But not witty or nice.
I washed my hair today. With the baking soda and a lemon juice rinse because I was at the trailer and out of apple cider vinegar. I'm at work an hour and a half early anyway so decided to deal with my hair here rather than at the apartment in Spokane. I don't like that shower as much and the lawn sprinklers are on (in the RAIN) every morning at 4:45-5:30. That's when I need to be in the shower. There is no water pressure. That makes me angry.
Anyway, so I wash my hair and comb it out but don't brush it because it is still wet. I go to work with a big mop of wettish hair that dries in to a big mop of dryish hair. I don't want to put it in the daily pony tail until it is dry AND brushed. So I'm walking around with a big pile of messy hair.
This must be what passes for "sexy" in Idaho. I had two co-workers (not the usual lecherous-y ones who don't even count...normalish ones) stop me and say I looked real good today. It ain't the outfit (sweatshirt from a thrift store, muddy jeans and shoes that have seen better days...all in shades of grey and brown). It ain't the makeup because I don't wear any.
Each then felt the need to get specific "Your hair is down. You look different." No kidding?
Then "You should wear your hair down more."
Um...now we've crossed into EEEWWWW.
I can't get a photo and it will be all deflated by the time I can so you'll just have to trust my not-usually-creepy coworkers that my hair looks fantastic.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Winnie the Poop
Warning: This entry is off-color.
So I'm walking around this morning while they are fixing my car down in Pullman, WA.
(By the way...they had to replace the part that I had had replaced in June in Iowa...someone will get a sternly worded note).
Anywho, I'm walking and killing time while I wait. I walk past a trailer court I used to live in once upon a time in my college days. I like the old style trailer parks. Before they were "manufactured homes" or whatever. Back when a trailer was a trailer.
Many of these trailers have been in the park since they were new in the 1950s or 1960s so they've been modified, settled into the swamp they sit on and what not. They've hardened into the landscape and I like them.
A nice old one is for sale for 4500$. It's aqua with white trim, original windows, a porch (added later and at least partly made of old pallets).
There was a sign in the window with a number so, having time to kill, I called it. I asked if it would be open today for a viewing and the guy said, "It should be unlocked from someone seeing it yesterday." I said, "I see it's 4500$." The guys says to me he says, "I've lowered the price to 350o$"
Anyway, I like the shape and the look.
Just cool. Actually, it looks like this:
But aqua with white trim instead of silver. But this is the exact shape, window/door arrangement and everything. The webpage said this is 1958 Spartan "Imperial Villa".
I test the porch for sturdiness (it is sturdy) and go for the door. It's a little jammed but opens (out). I figure the thing has probably settled a bit over the years hence the sticky door. Just inside the metal door, is a "screen" door. Clearly homemade featuring 1/4" hardware cloth rather than screen and possibly reusing the original cabinet type latch. I always appreciate a screen door so the neighbors cat/kid can't wander in.
The door leads into the spacious 6X8 living room. I could touch both side walls at once (but I do have freakishly long monkey arms). There are some built in shelves and it's all paneled. The kitchen is just aft of the living room...and TINY but functional with fridge, gas stove, double sink and a tiny bit of counter space. There is an area, maybe 4'6" or so long and nothing wide where you are probably supposed to put a table and chair or something in the kitchen.
Proceeding through the kitchen you pass through a sliding door (no wasted space for hinged doors!) into what was probably once advertised as a bedroom. It is, like everything else, about 6' wide. There is a slider on the "far" end of the room too. The entire room is barely long enough to stuff a twin mattress in. Not sure you could get a headboard in as well. There is a cupboard partway up that must extend into the kitchen. I did not explore that as an issue was arising. there were two windows One on each outside wall so you would have good ventilation.
Through the far slider and voila! You're in the bathroom and about 3 feet from the next slider. The bathroom had a tub along the outside wall (you are walking along one outside wall already, the same wall that had the main entry door in it). RIGHT next to the non-faucet end of the short tub is the toilet. I flushed it and it worked. Opposite the toilet, next to the faucet and of the tub is the sink/vanity and medicine cabinet. The issue that arose in the bedroom has now become an actual issue. I have to make a number 2. Soon. I start thinking. I'm already IN a bathroom. The guy is not coming to the trailer since he doesn't know I'm there.
...
Still thinking.
OK, must be done thinking now. I totally used the toilet. It looked clean. I had to sit a little sideways to keep my knees from hitting the vanity cupboard (it must not have been original to the trailer. The style and scale were off). About this time it occurs to me that I did not check for toilet paper. I have my bag with some work reports I was going to work on while they were fixing the car and there is usually a napkin from Subway or something in there.
...
looking
...
looking.
NO!!! Nothing but office paper, file folders, a plastic covered spiral bound report, a plastic reusable grocery sac (always have one...in case you stop at the store on the way to/from work), a bamboo spork (hmmm...no), a hair brush, comb, copies of court orders, a broken mechanical pencil, dust, lint....AAAARRRRGGG.
I look frantically around the tiny crapper and into the adjacent rooms (which I could totally reach into). NOTHING in plain sight. Not even a wash cloth or anything. I remember the vanity and open it. On the inside of the door is a roll on a holder and on the shelf is another roll. Disaster averted.
By now I'm laughing thinking about the video I posted a while back.
Here's a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q16Wk1zKRrE
Anyway, I pull my self together, use the sink to wash my hands (note that the toilet flush is effective), and proceed through the next sliding door.
I'm in the palatial master bedroom. This thing must be 6 feet wide! It's HUGE and by "HUGE" I mean minuscule. Larger than the other bedroom, but only because it is not dual purposed as a hallway. You could probably get an old double bed in here, but you'd be hard pressed to pull out the built in drawers along the end wall of the trailer under the window. The drawers are flanked by a pair of closets, with, of course, sliding doors (I forgot to mention another closet...it may have been in the first bedroom or the bathroom...how could I lose a closet in a trailer that small?)
Anyway, it's not a bad bedroom if you are used to the size of the trailer already and don't have any big-r-tall friends.
This room has yet another doorway in it so while it was not originally doubling as a hallway, it is now. This door goes back out the same wall we originally came in when we entered the trailer. There is an addition. This is a real door on hinges and swings "out" into the new room. You go down a couple of steps in to a tiny, but comparatively spacious room with a sliding window in one wall, a stackable washer/dryer built into a nook, some build in shelves, and a door leading outside into the yard. This door is at right angles to the original entrance door and facing it more or less.
You could actually have 2 private bedrooms if you entered each through an outside door and one of them used to be named "living room". Then you could dine in the tiny first bedroom and watch TV or whatever in the original master bedroom. You would not want a very large TV because anything over about 12" is going to feel like you're at the OMNI theater. You can't really get too far away from things.
Still, with the decent roofed porch and extra room that have been added, it's not a bad trailer. There is lots of storage for the size and a small storage shed outside. The trees in the yard have grown up enough to shade the roof and someone managed to shove an air conditioner in one of the tiny windows on the end with the trailer hitch. It's not bad for the price and lot rent (including water, sewer and garbage) is 235$ a month. If I were a student, I'd be all over it.
The trailer I had in the same lot back in the day is still there. It's bigger. Probably 8 feet wide. And not as cool. Angela stayed in it when she visited me for three weeks one balmy palouse summer (and by "balmy" I mean hotter than hades). It was a dump. The trailer for sale is a dump...but a livable dump. And it's a good trailer court as these things go. It's right across the street from the community garden area and only floods in the spring...most years it's only in the spring.
So I'm walking around this morning while they are fixing my car down in Pullman, WA.
(By the way...they had to replace the part that I had had replaced in June in Iowa...someone will get a sternly worded note).
Anywho, I'm walking and killing time while I wait. I walk past a trailer court I used to live in once upon a time in my college days. I like the old style trailer parks. Before they were "manufactured homes" or whatever. Back when a trailer was a trailer.
Many of these trailers have been in the park since they were new in the 1950s or 1960s so they've been modified, settled into the swamp they sit on and what not. They've hardened into the landscape and I like them.
A nice old one is for sale for 4500$. It's aqua with white trim, original windows, a porch (added later and at least partly made of old pallets).
There was a sign in the window with a number so, having time to kill, I called it. I asked if it would be open today for a viewing and the guy said, "It should be unlocked from someone seeing it yesterday." I said, "I see it's 4500$." The guys says to me he says, "I've lowered the price to 350o$"
Anyway, I like the shape and the look.
Just cool. Actually, it looks like this:
But aqua with white trim instead of silver. But this is the exact shape, window/door arrangement and everything. The webpage said this is 1958 Spartan "Imperial Villa".
I test the porch for sturdiness (it is sturdy) and go for the door. It's a little jammed but opens (out). I figure the thing has probably settled a bit over the years hence the sticky door. Just inside the metal door, is a "screen" door. Clearly homemade featuring 1/4" hardware cloth rather than screen and possibly reusing the original cabinet type latch. I always appreciate a screen door so the neighbors cat/kid can't wander in.
The door leads into the spacious 6X8 living room. I could touch both side walls at once (but I do have freakishly long monkey arms). There are some built in shelves and it's all paneled. The kitchen is just aft of the living room...and TINY but functional with fridge, gas stove, double sink and a tiny bit of counter space. There is an area, maybe 4'6" or so long and nothing wide where you are probably supposed to put a table and chair or something in the kitchen.
Proceeding through the kitchen you pass through a sliding door (no wasted space for hinged doors!) into what was probably once advertised as a bedroom. It is, like everything else, about 6' wide. There is a slider on the "far" end of the room too. The entire room is barely long enough to stuff a twin mattress in. Not sure you could get a headboard in as well. There is a cupboard partway up that must extend into the kitchen. I did not explore that as an issue was arising. there were two windows One on each outside wall so you would have good ventilation.
Through the far slider and voila! You're in the bathroom and about 3 feet from the next slider. The bathroom had a tub along the outside wall (you are walking along one outside wall already, the same wall that had the main entry door in it). RIGHT next to the non-faucet end of the short tub is the toilet. I flushed it and it worked. Opposite the toilet, next to the faucet and of the tub is the sink/vanity and medicine cabinet. The issue that arose in the bedroom has now become an actual issue. I have to make a number 2. Soon. I start thinking. I'm already IN a bathroom. The guy is not coming to the trailer since he doesn't know I'm there.
...
Still thinking.
OK, must be done thinking now. I totally used the toilet. It looked clean. I had to sit a little sideways to keep my knees from hitting the vanity cupboard (it must not have been original to the trailer. The style and scale were off). About this time it occurs to me that I did not check for toilet paper. I have my bag with some work reports I was going to work on while they were fixing the car and there is usually a napkin from Subway or something in there.
...
looking
...
looking.
NO!!! Nothing but office paper, file folders, a plastic covered spiral bound report, a plastic reusable grocery sac (always have one...in case you stop at the store on the way to/from work), a bamboo spork (hmmm...no), a hair brush, comb, copies of court orders, a broken mechanical pencil, dust, lint....AAAARRRRGGG.
I look frantically around the tiny crapper and into the adjacent rooms (which I could totally reach into). NOTHING in plain sight. Not even a wash cloth or anything. I remember the vanity and open it. On the inside of the door is a roll on a holder and on the shelf is another roll. Disaster averted.
By now I'm laughing thinking about the video I posted a while back.
Here's a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q16Wk1zKRrE
Anyway, I pull my self together, use the sink to wash my hands (note that the toilet flush is effective), and proceed through the next sliding door.
I'm in the palatial master bedroom. This thing must be 6 feet wide! It's HUGE and by "HUGE" I mean minuscule. Larger than the other bedroom, but only because it is not dual purposed as a hallway. You could probably get an old double bed in here, but you'd be hard pressed to pull out the built in drawers along the end wall of the trailer under the window. The drawers are flanked by a pair of closets, with, of course, sliding doors (I forgot to mention another closet...it may have been in the first bedroom or the bathroom...how could I lose a closet in a trailer that small?)
Anyway, it's not a bad bedroom if you are used to the size of the trailer already and don't have any big-r-tall friends.
This room has yet another doorway in it so while it was not originally doubling as a hallway, it is now. This door goes back out the same wall we originally came in when we entered the trailer. There is an addition. This is a real door on hinges and swings "out" into the new room. You go down a couple of steps in to a tiny, but comparatively spacious room with a sliding window in one wall, a stackable washer/dryer built into a nook, some build in shelves, and a door leading outside into the yard. This door is at right angles to the original entrance door and facing it more or less.
You could actually have 2 private bedrooms if you entered each through an outside door and one of them used to be named "living room". Then you could dine in the tiny first bedroom and watch TV or whatever in the original master bedroom. You would not want a very large TV because anything over about 12" is going to feel like you're at the OMNI theater. You can't really get too far away from things.
Still, with the decent roofed porch and extra room that have been added, it's not a bad trailer. There is lots of storage for the size and a small storage shed outside. The trees in the yard have grown up enough to shade the roof and someone managed to shove an air conditioner in one of the tiny windows on the end with the trailer hitch. It's not bad for the price and lot rent (including water, sewer and garbage) is 235$ a month. If I were a student, I'd be all over it.
The trailer I had in the same lot back in the day is still there. It's bigger. Probably 8 feet wide. And not as cool. Angela stayed in it when she visited me for three weeks one balmy palouse summer (and by "balmy" I mean hotter than hades). It was a dump. The trailer for sale is a dump...but a livable dump. And it's a good trailer court as these things go. It's right across the street from the community garden area and only floods in the spring...most years it's only in the spring.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Running in Circles
I've had one of those weeks!
El Kid needs wound care every 8 hours so it's hard for me to get anything done! First thing...clean a wound. Right when I get home from work...again. Before bed .... again with the wound.
Some people would find structure in it. I find it interrupts my valuable ME-TIME. Is that selfish?
Oh well. he can't help it and he's doing really well with it all.
It's been similar at work. I have things that MUST be done because it's the end of the fiscal year for government types. So, all other projects stopped for a week to get budgets sorted out.
Then there were big issues with a budget so other budget work stopped to deal with crisis budget.
THEN there was a field call that was an emergency that only I am qualified to work on. So the crisis budget got set aside to deal with the field emergency. Field emergency done. Back to crisis budget, back to regular budget close outs.
And then, deadlines were missed.
Oh well. Nothing can be done about it now!
Good think I cook ahead and put stuff in the freezer. 2 days this week I took plastic containers out of the freezer and was not entirely sure what was in them. I'd get home and deal with the wound and then see what had thawed out (both were chili...different kinds). At least we had something decent to eat and plenty of it.
I didn't even have time to go to yoga this week or meditation. MUST get back on that next week. I'm starting to get even crankier than usual. That could be all the chili too. Lot of fiber. Is that too much info?
This weekend I have the radio show so that will be nice. We've got too many guests again, all cool. So I won't have much airtime but I had lots last time.
That's all for now. There wasn't really a point to the post today other than bitching. But, I'm still ahead of Pam and the flood blog and that's what's really important...winning.
No 'Poo Update: I took a break at work to wash my hair and it is all fluffy and wavy and pretty.
El Kid needs wound care every 8 hours so it's hard for me to get anything done! First thing...clean a wound. Right when I get home from work...again. Before bed .... again with the wound.
Some people would find structure in it. I find it interrupts my valuable ME-TIME. Is that selfish?
Oh well. he can't help it and he's doing really well with it all.
It's been similar at work. I have things that MUST be done because it's the end of the fiscal year for government types. So, all other projects stopped for a week to get budgets sorted out.
Then there were big issues with a budget so other budget work stopped to deal with crisis budget.
THEN there was a field call that was an emergency that only I am qualified to work on. So the crisis budget got set aside to deal with the field emergency. Field emergency done. Back to crisis budget, back to regular budget close outs.
And then, deadlines were missed.
Oh well. Nothing can be done about it now!
Good think I cook ahead and put stuff in the freezer. 2 days this week I took plastic containers out of the freezer and was not entirely sure what was in them. I'd get home and deal with the wound and then see what had thawed out (both were chili...different kinds). At least we had something decent to eat and plenty of it.
I didn't even have time to go to yoga this week or meditation. MUST get back on that next week. I'm starting to get even crankier than usual. That could be all the chili too. Lot of fiber. Is that too much info?
This weekend I have the radio show so that will be nice. We've got too many guests again, all cool. So I won't have much airtime but I had lots last time.
That's all for now. There wasn't really a point to the post today other than bitching. But, I'm still ahead of Pam and the flood blog and that's what's really important...winning.
No 'Poo Update: I took a break at work to wash my hair and it is all fluffy and wavy and pretty.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
My Mother, My Dinner.
So, I've become my mother in one more way. Damn it!
Not that Sher isn't fabulous. I just thought that I would be different. I would not become my mother.
But, now that I have El Kid in my care, I find myself acting like my mother. It could be worse.
For example, I cook dinner now pretty much every night. We go out to eat about once a month, otherwise we're home. I've always cooked. But cooking for one person to eat in front of the TV or standing over the sink is different than cooking for a teenage boy.
For one, the quantities have had to change dramatically. I just made meatloaf tonight that I thought would last a good 4 meals. Yeah. More like 2. Unless he gets up and eats it for a snack tonight. Then, just one meal. It was an entire pie pan of meatloaf.
Now I understand why parents make epic amounts of food. It goes away so fast.
Then there are the selections. When cooking for myself, I could make whatever I wanted. Often these were one or 2 pot meals and then I would eat it for days. I still cook a large pot of something but then, I feel like I need to put on a balanced meal. Thank god for bag-o-salad!
Tonight's meal as an example:
Meatloaf, squash, salad, watermelon. If it was just me, that would have been meatloaf and salad. Squash was my entire lunch today (El Kid was still asleep).
When I used to make spaghetti, that was the entire menu. Now, thanks to Sher's model, I must serve sides with it. When I can't think of what goes with the main dish, I use the menu from the lunch lady in Plummer. She has a lunch delivery service that is incredible. When SHE has spaghetti she always has a side of green beans. So now when I make spaghetti, I serve a side of green beans. It goes very well!
She serves mashed potatoes with meatloaf. I was going to serve that but El Kid tried squash earlier in the day and liked it and that was already cooked so that's what we had.
Actually, even the meatloaf idea was stolen from the lunch lady. She served banana cream pie for dessert that day, but I hate bananas and don't eat cream so that was out. We had the watermelon instead since it was on sale and I'm cheap. Also, the worms like watermelon rind so it was a treat for all residents of the apartment other than the hamster.
So what are we having tomorrow?
Probably thawed out blackbean and sweet potato chili, or pasta. Who knows. But for sure there will be bag-o-salad and a side dish. Damn you Sher with your square meals.
Not that Sher isn't fabulous. I just thought that I would be different. I would not become my mother.
But, now that I have El Kid in my care, I find myself acting like my mother. It could be worse.
For example, I cook dinner now pretty much every night. We go out to eat about once a month, otherwise we're home. I've always cooked. But cooking for one person to eat in front of the TV or standing over the sink is different than cooking for a teenage boy.
For one, the quantities have had to change dramatically. I just made meatloaf tonight that I thought would last a good 4 meals. Yeah. More like 2. Unless he gets up and eats it for a snack tonight. Then, just one meal. It was an entire pie pan of meatloaf.
Now I understand why parents make epic amounts of food. It goes away so fast.
Then there are the selections. When cooking for myself, I could make whatever I wanted. Often these were one or 2 pot meals and then I would eat it for days. I still cook a large pot of something but then, I feel like I need to put on a balanced meal. Thank god for bag-o-salad!
Tonight's meal as an example:
Meatloaf, squash, salad, watermelon. If it was just me, that would have been meatloaf and salad. Squash was my entire lunch today (El Kid was still asleep).
When I used to make spaghetti, that was the entire menu. Now, thanks to Sher's model, I must serve sides with it. When I can't think of what goes with the main dish, I use the menu from the lunch lady in Plummer. She has a lunch delivery service that is incredible. When SHE has spaghetti she always has a side of green beans. So now when I make spaghetti, I serve a side of green beans. It goes very well!
She serves mashed potatoes with meatloaf. I was going to serve that but El Kid tried squash earlier in the day and liked it and that was already cooked so that's what we had.
Actually, even the meatloaf idea was stolen from the lunch lady. She served banana cream pie for dessert that day, but I hate bananas and don't eat cream so that was out. We had the watermelon instead since it was on sale and I'm cheap. Also, the worms like watermelon rind so it was a treat for all residents of the apartment other than the hamster.
So what are we having tomorrow?
Probably thawed out blackbean and sweet potato chili, or pasta. Who knows. But for sure there will be bag-o-salad and a side dish. Damn you Sher with your square meals.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Recipes from Our Readers
Thanks to Angela and Laurie who added recipes to the comments on a previous post.
They both sound DELICIOUS and here they are:
From ANGELA (making this "Ma Gulick's Apple Crisp"):
My Mom's [heart] Apple Crisp
• 8 large apples, peeled and sliced
• 1-1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 2/3 cup soft oleo
Grease large Pyrex dish and place peeled/sliced apples. Mix remaining ingredients and place topping on apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 50 minutes.
And here is a GREAT Squash Soup recipe from Laurie who got it from the Moosewood Cookbook:
1 cup diced onions
1 celery stalk
1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 butternut squash (about 1 lb) peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 potato, diced
3 cups water or vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups sliced mushrooms (about 6 oz)
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon soy sauce
pinch of dried marjoram
2/3 cup evaporated skimmed milk
salt and ground black pepper to taste
Combine onions, celery, garlic and apple juice in large pot. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the squash, potato, water/stock, bay leaf, thyme, salt and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer until the veg are very soft, about 20-25 min).
While the soup simmers, saute the mushrooms in an uncovered skillet with the sherry, soy sauce, and marjoram until the mushrooms are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated (about 5 min)--set aside.
When the squash/potatoes are very soft, remove the soup pot from the heat and, working in batches, puree the soup with the evaporated skinned milk in a blender or food processor. Reheat gently. Add salt and pepper. Serve topped with the sauteed mushrooms.
I think starting a meal with squash soup and ending with apple crisp would be a fine fine meal.
Thanks Poodles!
They both sound DELICIOUS and here they are:
From ANGELA (making this "Ma Gulick's Apple Crisp"):
My Mom's [heart] Apple Crisp
• 8 large apples, peeled and sliced
• 1-1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 2/3 cup soft oleo
Grease large Pyrex dish and place peeled/sliced apples. Mix remaining ingredients and place topping on apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 50 minutes.
And here is a GREAT Squash Soup recipe from Laurie who got it from the Moosewood Cookbook:
1 cup diced onions
1 celery stalk
1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 butternut squash (about 1 lb) peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 potato, diced
3 cups water or vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups sliced mushrooms (about 6 oz)
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon soy sauce
pinch of dried marjoram
2/3 cup evaporated skimmed milk
salt and ground black pepper to taste
Combine onions, celery, garlic and apple juice in large pot. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the squash, potato, water/stock, bay leaf, thyme, salt and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer until the veg are very soft, about 20-25 min).
While the soup simmers, saute the mushrooms in an uncovered skillet with the sherry, soy sauce, and marjoram until the mushrooms are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated (about 5 min)--set aside.
When the squash/potatoes are very soft, remove the soup pot from the heat and, working in batches, puree the soup with the evaporated skinned milk in a blender or food processor. Reheat gently. Add salt and pepper. Serve topped with the sauteed mushrooms.
I think starting a meal with squash soup and ending with apple crisp would be a fine fine meal.
Thanks Poodles!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Chasing the Dragon...
of the perfect cheap rental place.
This is an addiction I've had for years. This is why I've lived in something over 20 different places. Sure I took a little time out to own a home in Iowa, but that was because I'd run into the world's WORST landlord (and one of my other landlords was a child molester who would stand in the hallway between the various apartments and listen to me shower...eeewwww....so the one who inspired me to buy a house was REALLY bad).
I have a rental on the rez AND a rental in Spokane that meet my requirements:
*Maximum square footage per rent dollar (like over 3square feet per rent dollar on rez, about 2ft/$ in Spokane!)
*Laissez-faire landlords (the rez-landlords did not question why there was a deer skelton on the porch roof, the Spokane landlord does not come over unless there is a problem)
*Quiet
*Private
*Lots of light and air
*I can walk to everything I really need (groceries, work (well, the Spokane rental flunks this but you can walk to thrift stores so it is redeemed), coffee)
And yet, once I discovered craigslist, I became addicted once more to finding the perfect rental. So I obsessively check craigslist to see if there are better rentals (cheaper? better location? better windows? space for a garden? no lawn care? weirdly entertaining neighbors?).
Craigslist has photos. It links to google maps where you can click on street view and see the places! Maybe THIS one is on a country road that also has bus service...let's check the Spokane Transit Authority website against the googlemap street view and see if that bus stop really IS that close...
But what's the point?
I like my apartment in Spokane even if I hate living in Spokane. Once I'm home. I don't have to drive. There are 3 buses that go past the place and a grocery store across the street. The chick who lives downstairs is in her last year of law school and way to busy to make noise. The guy I share a wall with is quiet too (though may be moving soon). The walls are real plaster so unless someone is being a super a--hole, I'm not going to be bothered. Sure there is the drive to work, but the trade off is no drive once I'm at the apartment.
I'm drawn to the rentals on craigslist that would be closer to work, yet still in Spokane (El Kid needs to stay in school and do other things that require him to a) be in Spokane and b) either be near a bus stop or have me drive him all over hell and we know that last bit ain't happening.
The bus service on the edge of town towards work is spotty at best.
That would mean I'd have to drive El Kid all over town. This would cut down on his independence and cut UP on the actual amount of time I spend driving around town. I would hate that. I'd save about 10miles in the daily total commute, only to drive 15 or 20 around town since there is no bus in the area.
And yet...those apartments or duplexes on the edge of town...they wouldn't feel so much like I lived in town. And yet...I'd have to drive around town constantly often during rush hour. I hate that. Spokane has the worst traffic and road maintenance for a town its size. It's actually famous for the ruts in the pavement. So why would I want to live on the edge of town and then drive in it every evening and all weekend? Why not stay where El Kid can take the bus, I can walk to a thrift store, coffee, and to get groceries?
Why craigslist? WHY DO YOU TEMPT ME SO?
I always have liked looking at floorplans and then deciding why they suck and why I would hate living in those houses. Maybe this is similar. I like looking at the apartments and thinking the grass would be greener...but I hate to mow and I'm allergic to grass so I need to just stop.
Is there a way to block craigslist from my computer?
I should switch to only searching craigslist in Paris and Prague and Petaling Jaya. Then I could at least be finding vacation homes.
Actually, I do search craigslist for various locations. You get some insight into the local culture when you check out what's on the "free" section. Here there are lots of couches and big screen TVs and moving boxes. Things students and the working poor buy then chuck when they have to move to a cheaper place (which they found on craigslist).
In Paris what's free?
A bathtub with no feet that you have to set up on bricks...
Crappy Ikea bookshelf
Moving boxes
You see the difference? In Paris, it's FRENCH crap. In Spokane it's boring American crap.
Wonder if Rekyavik is more interesting?
They don't have a craigslist so we'll never know.
Oh well. Perhaps I can change my addiction to the apartment ads over to an addiction to the best-of-craigslist and think about those poor slobs who write what they think are long creative missives and post them in cyber space as if anyone gives a crap.
Oh wait...uh...Trust me blogging is TOTALLY different.
This is an addiction I've had for years. This is why I've lived in something over 20 different places. Sure I took a little time out to own a home in Iowa, but that was because I'd run into the world's WORST landlord (and one of my other landlords was a child molester who would stand in the hallway between the various apartments and listen to me shower...eeewwww....so the one who inspired me to buy a house was REALLY bad).
I have a rental on the rez AND a rental in Spokane that meet my requirements:
*Maximum square footage per rent dollar (like over 3square feet per rent dollar on rez, about 2ft/$ in Spokane!)
*Laissez-faire landlords (the rez-landlords did not question why there was a deer skelton on the porch roof, the Spokane landlord does not come over unless there is a problem)
*Quiet
*Private
*Lots of light and air
*I can walk to everything I really need (groceries, work (well, the Spokane rental flunks this but you can walk to thrift stores so it is redeemed), coffee)
And yet, once I discovered craigslist, I became addicted once more to finding the perfect rental. So I obsessively check craigslist to see if there are better rentals (cheaper? better location? better windows? space for a garden? no lawn care? weirdly entertaining neighbors?).
Craigslist has photos. It links to google maps where you can click on street view and see the places! Maybe THIS one is on a country road that also has bus service...let's check the Spokane Transit Authority website against the googlemap street view and see if that bus stop really IS that close...
But what's the point?
I like my apartment in Spokane even if I hate living in Spokane. Once I'm home. I don't have to drive. There are 3 buses that go past the place and a grocery store across the street. The chick who lives downstairs is in her last year of law school and way to busy to make noise. The guy I share a wall with is quiet too (though may be moving soon). The walls are real plaster so unless someone is being a super a--hole, I'm not going to be bothered. Sure there is the drive to work, but the trade off is no drive once I'm at the apartment.
I'm drawn to the rentals on craigslist that would be closer to work, yet still in Spokane (El Kid needs to stay in school and do other things that require him to a) be in Spokane and b) either be near a bus stop or have me drive him all over hell and we know that last bit ain't happening.
The bus service on the edge of town towards work is spotty at best.
That would mean I'd have to drive El Kid all over town. This would cut down on his independence and cut UP on the actual amount of time I spend driving around town. I would hate that. I'd save about 10miles in the daily total commute, only to drive 15 or 20 around town since there is no bus in the area.
And yet...those apartments or duplexes on the edge of town...they wouldn't feel so much like I lived in town. And yet...I'd have to drive around town constantly often during rush hour. I hate that. Spokane has the worst traffic and road maintenance for a town its size. It's actually famous for the ruts in the pavement. So why would I want to live on the edge of town and then drive in it every evening and all weekend? Why not stay where El Kid can take the bus, I can walk to a thrift store, coffee, and to get groceries?
Why craigslist? WHY DO YOU TEMPT ME SO?
I always have liked looking at floorplans and then deciding why they suck and why I would hate living in those houses. Maybe this is similar. I like looking at the apartments and thinking the grass would be greener...but I hate to mow and I'm allergic to grass so I need to just stop.
Is there a way to block craigslist from my computer?
I should switch to only searching craigslist in Paris and Prague and Petaling Jaya. Then I could at least be finding vacation homes.
Actually, I do search craigslist for various locations. You get some insight into the local culture when you check out what's on the "free" section. Here there are lots of couches and big screen TVs and moving boxes. Things students and the working poor buy then chuck when they have to move to a cheaper place (which they found on craigslist).
In Paris what's free?
A bathtub with no feet that you have to set up on bricks...
Crappy Ikea bookshelf
Moving boxes
You see the difference? In Paris, it's FRENCH crap. In Spokane it's boring American crap.
Wonder if Rekyavik is more interesting?
They don't have a craigslist so we'll never know.
Oh well. Perhaps I can change my addiction to the apartment ads over to an addiction to the best-of-craigslist and think about those poor slobs who write what they think are long creative missives and post them in cyber space as if anyone gives a crap.
Oh wait...uh...Trust me blogging is TOTALLY different.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Not Much to Say
I don't have much to say today, I just want to stay at least 40 posts ahead of the Flood Blog.
Actually, I have a question today.
It's time to make some changes so I'm wondering if any readers have a recipe or two they'd like to submit. We're coming up on squash and apple season and I get sick of just eating apples and baked squash. I had some squash soup today and frankly, I like my homemade better than the purchases stuff even if it is organic. So I'll probably make that.
What else can I do with squash?
Any non-dairy way to jazz up eating all those apples? (I can take the dairy out of some recipes but probably not something like "cheese on apples" or "apples in creme fraiche") ... (....apples in creme fraiche. That would be delicious).
To get you started, here's my recipe for squash soup. I got it out of some free healthnut rag they give out at the co-op.
...
...
CRAP!!!! I've lost the recipe. I love that recipe. OK, if anyone has a recipe for butternut squash soup with apples or pears (it was an option), please please send it.
Actually, I have a question today.
It's time to make some changes so I'm wondering if any readers have a recipe or two they'd like to submit. We're coming up on squash and apple season and I get sick of just eating apples and baked squash. I had some squash soup today and frankly, I like my homemade better than the purchases stuff even if it is organic. So I'll probably make that.
What else can I do with squash?
Any non-dairy way to jazz up eating all those apples? (I can take the dairy out of some recipes but probably not something like "cheese on apples" or "apples in creme fraiche") ... (....apples in creme fraiche. That would be delicious).
To get you started, here's my recipe for squash soup. I got it out of some free healthnut rag they give out at the co-op.
...
...
CRAP!!!! I've lost the recipe. I love that recipe. OK, if anyone has a recipe for butternut squash soup with apples or pears (it was an option), please please send it.
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