Ring that bell!

Congratulations to my sister Michelle. She got to join her CEO and CFO and rting the opening bell at the Nasdaq. For those of you who have never met Michelle she is the woman on the left with the blonde hair and the cute smile that seems to be saying "Yaaaaayy for us!" Way to go Michelle!

Goodbye, Rick

This was a hard decision but the right one. I sold my Rickenbacker 4001 Electric Bass to a local guitar shop in Ithaca.
Another surprise to me and Nancy-you need a chunk of money when you APPLY for the mortgage. You pay 1% of the loan to lock the interest rates and have to pay for appraisal fees, credit reports and some other crap that escapes me. (Maestro is trying to help me type this-in moments like these he gets called by his nickname, "Bug").

Moments after selling the instrument I called henry, knowing he'd understand what a bittersweet moment it was, and we put a good philosophical touch on it that does leave me feeling really good about doing it. Really, what good was a guitar doing by sitting in the corner of my home office? Haven't played it since I was taking lessons in Brooklyn, looking for another creative outlet besides work, which at the time was not a healthy situation. (I could write a whole other blog about my former boss-probably one of the most evil and underhanded people I have ever met. I cringe when I hear when good people go to work for him-really, a very selfish, manipulative person, who in fact is a criminal-charging items he bought on eBay to the budgets of our books!) Anyway, that guitar, to me, represented a past time where things weren't as good as they are now, represented unfulfilled self-promises and wasted potential as a musician—represented a time when I was silly enough to pay a couple thousand dollars on a guitar I barely knew how to play just to make myself feel better.... It's good to pare down your things, simplify life, live in the now, forgetting the past without forgetting its lessons, and forging ahead with the future.

I got rid of something yet feel much fuller—and yeah, the money doesn't hurt.

Time to shower and get ready for TODAY.

Well, buying a house ain't cheap. You'd be surprised at all the fees, insurances, state crap, you have to pay at closing. Everybody, I mean EVERYBODY gets a piece of the transaction.

So where does one get money from if they don't have the cash. well, it was a bittersweet moment but I sold off half of my Coca-Cola shares. I have been holding onto these shares for 20 years now waiting for a moment like this. On one level it makes me sad-I'm not sure why - perhaps it is just the realization that this moment has arrived, that I am not as young as i used to be. On the other hand it is cause to celebrate. I took about $500 and 20 years later I have 5 figures to play with. And what better reason to take one investment and turn it into another one. I can't think of anything more worthy than the home that the love of my life and I will share.

Tomorrow's the inspection. I'll take my camera, just in case there is a nice ass-crack siting ala Dan Akroyd in early SNL skits.

This is Maestro. Once he was a kittewn, like in the picture, but he is growing up real quick. I wonder how well he will get along with nancy's cats Ernesto (aka The Tiny Man) and Frank (aka the AutistiCat). He loves playing with my other cat Fiona so I am hopeful.

I am also hoping that he stops his nightly habit of (sweetly) grooming my beards as I sleep. He is showing affection but we all know where that mouth has been. If his little cat farts are any indication of what is going on in that little belly of his I don't want him licking my face.

We did it! Nancy and I have had an offer accepted on the house we wanted to buy. Now it is to the banks, the inspec tion, the lawyers. Isn't going further into debt awesome!

408 South main St. Groton NY 13073

408 South main St. in good 'ol Groton, NY

1st blog evah!

So, just spoke to my friend Henry down in the citay and he suggested i simply post some pictures and show snippets of life up here in Ithaca. I think I'll do that. Stay tuned.