Variable time

So 10 days ago I was annoyed with myself because it seemed like I had been looking for a place FOREVER. Hah! I thought about it - started looking in December. Of 08. 6 weeks. But I had a couple trips - oh yeah, I actually started looking mid-December, cause I got back to CA on Nov 29th, then had a trip to Pennsylvania on the 7th and 8th and waited til I got back from that trip to start looking. So that makes it 4 weeks.

Aaaand, I put an offer in on a townhouse last Monday, it was accepted. A flurry of activity sped this past week by in a blur - ZIP! Spent a couple evenings this week reading through what seems like hundreds of pages of disclosures. Made a lot of notes. Most of yesterday was dedicated to the process - met with my realtor and reviewed our notes, then went to the place and went through it thoroughly. Then talked with the president of the HOA for an hour, about how they spend, their attitude, etc. I like it.

I am so excited. When I saw this place I thought it was the sexiest place I have ever seen. I still think so and cannot wait to get in and start furnishing it my way.

Here are a couple of pics, this is their furniture. Oh yeah - will be looking for furniture. My decorating theme is "Whimsically edgy". I am enlisting all of you for help - I do not like the stuff in the conventional stores. Need pointers to places for unusual furniture - I like clean lines. I like color. I like offbeat. I like natural fabrics and wood and stone. I do not like overstuffed, slipcovers, thick legs, 4 poster beds. Don't even point out anything that's a repro from any dead french kings or english queens. Bzzt!





Gorgeous gorgeous.



Looking out through the kitchen.



Master bedroom suite #1. The closets all have built ins - no need for dressers, yay!



TWO fireplaces!! One down, one in my bedroom.

The ultimate weapon

Time to unleash the real power in the world! Old fat naked women for peace!

Just keep walking ...

Been condo shopping. I have seen a couple that I like, and am still staggered at the prices. And they are down froma couple years ago! I mostly do want my own space, but also have very much been enjoying being Renees roomie. It's great to have someone to talk with and share chores with. Whoops, just remembered laundry in progress. better go attend that...

This seems like how I moved from Germany to Rochester, I stayed with Greg & Andrea for a few weeks before moving into my place. That worked out OK, so I am sure this will too. Time to fledge.

The weather here was insanely great this weekend. I talked with Beth HomeEast, and she was shovelling the driveway. Said it probably wouldn't get much past 20 degrees today. I am so happy to be in California. My life there is fading from memory, except every once in a while comes the jolt - holy crap! I have a house there!

So it feel like I don't know what I am doing. But I keep putting one foot in front of the other, hoping that I am making progress.

OMG January 2009

Well, I wrote down my goals for 2009. Ambitious as always. But not entirely me, if recent actions would prove. Turns out white wine is a really bad idea for me. One glass the other night had me in a fugue. Over a move at work. OK, it's been 4 months since I've had a spot of my own there, a coworker essentially moved into my office and kicked me out while I was on vacation in Israel and I have ben a nomad ever since - all the while coming to the realization that I need to put 150% behind my work there (hello? 100 days in Rochester in 08, 30 days on planes, 7 weeks on the road ... plus very hard work - think I'm dedicated???)

Sales meeting to kick off 2009 was this week; was having a grand time immersing myself in the team. But Tuesday night, made the mistake of having one glass of white wine at the sales team dinner, then reading email. The email was titled "good news and bad news" and the body was how I needed to move out of the space I was currently in, by the next evening. ... and that was it. No destination, just kicked out AGAIN. My reply was "And the good news would be, exactly what?" and my mood just spiraled down from there. Ended in tears. I went out of the dinner to compose myself, was gone for 25 mins, no one noticed. (that sure didn't help!!) And I told myself a pity story about no one noticing and things just got blacker from there. Why do I do this? ... I guess I must must need sad. Plan for 09, really to believe "let everything that happens be OK".

Woke up the next morning remembering a bad patch a few months ago. Have put a note in my calendar - "white wine BAD! makes you cry". Hope to avoid this in the future. Even one glass only had a big effect on me. Oof. Remembering a white wine and Frito dinner of Feb o6. Not good.

I am so disgusted at the seesaw I put myself on. But talking with others, it seems like the human condition. How the heck do we ever get anything done?

Synchronicity

Back HomeWest. Phone rang this morning, private number. Twas my lawyer calling to tell me that as of this morning I am a divorced woman.

Tomorrow, I'm embarking on a trip that's been planned for a month. At 1 p.m. I get on a plane to Vegas for New Years.

God works in mysterious ways indeed!

Moving, one suitcase at a time

The past month has absolutely zoomed by. I've been condo shopping on the weekends, crazy busy at work doing the day to day plus 2009 planning. I sorta ignored Christmas this year. Turns out to have been a good year for that.

I squeezed in 5 days at "home" - maybe I need to come up with a unique designation for that - HomeEast? Anyhow, Rochester. I am so blessed - in the teeth of the nutso weather and hugely disrupted travel, I flew on Dec 24th, both flights on time - connected through Chicago, no less!! Upgraded, I *love* that! Had a very fun seatmate Chicago to Rochester, he'd grown up in the area too. The stewardess asked how long we'd known each other, he said I was his next ex-wife. Talking and laughing the whole flight is the best way to travel, as far as I'm concerned. Doesn't happen often enough.

Got to Rochester a bit early, suitcase was there (empty, and that felt weird setting out that way) and taxis were waiting. Driving past Greg's house I noticed both vehicles there, which was odd, as they were supposed to be at Andrea's brothers place for the festive family pandemonium Christmas Eveapalooza. (I was invited and declined.) Turns out, Bro and family were down with a bad stomach bug, eeech.

I missed that, yay. But it resulted in me spending a few hours in Dad's apt on Christmas day, cleaning, instead of us all having dinner at their house. And then getting my Christmas dinner from 7-11; as it was the only thing open in the area. I worked hard that day to Let Everything That Happens Be OK. I think I only thought once that I should have stayed HomeWest with friends in abundance. (K, I tried to only think that once. But I didn't have a pity party over it, I'm proud to say.)

I have packed a couple big boxes of clothes, shipped west by UPS, and started throwing out things I don't need. Most of my clothes are now HomeWest, extra magazines I will never read are gone. Love how clean and tidy HouseEast looks. Hmmm, do I only love a place as I'm moving out? I plan to work to keep HouseWest, when I have it, organized and put away.

Peri is planning that she'll come out, help me pack & drive my stuff across the country in the spring. That will be such fun! I've decided to leave most of the furniture; take kitchen and personal things and of course all the rocks. We Amoses must have our rocks! My rocks must be rather amused, some of them are quite the world travellers now. The Brazillian Amethyst will be going back to California, the tiny Florite from arizona ? back to Cal via way of Germany ...

The weather HomeEast has been absolutely delightful - warm! 50+ degrees a couple days in a row. Snow has melted, grass is green and I am scramming out of town before winter comes roaring back. I do not know when I will be here next, I currently have no planned return. Yes, that does feel a little weird.

I spent quiet time yesterday thinking about my goals for 2009. In 2008, my theme was Love. 09, it is Adventure. Hah! And this includes the possibility of things going pear-shaped in California and me ending up in a different place entirely, renting and not buying. I am open to change. All I think for sure is that I will spend even less time in Rochester in 09. Counted the days, spent 110 days HomeEast in 08; 33 days on planes; about 7 weeks around the world.

Well dear readers, time for me to turn to work for an hour or so before I get on todays plane. See most of you soon - HomeWest! Call me!

Random updates

Who was I kidding? I am SO moving to CA. Talking with a realtor, mortgage broker and others. Looking at condos - soon! Great time to buy, it seems.

Was in CA Oct 30 - Nov 13. Flew to Roch on Nov 14, to DC on the 16th to work a trade show. Back to Roch on the 19th. Of November. It was 24 degrees. I am moving to a place that has more degrees.

Images from recent Halloween parties. Had so much fun at work - someone said "Well, at least you didn't go over the top." Hah! I bought the dress at Spirit in Rochester (A national chain Halloween store) and the mask I had - it was really easy to put together.

The evenings costume, well, my roomate furnished that - she'd worn it the year before. Was so fun!



The costume for work





The costume for play



Fun dancing with Dan


And, had another first - rode on the back of Theo's Harley over highway 17 to Santa Cruz. LOVED it!! Rode back in the rain - that was not so much fun until we crested the summit and saw the double rainbow in front of us. Amazing!



Gearing up



Heading out - dig the Purple DynaGlide!!



At breakfast



Across the table