I've been out of the office since Thursday afternoon. I'm back at the office and have a ton of work to catch up on, but the sense of routine, and normalcy is greatly welcomed. I probably won't have internet access at home for about a week (until we finish up the upstairs office).

The Movers
The movers on Saturday were three hours late; charged me $75 more than they said they would; and my microwave has gone missing. Obviously, it completely ruined my day. I didn't get into the house until almost 7 or 8pm. Moving companies can act with such impunity, it's just unbelieveable. Afterall, they have YOUR belongings in THEIR van. By the end of the day, I really just wanted them gone from my sight and gone from memory. Unreal.

The Paint
We've spent about $500 on paint at Home Depot. Our budget was $400, but at least we bought enough paint for the whole house (including 4 gallons of primer). So far, the bedroom has been primed, the office has been primed, and the office ceiling has been painted. It took us almost a full day just to spackle, and sand down the walls. It was exhausting but well worth it. The walls look almost brand new. It's amazing what some spackle, a coat of primer and a little sweat can do. I am very tired though. Tonight we're planning to paint the ceiling in the bedroom, and do the moldings in the office. Our goal is to finish the upstairs rooms by Friday night. It's possible.

Brighton is going to sand and stain the floors upstairs on Saturday, and varnish them on Sunday. I have to disappear for most of that due to my asthma. I've already had two pretty heavy asthma attacks since moving in... thanks to a combination of dust, sanding, weather, stress, paint / primer fumes, and dog hair.

Once all THAT is done, we can finally begin moving our furniture upstairs and unpack. A large majority of our things go into either the bedroom or the office. THEN we can paint the downstairs. It will probably take us somewhere between a month or two to get ourselves settled.

The House
Right now, it's a box garden, with very little area to walk around. We've managed to turn the Living Room into just that... the "room we are living in". LOL. We're sleeping on the futon, have access to one chair, and are having takeout on a foldout TV dinner table. I feel like ghetto-white trash. LOL ~ We should be wearing a pair of "wife-beater t-shirts", boxers, and drinking beer. I know the place will look amazing once we're finished. I know that. Everything in its time. I know that. However, by nature, I am a very organized and neat individual, and I fear this clutter will be the end of me. *dramatically faints* LOL.

Realistically, we shouldn't push ourselves too much. Technically, we are just renting the house right now; and won't actually be buying it until next year. BUT... I'm an artist... and he's a Virgo... the place needs to look fabulous.... and soon. LOL. It's time to call in the recruits and hand them all paint brushes!

Beamer (the dog) has been following me everywhere the past few days. He's very well behaved, and very well trained. I've never had a pet, and have had my share of surprises over the past few days. He's stayed near me all the time I've been working... but never in my way. He's also been fairly obedient with me... surprisingly... considering the fact that he's only just met me. There are several other dogs in the neighborhood, so he'll soon have some friends. *smile*

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (AP) ~ Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and helped start the role-playing phenomenon, died Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69.

He had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm, said his wife, Gail Gygax.

Gygax and Dave Arneson developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys, and eventually was turned into video games, books and movies.

Gygax always enjoyed hearing from the game's legion of devoted fans, many of whom would stop by the family's home in Lake Geneva, about 55 miles southwest of Milwaukee, his wife said. Despite his declining health, he hosted weekly games of Dungeons & Dragons as recently as January, she said.

"It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, what he gave them," Gygax said. "He really enjoyed that."

Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures with the help of complicated rules. The quintessential geek pastime, it spawned a wealth of copycat games and later inspired a whole genre of computer games that's still growing in popularity.

Funeral arrangements are pending. Besides his wife, Gygax is survived by six children.