Worldly Weather

So, it's about 30 degrees in Minnesota right now. My sister is just arriving for her year + stay in Japan. It is 77 degrees in Fukui right now. If my mom were in Florida right now, it'd be 73 there. Maybe I *do* need to get out of here...

It is finally Spring! (quick, sell your house)

Today is Friday May 6th. The snow piles are entirely gone from the parking lot at my work. It is going to be sunny and 70 degrees today. It is finally Spring! I was beginning to wonder (after the snow flurries we had last week) if spring was ever going to make an appearance. Better late than never, as they say.

Spring is the time for changes. The snow melts, the world blooms, the roads get repaired... This Spring brings a lot of changes for the people in my life. My boyfriend's parents have put their house on the market and have purchased a new home in Oklahoma. While his father has already moved, his mother is still around, readying the house for potential buyers and finishing out the school year. Moose is no stranger to moving. His parents moved to Minnesota 13 years (or so) ago when he was 9 years old. Before that, they lived in Michigan. And before that, they lived in California. (They lived in other places before California, but these are the moves that Moose was present for.) The move doesn't seem to bother him much. His parents keep saying "Let's not stay in another house this long!" I guess it's in their nature. Plus, they've agreed to fly us to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving. So, at least we'll get to visit.

In other news, my mother intends to move as well! She also has spent the last year or so fixing up our house, which is significantly older than Moose's house. 100 years versus 15 years... hmm... Also, my family has lived in the house for 30 years. There was quite a bit of touch up to be done. Repainting, removing carpet, replacing carpet, selling personal items... All told, there are few places of the house that actually feel like my home. I don't mean to make that sound depressing, but it is true. I think my mother is happy with the progress she has made, and intends to put the house on the market on May 9th. Once it sells, she intends to move to Florida to be closer to family and friends in the area.

That brings me to my dilemma... Moose and I live in a house with NO storage space. We are suddenly going to be bombarded with several boxes of childhood belongings (THAT WE WANT TO KEEP) and have nowhere to put them. Our house is already a disaster all of the time due to lack of storage space. It's only going to get worse! Luckily, we only have 4 months left on our lease. Which means we can move into a new house or apartment with lots of storage space (hopefully). I've been looking at new places, but I haven't seen anything good yet. I've also been toying with the idea of buying a house. Sure, it would mean I'd have to empty out my 401k for a down payment... but oh well. I don't think it's in the cards, anyway. Maybe in another year or two.

If anyone needs a house in Chanhassen, MN or Duluth, MN. Hit me up! I can send you the MLS links easily.

Good morning, Minnesota

IT IS SO COLD.

Hot Minneapolis is Hot

I'm sitting here at my desk, drinking horrible soldier-themed coffee and eating generic Ritz crackers (they're not very Ritzy then are they) to stay awake. My work is an air conditioned, albeit plastic smelling paradise. It sometimes gets cold enough for me to wear a sweater. This is generally between cups of coffee, so we won't count it. In any case, I keep a sweater here for those occasions where I'm not drinking coffee.

I want to add a little bit of the air conditioned-ness and maybe some plastic smell to my house. Granted, I don't spend much time there these days. Between work (gone 7am to 4:30pm every week day) and spending time with Moose (<3<3<3<3<3), I generally only spend 2-3 hours a day at my house. My sister apparently feels like I no longer live there. HOWEVER, when I am at home, I am way too warm. I worry about my kitties overheating. I'd worry about Oscar as well, but he's not around right now (he's been in Duluth due to missing Henry and the 'rents). I'm not entirely sure how bunnies cope with heat, but being on the ground floor on the floor probably means Pepper is alright.

I want to buy a big-ass air conditioner. *peers off on the horizon, squinting, making sweeping gestures with her hands* It needs to be a big-un. Ten thousand... maybe twelve thousand BTU... whatever that stands for. I don't care enough to look it up even for this blog entry... Capable of somewhat cooling a small, three bedroom house... Allowing me to move my air conditioner into my bedroom so that I no longer have to sleep in inappropriate "clothing" if a manfriend or normal friend is staying over... It would be so sweet... I could make the house smell like plastic by attaching tiiinny little strands of duct tape on the fan output... they could waft in the delightful airy coolness of the hunk of metal and plastic designed to cool air... ahhh. *closes her eyes and sighs*

Hopefully I can get one. Every time I want to go look at a used one from Craigslist, it ends up selling before I can even look at it. I might be stuck dropping $300 on a new one. But damnit, it might be worth it at this point. 100 degree is unacceptable weather, Minneapolis. Damnit. Minneapolis, you should buy me an air conditioner if you're going to act like that. Watch out for my pimp hand.