I'm back, don't worry. A few new things since last month. First and foremost, we have a new car! If you were looking to get a piece of the old car, you're too late-- it sold on Craig's List within a day. That didn't leave me much time to mourn:

Adios, Silverado. We hardly knew ye.

Yes, Silverado was a great car, but it committed the fatal sin of not seating eight people. We went car shopping for a few weeks, and I picked out a sweet muscle machine:

Whooo! Chicks dig the low MPG on this baby! Burn the fossil fuels, baby, burn!

In the end, mom got her way, and now we have a minivan:

Nice. And check out the soccer medal I'm flashing. Guess who successfully completed the YMCA youth soccer program? This guy. That's right--I participated. I'm The Participator. (And mom is now officially in the Minivan-Driving Soccer Mom demographic.)

Dad experienced some angst:

OK, so what part of "You've been an old fogey parent for over four years, so it's really no big deal that you're now driving a minivan" don't you get? Yeesh.

I also made a return visit to the new house, this time with mom in tow.

She got it inspected. She's The Inspector.

While part of me is excited about moving to Philly (though I still haven't seen the Chickens yet and I am beginning to get suspicious), the rest of me is quite morose about leaving Charlottesville. I've been trying to spend some extra time enjoying my favorite people and places before we leave:

Olive time with my BFF, Gram. He ate them. I didn't. (A week ago, I also told mom and dad, "I wish I didn't have to eat." Male anorexia, here I come!!!)

Picnic time with me, Evelyn, and the white houses.

Train time with me and my massive Thomas the Tank engine collection. (Mom and dad assure me that I get to take them with me, but then, they also assured me that I would be staying in Charlottesville forever. OK, they didn't say that. But still, I don't trust them.)

Lastly, I've been fighting through some school troubles in the last few weeks. One of my classmates flagrantly stole my chair at snacktime, so I picked up a block and clocked him in the head. Frankly, I thought I was well within my rights at the time. And I think once upon a time, such vigilante justice would have been looked upon favorably. But there's apparently been a major call for stringent block control laws in the last few years. So I've been banned from the blocks for the next few weeks. However, you'll be glad to know that I am now on the path to redemption and rehabilitation thanks to a new rewards program instituted by mom and dad. Also, I've been getting some looks from the 5-day girls in the last few days, and they apparently like sensitive guys, not the angry, block-clocking type.