latter day bohemian

thought

Thought for the day: I would really like it if someone marketed a paint color as “blue screen of death.”
(Yes, I need more sleep.)

Add comment July 28th, 2003

the right thing

Doing the right thing is rarely easy.

I’m reading Great Books by David Denby and am frankly swept away. A review from amazon: As a former classics major, I have followed the debate over the western canon with a great deal of interest. But after slogging through Harold Bloom’s The Western Canon for over a year and a half, this book was an absolute delight. I totally agree! I’ve been slugging through The Western Canon for a few days, not a year and a half, and I’m finding Denby a delight. His responses to the books and poems aren’t those of a critic or stuffy academic – they are the reactions of a reader. OK, I guess that isn’t totally accurate. Denby IS a critic – he has written for The New Yorker, among others – but I guess his responses just seemed more natural than Bloom. He is exhausted, horrified, delighted, bored, etc. It feels like a post-class debriefing with a friend – not a lecture during which you’re likely to fall asleep, then get yelled at by the prof. I love it and feel bad that I didn’t finish the book the first time I started.

Oh, my apologies to those whose emails I cite in entirety or in part herein. Sometimes, as above, I really like the way I expressed something and don’t want to try to rephrase it. It’s not a crime to self-plagiarize, is it?

Joe dropped off his photos from Sarah and Hannah’s party – and there are a few of me! How nice to have proof that I was at this party. I think he and Nate felt bad because there weren’t ANY photos of me from Good Friday other than Newman’s. Lots of photos of Amity this time, just like there were lots of Jen from Good Friday. Funny how the center of attraction and energy ends up being the source of the most photos.

Add comment July 23rd, 2003

weekend

Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherised upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question…
Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
Let us go and make our visit.
—”The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” – T.S. Eliot

What a weekend. Sarah’s party – drinking and divine dips – the new house – birthday cakes and drinks from Rubbermaid tubs. Sleeping – or not sleeping – on the couch and talking all night of books and music and just about everything else. A burn on my wrist to remind me. “Let us go and make our visit.”

Add comment July 21st, 2003

conversion

Still no phones. Nothing til Tuesday. It isn’t worth my energy today to worry about it.

Conversion today – sorry, “system upgrade.” Dan and I have been writing up tickets since 9am and will continue to do so for several more hours. It’s been a mess so far for us – but technically not too bad. I’m just tired of writing and looking forward to a cold beer at the end of the day. Clint has promised us food &/or drink, which I am much looking forward to.

A new tenant signed a lease last night, so we’re definitely out by 8/1. Good times. The super good news for us is that we don’t have to be as stringent with our cleaning cos Mark will be cleaning too.

Oh yeah, there’s a GIANT FREAKING HOLE in the middle of our road.

No blogging over the weekend as will still have no internet/phone. S’ok, I guess. We’re headed to Champaign tomorrow for Sarah’s swanky do – then more packing.

Add comment July 18th, 2003

no phones

No phone, day five. I’m in the process of placing my fourth call to AT&T. Apparently they can’t verify that our house actually exists. I’ve got a mortgage to prove it does, buddy.

Add comment July 16th, 2003

in!

What a long moving weekend.

Many thanks to the following people for all their help:
Mary J, who has known us at all our houses
Nicole & Allan, who got the mattress up the stairs when it seemed nearly impossible
Chuck & Cousin Joe
Krist & Pook for beer, packing, and comic relief
Sarah, who helped us pack
Small punk neighbor Clay & his cadamite Matt
Jen, the ultimate porch monkey
Rachel, who babysat the house when we were waiting for the fridge
and of course to Joe, who was there the whole time and did so so so so much to help.

Closing went well, despite the fact that we were late. After the title co/mortgage co mix up, we decided to just go early. We went for our walk-through, then went to the title co, where we were told the closing was at 11. N and I went to breakfast, then got back at 10:20 to discover that everyone was wrong and that the closing was actually at 10. UGH. Oh well, we signed the paperwork and got everything taken care of.

The move was relatively uneventful. Lots of bodies meant lighter work. Joe, Mary, Nicole & Allan helped on Friday with moving the packed boxes and our bed. Allan and Nate had to FORCE the mattress up the stairs. Thank God for strong boys. My mom brought us lunch, and Nate’s parents stopped by in the evening. Nate’s parents it’s “not bad for a starter house.” We’re not entirely sure what they mean by that, but our theory is that we just don’t have enough marble. Jen also thought they might be referring to our lack of clay tennis courts. Sorry to disappoint. We made a run to Home Depot and Wal-Mart, then crashed for the night. I can’t remember the last time I was that exhausted.

Saturday I unpacked the kitchen and waited around for the cable guy to show up while Nate went to rescue carless Joe. The cable guy didn’t show – I really think he went to SOUTH Chicago Ave as the company said he came, knocked, rang the doorbell, then left a door tag saying he’d been there. We have a lot of doors – but there’s no note and I KNOW I would’ve heard someone knocking or ringing the bell. Now we won’t have cable til 7/26. Ugh. To add insult to injury, our phone which was to be switched on Saturday wasn’t done – it’s to be done today, I guess. We were HOPPING MAD. Rachel came over and babysat the house so Nate and Joe could pack and I could run errands – then the fridge showed up. I nearly cried with joy – after two cancelled service calls, it was almost too much to hope for that the fridge would come. :) More moving in the afternoon and evening – all the big furniture is there. Chuck & Cousin Joe helped – I watched Christopher, who is totally enamored with ceiling fans. Nate & Joe rescued the neighbors’ escaped pitbull, who ended up staying with us overnight as her owners weren’t home. Chinese food for dinner, then Jen, George, and Tina stopped by. We sat out on the porch til 12:30, then we HAD to crash.

Sunday morning was really, really nice. We took the dog for a walk – I had a cup of tea – the sun was shining and the neighborhood was waking up. It hit me – this is OUR house now. This is OUR neighborhood now. This is OUR life now! Funny how a little thing like a walk with a rescued dog will bring those things home. Nate picked up Joe, then Krist & Erika came over around noon to help. Mom, Pop, & Eric brought us lunch – I felt horribly rude eating while Krist & Erika watched – but we were hungry! :( We got a lot done – Erika & I packed, then the boys helped unpack. We spent the greater part of the afternoon cracking up at stories so bizarre that if they weren’t coming from Krist, we simply wouldn’t believe them. The kitties arrived – they’re not really sure of their surroundings, but I’m sure they’ll be OK. The Lindens made the (long – ha) trip over for ice cream – then we crashed.

So we’re in. Lots to do still – piles and cleaning and so much work – but the house is ours. Frankly, I can’t tell you how nice it is to sit on my bum and not be walking up and down stairs.

Add comment July 14th, 2003

hiatus

house of winds is on moving hiatus.
(read: the cable company didn’t show and the phone company didn’t do their job)
back for more on monday, 14 july 03.

Add comment July 12th, 2003

THE BIG DAY

If everything goes well, I will be a home owner within 4 hours. We will be moving all weekend, so updates may be few and far between. Think of us!

Add comment July 11th, 2003

tomorrow

I’m just exhausted. It’s 6am and I’m wide awake – and this never happens. I’m the one that can’t be dragged out of bed until 45 minutes before I have to be somewhere, if then. I guess I’m just stressing about the move.

Sarah came over and helped us pack last night – we made lots of progress! The kitchen is all but empty, as is the bathroom and the big big closet. Most of what remains in the attic is already packed – or large enough that it doesn’t need a box. Our landing is completely full of boxes. I have to make a box raid today – I still have many of the boxes from Nicole; however many of them are just too too large for heavy things like books and paper and pots and pans.

So if we’re in such good shape, why am I stressing? I think it’s the money thing more than anything else. I know we can afford this house – we thought long and hard and budgeted to make sure of it – but now that we’re actually down to it, my stomach is doing a few flips at the thought of a lifetime of debt. And I’m sure we’ll be fine once we make it through the first couple of months – but it’s the start up that’s freaking me right now. Paying for the truck, the fridge, the cable installation, the paint or wallpaper. Refilling our now nearly empty fridge and freezer (aftermath of the storm more than anything). Homeowners, how do you get over this? Do you just grit your teeth and know you’ll make it through?

Ah well. I should be using this time to get more packing done.

P.S. Yesterday was my 200th entry. Just thought I’d share.

Add comment July 10th, 2003

politics

Up until a few years ago (read: 2000), I thought I was a Republican. Honestly, I wasn’t even registered to vote until I was 21. I’m not proud of that fact. I didn’t vote in the 2000 elections because I wasn’t registered – and when it got to the time of the elections, I didn’t know enough about any of the candidates to cast an intelligent vote.
It will be different this year.

Thanks to Ursula and Eva and Mary J – a quiz to determine which candidate is right for you:
1. Dean, Gov. Howard, VT – Democrat (100%)
2. Kucinich, Cong. Dennis, OH – Democrat (98%)
3. Kerry, Senator John, MA – Democrat (96%)
4. Sharpton, Reverend Al – Democrat (82%)
5. Lieberman Senator Joe CT – Democrat (80%)
6. Edwards, Senator John, NC – Democrat (78%)
7. Moseley-Braun, Former Senator Carol IL – Democrat (76%)
8. Gephardt, Cong. Dick, MO – Democrat (76%)
9. Libertarian Candidate (75%)
10. Graham, Senator Bob, FL – Democrat (61%)

11. Bush, George W. – US President (39%)
12. Phillips, Howard – Constitution (8%)
13. LaRouche, Lyndon H. Jr. – Democrat (-12%)
I heard a piece about the Democratic 9 on NPR today – v interesting. I don’t know who will get my vote – but I’m pretty sure that for the first time ever, it’ll be a Democrat.

Add comment July 9th, 2003