Hmm, I need to make a menu plan, too. My current menu plan is: eat all the food I bought for the band that they didn't eat. But that's probably not a long-term sustainable plan.

Ahaha, that's hilarious! Random Spider-Man! I would do that, totally. Poor Tim. I don't think he fully thought through the implications of marrying a whack-ass like me.

I don't think he fully thought through the implications of marrying a whack-ass like me.

Hah. But you know he did. You and Tim have complimentary whack-asses.

I think I'm going to spend my birthday money on a blu-ray player. Our old DVD machine has PMS (only works when it wants to).

Creativity and accomplishment, yay!

Attic adventure was short. I conquered my fear of ladders and stuck my head through the opening in the ceiling, and realized that my "excuse" for never going into the attic is really true: I can't get in there. I would have to haul my weight up through that narrow hole with my arms, which is probably not even possible considering I can barely get my shoulders through the hole without stepping on the steps that say Don't Step here (no). So I'd have to Defy the Ladder or gain the ability to benchpress 220 pounds, neither of which is happening today.

However, my attic is HUGE. It's the space of the entire upper floor, around 1000 square feet. It's barely useable as is, because there's no floor and lots of blown insulation lying around, and the "modular" construction (I guess) means there's trusses coming down every few feet. But if I got someone to put in a drop-down ladder and a floor, there'd be a LOT of useable storage space up there. That's going at the bottom of the to-do list for the house, though.

Last night I talked to my sister about my idea about getting a refi on the mortgage. We pulled out my amortization chart (which she just happened to have handy on her laptop; that's my sis) and ran the numbers, and realized that given the terms they quoted me, which sounded real good, I'd actually be doing better NOT to refi. As it is, I'll have the mortgage paid off in 8 years, and be paying about $8k in interest. The refi would have me paying it off in 10 years, and even with a lower interest rate, over 10 years I'd be paying more interest. So, no on the refi, but HOLY HANNAH my mortgage will be paid off in 8 years! Before I'm sixty! I'll be able to retire with no house payment and (hopefully) no car payment. Unless I buy another house, but I don't HAVE to; I could easily live here for the rest of my life. This house isn't perfect, but the prospect of it being PAID FOR makes it ten times more attractive! (My mom always wanted us girls to own our own homes, and this is possible for me only because of my inheritance from her. So, thanks, mom.)

I shall celebrate by going to the grocery store and then probably watching tv for the rest of the day.

That reminds me, rings like these always make me think of you guys.

Eta: that's awesome, Zen!

Yeah, that's super great, Zen. I would love to pay off this sucker. (And not by using life insurance, fates.)

that's great Zen

Zen, that's wonderful! Bless your mom's vision and your follow through.

Your house is lovely, comfy and full of great storage already. Getting the attic fixed up would be a nice bonus.

I took my father to brunch and shoveled in front of their house and the neighbors', in hopes that someone else will deal with the driveway. I have shoveled more in the past two weeks than in the past 15 years.

Now laundry and lounging.

ordered some fretwire and a fret saw. (I blame your husband for this latter, Beth) Which totally counts as work.

Totally is work. And you want to get a cheap hardware-store-plastic-faced hammer, too; metal hammers + frets are Not A Good Mix, unless filing ALL THE METAL until the board is flat is your idea of a good time. Which I'm pretty sure it isn't, because you're a musician, and you want to play, you know? Even though fret dust DOES look like glitter.....

And I will totally get you that schematic, too, for the active/passive config. Sorry it's taken so long.....