I'm a homeowner!

As of today around 10:45 AM I officially became a homeowner! Yay! I signed about a bazillion documents, but it was a very smooth process. I got to meet the previous owners, who were very nice. They handed over a bag full of all the manuals and warrantees and such for everything in the house, told me where the extra paint was, and thanked me for letting them stay in the house a couple extra days. I got one of the keys, which was very satisfying! Afterwards my realtor gave me a weeping willow tree as a closing gift. It's like 9 feet tall already! It will be fun to plant it on moving day and watch it grow.

One thing that was funny--my realtor and I did a very quick walk through before meeting with the attorney to sign the papers, and I noticed that the owners had just purchased a new LCD television, still in the box. And it was the exact same model I was going to buy...before Circuit City sold out of them!

One of the concerns I expressed to my realtor as we were walking up the stairs was the tight squeeze rounding the corner of the stairs, and how it will pose an obstacle to getting the bigger furniture up to the second floor. I have visions of the heavy entertainment center being dropped and crashing into the wall. She said, "But you're hiring movers, right? Just don't get them off of Craigslist!" I said I'd had luck through Craigslist before, but she related a horror story of two guys showing up with a tiny pickup to move her very large and heavy armoir from her house to her office, and how they broke the door off and gouged the side quite badly. Yikes! I asked her who the movers were, and she didn't know their names, but she remembered their email address...and, naturally, it was the same mover I had hired! Double yikes!

I called around to see if I could book someone else, but since I'm moving in three days, I wasn't having much luck. I was telling this whole story to my mom on the phone when lo and behold, the guy I'd hired called me to confirm. I was honest. I said look, my realtor used you and said you were awful, and now I'm really concerned. He explained what happened with that job, how he wasn't able to be there himself, and how she had not prepared them by letting them know what the piece being moved was like. My realtor insists she repeated many times that it was very large and very heavy, and I believe her. But the bottom line is, I'm pretty much stuck using these guys, and so I figure I will just need to make the best of it and keep an eye on them. The guy promised me he himself would be there on Saturday, and I told him I am willing to give a big tip for a job well done. So we'll have to keep our fingers crossed!

Morrisville Parkway

Spring is in full bloom along Morrisville Parkway, about 15 minutes from my house. It really is breathtaking in person, especially today with the bright blue sky.

Nothing short of genius

I like TV. So I like knowing what's on and when. My cable company's on-screen guide leaves much to be desired, so I used to rely on Titan TV for its easy-to-navigate listings. But then--oh, but then--I found Couchville. It is sweeeeeeet. Do you like Google maps? (Mapquest is dead to me--why does anyone use it when Google is infinitely better? Can someone please explain that to me?) It's all about the click and drag, people. Click. And. Drag. No scrolling (gasp). And no popups. Not to mention it's fast. No tapping your nails waiting for the page to load and then clicking Back and waiting for the page to load yet again. Too cool. I bet you it was designed by Google people. Or Apple people. It's a Goople innovation.

Desktop of the future

This video will freak your freakin' freak. It is so cool. Be patient and watch the whole thing because it only gets better!!

I wonder how often this happens...

At work, I have to dial 9 to get an outside line. And then I have to dial 1 before area codes. (Earth shattering, I know.) So what happens if there's a disconnect between what my brain tells my finger to do, and what it does--say, for instance, instead of dialing a 6, the finger goes haywire and dials another 1? Um, that's right, it connects you to 911 emergency response! (Who knew you didn't have to actually dial 9-911?!) And if you're me, you say, "Oh my god, hang up, hang up!" as if somehow commanding your hand to hit the receiver will make it move faster. And then, you turn to your coworkers and say, "I almost just dialed 911!" as the phone rings and it's 911 calling back to make sure there isn't an emergency. Yep, I'm that lame.

One word

Use ony one word…..Not as easy as you might think. From Heather.

1. Cell phone?
two

2. Your Vehicle?
sleek

3. Your hair?
straight

5. Your parents?
best

6. Your favorite thing?
laughing

7. Your dream last night?
photos

8. Your favorite drink?
peachy

10. The room you’re in?
living

11. Your ex?
disorganized

12. You are?
earnest

13. What do you want to be in 10 years?
regretless

14. Who did you hang out with today?
coworkers

15. What you’re not?
wasteful

16. Muffins?
nah

17. One of your wish list items?
TV

18. Where's the ______ ?
tofu

19. The last thing you did?
read

20. What are you wearing?
jammies

21. Your favorite TV show?
Grey's

22. Your pet(s)?
precious

23. Your computer?
addicted

24. Your life?
comfortable

25. Your mood?
relaxed

26. Missing?
Nicole

27. What are you thinking about right now?
lots

28. Your shoes?
uncomfortable

29. Your work?
fulfilling

30. Your summer?
sticky

31. Your favorite color?
multiple

Checking in

Life lately has been pretty much same-old, same-old. Not much blogworthy going on. I'm in the middle of packing. Every night this week I successfully procrastinated. Go me! So yesterday I hunkered down and got busy. Since I saved all the boxes and packing materials from the last time I moved (and the time before that, and the time before that), it's a pretty straightforward process. The boxes are already labeled, so I just have to fill them with the right contents. I'm hoping that this will be the last move for at least five years. With the exception of my childhood home, I've never lived somewhere longer than three years. So it will be nice to really feel settled.

I haven't traveled much for work lately. My first trip since January was Tuesday. I flew into Philadelphia and did a training in Delaware. It was a one-dayer (fly up and back in the same day) so there wasn't any time to sightsee. But the weather was lovely. Oh, and I got to rent a Ford Fusion. It had 7.5 miles on it! That's the newest car I've ever driven. I requested the Fusion because I'd been hearing about how it is so great to drive--from the commercials, from my brother, etc. It does indeed corner well (yee-haw!), but I found the acceleration a little sluggish. And I didn't much care for the layout of the stereo and climate control panel. It might be simply because I'm used to it, but I think the Accord has the best layout available. It's always a pleasure to return to my own car and be reminded of how much I love it.

One thing that has taken up a lot of my time lately is shopping for furniture on Craigslist. Every evening I go through all the new postings and bookmark the things I'm interested in. Of course, I shouldn't go buy anything until after I move in, so it's basically just for fun. There's a ton of crap out there, and it's funny to see the postings over and over again with the price going lower and lower. I think this guy would be lucky if he could GIVE his couch away:


It's hideous!!

But there is also a lot of good stuff, and since I only have furniture for one bedroom, a family room, and a kitchen, and my new house has two more bedrooms, a formal living room, a dining room, and a patio, I am in need of furnishings!

You could totally furnish a whole house for pennies on the dollar! Check it out:







I hope some of these things are still available in two weeks. If not, my theory will be that I didn't want it anyway....

My favorite post today: A red and gold pinstripe couch and matching plaid chair, with no price listed. The ad reads: "Make an offer, or willing to trade for long haired Chihuahua puppy." What the?

Ahead of schedule

By the calendar, Spring is still 17 days away. Try telling that to these pretty pink buds. Yippee!