About a week ago, Dan and I were out on my deck watching a big, fat rabbit digging a hole in the middle of my backyard.  Most rabbits would have scurried away as soon as they heard the back door opening, but this rabbit carried on like we weren't even there.  We wondered why it was being so bold...

Then yesterday I was mowing my backyard when one of the lawnmower's wheels got stuck in a small divot in the ground.  When I kicked the wheel loose with my foot, a fluffy mess of brown fur and patchy grass got stirred up and scattered into the wind.  At first I thought I ran over and killed something.

Here's what I found instead:

..

Baby bunnies!  The foot-deep hole is filled with about 6 or 7 of these tiny brown furballs, each struggling to keep warm, sleeping on top of or underneath each other.  They were so cute, I just had to take some pictures.

Later I was so worried I had disturbed the nest too much, and that Mama Fats (what I named her) wouldn't come back to nurse them.  But I checked the nest again today, and the babies seemed to be doing fine.  One of them even nipped at my fingers when I got a little too close with my camera phone.  I Googled something along the lines of "baby bunnies nest disturbed" and found this link, which seems pretty reassuring.  I pretty much did what the advice describes, by returning the fur and matted grass to the nest and arranging it as close to how I found it as possible.  The advice says that mother rabbits only stop by the nest for about 5 minutes twice a day to feed their young, and don't need to sit on the nest or be near it (which I found surprising).  I'll keep checking in on the little guys--I hope they make it.  It's kinda like the Discovery Channel in my own backyard!

How did I not know about this song until now?

So far, 14 is my highest.  Pathetic.

Lately I have become a huge Craigslist junkie.  For the past couple of weeks, I have been checking the local For Sale listings several times a day to see if I could find any good deals on things I'll need for my new house.  I've browsed Craigslist in the past (even tried listing on it a few times), but nothing ever came of it, most likely because of bad timing or having only a semi-vested interest in the transaction at hand.  However, I've learned that if you want to score big on Craigslist, you've got to be FAST, READY, and FLEXIBLE.

If you see something you like on Craigslist, act FAST.  Reply to the listing immediately, and call the lister if possible.  Also, when you make first contact, make a point to tell them you have cash READY, and can arrange for easy pick-up.  Also tell them that you're FLEXIBLE and try to cater to their schedule whenever possible.  If they see that you're trying to make the transaction less of a hassle for them, this gives you a big edge over other prospective buyers.

Here are my latest pick-ups:

2/24/2008 - Whirlpool Dishwasher for $75
This was an absolute steal.  I got a 3-year old white Whirlpool dishwasher in excellent working condition for just $75 from an upper middle class family in Bel Air.  They were getting rid of it because they just completely remodeled their kitchen and purchased all new stainless steel appliances (must be nice!) and needed to get rid of it fast.  Now I can get rid of the duct-taped piece of shit that came with the house!

2/21/2008 - 3 Wrought Iron Bar Chairs for $60
This was a decent price for 3 heavy iron, upholstered bar chairs.  I had been looking for something like this to put in the new kitchen since it has a big counter-height peninsula that I plan on using as my main eating space.  I bought some dark brown metal spray paint ($10) and heavy diamond-patterned fabric ($20) from Joann's to refinish them so that they exactly match the fabric and decorations I'll be putting in the kitchen.  So the total cost is less than $100 for 3 custom chairs, which is a pretty good deal considering a single bar chair (in a style I hate) goes for $50 and up at most places.

Next up on my hit-list:
1)  White electric range (preferably w/ ceramic cooktop)
2)  Bigger TV
3)  Bookshelves

...After almost 9 months of searching and holding out for the right home.  And you know what?  It's totally paying off.  Not only did I find a property I love, but my prolonged housing search also enabled me to take advantage of the new lowered interest rates, going from 7% down to 6.25% AND my move-in date is going to synch up perfectly with the end of my apartment's lease.  My timing on finding this property simply could not have been better.  I settle next Wednesday, and I can't wait!

P.S: Wanna see it?
http://flickr.com/photos/shezcrafti/sets/72157603924325075/show/

Disclaimer:  These are the "BEFORE" photos, as in, before I've had a chance to move in and fix the place up, so please excuse the carpet stains, shitty wallpaper, boxes of crap, and rooms full of old people paraphernalia!  It's obviously not my stuff!

So I realized today that I haven't updated this silly thing in months, and the blogger's guilt is starting to settle in.  There has been SO much going on lately that I can barely keep up with myself, but here are the top 5 updates:

1 - My divorce is FINALLY final
2 - I'm officially a Hood again
3 - Working on 2 new websites
4 - I'm helping a close family friend start a new business
5 - I just bought a house!

Needless to say, I've been a busy girl.

...and watch this:

http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/

Whether you agree with any of it or not, it definitely raises some very big and rather disturbing questions.

Hey guys,

Do you live, work, or visit in Baltimore?

WebAd.vantage (my company) is doing a promotion for one of our clients, the Baltimore Area Convention & Visitors Association.  You could win $2007 big ones--all you have to do is submit a short video of why you love Baltimore!

Deadline is September 4th.  See details from my associates below!

Jaime

***DETAILS***

Dear Baltimore Local,

We've been working with the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association with the launch of their brand new site, VisitMyBaltimore.com.  In doing so, we've hand-selected some prominent Baltimore bloggers and would like to offer you (and perhaps blog name) a chance to get in on it before it's officially launched on July 10th!

The new site, visitmybaltimore.com, will feature videos of the city portrayed through the eyes of those who know it best—those folks who live, work and play here—folks just like you!

Want to get involved and win the $2007 prize for the best "My Baltimore" video?

Grab your video camera and create your own video about what you know and love about Baltimore. Show us your favorite neighborhood, bar or restaurant, where you love to shop downtown or the first place you take your friends and family who visit from out of town. The contest "officially" begins July 10th and ends September 4th but we're giving you, already a voice of the city, a chance to show people what they're missing.

To view a sample video please visit: www.VisitMyBaltimore.com

To submit a video prior to July 10th:
www.VisitMyBaltimore.com/whatsnew/video/sendvideo_bacva.php

To submit a video after July 10th:
http://www.visitmybaltimore.com/signup/index.html
(this page will not be live until July 10th)!

If you would like to offer your blog readers, friends or family the same chance to get in on the video submissions before the official launch of the site, feel free to do so but the contest is only open to local Baltimoreans.

~ Lisa Melvin / Sondra Stegemann
(of WebAdvantage.net in Havre de Grace, Maryland)
For the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association's
www.VisitMyBaltimore.com

Do you ever find normal, everyday words to be ridiculously silly?  This has been happening to me a lot lately.  I'll just be going about my business typing or writing some random word, and for whatever reason at that particular moment in time, it just seems completely absurd.  Sometimes it's the spelling, other times it's the way it sounds.  Today it was a little bit of both:

"Soap."  Ridiculous!