This is so weird

I don't know if it's because I'm sick, but I seem to have developed the strangest affliction. I am making this weird noise, deep in my lungs, with each breath I take. At least, I hope it's my lungs and not my heart -- ACK! Anyway, with each breath I make this wheezy-whistle-y noise, kind of a cross between a stomach growl and that noise your nose can make when it needs a good blowing. This noise actually kept me up for half the night. Even the dog could hear it! She sat there on my bed looking at me completely perplexed. I don't usually freak out over health stuff, but this is rather strange, so I'm a little concerned. Maybe I'll call my cousin (he's a local Dr.)

UGH

I have tomorrow off (and long weekends planned for the next couple of weeks in order to use up vacation time from 2006) and now I feel like I'm getting sick! It's that scratchy-frog-in-the-throat-sneezy-coughy-general-funky feeling. It just figures. And I really can't lay around nursing myself either as Painter Guy will be there all day. I plan to use the day to do errands, get a facial and get some of the stuff done that I always say I'm going to do on weekends and hardly ever end up doing (browse a furniture store, shop for linens, get a facial, go to Trader Joe's and/Costco, go get more paint chips, etc.) Damn.

New Shoes

I have the worst time finding shoes that are comfortable on my feet. Where most women swoon over shoe shopping and love to have new shoes, I personally hate it. And when I do find shoes that are relatively comfortable in the store, after wearing them for a couple of hours, they inevitably have me in serious pain. The exception, of course being running shoes, Merrell mocs and Teva (or similar) sandals. That is until this past Summer when I discovered Rockports. Now, Rockport shoes are not the most fashionable shoes out there, they are a little doofy, but they are pretty comfortable and look more professional in the office than my Merrells, so my Rockport driving mocs are what I usually wear to work. But then, a few days ago I was browsing the zappos.com site and happened upon these shoes:




So I bought them. They're not fashionable in the pointy-toe, sling-back, kitten, spiky heel sense, but I kind of like them anyway. I feel so much more stylish in my red suede with croc trim shoes!

I just thought I'd share ...

Reason #5,654 why I love living in New Hampshire

The smell of woodsmoke every time I step outside of my house (because pretty much everyone has a fire going in their fireplace).

Wacky Pugs

Little Fitzie is trying to teaching himself how to lift his leg. I've been cracking up watching him, it's really very entertaining. About once every three or so times he goes out to pee he'll give it a shot and lift his leg so high that he'll end up standing there all wobbly and falling over. It makes me laugh until I cry. So freaking funny.

Good News on the Painting Front

Turns out the Painting Guy will have time to do the kitchen right after he finishes the living room after all. I am so happy! Now at least my downstairs will mostly be done (except the dreaded hallway and the powder room). Got to find someone for those bookshelves though ...

Oh, and

I have to say, I just LOVE that it snows here! It is snowing here as I write this. I'm like a kid that way, I still get excited when it snows.

Yes, It's been a very long time

I just don't know why I'm having such a hard time posting on a regular basis. I think of something to write almost every day, but by the time I have a chance to log in and post, I've either forgotten what I was going to write about, or I just don't feel like it.

Anyway, there really hasn't been anything too interesting to write about, I've just been working and trying to settle into my house and cleaning up dog pee & poop (Fitz knows that he he's not supposed to "go" in the house, he just doesn't know enough to ask yet).

I've finally started the painting process at the house. Painter Guy started today with my living room. I'm painting it Benjamin Moore "Shaker Beige" (HC - 45) with a crisp, white trim. It's a nice neutral sandy beige, a bit warmer and richer than your typical beige. Anyway, I hope I like it once it's done. The kitchen I think I'm going to go with the color I painted my kitchen in Queens last Fall "Straw" (Ben Moore, of course). The rest of it, I'm not sure about. I think I want the hallways just a little darker beige or taupe color to compliment the living room and for the bedrooms (at least the guest rooms) I am thinking of "Philadelphia Cream". At the moment I only have a commitment from Painter Guy for the living room, he's got other jobs to work around -- I guess it's probably a good thing he's so popular, hopefully that means he's good! Anyway, I'm not sure when the other rooms are going to get done, but I feel great that the process has started at least. I still have to find someone to build me some bookcases in the living room though, I haven't had any luck there. I will be so glad when the bulk of this work is done, I think I'll continue to feel a little disoriented until it is.

My one-year anniversary at New Company came and went last week. It's sort of a bizarre feeling, I feel both like I just got here a week ago and that I've been here for forever (how is it possible to feel both simultaneously?) I worked at Old Company for almost seventeen years, so long that it was almost a part of me. Moving to New Hampshire and working for New Company has been such a mental adjustment for me that it really has felt very new for the full twelve months. I'm feeling a little more comfortable now though and hopefully I can relax a bit and start spreading my wings at work some. I spent so much of the past year in total fear that I was going to be fired at any moment, I really need to take a deep breath and get myself out of adjustment mode and to start to assertively move forward.

2006 was a big year of adjustment for me, I really feel like it was mostly all transitional. Now I need to start focusing on the things that have fallen to the wayside while I settled into the new job and the new area. Most notably fitness stuff. I am right now so out shape and so out of balance that I feel overwhelmed with the task of changing that, but I'm never happier than when some semblance of a fitness program is a part of my life.

So, these are the things that I've decided I need to focus on for 2007:

1) Work: Strive to learn, grow, take on more stuff. Full-fill my potential.
2) Physical: Make fitness a part of my life (once I'm working out regularly, try to make running a part of my life again).
3) Home: Get the rooms painted and figure out and schedule other work needed to improve my home.
4) Social: Develop a social network here in New Hampshire.
5) Money: Get out of debt. Wait, I did that last year! heh. (well, I do still have a mortgage). Okay, build a solid emergency fund (well, I do have a savings, but I'll feel more comfortable with more, plus I need some of it for the home improvements). Start investing (in addition to retirement accounts).
6) Dogs: get Fitzie house-trained and somewhat obedient (yeah, right).
7) Recreation: Plan a real vacation (one where I actually go away somewhere and stay in a hotel or something) this year. I think I kind of need one.

That should be enough to worry about for now, sheesh.

My Little Fitzie ...

... went to the vet tonight for his final puppy shots where he weighed in at a whopping 9.5 lbs! He was barely 3 lbs when I got him! He's growing so fast.

How Not To Start Off The New Year

* Have crappy sleep the night before the first business day of the year.
* Wake up late and run around the house like a maniac.
* Leave dirty dishes in the sink and an unmade bed (hate coming home to a mess).
* Leave for work late and realize you need gas.
* Stop and get gas, pull too far away from pump and stand down wind of nozzle on a windy day.
* Pull spraying, drippy nozzle out of car and spew gas all over the legs of your pants.
* Continue to spew gas all over yourself as you try to maneuver over to the upwind side of the nozzle.
* Continue on to work (you're running late after all) with car windows rolled down so as not to pass out from the fumes in transit.
* Sit in your open cubicle and stink up the joint.

I hope this is not an indication of how the year is going to go ...

So, here I sit at the start of a lovely long weekend sipping a nice strong glass of egg nog with a fire going in the fireplace of my very own house, as two pugs scamper from room to room. Life is good.

Merry Christmas

I know, I know, I haven't written since Thanksgiving, what's up with that??? Well, there are no excuses, I've been pretty busy with work and settling into the new house and it always seems the longer it gets since I've written a blog post, the harder it is to start a new one. It's just a bit overwhelming to think about having to catch up, so I guess I'm not even going to try.

I do want to mention, however, how much I'm really loving living in my new house. It is completely, blissfully quiet here, I hear no noise from other people at all. And it's equally great to be able to stomp around, allow the dogs to tear through, or watch loud movies late at night without worrying about disturbing anyone. This is almost a weird concept for me after so many years of apartment living. Anyway, I'm loving it. I have yet to do much in the way of home improvements, I'm still trying to decide what color to paint my living room to start. The color samples I brought home from the paint store I think are going to end up being darker than I want, so I'm going to go back there next week and pick up some new ones. I did find an unfinished furniture place nearby however, so I think I'm going to be able to buy some bookcases there and have them installed in my living room, in lieu of having them custom built. So, I think I'm going to do that, hopefully the store will be able to recommend someone to install them for me.

My father and his wife came up for a visit a couple of weeks ago. They luckily stayed at a local hotel as I (conveniently) do not have guest room furniture yet. It was a nice enough visit, but geez Lorie (the wife) exhausts me. She likes to constantly ask these probing questions, half the time I feel like I'm on some kind of interview or something. And the most disturbing questions are the ones about my childhood, my family and my mother. I frankly don't think most of this stuff is any of her business, but it's hard to blow her off without being rude. Anyway, my father was kind enough to do some odds & ends around my house for me. Replaced some light fixtures, a towel rack, put up a coat hook, etc. When we went to Lowe's on the Saturday morning he insisted on paying for the odds & ends as my Christmas present. He said he'd rather do that since it was easier for him and he then wouldn't have to shop. I was upset as a bunch of hardware odds & ends isn't a very exciting Christmas gift (not to mention what it says about his lack of interest in putting any thought into a gift for me), but he wasn't going to give in, so I just caved. Merry-freaking-Christmas to me. Oh well, at least I don't have to be in New Jersey this year to watch Lorie's daughter open the shower of gifts bestowed on to her. I've always found that particularly depressing.

While my father was here, I had my cousins over for cocktails to see my house, see my father and to meet Lorie, who they had not yet met. All seemed to like my house and we had a great time. Fitz was also a big hit, he spent most of the time sitting in my cousin's daughter's lap like a little hobbit. He's so funny.

Well, there is not much more to say. I have so very much to be thankful for this year. Just looking back on this year amazes me, my life is so different. I've been very reflective over the past few weeks and will probably be even more so in this coming week.

Happy Thanksgiving!

So Weird ...

... to think that this time tomorrow I'll be in my new place! There are definitely things that I'm going to miss about this apartment though. First, central air ... uh, hello?! love me some central air. I also love my bedroom here. It is the perfect size and layout. I have room for my bed and dresser, my boudoir-style loveseat and even a low table with a TV, with plenty of room for more stuff, if I was so inclined. It's just a luxury of space that I've never experienced before. I'll miss my lovely walk-in closet. OMG, I don't know how I will live without a walk-in closet now that I've had one. I'll miss the access to the Heritage Trail out back.

But, I'm looking forward to having my own space. No longer having to share walls and floors with people. Having my own little backyard and porch & deck. Taking the dogs out first thing in the morning and late at night will no longer be any kind of a chore. And I look forward to hosting friends for laidback weekends of cocktails and BBQ in my space.

So, I'm looking forward to my move tomorrow, but a part of me will also miss my life here. It's probably the most comfortable apartment I've ever lived in.

A Few Pictures of My New House

The Drama That Was My Un-Closing

So, after all this waiting around, today was finally the day. I had been completely stressed about everything for about a week or so because the Good Faith Estimate (GFE) kept increasing (by like $2,000, at final count!) and I was worried about where that was going to end. I had my approved HUD statement by Wednesday of this week, where my mortgage broker pointed out that the settlement company had not accounted for any credit of closing funds from the relocation company (hello? We're talking over $8,000 here!) Anyway, my relocation contact and my mortgage broker were able to work that out and so I had the revised HUD that afternoon and it was a relief to see that I had plenty of money for closing with reserves, so all my worrying in that regard was for naught.

We had the walk-through scheduled for this morning before the closing. Everything was fine, except that I noticed that they had taken this second, big water heater that had been in place when we did the home inspection. This was obviously one that they had added because they are a family of seven and need the extra capacity, but still the exclusion of the water heater had never been in any document related to the sale at any time. Additionally, the house had been inspected with this in place and with the assumption that this was part of the water heating system. I just felt that it was kind of crappy to not have a notation about it on the contract. I think if you're buying a house, it is assumed that the water heater as part of the core plumbing. Anyway, I think it was a bit shitty. The bottom line is really not such a big deal, having the smaller unit will actually be cheaper for me (since I won't have to constantly pay to heat all that water), but still, I really feel like it should have been noted from the beginning. I was, however, happy that all of their stuff was completely gone. The house also looked a lot bigger without all their crap, but I really could see how the whole place really needs to be painted and the carpeting replaced, and the thought of it all exhausts me. It's not even the expense of it, I would gladly pay for having all of this done, it's just the thought of moving in and trying to deal with this around all my stuff ... I just want to unpack and be done with it all by now, UGH!

Well, okay. Then we had the closing. Oi Vey. First, when the settlement rep was going over the HUD with the seller, there was dead silence. Turns out that the money stated there that he was to receive was far less than he was expecting (by like over $8,000). And it also turns out that he needed every penny of this money to fund the closing on the house he was buying (the closing of which was meant to happen right after our's). It came to light a little later into our meeting that there was a pre-payment penalty with his mortgage. How can you have a mortgage with this clause and not know about that? Anyway, not my problem.

But the bigger problem turned out to be on my end. The settlement company confirmed that there had been no wire of funds for my loan! In other words, the money was not in place. My lender is in California (I got a really great rate) and apparently my loan was not one of the wire transfers they had sent out the night before (even though they knew we were closing in the morning on the East coast). Add that to a three hour time difference and we had a real problem. We had an approved HUD, we had verbal confirmation from the lender, but we didn't have the actual funds. In the meantime the seller's lender blew in to deal with his problems with the other closing. Yet, instead of setting him up in another conference room, he sets up shop at the end of our table! So, not only am I now privy to private info about how the sellers don't have enough money to close on their house, but he felt that it was his place to throw out sarcastic and snide comments from time to time about my lenders and the situation I'm in. I was stressed out enough and this guy really got on my last nerve. When we were leaving the closing, he took out a pile of his business cards and literally threw them at me with some comment about the next time I needed a lender. What a jerk! I just looked at him without comment and didnot take one of his cards.

Finally, after about two and a half hours of this Hell, there was nothing much more we could do and we left the sellers to the conference room to deal with their problems with their other closing. All the paperwork for mine was signed and I gave the settlement rep my check for my downpayment and share of closing costs, it's just not officially completed until my loan funds are physically in place. I had an email from my mortgage broker late this afternoon that he had confirmation that the funds have been wired, so I guess everything is okay, but tonight has not turned out to the celebration of relief that I had hoped it would be. I'm pretty disappointed. Well, it's not tragic, I have the keys, the house is empty. I'm supposed to move first thing on Monday and had hoped to start moving some stuff over myself this weekend, I guess I can still do that, I feel a little weird about it though. On the other hand, it's not like someone will think I'm going to abscond to South America with the house or something, so I'm not really sure what to do, honestly.

Anyway, so that is my story of woe. Nothing is the end of the World, but it adds just another layer of stress to this process that I had not counted on. Luckily I have all of next week off from work to deal with things, so that should help. I'll probably come up to the house tomorrow and will take a few pictures and post them here at some point.

OMG! Fitz is humping his stuffed lobster!

The Landing Strip

GAH!!! I swear I'm suddenly living on a runway ... literally! The airport is directly across the river here and all of a sudden all the jets coming and going are passing directly over my building. I mean, they are actually coming in for a landing over my apartment (just a few feet above), WTF???!!! They must have just changed flight patterns, I've never heard air traffic noise like this here in all the months I've been here. TG I am out of here in less than a week (also TG I didn't ever get seriously interested in that nice condo just down the street).

SHEESH!

and a few more ...

A Few More Pictures of Fitz ...