Maybe someday I'll stop raving about how lucky I am to be living at the beach...but today is not that day!
Saturday I showed the apartment all day to many different people. Everyone loved it, but only one has applied so far. I think he's a good candidate and we're having him over tonight to meet DB and to try to fit his car in the garage (cross your fingers!). I hope he works out.
Saturday night I had a wonderful dinner with a friend and her boyfriend to celebrate her birthday...we went to the special restaurant just around the corner from me and it was yummy.
Yesterday my one big plan was to get the lease ready for our tenant. It was hard to concentrate because it was a glorious beach day. I slept in until 10 (I needed that) then raced to get Doglet his morning beach walk (dogs are not allowed on the boardwalk between 11 and 8 on weekends and holidays). I really can't describe how breathtaking it is to see the mountains, waves, surfers, everything in the morning. I did get the lease done and ended up walking Doglet about 5 times AND taking a bike ride!! I also managed to finish the lease and visit with some neighbors. And I didn't take my car out of the garage all day -- just walked and biked where I needed to go. This has GOT to be good for my fitness. P.S. I weighed on Saturday and that pesky stuff from Friday was gone. Hopefully for good!
This is the life, folks!! Damn, I'm lucky. And today DB finally comes back from Nearby Town -- he'll be home for 2 straight months and I can't wait!! :-))
Monday, July 16, 2007
Saturday, July 14, 2007
New Car Owner...finally!!
I don't know when I'll be able to write a REAL post with deep feelings and insight because life is just so damn hectic lately (I don't feel bad or sad about this, it just IS). So today I'm gonna just have to touch on superficial (but maybe not) stuff before I crash thankfully into bed for a too-short sleep...
#1 Friday weigh-in: not so good...up over a pound. It's period week, but it's also because of not adhering to WOW (although being way better than the past few profligate weeks). I thought the massive amount of additional dog walking (plus yoga and pilates) might balance out the (relatively moderate) booze. No such luck. But I LOVE the walking whether it makes me lose weight or not...so there!
#2 Bought a car tonight: I am so proud of myself. After disappointment last weekend (which makes me oh-so-afraid to be secure in happiness now), I went in armed for battle and I was magnificent in my negotiations! For someone who negotiates all the live long day for her living (in another business) this maybe shouldn't be so damn satisfying, but it is because what do I know about cars? Not a lot. But I looooove my new Honda Fit, copper color. It FITs in my new garage, gets fantastic gas mileage, has much better leg room than my last car (Highlander), has great cargo space, etc. DB helped me SO MUCH -- to realize that car dealing is a dance, that it takes TIME (I was there for 3 1/2 hours...and that was just making the deal, I'd already test-driven and chosen my car!), etc. He was in my ear the whole way and it was...magic. I am happy...even though it took me 4 tries to get my little copper Fit into my tiny garage. ;-)
#3 Tomorrow is ALL about showing The Last Bachelorette Pad to potential tenants: every half hour and 7 or 8 people. Cross your fingers some good prospects show up. Being a landlord is NOT as easy as I thought it would be...and we don't even have a real tenant yet!!
#4 Play: I hope to get some this weekend among all this...we'll see. ;-)
I think Friday the 13th was lucky for me. :-)
#1 Friday weigh-in: not so good...up over a pound. It's period week, but it's also because of not adhering to WOW (although being way better than the past few profligate weeks). I thought the massive amount of additional dog walking (plus yoga and pilates) might balance out the (relatively moderate) booze. No such luck. But I LOVE the walking whether it makes me lose weight or not...so there!
#2 Bought a car tonight: I am so proud of myself. After disappointment last weekend (which makes me oh-so-afraid to be secure in happiness now), I went in armed for battle and I was magnificent in my negotiations! For someone who negotiates all the live long day for her living (in another business) this maybe shouldn't be so damn satisfying, but it is because what do I know about cars? Not a lot. But I looooove my new Honda Fit, copper color. It FITs in my new garage, gets fantastic gas mileage, has much better leg room than my last car (Highlander), has great cargo space, etc. DB helped me SO MUCH -- to realize that car dealing is a dance, that it takes TIME (I was there for 3 1/2 hours...and that was just making the deal, I'd already test-driven and chosen my car!), etc. He was in my ear the whole way and it was...magic. I am happy...even though it took me 4 tries to get my little copper Fit into my tiny garage. ;-)
#3 Tomorrow is ALL about showing The Last Bachelorette Pad to potential tenants: every half hour and 7 or 8 people. Cross your fingers some good prospects show up. Being a landlord is NOT as easy as I thought it would be...and we don't even have a real tenant yet!!
#4 Play: I hope to get some this weekend among all this...we'll see. ;-)
I think Friday the 13th was lucky for me. :-)
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Aha!
Here's the workaround for the titling problem: http://bloggerstatusforreal.blogspot.com/2007/07/entering-title-in-new-post-isnt-easy.html
Hope it's fixed by Blogger soon.
In the meantime, my excitement yesterday was finding and buying a bed on Craigs List for $30! I got it from a guy in my neighborhood who is moving to Thailand and just wanted to get rid of it. I figured that for $30, I could enjoy sleeping in a real bed until September instead of the air mattress I've had since my move (I don't remember if I told the story before of how my former bed wouldn't fit through the door in the new apartment so I needed something break-downable). My project for tonight is putting the bed back together (carefully, 'cause my back is hurting a lot today...probably from disassembling it and moving it last night -- with the help of a friend, of course!).
The Last Bachelorette Pad has really come together. I am showing it tonight for the first time -- crossing fingers that we get a good tenant for September when we move...again!
Hope it's fixed by Blogger soon.
In the meantime, my excitement yesterday was finding and buying a bed on Craigs List for $30! I got it from a guy in my neighborhood who is moving to Thailand and just wanted to get rid of it. I figured that for $30, I could enjoy sleeping in a real bed until September instead of the air mattress I've had since my move (I don't remember if I told the story before of how my former bed wouldn't fit through the door in the new apartment so I needed something break-downable). My project for tonight is putting the bed back together (carefully, 'cause my back is hurting a lot today...probably from disassembling it and moving it last night -- with the help of a friend, of course!).
The Last Bachelorette Pad has really come together. I am showing it tonight for the first time -- crossing fingers that we get a good tenant for September when we move...again!
Monday, July 9, 2007
Sunday, July 8, 2007
I haven't written in days and days because so much as been going on that I've been avoiding trying to capture it all...I've barely been able to remember to breathe. But I need need need to catch up and record and process.
4th of July at the beach. Wow. What I imagine Mardi Gras is like -- tons of tourists, every person living down here having a house party so every walk street block (like ours) is just one continuous party. Tons of cops, but mostly not doing much -- people on bikes and walking rather than driving which is much safer than it would be with cars since every single person encountered from 10 am on seems to be altered in some way. It's super fun to be able to just pop out on our bikes to go to the party we were invited to -- at the house of the guy who sold us our house! That's a really fun beach neighborhood thing...everyone seems to know everyone else. Kind of like a small town in the middle of NYC is the vibe I get. Oh yeah, and a block from the beach!
We had a ball at the party after we hit the _____palooza down the way first -- lots of bands, friendly people, etc. The party was small -- our host and his wife (who is from Peru and we learned from her non-English-speaking mom about the intense Peruvian drink, pisco...yummy and lethal!) and family mostly. I got to practice my Spanish and we all got a lot of good laughs from that! ;-) After BBQ dinner, we hit the beach to see the fireworks...what a treat to be able to walk down and see them! Then DB and I biked home and crashed...a very big day.
Oh yeah, I forgot to say what we did BEFORE the party on the 4th...we went and test-drove cars! The garage at my new place is so small that I really have to downsize from my Highlander. I've been dreaming of a Bug because they are so cute and such fun different colors so we started with those. After driving a couple, I realized they are not for me. The gas mileage is low for a small car and they just drive, well, weird. There are huge blind spots on both sides. But they are darn cute and used ones are cheap. Then I drove a used Volvo because they have great turning radii. Too big for what I want though. Then we headed to try Toyotas. I liked the used Matrix I drove, but it was still too big. Then I drove the Yaris which, while small, cute and cheap, felt like a bucket of bolts. Finally I drove the Scion xa which I loved.
After the party on Wednesday, DB and I got into some crazy fight and that felt bad for a few days...we have been under a lot of stress and we really just needed to take some "us" time to reconnect. We finally did that on Friday night (before he had to head back to Nearby Town to deal with the parents again...after this week he's off for 2 months, YAY!). I can't speak for him, but I've been dealing with a lot of stuff about the commitment of buying this place together...it's huger than anything I've ever done and, while I am SURE I want to, it's still kinda scary. Anyway...
On the 4th we also got a note from a neighbor complaining about Doglet's barking. Uh, of COURSE, he's barking...he's downsized to a 700 sq. ft. apartment from having full run of a 3000 sq. ft. lot!! Hey, Stupid Neighbor, give us a chance to adjust!!!! But I sent Stupid Neighbor a really nice e-mail (at DB's instruction) and I think things are getting better. But it really put a damper on my happiness at my new place. :-( (This is totally the Reader's Digest Condensed Version of the nuttiness of this this week...which includes a "nanny mike" that DB installed so we can hear exactly how much Doglet DOES bark when I'm away.).
And the car stuff got ugly...the dealership where I wanted to buy the Scion kept pushing down the trade-in they would give me on my car! Every time I thought we had a deal, they'd reduce the trade-in value!!! I finally walked out on them yesterday for the last time. I was crying because I was really looking forward to a new car, but I will NOT be dicked with.
The great news is that I went and drove the Honda Fit today and it's actually a MUCH better car...and the salesman I got is a fellow yogi (which is a lot nicer than dealing with ASSHOLES, let me tell you!). I need to make some repairs on my car, but should be able to buy my Fit next weekend. :-)
Just a couple more things, bear with me...
The new apartment is awesome! It feels like an NYC apartment (a little noisy, in the thick of things, charming) and a beach apartment (bright, breezy, 1/2 block to the sand) combined. Once I park my car, I can bike or walk everywhere!! :-) It's been fun settling in. I'll enjoy being here until we can move into our place in September.
I've left the worst for last: food. The new place feels like I'm on vacation and I've been eating like that. Not out of control, but I have had a couple of breakfast burritos this week and we've been eating out dinners. Tonight is my last of that...I've got my kitchen together now and am ready to get back to normal. I thought maybe all my Doglet (and other) walking (and biking) would have balanced out the increased fat intake, but I was up a pound on Friday. I'm not too bummed about this...I should be ok once I get back to eating right and doing my yoga and pilates. :-) That should be easier this week with DB gone and me more settled in.
Onward! :-)
4th of July at the beach. Wow. What I imagine Mardi Gras is like -- tons of tourists, every person living down here having a house party so every walk street block (like ours) is just one continuous party. Tons of cops, but mostly not doing much -- people on bikes and walking rather than driving which is much safer than it would be with cars since every single person encountered from 10 am on seems to be altered in some way. It's super fun to be able to just pop out on our bikes to go to the party we were invited to -- at the house of the guy who sold us our house! That's a really fun beach neighborhood thing...everyone seems to know everyone else. Kind of like a small town in the middle of NYC is the vibe I get. Oh yeah, and a block from the beach!
We had a ball at the party after we hit the _____palooza down the way first -- lots of bands, friendly people, etc. The party was small -- our host and his wife (who is from Peru and we learned from her non-English-speaking mom about the intense Peruvian drink, pisco...yummy and lethal!) and family mostly. I got to practice my Spanish and we all got a lot of good laughs from that! ;-) After BBQ dinner, we hit the beach to see the fireworks...what a treat to be able to walk down and see them! Then DB and I biked home and crashed...a very big day.
Oh yeah, I forgot to say what we did BEFORE the party on the 4th...we went and test-drove cars! The garage at my new place is so small that I really have to downsize from my Highlander. I've been dreaming of a Bug because they are so cute and such fun different colors so we started with those. After driving a couple, I realized they are not for me. The gas mileage is low for a small car and they just drive, well, weird. There are huge blind spots on both sides. But they are darn cute and used ones are cheap. Then I drove a used Volvo because they have great turning radii. Too big for what I want though. Then we headed to try Toyotas. I liked the used Matrix I drove, but it was still too big. Then I drove the Yaris which, while small, cute and cheap, felt like a bucket of bolts. Finally I drove the Scion xa which I loved.
After the party on Wednesday, DB and I got into some crazy fight and that felt bad for a few days...we have been under a lot of stress and we really just needed to take some "us" time to reconnect. We finally did that on Friday night (before he had to head back to Nearby Town to deal with the parents again...after this week he's off for 2 months, YAY!). I can't speak for him, but I've been dealing with a lot of stuff about the commitment of buying this place together...it's huger than anything I've ever done and, while I am SURE I want to, it's still kinda scary. Anyway...
On the 4th we also got a note from a neighbor complaining about Doglet's barking. Uh, of COURSE, he's barking...he's downsized to a 700 sq. ft. apartment from having full run of a 3000 sq. ft. lot!! Hey, Stupid Neighbor, give us a chance to adjust!!!! But I sent Stupid Neighbor a really nice e-mail (at DB's instruction) and I think things are getting better. But it really put a damper on my happiness at my new place. :-( (This is totally the Reader's Digest Condensed Version of the nuttiness of this this week...which includes a "nanny mike" that DB installed so we can hear exactly how much Doglet DOES bark when I'm away.).
And the car stuff got ugly...the dealership where I wanted to buy the Scion kept pushing down the trade-in they would give me on my car! Every time I thought we had a deal, they'd reduce the trade-in value!!! I finally walked out on them yesterday for the last time. I was crying because I was really looking forward to a new car, but I will NOT be dicked with.
The great news is that I went and drove the Honda Fit today and it's actually a MUCH better car...and the salesman I got is a fellow yogi (which is a lot nicer than dealing with ASSHOLES, let me tell you!). I need to make some repairs on my car, but should be able to buy my Fit next weekend. :-)
Just a couple more things, bear with me...
The new apartment is awesome! It feels like an NYC apartment (a little noisy, in the thick of things, charming) and a beach apartment (bright, breezy, 1/2 block to the sand) combined. Once I park my car, I can bike or walk everywhere!! :-) It's been fun settling in. I'll enjoy being here until we can move into our place in September.
I've left the worst for last: food. The new place feels like I'm on vacation and I've been eating like that. Not out of control, but I have had a couple of breakfast burritos this week and we've been eating out dinners. Tonight is my last of that...I've got my kitchen together now and am ready to get back to normal. I thought maybe all my Doglet (and other) walking (and biking) would have balanced out the increased fat intake, but I was up a pound on Friday. I'm not too bummed about this...I should be ok once I get back to eating right and doing my yoga and pilates. :-) That should be easier this week with DB gone and me more settled in.
Onward! :-)
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Livin' at the beach
Ahhhhhhhhh. It's so NICE! :-)
I'm loving it down where I smell the ocean in the morning and walk Doglet a couple of times a day down to look at the waves.
Maybe best of all is that I can come home, park the car and go everywhere on my bike or on foot! Great exercise...and hopefully making up for not perfect eating since the weekend...
Now I just need to get a smaller car...cross your fingers that a cute bright Beetle is in my near future.
This is THE LIFE. :-)
Happy 4th to all!
I'm loving it down where I smell the ocean in the morning and walk Doglet a couple of times a day down to look at the waves.
Maybe best of all is that I can come home, park the car and go everywhere on my bike or on foot! Great exercise...and hopefully making up for not perfect eating since the weekend...
Now I just need to get a smaller car...cross your fingers that a cute bright Beetle is in my near future.
This is THE LIFE. :-)
Happy 4th to all!
Monday, July 2, 2007
The Move
Just a quick round-up of my move yesterday:
I got up at 7 am (the movers were due at 9, but I had a feeling they might be early). I still had a lot of final stuff to pack and unplug stuff, etc. I went out to get McDs for breakfast at 8 and we were eating when the movers showed up at 8:30!! Yikes, we had to get moving lickety split! DB helped soo much -- unplugged and packed tvs, etc., helped direct traffic, and much much more.
We left my old house around 10:30 and headed to storage (most of my remaining stuff went there). These movers were awfully good...we CRAMMED that storage unit! It is filled to the top without a millimeter to spare. Whew! We left there after about an hour or hour and a half and headed to the new pad. The unload was a lot faster and they were done by 1:15. Unfortunately, they couldn't get my bed into the apartment, though. (So we've got it on CraigsList and are hoping to sell it to someone who is coming by tonight.)
After the movers left, we headed back to the old place for some lunch (I had never eaten at the famous hoagie shop on the corner so we got one to split from there -- yum!). Then we went to a sporting goods store and got a big blow-up mattress that we'd been wanting for Burning Man anyway (it's double high so almost like a real bed) for $70 and put the mattress on top of that! It's a little weird to sleep on, but comfy enough. Then back to the old place to pack up the final odds and ends and the pets. There was still so much there that both of our cars were PACKED. We left about 4 or so, I think. I shed a tear or 2...I do love that house and had wonderful times there.
After we unloaded our cars at the new place, DB went home and I unpacked enough so that I could go to work today. We showered and met up again around 9 pm for a small dinner (at the restaurant right behind our house) and then we collapsed...I feel like a truck hit me today! It was really non-stop for 14 hours...I think I sat down 3 times all day for max 5 minutes each! And I must have gone up and down the stairs at the new place 30 times (very good for leg exercise -- and to work off McDs and hoagie)!
Polar Bear (kitty) is ensconced in the kitchen and seems perfectly happy to stay there! Good boy. Doglet is a little confused about what happened to his doggy door, but he likes running up and down the steps and getting lots of walks. :-)
The apartment is really really nice. I feel like I'm on vacation (well, if there weren't still boxes stacked up around...)! This morning DB came over at 8 and we (including Doglet) walked down to the boardwalk for breakfast. It was GREAT to be so close and see it in the early morning. Lots of locals out walking their dogs, etc. And nothing like being able to WALK to see the ocean!
This morning DB also met with a guy to get an estimate on replacing the garage doors (they are pretty beat up wood -- we want aluminum and with automatic garage door openers) and with a contractor about the construction we want to do in the house when we get in. It's all good!
We are busy little bees with all our house stuff and also with me looking for a new car (I need to get rid of my huge gas guzzler SUV which hardly fits in our new garage and really REALLY want a Beetle). And tonight we go to our attorney's house to sign our pre-non-nup agreement. Then back to the old place one last time to put out some heavy trash. Did I mention how tired I am?! Good thing we have off work on Wednesday -- and the guy who sold us our house has invited us to his house for a party on the 4th! We really like him so are definitely going to go. It's going to be amazing to be at the beach on the 4th!!!!!!!!
I am so happy. This is a dream come true. And when DB moves in and when we move in TOGETHER it will be even better!!!!!
I got up at 7 am (the movers were due at 9, but I had a feeling they might be early). I still had a lot of final stuff to pack and unplug stuff, etc. I went out to get McDs for breakfast at 8 and we were eating when the movers showed up at 8:30!! Yikes, we had to get moving lickety split! DB helped soo much -- unplugged and packed tvs, etc., helped direct traffic, and much much more.
We left my old house around 10:30 and headed to storage (most of my remaining stuff went there). These movers were awfully good...we CRAMMED that storage unit! It is filled to the top without a millimeter to spare. Whew! We left there after about an hour or hour and a half and headed to the new pad. The unload was a lot faster and they were done by 1:15. Unfortunately, they couldn't get my bed into the apartment, though. (So we've got it on CraigsList and are hoping to sell it to someone who is coming by tonight.)
After the movers left, we headed back to the old place for some lunch (I had never eaten at the famous hoagie shop on the corner so we got one to split from there -- yum!). Then we went to a sporting goods store and got a big blow-up mattress that we'd been wanting for Burning Man anyway (it's double high so almost like a real bed) for $70 and put the mattress on top of that! It's a little weird to sleep on, but comfy enough. Then back to the old place to pack up the final odds and ends and the pets. There was still so much there that both of our cars were PACKED. We left about 4 or so, I think. I shed a tear or 2...I do love that house and had wonderful times there.
After we unloaded our cars at the new place, DB went home and I unpacked enough so that I could go to work today. We showered and met up again around 9 pm for a small dinner (at the restaurant right behind our house) and then we collapsed...I feel like a truck hit me today! It was really non-stop for 14 hours...I think I sat down 3 times all day for max 5 minutes each! And I must have gone up and down the stairs at the new place 30 times (very good for leg exercise -- and to work off McDs and hoagie)!
Polar Bear (kitty) is ensconced in the kitchen and seems perfectly happy to stay there! Good boy. Doglet is a little confused about what happened to his doggy door, but he likes running up and down the steps and getting lots of walks. :-)
The apartment is really really nice. I feel like I'm on vacation (well, if there weren't still boxes stacked up around...)! This morning DB came over at 8 and we (including Doglet) walked down to the boardwalk for breakfast. It was GREAT to be so close and see it in the early morning. Lots of locals out walking their dogs, etc. And nothing like being able to WALK to see the ocean!
This morning DB also met with a guy to get an estimate on replacing the garage doors (they are pretty beat up wood -- we want aluminum and with automatic garage door openers) and with a contractor about the construction we want to do in the house when we get in. It's all good!
We are busy little bees with all our house stuff and also with me looking for a new car (I need to get rid of my huge gas guzzler SUV which hardly fits in our new garage and really REALLY want a Beetle). And tonight we go to our attorney's house to sign our pre-non-nup agreement. Then back to the old place one last time to put out some heavy trash. Did I mention how tired I am?! Good thing we have off work on Wednesday -- and the guy who sold us our house has invited us to his house for a party on the 4th! We really like him so are definitely going to go. It's going to be amazing to be at the beach on the 4th!!!!!!!!
I am so happy. This is a dream come true. And when DB moves in and when we move in TOGETHER it will be even better!!!!!
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