an all-time low

Things have been tight around the KK household as of late. Between me making half my salary, and every last dime going towards house renovations, there is ZERO room for anything fun, like manicures, dinners out or name-brand cheese.

And just when I thought I couldn't be more pathetic, I sent THIS email to Mr. KK:

"I'm going to stop by the Goodwill on the way home to see if I can get a costume for the party. And guess what? I have a coupon!"

mish mash

I've been away. For a while.

But I have excuses.

And some of them are pretty good.

First, I have a bad case of the "poor me's".

Mr. KK and I received some bad news a little over a week ago (no, the Big C isn't back), so I went into semi-hibernation to cry without people questioning me, and heal from the inside out.

And let's not forget that we're trying to sell a house in a shitty economy! While we DID secure buyers - albeit ones with a house to sell and a Hubbard Clause in tow - guess what we also got as a bonus? A home inspection claiming high levels of RADON in our beautiful house. So this whole time I've been in love with my home's old-school charm, I have been slowly dying of lung cancer. Awesome.

This super-fun discovery almost cost us our buyers, because the female wasn't able to get past it. But we agreed to mitigate the issue (cha-ching! There's another $1000!) and she agreed to not worry and back out of the deal.

And while we're selling a house, we're also renovating a house! You know those people on HGTV who make a big deal out of their house renovation, and it takes over their lives and becomes a full-time job? Well, all of that's true. Except we Mr. KK and I have full-time jobs. So we research bathroom sconces at 11:30pm on a Tuesday. Communicate about backsplash options via text. And we're both forced to make decisions on our own. (My sincere apologies to all of you whom I made fun of, who did nothing but renovate a house 8 hours a day. Although I'd still like to know where you got your money that you can afford to renovate AND not work. Oh wait, that's what my annoying neighbors are doing!)

Don't even get me started on granite. They're all starting to look the same, and I hate them all.

On a better note, check out our house progress:

our new cabinets are in early...all 46 boxes of them!

the site of my future kitchen! BEFORE...

And AFTER!

take THAT termites! new window, new siding and new side of house.

As November approaches, I can't believe last year I participated in NaBloWriMo. I blogged every day for 30 days straight. I wish I could do it again. Perhaps I will set myself up for failure.

And to end with a chuckle, I wanted to share a resume that I got the other day. The top read:

OBJECTIVE: To obtain a job with XXXXXXXXX company.

I mean, really, people. A tiny bit of effort will really go a long way. And maybe even earn you a phone call.

a perfectly sane analogy

If you're new here, you might not know that my beloved Mac was taken from me when I left my horrid job. And for those of you that are old hat to this blog, well, you're sick of hearing about it.

But I'm not sick of talking about it.

That's why conversations like THIS happen at the KK household.

Setting: at the dining room table, both KK's staring at Mr. KK's tortoise-moving PC.

KK: "I need a Mac."

MR. KK: "We can't afford a Mac right now. This computer is just fine."

KK: "It sucks."

MR. KK: "It's fine." (He knows, that I know, that he knows, it's NOT fine)

KK: "You just don't understand. It's like...if someone took your lawn mower away from you, and you came home and I gave you a pair of scissors. And I was like, 'Hey, I know this will be frustrating, and it will take a lot longer, but it will get the job done!'."

I make a scissor motion with my fingers towards Mr. KK's head to get my point across.

MR. KK: ((blank stare)) "What is wrong with you?"

Does age matter?

In the few months that I've been working as a recruiter, it's become more and more apparent that the older you are, the harder it is to find a job. (no kidding, right?)

Today I have a woman interviewing for a Senior Medical Editor job, who is probably around 65. When I called to confirm her interview time, I said to my partner, "I wish she didn't answer the phone like she was dying."

To which my partner replied, "I think you should call the client and warn her about the candidate's age."

Really? What would I say, "Hey, that Grandma that comes in tomorrow isn't lost on her way to the Senior Center...she's your interviewee!"

My partner's argument, "If you were going to interview someone who was missing an eye, wouldn't you appreciate a phone call from me beforehand warning you of that?"

My response: "First of all, that's different. She's not missing a body part, she's just old. Older. Aged."

The candidate did NOT help my case when she asked, "How much does this job pay? I just signed up for social security, and I'm not allowed to make over $3,000 a month."

Good lord.

Now, I admit, I was a little taken aback by her appearance when I first met her. Her hair is snow white, and she had it pulled back into a bun. And she was wearing one of those dresses that button to the neck with the little ruffles.

I thought that calling a client to "warn" them about someone's age was age discrimination. Would I call the client and "warn" them that a client was only 22?

And speaking of being 22, the other candidate in line for this position IS 22.

"Maybe you can just tell her to 'hip it up' when she goes in to interview," my partner said.

"Like what? Tell her to wear skinny jeans?"

So I didn't call.

Gram will be just fine on her own.

no, it's not a mirage

I'm up early writing my novel.

And, I bought a desk for the new house yesterday to help create my "office"...aka, novel-writing room.

I figure by 2012 I'll finish.

Kidding!

(sort of)

severe Mac withdrawal

folks, part of the reason I haven't blogged much lately is my lack-o-computer situation.

i have Mr. KK's PC dinosaur, but using it usually brings me to tears of frustration and threats of throwing it out the window.

i.need.a.mac.

now.

however, i can't justify purchasing a mac when we're renovating a house, and every last dime is going into that project. not to mention my pay cut for my new job (not that I'm complaining, i'm WAAAAAAY happier).

here's a crazy idea: i set up a website for people to donate to my mac cause. then i can purchase a mac and blog every day, and make the world a better place!

too far fetched?

or perhaps i can go all 'shopaholic' and sell all of my clothes.

or an organ.

living the clean life

The worst thing about trying to sell your house, is keeping it CLEAN 24/7 for showings.

We're lucky that we've had many requests for showing, but with people coming through here 3-4 times a week, we are constantly putting things away, vacuuming and making the bed. I mean, who lives like that?

And because I'm afraid of being robbed during a showing, I've also started living out of my car. I packed all of my "valuables" - jewelry, ipod, safety deposit box - in lucite shoe boxes so that I can grab them each morning and put them in my trunk. Most of the time I forget to take them out every night, so the walkers and joggers who go buy our house every morning have the pleasure of watching me accessorize in the driveway.

But it wasn't all for nothing. We received an offer on our house! This specific couple came back to see our house THREE times, the third time bringing their contractor with them to see if it was feasible to put on an addition.

Our real estate agent said to us, "Who would've thought that your crazy neighbors and their construction of an addition would actually help you sell your house???"

Fingers crossed it all works out. They have to sell their house before they can buy ours (Hubbard Clause that they wouldn't get rid of), but we can keep showing our house and accepting other offers.

On a side note: it's monsooning out and our kitchen cabinets are being delivered to the new house, about a month before we need them. Today ought to be fun!