Yeah, I’ll get right on that

by A.A.L. Posted on January 12, 2012

You guys, my jerky landlord sent me a poorly written and grammatically challenged email asking me to show the loft to some guy this weekend. This holiday weekend.

Riiight. On the plus side, he wasn’t ranting, so he was probably sober when he wrote it.

I checked Craigslist; he’s already advertising (which is fine), and he’s raised the price another $50 from what we’re paying now. I guess it’s better than if he were listing it for less, but still, really?

I will be so glad to be done with this guy.

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Just because

by A.A.L. Posted on January 11, 2012

I swear the moving posts will stop soon, because I’m crazy efficient crazy and signed up the movers for Friday. Yeah, one week after we signed the lease. It was an opening in the schedule (apparently they are freakishly busy for this time of year) and while it may take me a long time to make up my mind, once I have, I like for things to be done.

This has meant a huge push of loading up the SUV and trekking over, unloading stuff, and then coming home, exhausted — pretty much from Saturday on.

M still thinks this is nuts, but let movers handle Wedgwood? No. My jewelry box? No, no, no. Cello? Hells, no. Also, no one else will contact paper drawers for me, so there you are. I have to do it. And the move will be a much less painful thing if all of Pea’s toys are there, unpacked, and ready to be played with. I know this.

(Yesterday I unearthed my degrees and state and federal bar admissions. It was a very strange feeling to be reminded that, oh, yes, I used to be a professional who appeared in federal court. It feels aeons ago.)

Yesterday I also very nearly did in my poor back carrying a giant microwave and mattress by myself.

So this morning, I am going to sit with my coffee and heating pad and do laundry, dishes, and all the other things that hadn’t been getting done — and maybe even play a computer game for a while (before I start packing and load up the SUV and do the loading/unloading routine).  Just because.

Posted in Moving | 2 Comments

Things moving (this time) has taught me

by A.A.L. Posted on January 10, 2012
  • I still have too much stuff. Damn.
  • I will not win any contact papering awards.
  • I am a lot stronger than I think I am.
  • Related: but my back is not what it used to be.
  • Related: the heating pad is my friend.
  • I can get sick of IKEA meatballs. (New mattress for Pea obtained: see above, re: back.)
  • Pea will never get sick of IKEA meatballs.
  • I have a long way to go in term of getting used to the northeast quadrant of the city. I get lost often enough that Pea has come to recognize that turning around in a parking lot means “You went the wrong way, Mama?”
Posted in Moving, Simplifying | Leave a comment

Moving on

by A.A.L. Posted on January 7, 2012

Oh, drunks are fighting outside (one of) the bar(s) downstairs. I am NOT going to miss that part of living downtown.

I am going to miss being on the streetcar line, having my favorite sushi joint right around the corner (so close that we can get our wireless network in the restaurant), and my community. I plan on making a point of continuing to take Pea to Byways every couple of weeks and to visit our favorite shops.

We’re busy moving things over. My philosophy is the kitchen, bathroom, and (as much as possible) bedrooms should be moved first, because you can cope with not knowing where a particular book is, but it really sucks if you can’t locate your coffee maker or your toothbrush.

Also, I’m moving things that aren’t used on a daily basis but take up valuable floorspace (like musical instruments), because right now, there isn’t much room for me to stack boxes.

M is not thrilled with this: he feels that the reason one hires movers is to move things. All the things. I feel that since we have to pay the movers by the hour, I should minimize how much we pay them. M is being a good sport, though.

And so it goes.

Posted in Moving | 3 Comments

Thank you, universe!

by A.A.L. Posted on January 6, 2012

Lease signed. Rent paid. Keys handed over. This is what I expected to happen this morning.

The pleasant surprises:

  • The deposit was the same amount that I’d put down as a (refundable) deposit when we applied for the place. I was expecting it to be an additional $700.
  • A storage unit comes with the unit. (I had no idea!) Hopefully this means we’ll be able to eliminate another $80 each month in storage costs!
  • We found a potting shed in the back terrace, and hooks for bird feeders. We’ll have a small area to garden in (ornamental). I’ve really missed gardening and having birds around. When we first looked at the place, it hadn’t even occurred to me to look out the back door, since it’s open to the grounds.
  • The storage in the bedrooms and linen closet was much more than I had remembered. (So much Con-Tact paper to put down…!)
  • There was a cleaning woman in the unit giving the place a VERY thorough cleaning ahead of our move-in.

Hooray for unexpected bonuses! After the last few months, they are welcome, indeed. (Let’s hope it keeps up: I’m off to the dentist later this afternoon. I’d much rather have pleasant surprises there, too!)

Posted in Good day, Music | 1 Comment

Goodbye, Loft Life!

by A.A.L. Posted on January 5, 2012

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday we looked at a three bedroom condo (townhouse) in a 1940s building in NE Portland. You wouldn’t think that two military brats would look at a place and get nostalgic for something that looks like old military housing, but…we did. Today we found out we’re getting it. Tomorrow we’ll sign a lease.

Pros: We get away from psycho landlord. We’ll be saving (at least) $400/month in reduced rent and utilities. M’s commute costs will stay zero. The third bedroom has been claimed as my study. I’ll get all of my cool stuff out of storage again. There are red oak floors and a large private pool in the summer.

Cons: I’ll no longer be in a neighborhood where lots of people know my name, and where my doctor, dentist, and favorite sushi place are. The neighborhood school sucks, so pressure is even more intense for me to get Pea into a charter school or get a transfer. I’ll have to drive more, even if we get groceries delivered. The kitchen is primitive. I’ll miss nice appliances.

We’ve done loft living for two years (almost exactly), pretty much the longest I thought we could. Now that the uncertainty is gone, it’s time for moving. That I am very, very good at: packing, organizing, orchestrating, supervising, and unpacking? Bring it on! After my peripatetic childhood, I’m a pro.

If anyone has any boxes to spare, let me know. ;)

Posted in Good day | 8 Comments