Right now, my hypothetical future children's names are Esther Basia and Isaac Henry. Which actually violate several of my rules for children's names (Basia is too difficult to spell, and I've always said I won't name my kids any names that have sounds I have trouble saying, which means no S, Sh, Ch, Z, or J.)

Oooh, Barry Callebaut, tops in high-class chocolate sales worldwide, is opening a U.S. Chocolate Academy in Chicago! It's their first one here in the States.

The Chocolate Academy is the only one of its kind with worldwide locations, offering a diverse range of seminars, demonstrations, theoretical courses and practical workshops designed to inspire artisans and culinary professionals, including pastry chefs, confectioners, bakers and caterers, from around the globe. Award-winning French pastry chef, Jerome Landrieu, will serve as technical advisor for the Academy.

I'm sure that they'll have a nice little store to shop at, either there at the academy or at their North American HQ next door.

Right now, my hypothetical future children's names are Esther Basia and Isaac Henry.

I love those names! My niece who is almost 8 months old is an Esther (looking goofy! [link]

My mortgage lender wants me to refi my mortgage and I'm not sure what to do. It would be a half point drop in interest rate - so not a ton but not nothing, but it's an FHA loan that requires a 1.5% insurance premium (on top of what I'm told is a lower monthly mortgage insurance payment). No other closing costs. He's supposed to be getting back to me soon with the exact numbers on everygthing, so I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

(It's 30-year fixed either way - no ARM or any craziness. It does feel like a weird time to be talking about this though.)

Obama answers questions on arms control and nuclear proliferation for my DH's magazine: [link]

McCain hasn't answered the questions, yet. (Obama was late, McCain is late-er.)

(It's 30-year fixed either way - no ARM or any craziness. It does feel like a weird time to be talking about this though.)

A factor to consider is how much equity you'll lose.

IOEconomicN: Can someone pretty please tell Bush that giving a speech tonight is a massive example of not helping in the least?

(It's 30-year fixed either way - no ARM or any craziness. It does feel like a weird time to be talking about this though.)

A factor to consider is how much equity you'll lose.

Refinancing makes you lose equity?

t realizes, yet again, that as a life-long renter, I know exactly jack and shit about mortages and homeownership....

A factor to consider is how much equity you'll lose.

I don't think any, besides the 1.5% if that were to be capitalized.

Rate change would be from 6.5% to 6%, and part of my trouble is I don't really have a good sense of where those numbers fall on the spectrum of typical rates. Do people get rates much lower than that?

I have seen rates lower, but that was at a far far different time. Do you have someone who could run the numbers for you?

This is kinda awesome [link] Video of little kid making faces and noises edited into a song.