My wife and I had been entertaining the thought of moving to a new, larger home. This notion had been going on for the past 2 years. We had been going to “open houses” all over San Diego County, some homes we obviously could not afford unless we were capable of plunking down $2 million dollars for the down payment. Some homes ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 square feet…. homes where it would be easy to get lost in…

But here we are today, and it’s not a very good time to sell a home in California, let alone move to a larger, more expensive home. Well, if you have the money, it’s a good time to buy a home in California.

We have a modest 4 bedroom 2 1/2 bath, 2-story single family house in the Scripps Ranch area. It’s been home these past 18 years and my wife and I watched our children grow up here. And we’ve spent a lot of time at “feng shui”-ing the home.

Should we stay or should we go?

My brother once told me, “don’t move”. That we have a nice home already. Though it would be nice to have more room, say for a home recording studio, and a place to put the grand piano. And maybe buy into a house that already has a nice pool and jacuzzi… other than that, I suppose we’re happy where we’re at.

So, here we’ll stay until the economy gets better, hopefully (and I pray) that we’re not in a position to lose our home. When you’ve been some place as long as we have, you’re “dug in” and the thought of moving would be a traumatic experience nonetheless.

What Does The Mind Really Want?

I’m also serious about my philosophy to live life more frugally and sparingly. I want to sell a lot of things that I already have. I want to reduce the clutter and as Jim put it, to begin a process of “actively decluttering our lives”.

In Zen, the process of decluttering the mind is to go back to “the beginner’s mind”. It’s akin to the lake with ripples of waves… and trying to get the mind to where that lake is crystal clear… no waves of thought… just pure essence of mind and spirit…

A photo I took years ago, displaying a matrix-like screen of all the data in my hard drive as it flashes by quickly…

Sunset @ Lake Miramar, CA, originally uploaded by randomguru.

Taken during one of my walks around the neighborhood in Scripps Ranch. Overlooking Lake Miramar from a small park above.

Billboards in the Philippines were interesting to say the least. This one was taken in Quezon City, I believe, on the way back from Pampanga.

Sorry, I haven’t been much of a writer and blogger lately. So, I’ll just post a few pics instead.

This is the most popular photo in my flickr collection. And, looks can be deceiving though. In reality, this room is a mess right now. Must clean it up and bring it back to its pristine state. And, those computers are old now. Like, the newest computer is 5 years old! I like collecting computers I guess, and you can still access the world wide web on all of them.

And here’s another photo of my two sons. Don’t worry, they are just striking a “tough guy” pose (I think). Trust me, they smile a LOT more than this.

Anyway, I haven’t felt like writing much these past few weeks. A lot of things happening in my life. Some of them not so great. But, you deal with it I guess. You have to “roll with the punches”, right?

Okay. Hope everyone has a fantabulous weekend. :o)

The boys and I gave my wife white roses in a vase for Mother’s Day…

White Roses in the living room.

Last Friday, the family attended my youngest son’s Jr. ROTC Awards Banquet. And here are just a few pictures from that event:

The Boys just before leaving for the Jr. ROTC Awards Banquet

Cameron, Jordan and Kim

A Group Photo Opp

Receiving an award from the Lt. Colonel