I just discovered the strangest thing while I was preparing to dispose of an old worn and chewed throw rug. First, some back story. During Christmas, my next door neighbors gave Honey a little stuffed mouse to play with. Fritz became more fond of the toy than the cat and so I'm not exactly sure who did this. As I was rolling up the carpet I noticed that the little stuffed mouse had poop perfectly laced  on top of, and around it. I, with my prehensile thumb could not have arranged it in a better fashion. The million dollar question is who? Normally, Fritz would be my first suspect, but he likes that mouse, so I doubt he would pooh upon it; certainly not with the dexterity required for such an awesome feat. So I think it might be Honey who pulled off this masterful job. She's had it in for him, ever since he arrived, and maybe she resents that he roots through her litter box and pulls out little logs for his own enjoyment. Perhaps she was just helping him out by not requiring him to bring it upstairs. Or perhaps she was just upset with me because I haven't cleaned the litter box. The last time she was upset with me, she drew a target on my bed and hit the bulls eye.

    As I return to my diary, I hear the tinkling of chimes outside as the wind picks up. It mixes well with what's on the CD player. It's a delicate little back beat. I'm anxiously awaiting dinner and it's nearly 9:00. I foolishly thought that I wasn't hungry at 7:30, so after about a half hour of work, I realized that I was indeed hungry and that I would have to wait until the oven warmed up before putting the stromboli in. Stromboli takes about 40 minutes to cook in my stove. Directions call for 30 - 35 minutes. Too often it's been cold in the center, so I cook it longer. I love stromboli. If you're lucky, you'll be able to find it in your grocer's freezer.

    Today has been an active and successful day. I've finished painting in one room and it's as ready as it's going to be for showing. I've also prepped the main floor and the bottom floor for the carpet guy. He's arriving on Tuesday to clean up to 8 areas. Last night, I put another coat of paint on the bane of my existence, er... the room formerly known as "The Nursery". It looks better, but it still needs some touch up. I tried to paint patiently but it looks like I might have painted too light in some places, so I'm going to have to go back over them again. For a little while, I had two different colors (white, and ceiling white) and I think that some of my painters got mixed up and put some of the ceiling white on the wall. So, to remedy it, I painted all the walls ceiling white. Don't ask me the difference, I believe it's just a little bit glossier.

    Boy, am I hungry. I went to Jiffylube and got my oil changed and my air filter and my oil filter and they even vacuumed my carpets (not thoroughly, but I appreciate that extra bit of detail) This visit followed a warning light coming on my dash that said that my cooling fluid was low. Hmm, they didn't mention it at the Jiffylube, so I guess it's fine now. Come to think of it, I think they did say that I should flush it and get a new dose of it. I decided against it today, because I just got my car back from the shop last week. To my chagrin, my car stalled out (while I was driving to work) and I hurriedly had to get off the road before I elicited the loving horns of my fellow commuters. It turns out that my alternator was bad, and it was taken my battery with it. The alternator was nearly $300 by itself and the battery was over $100. All totaled, the cost of doing business ended up being over $600. I was tempted to despair and look at it as some sort of sign that maybe I shouldn't move. Then I realized it was just a sign that my alternator was broken.

    My dog is so cute! I'm throwing out my double papasan chair because Fritz has chewed into it several times to pull out the stuffing in it. I'm reticent to throw it out as I have many fond memories of sleeping in that chair in Albany, among other things *ahem*. Anyway, I currently have it folded up and I put it on top of another couch and have stacked all the furniture that I'm planning to give away to goodwill. Fritz has burrowed his way between the folded halves. Only his head sticks out and he's kind of like a hotdog! The papasan cushion looks a lot like a hotdog bun anyway. This is twice today that I wished I had a camera here. So many toys, so little time.

    While packing some extra stuff, in order to have the place show well, I came across a number of mix tapes made for me by ex-girlfriends. One was from way back in 1994 and it was from the ex I just saw in Denver. It was very sweet to find that. Unfortunately, I don't have a tape deck hooked up at the moment. I found another tape that is dated 4-5-95. Which would make it 8 years ago today that she made it with such care. It seems that the girls I won't be talking to anytime soon make the best mix tapes. This particular one, had an interesting mix of old and older with a few contemporary alternatunes thrown in. Because I think it's a pretty good tape, I'll give you a gander at the play list. Best Company and Double You (U2?) are Italian cover bands who usually do a technoish version of classic 80's tunes. They are actually pretty decent renditions in this case. Once upon a time I made many mix tapes. It helps when you have a steady diet of new music rolling in, which I don't have right now. I mostly have a steady diet of the same guys getting older. I have about half of these songs on CD now, but I'm missing one that  I would really like to get a hold of. It's Real Life's best of album which includes the remakes of Send Me an Angel and Catch Me I'm falling. Both songs are exceedingly catchy and reek of the new wave 80's. Which I why I adore it. If you have happen to come across a copy of it, buy it and send it to me. I can't find a copy because it's been out of print for some time. She found a copy at a used place. I know, I was there when she got it. Outwardly, I was a gentleman and bought it for her. Inwardly, I wanted to possess it. It could have been worse, some guys have to give up the house.

    I might as well sign off, I've eaten half of the stromboli and I know sleepiness will follow soon after. We are supposed to put our clocks ahead an hour, which puts me a mite closer to my bedtime. The CD player is still on random...

    My carpet is all wet. All the carpet is not wet, but the carpet that is wet is all wet. Much of my carpet is wet by design. All of the carpet that is wet, is wet by design. I had it cleaned today in preparation for putting my house on the market. I should be dutifully assembling, fixing and cleaning the remaining things in my house right now, but I've decided to go ahead and converse with you.

    I have 16 more tasks on my list that I need to complete before I can put in on the market. They include the following:

• Wash the bathtub thoroughly

• Dust all surfaces

• Replace light bulbs with 100 watt bulbs (to make everything look shiny and big, you know!)

• Fix bite marks on stairs, upstairs and down. And Outside. (Sand it down, repaint)

• Finish power washing the deck.

• Sand Walls in Upstairs bedroom

• Add touchup paint to Upstairs bedroom

• Cleanup yard

• Prune hedges, etc.

• Shine brass with brass cleaner

• Clean thoroughly under the kitchen sink

• Finish fixing window pane in front

• Stain wood pegs and install on stairs

• Wipe down storage room

• Clean around washer and dryer

• Box up and move out all extraneous furniture and items that make the house seem smaller than it actually is.

    It may sound like a lot, but much of it can be done quite quickly. I'm hoping to put it on the market on Monday. It's a little harder me to stay motivated with the weather as dismal as it is. I've been lucky that the past two weekends were quite nice and so it was easier to throw open the windows, roll up my sleeves and take care of business. I think I'm going to go to the desperate solution this evening. I'm heating up coffee, so that I can get all jazzed up for home repair. I know, it's a dirty trick to play on me, but I'm willing to do it for mine own good. We've had a few nice days leading up toward spring, but we've also had a few cold snaps to break it up. Some of the things that I have to finish on my house are outdoor and I would prefer if it were nice out when I do them.

    I had additional help this weekend in regards to the house. My niece came over on Sunday afternoon and completely cleaned my kitchens and bathrooms. (except the tub). They are sparkling! More importantly, I'll only have to lightly go over the areas she went over. She cleans well, but is starting to resent it when people say that she likes it. Most of don't do what we like to do, so when someone does something without complaining, we understandably think that they enjoy doing it. She corrected me on that assumption, and I still don't understand how someone could do such a good job when they don't like doing something. Perhaps I should learn something from her. After we worked on the house for several hours, she and I went to Outback and split a steak. I'm becoming more and more impressed by how well adjusted my niece is becoming. She's 14 and doesn't appear to be heading off in any bad directions. She says that she wants to be a doctor, and I wouldn't bet against her.
    Those who know me well enough, know that I like Star Wars. A lot. Well, I'm a member of the Star Wars fan club and as a result I get the Star Wars magazine every couple of months. I recently received an offer in the mail for the Star Wars Master Card. I could actually get Yoda on my credit card!!! They've sent me two notices so far, and it's tempting to get it, just to have it. According to the offer, "I can earn Galactic rewards points toward FREE Star Wars merchandise!" And all of that with No Annual Fee. Whoo Hoo! Maybe I'll do it after I buy, I wouldn't want to freak out the mortgage company with too many credit inquiries.

    Wait, this gets better... Here's the opening to the offer letter.

    So, there you have it. The Star Wars credit card. I can't wait to get my hands on one and get free gear!

    I had one last thing that I wanted to talk about. The War and a few observations about it. The first is that the more that I read about what Sadaam has been doing to his people over the last 12 years, the more I believe that we are called to smack those leaders that horribly torture and kill their people to keep them under thumb. We should not have let Sadaam remain in power back in 1991. I know, hindsight is 20/20 so I'm not jumping on anyone's case about the decision they made back then. I am advocating that if we get into a war or a "police action" with a dictator, terrorist or some other type of baddie that we don't stop until they are put behind bars or under ground. Their choice. My second observation is that we have an absolutely incredible army! Hopefully, we won't have too much occasion in the future to celebrate their greatness, so in light of that hope, I just want to gush about our military for a moment. In this current war, we have lost almost a hundred soldiers. We haven't been told about how many Iraqi soldiers have been killed, but estimates range from 25,000 to 100,000 Iraqi soldiers have been killed by us. I don't glory in their deaths, but it illustrates how well trained, and professional our forces are. I marvel that not only are they fighting a war, but are doing it in such a way as to spare as many civilians and innocents as possible. I pray that after this over, the Iraqi people will be able to rise up and learn a new way of life, devoid of the sort of hostilities and horrors that they have lived through during the last 25 years. This brings up a 3rd observation. Actually it's a desire. France, Germany and Russia deserve nothing from Iraq. Heck, I don't even want anything from Iraq, just so that the peace activists can swallow their blood for oil arguments once and for all. At the most, I'd like to see this war paid for, but that would be it. Alright, this is the 4th and final observation. The good thing about our overwhelming military superiority is that fear of that superiority will cause countries to obey when the UN or whomever pass a resolution. That is worth it's weight in gold. Giving an ultimatum followed by an or else we'll pass another resolution is a joke that no despot is going to heed. Lastly, is there another country on earth that will try harder to do the right thing than ours?  We've made mistakes, but we don't do it for our riches. Viet Nam wasn't for cash. Afghanistan wasn't for cash. Haiti. Bosnia. Korea. Germany. Twice. Even the gulf war wasn't for cash. If it were, we would have planted ourselves in Kuwait and Iraq and suckled on the oil like a newborn kitten.

    I'm getting dizzy from the great height of my soapbox. Night sweethearts and gents.

    Someone wants the keys to my lockbox, but they'll have to wait until Monday. My realtor is going to be on vacation starting tomorrow and so I've decided to wait until he gets back before putting it on the market. It gives me a few extra days to do some light touching up. I don't really need the time to do it, because I was pretty much ready for this past Monday. I have had so much help. I can't even tell you how wonderful these folks have been. I think that they did more work than I did. This past weekend I had people arrive on Saturday and Sunday and I was able to work outside while they worked on painting and other last minute details. The burning question and sole problem with my house is the living room carpet. A friend of mine came over on Saturday and he did a bang up job, but I'm afraid that it's just too far gone. It's still drying and I'm hoping that the color evens out a little better. Right now it's a tad bit noticeable.

    Easter is fast approaching and my family is coming to visit! It will be nice to see Mom, Dad and my Sister's family. My brother is currently in Florida visiting my grandmother. I'm a little envious about that, but I have no vacation time to speak of.

    I'm going to cut this one short, but not before I point your attention to a few diary entries that I wrote while I was on the road. I finally remembered to e-mail them to my home account so that I could publish them. They aren't necessarily my best work, but it should be interesting nonetheless. Click here, here, here and here for the lost diaries. For one of my loyal readers, the 3rd of the lost entries will be of interest. Her birthday was in March and I typically make mention of it here in my diary, but because I was on my way out of town, I didn't have a chance to post on that day, and I neglected to send the diary entry over here so I could publicly acknowledge the anniversary of the birth of my friend.

    Well, that's it for this evening, I have to finish watching Harry Potter before heading over to my brother's for some tree watering fun.

    Catch you on the flip side, guys and gals.

    Last week was big! It moved quickly and kept me on my toes. I woke up Monday and prepared myself for the first day on the market. At 9:00 AM April 21st, my house official hits the market. When I arrived home that evening at 10 minutes to 7, there was a realtor waiting in my parking space for his client. I was informed that when he arrived he witnessed someone putting together a contract on the hood of their car. At this news, I couldn't just hang about the house while it was being shown, I had to get out of Dodge and so I drove North to Ashburn. I didn't stop until I reached my brother's house. Several hours later, I returned home and my voice mail was full. I think that I had 8 or 9 messages that day. As it turned out, at least 3 different people saw the house, but the most important visitor was the one that came last. She was the passenger in the BMW that arrived shortly before I drove off. As it turned out she had been left at the altar a couple of times and so she submitted an iron-clad contract for the house at my asking price. She so wanted this house, she put in an escalation clause, which would have pushed the price of the house up, if there had  been a competing contract. We almost had two come in at the same time, but the other party didn't pull the trigger. I was disappointed up until I realized how greedy I was getting. In a year and a half, I've made a tidy little profit on this property, so I can't complain. By Tuesday morning the contract was practically a done deal. For those who have bought and sold homes before, you'll be surprised that in her desire for the home, she waived the customary home inspection contingency and the Radon test contingency. This sort of thing is a bit unusual even in an active market. I'm just glad that the sale has been this simple. I barely have to do anything except pack in the next month.

    I just found out that the guy in the BMW is her boyfriend and apparently he's calling most of the shots on this purchase. He left me a voice mail today requesting some time in the house to take some pictures for a virtual tour. Apparently, this will become a rental of some sort. Either they will be renting it outright or she'll be sharing it with others. I'm not clear on it, and in the end, I don't care either. I close on this house on May 22. So, we're closing on this house quickly.

    Tuesday was consumed with contract negotiations, faxes and signatures. Wednesday, my parents were in town and they met me at my house after work. My father and I went to play 9 holes of golf. It's been about a year since I've played and I was rusty, but it got better later. We stayed up late discussing my parents future. My Dad lost his job a couple of weeks ago and because of that my parents are contemplating their next step. There is some thought about moving to Virginia and we'd love to have them. So, I've thrown my doors wide open for them to stay with me, if they'd like.

    After a late night of talking and discussing the future, I slept fitfully in the guest bedroom. It was the first night on a new bed. On Thursday, I groggily arose and drove up to Ashburn to look at houses. I had looked at the stats of about 17 houses and I whittled those down to the 5 houses with garages that I could afford. Only one of those seemed to have exactly what I wanted. The first house I saw was terrible. It was terrible because I couldn't even tell how big it was, or how it could possibly look with my stuff in it. The house was filled to the gills with stuff. The shelves were filled with this, that and the other. I was further put out when I move some boxes aside to get to the garage, only to discover that the garage was filled up with stuff too. Oh! And did I mention that I couldn't really get into the kitchen for a good look because the dog wouldn't stop barking? The whole situation was claustrophobic. The second house I saw was mildly better, but was worse in other respects. It was clear that the 2nd townhouse was being rented by several guys. They had an X-Box, a Playstation 2 and dirty underwear piled up in the closet, with a mattress and an alarm clock on the floor. I don't mean to be prissy, but it was disgusting in there. They obviously didn't care of the place sold or not. After seeing that place, I was willing to give up on my dreams of having a garage and was willing to start looking at the standard townhouses. I thought, "if these are priced at this level what will I have to pay to get into one that I actually like?"

    I was dealt a little mercy on the next house. It was the same price as the other 2, but was far superior in it's cleanliness and lack of clutter. It was also superior in it's brightness, clean carpets and lack of pets. (Funny, that I'm a snob about pets. Once you have them, you know how destructive they can be.) This town house had just about everything that I was asking for. The only things that were lacking were a back fence for Fritz and a staircase for the deck to reach the backyard. After visiting that one, I had 2 more on my list. One was a quasi-condo that we decided to bypass, and the last was a townhouse that was $10,000 more than the 3 I had looked at previously. It was also $30 a month more in HOA fees. That one, failed to spark much interest in me, primarily because it wasn't better than the last one I had seen and it was more expensive. So, I decided to look at the 3rd one a second time. It really helped to have my Mom and my sister-in-law with me when I looked at the place. I was far too tired to make any life decisions. I just couldn't get excited about the house. I thought there were a number of exciting things about the house, but I was focusing on some of things that it didn't have. Later that afternoon, I decided that even though I was tired, I was going to make the intellectual decision and make an offer on the house. I woke up on Friday morning and felt good about the decision. The house that I've decided to buy is .8 miles from my brother's house. Probably shorter when you walk. It's within walking distance of both pastors and a few of the other folks that are in my church. We are now calling this church row. Who would have guessed that one of the biggest factors concerning where I live would be the church? It happens a lot more than you might realize. People all over the country cloister near their local churches. I'm looking forward to being able to spend more time with those folks up there. I have to bow out of a lot of social situations because I have to take care of my dog. I also don't like driving all over northwest Virginia on the weekends.

    After waking up refreshed an confident about my purchase, I went to see my lender, and was pleasantly surprised that I still qualify for poor people's loans. If I were a dink, I would have been looking at different numbers. Even though, I'm buying a house that is $70,000 more than what I bought this house for, I will only be paying an additional $267 a month. The cool thing about that, is that with the sale of my house, I'll be able to pay off my car, thus relieving me of $250 a month. So, in affect, I'm getting the new house at a cost of $17 a month more! Life is good.

    I'm sure that there is more to report, but I'm running out of time to write. The contacts are drying up and it's about time to go to bed. But I'd like to leave you with some pictures that were taken for a brochure to advertise my house. The stack of brochures arrived at my house 2 days after I had sold it. So, here's some pictures of my old house on Autumn Circle. Click on the pictures for the extremely large version. Also, see if you can find Fritz in one of the pictures! Good luck!!!