Tuesday Open Thread

I'm home sick.

The kids have been working on getting my belongings packed and the home and yard clean so I can put the house on the market. Another two-three weeks and we'll be ready.

Once my house sells (which I expect to happen fairly quickly as I'm pricing the house to sell) I'm moving from this big 2500+ family home with front and back yard on a quiet residential street in a good neighborhood five walking minutes from the elementary school, the park, and the swimming and tennis club, to a one bedroom apartment within a block or so of my office, or a nice quiet one or two bedroom within a block or so of a major bicycling trail within five miles of my office. The point being to make it easy to get to work, by bicycle, by electric scooter, by hobbling using my cane, or by car when I drive without having to get stuck on the freeways or in major intersection traffic. Also if gas jumps back up to $4-6/gallon, I don't want to be hosed again, no pun intended.

Once the real estate market finishes collapsing, say in another 18 months, I might buy a small home or condo, at the very bottom of the market, one that is a "distressed" property at a very good price, and then have my kids or other family fix it up. But for now once I move, I'm just going to rent at the lowest possible price I can, and wait while the market continues to collapse.

Maggie's home sick.

MB's working on a major post; it's in the editing phase.

Sara wrote What Religious Progressives Bring To The Party last week. Totally kicks ass.

And if you want to see a bunch of we GNB Bloggers, make sure you're at NETROOTS NATION, August 13-16 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It too shall kick ass. *smiles*

Starting to get light outside. Birdies are beginning to chirp. Chirp birdies, chirp.

Open thread. Have fun.