As we prepare for the big move this summer, and with many big expenditures looming on the horizon such as medical licensing and a trip to India, we’ve had to scrutinize our finances more carefully. One major decision has been to hold off selling our condo, and keep it instead as a rental property. In the process, we’ve had to look into refinancing our mortgage to take advantage of the low rates, finding a management company to look after the place when we leave town, and meeting with realtors to investigate rental prices in our neighborhood. I’m also discovering all kinds of junk I’ve accumulated over my past 8 years in this apartment, which I hope to sell off in the next few months. Meanwhile, I’ve finally gotten my hands on a new laptop which has been backordered since Black Friday. I’ve always been a fan of Asus motherboards and graphics cards, but this is my first experience with their ultrabook series. The Zenbook UX31 is purported to be a blend of form and function – featuring a sleek aluminum body reminiscent of the Macbook Air but with better performance and longer battery life. My major gripe has been the shallow keyboard which is taking some time to get used to. Time will tell how I adjust to the new form factor.