Monday, October 22, 2007

My possible nest

Lately I’ve been thinking it would be nice to have a home of my own. It would be nice to have my rent go towards actually buying something. It would be nice to escape my roommate’s incessant door-bell ringing girlfriend and to know that only people I choose to let in would be allowed in. It would be nice to have a little nest.

I have my heart set on this cute tiny green and white house: I’ve been pre-approved for a mortgage, I have my deposit ready, I’m buying a bunch of furniture from my grandma’s estate (she passed away last week and I’ve been meaning show you the tribute I wrote her, which was adapted and read at her funeral), and I’m ready to buy the house and move. There’s just one little problem – the house isn’t for sale anymore.

The house had been listed for about two months and I kept drooling over it. I had just decided late last week to make an offer when my realtor said the owner is taking the house of the market temporarily while making some improvements so he can put the price up. While a contractor working at the house told me all the owner is doing is painting, putting in new carpet and replacing the bathroom sink and toilet, my realtor is guessing the price will go up $20,000. Needless to say, I don’t want to pay $20,000 for a paint job. I’m trying to get my realtor to talk to the owner and see if the owner and I can come to an agreement on the new price and the repairs being done.

I can’t stop thinking about the house and imagining myself living in it. It’s not in the best neighbourhood, but it’s affordable, in good shape and just the right size to fit me.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

In the last month, I …

- worked a lot of overtime all over the province,
- got into the habit of eating cake in hotel beds,
- kissed a bellboy in a park behind the hotel,
- decided to take a break from dating and from boys and am relieved to just be still,
- took a lot of photos,
- got tired,
- visited my sick grandma and told her that I love her,
- cried a lot,
- tried (unsuccessfully) to wash the last of the terrible dye job our of my hair,
- thought about scratching my tattoo off even though I love it,
- drew a picture of my soul (it’s red and white and blowing in the breeze),
- realized I’m so abstract it’s hard for people to understand me,
- went for a brilliant massage,
- actually did my physio exercises for the first time in months,
- got shot in the head while paint-balling,
- heard I have a shot at moving up into a contract job that has benefits and doesn’t come with “intern” in the title,
- crunched the yellow leaves on the sidewalk,
- watched the season premieres of Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy,
- got annoyed that Faunty didn’t get a phone when she moved in a few blocks away from me,
- became such a hotel snob that I checked out of one (disgusting) hotel after ten minutes and upgraded to the Hilton,
- was mistaken for a piece of artwork at a fancy restaurant when I was eating alone, separated from another table by a frosted-glass window,
- fell in love with chocolate martinis,
- gave presentations to other employees about what my department is working on,
- pulled a presentation together even when the laptop and powerpoint slides wouldn’t work,
- got impatient for an election to be called,
- saw the premier at a media conference and didn’t tell him he’s guaranteed my vote,
- was trusted to borrow a shiny company car,
- didn’t crash or otherwise damage the shiny company car,
- became more confident,
- paddled (and lost) at the Dragon Boat races,
- and became happier.