Multiconstruct

Greetings Constant Reader. Things in COMO continue to progress rapidly and unexpectedly. First of all for those confused by the Back Yard Not Included post everything is still on track for the house purchase. That was an older post that I inadvertently saved instead of posted and then posted later when I noticed my error. I do that sometimes. The house thing is going well. We had the inspection which went fine I identified some stuff for them to fix and they agreed to fix it. I also arranged my homeowners insurance and notified the bank who have scheduled the appraisal, which is the last thing that could potentially be a hitch as it has to appraise for the sale price or higher. I suspect it will, I added 10 grand to the sale price for the home insurance. Also talked to the bank about closing a week early, because my life is not filled with enough unexpected change. Actually I did it so my dad could unload his pick up truck before we drove up to Michigan for my cousin’s wedding. That way we can load it up with a bunch of our stuff that we have left with various kinfolk. I have kept my stuff scattered over multiple states for years so it will be nice to work for consolidating it all here in COMO. It is a little mind numbing trying to pull everything together, while still maintaining my life, such as it is. I am having to take things day by day, especially since my dad arrived. Hosting out of town company is a lot of work, especially while I try to keep a smallish footprint here at Sarah’s house, as taking in a 71 year old retired truck driver was not really one of her life goals. She has been out of town for the weekend which has been nice, just for space reasons. I should be packing but I’m not. I got my case notes caught up with, as at work we have a grant report due next week so I have this whole data collection thing on top of all the other things I have to do so some shit has been falling through the cracks. It seems like I get up make coffee and small talk with the popster roll into work jam all day roll home and rustle up dinner and more small talk and then its time to go to bed. Thank god for the weekend. Cooked a nice family style meal yesterday. Looks like I’m still stuck with most of the cooking unless I pick up a taste for hamburger helper. Dad did make a pretty good breakfast, and I learned the secret to cooking bacon as well as cube steaks on the grill is low heat. For the most part things are going well with Dad. We do come from 2 different worlds so we are having to work at meeting in the middle. I think it will be easier when we have the place so we can start doing our own things. If it wasn’t for the invention of whole grain white bread I don’t think we would have made it. Myrtle is a treat, although she’s pretty spoiled. She’s about 12 inches tall and about 20 lbs with longish black hair. She’s got a black tongue so she’s got some chow in her but she’s itty-bitty. The shelter she came from said she was chow and blue tick hound, but I don’t see the hound except for her floppy ears, but we call her a chow hound nonetheless. I took her jogging with me again today and I don’t think she had recovered from yesterdays because she slipped her collar and ran away on the back stretch today. She screamed like I was beating her when I was trying to get her collar back on. Thank god I tired her out so she couldn’t run away. Maybe my brothers right to call her Turtle. So this week I work all week including my batterers group and my data collection project. Close on the house (I hope I have enough money). Get utilities turned on if theres time and leave afterwork on Friday for Michigan. Wedding on Saturday (still have to pick Dad out a shirt), barbecue at Olson’s on Sunday, and drive back on Monday to start my new life in my new home. Of course we’ll be sitting on the floor because I’m out of money to furnish it. All in all things are going splendidly. I am looking forward to planting my persimmon tree and putting in a garden plot. If the wifi gods are kind perhaps I’ll be able to pick up a signal at the new house and I will be more on top of this whole blog thing.

I think I might do a blog that is just a collection of excuses and apologies for not blogging. This week’s is i was all excited about finding a house. It was the 2nd one i looked at, a 3 bedroom brick ranch home on a quiet street near a park with a huge backyard. I decided to make an offer, very exciting, took my handy friend Eric to check it out, and was half way through signing the papers, kicking myself for not bringing my checkbook for the earnest money (look at all this middle class crap i’ve learned), when the realtor wanted to show me this great mapping program to answer my question on the exact location of the property line and low and behold some previous owner had sold the backyard to the neighbors. Now i am back to square one. I need to find another likely prospect to get my realtor back in gear (i don’t want to tell him i am desperate) showing me more places. The Popster is camping out by Lake Mead, so I’d like to get a place soon (theres a fine line between camping and homelessness). I’m not super happy with my backup choice, one of the bedrooms is a little small (you need 3 bedrooms for resale) and its overpriced. On the plus side its been on the market for 7 months so i might make a low ball offer. It has to be terrifying to be trying to sell a house right now. If i were doing it i wouldn’t be watching the news. On other fronts its a perfect day out there. i strolled around Stephens Lake before coming here (i always blog at the coffee zone) and before that i went for a little hike at Pinacles one of the really nice nature areas around here. Its helped keep me from becoming bitter and clinging to guns or church or something. When I am done here I am going to be a guest speaker at a freedom from smoking group. Its been almost 2 months and except for gaining a million pounds it has gone really well. I have been off meds for a month and haven’t slipped once. I figure spreading the good word will help keep me honest.

Hello Readers. When a week begins you often can’t predict where they will end. I have seen this proven again and again and yet I still persist in believing there is some kind of predictive regularity to life, though all evidence i have seen is in the contrary.

On Monday nigh I was hanging out with my friend Nancy and drank a couple of beers and shot the shit on her front porch. As I was walking home, I checked my voicemail and Chad Osborne, my best friend from highschool, had left a message that he had Pistons play off tickets for Wednesday if I wanted to go. Tuesday I cleared my schedule for the rest of the week, moved up my appointment for a 2nd viewing of the house on Leslie I want, worked, saw the house, signed a contract, packed, skipped my truck inspection (theres still 3 days in the month when i get back tomorrow night), and hit the road. So this week has largely left me with a surprise home visit to the home country. The trip up was uneventful except for an incredibly cheap hotel that was then a fairly reasonable place to stay. The pistons won which was nice as they dropped the game before and the next one last night. I’d never been to an NBA game, it was a lot of fun. I most enjoyed how they manipulated the crowd with alternating flashing messages to scream and yell and then buy stuff. It began from the parking lot where this was this huge disembodied deep and comfortable voice explaining the rules of the stadium. I thought i will be glad when that voice is broadcast everywhere and no one will have to think or remember, just wander and obey. I think the house hunting has permenantly scarred my brain. Its definitely changed how I look at the world. I went to my brother Bob’s whose had the same house for more than 25 years and I thought, “wow what a big living room and with a lot of light, its on a pretty quiet street, and the yard is huge, wish it had the hardwoood floors though”. I don’t think i used to think like this. The other thing i have noticed is how much more of the area is covered in vinyl siding. I’d barely heard of it a month ago and now i realize half the planet has become swathed in it. Really unfortunate, even giant old farmhouses i remember looking all boxy. Its disturbing, and Chad says it is cheap and of course its low maintenance, so i guess its just going to get worse. I have been telling everyone about my house. Three bedrooms, 2 baths, a split level with brick and aluminum siding, a 2 car attached garage, with the bedrooms above. Leslie is a little busier than a street i want to live on and it doesn’t seem to have much of a “neighborhood feel” although my boss lives across the street and she’s pretty neighborly but in the words of my realtor “Its a lot of house for the money”. I ok’d the price in Indianapolis Wednesday morning and faxed back the contract Thursday from Monroe. Everyone hear seems happy and healthy, I helped Harry move into his new apartment he is getting with his new girlfriend (both very nice, one painted in some wild colors). I got to help a little with the painting and got roped into moving some stuff on friday, the curse of pick up ownership. Friday night had a nice dinner with my brother Bob and his wife Pam. Bob grilled out venison steaks, which were excellent and some asparagus, which he gave me props on teaching him how back in my vegetarian days. Pam made among other things this asian shredded brocoli salad that was really yummy, didn’t even know there was shredded brocoli. Chad and Melissa have been delightful hosts, laid back and considerate, but I spent one night over at Harry’s as Bill, a co-op manager out of Marquette was visiting. We all played some Settlers of Katann which was fun. (I jumped out to the early lead and they all ganged up on me and Chad Osborne squeeked out a victory a roll or two before i was ready to go out). I also drove around Ida/Temperance with my niece Heather. We went to the graves and planned on getting my mom a bench some day. Also noticed the Grushchaw’s old house was in vinyl siding as well as the Cardell’s. What are you gonna do? Me, I’m going to Frankie’s of all places (the hipster club i went too when i was 19-23) to see Nick and Rebecca’s band, and then back to COMO tomorrow. Gotta get that car inspected.