Commenting on this past NBA Playoffs

I didn't really know what to blog about this month, so let's blog about sports!

The 2020-21 NBA season was an interesting one, coming out of a global pandemic where arenas around the country had 0 fans.  Players missed a lot of games due to being in health and safety protocols.  And the season was even cut short from 82 games down to 72 games.

Nonetheless, I still had fun watching this past season, spending most of my time watching Philadelphia 76ers games and as usual, I still made my yearly bet for them to win the NBA championship, putting down $75 on 14:1 that would have paid $1050.

But of course, we know what happened in the playoffs in the East, with the Sixers getting eliminated in a 7-game series with the Hawks.  One of my favorite Sixers players (Ben Simmons) was the major scapegoat for the series, many blaming him for his extremely poor free throw shooting and offensive tentativeness.  I have to agree, because the games are still won by scoring points, something that Simmons just didn't do in that series when we all know he's capable of averaging 15 a game throughout the year.

With the Sixers out, that basically destroyed my interest in the Eastern Conference Finals.  However, the Phoenix Suns had managed to blow through the entire Western Conference, easily knocking out formidable teams like the Lakers, Nuggets, and Clippers.  Granted, each of those teams had a major player out (Davis, Murray, Kawhi), they still were able to take care of the matchups they played in.

I've lived in Arizona my entire life, but the Suns haven't really been good since the Barkley years.  I still remember watching games on channel 45 growing up as a kid.  My dad loved watching the suns and one of his quotes he'd always tell me is "When the Suns run, the Suns win!"  Also, I remember Al McCoy with his "Shazam! Another 3-pointer! Suns donate $50 to charity!"  I even had a chance to meet Kevin Johnson as a kid and I was so nervous that when I went up to him, I looked away and couldn't make eye contact.

That was almost 30 years ago, and the Suns had finally made it back to the NBA finals.  I even won my NBA pool because I was the only one who picked them to do it, netting a modest $200 for my confidence in them.  But after Tuesday, you all know how the finals went.  The Suns, after taking a 2-0 lead, fell up way short by losing the next 4 games, a disappointing turn to the series.

Kudos to the Milwaukee Bucks, who in their own right had not won a championship in 50 years.  Giannis is very deserving of a title.  Maybe the Suns get another chance down the road, but hey, that's just the way sports go sometimes.  Now I patiently wait until next year, to see what players end up where...

Best Bowling Season Ever!

The 2020-21 bowling season was an interesting one. The IBM league didn't have enough players returning to comprise a full league, so as a result we had to go join the house league.  At the beginning of the year, I was on the fence about playing, but I was invited by one of the IBM teams to be their 4th bowler in this new league, so I decided to give it a shot.  Something last year just clicked for me.  I don't know if it was the new competition, the fact that I was bowling on a team with other good bowlers, or the adjustment in my approach (stepping up closer to the lane and starting more boards to the left), but I ended up bowling my best season ever!  I finished with a 206 average, which is simply incredibly considering in my 15+ years of bowling, I had never finished above a 193 average and had just come off a 189 season.

In case you're wondering what I look like when I bowl, I uploaded a bowling video to my YouTube, which I live streamed on Twitch: 

It was a fun season, but also a long one at 30 weeks.  And while we came up short of winning the first half, I'm very proud of the improvement I've had with bowling.  I'm gonna enjoy the offseason and hope to put together another 200+ season next year, since I've now set the bar for high expectations. :)

Hope everyone is doing well!  On a side note, I finally got my 2nd vaccination (Pfizer) as well and I felt alright afterwards.  The only side effect being a sore throat for about a week.  See ya next month!

First Vaccination Down

Short blog entry today because I don't have a whole lot to report from the last month.  The highlight I guess is me getting the first vaccination for COVID-19.  After trying numerous websites to try and get an appointment booked without any success, my coworker pointed me to https://podvaccine.azdhs.gov/, where I was able to find plenty of openings at the University of Arizona.

The U of A has a really good setup in my opinion.  I apparently registered for a drive-thru vaccination, so I was in my car the whole time.  They blocked off a part of the grassy mall area (usually where football game tailgates are held) and I drove up to get my shot and was in-and-out in about 30 minutes.  [mmm...In-n-Out...]  You have to wait 15 minutes after getting the shot just to make sure that you don't show any allergic reactions or immediate side effects.  After getting my first shot, I felt fine and all I had was a sore arm for a few days.

My next appointment is scheduled for May 7, but I hear the second shot could make you feel sick/weak.  I prepared for that consequence by scheduling it for a Friday afternoon should I need all weekend to recuperate.

Here's to trying to get back to a normal life!  Bowling league ended and I finished the season with a 206, my highest score ever and since I averaged 193 many years ago.  We're back and playing pool at the hall without masks and gyms don't even require masks upon entry.  And I've got my first out-of-state travel planned for next month when I'll be flying out to D.C. over Memorial Day Weekend.

Stay safe out there everyone!  We're almost FREEEE! :D

2nd Home Refinance

The Details:

Home mortgage interest rates were really low in 2021 and I hadn't refinanced since 2012 when I went down from a 5.875% 30-year-fixed to a 4.625% 30-year-fixed.  When I saw rates as low as they were this year, I decided to inquire if it would be worth it for me in order to pay off my house quicker.

With my 1st refinance with Wells Fargo, my monthly payments on a $235,000 home was about $1600/mo at 4.625%.  On top of that, I would add $50 of principle every month for the past 9 years to shorten the life of the loan.  All of my credit card purchase rewards with my Wells Fargo Credit Card would go towards the principle as well, which ranged anywhere from $25-75 a month.

Before I inquired about a 2nd refinance, I was on track to pay off my house in 11 years, so by 2032.  After talking to Wells Fargo about my options, I decided to refinance with a 15-year-fixed at 2.25% for the remaining $127,000 on my loan.  However, my plan was not to pay the minimum monthly payment of $1070/mo, but add $600 of principle to basically maintain the same exact payments as I have right now, which is comfortable for me.  In essence, I would basically be able to pay off the house in 8 years now (by 2029) without having to do anything but sign some papers.

The Annoying Experience:

I went with Wells Fargo because my original loan was with them, my first refinance as well, and I have a credit card too and to this point I have enjoyed their services and rewards.  However, this time around, I had an annoying experience with their Home Mortgage team.

At first, the mortgage consultant, the mortgage processor, and the mortgage closer were all really helpful in helping my pick a refinance that meets my goals.  They would check up with me daily to make sure everything was going smoothly.  The process finally got to a point where I was ready to close and all I had to do was sign papers in front of a notary.

In 2021, branches were still limited in bank personnel because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  However, they still scheduled me to meet with a notary at one of their local branches close to my home on a Monday afternoon.  I went to the Wells Fargo at 2pm and waited 30 minutes for the notary to show up and no one appeared.  I contacted my closer, who then told me that it was actually scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

I returned to the same branch on Wednesday and waited another 30 minutes, with no appearance by a notary.  I tried to contact the closer and was unable to reach them.  They didn't respond to my voicemails or my emails.

The next day, I called Wells Fargo to file a complaint.  At this point, I basically felt like the mortgage closer no longer cared about me since the deal was already been done.  All that extra daily attention is gone and I'm stuck wondering what's going on.  After I filed a complaint with Wells Fargo, the closer immediately called me and tried to get something scheduled for Friday, with the notary coming to my house this time for my convenience.  I finally saw a confirmation for an appointment and was able to sign the papers and finalize my loan.

As a result of my poor experience, I was gifted a $300 value item off their Wells Fargo Home Mortgage gift program to compensate for the bad service.  I don't know if it really makes it right, but I redeemed a Ninja combination air-fryer and pressure cooker with the gift.  I was planning on getting one anyway and that was really the only gift on their website I thought was worth getting.

In conclusion, my experience with Wells Fargo Home Mortgage started out well, but once the deal was ready to close, things went south badly.  I eventually got it done and the compensated me, but based on this experience, I'm less likely to use them again should I ever need another home mortgage loan.

Anyway....

At least I finally got my home refinanced how I want it and I was able to take advantage of low interest rates!