You know, I love it when people flatter me, especially Angie! Of course, it's always nice to hear you're attractive to other people, too.  Katy and Andy are dear frinds of ours, and Katy knows how much I have always loved my hair.  So THANKS KATY! How's Andy these days?

So for future reference, should anyone wish to subject me to blatant flattery, feel free. I love it! Just don't get overly distasteful, or my wife might take objection to it, and that could prove to be dangerousIf further pictoral proof is required, forward requests to Angie @  blue_tutter@yahoo.com, and CC me, josephmcompton@yahoo.com (I think I might choke if anyone actually DID request more pics, but till then it's an entertaining thought)

In other news today, I have been working...alot. For the past couple days, network problems have been paramount, and so have annoying service calls.  People, if your monitor doesn't work, Turn It On! If that doesn't work, Plug It In!!!  It's really that simple.  The bevy of other problems is a list a few miles long, and none of them require my attention.  I may not be the absolute expert at this job, but damn, I'm not an intern, either.  I swear, I'm going to end up making a "basic troubleshooting" poster, and posting it in each working area, that way I get less calls over dumb shit.

I have been looking into houses in the Colorado Springs area, and I've gotta say, I think I would save more money in the long run if I just built instead of buying. That is, of course, if I want to get what I really want, instead of someone else's problems.  (the Tampa region isn't out of the question, just unlikely due to the very high cost of living there)  Along the subject of houses, I have been looking into newer building materials.  One of the things I have seen is SIP (Structurally Insulated Panels).  SIP construction is used fairly widely in dry climate areas, especially those without great danger of hurricanes and tornadoes.  Basically, it is 6 inches of disposable foam cup material sandwiched between two big sheets of plywood.  These sheets are made exactly to your blueprint specifications at the factory, numbered, then delivered to the construction site, ready to assemble.  Instead of taking weeks to build a stick frame home, dry-in for a SIP home can occur within a few days, sometimes in a single day.  This drastically cuts labor costs and helps speed up construction time. Another product is ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms)  Think of hollow Lego blocks with a vertical foam spacer in the center.  These blocks are assembled on site, then filled with special mix concrete, which become the walls.  This method of constructiuon is still faster than standard stick-rame construction, and is many times stronger.  This method also has the added benefit of being one of the absolute best insulation means available for new homes, and has natural noise dampening qualities like few other building methods.  This is especially helpful if you live near a bust street, airport, loud neighbors, loud kids, or if you and your significant other have a "healthy personal life."  I like the idea of that the most   .  No worries about waking the kids if they can hear mommy and daddy, right?!? Good stuff, I tell ya. Back to business. I was thinking, if I were to build the exterior walls and master bedroom walls out of ICF, and the rest of the internal walls out of SIP, then there is a pretty good possibility the house would be very quiet, and maintain good energy efficiency.  ICF's R rating is well over 20, so there's that. Plus, construction time would be little to none in the initial phase, and both of these methods could allow me to introduce the different architectural styles I want into my home with far greater ease than the good old stick frame or cinder block homes ever could.  I think this might just be the way to go.

Another thing on homes.  I am intending on constructing a conservatory as a primary fixture to the rear of my home, if not the centerpiece of the home. While I have some minor luck with plants, I am mostly a black-thumb when it comes to things bigger than ivy. I need some ideas on plants that are both children, bird, and iguana friendly which can grow relatively unsupervised.  Watering wouldn't be an issue, nor would sunlight or maintaining a decent amount of heat.  Attention could prove to be difficult, though. So anyone with (positive) nursery and garden experience, please send me some ideas via e-mail.  I am looking for sub-tropical type plants, or at least some that can help provide the look.

A request for my Brit readers.  Does anyone have any copies of Changing Rooms on tape or Disc? I've been looking for them for quite some time, and all I can find is the compilation DVD called "Changing Rooms: Trust Me, I'm a Designer".  It's really not what I'm looking for.  Angie and I love that show, and would be extatic if we could get copies of the seasons.  Also, "Ground Force" is another awesome show.  Any copies of that would be highly appreciated as well.  One show that has caught our attention is "MI-5".  That show is great.  I'm still waiting to actually get a copy of the second season, but have had little luck finding it.

Oh yeah, Sapphire (Yes, Really) ( www.theunconcerned.bravejournal.com ) I still haven't had the time to put together a list of American slang yet, but I promise I have not forgotten.  Most of our slang is downright annoying, even to us. So rest assured, I am still working on that project.

On the contents of the prior blog post.  I haven't had great amounts of headway as of yet, nor do I expect to progress at leaps and bounds.  I have found the sounds I described in the blog seem to help me sleep better and relax quicker, but that is yet to have any solid proof, even for myself. Hopefully, I will be able to test this theory further, and make truely informed decisions based on the testing outcome.

Well, this has been quite a sizeable blog for me, and I should stop now so I have something to talk about later.

G'night all,

-Joe