Things have picked up a bit...

The test went well (I'm licensed -- w00t), and we hopefully have another house lined up... we'll have to see how things go, but I'm excited about it. :-)

So now it's just a matter of getting through the inspections, moving, and settling down a little bit.

Also, life is really good. I wish I could think of more things to write, but that's about the extent of my thoughts at the moment.

Arachnophobia

... And there's an infestation of brown recluses in the house we're negotiating to buy.

We are looking for new houses.

In other news, I'll be taking the Series 6 exam on Friday, if the Lord wills, so I'll be licensed to sell open-ended funds on the primary market. w00t. :-)

What Kind of Reader Are You?

I wasn't really expecting this; I've always considered myself fairly democratic when it comes to books:

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Book Snob You like to think you're one of the literati, but actually you're just a snob who can read. You read mostly for the social credit you can get out of it.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Dedicated Reader
Literate Good Citizen
Non-Reader
Fad Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

C'est la vie, I reckon.

...And the fact that He's Paul Freakin' McCartney doesn't matter?!

From the Associated Press:

Paul McCartney snagged Natalie Portman to star in his new music video - thanks to his fashion designer-daughter, Stella.

Portman, 25, makes a cameo as a ghost in the video for "Dance Tonight," a track from McCartney's new studio album, "Memory Almost Full." The video had its world premiere Wednesday on YouTube.com.

"The connection with Natalie came from my daughter Stella, who makes non-leather shoes that Natalie buys, so I just thought, 'Well, I'll ring her up and just see if she'll do it.' So I rang her up and said, 'Hey, I'm Stella's dad!' " the 64-year-old former Beatle said in a statement posted on his website.

How lame is that, Sir Paul? "Hi, you buy shoes from my daughter DUURRRRR."

Try something like "Hi, I am one of the two remaining Beatles -- you know, the band that essentially made rock 'n' roll in America -- would you like to play a 'futurist electronic ghost' in my next music video?" It won't give you nearly so much of the "friend's creepy father" vibe.

...And my life keeps being a dervish of excitement

Got hooded Saturday morning, had the fam to a picnic in the afternoon, made an offer on a house in the evening, and had it accepted that night. Sunday, I led music at church, hung out with EJ, DJ, and the four wild things, and slept for four hours before staying up late to grade.

Today was spent mostly studying for my NASD Series 6 license (which, as I understand it, will give me the right to break mutual funds and annuities or something) and working on a futile PowerPoint presentation to give to my training buddies, who will return the "favor" in kind. In other words, another productive day in Corporate America (and, like every day lately, I got paid more than I have ever received for any day spent molding America's next generation into good, upstanding citizens). In better news, I just posted my grades (for the last time EVER).

If all goes well, I will have a house and a picket fence and a lawn and a decrepit old toolshed on or before June 22. American dream, here I come. :-|