"Maria Came From Nashville"

We've made it through the first month of school. Michelle's settled into the reading position pretty well. In a way, it seems like it's what she was always supposed to do. She also knows she'll be teaching at the school at least a year past the time it takes her to earn her degree, so there's an element of job security there which is nice.

We've been celebrating her new position by updating our wardrobe. I hadn't really bought new clothes since...well, basically since I moved out here. I'd purchased a few shirts and a couple pairs of jeans, but that was three years ago. New clothes were in order for both of us, and I think we look pretty spiffy. Michelle has decided that this is the Year of the Cardigan, and to that end she's purchased a few that are very versatile and look really nice. As for me, I picked up a blazer jacket thing that's a little more casual than a sports coat or suit jacket. I basically wore it all last week, regardless of what shirt I had on underneath. Each outfit had approval from Michelle, but I secretly think she was sending me out of the house looking like a reject from Beverley Hills 90210 on occasion. I do have an inordinate love for the jacket, though.

The weather's starting to turn, and I for one couldn't be happier. Late fall and winter are always my favorite time of the year, even if it does mean occasionally having to scrape ice off the windshield. Plus, it gives me an excuse to wear that new jacket all the more often.

I've been digging a band called The Gaslight Anthem lately. They've got a Hold Steady/Bruce Springsteen vibe that's great, and the energy in their music just grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. I heartily recommend their latest, the 59 Sound, to anyone looking for exciting new music.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: The Gaslight Anthem, "High and Lonesome"

"Is There Just A Little Room?"

So the Great Music Exchange of '07 (pronounced "Aught Seven") was fantastic. We ended up with over 3700 new songs from Chad and Emily, which is a hell of a lot of music to now try to assimilate. We got everything from Morrissey and the Smiths to David Bowie, Jesse Malin, and everything in between. Sooo much music.

We also discovered I'd been charged for an extra month on eMusic, so I had 75 more downloads to use there. Burned through those in about five minutes this morning.

So yeah, lots of new music. Chuck a very happy monkey.

Yesterday we had a leak in the ceiling in the kitchen. Apparently the bathtub upstairs decided to leak into the kitchen after three of us took showers yesterday morning. They sent a guy out to fix it, so we'll have to see how that went.

Coincidentally, the ceiling of the breakfast nook at Michelle's parents' house apparently caved in this morning for similar reasons (though I think it was the toilet leaking there that did the deed). So that's rather odd timing.

Beyond that, it's a dreary gray day here in Northern Virginia. It started raining yesterday afternoon, but it's just continued virtually unabated since then. That's the thing about Virginia weather compared to Oklahoma weather: in Oklahoma, it comes bursts, beginning and ending so fast you hardly noticed it happened. Here in Virginia, weather hangs around, reads your newspaper, asks if there's any pie left that it could have. Things like that.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: The Clash, "Rudy Can't Fail"

"All Winterlong"

So apparently someone didn't get the memo that it's spring now, 'cause it was snowing in Kansas yesterday.

My car is once again in my possession. Let's see if we can't maybe keep it there and running for awhile now, shall we?

Time is fast running out on the remainder of my spring break. Seems like it used to last longer when I was a child.

Got the new Kings of Leon CD yesterday. Thoughts on that and the latest album by The Decemberists later.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Neil Young, "Tell Me Why (Live)"

"Like A Paper Tiger"

It snowed today, reminding us here in Northern Virginia that, despite the fact that December was a month of temperatures in the mid-60s, it is in fact still winter.

We only got a few inches of snow (maybe two or three accumulated), but now it's switched to freezing rain.

I don't think I'll be having to go to work tomorrow.

We spent the day helping Michelle's sister buy a car. We found a nice Hyundai (yes, Hyundai (does anyone else remember that old slogan? At the end of their commercials, the announcer would say, "Hyundai. Yes, Hyundai." I say that all the time when we're talking about cars, and folks just look at me like I'm from Mars or somethin')) for a really good price. They made me test drive the car (since it was already snowing pretty good), and it seems like it'll be a great car for her. Michelle's father has put out a tentative offer for Michelle to buy her sister's old car (the reason for this turn of events is a long story that isn't mine to tell), which would be great since Michelle's car isn't all that good anymore (it would also mean we could sell Michelle's old car to her sister's boyfriend).

Word from the folks back home in Oklahoma is pretty consistent: make it stop snowing. Apparently dad's been without power since last weekend and living in his office (which does have power). Clif, who lives in Austin, Texas (a place usually known for heat and dryness), has been experiencing flood-like conditions and didn't have classes last week because of ice and snow. I think Oklahoma's received more precipitation in the past two weeks than it got in the previous year. Wacky.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: The Beatles, "Long Tall Sally"