A Chicken with Its Head Cut Off Drinking From a Firehose

I missed a day or two of posts. Sorry. Here's why:


Monday

• Wife decides she doesn't like the house we bought.

Tuesday

• I ignore Monday's problem.


• Tried to resolve address problem with Company credit card in UK. Failed.


• Obtained cashiers' check from credit union to cover earnest money for house.


• Wrote to financial advisor asking her to arrange for handling downpayment


• Visited Company fitness center and decided for $30 per month, I'll join. Did that online 'paperwork'.


• Tried to sign up for Company's automated expense report processing. Couldn't because I had no copy of a check from the credit union with me. Grrr.


• Applied for and received permission for Company-subsidized covered parking space in near-by building. It'll be about 1/2 the cost of the $5 per day I've been paying up to now.


• Sent expense account form to UK HR to get reimbursed for money we spent for our flights from UK to here


• Drove to sales agent's office in our new subdivision to deliver earnest money and to sign preliminary paperwork. Met our realtor Marla there. Nothing scary showed up in the paperwork. Found that the house has built-in pest control system. Found that they're in the process of constructing a pool and fitness center for subdivision residents less than 5 minute drive from the house. Found that the builder has a website that shows our house from the time they started laying our slab through construction. Only disconcerting part: Our yearly home owners' fee is $650; the home owners association takes 1-point-something percent of our selling price when we eventually sell the house. Oh, well.


• Drove home and made telephone calls to three Company-approved lenders. Decided on Wells Fargo when they showed up with best rate (5.875% on 30 year fixed when I put property taxes into escrow.) Citibank a close second. GMAC a distant third because they seemed disorganized on the phone.


• Called State Farm insurance agent from whom I'd purchased car and renters' insurance and asked her for quote on new house.


• Arranged Simple Power as electricity provider for new house based on comparison website for electric providers in Texas. Only locked myself in for six months, so if I've goofed, it's not forever.


• Made Campbells vegetable beef soup for dinner. Threw in some left over veggies too. Yummy. Can't get it in UK.
  
• Lasted about 5 minutes on the couch in front of TV before falling asleep.

Wednesday

• Picked up parking badge.


• Brought check from home and submitted application for automated expense reporting. Now I can request reimbursement for Company mobile phone.


• Sent estimated tax payment to Internal Revenue


• UK HR agreed to reimburse for airfare, but whined that it should have been handled by US HR.


• State Farm calls back and emails insurance info for new house: ~$1300 per year. Seems OK to me.


• Booked business meeting for next Tuesday. Changed it to Monday at vendors' request. Changed it back to Tuesday when vendor says he made a mistake.


• Gave additional info to Wells Fargo to get mortgage process officially kicked off. Citibank calls back and wants back in the game. I say, "Nope, you had your chance."


• Talked with Company IT Procurement in California. I've apparently broken someone's rice bowl and I need to glue it back together. Nice guy though and the end result is going to be good, I think.


• Received notification that our sea shipment has cleared customs! I arrange delivery on Tuesday 23 September ... giving us time to have house cleaned after we close on 19th.


• More talks with our own Procurement people to make sure I've not done anything incorrect with them like I did with IT Procurement. I don't think I have and we're all going to teleconference next week to start pulling on the same end of the rope.


• Toyota dealership called to let me know they are mailing our license plates to us.


• Went to gym for first time in three months. Fifteen minutes on rowing machine; 15 minutes on 'stepper'; 15 minutes cooling down walking on treadmill. Thought I was going to die.


• Drove home then walked to "Fish" restaurant near our house. Poor Wife still has terrible stomach upset from the antibiotics she's been taking for her toothache. Tries to eat, but nothing tastes right, and then she's sick again anyway. Fortunately, last day of pills is tomorrow.


• Wife allows that maybe the house will be OK afterall.

Other than that, not much going on. Sorry I've not posted more often.