Nibbles and I have touched down on 3rd Avenue. Despite some panic attacks, she did survive the trip here. Have I mentioned how awesome my friends are for letting me stay with them? Also, Joyce's minivan is even better than a pickup truck for moving stuff. That thing is huge!
I am almost, ALMOST out of the house on Baurick Court. I've got a few boxes left to pack, some garbage to throw out and a whole lot of cleaning to do. I want my hefty deposit back. That's more than a mortgage payment.
Now that this house stuff is all settled-ish, I'm starting to think about the realities of living there. For instance, I bought a new television, so I need a way to both display it and maximize my storage. I've come up with this:
Also, I need a game plan for colors. I'm thinking a teal in the bedroom, with a lighter color inside the closet. Maybe a light purple. I might use that same color to redo the dressers, and I plan to make an upholstered headboard. Jay Cable is going to loan me his jigsaw to do it, provided I agree to not cut my fingers off. I should probably see what upholstery fabric I can find in town before I go buying paint.
Today was a good day at work. I took a group of interns on a hike up Angel Rocks, then went to the hot springs for a few hours, then dinner at Silver Gulch Brewery and dessert at Hot Licks.
I'm home now, slightly sunburned and definitely tired. Tomorrow is the first UAF Really Free Market, and I'm going early to drop off a bunch of stuff I'm getting rid of in this move. I got the appraisal back from the bank today, and the house came in at the right price. It's looking like this house-buying stuff is a done deal. That should give me a nice place to put the new television.
I've started watching some Star Trek: Voyager, despite the fact that the boys at Make It So once voted the entire cast as the worst actor in the history of Trek. Maybe that's weighing on my mind, but I've notice that DVDs are making a subtle editorial comment. The "Launch" button for each episode thus far has been positioned over what is, frankly, the rectum of the ship. Seriously.
I bought a new television today. I was only sort of considering it, but then I found a 32" LCD that was discounted for being the floor model. I figure I can justify this by pointing out that my LAST impulse purchase netted me a $130K mortgage. Also, my new living room is small and the old television ironically takes up more space. Plus now Bollywood nights can return to my house.
Bob is gone. Celine is gone. I am sleeping on an air mattress as I slowly depart. Air mattresses are cold and uncomfortable, and I look forward to being reunited with my mattress and boxspring at Joyce's on Saturday. She and Michael have graciously offered to let me bring my cat and crash in their guest room until I close on the house. How much do my friends rock??
Packing has sucked. Please don't ever let me buy clothes again. I'm a fashion plate, but that comes at a price. That price is a massive wardrobe. I've been trying to cull things. The stiletto Timberlands are finally going away. I suspect more stuff will be going away when I try to unpack.
Tomorrow I am going hiking for work. In an effort to document our summer interns, I will be scrambling up Angel Rocks, then going to soak in the hot springs. It's rough. I realized today that this probably means I need a bathing suit. Luckily, I found one I had not yet packed. After hot springs and dinner, I plan to come home and pack pack pack. I'm really ready for that "moving" montage...
I get no respect from that beast. To be fair, she's being extra needy because all my belongings are slowly disappearing from the house.
The video was shot late last night/early this morning. Yesterday was kind of great and sucky all at once. It was solstice: Yay! I woke up to rain: Boo! The rain cleared in time for our performances at the street festival: Yay! I ate lots of fried foods: Yay! I came home and got a migraine: Boo! I attempted to nap it away, to limited success: Yay? Boo? I then got nauseated, but had not yet packed the Alka Seltzer: Yay! My nap kept me from going to sleep again: Boo! I watched a zombie movie instead: Yay! I woke up and still had a headache: Boo!
I called out sick at work. Now it's hours later and I'm still in a bit of pain. I think this is because of the air mattress that I will call my bed for the next week. Marmian and I moved my bed and couch on Saturday, and I will officially begin squatting in Joyce's dance room on Saturday. Until then, it's air mattress time. This kind of reminds me of the rebound guy I dated last year who believed there was no finer bed on Earth than a futon mattress on the floor. Every morning felt like a college weekend. Ugh.
Last night I dreamed that I moved into my new house. I was in the backyard when I noticed a problem with one of the shingles, so I tore it off of the roof. Then I started tearing off more shingles. I had removed about 1/3 of the roof when I realized that I didn't actually have any of the materials necessary to repair the roof. "Don't worry about it," I told my dream self, "you can just put a tarp over it until you're ready to fix it."
This dream means I am:
a) nervous about owning a houseIt's time to start packing stuff up again. Marmian will be here with her truck soon.
b) a true Alaskan when it comes to repairs and quick fixes
c) all of the above
How come women can have a baby shower every time they get pregnant, but not have a bridal shower every time they get married?
This moving business isn't good for me. I'm so busy I don't have time to make food, which means getting takeout if I even notice that I'm hungry.
I think I'm getting less panicked about buying a house, but I'm getting more panicked about singing in public in a few weeks. Why did I agree to do that show?
I'm having a really hard time finding a manual lawn mower. I think I might have to order one off the Internet. That makes for an ironically large carbon footprint for the human-powered machine.
I can't be the only person amused by the fact that an aerospace reporter is named Miles O'Brien, right??
Seriously, it was a BIG spider!
My roommate killed a polar bear. No, really.
Read about it here.
Maybe I should stop making fun of him so much. Nah.
Since my new house (ack!) will have cellular reception, I'm debating whether I should just ditch the landline and go with only a cell phone. It seems logical, but I also want to have Internet access at home. And thus far I can't seem to find just Internet access. Well, I can, but it's $40/mo as opposed to $50/mo for a phone, Internet and possibly cable bundle. That's stupid.
I breifly decided that a new house (ack!) warranted a proper, grown-up purchase. Specifically, I wanted a piece of art by Bill Hammond. I saw some of his stuff in a gallery in Wellington, NZ, and it kind of stuck with me.
See what I mean? Creepy and gorgeous. The one above is "The Fall of Icarus" and below is "Placemakers II."
Alas,Mr. Hammond does not seem to have a website. The one site I found that sold quality work started their lithographs at $2,500. Ouch. I've found one NZ print store that has two of his prints, "Placemakers I" and "Jingle Jangle Morning" for sale for NZ$80 each. I think it might be worth it. But it won't be the same as seeing his art up close, seeing the paint that has poured down the canvas.
I haven't been here much lately. Mostly because I've been here: http://marybuysahouse.blogspot.com/
Yeah, so I kind of bought a house. Ack. I get nauseated every time I think about the fact that I'm signing off on a 30-year mortgage. Oh, sure friends tell me that I can leave it after 5 or 7 years, but STILL!! That's a longer commitment than I've ever managed in my 32 years.
Anyway, to save you all from too much boredom as I talk about disclosures and home inspections, I'm going to be busy over there for a while. But, to sum it up:
- I bought a house
- It seems pretty cool
- I am closing in mid-July and am quasi-homeless from July 1 until then
- I am excited and nauseated all at the same time (seriously - who does this so quickly? I decided LAST WEEK that maybe I ought to consider buying a house. I made up my mind on Thursday, viewed the house on Saturday, put in an offer on Monday and it was accepted on Tuesday)
I think I'm going to take te plunge. It's time to be a grown-up and admit that I've lived in Alaska for 6.5 years. I'm staying. As such, I think I am going to buy a house.
Oh, originally my plan was to build a house next year, but damn that Obama and his $8K tax credit! Stupid economic stimulus! I don't know if I'm going to find the perfect house in the perfect location for the right price. I do have until November to take advantage of the tax credit, but I also have to move out of my place by then end of this month. Which means either buy something right now or put my stuff in storage and move into the cheapest month-by-month apartment I can find. Hello, Fairview Manor!
I believe the house-viewing madness starts on Tuesday.
