Welcome to Call-ee-phone-ee-ya....

We're here.

*The Terminator is our new governor (welcome to Call-ee-phone-ee-ya)

* It's hot--but not Biloxi hot. Back sweat has been kept to a minimum so far.

* The base is huuuuge in size--so far on base we've spotted fox, deer, turkeys, a rattlesnake, rabbits. JoAnna says we live in a zoo. Apparently they also let cattle from local ranchers pasture on base. And the speed limit is 50mph. At Keesler it was 25mph and I was once stopped for going 28 so it really feels like I'm breaking the rules when I drive 50 now.

* Jo had 2 interviews--both went well. The 1st place offered her the job, the 2nd place will get back w/ her but she suspects she'll be offered there as well. She's waiting to hear back on a cardiology position that she has her eye on.

* I haven't really started yet--I'm officially on house hunting leave. I stopped by 1 day and said hello to everyone. My boss seems cool and my new assistant is from Stillwater, MN and also a big Vikings fan.

*We looked at 21 houses and just today made an offer on the one we like best. Unfortunately its a short sale meaning it could take a while before we can close. We'll know a lot more in about 3 weeks after the banks assessor does his work.

The housing crisis nailed this area bad. Every single house for sale is either a short or a foreclosure. Some were 3 years old and bombed out on the inside--people just quit caring once they couldn't make payments anymore. It was really awkward to show up at a house and have the owner stand on the sidewalk as we checked the place out. Also not fun was seeing little kids' rooms and nurseries.

At one house the owners had a new Cadillac Escalade in the driveway and a very fancy bedroom set in the master bedroom but the kids slept on bare mattresses and the house was about to go into foreclosure. Odd.