Lots to talk about...eventually...but first:

Your results:
You are Luke Skywalker

Luke Skywalker 73% Lando Calrissian 73% Mace Windu 69% Han Solo 68% Chewbacca 66% Darth Vader 64% R2-D2 64% Boba Fett 63% Obi-Wan Kenobi 60% Darth Maul 60%

You value your friends and loved ones, but can sometimes act recklessly because of your emotions. Occasionally you resort to whining. You look ahead to great things for yourself.

(This list displays the top 10 results out of a possible 21 characters)


Click here to take the Star Wars Personality Test


I was hoping for Billy Dee, but what can you do?

New Recap is up at HBS and eFC.

So tired.

This week's recap is up at HBS and eFC.

Oof. I feel like ass.

The latest Recap is up at HBS and eFC. Last week's is also up here and here.

---

I'm working through a cold or maybe the flu or bronchitis or something. Either way, I'm not feeling all that hot, and it's been like that for a week or so, although I feel better today than I did yesterday and the day before.

More later this week, probably.

Hey, it's all I do anymore!

The 2.19 Recap is up at HBS and eFC, as is the 2.26 edition (HBS/eFC)

The new Recap is up at HBS and eFC.

I got loan approval on Friday morning and we made an offer for the house that we liked. The seller wanted $119,900. We lowballed: we got approved for $115,000 and offered $110,000. The seller’s agent said they wouldn’t take anything less than $118,000. There’s still work to be done on that house, though, and the current owner appears to just be “flipping” the house and looking to get some cash and get out. It’s probably ultimately for the best: our payments at $115,000 were pretty high (we figured the property taxes into the monthly payment so we wouldn’t have to worry about them), so we’re deciding to still keep looking. But man, did we love that house.

I had Mom and Dad come up on Friday to take a look at it, and it didn’t go as well as I’d hoped. Dad was mostly quiet, pointing out a few things that still needed work, but Mom was very vocal about what she didn’t like, about little details that needed attention, about the overall look of the house that she thought needed to be addressed. But she came on way too strong, generally offending PG and our realtor, who was going out of her way to help us. It’s not that what she said was wrong, it’s how she said it. My house will never look like hers, simply because I already know I won’t have the money needed to refurbish it the way she has hers. And I told her I though it was a bit over the top, which she took as me being angry. I was embarrassed, but more than anything, I was disappointed. But not exactly surprised. I ended up apologizing to both PG and the realtor after the fact, and both said they understood, but I was still disappointed.

We’re looking at another house on Monday, just down the road from the one we were really in love with. It’s less expensive, and smaller, too. But if it’s good enough, we’ll likely make an offer and readjust the loan.

New recap is up at HBS and eFC.

PG and I looked at houses yesterday, and I think we may have settled on one. We went to five different houses. The first one was in Savoy, maybe a block and a half from my apartment. We loved it, but the price was too high. It was a single story ranch with a full basement, and it looked great, had everything we wanted, kept me close to work (and put her closer to work), but it was just more than I’m willing to spend. The next place was on Springfield in Champaign. Two stories, fireplace, recently remodeled. Again; it had everything we wanted, but again, it was too much than I wanted to pay (both were over $142,000). There was a place on Church (two stories, fireplace, basement) that was fine (“cozy” was the term thrown around, but it’s a polite way of saying small), but the basement (which we want for the bulk of the animals that I’ll be inheriting) was a pit. Plus there was no garage, so we crossed that off the list. The fourth one was off of Prospect on Tremont, and was pretty great. Two stories, hardwood floors everywhere, nice woodwork, sunroom for the plants. $129,000, but the basement was unfinished and tiny. We’re both just shy of six feet tall and we would’ve spent any and all of our time down there hunched over trying not to get a concussion. So that was also a pass.

The last house we looked at was also the least expensive. But it’s the one I like the most (well, the one I like the most in the price range, because I was all about the Savoy house…). Full basement that needs a little work, but two baths, three bedrooms, hyooge fenced in back yard (with deck!), dining room, kitchen (with new flooring, looks like), family room, dining room (all the rooms with a fresh coat of paint, too), single-car garage and a fireplace. The roof was replaced in 1999, new hot water heater in 2003, new driveway, new furnace and central air conditioning in 2004, new front door, front steps and sidewalk in 2005. The location was kind of iffy (off of North Neil, which can sometimes be kind of dicey), but it pulls into a subdivision that looks like a really nice neighborhood and it’s on a cul-de-sac. So the street address is #6. Six! That’s kind of neat. It's still over $100,000 but it's low enough that I could make the whole payment each month if I needed to.

We’re meeting with a bank rep this afternoon about the loan and then we’re taking another walk-through after that. Then we may make a decision. Or think about making one.

Everything is moving very fast. But I’ve never been more sure about wanting something than I am about this, and that’s the truth. It’s a big step – the house as well as the cohabitation – but I’m pretty sure we’re ready for it.