Nothing new
Despite the fact that I'm moving next weekend, I've got nothing really new to say. I've been fighting off a cold the last few days, so my time has been spent trying to get a decent nights sleep hahahahaha buying Kleenex and sipping tea. A cup of tea can solve almost anything. Tea is very versatile, you know. Hot, it can soothe and relax. Iced, it can refresh. And in "Long Island" form....... wheeeee!
But anyways.
My packing has been going exactly as I thought it would. I'm procrastinating on a lot of it. Well, at least I'm honest. I should be getting things done now, as I have a couple of days off work. But as per usual, I'm spending more time planning my trips than my actual moving. Yay vacation! I am getting things accomplished, though. I have a phone and new computer. I have some boxes that need to be filled. I reserved a U-Haul to move my bed. I know what furniture I am going to buy when I get paid this week. I know my Billy bookcase from Ikea won't really fit in my trunk even with my backseat folded down. I booked my flight/hotel for Toronto. I know I don't want to think about how busy O'Hare is going to be on November 22nd. I am contemplating on meeting Jo at the end of June somewhere really really warm. LOL and I'm going off track again.
*sigh*
Well, now that my cup of tea is done, I suppose I should start rummaging through some stuff.
A new leaf?
Some things exhilarate your senses, leaving you breathless. And no, I'm not talking dirty. I mean the feeling you get when you dive head first into the ocean, experience spicy cuisine, lay your eyes on new and majestic scenery, etc. But some things can invigorate your mind and soul, though ordinary they may seem.
In attempt to organize myself lately, I have stumbled across this very phenomenon. I have a rather large collection of papers or documents strewn about my house, and since I have inherited my dad's pack-rat tendencies, none of these papers have been touched in years. I mean years. I still had French notes from elementary school, empty and somewhat crumpled music folders from junior high, and full subject binders from McNally. PRi and I had a good laugh when I found Bismarck and Napoleon notes, half-finished scribbled letters (lists?) to Sheena, and analyzation attempts on Edgar Allen Poe that may have been decorated in pink balloons......
After setting our focus back on actually doing something about this mess, I found it rather refreshing to chuck everything into a recycle pile. Sounds kind of nerdy, I know. I had forgotten that I had thrown everything in a large TV box and shoved it in a corner of my basement. Not until I went looking for my 3 toasters, glassware, and nursing books to sort through did I find the hidden gems of my school years. Some things I ended up keeping in the end (mostly binders and loose leaf, but also my "calendrier" and that dragon Andy and I "lost" at Bird's Hill Park).
After a short bout of mourning for my past destined for recycling, I felt accomplished, and somewhat energized at the prospect of clearing out some of the clutter that has been weighing me down. I spent the better part of my day today sifting through old bank statements, tax returns, pay stubs from 2001, and student loan documents. It took a lot of effort to not wander into Ikea and buy all the storage items and furniture that I saw yesterday. Instead, I settled for a file organizer from Staples in which my smaller pile of papers got sorted.
During this sorting, a new me slowly came out today. A me who is slightly more practical, though still spontaneous. A me whose "gold" sometimes outweighs the "blue-orange". A me who is focusing a little more on the future instead of the now. It's scary finding this new person within me. Is it all part of growing up? Maybe. I'd still like to think that there is room for the old me as well.
feeling a bit humbled
Shopping is a humbling experience. You've put on some weight so the sizes you once wore don't fit quite right. Your credit card gets maxed out causing you to return some items. You fight with sale-seeking coupon-cutting back-to-school-shopping hormone-oozing grabby people for the only piece of clothing in the store that you liked. The thrill of buying something new is sometimes marred by terrible encounters, and yet can open up a whole new perspective on things.
Such was the case last week, when PRi and I decided to go condo hunting. Though some details still needed to be worked out, and finalization of the mortgage still needed to happen, we braved the notorious housing market with our realtor to test the waters of available accommodations that fit our budget. I don't think neither of us were really expecting to actually buy something right away, but looking to see what was out there gave us an idea of what to expect. We had seen 5 different (and I mean
different) apartment-style condos on the south side of the city in our price range.
The most affordable being very small, but needing little work was the first to be seen. Not bad to rent, but I wouldn't have bought. Though lacking in storage space, fridge, and dishwasher, the condo had new laminate flooring and access to an indoor swimming pool. I drew the line, however, at the coin-operated laundry room down the hall. If I'm going to buy my own place, I'd like to be able to wash my clothes in my own place. The rest of the condos we looked at had similar pros and cons.......the cons unfortunately outweighing the pros. How those people wanting to sell their places will ever get offers I will never know.
All in all it left both PRi and I feeling humbled and poor, but interestingly enough opened our eyes to what was available and what we could do about it. Downhearted, a late Denny's dinner was in order to discuss our shopping experience, and both of us decided it was not worth risking our friendship to continue looking at this moment in time. Maybe in the spring, when the market slows down, and we sort out our finances and responsibilities.....but not right now. In the mean time, I had been toying with the idea of helping PRi with her ridiculous rent, and moving in until the end of the lease. Renting was not my first choice though, but it will cut down on some costs for PRi, and will give us a better idea of how we are as roommates. A smarter decision I think for now than actually buying a condo.
