Excerpted from 'The Chronicles of the Black Paladin'

My dear friend zephyrofgod was almost stuck in Qatar and unable to return home, thanks to the ineptitude of both American Airlines and Qatar Airways. Her story is here; please read, boost, and offer any suggestions that you may have.

As of about 4:45 pm last night, Jackie and I are officially homeowners. Now comes the next hard part: moving my several metric asstons of crap from one house to another. Which will be made considerably more difficult by the fact that she will be going back in for another back surgery next Thursday, with several weeks of recovery time where she will be pretty much unable to move, much less lift anything.

I've already sent this call out on G+, but will repeat it here for anyone who didn't see: if you are in the Pittsburgh area, we are going to need an incredible amount of help packing and moving over the next month, culminating in the "move everything we haven't moved yet, including the furniture"-fest currently scheduled for November 23rd (the Saturday before Thanksgiving). If you are available and willing to help, please, please let me know, and thank you in advance.

Note to newcomers: This is a friends-locked journal. If you are interested in reading my journal, email me.