(no subject)
a few weeks ago, i retreated to the mountains for a few days. my parents, brother, and nana joined me in going to my aunt and uncle's (on my dad's side) house in the poconos. nearly no people around, the constant smell of grass and flowers and ferns and pine...the constant sound of the stream behind the house...i REALLY needed it. for weeks leading up to the trip, i day dreamed about it, and about a mountain breeze and being in peace for a few days. i walked in the woods, went to a 20,000 year old field of boulders, sat in the water (not deep enough to swim much), meditated, read andrew's copy of a book about mindfullness, napped (not very much, since i wanted to be awake for most of the vacation), and took many photos of animals and plants that i didn't bother to notice when i was there last. at times, it was like i was freakin snow white in that scene where she is in the forest and all of the animals are singing with her. wait. isn't there a similar scene in sleeping beauty? hold on. don't both of them fall into a coma and need to be rescued by a prince? when i allowed myself to, i notice so much more than i'd ever seen up there in the past.
anyway, i just wish that scott had been able to go with us, but he could not get out of work, which is ironic, since i am usually the one who cannot get out of work. anyway, it was like old times. afterall, my aunt and uncle have had that house for 22 years, so i have been up there numerous times, just not since i was in my late teens. i have so many memories of times up there with my cousins and grandparents. thankfully, there are still countless areas where my cel phone was completely useless, and i winced when i saw those little bars return to my cel screen.
i saw eric last week, after about 3 years. he surprised me at the rotunda. my phone had been stolen the week prior, so he could not call me, but just showed up. i love when thngs like that happen. uhh..not my phone being stolen. i have a new one now.
michelle's wedding is less than 3 weeks away. i cant believe she is getting married! last week, i went to lena's to try on my new bridesmaid dress. she and her husband remind me of the italians i knew when i was little. fig tree in yard, gestures that are as much ritual as they are life force...the dramatic yet gentle conversation...so many of those people are dead now, or at least old, and living next door to indie rock bands in 'bella vita.' alas. space is nothing if not in flux.
thanks to jason (my assistant, but, first and foremost, my friend), i was able to take off from work last night. during the day, scott and i got a philly car share car and went to kristen and justin's for a bbq. their house feels huge to me (scott and i do live in two rooms, afterall), but it's not even as big as the house that scott and i will move into in october. oh yeah. that.
well, as some of you know, we had to walk away from the 49th and larchwood house. i don't want to tire you with details, but the point is that we could not reach a mutually beneficial decision with the sellers. this summer feels like the longest ever, and much of that i due to the fact that we found a house, made an offer, got within one week of settlement, and then left. we then searched (i scoured real estate listings for hours every week, when i should have been sleeping), and i found ONE craigslist post for the house that we are buying. there was no for sale sign outside of it, and it was not listed anywhere else. long story longer, it's a tasteful rehab, but the seller is letting it go for way under market value because he is at the end of his funding. the market is not at all where it was two years ago, so his profits are suffering as a result. we are supposed to settle at the end of october, but a lot can happen between now and then. this process has been challenging, but i feel empowered to counsel other first time buyers. hell, i don't know much, but i can vouch for the fact that the process is not as scary as i originally thought, and i am so glad that we've gone through one phase and wll soon enter the next. and in the end, we will have built equity, but, most importantly, carved out our own space. i will be a land owner. haha.
anyway, i just wish that scott had been able to go with us, but he could not get out of work, which is ironic, since i am usually the one who cannot get out of work. anyway, it was like old times. afterall, my aunt and uncle have had that house for 22 years, so i have been up there numerous times, just not since i was in my late teens. i have so many memories of times up there with my cousins and grandparents. thankfully, there are still countless areas where my cel phone was completely useless, and i winced when i saw those little bars return to my cel screen.
i saw eric last week, after about 3 years. he surprised me at the rotunda. my phone had been stolen the week prior, so he could not call me, but just showed up. i love when thngs like that happen. uhh..not my phone being stolen. i have a new one now.
michelle's wedding is less than 3 weeks away. i cant believe she is getting married! last week, i went to lena's to try on my new bridesmaid dress. she and her husband remind me of the italians i knew when i was little. fig tree in yard, gestures that are as much ritual as they are life force...the dramatic yet gentle conversation...so many of those people are dead now, or at least old, and living next door to indie rock bands in 'bella vita.' alas. space is nothing if not in flux.
thanks to jason (my assistant, but, first and foremost, my friend), i was able to take off from work last night. during the day, scott and i got a philly car share car and went to kristen and justin's for a bbq. their house feels huge to me (scott and i do live in two rooms, afterall), but it's not even as big as the house that scott and i will move into in october. oh yeah. that.
well, as some of you know, we had to walk away from the 49th and larchwood house. i don't want to tire you with details, but the point is that we could not reach a mutually beneficial decision with the sellers. this summer feels like the longest ever, and much of that i due to the fact that we found a house, made an offer, got within one week of settlement, and then left. we then searched (i scoured real estate listings for hours every week, when i should have been sleeping), and i found ONE craigslist post for the house that we are buying. there was no for sale sign outside of it, and it was not listed anywhere else. long story longer, it's a tasteful rehab, but the seller is letting it go for way under market value because he is at the end of his funding. the market is not at all where it was two years ago, so his profits are suffering as a result. we are supposed to settle at the end of october, but a lot can happen between now and then. this process has been challenging, but i feel empowered to counsel other first time buyers. hell, i don't know much, but i can vouch for the fact that the process is not as scary as i originally thought, and i am so glad that we've gone through one phase and wll soon enter the next. and in the end, we will have built equity, but, most importantly, carved out our own space. i will be a land owner. haha.