Hey, by the way...


Will you guys check out our website and tell me what you think?


www.badgeofblood.com


I value your opinions.. please let me know what you think of the concept, the website and all the pen-paper possibilities?

If I were a chaos theorist..

And figured out the universal law.. I'd head to Vegas and make several million before publishing. Hehe. Believe it or not, Craps is actually the best unaltered odds in the house. If you want to start using card-counting methods or something, then 21 can be moved over the 50% line and put into the player's favor, but that kind of takes all the fun out of it. Besides, there's nothing quite as fun as a Craps table going nuts over a winning streak. I love that game. Weeeeeeee!

=)

Vegas or not to Vegas?


Actually, I grew up mostly between L.A. and Vegas, but I moved up to WA a little over eight years ago.. as hard as that is to believe. Now, it looks like I'm headed back down to Sin City for a short time while I finish my degree and hang out with my wife and daughter. Life could be worse. My only remaining concern really is that the wife starts going insane by living in such close proximity to her family. I can put up with a lot, but for her it's a lot more personal. If it blows up, what's the worst thing that could happen? I get a job and we move out, I guess.. so that's not the end of the world.

Yeah.. it's weird.


I more or less made up my mind this past weekend that it was a go for sure, and since then almost all of the remaining concerns/questions I had about the process have been nearly magically washed away. Originally, Michelle's contract called for her to repay ALL of her maternity leave benefits if she didn't return to work, but the school district has waived that clause ($2500). I was freaked out about income if I left with Michelle and moved to Vegas before the home was sold/rented and my boss just offered to "lay me off" today so I could collect unemployment to compensate for some of the lost income. I just spoke with a rental management company who said he has three families right now looking to move out of some of his apartments and into a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage house and are willing to pay about $100 more than I would have expected to do so (which covers his management fee in full). He said he would buy my appliances because the folks that are moving in have their own. I found a mover that will ship all our shit for under $2,000. UNLV told me that they will give me the in-state tuition rate which saves me about $10,000. The refinance guy said that I don't need Michelle's income to qualify for the loan, and that in addition to the already rediculous savings of $450/mo, he can get me about $5k in cash-out as well as a skipped mortgage payment in March (when I'd be moving and needing the cash).

It's just another affirmation for me that when you truly and completely allow yourself to take a step towards the right direction that the universe (or whatever metaphysical/spiritual device you prefer) conspires to make it happen. I'm so fucking happy right now.. it's like a 10,000lb weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

Wow. Just.. wow.

Plus, I'll be a hell of a lot closer to the California Action Team Homeboys. It'll be kick ass to be able to visit with everyone a lot more often.. and hey, even introduce you to Haylee, who is doing just awesome, by the way! She's just turned three months this past week and she's already wearing 9 month old clothing.. yikes. I know she's going to be mobile in the next few months. It's just so hard to put into words how you can love one person so much. It's as though all your aspirations, hopes, loves, and hopeful expectations are all bundled up in this little person that doesn't quite know the opportunities and adventures they're going to experience. Kind of like sitting down to watch the best movie ever made with someone that has never seen it and knows nothing of the plot. It's like the anticipation of Christmas Eve when you've wrapped up the most amazingly perfect gift for a loved one and you can't wait for them to open it in the morning.

If any of that makes sense, anyway. =)

On top of everything, this is going to free me up to spend a LOT of time working on the Badge of Blood software development project. Who knows, maybe that takes off in the next year and we make enough money to be fat and happy with for a long time. I dunno. Thanks everyone for your support and kind words through all of this. Sincerely. Friendship and fellowship means more than anything else in life and you all offer only the best and purest of each.

Regards,

~Art

edit: Aaron, yeah, I'll be going back to the Business program at UNLV although I think I'll be changing from the Hotel/Resort/Restaurant program to the international or e-commerce programs instead. Dunno for sure.. but I've got about 6-8 months to figure it out at any rate.

YeeHaw

Wow that is pretty cool Art. I know you were mulling it over but I didnt think you were going to pull the trigger. I hope all is well and wish you luck. Are you going to try UNLV again? Bidniz I presume? I'd put my two cents in own owning and renting or selling, but I am probably not a good source for that, being that I have limited knowledge. So Ill stop there.

The new mac stuff is pretty cool. I mean the mini Mac is cool, but why did they put a G4 in it? Stupid. I guess Heat was an issue. I think it may be a good tool for getting more iPod owner that have looked at the macs and been turned off by the price. New computer buyers are pretty price sensitive. Plus it is uber small. The flash memory based iPod shuffle? I was hoping that Apple would put something along the lines of the iPod mini, with a screen and the same UI, but with flash memory instead of a HDD. I think they are stepping into a market that has a lot more competition and maturity and they dont have as strong of an advantage over the other flash mp3 players like they did when they first put out the iPod.

I will be in LA from the 15th through the 24th so maybe some of the LA Actionteamers and I can hook up for whatever.

D>M>

Yeah, I see that perspective.

The only thing I'm interested in, really, is that in another 3 years or so it will likely be worth another $40-50k or so and we could use that cash-out to roll into a home purchase/move elsewhere once I graduate. Actually, it just occurred to me that the irony here is that this is kind of the same dilemma I had in deciding whether to stay or leave here.. funny, that.

I suppose it would be a relief to just be done with it and not to have to worry about it, but the potential reward is pretty nice, too. I'm going to talk to a property management guy and see if he can convince me one way or the other. If he doesn't sell me on the absolute ease and certainty of renting it out, I'm going to put it up for sale and be done with it I think.

The housing market in this area is really going nuts and it likely to keep doing so unless something unforseen makes the market tank. The Seattle area is FULL and so peeps are moving southward looking for cheaper housing. My home is valued at about $165k down here, but would be upwards of $400-500k in Seattle, just 25 miles north, as nuts as that is. I live in a unique community that is self contained (gated) and while each home is free-standing and has its own footprint, the development has been zoned as a condominium to get around setback issues and other design legalities. The nice bit about being an association is that there are standards to be maintained and the community's curb appeal will be kept up as a result which should hopefully also maintain property values.

As it stands, if we sell, we'll have to pay off an equity line of credit as well as our mortgage, which will leave us with somewhere between $10-20k after fees and closing costs. That'd be enough to pay off our credit cards and leave us with nothing but a car payment and a small student loan payment to be responsible for.. which would be nice. But, refinancing the home now, dropping our monthly payments (1st, 2nd + C.C. absorbed) to $950/mo would reduce our monthly outlay by $400-500. Renting our home for $1200 or $1300 would give us a bit of cash flow and allow for equity growth, but the scary thing (of course) is what happens if the renters bail out on us or don't make the payment and we're stuck with it.

Feh.. I dunno!

I'll listen to what the guy has to say and then make a decision, I guess.

Artari

wow! good for you man. If you think it will be for the better, I would slap down the gloves too and face off with the challenges of life, in hopes of defeating it! I may have a dramatic change too, but it's still too early to tell so I won't share yet. But what major were you thinking of going into or completing? Is this related to the game company that you were thinking about getting involved with?

As for the house, you should formulate your own judgement, but in my opinion I'm with Eric, not on an having the disposable capital basis, but an overall economic perspective. I have been an anti-housing staunch for quite a bit now, and admittedly would have been better off, had I bought a house 2-3 years ago in the Northern California region, posting a handsome profit and probably could have invited Jon and Aaron as roomies as they migrated up here, but the reality is that last year, the mortgage market tapered off. This year, with the interest rate steadily increasing, potential inflation, cost of goods rising, and high prices of homes, chances are were looking at prices going downwards.

Of course, the counter argument is that at least in california, we are continually seeing a huge migration of new home buyers from overseas, namely China and India just to name a few.

So, I would say, sell now, get some gains, OR do a 1031 and use the money to invest in a house in a market that hasn't appreciated like crazy and stave off the capital gain taxes.

All in all, good luck!

Johnny

I'll Be Calling Tomorrow Art

...and as far as selling vs. renting, this is how I see the wonderful world of real estate:

Scenario #1) You buy a house and owe 80% to the bank. 2 years or more later (to enjoy tax benefits) you decide to sell. The property has increased in value anywhere from 2-5% a month over that period of time, and you end up paying off the mortgage and still have some nice cash in pocket that you didn't have before. Final result: You lived in a house for a number of years, paid the mortgage, and ended up ahead in the end in no worse a position as you were before, and some nice cash to help fund whatever venture you are undertaking currently, ie school.

Scenario #2) You buy a house and owe 80% to the bank. You decide to keep the property, and keep paying your mortgage and rent it out. The rent covers the mortgage, as well as property taxes and insurance, as well as any necessary renovations, and leaves SOME money in your pocket to assist with personal living expenses. No chunk of money to help with anything really, just a guaranteed investment that can always be sold at a later date, see Scenario #1. You can also always pull money out through refinancing every few years at the cost of losing equity in the final sale, but you never really know how the interest rates are going to change in our sweet strong-ass dollar economy...

Where does this leave the lucky homeowner? Wherever is relevant to their situation at the time! Sure, if you hold on to the property and dont sell for another 20 years there will be a tremendous amount of cash generated on the sale, but could you have used the cash of an immediate sale to finance a different life goal? If you sell now to get the cash out, will you be bummed at the lost potential value of the house if you kept it for years and years?

IMHO, and from my most recent of personal experiences, sell the house now, take the cash, lose more than you are comfortable with to the government in taxes, and use the money to do what you want with your life. When you are wildly successful, or even marginally successful, buy another house to sit on for years, let your kids reap the benefits of the future sale of that house.

Leslie and I sold our house in Hermosa for market value, bought in Manhattan, increased our mortgage, and are using the money to fund our current "business" venture. Sure, if we rented the house, we could be making enough to live on close to comfortably, but we would not have the cash on hand to do with what we want, and live like we want right now. Our decision was the right one for us right now.

Most people will tell you to keep the house, and maybe most people are right, but it sounds like you guys would be happier if you had a fat bank account without the worries of an out of state rental, rather than a slim account with the pain of dealing with renters, etc.

Selling vs. Renting


The house market up here is pretty strong right now, averaging between 5 and 10% gains every year in value, and our particular area is really growing fast. I'm relatively certain that the values will continue to climb over the next few years, but the concern, of course, is one of control, responsibility and upkeep from three states away. I guess if I have a property manager, then it's not so much my domain or responsibility (other than having to pay for repairs and whatnot).

Bleh, I dunno. Gotta make a decision quickly though.

Hey all..


Apologies for the inactivity on my part as of late. I've been going out of my mind trying to get a handle on some pretty large life decisions. Namely, the thought of quitting the only career I've ever known, selling my house and moving my family down to Las Vegas to live rent-free with some in-laws in exchange for the benefits of having Michelle home with Haylee until the fall when Haylee will not be breastmilk dependent and at such time that I will be going to school full time to finish my degree and Michelle goes back to work teaching.

I have to admit the alure of going to school full time without having to work is strong and very, very attractive. However, this is balanced somewhat by the fear of giving up my comfortable and reasonably well paid position as Captain Desk Jockey here at the insurance brokerage. My biggest reservation is one of looking back a year or two from now and regretting having given up such a cushy thing here.. but there's that part of me that rails against the apathetic/safety-seeking guy on the other shoulder screaming to LIVE LIFE.. DO SOMETHING YOU ENJOY. I have to admit, there's a lot of power and reward in living life with passion, but a bit of risk as well. Although, I've weighed the pro's and con's and come to the conclusion that if the whole in-law/school thing tanks and I'm down to the worst case scenario.. fuck it. I can always get a job doing SOMETHING to make ends meet if required.

So it looks like, for the third time in my life, I'm throwing my hat in the ring and seeing what comes of it. The two previous times I left the known universe things worked out pretty well, so why would I not have faith that the universe will conspire to make things turn out just how they are supposed to be if I take that first step? I lived with the Killens and learned what a family really meant, of which I credit for straightening me out and giving me a lot of the drive I have to be better than I am and to not settle for less-than. Later, I quit my (then) good paying, stable job in Vegas, quit school and threw everything I owned in my car and drove through three states to Washington to see about a girl and that seems to have worked out pretty well.. so.. here I am at the edge of the diving board and I say.. fuck it, I'm jumping in again. Time to live life.

I just told my boss today that I'm leaving and he about had a heart attack, although I'll probably stay on until the house-issue is handled one way or another.. so that could be a month or two on my own here. I'm going to make a decision in the next couple of days as to whether selling the house or renting it out via property management is a better option (if you guys have opinions, I'd like to hear it). Other than that, everything is pretty much settled, and it feels right thus far.

We only live once, right? Carpe diem and all that.

Late,

~O.
Captain Desk Jockey, ret.

Eric -- I gave you admin status. Go ahead and wipe the stuff that's already there/invite whoever/change everything etc. etc.

Johnny and Enron: Are you guys free Saturday afternoon to play Twilight Imperium? My gaming friend Jay is interested. He's a really good board game player and would definitely be fun to play with.

Autocad 2000 and TE

reading the Autocad 2000 book. That software has to be one of the most anti-intuitive, user unfriendly program out.

Bout TE we probably should also try the game without using the 3 player option rule of being able to choose 2 jobs instead of 1. It would be interesting to see how much faster the game can be. When u have 2 jobs it gets quite confusing.

Rule addendums:
Fighters can actually be purchased in unlimited quantities unrestricted by the counter chips available in play.

Transfers: A command token is taken from the command pool and one from your reserve pool. (This may just be a misunderstanding by my part) but I thought Jon iterated the rule as spending 2 command tokens from your command pool.

Game time: Definitely, I think that would be a good addon. When all the players are familiar with the rules, we should enforce a 3 minute planning time, where everyone gets to decide what they want to do. Then the individual actions shouldnt' take as long.

Johnny

Half Imperium

You know, when you start having vivid dreams about ordinary life in which using a shotgun is integral to going to the movies, talking with a city hall planning department, and boarding commercial airplanes; perhaps you have been playing too much Half-Life. Or perhaps you need a job.

I very much enjoyed the Twillight Imperium. The only problem with that game is it can easily become an hour to two hours longer if people are not prompt with their turn, especially with five or six players. It may be on of those games where we may need to enforce timed turns like BloodBowel online. Anyway the game really seems to keep the spirit of the previous version, but with what seem mostly beneficial changes. I would like to play it again to really see how well it plays once you know the rules.

D>M>