I've heard that about the Nook. What do you think about the Blue Door?

I just saw one on 34th with Tiki statues glued all over it. But I didn't have my camera.

Well Brandon, you are right and wrong. There were people who made horrible decissions. There were banks who let it happen. There were Realtors who encouraged it. There were also people who were taken advantage of. I've worked with several mortgage consultants. Very few of them would ever allow my clients into preditory loans. And those loans did not have the backing of Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, or FHA. I've met very few agents in this business who are capable of such selfish acts, although I'm sure they exist. The truth remains, as this affect the whole housing market and the whole economy, that we are all in this together.

On a short sale, the bank doesn't always set the price. The current owner and their agent do. Then after you write you offer, they ask for permission. It sounds shady, but even if they do get permission from the bank to list at a given price, the bank still reviews it and can possibly reject it. Fun, no?

Indeed Ferocious J. West Nokomis is way louder with the planes. On the East side we get them taking off, but not landing. But admittedly, I can hear them taxi-ing all morning. What the West side really has that prices its homes higher is more large homes. Those kinds of homes are just harder to find on the East side and often the largest home on the block.

Yes! You said it all. Big rug to put shoes on, keep it warm, and figure out your key situation! Not only is it frustrating to figure out which one to use, but it can be tricky to fit them all back in the lock-box.

Are you really going to make me mention A Baker's Wife? The delicious jewel of the East side?

Ha! I tried showing my friends from Kansas the frozen falls at Minnehaha one winter. They whined like you wouldn't believe.

You know that the only reason their apple fritter is the best is because A Baker's Wife (right down the street at 42nd St and 28th Ave) doesn't make an apple fritter. If Gary put his mind to it, he could make the best apple fritter the world has ever seen.

My nine-months-pregnant wife and I just took the rail downtown to see Jon Stewart on Friday. We bought 6-hour passes for $3.50. It saved us a whopping 50 cents each! Not to mention the $10 we would have spent on parking.