Since EA gives us vacation from Dec 24 through Jan 2, many people, such as myself, burned 2 days of PTO (Paid Time Off) for Mon and Tues Dec 22+23 in order to have a full 2 weeks off.

I haven't had any real house chores or projects to do. I'm upgrading a computer for a friend, but that's about it.

It's a little hard to not think about work, and at first I had some grandiose ideas on how I could spend my time. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do any of the programming I'd like. Instead, I've been spending my time doing something even better: spending time with Violet and Drake. Mostly we've been driving around Bristow and Gainsville looking at new homes. We're also looking at places closer to Fairfax, but their prices are much higher. Yesterday I had a meeting with a financial rep from Ryan Homes. Given their cheapest house(329k), 5% interest rate, and no options.. the bottom line monthly payment would be around $2,100. I just don't want to spend that much per month on mortgage. Our current rent is 1300, and that's been great for our financial situation. We've gained a little bit of a handle on our bills and debts. Although the loan officer and bank say we're qualified for a lot more than 350k, I'm fairly certain stretching ourselves out that thin is a bad idea. We've sacrificed a lot in order to help reduce our debts, and we're still not outta the red yet. I dislike how dependant our country has become on debt. Credit Cards are the worse offense. A house loan is understandable. A student loan... sure. But credit cards allow you to live beyond your means. This has significantly contributed towards the financial crisis everyone seems to be in. Now, I'm not jumping on some money bandwagon here. I've always felt this way. Part of the reason we're in so much debt is due to my career switch back in 2003 (big student loan) and being laid off twice after getting into the game industry (and selling houses under the price I paid for them, back in 2003 and again in 2005). I'm still happy I made the choice (and had Violet's full support) for my career switch. I'm certainly making a lot more money as a game programmer than I would be had I stayed in the hardware support IT industry. I'm also extremely happy with my job. I look forward to going to work pretty much each and every day. So the student loan was worth it.

So after years of moderate living (buying a few big things here and there, but for the most part doing without "stuff"), our debt has been reduced significantly. We only have 1 outstanding credit card debt, and that's due to the above mentioned loss of selling our house (in Wisconsin). Violet's car is nearly paid off, and mine is within sight. If we become overconfident about our financial status and try to buy a brand new house, which yes would be very nice, we'd be hindering our progress towards debt reduction. Heaven forbid I lose my job again. It's just too much risk. Besides, with the current economy and interest rates getting lower, it's would be better for us to buy a "slightly" used house. Thus far we've seen homes that are under 10 years old, as nice/new as the brand new homes (indeed, some of them were brand new homes, from the same builder), but the owners got foreclosed on. There's a LOT out there. Sucks for the families of those homes. Now is probably the best time to be a buyer. Our lease isn't up until April, so we have a lot of time too. Is buying a (used) house better than renting? Well, I'll leave that that kind of cost analysis to the professionals. Given the incentives, tax deductions, and the "ownership" a purchased house provides, I think its better than renting. Besides, the economy will turn around eventually. I'm thinking 2010 or 2011 at the latest. And while EA is laying off plenty of people right now, and will continue to do so to meet their arbitrary financial profit margins, I am reasonably confidant my job is as secure as it can be these days.

Oh, I've also been playing a lot of the games I've been neglecting. I finished Fallout 3 (I hated the ending). I played some more Half Life 2 Episode 2 and Warhammer Online. I still need to play some more NFS:Undercover and Mass Effect.

Just in case you don't read Violet's Blog, Violet's pregnant again (Yes, I'm the father). That'll teach her to try to diet and lose a bunch of weight again! More news as it unfolds. We're hoping for a girl this time, but we'll still be very happy with another boy.

I think that's enough rambling for now. I hope everyone has a great new year!