I'm insane
brit who bought property very north in finland and rents it out was very smart and started a business above the artic
I've rented places. It's expensive to rent. Or let.
Finally, some logic in the throws of the internet. Search on "rat race" and "buying an apartment" and I found a woman to my own heart. she's being tight with her money, and left NY for a little while...moved back and now is buying a home.
I wonder if Smart Women Finish Rich is any good.
Forbes take on getting up and out with a million in my retirement fund.
Stop laughing.
I'm delusional on daytime cough syrup. Ooo. It's late enough I can take the sleepy kind, and I won't wake up at 5am.
Sweden
Work like a dog for a few years, socking it away. Buy a city home for 125K. (no really)
read this
arg.
or a villa in Spain read this.
.
real estate
so in planning my goals for the next year, i wanted to have some idea how financially strict to be if i ever hope to own property in my thirties. depressing, but you know, I dared to look on craigslist.
there was actually a 1 BR condo 2 streets over in an ok building, with an honest to goodness dining nook in addition to the kitchen and living room...that was posted at 145K and is now listed at 199K. (that 1 really makes a difference). in two days! of showing it. so, thinking on the positive side, a person needs 20% down. of 200 thousand dollars, that is really easy math.
sigh.
actually, deviating from craigslist, and looking at a broker's site sunnyside doesn't sound as bad. the list of closed sales at sunwood real estate is limited on detail, but is posting numbers under 200K.
why include pictures of the bathroom, kitchen, building exterior and building lobby, but not the living room or bedroom in this 1BR coop in jackson heights ?
looking in columbus, OH (the location of another wedding this summer), one can readily find large property:
3 Bedroom
2.5 Bathrooms
2329 SF
2 Car Garage
Electric Central Air
Fully fenced large back yard with 3 gates
On fishing pond and cul de sac
Neutral Colors
?????
Neutral colors??
No wonder my mouth would fall open when I was in college. Big houses don't cost as much as they do on Long Island. I almost feel I should buy something I can afford and let my parents live there. I can come visit on my vacation. I could have a sauna installed for god's sake.
ok, so my list of property starts to spill all over the united states. but this is insane.
OR - there's laguardia
flights are way cheaper, and it's part of the way back to Philly. Parking at the airport is not ideal, but there are other options. Hmm.
Memorial Day Weekend
Travelocity has this awesome feature on their search that allows you to select nearby airports. I now know that there are 4 airports besides the main Atlanta hub to consider:
Athens, GA - Athens (AHN) 37 mi SE
Atlanta, GA - Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport (ATL) 57 mi SW
Chattanooga, TN - Chattanooga Lovell Field Airport (CHA) 94 mi NW
Greenville/Spartanburg, SC - Greenville/Spartanburg Airport (GSP) 100 mi NE
Distance† from GAINESVILLE, GA
There are more, but there beyond the 100 mile mark. I can't do more than 2 hours of driving.
It's conceivable that I can drag Erin to be "guest", if we can find a flight out of Islip. Her wedding in Long Island is Thursday. My wedding, well the one I'm invited to, is Saturday.
Birmingham, GA is 36 miles from Gainesville. Which is a route Southwest flies. How convenient. The big search engines are good, except they exclude some of the better lower cost providers. I wouldn't mind seeing my parents for one day, and then jetting out from Islip. Fingers crossed I can bribe/connive/beg.
Oh, f*ck. Southwest flies to Birmingham, AL. Which is much further away. Geography at this point would be helpful. Let's see. Out of Islip, there are ... 8 airlines (if you split the Deltas out).
Um...leaving on Friday makes it cost more. But I haven't looked very hard yet. And there's also Hotwire, Priceline. I need to go forage for some daytime cold medicine. I'm pooped. I have this cough/throat thing that is making me extremely tired. (And is scaring the cats everytime I pleghm).
Attractie.
Moooo
Ok, last one for a bit. Check out
Moosejaw Mountaineering. They have some rather endearing marketing techniques.
From "Today's Comment":
April 23, 2005
I have to go to the girl’s parent’s house later today to help unload a dresser. If I could go do it right now I’d be fine but the fact that I have to do it later ruins the entire day. If I was sick I’d still have to do it so I decided not to fake anything. I predict I either break the dresser or gouge a wall.
Please email me at Trapper@moosejaw.com if you know what is the only letter that does not appear in the periodic table of the elements?
Marriages of Convenience
My brother disagreed on the possibility of a part-time marriage ever working. I thought that legions of disillusioned urbanites would be amenable to marrying a soldier. Particularly those that ship out 1/2 the year. And that the success rate of soldiers who married women they met near their bases in crappy bars was destined to, well, suck. And that times are a changing and women would not necessarily be appalled to being bussed in for a boy-meets-girl gathering. (Boy did he get irritated with me).
Then today I chucked when reading the following:
I'd told Rickie many times I would marry him if he ever had any visa trouble, and he'd never taken me seriously. I'm not sure I took myself seriously either. But now, as he explained his grim situation over drinks at our favorite bar, it suddenly became a reality.
True to my word, I gulped my cocktail, got down on my knees and proposed.
He hopped off his barstool, knelt beside me and took my hands. "I'd be honored to be the envy of straight men everywhere."
"Straight men?" I said, looking around. "Where?"
from the
nytimes
Peace Keeper Bag
Alison, this bag has your name all over it.
noted on core77. the use of brass knuckles as the handle is brilliant. a link to view ze purse
Spanx
In my quest to accomplish little to nothing yesterday, I eagerly looked forward to Oprah. (Come on, I'm getting a cold and recovering from a trip)
And then i saw them:
Spanx Pants
The uber pant.
Craving.
Waiting for next pay cycle. (And I just bought the most awesome casual hiking pants by a brand named Quest at Dick's Sporting Goods. Not having much luck finding a reference to them online. Weird. Guess I should have hung on to the tag.)
Curious about the no wire bra that addresses back fat thou.
what rainy days are for
movies, reading, cleaning, watching copious amounts of tv, and shopping.
and in queens, this is what i'm talking about . the expanded queens center mall is HUGE. and it's right next to target. i had no idea until I stumbled in there while shopping for presents for my brother.
aye-aye!
ok, so I just wanted to say aye-aye after reading about the birth of one. freaky looking buggers. found that while reading about the baby gorilla abandoned by test tube mommy
aim high, read lowe
sorry, stole that from a google search.
my favorite LI columnist has jumped ships and I'm the last to know. ed now works for the long island press
phew
In reading a borrowed book from Alison, there was no escaping thoughts of wedding planning. In the back of my mind, I've known about Angie's wedding date for eons. Actually, years. So there is no excuse to not go. But one needs to actually remember the date to plan around it, no?
I got out of bed to see when the special day is. Thank goodness it is not until th end of May. Which means I can make plans for the beginning of May when E is in town. I'm horrible about long term planning without a computer at home. Well, a personal computer. I've spent so much money on the Emily wedding (not including gift) and the trip to FL that I feel destitute. But I'll be ok once a) the next check from work arrives (with tons of OT) and b) the new check starts hitting the bank account.
I have to keep telling myself that. I'm in denial.
I've done nothing today, except read. Nap. (Not nearly as much as the cats apparently do on a regular basis). and Consume vast quantities of Benedryl.
Yes, the heat rash I picked up in Florida was driving me bonkers.
Apparently the aloe soozing gel is to blame as it suffocated my pores. (Thank goodness I put none on my face. Geez.)
I'm not tired and it's bedtime.
bleh.
the happy couple on on the knot
(Why is it a requirement that a particular vendor be selected for the registry search. It auto defaults to Bed, Bath and Beyond, which I thought was a tad odd.)
Anyway, I digress. My concern now (always have to have one) is that the wedding is in Gainesville, GA. (pay close attention to the "e" before the s, otherwise you'll never find it)
That's an hour north of Atlanta. Driving? Me? Yuck. At least there is a vineyard to check out. (well, winery). Notice the inflation of city-itis exists outside of the tri-state area. (the very fancy sounding chateau is labeled as being in "Atlanta", when the fine print shows it to be 40 miles out.)
sunnyside suckers
Random browsing brought me to a 1 page blog that Matt (the asshole from my former Sunnyside abode) posted.
They are only paying 1200 a month in rent.
I hate them.
Trader Joes!
It's coming to Manhattan!
Trader Joe's is close to signing a lease for space in New York University's new Palladium Complex, a mixed-use development on 14th Street near Third Avenue, according to a retail broker with knowledge of the discussions. A deal is said to be imminent after being "on ice" for months, but a spokesman for Trader Joe's would not comment on this.
information care of the
NY Times
it's a quarter to midnight
and i'm starved.
I had a snacky type lunch (left-over turkey ham), and a slice of white pizza from the joint around the corner from the office. (Yes, I sprung for a specialty slice. Instead of 2buck15 it was 2buck75. Craziness abounds.)
So now I"m home and I'm god damn hungry.
I don't have any food ready to eat. I don't think I have powder soup available. I'm out of fruit. I'm not cooking. Everything is closed that delivers in Queens. I think that leaves me eating a chunk of cheese. Bah hum bug.
Off to look.
