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Bus

November 29, 2005

Did I mention that a bus stop is half a block from the new house, and another stop next to my office?

Yup. I can walk the 1.5 miles, bike, or bus, and, if need really requires (we only have so many work vehicles to share when checking on projects), I’d only have to drive 1.5 miles instead of the current 14. Awesome. And, as far as Christa is concerned, it’s only a little longer than she already travels to get from school to the current apartment when she visits for dinner.

The house was inspected this evening… no major problems, just a few minor fix-its here and there. Things should go well from here on out.

Posted by paul at 09:19 PM | Comments (1)

Craftsman Bungalow

November 22, 2005

Sunday afternoon Christa and I took a drive downtown and through the historic neighborhoods to the immediate north of downtown. We only expected to look for apartments and gaze at cute homes. We drove by a cute craftsman bungalow that was with an “Open House” sign out front. We decided to take a look. And LOVED it. Absolutely. So Monday I went about getting approved for a loan, signed an offer in the evening, and had the offer accepted by noon today. So, now, two days after looking at the house, we are now looking at a December 12 closing date (after inspections etc).

A short rundown on the area. It’s in the Mesta Park neighborhood, 1.5 miles from my office (which is downtown Oklahoma City). The neighborhood is a recognized historic district, so we get the fun (slight sarcasm there) of being in a very rule-oriented neighborhood. There is a commercial district three blocks to the north, and another four or five blocks to the west. A cute old elementary school is one block north.

The house was built in 1914. It has a wonderful front porch, a sidewalk out front, a one-lane driveway to the two-stall unattached garage. The garage is spacious, and has nice carriage-style doors with glass at the top. The backyard needs some work, but I’d love to get my hands dirty.

The back entrance to the house includes a screen-porch and steps to the basement. A note on that - almost all homes here do not have basements, but this one does. The washer and dryer are located in the basement, but not much else. Inside the back door sits the kitchen. It’s a beauitiful yellow, spacious enough for cooking, but definately not overwhelming. To the right of the kichten (facing east) is what will be the office/interior design studio (for Christa). North of that is the guest bedroom/future tv room. The one bathroom then separates the middle room and the master bedroom, with windows facing north and east.

Immediately west of the bedroom is the spacious living room. The west wall of the living room is beautiful. A mock fireplace (with gas fire) splits the west wall, and on either side are located bookshelves four feet tall. Above each bookself is a beautiful window. Finally, the dining room sits between the living room and kitchen. On the west end of the room is a large group of windows and a long seat built below. Woodwork adorns the home, and all of the floors are oak, and it looks to be original and in very good condition. The kitchen floor planks are wider and unfinished, part of a renovation that never quite made it all the way from to the kitchen. The only thing we’ll do to the place is paint some walls and add a dishwasher and possibly a new stove (the chef in me is hungry to take on my own kitchen for once ).

That’s a quick summary of the home… We’re very happy, and closing will be December 12, barring any unforseen difficulties.

Posted by paul at 07:30 PM | Comments (0)

Wedding Question

November 16, 2005

Hey Hollanders - Who of you are thinking of coming to the wedding in Texas? We’re just trying to get a general head count for wedding things down there. Email me or comment here.

Posted by paul at 06:40 PM | Comments (3)

Nader and Jackson

November 14, 2005

Why are Raplh Nader and Jesse Jackson making statements about Terrell Owens being suspended? They both claim that the punishment was much too severe and are crying for T.O. to be re-instated. I half understand Jesse being involved - T.O. is black, so therefore Jesse can make some racial claim about it to get in the news - but I don’t understand Nader’s involvement.

T.O. got what was coming to him. Hopefully he learns from it.

Posted by paul at 06:57 AM | Comments (0)

Congress Has a Brain!?!

November 10, 2005

The U.S. House dropped its push for drilling in ANWR last night! It also dropped a measure to allow drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Since the Senate actually approved the measures last week, there still must be so haggling over the final bill, but it is highly unlikely that ANWR will be re-added.

Today is a good day.

Posted by paul at 07:14 AM | Comments (3)

Paul A Ryckbost for Amtrak Board of Directors

November 09, 2005

I am hereby placing myself on the short-list of candidates for the Amtrak Board of Directors.

I’m actually serious… but I know there’s only the tiniest of tiny chances of that happening this early in my life.

Currently, the Amtrak Board has four members. Federal law calls for seven. And, two of the members are recess appointments that will be let go when Congress comes out of session. Therefore, it leaves Norman Mineta, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Chairman of the Board. That’s just ridiculous.

To top it off, today the Board fired David Gunn, now past-President and CEO. I think this is a horrible decision. Gunn has done more for Amtrak in the past three years than had been done for Amtrak in the ten years previous. This might be a step in killing Amtrak alltogether, and that scares me. America needs Amtrak. We need passenger rail.

Posted by paul at 07:00 PM | Comments (3)

Sustainable Happenings

The AIA SDAT event is almost done… it was an interesting time. Many opinions were given, many ideas discussed, but, alas, I didn’t really see a coherent plan emerge. The process (at least the part I was involved in) was definately a positive learning experience.

The SDAT team included a variety of people:


Looking at the list, and if you include myself, there was an un-expected majority of (former and current) Michiganians represented.

The final presentation was this evening, and in 90 days I am to receive a final report and PowerPoint from the team. I’m quite annoyed that it will take 90 days to get the report… but at least I get one.

Posted by paul at 06:09 PM | Comments (0)

AIA SDAT

November 07, 2005

The City of Oklahoma City is hosting a three day workshop of the American Institute of Architects Sustainable Design Assessment Team (AIA SDAT) today through Wednesday. A group of architects, planners, designers, engineers and more will be coming to the city to conduct what is basically a charrette, but with sustainability specifically in mind. The neighborhood is a run-down industrial and commercial district just east of Bricktown. Monday consists of meetings with local officials and professionals, as well as the land and business owners in the neighborhood. Tuesday is a work day for the SDAT people, and then Wednesday the team will present its ideas.

It’s an exciting event for OKC, as only 5 cities have the privilege of hosting the AIA SDAT this year. The neighborhood really is prime for redevelopment, but it does need work. Hopefully this will help.

I’m also excited because this is my first opportunity to shine… I have managed to be appointed the Public Works representative to SDAT, and therefore I will be attending all of the events on Monday and Wednesday. I’m hoping that this will lead to an increase of interest in green design and sustainability, so that we can get OKC on the green map.

Posted by paul at 07:11 AM | Comments (0)