I could have taken the easy way out on my porch project, but I didn’t. I could have put ugly green Astroturf to hide the crumbling steps, jammed a bunch of concrete into the part on the side crumbling and painted it, or just fucking stuck a huge flower pot in front of it to hide it. Nope, we chose to take it out and rebuild it to improve the aesthetic of the front approach to our house. Seemed like a good idea at the time…

© Caricatures Ireland

So I went down today for the second time to apply for a building permit to rebuild my porch. The first time I went I got a brief overview of what I needed to submit, so I went back this morning to submit it hoping I could get started working this weekend. Apparently that won’t be happening. After speaking with the building inspector, he apparently has taken an interest in my project because now he is requiring:

• A site visit to verify construction materials & the dimensions of the old porch
• Verification that my new porch will not encroach farther than the average porch of every house within 650 feet of either direction of my house on my side of the street
• Pictures of the old porch
• A property survey
• 12-14 days for plan verification before approval

That’s all super fantastic except that:

1. I don’t have a fucking property survey, so lets add another fee to my list of costs I wasn’t planning
2. I have a huge fucking hole right outside my front door which I can’t do anything with for 12-14 days while he verifies my plans, construction materials, and old dimensions

I would like to give the city the benefit of the doubt and think that they (Ferndale) appreciate my youthful enthusiasm and willingness to learn about home-owner processes, but if there is one thing I can’t stand is all this bureaucratic bullshit.

I was thinking to myself last night that it’s been nearly 3 months since I switched jobs and there are absolutely no regrets. It’s AWFULLY REFRESHING to not dread waking up and going to work with every particle of your being. When I come home at night, my very soul and ambition to live is not crushed or destroyed. HOW DID I LIVE WITH MYSELF FOR NEARLY 3 YEARS?! More importantly, how did C?

So now I’m my own boss, a part of management, integral in the day to day operations of a major entertainment complex, and I couldn’t be happier where I am.

I wasn’t all that busy yesterday so I spent some much needed time upgrading software & fixing up the blog layout, and I’ve got to say I’m pretty happy with the results.

I’m hoping this provides the spark to get back into blogging regularly as I’ve FALLEN OFF THE HORSE (pun intended) a bit too much lately. The new layout gives me more room to use & I think it’s a lot easier on the eyes, so sound off in the comments what you think.

Some of you have wondered what’s been going on in Detroit with the lack of posts lately.
Well, we went to see a Tigers game and a Red Wings play off game last week, we’ve both been busier than crap with work, and we started a LITTLE home improvement project.

We opened pandora’s box with that last one…
Also news of note: both C and I got new phones. I got a blackberry so I am constantly connected to everything and everyone.
Information overload – just the way I like it…

While I may not be the most mechanically inclined person on the face of the earth, I spent an hour tonight fixing the kitchen faucet which had been pooling water underneath the cupboard for an unknown amount of time. Of course the job only needed some patience and plumbers tape, but I’ll leave it up to you to guess which I had readily on hand (clue: I had the tape). Good to know I can at least put my tools and obscene vocabulary to good use…

Ahhh springtime, I had almost forgotten how good you feel. The time of year where the sun warms & the permafrost rolls back to reveal FOUR MONTHS WORTH OF DOG SHIT IN THE BACK YARD.

Par for the course as a dog owner. I guess you can count this my official 1st day of spring. Welcome back to the new weekly yard work routine…

Yes, I’m the supreme slack. I haven’t made a new post in weeks, so sorry. I could have filled up the entire time with snide remarks about my old boss, or how awesome my new job is, or about all the ridiculously fun things we’ve done over the past 3 weeks, but I didn’t. I’ll be putting in some double time to get back in the habit of posting things as they happen…

Long Point Provincial Park

July 17-20

Need I say more?

Yep, at the Hazel Park Race Track! Guess he gets to dork it out all day and gamble on his lunch hour.

Amazing goulash…

1/2 pound whole wheat elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/3-ish pounds ground sirloin
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
Fresh ground Black pepper & Salt
1 cup beef stock
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped dill (or more!)

Bring a pot of water to boil for pasta. When it comes to a boil, add pasta and salt to season the cooking water. Cook pasta 12 minutes (package time) to al dente.

While water comes to a boil and pasta cooks, heat a deep skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil then ground meat. Break up meat and crumble for a few minutes. Add garlic, onions, red bell peppers, tomatoes, and seasonings to the beef. Cook a few more minutes then add beef stock and sour cream to the pan. Bring to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Add cooked pasta and stir. Let pasta absorb some sauce, a minute or so. Adjust seasonings and serve. Garnish the prepared dish with chopped parsley, and..

PREPARE FOR FOOD COMA.

Not only does this make a metric crap-ton, but it tastes amazing.