2007 is in its final hours, and 2008 is looking to be a very exciting year. Looking back, this past year has felt like the laying of a foundation for things to come. We've gotten things in order so that we can buy a house, I started school again so that I can begin work as an accountant this summer.

Lucy has made her way through basic obedience, agility, rally, has successfully gotten her CGC and is now ready to enter some trials.

tigergladys is gearing up for some new things of her own, and I have to say I'm as excited about that as I am about my own things!

New Year's means resolutions, of course. I really only had one for last year, and that was to learn to play the piano. While I certainly can't claim I succeeded, I did put in some effort toward it. Especially at the beginning of the year. Once I went back to school, not so much. So now I'm thinking about 2008. My resolutions are:

• Buy a house


• Get a job as an accountant


• Qualify with Lucy in an agility event


• Read 50 books - This is a manageable number, though still a tough goal with everything else going on


• Make progress in playing the piano

While not a resolution, I'm also hoping that by the end of the year I'll have had a chance to unpack my Hirst Arts molds and begin working on something with them. I've missed it. There is a certain pleasure that I get from mixing up the plaster, pouring it into the mold, and then a little while later popping out bricks of different shapes and sizes. Even before I build anything with them, there is all the potential in that little pile of bricks.

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Christmas was interesting this year. tigergladys, Lucy and I went down to North Carolina to spend the holiday at Tigs' sisters house. One of the best parts was the fenced in back yard where we could take Lucy out to play any time that she started to feel overwhelmed by the excitement of the season. I'm so jealous of her house. Actually I am jealous of the whole housing market down there. We could afford way more down there then we will be able to here in Baltimore.

My big present this year was a 300 series dremel tool and extra attachments. This'll be useful both for my various hobby activities and also for doing stuff around our future house. Plus it's my first power tool.

We also went to see the Golden Compass. Not bad. Not great, and I can kinda see where religious people could be upset, but really, it's just a movie, and not even all that great a movie. Pretty! And with some really good actors, but probably not worth the $12 ticket price (plus snacks).

Tomorrow is my Accounting 102 final, so toady I am home getting ready for it. Why today instead of tomorrow? Well, because the professor is going to record the grades for the homework just after midnight (about 15 hour from now) and I still have some chapters to finish.

So without further ado, todays to-do:
Chapter 19 homework
Chapter 22 Homework
Chapter 24 Homework
Chapter 25 Homework
Chapter 18 Quiz A
Chapter 18 Quiz B
Chapter 19 Quiz A
Chapter 19 Quiz B
Chapter 20 Quiz A
Chapter 20 Quiz B
Chapter 22 Quiz A
Chapter 22 Quiz B
Chapter 24 Quiz A
Chapter 24 Quiz B
Chapter 25 Quiz A
Chapter 25 Quiz B
Snuggle time with the hamster
Play time with the puppy
Breakfast
Lunch

I think that covers just about everything. So many other things I'd rather be spending my day doing today.

Friday the 13th

I don't know about your day, but mines been ok. Busy, even a little stressful, but nothing horrible has happened. I've been waiting for a clawed hand to reach through the chair and drag me to a nightmare dimension, or a William Shatner mask wearing psycho, or acid spitting aliens, or anything like that. But so far, nothing. Oh well.

1. Are you superstitious? Why or why not?

Only as much as it is fun.

2. What is the strangest or most unusual superstition you've ever heard of?

Oh there are so many to chose from! Most of them have some kernal of truth to them, so the only strange ones are the ones so old that the reference to them is so far back in the past as to be not remembered.

3. Do you feel lucky?

Not especially.

4. Would you ever plan a major event for the thirteenth day of any month? How about Friday the thirteenth?

Sure. I'd even invite a total of 13 people to it!!

5. How does your answer to question 4 change your answer to question 1?

It doesn't!

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In other do-it-yourself related activities, the closet door broke this past weekend. ( The Door! )

Yup, that’s hot glue you see there. Not wood glue, not epoxy, hot glue. Such quality work isn’t it? We will be fixing it with not only wood glue, but also with a screw or two. Once again we will end up leaving this place in better shape then we found it.

And sure, we could just call the leasing office and tell them to fix it, but wanna take any bets on how long it would take them to get around to it? How about on the quality of the repair? Didn’t think so.

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The other night Tigs and I played Pirates. As usual I took the British, and she the Pirates. Using ships we’ve not used before we played a simple 40 point game without terrain other then islands, and no crew. We played on the living room coffee table, so long and kinda thin, but we covered the glass top with a piece of blue fabric that serves rather well as an ocean backdrop. It wasn’t what I was looking for when we went to the fabric store, but it was close enough. I was actually looking for something with a little more green in it. The game went well, and in the end I won by a single coin. However at the end of the game I had only one of my original ships still afloat, and a captured ship serving in my fleet. Tigs still had her sea monster, one ship under sail, and one ship adrift, but it looked like it would quickly be towed back to her home port and repaired. So while technically I won, it was a close game, and I’m looking forward to the next time we play. ( The game board! )

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North Korea now has nuclear weapons. You know what? Good for them. If I was in their place it’s exactly what I would have done. I mean, think about it; the crazy president of a nation that has shown itself to be aggressive lists you as 1 of 3 members of an “axis of evil”, and then he proceeds to invade one of those other countries. Which of the other 2 are next? The one right next to the one he invaded, or the one way out on the Pacific Rim ? Probably the one right next to it, but who can say for sure? But now that his military is all bogged down in 2 Middle East wars for now all he can do is bluster! China will veto anything in the Security Council that comes up, so you’re even safe there. It’s the perfect time to really get your nuclear program going. A couple of years later, you test one of your weapons, and BAM instant protection from invasion!! North Korea never needs build up an arsenal beyond… a dozen nuclear weapons, and they need never use them again. Sure, over the next year or two there will be some upset people. China will feel slighted that you didn’t listen to their advice, and allow sanctions. They won’t last all that long. All the while you can promise to be rid of your weapons, just as soon as the US gets rid of theirs. It’s a win-win scenario!

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So there is one civic activity that I've always wanted to participate in. Jury Duty. Yes, I'm that much of a geek. I registered to vote when I turned 18, I pay taxes on the car, and just waited for the summons. Well, it came today....

From Connecticut.

*Sigh*

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Tonight I made ( steak! )

Have a great night!

Peace, Love, & Hope

I know I said that you would have to ask tigergladys about it, but I'm feeling much more excited about it, so I'm gonna tell the story!

For a while know we have been looking at furniture, figuring out what exactly we need. The list includes:

• Living Room Couch


• Dining Room Table & Chairs


• Bookshelves (probably 6 of them)


• Dressers (the ones we have now are crap)

We have visited numerous stores, both new and second hand, looking for styles that we like. At Linens N' Things we found a table set we liked that was reasonably priced, even new, and it would fit in the small dining room area that we have.

While driving around PA at way too early in the morning after having spent the previous night in the car we saw three yard sales at one intersection, and what looked like a small dining room set with a microwave sitting on it. We both quickly and loudly told my Aunt Kim (who was driving) to pull over so we could check it out. We jumped out of the van as it was stopping, hustled across the street, and saw it. The table we had picked out!!!

A couple of questions later we had price of $200 for the table, 2 leaves, and 4 chairs, as well as an offer to transport the table back to my aunts house. I didn't have $200 on me at the time, but I gave him $60 to hold it for us.

We then went across the street to a yard sale being run by twin boys (and their mom). They had a pair of almost-brand new mountain bikes that just happened to be the wrong size for the boys, and as they had already replaced them, the bikes were for sale. $40 for one, and $30 for the other. The bikes were exactly the same, except the cheaper on needed air in it's tires. That's it! $30 later tigergladys has a new bike! I'm kicking myself for not getting the other one... and console myself knowing there will be more yard sales. As we were walking the bike to the van the gent who we bought the table from offered to hold it for us and to bring it when he brought the table! How nice is that!?!

We continued to yard sale for a little longer, and then returned for the table. It, and the bike, are currently sitting in Kim's garage just waiting for 2 weeks till it can be moved in to our new home... I can not stress how nice the couple was that we bought the table from. They even told us that after we left he got several more offers on the set.

On Sunday we went over to linens N' Things to see just how good a deal we got. It turns out they are selling the table alone for $200, and each of the chairs for $60. Total retail cost: $460

So that's the story of the table.

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Tonight is going to be an exciting night. Tigs and I have big plans. We have a date at the laundromat! The reason this is as exciting is because this will be the second to last time we will have to go! Once we move we will be blessed with the domestic bliss of our own washer and dryer!

Back to work... Later!

Demand Wil Wheaton come to the Washington Metro area for a book signing! He's a really good writer, and it would be awesome to meet him!

I'm a Blue iPod



You're a Blue iPod, reflecting your mainstream taste for actual instruments. For you, it might be rock, or it might be country: the point is you like a band with a good voice and actual music.

What color iPod are you?

Take Other Caffeine Nebula Quizzes

I'm up a little early this morning. And by a little early I mean that when the alarm first went off I was awake. Not wide awake mind you, but awake enough that I had a hard time falling back to sleep. Now this would be a completely different story if the alarm wasn't set for 2 hours before we normally get up. But this has given me time to actually relax before I get into the car to go to work. I did some dishes, made some coffee (which I am now eating), checked the internet (it was still there... whew!), and am now looking up more stuff on moving...

Things I need to do today/this week:
Call and schedule Swar for an oil change and general servicing
Tree Journal
Sort new Pirates cards
Pack away winter clothing, coats, and sweaters
Update 50bookchallenge
E-mail Eric about Saturday
I should probably finish up the dishes too
clean the hamster tanks
Get more boxes. Can you ever have enough?

I guess I should go to work now hua? I mean I only have... 13 more days of work to go to... and only 25 days till we move...

Oh gods...