That would be great. We're playing around with design ideas right now, which is so much fun. Their experience would be invaluable.

On a side note, I've been doing lots of the floorplan work in the Sims2, because Will Wright originally envisioned it as an architectural game, and so included a ton of options that make that possible and fun. Then I can send my customized Sims through it to see how they like it and how they move. It's really funny, the SO Sim goes straight to the piano, wherever it is, and my avatar heads into the office for the computer. So, clearly, accurate.

Looking forward to seeing monkey pants pictures.

Being self-employed for the last 17 years translates to some years doing very very well, and other years eating from home equity loans. My income and my money management skills are wild and unpredictable. One month my bank balances may total less than $20, then I'll get a check for $75,000 and pay off bunches of debt.

Mortgage payment $2250. This does not include my real estate taxes of $7000 a year, or the insurance. Painful, but the house has tripled in value over the last 5 years so I deal.

I have debt beyond my wildest dreams. About $525,000.

It is a blessing that I don't stress over such things. When I have money I spend it. I'm generous and happy to pick up the check. When I am broke I have no issue with letting others pick up the tab. I pay my parents cable/internet bill and get their prescription drugs because I am over 50 and it feels good to give back.

My friends range from struggling students to the very wealthy. Those with tend to cover for those without. It works out.

A PORN WEB SITE??? See, I can see someone (say) putting their own phone number into a catalogue, where the business phone number should be.

Yeah, I was thinking the exact same thing. ...

Although, it sounds like what happened is the porn site owns the most logical domain name for the advertiser. I'm betting someone at the ad agency just made an assumption about what the domain name was, rather than checking.

Damn. That is impressive.

Go Valley, Choose Valley. You people on that side of the hill have to pay for it.

What's a straw bale house? I'm really intrigued, and I'm assuming it's not something that would be susceptible to a Big Bad Wolf weather front.

I've seen these on This Old House. Think of an adobe house, except with straw bales in place of (very large) adobe bricks. The walls are very thick.

Wow, that daycare bill is staggering. Burrell, have you done your taxes, yet? If not, you might want to have an accountant do them, and talk to her/him about how much you're making in real terms. Granted, the house and the babies are in your favor, tax-wise, but it might pay for either dh or you to go part time. Sometimes, with two parent working couples, after all taxes and expenses that are part of working are taking into consideration, so much of the 2nd full time salary goes to daycare, that in the end, one spouse is working for peanuts.

I know this is distinctly not my business, but I once saw a special on one of the news programs, where the second spouse's job actually cost the family money, when everything was taken into consideration (higher tax bracket, take out food, dry cleaning, commuting costs, baby sitting costs, workplace gifts and parties, lunches out). I realize your job isn't just a job, it's a career--a calling, really, and that may make it worth while. I don't know what dh does though, and well, okay, shutting up, now.

What's a straw bale house? I'm really intrigued, and I'm assuming it's not something that would be susceptible to a Big Bad Wolf weather front.

My parents wanted an adobe looking house, but the actual adobe is very heavy and doesn't maintain well. One way around it is to fill the walls with straw instead of adobe. Basically, their walls are about a foot thick, but only the 2 inches on the inside and outside are (cement, I think?) and the space inside is filled with straw. It insulates really well. I think there are some other advantages, but they escape me at the moment.

My mom planned the house so that in the morning, they get max sun exposure. The walls warm up and keep the house warm in the evening. They also cool down at night and keep the house cool during the day. Even when it's in the 90s there, you really don't need air conditioning. If you keep the sun out of the house, the walls keep it relatively cool. When it's cold out, they heat with a fireplace. It both blows warm air and heats the walls around it, making the space easy and cheap to heat.

I think the most important thing is to be sure you seal the straw in well. If it gets wet, it molds and is really gross. Also, you can't get it out with out knocking down the entire wall, so wet straw is bad.

not having grocery shopped in two weeks.

That would be quite a challenge for me. First I would run out of fruit, then milk, then I would break into my pantry full of Progresso soup cans, then it would come down to eating kidney beans out of a can and drinking chicken broth.

a certain sort of minimum account, WITH DEPOSIT PRIVILEGES, must be available to all comers.

The plus side to that is then all businesses could pay with direct deposit and save money on checks, and the plus side to that is then people could direct deposit part to a savings account without being tempted to spend the cash.

A straw bale house is just what it sounds like. They can be just the bales, or you can build a traditional post-and-beam frame. Then the bales act like giant bricks, and you build the (usually just) exterior walls with them. Then you plaster the whole thing over with adobe or somesuch, and it's reasonably weatherproof, ridiculously insulated, and cheap!

We're thinking about doing a steel frame (like what you'd buy for a modular workshop or warehouse) and tying the bales into that. Out here in the southwest, where there's so little rain, there's very little risk of problems with mold or fire or big bad wolves. But they've built them all over the world, in some really terrible climates, and they've stood up well.

You people on that side of the hill have to pay for it.

But we get to talk to Mr. Vartan while waiting on line for coffee.