“We have normality. I repeat, we have normality.

shadesofmauve:

pyoorkate:

…Anything you still can’t cope with is therefore your own problem.”

Slowly life is starting to return to normal. Or what passes for normal these days. Although we are both still, seemingly, hyper stressed, and our stuff is one week away from being in the country (as opposed to continuing its trek around the country), and I’m driving a V6 (or V8) Dodge Caravan… but we’re slowly finding our feet.

I have spent the morning being slightly productive. I’ve been to the Social Security Office (where they were very nice and fixed my name, and I even made two of the people there laugh which was nice). I’ve been to the bank and fixed my PIN which I’ve been unable to remember since picking it when I was given my bank cards. So I can now pay for things on our joint account. I’ve been to the supermarket. I’ve put out the rubbish trash. I’ve bought coffee that’s more to my taste*. I’ve navigated back without google maps. I’ve looked at a lot of old Honda Insights (2001-2006 model year) online – since we think that’s what we’ll be buying. I’ve even found a possible one – which is only 100 miles away.

I’ve fed the birds, put up a smoke alarm, and emptied the dishwasher.

It’s all been terribly normal. I might wander out for a walk…who knows.

That said, I was pretty down last night – after we realised our plans for the house were wildly optimistic, and that the house sale and the minor and various other things had cut us back by nearly $40k all in. To say I was grumpy really doesn’t entirely cover the range of my utter disappointment. Especially since early in the evening we’d both agreed that buying an EV right now is probably not the best plan (we’d love to, but we’re not sure whether we need the super expensive not-really-in-our-price-range one, and with the 200 mile EVs coming in next year, that should drop the price of the ones we want anyway – and by then we should know more about what we’re needing it to be capable of). But having reached that disappointing conclusion the looming possibility that we might not be building our place, and then the realization that we might not be able to do geothermal heating, because we probably couldn’t afford the house-with-land…and then spiralling ‘oh fuck it all’ meant I was pretty fed up by the time we hit bed.

However, having slumped into bed we did some sums and realized that we were planning a house way bigger than we need.

Actually, our last house came in at around 900 Sq Ft (not including the garage). And building something a around that size is probably within our budget. Just because everyone else has 2000 sq ft houses doesn’t mean we need that much. To be honest, we don’t really need even 1000 sq ft of space… but it was a nice size. This house we’re in is probably around 1600 or so sq ft, and is actually vast (at least to my little British brain). So it’s possible the building idea is back on. Which makes me happier…

…so, uh, yeah.

…so better. Yeah. That’s my opinion.

* The people we’re renting from like a really dark roast, and kindly left us coffee. I like a much milder roast… I got my coffee – and then made a substance that’s a bit like coffee and more like water. Me and the drip filter need to make friends.

“We have normality. I repeat, we have normality. was originally published on Mostly lemon based

First: My house was 1092 sq ft, and is now 1320 (after making the garage into living space), if that helps give you another data point. :) That’s too-small public spaces (I want to be able to host big music parties!) but one extra bedroom I wouldn’t need if I was renting.

Second: If you made the coffee using a standard coffee maker, it’s likely the water wasn’t hot enough. The heating elements get too crappy after a few years, and most people don’t replace them because they’re not ridiculous coffee snobs like us it’s been gradual and they don’t notice. French presses all the way!

Third: WAIT WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE HAVE NORMALITY THIS IS NOT NORMAL oh wait you just mean for you. *sigh of relief* *still can’t cope*

Fourth: I am excited to see you Sunday!!

Handy data point, thanks! :) I think it’s going to be down to good layout, sucking up that our offices both go above/around the garage somewhere, later, and… uh, yeah, the fact that I’m British and Kathryn’s got used to British houses which are super-way-small compared to US ones. Like our 900sq ft house was *bigger* than Nikki and Kates ‘reasonable size family home’. Both of ours had 3 bedrooms.

Second: Nope, it’s a filter that you tip hot water into from a kettle. Our french press will be here soon [optimism] and then I’ll go back to making it that way. It’s also easier for me to judge the amount of water… and I can just slop the hot water in, rather than dripping it a teeny bit at a time.

Third: “We are now cruising at a level of two to the power of twenty-five thousand to one against and falling, and we will be restoring normality just as soon as we are sure what is normal anyway.”

Fourth: Me too! Yay!