Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Attempting to keep the anxiety at bay while staring down this pile of short sale paperwork I ought to tackle by end of day. And wondering just when the hell the closing will actually happen and where we’re going to end up moving to. Let’s think about five wonderful things instead, shall we?
Stopping by the Apple movie trailers site earlier was a little surreal, like someone had made mock movie trailers from my fever dreams. My man Viggo Mortensen playing Sigmund Freud in a Cronenberg film? Freaking Vincent Gallo as a Taliban fighter in an action thriller? And a trailer for the documentary The Weird World of Blowfly. Complicated, fascinating stuff. Just the way I like it.
When it rains it pours! It feels like life has really been ratcheted up to life PLUS PLUS lately. Hoping this recent tidal surge will recede soon. Earlier I got off the phone with my realtor, again, confirming which offer to take for my house. Soon we will have a shitstorm of short sale paperwork to deal with. At least Hurricane Irene was, thankfully, not nearly as powerfully destructive as it could have been. So the lad was able to fly home to me tonight. As soon as the plane pulled up I was tempted to storm the walkway. Especially when the other passengers, who were not my son, began exiting. I just wanted so badly to hug my kid! But I didn’t want to get arrested as the terrorist mom love bomber. So irritating that unaccompanied minors come out last. And in an extremely strange twist? There were only two unaccompanied minors on the plane and they shared the same not-so-common first name and a birthday (though the other was one year older than my son). Oh so very odd. Anyhow, my son and I were extremely happy to see one another again and he was super happy to get home to the cats, and to scarf down a late dinner of tofu dogs before bed. We may hit up the State Fair tomorrow. Other excitement includes a dental check-up for the kid, and a meet-the-teacher orientation for us both at his school. Next week we will be transitioning into more normal routine life mode - whatever normal is for us - when sixth grade begins. I feel like just maybe we’re about to round a corner and things are going to start looking up for us. But to avoid disappointment maybe I should work on my “Honey Badger don’t care” position (see the mug below). But I will be sleeping a little easier tonight with my son back under my roof.
Got the call this morning that my son was evacuating. And honestly, that’s better than if they tried to stay put through a category 2 hurricane. But I can only imagine how packed the roads are with others fleeing the area. Thankfully they’ve got a hotel room lined up far enough inland. But it might take double the time it usually would to get there. That is still well before things are supposed to get rough though. A friend pointed me in the direction of this most valuable resource: What’s Happening with Hurricane Irene?
Today I also learned that my son’s grandparents live in Craven County. I hadn’t realized that before. What an odd name. And here are some East Coast evacuation photos. Looking at them tied my stomach in knots. But I will attempt to soldier on through my final kid-free weekend, while hoping the boy can fly home as scheduled on Monday night.
UPDATE: As if today hadn’t been intense enough, my realtor called. I’ve got two offers on the house. What?
Thursday, August 25, 2011
I am rethinking the wisdom of sending my son to North Carolina in August. Second summer of doing so. Second summer of HURRICANES. Last year it was Earl. This time it’s Irene. Just got off the phone with grandma who doesn’t think they need to evacuate. But is very much in battening-down-the-hatches mode. My stress levels have just spiked. Again.
Yesterday’s 6pm house showing dragged out. I left work super late and took my time getting home. Stopped at Super Target along the way. And yet the prospective buyers were *still* looking at my house at 7:15. I drove around the neighborhood a bit and came back. They were STILL THERE. Eventually I parked across the way, up the street a bit, and it was surreal. Like I was on a stakeout of my own house. These folks didn’t appear to be in any hurry. Just hanging out in my front yard. Seven of them. With a vacuum cleaner. And I haven’t heard anything yet about an offer from anyone. Despite the recent price drop. But someone from another recent showing left feedback that the new, lower price of $55k is still TOO HIGH for my house. Are you serious Wendy? “I will buy your house for five American dollars.” At this point I am so discouraged and bitter and resentful that I almost want to go into foreclosure, just so no one can snag my house for a fraction of what I’ve put into it, and still complain that it cost too much.
How about five good and/or weird things?
Deeeeeep breathing. Yes. And a shifting of focus to happy thoughts. I still have a few more days of fewer responsibilities while my son is away. I’m going to see more movies my son wouldn’t like. And eat at restaurants he would hate. And I was offered some premium seats for tomorrow night’s Twins game. And I’ll catch some more live music - like Bill Orcutt at Franklin Art Works on Saturday night, and I’ll possibly attend Sunday’s Theremin birthday party at the Hack Factory.
The house is sooooooo quiet with my son away. I haven’t been getting *too* wild and crazy in his absence. Between seasonal allergies and stress I haven’t felt up to it. But taking it easy once in a while is all right with me. And doesn’t happen nearly enough anyhow.
Saturday I didn’t feel compelled to attend my 20th high school reunion. Instead I spent the day with someone I’ve been seeing. We started the afternoon off with a matinee showing of Fright Night (highly enjoyable, with a cameo from Chris Sarandon who played the vampire in the original), a trip to United Noodles, dinner at Midori’s Floating World Cafe, and then copious amounts of lounging at his place with cable television (a luxury item I’ve been without as an adult). I punked out on going to shows I’d intended to attend but it was a most excellent Saturday anyhow.
Much of my weekend was spent in the kitchen, which I enjoy. I put together a spinach cheese strata, to bake Sunday morning. While the oven was warmed up I whipped up a batch of blueberry-raspberry crumb bars. And then, for picnic club, chili lime mock duck tacos with kohlrabi slaw.
Five other very fine things:
- A lovely co-worker joined me after work on Friday, for mani-pedis at a nearby nail salon. This is not a thing I usually do. Nor does he. And he let me pick out bright blue glittery nail polish for his toenails!
- In general I think the zombie scene is overplayed (with pub crawls and whatnot). But these zombie wedding engagement photos were done JUST RIGHT.
- I love Hendrik Kerstens and his photographs of his daughter Paula. Especially this one:
“As a humorous reaction to this environmental problem he photo-graphed the plastic bag in the style of a seventeenth century cap.”
- Tonight I’m headed to the Walker to see Fritz Lang’s Spies, with a twist. “At dusk the captivating chamber-folk sextet Dark Dark Dark unveil their new live score for SPIES and are joined by guest musicians and singers for a spellbinding evening of silent film and live sounds.” Looking forward to it.
- I just acquired free tickets to an upcoming Twins game, and they are premium seats.
This morning my realtor called to see if I would authorize another price drop to $55,000. I told him to go for it because, honestly, at this point it doesn’t seem to matter very much. This latest price drop just means there will be an increase in the number of home invasions (aka “showings”). There’s already another scheduled for tomorrow morning. But even though the price is lower than ever it is still a buyer’s market and the buyers seem to feel pretty meh about my neighborhood. As do I these days. I’ve given it a solid effort. But I am ready to walk away. I think it’s high time to pack up our things and move the kid and I into a decent two bedroom somewhere before winter hits.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
We’ve have had some pretty great times lately but I’ve been feeling burned out. On life in general and not just the solo parenting. The stress of attempting to sell our house has been wearing me down. A recent prospective buyer, the asshat who forced us out so very early on a Saturday morning, left comments that the place is “a little rough around the edges.” Not sure what they’re expecting for under $70k. And the potential buyer of last week, the one who was waiting for a bid from a landscaper before making an offer - well, we haven’t heard a peep from her all week. Good thing I didn’t really get my hopes up. But my nerves have been shot and I know I haven’t been in patient parent mode. More like broken record nagging-mom mode.
Wash that pizza sauce off your face!
Why do you have peanut butter all over your shorts?
Well of course the cat bit you. Stop grabbing him like that.
I am not a poop head! Could you please send me some *nice* texts?
I told you not to eat upstairs! Do you want ants? Because that’s how you get ants!
And so on. So the boy and I will both benefit greatly from this little break. He made it safely to his grandparents’ place today, after two unaccompanied flights. He will be doted on and taken to the ocean, to the beach and out on a boat, and to swimming pools and mini golfing and to hang out at the dog park with their dog Max. And when the lad returns we will head to the State Fair together to eat Vegie[sic] Fries and suck down Sno-Kones and Sky Ride away all of our cares. And not long after that we will enjoy an awesome party for his 12th (TWELVE?!) birthday where he will be receiving a Big Ass Remote-Controlled Flying Shark and life will be great. On that day in particular not a single fuck will be given.
Somehow I’ve seen two 80s era David Lynch movies in the last week, with the same companion. First a showing of “Dune” at the Turf Club (fun to watch among die-hard and drunken fans). Then “Blue Velvet” at The Loring Theater for David Lynch Night (I “won” half a cherry pie). We may need to move on to some of his more recent work like “Lost Highway” or “Mullholland Drive.” Come to think of it, I never did get around to seeing “Inland Empire.”
Five things that aren’t simply good, they are great:
Parenting and homeownership have something in common - other than the figure-it-out-as-you-go method I’ve been employing for both since 1999. Both are very task-oriented. Manage to accomplish one item on the endless To Do list and three more crop up. But today I’m feeling pretty good. Like I’m on top of things. Though I shouldn’t jinx myself. Life always has a way of throwing pocket sand in my face.
The last 48 hours have been particularly odd. And interesting. And vexing. Filled with promise, with situations both fantastic and terrifying. I am trying to keep expectations low…particularly in regard to the house. A potential buyer has suddenly materialized. My panic levels have been rising FAST about that, and other things. Next week I send my son off to fly solo to the East Coast. He’s done it before and he was fiiiiine. Even so, he is my only child and we are so rarely apart. When he returns we won’t have much time before school starts so we’ve got to pack in a lot of fun this weekend, as well as a back-to-school shopping trip. Eep.
To take my mind off of matters, how about some cat time? And hey, the company I am employed by is cool. But we already knew that.
Oh my. I was so focused on our own hectic schedules and timelines that a crucial detail escaped me. I seem to have scheduled my son’s birthday party on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Drat. I hope that doesn’t put anyone off. Life does go on. My son is proof of that. He was only a toddler when the towers fell and now he’s nearly a teenager. But now I’m thinking about that bizarre morning commute. I clearly remember dropping the boy off at daycare and listening to MPR on the car radio when details of the attacks were being pieced together. I walked into my office just in time to catch the live coverage on the kitchen televisions.
To make up for that downer, how about five (or more) really wonderful things?
And speaking of lost time…somehow I missed this recent story: “Revealed after 60 years… the real Green Lady whose face is on a million living room walls” (via Isabel Samaras) I have a Vladmir Tretchikoff print of my own, in my bedroom, but it’s of his “Miss Wong” model.
As I keep pushing forward everything is pushing back. Like I’m locked in a perpetual shoving match with a weeble wobble. But I’m determined to keep at it. So much so that I’m just now coming down from a long run of busy busy balance-maintaining activity. Maybe I erred on the side of fun though, and need to take a little breather before I burst.
Recent highlights in reverse chronological order:
- Went to a friend’s house - who has cable & HBO - to watch my beloved True Blood. Season four has been stellar!
- Last night I got Voytek-ed. And it was just the thing.
- Yesterday my son and I trekked to Stockholm, WI for their Dog Days Festival. We arrived at the tail end (har har) but our objective was a Dreamland Faces performance, as they accompanied Charlie Chaplin’s A Dog’s Life. It was wonderful. It seems like I’ve been attending dog-related events lately though I am more of a companion to cats. And this cat…I can’t stop looking at it.
- Friday afternoon I lazed at the beach with friends and Friday night I watched movies in the backyard of some other friends, with a projector projecting on a screen on their garage. Lovely.
- Thursday night I made it to three venues to socialize and see a total of five bands.
Another fairly significant thing happened earlier today but I’m still processing it. My initial reaction? Some things never change.
