Maybe it’s because I’ve hit 40.. (some kind of mid-life thing?). Maybe it’s because I’ve been driving around this old Dodge Caravan for 10 years, and need something more “fun”.  Maybe it’s because it’s the new year, and just time for a change (seems like a LOT of changes going on in my life right now).  But whatever the reasons, I’ve finally bought a new car… well, new to me anyway.  Any not just any ole car… but a red 2005 Ford Mustang convertible!

Here’s the FULL story….

10 years ago I was involved with someone who had FOUR kids from a previous marriage. Certainly needed a bigger car than what I was driving at the time, and so in 1999 decided to buy this 1997 blue dodge Caravan, which has held up very well, and been a good, dependable vehicle over the years.  Even after that relationship ended I kept the van as a good vehicle to carry around stuff in the back, as well as just appreciating driving something a bit higher up, allowing me to see over more cars.

A few months ago, the youngest daughter from that previous relationship was talking about getting a new car, and I helped her do the deal, since it was her first car…  and eventually she ended up with a pretty nice Mustang, and while driving around with her a little to have the car looked at by my mechanic, etc a lot of people commented on the car and it really sunk in to myself, that it was time for ME to get something kinda flashy and fun myself!  — But I am generally VERY frugal, and spending $10-15k on a car when i already have something that works great didn’t seem like the best use of that money.

After another month or two, I finally decided some new “toy” seems like it might be a lot of fun!  And on Dec 31, 2009 went out to buy my own Ford Mustang…. Actually I had spent the week or two before doing some good research… asking friends what they thought might be a fun/sexy car.  I even looked in to a 1987 Ferrari !  (trying to stick around the $10-15k price range).  I was all ready to buy a pretty nice red 2006 Mustang (also with racing stripes) only 36,000 miles and selling for $13000, but after one final check on craigslist, I ran across a very sweet deal — 2005 Mustang CONVERTIBLE… with the special “Pony Package” which includes fancy upgrades like the Shaker 500 sound system, leather seats and steering, tinted windows, and more.  The car DID have 66,000 miles, which sure is a big jump for just that one additional year, but also, it was only selling for $9,800!  — and according to me, that $3200 “savings” with the additional “coolness” factor of a convertible, just threw it over the top.  Of course, I still did have my mechanic look at it first!

I’ve been taking my car(s) to Brad Updegraff who runs the Great Hills Shell station at 10940 Research Blvd for about 10 years now, and would never think about buying a car without his thumbs-up!  After a quick “buyers check” he gave me the run down…. it did have a few issues, as should be expected, but mostly just various fluids that needed flushing, and nothing at all very serious.  So that was that… Headed out to the bank that same afternoon, picked up the cash, and finished the deal…. I was even able to talk the sellers down to $9500 to help cover a few hundred dollars that it would cost to do some of the fluid flushing.

SO, about the car! — red/maroon 2005 Ford Mustang convertible; 4.0L V6 SFI SOHC engine; leather seats and steering, Shaker 500 sound system, tinted windows; powered windows and seats.  Here is a link to the CarFax info.

I’m already having some good fun taking some friends out for a spin with the top down.. Best Christmas / New Year present I’ve bought for myself in a long time =)~

David

Last year I wrote a short entry about the importance of knowing your credit score.

I’ve been subscribed to a service (MyCreditInform), which allows me to look up my credit score at any time, as well as giving me some good pointers and advice on WHY and HOW certain items in my credit report are affecting my score, and DETAILS on what accounts I have open, balances, etc.  There are also what-if tools which allow me to “test” things like “What if I cancel this particular card” or “What if I pay this card’s balance down to less than 50% max limit”, etc.  Overall I’ve been rather happy with it.

I DO know we are allowed to get a FREE report from each of the three credit reporting agencies once a year.  If you time each of the three out across the year, that’s a free report every 4 months. The government webpage describing free access to credit reports is here.  The site they refer to is AnnualCreditReport.com which will give you access to all three reporting agencies.

A new (free) site I recently heard about on Clark Howard’s national radio program is CreditKarma.com which seems to have LOTS of the same tools a MyCreditInform for evaluating why your credit score is what it is.  As well as showing what your current score is, and many other goodies.  The only thing this site doesn’t seem to do is give you all the full details about exactly what accounts you have open, and specific account history.  Again, you can get that free at AnnualCreditReport.com (total 3 times a year) or for a small monthly fee at MyCreditInform.com (unlimited).

Anyway, one of the MAIN reasons I wanted to write this particular entry was because last quarter my score had been up around 790, but has now dropped to near 760!  Of course, I had to look in to why, and found some (now obvious) information I thought I’d share to perhaps help others.

The main reasons for the rather large drop is because I was looking to get my first Discover Card and Home Depot credit card to have a few more different types of cards, and since one of my earlier cards was closed out on me (due to inactivity).  So, I have those 2 new inquiries showing on my report, PLUS now that I have them (and they are brand new), they are adding to a reduced “average age” of all my cards, which is now at about 3.5 years.  Since I got a late start with my credit (had been always paying cash), my oldest card is only 8 years.  Along with that, I got 2 other credit cards a few years ago, which now means 4 new accounts in the last 24 months which is having an additional negative effect.  On top of the credit cards, I’ve been looking to buy a new house (property) and not being very picky, so the “looking” has been going on since last October, and so now there have been 3 hard credit inquiries for that spread out over the last 12 months.  And something I hadn’t thought of…. I have a balance (owe something) on 50% of my cards.  Now THIS is a bit odd for a negative, because I do pay off the full balance of all my 12 cards each month, but because 6 of them currently have some balance (even $4 and $12) they are seeming to have an effect.  According to CreditKarma.com, 29.7% of their users have 11-20 cards, but I’m surprised to see that even 21% have 21-30 cards.  I also just finished refinancing my current house with a new lender, and while there is no clear sign of the effect, I am sure that plays in a little as well.

Overall, I’m not worried about the current drop.  As the 2 new cards get some time passed they won’t affect the average age as much, and the new cards will help to build a higher score, and help to keep current usage under 50%.  The hard inquiries will drop off in several months, and I’ll finally make it over 800 for the first time! — I’d say by next Summer that goal will be reached.

Some final info (as found on Credit.com)… Payment History accounts for 35% of your score.  Amount of Debt accounts for 30% of score, which is calculated as Total Balances / Total Credit Limits = Your Revolving Utilization, and so having more cards while keeping balances low can have a dramatic effect.  Types Of Accounts determines 10% of your credit score which can be a bit confusing, but described well here. Basically the message here is to have a wide variety of accounts (mortgage, auto, credit card, student loan, signature, etc) – and even historical (closed) accounts count.  Having a mortgage is a “must” (the page says) and auto loan counts big too.. as well as “not too many” credit cards… avoid finance companies… but a lot of this Account types section is more fuzzy than Payment History and Amount of Debt.  Age of Accounts (oldest account and average) makes up 15% of your score.  And finally, (hard) Inquiries over the last 24 months make up the last 10% of your score. A VERY good description and example of how inquires can be bad is seen near the bottom of this page.

Hope this helps someone else too!

David

I recently became rather interested in Personality Tests after being introduced to The Enneagram of Personality.

After taking several online versions:
http://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test.php
http://www.okcupid.com/tests/the-quick-amp-painless-enneagram-test
http://ancientpathspersonalgrowth.org/test/test.html
http://www.enneagram.net/tests/sampler/samplerlogin.aspx

I have pretty much come to the conclusion that I’m most likely a Type 5, but also very likely a Type 1 or possibly a Type 3!

Even after 2 days of intense reading and comparing Type descriptions (which Type would do that?) I am still not quite sure.

Some things I have read suggest that you really have to look beyond the “actions” of each Type and focus on the “motivation”.  One site (EnneagramInstitute) has some really good Type descriptions, and even several pages on how to identify Mistypes!

After reading up on how Type 1’s are commonly mistyped as 5’s… I found one main difference seems to be that 1’s are more likely extroverted while 5’s are more likely introverted, so I found an online test to “confirm” that too. My results?

Very Introverted

You prefer your own company or that of your partner’s. You don’t have many friends, but the ones you do are the kind that are loyal. You’re always misunderstood as being grumpy, but often it’s that you simply don’t care to talk. If people constantly question your mood, it can actually make you grumpy and you wish they’d stop asking if you’re okay. Ideally, you’d prefer to be in a vocation where you can work alone. A quiet night with a book, movie or computer is preferable to going out and battling with a crowd of people lined up at the popular nightspot in town. You’re a deep thinker and thrive on analysing life, current events and your own original views. You’re mature for your age. If financially viable, you’d rather live alone (or with significant other) and don’t like many visitors. Compared to an extrovert, you’re cooler and probably less neurotic. You can be trusted with a secret. Change is probably something that you don’t embrace a lot, as you prefer familiar and routine. You won’t have nearly as many jobs as an extrovert. They get bored easily. I like you.

Compared to other takers

• 81/100 You scored 76% on Introvertpints, higher than 81% of your peers.

… and although I can certainly accept I am most likely introverted, there are parts of my personality (and time periods in my life) which really point to an extrovert (running Actual Reality BBS, going to raves, I DO like working with a small group of people to help keep motivated and on task, share ideas, etc… I’ve really enjoy teaching for 12 years now, etc).

Along with that, “While Ones certainly do think, they are primarily people of action, and are only interested in ideas that lead to some practical result. Fives, however, are truly a mental type: they can ponder any proposition or idea and do not particularly care about its practical ramifications.”  .. and most often I find myself trying to think about how to get a result or deciding which action to take. “Ones are keenly interested in applying their principles to daily life.”

Here it becomes a little unclear to me: “Ones judge situations from idealistic standards based on what they think should be the case. Fives are constantly investigating and questioning assumptions, not to mention standards and principles.” — I usually do have a strong gut-feeling about how I think something SHOULD be, but at the same time I am constantly trying to research all sides, and question everything just to be sure I’ve got the correct answer.

Another point: “Ones are deductive, operating from principles to specific applications; Fives are inductive, operating from given data to form more sweeping theories.” — For this I actually spent about 30 minutes to research the difference between deductive and inductive and feel that I use BOTH methods to come to my conclusions. I suppose if I have experience with something I’ll use data from that, but if not I’ll probably have general principles to work from.  In either case, when I’m coming to my own conclusion I generally like to gather as much data from all sides as I can — so, inconclusive?

Another: “Both are philosophical, and love knowledge: Ones as a means of perfecting the world, Fives as a way of discovering more about the world.” — I’m not sure I ALWAYS try to perfect the entire world, but it could often be that I see a flaw in something and am trying to fix that, or make others aware of better alternatives. (or is that a Type 3?)  I suppose at some level, I am less interested in making things “perfect” and more interested in just discovering the “right” answer… either for myself (Type 5?), or more likely to apply in some way (Type 1?).

And finally: “Ones tend to be teachers and moralists, not inventors and iconoclasts like Fives.” — 13 years ago I never thought I’d be a teacher, and in fact, even as I started in the profession I was EXTREMELY anxious about being up in front of class. However, after doing it for even just a couple months I felt very comfortable with it, and now see myself teaching for (possibly) MANY more years.  I think I fall in to the “moralists” category as well and don’t feel I fit in with iconoclasts.

Anyway, the distinctions between Type 1 and Type 5 still remain aloof for me.

This brings on a later interesting twist with Type 3!  “Average Threes, by contrast, are efficient pragmatists, not idealists. Threes are driven more by their goals than by standards–they care more about getting the job done than about the particulars of how it gets done. Ones tend to be attached to particular methods or procedures (“This is the best way to do this.”) Threes are more adaptable, and will change tactics quickly if they feel they are not getting the desired result.”  — Which perhaps even seems to fit me better.  I am usually all for IMPROVING a way something is done, and again, it’s more about getting to a result (quicker/better).  When doing most tasks I seem to always be thinking of ways to improve it.  I don’t feel I am stuck in a the rigidity of always doing something the “right way” (Type 1) when there is a better/easier/faster way to do the same thing (Type 3).  I certainly don’t mind (or fear) adapting.

Another aspect: “Threes are more able to mask whatever is bothering them. On the surface, they rarely appear emotionally disturbed for long by anything. Ones are far less able to conceal their irritations and disappointments.” — Which I  can certainly see for myself.  I am quick to let things appear to slide off my back.  And with Threes “the impression of aloofness and of emotional coolness comes more from a detachment from their feelings rather than a suppression of them.”– This is tough, as I am not really sure if I am more detached from my feelings or suppressing them.

However, “Threes tend to present whatever emotion seems appropriate at the time. If seriousness is called for, they tend to project seriousness. If levity is required, they will ‘do levity,’ smiling and being chatty, even if inside they are feeling frightened, overwhelmed, or even sad. For better or worse, Threes are more skilled at projecting charm and ‘personality’ than Ones. However, we can discern the underlying detachment from deeper feelings when Threes are ‘performing’ by the abruptness and ease with which they can adjust their affect from situation to situation and from person to person.” — and this really seems to lock in a Three for me, since I do seem to have an ease at adjusting according to situation and/or person(s).

And finally: “Both types have in mind some sort of goal that they want to achieve. The difference is that Ones attempt to discover which objective means will best lead to the desired ideal, whereas Threes are pragmatists who work backward to find the most efficient means to achieve their goal.”  — I am definitely GOAL oriented in my thinking (as opposed to Fives?), but it’s hard to say if I use an “objective means” as opposed to “pragmatic”.  However, if the words “the desired ideal” as opposed to “their goal” really are vitally important to the concept, then I might have to say I care less about some “desired ideal” that others might see, and generally am more concerned with meeting MY goals… if they match up with some global ideal that’s even better, but not required.  That’s not to say I try to massage the data to fit what I want, but rather I try to find the answers for myself and not overly concerned with what might be a more widely desire/accepted answer.

MBTI

I wasn’t overly satisfied about an earlier test showing I was introverted, although I wasn’t stubbornly opposed to it. Today I took two separate  Myers-Briggs personality tests with these results:

ISTJ   and   INTJ

I guess I should just accept that I’m introverted, but with some very extroverted-like exceptions in various aspects of my life.  The second test also came with these “strength indicators”

Introverted     Intuitive       Thinking        Judging
89                50                  88                  67
I took those tests to help get a better feel for my enneagram type.  There are several pages I’ve seen that elude to some correlation, and in fact this page has a good chart to match up types.  On that chart it shows all Type 5s to be Introverts, while all Type 3s are Extroverts, and Type 1s can be ISTJ or ESTJ.  I still feel reluctant to rule out Type 3.

Well, it’s getting late, and I’m sure I’ll be at this more tomorrow.

Wow! I can’t believe it’s almost been a YEAR since I made a blog post here!

A little troubling too, that no one wrote to make sure I was still alive or not…. and no, it doesn’t matter that my friends and family had OTHER ways they were keeping in touch.

Anyway, I should be “at work” now, so I guess I’ll only mention that I’ve got a new job as a Linux Instructor at Red Hat !! Even though that is VERY cool, I hate mixing business and personal so I’ll probably not mention it again on this blog.

I’ve also decided to (probably) sell my house and buy a few acres just outside of Austin. Some of you might have guessed by various pictures, that I’ve been letting my yard go wild. I really do like the all natural look and feel and to feel tucked away in nature, and not so close to other houses. More on the new plan later… but for now… I’m spending time getting it fixed up… either as a rental property, or just to sell.

The final big, change has been a recent break up with my GF, Debbie… of the last year. I won’t go in to details, but yes, it’s a very sad time, so all the more reason to dive in to work and other large projects like the house to keep myself preoccupied.

I’m sure all of this also means more time on this blog, keeping up with twitter (and map), and catching this blog up on other interesting things I missed over the last year.

David

As I’m playing around with TwitterMaps more, I’ve found it does NOT seem to know where some zip codes are! Such as 78641. I’ve looked around at how to add zip codes, perhaps with a Lat/Lon value, but can’t seem to find anything. Does anyone know how to get zip codes added?

In my research, I came up with a couple very cool zip code map web pages, though! And I’ll share them here:

http://maps.huge.info/zip.htm – Google Maps mashup with colored area for zip code. (same API: http://www.usnaviguide.com/zip.htm)
http://www.city-data.com/zips/78727.html – Tons of city / zip population data, statistics, sex offenders, home sale prices, census information, etc. Notice the zip code there at the end… just put in the one you want. The main website city-data.com might be fun to check out too.