Eleventh posting - money

For those of you concerned that I will not like my furniture when I move into my new place...rest assured, problem solved. I went back to Room and Board -- http://www.roomandboard.com -- and re-ordered the same stuff I cancelled last month. And I ordered a table. Not that I won the lottery or got an unexpected bonus (ha), I just got a better handle on my finances and figured out what I could and could not afford. Next week I'm meeting with the sauna guy and installing a woodburning pizza oven in the kitchen. Just kidding.

Many people have given me advice about buying a condo/house, and if I too can offer words of advice, it is this simple message: Don't be afraid to ask questions! My biggest problem is overcoming the fear that asking questions means I can't do something (or won't be perceived as being able to do something). This whole process is new to me, and elements that I take for granted -- most recently, that my few thousand dollars as a good faith deposit will suffice as a legit down-payment -- should continuously be second-guessed. Turns out the seller is supposed to get the 10% upfront, unless you finagle some other kind of deal. I hadn't.

Enjoy your weeks! NATHAN

Tenth posting - Home

I did it. I bought a house. Or I convinced someone to sell me her condo. It's a crazy market here in Connecticut. The place was on the market for a total of 7 days. Three days at a too-low price, which likely brought in too many offers, and four days at a higher price -- and five good offers. After hearing a segment on NPR about writing a letter to a potential seller, I wrote a "Dear Homeowner" letter (sappy but truthful) and my offer was accepted. Supposedly it helped (and because it took all but 20 minutes to write, I would recommend it).

The place isn't huge - if it were a square, it would be 25' x 30' - but the light is good and it felt (to me) bigger than what it was. I can walk to do my food shopping and to a park, and my commute will be 5 min shorter each way. That might not seem so much time unless you annualize it to approx 40 hours. Let's just hope that doesn't translate into working 40 more hours... A friend in NYC just told me that an apartment "just shy of 500 sq ft" in her Upper West Side building just sold for $325,000. Yes, you could round that up to half of a million dollars. And to think, in some lovely parts of the Mid Southwest, for that much money you could buy a governorship or name a stadium...

Tomorrow's the inspection, which means that if there are termites, I can terminate the deal. Ha. It's also the time I can spend more than 10 minutes looking at the place, getting a sense of what furniture fits where, how my bikes will look when mounted on the ceiling in the middle of my bedroom, what it would take to rip up the carpet and install Astro-turf... If I can figure out how to post pics on this blog, I'll do so. Otherwise, you'll get a full description soon.

Bye for now, NATHAN

Ninth posting - Mexico

It's been a while, folks. I know you've missed me...and a lot has happened since we last met. First, I visited a good friend in Mexico City. A city so maligned in the US that few tourists would even consider visiting -- FOR NO GOOD REASON. There are so many museums and parks and great restaurants and interesting people, that it seems silly to be daunted by the many millions of people, thousands of feet of altitude and bazillion particles of dust and pollution. Heck, New York has almost as many people... And LA has its smog. Plus I couldn't go a block in Mexico City without a terrific smell of tortillas on some mamasita's grill, or freshly blended tropical fruit, or the perfume of a highly scented senora on her way to work. Granted, I was there between the 2 weeks when Mexico Citians vacate for the country or the water, but still, it was fantastic.

While I was gone my landlord removed my kitchen, built a door between my apt and the neighbors', and got the building inspector to approve everything. She did...but threatened to revoke it if my kitchen was returned. So I now have a fridge, microwave (which I don't like to use), coffee maker, and generous neighbors. Very awkward without a sink or stove. Condo hunting is going slowly, and I've liked 3 places so far: the first I wasn't ready to commit to, the second already had an accepted offer, and the third was too far from the office. I'm the first backup bid for the second but I'm not holding my breath.

If anyone has any brilliant ideas on how to survive on microwaving, let me know...

Zap, NATHAN