webfartan

brick

2006-06-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

Subtropical Underworld

2005-08-07T22:39:00.000-07:00

After getting the great rate, we've finally closed on the house. We've begun the moving process with a move-out date of August 31. After moving over some stuff and painting the living room, we see we have a challenge before us.

I'm going to try to log our efforts, and I'm starting with the basement. It's 90% below ground with masonry walls. Three small windows bring in some light and ventilation while the door at the back is the only external entrance. The floor is concrete, but some sections are so thin that the bare dirt is exposed.

What concerns us is the humidity in the basement. It is so moist we've spotted drops of condensation on the walls. After we received the keys to the premises, my first step was to hang up a combination thermometer and hygrometer. Here are the results for the first two weeks of almost daily observations:

1. week of 7/25. Temperature: 70-72 F. Relative humidity: 70-65%
Heat wave produces days which are at or above 100F probably explain the high moisture readings. The cool temperature underground was a pleasant surprise but the humidity obscured the potential comfort. Consequently my in-laws got us a dehumidifier as a present. Lots of water is being extracted but no real difference in humidity.

2. wk. of 8/1. Temperature: 70-72 F. Rel. hum.: 65-50%
Some cooling relief comes with the arrival with a cold front at the end of the week. Now the dehumidifier actually stops running because the moisture in the air is not triggering the device.

Let's see what happens next down below.

We Have an Allergic Cat

2005-04-04T12:25:00.000-07:00

We took our cat to the vet the other day. He looked pretty icky to us, with scabs in his ears, lesions on his skin and constant scratching. I thought it was ear mites or some nasty parasite. The vet looked in his ears and on his skin, took scrapings and cultures and looked at them under the microscope. No mites. No apparent pests or parasites. It looked to her like ... allergies!

Some folks are allergic to cats, we have an allergic cat. And he's scratching himself up pretty badly. With some antibiotics and steroids, and minus the flea collar, he's looking a little better. But the flowers we brought in for our wedding anniversary made him sneeze and scratch. Looks like it's silk flowers for us from now on.

Father Ted has Three Tattoos!

2005-03-28T11:44:00.000-08:00

This past week has been a very busy one, what with househunting and holiday celebrations and all. On Saturday, Mrs. Fartan attended the Easter Vigil services at the small Catholic church around the corner. I had never attended one of these before. It was just beautiful, with candles and incense and wonderful singing. One of my friends often serves as a lector, and she read the first verses of Genesis with her usual perfect diction and rich contralto voice. Afterwards she and I went out to the nearby fish 'n chips shop with Father Ted, one of the priests who was officiating.

Father Ted is an Anglophile and knows his draft ales. We were celebrating his birthday, too, and he honored us by showing us his three tattoos, all of which he got long after his ordination. Imagine my surprise at seeing a Union Jack tattooed on a fellow Brooklynite! Couldn't it have been our lovely bridge or even our exquisite Borough Hall? What about a sentimental Brooklyn Dodgers design?? But as it was his birthday, Mrs. Fartan was not about to tell him what tattoos a man born and raised in Brooklyn should sport.

Happy Birthday, Father Ted, and the bloke in the braces and wellies really is rather a nice touch!

Up in smoke

2005-03-20T22:10:00.000-08:00

Mr. and Mrs. Fartan spent yet another afternoon househunting through Brooklyn. The plan was to see six or seven candidates in four neighborhoods: Prospect-Lefferts, Crown Heights, Bed-Stuy, and Clinton Hill. Mrs. Fartan was tired after seeing four properties, so Mr. Fartan sent the Missus home on the Fulton Street bus before pushing on to locate the remainder.

On the way to the last house, Mr. Fartan noticed smoke to his left. It was a little too dark for the kind that comes out a furnace or boiler, and sure enough, there were flashing lights and red vehicles in that direction as well. The camera for househunting came out and caught this:

New York City's Bravest were on the scene, entering the smoking building to fight the fire. From where Mr. Fartan stood could be heard a lot of crunching and shattering. Some of it was the work of the firefighters inside; some of it was caused by this:

Just a minute or so later, a high pressure hose began pumping water into (and out of) the building:

A moment later, yet another ladder truck approached to put more firemen onto the rooftop:

After two firefighters climbed up the ladder onto the roof, Mr. Fartan departed the scene. The fire was under control, but the chaos was just beginning for the families who lived in that apartment.

Somebody's Dream House

2005-03-18T21:02:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, Mr. Fartan and Mrs. Fartan went househunting through the neighborhoods of Clinton Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant. Mr. Fartan had noticed some candidates a few evenings before, so we were back to see it in better light. As we rounded a corner with the winter sun in our eyes, we happened to notice this above the roofline:

We just had to stop to admire the brilliant melange of architectural styles, marvelling at how well it expressed postmodern deconstructionist theory:

OK, OK, we stopped because we were just astounded to find that someone thought this was a good idea. A woman passing by told us she has lived in the neighborhood for over 15 years, and in all that time, the owner was still at it, working on this unfinished masterpiece.

Here it is from the front:

To each their own, I guess--it's certainly not our taste.

An Evening of Theater

2005-03-11T12:03:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Fartan went to see a production of Snitzler's 'The Lonely Way' (Der Einsam Weg) with a couple of friends last night, one of whom speaks and reads German and was sure the play would be good until we actually saw it.

I don't know when I've laughed more AFTER a play. And the audience is not supposed to laugh at this high-toned drama of disintegrating relationships and truths revealed in turn-of-the-century Vienna. Suffice it to say that a pond which appears at the end of Act One must inevitably have a drowning victim by the end of Act Three. This is true whether or not there is any motivation for the character to drown herself. Hmmm...she's just received a proposal from the man she loves, so of course there's nothing for it but to drown herself. And there's another suicide, a death from illness, a woman dressed in red so we know she must have loose morals, and a man dressed in a long silk bathrobe so we know he must be artistically talented.

Ah, the theater! Mrs. Fartan will look for a real comedy next time.

In Like a Lion

2005-03-01T17:22:00.000-08:00

Another snowstorm blankets Brooklyn and environs. Mrs. Fartan took out her camera today - everything looked so pretty!

View from our window:

Remsen Street:

Clinton Street:

Snow Garden:

Right now I'm even a bit glad our real estate deal fell through.
As renters, we don't have to do the shoveling!

Dirty Doings Going On or Brooklyn Real Estate

2005-02-08T09:28:00.000-08:00

So Mr. Fartan & I believe we've settled on a Nice Place in Crown Heights. We sign the contract. We send the check. We wait. Two weeks pass. Three.

The executed contract does not come back to my attorney. Neither has the check been cashed. The seller's attorney tells my attorney the seller is abroad but he's working on power of attorney. Uh huh. Today I check Craigslist as is my custom, and am dismayed to discover that another broker is showing our Nice Place in Crown Heights in an Open House this week!

What the????

I call the broker & tell him he's got 15 minutes to get the story & get back to me. I call my attorney. OK, OK....calm down. Broker says seller told broker that seller needs to see 'movement'.
WHAT MOVEMENT??? HE'S GOT MY SIGNATURE ON THE CONTRACT!! HE'S GOT MY CHECK!!!
What bank will proceed with financing on an unexecuted contract???

No, Mrs. Fartan, don't say what kind of movement you're really thinking!

I do not consider this to be 'good faith' business practice. My attorney gets back to me & says the seller's attorney claimed to be unaware the place would be shown again. OK. We will pretend we're at the theatre and suspend our disbelief. My attorney told seller's attorney that the executed contract must be in my attorney's hands by end of day tomorrow or my offer is withdrawn.
Yup.

Mega Magazine Mixup

2005-02-07T22:53:00.000-08:00

Sunday, Mr. and Mrs. Fartan were at the grocery store to do a little food shopping. In the checkout line, Mrs. Fartan was leafing through a copy of Family Circle magazine. There was a good article on kitchen remodeling (for the new place) and one on low-calorie desserts (for her sweet tooth).

We decided to buy it, so she gave it to the cashier. Mrs. Fartan then had Mr. Fartan go ahead to take the bags of groceries while she paid for the purchase. As she put away her change, Mrs. Fartan noticed a brown paper bag with what she thought was her magazine. She grabbed it and walked out with a puzzled Mr. Fartan. He knew he had the Family Circle -- he was standing but three feet from her when the cashier put it in the bag. What magazine did she have?

Once back in their apartment, the Mr. and the Mrs. opened the brown paper bag.

This what she found. Imagine her surprise!

For some time, Mr. Fartan has been complaining that Mrs. Fartan lives in her own private universe. Here was proof!

Gift Fair At Javits Center or It's All About Packaging

2005-02-02T16:34:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Fartan attended the New York Gift Fair as a Guest today. Beautiful things - jewelry, ceramics, handbags, doggie treats - all beautifully packaged. And all looking for nice people with nice shops to sell them or representatives to find nice shops to sell them.

There were various locations reserved for handmade products and a Design Showcase section for really cool-looking stuff for the home. Taking photos of the individual displays was taboo; this showcase was in the public area and OK to photograph.

Booked Great Mortage Rate - All I Need is a Job!

2005-01-31T06:11:00.000-08:00

The Grand Fartan Plan is that Mr. & Mrs. Fartan each buy properties in his/her own name. After selling my pretty little co-op in Cobble Hill, I've set my sights on a Little Red Brick Box - with rental income - in Crown Heights. I booked a 30-year-fixed rate mortgage at 5.75% on Friday. Rate lock is for 60 days. Whee! Please keep your fingers crossed for me; all I need now is a job!

Now Reading......Guy de Maupassant

2005-01-27T10:31:00.000-08:00

One of Mrs. Fartan's resolutions for 2005 is to read a short story every weeknight. After all, I was an English Major.

Last night's story was Guy De Maupassant's "Rust".
A country baron of late middle age has lived alone. He finally wants to marry.

Use it or lose it, gentlemen.

Pardon Me Miss - Are You Scandanavian?

2005-01-25T17:02:00.000-08:00

This was among the more amusing pick-up lines ever addressed to Mrs. Fartan! I was subwaying into Manhattan this morning dressed in my neon-bright, mango yellow parka with matching fleece hat and gloves that no taxi, limo or snow plough driver could say he didn't see.

I sat down on the Number 4 train next to an overburdened businessman with a light brown complexion that could have emanated from almost anywhere in the Middle East, South or Central Asia. He looked me up and down, smiled and said "Are you from Scandanavia?"

Moi? I admit to being somewhat cute, especially to Mr. Fartan. But as I am neither tall nor blonde and hardly willowy, I wondered if he'd read this phrase in some Guide to Picking Up Women in New York City. Or maybe he just liked bright colors.

"No, I'm from Brooklyn."

Four Story Brownstone - Serf Included!

2005-01-11T06:59:00.000-08:00

Mr. Fartan & I have been househunting over the past few months.
When we married, my adorable little coop wasn't big enough for him and his six desktop computers - not to mention the laptops, keyboards, motherboards, extra mice (mouses?) and other technical inventory.
So we sold adorable little coop in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn and moved into his large but dark apartment in Brooklyn Heights. Love the location, hate the space.

So the adventure began....

We wanted to own and have rental income, too. Saw many pretty places we couldn't afford in Ft. Greene, Gowanus, and Clinton Hill. Saw many ugly places we woundn't want to.

The strangest house was in Clinton Hill. Under $900K. We could affort it at a stretch if we gave up cable TV. Four 3-bedroom apartments, wild but possible manageable back yard, and a serf in the unfinished basement. Yes, there actually was a deaf-mute in his late 50's taking custodial care of the building and living in a tent - a tent! - with no toilet or running water in the dirt and concrete basement. Um.... didn't people used to be attached to the land in order to FARM it?

We were dumbfounded. Neither the real estate agent nor the landlord seemed to think this was an odd situation. The landlord told us "if you don't want him, I'll take him with me to my next building."
Thanks awfully, but we'll pass on that. The police sargeant didn't think it was unusual, either, when we called him the next day. "Probably a homeless guy. If he doesn't object, and the landlord doesn't object, there's nothing we can do." I wish I knew what we should do.

Thomas Barnett, "The Pentagon's New Map"

2004-12-22T01:27:00.000-08:00

Last night Thomas Barnett was on CSPAN to talk about the ideas behind his book, The Pentagon's New Map. Like most DOD briefings, it was a large Powerpoint presentation packed with a lot of interrelated issues and unfamiliar jargon. I sent this to some friends:

Subject: Re: scathing... and 21st century world relations

If you can, try to watch or record Thomas Barnett on CSPAN tonight at 8PM Eastern. Not only is he a professor at the US Naval War College, he is also the author of the book "The Pentagon's New Map", a work on grand strategy for the 21st century. This book grew out of the briefing that will be aired tonight, a presentation that he gives to business executives and to higher-level military and civilian officials, both US and foreign (he has given this talk in Beijing and the Chinese translation of his book is underway). CSPAN will have a live call-in segment so that the public can question Barnett directly.

http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:8080/cspan/cspan.csp?command=dprogram&record=63013469

Though I don't agree with everything he says, I do think Barnett has the right framework for understanding international relations for the rest of our lifetimes. His ideas are mostly nonpartisan. Barnett was for Kerry, and higher-level Kerry campaign people got this briefing in person. Of course, as someone loosely attached to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the US military has begun incorporating some of his analyses, even if Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, and Rice haven't been restating his concepts in public.

If you have time today, look over his website, particularly the Esquire magazine summary of these ideas at

http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com/published/pentagonsnewmap.htm

Please pass this along to anyone really interested in world affairs.

[Mr. Fartan]

If you['re one of those] financially-oriented types, you might find it interesting enough to consider what kind of long-term investment strategy might come from it.

Guess what? As of this post, Barnett has exceeded his bandwith:

It would be fun to think Mr. Fartan is an extremely influential person, able to drive that much traffic, but that would not be so (at least not now). The other likely possibility is that things are inaccessible because he is reorganizing his website, as promised.

Beautiful Hair = Rotted Brain?

2004-12-06T09:26:00.000-08:00

Today Forbes reports that methylisothiazolinone (MIT), a common ingredient in many shampoos, hair colorings, body washes and other beauty and hygiene products kill brain cells in laboratory rats. This sent us searching in the bathtub and under the batroom sink for products that could hurt our brains.

And we thought the beautiful-stupid link was just a myth!

We've Got Us a Brand New Carbon Monoxide Detector

2004-12-02T20:10:00.000-08:00

(photo courtesy of Mr. Fartan)

Today our building super arrived with our new, required-by-law, carbon monoxide detector. At first he wanted to hang it high on the wall in our bedroom, but Mr. Fartan (wisely, I think) convinced him to hang it lower down. By the time the gas reaches closer to the ceiling, Mr. Fartan reasoned, it might already be too late for us!

Must say the alarm is loud enough to wake the near-dead. And that's a Good Thing, I suppose.

Yes, He's Cookin' In Brooklyn

2004-11-30T18:36:00.000-08:00

The Daily News reports that restauranteur Alan Harding, the man who started the Smith Street revival when he opened the French Restaurant Patois, now has his own television show, "Cookin' in Brooklyn" on the Discovery Home Channel.
Darn - I missed the first episode!

Mr. Fartan & I have enjoyed many delicious meals at Patois and other restaurants on Smith Street, though we do miss the late lamented Vietnamese venue Uncle Pho's, which was also a Harding creating.

FYI, Mrs Fartan is down to 135 lbs, despite gorging on the fabulous Thanksgiving Dinner cooked by Mr. Fartan's sister. Here's the menu:

Portsmouth Fish Chowder (cooked this year by Mr. Fartan!)
Rosemary Pear-Glazed Ham
Asian Spiced Short Ribs
Herbed Turkey with Stuffings

Oyster Cornbread Stuffing
Cajun Pork and Sausage Stuffing
Spinach Risotto
Sweet Potato Sham
Acorn Squash with Chestnuts
Creamed Collard Greens

Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Bundt Cake
Date Squares
Almond Spice Cookies

and Champagne and Wine brought by the Guests
BYO Tupperware!

Sorry, folks, Mr. Fartan's sister doesn't have her own restaurant.

SpaceShipOne and Space Tourism

2004-11-24T13:49:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging to sharpen my thinking and writing skills, but I feel so rusty at both, even about topics I know a little about. This probably means I'll be posting only a couple times a week until I improve.

Today's comment is about Alex Tabarrok's article at Tech Central Station about commercial spacecraft necessary for space tourism. Randall Parker takes the discussion a little further at FuturePundit. Alex and his colleague Tyler Cowan post at Marginal Revolution, one of my favorite economics blogsites; Randall also runs Parapundit, and while I don't necessarily agree with everything he writes, he, too, is someone very much worth reading.

Both Alex and Randall are very skeptical about the prospects of the space tourism industry. Alex thinks it's too risky to attract enough customers. Randall considers the safety of spaceflight to the safety of aviation in 1938, but I don't think this is proper. The aviation pioneers of 1903-1938 could try pretty much whatever they could afford. Today, liability concerns, if not outright government regulations, greatly restrict space entrepreneurs. Rutan and SpaceShipOne had to get the FAA to make a ruling that clarifiied their right to fly (link to come).

The aviation advances that had DC-3s and the Boeing Clippers flying in 1938 also occurred because there was an economic rationale for traveling by air. The US did not have an interstate highway system, and sometimes it was necessary to travel faster than the train system permitted. It's not clear that such a strong motivation exists for spaceflight.

I think that it is premature to say that the riskiness of spaceflight would be the chief barrier to large-scale operations. We just don't know right now because no one really flies to space like an airline or commuter service does. Until we have that technology, we can't really say if tourism will support regular manned orbital/suborbital flight. I'll do some back-of-the-envelope calculations for Virgin's space tourism business model in a future post.

Now There's Proof! Everyone's Incompatible!

2004-11-06T17:04:00.000-08:00

This caught my eye on Yahoo. No such thing as "compatibility".
Hmmmm.....I suspected as much. (TeeHee!)

http://biz.yahoo.com/weekend/marriage_1.html

We're here!

2004-11-04T18:22:00.000-08:00

We've been long-time blog readers, but thanks to Mrs. Fartan, we've now begun to post.

First, we'd like to introduce ourselves--from atop the Freedom of Expression National Monument currently on display at Foley Square in Manhattan.

Here's a better picture of the Missus:

Here I am, preparing to express myself:

We Fartans did our bit on Tuesday, November 2, by voting. Now that we've built our soapbox and megaphone for the internet, we're going to spout off.

Bug Butted Woman Goes on Diet

2004-10-19T16:05:00.000-07:00

Since marrying Mr. Fartan 18 months ago, Mrs. Fartan has gained 25 pounds on her once-slender frame. Mr. Fartan, who does the cooking and remains mind-bogglingly slim no matter how much he eats, affectionately calls this "Happy Fat". He also calls Mrs. Fartan his "Pudgy Princess." Ugh!!!

Mrs. Fartan's doctor told her she has no medical issues. Implying that she just eats too damn much. So I'm going on the diet that worked for me all through graduate school: the Body Type diet. I'm the 'gonadal type' which means 'big butted woman'. I'm starting at 140 lbs. Ideal weight is 115, but I'll settle for my wedding day weight of 120.

Will post progress. Wish me luck!!

Two-Ply or Not Two-Ply?

2004-10-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

Today Mr. Fartan is once again attempting to instruct me in the correct use of toilet paper. As though I've never seen this common household item before. The Mr. is trying to restrict me to four or six sheets, depending upon function.

And he claims that two-ply tissue is too dangerous a weapon to place in dangerous hands like mine. So why did the good Lord create the standard plunger????

Hello, World!

2004-10-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Fartania! This is our blog of musings, rantings, thoughts and observations. We don't expect you to agree with us, though we hope you find our stuff amusing.