breakfast first

XP/Python sprint

XPDX, the Portland Extreme Programming users group, is hosting an XP/Python code sprint April 9th and 10th in (where else) Portland. I don't know if I'll be able to attend, but I'd like to -- I really like the idea of non-competitive coding sprints. I think they can shake you out of your routine and expose you to new ways of doing things. It's like when chefs get together for a day of cooking -- it's fun, different, and you never know what the result will be.

Redfin

From a comment on Trevor's blog, I was directed to Redfin, an absolutely amazing visual real estate search engine for Seattle. It combines the MLS listings, satellite imagery of the area, overlays to indicate schools and parks, the Seattle tax assessor's database, and recently sold properties list. I've only just started playing around with it but I was so impressed I wanted to post about it right away. Even if you're not in the Seattle area, you should check out this tool -- it's that good.

Awesome job, Redfin!

Goodbye...

Sadly, our friend Felicia's children's bookstore in West Seattle is closing. There was an obituary in the Seattle Times yesterday:

"It's a sign of the times that a community has to close its bookstore," [author Jane Yolen] said. "Tells you more than you want to know about our culture."

The legacy of Hullabaloo Books is that if you want a sense of community, you have to invest in it: make the trip to the store, pay a little more, instead of clicking a mouse.

It isn't as convenient or money-wise, but, over time, you build something.

May we suggest

Font Shop is offering their newest font, Absara, in light weight for free. I've used it when printing a couple of things and found it quite nice.

No dice

I'm very sorry to report that we didn't get the house in West Seattle that we were going for, although it was close. It's a complicated story, but our offer was the highest out of the gate, but another had an escalator clause that went quite high. But the sellers asked us if we were able to move our bid up a bit, which we did. However, while we were negotiating that, another offer came in out of nowhere, and it was really high, forcing the other party to the cap of the escalator. So the last minute wild bid just had the effect of screwing both us and the bidders who got it.

Back to pounding the pavement...

Puzzles

Venture capitalist Steve Jurveston is posting puzzling photos on Flickr and having people figure out what's being photographed (or how it was done). Very cool.

Holding our breath

Posts here have been few and far between as Miss J and I have been devoting all of our non-work hours to the house hunt. We've spent hundreds of hours on looking at MLS listings online, reading books, and scanning newspaper listings. We've also seen a ton of houses with our real estate agent, which is super fun but also a bit taxing (but I keep imagining how tough it would be with a baby in tow).

Earlier this week we went out at lunch to see four houses all over the city with our agent, and the last one we saw that day was the one we wanted -- we knew it immediately. It's a great house in an amazing neighborhood in West Seattle, a peninsula on Elliott Bay (which, despite the sound of the name, is a part of the city of Seattle). The house has everything we want: good space, big yard, quiet and walkable streets, close to shopping and restaurants, great neighbors, and even views of the city and mountains! It's would be an amazing first home.

The sellers aren't looking at offers until Monday at noon, so we've been spending our timing trying to put together the strongest offer we can (pre-inspecting the house and that sort of thing). Now we're just holding our breath and hoping for the best. Keep your fingers crossed for us!