Yet another house

Marci and I have moved, again. This house is 80 years newer than our last house, and 100 years newer than the one before that. I managed to weasel out of the apartment lease 6 months early and we just moved into our new house last Sunday(back in the town where this all started!) The place was built in 2003 and is perfect for the growing boychild.

A lot has happened. We really enjoyed the 5 months or so we could spend living close to both of our families, though commuting every week to the University (around 5 and a half hours one way) was becoming a major drag. The upshot was that they watched Peanut develop all the way from birth to his early crawling attempts (which is still where he is motor-skills-wise). Marci's PhD program has now become a part-time venture. Our friends told us, our family warned us, but no, we would be different. We told ourselves we could hold down two full-time jobs in addition to the degree program, basically in denial about what, not only those people, but six million years of evolution have taught us about how labor intensive baby care is. Now we know.

Dad's health concerns, along with two good friends unexpectedly losing parents recently, have raised some mortality/reality issues for me, issues that I'll maybe explore here, or not. Babyman helps us refocus and prioritize, but the little guy also shows me how short/precious/fragile/amazing life is. There are endless cliches along these lines (life has no guarantees, today is the first day of the rest of your life, carpe diem, etc.), but I guess I feel more acutely aware of how true those sentiments are.



Instead of delving into some of the more profound issues of the human experience, however, I'll instead share with you my most important recent discovery, something which has raised the quality of life for us all. In the pet supply store last week, I was in search of a really good brush for our two cats, when it hit me. I asked myself the question that many of us have asked ourselves: "Why spend 4 dollars on a cat brush when, with a little diligence and research, I can spend 27 dollars?" The answer to this question (more of a prayer, really, than a question) is The Furminator. I could go on about its virtues, but I'll just let you view the videos and read the glorious claims and testimonials yourself.

More soon. And, oh yeah, more about that babyman. . .