it's been quite some time since I've posted but well - life has been moving fast! ...and for some reason I can't get the cursor in the title area. ahhh - good to be back!

We've moved - we're quasi-settled in (and it's only 4 months later!). Matter of fact, the garage door opener installer guy is coming in tomorrow. Yup - right on top of that one!

Tater has settled in nicely to his new school. He loves his teachers and has stopped hitting his friends after testing the waters for a week or two. CJ is doing well too - but she's not one to complain too much. Matter of fact she complains so little that she has had a double ear infection since April and the only symptoms she's had are a runny nose and goopy eyes. We're on round 5 of anbox though, so chances are it's the tubes for her. That's what she gets for giving me such bad heartburn!

So does anyone have any good tips for finding cheap flights? I've exhausted all of mine and well - looks like we're on track to spend about $1400 for the 4 of us to get up to NY this year.

Think they'd let me take out a loan from my 401K?

more to follow

because hell is here on earth right now

I still own my house. We were supposed to close today. key words: supposed to

So the buyers were supposed to go in at 9am. But the guy had a class at 9 (and he didn't know this MONDAY?). Title company couldn't accomodate them until 4:30. Bad omen #1

My realtor called to tell me this and we both talked about our superstitions about the sale. She said she never takes her sign down or takes the lock box until about an hour before the close if she can help it. I told her that we had to move the sign when we moved out b/c it was in the way of the truck. Bad omen #2

I decide to leave a little early to get to the title company. Brian was picking up the kids and I figured I could probably sign my name where needed and watch them while he signed his name. About 10 minutes away my realtor calls.

Don't.come.the.guy's.driver.license.is.expired.and.his.passport.is.from.a.different.country.so. they.
won't.
close.
today.

mother fucker mother fucker mother fucker mother fucker

Story behind the driver's license: in the state of TX, things may be bigger and better, but in this case they are delusional. If you have an out of state license and you go to get a new one, you must surrender your license to them. Then after you do that they tell you it will take 2-3 weeks to get your new TX license and they send you home with A PIECE OF PAPER that is supposed to be your identification. No lie - in this day and age, TX somehow hasn't figured out how to give you a piece of plastic with your picture on it the same day. Blows my mind.

He has a piece of paper that shows that he went in to get it on Dec. 29th but he put his new address on it. He went to our house to see if it was there (nope). Tried to go by the license store, closed (yeah, asshole - get to the closing on time and MAYBE we'd be done with this shit!). So tomorrow they get to tour the city of Houston to hunt down his driver's license.

Meanwhile, I still own my house.

And the Nater says 'Wain wain, go away!'

Day 12 of Seattle like weather here in Houston and it suu-ucks! It would suck under any normal circumstances but the difference here is that we just moved from our house to an apartment 1/2 the size in what we hope will be VERY temporary. See, we sold our house. Only problem is SOMEONE (that would be the buyers) forgot to bring all the necessary documents to the lender before closing. So instead of dealing with this rain in lots of square footage since we still own the house, we're managing it while we sit on top of each other in the apartment we moved into in anticipation of closing. See mom? The ONE time I get all my ducks in a row, I get hosed! I think I will embrace procrastination with both arms now!

Anyway, I think I'll keep some random thoughts on here from now on. I probably won't have much to say (would that be a first or what?!?) but as I've enjoyed reading others' blogs and see that it looks like fun - hence my journey that begins now. Let your fingers do the walking...

The zebras need spectacles

sounds like the title of a children's book, doesn't it? Well, if you know me - and chances are you do if you're reading this - I'm talkin' about these college football refs. who's 2005 bowl season performances rival the horrors only read about in a Stephen King novel.

Before you start, let me admit the missed calls have gone both ways for most games. In the spirit of full disclosure, I am a Virginia Tech Hokie and bleed Burnt Orange and Chicago Maroon (...on Saturdays and the occassional weekday night - Garnet and Gold on Sundays...and various other colors during those 'other' sport seasons) and the fact that the refs can call unsportsmanlike conduct on our linesman for actually TACKLING a quarterback yet somehow miss our QB looking around, looking down, and then placing his cleats on the back of an opposing player?!? Seems they pay about as close attention to the subject at hand as I did in my organic chemistry class (but I managed to get a D+ thank you very much).

Instant replay? yeah, that helps... no two conferences do it the same way....the refs seem to question their calls knowing they have 'backup' and 1/2 the time the coaches have had to take a timeout to try to entice a review. the other 1/2? I think they decide to order takeout as it probably has the same effect.

Chances are the BCS is with us for the long haul (guess the powers at be are still 'at a loss' as to how Division I-AA makes the playoffs a success) so it would be nice if there could be some consistency in this aspect of the game at least. Heaven forbid it comes down to a bad call that ruins the BCS scheme!

wait...maybe I'm onto something!

I used to rule my world from a payphone

As one who has to talk on the phone - a lot - for a living, I rarely find myself calling my friends and family as, well, talking on the phone in my own time takes too much energy. I love my friends and family and do want to hear about the minutia of their lives, but damnit why can't everyone just move near me so I can talk to them in person...preferably over drinks.

So when I do call people, I do it from my cellphone in the car because I'm bored and Top 40 doesn't do much for me. I have a headset, so I'm not THAT dangerous, but hypocrite that I am I do get nervous when I see other drivers talking on their phones. You know who they are - head cocked to one side to hold it in place or the telltale hand next to ear. Watching someone try to switch lanes when they're on the phone is pure entertainment - their whole body does a 360 I think. After witnessing a few of these types, I can see why the proverbial THEY frown upon driving and dialing - THEY say it's as dangerous as drunk driving, but I haven't found a study yet to put it on the same plane as drunk dialing.

Scarier still - old people...with big hats on...driving 15 in a 25 mph zone...and talking on a phone. shudder.

rethinking that Dr. Doolittle degree...

We had to take Tess to the vet today because she was acting a little weird, and even though she is old and acts weird anyway, this was weirder than normal. Not wanting to leave one of us with the kid and one of us with the dog (honestly, we weren't sure what would have been worse), we pack all 4 of us into the car and tally ho over to our vet.

Now, our vet's office is great. They are wonderful to the dogs...meaning the dogs don't try to run out the door when we get there. They piss on the floor because they are happy to see them instead of from sheer terror. It's progress.

Instead, the sheer terror comes when they tell us what they are going to do for Tess. 'We'll do an ultrasound of her bladder' (cha-ching) 'well, just to be sure we'll do some blood work' (jingle jingle) 'you do know she's due for her annual shots?' (shwipe shwipe). Grand total for a 14 year old blind bassett hound with a urinary tract infection...$461.27.

Not bad for 20 minutes of work if you can get it. Damned organic chemistry!

but who leads the blind? really...

I have no idea what I'm doing, but just thought I'd start testing things and see what I come up with.

...a glass (or two) of Merlot is truly liquid courage.