Why?...

My brother and SIL just bought a house. Mom and Dad sent me pictures today and it's a lovely little house. It's their first house and I'm very excited for them. It's a four bedroom, two bath with an adorable front and laminate wood floors.










Mom said the kitchen was tiny but the pictures don't really seem so.



So while I'm genuinely thrilled for my brother and SIL, I feel somehow shown up. I'll never be able to afford a house this size or this nice. Their price point is at least twice mine (they are in CA!). I'm looking for a three bedroom 1 bath (I'd prefer 1.5 but it's not likely). The kitchen's I've been looking at are smaller than this one. Most of the houses have nasty carpeting and are ugly ranch style houses. The last two that were comfortably in my price range were structurally unsound so I'm questioning whether I'll even be able to find something I can afford that's worth having.

Why does everything feel like a competition between me and my brother? And why do I always feel like I'm never as good as he is?

It's official....

The King and Queen have decided to appoint a Viceroy for Adiantum for the next year. They felt that neither set of candidates had the support of the barony. Rumor (and it is heresay) has it that only 20 poling forms reached them...out of 83 members in the Barony. Wow. I'd rather the Crown appoint a Viceroy than have them randomly choose a couple and then the new Baron and Baroness discover that they don't have the support and resources that they thought they did. We've been there and seen that. It's not pretty. A Baron and Baroness without the resources and support of the populace are rarely successful. They may be the figure heads, and we love them, but it's the resources (human more than monetary) they can muster that make it all work.

I know the candidates are really disappointed...however, I'm really disappointed in what I heard coming out of their mouths when they found out. Loudly denegrating the crown because of their decision, while understandable, does not make you look good.

Hey folks we pretend to live in a Monarchy...that means the King and Queen decide...it's not democracy, in spite of the poling to get opinions.