Friiiiiddddaayyyy

Well, the landlady agreed to help us out by paying the security to the commandos, but she doesn't really have the money to fork over any more than we do and my gut tells me that this whole situation is going to end badly someplace. I did a meditation session this morning where I came to the conclusion that it's possibly time to leave the place that has been our home for the past year; I don't really want to move out, and I'm not sure yet that we will, but there are some factors that I'm uncomfortable with and this might be God's way of telling us that other things are in our future and we need to move toward those things. We've been wanting to buy a house, but it's so expensive to buy here! The taxes are high, home prices are high, the cost of gas here is higher (by about .20) than it was when I was in Mass., the cost of living is high. Are we in Florida or California? The prices of homes aren't quite as high here as they are on the west coast, but we're approaching that era, I believe. That is, if people keep moving here. I bumped into ANOTHER friend the other day who has had enough of this place and is moving to Tennessee with his wife. The only people who seem to keep moving to Florida are people from other countries. Apparently, they are the only ones who can afford to be here. That said, I'm not sure if we could even buy a house right now. Maybe we could rent one....'tis a vicious cycle.

Oy Vay is All I Can Say

We had a fantastic day, my little one and I, at least until I received a frantic telephone call from the lady who owns the unit we live in. Have I mentioned how much I HATE condo association nazis? Especially the ones here??? The first part of our day was spent hanging out at the library with some girl friends of mine and their kids. After that we all went to lunch and the kids got to hang out some more while the adults talked. It was nice spending time with the girls; they are hands down two of the coolest women I've met in the whole time I've been here in South Florida. Good friends are difficult to come by in these parts, and I've been blessed with more than one so I count myself among the fortunate. After lunch we all parted ways and Bebe and I went to a mystical sort of store that I love. I have been frequenting the place for many years and am familiar with the owners. After I browsed the store for a bit I settled on some candles, oil and incense that I needed, chatted with one of the owners, then left for home. It was on the way back to the house that my cell phone rang. Not recognizing the phone number that showed on the caller ID, I let the call go to voice mail. I have a fairly strict policy about not answering calls when I don't recognize the number, as most of the people with whom I converse on a daily basis are programmed into my cell. To say that I'm glad I did NOT answer the call would be an understatement, as I need to gather myself before I call this woman back. I like the woman who owns the place where we live and I have no idea what to say to her. Also, I have a distinct feeling that I'm not going to like what she is going to say to me. Apparently, the commandos aren't satisfied with the package I completed for them (which contained any and all relevant information they should need for us to stay here) and want me to fill out another one (like I do nothing all day and have time to dick around with a bunch of people who are so obviously just trying to make it impossible for renters to stay here). They are also giving the unit owner a hard time and threatening all sorts of legal fees, which I sincerely hope she doesn't expect us to pay since we signed nothing agreeing to pay legal fees arising from her not proceding along the correct avenue when we moved in. The bottom line is that we would never have moved into this place had we been aware that the association would require an additional $1000.00 on top of the large sum of money we paid to the owner when we moved in (first, last, yada yada). We were not even aware that the management company had an issue with renters living here. It seems funny to me that I grew up in an area where the average home would cost a person wanting to move there close to a million dollars. I lived in a house with a huge backyard and went to a good school in a nice, suburban area with very little crime and a killer high school basketball team. I look at the people who live here and I laugh that so many of the residents walk around with their noses in the air acting like they're the balls because they live here. We live in nice townhomes right next to the highway, a marina, a garbage incinerator, and an ugly main road. Our health insurance went up right after we moved here, with the reason being that the area we now live in is more unhealthy than the one we moved from (although health insurance companies need little reason to raise their rates anyway). The real estate market here is shaky at best; there are places in here for sale that aren't selling. People who bought theses places as investments are getting into trouble because they can't sell the units and are renting in an effort to keep them. So, if the management company wants to act like a bunch of immature jacksticks, they can enjoy managing a community full of foreclosures and empty units. Sounds like paradise to me! As for us, we'll probably have to move yet again, hopefully into a less controversial environment.

Feeling Pretty Good

here on this rainy day. I spent some time at a friend's house last night helping her get her apartment straightened out a little bit. She's been feeling under the weather and unable to do this sort of thing so it was nice to be able to give her a bit of a hand. I arrived home last night at close to 11PM, tumbled into bed, and woke up at 6AM to face the new day. I decided that I'm not going to obsess over this Dominican Republic job. It might happen, it might not happen, it might happen and be a great thing. Who knows what my HP has planned for us? Maybe he'll take the job and the time that I have to myself will allow me to focus more on my artwork. I have a playdate with a girl friend and her kids today. Little One will have fun. It's a stormy, grey day outside and not a good day for anything but indoor activities, and they have a nice house filled with positive energy (a contrast to my friend's house last night, which made me feel slightly sad and drained-it's horrible to be older and alone) and it will be nice to hang out with her and watch the kids doing kid things. Ciao!

And Now for My Next Trick...

let me pull a map of the Dominican Republic out of my ass. This is the newest surprise in my life-the possibility that my husband will be going out of town to do a job here. I keep telling him I will follow him anywhere as long as it's Colorado or California!! At any rate, we're not invited on this trip; he was only looking into getting a passport for himself, which causes me much anxiety and inner conflict. He seems to have so much work here in Florida right now, but I suppose he's thinking about the possibility that any day now the construction industry could dry up. I'm not happy about it; after he told me about the trip I felt sick to my stomach. I never would've made a good military wife. Then again, I always swore I would never marry someone in the military because I know that I do not have the personality to worry constantly about my husband being in situations where he could get blown up or worse. I very much admire those women able to deal with this sort of thing, but I'm not one of them. Call it a personality defect, if you want, but I just call it knowing one's own limitations. We have a three year old child who can't stand to be separated from her father for a few hours, let alone several days (weeks? who knows?). I suppose I'm projecting all sorts of negative possibility. Already I'm thinking that if he takes this one job, then the next time an out of town gig comes up it will be that much easier for him to say yes to it, and pretty soon he'll be away all the time. Of course, we're not even at that point, and we may never be, but my mind is just running away, imagining weeks of taking care of a little one alone while my husband is on the road. Oh, and what about those beautiful Dominican women? It's too much to contemplate. On another note, a good friend of ours just came back from California and wants to move out there. He was flying back from a trip to Alaska (he owns a small aircraft) and made a few stops, among them California and Nevada, and said that when he returned to Florida after feasting his eyes on the sheer majesty of the mountains and the beauty of the forests out west well-he said he felt like he'd been plopped back down into a mucky swamp. Yup. Pretty accurate. There is good and bad everywhere. Preference of habitat comes down to what a person likes and dislikes. I love the mountains, the ocean, and old wooded areas. We boast two out of three of those things here, but the mindset here is so different from the west coast. Alas, Florida is where we're stuck, at least for now. I have lots of friends here who I would miss if we went away, but so many of them seem to be leaving lately that I sometimes wonder if we won't wake up one day to find ourselves alone here anyway!!!

Happy Yom Kippur

Tonight starts Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement. It's a pretty serious day as holidays go, and a time of the year meant for reflection and figuring out ways that we can improve in the coming year. I think, also, that it's a good time of year for forgiving the wrongs done to us during the past months, for in doing so we free ourselves up mentally and spiritually. Holding grudges and concentrating on the slights of other people prevents us from really looking at ourselves and making the decision to be better people, and prevents us from becoming as healthy as we are able to be. When has anger and resentment ever felt good? I mean, harboring a bit of darkness over an incident that hurt your feelings, or cost you money, or harmed you in any way at all might feel good initially. After all, we're not obligated to allow people to trample over us. Over time, however, these feelings can mutate into a much uglier emotional state, and even lead us to become more bitter people who view humanity as a whole as a cruel, hopeless lot. This is a tragic condition, because there are so many out in the world whose aim it is to do good, to do right, to use their talents and abilities to help other people (which, in the end, is what really brings us happiness). That said, you never know how much your kind words, or your smile, or your offer of help could effect someone else in a positive way, maybe even change the course of his or her life for good. I hope everyone celebrating Yom Kippur this year finds the holiday to be positively transformative, and that, regardless of your chosen spiritual path (I also follow Celtic spirituality and enjoy the reflect aspect of the Celtic holidays of this time of year as well), this day finds you sweet rather than bitter, happy rather than sad, healthy rather than sick, and of a giving and generous heart.

You scored as Mary Read, You are very unconventional, you defy the rules as often as you can and like to take as many risks as possible. You will probably end up living happily under a bridge somewhere laughing at all the unsavory deeds you once instigated. Mary Read 92% Captain James T. Hook 75% Captain Jack Sparrow 67% Black Beard 67% Long John Silvers 50% Sinbad 50% Morgan Adams 50% Dread Pirate Roberts 33% Captain Barbosa 17% Will Turner 17% What kind of Pirate are you? created with QuizFarm.com

Hmmm, I took the pirate quiz and this is what I came up with. Pretty right on, although I hope to never be living under a bridge!!! Arghhh!!!! Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!

WOW

So, on Saturday one of my husband's employees died right in front of him. He tried to save him, as did the paramedics when they arrived, but there was nothing anyone could do. As far as the doctor at the hospital could figure out on the fly, he died from a massive heart attack. Wow. He was just here at our house on Monday and, just like that, he's gone. This definitely emphasizes to me how important it is to live each day to the fullest (yes, I did paint today-not for very long, but for any hour or so) and also to watch the things that go into our bodies. I try to cook healthy foods, but once in awhile I slip up, and sometimes we're not aware of how much yucky fat and such is in the foods we eat. Thankfully, we eat home most nights so I know what's going into the food I'm preparing (food recalls aside...now there's a recall on Dole salad mix) and I can control ingredients like salt and butter. Smart Balance is great! Anyway, the funeral is going to be in Pennsylvania, since he was from there, so we'll probably send some flowers. I need to call and find out when it's going to be. Abundant sighs..

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig

Well, Massachusetts was great. I got to spend lots of time with my Mom, and over the first weekend I was there DH flew up and we went to a graduation/birthday party for my sister, brother and me (my sister graduated from college and my brother and I were each celebrating birthdays, two days apart). Things got fairly crazy but no fights or drunken driving; the worst incident that occurred was a half drunk guy talking trash to a girl who I think might have been his girlfriend at one time and that was over pretty fast. On Sunday we went to the King Richard's Faire in Carver with two of my brothers, my sis in law and my one brother's girlfriend. DH bought me a birthday gift of some cool jewelry (I love silver), we ate some food, laughed a lot, and just generally hung out and had a good time. My little one was very overwhelmed by the traveling experience and was a bit crazy for the duration of the trip. My Mom, who is used to living a quiet, albeit busy, life, had some difficulty with the toddler insanity, but we got through it mostly okay. She was able to walk us to the gate at the airport when it was time to leave, which airport staff doesn't usually allow, so we had some extra time to hang out before boarding time came. By then I was teary eyed and not very happy; the only thing that kept me from completely breaking down on the plane was the fact that my almost three year old daughter was with me and I didn't want to upset her. This was a good thing; because of her I was able to pull myself together in spite of my sadness and focus on the good things and people I was coming home to rather than the good people and things I was leaving behind. Which brings me to this: Today I found out my friend Jo Ann scored us free High Holiday tickets. Yay!!!!! We'll both get to be good Jews this year and attend Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services, thanks to the good will of some kind hearted temple members who felt bad for us poor little Jewish girls (I seriously could not afford the $150.00 ticket this year!!!). So, I had good news to greet me amidst the craziness of all the work which piled up for me while I was out of town, and the landlord telling me we're going to have to shell out more money to the blasted condo association because they want an additional security deposit and blah blah. These people are crazy! Anyway, happy Monday!