After a frenzied cleaning session, we had our second potential buyer come through the house this evening. We know they “like it” but of course that doesn’t always translate into “interested in purchasing.”

Hoping to bump up the buyer traffic now that the holiday weekend is past. We’ve been told that generally there is the most interest right around the third or fourth week a house is on the market. We’ve been out there for less then two. Here’s our MLS link.

If nothing else, our feedback on the house maintenance has been excellent. More a matter of size limitations than anything. It’s reassuring to know that at least on our end we really are doing everything we can to sell this puppy. So now it’s just a matter of the right person/couple coming along.

Also, some hobo moved into our basement for the time being. Just until the big move I suppose. We figure we’ll just tell any potential buyers that he comes with the house.

So, what’s up with the redesign? In a moment of zen I decided that having two columns was one column too many. Also, I didn’t like the complete hack job I did on WordPress‘ lovely code in the last design. This one is much, much more streamlined. Oh don’t get me wrong, it’s most certainly still a hack job, but at least my clumsiness is a little less overt this time through.

I’m still figuring out how to make everything work to my liking. I like the simplicity of the layout, but I miss my little “now playing” album cover on the side menu. If I can, I’d like to squeeze that back in somewhere, especially given how long it took to get up and running correctly in the first place. Also haven’t made up my mind about the navigation links yet. The mouseover effect is much better now, but the old silvery nav bar seemed a little more cohesive somehow.

Speaking of zen, I’m also tinkering with a really simple, really neat web photo gallery tool, even has a WordPress plugin. Don’t know if anything is going to become of it or if I even really have the web space that make it fully functional, but I do like the idea of being completely self-contained (flickr-free). Nerd!

Hang in there. This road might be a little bumpy. In the process of cobbling together a new theme for this site.

Smokes was it ever warm today. Or yesterday I suppose now. That kind of heat that burrows inches under your skin. The dogs lay around the living room and backyard all day panting, never figuring out the joys of a cool basement only a few feet away.

Bit by bit, I’m filtering out some of the chaos around this house. Went through all of my clothes and donated most of the shirts and pants that I rarely or never wear to Goodwill. Recycled stacks of old bills, receipts, account info, etc. Returned borrowed objects. Consolidated a lot of my computer/electronic peripherals. Got rid of some of the garbage piled up in the garage.

Ultimately the dream is this: to pare possessions down to the point where the only things I own are those things that really bring me joy or are absolutely essential to my day-to-day functioning. Granted there may be some disagreement from Mary on what exactly is essential, but for my money I’d like to own just my outdoor rec toys and clothing, a very limited set of casual and work clothes, my computer (though a laptop would probably function better in this dream), dog-related essentials, something to sleep on, a few things to cook with, and a bowl and a spork.

I remember how great it felt after college to be able to toss everthing I owned into the back of my Festiva (with my twin mattress twined onto the roof). There was this feeling that if I wanted to I could go anywhere in the world at the drop of a hat. Just chuck it in my car and go.

I didn’t make much money that first year. Worked at a pool all summer then took six lazy weeks after that looking for another job. But, I didn’t really spend any money either. I had maybe a thousand dollars in the bank and that was plenty enough to buy cereal and chip in for rent. Plus the occasional trip to La Cantina or the Great China Buffet. The guys I lived with mocked me daily while I lounged on the couch watching Sportscenter while they went off to their real jobs, but man was I happy.

Here’s the thing. It’s not that I’m against having stuff. It’s just that, you know, the stuff you own ends up owning you. I do enjoy coming home to a house full of nice comfortable furniture and flipping on movie with zippy digital sound after a days work. I can high speed my way around the Internet for hours with that feeling that I’m occupying my time well, cause, “look how fast I’m looking at stuff!”

But when I think about it, really I’m not any happier than when I had my slacker summer job and came home to my mattress on the floor and my TV stacked on apple crates.

And I can’t really do those things that make me really happy when I’m stuck here with my stuff. Those things that create those moments where you stop and you feel and see everything and are just stunned into the awareness that you’re living. Like hiking through Rockies or bumming a week or two away on the coast. Sure you can have stuff and do these things, but it sure makes it a heck of a lot easier when you don’t have to “get all your things in order” every time you want to.