is it just me?

right. so. where were we? First, LA. It's nice there. When you go almost anywhere warm from Wisconsin in the less warm months, the new place seems to be in technicolor. It's kind of crazy. It was gorgeous and sunny the whole time, and we enjoyed the sea air and the palm trees. You know you live somewhere with good weather when people complain at 68 degrees that it is "too chilly" and then complain at 79 degrees that it is "too hot". Yes, no one in LA is happy unless it is exactly 74 and sunny all the time, apparently. Spoiled brats. The people in LA were not quite as LA-ish as I had imagined them to be. I mean sure, people are in general thinner, tanner and better dressed than here in America's dairyland, but it is not the non-stop glamourville that I had pictured. Perhaps I need to watch less television? I'll be honest, I didn't make it to Hollywood, so perhaps had I been there I would feel differently. And I did feel a bit zaftig at the wedding, but someone there who is actually kind of famous told me she loved my dress (score!) so it can't have been all bad. Said famous person also brought her kids, and I was somewhat consoled by the fact that even kids of famous people act kind of bratty at weddings. Overall they were very well behaved, but they did cause their mother to have to leave in the middle of the ceremony (the main reason I didn't want to bring my kid to the wedding) so what US Weekly says is true - stars: they really ARE just like us. Kind of.

Anyway, we got to see lots of friends and eat many many fish tacos and overall had a grand time. I can see why lots of my friends want to stay in LA, but I am pretty sure it's not for me. Too much traffic and driving. Too many people. And the houses are way too expensive.

before I forget
I was walking across campus the other day and some charming group of students was having an Israel day celebration. They had info booths, music, and tons of tiny Israeli flags. But my favorite part was that they had this giant bounce castle that was festooned with flags. haha. Because when I think of the crisis in the Middle East, I for SURE think of inflatable fun.

house for sale
so, the primary reason for my not posting is that I have been totally consumed by the process of selling my house. It is now sold (amen and hallelujah) so I have freed up some goofing off time. We have a really small house so in order for potential buyers to not feel like the walls were closing in around them and be in danger of being buried in an avalanche of tennis rackets and camping equipment when they opened the closets, we spent two weeks getting most of the stuff out of our house. And let me say, it is very nice and roomy in there now! We put all the stuff in a POD which is now at some mystery storage site close to the interstate (I'm guessing that's where it is). I cannot say enough good things about PODS. The clever people who came up with that are tops in my book. Unfortunately, every day I think of something else that is in the POD that I sort of wish was here with me, but oh well. Nothing that I really can't live without until we move in July and get the POD back. The worst part is that in a fit of optimism on a warm day I packed up all my sweaters. Every single one. And then it got cold. So I wear the same zip up hoodie to work every other day, alternating with weather-inappropriate attire and freezing my butt off. It's been a lot of fun.

So, once we got the place all spruced up we had an open house. We decided to sell the place ourselves (because we are crazy gluttons for punishment) which meant I got to deal with all the open house crazies in person. We got our first stalker just days after listing the house. He emailed asking to see it early, and we said no. He emailed back saying nothing much more compelling than "please?" and we said no. Then he emailed AGAIN saying he had just stopped by our house and looked in the windows and "are you not at home"? Um...NO. First of all, we are at work like normal people in the middle of a weekday. Secondly, even if we were home, I can guarantee you the house was not ready to show at that exact moment. So, at that point I decided he was a total stalker and made him leave us alone. He showed up at the open house and acted extremely judgmental about the house. He complained about the lack of garage (clearly stated in the listing) and wondered why there were no screen doors. He said some things were too small, and then my favorite...he looked around the dining room and said "Why are the walls green?" Well...I...because...well....um...you see....I was standing there desperately trying to think of a polite answer to that question (I am trying to sell the place after all) and all I could come up with was "we thought it set it off nicely from the living room" to which he replied "huh". At that point I was more than ready for him to make a hasty exit which he eventually did, without saying thank you or goodbye.

We got a lot of interesting comments, most of them very complimentary. One lady said our decision not to update the cabinets (which are original and designed by the architect) "interesting" and clearly not in a good way. People say that things are "different", also not in a good way. But phooey to them because we got several offers and sold the place in under a week. So there. It is super weird to be standing in your house and have all these people looking around, opening your cabinets, flushing your toilets, etc. I actually had one person who stood there and waited for the water to run hot and which point she reported to her husband "hot water works!" And I wanted to say 'do you honestly think I live her with a baby and no dishwasher and no hot water?' Believe me, I have spent time boiling water for a hot bath and it is not something I want to do on a regular basis. I live three miles from downtown, in a very residential area and someone asked us if we were on the city water/sewer system. I was tempted to tell them no, and point out that what LOOKS like a pond in the backyard is actually a well, and all the faucets are for show. You have to pull your own water. I would be very curious to know the ratio of people who came to people who were actually in the market for a new house. I think it is probably distressingly low, which is why our real estate agent friend told us open houses aren't worth anything. But, it worked for us, which is good because if I had to show my house every day for the next month I would probably kill someone. And my dog would be REALLY tired of living in the trunk of my car.

Anyway, it has been an experience. Not one I am sure I would recommend to anyone, but still kind of fun. Especially since it worked. I have a little bit of fun gloating when I get mail (everyday) from some realtor saying "Congratulations on trying to sell your home yourself! When it doesn't work out, give us a call!" ha. Not so fast, suckers. But I will say this: real estate is not for the faint of heart, or for the risk averse. Being quite risk averse and somewhat faint of heart, it has taken its toll on me, but I think it is nothing that a few cocktails and some good sleep can't cure.

other than that
I really need to get my notebook. because I saw about a million things to post here in the last month, and now "poof!" as my brain has officially turned to scrambled eggs. sigh.