oh help please

What do I do?

I just got accepted for an apartment. This makes me feel good. According to the person who looked at it for me it is bright, spacious just really nice. It has hardwood, is on the top floor and the landlords live on the property. One half of the couple who are moving out walked everywhere, even though they both had a car; she felt really felt comfortable doing that. Transportation is reasonable, the public kind. The rent is in budget. The place will be available within my time frame. The landlords have been the most forthcoming and informative of all my contacts (accept the place I just missed getting) so far.

But:

The friend who saw it was not happy with the neighborhood. The house next door, on the corner, is for sale and its interior is trashed (according to one of the property's owners). Another friend who offered to look at it did not stop because of the diversity.

Help. I so want a place and everything so far is either nice but next to a freeway or in a good location and is a box. And really when my fiend who looked at it described it, oh wow.

I should really answer him at the latest early tomorrow am (as he has also apparently left a voice mail and the email is a follow up).

What would you do?
***CV

one ringy dingy ...

While browsing Powell's today my phone rang:
Me: "Hello"
Voice: Hi CV. This is Mother F.
Me: Oh hi!
Mother F.: I was wondering of you had settled on a job yet?
Me: Why yes I have!
Mother F.: (Pause) Oh, I see
Me: ...... (see?see what?what is this about?)
Mother F.: Well congratulations
Me: Thank you.
Mother F.: Bye.
Me: Bye.

Then, two minutes later, as I was getting distracted by a book about the history of astronomy:

Ring!
Me: Hello, this is CV
Mother F.: Hi CV. This is Mother F. again. I was just talking with Sister K. and she wondered if you were happy.
Me: (pause) Happy?
Mother F.:Yes she was wondering if you would rather stay in Portland.
Me: ........
Mother F.:.........
Me: Well I signed the contract and they're helping me look for a place now.
Mother F.: So you're happy?
Me: Yes.
Mother F.: Okay then. Bye.
Me: Bye.
**
Ten minutes later I get a call from one of the people helping me look for a place. Still looking.
***
I spent the afternoon working on my Hester/Will socks. 14inches so far. Think I'll start the heel in another two***CV

jingle jangle jingle

Went to practice then to a cafe where I had lunch. Then I came home and decided to do laundry. Got the stuff. Put coins in my pocket. Went out the door. Had to give it two good slams before it decided to actually shut: that was my chance. Went down to the laundry room. Took out my wallet for the coins.....wha- Oh, maybe they're in my pock- %*&!

Of course they're in my pocket. Hear the jingle? That's certainly not a key jingle: it's most definitely a coin jingle.

Fortunately the property management is down the street and they made an exception to let me back in my apartment. If they hadn't I would have had to call a locksmith.

***
Thank you Hope for my swap package! I don't think I would have chosen the book on my own and it looks like so much fun! It's just the type of reading I'm looking for right now :) Jasmine tea and two regia balls perfect to make baby socks with! Thank you so much****CV

Idle Flow

If On A Winter's Night a Traveller..... Italo Calvino (259pp) A book about a reader who meets another reader reading a book that the author is narrating about the readers reading books which never are completed because the translator of the book which was misbound as a Calvino novel which the reader thought he had purchased, may or may not have been crediting author(s) who in fact did not author the book he has translated. Hmmmm. H.Murakami anyone?
***
Seven Nights by Borges I just started this one the other day. It consists of seven lectures Borges gave one year. The first is about reading Dante. (Oh lookie. Someone else who doesn't speak Italian yet has read books written in the original Italian without really noticing anything was amiss! )
****
Did I mention I was invited to give a presentation about natural dyes next summer? ***CV

If ifs and ands.....

Cicero: On The Good Life

Cicero: Murder Trials

Under the Jaguar Sun*, Italo Calvino

If On A Winter's Night A Traveller .... , Italo Calvino

A Weaver's Garden, Rita Buchanan

Lichen Dyes*, Karen Diadick Casselman

****CV

*read

Midsummer

Happy Summer Solstice

****cv

Sometimes taoism........

I just heard back from one of the places I was really interested in, and who was really interested in me. It was rented to someone else. There was an apparent miscommunication and when the landlady didn't hear from me right away she decided I wasn't interested and I just didn't know how to tell her. *sigh*

To say I'm a bit disappointed would be an understatement.

I'm trying to emmulate taoist thought and accept that what is, is; what will be is what will or will not be.

Bleh. ***CV

fin semana

I finally got around to visiting the bookshop across the street. I thought it was a local division of a specific publisher. But as I was on my way to grocery shop I decided to just pop in and at least see the place before I left. Imagine my surpise to find it to be a new and used (primarily used) collectors book shop. It's somewhat hidden behind a local bakery and in fact is filled with the yeasty scent of freshbaked bread. The shop itself is called Daedalus Books, named I presume, after the greek guy who tried to fly to the sun when his wings were only attached by wax. Now there's someone who needed a lesson on the three states of matter.

I picked up a copy of Fielding's Shamela and Joseph Andrews as well as a Penguin edition of Menicus.
**
Before going there though I attended a workshop given by Paul Grilley, the main instructor of Yin yoga. I was fortunate to attend a mini-workshop of his years ago so this time I only attended the part about meridians and chakras. (The other parts are excellant. Only I had already participated and did not feel like spending critical moving funds on a repeat performance.)
***
Meanwhile I have a pair of socks promised to a friend (a promise I made last year) so I cast on for those last Friday and have 4 more inhes to do before I reach the heel. And I saw the new Knitty and the unmentionables are so cute I want to knit a pair in black for my date night. Hmmmm. ***CV

Oh Baby!

I have a date with this man* in San Francisco.
So what if there'll be a bajillion other people there? He's all I'll see.***CV

*It's a rare pic of him smiling. So you may not guess who he is ;)

Merci

I have some of the nicest friends. Thank you***CV

Stir crazy

Goin' courtin', goin' courtin'
Oh it sets your senses in a whirl.
Goin' courtin', going courtin'
Duding up to go and see a .... flat? crib? squat? dig? hut? cave? squirrel?

Guess that doesn't work.

Where are Rogers &Hammerstein, or Gilbert & Sullivan; heck, good ole Noel when you need 'em?
**
Turned in my school keys today.
***
Threw away almost three years of lesson plans last night. Yikes. I'm afeared to look in the back room. Who knows what school related stuff lurks in the dark of the den.***CV

When I First Came to Town

As I said before it's frustrating trying to find a place when one can't actually go there and look. It must be hard for the landlords too though *sigh* I was this close to havng a place in my old neighborhood, but I didn't go for it. I keep reminding myself that the manager wanted to let it this week and that there is no realistic way I could have done it that quickly.

My goal is July 1st.

I also received a call from a lovely person in the same area the school is, or at least the same town. The place sounds wonderful. No, wonderful, as in perfect for the pedestrian who needs to be in a diverse community of souls person that I am. It also has everything I want: light, hardwood, top floor, seperate rooms, affordable, pet friendly. I've sent what information I could but I do not know if it is enough.
**
I went to Powell's to cheer myself up. Apparently someone had the complete works of Balzac, hardbound, and sold it recently because there they were all teh volumes sitting in a row today where they had not been yesterday. I didn't get any. They were very used copies. But it was interesting to see included in the fiction were some early plays Honore had written.
***
Then I went to a music shop and I picked up some CDs with the gift certificate the families had thoughtfully given me: Kirsten Hirsch, Lisa Germano, Peter Murphy and the Abattoir Blues DVD/CD tour. If I can't see Nick when he comes this year I will at least find someone with a DVD player so I can see him that way *g* ****CV

Munincipal Musings

Ah the joys of apartment hunting when one can't actually see the place before putting down a deposit. Trust. Yes. This is what we are developing here.

After my last move or two I've decided I would rather not ship everything; I would prefer to pack a truck and drive down. This is leading to all sorts of questions such as: is the price quoted to rent a truck per day or for the entire trip? do I have to buy all the packing supplies reccomended? and, just what distinguishes an apartment sized vehicle from a 1-2 bedroom truck? Dimensions not withstanding. I'm presuming from the images provided that "apartment" is a euphemism for studio or small dark cramped-space which even the Wild Child would have considered a bit of a tight fit.

I think, though, that I would qualify for the larger size hence my query as to whether the fee be per day, or, however long it takes.

In the housing area I just saw a cottage for rent within my budget, about 15 minutes from where I would be working. Hah! Did I go: Oh boy! Oh boy!?

I did not.

See. I know me. I know if I could walk to work, I would. Not just during the work week but on the weekends, at night, during holidays. In other words: work would be my home. So I want a place which is commuting distance. One which requires a knit project and a book to tide me over to and fro.

*Sigh* It was cute though***CV

tit-willow tit-willow tit-willow

Yesterday was the last day. As usual, we only had class in the morning and then those families that could came and we spent the rest of the afternoon in a nearby park. Very fun. One of the children said, as they were leaving, "Bye. See you next fall." He looked puzzled when his mom said, "No you won't. She's moving to California." Funny, no matter how many times you say something, in a group with everyone present and everyone saying I understand; some still don't realise how true what you're telling them is.
**
Last night the Yarn Harlot was in town and I got to Powell's more than an hour and a half ahead of time. I looked through pattern books as I had just aquired a brand new skein of yarn and was looking for something to work on. I found a pattern for Peacock Plumes which is really fun to make.

Some friends showed up about an hour later and we sat and chatted until Stephanie arrived. How fun she is. One lady in front of me was actually writing Stephanie's talk as she was giving it. I would imagine that over an hour of stenography could prove more painful to hands than the equivalent time spent knitting.

There was quite a turnout which was to be expected: the audience not only filled all the preset seating (which was twice as much as had been put out the last time Stephanie came to town: Burnside edition) but the aisles and the foyer as well.
***
I found out yesterday that one of the children's parents is performing as part of a Ruddigore production. I've only ever seen two Gilbert and Sullivan musicals: the Mikado and Pirates of Penzance. Here's another one :) ***CV

And the winner is....

Out of 15 resumes sent I had about six (?) phonecall interviews and received three offers.

So Carrie better watch out. I'm headed her way :)

Um....supposing I can find an affordable place to live there of course***CV

the envelope please

Tomorrow night there will be an answer (unless something goes terribly awry)***CV

Simple Saturday Afternoon

Cain Saga #5, Kaori Yuki

(in which an ever so helpful Powell's employee must climb a ladder in order to obtain CV's fix)

The Nonexistant Knight and The Cloven Viscount, Italo Calvino

Nux Vomica, the Veils ***CV

Moving Right Along

Okay I was wondering when it was to be this year: June 9th is KIP day. And the night before that the Yarn Harlot will be at Powell's. Appropo, no?
**
Yesterday when I took in my allotment to sell the buyer said, "I see you've been bringing in a lot of books. Are you selling your own?"

Perhaps it is better not to take care of ones books so that they look as if they have never been read? Admittedly almost every YA was a hardcover first edition with the paper covers completely in tact. Still.
***
I have finished reading After Dark by Murakami and if you like resolutions to mysteries stay far, far away from this book 'cause resoloution there ain't. Still it's Murakami so why would you read it if you wanted something that made sense? Wasteland, by FLB, is definitely a retelling of a fairy tale. One of those brother sister ones where all is not what it appears on the surface. And Girl Goddess #9 is a very sweet collection of fey Valley tales.

I'm currently reading A Harlot High and Low by Balzac****CV