Wild Ride

It hasn't been exactly a dull beginning to the year. Carrie got married in Austin, I changed jobs just beating the layoff axe, and I organized a costumed running event that inadvertently got international press coverage. Not bad for the first four months of 2005. Maybe those events triggered the need for more and better adrenaline fixes. Or maybe it's just One of Those Years. Whatever the case, the wild ride continues like a bucking bronco.

I was considering making some major improvements to my house (yeah, yeah, like cleaning it). But I quickly realized that if I sank any money into it at all, the location would not support a commensurate increase in real estate value; and my bedroom would still be too small. Suddenly selling my house and buying one more to my liking seemed like a stellar idea. Within 3 weeks, I had accomplished all tasks large and small I'd been meaning to do for the past 3 years.

The fake wood paneling darkening the hall and living room came down, followed by major spackling and sanding due to the panelers' generous and capricious use of finishing nails. I hired Keith-the-all-around-guy to paint the newly unpaneled walls and my Granny-Smith-apple green office a neutral cream color. I spent hours pulling up ugly carpet dating back to the Johnson administration, its rotting padding, and what seemed like thousands of staples and tacks to reveal the formerly shrouded red oak hardwood floors. Over the three weeks I accomplished these unvelings, every night I went to bed more stiff and sore than when I was training for Ironman. Not to mention the pain of the Home Depot $100 minimum every time I crossed their threshold. To paraphrase my dad's statement about aging, "Home improvement ain't fer sissies."

I cleaned and decluttered. I took over 20 garbage bags of donations to various charities, unloaded some "prizes" on friends, and over-populated the curb for every Wednesday's trash pickup. The only word that adequately describes what occurred with my living space is "transformation".

I had maybe 15 minutes to bask in the glow of my accomplishments before I was doubled over with real estate fear. One moment I was tied in knots over "What if my house sells, and I don't have any place to live?", then quickly teeter-tottered over to "What if my house doesn't sell, and I can't move into some fabulous new place?" My husband-and-wife team realtors, Jeff Kramer and Jodi Pahs, don't seem to be particularly religious; but nevertheless, I think they're contenders for canonization. My incessant calls, emails, whining, and fears... they have calmly and kindly fielded all of them, never once saying what any mortal would in such circumstances, "Shut up, ya damned baby!" No. Even over the phone, I can feel the hugs, the shoulder pats, and words that translate to "There, there, it will be alright." Besides offering a comforting presence, they also exhibit knowledge, intelligence, and the work ethics of Clydesdales. Who could ask for more?

So now... I found my house. I made an offer that was accepted on a house in The Village of Maple Bluff. Woo-woo... Maple Bluff is just a couple miles from my house and even the same Madison ZIP code. HOWEVER... it is one of the ritzier areas of Madison, and just living in MB will give me limited MB Country Club privileges. I'm not sure HOW limited yet, but I know it includes some golf, tennis & pool privileges. This is THE textbook real estate score—the tiniest house in the good location (but still more finished space than mine, along with a big bedroom and walk-in closet). So the real estate heebie jeebies are now confined to the single fear of getting bumped on this fabulous place if my house doesn't move pretty quickly here.

I'm having to live in an unnaturally clean environment so my house can be shown on a moment's notice. Daily vacuuming, dusting, and dish-washing have become the standard. I can't wait until these become regularly scheduled monthly events once again.

To add to the fun, Sunday morning I had an epiphany about doing a half-ironman distance triathlon in July. I suppose with the carpet and paneling demolition duathlon over, I needed something with which to maintain pain continuity. The training has begun. More to be revealed...