today might have a laundry component. But it is the Niles wildflower festival. which means touring local gardens. My sister and BIL are join us. It is her birthday . My BIL just got back from Singapore last night - so we are hoping to make fun of him.

I'm going down to do laundry right now AIFOK!

I should be doing laundry, but I'm not. Maybe I will later. I woke up this morning when my alarm went off and now I just want more sleep. I'm usually quite good at sleeping through my alarm on Sunday, but when the radio told me about the gunman holed up with some sort of automatic weapon in my brother's town, sleep was gone. Between that and the whales I've been obsessively checking the news ever since. That crisis is now over, whew, and I really want to go back to bed.

I did laundry yesterday and have NOTHING planned for today. Woo hoo! DH and I might go look at houses in our (possible-future-once-we-save-up-a-down-payment) price range. This is usually very depressing, as the choices appear to be limited to tiny two-bedroom/one bath decrepit fixer-uppers in nondescript neighborhoods or three bedroom/two bath fixer-uppers in scary sad neighborhoods. DH does not want to live in a townhouse, but we may end up in one, as they seem to be the only thing we can afford.

My plan for today is to fold the laundry I washed yesterday and to go out to Clarendon to go to the Container Store and Williams Sonoma and a few other places. It's my annual bout of Spring Cleaning weekend.

We're running into the same thing real estate-wise. Townhouses have their advantages. We may end up living even further out in the boonies to be able to afford a house. I don't understand the economic forces that make a mortgage payment significantly higher than rent on a similar property, but it seems to be happening around here. I'm dipping a toe into looking at foreclosures, too, I'm told you can find serious bargains.

I'm dipping a toe into looking at foreclosures, too, I'm told you can find serious bargains.

Checking out the HUD list is also useful, sometimes. [link]

8 loads of laundry done, with the washing and the drying and schlepping up and down the hill. Now my back hurts. I took a painkiller which seems to have also killed my motivation for accomplishing anything else. I must clean though; the City is doing individual apartment inspections next week (?!), and I don't want to be kicked out for excessive slobbiness.

Next time I move, I'm getting a place with a washer/dryer in. I have no hope of ever being able to afford to buy a decent place within an hour's drive of my work, though. Alas.

I just did some dishes.

I have a depressing number of dishes left to do but they must wait 'til these dishes are dry.