Transition

I've been putting off blogging about our new house because I was holding my breath that our house in Phoenix would close without a hitch.

Exhale.

It closed yesterday. This morning, a large sum of money showed up in our account. I sort of wish it could just stay there and earn lots of interest and I could buy new clothes and take the family on a glamorous vacay to Costa Rica and such. But another house beckons, and the money must go. As far as selling our house, we feel very blessed. The whole transaction was completely painless, if you don't count waiting for 6 months for a buyer, and then having an extra-long 60-day close. The buyer paid our full asking price (although we had of course lowered the price over the months) and she paid cash so there was no danger of her not getting financing. From the name on the contract, a letter verifying her funds, and the wonder that is Google, we surmise that she is a retiring family law attorney from Minnesota who will most likely be snowbirding in the beautiful city of Phoenix. I am so happy for all that she is gaining: gorgeous weather, lovely neighbors, a short walk to the library and Target and the mall, close access to Anthropologie and Camelback Mountain and Barrio Cafe, and a really great home that has a happy history. I feel like we've given her a magnanimous gift from our hearts that she gets to take over where we left off in that home. I hope it's as good to her as it was to us. I will miss it.

{And now I'm completely crying. But then again, lately it doesn't take much. Last week I cried during Richard Simmons' Sweatin' to the Oldies III when the fat people in their ridiculous 80's outfits dance at the end and the screen shows how much weight they've lost; don't act like you've never done that exercise video and you don't know what I'm talking about.}

We are excited about our new house. What do you want to know? It was built in 1968 and is in the "tree streets" directly east of and very close to BYU. It has 5 bedrooms, a nice deck, a flat roof, a beautiful view, some cool retro stylistic touches that we won't change, some that we will, a large garage, tons of storage space, a smallish backyard, a workroom for Steve's art projects, 3240 square feet, a church congregation that reportedly is "really weird," a large kitchen and large living areas, and an overwhelming odor of old people. We are thrilled to have found it and feel we got a great deal. Please come visit us and be our friend. We'll close on it in the next week or so and will move in after we get some new flooring put in.

Steve's parents have been extremely generous and patient about letting us take over their basement apartment these last eight months. We are very grateful. A big shout out to Pam and Laurie.

Someone's been having fun with Photoshop

Steve stayed up last night to play around on his computer, and I woke up this morning to this beauty as my wallpaper.

I forgot to mention Kurt Rambis

My Phoenix Suns fanaticism peaked in 92-93. Since then, every time a major backbone of the organization leaves, I like them a little less. Think: Cotton Fitzsimmons, Paul Westphal, Jeff Hornacek, Tom Chambers, Dan Majerle, KJ, Danny Ainge, Sir Charles. Those are the oldies but goodies. I didn't follow the team for a while, so I don't care much about losing Scott Skiles, Anfernee Hardaway or other early-00's Suns.

But I care again and I really am sad about losing Mike D'Antoni.

Suns stock just fell yet again, in my view.




{Photo from azcentral.com}

Everybody loves Leo!

I've been spending a fair amount of time using iTunes lately, importing cds to my iPod. For those who don't know, when you click on a song in your library, a window in the bottom right corner shows what people who looked at this song also bought. It's called Listeners Also Bought. Today it occurred to me: I've been seeing the same name show up first in this list, over and over. Leo Kottke. Apparently, everybody who listens to artists I like also buy a lot of Leo Kottke's stuff. I've never heard of him, but he must be very big. Very big.

According to iTunes, people who like Creedence Clearwater Revival also enjoy Steppenwolf, The Steve Miller Band, and...Leo Kottke! Listeners who like swing also buy Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and...Leo Kottke! The versatility of this artist is truly amazing. Today I discovered that people who listen to Claude Dubussy also buy Leo Kottke! And that's not all. Listeners who like Pink Floyd also appreciate The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Led Zeppelin, and -- you guessed it -- Leo Kottke. This guy is also appreciated by fans of Regina Spektor, Phoenix, Eric Carmen, Dusty Springfield, Corinne Bailey Rae, Kaki King, Arthur Russell, Gotan Project, Scout Niblett, Hoodoo Gurus, Lost Souls, The Go-Betweens, Wolfmother, The Vines, Josh Rouse, Voxtrot, Mates of State and I could go on. And on. And on.

This frequency and utmost popularity of this fellow begs the question: just who is Leo Kottke? I consult Wikipedia: "Leo Kottke (born 11 September 1945, Athens, Georgia, U.S.) is an acoustic guitarist. He is widely known for his idiosyncratic fingerpicking style, which draws on blues, jazz, and folk music influences, and his syncopated, polyphonic melodies. His work is often considered part of the American Primitivism movement, partly because he was signed to John Fahey's Takoma Records label. Kottke has overcome a series of personal obstacles including partial deafness and a nearly career-ending bout with tendon damage to emerge as a widely-recognized master of his instrument."

I think Wikipedia forgot an important element to the enigma that is Leo Kottke. I'm pretty sure he's a hacker, and he hacked my iTunes so I'd buy his album. Pretty sneaky... .

Cyclone

The news from Myanmar is devastating. I feel completely helpless. And sort of guilty for the big meal I just gorged on at China Lily.

Blast

Sweaty palms, shaking, yelling at the tv, heartache.

American Idol was intense tonight!










(If only.)

(Go Jazz, I guess.)

Can you say millstone?

Read this story through to the end, if you can stomach it. I think it characterizes evil in its purest form. That's an oxymoron, to be sure, but if this isn't as evil as it gets, I don't know what is.