Hristo's FI Journal

[Hristo Botev]

A ~short update.

1. Weight Training: I have continued to train consistently and have not missed a single day of training since starting this current run with a 4-day split at the end of January. So, over 5 months of consistent training. The last time I trained this consistently (not counting high school sports) was after college while waiting to start up with the Peace Corps. That was also about a 5-month run during which I was running consistently and had a pretty strict diet, and during that time I lost over 50 lbs--from 225 at my heaviest to a little over 170. I am definitely getting stronger, though my strength goals are still very far away. But I am still hitting PRs across all 4 of the lifts on a weekly basis. And I am also becoming more informed as to programming, such that when I start to stall out on my lifts I think I know how to make minor adjustments in a way that doesn't mean scrapping the whole program and starting something completely different. My body is also changing noticeably; to the point that folks who I haven't seen in awhile are regularly commenting on me looking different. Relatedly, DW got me a pair of adjustable dumbbells for father's day and I have started working some more hypertrophic focused dumbbell accessory work at the end of my barbell training on upper body days; though I am still doing chins and dips--both of which I find to be fantastic exercises to do during work breaks (I try and do 90 minutes of work followed by a short 10-15 minute break, during which I will usually walk over to the garage and knock out some chin ups and dips).

2. Work: With the move I am taking another bar exam, which really hasn't been the worst thing in the world. I'm happy to see that my ~15 years of experience as a lawyer means that I don't really need to focus much time studying for certain tested topics (e.g., civil procedure, evidence, contracts). And I don't terribly mind having an opportunity to (re)learn some topics that I've mostly forgotten (e.g., torts, criminal law and procedure, wills/trusts, constitutional law, property, etc.). Technically I don't have to take the bar here, as the state's unauthorized practice of law rules don't consider remote work to be a problem--and my practice is definitely remote. That said, my law partners would like me to be licensed here (and they are paying for me to study and take the exam), and I would also like to build up a local practice where I live in addition to my more national practice. It's also been good I think for my kids to see me having to study for a big exam, like I'm in my early 20s again or something.

3. Books: With the bar study I have had to hit pause on my great books course of reading; as the 5:30-7am window of time I'd been using to read now has to be focused on trying to knock out 5-6 hours of billable work in the morning before lunch so that I will have a few hours in the afternoon to devote to studying for the bar. I've missed it greatly, and I am very much looking forward to getting back into dialogue with Plato et al.

4. Money Stuff: Nothing really to report here. As always we could do better and are prone to get rather spendy; but it's not something I worry about too much because so many categories of spending that had been thorns in our side before we moved are simply non-existent or else greatly reduced here. Also, we continue to automate savings such that there is only so much money in the checking account that we can actually get spendy with. I know we have some really big expenditures coming our way--as DW wants to add on a bedroom to the house and also take a big family trip to Europe. I'm dragging my feet on both of those things as much as I can, because that is all that I can do, but I know that eventually we'll be engaging our architect friend to draw up plans and also reaching out to travel agents. So be it.

[Hristo Botev]

He's just sooo good what he does . . .

So, this will be the future of the Abbey of Misrule. I take the collapse for granted. I am done writing about it. Instead, I want to follow my intuitions about what the new faith of the Machine age is going to be, and I’m going to write about a wild Christian response. I want to head back to the roots of our faith and see if I can help to water them a little. I want to find the soil they grow in. I want to grow in it too. You know I think we are living through an apocalypse - a revelation. But what is being revealed? We should pay attention to that question, I think. We should search for the diamonds in the rough. I want to write about that search. There are stories to tell about our exile’s journey. Some of them might even be beautiful.

https://paulkingsnorth.substack.com/p/i ... -the-woods

[chenda]

It's frustrating only paid subscribers can comment on his articles. He made a some serious errors on one article I read but nobody in 700+ comments picked up on it.

[Hristo Botev]

I don't know who the folks are behind this podcast, and they are a bit distracting in this interview, but having listened to many, many Kingsnorth interviews on YouTube and on podcasts, and read a lot of his more recent writings, this is probably Kingsnorth at his best in my mind: https://www.deathinthegarden.org/podcas ... kingsnorth.

"We're eating the apple every day" --1:03:30

[chenda]

The parallels between his dark mountain ecology and a certain brand of Christian Eschatology (the rapture, end times, second coming etc) are indeed striking.

Frankly, I find Kingsnorth's apparent enthusiasm for the collapse of industrial civilisation (the 'machine') as vaguely disturbing. He seems almost to relish the prospect, and despite acknowledging it would cause immense suffering it's somehow not only inevitable but necessary.

The comments by a certain Enoch L Cade in the comments section I thought were telling, where he states that 'I look forward with great hope and gratitude to the end of the demonic "american" empire, which I truly believe I'll have the great grace of witnessing in our life time'. Kingsnorth says he'll 'drink to that!'.

Cade goes on to rant about 'woke' Californians moving to Texas and ruining the place. Why Texas, as the largest oil producing state, should be held in such high regard in an environmental context is strange to say the least.

It seems Kingsnorth increasingly has more in common with a certain brand of anti-environmental libertarianism. Certainly not the same man who I remember as a child who actually took direct action against motorway construction and car culture. Actually useful doing stuff, rather than apocalyptic musings.

[Hristo Botev]

I've been pulled in a lot of different directions lately--husband, father, son, stepson, lawyer, second Bar exam taker, underperforming homeowner--and I'm definitely feeling the strain; it's been weeks since I got a good night's sleep. But there seems to be some relief on the horizon.

First, the Bar is finally over, and God willing I won't have to take it again. My state has a pretty dismal passage rate--just barely over 50%--and although I am tempted to tell myself that there is no way half of the people in that exam room did better than me on the exam, the reality is that the vast majority of those folks don't have a full time job and kids and all of the other responsibilities of being a middle-aged family man. Also, the days of my mind being adept at memorizing anything are long since past, and memorization is important for the Bar. Regardless, at least for the rest of 2023 I don't have to think much about the Bar exam.

Second, my stepmom is in the middle of her second stint in a rehab facility, which doesn't sound like the best news but given that I have my 80-year old father's best interests in mind, it seems to be for the best as it should be the necessary transition for her to get into a more permanent facility, which is certainly necessary at this point. Last time out of rehab my dad convinced himself that he could still take care of her at home, which worked (with a lot of help from me) for a little while, but after about the nth time of me having to drive over to his house in the evening to deadlift my stepmom off the bathroom floor where she'd fallen and help my dad change her diaper, I think he realized that this is beyond him. It's a very challenging time for him, and I'm glad I'm here to help. Lots of stuff about this whole situation makes me really mad, but I'm hopeful that my Dad will find some peace with the situation and get a chance to be a more active member of my family; for the past year and a half or more his primary role has been to take care of my stepmom, which is a good role for a husband to have, but it's beyond him now and it's also meant that he's not had the ability or the energy to do much else, because my stepmom couldn't be left alone or leave the house. I might even be able to take him to see a movie this week, and perhaps he'll even be able to watch his grandkids play sports or come over to our house for dinner.

Third, we are now less than 2 weeks away from the school year starting, and with that school and club sports. Summers as a parent always tend to bring a lot of stress, because you don't have the school year schedule for everyone to base their lives around. That's less of an issue now as it used to be when the kids were younger, but it still means that every week brings with it a new problem to be solved as to getting the kids squared away.

So, things are hopefully going to be returning to some sort of semblance of normalcy, God willing. The list of honey-do items around the house is VERY long, and getting longer; and I'd like to start reading again and also taking advantage of the fact that my kids are still young enough that they want to spend time with me.

For now, however, we're all going fishing today for the last day of snapper season; which counterintuitively is the reason I have some time this morning for reflection, because I thought we were leaving early this morning and therefore spent the entire weekend doing work to try and get ahead of the fact that I can't really go radio silent for an entire Monday. But, the trip got pushed back until this afternoon, as I already put out all the fires this weekend all so I have to do this morning is the regular list of stuff I've had on the backburner for too long.

Finally, it's the end of the month so here are some numbers: our savings rate was 55.43%, which is pretty good given that my wife is pretty much just working enough hours at this point to be eligible for and pay for health insurance. Our spending could be better, but it's fine--we have a budget and we mostly stick to it. The net worth numbers are going up and are probably right where they need to be; especially since I have no plan on not working anytime soon.

[Salathor]

Well, I think in any other community your 55% would probably make you a hero. If you're happy with where you are, I think it's worth being satisfied with.

How long will it take for you to get your bar results?

[Hristo Botev]

How long will it take for you to get your bar results?

A couple months.

[Hristo Botev]

It was a frantic evening and morning with work stuff and now that the pressure is off a bit I found myself in a bit of daze and not quite sure how I'm going to manage to check off 1 or 2 more items on the to-do list before I call it a day. So, why not update the journal since it's been a few weeks.

I passed the bar, so that is behind me. Hopefully test taking is behind me as well. I'm grateful for the experience of having to take a second bar exam, I know it was good for me and made me a better lawyer, but I don't want to do it again.

Work is firing on all cylinders in ways that are both good and bad, and I'm once again toying with the idea of cutting the cord and going out completely on my own, hanging my own shingle as folks in my profession say. It's legacy and posterity that are driving that decision, and just feeling like perhaps I'm not quite "fully alive" unless and until I have the experience of owning and running my own business where the buck stops with me, even if I do it simply as a "solopreneur" with perhaps my wife on the payroll as an office manager. DW says she is up for it, but honestly she's never really cared to hide her disdain for the various law partners I've taken orders from over the years. I'm reading E-Myth and the lawyer version of the book, and I'm starting to ask around of friends who made the jump a long time ago to get their experiences and advice. It's tempting, but I also know I have about as good of a W-2 gig as a lawyer can have; so, who knows.

With the bar over I've resumed my great books reading schedule, which I sorely missed. I just finished my last month of Plato (sad), with Statesmen and Sophist. And I'm now reading through Plutarch's Lives which so far I LOVE.

Kids are doing well in public school and don't want to leave, despite my pleadings that we return to homeschooling or check out the small "trad" Catholic high school that just opened up in the nearest big city. My evenings and weekends are full of the kids' school and club sporting events, which is a lot of fun and the sort of sports spectating I actually enjoy. Thank God my kids got my wife's athleticism and not my lack of it.

I'm still weightlifting but not as consistent as I should, largely due to work travel and long work hours, and also due to my own laziness. But I'm still progressing mostly; just very slowly.

When I'm not working or chauffeuring kids around I'm still trying to knock out items on the honey-do list. I installed a ceiling fan in my daughter's room, which was quite a chore as the junction box of course wasn't rated for a fan and so I had to climb around on my belly in the attic to swap it out. But that was quite an achievement for me as I am constantly amazed at just how little I know about how a house works.

Spending and savings rate are mostly fine. I don't monitor it as much as I should; but things seem to be mostly automated enough at this point that I don't need to. Our spending is probably now about as low as I want it to be, as cutting any further would probably be a mistake. DW has quit her 1099 gig and now is just working at the hospital a couple times a week, and that arrangement seems to be working for everyone.

My stepmom is now in a nursing home and won't be coming out, and my dad has been working with a lawyer trying to figure out what needs figuring out. He seems to be doing OK with the transition, and he still spends his days with her at the home and I'm sure will continue to do so. But he is also starting to get a little more involved in my family's lives and that of my sister's, as he's finally getting some breathing room and not completely wearing himself out trying to do way more than he is able to.

Anyway, that's it.

[Salathor]

Congrats on the bar exam. I'm not a lawyer but I get the appeal of setting up your own shop. It would be really tempting, especially since you've clearly put in the hours to have the skills needed to succeed (lawyer-wise; I'm sure there's a lot of standard professional/business issues with any sole prop.).

With the bar over I've resumed my great books reading schedule, which I sorely missed. I just finished my last month of Plato (sad), with Statesmen and Sophist. And I'm now reading through Plutarch's Lives which so far I LOVE.

That sounds fun. I've been on a classics kick too, although not as old as that. I've been doing some Shakespeare and I just started rereading Paradise Lost, which is just as good as I remember it. After this I think I'm going to tackle In Search of Lost Time. I have read and really enjoyed Swann's Way, but I've never made it through the entire series.

[Hristo Botev]

Quick update,* as it's been a few months and my work to-do list is so overwhelming I'd rather just procrastinate for a little while than try and figure out how to tackle it.

First of all, this is hilarious to look back at:

First, I turn 45 this year and am going to try and hit a 1RM of the 1-2-3-4 "club" on my birthday (that's finishing a clean one rep of press at 135, bench at 225, squat at 315, and deadlift at 405).

Yeah, not even close. Granted, I've not tried (and have no plans to try anytime soon) a 1RM for any lift, but here are where my numbers currently are, and even at 5RMs they are pretty far off from my goal:



But that's OK, I've been lifting consistently for months now and the numbers are still mostly continuing to go up, and that's the point. Also, the home gym is looking pretty nice (it's a requirement that a barbell gym have a Gadsden flag), and the whole family is making use of it.



My Great Books program imploded shortly after I joined back up following the bar exam (my rejoining wasn't the cause of the implosion). This is depressing, as I'd really grown to rely on the program and it's probably been the most cost-effective and time-effective learning program I've been involved in. My own little seminar has committed to continuing on in a self-directed manner, but I'm sure that, eventually, member attrition will result in us each having to go our own way. It's sad, as it was a nice online community centered around a shared interest in reading the great books and all sorts of other related side interests (like learning Latin, or reading Russian literature and American literature, a very active homesteading group, and even a chess group and a Euclidian geometry group). But, so it goes. The owner/founder has kind of been slowly pulling back from the world outside of his own homestead for a few years (I've done the same, just on a more small-scale basis), and so it was probably inevitable that he'd stick a knife in the great books program eventually, given that it was purely a passion project of his.

That said, the reading continues for now, and we finally made it to Aristotle, and specifically this month we are reading Books 1-5 of Nicomachean Ethics. And I'm a little like that annoying Gen X teenager in the 90s who discovers Led Zeppelin and won't shut up about it, as if he discovered something new. I'm tempted to just go on and on about how much I am loving reading Aristotle, but I'll save it for seminar.

Prior to Aristotle we read some of Plutarch's Lives as a break between the last of Plato and before starting Aristotle. Plutarch is a lot of fun to read, and I know I'll go back to it often.

Kids are good, and it's getting harder and harder to tell if they are really "good" or are just "good" by comparison to their public school classmates whose parents weren't connected enough to get them in one of the fancy lottery-selected (sure) public charter schools. Regardless, we think they are where they should be (we certainly don't want them surrounded by gunner charter school kids all day); though DW and I are constantly trying to convince them to either homeschool full time or, at a minimum, take advantage of as many part-time homeschool options as are available (and, thankfully, there are several such opportunities, such that the kids are able to only spend about half the day actually at school, and that time will only be less as they go through high school). DW is coaching DD's school soccer team and otherwise making sure she is involved enough to make sure that we are ahead of any school shenanigans (of which there is a lot). Seriously, if our kids' public schools are any indication, I wouldn't have much faith that the bridges are going to be maintained or the electricity is going to continue to flow for too much longer. That said, I spend less time stressing about collapsing bridges than I do worrying that we've got our kids in the right place. We tell ourselves it's fine because they are at the same schools DW and I went to, but of course in many ways the schools are the same in name only, as even our little chunk of redneck paradise has changed pretty drastically since the 80s/90s. But they are happy and seem to be thriving both academically and athletically; just don't look too closely at whether and what they are actually learning wrt academics--it's pretty shallow.

Speaking of learning--DS wants to actually learn to speak Spanish, given that his school Spanish class seems to really just be a Spanish-themed daycare hour. I want to learn with him, and so we've decided to do Rocket Spanish, which from what we saw in our research looks like a pretty good fit. So, we'll get started with the new year. Funny, DS's interest in learning Spanish (apart from wanting to better understand what the Spanish-speaking kids at his school are saying) is because he loves soccer so much and wants to make it a career, and he knows that being conversational in Spanish will be an asset whether he is playing or coaching. He may (likely will) ultimately decide against soccer as a career, but it certainly can't hurt if he learns Spanish as he pursues that dream.

My dad seems to be doing OK with his wife in a nursing home; he's lonely and it's a big change, but he spends every afternoon with her and I still go see him regularly. But it's a big transition for him and one that, personally, I hope I don't have to make myself. He is getting out and about now a little bit more, and is even starting to come to some of my kids' sporting events.

Finally, I've been spending my weekends getting to be more and more adept at DIY/honey-do projects around the house. Still nothing that would have impressed my grandfather or even my dad, but nevertheless the kind of stuff that is making it all the more unlikely that we will ever leave this house. I mean, I don't want to have to put up a CCTV security camera system at another house, or switch out light fixtures for ceiling fans, or replace motion sensor lights, or put up privacy fences, or fix the electrical in the garage, or any number of other projects that I've done and don't really want to have to do again, though I'm glad for the experience and glad that the innerworkings of my house are a little less of a mystery now.

Anyway, that's it for now.

*As if, pretty sure I've never had a "quick" update on here.

ETA: I can't believe I forgot to mention it, but the no drinking this has been going really well. We've certainly not been strict teetotalers, but the days of nightly, heavy drinking are behind us. The biggest change I've noticed, and the biggest reason that I won't go back to regular drinking, is that my baseline has now changed sufficiently that I DEFINITELY notice how much alcohol wrecks my sleep and results in brain fog the next day; even without necessarily having a hangover, just having a bit of a fog that often continues for much of the day, such that you know you're definitely not operating at 100%. I'm sure this is as much to do with my age as anything, as in I suspect that alcohol just didn't have as much of a lingering affect when I was younger. But man, if I have to choose between having a cocktail or getting a truly solid 6-7 hours of sleep, I'll choose the latter.

[chenda]

Glad all is going well Hristo.

[theanimal]

Speaking of learning--DS wants to actually learn to speak Spanish, given that his school Spanish class seems to really just be a Spanish-themed daycare hour. I want to learn with him, and so we've decided to do Rocket Spanish, which from what we saw in our research looks like a pretty good fit.

I had 11 years of Spanish themed daycare and decided I actually wanted to learn a few years ago after meeting my wife. I ended up doing lessons for 2 years with an instructor on the site Preply. I'd highly recommend it. It's not too expensive and you can find a tutor that can personalize lessons for your son (and/or you). I went from bumbling small frases to being able to have technical conversations with native speakers and feeling comfortable in going about Mexico on my own, interacting with native Spanish speakers in all types of settings.

I've referred other people on this forum to my instructor before and they've had good experiences. I'd be happy to pass on his information if that was something you were interested in. No affiliations or anything on my end, I just think he's a good person and a top notch teacher.

Either way, I wish you both well in your learnings.

[Divandan]

Great update and thanks for sharing.

For lifting I was into it with two of my friends for a little bit there. My two buddies are a little bit older than me (early 40s) and the one guy was putting up seriously impressive bench numbers. I think his 1 RM max was 325. The thing I noticed is that getting stronger at that age is all about training smart and not getting hurt. I think he ended up tweaking something in his elbow that was from an overuse injury and never got back to those numbers (as far as I know). Stay the course though and stay healthy.

Now that I have been in this house for almost a year my FIL and neighbor helped me out with a fair amount of projects. How did you learn best for the projects around the house? Just hopping into it or with YouTube or a combination of both?

I ask because we are set to finish our attic and would love to do everything myself except for the drywall, electrical and HVAC.

[Hristo Botev]

I ask because we are set to finish our attic and would love to do everything myself except for the drywall, electrical and HVAC.

YouTube yes, but also I have a good friend/neighbor who is an architect by profession but who owns a lot of rental units that constantly need upkeep and he always has some sort of home building or renovation project he is involved in as an active investor, and who also doesn’t mind swinging the hammer himself. I reach out to him with questions and also before I buy materials on a project just to make sure I’m not doing something stupid or have overlooked something.

Also, this forum is great for asking questions of the DIY variety. @ffj in particular is a fantastic resource.

[Divandan]

Thanks, Hristo!

[Hristo Botev]

I've never done this comparison before, but it looks like our family's net worth is pretty deeply tied to the strength of the US economy, or at least to the S&P 500.

Us:


S&P 500:

[Hristo Botev]

An update as it's been a few months (a quarter of a year, in fact), and I've got a lot on my work to-do list that I don't want to get started on.

First of all, happy holy week to you all.

Money: We officially (finally) joined the 2 comma NW club, which we celebrated with some sparkling wine. I've had that benchmark on my radar for roughly 8 years, back when we were only just barely in the 1 comma NW club largely due to student loan debt and being heavily mortgaged in a house we could afford only if you use realtor math. It's a good feeling; and we are already looking towards hitting the "multi" benchmark, which hopefully won't take another 8 years.

Home DIY: I guess home DIY projects is now my official hobby, as I have so little free time between work, housework/cooking, and chauffeuring kids around to various sports activities that whenever I have more than 30 minutes I race to throw the tool belt on to try and make some progress on whatever the current house project is. Currently that is finishing my "shoffice," which currently looks like this awaiting one final application of drywall mud before sanding, painting, electrical finishes, flooring, and trim work:




Every step of this process--demo, framing, electrical, insulation, venting, drywall--has been new to me, and as a result it's taken forever (I finished demo way back in December) and I've made a lot of mistakes; but as my kids said, it's actually starting to look like something now. At this point everyone (me, DW, DD, DS) are very much ready to get my office out of our living room, but it's just so rare that I have a chunk of time that I can dedicate to the project, and weekends are almost always spent at kids' sports games/tournaments.

Slowly but surely.

I'm horrible at finishing drywall.

I will try and remember to post a whole start-to-finish narrative here once the project is completed, with pics.

The next project will likely be our master bathroom, which will mean learning some more skills: plumbing, bathroom exhaust/ventilation, tilework and everything involved with putting in a shower. But I'm way overdue to learn how to do this stuff, even if I only do it once myself and then for the rest of my life I can just be a much more informed/sophisticated consumer of construction services.

Other projects are getting our lawn and irrigation system up to "shame my neighbors" standards, a covered back patio, a wood shed, a ton of drywall, paint, and trim touch-up work in the house, and eventually the kitchen. I've learned that I'd much rather learn how to do this work myself and struggle through it than find, hire, and manage a contractor to do it.

Strength Training: I'm still consistently training 3x a week, and doing cardio once or twice a week on my rest days. The numbers keep climbing, just slowly. I've started paying a little more attention to eating and protein intake, and I am now doing a daily protein shake (whey protein with fairlife chocolate milk), and we shall see what sort of difference that makes at busting through certain walls. I feel like a proper "gym bro" now with my protein shake.

DD is training as well with me when she can, in the hopes that squats/deadlifts/presses will help protect her against sports injuries in soccer, flag football, and volleyball (esp. soccer). We've avoided the sports injury bug thus far (knock on wood), but we certainly see teammates dropping like flies around her with breaks and sprains.

She's just naturally strong and athletic; way, way more than I am. And it's crazy to see how easily and quickly she learns the barbell movements.

Dad: Dear dad is still doing OK with his wife moving into a nursing home. He spends about 4-5 hours with her there a day, and he has been able to resume taking his morning walks (he couldn't when she was at home because she couldn't safely be left alone), attending my kids' various events, and coming over for dinner about once a month or so. It's been a good time for our father/son relationship, for which I am very grateful.

Reading: I mentioned above that my great books program imploded, but thankfully our core seminar group stayed together and hooked up with a splinter program, and we are plugging along. We finished Uncle Ari's Nicomachean Ethics, a couple of the books of the Pentateuch (it was weird to read these books in a more secular, academic seminar setting), and we are now working on Uncle Ari's Politics. For my side seminars I'm (re)reading Dostoyevsky's Brothers Karamazov, and I'm also reading CS Lewis's Space Trilogy (which is wonderful) and DW and I are both reading Abigail Shrier's two books (which are fine and make some thoughtful and somewhat counterintuitive or at least counter-cultural points, though the material probably is more interesting in podcast or essay format than full-length books).

Recommendation: To end with a recommendation, I'm really, really digging the Hillbilly Thomists right now, which are a group of Dominican Friars who formed a bluegrass band, and they play some gospel/bluegrass standards as well as a lot of their own stuff. The standards are good (honestly, as professional bluegrass musicians go they are probably not particularly impressive); but where they really excel for my tastes is with the songs they write themselves, as gospel and bluegrass standards are almost exclusively Protestant and evangelical in its theology, and so it's great hearing bluegrass songs written with a Thomist theological underpinning.

That's it. Hopefully I will finish the shoffice project soon and be able to write it up here.

ETA: The shoffice will be just big enough (~100 sf) to accommodate a small sleeper sofa, tv, and stereo, in addition to my desk, so that it can also be used as a separate den and spare bedroom (like when our kids have a sleepover and we want to get out of the house so that we can actually sleep). So DS will have his Xbox in there and DW and I will likely utilize the TV once or twice a week to watch the grown-up shows that we used to watch after the kids went to bed when they were younger, back when they had 7-8 bed times.

[Hristo Botev]

First post from the "shoffice"; I still have the trim work to do (and then I need blinds for the window), but it was finished enough for me to finally get moved into.





I ordered a small bluetooth amp/receiver to power those badass little Radio Shack specials bookshelf speakers (Realistic Minimus 7s) that my father in law gave me. Those speakers are currently hooked up to an old AV receiver my FIL also gave me that will eventually power a small home theater that will go on the wall across from the futon.

I hope to post a detailed breakdown of the project with costs; but for now I'm just happy to finally be in the shoffice--I started demolition way back in December! And with work, kids' activities, and travel for work and for sports tournaments on the weekends, it a rare occurrence indeed when I've been able to string together 2+ hours to work on the project.

[jacob]

Question about the low profile fan. Where did you get it? Link? How many inches does the bottom extend from the ceiling?