The dreaded running into a former high school classmate’s mother…

You know the one, the classmate who had to get the highest score/best grade all the time or life just wouldn’t be worth living. The poor kid groomed to put others down anyway they can no matter how trivial just so they can feed their vortex of low self-esteem. Then you run into former classmate’s Mom at some place hopelessly innocent place like the drycleaners, grocery store or dentist and then you are trapped wondering what possible nasty thing you did to deserve the barrage of bragging. On the plus side, the Mom is too busy spouting off than to ask nosy questions about your own adult life that you would like to keep quiet. Nothing motivates privacy like a busybody asking questions with semi-automatic like speed. Smiling civilly you try to ask polite but safe questions and ultimately you are amused by aforementioned parent’s need to flaunt everything but a paycheck stub. And as you listen about how stressed out former classmate it (because God knows, we must equate success with stress) all you can think is wow. I am so glad that is not me, still striving for perfection—a race down a narrow lightless tunnel with no end. Ah well, it’s amazing how talking with someone five minutes can take you back ten years.

Land ho!

So Andrew and I are thinking it is time to try a different tact in finding long term housing. After looking at so many houses where either the house or the location or both was wrong to one of both of us we are thinking about looking for land first. Acreage is still cheaper in Mechanicsburg than places like London and Plain City. If we find a nice lot to suit us 1.5 to 2.5 acres we may be able to get it and put a new unibuilt house on it for what we would spend on a 30 year old house in a decent neighborhood. Unibuilt is really cool--they build the houses in pieces in a climate controlled factory and then put up your house in 8 days. It's less expensive than traditional contracting because you don't have weather delays, sub contractors, or materials coming from like, 5,000 different places. There are loads of floorplans and options too. Check it out, www.unibilt.com.

So now we have to find land, and that isn't going to be easy but Dad is going to drive around keeping his eyes peeled and our agent is on it. We are going up to unibilt this weekend to find out more. The weather is crappy and everything feels tired and worn. We took Kitten to the vet for her check up and have her on special food because she has been throwing up a lot. Yeah I know, special food from the vet but she hasn't thrown up since we switched her. Andy is fine. He's watching lots of home improvement videos and reading a lot of books. I think at this point he could be a house inspector. He's also cooking a chicken for us tonight. YUM, no cheese in that!

time?

Yeah, what is that? Nothing new to report this week, both of us just trying to keep our heads above water in terms of getting done what needs to get done. Looking at more houses on Sunday and waiting for warm weather. I am finally starting to feel better and am eating healthier but it's not much consolation when choclate and pizza are by and large off limits. More later, Julie

Dairy is Death

Okay, so I've been trying to live without the cheese/ice cream stuff for a few months now but apparently, milk in any of its forms from whey in breaded fish sticks to honey mustard salad dressing is bad, very, very bad. So it looks like shopping at Trader Joe's and Andersons is the order of the day. I'm eating a lot of fresh fruit, nuts, dried fruit, cereals and breads. Trying to incorporate some proteing in the evenings too. It's just such a big adjustment but between reading ingredients and when in doubt taking those lactase supplements I should be okay. I suppose I'll be super healthy compared to the average american but having to watch the chocolate intake really sucks! Andrew and I are still looking at houses and are getting a better idea of what we want and what we would like to do to a house when we do get one. I had to work this Sunday and have to work this Sunday, so we have to cram looking at houses in the morning. Even though I get to take four hours off during the week, it doesn't seem to even out. That's all for now I guess. Please forgive us if we havent' called, emailed or tried to arrange a visit. Our window for socialzing is really small right now. Jules

Andrew got his cert!

Of course I am not surprised. He's been anxious for weeks now and is really happy. He will have to wait until the state of Ohio sends a special card but he's and EMT-I now--I don't know what living with him will be like when he is waiting on the results from his paramedic test next year, but as Mom reminds me, I wasn't exactly easy going when I was in school myself--the real world has mellowed me out a bit. Andy is going to look at more houses while I work the late shift at the branch. later j

Is it spring yet?

Usually I din't mind the winter weather but the cold is getting really annoying. Long coats, pumping gas, scraping windshields. I am so ready to be done with that. Is this a sign I am getting old? Andrew and I are continuing the house hunt in many different neighborhoods--it's surprising what people think they can get out of some of these houses. More will open up as the weather warms up and we are hopeful. The branch got a whole new computer and printing system we have to spend the next several weeks training people on. It will make life much easier in the long run but for now, it's on the floor all day teaching people how to use it. Can't wait for it to get old hat. Andrew is fine, working and waiting to hear about his certification.

later j

Stomach flu

And here I thought I missed that little bug that seemed to be circulating around ALA. Sunday night I began to feel unwell and it was downhill from there. So even though it is Tuesday it feels like Monday and I am woozy, but on the mend. Nothing that new to report other than it was bitterly cold all weekend and our apartment had two temperatures: freezing (downstairs) and tropical (upstairs)I'm sure the gas bill is going to be a doozy next month. Before I got sick I managed to finish the laundry and clean up downstairs so the house by and large does not look like a bomb has hit it. more later, julie

Another snowstorm?

Everyone from the chiropractor's receptionist to the people in the grocery store keep yammering about 4 to 8 inches tommorrow in central Ohio. Andrew is going to leave me the truck to drive to the library and go into the firehouse 12 hours early so he doesn't have to take the corolla on bad roads. the online forecasts don't seem to be backing this up, but last time we ignored weather reports, it took me two and a half hours to get home so maybe we should play it safe. In other news, I've recently discovered EBAY. It's that same laziness that kept me from doing a blog that kept me from EBAY but now, I'm thrilled to report, I may never buy clothes in the store again. I hate the fitting rooms and trying on different sizes. I get hot and thirsty and a headache. So far I have scored 4 new ebay sweaters cheaper than catalog prices even with the shipping. It's quite fun. More Monday.

You're little blogger,
Julie

Boston

Ah well the best laid plans often go awry.

Boston:
Buildings: beautiful
People: very nice
Cab Drivers: absolutely horrible
Meals: hard to avoid dairy, despite medication I nearly starved.

Andrew the utter sweetie that he is, got off of work early and was waiting for me with flowers. We went to PF Changs so I could load up on lemon chicken with broccoli and it was off for home. I was asleep by 9:00 with Kitten on my pillow. It is soooooo good to be home.

More next week.
julie

Joining the Blog Revolutoin

Well I have a couple of friends that use this blog site and it seems fairly easy and fun. Despite growing up in the wondrous age of technology, I'm pretty lazy about learning new stuff but figured I'd give it a try. I've found that I'm slacking more and more on the email notes and on phone calls so I hope this will do better to let y'all know how we are doing. Andrew of course rarely uses the phone much less email so most of the posts will be by me generally jawing about whatever we've been up to. My plan is to update this once a week. Since I built it on Monday, we'll say I'll add something every Monday and see how that works.

This week in a nutshell: We are still looking at houses but considering waiting another year. It looks like houses with a comfortable house payment either need a lot of work or are no bigger than our apartment now. We'll keep looking thoughout the spring and keep hoarding money away. I am going to Boston for 6 days for a library conference. I'm doing some special training in teen services and then staying the weekend for my editing job. Should be pretty fun, I still have to pack.
Andrew is doing well, picking up work and getting ready to register for his last two classes at Ball State. I'm not sure if I can post pictures on here, but if I can I will since I got a digital camera for Christmas.

Later, Julie