Well, that happened. I am no longer a homeowner. Though I was holding my breath until the very last moment. The morning of the closing the skies darkened and a freak snowstorm blew in out of nowhere. The drive to the title office was slightly treacherous. Upon arrival I learned the buyer was trying to wrangle some last minute concessions out of me (denied) so we were placed in separate rooms. And the person handling the closing forgot her notary stamp. But it finally happened. Naturally it’s not totally over yet. In the long run there’s the repayment plan with both banks, until 2021 and 2026 respectively. In the short term? Yesterday I spent hours on the phone dealing with the aftermath of canceling the utilities. Most were reasonable and understand that it will take me a while to pay off the final bills (over $500 that I surely don’t have). But these are much more minor nuisances. The albatross around my neck has finally been removed. And I’ve been able to relax a bit and enjoy our holiday break.
Five more good things:
- The Huffington Post’s Autism: A Year in Review - “the science and humanity of autism are inextricably linked, and we cannot know one without knowing the other” - thank you, yes. Speaking of, I’d seen the recent issue of National Geographic with photographer Timothy Archibald’s expose “Echolilia” (of his child’s autism) and the recent New York Times article about young adults navigating love and autism. My son has an interesting future ahead of him.
- Yesterday I took the lad to see The Adventures of Tintin - enjoyable despite the creepy uncanny valley animation and Spielberg’s obvious longing for his Raiders of the Lost Ark glory days. Loved the screenplay from some of my favorite writers, and the voice acting. Perfect casting.
- Other entertaining distractions have included the Doctor Who Christmas special, finishing Mark Zusak’s The Messenger (I plan to read The Book Thief next), and soon the blessed return of Sherlock.
- The Rusty Quarters Retro Arcade & Museum is finally having its grand opening tonight. We may just pop by.
- 14 Punctuation Marks That You Never Knew Existed - “Where have you been all my life, the Interrobang‽ Less so, the Asterism, despite the awesome name. How many of these did you know already? Be honest.”
I tried to do nothing on Monday/Boxing Day. Honestly. But I wound up washing three loads of laundry, taking the kid for a long walk (it was gloriously Spring-like out), taking out the trash and recycling, editing photos and organizing the garage and basement storage unit. But it was lucky that I was downstairs that day as I noticed the hot water heater leaking. I called and then emailed the landlord’s property management company. I was worried they’d taken the whole week off for the holidays but a couple of dudes showed up yesterday. They replaced the hot water heater with a brand new one and I didn’t have to pay for any of it. I LOVE RENTING. I’m still wrapping my head around this wonderful new reality but I’m sure I’ll adjust soon enough.
Post a Comment