And no, I don't know how to do any of those things.

Before I really begin I would like, first and foremost, to apologize to those of you who have arrived at this blog, this unutterably excellent blog, by mistake. My online statistics tell me that many of you were brought here while searching for information on receiving your PhD online (which I'm not sure is the best idea) or something of an equally shady nature.

Secondly, I would like to apologize for the recent and future lack of posts on this blog. Things hereabouts have been hectic to say the least. Also, I bought a new Nerf gun last week, so I've been pretty busy shooting the kids.

Our house sold, mostly. I say "mostly" because there is a stack of paperwork that needs to be signed before it's official. Those papers, God willing, will be signed on October 7. That's three weeks away. We've started packing and planning our redecorating attack (Betsy thinks we're gonna need new plates), but it isn't 100% OFFICIAL. So, our house is sold, mostly.

The house we're buying (mostly) is 43 years old. It sits on a half-acre wooded lot and even has its own creek. The back yard has a fence and tons of trees. There's a big driveway with a basketball hoop and lots of room for the kids to ride their bikes without having to go out into the street. It sits on a full basement and has a second set of stairs leading from the garage to the basement, for quick escapes, I guess. There are a few issues, but we're prepared to deal with them. All in all, the house has buckets of personality, which is not something we ever knew we wanted until we lived in a house with no personality.

I have some pretty big ideas about what I would like to do with our new house. I want to build a big tree house for the kids. I want to create a fancy covered area for a fire-pit (think of a lean-to with seats and a nice wooden floor and a brick-lined pit for the fire... a good place to sit in the rain with a pipe and two or three of your favorite Hobbits). I want to install a fountain-beverage dispenser in Betsy's craft room (that should be good for at least a year of nocturnal affection). And then I want to take a nap in the hammock I hope to string between two trees which have already been prepped for a hammock.

So, we've been pretty busy the last few weeks. And on top of it all, my computer has decided to live up to its price tag. I've been unenthusiastic about doing ANYthing on here because it's just too frustrating. Hopefully the problem will be resolved rather soon.

That's all.

Thank you,
      Matt Beers