Etc...

You keep a messy house

"Very, very unusual," police Capt. Karl Leonard said after being called in on a burglary last week in Richmond, Va. In short, an apartment-dweller returned home from being away for a week to discover that her television set, computer, much of her food, some - ahem - adult beverages, and other items were missing. Now, one might assume that the place had been ransacked. But it wasn't. Exactly the opposite, in fact. The thief - or thieves, as the case may be - had washed and dried the dishes and the laundry before leaving. Oh, and he/they locked a sliding glass door that had been left open, too. "We've had burglaries ... where people have fixed themselves a sandwich," Leonard said. "But nobody's ever done the wash."

Pope John Paul II survived an assassination attempt in 1981, three years after he took office, and went on to become the third-longest-serving in history before his passing Saturday. The Roman Catholic Church considers the apostle Peter the first pope. And although there are different versions of how long he held the office, it's generally assumed he did so for at least 34 years - or longer than anyone who followed. Once chosen, a pontiff usually serves for the remainder of his life. The longest-serving popes, with the inclusive dates and number of years each presided:

St. Peter 30-64/67 A.D. 34 or 37 years
Pius IX 1846-1878 31 years, 7 months
John Paul II 1978-2005 26 years, 5 months
Leo XIII 1878-1903 25 years, 5 months
Pius VI 1775-1799 24 years, 6 months
Adrian I 772-795 23 years, 10 months
Pius VII 1800-1823 23 years, 5 months
Alexander III 1159-1181 21 years, 11 months
St. Sylvester I 314-335 21 years, 11 months
St. Leo I 440-461 21 years, 1 month
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