Four Things I'm Excited for in 2017

2017 is going to be an exciting year for me, and there are going to be a lot of things happening. Here are four things I’m especially excited for!

Selling My House

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I moved into my current home back in 2007 - which means I’ve lived there about 10 years. Since I’m getting married this year (see item #4 below) and moving in with my future wife, I no longer need my house. I thought of renting it out, but I don’t want to deal with tenants or upkeep, especially since it doesn’t have air conditioning.

Since I inherited the house, the entire sale will be profit. Thankfully, I won’t have to pay taxes on the sale because I will meet two conditions: 1. I’ve lived there at least two years out of the last five, and 2. the sale will be less than $250,000 (see this page regarding real estate sales on the IRS web page).

I guess it’s possible that I’ll sell it for over $250,000 - but I highly doubt it. The house across the street just sold at a sheriff’s sale for $40,000. Also, my house is taxed as if it were worth $48,160.

Graduating

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I received my Bachelor in Computer Science from Wright State in 2012, and have been working on my Master in Computer Science since fall 2014. Since work is paying for it, and I don’t want to overdo myself, I’ve only been taking on class a semester.

You might like to look at the family tree project I did a few semesters ago.

This semester (spring) I’m doing an independent study on natural language processing. I haven’t 100% decided yet, but I’m probably going to use this MIT OpenCourseWare course as a foundation. Then I’ll have two semesters of thesis work (summer and fall) and graduate in December.

This is a soft goal for me - if I have to wait until 2018 to graduate, I’m fine with that. But finally, the end is in site!

Solar Eclipse

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The last solar eclipse - May 10, 1994 - I missed because I had detention. Yep, I was in elementary school back then, and the teachers decided whatever infraction I had committed was serious enough to warrant that I miss the most incredible event that is a solar eclipse.

(It might have been the May 21, 1993 solar eclipse as I remember it happening in the 3rd grade, and I was in 4th grade in May 1994. The 1994 eclipse is more recent and appears to have gone over my location, however.)

Bitter as I am about that, I’m not too worried about it since the next solar eclipse is this year on August 21! And unlike the 1993 and 1994 eclipses, this eclipse is going to be a total eclipse!

Getting Married

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Saving the best for last - I’m getting married (and hopefully starting a family) this year! We’ve got a lot to plan for the wedding, although I think we’ve already accomplished a lot.

I know it probably sounds cheesy (and who doesn’t like cheese? Lactose intolerant people, that’s who) but I’m not just excited that I’m getting married, I’m excited that I’m getting married to Beth my fiancee!

And you?

What are you excited about in 2017? Comment below!