- The more I read about Dabo Swinney, the harder it is to not buy into what he’s selling. It amazes me at his ability to always see the positive in every single life situation he’s ever been put into. Dan Wetzel’s article is excellent.
- My 3 mile running route is tough. The total elevation change is 80 feet – an 8 story building – and it comes at terrible times. The beginning of the first half mile is uphill. The entire second half mile is uphill. The third half mile ends uphill. Then I turn around and do it all over again, only in reverse. But I’ve gutted it out twice this week and run the whole way. Number three is this afternoon!
- I loathe group events with strangers. Tailgating in Atlanta with people I didn’t know exhausted me. An acquaintance’s birthday outing here a few months ago left a bad taste in my mouth. Last night, the apartment complex had a tailgating-themed event for the Carolina Panthers game. I dreaded going all day but told myself I’d go to try and meet some of the other people here. I made it to the end of the first quarter before I bolted and spent the rest of the night in a sour mood.
- I’ve been incredibly unmotivated lately. I still have a counter full of things I need to either unpack or throw away. Another pile on my dining room table. I’ve got three blog entries I’ve briefly outlined and this week, I’ve avoided it like the plague. What was I so busy doing? I spent one night playing Batman: Arkham Asylum on my Xbox. Another night I watched The Kids Are Alright – a movie about two lesbians (Julianne Moore & Annette Benning), their two artificially inseminated teenage kids, and the dynamic of them meeting their biological father. Yup. That’s more important than blogging. Oh… I’ve also watched Hall Pass (twice), The Town (twice), and X-Men 2. Exciting.
- I learned all about FHA, VA, & USDA loans yesterday during a Lunch & Learn at work. FHA allows for a 97% loan-to-value ratio. VA & USDA loans allow for 100%. They also don’t normally require a down payment. It makes me want to find a place to buy. Not here in Charlotte but somewhere in the mountains or near Clemson. This grown up thing is slowly creeping up on me. I’m not sure I like it.
College Gameday’s going to Tallahassee this week for the #10 Clemson/#4 Florida State game! I picked Clemson in our Pick Six college pool to win. After reading the Dabo article, I’m even more convinced – which probably means we get blown out on national TV. But I’m heading to Raleigh to a gathering of the Jerdan Clemson clan for the game.
I’ll do better on the blog next week.
Nanu's Nation 
97% loan-to-value ratio and no down payment still? Didn’t we learn anything from the housing crisis? Just had to say that! 🙂
It was just a high-level explanation given to us, so I’m sure there are a lot of nit-picky qualifications (first time house owners, veterans only for a VA loan, etc). You don’t even have to have a great credit score (530 I think it was?). But that’s the federal government’s expertise – give great perks to few while the rest pays for it.
The feds are loose with other people’s money. After 25 years with the USDA lending arm that Nanu references, I can speak it. At one point, USDA got out of direct lending (housing anyway) – (where they made bad loans themselves) to where they did guaranteed loans (being the insurance for other lenders to make the bad loans and the government picking up the loss tab when the loans went under). Lots of cheap ways to get a loan! And government loans are SLOW to collect and even slower to foreclose.
Hug on Harper and you’ll feel better! She needs loving, and from the sounds of things, you do, too! Your feelings will rub off on her! Think of her as your touchstone.