The new place has been occupied for just over a week now, and all is grand …. except for a few, tiny, “oh no, I’m not worried about living here” incidents that have occurred since June 15.

• I nearly broke my nose when I walked into a misplaced open door in the middle of the night. (If only I didn’t have to get up to pee every night!)
• Roger’s car has been broken into. Twice.
• Our neighbor’s car was vandalized.
• Our other neighbor’s car was the victim of a hit and run.
• The doors on all the garage storage lockers were opened …. and items were stolen.
• I received a crank call Sunday morning. A crank call isn’t so bad, but when they start to use your actual name when talking to you ….

Enough to make me wonder why I’m paying the rent I’m paying … and how long living in this apartment building will last.

But, onto much more exciting and happy news!

Ryan and Paula were our kind hosts last night for a fun dinner. (Thanks! We had so much fun!) It is nice to once again be close to the people I love.

All Songs Considered, to accompany All Things Considered.

My own home state is considering changing its name. I can’t wait to return to “Dakota” this weekend and get the real scoop.

Install your own Google toolbar.

I hate surveys. Twice, now, in the past two weeks, I’ve taken telephone surveys. These aren’t the “what kind of potato chips do you eat” or “how many hours of t.v. do you watch” kind of surveys …. these are actually surveys taken on behalf of folks (I could say “friends”) at other higher education institutions. So, I always feel a bit obliged to take them.

Here’s the problem. I once had a teacher — Barry Striegel — who taught us Talented and Gifted geeks and freaks once a week in elementary school. He once told us that just because someone gives us choices for our answers doesn’t mean we have to actually choose any of the choices. So, you see where this is going: TAG kids scribbling on the margins on multiple choice quizzes. And this relates to my phone survey taking ability how?

A few examples:

So, the survey goes:

“On a scale of one to ten …”

My answer:

“Oh, I don’t know, about a three to four?”

The surveyor:

“M’am, I need an exact number.”

Or how about this:

So, the survey goes:

“How much do you think a product like this would cost?”

My answer:

“I’d have to guess $10,000 to $12,000.”

The surveyor:

“M’am, you need to give me an exact dollar amount.”

Apparently, I once failed Phone Surveys 101. If a survey is nothing more than my opinion, why are these people so unwilling to take it?

That’s what a poster at my gym says, advertising this cool weightlifting/aerobics type class called Body Pump. So, last Monday, I went, did about a million squats and lunges, and couldn’t walk for three days. Seriously, sitting down on the toilet became an exercise for my quads in itself.

All that lifting, however, came in handy this past weekend. My stuff all fit in the UHaul — but barely — and was moved to the ‘burbs. The new place is cozy and almost smaller than the old, as evidenced by the fact that Roger’s brother now has one of my chairs, and two end tables are in storage. The wood burning fireplace has been blocked by the entertainment center; I’ll have to think about moving it come fall and winter when the days get short and cold. In the meanwhile, the AC has been running and days are hot. Saturday, fortunately, was the first weekend in six that it didn’t rain: a perfect day for a move. After work tonight I’ll go back to the old place to do some last minute cleaning. I was a bit embarrassed when they took the bed out and there was about a six inch layer of dust underneath. No wonder the allergies are acting up again!

For now, no major adventures are planned … just a few nights and weekends at home, trying to settle in, and trying to find a way to unpack things so that they’re easy to pack up again the next time around. Which, hopefully, won’t be any time soon.

The weekend after next, we’ll be at the lake with my parents. Fourth of July weekend is nearly here and I can’t wait for a few summer days of lounging on the boat and napping on the hammock, with nothing to do and no cares in the world.

Tomorrow’s the big day: I’ll place all of my worldly possessions into a 14-foot UHaul (let’s hope to God they all fit) and haul them 25 miles north from rural Northfield to the bustling suburbs. So, once again I will be paying rent — whereas I have NOT been paying rent for the past three years — and once again I will be communting 50 miles a day — whereas I have NOT been commuting for the past three years. Is something wrong with this picture?

Last weekend Roger, I, his brother and friends packed up other worldly possessions and headed out to the Winstock Country Music Festival in Winsted, Minn. Not a big country music fan, I am, but instead was content to sit in the sun, nursing a beer or two, and enjoy a fairly relaxing weekend. Pictures are forthcoming; right now they’re stuck on my computer at home, which sits disassembled on my living room floor to be plugged in again only heaven knows when. The most exciting part of the weekend: the porta-potty fire. Three Biffies aflame with only a few charred toilet paper rolls as evidence they were ever there.

Test drove the new Jeep Liberty last week. Nice ride. Is it time for a new car?

It’s Father’s Day on Sunday. Wish your daddy a happy one.

Just a week later, my photos from the Birch Lake Bash are now online. I remind you, as I always do, that I take no sympathy on my modem-using pals viewing this site. The photos are large and may take a while to download … best to view them at work when the boss ain’t looking.

My only regret: my camera ran out of batteries during the height of Eric’s party … so I missed photos of many key players. If you were at Birch Lake over Memorial Day weekend are aren’t pictured here, I apologize. However, your warm faces and smiles will remain with me for a while … you all did such a wonderful job of making us feel like part of the Molho family. Thank you.

It was a short but busy week. I’m moving, you know. I’ve found a place, and officially checked in on Friday, ponying up the big bugs to live in the suburbs. The guys with the heavy lifting arms can’t help me move the big stuff ’til the 16th, so until then I’m in a sort of moving purgatory … not quite sure where I belong for the next two weeks with half my belongings here and half my belongings there.

In case you’re interested, the new pad looks like this. Nothing too glamorous as the place is still void of furniture, but the carpet’s brand new and that’s a plus.

The kid from Minnesota won the spelling bee. S-U-C-C-E-D-A-N-E-U-M. I knew that. Really.