Thursday, July 27:

We are in full "do-it-your-selfer" mode here in Nashville.

Our furniture arrived Monday morning, and we started unloading it all. The weather was perfect. It had just rained and cooled off the air, so unloading didn't take long at all. Well, that's mostly true.

In case you were wondering, be prepared for some surprises when you buy a house where no one has actually lived. Our house was completely renovated just before the sale, so no one has lived in it to figure out the quirks and correct the errors in construction. Take for instance the fact that our bed won't fit upstairs in our bedroom. The door that opens to the stairs was once the door to a small closet. It's still the size of a small closet door...with stairs behind it. Even after much review of my brother's trigonometry and cutting out the door facing, we were still unable to squeeze the box spring through the doorway. So, we are currently sleeping on a mattress until we can find a split box spring for a queen-sized bed. They exist, according to our research.

So, my dad is hammering away right now, trying to piece back together the door frame.

After that, we will finish installing the chain link fence, and hopefully install the hood over the range. We have already installed mini blinds and ceiling fans all around the house. The best addition is the overhead light and ceiling fan in the living room. Who builds a house with no overhead light in the living room? Good question.

The dog is completely weirded out by all of the construction and unpacking. We don't know if it was all of the confusion, or if she simply does not tolerate other dogs well, but the interactions between her and my brother's dog could have been much better.

She loves people, so please come visit, but make sure to kennel your own pooch before making the trek. She hasn't been socialized properly from what we can tell.

Oh, the job: I was offered and accepted a position as Web Producer at NewsChannel 5, the local CBS affiliate. I hope to start next week. They were kind enough to understand my unpredictable circumstances right now, and were willing to delay my start date until after the family left. I have been freelancing with them, so know a lot already about the corporate culture and with whom I would be working. They are all very nice folks, following nicely in suit with the rest of their Nashvillian counterparts.

Dan and I have decided that the only way we will move from here is if the move is sponsored by someone else, i.e. the university that hires Dan for a tenure track position. It will happen eventually....

Please come visit! We would love to see our friends from anywhere and everywhere. I learned from my friend Alex Esmon that he drove from Columbia, Mo to Nashville in under eight hours. We made it from Charlottesville in less that nine. My parents made it from Houston in about 13. We're right in the middle of everyone we want to see!