An actual writing update:

* I mailed out seven poetry submission packets today, ranging low to high poems. It's amazing what I can do when I am not working freelance all the time.

* Tonight I'll order my friend's novel off Amazon. She and I attended grad school together, and I've read the drafts, but I'm eager to read the novel and attend her launch party!

* I've been invited to another publisher launch party -- a client of mine is launching a book, and it's a cool NYC affair. I am happy to go.

* Later tonight I'll actually get a chance to read the poems my friend D sent to me, and then I'll write him back. Finally, a moment to breathe.

Other unrelated things:

* I watched 20/20 the other night and got so frustrated and nauseated that I literally stormed out of the room. Here's a show excerpt from the 20/20 Web site:

"There are nearly 10 million renters today that could actually afford to buy a home, ... but they don't know it. ... You don't need a big down payment. You don't have to have perfect credit. Even if you have credit card debt, the banks will loan you money," he added. "20/20" challenged Bach to help just two families out of that 10 million realize the American dream of buying their first home.

One couple, Alison and Greg Kenyon, from the metro Detroit area, together make nearly $60,000. They have a 2-year-old and a baby on the way and are quickly outgrowing their rental apartment but admit they don't know a thing about buying a home. "Because you get a tax writeoff for your mortgage — it will actually be less expensive for you to own than rent," [Bach] told them. ... Based on their strong credit history, they should have no trouble getting a $180,000 loan. Even though they have a nest egg of $10,000, Bach advises them to take a hard look at their spending.

Next, Bach met the Norrises, Bambi and John. They live in a rented home outside Fresno, CA, with their two children. Bambi is a school teacher, Jason sells tires. With a combined salary of $40,000 (less than the national average), the Norrises are a bigger challenge for Bach. Although they're eager to have a place of their own, it's an uphill battle as they struggle to pay the bills every month. " ... Just cutting back would probably be a difference between a $150,000 home and a $200,000 home," Bach told them. The Norrises have only $4,000 in savings — just a drop in the bucket in the pricey California market — especially since they have big dreams.

Just two months after their first meeting, the Norrises made an offer on a house not far from their current rental. At $180,000, and no down payment, the house is at the upper limit of what they can afford. Still, they say the house is priced under market and, best of all, fulfills some of their dreams — in particular, having three bedrooms.

The Kenyons in Detroit are also thrilled with their progress. With Bach's advice, they got a mortgage and found a house they could afford. At $170,000, it still had most of what they wanted. They closed on the property this week, and now the house is officially theirs.

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Now, in case you don't live on the East Coast, here are the things that made me want to run screaming down the street:

a. Annual combined salaries of $60K and $40K, respectively ... and both couples bought houses (which looked fine from what I could see)

b. Purchase price of $170K and loan of $180K. Holy crap. Around here that is an RV with no tires.

c. "Nest egg" of $10K and savings of $4K. *YIKES* I can't even describe what I've saved for a house, and I still can't afford one that isn't like a hobbit hole.

d. No down payment. I'd never be able to do that and sleep at night.

e. "The bank will loan you the money." No kidding, bud. They'd be happy to loan me what I need to get a decent house around here. I'm just not willing to take it.

My point is that in my area, houses are INCREDIBLY expensive and a loan would be huge. I realize I just have to jump in and buy, but I can't stand hearing about these "experts" who don't get what it's like. If our combined salary were one third of the mortgage we needed to get a decent house here, I'd be thrilled. M just told me to look west, so maybe my commute is going to get rather long in the near future!