Sweet, just picked up the new table from Pottery Barn (yes, it was a hassle but I FORCED them to sell it to me), 50% off. Also a mirror for 75% off (new). I'll tell you, this is a great time of year to be shopping. The sales aren't advertised, but places are dumping their inventory at great prices. It started with Ann Taylor, where I bought Yin 7 pieces, all at approximately 75-80% off. Great stuff, too. Then I found Illuminations in Union Station going out of business (today is the final day!), lowering prices by the day (bought a mirror for 60% off). Then Bloomingdales, with their 75% off display items sale. I didn't buy any of those items (too picked over), but we did use the combination sale method to save a bundle on our new living room set. That deal is a 30% sale, combined with a 15% promotion, combined with a 10% new credit account discount. That comes out to a 47% discount, with 90 days no interest after the delivery (backorder delays payment, yay!). Hecht's is also having a big sale - lots of discounts, and if you buy $3k then you get an extra 20% off. Hard to spend $3k at Hecht's though.

OK, there's something I need to address here. Some of you are probably wondering why I don't write more about Artemis. It certainly isn't because I don't dote on her - I absolutely do. The reason is that it's actually embarrassing - she is just too perfect. I don't want to sound too proud about how bright her eyes are, how day-making her smile is, how fast she's grown, how happy she is, what a well-behaved baby she is, how quickly she raised her head, then crawled, and now, just yesterday, learned to pull herself up into a standing position. Any one of those I would be happy to elaborate on - and I could for pages. But it just seems so, well, annoying, pretentious, and arrogant to go on about all of them. Sure, I'm biased - of course there are other children who learn to crawl faster or start talking earlier - but she is undoubtedly a very special child. I'm brimming with pride, and almost feel guilty going on about her. I don't view growing up as a competition, but it is impossible not to be supremely proud of my little girl.

With pictures like this, how could I not be?

Have a great weekend!

[to the tune of I Wanna Be A Cowboy]

Painting in the house. I've got my jeans...on. I've got my shirt...dusty.
I wanna have a done home. And you can see some pictures.
I wanna have a fine home.

Working on Yin's home...office. Installing new carpeting
Painting all the walls.
(Walls, oh walls, a wonderful green shade!)

OK, that's enough. You get the idea. The new room is looking pretty sweet, with the new Milligan Legato carpet (easy to install and replace!), light green walls painted, and the new Pottery Barn desk in place.

Alright, it's midnight and I don't want to turn into a pumpkin. See y'all tomorrow.

Yo yo yo I gots my desk (see Tuesday) - all I had to do was drive to Tyson's Corner for one piece and Georgetown for the other two. Pain in the ass? Come on, what's three and a half hours between friends?

American Idol - Latoya rocks. Wow. Very good. Pitch problems my ass.

Sorry I haven't linked yet. I do still scour the net for interesting stuff - come back Thursday or Friday for the end-of-week hilarity.

OK, quick on sports: Portis coming to town definitely assuages the loss of Champ Bailey. Bailey is my favorite player, but I could see Portis becoming my new favorite. Boy got mad skillz!!!!

Today Bush called for a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Maybe good politics, but not in my sweet spot at all. My opinion - government should leave marriage to the churches and get into the civil union business. The whole separate-but-equal thing just doesn't fly, and apart from that trying to define all marriages as sacred is ridiculous on its face: Britney and her boy, Elizabeth Taylor + 7, Larry King plus infinity - they and many like them reveal the farce that is the sactity of marriage. It's a mockery - so why are serious gays excluded? Either tighten up marriage or bring in the clowns, because the middle ground is simply too discriminatory.

OK then, see you tomorrow.

I don't want to hear SHIT about the bad economy. I know anecdotal evidence is not statistics, but my daily experiences are getting out of hand. Forget the 3% unemployment rate here in DC - I'm talking about my own wallet here. You can't buy anything in this town!

Seriously, today I wanted to do so much shopping that I took the day off. The house is ready for new stuff, and I got the scrilla to buy it. Normally I don't mention specific amounts, but to reinforce the point, my wife, daughter, and I were ready to drop around $3,500 on furniture and crap. That ain't chump change. EVERYTHING is on backorder. And I'm not talking custom chairs here - I am talking basic items.

First is Crate & Barrel. This place has ridiculous prices on their furniture, so I was pleasantly surprised when they released their new Madison Secretary. Here's the great deal - they start with $30 in lumber, a good design, and a store. I show up with $270. So, what's the problem? They can't keep them in stock! And only 2 months until they are available. Perfect. All I have to do is PAY NOW and get my furniture in 2 MONTHS. Look - I use interest free offers when possible...I don't OFFER them!

Pottery Barn next. Start with $50 in lumber (retail!), a good design, and a store front and catalog. I show up with $579. Give me my freaking desk! No...nope, they JUST ran out. All out. Don't worry, they'll be in soon...like, APRIL. Come on! Look, I'm taking my business elsewhere.

Well, not all my business. The third frustration was lamentable but not unexpected. I went to the Apple Store to check out the new Mini. Dude, this this is SMOKIN'. Tiny, super light, a very clear screen, and a superb control wheel. I would note that everything except the capacity CRUSHES my 40 gig - my 40 gig has a difficult to read screen and a bass-ackward control setup. Being the tech pig I am, I want the Mini. I will skip scotch for 5 months to afford the mini. Well, 3. Anyway, the Mini ROCKS...and they are all sold out.

But, the day was not a complete failure. We found a couch, chair, and ottoman at Bloomingdale's - a major purchase and clear shopping success. It took a couple hours of testing, debating, kvetching, and otherwise figuring our where our asses would rest for the next few years. We succeeded.

Only a 3 week backorder.

Hey y'all, it's a new year here at What I Think I Know. Yes, this site started last year on Feb 23rd - and while it has sometimes been a source of frustration, for the most part I have enjoyed it. I took the last month off from writing, and now I am raring to go.

Lately I've been working as much as possible in the new house. I've done a lot, and I'll cover that in time. No, we haven't moved yet. I've also been spending time with Artemis, which has been wonderful. I'll talk more about that too. But for today, let me layout the changes here.

First, instead of archiving daily, I'll be archiving weekly. Which means that there will be fewer pages, each with more content. I know most of my readers don't stop by daily, so having all of the week's content on each page will make catching up much easier. Of course it will be less work for me, too.

Second, I will be making changes every day, not just 2 or 3 times per week. The only exceptions will be vacations and times when my connection is down. If I post on the weekend, I'll include it in the following week's page so that it won't be missed.

Finally, instead of trying to impose a daily theme, I'll be posting shorter shots with more pith and spice. I'm a bit tired of being earnest, and there is a lot in life to laugh about. I'll also post daily links which will lead you to fun, interesting, informative, or hilarious places on the internet. So, enjoy!