Indiana Photos

Downtown Indianapolis. This is the "circle" an impressive monument to veterans and wonderful place to hang out and eat lunch on a sunny day.

This would be a "world famous" Tenderloin Sandwich. I heard all about these the whole flight over. Jas finally was able to satisfy his craving for this "tiny" sandwich on our trip through Parke County. He ate about half of it... I ate one tiny bite. It was good, but not overly Terri-Friendly.

This is self explanatory...

My lovely room in the Motherhouse... "luxurious"

Coming Home

The alarm rousted me out of bed at 4:30 a.m. to start our journey home.

We will be back in Seattle at 11:00 after a stopover somewhere (southwest airlines is leaving it a mystery to keep things exciting.)

I have lots of pictures to share of the covered bridges and the fun sites in Indiana.

You're all most likely still asleep so rest well and I'll be back later.

- Terri

Ghosts

The convent is a pretty lively place. The Sisters have opened their doors to the community and to people like us (relatives and riff raff).

There is a staff of people here during the day who work in the kitchen, provide handyman services and minor housekeeping. There isn't daily maid service in my luxurious twin suite and that is perfectly ok with me.

I do have a benevolent spirit who enters my room after dark but before I return from the days activities to turn on a light and crank up the A/C for me. I'm pretty sure it is Jason, who isn't banned completely from my life in this place, but it could also be one of the ghostly white creatures who silently move around after dark.

I'm assured they are the nuns, but when you are in a facility with women using walkers or electric carts to get around and you spot a thin being in a white gown move silently through a doorway it's hard not to think of spirits.

The only place I've found here that gives me "the creeps" are the stairwells (and one in particular). There is plenty of ambient light from the outside lights to easily navigate the stairwell even at midnight but I need to flick on the lights. I can't imagine that any of the departed sisters are hanging out in there but you never know.

The other thing that has died out here and that is hanging around as a shadow of it's former self is my hair. Oh Lordy Lordy.... The humidity has brought out the worst in my Goldilocks. I am sporting an unrully, curly mass of untamed fuzz. The "frizz tamer" serum from the hair beautiful section of the Piggly Wiggly is CRAP.

I'm enjoying myself here but man-oh-man will I be happy to get back to the land of good hair.

Tomorrow we might be headed for Parke County to see the covered bridges. I hope so; but I'm going with the flow.
- Terri

Trapped in a car

Yesterday we zipped over to Somewhere, Kentucky to visit mom-in-laws brother. I will admit that when I heard we were going to Kentucky I assumed we'd be eatin grits on the back porch while the wild dogs fought over a coon.

These folks live in a stunning home in an amazing sub- division complete with a JR Olympic swimming pool for the residents.

Like everyone else I've met this wing of the family is fun, welcoming and nice. (there is some to do about my **gasp** non-catholicness but I'm ignoring it ).

Yesterday the cousins gathered for a visit, ham sandwiches and ( yeah ) wine. Jason and I were co-housed in the basement with clear instructions that the hide-a-bed only slept ONE.

This morning we went out for breakfast. That was three hours ago. The place we ate at was 1.7 miles away but it took 45 minutes to get there because we have been getting a tour of the subdivisions in the area, the aquatic center, the farmers market, the local gas station,
the court house.....

After breakfast we're getting a tour of the rest of town. I keep getting text messages from Jason who is trapped in the seat next to me that says his uncle is famous for "the long route".

We are in a red Honda mini-van with Kentucky plates and a anti-abortion bumper sticker.

Please sent help.

- Terri

Correction & a Suicide

It turns out we weren't burgled by Nuns. We found our missing bottle of Pinot Gris last night. Oops.

I stand corrected.

We did experience a very sad event yesterday. The family opted to skip the convent provided chicken dinner and ordered pizza. (The pork loin lunch from earlier in the day was still stuck in my throat. I had hoped that the water I was ravenously drinking would give it enough moisture to digest. No. Such. Luck. )

Jason and I drove into town to the Pizza King. Their pizza as voted best in the county by the Kokomo Gazette. On our way home with the piping hot pies burning my legs a cute but clearly depressed squirrel decided to end it all and did a kamakazi run under the tires of our
black rental car. We heard the bump and then saw the little body roll out behind us. The little puffy tail landed on the ground in a way that assured us that he was dead. (sad)

Poor Jason felt badly, but when a squirrel decides to end it all there's not much you can do.

- Terri

NWA (Nuns with attitude)

The convent grounds are beautiful with pockets of quiet places to hide (I mean contemplate our Lord). The peonies are in bloom and birds are chirping in the trees. It is a wonderful place.

We were up at 8:30 this morning. ( pretty good considering the late arrival and the time change). I was on full alert waiting to spot my first nun but the halls were barren until about 15 minutes before Mass was to start. At that time the elevator opened and released 5 to 6 tiny old women pushing walkers or driving motorized carts. This was repeated about three times until the hallway leading to the chapel was teeming with mini-women.

We stopped at the door leading into the Chapel to allow the slow lady in front to enter. (yelling "Move it along Sister!" seemed wrong ). At the same time this sweet looking lady (nun or not- nun? It's hard to tell.) reved the motor of her cherry red scooter and attempted to make
a 90 degree turn into the church at top speed. She managed to clip Uncle Dan and pinned his right foot to the door. In her frustration at not making the turn she was paralized and failed to not only back up to free Dan, but to stop the attempt at forward motion.

I can't be sure but I thought I saw a sparkle in her eye right before she rammed him. Watch out she's got God on her side and she's not afraid to stick it to you.

The other funny thing is that someone stole a bottle of wine of ours from the fridge. We're sharing the floor with nuns.... I wonder if Sister Maria Andretti had a nip of our Pinot Gris before rolling down to Church?

- Terri

Things that we must have.

Dateline 12:21 a.m. Beings that tomorrow is Sunday and Monday is a holiday we made an emergency stop at the grocery store to purchase wine, liquor, mixer, and nutritional snacks (cheese and salami) before driving to the Mother House.

Traveling

First leg of our flight was uneventful. I would prefer never to fly Southwest but since this isn't my trip to manage I will go with the flow.

I think SW is a bit over the top with their treatment of larger people (although there are some enormous folks on our flight and they seem to have been treated like anyone else. )

There was weather in Denver and we were delayed. Of course our luggage sat outside in the rain while we waited for it to be safe enough for the ground crew to do their ground crew thing.

It won't matter if everything we brought is soaked...it'll be humid in Indiana.

In the air now and somehow Jason's dad ended up sitting alone. Poor guy.

When we land Jason will run to the rental car place as they are only open until midnight and our 11 pm arrival just turned into 11:40.

More later.

Chastity Vacation 2009

And we're off.... (well, in an hour)

We've packed and the house is clean. We went out for breakfast this morning and now we're waiting for our airport transportation to arrive.

We fly into Denver, pick up Jason's mom & dad and then fly to Indianapolis. We just noticed that this weekend is the Indy 500. This shouldn't affect us too much in that we aren't staying in Indianapolis but we are fearful of what kind of rental car Enterprise will stick us with considering we are arriving at 11pm on the night before the largest spectator sport in world takes place.

Our reservation says we have a Toyota Avalon, Nissan Maxima or "Similar" reserved. The last time we had an "or similar" car it was a PIECE OF SH*T MALIBU. No get up and go... GM hasn't done itself any favors with that little "gem".

Regarding our accommodations at the "Mother House" in Tipton, I was informed this morning that not only are we in separate rooms but that the rooms are equipped with twin beds. OH MY...

Actually, I'm looking forward to meeting more of the future family. We may be taking a side trip to somewhere Kentucky for a BBQ and then a day trip to Parke County, The Covered Bridge Capital of the World. That's not the U.S. that's the entire WORLD.

Check back for updates!

Happy Memorial Day
Thank You Veterens (and future Veterens!)

Publish Post

things not to say on a date...

Even though we are well on our way to marriage Jason and I still go on dates. Last night when I got back from San Jose he took me to our favorite place for wine and dinner. To be economical we feast on the appetizers which are fabulous and half price before 6:30. The food is small, it is yummy and it is easy on the bank account.

We like to sit at the bar when it is just the two of us and we did so last night. At one point a new person came out of the kitchen with food for our neighbors and I quietly commented to Jason that the waiter had something stuck between his two front teeth.

Jason: Which waiter, the one in the striped shirt?
Terri: Yes, the hot one.
Jason: Uh... that was an adjective I didn't need.
Terri: bwahahahaha Sorry bwahahahaha

I'm sure my apology seemed shallow through the tears of laughter. I guess it's not polite to point out the super hot people to your date.

Neighbor Wars

It is no secret that Jason does not love his next door neighbor. They are incompatible in every way - Jason is tidy, Robert is oblivious of the clods of dirt the tracks up our shared stairs.

Jason is quiet, Robert shakes the building with his forceful door slamming.

Robert is an odd duck who frequently leaves the door to his condo unlocked and sometimes even open for the entire day while he's at work. (His furniture is junky so don't bother to come over and take anything.) Robert will also leave his house on the rainiest and nastiest of days to move one of his two cars (none of which are housed in his garage at any time) into one or more of the two "good" parking spots at the base of the stairs.

I ask you what does it matter if you have to walk across the parking lot to move your car into a spot now versus leaving it where it is and walking across the parking lot later to get in the car to go? None of the spots are unsafe, dark or prone to vandalism.

At first Jason's loathe / hate relationship with Robert was kind of ugly, and I try to be the kindly voice of "everybody is worthy of our compassion".

Today however, Robert lost the battle with me as a silent ally. He has met me a few times and I don't expect him to know my name but when your single neighbor of 7 years finally has a woman over (for SEVEN MONTHS) you notice.

Since we're leaving tomorrow for CHASTITY VACATION 2009 I'm doing a little condo clean up - you know, laundry, clean sheets on the bed, fridge exorcism, and then trash removal.

I ran into Robert outside while taking the trash to the bins and he's all "Hey, are you Jason's housekeeper?"

Housekeeper!?

HOUSEKEEPER

I laughed out loud and said that I was Jason's fiance, and have been living here since October.

I will admit that today I look kind of housekeeper-ish. I'm in casual pants, a t-shirt and no makeup. I'm cleaning house - but damn it.

There's no real exact reason why this question has me so fired up. Maybe I feel marginalized? (Is that demeaning to the hard working housekeepers in the world?)

There's no real point to my story, except that now I don't want to finish the household chore list I made for myself.

No Home for You!

We were so close, we were mentally placing furniture in rooms, choosing paint colors and trying to decide how to coordinate a July 3rd moving date. All of this was cart before the house activity.

We didn't close the deal and Jason and I have decided to not pursue this or any other house before the wedding.

What happened? It's complicated, but essentially we couldn't agree on the terms and they wanted us to wait in limbo for 30 days "just to see" and frankly that didn't work for us. We countered with something firm and fair and they opted not to accept.

To be honest, I'm happier with a no answer than a "wait and see" answer. We've learned to hold our emotions in check and are perfectly accepting of the outcome.

When we dip our toes in the real estate market we'll do it with our financing lined up (although we obtained the financing we needed within 1 day) and with our own real estate agent in tow. We will come to the table ready to deal.

I guess you win some, you lose some, and in the end that wasn't our house.

So, hold on to your shorts people, we are headed out Saturday for Chastity Vacation 2009! Indiana here we come.

American's outraged by reality

I was reading the soundbite news this morning (my mobile feed that brings me only the superficial news stories) and read that the shanty home of the little girl who acted in the movie Slumdog Millionaire was torn down by authorities yesterday.

The story centers around Rubina Ali and her family and includes information that the producers of Slumdog Millionaire have established a trust for her and the other child actors from the film.

As 'entertainment news' goes this is a pretty sad story. Here's a little girl who lives in a makeshift home with blue tarp ceiling and blanket walls who played a little girl who had no home and lived in the streets. There are a million girls and boys and moms and dads who live in makeshift homes with dirt floors and blanket walls... it seems to me that the reason this is a international news story is because this particular little girl was in a movie that was popular in the west. Are we surprised that the mere act of being in one hugely popular movie didn't translate to instant riches and security for the actors? We aren't really interested in these people and their lives.

Is it news because someone who walked the red carpet at the Oscars lives in a shitty little box and not because family after family live in poverty and in shitty little boxes?

I find it sad that we (including myself) as a society are quick to ignore large pockets of poverty. The charitable angel on my shoulder (who looks oddly like Oprah Winfrey) says that charity starts small and grows. Is that true or is it a way to make my contributions to my church and to Goodwill enough to let me off the hook?

I was looking at the real estate listings for Tipton Indiana yesterday and there were quite a few decent homes for sale under $50k. How hard would it be to buy one and donate it to a local church or aid agency for them to use as temporary shelter for local people? It wouldn't be hard...but will I do it? Probably not.

I disappoint myself.

I'm a winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Translation:

Dear Sucker,

Send us your bank information so we can bleed you dry.
Congratualtions,

Scammer McScammy

My horse for a kingdom!

A friend whom I haven't talked to in a while teased me about not doing anything other than changing jobs, planning a wedding, selling a condo and moving in with Jason. He is so correct, and because I wasn't doing anything these days that Jason and I started "looking" at homes.

We told ourselves that we were just shopping to get an idea of what we like so that when we were ready that we'd be clear on our wants/needs. Because we were "just looking" we didn't bother our Real Estate Agent Philip to show us houses we stuck to open houses on the weekends and checked out a few new developments.

You know where this is going don't you? We found a home that we love. Since we had just met with a lender "Dan Dan the Mortgage Man" (not his real slogan) we didn't even have financing lined up – but we made an offer anyway. They did accept on one condition. Our condo has to appraise for a certain amount. The builder, the real estate agent and some other person were over yesterday to check out our place. (Don't think that we didn't spend all day Saturday and Sunday boxing extra junk, the cute artwork and stuff that makes the condo ours. We took 8 boxes of stuff out and a rather large pile for goodwill.)

The waiting for the appraisal to come back has been agonizing. Everyone says don't fall in love with a house until it is yours. Too late – we are planning furniture placement, cruising consumer reports for ratings on washer & dryers, lawn mowers, refrigerators…

They have until Thursday to tell us about the condo appraisal. We have done the numbers from every angle – every bad scenario we can think of and we keep coming back to this emotion. "We want this house." We do have a line we can't / won't cross and pray that it doesn't come to that.

Moving before the wedding is something we said we would do only if the stars aligned and the financing piece came together with the perfect house; but if it wasn't in the works by June 1 than we would stop until after the wedding. While I am filled with anxiety over this Thursday deadline I feel like things have certainly come together.

Check back here for information Friday. Good news will be the posting of a floor plan and bad news will be a short post.

I'll have to rally though because you're about to be taken on a journey. Jason and I are going on vacation Saturday. We are meeting his parents and then going to Tipton, Indiana (a city with 1.9 square miles.) We will be staying in the place where Jason's aunt lives. She is a nun, but I have been strongly counseled that we are NOT staying in a convent. We will be in the "Mother house." I'm genuinely glad to be going but this will be coined "Chastity Vacation 2009"

Watch for updates throughout the week. Provided they have Internet in Tipton.

uh... art imitating life?

Hey Dumbass....

Last night after viewing the exciting Star Trek movie Jason and I jumped into the elevator at Lincoln Square.

We were with a hodgepodge of normal people, folks from the movie, Microsoft people just leaving work and this kid (maybe 25) who was on his phone. We were on floor 2 and he's talking.

Floor 1 opens, a few people get in and we head to the basement parking structure.

The doors open on B2 (aka 2 floors below ground) and no one gets off. Kid is still talking.

The doors open on B3 and 1 person gets off and the phone talker realizes he missed floor B2. We all kind of chuckle at the kid who was so "busy" on the phone that he missed his floor.

B4 - A few more people get off and the kid loses his call and starts bitching. "Jeez what kind of shitty service to I have that I can't keep a call in an elevator!?" He was really peeved.

Multiple people informed him that he was five stories below the surface of the earth and that no one had cell service down that far. Just maybe the concrete tunnel that the metal elevator goes up and down in also hurts service.

The remainder of the people got off the elevator at B5 and as the doors shut to take him to B2 - we all started laughing and mocking him.

A new home?

Jason and I are spending our limited free time looking at potential homes to buy. This is a fun but possibly heartbreaking activity. We don't have our financing settled but do have a meeting tomorrow with a trustworthy lender to see what our options are.

In looking for a home location matters, but because our base of operations (Jason's job) is in Issaquah, that seems to be the key commute consideration.

We have a list of wants, 3 bedrooms, a 3/4 or full bath on the main floor, a large garage and a rockin' master bedroom. We should be able to get what we want at a price that we swallow.

We've looked at houses in Issaquah, in Sammamish, Duvall (ICK) and Kenmore (double Ick). Duvall and Kenmore are quality places to live, but not if you commute to Issaquah, or the airport for that matter.

I'm looking for good storage and we both want a comfortable place to entertain. I want some sort of outdoor space and no shared walls.

Should the meeting with the lender go well, we will consider a move before the wedding (as if we don't have enough to do) but if the stars don't align perfectly we will stand down and wait.

This is a fun process and thankfully Jason and I are able to reasonably verbalize what we do and do not like about potential homes. "I just don't like it" doesn't quite work for me.

Sold!

The Renton Condo is officially not mine anymore.

Yeah!!!

Only if you believe in that sort of thing

see more Engrish

Fictionary Addition

Flustrate : When the person you're about to marry frustrates you to the point that you can't speak.

Passive Aggressive Blogging: when you share with the world your grievances vs. talking them out.


Note to my mother: Calm down. We are fine! The wedding is sill on.

On this date in....

Last night at 10:14 pm I received an email alert from WaMu informing me that there had been changes to my online bill pay profile and that if I hadn’t modify or add the noted payee then I should immediately call them.

 

I started to panic because I haven’t logged on to my WaMu/Chase accounts since Monday and unauthorized activity can be expensive.  I started to dial the number when I saw this little notice.  “On 05/04/2009 the following changes were made…”

 

05/04!?  That was MONDAY!  So, it now takes almost three days for an urgent account alert?   Thanks for giving the potential fraudsters a 2 ½ day lead on my money!

 

 

The Wedding Update

The news is full of worthy blog topics:

• Swine flu vs. the media – which makes you more sick?
• Changing the wine & beer distribution laws in Washington state – how do they protect us?
• The US Gov putting stronger restrictions on banks that want to repay the TARP funds. WTF!!?
• Why are there Ted Nugent songs on my iPod?

Ok, that last one wasn’t in the newspaper but it is a product of the changes in my life now that Jason and I are merging our lives. The preparations are moving along smoothly. We established joint checking and savings accounts. We will be talking to Dan the friendly mortgage lender about our options for purchasing a free standing house to live in and my condo is on target to be officially sold as of tomorrow.

Preparations for the big party are also on target. We met with the coordinator at our location and were able to secure a few extra hours before the event which will greatly improve the odds that the reception site will be perfectly decorated before any guest arrives. It also means we can do our wedding photos on site before the wedding. I was worried about trying to drive to an alternate location in “the” dress and trying to find an attractive place without other people around.

The liquor list has been selected. Jason’s parents, who live in Colorado where taxes are noticeably less, are on the hunt for good sales. They will bring the hooch with them when they drive up for the wedding. I’m sad to report that this will be a tequila free wedding. Those of you who find that to be disappointing news should know that we couldn’t agree on the quality of the tequila. We discussed a very high quality tequila and then agreed that it would be sad to see a tequila of that magnitude mixed with anything let alone made into ghetto margaritas. In the end we decided that the mixer situation was simpler without the addition of tequila. If you require shots of Patron Silver to keep you friendly during a social gathering of this type – bring your own flask.

The music selection is almost finalized. I think we have a fun mix of happy party songs and some lively dance music. There will be some sweet romantic music to sway to with your honey. I demand that you dance! Golly, that was awfully pushy. Sorry. It is my greatest dream that you will be moved to boogie at our wedding. That was a softer and yet still manipulative way of expressing my desire.

We found a calligrapher. A WHAT!? Of all the silly things to spend money on for the wedding I have skipped on the monogrammed bar napkins, matches and printed ribbons. We aren’t releasing doves or butterflies to signify the expression of our love. We haven’t rented a limo to drive us the .6 miles from the reception site to the hotel and so far, I’ve only purchased two pairs of potential wedding shoes. (I say so far because I found a different pair that are more “weddingy” and look comfortable. We’ll see what I actually end up with.) Ok, back to the justification for a calligrapher. My handwriting is horrid, Jason’s screams “dude” and I think it would be wrong to ask Yaz to address all of my invitations. A formal invitation with a pretty hand written address just says ‘wedding’ to me. It’s an expense that makes me happy – so I’m doing it!

The floor plans for the reception and ceremony have been mapped out. Some of these little decisions really mean nothing and some give me goose bumps. The placement of chairs and the “altar” for the ceremony makes my heart beat a little faster and my throat gets a little thick as my eyes mist up. I’m excited about this party that we’re pulling together, but those 30 minutes on the lawn are what it is all about. I’ve said all the vows of commitment to Jason over the course of the last ten months and nothing we say to each other in that moment will be new, but it is certainly significant to express them publicly. Significant and likely an emotional event; prepare yourselves to see your sarcastic, witty friend show emotion – but bring your own tissue because we didn’t splurge on custom monogrammed tissue either.

On the road again

The alarm sounds menacing at 4:15 a.m.  I hoped that due to the crazy wind and rain we were having that Alaska Airlines would cancel or delay my flight so I could stay in bed.  NO SUCH LUCK.    I boarded the flight to San Jose this morning at 6:25 .  As long as I don’t choose to fly on Monday morning, the flight is relatively light.  At 6:25 I could sleep on a full flight, but I had room to cross my legs and really drift off.

 

Arriving at 9 and getting a rental car (so far I say Budget is hands down the winner against Dollar.)  Budget is a more expensive rental, but the car is actually pleasantly clean and has no dings, odd sounds or smells.  I’m zipping around San Jose in a bright blue PT cruiser.   The color reminds me of my Jetta – a happy BRIGHT BRIGHT blue.

 

So, here I am, “in the office”.  My goals this week include leaving Friday with a plan of action (and tasks) for the following week.   Already I have been busy and motivated.    

 

My other plan is to survive the week here and not take advantage of the freebies.  I can for the most part pass the free sodas, ignore the free (high calorie, no protein) granola bars, and the mystery sandwich supplies that show up and the disappear off the counter in our coffee area.  However, the Wednesday free Noah’s Bagel Day is a harder “pass” for me.  A toasted bagel with herbed cream cheese makes me happy.  It is a carbohydrate nightmare with little to no protein value but shoot… it tastes so good!

 

I’m told that in the kitchens on the second floor there are different free food options and I may wander up there, but I’m afraid of what I might find.  What if the free things are homemade oatmeal raisin cookies or Lord help me Costco birthday cake?  I won’t survive it.   This weight thing is an ongoing and forever battle for me.   My surgery helps me to limit the amount I can eat, but it doesn’t control WHAT I eat.  That’s my job and frankly this ‘on the road’ thing is testing me.

 

Thankfully, I don’t stay long enough on Friday to skip the afternoon lawn party complete with adult beverages.  A cocktail at 3pm Friday afternoon would be a nice way to cap off the week – but I don’t know how these folks do it week after week.

 

In spite of the hilariously early rousting this morning, I will be taking my bagel avoiding behind to the hotel gym tonight.   I am motivated and determined to not let this disruption of my schedule disrupt my healthy terri plan.

Postal Judgement?

With the sale of the Renton condo almost complete (we are waiting for the lender to get a 'better' copy of my buyers drivers license -- grrr) I've made the commitment to change my address with the US Postal Service.

They do confuse me because they couldn't process my online request due to how they validate the credit card used to identify me. I guess making it difficult saves people from changing their most hated neighbor's address just to be mean. (Not that I would ever do that...no matter how hard he slams his door or how much mud he leaves on our shared stoop.)

Back to the point Terri.

Ok, so the online thing failed therefore we mailed in actual paperwork and I got a letter at both addresses confirming the "immediate" change. For the next two weeks all of my mail continued to go to the old address. I kept waiting for something to be "immediately" forwarded to the new place.

Every day... nothing. Sad.

Finaly this Saturday my first piece of forwarded mail arrived. I checked the familar yellow sticker to see my address printed correctly. Only, um - it wasn't my letter. Dayna Nickerson at some address in Newcastle failed to get her MAC private sale information because it came to me. Two things bothered me - the first is that our addresses aren't even remotely similar and the second was her name. "DAY-NA" - please.

Today I checked the mail and happily found a letter with the yellow sticker that was actually my mail. Woo Woo. This process may actually work. (I did call the sender to officially update my address.) The mail brought other wonderful items - my cell phone bill and Jason's debit cards for our new joint checking account. It also brought a large envelope from Fidelity informing me of my options regarding my 401k from MegaBank (since they don't exist anymore am I still under a gag order?)

The only thing notable about my mail is that each item that was addressed directly to me had a handwritten question mark on it. "?" Is the mail carrier confused as to why someone might suddenly have mail addressed to a new individual at their address? I thought that people moved all the time. Plus, I've been getting mail here since mid November - how strange that the post office person thinks its odd.

Whatever.