We finally managed to get on the plane and fly back to Chicago. Thanksgiving's over, and tomorrow morning it's up with the birds to drive the kids to school in the suburbs, then head right back downtown to attend one of those special events for which Chicago is so duly famous: the Second Mortgage Paper Signing Fun Fest.
Frankly, I don't even know what's going on with this refinancing situation, but never fear, intrepid readers; I will be well and truly informed before the pen hits the paper. I may even stop blogging long enough to ask That Stud Muffin I Married whether we're trying for lower interest rates or whether he's planning on getting a big hunk of cash back, and then flying to Rio with some chippy from the typing pool.
And for those of you who have been counting the days (and some of you have been keeping better track of these things than I have) the End of my house renovation woe Is Near. The lovely blue and white tiles I picked out for my daughter's bathroom--the ones apparently hand-painted by Portuguese nuns or some such--have arrived. And so, very soon, like tomorrow or maybe the next day, my house will be filled to bursting with the Polish tile guys and the Ukrainian plumbers and the Mexican electricians ... I don't know about the floor guy, but I'm sure he speaks something wildly exotic, too. Frankly, the place is going to remind me of the United Nations--noisy, incomprehensible, and ineffectual.
Then, I've got the post-construction cleanup people showing up December 6th, and us moving back in on December 7th.
This means that we've gone through three months of commuting, added 3,000 miles to the odometer of my minivan, spent an extra $60 on gas every week, exceeded my cell phone minutes to the tune of a couple of extra hundred dollars a month--all so that my house can be jam-packed with workmen who don't speak English--and oh yes: I get a new kitchen and two new bathrooms.
OK, I'll stop complaining.
But no wonder I'm signing my life away tomorrow at the bank.
And then, when I've moved back into the house, we'll all find out whether I'll continue to spend three hours a day at the gym.
Or will I revert to my former slothful ways?
Right now, my money's on the gym thing continuing. I've got some stuffing to burn off.
Thanks for reminding me that I cannot afford any extensive renovations. You've just saved me a ton of money.
ReplyDeleteIt's those hidden costs - the gas and phone minutes that people don't count on. Plastic spoons too.
ReplyDeleteMy money's on your spending less time at the gym and more time with your head in the new SubZero thinking about going to the gym. Well, that's what I'd do. Be sure to toss the pie and stuff the fridge with celery and V8.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe the Big Dig (Chicago Style) is nearly complete. You must be so damn relieved.
ReplyDeleteI WAS thinking about a major kitchen overhaul; but now? Not so much. Pictures of your daughter's imported tile SOON please!
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is that we are only a year out of a major overhall/remodel and already there are things I want to change...
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