As many of you know, I have three younger brothers; there are four of us all together. For most of my life, I’ve been #1 in most categories for the simple reason that I am the firstborn.

For example, I remember when Trevor (Brother #2) started to play the trombone. I had been playing trumpet for a few years by that time, and both trombone and trumpet are members of the brass family. I decided that to keep my edge on him, I needed to learn to play too. So I’d try out his trombone when he wasn’t around. Granted, I gave up in a hurry, but I did try to keep on top of him in music.

Without any further ado, here is my top four list and where I fit into things. It serves to put me back into my place somewhat.

1. I am still the eldest brother
2. I am the second tallest (Timothy edges me out by a bit)
3. I am the third largest by weight (Timothy again leads the pack in this regard {he is least heavy}; health nut…)
4. I am the fourth when it comes to book intake; all of my brothers read more than I do

Items one and two have little likelihood of ever changing. Item three, again, may not change. Although I’ll possibly never be as fit as marathon-running ultra-fit brother three, I will hopefully improve my own personal fitness level…someday. Item four is a real pain point for me. I mean, come on now, I could read before two of my brothers were born! They say the best predictor of future success is that you read and what you read. Sadly, I don’t see myself improving in this regard at any time in the near future. You need to leave something for retirement, right?

This came through my email account two weeks ago Monday:

Atholton SDA Church Email Notice — February 9, 2009

Jackie Gair, a long-time Atholton member, passed away on Monday morning.

The viewing will be held at the Fleck Funeral Home, 7601 Sandy Spring Road, Laurel, MD this Thursday, February 12, from 12:30 - 1:30 PM. Following this, there will be a graveside service for family and close friends at George Washington Cemetery on Riggs Road in Adelphi, MD. There will be no memorial/funeral service at the Atholton Church.

Please continue to remember the family in prayer during this difficult time.

Thus ends a life.

Now is as good a time as any to finish one of the many blog posts languishing in draft status: link coming when I actually finish it.

Yesterday on the way home from circle time at the library, Alexei and I stopped at a bridge to throw some sticks into the water. We stood there for a good long while and I was mesmerized by the ripples our small sticks made in the stream. Mesmerized is probably the wrong word; fascination is more along the lines of what I felt. Something so simple and natural, but inherently beautiful.

Here is an excerpt from a book I’m in the process of re-reading now.

In karate there is an image that’s used to define the position of perfect readiness: “mind like water.” Imagine throwing a pebble into a still pond. How does the water respond? The answer is, totally appropriate to the force and mass of the input; then it returns to calm. It doesn’t overreact or underreact.

— David Allen

Relevance? Mrs. Gair’s passing is not all that different from Alexei throwing a stick into Sligo Creek. How Mrs. Gair’s life intertwined in that of others seems to parallel how my son’s small stick made a mark on the water. Both were present for a time, changed things around them, and then faded into memory. No doubt Mrs. Gair’s ripples will long be felt by the world through her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so-on.

Jacquelyn J. Gair

Farewell, neighbor. Until one day we meet again where the silver ripples lap on heaven’s shore, goodbye.

Anastasia and I have rented the entire time we’ve been married. It is a two bedroom apartment on the second floor of a quaint corner house in one of the best parts in Takoma Park, MD. All things considered, I am quite happy that we opted to rent it. Even when you love your apartment and get along well with the landlady, there comes a time to move on to something different.

That time is not quite yet for us, but we have been looking. For whatever reason, we both rather like the Takoma Park area. While the housing market is alive here, things tend to be a bit pricier than we can swing at the moment. As a result, we’ve been looking at foreclosure properties. There is one in particular that I’ve fallen in love with. Alas, it is going on auction this afternoon.

I have never actually been inside the house, so I shouldn’t say I’m in love. In fact, reading through some of the details, there is probably some significant things not to love. Namely, there is mold damage in the basement. Where there is mold, there is some sort of water leakage. The house itself is situated on a hill, so it is not unthinkable that when it rains, it pours, or at least trickles, into the basement.

Depending on the extent of the mold damage inside, it still seems like a sweet deal. There is a little home office for me, there’s a nice backyard, open kitchen/dining room area, and three bedrooms. What’s not to like? Well, there is location. It misses the Montgomery County line by two and a half blocks. I imagine that could effect resale value. But it also means the permit process for any renovations won’t be as arduous, I am told.

Comparing this cookie-cutter type style to other houses in the vicinity, it becomes even more apparent that this really is a diamond in the rough. The house two doors down is currently on the market for $330. It is in much better condition, but with a little bit of elbow grease and some tools, there is no reason why my imaginary first home couldn’t shine too. A similar house a few streets over just sold for just under $400. I particularly like how a large opening was knocked in the wall between the kitchen and living room.

With our current financial means, anything we buy will need to be a fixer-upper. If we restrict our market to the Takoma Park single family residences, this fixer-upper will need to be in fairly sorry condition. My current fave really has potential. So whoever is about to buy her later today, I wish you the best of luck. You’ve really got a nice piece of real estate. The equity might not be sweet yet, but with some sweat, it’ll surely shimmer.

One final piece of trivia on the fishbowl house: it was winterized on my birthday last year.