Beautiful

Things have been rather on the unpleasant side lately. I've been horridly sick, we got snowed in, and we lost power over and over yesterday. But... I woke up to this

Spectacular sunshine on snow. Its a winter wonderland out there
Unfortunately I can't go out and play in it since I'm still feeling rotten, but man oh man is it pretty

And I want to buy a house in town? am I nuts?

This is what woke me up this morning. AS the snow slides off the roof, it makes quite the sound. And if a big enough chunk actually falls, the whole house shakes. weeee

My new adventure

I'm starting on my next big adventure. For all that it is the supposedly normal thing to do, it feels like the craziest thing possible. Next to this, going to Africa solo, or completing my PhD field work on a minuscule budget (sometimes solo as well), well, they are nothin.

I think I'm going to try to buy a house.

Since the market is so low right now, and it is comparable to rent vs buy, it sort of makes sense. Plus, I really want my own place where my garden cant be ripped up according to a landlord's whim.

So, I met with a loan officer (who is really cool by the way) and found out it is actually possible. Then I started looking. Since I'm at the borderline of the borderline of possibility, it is pretty dismal. Seriously dismal. Even vile in some cases. But, I have seen a few possibilities.

This house was adorable. But it is at the top of my price range. It has a tiny second bedroom - and I need the insurance of being able to get a roommate to make this happen. It is also on a very busy street, and while it is cute, it is falling apart. And, they have linoleum over hardwood in the bedrooms! Obviously fixable, but I would have no money.

This house is kind of cute on the outside, but we walked in, and immediately turned and walked back out again. Can you say stinky?
This one seemed perfect. Way cuter inside than I expected, with an added bonus of a little cottage in the back. I could rent that out, and not have to share my living space! But, the cottage was a little sketch, and probably not legal - they city could object any time. And the house itself had issues that would have to be fixed by the owner before the FHA loan would go through. But, it is bank owned, so no go.

The cottage

The house itself

Now this one I liked.
It was a funky old house that had been remodeled.

The kitchen was great (finally)
But, it only has one bedroom. The whole roommate insurance thing again. It is frustratingly close, but since my summer employment is not guaranteed, I'm not comfy with the idea of having even an $850 a month mortgage without that extra income. sigh...

Now these next houses were all duds. And I didn't even take pictures of most of the duds

This one was cute, if you had tons of money to fix it up

The floor bounced when you walked on it Ever heard of taking the dogs outside to pee? The most bizarre remodel ummmm, sketch. that's about all I can say Then I found this house It's not the cutest thing ever, but it actually isn't that bad in person.

The floors are funThe kitchen has an interesting start, but needs some finishes. And some appliances. And a floor. But that's not impossible...
Even the yard has potential, not great, but it is fenced in and I could work on it.
The best thing though is that it is a foreclosure and therefore super super cheap
I will admit, this one is tempting.
We shall see

Fall 2010 classes

My class load this quarter was bigger than normal and it was quite an adventure. Here are my lovely students, the ones that made it to the end at least.

The joy of my Monday and Wednesday nights

BI101

Tuesday afternoon BI 112 lab
Wednesday BI 112 lab

On Thursdays I made my way to PCC for a 101 lab

And every Saturday at 9-4 (ugh), I had the joy of this BI 112 class

I wonder who is more relieved that the term is over, me or them?

Gansbaai: Shark Alley

For my last adventure in Africa, I had to take a 3 hour trip south of Capetown to a little town called Gansbaai.
This is the starting point for trips to the famous Shark Alley. Home to the breaching great white shark that you may have seen if you are a fan of wildlife documentaries. We were on the lookout for an ever so slightly tamer view.

So, we went 'fishing' for the sharks, using this smelly bait

Beautiful animals

This was a little guy

Even though the water was not super clear, I had to take the opportunity, since I was here, to do the whole 'swim with the sharks thing'. So, for a little while, I got into the cage that you can see in many of these pics.

This is a BIG shark!

Guess he's practicing for the seals?

It was amazing to watch

So cute and little, only a little bit longer than me...

Just to give you a size reference, you can see the heads of some people in this picture

It was amazing to be in the water with these amazing animals (with a nice sturdy cage in between). It was also spectacular to stand above and watch them float so gracefully by.

Great White Sharks!

On the way back, this gull hovered for a photo. I love the way it turned out.

Another shark viewing boat

Back in the harbor, these young boys were passing the afternoon playing in the waves

Brave mothers was all I could think.
After this lovely farewell, I started my 30 hour trip home. Back to Capetown (with a shower stop at the shark peoples office, thank goodness. Can you imagine travelling 30 hours on a plane, with a body covered in salt?), strait to the airport, and on to home. After a stop in California to see my family and pick up my lovely Rinsters, I made the final 10 hour leg of the journey, to start teaching the next day. Weeeeeee, life. Isn't it grand?