(no subject)
Oct. 10th, 2009 10:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
floatingleafI did something unbelievably scatterbrained today. I went shopping with an empty wallet - no cash, no credit card, no nothing. And I didn't notice it until I had gone through checkout. So I had to apologize to the checkout girl, leave all my groceries with her and drive back home to collect some means of payment.:| And, of course, traffic sucked like there's no tomorrow. There goes a wasted hour, because my head apparently wasn't pasted on correctly this morning.:/ The funny - or pathetic - thing is I know exactly what I did: I switched my ID/cash/credit card etc. to the wrong wallet. See, I have several handbags, each of them with a matching wallet. I always use the one which matches whatever I am wearing that day. I know most people (especially here in the States) don't give a shit whether their bags match their shoes/outfit etc. - but I just WON'T go out in clashing colors/styles, and the black handbag only goes with black shoes, the brown handbag with brown shoes and so forth (the grey one also goes with black shoes, but only if I'm wearing something grey - I don't have grey shoes, you see ;). And so the wallet contents get switched around on a daily basis. I know I did open the wallet that I had used yesterday and took everything out - but then somehow, inexplicably, I put it all back in there, instead of the other wallet, which I then grabbed to go shopping. Distracted much?... *headshake*
And I'm not even old enough to blame it on old age, really. Besides, I have occasionally done stuff like that ever since I was a kid. It must be the family genes - my mother does things like that all the time, and my sister is even worse. She lost her green card, for heaven's sake. Among hundreds of other things, lol (like leaving a passport on the kitchen table before driving to the airport). But see, the thing is I am the most anal/organized person of the whole bunch. Except for my dad when he was younger - but, by his own account, "the head doesn't work right any more".;) So now I seem to be the only one who knows where to find stuff etc. And if my head stops working as well, we will all plunge into chaos.:P
Also, I finally heard from my real estate agent (the one I had contacted back in early September). It turns out she had been seriously ill, and that's why she didn't call me back for a month. She's fine now, however, and just sent me a ton of property listings. So I spent the past 2-3 hours looking at pics/descriptions of condos all over the northwest Chicago area. There's quite a lot to choose from, and some of them seem almost too good to be true - which probably means they are.:P But we shall see. The ones in the suburbs are generally nicer, if a little more expensive than the ones within the city. And they usually have RESERVED PARKING LOTS FOR RESIDENTS, with at least 1 parking space per unit. Which is a SERIOUSLY GOOD THING, as fas as I'm concerned (can you tell I'm sick & tired of searching for a parking spot on the street every @#$%ing day?...;). But, because they are so nice and pretty, I fear the monthly fees might be over my limit.:( Another thing is access to public transportation - I won't move into an area where I will be stuck at home or forced to spend a fortune on taxis in case my car breaks down. So some of those lovely, green suburban neighborhoods are unfortunately out.:/ There is one, however, just down the road from my workplace - a single bus stop, probably, or even a longish walk if I felt so inclined. It is by the bus route, AND I would have a parking space. I wasn't too enthralled by the pics of the apartment itself... but, come on, 10 minutes to get to work? That just doesn't happen to us little Windy City people - and if it does happen, it's just too good to pass up. But then again... the price is a bit higher than what I am told I can be totally comfortable with - so perhaps it's better not to get too excited about that one. *sigh* There are also several in the area where I used to live before I moved over here - same distance to work I have now, just from the opposite direction. And there is a bus route there as well. Beautiful apartments in beautiful settings, most of them. Large and spacious - what would I do with so much space?... I am so used to living in cramped little nooks, I get scared if the walls are too far away.;) Besides, I don't want a place it would take me two days to clean.:P Not to mention lack of funds for extra furniture. Decisions, decisions... *chews on thumb*
And that's all my momentous news for today. Which had somehow treacherously turned into tomorrow while I wasn't looking. *yawns*
And I'm not even old enough to blame it on old age, really. Besides, I have occasionally done stuff like that ever since I was a kid. It must be the family genes - my mother does things like that all the time, and my sister is even worse. She lost her green card, for heaven's sake. Among hundreds of other things, lol (like leaving a passport on the kitchen table before driving to the airport). But see, the thing is I am the most anal/organized person of the whole bunch. Except for my dad when he was younger - but, by his own account, "the head doesn't work right any more".;) So now I seem to be the only one who knows where to find stuff etc. And if my head stops working as well, we will all plunge into chaos.:P
Also, I finally heard from my real estate agent (the one I had contacted back in early September). It turns out she had been seriously ill, and that's why she didn't call me back for a month. She's fine now, however, and just sent me a ton of property listings. So I spent the past 2-3 hours looking at pics/descriptions of condos all over the northwest Chicago area. There's quite a lot to choose from, and some of them seem almost too good to be true - which probably means they are.:P But we shall see. The ones in the suburbs are generally nicer, if a little more expensive than the ones within the city. And they usually have RESERVED PARKING LOTS FOR RESIDENTS, with at least 1 parking space per unit. Which is a SERIOUSLY GOOD THING, as fas as I'm concerned (can you tell I'm sick & tired of searching for a parking spot on the street every @#$%ing day?...;). But, because they are so nice and pretty, I fear the monthly fees might be over my limit.:( Another thing is access to public transportation - I won't move into an area where I will be stuck at home or forced to spend a fortune on taxis in case my car breaks down. So some of those lovely, green suburban neighborhoods are unfortunately out.:/ There is one, however, just down the road from my workplace - a single bus stop, probably, or even a longish walk if I felt so inclined. It is by the bus route, AND I would have a parking space. I wasn't too enthralled by the pics of the apartment itself... but, come on, 10 minutes to get to work? That just doesn't happen to us little Windy City people - and if it does happen, it's just too good to pass up. But then again... the price is a bit higher than what I am told I can be totally comfortable with - so perhaps it's better not to get too excited about that one. *sigh* There are also several in the area where I used to live before I moved over here - same distance to work I have now, just from the opposite direction. And there is a bus route there as well. Beautiful apartments in beautiful settings, most of them. Large and spacious - what would I do with so much space?... I am so used to living in cramped little nooks, I get scared if the walls are too far away.;) Besides, I don't want a place it would take me two days to clean.:P Not to mention lack of funds for extra furniture. Decisions, decisions... *chews on thumb*
And that's all my momentous news for today. Which had somehow treacherously turned into tomorrow while I wasn't looking. *yawns*
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(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-11 06:34 am (UTC)oooo, your own parking space! i wish that for you big time. would you still be on your own, in the new space?
(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-11 08:12 pm (UTC)Wow. That was just extremely rude, wasteful and stupid. Some people... *eyeroll*
oooo, your own parking space! i wish that for you big time
So do I.:D I am actually willing to pick a more expensive place because of that.
would you still be on your own, in the new space?
Yes, that's the idea.:) Even though I can't quite wrap my mind around the possibility of having a BIGGER, NICER apartment of my own than the one I'm renting now - for pretty much the same amount of money on a monthly basis. I keep thinking there must be a catch somewhere. *bites nails*
(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-11 08:57 am (UTC)Believe me, you get used to more space very easily, and the extra furniture will come in time. Happened to me - I can't imagine how I managed to live in my old, crampy flat, anymore, although I managed to live there perfectly happy for several years. ;)
But seriously, I think the important part is that you like it, and of course, that you can afford it, without suddenly being in over your head or facing costs you cannot stem. Otherwise, everything should be fine.
Having one's own parking space sounds nice. Do they have a garden you can use, too? Or a balcony?
As for the shopping without money, credit card or EC card - happened to me a few time. It's pretty embarrassing, for sure. :(
(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-11 08:25 pm (UTC)Some do. The suburban condominiums are usually situated within a well-maintained green space, with lots of trees, vast lawns and sometimes even a little pond/lake or an outside swimming pool. It would be lovely to live in a quiet, green, secluded place like this - but I know there are other factors I must consider as well. The price would be the chief one, lol.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-11 03:36 pm (UTC)I've done the "forget the form of payment" thing, too. It's just so embarrassing. The thing to remember is that everyone does stuff like this as well.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-11 08:32 pm (UTC)True. The place looked like it needed some renovation, too. And some of the kitchen cabinets were painted red (WTF?... I HATE red!...). But still... good heavens, THE LOCATION. I don't know. I guess I'm going to take a closer look at it and mull it over some more.:)
The thing to remember is that everyone does stuff like this as well.
I know. Among my family, it's an everyday thing.:) But I still hate when it happens in front of strangers:/
(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-15 08:28 am (UTC)Calling a person scatterbrained with such a successful "hit-rate" is the opposite to what I'd do! You make this shift between wallets/bags many times a week, perhaps every day? And you miss once -- I would call that incredibly much in control of your belongings. Again, I'm impressed :D
Good luck with finding a nice place to stay. I have saved the notes I've written down with "positives" and "negatives" for the areas we looked in when we were buying the new house.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-16 03:22 am (UTC)But you still looked very stylish to me.;)
You make this shift between wallets/bags many times a week, perhaps every day? And you miss once -- I would call that incredibly much in control of your belongings.
Haha! I never thought about it this way. *headshake*
Thanks for providing me with a positive perspective on things - yet again.:) *hugs*