Carlton is still the Housing Officer. He organized another scouting mission to the building with the best view this afternoon. He measured stuff and generally kicked the tires.
They are willing to outfit the closets with shelving to my specs. Peggy likes that. They have free day time parking for guests. Carlton likes that. In many ways it is nicer than were we are now. The kitchen isn’t as spiffy as this one. But, it has a gas stove unlike most of the electric options I have seen in other apartments. It has a tiny laundry room, not laundry closet. It is absolutely right exactly next door to Metro. Don’t have to cross any streets. Just walk out the door. That is sweet. It is further away from my grocery store, volunteer job, and shopping mall. But, closer to the library and Apple Store and Whole Foods.
Today, Carlton is the Housing Officer. He is liking a really expensive place. It has a view of the Washington Monument out of the kitchen window. Well, out of the living room and one of the bedrooms too. But, I tend to focus on the kitchen. The place is expensive – but basically you are paying for the view. That works for me.
He didn’t sign on the dotted line. Tomorrow is another day. In his role as Housing Officer, he also unleased a real estate lady. I am scared of real estate ladies. I would never unleash a real estate lady.
And, what is overstuffed – the Airness is overstuffed. I had to offload some stuff to the USB Drive. The Airness has a 128 gig solid state drive and it doesn’t take too much iTunes and too many photos to get things a little cramped.
After this move: flat tvs, FIOS, real end tables – vice milk crates and maybe a Mac Mini are on tap. Have you noticed what your CDs are paying these days? Might as well spend the money. A penny saved is a penny wasted.
I downloaded a new beta of Lightroom 3. It seems a little faster. But, I just moved all my fotos to the external drive – so who knows?
We are either getting closer to finding a new home or my killing Carlton. Pick one. Either one works for me.
I thought we were settled on the 200 sq foot smaller but perfectly fine unit that we saw this morning. As hard as he tried Carlton couldn’t find anything wrong with it.
I was happily making floor plans and pushing paper furniture around.
Then, then, the man says “I’ll think I call up the owner (of our current unit) and try to get him to let us stay until August of 2011”. I lost it. I told Dear Hubby that I wash my hands of the whole thing. If this gets messed up – then he finds us a place to live.
Carlton said I was threatening him. Playing the “My way or the highway” card. Well, I have visited 7 apartment buildings, emailed and phoned dozens of Craigslisters, visited 4 privately owned units. Spent hours online checking out this and that. He went to see one building, and 2 private units. After I vetted them.
And, he is getting really deaf. We just had an argument about me wearing earplugs because he has the TV up so loud. May be he is extra deaf from this respiratory infection that he hasn’t gotten over.
Have to get a grip. Inhale, exhale, move on. Is it bubble bath time?
I did finish checking and destroying 200+ backup CD’s and DVD’s. Did they ever make a lot of noise going down the trash shoot. Years ago I got this little plastic gizmo that safely gouges the CD. It is overpriced, but, it is easy and seems to work. Disc Eraser
And, by the time I go to bed tonight – will we have the beginning of health care reform? Of course, now that I am an old woman and getting government health care – I suppose I should be really opposed to anyone else getting a good deal.
Sort of dialed back the search for housing today. We a going to see a more modest place tomorrow. Cheaper and smaller than were we are now. But, it is reported to be a very well managed condo. It has a gas stove, which I like.
I think this will be a turning point … if we like it … we’ll sign up. If we don’t … we’ll concentrate our efforts at the pricey rental building that Carlton likes so much. Carlton is optimistic about tomorrow’s place. And he no longer hangs on to hope that we’ll be able to stay in this unit. As my old Latin teacher used to say as she handed out pop quizzes: There hasn’t been a miracle in 2,000 years, don’t expect one today.
Here it is March Madness time. My college: Texas Western had its only moment in the sun on March 19, 1966. It was much more than a just another game.
Things are look up – after being voted off the search team – today Carlton asked what he should go look at. I sent him to see Liberty Towers. It has a crappy electric stove and subpar fridge – but that is all that I don’t like. Check it out. Liberty Towers.
Carlton LIKED it.
Carlton liked the biggest, bestest, highest, expensivest units. He says if we have to move we may as well move up. I said we’ll get flat TVs and FIOS.
There are views to die for from the roof. And maybe… if the goddess is willing – we could nail a high up unit with a view to die for. Otherwise – up on the roof is where the view is.
He is still hanging on to a thread of hope that a miracle will occur and we can stay in “our” unit.
And, I am still urging a more modest cost solution – we have this interesting reversal of roles. I have us scheduled to look a a place that costs $600 or $700 less per month. Maybe we could still get new TVs and FIOS.
I spent most of the day dealing with the 200+ back up CDs. I can not pitch them without a looking at each one. I got thru 100 today. I would love to destroy them by nuking them in our micro wave. But that would be juvenile.
Rather than sleeping last night, I came up with Relocation Plan B.
After this afternoon’s visit to see a really large (1800 sq ft) unit in a vintage condo – also very reasonable cost – after Carlton rejected the place. The reason “It is too big” never mind that it has free cable, and utilities are included in the rent. Never mind that garage parking is $100 a year not a month. After this, Carlton has been voted off the search team.
My Plan B is to go survey the apartment buildings in the next zip code – closer to the Apple Store and Whole Foods. Farther away from the Library, dentist, Harris Teeter and volunteer work. That is why we have the Metro. With Senior Citizen Discount.
Then stop the looking madness. Just wait on something really fine to show up on MLS or Craigslist. While waiting – I’ll get packing. Starting with getting rid of stuff that has crept in since the last move or which was moved and never used. Then – start putting my stuff and the general family stuff in boxes. Sooner or later something sweet will show up and I’ll be all ready to spring on it. I’ll just tell Carlton that me and the stuff are moving and he can come or not.
And, if eviction day comes and something sweet hasn’t shown up – well, I’ll call the movers and tell them to come get the stuff and store it – and rent “corporate” housing apartment for as long as it takes.
And, I’ll be willing to purchase something if it seems to make sense. Purchasing this unit doesn’t make sense.
How did we ever live without DropBox? The Airness, the XP system, and the Ubuntu system all play nice with DropBox. And, I have stopped mourning the loss of Roboform – all the systems are happy to use KeePass or KeePassX and DropBox keeps things in sync.
My first moving assignment is to destroy all of my old backup CD’s. I have backups that go back to the 1990’s. Excessive.
I dialed the moving frenzy back today. For fun I went to the dentist. Left with a hole in my plastic. Also indulged in a little retail therapy, ordered a cheap, little camera for the trip to Japan. Coal to Newcastle anyone?
Last night we saw a unit in our building. Carlton rejected it because: he didn’t like the parking space and he felt that the HVAC system had not been properly maintained. Earth to Big Guy – you are just renting it.
There is a unit exactly like ours five floors down – the guy wants $1,000 per month above market for it. I actually think that Carlton would spring for it. That way he can tell the movers to “Beam it down, Scotty”. And, for him it wouldn’t be like moving at all.
For me, it doesn’t make any difference, five floors, five blocks, five miles – same amount of trouble.
I refuse to pay $12,000 extra a year so I don’t have to find a new place to put my underdrawers! I’d rather have $12,000 to fly to France and buy French underwear and then maybe come back on the Queen Mary.
Who knew that Carlton’s dislike of change is stronger than his dislike of spending money?
We do agree on one thing, well actually two things: we can not share a bathroom and we can not share a closet. If we try to do either of those things, it will be D I V O R C E time.
Day two of the search. Visited 3 more buildings and saw a unit in our building.
One of the potential apartments over looked “the building that you must not photograph”. You must not stop your car in front of it either. This is not my first problem with the building in question.
My first encounter with the forbidden building was in the summer of 2003, when I was scouting out a place to live…seems to be a theme here…peg scouting for dwellings.
Today was my first day of serious – shall we say – offline apartment hunting. I saw 3 buildings. One building would be a good place to live. One would be OK. And one has been rejected – by me at least.
And I found another unit in our building – we are going to see it tomorrow night.
And, tomorrow, I’ll go see at least one more building.
Carlton is still sick – he is going to the doctor tomorrow. Maybe the doctor will find that he has something can be cured.
I am still stunned that I owe Virginia NO income tax. And today’s paper reports that the state is cutting all manner of important programs. Guess I’ll have to donate the amount that I feel I should be paying to Virginia to something like our Library.
Nothing happened today on the moving front. The unit that we were supposed to go see was rented to someone else.
None of the Craigslisters responded. I am not giving up on Craigslist. But, I don’t hold out much hope.
Tomorrow – Carlton is going to be out most of the day doing Carlton-stuff. So, I have appointments to visit 3 apartment buildings.
I got Carlton to agree to a May 1 – June 1 move out/in date. I want this OVER. Why am I so impatient. Last Sunday I was fat dumb and happy living here into the far distant future. Nobody is promised tomorrow. Or am I being punished by the Goddess for finally putting shelf paper in the kitchen cabinets?
I did showed Carlton a bunch of apartments online. I’ll take pictures on tomorrow’s exploration.
And, right now, I am installing Ubuntu 9.10 on my Linux machine. I don’t know what that has to do with moving – but I am counting this as a moving preparation activity.
Been spending way too much time with Google Maps Street View. There we have the family “home place” in the barrio in El Paso. When I get depressed about moving to lesser digs than The Continental – I’ll just “Remember the Barrio”.
Got my taxes all finished. I am SO old that I owe the fine state of Virginia Zero, Zip, Nada, None, Bupkis Taxes. What I surprise. I am getting all of my money back. Heck, Virginia even wanted to give me money. Low income credit. I couldn’t do that. I am not a low income person. I have just structured my income legally and craftily to minimize state tax. That added to the very generous deductions for just being an “old person”, made my taxable Virginia income about $400.
Carlton seems to be feeling better – I was worried last night. Considered that he might be getting pneumonia.
On the moving front, today I:
Emailed a Craigslister – this one a realtor – bet she will answer
