Thursday, May 31, 2007
UNDERWEAR FETISH
Normally, I wouldn't put my grandma cotton undies up online for y'all to see, but I believe I may have a problem. This is the third time this month that I have gotten out of the shower only to find Julip sitting wrapped in my underwear on the bathroom floor waiting for me to come out of the shower. Note: every time it was this exact pair of undearwear, dug out of my dirty laundry basket.
My dog has a blue underwear fetish, yo. That ain't right. But I have to admit, it kind of cracks me up.
Friday, May 25, 2007
A LITTLE BITCH, A LITTLE HAPPINESS
I move one week from tomorrow...and I CANNOT WAIT. I keep thinking how ridiculous it is that I'M being forced to move, and that I'm moving into a HOUSE...all the while my next door neighbors have their entire family cramped into a loft the same size as mine. And I SWEAR it feels like they're making more noise than ever as my parting gift.You know how sometimes you meet someone and just know instantly that you are NOT ever going to like each other? That's how it was with my neighbors. I just knew. And believe me, I tried. And I made TONS of concessions for them: I never played my music, ran my dishwasher, etc. after 7:00 because they have a young girl there. I never had friends over at night and/or entertained in my apartment because I knew they'd be able to hear it. I moved all of my Monday and Tuesday lessons to Mondays every other week to cause the least amount of noise possible to them. I was constantly aware of the noise level and really worked hard to be a good neighbor.
Meanwhile, their kids have constantly banged things against the wall and floors. They did a month long of construction against MY wall - all during the day while I was working. Their daughter is prone to regular temper tantrums where she stomps her feet and screaches loud enough to wake the dead. And this happens at all hours -morning, noon, and as late as midnight. I cannot even count how many times I've been woken up out of a dead sleep. All day today there's been some banging going on over there - sounds like more construction on a smaller level. It's always CONSTANT NOISE next door and it's driving me insane. Seems to me that if you're going to have an entire family living in a small space like that, the courteous thing to do would be to invest in some soundproofing.
But, I leave in a little over a week and it won't be soon enough. And I'm EXCITED about moving! This house makes me SO HAPPY. Every time I go over there to work on it, it just feels like home. Comfortable, private, quiet, and in a beautiful area. I think living there is going to have a huge impact on me personally, because I'm just going to be so much more relaxed and happy. And this is my goal: to keep negative energy out, and continue to move forward and be positive.
You know for a while I felt like maybe I was selling out since I wasn't going to actively pursue music as a full-time career any more. But I swear, I tried. I was broke and poor and unhappy for a long, long time. While I never expected to be a tech support person, this job has brought me more happiness and success than I've ever had before. AND, I'm now remembering how much I LOVE music - and working on it because I love it, rather than trying to scratch out a dollar. I've got VFP, doing more solo stuff, and I'm even writing a one-woman show with all original music. That will be a challenge, but I have the luxury of taking my time and enjoying it and enjoying the process. I don't have to stress about music anymore, and I've got a nice roof over my head and the bills are paid. And all of this is on my terms: I work for myself at home, set my own hours, make my own music, and I'm HAPPY.
And on that note, feel free to stop by my newly updated website:
Sunday, May 13, 2007
KISMET!
Sometimes the stars align just right, and things really go your way. Today was one of those days!While I absolutely LOVE the area that I live in and LOVE my loft, I've been having lots of problems with noise. The walls are super-thing and I can hear people when they're talking out in the hall, when they're waiting for the elevator, and most of all, I hear the 6 year screaming frequently at all hours of the morning, day, and night. I've been woken up from sleep on so many occasions that I couldn't even tell you how many times at this point. I also recently had a rather uncomfortable confrontation with my male neighbor (father of said 6 year old), when I had friends over *laughing* on a Saturday night. It's just out of control here...so it's (of course) time for me to leave.
I also recognize that I'm difficult to live with. A roommate situation is just not ideal for me, and I've realized that an apartment complex has it's own...complexities. It's just impossible to tell what the noise level will be like, what your next door neighbors will be like, etc. I'm fussy too, I want what I want and mostly that's peace and quiet. So I realized that the only living situation that's going to work for me is a house. So I started looking.
I'm not in a position to buy right now, so renting is my only option for the next year or so. Renting a house is CRAZY expensive, but I found that north of Boston you can find some good deals. I've been keeping my eye open, but being stuck in a lease until September 1 means I'll be paying double rent...so I had to be careful to not rush into anything. HA.
Then, the perfect house literally fell into my lap.
My dad called me and said that my uncle Vincent said the house across the street from him is for rent. Now, my uncle Vincent lives in the Belvedere section of Lowell, which is right on the Andover line and pretty ritzy. I figured it would be way out of my range, but it's not - I can afford it!
I went to look at it and immediately fell in love. The house is now owned by the daughter of a couple that lived there for 55 years. The father recently passed away and the mother is in a home, so she rents the place out. The house is literally right across the street from my uncle! P, the daughter, used to babysit my cousins. There's also a gal who came to my recent concert series that lives two doors down. My father did work on her house and she told me at the concert how much she loved my dad.
P and I immediately hit it off and she said she just felt like I belonged in that house, and I felt like I did too. She offered it to me tonight and I accepted, and I can move in anytime. Here it is:
I love, love, love this house! The first floor is a living room, dining room, kitchen, office space (with lots of windows, shelving and sunlight!), a sitting room, and a half bath. The second floor is a master bedroom, 2 smaller bedrooms, and the master bath. The third floor is a walk-up attic that could easily be turned into another room, but that I'll gladly use for storage. There's also a washer-dryer in the basement (with a bulkhead). The lawn is immaculate - beautiful lush green grass. The backyard is HUGE with plenty of room for Julip to run around and for me to have BBQs!
The inside is a little stuck in the 70s in places, but nothing that a few coats of paint can't modify over a weekend. Oh, and there's a full working fireplace in the living room too!
The house could easily be rented for at least $1500 more than they're asking, but she really just wants someone respectful that will take care of her parent's home. I just can't believe it all happened today, and I'm so excited to move in. A WHOLE HOUSE. I can have guests STAY OVER and have parties and not worry about bothering my noisy neighbors. Plus, it's SUPER easy to get to off of both 93 and 495 with plenty of street and driveway parking.
I'm going to have a "painting party" - complete with pizza and beer and fun music. So if any of you like to paint and want to help turn this place into the contemporary awesomeness I know it will be, please let me know. I PROMISE I won't ask for ANY help moving. The painting is just something that's always more fun with more people. :) And plus, y'all know I loathe painting. lol
I'm *SO* excited about this. My only thing is that I wish it were just a bit further South towards Boston, but with a house this great, I'd be crazy to pass it up. So yipee! I'm moving again!