Between the recent travels and spate of injury and illness, I found time to do some house searching. We've narrowed it down to a few towns and have actually found a legitimate contender (although the thought of prepping Casa Magnolia for sale is a depressing thought). While searching, however, I have also found some more truly horrible rooms...

What is going on in this bathroom? So much wood. Tub in the middle of the floor. Big-ass mirror along one wall...










"You just go to the bathroom and I'll sit in this big regal chair and watch you."











"How are we going to distract potential buyers from the lack of furniture in this room? Oh, I know. Let's take one chair and put a big stuffed bear in it. That should work."











I have a feeling the owners of this hut held a lot of fancy tea parties for grown-ups...










Why even bother putting the coffee table in this room?










It may just be my eyes but this photo makes it appear that there's a wall along the right side of the bed and a dresser at the end of the bed. This leads to two obvious questions: 1) how thin is that room; and 2) what sort of flying leap is required to actually get into the bed?

In perhaps the most accurate real estate description on the internet, this is listed as "In need of some TLC." Indeed...

I know the hot thing for this holiday season is sending e-Cards but I am not a fan. Call me an anti-environmentalist who loves killing trees and paying high postage fees, but I really enjoy sending and receiving holiday cards. I send e-mails all year long. For me, this is an opportunity to send a personal piece of mail. Who doesn't enjoy opening the mail box throughout December to find a greeting with a handwritten note from a friend?

(As a sidebar, I got a card in the mail this weekend and was momentarily stunned to have received a Christmas card prior to the annual festival of turkey, but it turned out to be a Thanksgiving photo card from friends of their incredibly adorable little boy and I exhaled a sigh of relief.)

Anyway, you know what I will NOT be sending out this year? This...





















This suggestion was helpfully sent to me by the company that photographed the five-miler I ran Memorial Day weekend, under the subject header "tis the season to order your Holiday Cards!" Yes. This is the message I want to send. You can barely tell it's me in the back right of the photo but if you can figure that out, you will also note I'm sweaty and lumbering along, my shorts look like they're falling off and I'm getting dusted around the corner by what seems to be a teenager.

Call me crazy, but this does not scream "Happy Holidays" to me.

Today is one of my favorite days of the year, the OSU-Michigan football game. Normally, I'd be holed up in a tavern, enjoying Guinness, bar food and, at least in recent years, an ass-whupping by the Buckeyes. This year, thanks to a raging case of strep throat, I'll be parked on the couch. Had the doctor's assistant properly diagnosed my illness when I first went, four days ago, I'd be up and about and ready to head out for the game. But no. Bygones.

Fortunately, my Buckeye brethern has sent along a variety of Big Game material for my enjoyment...











Twas the night before game time,
And all round the shoe,
Not a creature was sleeping,
They were screaming Beat Blue.
The banners were hung by the lamp posts with care
in hopes that St. Todd would find Robiski through the air.
Drunken and crazy and burning their beds,
While visions of kick off danced through their heads.
When all of the sudden there arose such a clatter,...
I sprang from the keg to see what was the matter.
When there in the sky, in a Coupe Deville sleigh,
Was Woody Hayes decked out in scarlet and gray.
He looked on the crowd that was gathered around,
And said that he heard that a game was in town.
I came here to watch it, and wish you good luck.
Though it's not like you need it, cause Michigan Sucks!
GO BUCKS!!!!