheck. Would it kill
> John Woo to tone down the action part of his action flicks?"
If it did, I think it would be in a hail of blue pencils
as he leapt across the cutting room in slow motion,
launching script changes with both hands as production assistants
dive for cover.
Online Tool of the Moment
Thanks to Jane for sending me a link to one of the better Which Canidate Is Right For You? kind of tools I've seen. It's a lot better than NPR's "pick your favorite soundbite" approach, where you're lucky if you can read between the lines. On the other hand, it seems the scoring is a bit harsh, with only exact matches 'counting'.
Article of the Moment
Slate.com has more analysis of the State of the Union speech, Fred Kaplen studying specific phrases in a piece called Evasions, Half-Truths, and the State of the Union.
Ramble of the Moment
So, I have a BIG decision to make: should I try to keep the House Mo and I bought and continue paying for it on my own, or should I cut loose, cash out, and just get a smaller apartment? It's funny, earlier I said that buying a house together was in many ways a bigger deal than get married, and now that entire big deal is in my lap. (On the other hand, I said being married wasn't that different from being shacked up, and I've done a 180 on that.)
For reasons of getting closure sooner rather than later, Mo would like for me to keep the house, and has made an offer to buy out her equity at kind of a bargain rate, especially if our estimates of the current worth of the property are as super-conservative as I think they might be. She says she just wants to move on and start the next phase of everything, rather than sticking around, get the house in saleable shape as I move out.
I think I should be able to swing a place like this but I really should consider trying to get a housemate. And also, there were some shakeups high up at my company today and it's not clear what the trickle down effect will be, so that makes me kind of nervous.
I made up a document with an explicit view of my finances, salary and savings and all that, and sent it to my mom, my Aunt, our financial advisor, Dylan, Peterman, and a few other folks. So far the suggestions have been a mixed bag. My Aunt says that having property has done very well for her, and it probably would for me as well. My mom hasn't taken a definite stand. Dylan thinks the answer is obvious, get out, the house is of my old life and I don't need that kind of space. Peterman thinks I should take Mo up on her offer to buy her out at a fairly reduced rate, and then turn around and sell. Our financial advisor thinks it's a no-brainer, the house is a good investment, but Mo's offer in particular is too good to pass up.
I can't believe how difficult a decision this is turning out to be. I guess right now, my heart is saying move, my head is saying keep. It just seems like...too much. Having this kind of property seems to add too much inertia--it's not the final word on where I live, how much I have to earn, what kind of starting point I might have if I get a future romantic interest that starts to look serious, but still, it's a big influence. Making it more complicated are ideas like buy the house, but sell it soon, trying to leverage Mo's deal while still planning to live a bit smaller.
I welcome anyone's feedback...obviously I'm not posting my financial numbers for just anyone to see, but still, I'd like to gain some benefit from anyone else's past experience...