BMWR100RT

This. I was shocked when I bought "Home buying for dummies" 20 years ago and it talked of the folly of home ownership. For years all my elderly relatives were pestering me about throwing rent away. What the Dummies book said was that home ownership was only good investing strategy in hot economic markets, and even sometimes that was fleeting. Google "Is home ownership a good investment". And don't read the answer from Realtors or banks (or property tax collectors). You need to look at it as an expensive hobby and not an investment. I love our house and I have made many improvements, but unless I was married with a child on the way it would be the last thing I'd invest in. I'd be renting and enjoying my free time which you will give up when every problem becomes yours, every home and garden show ill make you feel inadequate until you upgrade, etc. When ever I'm working on something instead of relaxing I humor myself by saying "Ah yes, the American dream!" You two are some of my favorite posters as I am mostly a lurker........I don't want you to take this as negative. My wife with child and one on the way moved into a house in 1998 and it's almost paid for (get a 15 or 20 year mortgage if you can) and it's been an excellent adventure. But think it through. You've got some excellent advice on PMI and other stuff.

Isn't that a liger?

I don't post much, but I always enjoy visiting this thread at Friday's end, just to read about all the good. It's like backing into your parking space. It just makes me leap into the weekend positive. Anyway, I missed last Friday and seeing this post today just opens a flood of emotion for me. I have three kids and my oldest is heading to college next year and reading this post brought back all those "I'm gonna be a dad" emotions. I was out in Denver earlier this week and I got home late Wednesday and I looked at my kids sleeping faces when I got home and I was so happy to think about the great young adults they've become and how much fun we've had together. When you get sick of people saying "It goes by so quick", just play along. You won't get it until your kids are about to walk out the door. Anyway, Congratulations!

Most people are decent. That is clearly born out in this lengthy thread. The thing that makes this thread so powerful is it's not written from one point of view, but by many. I remember drinking (1979) with a group of my college buddies at a bar. This was in the days when the drinking age was 18. I met a girl who joined us and we were having a great time. I would even say there was flirting and more drinking. A few of her girl friends showed up and took her away to "protect" her. They were way more sober and I was totally offended at the insinuation that she was in a bad situation. I didn't see it that way at all. But they weren't going to leave her with a bunch of guys when she was drinking. She was clearly annoyed to be taken away. The next day I had a talk with one of her friends who gave me a version of what Josie wrote and it was an eye-opener. I'll never forget that.

She is only a bit into it. She lives a charmed life and probaly hasn't been around this kind of behavior Josie was talking about, but I have been around it. Humans can be cruel. It's best she knows that.

I'm more of a lurker. I come to Sabrespace everyday and really enjoy you kids. I don't feel the need to comment much. But I'll say this. I just had my college bound daughter read this entire thread. Thanks Josie.

I love this idea..... I'd key up this verse, Springsteen style, right in the middle of the verse. "One more trip and back we'll go Right back home to Buffalo Low bridge, everybody down Low bridge, we're comin' to a town You'll always know your neighbor And you'll always know your pal If ya ever navigated on the Erie Canal.

As soon as I heard Andre's dis of Johhny football, I thought of ZFG.

Matrix and Vibe have a chain. No timing belt. Belts are silly.

I am 52 years old, 6'0 and about 185. It's great to see all this activity. It was really frustrating when I hit about 35 and couldn't get any of my college buddies to get off the couch to do anything more than golf, and even then they'd ride a cart. Now I'm dealing with one after another with heart disease and they have diabetes and no energy. After an odd conversation I was thinking "hey, maybe if you could see your package you wouldn't need a pill", but what do I know. On my golf league last night most of the young people rode a cart to play 9 holes and then they ask how I stay so thin. I went to Darien lake Saturday because my kids were in a chorus competition, and it was so sad to see how obese this area has become. I work out 4-5 times a week and when I don't, I start feeling lethargic. That makes it easy to keep working out. Tis morning I ran 4 miles before my kids woke up and I feel great. I plan on getting 300,000+ miles out of this vehicle!

Like ROC_EMT (condolences, I'm not ashamed to say I miss mom everyday three years later), my mom is gone, but I will tell you guys that as I got older realized that the most valuable thing that we could give each other was time. We stopped buying each other gifts and for awhile I'd go over and work a few days in her garden. Eventually I started buying her a ticket to a Bills game every year. Just her and I. she was a huge sports fan, and I remember rolling into RW stadium and tailgating with her and getting teased by the folks around me about my hot date, but my mom would tell all her friends and truthfully she really enjoyed herself. The last game I took her to before her health failed was the Miami snow game. What I wouldn't give to do that again.

I'll say it. Since the big announcement I've been in a better mood. Strange how that works. Top the feeling of optimism with the Sabres with a game against Toronto to start off the weekend. Awesome!

TSN.Ca Power rankings.....dead last with this tidbit "The haul of draft picks has begun and it's going to be fascinating to see how this season turns out for the Sabres. Right now, it looks like they could be one of the worst teams in recent memory, only to get worse once they deal G Ryan Miller." The front office must be proud of how they spent our ticket money.

Just made me think of one of my all time favorite songs of optimism!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-H0uIH5HHQ

My great friend Jane, who passed away a few years ago and I miss dearly, once said to another colleague who was going through your situation, this rather harsh nugget....."Pick another girl off the girl tree". At the time I was in a difficult relationship myself and those words weighed on me until I took Jane's advice. 21 years later, with three kids and the best wife ever, I realize how right she was. It always hurts, but better days are coming.

Listening to this makes me want to float around my office with a lackluster effort for the rest of the day.

I just had my kids watch "Rudy" after PK referred to Rudy Rudeger (sp) in a recent postgame. Upon watching the movie with my kids (hadn't seen it in awhile), there is one scene where Rudy irritates a teammate for practicing too hard, and the coach demotes him to third string and wishes everyone had the heart Rudy has. My 13 year old son looked at me and said "that remeinds me of the Sabres". He kind of abandoned the team after they fell out of playoff contention, so I reminded him that its a team game and it only takes a few bad apples, but he must hear me complaining, because he said "like Drew Stafford"? I realized I need to stop thinking out loud! BTW.....I'm keeping my avatar, and dream of Schoney leaving the Rangers and coming to Buffalo in management, only to sing a duet with Gilbert.....those were the days my friends.

I threw a pillow at my TV during the Jersey game. My wife laughed at me. I remember leaving the Winter classic after Crosby punked us again....I was still fired up. But now? Despair is Jauron after three years.....the day they acquired cement footed Bledsoe.......even the "No-Goal" loss.....but those low sports moments were nothing were nothing compared to the despair I feel about Darcy. Letting him acquire draft picks for the failed players he picked before and leaving him to manage those picks while ownership watches this all go down? When did the dream turn into a nightmare? Would I boo in person? Probably not, but Ghost of Dwight Drane nailed it. Ott can be forgiven as he's too new. Terry P can't, and if I could figure out a way to boo management, well sign me up for that. When an expensive well supported product goes defective, it's your right to complain.

Awesome

What makes this a fantastic Friday? Watching the Leaf fans reaction to MacArthur's miss last night. Watching Cuse win. That cute kid singing the anthem....and it's Friday. I always come here for a Friday pick me up and the last post was at 7:59 am? Just looking for positives!

I focused as much as I could on Stafford last night. And he is Connelly. His lack of hustle had me furious. I've never played on a professional team, but even in a pick up soccer game my overweight friends play harder. My favorite players are the ones with marginal talent that play every shift like it might be their last (think Mair, Ellis, Kaleta), and even better those that have talent that play that way (Ott, Crosby (a joy to watch if you like hustle even though I want to hate him) and my least favorite are the ones that have all the talent in the world and just float around. There are plenty, but Connelly and Stafford are good reps. One guy like that is a cancer. We have a few.

I am guessin the booing is just from the feeling of haplissness we are all in. I wouldn t boo, but I wouldn t discourage anyone who paid good money to watch this circus. I find myself wearing less and less Sabres gear, as I just don't see much hope. When you wear gear, people who know im a fan ask whats wrong and that story is too long to tell. ugh.

Exactly. My mom was a huge sports fan. She loved the Bills and the Sabres and the game was alway on. She hung flags out in front of here house, and my friends would always stop at her house on the way to a Bills Game to use her bathroom and share a cup of coffee. I'd buy her a ticket for Mothers day and take her every fall. I think she distanced herself a bit as her health declined, but she died sometime at her house after the Bills lost another game to Miami in 2010, TV on in her house for my poor BIL to discover. In my dreams she kicks Ralph Wilson right in the shins in the afterlife, but that's just how I've leaned to deal. I'm 51 and I often wonder if this is my sports destiny. I'm getting to the point I care less and less.

I just want to thank all the posters here. I'm on the road for work out west and missed the game. Reading this thread tonight saved me two hours and was more entertaining than most games lately. Laughing to myself at the bar of an Applebies outside of Vegas.

I so wanted Lindy to win a cup in Buffalo. I will miss his pressers. Good Luck Lindy. Go Sabres.