I am all too aware that I have no provided the RDA of awesome monkey photos, hysterical commentary about the state of affairs in the world today, etc. In my defense, I've had a lot going on, including:
Plantar fasciitis. Yeah, this is exactly what I needed to add extra sizzle to the marathon training -- a foot injury that keeps me from hitting the road for at least the next two weeks. (Doctor's orders, as of yesterday.) You should see me when I first get up in the morning: I lurch around like Boris Karloff in Frankenstein. And limp all day. And whimper occasionally from the pain spasms. Dignity, thy name is Lisa.
Figuring out what all the mystical mumbo jumbo surrounding a mortgage means, so that I might shake the suspicion that everyone associated with lending money is in the business of lying for the sheer fun of it, and taking their financial cues from drunken sailors. Sadly, this has had the opposite effect: I am fantastically paranoid about whatever motives and agenda our mortgage broker has, and if I could inject him with sodium pentathol or hook him up to a polygraph machine prior to each meeting, I would.
Some fairly awesome articles for work. Which I have not yet finished writing. And will not link here because I don't like the idea of mixing up the day job with the writing I do for fun.
A lot of driving. We went to Solvang a while back for fancy-schmancy kitchen knives (long story) and some seriously excellent tippling, courtesy of the Royal Oaks winery (I recommend the Niagara, the Noir Blanc and the Ollaliberry). We took the Memorial Day weekend off from driving, but spent five hours in a Subaru dealership securing our new car. And I spent last weekend doing The Five to San Francisco and back on (for an overnight trip), and I will be doing another overnight trip next weekend. I had been planning on doing the A's Macy's 5K Fun Run. Now, not so much with that. And probably not so much with the Redondo Beach-based 12th Annual 4th of July 5K Run/Walk & Little Moon Firecracker Dash.
A lot of laundry. All those people online who claim cats don't pee out of spite are wrong, wrong, wrong. And I know that yes, when the cat bypasses the cleaned-nightly litterbox in favor of pulling down the bath towels and peeing on them, he's trying to communicate. But what is he trying to communicate, if not I am a tremendous, spiteful asshole who resents your not letting me eat the chives in the garden, and I love expressing that idea through urine? I have watched Zito bounding out of a pile of towels, his urine practically steaming on the fabric, it's so fresh. And he looks pretty darn happy. And confused as I dive for the Oxyclean and the pile of quarters, bellowing the entire time, "I am going to sell you to an exotic foods grocer and make a fortune, you fat, spiteful, evil animal!" Seriously. A buck a pound? We could go out to dinner afterward and celebrate a life free of spite pee.
A little bit of salvage. I have officially become a dumpster-diver -- if you count "diving" as "drafting Erin to help me carry this very nice baker's rack from the apartment complex trash area to my balcony." (I know! Someone threw it out! I love the first weekend of the month, when all the people moving out elect to ditch things instead of packing.) And then I sited it so I could get the maximum sun for my tomatoes, peppers, and herbs, while also clearing up floor space. Not only am I digging on the vertical storage (I'm using the bottom two shelves to store garden supplies and water), I'm also pleased that this blocks the one means of escape the cats had off the balcony. So long as Zito's wrecking towels nightly, why not give him one more reason to pee?
So you can see where I've been distracted. Any advice on foot ailments, feline psychological problems, securing pre-approval for mortgages and getting my rosemary to perk up appreciated.
Plantar faciitis is the worst, and I'm sorry it's screwing up your marathon training. I work retail, and have suffered verily. One tip my doc gave me was really random, but it helps: when I get in bed at night, I "spell" the alphabet with each foot, as if I'm writing it with my big toe. Then, when I wake up in the morning, I do it again. It really does make a difference, at least for me, and I hope you are in less pain soon.
Posted by: Julia | 2005.06.07 at 20:04
I fought the battle of spite pee for a long time until it (crosses fingers) seems like maybe I've won a battle or two. I'm sure that you've done the obvious things like making sure that he doesn't have cystitis and removing any lingering odor with an enzyme cleaner. Beyond that, I had some luck with the pheromone spray, Feliway. I also used Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract Cat Litter until he was consistently using the box again then switched to the regular Dr. Elsey's litter.
When I was looking to buy a house, I got a recommendation on a realtor from a friend and got pre-approval through the in-house financing so that I could look at houses. It was pretty simple, but I'm sure that it is more stressful when you are dealing with CA real estate.
Posted by: Erica | 2005.06.08 at 01:00
On the plantar fasciitis--I just cleared up mine a few months ago by wearing shoes all the time, from the second I got out of bed in the morning until I went to bed at night. I didn't want to wear dirty shoes in the house, so I got some new wool clogs that look sort of like house shoes; I got them from a store specializing in comfortable, healthy shoes. I swear--I didn't do anything else to solve the problem besides wear those clogs at home all the time, and it worked very well.
Posted by: Amy D | 2005.06.08 at 07:15
While I have no intimate experience with "spite pee" (thank you!), I did go the whole mortgage route solo a few years back. I second the recommendation to get broker referrals from people you know -- I think I drove my broker insane with constant phone calls and questions, "What's this fee?" "What does that term mean?" "Why is the bank offering me way more money than I need?" and of course, "Please gawd, explain the whole 'points' thing to me again. . ."
It's an exhilerating experience, buying your own home -- doing it as a single upped the terror factor a bit but I can honestly say I love my little condo, I think I made the right decision and I still have enough money left over after paying the mortgage to feed and clothe myself. And occasionally scuba dive -- good deal. (Oh, if you're interested, look into the option of paying half your mortgage every two weeks rather than the full amount once a month -- it effortlessly trims a couple of years off the life of your mortgage.)
Ask questions, lots and lots of 'em -- ask friends, family, co-workers -- blow off any broker, bank or realtor who will not take the time to walk you through the process -- this is one of the major purchases of your life, don't let anyone forget that.
And make lists, lots and lots of 'em. Questions, timelines, to-do lists, contacts -- I think I personally took out an entire forest of legal pads during my search but I went into the closing feeling (relatively) calm and in control.
Good luck! Have fun!
Posted by: JF | 2005.06.08 at 07:38
Oh, the spite pee. I know it well. Just because I don't want the cat sitting on my chest when I have bronchitis doesn't mean I don't love her. Peeing on my bed while I'm in it? (Wait, why are my feet wet?) Yeah, getting closer to not loving her...
Posted by: Cori | 2005.06.08 at 09:44
Oh lord have I learned about mortgages.
I think the Howstuffworks site covers it best - you can shop around for lots of different options with banks and a mortgage broker. We haggled and I got a good rate. Plus when you get to the pre-approval stage you get some specific breakdowns of what your costs will be and what they go for ($50 for a courier, $175 for deed registration, etc).
Here's what I can tell you from a) experience and b) my Cambridge first-time homebuyer's class:
As for their special first-time buyer deals
Never pay points (unless you've got crap credit)
If your credit score is over 620 you should qualify for a conventional loan with conventional financing
The cash you need to cough up to pay for things - aka the downpayment - comes faster than you think, about 3 weeks after the purchase and sale agreement is signed - so be ready
Your closing costs will be more than you think - ask for an estimate then add abou 50% more to it
You will be flat broke when it is over - make sure you can make some awesome mustard soup
We just closed last week. I'm working on ketchup sandwiches for dinner tonight.
Posted by: alyssa | 2005.06.08 at 11:19
Hi Lisa!
I may in fact have info that would be helpful! I'm so happy to be useful!
I work for a sub-prime mortgage lender (for folks with not-so-good credit) in the legal department, and my company doesn't do any loan brokering, so my knowledge may not be perfectly applicable, but here are some things to keep an eye out for:
General: Lending in CA is regulated under the CA Residential Mortgage Lending Act, the CA Real Estate Law, and the CA Finance Lenders Law. Lenders and brokers are also licensed under these laws, and all of this is overseen by the CA Dept. of Corporations (www.corp.ca.gov/fsd/fsd.htm). I would visit the Dept of Corporations site, as it has some good info and a list of who is licensed, and Google the laws to get an idea of what lenders and brokers are allowed to do in CA ('cause they don't always do what they should, for malice, or ignorance, or whatever reason - not to scare you, just to make you aware).
I checked our summary of state statutes, and unless you'll be buying a place that costs less than $250K (not so likely in metropolitan CA) I don't think there are any specific regulations governing fees and such.
Some other bits and pieces:
Points: Can mean fees, can mean money paid to the lender, can mean money paid to the broker. Limited in some way by many states, defined differently in many states. Check out CA's regulations!
Lender points and pre-payment penalties (watch out for PPPs, especially if you think you will refinance within 5 years!) are generally used to "buy down" your interest rate - you pay a bit more up front or if you refi within a certain time, and in return the lender lowers your rate. If you have good credit, though, you should be able to get a good interest rate without paying points or agreeing to a PPP, so I would try to haggle your way out of them. Ask about other lender fees as well. Not all lenders will charge you application fees or origination fees. Some states will also allow you to choose your own mortgage insurance provider if your lender requires mortgage insurance, so you may be able to shop around on that as well.
If you're using a broker to help you find a lender, look out for broker fees - ask what kinds and how much they typically charge. You will find brokers charging application fees, processing fees, credit check fees, and just plain old broker fees, even when the lender is charging you for some of the same services.
Also keep an eye on closing/settlement agent fees - if you're working with a broker, you will generally be able to choose your closing agent, so ask the broker or the closing agent what exactly they'll be doing for you and how much they'll be charging you for it.
That's all I can think of for now, but please feel free to e-mail me with questions. I have quite a few resources at my disposal, and I am more than happy to put them to use for you. Good luck!
Posted by: Vickie | 2005.06.08 at 17:29
Plantar Fasciitis: Yucky. Alphabet foot & a decent pair of expensive, ugly-in-that-European-way, practical everyday shoes(I like Mephisto) - both work wonders. For immediate pain, try frozen bagged peas. Plop a bag on the floor and set your foot on it. You can wrap it in a towel if you prefer. It cradles your heel & arch perfectly, and helps the achy, hot pain.
Posted by: Lynn | 2005.06.10 at 19:37
I completely hate peas, but I'm thinking the idea of using them as a little moldable ice pack is totally the way to go. Thank you!
Posted by: Lisa | 2005.06.10 at 22:14
Plantar fasciitis. Where is/are the tears - heel or ball? I agree with Amy D about wearing shoes all the time. I strongly suggest that you wear shoes in the shower too, and keep off of hard surfaces even if you have good shoes. If you do your dishes in the sink, use a stool (I know, you’ll have to break it apart first - very funny) or better yet, get someone else to do them. Do you use an insert - one that replaces what the shoe comes with? You may want to experiment with one’s designed for athletic use. The extra cushioning can help. Stay away from orthotics - not that they are a bad thing, it’s just that they will treat the symptom and not the cause (long story).
Finally, I’ve had a couple of flare ups in the past year and have had good success with massaging the area. I also used a combination of essential oils that promote circulation (as it is the body that heals itself); however, I have not experimented with not using oils or not massaging, so I cannot quantify the effect of the oils. I certainly wouldn’t discount the positive mental strokes from the act of “doing something” to help the situation.
And now to completely mess with your mind (sorry), have you had you gait analysed? Also, you may want to check out a different form called chi running. The osteopath that helps keep my body functioning (long story) has approved of the approach - I am in the process of learning to run.
As for cats who pee out of spite, I have not had the pleasure. Cats are funny - any kind of change could take them to the tipping point. I bought a house last year because I ended up with several rescues - yes, I bought the house - correction, the bank bought the house for my cats (I think I forgot to mention that to them though). I can live in a shoe box, the cats cannot. I would make suggestions on mortgages, but I live in southern Ontario.
Good luck with the house. One caution - the damn things actually require attention from time to time. I much prefer the shoebox.
PS This post was brought to you by All About Alliteration
Posted by: Tracy | 2005.06.11 at 16:47