My new home?

Check it out here

I'm like 98% excited and 2% scared, or maybe it's 98% scared and 2% excited. I'm not really sure, but that's what makes this so intense!

The title of this blog pretty much sums up exactly what I'm feeling right now. Why, you ask? Because I've found myself a condo and am in the process of making it mine. That's right! I'm finally going to carve out my own little corner of the world! It's a two-bedroom townhouse about half an hour away from where I work (that cuts my commute just about in half!) It is the cutest little place ever!! There's a living room, kitchen and dining room downstairs and two bedrooms and a full bathroom upstairs. Then, to top it all off, there's a half finished basement! Woohoo! It's all been freshly painted, the carpets are new, and there are beautiful hardwood floors in the dining room and hallway. AND, I get to keep all the appliances, including the washer, dryer and dishwasher! Yay!! I went to look at it on Saturday and I absolutely love it. It's the perfect size for me. Not too big, but big enough to be spacious and allow for guests. Hey, I'll have an extra bedroom! That means plenty of room for sleepovers!
But, the condo itself isn't just what sold me on it. It's also in a great location. Lots of families in the complex. It's right across the street from a park and right down the road from a state park. It's also very close to the center of town - which is TOTALLY quaint and adorable.
I have an appointment this afternoon in order to put down a deposit and present my offer. I'll let you know how that goes. Wish me luck!!

The biggest shocker of the year!

Seriously, can you hear the sarcasm? Because I'm literally dripping with it. I have to say, though, I'm more than a little bit amused.

In court papers filed Wednesday, Zellweger listed "fraud" as the reason for the breakup

Now what could that possibly mean??

Hope in the face of despair

I'm not sure why, but I really loved this article on Slate today.

In fact, there have been quite a few stories about Katrina's survivors that I've heard recently that have really amazed me. In one, a woman likens the catastrophe in New Orleans to the Great Flood. She believed that there was too much "nonsense" going on in the city and that God sent the hurricane to wipe it clean. She believed that being evacuated was a new lease on life.

In that same vein, another woman was evacuated with her six children and only the clothes on their backs. Her response? She was happy to have had an opportunity to leave a neighborhood filled with drugs and violence. She didn't have a single worldly possession, but had the optimistic attitude that this was an opportunity to begin a better life for her children.

Isn't that amazing?

My weekend in a nutshell

I went to Tucson this weekend to visit my BFFE, Elisabeth, and to help her pick out a wedding dress. This is a brief synopsis of my experiences there:

1. I helped Elisabeth find a wedding dress within two hours of landing in Tucson. How's that for efficiency?

2. I was bitten by a dog, an ostrich and multiple mosquitoes.

3. I went to my first drive-in movie. A double feature for five bucks! Sweet!

4. I got a pedicure while seated in the BEST massage chair EVER.

5. I bought sexy underwear and a couple new books.

6. I spent some quality time with my best friend on earth.

Care for a bit of extrapolation? You'll have to wait. I have to get some work done :)

Bonus Moment of Zen!!!!

Happy Friday!!

Your Moment of Zen

I just pulled into a parking space after my lunch break and there was an open can of Bud Light sitting toward the side of the space - as if someone had just opened their car door and placed the empty can on the ground.

Someone started their Labor Day celebrations a little bit early.

I'm starting to rethink this whole "being a grownup" thing

So I had my meeting with the mortgage company last night and it looks like I'll be able to afford a condo priced around $125,000. But that's stretching it a little bit I think. I'm really going to have to curb my spending habits (no more Victoria's Secret shopping sprees!) but I really think I'm going to be able to do this! It's really very exciting ... and really f-ing scary. There is a LOT of time, effort and especially MONEY invested in this sort of decision. I can't help but think "Will I be able to afford it? Can I have a condo and still be able to eat? Will I be able to buy furniture or will I have to deal with crates and cardboard boxes for the rest of my life? Can't I just crawl into a hole or live in a shack in the woods somewhere?" However, I've decided that there's no backing out now. I need to do this for myself for many different reasons. I need to maintain my sanity. I need to learn to grow up and take care of myself without relying on my parents. I need to start planning my life and my future - away from my family. I need to start cultivating a life with the BF without the intrusion of my family or his family during every moment we're together. I really think our lack of privacy takes a substantial toll on our relationship. Even though we've been together over a year now, I still think we haven't been able to connect as deeply as I know we can simply because we're both so stressed out by being at home still and dealing with our parents. Christ, I'm 24 and I still get phone calls from my father asking me when I'm coming home! It's ridiculous.

So anyway, I'm diving head-first into the world of homeownership. Let's hope I don't drown.

It's like the Apocalypse down there.

I've been keeping up with all the developments along the Gulf Coast post-Katrina and I have to say I am both fascinated and horrified. It's like a real-life Lord of the Flies except on a much, much bigger and more devastating scale. People don't know what to do with themselves - and it seems like it's getting scarier by the minute. There have been shots fired at rescue helicopters! There are reports of sniper fire! It's tumbling toward anarchy and that is terrifying. I've been watching video on CNN documenting what is going on down there and it's so hard to believe that I'm watching footage of a major, iconic American city. People are wandering around in a daze. I can't even begin to imagine the fear and frustration they must be feeling. Not only are they shut off from water, electricity, food and other necessities, but many of them are shut off from friends and family. I saw one interview of a woman who was certain her family thought she was dead because she had no way to contact anyone. In other video, a woman told of how she started having contractions while swimming to get help for her five-year-old who was having an asthma attack. She, luckily, was airlifted to a hospital where she had her baby - she has no idea where her five-year-old is.

The photos of the devastation are just incredible. I was looking through an online album of "after" photos and at first glance, one of them looked like a picture of a lake. Upon looking more closely, I could just barely make out the roofs of hundreds of homes and the tops of hundreds of trees! It's all underwater! I can just imagine in a couple hundreds years children learning about "the old city of New Orleans. You can still see the foundations of the homes and the remnants of roads, children, at the bottom of Lake New Orleans!"

On top of all of this, I can't help but be astounded at the rising gas prices. My "cheap" gas station by the office jumped from being a $2.81/gallon at nine this morning to being $2.97 at noon! That's almost a 6% increase in three hours!! And from what I read, it's only going to get worse. Yesterday, I spent over $30 filling my tank - and I drive a Honda Civic! One woman I work with drives a Chevy Suburban and spends over $70 filling up. That is just mind-boggling to me. To think I used to complain about having to spend 20!

I pray for the day when this is all over. When we're no longer fighting a meaningless war, when gas prices are back to normal and when those poor people have returned to their homes and their lives - or at least have had the opportunity to begin new ones.