Beverly, clearly the only solution is to move out this way even sooner, as we have a plethora of excellent female Buffistas to balance out your household of smelly boys.

Yay Vortex! Go team homeowning! I'll just be here in the corner cheering and envying all y'all, 'cause I'm never making the team.

And yay ND for getting Nickelodeon all chuffed with you in your first couple of hours!

I have to go with the person way upthread (dcp?) who said Take On Me. How much more iconic could a video get? None. None more iconic. And none more lovely.

eta: Oh, man, Cash, that sucks. Extra creepy to know that it wasn't stolen from a bike rack outside or something, that someone was in there rummaging around. Ugh.

I have to check our deductible. It may be as high as $500. But I hope not. If it's $250, we can probably swing a used bike. He'd probably upgrade to a road bike instead of the hybrid he had.

I've called him and left him email at work. I hope he calls me back. He's going to be livid.

Oh, Cashmere! That's awful. I'm so sorry.

Beverly, clearly you need to escape for a bit!

I have to go with the person way upthread (dcp?) who said Take On Me. How much more iconic could a video get? None. None more iconic. And none more lovely.

I'm not sure I agree it's the most iconic, but it's way up there. Plus it inspired a brilliant parody in Family Guy.

eta: Here is the clip: [link]

eta: Watching it again - it's more of an homage than a parody. They used the actual recording and it looks like the actual animation from the video.

Plus it inspired a brilliant parody in Family Guy.

Which is here. One of my favorite things Family Guy has done.

Speaking of the '80s (sorta') and YouTube - have people seen this?

pantomime lesson "How to Moonwalk"

Will your homeowner's policy cover the theft, Cashmere?

I hate to have to say this, but homeowner's insurance companies routinely cancel people who file claims. It is evil and wrong, but true. Most people are better off raising their deductibles and saving money that way.

I'm sorry about the bike, Cash. That's not only depressing but also creepy. I had a bike that I kept on the same bike hanger in the carport for years, and then someone stole it. It was an older bike, so it wasn't a big money thing, but the idea that someone would come into the carport in plain site and take down a bike on a fairly complex hanger creeped me out.

The whole '80s video conversation was pretty much like Gary Larson's "what dogs hear" cartoon for me, something like: "i %^&$# _+)(&xxx#@ Bon Jovi +_$^^&&* Total Eclipse of the Heart _()&^%$ iconic."

I hate to have to say this, but homeowner's insurance companies routinely cancel people who file claims. It is evil and wrong, but true. Most people are better off raising their deductibles and saving money that way.

They didn't cancel us after our $12K roof & siding replacement a few years ago. We've been really happy witho our homeowner's insurance (we also have car insurance through them). We've had a tiny rate increases, but that was expected. We can always shop around for other policies (something we do pretty regularly).

Cash, I'm so sorry - both for the loss of the bike and the creepy invaded feeling.

What are they going to do about the windows, Vortex? Were they properly apologetic? Was this a structural change they made without informing you?

Um, yeah. How did they miss the schematics that say BIG HOLES IN THE WALL HERE!! But I'm glad everything else worked out. I can't wait to see it!

Bev, I hear ya. I've felt the same way sometimes.

Cash, I'm so sorry. Um, I have a bike - it's a Rockhopper, about 8 years old, suitable for a guy 5'10" or up, and I haven't done a damn thing with it for 2 years. You'd need to get it reassembled & tuned up, but I'd be more than happy to ship it out to y'all, if you want it.