I grew up in a quiet, middle class neighborhood. We didn’t lock our doors. We borrowed milk and butter from each other. We kids called the grown ups “Mr.” or “Mrs.” but we all felt more like family than many families today. It was (and still is) a great place to live.

And yet. (You knew that was coming, right?) There is always a neighbor – sometimes more than one neighbor – who transforms a wonderful neighborhood into a nightmare. Some neighbors are unpleasant and others are just downright rotten. When you’re dreaming of luxury vacations but would settle for a hospital stay just to get away from an obnoxious neighbor, you know you have a problem!

Now, thanks to the internet, anyone can report rotten neighbors in order to warn others. That means that if you’re thinking of buying a new house, you can check out the neighborhood for any problem people. Pretty cool, huh?

The site is the brainchild of Brant Walker and is owned by @ttenunit.com. They’re not real estate agents or brokers; the site is simply there as a service to those who are considering a move to a new area.

I entered my own zip code and found no reports of bad neighbors so I guess I’m in the clear. (Or my neighbors don’t know about the site yet.) I entered my mom’s zip code and found 4 reports: 2 bad, 2 good. Knowing the area as I do, I admit that I agree with the reports I found.

Whether you’re looking into a new neighborhood or you just want to give your opinion on your own neighbors, this is an excellent resource. Give it a look.

Speaking of cars and things….

I don’t know how I missed it before, but my car insurance company has a website that lets you pay your premiums online. I did that last month and it was really easy.

I pay most of my bills online. Those that don’t have online options get paid through my banks BillPay program. I don’t think I send checks for anything anymore. And I like that.

The best thing about the online payment options is that I have a triple record – the Thank You For Paying page that I copy and paste into a text file, the email that is always sent after payment is made, and the record at the website where I make the payment.

I’m awful with paper records so I embrace the digital receipts. I just have to remember to back up my hard drive so I don’t lose anything.

My mom and I were talking about what kind of child life insurance we should get for Kendyll. We’ve always opted for the two policies for the kids. One is very inexpensive, provides a small amount of coverage and offers the option of converting to an adult policy at very reasonable rates when the kid is 21. The other is a one time payment of $2000 that provides scholarship money for college.

I always get the first policy for my kids and my mom gets the second one. I’m thinking about getting the second one for Kendyll. Anyone know of a better policy for kids?

When I picked up my daughter at school last week, we drove the long way around to get home. I was in one of those reminiscent moods and wanted to look at some of the places we used to go as kids.

I’d forgotten that one of the town’s bowling alleys no longer exists. And the discount furniture store where we got our first living room set is now a convenience store. My, how things change!

My kids, of course, don’t really care about the way things used to be. My daughter enjoyed the extra time we spent together but wanted to do most of the talking, not listen to old mom remembering the way things were. I wonder if Levi would be interested in a ride down memory lane with me.

I have to take Boomer to the doctor this week and I’m kind of dreading it. Why doctors have such awful magazines in their waiting rooms? Is there some doctor rule about that or something?

The last time I saw the doctor, I was stuck reading celebrity news and crafting magazines. The ads for Branson homes for sale were more interesting than the gossip and how-to articles.

I have to remember to pick up a couple computer magazines and maybe Popular Science before Boomer’s appointment. Or I could just sit there and tweet from my cell phone. I’m sure all my twitter friends would love to keep up with the ticking clock as we wait on Boomer’s doctor.

When Maggie, Levi and I went to the mall last weekend, we took our time and looked around at just about every store. We even walked through K mart and looked at everything from fishing gear and exercise equipment to baby cribs and ceiling fans!

Usually we’re in a hurry to get home but since I don’t have to rush home to make supper while Brian is in Hawaii, I can take my time and “window shop” or even just stop and visit when I see someone I know.

I’ve always enjoyed walking through the mall but had grown to hate it because I was always in a rush. It’s really nice to just take as much time as I want, no rush, and enjoy the kids. I think we’ll do this again next week.

Yes, I’ve been out in real life and just realized that I’m feeling a little like I’ve gone cold turkey from blogging. It’s like drug rehabilitation for a blogaholic.

The only thing is, it’s not specifically blogging I miss but the being able to express myself and share ideas here. That’s what I was craving this past week. And seriously, that isn’t so much an addiction as it is a desire to be heard. That’s really just a very human thing.

Some of my friends are busy buying domains. I have a habit of checking on domain names now and then and making lists of those that I really want. Right now, I have a handful of domains that need developed.

I know that there are others who own hundreds of domains; I’m not at that point yet. I like having some of the prime internet real estate but I’m going slow and trying to give it some thought before I buy.

I think I’ve finally found a use for all the blank floppy disks I have in a box. Kendyll’s computer, which is old and just used for some simple baby games, has a floppy drive. Kendyll loves putting the disks in the drive so I’m going to give them to her!

Luckily, Kendyll’s computer isn’t too old – it does have a few USB ports so I’ve been able to intall her games from my flash drive. I can remember when some software came on several floppies! Of course, I still have a copy of DOS 5.something around here somewhere, too.

It’s been quite a while since I last posted about Nick and Brit’s progress on their apartment. That’s because it’s summer time which means long days while the weather is cooperating. It’s also been a dry summer so there haven’t beent that many rain-out days.

I walked out to the apartment yesterday and looked around. They’ve done a few little things like finishing the grout on the tile floor and the trim in Kendyll’s room. I noticed that Nick hung their ceiling fan and added a very nice light where the table will go. It looks a little like a Murray Feiss ceiling light I saw when we were renovating our house.

I offered to pay for the tile in the kitchen and bathroom but Nick doesn’t want “cheap stuff” in there. I don’t know what he has in mind but Brit thinks they’ll be in there by Christmas so he better get moving and take me up on the offer. Although, just between us, I wouldn’t mind at all if they stay right where they are for now. After all, I just finished Kendyll’s playroom!