Limbo

So, I just have to vent. For once, this isn't about finding a husband or my medical woes. Oddly, I don't feel the urgency or need for those things to be settled right now. It feels good for once, but I guess I have to feel urgency and need about something.

For the past several years, I've been living in two places. It was fun at first, but I longed to be rooted in Auburn. With grandmothers not doing so hot, and always being back in Birmingham, I decided to table the Auburn dream and root back in the 'Ham. My townhouse here never got on the sales market (because there was just no way it would sell at a reasonable price for me), and it never rented out. I considered renting, but let's be real - who would rent to someone with four cats and a dog? Next, I thought about moving back into Mom's house. She pretty much has an apartment in her basement. I offered to do renovations and work to update the basement and make it really nice to live in (it's awesome, just needs some updating), but my brother still lives at her house and that would cut into his music room. All the while, I was peeking on the MLS from time to time, browsing homes for sale.

Last year, I looked at some places. Some were pretty neat, but I really just don't want to live alone right now. It's not that I'm afraid or anything, I just like having people to cook for and be around. I looked at a few places a couple weeks ago and it was a total bust.

This week, I bit the bullet and braved the more expensive homes. I don't want to spend a ton of money on a THIRD home until I get the townhouse figured out, but because the housing market is turning around, homes are higher priced than before, and they are selling quickly, so I feel a little pressure to make my move on something if I like it. I looked at the higher priced homes because I wanted to compare what I would be getting with them against what I would get with the cheaper ones (and I was realizing the amount of money I would spend to update the cheaper ones would come close to costing the price of a more expensive one).

Well, I found a house. I crunched numbers, I took an AWESOME, VERY NICE, VERY INFORMED friend to look at the house yesterday and help me peek around and find ways to justify offering a lower price on the home. We found some problems with it, but all fairly straightforward fixes. I got creative on how to come up with the extra money needed for the higher down payment, and I made an offer. Everyone involved (on my side) was very pleased with the house and excited about the move.

This house was made for me. Open floor plan. garden tub, huge walk-in closet, lots of natural light, awesome basement and other cool features, and not much yard. I researched prices of bumper pool tables and dart board machines, closet built-ins, and wall paper. I made a list of all my furniture and started planning how everything would fit.

Turns out, the house sold yesterday. It was a cash sale, no inspection, barely a contract period (I'm talking a couple of days). I am crushed. The thing is, my best friend from high school and her daughter (my goddaughter) are planning on living with me. This house is a girl's house. It was made for us. And if my townhouse is going to be rented, I have to get the cats out ASAP (because people who don't like cats, and to be fair, are allergic, tend to have extreme reactions to cats having ever been in a house). To get the cats out, I need a place to put them. To have a place to put them, I have to have a place ready to move in. To be ready to move in, I need to have the house painted and any renovations that need to be done, finished to get the cats in. In order to launch my craft business, I need a good workspace, which I don't have in the townhome. In order to start having income, I need to launch my business.

So, back to the title of the post, I'm in limbo. I'm not giving up, but I'm not going to lie: I'm living in complete denial about the house I want. It's still listed as active on the websites, and there's something so shady sounding about the deal, I'm really wanting to believe it's not true. Hopefully, the house will be mine, but I don't want to live in un-reality, either.

It's just a really frustrating time and I am so ready for everything to be settled.

The people you meet, the places you go

I've met several people on my trip to the ATL area. Most interesting were the people touring botanical gardens all over the United States.

My brother, who had been traveling with me, decided to go back home since he wasn't feeling well. A little bummed, but totally confident, I made my way down to the manager's reception for some snacks and wine. While there, I met the group touring botanical gardens.

It's not an official botanical gardens job, but they do make sure everything is going well and looking good for those of us that enjoy botanicals.

Sounds like a cool job, eh?

Hopefully, they'll holler at me when they get to Birmingham in July and we'll meet up again :)
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How much of a spreadhead am I now?

Tonight was #7 for me. After lots of talk and study on the method to the setlist madness, I made a list of all my favorites (excluding most covers because, well, there are nearly as many covers as originals ... and that's a LOT). I marked off the ones where there was no chance they would be played (X), probably not be played (/), possibly not be played (\), and dotted the ones that have been played this tour (one dot per play). It took a couple hours :)

Next, I circled the ones I really wanted to hear and had a good chance of play. Would you know that I got 4 so far? ("Pigeons," "Send Your Mind," "Little Kin," and "Red Hot Mama") I think that's pretty cool. And several were played that were on the master list, but not circled.

So, let's see ... I've traveled to see WP twice so far, I have the ink, I spend about $100/year on tshirts and memorabilia, and I make friends at the shows. The first song I figured out by ear to play on the bass was "Imitation Leather Shoes." I even own several DVDs of shows so I can watch when I'm not seeing them live.

I guess all that's left on the WP bucket list is: be a roadie, take my kids to a show, have them play at my wedding (and other applicable major events), go on tour with the band and crew, finish the tattoo, and see "Bears Gone Fishing," "Fishing," "Sparks Fly," and "Climb to Safety."

I can't wait for tomorrow night!


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Musings

Yesterday, I had a palm reading at Underground Atlanta.

Being a Christian, it took me a long time to get up the nerve to get a tarot reading, but I voiced my concerns to my first "reader" and she was really cool and respectful. What was supposed to be a 20 minute session turned into an hour because my cards were just really cool. I don't do it to see the future, but to sort out my emotions. If you don't understand what I mean by this and how it's possible to be a Christian and justify fortune telling (for a general purpose term), all I can say is you just have to do it for entertainment purposes to see what I mean. I don't dwell on what they see in my future, but I focus on my question at hand (usually, "WTF am I doing and what should I be doing?") and see what the cards "say." Depending on their "answer," I ponder my feelings about it - not as if it's written in stone, but as a way to explore different paths. It's really hard to explain, but I can say that an hour with tarot cards goes a lot farther than $150 and 50 minutes with a therapist.

Anyway ... So, I got my palms read for the first time yesterday. My reader said I was a creative person and very caring towards others, that I worry too much and I don't write enough, even though I have a talent for it. She also said I wouldn't get married and I wouldn't have kids, so I'm not dwelling on that part. I do believe I have a higher purpose in a relationship, so I'm not sweating it.

But the reading got me thinking. All that stuff about my personality and character was true. I am deeply creative and I used to write all the time (as in I was always journaling). I have a blog that I never update. So, maybe that was my kick in the ass I needed to keep this little project up. It doesn't have to be the story of my life, I just need to share what's on my mind, serious or random.
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Operation: Get Yo' Hippie On 2013 v1.0

I've been in Atlanta for 24 hours!

Brother and I met in Auburn, hopped on the shuttle bus, and got in yesterday evening. I still don't do well on the MARTA. That thing is freaky, with the wobbling and all. Ugh!

We had dinner at Mary Mac's, and it did not disappoint. Why is there not truly good soul food in Alabama? I had chicken fingers, mac n cheese, green beans, and squash souffle. Omnomnom. :) Also, the pot likker actually made collards look appetizing to me, and I enjoyed it.

This morning, we went to Little 5 Points so I could check out the Bohemian district. (What would a hippie trip be without a trip to see the bohos?) We ate lunch at the Vortex, after I netted $47 on the lotto. Holla!

I wanted to see the Margaret Mitchell house, but the shuttle bus driver was being a dick and wouldn't take me there (um, it's 1/10 of a mile outside of your area, drop me as close as you can get). WTF?!?

Tonight is the Black Crowes and I think we're going to Ted's Montana Grill before for dinner.


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Rusted Root

Back in February or so, a little bird let it spill that Rusted Root would be at Iron City in Birmingham sometime in April. That was probably the best news, musically, in a long time. Because I haven't seen Rusted Root since I was 16! It was a very chill show, not high energy and super-tribal like I remember them way back when. I heard several of my favorites and it was a night I will not regret. 

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Dave Matthews Band

My last night of my 20's was spent with Dave Matthews Band at Oak Mountain Ampitheatre. It wasn't no Widespread, Tom Petty, or Crue, but grooving to "Jimi Thing" and ending with "Ants Marching" was pretty cool :) 

Good ol' Alan was my "date" for the night and I officially turned 30 on Highway 31 in Homewood, on our way to Nana Funks for a celebratory birthday drink. As it turned out, 2 Good People Browns, 1 shot of Crown, and 1 Royal Flush Shooter, all after midnight, but with a comfortably full stomach, did not for a good birthday make. Talk about a hangover! (The slice from, er, Slice, and the hot dog with grilled onions from Paul's hot dog stand were amaze-balls, BTW.)

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