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Old Newsletters
Solstice to Sunrise: June 2006
| Putting Down Roots We’ve gone through the initial process of qualifying for a home loan, searching for houses with a local realtor, putting in our initial offer, and negotiating the price down with a couple of counter offers. All in less than a week, whew! We looked at a couple dozen houses in two days, but the very first house that we looked at in our first full day in Albuquerque was the house that we chose to bid on. It is in a superb location, just a half-mile from the edge of the University of New Mexico campus and a mile from the UNM Medical Center where Truc-Ha works. The house is about 3 blocks from Route 66/Central Avenue with shops, restaurants, and coffee shops. It is about 50 years old, Adobe/Pueblo style with flat roof and stucco. It is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath and has all hardwood and tile flooring, except new carpet in the master suite which is a new addition as of this spring. The house is expensive, but we are sure that it is a good investment given the great location and good size (1820 sq.ft.). It has all new appliances, gas range, gas water heater, refrigerated air, and solar heating. Our closing date is July 26th, and if all works out well we should be able to move in on or just after July 28th. We are still waiting on inspection and everything, so things might turn sour, but we are optimistic. :) Soon to be added to the gallery are pictures taken while we were inspecting the home from a consumer standpoint. Of course we are having all of the usual inspections done. The seller is paying most of the closing costs and we were able to negotiate down to $328,400 from $339,900. Our realtor is also decreasing her commission from 3% to 2.5% which enables us to save an additional 0.5% on the closing price. Interest rates are quite high and climbing (7.25% when we locked in) but we are paying a percentage point of the price to decrease it to 6.75%. Truc-Ha is living in a month-to-month furnished apartment until everything is final and the house is available. I will be moving at the end of August. I am applying to the graduate school to study computational intelligence or cognitive science and plan to earn my PhD while Truc-Ha is in residency. I’ll attend school half-time for the first year (this allows me to pay in-state tuition) and work part-time either on my current project or at one of the local laboratories in Albuquerque. I’m in correspondence with several companies and Department of Energy labs and expect to change jobs before moving, but it is possible that I continue work for the folks in San Diego while living in Albuquerque. Albuquerque reminds us both of Nevada. It has lots of dirt, sage brush, and beautiful mountains. The weather is dry and hot, but surprisingly better than inland (20 to 50 miles) Southern California. Even though it doesn’t have San Diego’s climate, it has some charming neighborhoods and people. It is an incredibly bicycle friendly city and we both plan on biking to work. We look forward to future visitors in our new city! Love, Sunny & Truc-Ha 2006Jun25 |     |
Solstice to Sunrise: January 2006
| A New Year’s Lists Returning to my new home town, San Diego, presented a sensual wealth to me. With the warm weather, my arms fling out, exuberantly free of wool and coats. I revel in sushi, soba, and other Japanese foods, although I do occasionally sample restaurants without the bright orange salmon to butter my tongue. We have gone hiking on sandstone canyons that crumble to grit if you rub; and we’ve fished starfish from tidepools to tickle our palms a bit before returning them to their homes. As the sun hangs huge and red over Pacific Beach, I’m happy, and from this state of mind, I write to you. Again, we thank everyone who shared in our journey, whether from afar, or with us at the events. While marriage is a private relationship between individuals, it increased our joy and delight to gather friends and family into our married life as we journeyed. Photos and cards will be going out within the next few weeks, now that we’ve settled back into our home. A friend posed us this question at the end of the journey: “so what’s next?”. Our projects are many, and this month’s triumphs are a mouthful. On my side: as I am planning on graduating medical school in May, my focus has been more academic and career minded. In this month, I have completed my interviews for residency and continue to contemplate which one I want to join. It’s a balance between the strengths and weaknesses of both the programs and the cities they are in. Currently, San Diego is my favorite city, but the University of New Mexico has my favorite program. When I decide where I want to go, I submit a ranked list of the programs to the Match. I have also finished my second rotation in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, a subspecialty I am considering practicing. Given the close proximity to death these patients can develop, I am still at the “contemplative” stage of this choice. Next, I have finished 1/3 of my senior project, a study of tae kwon do referees and how much they know about concussions. On a more personal note, I have made two great friends in San Diego, and we’re celebrating the end of the rotation with Chinese dumplings (dim sum) tomorrow. My clothes closet is starting to come to order; my mail is starting to get out of order. For his part, Sunny has upgraded the concept of “birthdays” with “Brainchild Day”. See the results of our discussion on that at http://brainchildday.com, and add a post! He designed the logo and built the website in two days! With Caleb, there’s new software in the works, and a patent search is ongoing. When they finish their work, using a computer application will be far more intuitive and efficient than now. Poetic Publishing, the online publishing and collaboration company Sunny has begun, is getting a software and security upgrade, as well as some fundamental changes to make it easier to use. For the non-software realm, Sunny’s trying out some new recipes from vegetarian soup cookbook, a gift from Eric from our wedding registry, and some beautiful soups have been showcased this month, including avocado soup with marmalade chutney. Pictures will be forthcoming. Work has demanded many hours, but fortunately the deadline has been met, and Sunny will be flying out to Washington, DC tomorrow to “enjoy” the cold weather and delicious Thai food while he works. The future holds for us all the wealth of experience, learning, and great relationships that we intend. We’ll see you there. Until next month, Truc-Ha 2006Feb04 |   |
