Bing Crosby Facts and Statistics

As I've been learning about Bing Crosby, I've been reading Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams - The Early Years 1903-1940 by Gary Giddins. Here are a couple of facts that I've learned:

• Bing Crosby received a classical Jesuit education at Gonzaga High School and Gonzaga University. He is the only major singer in American popular music to receive a classical education.
• Bing Crosby didn't know how to read music, but he had an amazing audiographic memory and could memorize and sing back anything that was played for him.
• "In a national poll conducted in the late 1940s, Crosby was voted the most admired man alive, ahead of Jackie Robinson, Generals Eisenhower and MacArthur, Harry Truman, Bob Hope, and the Pope." (Loc. 174-175, Kindle version).
• "He was the first full-time vocalist ever signed to an orchestra"(Loc. 209-213, Kindle version).
• "He made more studio recordings than any other singer in history (about 400 more than Sinatra)" (Loc. 209-213, Kindle version).
• "He made the most popular record ever, "White Christmas," the only single to make American pop charts twenty times, every year but one between 1942 and 1962" (Loc. 209-213, Kindle version).
• "He scored the most number one hits ever, thirty-eight, compared with twenty-four by the Beatles and eighteen by [Elvis] Presley" (Loc. 216, Kindle version).

Homeowner Woes and Garages

This past academic quarter has been very demanding for me, because I took on more work than I should have. Plus, things have been kind of crazy at home. Within the past two months or so, we have had three separate ant invasions (in different parts of the house), two incidences with mice in the home, a leaky roof, and a water leak in the basement. And there are some slightly unusual smells in the basement now, which may or may not be related to the problems stated above. Ugh. The new roof is supposed to be finished this week, and I hope things will calm down after that point!

We also will likely be getting our shed torn down sometime next year (due to a local construction project which will require us to sell part of our property). This means that we need to quickly build another shed or a full garage, so we will have a place to house our lawn mower and yard tools. I don't know when we will be able to afford a garage (it depends on how much money we get for our property that is being sold), but J and I are spending our free time mulling over garage options. We like this one by Garages Etc. Ideally, we would like something with a loft for storage (and J ideally would like to have a studio space). Plus, we also need something to fit with the aesthetic of our home. This prefabricated option is nice, although there are some practical space logistics which might prevent this model from being a viable option:

Sometimes I wish I could spend all of my savings on trips to Europe, instead of on home improvement projects. Maybe one day that will be the case, but I doubt it!