How Now Brownpau

2009 in Review

2010-02-01T04:59:41Z

Many will remember 2009 as a year of prominent deaths -- like the passing of Patrick McGoohan, Ricardo Montalban, John Updike, Bea Arthur, Dom DeLuise, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Walter Cronkite, Ted Kennedy, Brittany Murphy, Billy Mays, and more -- but closest to home for me were the deaths of two uncles on my dad's side: Cesar and Tito; as well as the death of President Cory Aquino.

International travel-wise, we started the year in the Philippines, and passed by Tokyo for a few days on our way back to DC. In May we did a week in London. Locally, there were our regular trips to New Jersey and New York. At one point on a trip to see Amy's grandma in New Jersey, we found an old signature book called "Ghosts of My Friends."

On a cold day in January, we watched the inauguration of President Obama.

For April Fool's Day, I changed the front page of the site to a Twitter Search, parodying a social media gimmick from Skittles.

Summer was eventful. Amy got a wall at Artomatic to show some of her paintings and drawings. Her parents even came down to visit and see her work. The depictions of mushrooms were popular with biologists and mycology hobbyists. I got kind of close to a blue heron along the C&O. Around the Fourth of July we learned about Wales at the Folklife Festival, saw even more blue herons on Theodore Roosevelt Island, and watched fireworks from near the White House. When Ted Kennedy died, we were on hand to see his funeral procession at the Capitol.

In September we bought a new condo and moved out of DC to NoVA.

Thanksgiving and Christmas were spent with Amy's folks in New Jersey.

We got a historic snowstorm a week before Christmas, but stayed (mostly) ensconced in our snug condo, venturing only briefly out into the cold.

Internet-wise, through 2009 I got a bit scattered across social media and virtual worlds: mostly Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr, and Second Life. I'm sorry to say that this increased involvement in other realms of content has come at the expense of attention paid to my own site, so How Now Brownpau and other related projects have stagnated over the course of the year -- something I hope to change in coming weeks. Backtagging thousands of old entries is hard.

Snowstorm of Dec. 2009

2010-01-29T00:15:26Z

Dec. 19th brought a historic snowstorm to the DC area, dumping almost two feet of snow in our immediate locality in North Virginia and surpassing in overall impact even the Feb 2003 snowstorm in Baltimore. We were pretty much snowed in for that whole weekend, but we did venture outside to survey conditions for a bit. Some video of that:

I also got video of the aftermath of the snowstorm as seen from Metro, and some photos of the accumulation around our building. Sadly since we have moved to a somewhat less scenic suburban neighborhood (and we couldn't go down to the National Mall since WMATA had closed above-ground Metro stations) the most poignant image I could capture from the snowstorm was this, in a nearby bus stop:

Condo

2009-12-23T22:24:03Z

Suddenly, we bought a condo!

We wouldn't have believed it if you'd told us at the start of this summer that we'd be homeowners by October. Me, I was satisfied with our spot beside Union Station and the Capitol -- but at the same time we didn't want to rent forever, and while the location was great for enjoying the requisite DC sights at a moment's notice, it was less than optimal for the task of raising a family later in life.

So we resolved to buy. Then we decided we weren't ready to buy. Then we decided that yes, we should take advantage of this market and buy. That turned to doubt as to whether our finances could handle the downpayment on a 2BR in the DC area. Finally after weeks of agonizing we decided we could scale down expectations and settle on a relatively large 1BR in North Virginia. So we were finally ready to buy.

The first-time homeowner tax incentive didn't hurt either.

Our realtor was Cristina, a friend and fellow Ateneo alumnus via whom we got preapproval and a decent fixed rate on a loan from Ramon at BofA.

The rest of it happened faster than we expected. We looked at a bunch of properties along the Orange Line, put in a bid on a cheap 2BR foreclosure overlooking the swimming pool of a quiet garden-type condo -- and were of course quickly outbid by about a dozen other potential buyers. Instead we went for our backup property choice, a neighboring 1BR with an unconventional angular layout and about 750 square feet of space --which might sound small to the average US house-dweller, but for the price we paid with its proximity to DC and the Metro, and compared to our much older 575 square foot apartment, it was a castle.

Milestone after milestone passed with few obstacles: credit checked, loan approved, good-faith deposit sent, bid accepted, property under contract, inspection done, association docs reviewed, closing date scheduled -- when at the eleventh hour the other shoe dropped and the seller's realtor told us his client had gone bankrupt, could not afford closing costs, and wanted to pull out and relist the property if we could not cover the shortfall.

Pulling out now would have been a breach of an already signed contract, and our realtor made clear that this constituted grounds for a specific performance suit. So followed days of doubt, delay, and negotiation, at the end of which all involved parties agreed to pitch in and we ended up paying higher closing costs at settlement than originally expected, for the sake of a smooth sale. (We did later consult with a lawyer as to the expedience of pursuing a specific performance suit but decided that the cost and effort involved would have exceeded the value of any settlement reached compared to the extra amount we paid at closing.)

And so we closed on the condo, and became homeowners. A week of overlap between our move date and end-of-lease allowed us time to finish packing and shuttle a few items to the new place to lighten the move load, but that made the packing process and moving day itself no less stressful. The very last night before moving was a sleepless haze of panic amidst a mazelike mountain range of boxes and unpacked clutter. At about 4AM a packing tape shortage necessitated a walk to the 24 hr CVS on Mass Ave, and at 6AM another walk to the 24 hr Au Bon Pain in Union Station provided a hurried, almost surreal last breakfast on the floor of our apartment.

Gulliver's was our moving service of choice, and their guys arrived with a truck on the dot at 7AM to begin hauling furniture and boxes. A drive in the truck up the beltway, a flurry of boxes and furniture flying down the halls, forms signed, check handed over, and just a couple of hours later the biggest part of the move was done. (All this time, Pandora was locked up in a closet with food, water, and a blanket to keep her safe from the flurry of moving. We brought her in a carrier the next day by taxi.)

We spent the next few days bringing leftover items over by Metro and taxi, and left a bunch of old things to be sold at the apartment tenants' yard sale. Since then it's been unpacking, furnishing, and organizing. Amy's old Yaffa Blocks have given way to relatively fancier IKEA shelving units, and our old bedframe, makeshift folding nightstand, and antique dresser have been replaced with a genuine oak bedroom set.

It's of some help that the property includes a small separate storage unit (about 100 sq ft) where we can stow objects of infrequent utility which would otherwise take up valuable closet space. Of slightly less help are the two spaces in the parking garage, which for now we plan to lease to neighbors as our carless lifestyle continues, aided by the condo's closeness to a Metro station. A car is definitely in our future, though, as the new suburban neighborhood is far less walkable than our previous environs at Union Station -- the sacrifice we make for affordable home ownership. This means I will have to re-learn how to drive, after over a decade of carlessness.

The awesomest aspect of this grand life change for me, however, is that we finally have a dishwasher. I have hand-washed my own dishes for almost as long as I can remember, even after moving to America. No immigrant's dishwasher dilemma for me; after our ancient, tiny apartment kitchen with its undersized sink and cloggy drain, having an actual dishwasher is a huge burden lifted from our lives, and a technological marvel which I will never take for granted.

As for Pandora, she took to the new place immediately, adapting with almost no difficulty at all. No litterbox location problems, no hiding under the bed without eating for days, and she loves the bigger space and the texture of the new carpet.

So that's what's been keeping us busy the last couple of months. I'm a pretty slow unpacker and organizer -- especially after the Internet connection has been set up -- and the stress of getting property-related affairs in order has caused me to fall behind on a bunch of stuff, online and offline. Even now there's a stack of unsorted mail staring at me from the dining room table, and my Christmas list is still a mess of unchecked boxes.

But hey, we own a place now, however small. The Lord has been kind to us in a time of widespread hardship, and we are grateful and humbled.

(I guess this means we're Virginians now, by the way.)

Caturday!

2009-12-20T04:25:59Z

In this scene, Pandora looks out at the snowstorm, then looks away, deciding that she doesn't care.

Caturday!

2009-12-05T23:25:39Z

This is a before/after Caturday, to show how Pandora has maintained admirable consistency through grand life changes:

What grand life changes, you ask? I'll get to that.

Telegraph Mention

2009-10-23T21:05:43Z

I have been mentioned in the fourth rule of an article in the Telegraph by Tom Chivers on "Internet Rules and Laws." Greetings, Telegraph readers! To be clear, yes, I used "ignoramii" with a sense of deliberate irony, and the quoted text was part of a larger venture on Begging The Question -- the site being an old April Fool's Day prank which continues to this day as a facetious outlet for mock outrage.

If you enjoyed that brief snippet of text quoted from my [currently-rather-dormant] weblog, you may also enjoy following me on Twitter or Tumblr. Optionally you can wait around here till I actually have time to whip this site back into something even remotely engaging.

Update: Heh, Anarthrous Dane has pointed out in a Facebook note that Tom Chivers' misspelling of my name ("Paul," my name is Paulo) while using my quote as an exposition of Skitt's Law is itself an example of Skitt's Law in action.

Caturday!

2009-09-19T19:59:36Z

Here is Pandora at rest. You'll note that her pet bed (a prickly discount blanket from a linens shop in Baltimore) also consists of an old pair of jean shorts. She really likes jean shorts, as you can see by how she sleeps with her head rammed into them.

By the way, this photo was taken with my new phone, an HTC Magic (also known as MyTouch).

Cory Aquino

2009-09-09T22:02:22Z

Another sad obituary from the Philippines: Cory Aquino, wife of Ninoy Aquino, heroine of the EDSA People Power Revolution that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and President of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992, died from complications due to cancer on August 1st, 2009. She was 76.

As wife to Marcos' most dangerous political opponent she saw her husband imprisoned, tortured, exiled, and finally assassinated; as rallying point for the 1986 revolution she took the reins of power with humble reluctance; as President she survived through seven military coup attempts, and while not the best president, she did work hard to help preserve the democracy that she had helped replant in the Philippines.

I have heard tell that her son Noynoy Aquino plans to run for president -- he still has a bullet in his neck from when he was attacked during one of the coup attempts against his mother. One of his possible choices for running mate is another presidential hopeful, Mar Roxas, grandson of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas.

Meanwhile, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo continues to advocate measures to extend her power, the Marcoses continue to roam the political landscape, and Joseph Estrada is thinking of running for president again. It makes me wonder whether EDSA and its sequels were really just proxy battles to maintain existing Filipino political dynasties, and how much of Cory's legacy is left after two decades of squandering.

Uncle Tito

2009-09-02T06:13:38Z

Uncle Tito, pictured at right, died last month. (Tautological name, I know, since his nickname "Tito" is Tagalog for "uncle," hence our use of the English address.)

I remember him most fondly for lending me his violin when I needed one for lessons back in my teens. This was not just any violin; it was a 1734 Giuseppe Guarneri violin from Cremona, wonderfully deep and resonant, still in good enough condition to play. I had it refurbished, rebridged, and restringed by the famed and now-late Filipino violin builder Alejandro Cruz, and took lessons for two years before college got in the way. The violin went back to Uncle Tito. I don't know where it is now, and I forever regretted not continuing with those lessons.

Uncle Tito was a TOYM awardee for Agriculture in 1965. He lost his wife, Tita Lourdes, several years ago, and now leaves behind four children, my cousins, all now married with children. They have a villa on the family farm in Laguna, with a geothermal swimming pool.

Earlier this year at Tito Cesar's wake I saw Uncle Tito walking slowly towards the driveway at Santuario de San Antonio. He had grown frail, and I wondered if this was the last I would see of him on this side of the veil. It was.

I hope to see him one day on the other side. Maybe there will be violins.

Caturday!

2009-08-30T03:59:59Z

There's a lot I want to write about, and a lot I need to do, but time is short and work is hectic and things are changing and sometimes all you need is a short video of a cat licking at a piece of prosciutto.

Ghosts Of My Friends

2009-07-25T14:00:18Z

There was lots of interesting old stuff in Amy's grandma's basement: newspapers from 1963, a haunted chest belonging to Waylande Gregory, cassette tapes from the Apostolate for Healing and Evangelism, a phonograph with one of those trumpetlike speakers, an Apple IIe, dozens of neon beer signs -- but the most striking historical artifact was "The Ghosts of My Friends," a creative autograph book in which the owner's friends signed their names with a blotty fountain pen, then folded the markings in half to form ghostly images.

The dedication in this "Ghosts" book was to Edith from her Mother for Christmas of 1909, making this book just under a hundred years old, with the dates on the signatures going till 1920, and many empty pages left after the last signature. Most interesting to me was the name "Ethan Allen," left the same day the book was given to Edith; and "The Cheerful Idiot" who adorned his autograph with devil tails and a dedication to Wallis, "Oh! those eyes they go thro' me and button in the back."

(Photos of ghostly signatures in the book after the jump.)

Others have come into possession of copies of this book via estate sales and such: design sponge, edition of one, and someone on the Fountain Pen Network. Were I in possession of a blotty fountain pen I'd have added myself to this ongoing record of historical whimsy.

Signs of Fleetingness

2009-07-22T03:19:14Z

Seen in New Jersey over the weekend: a cicada's shed shell hanging on to a blade of grass, a cemetery on a hilltop in Warren.

Caturday!

2009-07-11T23:00:08Z

I have not had a Caturday post since that grooming appointment over two months ago; indeed I have been too busy to post much of anything for some time. But for now let us catch up on cat photos with this series of Pandora pictures. She turned 18 last month. Eighteen! That's the equivalent of 88 in cat years.

(The first photo in this series was one of the last taken with my old Nokia 6120 Classic, and the last large photo was one of the first taken with my new phone, a Nokia 5800. More on that in the future.

Fourth of July 2009

2009-07-09T18:55:24Z

Fourth of July long weekend was spent largely in domestic relaxation, but we went out on Friday to hike around Theodore Roosevelt Island a bit. While there we got to see three blue herons chased around the marsh by someone's golden retriever:

Then on Saturday we ventured out to the National Mall to see fireworks. Unfortunately we only made it up to the Red Cross building before the fireworks began (the same thing happened in 2007) but the Red Cross lawn proved a decent vantage point anyway, and I got this time lapse video with my SD 1000 on a Gorillapod:

(Additional Sousa courtesy the US Marine Corp Band and the Internet Archive.)

Amy at Artomatic

2009-06-26T04:27:20Z

Artomatic, the ever-famous DC community art event that fills just-constructed buildings with rentable artists' walls, is up at Navy Yard, and this year Amy took the leap and got space to show some of her paintings and drawings, with a focus on her mushroom works. The show is up till July 5th so if you're in DC, do check it out. Amy's on the fifth floor.

Her parents came down to DC last weekend to check out the show. Here's Amy and her dad with a giant Peep, and a couple of my favorite Peeps dioramas: