h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

... ish.

I've been away from hootoo for a few months now. So much has been happening! I'll get you up to date:

TJ and I found a house! We're closing on August 28th, and moving for good on September 5th. We're so excited! Here are some photos of the house that I took when we looked at it the first time: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/sheathesarcastic/album/576460762404867684 Needless to say, the master bath has been tiled since then (I'm getting a jacuzzi tub!!! ). The house is in Oberlin, Ohio, is on 4 1/2 acres and is 3 years old. It's amazing, because we'll be paying $25 less a month on the mortgage than we do for rent. The insurance on the property, house and replacement for the contents is $250 less a year than what we're paying now just for renters insurance. Gee, think the cost of living is a tad cheaper in Ohio than in Noo Yawk?

Even better news is that Newsday is keeping me on staff full-time, and I can work from home!!! A beautiful house in Ohio on New York pay! Yeah!!! I get to keep my pay, benefits, seniority, everything! We can buy furniture! I was so worried about having to find a job, and giving up the great job that I have here, and I just found out last week about staying on! What a huge relief!

My Dad has been ill, but is getting better. I'm getting major guilt about leaving my folks, but we can be back in New York within hours, and I have 3 other siblings that still live on Long Island. It's hard, though. I'm so torn between being terribly happy and sad!

I need to do more packing. I'm off w*rk for the next three weeks, since we're going to be driving back and forth to Ohio a few times. I'll try to pop back in to say "hi" again soon!

with your moving house adventure. housewarming

Bloody hell - that's great news!

Hope your dad is okay.

How wonderful! 4 1/2 acres - wow! Maybe I should look for a house in Ohio.

No, probably not.

You have 4 1/2 acres? Sounds like a herd of longhorns to me

fantastic news!

Oberlin is a college town, isn't it?
That means you may have access to plays and concerts and poetry reaidngs.

Thanks, everybody! It's exciting!

And you got it exactly right, Paul! I didn't realize it when we originally looked at the house, but once I did some Googling, Oberlin sounds like my kinda town! It's all artsy, has a museum with world-class pieces in it, a conservatory with concerts, a theater with plays, and all sorts of long-hair doings! I just missed the annual "Chalk Walk" where everybody from artists down to kids do chalk drawings on the sidewalks. Apparently they get local artists to do the windows in town for Christmas ... not without controversy, of course. I read that the gingerbread Nazis didn't go over very well a few years ago!

No Longhorns, Gosho. Although my niece has given me a laundry list of animals I should keep (after the in-ground pool she requested). The animals include chickens, a pony, alpacas and horses. I was thinking more along the line of goldfish, but we'll see. TJ wants to grow his own ! His uncle owned a farm, and he's going to ask him for advice on it. I always knew he was a little crazy about the whole "cut your own tree" thing, but this is a bit extreme!

"all sorts of long-hair doings"
Speaking as one who is follically challenged does that mean I can no longer attend plays, opera and recitals.

No longhorns? Okay, here's another suggestion...

If you build it, he will come.

Mistadrong, what you need is a competent wig-maker.

That's an option Paul but I went for the shaven head look.
For anyone losing their hair it's a very liberating option.
And no more barber/stylist/hairdresser bills.

Hmmmmmm, so it took 13 posts for this thread to go from "Hi, I'm still here..." to talk of shaven heads.

Obviously I'm in the right place, this must be Sheas area of h2g2.

Moving is definitely an adventure, Shea. I hope that it is an enjoyable one for you.

Good to see you again.

As somebody who made a *huge* move, you'd know, wouldn't you, ER?

Oh, Gosho ...

We looked at a house that seemed so good on paper. When we went to see it, it was surrounded on 3 sides by corn. I just kept thinking "Children of the Corn."

I agree on the shaven head thing, btw.

But maybe there are important messages being carved in the corn, Shea? Creatures form other planets could be giving the important news through designs in the cornfields.

Most of the messages in corn fields
seem to consist of a lot of O's
Doesn't seem to point to intelligent life somehow,
unless it's a code of course.
Imagine travelling thousands of light years, to do what?
Flatten some corn in a field? duh.

Maybe these extraterrestrials have a corny sense of humour.

Surrounded on 3 sides by corn? It'd make me feel right at home.

Ooh, I recognise that !
It's Daisy Duke from Hazzard County.
YeeHaw!