Tuesday, January 31, 2006

House Hunting - Part 2

This last weekend was a little better in terms of househunting. I think I've gotten a better grasp of the market after 8 houses on Saturday with the realtor, and 7 on my own (open houses) on Sunday. There are 4 near-in suburbs that look like a match in terms of value and commute time, and 2 others that may stretch the commute some, depending on location, but definitely are good in terms of value.

The original budget of $300K for an 1800-2000 s.f. 3 bed, 2 bath home in move-in condition will not hold. I think now that it's $325K. Not because $300K houses don't exist, but they may need $20K worth of work to make them like either a "move-in" house, or like new construction (which is hard to come by, although I did see one this weekend that was pretty close.)

So, I think we can find something. Now, as to timing, it will depend on the level of interest in the current house once it hits the market and has its first open house (2/12). That will tell us a lot in terms of pace on this end. Still don't know when the "househunting trip" will be, but perhaps the week of March 20? It will also depend on work schedules on both ends. Mine's certainly filling up, and tax season doesn't just stop because of a househunting trip...

Other family news - lots happening with the kids. College boy and his gf called a time out in their relationship. How long a time out remains to be seen. He's learning that these things are complicated. :) You have two parties negotiating for terms. Even if they aren't saying so, they are, between the lines. It's a rare thing when agreement comes easy between two people. When that happens, you want to keep it, make it last. :) So, they took a breather - peacefully - no tantrums. Personally, I don't think it's over. And for them, it's too early to say.

The modern, urban, (mostly) independent girl's life is chaotic as usual. Besides coming home this weekend for a birthday celebration Sunday, she found out this week that got hired on permanently, with benefits (yay!) at her retail job, right after she had a car accident that may have totalled her vehicle (no injuries, thankfully). Not her fault, either, but she's learning how to navigate through the world of rental cars and claim adjusters and reluctant other parties (drivers.) It could have been worse - a lot worse.

And in 2 days, I go home! :) I can hardly wait!

Friday, January 27, 2006

Week 2 in the books

With the exception of the death of my brother, it was a pretty good week. And taking the day off yesterday to work through his death and my memories of him, writing the eulogy I plan to give, etc., was a very helpful thing. So... I made it another week, sanity and attitude still intact! There's just soooo much to absorb! Wow.

The people here have been very welcoming and supportive. I'm having no trouble getting administrative help, and approval for staffing authorizations. They are even setting up temporary office space for me in an office back home, so that I can spend a few more days there and still work. So the week of 2/20 I'll be there the whole week. That will be so nice, to see people I care about a little longer than I expected. :)

Now, another weekend of house hunting ahead, and I hope I should have a good sense of the market by then and some idea of what we can afford when the official househunting trip happens (in March, probably.) Plus, dinner Saturday night with some friends from the last time we lived here, and Sunday night hosting a candidate for one of the jobs I have open. Two free meals this weekend! Yay!

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

No time to think, much less cry

Today was one of those days. My calendar exploded at the last minute and I had meetings scheduled from 10AM stright through until 5PM. And none of them ended early. :)

Tomorrow looks identical. My direct boss (Rug) was one of the appointments, thankfully a lunch one, so I could eat. He looked at my calendar and was impressed. "Boy", he said, "you are digging into this aren't you?"

Yup. If it's Tuesday at 3PM, this must be claim trend and I must be on the 8th floor. And who are you, again?

But, it couldn't have come at a better time, honestly. I got a call from home this morning that my brother died last night. His health wasn't great, and at 64 he was at risk, but still it was unexpected. At first I was numb, and then as I told people, the emotions began to well up into tears. But, as the day went by, and one meeting bled into another and my pulse rate climbed, I didn't have much chance to think about it. Which was good, I guess.

When there's nothing you can do about a situation but feel bad, no matter what it involves (like being far away from someone you love, for instance), I suppose it helps to stay busy until your emotions are settled enough to deal with it. You can't stuff it, or ignore it, indefinitely, but being active is better than sitting with nothing to do. And in my situation, if I took time off, who do I have to go home to at the apartment? I don't even have a fish, much less anyone to hold.

He was a knucklehead, quirky, offbeat, unpredictable... and I loved him. Idolized him as a child, until I grew up enough to see his flaws. He was incredibly generous, materially when he had money, and always generous in spirit. My brother.

First of my siblings to pass, and the first of that whole generation of my family, including all the cousins. It starts now for us, my peers, the kids I grew up with. Now it becomes our turn to begin passing, as it was for my Mom and her sisters, and soon my Dad and his brothers.

I'm not ready to think about it, much less grasp what it means to me. I'm not "old" yet, dammit, I'm not! There are too many proofs of that in my life. But... it's around the corner. My brother showed me that today.

May God have mercy on his soul. And I say this as only a brother can... he'll need it. :)

Sunday, January 22, 2006

House Hunting, part 1

Quite a day today. 10 houses in 3 hours, with a couple of possibilities in the bunch. I don't feel quite so discouraged as after yesterday driving around with the realtor looking at neighborhoods. Oof. Tough day yesterday.

Found a real nice large raised ranch for $300K, needs redecorating. A sassy split level for $335K in a great neighborhood that needs a kitchen remodeling. An old farmhouse with oodles of character and a great kitchen/dining/living/sunroom area for $350K including a rental unit on the same property. All within 15 minutes of work. Hmmm.

Next weekend more of the same. I think I'll have the market figured out by then. As of today, no need to panic. We can do this!

Friday, January 20, 2006

Week 1 in the books

Great week! :)

Had a recap with Rug (solid-line boss) today and he was surprised and pleased with how much I had dug in and learned. People I was in meetings with earlier in the week also gave good feedback to him on how I've begun to integrate myself into things.

Just starting to get a feel for things. I have a huge stack of stuff to read, and a lot to absorb. Much of the orientation is coming from Placa (dotted-line boss), who seems really easy to work for. Congenial, helpful. Gave me his home phone, address, cell today in case I need something after work hours. That's kind of above and beyond. Really nice of him.

He lent me a detailed street map, too, for the house hunting I'll be doing this weekend. This is in between laundry, grocery shopping, getting the iMac fixed or exchanged, vacuuming/cleaning, correspondence, etc. I'm so domestic! I'm experiencing a little what the life of a bachelor is like, except not a college student life - a mature adult life. Busier than I thought.

Not much time for night life, although last night I did manage to have a couple of martinis and an appetizer at a watering hole down the block. Kinda fun, and a nice place, but... awfully lonesome.

Still, not so bad. It helps to connect regularly "back home" by phone and email (even an IM session last night with college boy!) And it won't be long before I'll have feet on the ground there again for a few days. "Rug" encouraged me today to "get to some field offices if you want, and then fly home from there." So maybe I'll do that. Hmmm... where?

Now if I can just figure out my prescription drug stuff...

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Day 3

Day 1 and 2 were a blur of faces, names, acronyms.

I was amazed at the enthusiasm shown by people that I was finally here! My direct boss (known here as Rug) and dotted-line boss (aka Placa) have built up the importance of this position pretty highly. Or else they really believe it! :)

My calendar filled up almost immediately. Both Rug and Placa have lots of folks I need to meet, and regular meetings I need to attend, projects underway that I need to get my nose into, etc. I had maybe an hour and a half yesterday to myself, and that was spent doing things off my new employee checklist. Tax withholding, direct deposit, etc...

Today's a little less frantic, and I get to spend an hour with my unit supervisor. Finally met her yesterday. She's coming off reporting to a boss she liked a great deal. Hope working for me is not going to be a letdown.

Back at the ranch (or rather, apartment) the iMac broke. :( Ha. So much for the reliability of Apple. I spent 75 minutes on the phone with tech support and they finally told me to take it into the local store. OK, then. That's a weekend task I guess.

I miss home. But, still, it's nice here, and nice to be working. Every time I walk the 2 blocks to work and look up at the beautiful old building... I'm excited to be here! :)

And to all of you who care about me - thanks for your support and concern. I'm doing well. And all of you have helped me get there. :)

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Set 'em up, Joe!

Set 'em up in a new place. With a new computer. :)

Finally got this goofy thing to work. Someone told me that the Mac user interface is pretty intuitive. Well, after a few hours of banging my intuition against the wall... I got it!

Now, off to grocery shop! Coffee... need coffee...

Thursday, January 12, 2006

On the road again

How many times have I done this?

It seems so familiar. Pack the car, drive 1000 miles, set up a new place.

Nothing to it. I've done it before. It's kind of exciting, in fact. A long drive, just me and the road and the music.

But I can't help wanting a certain someone in the passenger seat. You know who you are. I miss you already.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

The Keys, Please

They came today. The keys to my new apartment. :)

I saw pictures of it on-line yesterday. Nice. Urban living at its finest. Or something like that.

Packing, packing, packing... my head is spinning. What to take? Well, I mean besides my new Apple G5!

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Making a list

of stuff to pack. As I walk around the house, or wake up at night with a start, I think of things I want to put in the car Thursday. So, I've started a list on a pad in the kitchen. And um... it's getting full. Not everything can make the cut, becuase I'm NOT pulling a trailer this time. Last time I pulled a U-Haul behind my pickup through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and ugh. Never again.

Be ruthless. Not everything can go.

I dreamed last night about falling. Falling, falling, falling. First over a cliff in my black pickup, where I just got out and grabbed a branch before the truck fell hundreds of feet. Then, out of a treehouse that crumbled beneath me. Aaaaaaaaah! What does it mean?

Monday, January 09, 2006

Aaaaaand, They're Off!

We'll, I'm off. Almost.

Got the move-in instructions today for the corporate apartment. Keys are coming by FedEx Wednesday. Thursday I pack up and go. Now I finally feel like it's real. It's happening. :)

The recruiter called with an update from the last local opportunity. A wishy-washy response like "he's not sure when he can interview you ... maybe a phone call later in the week?" Sorry. Too late. Door closed. Move on.

New England, Ho!

Thursday, January 05, 2006

The Realtors Are Coming!

Boy, they are agressive! Once you let the relocation people know you're ready... ZOOM! The realtors are after you. Wow.

Who let the dogs out? Woof. Woof woof. :)

But it sounds like we have a nice one assigned to us out East. I hope so. I'm sure I'll meet her the week after I get there or so.

I'm really getting curious now about the market. What can we get for $300K???

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Tick, Tick, Tick

Time is running out here, folks. If the last company near here is going to do anything, they're going to have to get moving! I'm expecting the recruiter to call or email today with some news. Everyone's back from the holiday break now, and she was supposed to have called the HR lady there yesterday...

UPDATE: the recruiter called. The last guy I was supposed to interview with there (and who would share part of managing me) is just not ready to finish defining the job yet. Sounds like it's a couple of weks off at the earliest. But, the recruiter told the HR lady about my offer from the N.E. company, and said if that would change anything about their timing she would get back to us by Friday.

I really can only give them until Friday anyway. In this case, delay only means one thing... NO. Monday morning I call the relo people and get the process started - and begin to pack for my drive East. Well, actually, I called them today, and am sending all the startup paperwork tomorrow by Fedex. I have to get moving here. It's not a happy time around the house, but - what are we going to do? What we won't do is just sit here on our thumbs.

Interesting houses showing up in internet searches... 2000 s.f. capes in a very nice near-in burb for $299K. Hmmm. Might actually be able to swing that.

So many goodbyes this week. Church, civic orgs., non-profits... and of course, friends. I think I'm starting to get worn out by it. And then next week, an especially difficult goodbye as I leave town for several weeks. :( But it's only three weeks this first time. Back the first weekend in February, and hopefully I'll be able to see everybody then, even if it's only briefly.
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