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I made a big step forward today 👣

I’ve applied at a handful of banks to get a mortgage to buy a house. To know what I can afford and what’s out there before getting my heart set on any particular piece of property.

Good afternoon! Snow flurries and 31 degrees in Delmar. ❄ There is a west-northwest breeze at 13 mph. 🍃. There is a dusting of snow on the ground. ☃ Things will start to thaw out at tomorrow around noontime. 🌡️

It shocks me to think I’m ready 🤯 but now is the time. I’m settling into my new position at work, it’s obvious my time is coming to leave my apartment 🏘 and move onto a house of my own, where I’m not dependent on my landlord for repairs or generosity in renewing my lease or not jacking up my rent. 📄

I’ve been saving and investing for years, building my career and skills, I should be able to take advantage of the mortgage and local tax deduction. Paying a bank 🏦 a lot more than my landlord is fine as it ultimately will build equity and will get me closer to the life I really want with some land, fresh vegetables 🍆 and stock. 🚜 I’m committed to my career and it no longer makes sense to rent a cheap moldy apartment, with everything worn out and falling apart, more so with the big rent increase and the loss of my previously wonderful and caring landlord. I want a place I can be proud of, bring friends and family to share meals with, have chickens and goats. 🐐 Maybe not off grid but with a wood stove and grid tied solar and a heat pump. Get an electric car eventually for commuting 🚙, try to get away from all that plastic. I have to live a good life while I serve as Director of Data Services in Albany for the next decade or two, which might mean I have to knock my dreams down a notch or two – still a big step forward from my moldy apartment.

This afternoon will have a chance of snow showers, mainly before 5pm. Mostly sunny 🌦, with a high of 34 degrees at 3pm. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 8th. Northwest wind around 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 55 degrees. The record high of 60 was set in 1981. 11.9 inches of snow fell back in 2003.❄

So that been my day, 📄 gathering documents for potential mortgage sellers and trying to find out more about the mystery LLC that bought up my apartment building who so far hasn’t provided a phone number or business address and wants to be paid rent through one of those cash apps. 🔎 I think I know a fair bit about the landlord’s mystery LLC from my research skills gathered as deputy in Regional Services and public records but what I’m finding is not good news 📰 even if the new property manager seems friendly in person. 🚧

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 35.3° from the due south horizon (-35.6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 8.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:50 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (248°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (254°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:30 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 1 seconds with dusk around 5:57 pm, which is one minute and 17 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon in the southeast (139°) at an altitude of 70° from the horizon, 237,634 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:31 pm. At sunset, look for snow 🌨 and temperatures around 28 degrees. The wind chill around sunset will be 17. ☃️ There will be a west-northwest breeze at 13 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 42 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 43 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have increasing clouds ☁, with a low of 19 degrees at 1am. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical night around February 19th. Maximum wind chill around 14 at 6pm; Northwest wind 5 to 13 mph becoming south after midnight. In 2023, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 19 degrees. The record low of -21 occurred back in 1973.

Looking ahead, there are 2 weeks until Read Across America Day 📚 when the sun will be setting at 5:48 pm with dusk at 6:14 pm. I read so many ebooks 📖 with that libby app. Including one about buying a house. On that day in 2023, we had cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 41 and 35 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 40 degrees. We hit a record high of 65 back in 1991.

Hill On Boys Camp Road

Where I Would Eventually Like to Live

Yesterday, I gave you some of my thoughts about the urban life — what I like about it — and the key elements that I think I find enjoyable about it from connectivity and accessibility of products and services nearby by walking or taking public transit.

Peru Farms

Yet, I’m in my heart a country boy, and I love spending time in the woods.

  • Live in a small community, with a small city (of around 20,000 persons) within 15-30 miles.
  • Own inexpensive land in hilly, rocky area, maybe 25-50 acres of woodland/pasture that I could run a couple head of cattle on, ride ATVs around.
  • Hobby farm a little bit, grow some of my own food, kill and eat my own animals.
  • Have no neighbors right nearby to bother me, be able to have fires, and burn my garbage (love fire!).
  • Be able to shoot targets and play with guns in my backyard.
  • Relatively low property taxes and fees so I could afford the land.
  • Have ATVs and snowmobiles, handguns and more long-guns, that I could ride around own land.
  • A big 3/4 ton or 1 ton 4×4 off-road pickup truck with cap.
  • State or federal public forest land nearby to hunt and fish on, along with ride ATVs and snowmobiles on.
  • Places in the boondocks nearby where I can truck camp or tent camp for free.
  • Hilltops and ridges to climb up on, look at wilderness and valleys below.
  • Lakes and ponds to swim and paddle around on, and fish.
  • Low taxes, friendly and helpful government agencies.

Coat Rack

There is a lot to celebrate about living in a quality urban community and living the urban life, I sure do love the wild nature of Rural America and the folks who spend every day of their lives in the wood.

Big Red is Expensive.

Big Red is expensive, but I like big jacked up trucks …

Big Red

I was reading the other day, that common suspension repairs including new ball joints and tie-rod arms that commonly have to be replaced lifted-trucks can cost upwards of $2,000. I guess that’s not a surprise, it was actually something I knew I would budget for in the future, after getting my truck lifted, as the heavier big wheels and the lift kit put a lot of stress on the stock components. I don’t need such repairs yet, but I know they’re coming down the line as I occasionally notice unpleasant noises.

I also know in a year or so I will probably need new 35-inch tires on the truck, which will be another $1,300 when you figure out the cost of those big tires. Again, something I budgeted for — I knew the lift kit experience would add about $10,000 in cost over the lifetime of the truck, half for initial lift kit and half for premature repairs, although I guess a stock truck would need some of those repairs eventually too.

It’s a lot of money, for an truck that’s always burned some oil, had a transmission which leaks fluid through the filler tube, been repaired from crashes, and everything else. It’s not been a cheap truck but I’ve been on a lot of good adventures, and seek to keep it on the road for another 5 years until age 12 or 13, putting whatever parts I need to keep it road-worthy, once it’s clear that repairs need to be made. I think it’s possible to get five more years out of the truck.

My next truck will be smaller and easier to drive. I doubt I’ll do the lifted thing again, although it’s been fun with Big Red. Maybe I’ll skip the truck and go for a smaller, fuel efficient car that makes it cheaper to do longer trips. Now that I have the propane lantern with the big tank, having the electricity from the truck isn’t as such a big thing for me. That would keep me from spending more money out of the account that’s supposed to be going towards owning my off-grid cabin. I don’t regret having Big Red, but I definitely could see downsizing in the future.

Having a “nice” truck is one of the luxuries I’ve enjoyed in my younger years, passing up on expensive vacations or having cable at home. I’d rather spend my weekends in wilderness with the truck camping. My view is a backcountry roadside campsite is far better then going to Paris or Rome, visiting Florida or some other popular tourist destination. I like the view I get from sitting up high in the truck, and I like having the camper and electricity at camp.

Small Business and Big Business

Earlier in the week was Small Business Saturday, which encourages people to shop at locally-owned small businesses. It’s the kind of event promoted by chamber of commerce types, and locavores, who think if we spend more of our money at local businesses, it’s good for the local economy. It it is, but also shopping locally promotes waste and inefficiency.

Big businesses are successful because they have economies of scale, they can sell, move, and produce product with less waste and overhead then small businesses. Less waste doesn’t just mean more profits, it also means less trash going to landfills, less electricity wasted, less costs on things that don’t actually make peoples lives better. Big business is typically better regulated by government, less likely to engage in fraud or crime then small businesses. I am not against Big Business, I think in many ways it’s good for our economy.

Small businesses do have an important role in our economy – they promote innovation and new ways of doing things. Large businesses are risk adverse. Why try something that’s risky when there is sure bet? All large corporations originally started small, usually with a novel product or service, something of value that isn’t provided by an existing business. Small businesses are also a leading employer when grouped together collectively.

Indeed, I’ve toyed with the idea of getting into small business myself. I think at some point I could turn my mapping skills into a businesses of my own. I’ve seen advertising for some of the mapping products that other people are selling on the Internet, and there seems to be a market for high quality maps, especially those printed on good water-resistant paper. There also is a big market for making maps with aerial (orthophotos) and other tree data for hunters and others who could benefit from a careful survey of their lands. But not for now.

Now we could do a lot to help small businesses by getting the health insurance and retirement burden off their backs, but government has been slow at creating a universal healthcare system. They could also create more options for supporting retirement efforts of both employees and owners of businesses. Regulations could be simplified and made more straightforward. Lots of things could be done to make life better business of all sorts.

I am not one who bemoans the lost of local business in favor of big business. Efficiency should win. Lower prices, more selection are good for consumers who often have a limited budget. But I also think small businesses do have an important role in our economy, advancing novel new products and services that aren’t provided in communities but are needed. Small business should be encouraged but big business shouldn’t be frowned upon – each should be emphasized for their unique strengths.

Big Red Brakes

Shop said the reason why my brakes are squeaking upon release is due to excessive glaze due to heat build up, due to increased stopping power needed with the larger, heavier wheels with the lift kit.

They suggested I install bigger calibers and ceramic brakes pads, better able to withstand the heat. Other then that, they said the hydraulics and springs were fine but could use a cleaning and lubrication. I agreed to upgrade the rear brakes, and I would hold off on front, because the front pads and rotators are not even a year old, and they are stopping fine, even if are a little weak on hard stopping. I didn’t previously upgrade them, because I had no issues with the first two and half years of lift kit.  The noise I had noticed was from the back, so I think there was more of an issue with the rear brakes then the front.

Eventually though, I will upgrade the front brakes, especially if I notice they are running hot or are getting excessively glazed and having more problems with smooth stopping. They just have a lot of life left on the pads and rotators, so I see no reason to upgrade them when they are working just fine.

Maybe I’ve just been scammed out of money over the back brakes (like most things in the automobile industry), but the repair seemed like a probable thing to keep things in good maintenance, and I don’t want the brakes to fail while I’m out in vacation.

Big Red

Why I’m Thinking Of Going Back to College Eventually

For the past couple of months I have been looking at going back to school eventually to some formal training in geographic information systems, or computers more generally. I have a bachelors of arts degree in Political Science, and what I view to be a pretty good liberal arts education. I read a lot, and are always looking for new information and facts.

But what I lack is any kind of technical training or knowledge. I am a generalist at everything I do. I understand big picture things, and have a vast knowledge of how political systems work, but no specific technical knowledge. I would like to be an expert as something fo ronce, have soe real skills, and not just be a generalist at everything I do.

East Through Tower Window

I like my job and it pays really quite well. I like having the money and a very nice truck for getitng out of town on the weekends. I like having the ability to travel and experience things. It sure is nice to able to catch the bus in on snow and icy and days, and keep my truck nice. And hell, I like my run down apartment.W In many ways I sould be happy about things.

But I really aren’t that happy. I don’t really like living that much in the city, not having much place of my own. I may live on te outskirts of urbanized area in Delmar, but it’s nothing like a rural community. Albany is nothing like a small city, it’s problems seem greater and impossibly difficult to address. Politics and policy are so much more complex in the big city…

Burn, Baby, Burn

I really want to escape the city, move out to rural hinderlands, in a state with a lot more freedom then NY State. I don’t want to work my whole life to pay taxes, and have restrictions on everything I do. I want to be able to shoot guns off my porch, burn stuff in my backyard. I want land, I also want to be able to get to similiarly great public lands to hunt, fish, and camp.

Albany is fine for now. I need to save a lot more money up for college. I probably can’t seriously think about going back to school, and moving to a more rural community until I have $20,000 or $30,000 in the bank. But then I want to have the freedom to disassociate myself from the big city, live out in the country, and live only in the sphere of a small city where people are far more connected to the land, and not dominated by clueless urban folks.