Friday, September 17, 2010

m -

Let me briefly – and then I’ll let it go, I swear – whine about the fact that PODs are uber-expensive and therefore undoable. It’s a major wrench in my Moving Well, as opposed to Moving Badly, plans. Now we have to figure out something else, which so far amounts to us clearing out a big corner of the den and packing and stacking. And separating, since some crazy wacko thinks she’s going to have a Moving Sale in the midst of all this madness.

But moving on. The plan is to complete a small series of large projects this weekend, everything that has to be done before pictures are taken, and, by Wednesday, list. LIST. Like yard signage, St. Joseph statue buried, the whole nine. And once it’s listed, we’ll continue forth with leftover projects like deck-staining and window/grout-cleaning, etc. And praying. Lots of praying.

J.Lo and I visited le new town yesterday afternoon and evening, and I’m liking it. Hills, M, hills. It’s an hour from the Blue Ridge Parkway and also an hour from an apple-picking place. Besides the park and the trails and the riverwalk and the farmer’s market, all in town. Our fave neighborhood is downtown, with it’s sidewalks, bike paths and tree-lined (hilly – did I mention hills?) streets. We scouted out a few other potential houses outside the downtown area and were merely *meh* about them. Not just the houses, but the neighborhoods. There are eyesores in the midst for sure, like the sad and abandoned giant mill from Once Upon a Time. And we officially encountered our first why the eff are you moving here? snark, which made us laugh and laugh and laugh. Because we know we’re going to get a lot of that. And hopefully we’ll keep on laughing.

And I insisted on eating for dinner authentic local cuisine, but instead we ended up at Red Lobster. *sigh* I mean, I suppose the coconut shrimp with pina colada sauce was rather delicious, but still. Chain restaurant, can’t we eat there anytime? And then we scouted out the other chain stuff, like the Target (could you buy a banana there? was it a Super Target? no it was not, sadly, but it did have a Starbucks), and Marshall’s-Ross-Old Navy-and even Sam’s Club? which was mildly shocking. It’s still not clear where in the hell people buy groceries ‘round those parts, other than SuperWalMart and the ever-questionable Food L!on, but I suppose we’ll manage. I mean, obviously. We’ll persevere.

I want the house on the street with the cannon. J.Lo wants the brick two-story. We haven’t seen the inside of anything downtown yet – but we will. And you’ll hear all about it. Because apparently we’re really doing this thing.

wowza.

pen

7 comments:

ashley said...

Hills are so essential. I always loved that part of driving home from ILM - the moment that it wasn't just an endlessflatstretch to the horizon but that there were dips and bends. It sounds lovely. I'm already planning a photo expedition of all these places...

And go for the cannon! BOOM!

somebody's mom said...

Given that the city of Danville actually has a snowplow division or unit, check what the snow plow priority is on the street for any house you consider. It could be the balance tipper. (California girls know about these things) M's brother lives on a street that is a 'first plowed' street, meaning that people can get to work and from work (after you plunge through the alley which homeowners have to clear )and emergency services could get to you but you can't park on the street when it snows.

almost anonymous said...

Yes, if there's snow it's definitely more convenient to be on a first plowed street, especially with hills.

After the mayor moved up the street from my parents we only had to worry about getting down the driveway, rather than the driveway, then the hill.

Not that it's something I'd necessarily remember to consider in my house hunting.

~sarah said...

It never occurred to me that new job=new house. Where is the blog about this?! : ) It seems all the sprucing up you've been doing lately will now help you sell faster, so that's good. How do the employees feel about all of this?

pen said...

I hadn't considered the snow thing! Although (fingers crossed) we'll be living in a neighborhood that's in walking distance to school/work. Off-street parking will be a must. The employees are fine! K.Lo is processing away. She might freak out after we move and want to go home, but I plan on making her new room - er, cubicle - really fantastic.

jenn said...

Any place that's an hour from the Parkway and apple picking sounds like heaven to me! And I agree that hills are essential. The downtown area sounds lovely. . . hope you find the perfect place there!

Andria said...

I'm so excited everyone seems to be excited and embracing it! Even if it is a front - self-fulfilling prophecy at work, right?