ugh. that is my foremost thought, my foremost reaction, as i contemplate the piles and stacks of things that need to be unpacked. how did we ever manage to accumulate so much crap? it boggles the mind. i couldn't believe what came out of our storage space. i swear to god that those boxes had babies - there's so much stuff!!! i plan to use unpacking as a good time to whittle down and sell or donate things we don't use or don't need because there's definately enough of it! i thought i did an alright job with paring down before we left but i can see that i could have done better. and to think we paid to move stuff i plan to get rid of - ouch. live and learn really stinks sometimes.
on a more chipper note, we are going to chicago this weekend for a wedding and i am really looking forward to it! it's kind of sad when you feel like you have to leave town to get a break from all the moving stuff, but that's how i feel and i'm really looking forward to waking up in the hotel and being absolutely unable to do anything related to moving. what a delicious feeling that will be!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
do you know the way to san jose?
for your viewing pleasure, a few pictures of the new abode. we are doing our first phase of moving this weekend - pray for us!!!
the living room (with and without zinger):
the tiny dining room:
the equally tiny kitchen:
the lounge (note wood burning stove through door):
the deck:
that's it for now. it's a blur of packing and getting ready. i often get sick after moving, so let's hope that doesn't happen this time!
the living room (with and without zinger):
the tiny dining room:
the equally tiny kitchen:
the lounge (note wood burning stove through door):
the deck:
that's it for now. it's a blur of packing and getting ready. i often get sick after moving, so let's hope that doesn't happen this time!
Monday, August 11, 2008
argh!!!!
can you say holy stressed out, batman? my mind is literally swimming with all the things i need to do for our impending move. change our address with the post office, friends and family, doctors and dentist, bills and magazines, register to vote, start service for utilities, rent the trucks for moving, line up help (have had a good response there, so far and thank God!), find a new mechanic, hair stylist, vet, and get tommy micro-chipped before we move. there's got to be lots more that i am forgetting, i am sure. the list goes on and on and on. my brain hurts.
that said, moving into a really nice place in a really nice neighborhood ten minutes away from work is indeed a quality problem. as my brother once said, it's not like i'm looking for a better cardboard box to spend the night in, so yes, it's stressful, but i realize it could be worse. i originally thought moving over two weekends would be good, and it may end up being so, who knows? but i'm starting to wonder. we're going to a wedding in chicago the weekend after this so we're mostly moving this weekend and finishing up the last weekend of the month. on the one hand it seems pretty helpful, a we've-got-so-much-time-don't-have-to-be-frantic kind of thing. and we don't have to be frantic insofar as moving out of our current accommodations since no one is moving in after us, and that's good because my honey has so much stuff at jimbo's it's not funny. he's gonna need months to move it all. but the downside of no pressure to be completely out is the move that never ends. i really don't want that move. i want to move, spend three weeks unpacking and organizing and then be DONE! no more moving for several years - at least. well, i guess i can shoot for what i want and see what i end up with. it'll probably be something in the middle of the two extremes. just so long as it's not too much more than my three week ideal. i like being settled. like herbie, i fear change, even as i rush out to make it happen. herbie is an anxious little creature and that's why we get along so well - i can relate! my anxiety just kicks into uber high gear when this kind of stuff is on the agenda.
well, worst case scenario i can always drink! not a long-term solution, i know, but a few strategic bottles of wine will probably work wonders. :)
that said, moving into a really nice place in a really nice neighborhood ten minutes away from work is indeed a quality problem. as my brother once said, it's not like i'm looking for a better cardboard box to spend the night in, so yes, it's stressful, but i realize it could be worse. i originally thought moving over two weekends would be good, and it may end up being so, who knows? but i'm starting to wonder. we're going to a wedding in chicago the weekend after this so we're mostly moving this weekend and finishing up the last weekend of the month. on the one hand it seems pretty helpful, a we've-got-so-much-time-don't-have-to-be-frantic kind of thing. and we don't have to be frantic insofar as moving out of our current accommodations since no one is moving in after us, and that's good because my honey has so much stuff at jimbo's it's not funny. he's gonna need months to move it all. but the downside of no pressure to be completely out is the move that never ends. i really don't want that move. i want to move, spend three weeks unpacking and organizing and then be DONE! no more moving for several years - at least. well, i guess i can shoot for what i want and see what i end up with. it'll probably be something in the middle of the two extremes. just so long as it's not too much more than my three week ideal. i like being settled. like herbie, i fear change, even as i rush out to make it happen. herbie is an anxious little creature and that's why we get along so well - i can relate! my anxiety just kicks into uber high gear when this kind of stuff is on the agenda.
well, worst case scenario i can always drink! not a long-term solution, i know, but a few strategic bottles of wine will probably work wonders. :)
Thursday, July 31, 2008
home sweet home
so after all that whining about an anticipated interminably endless search for a place that would turn out to only do, not be something we really like, it turns out drew and i got the first place we looked at (of a whopping two), and we really love it! as of august 15th we'll be the proud tenants of a charming two bedroom house in the willow glen neighborhood of san jose. i don't have any pictures to post yet, but we are very, very, happy and so relieved!!! you have no idea. i've never had house hunt go so quickly or smoothly. willow glen is a great neighborhood, eminently walkable, and so convenient to work. goodbye getting home at 7:30 p.m.! adios highway 17 daily commute - won't miss ya! we're so close i'll be able to ride my bike to work. how's that for reducing my carbon footprint? not to mention my ass, which is as big as it's ever been, but that's another story.
so, the house... well, it's a two bedroom, as i already said. you enter directly into the living room which extends on the left from the front door. on the right hand side wall by the door is a huge, built in bookcase that is almost the entire length of the wall. can you say totally rocks???!!!! there's also a decorative fireplace and windows, nice light and so on. walking towards the back of the house the next room is a very small but distinct dining room. i like having an actual dining room even if it's little; next is the kitchen. the kitchen is quite small but it seems like it'll be functional. it's a good layout and very pretty... granite counter tops, newer stainless appliances (gas stove!), new cabinets and for a small kitchen a surprising amount of counter space, partially because the kitchen opens onto a family room; the two rooms are separated by a step and a counter, as in more counter space. oh, wait, i misspoke, it's not the family room it's the lounge. drew doesn't want to call it a family room, so that's fine, lounge it is. the lounge has a wood burning stove and french doors that open onto a really nice deck, and then there's a big yard for little zing zing. the living and dining rooms and lounge all have hardwood floors, the kitchen is tile. just before you go into the dining room (at the end of that built in bookcase) is a little hall on the right; straight is the bathroom and then there's a bedroom to the right (front) and left (back), plus a nice hall linen closet. i can't remember about the hall but the bedrooms are carpet, but it's pretty nice for carpet. it's not that standard "rental" carpet, which is nice if we have to tolerate carpeting. i just don't get carpet, carpet = dust collector, but whatever. there's a one car garage, a nook by the back door/kitchen for the laundry (hook ups), and in the yard is a free-standing one room building, like an office, so for a little house it feels like there is a lot of space. it's not cheap, but nothing here is, and for that neighborhood we got a deal - so score one for ar2! woo hoo!!!
after drew's chiropractor appointment tonight we're going to look at washers and dryers, stackable front-loaders... i feel so chic! ; ) nothing like buying major appliances to celebrate, i guess. still, sears is having a great sale so we should be able to get a good deal - and they have free delivery, too. and then it'll be a whirl of packing and moving stuff, and then it's christmas in august because our stuff has been in storage for a year and a half so it'll be like it's all new again. can't wait to have our own stuff again!
thank you to all of you, because those positive vibes, prayers, and thoughts clearly paid off big time.
so, the house... well, it's a two bedroom, as i already said. you enter directly into the living room which extends on the left from the front door. on the right hand side wall by the door is a huge, built in bookcase that is almost the entire length of the wall. can you say totally rocks???!!!! there's also a decorative fireplace and windows, nice light and so on. walking towards the back of the house the next room is a very small but distinct dining room. i like having an actual dining room even if it's little; next is the kitchen. the kitchen is quite small but it seems like it'll be functional. it's a good layout and very pretty... granite counter tops, newer stainless appliances (gas stove!), new cabinets and for a small kitchen a surprising amount of counter space, partially because the kitchen opens onto a family room; the two rooms are separated by a step and a counter, as in more counter space. oh, wait, i misspoke, it's not the family room it's the lounge. drew doesn't want to call it a family room, so that's fine, lounge it is. the lounge has a wood burning stove and french doors that open onto a really nice deck, and then there's a big yard for little zing zing. the living and dining rooms and lounge all have hardwood floors, the kitchen is tile. just before you go into the dining room (at the end of that built in bookcase) is a little hall on the right; straight is the bathroom and then there's a bedroom to the right (front) and left (back), plus a nice hall linen closet. i can't remember about the hall but the bedrooms are carpet, but it's pretty nice for carpet. it's not that standard "rental" carpet, which is nice if we have to tolerate carpeting. i just don't get carpet, carpet = dust collector, but whatever. there's a one car garage, a nook by the back door/kitchen for the laundry (hook ups), and in the yard is a free-standing one room building, like an office, so for a little house it feels like there is a lot of space. it's not cheap, but nothing here is, and for that neighborhood we got a deal - so score one for ar2! woo hoo!!!
after drew's chiropractor appointment tonight we're going to look at washers and dryers, stackable front-loaders... i feel so chic! ; ) nothing like buying major appliances to celebrate, i guess. still, sears is having a great sale so we should be able to get a good deal - and they have free delivery, too. and then it'll be a whirl of packing and moving stuff, and then it's christmas in august because our stuff has been in storage for a year and a half so it'll be like it's all new again. can't wait to have our own stuff again!
thank you to all of you, because those positive vibes, prayers, and thoughts clearly paid off big time.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
there are times when i'd rather be in pittsburgh even more than usual. since we just started looking for a place to rent, just sticking our toe in the water without really planning to move before september at the earliest, this is definitely one of those times. it's more than just having to sift through all the listings and the prospect of spending lots of our preciously little free time looking at crummy places until we find a good one. it's the prospect of sifting through all the listings and spending lots of our preciously little free time looking at the exorbitantly priced crummy places until we find an even more exorbitantly priced place that will do. not a place that we'll love, just a place that will do, because something we'd love would be silly expensive.
welcome to the bay area rental market.
we need a place that's at least two bedrooms, because drew (well, we) needs an office. ideally we would like to rent a house with a yard so that little dog will have somewhere to frolic. and we need (and this really is need given the commute we've been doing) a place within thirty minutes of work. that'll be at least two grand, thank you very much, unless the heavens take pity on us and we happen across some little old lady who's renting her place severely under market rate because it's been paid off for thirty years and she wants to help a young couple out. townhouses are also in the same range, and for a two bedroom apartment low end might be $1650, but an apartment would be really difficult because they're so darn small and they're more restrictive towards pets. the rent for our three bedroom, two bath, all hardwood floors flat in highland park was $800, and that was more than some people's mortgage payments. it's easy to get despondent, i suppose, especially if you'd like to own a house before turning 50, but i refuse to let it get me down. at least we aren't looking under a deadline of needing to move by a certain date. that's usually how the new place search is conducted in these parts because who can afford to pay even part of the rent for two places at once? moving under a deadline adds an extra layer of hysteria to and already completely insane process in such a tight rental market. i am not looking forward to open houses with 30 other shelter-seekers, landlords who want a resume for you pet, and tying up thousands of dollars in deposits, but it is what it is.
wish us luck, say some prayers (st. joseph is the patron saint of house hunters), and i'll keep you posted. oh, and donations are accepted, too! :)
welcome to the bay area rental market.
we need a place that's at least two bedrooms, because drew (well, we) needs an office. ideally we would like to rent a house with a yard so that little dog will have somewhere to frolic. and we need (and this really is need given the commute we've been doing) a place within thirty minutes of work. that'll be at least two grand, thank you very much, unless the heavens take pity on us and we happen across some little old lady who's renting her place severely under market rate because it's been paid off for thirty years and she wants to help a young couple out. townhouses are also in the same range, and for a two bedroom apartment low end might be $1650, but an apartment would be really difficult because they're so darn small and they're more restrictive towards pets. the rent for our three bedroom, two bath, all hardwood floors flat in highland park was $800, and that was more than some people's mortgage payments. it's easy to get despondent, i suppose, especially if you'd like to own a house before turning 50, but i refuse to let it get me down. at least we aren't looking under a deadline of needing to move by a certain date. that's usually how the new place search is conducted in these parts because who can afford to pay even part of the rent for two places at once? moving under a deadline adds an extra layer of hysteria to and already completely insane process in such a tight rental market. i am not looking forward to open houses with 30 other shelter-seekers, landlords who want a resume for you pet, and tying up thousands of dollars in deposits, but it is what it is.
wish us luck, say some prayers (st. joseph is the patron saint of house hunters), and i'll keep you posted. oh, and donations are accepted, too! :)
Monday, July 14, 2008
it seems that barack obama is that guy. i supported john edwards for president and while i still think he was a better candidate than hillary or obama, i was prepared to vote for obama in november, support the party and all that, and send a little dinero his way as well. that was before his FISA amendments act vote last week. i can't remember the last time i was as pissed off about anyone's vote as i am about his. i don't even know if i'll vote for president at all, and believe me, i can't believe i am even contemplating such a thing. i remember gerald ford being sworn in as president and i couldn't have been more than four years old, that's how into politics my family is. i remember carter running for president and how exciting it was; i was in 2nd grade. i've always exhorted people to vote, if for no other reason than so many people in other countries can't or risk their lives to do so, but i just don't think i can stomach any more. it was one thing when it was bush and his cronies ramming this sort of shit down our throats (with the help of many cowed and useless democrats, lest we forget) but to have the candidate for my party, the candidate who's supposed to be the alternative to bush and his corrupt administration, shoving this shit down my throat? i really think that was the last straw for me, on top of the complete disregard for the Constitution and the principles and ideals that this country is founded on. maybe i'm a bit naive, but i take that stuff very seriously. it's very important to me that the Constitution and Bill of Rights be defended and exercised. rights are no good when you can't use them, and laws don't mean anything when they don't apply to everyone. when i think of voting for someone who went from "i'll filibuster this bill" to "it's flawed but trust me... i'll fix it later," especially after blasting hillary for making the politically expedient choice with her yes vote to authorize this fricking war in the first place, it literally makes me feel queasy and sick. i so sick and tired of being given the choice between this pile of shit and that pile of shit. i am royally fed up and disheartened. i honestly don't recognize this country i'm living in anymore.
obama didn't get where he is by pandering to the religious conservatives who won’t support him come november, or wearing american flag lapel pins, or reversing his stance on public campaign financing, or supporting this clusterfuck of a war, or supporting illegal spying on law-abiding americans and giving the companies who helped the government do it a free pass. i don't really care about the telecoms being held responsible per se (though they should be), but now that they're off the hook the lawsuits against them, which were the only chance to find out the scope and severity of the spying, are moot.
obama didn't get where he is by pandering to the religious conservatives who won’t support him come november, or wearing american flag lapel pins, or reversing his stance on public campaign financing, or supporting this clusterfuck of a war, or supporting illegal spying on law-abiding americans and giving the companies who helped the government do it a free pass. i don't really care about the telecoms being held responsible per se (though they should be), but now that they're off the hook the lawsuits against them, which were the only chance to find out the scope and severity of the spying, are moot.
and it's not that i don't think having a black president would a paradigm shifting event for our country; it would. things would never be the same, and that's a good thing, a great thing! i just can't stomach voting for someone who's already shown that he won't preserve and defend the Constitution of the united states. i just can't.
drew and i decided the money we were going to give to obama is going to the aclu instead. they'll do something we support with it. at least we didn’t waste any money on obama.
Monday, July 7, 2008
sometimes i forget...
sometimes i forget just how much of a pittsburgh girl i am. last night there was a really great episode of the american experience about roberto clemente. my parents, especially my dad, really admired clemente and while i wasn't old enough to remember his tragic death it was always obvious to me that both my parents felt the world lost a great person far too soon. i went out to tell drew how i'd taped it for him, and that i was going to burn a copy for my sister who i recently found out had love clemente as a kid, when he looks at me blankly and asks "who's roberto clemente?" the only thing i could say in reply was "i can't believe you. first franco harris and now roberto clemente?" drew hadn't known who franco was, despite rooting for the steelers as a kid, and when that came to light i said something along the lines of "you don't know who franco harris is? one of the greatest running backs of all time?!?!?!?!" i just took it for granted that if you were familiar with the 70s steelers you'd know who franco was, and that everyone knew who roberto clemente was. guess i was wrong.
i am really missing home. it's been far too long since i've visited (thank you stupid herniated disc for screwing up my trip in march) and it feels like christmas, when we're planning to visit, might as well be forever away from now. i suppose i'll snap out of it but right now i feel generally friendless, and i have so many friends in the 'burgh i could call up. i haven't really had the opportunity to make any new friends here, thanks to the soul and time sucking commute, so it gets kind of lonesome. thankfully we won't have this commute forever, but still....
i am really missing home. it's been far too long since i've visited (thank you stupid herniated disc for screwing up my trip in march) and it feels like christmas, when we're planning to visit, might as well be forever away from now. i suppose i'll snap out of it but right now i feel generally friendless, and i have so many friends in the 'burgh i could call up. i haven't really had the opportunity to make any new friends here, thanks to the soul and time sucking commute, so it gets kind of lonesome. thankfully we won't have this commute forever, but still....
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