Joyce Melton

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• 14:34 Sad that no one ever calls Boxing Day "BoChristing Day" anymore. #

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• 10:40 Here's hoping Robo-Santa was good to you this year: bit.ly/6Gebsc #
• 10:53 For Xmas eve, Amy made Indian food and we watched 6 episodes of Twin Peaks. Ah, tradition! #

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The Japanese really have a love of nature, but alter it to suit their sense of design.


Here's a gardener meticulously tending the grounds with brooms. I was reminded of the time I was at a temple in Kyoto and watched two ladies tending a moss garden. In Miyajima we saw a groundskeeper sweeping the trails.


The straw rope denotes something as being sacred, as these camphor trees at the Meiji Shrine.


I assume the straw coverings are to protect these pines from the cold.


We saw quite a bit of pines with branches supported by bamboo poles.


Flowers with straw tents to protect them from frost.

( click here to see the rest )

And then they just play with the box ...

Why am I blogging on Christmas Eve? To warn you.



Don't let it in the house. And merry Christmas.

Originally published at mooreroom.

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I'm going to pester my agent about this if I have to, but I'm hoping maybe someone knows enough to explain this to me.

I'm trying to buy a house from an estate. My understanding is that they can refuse to give me a Form 17 (that's the form in whatever jurisdiction I'm in), which is a declaration of information about the house that might affect my buying decision. Here's where they have to 'fess up if they know that it has mold problems or dry rot or whatever.

It's an estate sale. Generally, an estate sale is when the occupant is deceased. No living person has information about the house. So, generally, no Form 17 is issued. I'm cool with that. I'm perfectly, 100% okay with no form 17, based upon their inability to provide it.

But that's not what they're doing.

They're asking me to waive form 17, and to waive my recourse if they are negligent, or omit anything, etc..

And that just bugs me, because it feels like they're saying "we have information, and we're asking you to accept that we won't give it to you."

I'd be 100% okay with "we won't give you form 17, because we don't have to." I'm 100% *not-okay* with "please tell us you voluntarily waive your rights to receive it."

And I don't know if I'm being silly. Maybe this is how estate sales are done. Has anyone out there been in an estate sale? Do they typically ask you to waive these kinds of disclosures?

Today is a Microsoft holiday... but

1) other people have local families, and
2) I'd like to have the 31st off, for kightp's visit.

And they need someone to cover the phones.

Today will either be very easy and slow, or a madhouse... I don't think there's any likelihood of there being any in-between. Who is going to do major database work on Christmas Eve, unless it's an emergency?

Ah well. Yesterday, I went jogging for the first time in forever; I kept my breath, and my heartrate didn't kill me, and my legs are pleasantly achy, no problems with knees or hips. And, I managed to crank out a story I *hope* works for a closing-in-on-5-year-old. I never realized how much anxiety these story-writing episodes can produce.

So, I'm tired, a bit moody, and anxious, all at once. But there's an espresso machine heating up, a ham-and-egg sandwich about to be made, and a candle-making vigil to be held tonight. (I normally hold my overnight vigil on the solstice - but given illness (minor ear infection, 1.5 days of antibiotics left) and timing, Christmas Eve seemed even better this year.)

Final note to self: remember, *no cafeteria workers* - bring food for lunch. You can't count on getting a lunch hour when on phone support... certainly not a *timely* lunch hour!

Here is some of the neat/fun/interesting things we saw in Japan, but I did not mention in my reports:

Man hole covers--each area seems to have their own man hole cover designs. Pretty cool.


Ginza


Akasaka


It's not pot, it's a maple leaf from Miyajima. They also had a red one.


Himeji


Here's another one from Himeji


ueno



These are probably places for firefighters to access water. We never saw any fire hydrants. There were a few variations of these designs.

( click here to see more )

Take a look to see what happens when a destructive relationship begins to kinda rekindle anew amidst a zombie apocalypse...

Here's the beginning:
http://act-i-vate.com/95-1-1.comic

The Latest Installment:
http://act-i-vate.com/95-1-9.comic

Enjoy that motherfucker and let me know what you think...leave some comment love.

~Ryan

Take a look to see what happens when a destructive relationship begins to kinda rekindle anew amidst a zombie apocalypse...

Here's the beginning:
http://act-i-vate.com/95-1-1.comic

The Latest Installment:
http://act-i-vate.com/95-1-9.comic

Enjoy that motherfucker and let me know what you think...leave some comment love.

~Ryan

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( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )