Reading: The assembly instructions to my lawnmower
Music: The Cherryholmes
TV/Movie: X-Files: I Want To Believe
Link o' the Day: The Saipan Tribune



Well, well, well... what's new today?

Oh, yes! The Teehans are now homeowners!!!

I tell ya, gentle readers all, this was a very tense couple of months. It seemed that the whole home-buying and loan process was one in which things would seem fine, then I'd get a call about a problem that could queer the whole deal, which we would then spur into action to fix, only to get another call with another maniacal detail to be bedeviled. I don't think most home purchases go this way. One of the unique aspects of our purchase was that the house was a flip--and there are certain time and condition requirements in such cases which are meant to protect the buyer. In our particular case, the flip was a quality job--not the shoddy stuff you see on TV news shows. All three inspections came out just fine. But there are things like waiting periods, and deposits, and very exacting timing involving the paperwork and account managements. I tell ya. It was a tense time.

But that's behind us now. Friday we sat down for the signing. A mountain of papers to sign--most of which I actually understood. Actually, the lawyer really did justify the expense. I really do understand what all took place and am relieved I'm not the one who has to keep track of and file all the paperwork.

And special shout-outs go to the team we had on our side. Carol Cooney of Albert Realtors and Karen Flynn of Coastway Credit Union. Seriously. If you live in the Rhode Island area and are looking to buy a house--you want these two on your side. Their tireless efforts had a lot to do with us getting a house of our own. If you can't find them online, then contact me and I'd be more than happy to get you their contact info and answer what questions I can.



Shout outs also go to Margaret's mother Lilly (photo) without whose help this would have been impossible, and also to my dad. His passing away last year was very rough--especially after his long illness. I think he'd have greatly approved of the way we handled my share of the insurance money. That went to getting us into a position where we could even approach a bank, and it provided us with the means for the down payment.

And shout outs to my lovely bride. She was patient. Positive. Most importantly, she kept our momentum going and helped us focus on our goal.

So we have house. Now what? This weekend was a flurry of activity. We won't be doing the Big Move until mid-July, but we've hit the ground running as far as getting the setup underway. The house came with a very nice fridge and dishwasher. We had to order a stove, which we've done, and get a washer/dryer. We now own a lawnmower and a weed-whacker. We've got the bathroom/shower area set up with a chocolate/light blue color motif. We've started moving boxes I've already packed, plus a lot of stuff we got for our wedding that we were specifically saving for just this occasion.



So it's fun times.

Fun, but exhausting.

We'll be going to the new place every day from here on out. Weekdays to move stuff after Margaret gets home from work. Weekends to set things up. I'm already sore and this Monday morning I'm kinda relieved that most of my morning is going to be spent at my desk.

Okay. You don't need to read more about this. Plenty of more to report on as the days and weeks go on. Lots of stuff happening!

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A bunch of books are going off to the printer over today and tomorrow. One of which is going to be Reel Tears: The Beverly Washburn Story by actress Beverly Washburn and Don Waughn. Cover by Rick Saphire. This is a fun little book. Some readers may remember me talking about he movie Spider Baby a few months ago. Hey...now I know one of the leads! She was also in the episode of Star Trek:TOS where everyone aged rapidly.

Good stuff. A good read, with lots of great pictures.

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I sometimes like to read newspapers from places Very Far Away from where I live. Today I bring you to The Saipan Tribune--the newspaper of the island of Saipan which is the capital of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas.

The photo is from a recent edition in which flame trees bloom near some old Japanese bunkers from WWII.


One local story:

PAWS president Katie Busenkell is asking for the public’s help in finding Aladdin, a white and grey colored cat, last seen Friday, June 19, 2009, at about 7am, near the Joeten Public Library and the Office of the Attorney General-Criminal Division in Susupe.

"Aladdin has a very special story. He belonged to a community oriented family that had to leave island for medical reasons. It is very important to the family that Aladdin be well cared for while they go through a difficult time in their lives, so please help us bring Aladdin home."

A reward is being offered for information leading to Aladdin’s safe return.

If you have seen Aladdin, please call 256-0243 or 285-PAWS.

There may also be more typhoons this year, China Eastern flights have been approved, and there's a push for a new national park.

Read this and more!

Cheers!