Life's easier with only one mortgage...

Well, it's finally done. The house is sold. After an hour delay at the closing and much watching the new buyers sign a LOT of paperwork, it's a done deal. No more real estate ball and chain in Birmingham...

I guess my life really did end there when I moved out. That was the true end of the era. But still owning a house so full of memories (good and bad) was a constant reminder of the life I wanted back then and couldn't have.

But why whine? Stacey and I are doing fine, Kailyn's great, we've got less debt than ever before, our church is good, the new house is great, and we've got another kid on the way...

On a sad note, there was this huge-mongous Bradford pear in our front yard in Birmingham that did not survive Ivan. Well, like all Bradford pears after a storm it seems, part of it did survive, but what is left looks like a 35-foot spire with just a few leaves on it. Weird-looking. Frankentree. Also, another tree in the sideyard isn't going to make it, either. It's leaning a good bit, which is also kinda sad. Still, I'm happy to say that it is no longer my problem. No, I'm not being mean, just that being responsible for 2 homes isn't easy.

On a related note, our realtor has a condo in Gulf Shores. Oops. Apparently, he's got some damage, but can't do anything about it until power is back up, which could be still 3 more weeks. He also said that ANY beachfront property does not have a fixed deductible on insurance, but a 5% deductible based on the estimated value of the property (which may be much more than the price paid). Ouch. Well, here's hoping for a best case scenario for him.

Some random thoughts (in response to Chad's):

Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas - the only moral dilemma for me is how much I'll pay for it. Hehe... I dunno, chalk up playing games like that a 'safe' way to let my inner thug out to play.

Burnout 3 - Wow, I love accidents. Especially in high definition. Very, very cool stuff.

Star Wars: Battlefront - now there's a GREAT game. Check it out.

My house in B'ham was not really a zoo. More like a petting zoo. And nothing - nothing - is worse than having a greyhound with a gas problem...especially during prayer times in small groups. Note that we no longer have that dog.

We wound up just tossing all that excess seating, er...um...exercise equipment. Homewood sanitation will pick up anything.

Loving Star Wars does not make anyone a geek. In fact, if you DON'T love Star Wars, something is wrong with you. In fact, we actually watched most of the first one at small group Sunday night, while we talked about all the cool toys we used to have. And the video games - Jedi Knight, Jedi Knight 2, X-wing, etc., etc. No, what's embarrassing is having a model of a Star Wars ship and sitting in a chair making laser sounds when your wife comes home from work. "What are you doing??" "Um...just showing Kailyn how I used to play as kid." "Oh, really..." "I find your lack of faith disturbing."

The end...

It's down to the last minute for our house selling in B'ham. We're supposed close on it tomorrow at 11:00. I keep fearing some last minute malfunction is going to happen, since I've already headed off a few things from going wrong... I talked to the buyers last night, and they're scrambling, too, to make sure they've got everything they need.

But, as I approach the end of this, I can't help but think how the sale of that house will mark the end of an era in me and Stacey's lives... After all, it was our first house. We bought it 6 months after we married. Homewood became our hometown. For the next 4 years, I would wrestle with my employment (ups and downs) at Mountaintop. Stacey and I would would learn the growing pains of marriage. It was...home...

- It was a place for small group meetings, and some great times spent with friends happened there. Those friendships were awesome, which is why community is so important to me now.
- It was the house where I sat for 2 hours with an alcoholic friend one night trying to counsel him through a major relapse in his drinking.
- It was the place we brought our daughter home from the hospital to. It was HER home, too.
- It was the place where I freaked out after a big storm when I realized that 3 100-foot tall pine trees had just fallen down in my backyard, amazingly not damaging my house or any of my neighbors, whose homes were less than 100 feet away.
- It was a the place for things like 'first Christmas dinners' with parents and 'in-laws' (shudder). In other words, our OWN memories...
- It was a place of solitude when I wrestled with depression several years ago. It was quiet...something I needed to get through it...
- All kinds of memories: Pets, Playstation 2 games projected onto a sheet hanging from the ceiling, prayer times, busting the mower blade on protruding root, trying to rig the fence so my dog couldn't get out, pressure washing the deck, working on the Mustang, playing in the snow on the street (face it, you're never too old), arguments, reconciliations, painting room after room after room, flushing money into maintenance and repairs, beating Half Life on the PC, etc., etc., etc.

Basically, it was just a place - but an important place in our lives. Like I said, it WAS home. Even when we moved out, we rented it out to friends who made it their home, too. But as long as we have owned it, it has been a...memento...of times gone by. A part of ourselves still grounded in our past.

And now, though I'm ecstatic about getting rid of the financial burden it has been on us to maintain and lease since we've moved up here, in my mind this sale marks the END of those times gone by. Sure, those times are already gone. Decatur has been my home almost 2 (!!) years now. I have new friends, new memories, and...basically, a new life.

So, why am I a bit melancholy? Maybe it's looking back at all the hopes and dreams that were never realized on Drexel Drive in Homewood...the job that didn't work out, the renovations that didn't happen (after all, we'd planned on living there a long time), the life that 'could have been.'
Maybe it's also a longing for my old life to be a part of my new life. If only my old 'community' could be a part of my new one. Wow, that would be freakin' awesome...

Don't get me wrong, here. I wouldn't trade where I am now for anything. I guess it's kind of like memories of a first girlfriend. Though I'm much happier now, you never forget the first.

So, if all goes well tomorrow, I'll finally have some lasting 'closure' to that era of my life...as if now Decatur will COMPLETELY be my new home. (Then again, if something gets screwed up in the closing, I'll have to put that off...d'oh. So pray that doesn't happen).

Truly, I can look at that home and my new home, and see how God's just led me from one place to another, and every place I have lived (will live) has been just another mile on the road we travel... And knowing that God's always been there - no matter where I've lived - is enough to make all the recent (and necessary) changes in my life things I can not only live with, but now embrace.

Things that run through my head when I can't sleep...

13. "What in the crap is wrong with me...no one, I mean NO ONE sane would have the 'Who's Johnny' theme from the movie 'Short Circuit' running through their head at night except me. Curse you, Satan..."
12. "Am I geek if I like to watch 'Monk?'"
11. "Hahahaha...that Simpsons episode with Stampy the elephant was the best!"
10. "No one cared about my Subazda joke...come to think of it, I don't either."
9. "It really is easier to sleep when you don't eat Mexican food covered with jalapenos...wait, I'm still awake. D'oh!"
8. "Why the long face?" "I'm John Kerry."
7. "I don't remember doing anything to cause that kind of odor."
6. "At least Scott and Joel are awake at this time, too."
5. "Oh no...I might have missed a sale at Dillard's. Dang you, mood swings!"
4. "Oh no...I might have missed out on the the Sheffield 'bargain of the week'. Dang you, mood swings!"
3. "I wonder who's playing Joint Ops at 4 a.m. CDT."
2. "How can one nostril stay so clear and the other one fill like I shoved a grape up in it. Dang you, weak, allergy-prone sinuses...dang you."
1. "I wonder what I'll blog about tomorrow..."

In the real world, I was a bit 'miffed' at missing the Guad gathering last night. But pregnant women prone to nausea...that can dictate what/when you eat. Still, I could've gone by myself, but it was kinda nice, too, to just stay home and 'veg out' for the evening.

In other news...Ol' Mount St. Helens is supposed to erupt again soon. And to think...if one of the job prospects I had a couple of years ago had worked out, that volcano would be a regular sight in my daily life. I don't know why that creeps me out a bit...

Stacey and I are still a bit anxious about having another child. One minute, it's cool (maybe in that minute we're not thinking about it...). The next, we're freaked out a bit at thinking about having not one, but two kids to take care of. Still, most of the people I know with 2 kids seem to be surviving/have survived. And, I keep reminding myself that I used to be TERRIFIED of being a dad before Kailyn came along. Now I can't imagine life without her... That's the hope I'm going to cling to...

WORTH REPEATING: "Even housebroken animals can make 'mistakes'...um, when they're apparently sick...and then, well, let's just say a lot of motorized equipment was used in cleanup."

The Week in Review...

Ah, another 'blurb' entry...it's easier than trying to type complete paragraphs...heh

- XBOX games in hi-def. Now there's this drool spot on the floor in front of the TV. I cleaned it with Resolve, but my shirt is nasty, too. I need a gaming bib. Or I need to grow up...

-Star Wars trilogy on DVD and in hi-def. If only I could go home and scrounge my parents' attic for my old Millennium Falcon, X-wing, and Tie-Fighter toys. Oooo...I had a landspeeder, too. Wait, I think I actually have some unbuilt Star Wars model kits in the attic. I've had them for like 10 years or more. Maybe it's time to actually get around to building those things. Time? What's that? "Hey, don't call me a geek...I'm just a 'fan.'" Or I'm one of those model building nerds Bart Simpson connects with in the basement of his school. Sad, sad, sad... At least I'm married.

-A big thanks to Kyle for willing to be in 'standby' mode to play guitar Sunday. Joel very much needs some time...

-Jemisons...mmmm...Scott, glad you covered up the 'special shirt' before the crowd arrived. Though, it would've made a great conversation piece...heh.

-Who's that tall guy waving at me. Oh, it's Derek. Short-haired Derek. I didn't know it was possible for Derek to look younger.

-I hate car dealerships. Dude, quit telling me you can't keep this car in stock...The one I test drove has been sitting on this lot for weeks... And why don't you know your cars? This is an Impreza...this is a Legacy. One's small, one's big...if you can't get that right, how can I trust you to give me any kind of a deal? Also, why do you only have ONE on the lot, anyway? Put away the sales contract...no, wait...let me enter MY salary only, then you'll leave me alone for sure. It's a shame, too...I love the Legacy. Maybe I'll replace the Expedition with one of those down the road. Who knows...even Stacey liked that idea. Schwing! But I'll probably go somewhere else...

-Well, I don't hate all dealerships. The people at the Mazda dealership have been pretty cool (so far, anyway). Even though I can't buy one (no room), I got to test drive a Mazda RX-8 today just for fun. Wow, now that's a fun car to drive, though the sound of the rotary engine was weird. 6-speed manual shifting goodness. 2-tone leather. But...Stacey...it's got 4 doors...sort of... Wait, the Subaru's still faster. One day...it will be mine...it will be...

-Speaking of all the car stuff, I think we've decided the Mazda6 hatchback is the car for us. It's still pretty fast, very roomy, and we can get one relatively cheap right (yet still loaded to the teeth) right now...


KEY PHRASES: "Expletive Deleted." "Nice corduroy coat...in...the summer?"

NICK (at EBgames): "Tell John that, technically, I could fire his brother if he doesn't cut me a deal on something cool, too.

CAROLINE (in response to Wendy's 'comforting' her): "Your wife is molesting me. Take her home and give her some TLC."

Subazda

Ouch.

Nearly pulled a hamstring on Wednesday when Dana and I helped Eric's mom's sister move a bunch of furniture and boxes into one of those storage places. Woke up Thursday a.m. to realize that the muscle was definitely strained. I know if I overdo anything, I'll destroy that muscle. I've never pulled a hamstring completely, but I hear it hurts. Lord knows pulling your quad muscle DOES hurt...A LOT!

Still, it was nice to be able to help.

Stacey and I have been car shopping this week, trying to find a replacement for the Infiniti. Nothing wrong with the Infiniti, except that it's small (for us - for a sport ute, we have a freakin' expedition) and not as powerful as I'd like. We've been considering the Mazda6 s hatchback and the Subaru Legacy GT Limited. Both are nice, and both are within our price bracket. The Mazda has a bit more space inside, is stylish, and has a good amount of 'pep' on the road. The Subaru, on the other hand, has a bit less space (though more than the Infiniti), but it is flat-out the most fun I've ever had driving a 4-door sedan. Very nice interior, and it is just blazingly fast. The Mazda is still quick, but not as much.

Decisions, decisions...what we're trying to figure out is which car we will be happiest with 1 year after our child is born. That's the key. I wish they made some sort of a Mazdaru or Subazda (heh) that combined the room of the Mazda with the handling/performance of the Subaru. In the end, both are practical alternatives...

I rant...

KEY PHRASES: "Yes, the leather-pedophile dude at Applebee's creeps us ALL out." "Dang, my drum set feels small." "Can I borrow some Prozac?"

FROM THE RICK AND BUBBA SHOW:
Q: "What do you think about same-sex marriages?"
A: "I like the Clintons."

Is Kyle pointing or flipping us off?

Heh...see Kyle's blog for a Riverfest pic of him doing his cool "Im-a-guitar-player" thing...

Man, I would have to agree with Eric that a great weekend followed by a really crappy Monday really SUCKS... I won't go into details, except to say that pregnant women are prone to some extreme hormonal ups and downs. From everything I hear and read, that's normal...but I just haven't learned to cope with it myself, I guess. So, I can't really blame Monday's suckage on anyone but myself, really, since I let something get to me too much.

We didn't even do our weekly 'Guaddage' last night. Someone check the temperature in hell...I bet Satan is wearing long johns.

I must say again that Philip Hughes saved the day Saturday by helping the sound 'helpers' at Riverfest get the sound right...and last Sunday night by loaning us his band's subs. I've met very few people with such a heart to help and serve when there is absolutley NOTHING in it for them. Let's quit talking about needing to do something for him and figure out something for real...

rFest...I like Scott's name, but the bluegrass band of elderly people who played before us might not. Somehow...I just get that idea ;-).

Oh, note to self: If I ever play "live" music to an audio track instead of a live band (which I will not actually do...ever), at least do NOT just hold an unplugged guitar to make it look like I'm actually playing it. Guess you guys had to be there to see what we saw, but we cried....hehe.

KEY PHRASES: "A little butt rub makes everything better." (slogan for a BBQ business at Riverfest). "Stop smoking." "I'm having Star Wars overload."

w00h00

Riverfest is finally come and gone. Not that it was a bad thing, but for a while there, the band has been eating-drinking-sleeping all the music...well, it felt that way as much as we practiced and as repititious as the music became.

Still, the show went pretty good. As already blogged by others, I deeply appreciate Philip's helping us with the sound (apparently, it sucked until he offered his 2 cents to the 'professional' sound guys).

It's amazing how things come together...there were some hiccups....the weather was hot (but beautiful)...Scott had issues with the wind blowing his music all over the stage...Eric had some bass 'hum' for a bit...J-mo mentioned a 'shoelace in the kick pedal' malfunction...Parking was hosed...we played later than expected...

All this, and - like I said - it proved to be a lot of fun. Great crowd...a lot of energy, etc. Dabney even made it down for half the show (she had to go home before we were done).

I hope we accomplished our goal of getting Crosspoint some good exposure to the public. A couple of people did approach Dave interested in a church that played such music as we were playing on Sunday a.m. So, who knows...

Church was also a lot of fun Sunday a.m. We cheated, though, by just using songs from the Riverfest set (hehe)... Nah, they tied in well, and the crowd really engaged the music. Also may have approached (or met) a record-high attendance, too. Gotta get the numbers from Jack, though, before I can know for sure. Still, from my own count, I think there were close to 80 people there. That's pretty cool...

After all was said and done yesterday, the 'group' came over to the hizzouse and we watched the video of the show while we consumed inordinate amounts of PapaJohn-age.

Now...I...just...want...to...rest....

WORTH REPEATING: "Is that a hammock?" "We need a chase team."

Me: "Dabney, run before they corrupt you and you have to do what I do every night and pray a prayer of repentance...hehe."
Dabney: "I do that already."

Scott: "I used to be a cocky son of a b****."

The Riverfest announcer (given 'iffy' info from Dave): "They play at youth rallies all across the Southeast." O...K....

blurbs...

-Mmmm...Jemison's pizza...good. Big Riverfest crowd...bad.

-Ivan is a loser...now we're playing Sunday at Riverfest at 3:00 instead of tomorrow.

-Pregnancy is the "Flying Dutchman" of mood swings (fyi...the "Flying Dutchman" is a big swinging boat ride at Six Flags).

-XBOX games in hi-def...wow...I think I soiled myself (j/k)

-Is my house in Birmingham still in one piece? I hope so...we close on the 30th.

-We're playing on the most redneck-ed, jury-rigged stage I have ever seen. Only thing missing is duct tape (though if we looked harder, we might find it)

WORTH REPEATING: "I might skip out on Jemison's tonight." "I didn't mean to drop pizza on that lady's back; it was just too hot to keep holding." "Congratulations." (good or bad, depending on the day)

"Upgrades..."

Usually I blog about stupid stuff - stuff that has no real consequence in the real world. Today is different. Important stuff is happening

First, (drum roll please)...

It looks like I'm going to be a dad...er...um...again. Yes, you heard it right. Found out today that Stacey is expecting another child. And yes, J-mo, I was there firsthand to know I'm responsible for that, so you can kid me all you want :-). So, as you guys can probably guess, I'm excited and pretty freaked out all at the same time...again. This time, however, our financial and living situation is far-improved from when Kailyn was born, so when May 17 rolls around, it shouldn't be quite the fearful event it was the first time.

Okay...Whew...got that out in the open! So, Wendy, you can rant all you want about the second child being the anti-Kailyn. J-mo, you can kid about who the father is all you want (but trust me...I know the meaning of 'quality time'). Kyle, you can just say "I don't know what that means" to my comment to J-mo.

In other big news, we've 'upgraded' our home theater setup with some new bling. Trust me when I say that this time I had little to do with any purchases...it mostly began when Stacey said, "But that's so nice and it's marked down so low...why can't we get that now?" I wound up putting money I'd saved up for her birthday present into this 'Stacey-requested' alternative birthday present. If you want to know what it is, you just have to come by the house and oogle.

Needless to say, then, it's been a big week. I'm going to go cry now...um, I mean...I'm going to go to Tibet for the rest of my life...er, I mean... I don't know what I mean. Somebody help me (hehe).

WORTH REPEATING: "John Sheffield is da man...at least at Sears. He's still a woman elsewhere." Me, to J-mo: "Apparently, it still works." Me, to God: "God, I know you have a sense of humor...help me to laugh at the same things..." "Gooooooooooo!!!!!" (pronounced "gew!")

Ivan...

...is coming. A weather site I read this morning reminded the readers that Ivan could be what they call a "benchmark" event. In other words, it's THE kind of storm that hasn't happened here before, so no one really knows what to expect damage-wise or whatever... Still, I know families with homes in Gulf Shores (just off the beach, but close enough). I remember how rickety the stairs were in this one house we stayed at. I imagine in a couple of days, those stairs will be gone...if not the whole house.

Ivan may or may not mess up our weekend...it simply depends on whether or not Ivan stalls out, which they're now starting to mumble about (i.e., it stalls in Central or North Alabama) and just dumps a crapload of rain on everything. :-\. All we can do is watch and wait...


In other news, Stacey and I did some re-arranging and moved a lot of furniture around last night. Sheesh, I'm sore this morning. Our Sony television weighs 225 lbs., so that kinda sucked to move. Still, everything is now where it belongs again. Well...almost...

WORTH SAYING/REPEATING: "So, just how close IS Scott to actual radiation levels?" "I saw a banner ad (upcoming event thing) for Riverfest on the Rick and Bubba show on Turner South. Now, that's either really cool or really sad that I was watching the Rick and Bubba show on Turner South." "See you at the pole." (Nah, I kid...but I DO think that's a stupid name...see my other blog for some thoughts about this...)

"There's a sale at Goody's"

As J-mo pointed out, Wendy contributed to a drastic change in conversation last night. We're pseudo-seriously talking politics and discussing our differing opinions on the legalization of dangerous substances, when Wendy just chimes in and says, "There's a sale at Goody's."

Okay, I guess you had to be there to see how funny it was (and it might help to actually know Wendy, too). Still, it was like taking a right turn on a Tron light cycle...instant 90 degree shift in conversation...we couldn't recover. I guess Wendy hates politics...go figure.

Jemison's was pretty fun. A couple of the 'girls' complained that it was a bit chilly, but it was still pretty cool to hang out on the patio eating pizza. Mmm...pepperoni...mmm... Last night it just Scott, Eric, J-mo, Wendy, Stacey, Kailyn, and myself.

Stayed up for a LONG time last night trying to figure out the ins and outs of the built-in sequencer on my Roland Fantom S-88. Once I got the hang of it, it was fun to mess around with. Wound up creating and recording a song that will be used as the background music on a video we're showing Sunday morning. Hope it was worth the effort, 'cause I didn't hit the sack until about 2:30 a.m. So now I'm veeeeeery sleepy. Sucks, too, 'cause I've got a busy day ahead of me.

Okay, I'm a freakin' wuss...

OVERHEARD: "I think I'm going to sell my motorcycle." "What's a bolg?" "Cover the baby's ears...Eric is speaking."

"You're kinda pretty when your face isn't messing it up...

Hehe...that was a random movie line from the classic "The Goonies," which I (like the Dabster) also watched part of during my 'lunch break' (hehe) today. All I can say is that Chunk rules...particularly the story about the fake puke in the movie theater. Awesome stuff...even now, 20 years later.

Yes, once again my geekness has emerged.

Tonight after band practice, we went to Princeton's to see Ben play again. This time, Stacey and Kailyn got to go, though we had to live around 9:00 since Kailyn's eyes started watering and she started coughing from the cigarette smoke. I know, bad parents...bad parents... Nah, the smoke wasn't too bad, but since she's not been exposed to it much, she had a little difficulty with it. Besides, she did like to watch Ben play guitar.

KEY PHRASES: "Eat in the smoking section, smell like smoke. Eat in the non-smoking section, smell like grease. It's a toss-up." "If he does something stupid, we want to know."

Riding the flow...

Sadly, I don't have any cool songs to put after a "Currently Playing CD" heading. Right now, it's more like "Current Obnoxious Noise," which, in this case, is the buzzing of the air conditioner. But what's cool about that?

Spent a good portion of this afternoon creating a video for church, but it's been such a "create-trash-startover" process, I don't feel like my now simple rough draft of a video NEARLY indicates the time I've put into this. Oh, well...such is life.

On another note, thanks to Kyle for running my Fender to his guitar specialist in Huntsville to have it all set up. I picked it up at his (correction: his parents') house during lunchtime. The action's a lot better (what do I know, though...I thought it was good before..hehe). After playing my old Epiphone as a 'substitute' for a couple of days, I'm very much looking forward to playing a better-built, better-sounding guitar again.

The rest of my day so far involved a Happy Meal, forgetting to call Stacey about some insurance info, messing around with sequencing on the Roland (to add music to the video), and all the standard stay-at-home-dad responsibilities (i.e., "Kailyn, come here." "Kailyn, sit down." "Kailyn, leave me alone so I can work." "Kailyn, ask to 'go potty' BEFORE you actually go." "Kailyn, you're not supposed to open a bag of peanuts and pour them all over the floor." Heh...I love her, but good grief...).

KEY PHRASE: "John Kerry for President!" (remember, I put 'humorous' phrases in here.)

And next on my list...

Tonight marks band practice # 1 for this week...out of 3. Callouses, don't fail me now (for the unitiated, guitar players develop callouses on their fingers...).

We've set a closing date for the sale of our house in B'ham: September 30. Woohoo! Now, if only I can find the large amounts of paperwork needed. At least we're MAKING money instead of SPENDING it.

Oh, next time I buy a budget (and used) PC game, somebody hit me...as my $10 purchase only works with a hack, and even then it sucks. I'll play a couple of more levels, but that's probably going to be it... I hate burning money when misled by a 'good' review.

KEY PHRASES: "Babysitting does NOT suck. Well, not if you're babysitting Kailyn." "Underwear is cool. Kids and underwear is not." "Joe and John are frighteningly alike. Only John's really a girl."

An Uncrustable Evening...

Uncrustables...what a name for a kids' snack (sandwiches without -duh- the crust). No, J-mo, it's not a new line of Hane's underwear...sorry (funny, but no...).

But...our evening was 'uncrustable.' Filled with goodness without a crusty...er...edge (?).

Okay, enough...I know.

Did the Monday Guad-thing tonight. Scott was able to make it out since he was enjoying a holiday free from nuclear fission (he works at the power plant, just like Homer Simpson). Then we headed to EBgames, where we all bought some insignificant item or two.

Took Stacey car-hunting again today, which was 'hassle-free' since all the dealerships were closed for the holiday. Looked at some of the same autos, but spent more time looking (through the glass) at the interiors. We'll have to test-drive a few before Stacey knows for sure what she likes/doesn't like. Fun fun fun...

KEY PHRASE: "What am I supposed to do with this?"

Blog link happiness

Ah...more bloggers. If I were truly pathetic, which I am, I would throw a party for the new members of the blogging community. But...no.

Welcome back, Heavy E. May your words of wisdom fill our hearts with joy and peace. HEHE.

And Dabney's got a blog now, too. She may have moved to Murfreesboro, but... wait, I really didn't have a thought to complete that sentence. Whatever... Welcome... It's kind of like still having you around.

Now I get to spend 'quality' time reading all the latest from J-mo, Kyle, Chad, Eric, Scott, Dabney, and Eric...AND I'm sure I'll still get all the work done I need to do.

Um...I hope.

Should I get an iPod?

"Labor" Day Weekend...

Why do they call a holiday "labor day?" Isn't that semantically the same way of saying "work day?"

Well, that's what I've had to do this weekend. Work...labor...around the house. While Stacey works...labors...on the weekend picking up some extra work hours so she can save up for a digital camera or something.

Why not call it "respite day", or "vacation day," or "screw-around day?" Sure, it would take a while for those names to catch on. But..."labor" day? I guess we missed that one when it became officialized... "Screw around" day...I could live with that, so when people called and asked what I was doing, I could say, "just screwing around." Hmmm...

Yes, I'm whining. But I'm allowed to. First, I'm good at it. Second, well...I've been whining about things since I was the kid not picked by the other kids (on either team) to play kickball in 3rd grade. Dang you, Miss Clemens...why is it 3rd grade teachers think that 3rd graders would treat each other with dignity and fairness? Sure, I was so short I could barely see over the kickball itself. But still...I had feelings, dang it.

Heh...really, the weekend's been busy, but productive. A good way to describe it is "finally," as in, I'm finally getting around to getting some small projects done I've been putting off.

In other news...

I'd like to welcome Scott to our blogging community. It's nice to actually ADD a link for a change, since I've usually had to delete them as people gave up or got frustrated with our hobby(I've deleted 5 blogs over the past year).

Sadly, blogs became venues of bad communication (i.e., people would read too much or too little into people's blogs, and/or they would use blogs to vent about things or someone without going to that person directly...so sad...guess I even did that myself). Still, I believe blogging can be a worthwile thing to do, as long as it doesn't turn into some kind of text-based soap opera.

"As the screen turns..."
"The blogs of our lives..."

Okay, that's pitiful. I admit it. But pretend you like what I have to say here, so I don't have flashbacks to kickball in the third grade.

"But...what...about...me?" (insert sobbing here).

Vroom Vroom

Stacey's been longing to trade in her Infiniti G20 (relax, it's not as fancy as it sounds) for something bigger and more to her liking. She bought that car about 4 years ago so she could commute a long distance to work without spending a fortune on gas.

Well, whatever the reasons (some legit and some "I just want a new car"), Stacey wants a new car. So, to indulge her I drove around last night to various dealerships so she could check out some of the vehicles. After all our 'looking,' the 3 cars that seemed to appeal to her most were 1. A used Toyata 4Runner, 2. a new Mazda RX-8, 3. a new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, and 4. a Subaru Forester GT (turbo model).

The RX-8 would just be cool, but Stacey is leaning towards the Wrangler Unlimited - "unlimited" meaning it's 15 inches longer than normal Wranglers, so there's more passenger room, storage room, and better handling, but you still get the open top feel of a Jeep. Besides, it's substantially cheaper than an RX-8. I also like the Forester, because it's tricked out and can out-accelerate a Mustang GT to 60 mph...and yes, it's a sport utility vehicle. w00t.

Well, we're just looking now. Kinda waiting to make sure our home sale goes through first. Then, who knows...

In other news, headed to Princeton's last night for a bit to hear Ben (a friend of Eli's) play. Met Eli and J-mo there, then headed home after a short while to keep the Stacester happy. Their fun continued for hours after I left, but, being the happily married man that I am now, I can live with that :-).

KEY PHRASES: "You had another bad week? What did you do this time?" (j/k). "No, watching drunk people dance to acoustic guitar music was not the highlight of my evening." "You see, it's OKAY for me to have to go home, since I'm not here to meet women. I did all that hard work long ago."

Fringe benefits...

Yes, there are literally 'fringe' benefits to living in Decatur. By living here on the 'fringe' of more metropolitan and cultural areas, we can avoid the pitfalls of big-city life: Traffic (what some people call "traffic" on the beltline does NOT count), anonymity, big crowds, ozone alert days...

Granted, there are some drawbacks, I know. You can count the number of restaurants worth eating at on 2 hands. And to make matters worse, some of these restaurants actually close by like 9:30 on Friday night (supwifdat?). We have no Best Buy (-sigh- this one makes me very sad, but makes my wife very happy). No big name events. No big name sports teams. No minor league sports teams. Not...much...to...do, though having a circle of friends to do 'nothing' with is much better than having no friends and everything to do.

Still, the 'fringe' benefits reign. For example, it's easier to get into the public spotlight here. First, Stacey has a chance to be on TV soon to talk about the kind of work they're going to be doing at their new pharmacy. Yes, television. In a big city, those kinds of things just aren't worth covering.

Second, Bone's blog was actually featured in the Decatur Daily. Maybe...finally...I can rest assured that blogging is a worthwhile hobby and not the hyped-up, over-emotionalized, lousy means of communication some of our acquaintances turned it into or read into it. Okay, I admit...having the hobby of blogging covered by the Decatur Daily is not exactly a very credible validation of keeping a blog (a.k.a., wasting time). Still, it amazes me that such a hobby - often the object of our own joking and rants about our pathetic lives - was worthy of being made into a news article in the local paper.

Small towns rule.