Thursday, March 29, 2007
Do you hear what I hear?
We had the house we're buying inspected yesterday. The inspector found a couple of minor things that should be fixed, but all in all it's a sound, solid house. No termites, no foundation repairs, good roof, etc. We didn't get a chance to take more pictures, but we did peek into the bedrooms to check their sizes, and we checked the storage in the bathroom. The house is bigger than I remembered, so I'm happy about that.
As I mentioned a few days ago, spring is in full force here in Dallas, and my allergies have been acting up. We went to visit Victor's parents this past weekend, and the flight really messed up my ears. Turns out the allergy congestion wasn't allowing one of my eardrums to move with the pressure in the plane, so now I have something called barotrauma of the ear, which is something that divers get and sometimes air passengers too. My left ear hurts, and I can't really hear out of it. It's like it needs to pop from the pressure and can't. I finally went to the doctor yesterday, and she told me what was wrong. I have to take a decongestant and an allergy nose spray until it gets better. It sucks. It's been almost a week with ear pain and limited hearing in one ear, and I'm sick of it. At least I went to the doctor; she said if I didn't clear up the congestion (which would ease the pressure and help the eardrum to heal), I could end up with permanent hearing loss. Yuck!
We had the house we're buying inspected yesterday. The inspector found a couple of minor things that should be fixed, but all in all it's a sound, solid house. No termites, no foundation repairs, good roof, etc. We didn't get a chance to take more pictures, but we did peek into the bedrooms to check their sizes, and we checked the storage in the bathroom. The house is bigger than I remembered, so I'm happy about that.
As I mentioned a few days ago, spring is in full force here in Dallas, and my allergies have been acting up. We went to visit Victor's parents this past weekend, and the flight really messed up my ears. Turns out the allergy congestion wasn't allowing one of my eardrums to move with the pressure in the plane, so now I have something called barotrauma of the ear, which is something that divers get and sometimes air passengers too. My left ear hurts, and I can't really hear out of it. It's like it needs to pop from the pressure and can't. I finally went to the doctor yesterday, and she told me what was wrong. I have to take a decongestant and an allergy nose spray until it gets better. It sucks. It's been almost a week with ear pain and limited hearing in one ear, and I'm sick of it. At least I went to the doctor; she said if I didn't clear up the congestion (which would ease the pressure and help the eardrum to heal), I could end up with permanent hearing loss. Yuck!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Stories from the Hood
I regularly read a few blogs from local publications to keep up on what's going on in Dallas, local gossip, and snarkiness (I'm looking at you, Frontburner). Today, on the Dallas Observer's Unfair Park blog, I came across a link to a New York Times article on Dallas. It's pretty interesting reading, especially as the author namechecks some of my favorite restaurants and shops as well as the area in which we currently reside (Lakewood - well, we're just outside of it) and the one where we will live once we close on the house (Oak Cliff). In fact, she likens Oak Cliff to Brooklyn. I think that may be taking things a bit far, but then again, I've never been to Brooklyn. Anyway, pretty interesting read if you care to take a look. She paints a nice picture of both neighborhoods, which kind of makes me sad to leave East Dallas/Lakewood, but at the same time makes me look forward to discovering Oak Cliff. Two other coworkers are moving there too, and one of Victor's coworkers bought a house there, so we will at least have friendly faces around.
In other news, I've finally uploaded Paris pictures onto flickr. Victor is helping me put titles and descriptions on all of them. If you're looking for house pictures, I've got a house set going too. We're going to do our inspection on Wednesday, and I'll take more pictures then. We're also going to take a bunch of notes while we're there, like where the electrical outlets and cable wires are... that sort of thing. Yep, we're all grown up now, I guess.
I regularly read a few blogs from local publications to keep up on what's going on in Dallas, local gossip, and snarkiness (I'm looking at you, Frontburner). Today, on the Dallas Observer's Unfair Park blog, I came across a link to a New York Times article on Dallas. It's pretty interesting reading, especially as the author namechecks some of my favorite restaurants and shops as well as the area in which we currently reside (Lakewood - well, we're just outside of it) and the one where we will live once we close on the house (Oak Cliff). In fact, she likens Oak Cliff to Brooklyn. I think that may be taking things a bit far, but then again, I've never been to Brooklyn. Anyway, pretty interesting read if you care to take a look. She paints a nice picture of both neighborhoods, which kind of makes me sad to leave East Dallas/Lakewood, but at the same time makes me look forward to discovering Oak Cliff. Two other coworkers are moving there too, and one of Victor's coworkers bought a house there, so we will at least have friendly faces around.
In other news, I've finally uploaded Paris pictures onto flickr. Victor is helping me put titles and descriptions on all of them. If you're looking for house pictures, I've got a house set going too. We're going to do our inspection on Wednesday, and I'll take more pictures then. We're also going to take a bunch of notes while we're there, like where the electrical outlets and cable wires are... that sort of thing. Yep, we're all grown up now, I guess.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Best. Week. Ever.
I said I'd keep you updated about the house hunt, right? Well, this week flew by in a whirl of getting a realtor, looking at houses, waffling, not sleeping, getting approved for mortgages, putting down an offer, getting more approval, not sleeping, wanting to puke, until finally, today, our offer was accepted!
The house is in North Oak Cliff, which is the southern part of Dallas. It looks small and cute, but the inside is what is really, really awesome. It has a sleek, modern kitchen, one and a half baths, a big sunroom, two bedrooms, and the master bedroom has a study off to the side of it. The study has floor to ceiling windows and floor to ceiling bookshelves. The backyard is awesome and great for BBQs. I've uploaded some photos to my flickr account. The pictures don't even do the house justice... it's even nicer in person!
So, the next steps are deciding on a lender, getting an inspection, putting down the down payment and closing costs, closing on the house, and moving in. I'm praying that all of that goes well, and by the end of April we will be in our new house!
It's been a crazy week, and I'm surprised that all of my hair didn't turn white. Buying a house is scary and fun and exciting and terrifying and gut-wrenching all at once. If you're buying a house in Dallas, I highly recommend my realtor Dori, who wheels and deals like a madwoman without forgetting to get excited, to laugh, and to give you a hug and kiss.
I'm gonna be a homeowner!
I said I'd keep you updated about the house hunt, right? Well, this week flew by in a whirl of getting a realtor, looking at houses, waffling, not sleeping, getting approved for mortgages, putting down an offer, getting more approval, not sleeping, wanting to puke, until finally, today, our offer was accepted!
The house is in North Oak Cliff, which is the southern part of Dallas. It looks small and cute, but the inside is what is really, really awesome. It has a sleek, modern kitchen, one and a half baths, a big sunroom, two bedrooms, and the master bedroom has a study off to the side of it. The study has floor to ceiling windows and floor to ceiling bookshelves. The backyard is awesome and great for BBQs. I've uploaded some photos to my flickr account. The pictures don't even do the house justice... it's even nicer in person!
So, the next steps are deciding on a lender, getting an inspection, putting down the down payment and closing costs, closing on the house, and moving in. I'm praying that all of that goes well, and by the end of April we will be in our new house!
It's been a crazy week, and I'm surprised that all of my hair didn't turn white. Buying a house is scary and fun and exciting and terrifying and gut-wrenching all at once. If you're buying a house in Dallas, I highly recommend my realtor Dori, who wheels and deals like a madwoman without forgetting to get excited, to laugh, and to give you a hug and kiss.
I'm gonna be a homeowner!
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Going green
Spring has definitely sprung here in the big D. We had a few hot days a week or so ago, and I was worried that we were going to skip spring altogether and plunge headlong into the miserable Texas summer. But the last few days have been perfect - cool temperatures mixed with sun and clouds. The leaves are starting to come out on the trees, and there are a few flowering trees, like redbuds, livening up the park where I work (the theater and admin buildings are in a beautiful park in Dallas, complete with creek and hike/bike trail). I feel an urge to go to the Farmer's Market, to take a walk, to open the windows...
Between the beautiful temperatures and the homebuying compulsion I've had lately, I think I've officially got Spring Fever. I want to throw out about half of what we own and sell it off in a big yard sale. While we will hopefully be moving to a much bigger place in the summer, I don't want to continue to live with tons of stuff. I'm a packrat by nature, and I tend to cart around huge amounts of junk from home to home. Now, that doesn't mean that our apartment isn't nicely decorated and comfortable... it means that our closets are filled to bursting with old clothes, stuff we don't use anymore, that kind of thing. And I think there is a lot we could get rid of without really missing it.
Case in point: my bathroom shelves. Do I really need five kinds of face mask? Six mostly-empty shampoo bottles? Moisturizer I haven't used since 2003? I think that I could toss a lot of that stuff without giving myself dry skin, greasy hair, and horrible acne. I wonder if there is a women's shelter around here somewhere that would take some of it as a donation... we used to do that back home.
In a different type of "going green", our building just got a communal recycling bin. The city of Dallas is finally catching up with the rest of the civilized world with a good recycling program. I think we'll buy a new trash can to use for recycling. It will make me feel a bit better about my consumerism.
A third way of "going green" is a salad recipe I'd like to share with my loyal reader(s). You've probably seen this in some restaurant or cookbook; I don't claim to have invented it myself. But I've been making it for lunch for weeks now, and it's so good and easy to make. Here it is:
Spinach (I like to use baby spinach)
Blue cheese
Sliced red pear
Walnuts (optional)
Balsamic vinaigrette
Put the spinach in a bowl. Remember to tear it if you're using big leaves. Crumble some blue cheese (you can use Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola or whatever) over the spinach. Add the pear slices and walnuts. Top with the balsamic vinaigrette. It's so good, and if you make enough of it, it's filling enough to eat as a main course.
Spring has definitely sprung here in the big D. We had a few hot days a week or so ago, and I was worried that we were going to skip spring altogether and plunge headlong into the miserable Texas summer. But the last few days have been perfect - cool temperatures mixed with sun and clouds. The leaves are starting to come out on the trees, and there are a few flowering trees, like redbuds, livening up the park where I work (the theater and admin buildings are in a beautiful park in Dallas, complete with creek and hike/bike trail). I feel an urge to go to the Farmer's Market, to take a walk, to open the windows...
Between the beautiful temperatures and the homebuying compulsion I've had lately, I think I've officially got Spring Fever. I want to throw out about half of what we own and sell it off in a big yard sale. While we will hopefully be moving to a much bigger place in the summer, I don't want to continue to live with tons of stuff. I'm a packrat by nature, and I tend to cart around huge amounts of junk from home to home. Now, that doesn't mean that our apartment isn't nicely decorated and comfortable... it means that our closets are filled to bursting with old clothes, stuff we don't use anymore, that kind of thing. And I think there is a lot we could get rid of without really missing it.
Case in point: my bathroom shelves. Do I really need five kinds of face mask? Six mostly-empty shampoo bottles? Moisturizer I haven't used since 2003? I think that I could toss a lot of that stuff without giving myself dry skin, greasy hair, and horrible acne. I wonder if there is a women's shelter around here somewhere that would take some of it as a donation... we used to do that back home.
In a different type of "going green", our building just got a communal recycling bin. The city of Dallas is finally catching up with the rest of the civilized world with a good recycling program. I think we'll buy a new trash can to use for recycling. It will make me feel a bit better about my consumerism.
A third way of "going green" is a salad recipe I'd like to share with my loyal reader(s). You've probably seen this in some restaurant or cookbook; I don't claim to have invented it myself. But I've been making it for lunch for weeks now, and it's so good and easy to make. Here it is:
Spinach (I like to use baby spinach)
Blue cheese
Sliced red pear
Walnuts (optional)
Balsamic vinaigrette
Put the spinach in a bowl. Remember to tear it if you're using big leaves. Crumble some blue cheese (you can use Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola or whatever) over the spinach. Add the pear slices and walnuts. Top with the balsamic vinaigrette. It's so good, and if you make enough of it, it's filling enough to eat as a main course.
Labels: navelgazing
Friday, March 16, 2007
Go home team!
Awww, my hometown made it to number 1 in this survey of low-cost places to live with good job prospects. I don't miss Rogers so much (my hometown), but I do miss Fayetteville (my college/post-college hometown, just minutes away from Rogers).
In other "go home team" news, Victor and I are beating Mark at NCAA March Madness picks. Our standings today are:
Victor 57 points
Mandy 54 points
Mark 36 points
My success is just dumb luck, because I know very little about college basketball. But it's just Day 2, so I'm sure Mark has a chance to catch up.
Awww, my hometown made it to number 1 in this survey of low-cost places to live with good job prospects. I don't miss Rogers so much (my hometown), but I do miss Fayetteville (my college/post-college hometown, just minutes away from Rogers).
In other "go home team" news, Victor and I are beating Mark at NCAA March Madness picks. Our standings today are:
Victor 57 points
Mandy 54 points
Mark 36 points
My success is just dumb luck, because I know very little about college basketball. But it's just Day 2, so I'm sure Mark has a chance to catch up.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Getting REAL. Estate, that is.
First off, thanks to anyone who is still reading this half-dead thing. Second, I'm going to totally take off my old commenting program. That means that all of my old comments, from the last four years of this thing, will be gone. I'm sad about that. But... onward and upward and all that.
I'm going to have to figure out a good time to write. I used to write a lot at work, but I don't want to do that at my new job at the theater. I am trying to be more responsible about my internet usage there. But it sucks, because most of my good ideas come around when I'm at work. I'll think of a solution one of these days.
In real news, we're considering buying a house. We don't plan on staying in Dallas forever-and-ever, but if we're staying for the next year or three, we need to have a mortgage. Otherwise, taxes will eat us alive like they did this year. There are a ton of affordable, beautiful old houses here, mostly in North Oak Cliff and parts of East Dallas, allowing us to stay within Dallas itself and within a reasonable distance to downtown. I don't want to have a nasty commute again.
It's kind of taking over my life, and I spend my days obsessing about houses and backyards and mortgages. Victor and I have developed a shorthand language for the house search and now spend our day talking about how we looked at Marlborough on Ebby or how one of us has decided we prefer Brighton. We're mostly talking about addresses of houses or real estate websites, but I can imagine that it's pretty annoying for anyone around us.
So anyway, cross your fingers that we can afford a good house, and I'll try to keep you updated on our search.
First off, thanks to anyone who is still reading this half-dead thing. Second, I'm going to totally take off my old commenting program. That means that all of my old comments, from the last four years of this thing, will be gone. I'm sad about that. But... onward and upward and all that.
I'm going to have to figure out a good time to write. I used to write a lot at work, but I don't want to do that at my new job at the theater. I am trying to be more responsible about my internet usage there. But it sucks, because most of my good ideas come around when I'm at work. I'll think of a solution one of these days.
In real news, we're considering buying a house. We don't plan on staying in Dallas forever-and-ever, but if we're staying for the next year or three, we need to have a mortgage. Otherwise, taxes will eat us alive like they did this year. There are a ton of affordable, beautiful old houses here, mostly in North Oak Cliff and parts of East Dallas, allowing us to stay within Dallas itself and within a reasonable distance to downtown. I don't want to have a nasty commute again.
It's kind of taking over my life, and I spend my days obsessing about houses and backyards and mortgages. Victor and I have developed a shorthand language for the house search and now spend our day talking about how we looked at Marlborough on Ebby or how one of us has decided we prefer Brighton. We're mostly talking about addresses of houses or real estate websites, but I can imagine that it's pretty annoying for anyone around us.
So anyway, cross your fingers that we can afford a good house, and I'll try to keep you updated on our search.
