The next step

First of all, I am panicked at having to learn how to adult. Yes it is also a verb. My daughter told her then fiancée that I am a 16 year old in a 70 year old body. About right.

I have, ever since I was forced into this world, been told where to go, what to do, what I was going to eat, when to go to bed, all the stuff a good parent tells his kids. Only rarely did I have to decide my schedule and meals, but someone always came home and got me back on her schedule. I will miss that.

Well, the Kimsey family seems to have accepted my bid for a house in a very depressed part of Sherman, Texas. The son sort of worked on it for a few years and kinda screwed up a bunch of stuff. He probably thought that no one would notice the shitty tape and bed job in the living room if he put enough texture over it. Nope, I saw it as I walked into the room. The mud job on the walls in the master bedroom is also extremely amateurish. Way too many bubbles in the skip trowel pattern.

They set 8x8 tiles OVER 8x8 tiles in the kitchen. 'Nuf said. The backsplash in the kitchen is black tile with black outlets and black outlet covers. See? No you can't. The countertops are dirt ugly. The choices in paint colors are a little hillbilly weird. No insulation to speak of in the attic. Outside will need new paint soon, maybe next year. The air conditioner is small. There are multiple splices in the wires from the thermostat to the furnace. The thermostat itself is one of those old mercury and bimetal spring models made by Honeywell.

They left a plastic storage locker in the back yard. The garage is filled with the hoarding of the guy next door, who just happens to be the father of the guy selling the house. The next door side yard is filled with old building debris from years of collecting trash. Harvey had quadruple bypass surgery several years ago and doesn't get around so well. His wife Linda has macular degeneration. Neither of them move too fast. I have no idea how they are going to get all that stuff out by the closing date. Or where they are going to put it all. It is a 20x20 garage.

Oh, and there is no tile on the floor in the master half-bath. Or mirror.

I have been agonizing over appliances. There is neither a range or a refrigerator in the kitchen. I will probably move the refrigerator from this house, but I have been shopping for a new range. Tom at our Home Depot helped me talk it through. I do not need all the bells and whistles of a $1600 range. I will probably get the white on white GE unit with a smooth glass top. About 600 after delivery and cord added. I will fight for my military discount, however.

There is a back yard for the dogs to poop and pee. Got some work to do there as well. Last folks have a short chain link fence and a sand-over-tarp pool underlayment. Fence goes, tarp and sand go, will seed and fertilize until grass takes hold.

Got a lot of shit to do.

And no one to tell me what's next.

And so it begins....again

The divorce was signed off as final on March 2.

That's enough for now.

Good night.

Posting again? So soon?

Ah yes, my freaky little readers, I am posting again, just to blow off steam,. And I know that no one who gives a shit will ever read it. And if I offend anyone at this late date, too effin' bad. I intend no offense, but some take it as a matter of course, because in violation of Newtonian Physics, the universe revolves around them.

Got some good news today. I finally got with my store manager. I told him about the upcoming situation and my move to Sherman, Texas. When I told him I was looking at a transfer to that store and I told him the name of the store manager there, he immediately got on his phone and called the guy. It seems both Mike and Jonathon had worked together at another store and Jonathon wanted to make sure I was given a fair shot at getting on board there. My interview will be Monday, the day after tomorrow.

Now, all I need is a house to move to.

On that note: I have been looking at the internet, watching several houses in Sherman and Denison. There have been a few that might be a small stretch to get into, but doable. With the delays that Kathy has thrown into all the paperwork completion, these desirable houses have been put under contract and made unavailable. One, in particular, was at the top of my desired price range, but it was totally remodeled: new floors, new windows, new kitchen. It lasted four days on the MLS. Another that was more affordable, but needed a lot of work to make it a suitable living place, made it through a week and a half. There is still one house, not MLS or on realtor.com that I have been watching and is for sale by owner, is still being listed on Zillow. It is not as flashy, and it doesn't need as much work, but it has a very deep two car garage for my woodworking tools. The yard and neighborhood is nice, as much as I can tell from a drive-by. And it is in the middle of my price range.

I was hoping to drive around with my realtor this week, but she is involved with a wedding, so she will be out of pocket for the week. I think she said her associate can fill in, but Tina and I have talked enough and I think she may understand about what I am looking for. I hope so, because I am not sure I know exactly what it is I am looking for. She had steered me clear of a couple of places and took me where I had insisted to go, even though she warned me. She was right.

I have contacted several places about getting a mortgage. USAA, Quicken Loans, and Bank of America. They all are in a hurry to lend me money. I get calls every two weeks from the Quicken guy, emails from USAA, and have a standing offer to meet with the BofA guy at Dallas Cowboys headquarters, get a tour, and grab a beer. And my realtor has given me a name of someone in Sherman who is an "easy to work with" mortgage broker.

To tell the truth, all this shit terrifies me. If it all works out okay, then fine, I go with it. If things fall to shit, I have no idea what the fuck to do next. The only process I have now is to just keep on going forward and do the next thing, trying to not over-analyze the system. I should just continue to use the resources I have to make the next step. There is no try. Only do. Thanks, Yoda!