Blah!
A quiet week. The wife gone Sunday through early Thursday morning...off working at the new job. We collected my now-repaired car from the body shop in Sheboygan! We gave it the go-over and found nothing wrong. We took it for a test drive and found nothing wrong. It performed just fine on the 3+ hour drive home. So far a smashing success!
Nothing new to report regarding the sale of our house. All is apparently well. Illinois has a law that requires those involved in the buying and selling of primary residences to have an attorney. At first, when we bought the house 6-months ago, we thought it silly, but now I'm glad. It seems like a reasonable expense (about $400) considering the cost of the house and all the associated problems that can arise with the buying and selling of a home. I've asked if our attorney (we're using the same one from when we purchased the home) if she knows anyone in Ohio that could help us. Actually, I asked our attorney's assistant. She doesn't think our attorney knows anyone in Ohio, but will check. Otherwise, we'll find one on our own. Best to have someone that knows the law in Ohio and that is represented (for a fee of course) our best interests. Again, it's a minor expense considering how much benefit could be derived from such a thing.
We leave this Sunday for Ohio to house-hunt. My wife's parents would usually come over to watch the daughter and animals while we're gone (they live about 6+ hours away), but my wife's father has been in the hospital of late and they don't feel they could stay here for more than 2 or 3 days, which may be long enough for us, but if it wasn't we'd have to return to Chicago regardless. As such I've made arrangements to fly my father up from Florida and have him house-sit. He was just up in Wisconsin visiting his mother last week and just flew back to Florida this past Monday. And here he is coming back up. It's very kind of him to do this and I'm so glad he's retired and has the time. I recognize it's not convenient, but he'll have high-speed interent access (which he only recently got at home), cable (which he DOESN'T have), and much lower rates of humidity outside! Mind you, it's hot as all fucking hell today: 95 degrees! But the humidity was only 33% today, which makes being outside not completely horrible as it was in Florida when it was 95-degrees. And this bout of hot weather is apparently going to stay with us for at least the next 7 days. Granted, the temps will hover around the high 80's and low 90's (nothing predicted like 95-degrees), which is still hot, but at least it won't be quite as bad as today. The real downer has been the total lack of rain. The weather folks reported that May 2005 was the 4th driest may in Chicago's recorded weather history. And our local municipal government instituted water restrictions effective 21 June. It's like being back in Florida. Except for that humidity thing!
Today, while reading yesterday's Chicago Tribune, I came across an article about something new and very interesting. Well, interesting to me. There appears to be some grass root groups coming into existence that are of a religious bent, but are not part of the Republican religious right. Actually, their Statement of Purpose reads more like a Democratic Party platform. Things like economic justice, responsible environmental practices, equality for gays and lesbians, etc. Shame I'm an atheist - if I were a believer I think this might be the org. for me (Christian Alliance for Progress). I quote:
"Said Rev. Timohty Simpson, a Presbyterian pastor who directs religious affairs for the group, "We feel like what we're doing in this ministry stands closest to the values of Jesus and will be attractive to folks who see the corruption that has come about as a result of the colonization of the Republican Party by the Christian right.""
I like comments like this. We need more stuff like this. I'm tempted to ask if I can join even though I'm an atheist!
Nothing new to report regarding the sale of our house. All is apparently well. Illinois has a law that requires those involved in the buying and selling of primary residences to have an attorney. At first, when we bought the house 6-months ago, we thought it silly, but now I'm glad. It seems like a reasonable expense (about $400) considering the cost of the house and all the associated problems that can arise with the buying and selling of a home. I've asked if our attorney (we're using the same one from when we purchased the home) if she knows anyone in Ohio that could help us. Actually, I asked our attorney's assistant. She doesn't think our attorney knows anyone in Ohio, but will check. Otherwise, we'll find one on our own. Best to have someone that knows the law in Ohio and that is represented (for a fee of course) our best interests. Again, it's a minor expense considering how much benefit could be derived from such a thing.
We leave this Sunday for Ohio to house-hunt. My wife's parents would usually come over to watch the daughter and animals while we're gone (they live about 6+ hours away), but my wife's father has been in the hospital of late and they don't feel they could stay here for more than 2 or 3 days, which may be long enough for us, but if it wasn't we'd have to return to Chicago regardless. As such I've made arrangements to fly my father up from Florida and have him house-sit. He was just up in Wisconsin visiting his mother last week and just flew back to Florida this past Monday. And here he is coming back up. It's very kind of him to do this and I'm so glad he's retired and has the time. I recognize it's not convenient, but he'll have high-speed interent access (which he only recently got at home), cable (which he DOESN'T have), and much lower rates of humidity outside! Mind you, it's hot as all fucking hell today: 95 degrees! But the humidity was only 33% today, which makes being outside not completely horrible as it was in Florida when it was 95-degrees. And this bout of hot weather is apparently going to stay with us for at least the next 7 days. Granted, the temps will hover around the high 80's and low 90's (nothing predicted like 95-degrees), which is still hot, but at least it won't be quite as bad as today. The real downer has been the total lack of rain. The weather folks reported that May 2005 was the 4th driest may in Chicago's recorded weather history. And our local municipal government instituted water restrictions effective 21 June. It's like being back in Florida. Except for that humidity thing!
Today, while reading yesterday's Chicago Tribune, I came across an article about something new and very interesting. Well, interesting to me. There appears to be some grass root groups coming into existence that are of a religious bent, but are not part of the Republican religious right. Actually, their Statement of Purpose reads more like a Democratic Party platform. Things like economic justice, responsible environmental practices, equality for gays and lesbians, etc. Shame I'm an atheist - if I were a believer I think this might be the org. for me (Christian Alliance for Progress). I quote:
"Said Rev. Timohty Simpson, a Presbyterian pastor who directs religious affairs for the group, "We feel like what we're doing in this ministry stands closest to the values of Jesus and will be attractive to folks who see the corruption that has come about as a result of the colonization of the Republican Party by the Christian right.""
I like comments like this. We need more stuff like this. I'm tempted to ask if I can join even though I'm an atheist!