.Jhihmoac

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...And after a hard days toil, willing metal into reality using the parchments of blue as the only guide... the weary young smithy retired to his place in the little village and began to find relaxation, purpose and enlightenment...within the Oracle of Bianary Thought...

My old house (townhome)...Cary, Illinois...Taken in June 2000

Just a little place I bought in 1998... (just under 1700 sq. ft.) central air, ceiling fans, halfway decent appliances, washer/dryer, dual bay garage with openers for each door (The third door on the far right is to the residence next door - the places were built kind of strange...but that's a townhome for you...),all situated on the end of a cul-de-sac...with even a little wooded area (out of view to the left)...I was part owner of this with my friend and mentor, Vicki (the flowers are her handiwork)...and I worked very hard as a machinist in a small un-air conditioned shop amongst dirt, oil, hot flying chips, and endless slivers in my hands...

...No one has ever handed me anything in my adult life, and many (including some of the members of my family) would probably say "&%$# this", and quit within six months, and move on to something faster and easier in which to obtain their spoils...but necessity, has always been my "Mother of Invention",and besides...I never had a choice...

This was also where I started learning my computer skills (I purchased "Lucifer" which I still use today...back in March of 2000) on my own, as well as a couple of years of college courses during the years 2002 thru 2004...Even after I lost my livlihood...Myself and Vicki struggled as much as we could to keep this "one little piece of America" in our possesion...until we finally were forced to sell it, simply because the job and economic situation wouldn't allow us to keep the place...We managed to find a buyer just three months shy of being forced out, and finalized the title transfer in November 2005...the day before we left Illinois and moved to NJ to be near my family...

I don't know if I'll ever be able to get a home like this one (if at all)...Out here in NJ, a place like this would cost twice what it did in Illinois, and the taxes are phenominal...often in the low five digit figures for even a modest sized home, depending upon the municipality...You need to have a very good job, or be wealthy to have a home these days, especially out here, and with all the hardship, banks just aren't that generous on their loans without both ironclad credit and a hefty down payment...and along with the high cost of living, saving that kind of money isn't the easiest thing to do now...

Strange as it may seem, if by some miracle, I ever had the cash money to buy this particular place outright...AND if it happened to be up for sale...I'd snap it back up without blinking an eye twice..It was just perfect for someone like me...

Anyway, that was then...and this is now...Life sucks...That's the way it went, and that's the way it is...and that's another reason why I find relaxation in art...

...Because the living's HELL out there...