Internal Monologue

"Bungalow" is a term that gets thrown around a lot in housing. But what is it, exactly? Jane Powell has an article on the subject in The Berkeley Daily Planet . Her definition: A bungalow is a one or one-and-a-half story house of simple design, expressed structure, built from natural or local materials, with a low-slope roof, overhanging eaves, and a prominent porch, built during the Arts and Crafts period in America (approximately 1900-1930). If it’s two stories it’s no longer a bungalow, though it can still be Arts and Crafts or craftsman (often known in Berkeley as a “brownshingle”). Both our current house and the house we are considering purchasing would qualify as bungalows.

I love how the injured birds perch so dutifully above the plaques explaining their history. Apparently, perching in one place for long periods of time is normal behavior for predatory birds.

OK, we've done some inspections. The house needs foundation work. As in, a new foundation. A bunch of people come over, lift up your house, put it on thingys, jackhammer the old foundation (or, in the case of this crumbly one, just kick it vigorously), build a new foundation, and attach the house to it. There are firms that specialize in this. The engineer thought that this would cost about $50,000. Oh, and it needs chimney work, electrical repairs, a new furnace, some roof work, and some of the kitchen appliances don't work. And that's just the high priority stuff. We're getting a bunch of estimates on Tuesday. They could easily come in at $80K total. Then we're going to present those to the seller and try to get the price reduced. If she does not do so sufficiently, we'll have to cancel our offer. (Since we'd do so during the inspection period, we lose no money except what we've already spent on inspections). So much education in so little time! SO M

Our offer was accepted. Now the inspection period begins... EEEK!

Scene: a smoke filled back-room at Republican National Headquarters. Republican Strategist 1: How will we take back the Senate in 2010? The Democrats are very close to getting a filibuster proof majority! Republican Strategist 2: I know! We'll take a relatively popular, almost-impossible-to-unseat incumbent, Arlen Specter (R-PA), and have him knocked off in a primary by Club For Growth right-winger Pat Toomey! This way, we'll surrender the advantage of popular incumbency and put forward an unknown wingnut in a state that voted for Obama over McCain by 10 points! Other Republicans: Sounds like a fantastic idea! Yglesias : Specter would be basically unbeatable. Toomey, by contrast, could win depending on whether or not a strong candidate emerges against him. But you wouldn’t really bet on it. Pennsylvania’s not the bluest state in the nation, but there’s little evidence that an orthodox conservative can beat an orthodox progressive in a statewide race. Obama beat McCain by te