Where. To. Begin.
So today was supposed to be our closing date. But that's not really where I should begin.
We've been looking for a condo. In this whole process, we've put in four different offers:
1. 2 bed, 1 bath condo. Owners were totally unrealistic re: price of that condo. While it was nice, it didn't have a parking spot, had only 1 bath, had tiny bedrooms and had a back patio off the master bedroom *grimace* In the end, it was one of the first condos we were really interested in, and it's a good thing we didn't get it.
2. 2 bed, 2 bath condo with gobs of counter space. This was a gorgeous unit with everything we could have ever hoped for (including a gigantic walk-in closet). In the end, the sellers wouldn't come down to our price (and it had high-ish assessments).
3. Short-sale (aka Dream Condo). Seller is a nightmare and hasn't even submitted all of his financials yet to the bank. Our offer had been sitting for one full month waiting for him so the bank could review our offer. We have since backed out of the deal.
4. 2 bed, 2 bath condo with parking spot and great assessments. This is our condo and the one we were supposed to close on today. At 3pm.
We knew on Friday that there was an issue with the appraisal. We had an approval with bank #1, but the underwriter wanted more comps for "like properties". Turns out, s/he wanted comps for new construction (even though our building was built in 2001 and, therefore, not "new" and even though there really isn't all that much new construction anywhere close to where we are buying, except for properties well above our price point). So, the broker submitted our application with another lender as a back-up (thank God).
Today at 1pm, we learned that we weren't going to be able to close today, at least with a loan and money changing hands. Some other important bits that go along with this news -- P's Mom is in town to help us coordinate all of this and is (was) leaving Wednesday evening, I took today and Tuesday off to close and work with the movers (who were scheduled to move us at 8am Tuesday morning), and P had to move mountains to get off work early to go to closing. At 2pm, I got a call from our agent who said that we were going to close (yay!), but that it would be a "dry" closing. That means that no money would change hands today, but we would get all the crappy paperwork out of the way so that closing (from our end) was over. The money would change hands tomorrow behind the scenes, and we would get the keys early enough so that moving day wasn't impacted. P's Mom and I picked P up downtown and made our way to the 'burbs to close only to learn that our loan docs weren't there. We waited around (with our lawyer, our agent, the seller's agent and the seller's lawyer) for over an hour only to learn that the loan docs weren't going to be there. Lender 2 approved our loan (conditionally) but is requiring our tax transcripts from the IRS. They won't get the transcripts until 4 or 5 hours into the business day tomorrow, after our lawyer will leave town for the day.
By this point, all of our heads were ready to explode. The end result is this:
1. I am now going to work on Tuesday (which is hard to wrap my mind around, having expected to be off).
2. I am taking Wednesday and Thursday off instead (which has caused me to have to clear my calendar completely at work).
3. Wednesday at 1pm is our new closing, which I will believe when I see it.
4. We had to reschedule our movers for Thursday afternoon.
5. We had to ask for a day's extension in our current apartment.
6. P's Mom had to reschedule her flight for the weekend, which cost her $200
7. Aaaaaaand I'm spent.
Buying a house, from this first-time home buyer's perspective, is exhausting and emotionally taxing. I'm sure that when this is all over, we'll be super happy and won't remember all of this crap. But right now it sucks. And I'm over it.
P. D. and J. ...with a special appearance by H
Monday, September 28, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
A Blog About Socks
Long story short: I bought a brown sweater dress and brown boots and realized I'm not going to wear any of it until I get me some leggings. But I can't just get brown leggings, or I'll look like a turd. So, have been using my workday to browse the internets for colorful leggings. Harder than you might think. Seriously--they're all tacky and too panty-hose like. Or they are way too wild (i.e., leopard print, pleather) and I wouldn't wear THAT to work...
So then I found a blog called Sock Dreams.
I loved the socks--more specifically, the pictures of the socks make them look like they could change your life or lead you on an amazing adventure! Since most of them are knit, I was afraid I'd have to make my own (which, actually, since I am a Knitter and have been contemplating a fall project, was getting kind of excited about (after the initial annoyance)), but turns out--it's an online boutique!! WHEEE!
So then I found a blog called Sock Dreams.
I loved the socks--more specifically, the pictures of the socks make them look like they could change your life or lead you on an amazing adventure! Since most of them are knit, I was afraid I'd have to make my own (which, actually, since I am a Knitter and have been contemplating a fall project, was getting kind of excited about (after the initial annoyance)), but turns out--it's an online boutique!! WHEEE!Sunday, September 20, 2009
Girls' Weekend, Redux
J and The Sisters McDowell came to town for the U2 concert last weekend. We had a blast! Where to begin? Well, I guess with what they came to town for: The Concert™.
I wouldn't classify myself as a "U2 Fan", but I had never seen them before, and I can fake my way through the choruses of a couple of their songs. Plus, the company I would be keeping that day was top notch, so. My excitement was tamped down a bit when I learned that we would have to get to the concert to stand in line (the crazy ladies had GA tickets so they could get as close to the sweaty band members as possible. Meantime, P and I had seats) half a day before it was even to start. But, as it turned out, J and Sisters decided they were going to try to cut into line at the last second. In their defense (as horrible as that sounded to me at the time), I have to say that I was skeptical that the whole line system they had a Soldier Field would even work. I wish I had taken pictures of the holding areas. The only ones that truly looked like a refugee camps were the ones closest to the start of the line. Those sections were crammed with sweaty and stinky bodies of the weirdos who had traveled great distances to see Bono and Co. The holding pens farther back had next to no one in them. They looked like VIP cattle yards with just a few people sprinkled around for show.
So, we decided to explore a bit. We found a couple of interesting items, like...
An inflatable pub! Which I managed not to get a picture of. Well, except for this one. This is what was left on said pub after I got up. It looked like I had peed. (I didn't.)
The pub was sponsored by Guinness, which sounds exciting, especially since I love Guinness. But the mix was off, and it ended up just tasting like thick water. I still managed to drink my entire beer, for the record. They also had these crazy people walking around having their pictures taken with people. Much to my dismay, they didn't stop anywhere near us. I took this picture out the pub window. I call it "Bubble Boy's Dashed Hopes".
After this, we went to the Blackberry booth where we all got free cell phone screen cleaners. Speaking of, I can't find mine. At the ONE booth, I signed up for annoying email alerts so I can feel like an activist and send harassing emails to my Congressperson. Oh, I also got a bracelet. We also stopped at the Amnesty International booth and spend $25 (each!!!) on a t-shirt. A t-shirt that has already shrunk and can only be worn to bed now. *sigh*
After all of this, we still had several hours to kill. I bought a U2 t-shirt, mostly because I felt like I hadn't spent enough on t-shirts. This one also shrunk, but I learned from the seller that it would, so I planned ahead and got the next size up.
Then, the line theatrics started. Turns out, what appeared to be a system that would leave holes all over the place for sneaking people to... well, sneak... wasn't that sneakable. This is what the line looked like.
This is what everyone else looked like watching this line.
Note the teeth-shattering, tooth-chipping, stressed out grin above.
Note the look of annoyance above. Well, he looks annoyed a lot, so this could have been for pretty much anything.
You can tell that Heather (above) is stressed because she's not looking like a deranged turtle in this picture.
You can't really see Megan's stress level, mostly because she's always smiling. But trust me... there were times when I thought she was going to kill J.
Well, more specifically when I thought they were going to gang up on J and kill her. See, J wasn't so much into the whole "sneaking" thing. She kept saying things like, "You guys are small and can just squeeze in anywhere" (like she was some sort of giantess) and "You guys just go ahead without me. I'll meet up with you on the floor" (which we all knew was a lie. She would have been angry at the end of the concert). Lucky for all of us, they managed to sneak into the line farther back and avoided detection entirely.
The concert was pretty good (coming from a non-fan)! My camera battery died soon into the concert, but here are a couple of neato pictures.
The rest of the time we (1) ate a lot, (2) went to a gay bar (where we were pretty much the only patrons) and (3) took a whirlwind 1 hour trip of Shedd Aquarium.
I have videos from both 2 and 3 above, but am having issues loading them. In any event, that was our weekend. And P and I are ready for everyone to come visit again already!
I wouldn't classify myself as a "U2 Fan", but I had never seen them before, and I can fake my way through the choruses of a couple of their songs. Plus, the company I would be keeping that day was top notch, so. My excitement was tamped down a bit when I learned that we would have to get to the concert to stand in line (the crazy ladies had GA tickets so they could get as close to the sweaty band members as possible. Meantime, P and I had seats) half a day before it was even to start. But, as it turned out, J and Sisters decided they were going to try to cut into line at the last second. In their defense (as horrible as that sounded to me at the time), I have to say that I was skeptical that the whole line system they had a Soldier Field would even work. I wish I had taken pictures of the holding areas. The only ones that truly looked like a refugee camps were the ones closest to the start of the line. Those sections were crammed with sweaty and stinky bodies of the weirdos who had traveled great distances to see Bono and Co. The holding pens farther back had next to no one in them. They looked like VIP cattle yards with just a few people sprinkled around for show.
So, we decided to explore a bit. We found a couple of interesting items, like...
An inflatable pub! Which I managed not to get a picture of. Well, except for this one. This is what was left on said pub after I got up. It looked like I had peed. (I didn't.)
The pub was sponsored by Guinness, which sounds exciting, especially since I love Guinness. But the mix was off, and it ended up just tasting like thick water. I still managed to drink my entire beer, for the record. They also had these crazy people walking around having their pictures taken with people. Much to my dismay, they didn't stop anywhere near us. I took this picture out the pub window. I call it "Bubble Boy's Dashed Hopes".
After this, we went to the Blackberry booth where we all got free cell phone screen cleaners. Speaking of, I can't find mine. At the ONE booth, I signed up for annoying email alerts so I can feel like an activist and send harassing emails to my Congressperson. Oh, I also got a bracelet. We also stopped at the Amnesty International booth and spend $25 (each!!!) on a t-shirt. A t-shirt that has already shrunk and can only be worn to bed now. *sigh*
After all of this, we still had several hours to kill. I bought a U2 t-shirt, mostly because I felt like I hadn't spent enough on t-shirts. This one also shrunk, but I learned from the seller that it would, so I planned ahead and got the next size up.
Then, the line theatrics started. Turns out, what appeared to be a system that would leave holes all over the place for sneaking people to... well, sneak... wasn't that sneakable. This is what the line looked like.
This is what everyone else looked like watching this line.
Note the teeth-shattering, tooth-chipping, stressed out grin above.
Note the look of annoyance above. Well, he looks annoyed a lot, so this could have been for pretty much anything.
You can tell that Heather (above) is stressed because she's not looking like a deranged turtle in this picture.
You can't really see Megan's stress level, mostly because she's always smiling. But trust me... there were times when I thought she was going to kill J.
Well, more specifically when I thought they were going to gang up on J and kill her. See, J wasn't so much into the whole "sneaking" thing. She kept saying things like, "You guys are small and can just squeeze in anywhere" (like she was some sort of giantess) and "You guys just go ahead without me. I'll meet up with you on the floor" (which we all knew was a lie. She would have been angry at the end of the concert). Lucky for all of us, they managed to sneak into the line farther back and avoided detection entirely.
The concert was pretty good (coming from a non-fan)! My camera battery died soon into the concert, but here are a couple of neato pictures.
The rest of the time we (1) ate a lot, (2) went to a gay bar (where we were pretty much the only patrons) and (3) took a whirlwind 1 hour trip of Shedd Aquarium.
I have videos from both 2 and 3 above, but am having issues loading them. In any event, that was our weekend. And P and I are ready for everyone to come visit again already!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Yet Another Time-Waster
Sometimes, the sites I waste time on during my work day help me find OTHER sites. See, for example, this on Huffington Post:
Including such gems as:
I'mma Let You Finish with funny captions to pictures about Kanye West interrupting a bunch of people.
Why the F Do You Have A Kid??
Cheese or Font? A game you can play!
and, finally:
A Bad Case of the Dates: Bad Dates. Good Stories.
7 Sites You Should Be Wasting Time On Right Now: Choose Your Favorite! (SLIDESHOW, POLL)
Including such gems as:
I'mma Let You Finish with funny captions to pictures about Kanye West interrupting a bunch of people.
Why the F Do You Have A Kid??
Cheese or Font? A game you can play!
and, finally:
A Bad Case of the Dates: Bad Dates. Good Stories.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Tomato Pie
Granted, I'm STARVING bc all I've eaten today is an egg mcmuffin (made at home) and a packet of instant oatmeal, but DOESN'T THIS SOUND DELICIOUS???
Tomato Pie
Tomato Pie
Thursday, September 3, 2009
WTF happened to the blog?
I logged in and SOMEONE had changed the layout of the blog. Which is fine, it's just... I didn't recognize it, and you know how I get anxious when I don't recognize something. It makes me think of having to talk to new people, and having to gossip at parties *grimace*. I changed it to something more pleasing (to me). Minimalist, I am not.
A few quick notes on The Life and Times of David:
1. My niece is hella-cute. S, L and C came to visit last weekend. We had a blast. And then I promptly got depressed when they left, and refused to leave the house for a full 24 hours. We did lots of eating and (other) touristy things. This is one of my favorite pictures of C and me, mostly because I think it's funny how different our expressions are. Plus, she looks totally annoyed, which I expect she will be with me when she's a teenager and I'm no longer cool. Which is why I plan to spoil her rotten and offer her free trips to Chicago.
2. WE MIGHT HAVE A CONDO!!!! More on that later, as I don't want to jinx it. But, !!!
A few quick notes on The Life and Times of David:
1. My niece is hella-cute. S, L and C came to visit last weekend. We had a blast. And then I promptly got depressed when they left, and refused to leave the house for a full 24 hours. We did lots of eating and (other) touristy things. This is one of my favorite pictures of C and me, mostly because I think it's funny how different our expressions are. Plus, she looks totally annoyed, which I expect she will be with me when she's a teenager and I'm no longer cool. Which is why I plan to spoil her rotten and offer her free trips to Chicago.
2. WE MIGHT HAVE A CONDO!!!! More on that later, as I don't want to jinx it. But, !!!
Another Thing To Do On A Computer
Okay, I am having a love affair with Google, obv. (Am also thinking of getting the MyTouch--thoughts?)
The Image Labeler is like a game and it's pretty fun, except when I got paired with a dumb-ass teammate who would only guess the main color of each image.
You can also check out Google Reader. It has featured reading lists of journalists, foodies, and techies. Once I run out of my go-to sites, my boredom tends to increase seven-fold.
For example:
The Image Labeler is like a game and it's pretty fun, except when I got paired with a dumb-ass teammate who would only guess the main color of each image.
You can also check out Google Reader. It has featured reading lists of journalists, foodies, and techies. Once I run out of my go-to sites, my boredom tends to increase seven-fold.
For example:
Thomas Friedman
Foreign-affairs Columnist, NY Times
Thomas L. Friedman is The New York Times's foreign-affairs columnist and the recipient of three Pulitzer Prizes. He previously served as the Times's chief economic correspondent and chief White House correspondent. His latest book is “Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution – and How It Can Renew America."
- Subscribe NY Times Home Page
- Subscribe Climate Progress
- Subscribe Dot Earth
- Subscribe Foreign Policy
- Subscribe Grist
- Subscribe Haaretz.com - News
- Subscribe James Fallows
Show all of Thomas Friedman’s picks
Nicholas Kristof
Op-ed Columnist, NY Times
Nicholas D. Kristof has been a columnist for The Times since 2001 and is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. He has lived on four continents, reported on six, and traveled to more than 140 countries, every Chinese province and every main Japanese island. In 1990 Mr. Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn, then also a Times journalist, won a Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of China's Tiananmen Square democracy movement.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
New Series: Things to Do on the Computer When You're Bored
I decided to start a new series in order to revive our blog. it's called "Things to do on the Computer When You're Bored". I was going to call it "Things to do at Work When You're Bored", but I know not everyone sits in front of a computer like I do and not everyone is actually bored at work.
Today's segment: Google Image Labeler
Today's segment: Google Image Labeler
How does it work?You'll be randomly paired with a partner who's online and using the feature. Over a two-minute period, you and your partner will:
After time expires, you can explore the images you've seen and the websites where those images were found. And we'll show you the points you've earned throughout the session. Tips:
 |
What do you need to participate?Just an interest in helping Google improve the relevance of image search for users like yourself. If you log in to your Google account, we will keep track of your points for you. You may also enter a nickname, but we do not require either a nickname or a login to use Google Image Labeler. |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)