Yes, yes... I cracked. I broke my vow of silence to you and spoke up in last night's Homeowners Association meeting. Only briefly though, and what I said was constructive I think.
MOST of the meeting was a discussion about the Parking Deck. We talked and talked and talked about the parking deck and how there isn't going to be enough parking spaces for all of our guests! Frankly I am surprised by all the hubbub. I knew months before I moved in, months before the deck was even done being built, that I would have one parking space, and that my guests would have to park in the "public parking" area... and that likely they would be charged to do so. So why were all the rest of these folks so worked up about it?
My first vow of silence violation occurred during this extended discussion. There was a question about the security of residents in the building due to the nature of the entry doors from the unsecured areas of the parking deck... it's kind of convoluted. I spoke up regarding this issue to explain to the person who brought it up WHY that situation exists, and to agree with her that it is something we should look into. I didn't get to the agree part though, I was interrupted by a guy who was NOT HAPPY that we were spending so much time talking about parking when there were so many other issues! He was perfectly happy with the parking situation!
We talked about the sidewalk down below me... apparently there is more to that story. Still to come is a railing and some shrubbery!
We also learned the projected opening dates for the retail units down on the street. Three storefronts (Ted’s, a chocolate and liqueur "bar," and a mortgage company office) should be open by mid February, and one more in mid March.
One dude complained about the water puddles in the lobby over the weekend because people were shaking their umbrellas after coming in. He wanted special rainy day mats with the building logo on them laid down to absorb some of those umbrella drippings. Dude, shake your umbrella outside! There are plenty of covered places to do that!
My second slip of the tongue came after more people brought up other little issues... elevator lobby decorations, painting questions, parking deck beautification... At one point the developer's representative spoke up and said, "So what about all these things do you want to know?" I said, "Are they done?" Meaning, is the developer finished with the finishing touches. The rep didn't know, but assured us we'd be more in the loop about that stuff.
After all was said and done, I kind of felt like I had just spent two hours with a group of people who were mad that their automatic ass wiping machines were not as shiny as they expected.
I did meet some new neighbors, and said hello to some I already knew and that was cool... but I definitely do NOT want to be a board member!
PostScript: (5:39pm) I have edited this post to delete some words I used to describe the language and attitude of one of my neighbors. I forget that this is a public document and I need to take that into consideration. My intent is to just document some of the issues that come up in condo ownership, not to defame anyone.
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Showing posts with label living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label living. Show all posts
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
Sunday Brunch, Acrobats and me
Today it is back to work after a week off. I can't say that I'm dreading going back, but I'm not really looking FORWARD to it either. So instead of looking forward lets jump in the wayback machine and take a very short trip back to check out yesterday because Sunday was AWESOME!
First of all, it RAINED ALL DAY! That's not sarcasm. I dig the rain and It was one of those good consistent rains. It never let up.
Second, "L" my mortgage broker AND one of my first and best Atlanta friends came over and I cooked brunch for her and P. Between the muffins last Friday and brunch yesterday, I think that is the most action my kitchen has seen since I moved in! Epicurious had a brunch menu that I wanted to make for my friends who went to the cabin with P and I last weekend, but it is a little "different" and my cabin friends are... not picky... but not adventurous eaters. So I invited L over so I could try out the "Baked Eggs with Cantal Cheese" and "Sweet-and-Spicy Bacon" recipes I didn't get to try in the mountains. I'm not a really good cook is the thing... so I did manage to screw up the eggs (I whisked shredded cheese into a bowl of egg whites that had been beaten till they formed stiff peaks. I should have folded the shredded cheese in. After the whisking incident, my whites no longer held stiff peaks) but not to the point that they were inedible. In fact they were quite good, they just didn't LOOK the way I had intended. For the record I could not find this "cantal cheese" so I went with a mild, white, english cheddar and it worked just fine if you ask me. I paired those with the bacon, toasted english muffins, a bowl of mixed fruit, mimosas and viola! This New Condo's first brunch is served!
It was very nice sitting with L and P and just catching up.
Then, Sunday afternoon, P and I went to Cirque du Soleil's Corteo at Atlantic Station. I was floored. Never been to a Cirque show before and I have to tell you that it was really, really amazing. The physical feats the actors perform are unbelievable and the STAGE is miraculous! An engineering marvel. We had front row seats. I loved every second of it.
This coming week is going to be a little weird... my schedule is all switched up due to some training I have to take part in mid week. Even my hours are really wacky. I'll only do my ACTUAL shift one time (today in fact) and then the rest of the week is a mixture of "on-call," training, and a "bonus day" on which I don't have to go in at all. GOOD way to come off a week of vacation.
Hope y'all had a good weekend.
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First of all, it RAINED ALL DAY! That's not sarcasm. I dig the rain and It was one of those good consistent rains. It never let up.
Second, "L" my mortgage broker AND one of my first and best Atlanta friends came over and I cooked brunch for her and P. Between the muffins last Friday and brunch yesterday, I think that is the most action my kitchen has seen since I moved in! Epicurious had a brunch menu that I wanted to make for my friends who went to the cabin with P and I last weekend, but it is a little "different" and my cabin friends are... not picky... but not adventurous eaters. So I invited L over so I could try out the "Baked Eggs with Cantal Cheese" and "Sweet-and-Spicy Bacon" recipes I didn't get to try in the mountains. I'm not a really good cook is the thing... so I did manage to screw up the eggs (I whisked shredded cheese into a bowl of egg whites that had been beaten till they formed stiff peaks. I should have folded the shredded cheese in. After the whisking incident, my whites no longer held stiff peaks) but not to the point that they were inedible. In fact they were quite good, they just didn't LOOK the way I had intended. For the record I could not find this "cantal cheese" so I went with a mild, white, english cheddar and it worked just fine if you ask me. I paired those with the bacon, toasted english muffins, a bowl of mixed fruit, mimosas and viola! This New Condo's first brunch is served!
It was very nice sitting with L and P and just catching up.
Then, Sunday afternoon, P and I went to Cirque du Soleil's Corteo at Atlantic Station. I was floored. Never been to a Cirque show before and I have to tell you that it was really, really amazing. The physical feats the actors perform are unbelievable and the STAGE is miraculous! An engineering marvel. We had front row seats. I loved every second of it.
This coming week is going to be a little weird... my schedule is all switched up due to some training I have to take part in mid week. Even my hours are really wacky. I'll only do my ACTUAL shift one time (today in fact) and then the rest of the week is a mixture of "on-call," training, and a "bonus day" on which I don't have to go in at all. GOOD way to come off a week of vacation.
Hope y'all had a good weekend.
(1)
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
The neon's on
I think it looks pretty cool. It's actually been on since Saturday or Sunday... I spent the weekend mostly at P's so I don't know exactly when they threw the switch. I first noticed it in the afternoon, but it was still light out and I couldn't tell what impact it would have on this new condo. Last night at work I got an email from one of my real life neighbors reminding that it was on. I was pretty certain though that they would turn it off after closing hours so I didn't think I'd be able to catch it all electrified. Luckily I finished early and a buddy of mine who I work with offered me a ride home (I usually take the train) so I was able to get there in time to see what a yellow neon buffalo looks like all lit up, and I think it looks cool.
We must have pulled up JUST IN TIME though because by the time I got up to my unit it was off and so I didn't get a chance to see how much (if any) of that yellow bovine light is stampeding into my place.
The next picture illustrates why I think I am going to be OK and why I think my neighbor needs to invest in some heavy drapes:
The YELLOW ARROW indicates where the light is reflecting off the tops of my neighbors windows. In my neighbor's case I don't think it matters, that is one of the mac daddy corner units. That window opens into a 3rd bedroom (not the master) and there's only one person living there. So they can sleep in one of their OTHER bedrooms. The GREEN ARROW shows the underside of my deck and how it seems to be deflecting most of the light away from my space.
Let me point out that these photos were taken with my Treo, and so the resolution is not the best. Also white light seems to look a lot brighter than yellow light so some things might APPEAR brighter when in fact they just have a different color temperature that my little Treo cam can't cope with.
I honestly think a bigger issue for me is going to come from a street lamp that will be going up in close proximity to my space. Right now the sidewalk below me is all torn up, but amongst all that dirt there is a base for a street lamp. I assume "they" are waiting until that patch of concrete is poured to reinstall the light. Once that is in I think it will negate any issues the neon buffalo might have caused by washing it out with it's own brightness. Hard to tell if I am high enough up for my deck to block any of that light pollution.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Weekend
Funny how an otherwise really nice weekend can be totally ruined by 20 minutes of stupidity.
I've mentioned before that I've been dating a guy for several years now... I've called him "my boyfriend" in all the posts that he appears in... but that's getting a little tired. He has a name, which I'm definitely not going to use here but he should at least have an alias. So from here on out, and for reasons known only to he and I, he'll be known as P.
Now that the introductions are out of the way...
On Friday I started listening to an episode of "This American Life". For those of you not familiar with the show, it's fantastic. An hour of radio documentary and storytelling that will knock your socks off if you are into that kind of stuff. I'm an NPR addict (which is where I originally found This American Life) so this stuff is right up my alley. I have a "subscription" to the show on iTunes so when I last connected my iPod to the service a new episode downloaded. I have a few saved on my iPod, so I don't know if this is the most recent one that I was listening to, but the topic of the show was "Heretics." In this case the entire hour was devoted to telling one man's story. He was a very successful preacher, an African American man who was so close to Oral Roberts that Oral called him, "my black son." One day he decided, for reasons that are logical but require more explanation than I can devote time to here, that he could not believe in hell. Turns out this is unpopular amongst christians and he was ultimately OFFICIALLY called a heretic. Now I know that no GOOD news about the church is ever reported, and there is a LOT of good news that comes out of sanctuaries all over the world, but when the bad news comes out... it's usually, really bad. This was one of those stories and it made me angry.
Friday night I got a call from P who wanted to know if I would like to see Borat on Saturday. I was really surprised because he had shown NO interest in that movie when it first started hitting big. I think the fact that it was nominated for a golden globe had something to do with his turnaround. We went and it was interesting... not what I expected and not as funny as I had hoped... but I'm not a reviewer... too subjective... if you are interested see it, if not don't. Anyway, I was already kind of subconsciously mad at Christians thanks to This American Life, and then Borat visited a church in Texas that I can only describe as "devout." People were speaking in tongues, running around, bouncing up and down... it looked a little like a Chuck E Cheese birthday party. The preacher's sermon was one of ignorance and intolerance and the whole thing was capped off with a good ol fashioned, hand's on "healing."
I need to make it clear at this point that P is very involved in his Church. He's no bible thumper, but he takes great pride in his faith and his stewardship. I respect that. I myself am not a believer. For me, life and earth are just a big happy accidents and while I'm certain there are unseen forces at work in our daily lives I think they have a natural, non-sentient explanation. Energy and matter are "god" to me. P knows this about me and we have had several heated discussions on the matter, but his faith is unshakable and my lack of faith is not changing either... so we agree to disagree on this very large issue.
Back to Borat who is being basically accosted on stage at this Texas church by people trying to save him. I'm appalled, by the sermon, by the people, by the antics... it's all so ridiculous to me and it dawned on me that P is a christian too! Not a fundamentalist, but he definitely shares the same bible, the same god... so during the scene I look over at him and I say (half jokingly), "I want you to quit." He chuckles because he knows exactly what I mean by that.
Saturday afternoon P and I were invited to a Hanukah party, which was really fun. Some friends of ours have just moved into a new house and this was their first gathering which they INSISTED on throwing even though they have begun to demolish their kitchen. They like to share the lighting of the menorah with friends and P and I were honored to be asked. Funny thing though... we got there at like 4:30. Ate, drank, lit the candles, said the prayers, listened to the two Hanukah songs over and over, it was a full evening. I don't know if it's just because we are old men or something but after a while we agreed it was time to go so we said our goodbyes and headed out. Remember we got there at 4:30... the clock in the car read 6:20. We thought it was 9pm!
We came back to This New Condo and had a couple more beers and watched TV, but in the back of my mind I could not let go of all the Christian hypocrisy I had been exposed to over the past couple days... it may have been trigged by a Christmas Shopping ad on TV or something... but I broke the cardinal rule and started in on P about christianity. This is a guy who could not harm a flea, gentle to a fault, kind, giving, forgiving... and here I was browbeating him over the merits of his religion. My voice was raised, I'm sure the neighbors could hear, how could he give so much time and effort so such a flawed system!? He'd try to respond and I would just verbally knock him back with examples of hypocrisy and double talk, thievery and lies... I had him on the mat and the ref was counting down and I still kept at him. Peppering him with questions no one can answer... finally he turned to me and I could see that he was choked up. I'd gone too far. I'd really said some awful, awful things and I could see in his eyes he was really hurt. "I'm going to go," he said.
It took some time, but eventually I convinced him to stay. It was a quiet night after that. I slept poorly and the next day things were still awkward. I apologized repeatedly and he (characteristically) told me it was OK. He blames both our reactions on the drinks we had... and to some extent he's right. I certainly don't expect to be invited back to Church anytime soon though.
I think we're OK now. Sunday we took a long walk through Midtown into Downtown Atlanta and didn't talk about religion. We did see some cool new buildings going up. The new Twelve Centennial Park hotel and condos building is going up fast, and we saw a sign for a new tower we'd never noticed before that will house a Palomar Hotel and condos that will START at $1 million. Met friends for drinks and football that afternoon and then home to a quiet evening of Survivor.
it would have been a great weekend. If only I wasn't such an asshole.
Tomorrow: 4 days without power
I've mentioned before that I've been dating a guy for several years now... I've called him "my boyfriend" in all the posts that he appears in... but that's getting a little tired. He has a name, which I'm definitely not going to use here but he should at least have an alias. So from here on out, and for reasons known only to he and I, he'll be known as P.
Now that the introductions are out of the way...
On Friday I started listening to an episode of "This American Life". For those of you not familiar with the show, it's fantastic. An hour of radio documentary and storytelling that will knock your socks off if you are into that kind of stuff. I'm an NPR addict (which is where I originally found This American Life) so this stuff is right up my alley. I have a "subscription" to the show on iTunes so when I last connected my iPod to the service a new episode downloaded. I have a few saved on my iPod, so I don't know if this is the most recent one that I was listening to, but the topic of the show was "Heretics." In this case the entire hour was devoted to telling one man's story. He was a very successful preacher, an African American man who was so close to Oral Roberts that Oral called him, "my black son." One day he decided, for reasons that are logical but require more explanation than I can devote time to here, that he could not believe in hell. Turns out this is unpopular amongst christians and he was ultimately OFFICIALLY called a heretic. Now I know that no GOOD news about the church is ever reported, and there is a LOT of good news that comes out of sanctuaries all over the world, but when the bad news comes out... it's usually, really bad. This was one of those stories and it made me angry.
Friday night I got a call from P who wanted to know if I would like to see Borat on Saturday. I was really surprised because he had shown NO interest in that movie when it first started hitting big. I think the fact that it was nominated for a golden globe had something to do with his turnaround. We went and it was interesting... not what I expected and not as funny as I had hoped... but I'm not a reviewer... too subjective... if you are interested see it, if not don't. Anyway, I was already kind of subconsciously mad at Christians thanks to This American Life, and then Borat visited a church in Texas that I can only describe as "devout." People were speaking in tongues, running around, bouncing up and down... it looked a little like a Chuck E Cheese birthday party. The preacher's sermon was one of ignorance and intolerance and the whole thing was capped off with a good ol fashioned, hand's on "healing."
I need to make it clear at this point that P is very involved in his Church. He's no bible thumper, but he takes great pride in his faith and his stewardship. I respect that. I myself am not a believer. For me, life and earth are just a big happy accidents and while I'm certain there are unseen forces at work in our daily lives I think they have a natural, non-sentient explanation. Energy and matter are "god" to me. P knows this about me and we have had several heated discussions on the matter, but his faith is unshakable and my lack of faith is not changing either... so we agree to disagree on this very large issue.
Back to Borat who is being basically accosted on stage at this Texas church by people trying to save him. I'm appalled, by the sermon, by the people, by the antics... it's all so ridiculous to me and it dawned on me that P is a christian too! Not a fundamentalist, but he definitely shares the same bible, the same god... so during the scene I look over at him and I say (half jokingly), "I want you to quit." He chuckles because he knows exactly what I mean by that.
Saturday afternoon P and I were invited to a Hanukah party, which was really fun. Some friends of ours have just moved into a new house and this was their first gathering which they INSISTED on throwing even though they have begun to demolish their kitchen. They like to share the lighting of the menorah with friends and P and I were honored to be asked. Funny thing though... we got there at like 4:30. Ate, drank, lit the candles, said the prayers, listened to the two Hanukah songs over and over, it was a full evening. I don't know if it's just because we are old men or something but after a while we agreed it was time to go so we said our goodbyes and headed out. Remember we got there at 4:30... the clock in the car read 6:20. We thought it was 9pm!
We came back to This New Condo and had a couple more beers and watched TV, but in the back of my mind I could not let go of all the Christian hypocrisy I had been exposed to over the past couple days... it may have been trigged by a Christmas Shopping ad on TV or something... but I broke the cardinal rule and started in on P about christianity. This is a guy who could not harm a flea, gentle to a fault, kind, giving, forgiving... and here I was browbeating him over the merits of his religion. My voice was raised, I'm sure the neighbors could hear, how could he give so much time and effort so such a flawed system!? He'd try to respond and I would just verbally knock him back with examples of hypocrisy and double talk, thievery and lies... I had him on the mat and the ref was counting down and I still kept at him. Peppering him with questions no one can answer... finally he turned to me and I could see that he was choked up. I'd gone too far. I'd really said some awful, awful things and I could see in his eyes he was really hurt. "I'm going to go," he said.
It took some time, but eventually I convinced him to stay. It was a quiet night after that. I slept poorly and the next day things were still awkward. I apologized repeatedly and he (characteristically) told me it was OK. He blames both our reactions on the drinks we had... and to some extent he's right. I certainly don't expect to be invited back to Church anytime soon though.
I think we're OK now. Sunday we took a long walk through Midtown into Downtown Atlanta and didn't talk about religion. We did see some cool new buildings going up. The new Twelve Centennial Park hotel and condos building is going up fast, and we saw a sign for a new tower we'd never noticed before that will house a Palomar Hotel and condos that will START at $1 million. Met friends for drinks and football that afternoon and then home to a quiet evening of Survivor.
it would have been a great weekend. If only I wasn't such an asshole.
Tomorrow: 4 days without power
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Notify your doctor is you experience any of the following...
Those warnings at the end of pharmaceutical commercials always crack me up... I love the ones for Propecia where they say, "Pregnant women or women who could become pregnant should not TOUCH Propecia." Should not even TOUCH it! Or the new ones for the drugs that make it easier for men with growing prostates to pee more or less often, "Some men using Flowmax have reported side effects such as swelling of the breasts" Really? Would you rather have to explain to your buddies why you have to piss for the 4th time in an hour or explain why you have tits? Those disclaimers always make me think of the SNL Happy Fun Ball sketch:
"Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball" is my favorite!
There have been a few side effects from becoming a home owner that I didn't expect. I now actually dog ear pages in and sometimes hang on to catalogs from the likes of Frontgate & West Elm & Pottery Barn, whereas a year ago they'd be in the trash the day they arrived. I now pay attention to the "housing numbers" when they are reported on the news. Still don't really know what the heck the "housing numbers" are, but when Ali Velshi starts talking about the "real estate market" or "mortgage rates" my ears prick up. I also find my self starting a lot of sentences with "That would look good in my (insert room here)" while out shopping. Oh and I am completely obsessed with flat screen TV's now. I used to just want one, now I crave, no, NEED a wall mounted flat screen TV. It's a feeling similar to the one you get after someone you love calls it off. That kind of lonely ache that settles in right below the chest but above the stomach for weeks... that is the feeling I get when I see any flat screen larger than 42 inches. I want to call it and find out what went wrong and tell it how much I love it, how good we could be together. I know that right now though, it's just not meant to be, and it kills me. That is how bad I want a flat screen TV.
The biggest side effect though has got to be my level of neatness. I am a slob. Like a REAL slob. Dirty clothes on the floor (in any room of the house) for days. Coffee spills mopped up with my socked foot. Bags of salad in the fridge from 3 months ago. Dishes, dusting, mopping, and anything that involved comet or any other abrasive scrubbing agent... those things do not get done in my house. My bathroom... a horror show. When I lived with roommates or my ex I was a little better, but not much (and it's been years since I shared living quarters with anyone). But now... something has changed. A switch has been flipped. I find myself in the kitchen using clorox disinfecting wipes on counters that already appear clean. I keep a bottle of glass cleaner AND paper towels in the bathroom JUST to keep the surfaces in there clean and I have ANOTHER bottle of glass cleaner under the sink in the kitchen! I own a broom and dustpan that both get used several times a week. I've discovered special wipes just for keeping stainless steel appliances fingerprint free. Last night I found myself googleing "Cleaning Glass Shower Doors" because I've noticed that water stains are starting to cloud the lower 3 inches of my shower door and my bathroom glass cleaner is not doing the job. I have even made my bed nearly every day since I moved in! The only thing on my Xmas wish list is a ROOMBA. I actually ASKED to go into (instead of having to be dragged) The Container Store over the weekend. It's a little creepy to be honest. It's still a struggle, I mean, I didn't suddenly start generating grey matter infused with the cleaning gene... I have to make time and make the effort to clean, but I'm much more willing to do it now. Coming home to a clean space is great, not worrying about an unexpected guest is great too but despite my newfound willingness to do so cleaning is still not something I enjoy.
I guess it's better than swelling of the breasts.
Next time: Big Condo Owner vs. Little Condo Gym
"Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball" is my favorite!
There have been a few side effects from becoming a home owner that I didn't expect. I now actually dog ear pages in and sometimes hang on to catalogs from the likes of Frontgate & West Elm & Pottery Barn, whereas a year ago they'd be in the trash the day they arrived. I now pay attention to the "housing numbers" when they are reported on the news. Still don't really know what the heck the "housing numbers" are, but when Ali Velshi starts talking about the "real estate market" or "mortgage rates" my ears prick up. I also find my self starting a lot of sentences with "That would look good in my (insert room here)" while out shopping. Oh and I am completely obsessed with flat screen TV's now. I used to just want one, now I crave, no, NEED a wall mounted flat screen TV. It's a feeling similar to the one you get after someone you love calls it off. That kind of lonely ache that settles in right below the chest but above the stomach for weeks... that is the feeling I get when I see any flat screen larger than 42 inches. I want to call it and find out what went wrong and tell it how much I love it, how good we could be together. I know that right now though, it's just not meant to be, and it kills me. That is how bad I want a flat screen TV.
The biggest side effect though has got to be my level of neatness. I am a slob. Like a REAL slob. Dirty clothes on the floor (in any room of the house) for days. Coffee spills mopped up with my socked foot. Bags of salad in the fridge from 3 months ago. Dishes, dusting, mopping, and anything that involved comet or any other abrasive scrubbing agent... those things do not get done in my house. My bathroom... a horror show. When I lived with roommates or my ex I was a little better, but not much (and it's been years since I shared living quarters with anyone). But now... something has changed. A switch has been flipped. I find myself in the kitchen using clorox disinfecting wipes on counters that already appear clean. I keep a bottle of glass cleaner AND paper towels in the bathroom JUST to keep the surfaces in there clean and I have ANOTHER bottle of glass cleaner under the sink in the kitchen! I own a broom and dustpan that both get used several times a week. I've discovered special wipes just for keeping stainless steel appliances fingerprint free. Last night I found myself googleing "Cleaning Glass Shower Doors" because I've noticed that water stains are starting to cloud the lower 3 inches of my shower door and my bathroom glass cleaner is not doing the job. I have even made my bed nearly every day since I moved in! The only thing on my Xmas wish list is a ROOMBA. I actually ASKED to go into (instead of having to be dragged) The Container Store over the weekend. It's a little creepy to be honest. It's still a struggle, I mean, I didn't suddenly start generating grey matter infused with the cleaning gene... I have to make time and make the effort to clean, but I'm much more willing to do it now. Coming home to a clean space is great, not worrying about an unexpected guest is great too but despite my newfound willingness to do so cleaning is still not something I enjoy.
I guess it's better than swelling of the breasts.
Next time: Big Condo Owner vs. Little Condo Gym
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Why is my AC still on?
Dude, it is nearly DECEMBER and I have THIS NEW CONDO's air conditioning on in order to keep it at 70 up in here! I know winter doesn't "officially" start till December 22nd (thank you wikipedia) but it feels weird to be outside in short sleeves anytime after Thanksgiving. Guess I'm still not used to Georgia livin'.
I want to turn on my HEAT, make instant hot cocoa with those nasty micro-marshmellows, put on some big ol socks, throw a blanket over me and mine and watch a movie together while the rain falls and the wind blows outside.
I know that sounded very Ally McBeal, but what you don't know is that there's a quarter cup of burbon in the cocoa, the movie is Aliens, and under the blanket: just the socks.
Bring on WINTER!!!
Next time: This New Condo may cause some side effects...
I want to turn on my HEAT, make instant hot cocoa with those nasty micro-marshmellows, put on some big ol socks, throw a blanket over me and mine and watch a movie together while the rain falls and the wind blows outside.
I know that sounded very Ally McBeal, but what you don't know is that there's a quarter cup of burbon in the cocoa, the movie is Aliens, and under the blanket: just the socks.
Bring on WINTER!!!
Next time: This New Condo may cause some side effects...
Monday, November 27, 2006
Hi Ho!
It's back to work for me today. I had the good fortune to have the last two weeks off and have really gotten used to not working. Almost feels a little weird to be gong back to work. We (THEY really) are in the process of shaking things up as far as shifts and schedules are concerned and so when I go back today, I'll be going back to a very different schedule. Still the same hours and still pushing the same buttons, but doing so at different times than I used to. Your new schedule at any job can be a little weird to adjust to because you get to know your routine, you get to know the people who work with you, their peccadilloes and whatnot, the subtle differences in the machinery and all that... and then, your duties change a little, and everything is just a smidge off.
I used to be a fan of that show, SLIDERS. Ever see that show? Kinda hot dude who is now on Crossing Jordan was the star, his brother was "The Bachelor" one year. Anyway, on SLIDERS the premise was that they were moving between alternate realities all the time. So it always took place in pretty much the same location and always in the present day, but one week they were in a reality where the Nazi's had won the war, in another only Women were allowed to hold public office. Sometimes things would look exactly the same, EXCEPT that bugs were revered and could not be squished... maybe I made that last one up... the point I am trying to make is that when I get back to work today it will be like sliding into a slightly alternate reality. Everything will look the same, but at the same time everything will be just SLIGHTLY askew. A little like crossing the border from Washington State into British Columbia.
Plans for THIS NEW CONDO this week are to get the tile replaced in my bathroom, getting a poster finally framed & hung and returning the ladder that I borrowed from my neighbors.
I'm also going to look into some mirror related ideas I've seen lately. On Small Space, Big Style I saw a woman use mirrors for her kitchen backsplash... what do you think? I think it could be a less expensive alternate to stainless steel. I also saw a BIG use of mirrors in Polo by Ralph Loren at Lenox Square. They used really tall panels of beveled mirror to line the back wall of a really masculine bedroom vignette. My bedroom is not huge, so I thought I'd look into stealing that idea for my space. Speaking of mirrors, anyone know a good glass cleaner? The stuff I have been using leaves a noticeable residue on the mirror I have hung in my living room. When the sunlight hits it it looks really crappy.
Next time: my embarrasing hobby
I used to be a fan of that show, SLIDERS. Ever see that show? Kinda hot dude who is now on Crossing Jordan was the star, his brother was "The Bachelor" one year. Anyway, on SLIDERS the premise was that they were moving between alternate realities all the time. So it always took place in pretty much the same location and always in the present day, but one week they were in a reality where the Nazi's had won the war, in another only Women were allowed to hold public office. Sometimes things would look exactly the same, EXCEPT that bugs were revered and could not be squished... maybe I made that last one up... the point I am trying to make is that when I get back to work today it will be like sliding into a slightly alternate reality. Everything will look the same, but at the same time everything will be just SLIGHTLY askew. A little like crossing the border from Washington State into British Columbia.
Plans for THIS NEW CONDO this week are to get the tile replaced in my bathroom, getting a poster finally framed & hung and returning the ladder that I borrowed from my neighbors.
I'm also going to look into some mirror related ideas I've seen lately. On Small Space, Big Style I saw a woman use mirrors for her kitchen backsplash... what do you think? I think it could be a less expensive alternate to stainless steel. I also saw a BIG use of mirrors in Polo by Ralph Loren at Lenox Square. They used really tall panels of beveled mirror to line the back wall of a really masculine bedroom vignette. My bedroom is not huge, so I thought I'd look into stealing that idea for my space. Speaking of mirrors, anyone know a good glass cleaner? The stuff I have been using leaves a noticeable residue on the mirror I have hung in my living room. When the sunlight hits it it looks really crappy.
Next time: my embarrasing hobby
Saturday, November 18, 2006
robot banking
So far this little system I have created for paying my mortgage has worked well for me, or should I say it has, well, worked for me.
Before we get started you should know that I am not good with money. I'm getting better, but I am not good with saving or making smart spending decisions.
In order to keep my mitts off the money I need to pay for where I live I have devised a plan that involves two banks, three accounts and (hopefully) ZERO maintenance on my part. My "paycheck" is direct deposited every other Friday. My employer offers a system under which I can have those paychecks split up either by percentage or dollar amount or variations of both, and deposited into several different accounts on payday. In order to keep the money I need to pay my mortgage and my HOA dues OUT of my hot little hands, I have arranged that an amount equal to half of those two bills combined be direct deposited into an interest earning checking account (which we will call the "mortgage account"). In addition I have a very small percentage of every check automatically deposited into a savings account (which we will call the "never touch" account), and finally whatever is left over goes into my regular, daily spending, checking account (which we'll call my "everything else" account). Now I also have a 401k that I contribute to, but that is like invisible money to me, so it doesn't even really count till I turn 65 or whatever the retirement age will be in 20 years.
The genius here is that just about every bank offers an online banking product these days. These systems can be set up to automatically pay bills, or you can even have your mortgage payment sucked right out of those accounts through programs made available by most mortgage companies or just about any other biller. Either way it is an invisible transaction. Because I am not good with money I have set up my mortgage account to automatically cut checks to my mortgage company and my homeowners association on the 25th of every month. So between the direct deposit and the automatic check cutting, I never have to see, smell, feel, handle, even consider the payment of those two bills. It just happens. And because I am having my bank cut the checks, I have a (an electronic) paper trail I can follow should anything go wrong.
Side note here... when my bank sent me the ATM cards for my mortgage and my never touch accounts I panicked. Too much temptation! I couldn’t bring myself to destroy them though... just in case of an emergency or really great deal on QVC (KIDDING!) I wanted to be sure I could still access those funds if I HAD to, so I kept them. I can actually hear them calling to me from their hiding place sometimes. Urging me to use them to buy ROOMBA or another TiVo, or that flat screen that Wal*Mart has for under $900... but my willpower has grown since becoming a homeowner. So far I have been able to resist their siren songs, but for how long dear reader? How long?
But, I digress...
This genius direct deposit, auto pay system does have one drawback. After everything has been split up very little is left to go into the everything else account. Only about a third of my check. So far I have managed to keep my shit together thanks to limited use of credit, and some creative bill paying, but I'm not gonna lie, it's tight. In my last post I mentioned that I'd dipped below $100 in my everything else account for the first time in a long, long time. This system and my not being used to it was the cause of that.
It's all still very new, AND it's a work in process... I may have to do a little "tweaking" to get it just right, but in the mean time I'll let the bank robots write the important checks for THIS NEW CONDO, and I'll try to manage the little ones best I can.
Next time: the great paint experiment (or) how I learned to stop worrying and love brown
Before we get started you should know that I am not good with money. I'm getting better, but I am not good with saving or making smart spending decisions.
In order to keep my mitts off the money I need to pay for where I live I have devised a plan that involves two banks, three accounts and (hopefully) ZERO maintenance on my part. My "paycheck" is direct deposited every other Friday. My employer offers a system under which I can have those paychecks split up either by percentage or dollar amount or variations of both, and deposited into several different accounts on payday. In order to keep the money I need to pay my mortgage and my HOA dues OUT of my hot little hands, I have arranged that an amount equal to half of those two bills combined be direct deposited into an interest earning checking account (which we will call the "mortgage account"). In addition I have a very small percentage of every check automatically deposited into a savings account (which we will call the "never touch" account), and finally whatever is left over goes into my regular, daily spending, checking account (which we'll call my "everything else" account). Now I also have a 401k that I contribute to, but that is like invisible money to me, so it doesn't even really count till I turn 65 or whatever the retirement age will be in 20 years.
The genius here is that just about every bank offers an online banking product these days. These systems can be set up to automatically pay bills, or you can even have your mortgage payment sucked right out of those accounts through programs made available by most mortgage companies or just about any other biller. Either way it is an invisible transaction. Because I am not good with money I have set up my mortgage account to automatically cut checks to my mortgage company and my homeowners association on the 25th of every month. So between the direct deposit and the automatic check cutting, I never have to see, smell, feel, handle, even consider the payment of those two bills. It just happens. And because I am having my bank cut the checks, I have a (an electronic) paper trail I can follow should anything go wrong.
Side note here... when my bank sent me the ATM cards for my mortgage and my never touch accounts I panicked. Too much temptation! I couldn’t bring myself to destroy them though... just in case of an emergency or really great deal on QVC (KIDDING!) I wanted to be sure I could still access those funds if I HAD to, so I kept them. I can actually hear them calling to me from their hiding place sometimes. Urging me to use them to buy ROOMBA or another TiVo, or that flat screen that Wal*Mart has for under $900... but my willpower has grown since becoming a homeowner. So far I have been able to resist their siren songs, but for how long dear reader? How long?
But, I digress...
This genius direct deposit, auto pay system does have one drawback. After everything has been split up very little is left to go into the everything else account. Only about a third of my check. So far I have managed to keep my shit together thanks to limited use of credit, and some creative bill paying, but I'm not gonna lie, it's tight. In my last post I mentioned that I'd dipped below $100 in my everything else account for the first time in a long, long time. This system and my not being used to it was the cause of that.
It's all still very new, AND it's a work in process... I may have to do a little "tweaking" to get it just right, but in the mean time I'll let the bank robots write the important checks for THIS NEW CONDO, and I'll try to manage the little ones best I can.
Next time: the great paint experiment (or) how I learned to stop worrying and love brown
Friday, November 17, 2006
the train
The rough draft of this post is being thumbed on my Treo over the course of 3 trips as I ride to and from work on MARTA, Atlanta's transit system. MARTA's rail system is pretty basic, consisting of just two lines: east/west and north/south. They cross each other beneath downtown in a station called 5 Points (which has always bothered me because really its just 1 point. At MOST it could be called 4 Points if you consider that at maximum capacity 4 trains all moving in different directions COULD be in the station at one time. It's called 5 points because of it's proximity to an intersection of 5 streets, which I get, but the STATION, regardless of it's location was misnamed, IMO... Anyway) The rail component of MARTA is definitely the star, but the busses are the real hard workers. Thing is, no one wants to ride the bus. I don't blame 'em. MARTA busses are almost never on time and frequently take very circuitous routes to get where they are going. Having said all that...
When people complain to me about traffic or the price of gas, I very proudly mention that I usually take the train to work so I haven't really noticed. They tell me I’m lucky to live near a station, but I am NOT lucky, I am SMART! I CHOSE to live where I do so I could take advantage of what little mass transit the ATL has to offer. I picked THIS NEW CONDO partly because of it's easy access to Marta. Even when I didn’t live close to a station, I STILL found a way to use mass transit as often as possible.
I admit it's easier for me to make a choice like this because I DO live alone, and I DON’T have any kids and I DON’T want a yard, but there are still mass transit options for people who do. It might mean 20 more minutes travel time to get to work by bus and or train, but you can spend that time reading or playing a game on your phone or even BLOGGING (none of which I recommend while behind the wheel).
So what's more important to you? An extra 20 mins of sleep before you start your commute OR keeping one less car off the road? You can always take a nap, but how are you going to suck that exhaust BACK into your tailpipe?
Tomorrow: THIS NEW CONDO has a cash flow problem.
When people complain to me about traffic or the price of gas, I very proudly mention that I usually take the train to work so I haven't really noticed. They tell me I’m lucky to live near a station, but I am NOT lucky, I am SMART! I CHOSE to live where I do so I could take advantage of what little mass transit the ATL has to offer. I picked THIS NEW CONDO partly because of it's easy access to Marta. Even when I didn’t live close to a station, I STILL found a way to use mass transit as often as possible.
I admit it's easier for me to make a choice like this because I DO live alone, and I DON’T have any kids and I DON’T want a yard, but there are still mass transit options for people who do. It might mean 20 more minutes travel time to get to work by bus and or train, but you can spend that time reading or playing a game on your phone or even BLOGGING (none of which I recommend while behind the wheel).
So what's more important to you? An extra 20 mins of sleep before you start your commute OR keeping one less car off the road? You can always take a nap, but how are you going to suck that exhaust BACK into your tailpipe?
Tomorrow: THIS NEW CONDO has a cash flow problem.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
the toolbox
I try and keep the amount of THINGS I have to a minimum. I don't like having things for the sake of having them... not a big nick-nack-n-brick-a-brack collector. I have a couple things that would qualify as nicks or nacks, but I am well below the brick or brack level of stuff. Ironically this desire to keep it simple prevents me from buying things that would help collect some of the necessary clutter that I have accumulated. Specifically tools. I don't have a large selection of tools, two hammers, a mismatched set of screwdrivers, allen wrench set, measuring tape... you know, the basics, but it's enough that not all of it fits in my toolbox. It's a little red jobby that probably initially contained a basic starter set of tools which have since been scattered. Most of the tools I use frequently, screwdrivers, small hammer, measuring tape, ended up in the "junk drawer" in my kitchen and the rest lived in the little red toolbox that resided under my sink. All that changes today:
Little red has been replaced with big blue and for once in my life, all my tools are in one place leaving my junk drawer open for playing cards, sewing kits, thumbtacks, spare keys, a couple of lighters, a penlight, etc.
Problem I am having now is that I anthropomorphize things and it's going to be very hard to throw away little red. He really served me well. Never complained when I tried to stuff too much crap into him... even survived a fire! I think he was a gift from my Mom while I was in college. A buddy of mine has a big yard sale a couple times a year... maybe I'll hold on to little red till his next sale and pass him on.
In other news, the weather around Atlanta today is my favorite kind. Rain, at times hard rain. We even have a "severe weather" warning for later on this afternoon! Not sure why I like rainy days, just always have.
Tomorrow, the before and after pictures of my first real home improvement project which will prove the adage that it's the little things that make all the difference!
Little red has been replaced with big blue and for once in my life, all my tools are in one place leaving my junk drawer open for playing cards, sewing kits, thumbtacks, spare keys, a couple of lighters, a penlight, etc.
Problem I am having now is that I anthropomorphize things and it's going to be very hard to throw away little red. He really served me well. Never complained when I tried to stuff too much crap into him... even survived a fire! I think he was a gift from my Mom while I was in college. A buddy of mine has a big yard sale a couple times a year... maybe I'll hold on to little red till his next sale and pass him on.
In other news, the weather around Atlanta today is my favorite kind. Rain, at times hard rain. We even have a "severe weather" warning for later on this afternoon! Not sure why I like rainy days, just always have.
Tomorrow, the before and after pictures of my first real home improvement project which will prove the adage that it's the little things that make all the difference!
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
the blog
I waited till I was 38 to become a homeowner (technically this is my second foray into home ownership, but the first experience didn't really count, I'm sure that will come up in future posts). It's been an interesting process involving a lot of paperwork, many many trips to Target, some serious soul searching and the biggest checks I have ever written.
Frankly this blog is something for me to use to keep track of all the stuff that I'm trying to keep up with as I continue this process, but I think it could also be interesting to others who are considering buying a place or who are just moving into a place.
How much about myself and my address I want to reveal are issues I'm working on... so in the meantime here are some generic tidbits that will hopefully provide a base to build on:
Little about me: I'm a 38 year old guy living just outside Atlanta, GA. I'm 6 feet tall and carry about 20 extra lbs around. I am in year three of my relationship with my boyfriend who does not live with me. I work behind the scenes in broadcasting. My salary is in the mid 40's which is good for my line of work. I mention that because lets face it, the financial aspect of this process is of paramount importance. If I am going to write about what it's like for an individual to buy/own/maintain a home those reading need to know how deep the financial pool is.
Little about this new condo: It is, in fact, NEW. The building is still under construction as I write this. When I moved in there were only 13 other units occupied in the building and the units on the upper floors were still being sheet rocked. I'm the first person to live in this space which is a very new experience for me. It's a small (relatively), one bedroom unit at just over 780 square feet. It's on the 3rd floor of a 7 story building in what my friends tell me is a very "hip and trendy" area about 10 minutes away from downtown Atlanta, but outside the city limits. I paid around $170 for my space. This number is less than what the units of similar size go for in my building thanks to a program that my city has in place to make sure that people from all walks of life can live here... I'm sure that we'll talk about that program again in future posts. The unit has wood floors, 12 foot ceilings, granite counter tops, a small balcony, stainless steel appliances (my only upgrade) and travertine tile in the bathroom. Now that may sound like boasting, but that's what the place came with, and again, it's important to document some of the details if I'm going to have an honest dialogue about what it's like to live here. Frankly all that fancy stuff has made me more nervous than proud.
Why blog? It occurred to me that every day since I moved in something NEW has been added to this new condo. Sometimes it's a piece of furniture, sometimes it's a friend. Sometimes it's an annoyance, or a bill. Sometimes it's a new cleaning product. Usually though it's just an insight that I gain simply by being part of the process. At any rate, I thought that might be a cool point of view from which to keep a journal and so today:
THIS NEW CONDO has: a blog
Frankly this blog is something for me to use to keep track of all the stuff that I'm trying to keep up with as I continue this process, but I think it could also be interesting to others who are considering buying a place or who are just moving into a place.
How much about myself and my address I want to reveal are issues I'm working on... so in the meantime here are some generic tidbits that will hopefully provide a base to build on:
Little about me: I'm a 38 year old guy living just outside Atlanta, GA. I'm 6 feet tall and carry about 20 extra lbs around. I am in year three of my relationship with my boyfriend who does not live with me. I work behind the scenes in broadcasting. My salary is in the mid 40's which is good for my line of work. I mention that because lets face it, the financial aspect of this process is of paramount importance. If I am going to write about what it's like for an individual to buy/own/maintain a home those reading need to know how deep the financial pool is.
Little about this new condo: It is, in fact, NEW. The building is still under construction as I write this. When I moved in there were only 13 other units occupied in the building and the units on the upper floors were still being sheet rocked. I'm the first person to live in this space which is a very new experience for me. It's a small (relatively), one bedroom unit at just over 780 square feet. It's on the 3rd floor of a 7 story building in what my friends tell me is a very "hip and trendy" area about 10 minutes away from downtown Atlanta, but outside the city limits. I paid around $170 for my space. This number is less than what the units of similar size go for in my building thanks to a program that my city has in place to make sure that people from all walks of life can live here... I'm sure that we'll talk about that program again in future posts. The unit has wood floors, 12 foot ceilings, granite counter tops, a small balcony, stainless steel appliances (my only upgrade) and travertine tile in the bathroom. Now that may sound like boasting, but that's what the place came with, and again, it's important to document some of the details if I'm going to have an honest dialogue about what it's like to live here. Frankly all that fancy stuff has made me more nervous than proud.
Why blog? It occurred to me that every day since I moved in something NEW has been added to this new condo. Sometimes it's a piece of furniture, sometimes it's a friend. Sometimes it's an annoyance, or a bill. Sometimes it's a new cleaning product. Usually though it's just an insight that I gain simply by being part of the process. At any rate, I thought that might be a cool point of view from which to keep a journal and so today:
THIS NEW CONDO has: a blog
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