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Do you have any plans for the summer?" I asked Jamie as he finished examining the foundation at one of our upcoming listings. "Gonna do a little hiking?" I added wryly. (Jamie doesn't do a "little" hiking; this guy tackles mountains.)
"Yes," he enthusiastically responded. "In fact, I'm off on a 9-day solo backpacking trip next week." "You're going alone?" I asked. "Is that safe?" "I'll have a GPS locator,' he said, "but my friends no longer join me. They know I like a good hard challenge." (Sounds grueling.)
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Alas, today I put a fairly new pair of shoes into the donation bag. I've only worn them once, but every time I try them on, I'm reminded of how painful they actually are. Having had zero luck at "breaking them in," OR making them more comfortable, OR turning my feet into triangles (what's with pointed toes anyway?) I'm raising the white flag. The shoes have got to go, along with anything else in my closet that's too small, too large, too old, too itchy, too threadbare, or simply, never worn.
There was a time, in the not too distant pass, when I would have suffered for a "memorable" moment. In fact, in my 20s, I waited tables, and danced the night away in heels much higher than these. (What compels us?) However, that time is long gone . . . now it's all about the "fit." The reality is that I prefer comfort over style — in shoes, in dress, and in my home. (Yes, I'm officially old.) While I haven't given in to Birkenstocks, I'm definitely rockin' the penny loafers. Cliff and I have an inside joke (albeit, not a very funny one). Whenever we drive up HWY 50 to Fallen Leaf Lake, as we pass the BIG green "Sushi" billboard near the summit, Cliff points and says, "Should we stop for lunch?" (He thinks he's hilarious. At this point, I just roll my eyes.)
I should preface this by saying that Cliff doesn't eat sushi, so not only is the invitation entirely disingenuous, but given that the restaurant is nowhere near a fresh fish source, he knows the answer is going to be "no." (AKA: "the empty magnanimous gesture.") In 36 years of marriage, Cliff has joined me at a sushi restaurant only a handful of times, and he almost always orders the chicken teriyaki. (If you imagine the palette of an 8-year-old boy, you've pegged Cliff.) I flunked a test last week.
Granted, it was with the oral hygienist, and admittedly, I hadn’t been to a dentist office in nearly three years, so I was WAY overdue for a cleaning. My previous dentist suddenly sold her practice, and somehow, I’d slipped through the cracks between "new management" and COVID. As FEAR and dental work are irrefutably entwined in my delicate psyche, I’d conveniently let this triannual chore go by the wayside, hoping that flossing regularly, thorough brushing, and practicing good oral hygiene would be enough. It wasn’t. "Good news, the loan has been fully underwritten and we're set to close on Friday, as planned."
Hardly. The original plan had been to close nearly a month ago with a well-known bank who, unfortunately, balked in the 11th hour and failed to fund. (That's not good.) What happened next? "I need a rental. Can you help?"
At the risk of disappointing you, probably not. Although renting or selling are both housing issues, they are, in fact, two very different animals. As listing Agents, Sarah and I are trained to write contracts, to prepare and market homes, and to negotiate offers (among many other things). As such, we've spent more than forty combined years honing our craft, which is why when it comes to helping Buyers or Sellers, BUY OR SELL, we know what we're doing. In short, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF PRACTICE. That's not necessarily the case with rentals. The question of rentals comes up rarely and when it does, it's often under difficult or rushed circumstances. And while I'll concede that rentals definitely fall within the category of "home," navigating the world of rentals carries far different challenges --and risks — that frankly, I'd rather avoid. "I saw your listing on line, and my wife and I are interested in speaking with you about it. Can you jump on a quick Zoom call?" (Link enclosed.)
There was a time, in the not too distant past, when such an inquiry would have sounded legit (It's not.) Turns out, these "interested parties" are nothing more than trolls hoping you'll click on the link and invite malware onto your computer. (Seriously? I hate these guys.) On Wednesday, Cliff and I celebrated 36 years of wedded bliss (well, mostly wedded bliss.). We drove into the City, rented a suite at the Presidio Inn, had a lovely dinner, bought tickets to the immersive light show at Grace Cathedral, and explored Tunnel Tops and Crissy Field the next morning before heading back home to our respective jobs on this side of the Bay. It was a lovely respite, and definitely something we should do more often.
Earlier this week I had the good fortune to hear Ken Burns at the Oakland Speaker Series. It's the second time he's graced us, and in both appearances, he didn't disappoint. A masterful and incredibly well-prepared orator, Ken Burns is undoubtedly, the most successful historical documentarian in the U.S, creating epic masterpieces that often take years to research, film and produce. His subjects range from the Civil War, to baseball, to jazz, and 50 years into his highly-acclaimed career, he's still educating us all by creating incredibly moving films that not only pique our interest, but in many instances, change our hearts and minds.
I spent the rainy, stormy weekend last week, tackling a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle with mounting frustration. Normally, I breeze through these things, having grown up in a household where we almost always had a puzzle set up in the corner of the living room for most of my young life. (It was as close to Europe as my family ever got.)
Not this time. This particular puzzle of a well-known Serrat painting, had, essentially, only two defining puzzle shapes. In other words, every piece fit into multiple spots. Consequently, I found myself removing, replacing, and resetting nearly as many pieces as I was successfully placing, as I slowly, SLOWLY(!) slogged along. Not good and NOT fun. |
AuthorJulie Gardner, has been writing The Perspective for 19 years and has published more than 850 humorous but always informative, essays on life and real estate.
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