perspicacious.org

You find all sorts of things while househunting. We saw a couple of houses that were outright dumps, completely trashed. We also saw this house which, while clean, could use just a leeetel more space. We are considering a condo right now. We like it, but it is major overpriced, so we'll see. A girl can dream, anyway. No more details lest I jinx myself.

I am typing this on my new groovy macbook, which I love. The school district is giving laptops to all teachers (for as long as we are employed). We get to keep them over the summer, too. I like the computer and the price a lot, but there are some issues to using a computer that is not really "mine." If I am going to make this my primary computer I need to get an external hard drive, I think. Any thoughts on that?

So after a year of looking intermittently at the classifieds and pining for a real house we own and don't have to move out of each summer, R and I are finally, really looking for a house. We went on Friday to my bank and got approved for a small mortgage with a pretty good interest rate. Here in Fairbanks the median home price is maybe $180,000, with a small 2-3 bedroom running around $150,000. That's too much for us, so we're looking for a teeny house, or (more likely) a condo. Either will be smaller than our current house. But it will be ours, it won't have someone else's junk in it, and we won't have to move out for 2 months of the year. I like that.

It's really not the most spectacular time to buy a house here (do you want to move when it's -20?) so most likely we won't find anything until spring. It's good to be looking, though. Now, to try to understand the home buying process and hidden fees and all that. I need someone smart to explain it all to me. In small words.

2007 in 20 words

just beginning to learn what I'm doing in this game of life and love. every day is a new surprise.

[2006]
[2005]
[2004]
[2003]
[2002]

How the time does fly. I have been in Alaska for almost 5 years, and with R for 4. I am in my 6th year of teaching. Heck, even the cats are 2 and 1/2 and 3 and 1/2 years old. I will be 30 soon. I think that's a good thing. Terrifying though it can be, it's good to see time move forward.

1. jackalope, 2. cathedral of saint francis, 3. tree of wishes for soldiers, 4. postcard wall, 5. alaskan sunset, 6. helping auntie light the jack-o-lanterns, 7. fall in Alaska, 8. mixing up the dough, 9. quit messing with me!, 10. warhol 15 min. "Kirigami: Exquisite Projects to Fold and Cut", 11. classroon, 12. various family, 13. denali rainbow, 14. in the jungle, 15. piper, 16. floo powder, 17. outside view of our summer cabin, 18. looking intently at the birdies, 19. run to the car!, 20. ice slide

fd's flickr toys.