b.rox

Back in June 2006 we had some extra money lying around from our insurance settlement. I’m hesitant to name dollar amounts publicly. Let’s just say it qualified as “a lot” in my book. More than a month’s salary, less than a year’s. I hope that is sufficiently vague.
So I decided to invest in the stock [...]

We got our 2009 Real Estate Assessment from City Hall Friday.
Last year, I didn’t understand property assessments, but now I think I do, kinda sorta, so I’m actually able to make some sense of this notice.
Last year, our assessed value was $720 (land) + $1000 (structure) for a total of $1720 — the entirety of [...]

I left my daughter with a bunch of strangers this morning. Kind of an odd experience, but not as upsetting as I might have thought. The folks at the daycare seem to know what they’re doing, and the whole scene inspired confidence.
This is teacher prep week, so Xy’s not quite back at work full time [...]

I guess I’m in a very small minority with this opinion, but I actually support our Louisiana state legislature’s efforts to give themselves a huge salary increase. It’s not because I think they deserve a reward them for a job well done. It’s not because I like big government or higher taxes. It’s because when [...]

Thanks to Carol G for getting me in touch with the very helpful Christopher Elliott. He’s the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. Today he published my case. I found it in the Arizona Daily Star, though not, strangely enough, in our Times-Picayune which usually carries his column in the Sunday Travel section. I [...]

We got the receipt from Tulane University Hospital & Clinic’s Healthcare Payment System. For the record, we racked up $2,484.00 in room charges (two nights’ stay) and a whopping $16,499.28 in “ancillary” charges.
But we have group insurance through our employers. We actually paid $250 and just got billed for $170 more.
I can’t even begin [...]

This story in the paper made me feel ever-so-slightly vindicated about our decision to renovate.

A new study of home prices around the New Orleans area shows that buyers rewarded sellers who gambled and rebuilt in devastated areas like Lakeview, eastern New Orleans and Chalmette. Renovated homes in those areas recovered much of their pre-storm value [...]

We got our “gold letter” from the Road Home today.
The letter states that we did not qualify for any compensation. Or, as they so cleverly phrase it, “your compensation grant was zero.”
This is because they estimate our damage at $34,050.53. Our insurance company paid us $82,294.03. Both these figures are stated in the letter.
Couple interesting [...]

Xy and I had our initial appointment with the Road Home program this morning. Yes, that’s right, initial. We’re only just now getting started. For once this tardiness cannot be blamed on governmental ineptitude or bureaucratic bungling. It’s our fault. We’ve dragged out feet and postponed this because we don’t really expect to get any [...]

My friend JB was having trouble with his debit card on his recent visit to the Crescent City. When he called his bank, he was informed that Visa debit cards haven’t worked in New Orleans since Katrina. [Edit: I surely misunderstood. It must be just this particular bank's Visa debit cards.]
I found that somewhat astonishing. [...]

I tremble in abject fear every time we get a letter from our insurer. So many people have been screwed by these insurance companies. We’ve done well by our local agent (Dan Burghardt), but I get the feeling the big companies that actually provide our flood and homeowners’ insurance (Fidelity and Lexington, respectively) would like [...]

Property assessments are being revised in New Orleans, which has some people worked up when the assessed value of their house doubles or quadruples. Ultimately this a good thing, or so it seems, but if your house is assessed for waaay too much, you have to appeal by August 15.
I’ve never paid to much attention [...]

I finally submitted our application to the Road Home program — and not a moment too soon. The deadline is July 31, and I’ve been procrastinating since I resolved to apply in March.
This program is supposed to help Louisiana homeowners get back in their homes after the devastation caused by Katrina and Rita and attendant [...]

Right now, as I eat my lunch, the Industrial Development Board of the City of New Orleans is holding a public hearing on the issuance of a variety of bonds. Some of these are “Gulf Opportunity Zone Revenue Bonds,” so I guess that’s some of that federal Katrina money. Some of this stuff I knew [...]

Even though the renovation of our house is taking a lot longer than expected, we’ve felt very fortunate for a number of reasons. We had adequate insurance that actually paid a reasonable amount in a timely fashion. Plus we’re able to live in the part of our house that wasn’t flooded. Yes, the renovation is [...]

According to my friend Kelly, I should be planning for my retirement now. My dad retired when he was 56. The trend is to work longer, but I feel like bucking that trend. I mean, I enjoy my job, but I don’t think I’d want to be doing it when I’m 70. I’ve always enjoyed [...]

I’m proud — no, scratch that — I’m chagrined to announce the debut of Boozocracy, a new online fundraising campaign.
Michael Homan and I are letting people vote on our drinking habits in order to raise money for a library our neighborhood. It’s kind of like the intersection of literary culture and drinking culture and democracy. [...]

So our mortgage company is holding the insurance money for renovating our house. They cut a check months ago when our contractor first submitted a bid, for one-third of the estimated total.
A couple months ago they sent an inspector along to confirm that work has been underway. They cut another check for the next third [...]

We got an insurance payment for the flooded contents of our house months ago, but we can’t refurnish until the renovation is complete. So I’ve got some extra cash on hand, and I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I put it in a savings account for safekeeping, but I figured it might be [...]

I recently got an update to our homeowner’s policy. It’s something like a hundred pages long. Past updates were only a few pages. I’m supposed to wade through all this legalese? I’d have to hire a lawyer just to find out how badly we’re getting screwed. A quick glance reveals there’s a “trampoline exclusion” and [...]