Jackpot - We Have a Place To Live

8th day in captivity - Rachel and I have now officially been homeless for 8 days. However, hope is near. We close on a new place on November 14. After much debate and some solicited help from our blog readers, we went with another townhome. Although not one of the original 4 options listed, this one is in the same development as the townhome that we liked the most (as did the majority of readers) in the original blog.


This one does not have a finished basement, but it does have a finished loft though, so there is still room for an office and "man den". It is also already painted with neutral colors, which was an important criteria this time around, as Bill "Pops" Langston would be unavailable for Alternative Fall Break - Philadelphia and the painting of the Kennedy's home, as he and Erin celebrate the arrival of Carter Langston (see blog links). Congratulations guys!!!

The townhome is 20 minutes from my current work location and 10 minutes from a train station, which will take me to work, once our office moves back to center city.

There is a breakfast area adjacent to the kitchen, which looks out onto the farm. I am excited about this part, as I think it will be a cool place to drink coffee on Saturday mornings.

Another advantage of this townhouse is that the kitchen has more room and counter-space than our townhome in Chicago. It also has dual ovens, which is kind of cool. The selling point for me was that the gas fireplace comes with a remote control (quick, sign Cedric the Entertainer up for more Bud Light ads, cause this has potential).

All readers are invited to come visit when they get a chance. We love visitors!!!

Reflections Part II - Distinctively Southern I am a southerner, and I will always be a southerner at heart and by action. I still do peculiar things that many refined southerners would consider - "redneck". Clark likes to point this out to me on occassion. Still, after living in the north for 3 and a half years, I occassionaly run into things when I visit home that never would have crossed my mind before. Now, I find them "strange".

For instance, during our visit for the Georgia game, I stopped by the bank that I have used since I was a child. I used to take pennies from the piggy-bank there when I was 3 years old. On this visit, it struck me odd that a gentleman at the teller window would be depositing checks, without his shirt on. If this was not funny enough, one of the tellers, who had been in the back room, came by and greeted him, "Hey Ted!!!" Apparently, she didn't think it was that strange.

Even more impressive... Rachel and I marched from our tailgate at the G-10 Garage south of Neyland Stadium to our gate at the north end of the stadium. As we were approaching the gate, we noticed a family of four in front of us - mom, dad, a 6ish year old girl and a 4ish year old boy. Before I continue with this story, I would like to state that this appeared to be a somewhat normal and middle-class family, not someone who wreacked of "redneck".

The mother had the boy by one hand and a "road coke" in the other. As we approached the gate, her husband told her, "You better finish that, or they'll take it away from you at the gate." She quickly turned to Rachel, standing behind her, and replied, "That's OK, I got more where that came from." She then proceeded to tell my wife how she had airplane bottles of liquor stuffed in the 4-year old's shorts waist-band. "I just tell him to keep his arm down as he goes through security. They never check the kids," she proudly explained to Rachel (Bill, at this point, I would like to personally offer to take Carter to his first Tennessee football game as soon as he is able to walk).

Yes friends, this lady was using her own 4 year old son as a liquor pack mule.