House appraisals came out today

...and my house went down. Quite a bit, actually. It's now worth almost 5% less than it was this time last year. I'm torn between being happy and upset. Happy because a lower appraisal means lower taxes and insurance (or at the very least, they won't go up!). Upset because now I've put more into my house than it's worth! I don't owe more than it's worth, but still.

And I don't plan on selling my house any time soon, so it's not like the appraisal makes much difference to me right now. And I do know that the stats on my house aren't quite accurate - if you include all the basement work it's probably worth a bit more. But I'm not sure. I can't figure out how they determine these things. I've looked at a bunch of houses in my neighborhood that are the same style, and I can't figure for the life of my how they set the values. (also, here's hoping all that coding works through an e-mail post!)

( When in doubt, make a table! )

A long-neglected meme

Letter meme time! 10 things I like that start with 'o' - and I didn't go with the obvious, because that's just too easy.

oxygen - because, frankly, where would be without it? Not only is it important for respiration, it's 1/3 of water! So, anyone who's a fan of breathing and drinking should be with me here.

origami - because it's making something out of nothing, really. You take a flat piece of paper and make a recognizable (and in some cases, like boxes and envelopes, a useable) object. Kinda like turning a piece of string into something (knitting, crocheting) it's the act of creation. And really, how cool is that?

orchestral music - combined with rock, mostly. There's nothing like a great orchestral backing to a heavy metal song to give it depth. And the version of the Scorpion's Rock you Like a Hurricane with the strings? To die for. Truly awesome. You should check it out.

Opus - the penguin. A Wish for Wings that Work is a holiday classic and a tradition! You should watch it. Really.

oolong - really, most tea is good, but this one has the added benefit of being fun to say. It is, try it!

Oliver! (no, I'm not explaining this one until Snerfflebarglast is over, since it'd give you the answer to Round Two!)

Occam's Razor - because, really, the simplest theory usually is right. There's no sense making huge leaps of logic just to make things more complicated than they are.

oatmeal - "I've never seen anybody enjoy oatmeal so much." (bonus points if you get that reference!

owls - though I am moderately frightened of large birds, I still think they're cool. Owls especially so, what with their stealth feathers.

outside - even when it's overcast! It's just so nice to be out in the fresh air and hear the birdies chirping.

Honorable mentions: otters, oranges, omelets, ottomans, ozone, optometry and ophthalmology, olfactory, and onomatopoeias

Things I dislike: overweight, ovaries (it's a love/hate relationship, really), orthopedics (the carpentry of the medical world, it makes me wince), opiates (they make me puke), and officials (referees or umpires, depending on the season... ~.^ ).

Meme part duex

Another meme I owe! lyonza picked five icons for me to explain...



This was a much larger banner I saw - probably through the recent LJ feed - and liked. It's the equivalent of a 'brain bleach' icon. Thankfully, my friends don't usually subject me to anything too awful!



The penguins were the only bright spot og Madegascar. And while I'm not at all evil genius (okay, evil, but no genius) it still seems appropriate now and then. And penguins! How can you go wrong with penguins?!



This one would make more sense if I still wrote much... But really, what writer hasn't felt like it would be easier to off someone than squeeze out another word? Especially that really, really, really annoying coworker...



Bunny! I found this icon from iconscraper and thought it was cute. It's a bunny! On its head!



I drew this. It is pretty much the limit of my artistic ability. Oh, yeah, I'm proud.

If you want me to pick five of your icons, leave a comment!