smackdown!

last night i attended a get-together with my high school classmates and we were one shy of a dozen.  two guys were in from other parts of the planet and i hadn't seen one of them since...forever.  the other, i think i don't know.  since a few of us arrived unceremoniously late, we sat further away from the visitors' end and chatted amongst ourselves.  yes, we inquired about the unknown visitor, but no one else offered any insight.  as the meal ended, i was alone at the 'late' end, so i moved to the head of the visitors' end.  and that's when things went skew-y.

this unknown visitor snubbed me in front of everyone else as i awkwardly introduced myself and attempted to strike up a conversation.  a fifty year old, well-established male doing that 14-year-old thing.  you know.  the elbow on the table/back of the hand attached semi-permanently to the side of his face that was visible to me.  was.  the other two ladies had left for a smoke and i tried to participate in a conversation on a subject i clearly know nothing about - hunting.  coup de grace arrived at the end:  i casually put out my hand to shake and he hesitated.  it left me numb.  and i'm still trying to shake it off because i'm attending a party tomorrow with the people who saw this happen.

i was just getting to know everyone...

first-time mantra

i've been snooping around other first-time homeowner blogs to get an idea of what it will be like after i close.  i'm trying to get a handle on how to prevent myself from having a first-time panic attack.  kool.kalm.kollekted.  ten more days before i really know.  kool.kalm.kollekted.  maybe i'll lose ten pounds.  kool.kalm.kollekted.

hello, irene!

i had a great summer.  i also had a great 2-week vacation doing absolutely nothing.  well, except for the day that my sister invited me on a day trip to provincetown...then called before i got out of bed to say that she didn't want to take her car (because the CEL was on), so could i use my car for the trip.  never one to disappoint, i drove there and back with my sister bitching about every little thing for the entire day.

my classmate, gary, hooked me up to our high school's facebook page, so i've met a few folks and we've celebrated living/surviving.  dining out, day trip, neighborhood clean-up, back yard meet-up.  good times and plenty more to come.

and the hunt for a home of my very own begins anew since the listing agent for the last one i wanted (P&S completed and submitted to the bank in july) submitted another higher offer to the bank, and she informed us after the dirty deed was done.  i'm only hoping irene will blow that house to bits.  really.

september will be back to school for me.  looks like a change in programs will have me graduating after one semester instead of three.  i'm really excited about this finally getting done.

never give up!  never surrender!

so....what have you done?

my classmates met for a reunion at the sky club.  i've been so distracted with OT and this homebuying jag that i totally missed out.  a day before my vacation.  bummer.

and the weather forecast for this week is shit.  guess it's back to making lemonade.  i think this calls for a splash of patrón.  bzzz.

is it summer already?

the weather here on the southcoast cannot seem to find it's summer groove.  spring was a mess.  cherish what you can get.

if i haven't stated it already, searching for a home of my own sometimes makes me weary.  the looking is fun.  okay.  not always fun.  sometimes scary.  and sometimes very sad.  but the offers that get declined.  in this market, no less.  great houses just sitting there.  baffling.

"buy in the summer.  move in the summer."  out of the mouths of babes.  he never steered me wrong before, so i'll take a cue from my favorite child and see if it pans out.

alright, still

we begin this day with a visit to the emergency room where i work, fifteen minutes before my shift ended.  ninety percent of my work involves er patients, so i knew that patient acuity was low.  let me just say that acid reflux is not fun.  and, thank goodness, i brought a book.  not sure what i ate that caused my second severe episode of acid reflux (the first was fried chicken with french fries doused in malt vinegar and ketchup, last fall), but it's a good thing my nurse was listening.  i got a GI cocktail (wish that meant something sexual) ... and kept reading "snow flower" while waiting to be released.  took much longer than i expected because i entered the "chest pain" category and testing ensued - x-ray, blood work (cardiac enzymes), ekg, and neurological screening.  so i left with residual esophageal pain two hours later...along with a healthy dose of salty language that needed to remain unsaid.

i get home and have to set my alarm for 8am so i can take my son, who does not drive, to school because he forgot to purchase a monthly bus pass for may.  i have a 1:30 appointment to look at another lovely house in a potential PCB area (someone bought the last one i wanted with cash!).  i say "potential" because the EPA is skirting the area with more testing.  a lot of time on my hands.  already had coffee and breakfast so, what's left on the menu is laundry, haircut, walk, stop by mom's to celebrate my brother's birthday.  most likely in that order, but mom's will have to wait until after a looky-loo at the house.

looks like a lovely day.  let's go!

patriot's day

monday.  did i mention that i love mondays...off!  well, it's my holiday on.  meaning i'm outie in one hour and gotta get ready for work, but i have to get my ikea bit in.

ikea is open on this massachusetts-only holiday (as it will be on easter sunday - yay!).  so!  for those of you who haven't experienced this hands-on swedish goodness in the us of a - get thee to an ikea.

did i mention that i'm an ikea-addict?  it's been recommended that i approach ikea to submit myself as their southcoast spokesperson.  yeah, it's that bad.

okay, bad setup and segue.

just go!

always look on the bright side of life

my first jaunt via the new bedford council on aging's travel program.  i should have had coffee.  the day was overcast and blustery making it feel more like march weather.  so happy i brought a cap.

first, we went to davenport's restaurant for lunch. this is in cumberland, rhode island.  our host announced that we arrived early, but people were seated and served when we entered the restaurant.  davenport's has party/large group rooms in the back and they're well lit.  our discounted menu listed five offerings and i chose the roast beef on wheat bread with fries.  simple, but very tasty.  nice when things aren't complicated.  but, i forgot to ask for coffee.

the activity for this day was the matinee showing of spamalot at ppac.  the theater is ornate, but not gaudy.  ppac's seating is just under comfy due to the narrow, yet plumpy seating.  and their acoustic set-up makes the experience more homey.  the audience was well mixed, so i didn't feel out of place in my extremely casual attire of sweater, pants, and sauconys.

not a review:  i had enjoyed monty python's flying circus when it was aired years ago, but i really forgot most of that show as well as their quest for the holy grail.  meaning that i wasn't sure what to expect because i had learned, after purchasing my ticket, that this show was a musical.  it turned out to be a great show.  no, i wasn't as enthusiastic as the rest of the audience (i'll use the excuse of not having coffee), but it was very nice for my initial theater experience (sorry, but i really don't remember any other at this time, so i have nothing to compare.).

looking forward to future adventures.

the waiting is over.

the glasses i ordered for my son, eric, arrived today.

rehash: a blog that i highly recommend - glassyeyes.com - offers reviews and discount links to on-line optics shops.  my son's first pair of basic glasses cost $48.90 at 39dollarglasses.com.  that was a test-the-scrip purchase.  the purchase experience was flawless.  the glasses were perfect.

next was eyebuydirect.com offering bogof thru 3/14.  eric wanted photochromic (uv-inherent), compact, anti-scratch, and anti-glare lenses on flexi-hinge frames.  here are the frames eric decided on:

$104.10

$89.10

bad news:  the offer was only for the frames, resulting in a savings of only $24.95.
good news:  again, perfect.  i was afraid the frames would be too small (as ordered), but they're actually larger.  the lenses are also larger than expected.  this is a good thing.  after careful review, and taking eric's astigmatism scrip into account, the price at eyebuydirect was still the best buy even if we only ordered one pair.

the red frames look really good on eric and they very much resemble the ray-bans he wanted.  grand total for all three glasses is $217.15, averaging near $72/pair.  not bad at all.

waiting

it's been over two weeks since i ordered my son's glasses and, since we're still waiting on a second order, i'll give a short review of the first order.

two words:  good enough.

the glasses ordered from 39dollarglasses.com - NAPOLI 3536 - arrived in exactly 7 days (the 14th).  the fit is fine, even though the frame was a bit smaller than expected and doesn't feature the desired flex hinges.  the best thing was that the script was on point, even the PD.  this order - frame, compact lenses for astigmatism, antiglare - came to just over 48USD with the glassyeyes.com link/discount.

of course, eric looks great in them, but he's very happy.  that's why we took a chance and ordered photochromic/transitions® glasses on the 14th.  from another vendor.  so we're waiting.

oy!

this year the march lion has boldly entered and, this past saturday, his roaring blew my cable out.  i kid you not.  this posting is courtesy of someone's open service.  have to get a new modem for the nightmare that is comcast.  DOCSIS cable modem standards must be met.  3.0, i believe, is the current demand.

friday was my son, eric's, eye appointment.  we left with the Rx and forgot to get the PD (pupilary distance - aligns your eye movement with the curvature of the lens).  eric calls on saturday and learns they charge an additional $25...only if you order glasses.  off to bj's:  PD measurements are not allowed unless you have an appointment to order glasses.  we walk in to lenscrafters and - booyah! - free PD measurement right on the spot her tippy-toes.  third time's the charm!

then eric got the ray-ban bug and fell in love with their best sellers:

RAY-BAN 5092 PRO

nice, but expensive as a package for our budget.  it's now the goal for eyewear purchases.  sad story there is that eyebuydirect.com sold out of the ~good~ frames very quickly, right at the beginning of their BOGOF sale.

NAPOLI 3536

for the moment, i've ordered from 39dollarglasses.com - basic frame and lenses just to make sure the Rx is right - $48.95.  if it is, they'll be eric' s spare pair.  my report in two weeks.



after all that, i had another chance to take pics of my house, then made an offer the next day.  should hear back NLT 3/9.  will post pics when they say, "YES!  Of course you can have this house.  It's yours!"

see you soon!

glassyeyes

i've been following ira's blog, off and on, since...2007.  please catch/read up if you hate having wads of cash lifted from your wallet while you watch.  this post is to let you know i'll personally review one or two of the retailers listed on glassyeyes.com shortly.  indirectly.

my son, eric, has an astigmatism (still not sure if article is required there) and he hasn't checked his vision for at least two years.  he's always wanted photochromic lenses, so we'll try the online route versus spending over $300 at lenscrafters.  he also wants a second pair and one of the listed retailers, eyebuydirect, has a BOGOF offer thru march 14th if you link thru this post's title.  well, i looked there and at 39dollarglasses just to get an idea of what eric will have to cough up.  i can already say that eyebuydirect is a go because, even without the BOGOF deal, the cost for what eric wants is almost half of something similar at 39dollarglasses.  and he's tired of getting new nosepads, so he's looking at plastic frames.  here are some i'll recommend to eric and hope he's not too picky.  cute model. (:

bordeaux

brieuc

bobigny

annecy

newport - black and clear

 

carpi - red and black

happy birthday to me!

the first day of my 52nd year! la la la la la la la!

you know you're blessed when a nor'easter happily shows up for your birthday and gifts you only with rain.  other blessings...

* new best buds: an unscented product that works.  no more itchies from head to toe.

* a new love lust:  yeah.  i buckled.  it will be my incentive - job completed, charm rewarded. first charm - lucky star - a kick-off to good and better things.  time saver: you can design it online.

* a lifestyle lift courtesy of CONB COA.  yep.  i get to take advantage of these discount trips without having to subscribe to AARP.  hey.  at this point a trip to ikea is always a treat, but i have to branch out.

* and a rude gentle awakening:  mummy says i was born two days late and only after a somewhat rough ride in the nantucket hospital truck.  fate can be funny.  i laugh.

so, here we go, 51!

like dreamers do

with inspiration from jen at {the cottage nest}...and wazzizname:

"To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The Slings and Arrows of outrageous fortune;
Or to take Armes against a Sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them: To die, to sleep
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to? 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep
To sleep, perchance to dream; Aye, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life:
For who would bear the Whips and Scorns of time,
The Oppressor's wrong, the proud man's Contumely,
The pangs of disprized love, the Lawes delay,
The insolence of Office, and the Spurns
That patient merit of th' unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would there fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered Countrey from whose Bourne
No traveller returns, puzels the will
And makes us rather beare those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o're with the pale cast of Thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment,
With this regard their currents turne away,
And lose the name of Action.—Soft you now,
The fair Ophelia? Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sinnes remembered."

time to shed the melancholy cloak of winter and dream on!

this house is mine!

and the house hunting continues.  i don't think i posted about any particular property before, but this one...this one is mine.

i put in an offer and no bites.  so says the listing agent.  sorely disappointed.  my gut says she didn't even bother submitting it.  then i told my agent that i'd try laying low for a while.  this so that i could finish studying for my real estate license.  hey.  i got my driving license at 42, so don't doubt me.

problem with this house is that it's just too perfectly perfect.  yes.  perfect for me.  should this even be posted for all to see?  well, i just can't help myself.  look.

a small 1br ranch with under garage.  just a tiny slab of concrete in the back that could be a patio.  quiet side street in a fanTAStic location.  check out the innards.

 

a kitchen just itchin' to be kissed by ikea.  that laminate floor looks so tired.  big enough for a dining table, but an island would be sweet.  who does black?  oh, yeah.  my ex-bil says his house came with black appliances.  okay.   they can stay for a year, but that's it.

 formal dining room.  look.  at.  those.  windows!  i love 'em.  see that wall?  can you say banquette?

previous owners obviously enjoyed commercial carpet.  ugh!  they blocked the fireplace.  what's up with that?

and the bedroom with tiny windows so i can sleep.  aaahhh.  walls are aching for some lavender gray.  yes, i've already picked new colors.  especially for the exterior.  who does light salmon?  this isn't the bahamas.

okay.  i'm gonna go for it.  fingers crossed.  both hands!

small change

i love orange and honey and sunshine and simplification.  so i changed my blog design.