I have started a journey to Portland, OR.
My flight leaves this morning at 6:30 out of Bradley to Phoenix, AZ. I’ll stay there for an hour or two and then zip up to Portland - arriving at 12:45 West Coast time. This will be the first time I’ve been west of Kansas.
Stay tuned for updates
4 CommentsP: “how much load is on the bearings?”
Mike D: “None! they seize up even without any load.”
P: “that’s really strange.”
Mike D: “What are some of our options? we really need to provide good bearings to our customers.”
P: “I agree. I’ll have an engineer call you.”
Mike D.: “okay. What’s the guy’s name who will be calling me?”
P: “Rob Schnieder.”
Mike D.: “Rob Schnieder’s going to call me?”
P: “yes.”
Mike D.: “THE Rob Schnieder?”
P: “No.”
Mike D.: “oh.”
Updates shortly.
No commentsI’m in Ohio this week. More updates soon.
No commentsAnimals, appearing in the Tube maps.
Enjoy.
No commentsRegistrar.
ugh.
hate it.
2 CommentsIn honor of their 10th birthday, Google has allowed you to step back in time and use its search engine as it appeared in January 2001. MikeDiDonato.com doesn’t exist nor does any reference to September 11th or Facebook.
1 Commentfind all the endings!
1 Comment80’s hair-metal rockers Twisted Sister announce that they ‘are now going to take it.’
Check out the inside scoop here.
No commentsWhenever I’m wheeling a cart around the grocery store or the shop floor at work I am hard pressed not to kick off, jump on, and ride that cart for a few meters.
I hope I never grow out of this desire.
1 CommentThey’re awesome.
2 CommentsA couple weeks ago, Ben did a great job of explaining Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac to us.
This episode of This American Life does a great job of explaining the greater “credit crisis” in excellent detail.
2 Comments(video)
1 CommentMandy is doing Habitat for Humanity. If you’d like to help her out with a donation, click here.
No commentsI should name my firstborn son “Norman”
7 CommentsAnd his talk on our Queer universe on Ted.
No commentsTry a 100 lb. (45 kg) burger.
Just one item on the list of the World’s Top 10 Largest Things 2008, and where to find them.
3 CommentsIt’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Check out the fun here.
Been a while since you’ve sailed the seas pillaging for booty? Check out these fantastic guidelines for how to talk like a pirate!
1 Commentfrom Darcy.
3 CommentsHuge African American Male at ShopRite with sunglasses: Dude. Your hair is awesome.
Me: Thanks!
H.A.A.M.@SR.w/SG: Seriously. You’ve got it goin’ on.
It is done!
The whole legal process went smoothly. The lawyer explained the documents and I signed them one by one.
It was all quite professional. Until I went to stand up and smashed my head against the chandelier above the table and then turned around and practically knocked over chair I had been sitting on.
Oh well.
Authored by: mike d.Provided all goes according to plan by the end of this day I will be the official sole owner of the House of Rock. In order to get Jesse’s name removed, I was forced to refinance.
And let me tell you, refinancing is a huge pain in the butt. In addition to costing scores and scores of mula, it’s an adventure that requires a legal team, a mortgage lender, a mortgage broker, an insurance team, an accountant (or someone equally as tax-savvy), and the alignment of the 48 moons of Saturn. As it happens, the celestial bodies seem to have fallen into order and at 2:00pm I will be passed a stack of papers 8 inches thick and a blue pen with which I am to sign blindly because, seriously, who’s going to read all that crap. Oh yes… and thank you so much for lending me the money that’s already being lent to me. Here, let me write you a staggering check to pay you for your troubles.
Adding to the frustrations is this whole credit crunch mayhem. The lender actually required me to write a short something stating why I wanted to refinance. Essentially… an essay. I had to write an essay. You can’t make this stuff up. Being the meager homebuyer that I am, I gladly bucked to their demands, wrote up my piece, and thanked them for the opportunities.
Back in the day, J.P. Morgan used to give out loans based on the character of the borrower. Frankly, I think it’s unfortunate that we can’t fall back on this. These days it doesn’t matter how much dirt is under your fingernails… it’s more important that your mortgage costs won’t exceed 30% of your salary* and that you can write an essay explaining your desires to refinance**
Kung Fu threats don’t work either***. In fact they aren’t typically taken very well at all. Those bankers are an ornery bunch.
No matter. Sometimes you pass Go and other times you land on Luxury Tax. Let’s leave the banking matters to the banks and just hope that the coming years find the house of rock filled with good times. Here’s to you House of Rock!
*That number might not be right. I don’t remember exactly.
** The purpose of this, if you’re curious, is to create a paper trail so that if something goes horribly awry and it is found that I refinanced for some other less worthy reason, I can be held responsible and the bank can cover its butt.
***
bank: Mr. DiDonato, how’s 6%?
mike d: 6%!?!?! It sounds like you guys need a good crescent kick to the head.
bank: how’s 6 and an eighth?
mike d: 6 and an eighth is just fine.
