Woohoo! Part 2

The house is ours! We did the closing last Thursday. And we didn't end up owing as much money as we thought because half of our costs were tacked onto our mortgage. Mike's been joking about how it's his house since it's his name on the deed and mortgage but we know the truth. Besides, I can easily be put on but I think we'll wait until we're married. That way we don't have to worry about a name change next year and all. Besides, all the utilities are in my name. lol

We are relieved. It feels so much better not to have to worry about this. Plus, we have a month's breathing room on the mortgage so we should be able to get caught up a bit.

Anyway, I'll write about the weekend later. Kind of tired right now.

Hugs.

Back Stabbing

My God, it's been one heck of a week.

HP went pretty well considering that I was trying to organize out of my butt. I am so grateful that Jessica took the time to explain stuff to me. That was such a big help and makes up for a lot. Almost everyone worked their butts off on Friday night to help make the event a success.

I say "almost" because I'm sure you can guess who tried to sabotage it. Yeah. Melissa and I passed each other in the parking lot as I was coming in and she going out because Jess had scheduled her for a split shift. She was on her phone so no contact was made. Well, when she came back in, she had the nerve to tell me that she didn't know what to do! Um. . .I kind of explained it the night before. "Kind of" because she had told me that Jess had explained everything to her! So, I figured she knew what was going on. She certainly didn't have any questions when I asked her the night before. And here I was going to keep her as Mistress of Ceremonies like Jessica suggested! Omg. . .I was so freaking angry. But I didn't lose it on the floor. Melissa ended up spending the party time out in the mall doing virtually nothing. She helped Meghan with Potter Jeopardy at one point but spent most of her time either talking with Jessica or people she knew. The only time she actually worked was when the book was being sold and she was stationed at a register. And then she left the clean up to the rest of us and went home early under the excuse that Meghan was her ride when she had actually driven herself.

Can we say wanting to smack the crap out of her? But I didn't say anything because it would do no good. Why stoop to her level? On Saturday she was so less than cordial that it's amazing I kept my temper. She had told someone on Friday night that she was leaving because she found something better. Well, not much I could do until I got her formal notice. Which I did, on Monday. But not until after I had been chewed out by HR for things that Melissa told them. She slandered me and tried her darnedest to ruin my chances of getting the position. Hell, no doubt she was also trying to get me fired. Yes, some of what she said was true. Most of it was exaggerated. Like, she claimed I called her ten times last Wednesday! Since when does 2-3 times count? And it was because I was trying to make her a part of things like I was advised to do. AND, I even apologized for it to her the next day! I was so stunned that I didn't even try and defend myself much because it made me feel like I was in elementary school.

All week she has done nothing but be a bitch to me.

She thinks Jon and I stabbed her in the back. (snort) Yeah, ok. Sounds like the other way around. Especially with her telling customers that we ruined her chances, blah blah blah. Um, no. That would be herself and her behavior. She claims that I have no chance to get it because I went on medical leave. Um, legally that can't be a reason. And we all know why I was on leave. Yeah, like she's a stable personality. I have bitched on here but I supported her to the higher ups. I backed her bid for the position even though I was offended by her saying she would leave if she didn't get it because that was just plain childish. I have been nothing but nice to her and she turns around and stabs at me at every opportunity because she believes I did it first. (laugh) Yeah, I tell her why I'm applying and it's not good enough. Even now I care that she is all right. She went home sick on Tuesday and it took me asking her three times if she was better before she would answer me. And then when I asked if she'd been to the doctor, she snapped, "No, I don't need to go. I know what's wrong with me." Well, alrighty then. I felt genuine concern for her. That either makes me stupid or a nice person. Guess which one I'm going for. (sigh)

Melissa spent the afternoon not working and complaining. Lindsay will probably end up taking over for Melissa because the latter said that she has no motivation to work at the store and therefore would gladly give up her hours. I scheduled her the same as always next week because I didn't want her to complain that I was shorting her just because she was leaving. Yeah, and this is the person who claimed that she cared about the store more than anyone else.

Well, if what she wants is to leave. . .good riddance. We don't need for this drama to continue. We have a lot to get done and we're better off without people who aren't motivated. Plus, we need her poison out of the store. Once she's gone, I won't give her a second thought because I have enough to occupy me. Melissa can go off and play martyr elsewhere.

On the shiny side, I have learned a lot. And it's been a hard lesson. But I refuse to let it change who I am and how I care about people. I just need to be a little more careful about how I let self centered people affect me. (sigh)

Big Bad and the Martyr

Empathy can be a killer. Michael told me last night that it was one of my best traits and greatest faults. Best because it makes me a good person. Fault because I will beat myself up with it by internalizing and what ifs. (sigh)

I am the Big Bad Wolf right now because I've returned to the pack and driven off the leader so I could take over. Yeah, right. The former leader drove herself off. I sincerely wish that Jessica could be doing stuff tonight like she planned because I know that she loves it and put a lot of thought into it. But she can't be more than a participant so I have to take over the leadership role. We're going to do most of what she planned and the two changes are because the higher ups said we should do them. So, yeah, there ya go. Jess suggested that Melissa be Mistress of Ceremonies and that's a good idea. She's the only other one Jess told all this stuff too and since someone has to watch the store, that's what I'll do.

Melissa is the Martyr of the title. I say this because before we got a chance to discuss tonight, she was telling people that she felt like nothing more than just a bookseller. Like her opinions didn't matter or count.

My God, what more do I have to do to get her to see that I value her help and opinions? I guess I have to actually say these words directly to her cause she's not getting it! I'm sorry that I stole her thunder. That I came back unexpectedly and took over the job that she assumed was going to be hers. Yes, she was doing stuff while I was away. But how is that different from when she was gone a while back? Jessica told me that our HR person told Melissa that she would be acting manager since I was on leave and that the first time she knew about me being it was this past Saturday when I asked about Jessica's keys. I know I kept Melissa in the loop about what was going on. I could swear I told her that I would be acting manager. Hell, I even went to her and explained why I was thinking of applying. I guess none of that sunk in. As for what the HR person said, no, there was never anything concrete said until it was known whether I would be back. Jessica was told that she could make recommendations in her resignation but that was it. So, I can only assume that Jessica is the one who built Melissa up to take this hit. And I'm getting the fallout.

All week I've tried to make Melissa a part of tonight and ask her opinions, etc. Jessica was going to her with the information but I needed it cause I had to have a plan. It didn't mean that Melissa couldn't know. It meant that I needed to know because I'm responsible for this stuff. If I'm in charge, then I need to know. I was fine with Jess handling it cause I knew she would tell me at some point this week what was going on. But once her being banished came out. . .well, that changed. HP is a huge freaking deal for us and the weekend is going to be insane. Hell, I even asked Melissa to be on the conference call so that she could be in on what everyone was saying because I didn't want her to feel left out. She didn't do it because it was her day off and she was with her visiting family. Well, gee, sorry about that one. Had anyone I know been visiting, they would have understood that I needed an hour to do this. Hell they would have understood getting a few (2-3) on Wednesday because people at the store needed to ask my advice. Yeah, I guess I've stopped beating myself up over this and am now getting angry. I gotta squelch that now so I'll stop the rant.

(sigh) You wouldn't think there would be this much drama from a bookstore. And all you writer peeps. . .mine! lol I am so gonna put this into a book. Wish me luck today! I have so much to do!

Madness

I am well and truly insane. Oh, wait, we knew this. Anyway, I started to write a post on Monday that said "Let the Battle Begin" and went like this:

"And so I have thrown my hat into the ring tonight. After a week's worth of deliberations, I decided to go for the position. Can I handle it all? Who knows. But I do know that we need some options just in case Jonathan or Melissa aren't really acceptable candidates. Unlike them, though, I didn't have to apply through internal channels. I just had to send my résumé to out HR person's email. Doesn't mean I'm guaranteed the position but I have a good shot since I'm already in place. Guess it all depends upon who else has applied.

I just couldn't get over the fact that Melissa is being childish about staying if she doesn't get the position. I mean, she could still move up a rank, so to speak. But she doesn't want to deal with people pitying her." (update: apparently she got enough of that when her father died)

I didn't get to finish that because of making dinner. Anyway, I have my interview today at 1p. Jon and Melissa have theirs tomorrow. Basically, if the HR person likes any of us, we then get passed on for an interview with the RD. Lord only knows how long the decision will take. For right now I am acting manager (small pay rise woohoo). This didn't sit well with Melissa because she was under the impression that she would be getting that job. Um, ok. The way this works is that when a manager leaves, the assistant takes over until the post is filled. I know that I was on medical leave when this all went down but that didn't mean that I wouldn't have that possibility. Anyway, that explains the freezing reception from her on Monday. She came in like she wanted to have my head on a platter. Look, I'm not trying to steal her thunder but I wouldn't have been able to just sit by this week and not go nuts worrying about stuff there. I have a string responsible streak and it would have been hellish for her and Jon to have been the only keyholders. Yeah, a weekend with only two is one thing but an entire week? And the Harry Potter week at that? Sheesh But she seems to have gotten over that because she was better with me on Tuesday and seemed more normal. But I don't know if that is going to last. (sigh)

Why do I say that? Because the week has turned into one glorified bomb. We got a call that Jessica will not be coming back to work at the store part-time. The higher ups think that is just too darn complicated so they have banned her from even doing the HP event with us tomorrow night! Eeeek! What does this mean? Well, since Jess didn't bother to share her plans with any of us beyond superficial ideas, it means that we get to try and make it work. None of us thought that this would be a problem. I've been trying to figure out what is supposed to happen since I got back because I hate not knowing.

Anyway, it means I was at the store until 8p last night (got there at 9) and am headed there this morning and later today even though it's my day off. We have a ton to do. Jess was a doll yesterday and came by to tell me what she plans because I need to know. She went by Melissa's to tell her, and that's great, but I wasn't going to get to see Melissa until tonight and I kind of needed to have an idea sooner. (sigh) But Jessica has some awesome ideas (I never doubted that). She's done this before so you know I trust her judgment. I mean, we did something too but it was a little lame. This one will rock. Hopefully Melissa believes that cause when I talked to her yesterday she was so pessimistic about it. We can do this. Does it suck that Jess can't partake? Yeah. Will we completely bomb without her? No. So, I have much to do today with that and house stuff. The bank's appraiser is coming by this afternoon after my interview (which is via phone) and then I have a conference call at 3p. After that it's back to the store to meet with Jon and Melissa about tomorrow. Oh, and on top of all this, I am finalizing the plans for the couple's shower. Thank God for Dale's sister and Ann-Marie. I so need to do something nice for each of them.

I'll try and keep you posted. Hugs.

Divine Retribution From God

That's what Mike called me today. lol We were talking about everything that's been going on. Cause, basically right now I have 4 main foci: him, the dissertation, the bookstore, and teaching. Not necessarily in that order. But that's just it. . .I have to decide what should be the most important. Mike said he wasn't going anywhere. No, but that's not the point. I like spending time with him. And if I can't do that, neither of us is going to be very happy. Mike considers work a big priority but both of mine spill over into my private life more than his does. It's all about time management. Gee, really? I so suck at that. lol

Why Mike said the title is because I asked him if I was driving him nuts with this stuff. He said no. Why? "Because I see myself in you. You're like a divine retribution from God for all the times I put off doing what needed to be done in school, or at work, or wherever." lol Basically, I always find excuses not to get started on stuff. Well, yeah, I knew that. I need things to be just so in order to get started. But in reality, those things don't need to happen. I don't need to have all of my books organized in order to work on the dissertation. That's just one example.

Sad but true. In theory can I do everything? Yes. In actuality? Dunno. The thought is that if I can delegate everything and prioritize just right, it won't be a problem. Sounds so simple, doesn't it? It would be if I knew better exactly what I want. It sucks sometimes to be interested in too many things at once.

To Manage Or Not To Manage

The week went by quickly. I've been having problems with migraines but I think that's the weather because we've had storms on and off. Yesterday was the first day where it didn't feel like my head was gonna explode and it was sunny out so there ya go.

The only thing I've been able to do with the house purchase has been to get my insurance agent to start the ball rolling for what she needs done. The insurance inspector came by yesterday to look everything over. He'd called on Wednesday but I was resting so my head wouldn't fall off. When I called him back yesterday, he was actually driving towards our end of town. He kept saying how I couldn't have had better timing. It was funny. He was really nice. So, at least that's one more thing done. The rest has to wait until our mortgage dude gets back from vacation next week. But we should still be able to close by the end of the month.

As for the store. . .well, I've been thinking hard about the position. Jonathan decided to throw his hat into the ring and I think that's good. If Melissa has a shot at it, so does he. The problem is that neither of them has on their resumes anything that fits "at least one year minimum retail management experience." Being keyholders is not the same thing though Melissa believes that it should be. She feels that they will "do the right thing" and hire her because of all of the hard work that she's done for the company and what's right for the store (which is to keep the position filled internally). Plus she doesn't think it's fair that they would penalize her for the fact that someone (me) was already in the position when she came over with Jess. If I hadn't been there, or had quit, she would be the assistant. Probably true. But because she didn't push me out of my job, it shouldn't look bad for her. Um, ok, like she could have but whatever. I don't think she realized how that sounded.

Well, I spoke with our HR person and that's not necessarily the case. They don't usually promote people from bookseller to manager, especially if they don't have previous managerial experience. Plus, while they do prefer to start from within the store, if someone from outside applies who has more credentials, they will go with that person. (sigh) Well, we don't want to end up with a nightmare manager. So, Jon has been pushing me to apply so that there is at least a backup.

The problem is, I don't want to compete with Melissa. She really wants the job. I think that she'll be fine as a manger (but hey, I've been wrong before). The only thing that bothers me about this is that when I talked to her on Tuesday about the idea of me as backup, she said that if she doesn't get the position, she'll leave! She can't stand the idea that she'll be pitied for not getting it. People have been telling her left and right that she should have the position (including myself) and she keeps getting asked if she's going to be doing it once Jess is gone. Well, heck, I've been getting asked that question forever even when Jess wasn't going to be leaving. lol And no, I didn't tell her that. But she doesn't think that she will be able to handle the humiliation. Also, if the company doesn't reward her for all of the hard work, why stay? Um, cause if they bumped me up, she'd be bumped up to my position? And that would mean she'd be working her way through the ranks like people normally do? And if I was the one put in, people would logically go, well, that makes sense? Sheesh Hell, they might not even decide to go with me! Am I going to quit if that happens? No. Will Jon if he doesn't get it? No.

So, I'm going to apply. What happens after that, well, I don't know. We'll see. If neither of them was a truly likely candidate and they offer it to me, I'll take it. If one of them comes in a close second. . .well, I can always bow out. So much for making my life less stressful. lol

Woohoo!

We got the house! Not sure what happened with the woman's bid but it doesn't matter cause we are on our way. Thank God. We actually would have known Friday night if we'd checked Mike's email and/or the mailbox. I was expecting a phone call, not an email. So, when Cindy got the mail for us yesterday and found our purchase agreement in the box, I was surprised and puzzled. It was signed and dated for Friday but I didn't want to get my hopes up that it was what it seemed since there was no note. I had Mike call Hite to confirm it. So, yay! We'll ask Hite later about why we got the bid. Simple curiosity.

Wow. . .it took my brain a while to process it all cause everything has been so stressful for the past two months (heck, longer than that). There's still so much to do but at least my body feels less tense. I mean, how could it not when both the work and home situations have improved. There's still tons to do for both things but. . .woohoo!

It's a good thing that I still have this coming week off from work. That couldn't have happened at a better time. Yeah, I know that things happen for a reason but I still get surprised by it sometimes. I knew there was a reason we ended up here last year. We were drawn to the place from the start. And even though it wasn't our first choice of rent, when it came time to make a quick decision to sign a lease or wait for the other option, we signed. I still remember walking through this house while it was empty. I tried so hard not to show how excited I was about it. And Mike was too. We see so much potential here and already have plans for what we can do to make it better. Mostly we want to add on to the house. Create a bigger bedroom for ourselves (my office is the largest bedroom right now but even that's not saying much for size) and add another bathroom. I suggested a while ago that we combine the bath and a half into one big bathroom cause they are back to back (the half bath is connected to my office). Mike also wants to add a sun room. Our backyard is big enough to support the future plans. It's so nice to dream that way.

So, now I have to get the ball rolling on the paperwork and finances for the house. Get the paperwork out for going back to work. Resume my job and get things there up to snuff for the RDs visit. Thank God I have Jon and Melissa to help with that. Gather what I need for Val's couples shower. Get stuff at the house organized and finally start working on that damn dissertation. lol I'm sure I'm forgetting something. No one can say that my life is dull, that's for sure. Oh, well, maybe for some people but not me. And that's cool. I like being busy. I just don't like being stressed out as much as I have been. I don't have the mental reserves for it that I used to. I think it's because I have a hard time getting into that numbed zone where I just exist and move. In a way that's a good thing. So I'll just keep on chugging and keep you all posted. Hugs.

Up Early Again

What a week! I couldn't sleep anymore even though I am really tired. Brain kicked in and wouldn't stop chugging. My doctor has said that I need to start meditating.

Well, they have approved me to go back to work. My therapist thinks it's great that Jess is leaving and sees no reason why I can't go back since my relationship with her was the main source of my work stress. But it won't be easy for a while since we have a transition to go through. Not sure who will end up as the manager but that is the least of the worry right now. Harry Potter weekend will be upon me when I return and I also forgot that our Regional Director is supposed to visit that week! Ugh Jon reminded me about it last night. Just what I need. Fortunately, everything looks ok at the store though I did notice stuff out of place, etc. Melissa plans on getting things cleaned up asap but still.

Jess apparently has a ton of paperwork that's been piling up. Am I surprised? No. Will I end up doing it? Dunno. Melissa told Jess that she had to do it before she stepped down but who knows how much weight that actually carries.

On a different note, the week was really stressful on Mike and I. We're fine but we keep getting into these tense moments because of finances and stuff. He knew that Jami and Cynthia were coming to visit and I had budgeted some of my money for that but he's stressed out about making our accounts look as good as possible for the bank. Gene (the mortgage guy) told is to leave as much in the accounts as we could. Well, I sat down and figured out the exact due dates of the bills (I have set times I usually pay them) so that we could maximize that. I can't tell if Mike is on my account yet or not but that is supposed to help. Whatever. I actually got back some money from USC for my spring tuition since I got approved for in-state because of the bookstore. That was a nice surprise because I didn't know what they were gonna do (check or credit).

All I know is I'm getting tired of the emotional roller coaster I'm on. The doc has upped the prescription. And we're keeping an eye on the new bc since that could be playing a part too. Oh, yay. Well, have a good weekend, all!

Future Family

Had a really interesting talk with Michael's mom, Melba, today. Well, I guess by the time this posts, it will be yesterday. But whatever. She called to ask how things were going and we ended up on the phone for three hours! It was awesome. I feel so much better now about how she views me.

I don't know if Michael told her that I was still feeling nervous around her or if she picked up on it but it was cool. Our childhood's parallel in some ways that I found interesting and I learned a lot about Michael's family. Melba was very open about her marriage and stuff. I liked her when I met her and I like her more every time we talk. Hopefully we'll be able to bring about a closeness within the family that has apparently been missing for some time. There are obviously a lot of relatives about so that's easy enough. lol

Jonathan asked me if I called her "mom". I don't know if I'll ever be able to do that. Mike pointed out last month that I will soon have another mother but I'm not sure how I feel about that idea. I haven't had one for so long that I don't know what it feels like any more. I know what it should feel like and how the relationship should go but. . . .

When I was a child, I had friends who's mother wanted me to call her mom. I didn't feel right about it because I had a mother. I guess I still feel that way. She's Mike's mother. Maybe I'll feel differently after a few years of marriage and we've all interacted as a family. Dunno. But right now I don't.

I am glad though that we had such a talk today. It felt easy. It was good. And it made me happy. yay

How Do You Spell Stress?

Oh, gee, I don't know. I guess you spell it L-I-F-E. I say that because that does seem to be how mine goes.

So, we still haven't heard back from Hite about the house which isn't a surprise but you can imagine what the waiting is doing to Mike and I. We're trying not to let it affect our relationship and it isn't but that's only because we keep trying to distract ourselves. Fortunately we got to spend most of Tuesday (he had a half day) and all day yesterday together doing stuff. We went riding again yesterday morning. I did about 4+ miles which I think is going to be my norm until I get my body used to riding again. I did do better overall. So, once I can do the hills, etc without stopping, I'll start going further and further. Mike went all the way down and back when I turned around and that was just fine. He's more used to it.

I spoke with Melissa on Tuesday and again yesterday. Well, she does plan on applying and she called our HR person yesterday to tell her. I think Melissa will make a good manager. I've decided not to apply for the position but instead to support her application. Would I like to be manager? Yes. Would I do a good job? I like to think so. Do I have the time? No. It's just not the right time for me to be taking on a responsibility like that. Hell, I don't even know if I can handle doing my job now. I've been so jittery and spazzy lately that it's amazing I'm getting anything done at all. My emotions and nerves are all over the place. Maybe I need to up the meds, maybe I need more sleep, maybe I just need a little bit of everything. All I know is my stupid brain keeps going into some very dark places and it's pissing me off. So, do I need to be handling the store? Um, that would be a no. And Melissa has the time, the drive, and the right ideas. She doesn't have the training, but that can be remedied. So, after my doc appointments tomorrow, I'll be calling HR and telling them that I support her bid for manager. What I will offer to do is be acting manager (like usually happens in this case) until they make a decision and/or get Melissa up to a speed that makes them comfortable. Hell, I may not even have to take on that role. But I'll have time for it so long as we're not having to look for another house.

I also told Melissa that no matter what happens, I was taking off the last weekend of this month because I am responsible for Valerie's couple's shower up in DC. She'd shoot me (or worse) if I missed it. She graciously insisted that I not go to the girlie one this past weekend (which turned out to be a good thing because of the house mess) but I can't miss the couple's. I already stressed her out this week by not getting the invites out until Tuesday after I said that I would get them out by last Friday. Well, I didn't want to screw them up and I wanted Mike to help me put them together which didn't happen til Tuesday. I thought we'd get them done on Sunday and I'd mail them Monday but I ended up being such a basketcase that I couldn't focus. I should have made myself do so last week. (sigh) I so don't want to stress her out more than she already is cause she has enough crap going on herself. Hopefully this will be the only thing I do as her MOH that does. I figure that the odds were good that I would do something that would so hopefully we've gotten it out of the way. Oh, well, she'll owe me one next year.

At any rate, I have a ton to do today and better get to it. Jami and Cynthia are coming to visit tonight and I have grading to do, straightening to do (thank God the house is clean), and a couple other things. Yippee. Oh, and trying not to spazz again, that would be a good goal too. lol

Reversal of Fortune?

I am always amazed at how quickly life can change. At how suddenly things can get thrown at you so that you feel like you've been hit with a brick bat.

We finally got a call back from the guy at Wachovia yesterday. Turns out it was his grandmother who died last Tuesday. Well, Thursday night, his wife's aunt died too. So that was why he was out of the office. But he ran some figures and got us an answer. The ironic thing is that I can't factor into the loan process because of my student loans. Doesn't matter that I've improved my credit score, etc, my debt amount is too high with them. (sigh) But Mike can get the mortgage by himself! He finds that highly amusing because last year he couldn't even get a Borders credit card because his credit was messed up. But because we've been working on it since January, his score is higher than mine and all but one blemish is fixed on his record. It's really amusing in the irony because we had to use my credit stuff to help fix his. So, the mortgage will be in his name but both of us will be on the deed.

We gave Hite our Intent to Purchase contract last night along with an earnest money check (good faith money that we will either get back or apply to closing costs). Our only snag was that we had to ask him to say that he would pay the majority of the closing costs because we don't have enough money for that in our accounts at the moment. Can we get it? Yeah, but it has to sit in our accounts for 60 days before they consider it truly ours. Whatever. The mortgage dude suggested that we have Hite claim it on paper and we can always pay him the money. I wrote up a contract to that effect and we signed it. So, now we wait. Hite gave the former owner until Friday as well to get in her bid. We beat her because we just want to get this over with. But I think that helps a lot that we pushed so hard to show how much we want the place. We'll see.

The other thing that happened yesterday? Jon calls me before he clocked in to work to tell me that Jessica gave her two week notice yesterday!?! "Oh my God!" and "What the Hell!?!" were my two favorite phrases for quite a while. Seems she got a job offer from out former district manager. Well, that explains all the phone calls. And it certainly solidifies my claims of them being friends, etc. Yeah, and they tried to make me look crazy on that one. So now what? I have no freaking clue. I am still in shock over this. But I spoke with Shannon in HR this morning and am currently IMing with Jen so I'll have an idea what the higher ups are thinking. I called and woke up Jon so he could get over here and we could go talk to Melissa. I need to know what she's thinking and I think the three of us need to keep the communication lines open.

This is so big. I have so much to think about. So, I'll probably do that a lot here. That's what I get for liking options. Argh! lol

Nightmares and Dreamscapes

I thought the Stephen King title would be appropriate to use today.

So, ok, what happened yesterday? Well, that would be the first part of the title. Mike and I straightened up before Hite came over with "that" woman to look at the house. Even if I was inclined to not see her as a competitor, I wouldn't have liked her. Her daughter was nice but I wasn't able to be uber friendly. They came in and the mother was like, "Oh, you do like to read." Guess Hite told her one reason we didn't want his other house is because we need room for all of the books. Yeah, what? You think we couldn't prove that? Then in the kitchen she couldn't stop gushing about how much the cabinets hadn't changed. Repeatedly. Mike's mom said we should have painted them black. lol While Hite was talking, the mother actually opened one of our low cabinets that we had brought in for stuff! I told her that was ours and not part of the house. She was like, "Oh, well, I didn't remember it being here." Right, cause it's not something that was once yours. Ok, I'm getting snarky mean.

Hite went through a long list of things that he had to do to improve the house. Wow. . .it was a lot. They didn't seem overly impressed by the work he had to do. At one point the daughter tried to start conversation by saying, "I grew up in this house. It always seems so much bigger when you're small." I was just too fried to do much more than give a polite nod.

After the "inspection" Hite spoke with us all separately. He talked with them first and then cam in to speak with us. Seems that the reason he all of a sudden decided to sell (which he wouldn't have otherwise) is because he had bought a place which he is fixing up to be his primary residence. Problem is that it's costing him way more than he thought it would to fix it up so he needs some ready cash. He feels sorry for the other woman because she has a sentimental attachment to this house. I told him my honest view on that. lol Ok, maybe I sounded mean and harsh, and yes a part of me does understand her view, but she could have found a way to stay here in the first place. I sympathized more with the daughter but still, I hate it that I now have to feel a little guilty on top of this all too.

Hite is having a hard time deciding between us. He's a nice man and wants to be fair. (sigh) I do feel sorry for him that he has to deal with this but. . . . Anyway, it comes down to this: Mike and I have to the end of the week to get financial backing to buy the house. If we need longer, Hite will give it to us. Then we and the mother each make our bid and he will pick whichever is financially better for him. We already told him that we were willing to give him the appraisal value as we thought that was fair. But he doesn't want the three of us bidding against each other so none of us has an edge right now. It will come down to whether they offer him that as well or try and go lower. Hell, they may go a little higher just to do so. Maybe we should throw in our security deposit. lol

Anyway, if we lose, we have to find a new place to live. Only now we either have to continue renting or start at square one to buy. If we can get financing, we'll do the latter. We're having problems right now because we don't have a lot of ready cash since we weren't expecting to have to do this now. We have a nice little sum for the rest of the summer to cover bills but not to cover closing costs. So we're looking into various ways to get that money. 100% financing is an option but the closing costs hanging us up. Last week I went to Wachovia first and spoke with someone there. He was supposed to get back with us by lunch Wednesday but had a death in the family and was out until Friday. I was unable to reach him. So, that is where I start today. I've already done what I can online and submitted applications but it looks like I actually need to speak to human beings. Hell, I just wanted to know that we could get something.

I am going to have such a fun day.