August 12, 2001

        My apologies for not updating sooner. I wanted to update this all week long, but it didn't happen. Every day last week between 4 and 5 O' clock in the afternoon, I thought to myself that I was going to go home and work on the site. Write a diary entry, go to bed. Instead, I got in my car and drove for 45 minutes in traffic, while I basted in my car. It was hot, it was in the mid to upper 90's and it was humid. It's been over 8 years since I last experienced a Virginia summer, and I and my car are not built for it. My car is A/C deficient. It was never a priority before, I could put up with the heat in NY, it was never that bad while I was there. Still, I'm not going to update the A/C in my car, after all, I don't know how long I'll have the car. I finally worked on the car a bit last Monday. I was planning to do it on the weekend, but had a hard time finding the right spark plugs for the job. I changed the distributor cap, the spark plugs and the air filter. My brother helped out, but it wasn't really necessary, I've done that job before. Having his help was good, because the job was finished quicker than it would have otherwise. The car is now running smoother, so I consider it to be a good investment. It also looks as though I will need to fix two more things if I want to keep it beyond November. I will have a new set of front tires and I need to fix my horn. The car has remained reliable so I will keep it around. My primary monetary focus is the new house. Housing update: My financing is secure and I've got my realtor, I have to answer some questions from my realtor, and then he'll put together some listings for me. I also have to take a quiz over the phone to get my loan. It's a special program for first time buyers and most of the book is rudimentary. I have to finish reading it today, so that I can get the process done with.  In financial news, I paid off my last credit card yesterday. The check is in the mail, as they say. I'm incredibly proud of myself on this one. I'm also incredibly grateful that things have gone the way they did. I would have never been able to do this without help. $100 payments per month, just aren't encouraging when it comes to knocking out big debt. Between losing my job and the bonuses they gave me and my brother's generosity, I've been able to pay off an enormous amount of credit card debt. I'm not going down that road again. Imagine how much money I'd have today, if I hadn't gotten myself into so much debt in the first place. Just to give you an idea of the kind of debt I was in. I was committed to over $300 a month in payments. Now, the only debt I have left to pay off is my student loan which is minimal in comparison. I'm still not ready to buy a house today, but I'm looking at having the required amount of money in two more months. I've also curbed my e-bay spending. I've been on a tear the last month, but I've now gotten a great deal of items that I was seeking. There is still much more, but the novelty and the sense of urgency have been quieted. I haven't bid on something in a week. I have bought over 20 new U2 items, which is excessive for me. Most of them hover around the $10 range, but it all adds up. Surprisingly enough, it still fits into my loose budget. Last month it was U2 tickets. I think I'm ready to buckle down and do some hard saving. Enough about the house and finances, I'll keep you up to date as things occur.

    Over the past two weeks I've been able to speak with a couple of friends who I don't speak to very often. In one case, I was able to finally enjoy a sit-down lunch with this friend. She's busy, busy, busy and to my surprise she is dealing with what many IT professionals experience. Is this what I want to do with my life? Because of the lucrative nature of the job, many people who would have ordinarily found other pursuits if they paid better, went to the IT side of the house. In addition, they find that the career ladder up is unappealing. They can either go to the technically challenging programming path, or the oft confusing management path, or they can opt out all together and pursue interests that lie closer to their hearts and minds. Actually, both of the friends that I have talked to this week are asking these same questions, but for entirely different reasons. One is in school and has decided that the Computer Science degree is less appealing than it once was. The other may be forced to make a decision, because her company was bought. I can't tell you how much I commiserate. It's a fundamentally stressful time, I happened to make the most out of it, and I was still extremely stressed by the situation. The only folks who did better were the directors above me, but they had a distinct leg up in the political chain. In any case it was not only nice to speak with these beautiful young ladies, but it's also encouraging. It's encouraging, because I know I'm not alone, both literally and figuratively. Some days I feel very much on the outside. Like I'm living on the side-lines, too timid to ask the coach to put me in. Then I look left, I look right and I see a bunch of folks who look just like me. Just waiting for that opportunity. Sometimes, I jump in without being invited, sometimes I won't step in when the invitation is engraved. It just depends on the day. My moods are like that too, particularly when it rains. Friday was horrible. Big storms came in, and I was a  bit antsy all afternoon. I put on my brave face, complete with career smile and tried to not let on when I was annoyed with someone. Then I shot myself in the foot when I went home. A major road near work closed, I took a wrong turn and ended up in an extremely slow detour. It took me twice as long as usual to get home. It was raining, it was humid, so I had to decide if I wanted to get wet because of the rain, or by the sweat rolling off my brow. I compromised, and switched every few minutes. An hour and a half in traffic, when you are not in the best mood can be torturous. I was completely stuck, I couldn't turn around and had no idea where I was at. It was at about that time the Olympics started. The mental Olympics, where you measure, measure again, and if you hadn't beat the situation to a pulp yet, you measure once again. This is the time you reserve for fabrication of reality, contemplation of current life status, or whatever other malady strikes you. Fortunately, it doesn't take much to take me off of this track. I finally got out of there and passed by an old used record store. Yep, you guessed it! I found something to add to my U2 collection. It was dirt cheap and in immaculate shape, so my funk dispersed before actually arriving home. It's great when your daydreaming in  the car and you can imagine all the finer things, there's a flip-side to that too. It's when your daydreams (i.e. wants, desires) are tempered with your own unique brand of realistic pessimism. I try to stay upbeat, but I'm human. Hmm, no wonder I get lost in every new location that I visit. I totally strayed off-topic here. In any case, it's been a joy connecting with both friends and I need those friends, probably more than they need me right now. I need that female touch in regards to shopping. Particularly house shopping. 

    What haven't I covered? Oh yeah. Uncle duties. In general, I have spent more time lately with the kids. I think because they have been separated. One week half the kids went up to NY, the next week the other half went two hours south to their Aunt's house. Having them divided like that allowed me to treat one set or another to special stuff, i.e. bagels at Einstein's, a movie at Blockbuster or maybe just a Slurpee at 7-11. When all 4 are going at it, I get scared :-) In any case, it's fun being Uncle Tim, when I get to share something that I enjoy with them. As you remember, we went bowling and that was a blast, playing cards and board games can be really fun too. Although,  I still don't like to lose to a 7 year old. I'll throw the game when I'm playing my 4 year old niece, but not my nephew, he's not the most gracious winner, so I try to distance his victories. He's tenacious enough to handle it, and he'll even brag to his dad when he beats me in a video-game, so I got to keep him in check. I'd like to teach them how to play chess, because I'm getting bored playing checkers. The problem is that my chess set is in storage. Well, perhaps another time. 

    Web-site updates: I have worked on redoing the format of a few of the U2 pages. In particular I have reorganized the way that the tour is broken down. I tried to balance it out, so that no particular era is too bogged down, at the same time I wanted to keep continuity. I also changed some fonts to make reading the text easier, and went from white to black for the background. I don't like having the site so dark, but it seems like things display better on black background, or at least most of the time. I have a few more ideas to implement, and I really, really need  a camera. I have at least 4 new items that will not be added to the site because I need pictures of them. They are too big for the scanner bed. 

    I also wanted to share two things that may hit a little close to the bone, but are amusing to me nonetheless. The first item is one that I found in my box-o-sh*t. The box-o-sh*t contains everything that doesn't belong in a proper folder in the filing cabinet. It contains everything that had meaning in a prior life-time. It contains all things odd-sized that only fit in a box-o-sh*t. It's a trip down memory-lane, and every once in a while, I go in there to dig out a post-card or a news clipping that is needed for my site. In this case, I was looking for a postcard that I needed to rescan. I also found a piece of history. I once dated a woman that I called Angel, because at the time (in my sappy youth) I thought I was SAVED by her arrival. Far from it, but at least she wasn't Satan. In that overly romanticized world that I was living in, I kept a stamp. This was at the time that they had the angels everywhere,  and I bought her stationary and letters, pictures etc. Perhaps, I should have looked at this closer back then. I just think it's hilarious that the Angel is looking up and to the right. I definitely think it's time to reorder love. I just need to make sure that it's from the right supplier. The other item that I wanted to share with you was something that a co-worker cut out for me. It's a comic from a recent edition of the Washington Post. It's may hit too close to home, so don't laugh too much out of how apropos it might be. I use "might" hopefully. Oh geez, I've overdosed on coffee. It was only a half-pot, but I've got the jitters something fierce. Looks like I'll just have to wait it out and hope that my typing doesn't worsen while I finish this up. Come to think of it, I've been drinking a lot less coffee lately. Now it's usually only a travel mug's worth per day. It used to be much more. Today was much more a shock to the system I guess. 

August 20, 2001

    Some days I think that I should title this "Diary of a Madman." Fortunately, today is not one of them. It's a happy day! I may get loopy from time to time, but I'm not usually fruit loopy. Quite sane, all the time I assure you. Anyway, now that I've gotten your attention, I figured that I would share news in descending order of importance.

    I have garnered my first Gold Star on E-Bay! (Hold the applause please!) Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. E-Bay works on a feedback system, which is designed to alert you to good sellers and to steer you away from bad sellers. For each transaction that you complete, the buyer or seller as the case may be can voluntarily leave feedback on the transaction. You can leave Positive, Neutral or Negative feedback on each of your transactions. Not everyone does. I've left feedback for everyone that I've ordered from, because they've all sent the packages that I ordered. Now I haven't always been thrilled by the condition of all the items, but the price has been right and it's my fault for not asking more questions before ordering. Plus, in most cases, I'm just happy to have a copy of item. I'm not really interested in selling anything on the market later, so it's small potatoes to me. In any case you're feedback rating is a result of the positives minus the negatives. My current feedback rating is 14. As you may have read earlier, I have more than 20 purchases, so what happened? Some people have not seen fit to leave feedback. Which is not really a problem. But, just like voting, it's only a reliable system if you use it. I've sworn off of e-bay for the next two months. I'll get into why in a minute. Hold your horses, relax, it gets better...

    I got dirty this past weekend and helped out a couple from South America. While tagging along with my brother this weekend, I had the distinct pleasure of putting some genuine smiles on some people's faces, and was able to understand something about myself which has been causing me a little bit of guilt. On Friday evening, I helped my brother pick up and deliver a refrigerator to a family in need. The family is from South America and they have recently rented the basement of a town home nearby. They were in need of a refrigerator and don't have a lot of money. I don't usually look for situations in which I can help people that I don't know, so I'm glad that I was able to serve. Even though I'm doing pretty well financially and otherwise, I didn't do it without help. A fact that sometimes escapes me. In a few short hours, I could kind of glimpse what America can offer immigrants, and what they offer in return. Once upon a time, most of our ancestors in this country were immigrants here, and whether they arrived at the Statue of Liberty, flew in from foreign lands or crossed over from Mexico, they probably had similar dreams. For those without a great deal of wealth, they came to find a better life. We as Americans throw away a lot of good stuff. The refrigerator was a nice one. A little old, but not ancient. The people had redone their kitchen and the refrigerator didn't match, and the ice maker was broken. I hope that I too can one day pass on decent stuff to people, as they have done for me. I can honestly say, that I haven't had a lot of positive experiences with the have-nots. There have been a few, but since I grew up with the thought that I could attain X, then I've tried to do so. Not everyone has had that benefit of knowing what they can attain in life. Worse yet, some quit and then either take from or blame those who do. The latter experience is more of what I see all too often. During my housing search, I was beginning to look around the neighborhood and I was concerned about buying a house here. There are a lot of Latinos living in the area, and it appears that it's getting worse. This was a great concern of mine as a home buyer, and it gave me some guilt. I know that I have prejudices, but I have resisted racist over-tones in my thoughts and actions. Getting to know people that could be lumped together is a good fix for avoiding that, but I don't know a lot of Hispanic speaking people and I was going down that path. What I discovered was that my concern was not for which race was in my neighborhood, but which class was in my neighborhood. I think it's an important distinction, and not just because it's politically correct. I'm not really too proud that I'm distinguishing between classes, because that is secondary to the type of occupant that I and most homeowners would prefer. On the average, homeowners take better care of their homes than renters and families take better care of their homes than single folks. I was actually a little concerned that I might have a problem buying a house in certain areas because I am single, so I understand what they want. The most distressing part of the Hispanic community here is not that they are Hispanics, but that they are young men. This is one thing that is common along all racial lines and most social classes. Although, you don't often see Asian thugs in the suburbs. At least I haven't. One becomes concerned when the youth is dressed like a thug. Is it fair? Not necessarily. Not all well dressed men are good men, but we tend to give them the benefit of the doubt. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You are judged on your speech and dress. In the absence of meeting and greeting each person individually, we go by the averages. Familiarity breeds comfort in this context. Sometimes, I wonder if politicians know anything about their constituents. I don't know how it's possible, I don't know the first thing about the neighbors around me and what it is they desire from life. I'm not really sure where this is going, but I'd just like to finish this line with this. If I hadn't seen firsthand what good folks from a different country go through to honestly attain the American dream, I'd still be looking at my neighborhood in a way that does not make me proud of me. I'm not sure I'm ever going to fully embrace the politics of multiculturalism, but I will pause before making up my mind about any group that I don't have evidence on. One problem I have about this topic is that I don't want to be another white guy who talks condescendingly about people of other races and backgrounds, as if I knew what's it like to be in their shoes. The fact is that if we concentrate on race in either the positive or the negative, we miss the point entirely.

    My brother has sold his home! A contract has been offered and accepted and the buying party has set a closing date on September 25. My brother and his wife are actively looking for a new home, but are trying to find property that is within their price range. The area that they are moving to is a highly sought community. The best that suburbia and planned communities have to offer. They are excited, but it's tempered by the home search. I on the other hand have had great success in my search for homes. I was initially discouraged by the price of ownership. I looked on the internet and found very little that looked appealing in a 2 x 2 inch caption. This past Thursday, I went out for the first time with my realtor to look at homes. I hit 7 seven homes in about 2 hours. The first home I saw was $185,000 and it was a dump. It was a spacious dump, but I'm no fixer-upper, at least not during this stage of my career. It reminded me of a rental property that I once lived in. It was dark and depressing inside with a hideous galley kitchen. I was immediately skeptical about  finding one in my price range that was acceptable to me and my "snobbish" tastes. The second home I saw was the jewel for me. I thought it was incredible, it had the greatest kitchen which had a nice shaded deck attached to the back. It felt really warm and was very charming. I thought that I could easily make this one my home. Every home that I saw that day was compared to that one, and when I was through, only one other home compared remotely to it, but it had one problem which was that the living room/dining room combination was too narrow to support the cozy atmosphere that you would have in a larger living room. After seeing that home, it was number two on the list, but I had figured out what I could do with the living room which could make it more functional for me. Bookshelves! Make it into a display and reading room. A couple of nice chairs,  and a coffee table and I would be in business! I returned to work and I was still very high on the first good one that I had seen, I was discussing the features of the homes that I had seen and I kept telling people about features in the second home that I enjoyed. It wasn't long before I realized that the second home had all the features of the first home, but they were more modern. Plus it had things that the first didn't have, such as a lawn with grass, thoughtful landscaping, a 3rd half bath, and a fireplace! Not wanting to rush things, I decided to see both properties on Sunday, plus a few more that had gone on the market. On Saturday, my realtor called and asked if I could meet on Saturday instead of Sunday, which was perfect for me. My Mom was in town, so I brought her along to see the homes. My realtor asked if I wanted to see the house that was at the top of the list when we last met, and I told him it wasn't necessary because upon further reflection I realized that it wasn't the one that I wanted. We saw three houses on Saturday; two new ones and the house that had become my favorite. The other two houses didn't interest me and I went  home that night to compile a list of the pros and cons of the house that I did like. I started listing the cons first, since I knew it was going to be a short list. All of the cons were either acceptable or listed because I couldn't think of anything else to complain about. It wasn't long before I realized that I had nothing more to prove to myself on the topic of whether or not this was a wise purchase. So, I immediately called my realtor and got his answering machine. So, at this point in time, the waiting game begins. This was the most difficult part of it for me. On Sunday, I sent an E-mail describing in detail that I wanted to put a contract on the house. My mother and I then went to church. After church we drove down to my sister's house and I stayed for about an hour and a half, before driving home. When I got home I had an e-mail saying that the house was still available and that if I wanted to get a contract out, I would have to go to his house, as he was making plans for traveling out of town on Monday. So I called him, and got his answering machine... again. This was where it got really tough, I was so nervous because I couldn't do anything, I could just sit and wait. An hour later, I got a call. As soon as I got in the car, an enormous calm has come over me. I've been calm ever since, even while I waited for the sellers to respond. So, long story short... They have accepted my offer. I'm closing on the house on October 26, and will move in on November 1. They are exercising the rent-back option, so I will be out of a home for a little over a month. Plans are being made to keep me under a roof, but I do have my cat to consider, that will be more tricky. The picture of my new home is on the left, the house on the other hand, is in the center.

    I must close quickly with the most important news of all. My sister has successfully delivered her 4th child this evening. His name is Elliot Nathaniel and he was about 9 lbs. She was 9 days late, so they induced labor. Goodnight, and sweet dreams!

August 26, 2001

    I originally started to write a diary entry on the 23rd. But after writing a paragraph I realized that it just wasn't going to be profitable to continue writing. It wasn't the balm that it sometimes is for me. A wicked storm was brewing outside and I was beginning to feel the irritability that sometimes accompanies strong changes in weather patterns. This is usually accompanied by small disappointments that would normally not phase me. Within a couple of hours I was fine. I liken this phenomena to the way that joints and formerly broken bones will ache when a storm is coming. I was hit in the head a couple of times as a child, perhaps the brain swells and cuts off something. Who knows. I say it jokingly. Fortunately I was hard-headed enough to sustain surface injuries only. A few stitches, a butterfly bandage and child's resilience. This sort of anomaly is just that. An anomaly. Something that occurs infrequently enough to make you pause and wonder about.

    It's a beautiful weekend and I have not taken advantage of it. There are a number of reasons for this, part of the reason is that I don't have a large pool of friends in the area yet, (but it is growing) and part is my reluctance to find activities that will cost me too much money. I had a bit of a setback in my savings plan this week. They are part and parcel of normal expenditures, it's just that they hit together. I'm talking primarily about my car. I paid my insurance for the next 6 months and I had to have my radiator replaced. All totaled it cost me over $600. I'm lucky that I don't have a car payment, but it's still disturbing to see my car experience the first real signs of mortality. I can't afford to buy a car until I figure out what the bottom line is going to be and settle into some sort of rhythm for bills and expenses. I have a long wait ahead of me in terms of closing on the house. I close on the house two months from today and I have a plan for how the financing will come together. The problem is that the numbers aren't adding up yet, because I don't have a completely accurate picture of everything that I will have to pay for. I'm supposed to receive a revised estimate soon, so hopefully that will clear up any confusion on my part. The home inspection is tomorrow. This should be interesting. I hope it's not shocking. Everyone that I speak to about the house has an opinion on what I should look out for. To a certain degree I feel as though I should tune them out, listen to my realtor and work with blinders on, because if I don't I'll worry myself to death, and have second thoughts about this. I don't have second thoughts, I feel that backing out would be the worst thing I could do for myself. Even though it's a little scary to be making this sort of commitment, it's still the best thing for me and my progress through this life on earth. It would be an extreme plus to be sharing it with someone, but that's another story all together.

    I bought one ticket for the extreme power-ball lottery that is paying an estimated 280 million dollars. It's fun to think about and dream about, but the dream is over. I didn't win. I didn't even match one number. According to official sources , 4 tickets were sold with the winning combination. They will each receive 70 million less taxes. Not too shabby. I said before the lottery that I'm not sure it would make me any happier. Lucky for me, I won't get a chance to prove it. ;-) The hardest part would be finding someone with whom I could share my life and not feel as though they were doing it because of the money, and not for me. At the same time, I would prefer to be well off enough so that money would not be an issue in the marriage. It's a balance that I hope to achieve one day. Then again, if I find a wife and make scads of money it might not be an issue anyway. One can hope for the best.

    I had the opportunity to spend time with a friend this week. I almost didn't accept the invitation to go wandering about a mall, but am glad that I did. We had a good time, I fulfilled my role as "MAN" and held assorted purchases while she tried on one more outfit, before the mall closed around us. Remarkably, I was able to do it all with a smile on face and a skip in my step. I do nothing all the time. It's much more fun to do nothing with someone else. Along the way I was able to find a birthday present for a family member. I'm hoping that my social life will continue to blossom when I move out, time will tell. There is something prohibitive about living with people and making a social life. To a certain degree the family life supplants the need for socialization, in the same way that co-workers can satiate the need to go out in the evening. Some couples that I know have an assigned date night, which allows them to rediscover each other even though they technically spend a great deal of time with one another. It's a chance to socialize as adults without their children. It is my belief that the family starts with the relationship of the parents and that their children will inevitably ape the relationships that they have seen as they grow up. I'm not saying that bad marriages will create more bad marriages in their off-spring, but it would seem to be easier to keep a marriage healthy, when you've seen a successful marriage in practice. Facts may escape the off-spring, but the nuances and feelings too often become deeply embedded. I've opened a philosophical can of worms here, because many would challenge this because of the amount of failed marriages, single parent families, and that sometimes good parents have bad children, and sometimes bad parents have good children. I don't really know the answer for the perfect household, the perfect family or how to raise your children in such a way that they can cast off the worst character traits that American life has to offer.

    Man is my keyboard filthy. You'd be surprised at how many cat hairs can reside inside before it's rendered useless. The keyboard, not the cat. I don't have anything left to say this afternoon. I'm going to try to devote some time to seeing some sunshine. Oh yeah, one last thing... The countdown has begun again. 

Days until Closing: 61

Days until Moving in: 68

August 27, 2001

    Wow, two updates in two days. I must be happy! I'm relatively content this evening. Though it sure is muggy here in the house. My brother and his wife will only turn on the A/C when it gets too unbearable to sleep. It's right below the threshold, let me tell you. I don't complain to them though. It's their utility bill and I pay a flat fee to park my stuff here. I can deal with a little inconvenience for short periods of time. Like a year. Time flies, even when your discontent. Nothing stops the march toward death. Sorry, I was just trying to add a little levity. It's OK, you can scratch your head about that last statement. It was a poor attempt at irony. I've actually become more sarcastic lately, if that were indeed possible. I've honed the skill since I've started working at my present job. My co-worker and I have been able to carry on entire conversations where each word is a lie. We do it knowingly and with an audience. It's kind of sick how we can dead-pan the entire performance. I actually threw off a friend of mine last week while we were out shopping. I kept making absurd statements, that could be true, but probably weren't. I realized that it was something that I ought to curb. In a way it makes a nice defense when you stop being earnest about everything. On the other hand, I already have a load of defenses at my disposal, so I really shouldn't be looking for more of them. I certainly don't like it in other people. Unless of course we are on the same page. I'm still looking for reality in people, I just need to remember to be real myself.

    Speaking of work. I think I've stumbled upon a break-through in the program I'm writing. I'm trying to re-write a product we have, because it's written to confuse people, (my opinion) and I want to make future updates simpler to make. Well, I've been struggling with a particular portion of it, where I was having difficulty translating it to something I could use. I think I finally cracked this piece so that I can make the necessary changes to migrate it to a language that more people can use. If you want to know, I'm rewriting Fortran into DCL. If you don't know what I'm talking about, be thankful. In any case, I was kind of excited by this. I was starting to become frustrated, because I was having a hard time breaking this up into manageable pieces. It's also hard when I have so many interruptions. Most of which are welcomed. It's the collective time taken that is the problem. Because of the way the cubes are laid out, people visit us pretty frequently. They know that they can find one or the both of us available. Most of the time it's welcome, but sometimes people have more time to kill than we do. I just want to feel satisfied by my work at the end of the day. Once I can figure that out, I'll be a pretty happy man again.

    In happier news, I witnessed my first home inspection today! My realtor has worked with this inspector for over 20 years. He was a really nice, supportive fellow. When the inspection started, he was flipping on every light, turning on the faucets, and letting them run. I'm thinking "this is Mad!, stop it, turn it off!" Add to that, the fact that he was looking at everything with a combination of Sherlock Holmes' eyes and the Hardy Boy's excitement. He would trace a pipe and speculate about when this particular portion of the house was completed. It was pretty fascinating. About half way through the inspection, he noticed a problem! The board that attached the deck to the house was split! Oh, no. He practically pointed it out with glee! I was torn at this point. I mean, I love this home so far, and I'm very excited by the prospect of it being mine. His job is to protect me, and I want none of it. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate it, but at the same time, I'm terrified that he's going to find something major that is going to cost me money in the future. The worst possible thing that could happen would be for me to try to make a judgment based on a speculation of future costs. Do I do it, or do I go back out there and try to find another home that doesn't have that sort of problem?

    The whole inspection took less than an hour and a half. He was thorough, and I had another chance to look at the home and notice different pluses and minuses that were part of the home. Some pluses I noticed were that there was a shed out back that I could use to stow all manner of lawn tools, etc. I can also use the storage space below the front stairs to put my trashcans, which is nice. I also have a crawl space that I can put boxes in, instead of throwing them out, or passing them along. One bathroom has brass faucets, handles, etc. The kitchen cabinets have about a foot of clearance above them which can be used to put all sorts of kitchen items or knickknacks that are kitchen related. The peach bathroom has to go. I'm just not all that fond of pastels, unless they are quasi-dark. Other bathroom is green, which I'll probably keep for a while. There's also a strange red light in the downstairs shower. It looks like they may use that as a dark-room on occasion. All I could think of was "Roxxxxxannnne, you don't have to put on the Red Light!" Still with all that I saw, I was more and more pleased, and a little scared/daunted. It's a lot of responsibility when you own a home, and I aim to keep it in good shape. I would hate to do anything to make my home less attractive. The couple I'm buying this from are the original owners, and it shows. They have done a fantastic job of caring for the house. They did such a great job, that my inspector could find no real weaknesses in the house. Most problems, (I think there were 3) were cosmetic. So, fortunately, I don't have to make difficult decision on this one. It's a keeper. It's a good buy, it's a good neighborhood and it more than fits my needs. It's a good investment and it will be a good home. I am so pleased. I can scarcely believe that I was able to find something so great. My biggest problem in the months to come are buying furnishings which will live up to the home. I'll be able to do it, but it will take time. I also met one of my future neighbors. She was cordial, was around my age, cute and wasn't wearing a wedding ring. All very good attributes to have in a neighbor. Hopefully, I'll be able to establish a friendship with my neighbors, which is something that I haven't done much of when I was renting. Oh, and if she reads this, I hope she doesn't think I'm a total freak for noticing all of that in less than 10 seconds of contact. At this age, I can't afford to let the details slip away too easily. That's it for this evening. Goodnight muchachos and muchachas! 

Days until Closing: 60

Days until Moving in: 67