Thoughts, Rants, and Musings

[Batya33]

1 minute ago, maritalbliss86 said:

Our last house we lived in for over 7 years was amazing, huge yard, too for gardening.  I think it's just that renting here is actually more expensive than owning believe it or not, which creates odd problems for the landlord and the tenant.  And even the good management companies sometimes run into a landlord that only wants to spend so much (because she's really not making much profit), and it becomes a battle of getting them to take care of things, with the management being the mediator. 

We had friends who rented 2 story homes (nice ones!) who had the same problems... the owners rarely ever wanted to fix things, some even wanted to fix it themselves to cut corners because for them, renting isn't very profitable (they have to keep their prices relatively low enough or their customers will all just go and buy since buying really is cheaper here).

Oh yes same here!  In my prior city I rented in a complex with two high rises for about 15 years and in this city we rent from a company that owns several high end properties in town and came with excellent references.  The huge park which is like a NYC style central park is right down the block so we have the best backyard that we share with um many others.  I would never rent from an individual with rare exception.  Here there are many luxury buildings and I can walk to the museum, the theater, the symphony, all shopping, restaurants and many of the large companies and firms have their offices within 10 blocks.  Also about a 10-15 minute walk from two subway stations.  And very diverse, excellent schools. 

We walk about 10-15 blocks to go trick or treating every year where the huge houses/mansion type houses are - they close off all the streets to traffic -it's great.  Love this area.  It's totally not suburban - kids play in the park but not the streets, the team sports are here but not "right here" and our building has a smallish pool but the park down the block has a huge city owned pool. I didn't grow up in a house in the burbs and I got to go to the major city we lived a half hour by subway from starting when I was 12.  By myself. 

Most of my friends who moved to the burbs said the same thing "oh we're only ___ from The City so we'll be here all the time" - they came for tourist stuff or theater tickets kind of stuff (even if they commuted to the city for work) - very rarely just to walk around/hang, do random stuff. 

I am not judging - just don't buy the whole thing that moving to a burb makes no difference as far a taking advantage of the cultural/walkability aspects of a city.  I also completely understand why people like suburban or rural living.  Just commenting on the fantasy of "we;ll come to The City all the time!!"  There was maybe one exception.  Before I married and became a mom at 42 I traveled to the suburbs regularly to see my married/parent friends.  No issue -loved visiting.  Was delighted it was just a visit.  

[Seraphim]

My mom pays 3 times the rent for her apartment that I pay to rent my house. The price of houses have gone up probably 35% country wide in the past 2 years. 5 years ago my mom sold her house for $450 G and it sold again last fall for $800G . 
 

You can’t afford to buy a house in the 3 major Canadian cities because it is 1.5 M for a tar paper shack, literally. 
 

Even in my Podunk town, the armpit of Canada houses have gone from 150,000 to 500,000. Literally this town only exists due to the Air Base. 
 

This bubble has to burst soon because it is not realistic . 

[Jibralta]

32 minutes ago, Seraphim said:

This bubble has to burst soon because it is not realistic .

I'll keep renting til then lol.

[Seraphim]

5 minutes ago, Jibralta said:

I'll keep renting til then lol.

Yeah, we are not going to buy at this stage of life. We bought when we were super young, I think my husband was 23 and I was 25. Then we bought in with my parents . Now in my middle 50’s I am not interested. I want to have an apartment home base where my son lives and we travel RVing for much of the year. 

[Jibralta]

I always thought that I would buy. My family has always bought, and it's always paid off for them. But for me, it hasn't made sense yet. Maybe it never will. We shall see...

[Jibralta]

On 2/23/2021 at 12:37 AM, Jibralta said:

A lady from my last job passed away. One of the people who had been laid off with COVID.

She was battling cancer for years. She had a rough bout with it in 2019.

I really liked her. She was great to work with. Really down to earth, really kind. 

When she heard that I was laid off, her response was, "Know that they laid me off twice." 

I thought that was such an odd response! But very positive! 

Anyway, I'm sad that she's gone now.

Wow, I just found out that Peter*, the finance guy from my previous job, passed away. This would be the job that I had from 2018 - 2020, where I worked with characters like Catherine, Frank, Shannon, and Jason. 

This was very unexpected. Peter was only in his 50s or 60s. He had been with the company for nearly 40 years, knew all of its ins and outs. He was always there on the weekends, when I'd come in to catch up on stuff. I btched to him all the time about the crap that I was dealing with. He was great to talk to.

I suspect that I have Peter to thank for being laid off last year--I was very grateful for that, believe me! I had been contemplating leaving for weeks. I had actually almost quit at one point. I walked into Peter's office and told him, "I think I'm gonna quit." Peter talked me out of it.**

I had my desk almost completely cleared out at that point, and I'd started sending out my resume to companies on Zip Recruiter. The week before I was laid off, the whole office started working from home because of Covid. I came in on a weekend to grab some stuff with my boyfriend, and (unsurprisingly) Peter was there. I said, "God, Peter, I'm just praying for them to lay me off." And Peter said, "Go to Mark on Monday and tell him that." But I never did. I was annoyed with Mark at that point. 

But then five days later, I got my wish!

---------------------------

*I've sometimes referred to him as "Paul." I can't keep my pseudonyms straight sometimes.

**

 

[Jibralta]

ANYWAY, last week my boyfriend and I went out with my former coworker, Eddie, and Eddie's wife. They are a lot older than us, but they are fun to have dinner with. 

Eddie told me that Peter was having awful back pain. He had been going to his chiropractor, but nothing was working. I didn't think much of it because I have had terrible back pain myself. Sometimes, you just have to wait it out.

Today, my former coworker, Joe, informed me that Peter had died. He apparently didn't show up for work. he IT guy, Justin, went to go check on him and found out he died. 

I don't know if that means he found him dead, or if the family was at Peter's house and informed Justin. 

I am wondering if the back pain that Peter experienced was actually a sudden, acute illness.

[Jibralta]

20 hours ago, Jibralta said:

The IT guy, Justin, went to go check on him and found out he died. 

I don't know if that means he found him dead, or if the family was at Peter's house and informed Justin.

I talked to Eddie last night. He didn't have a lot of details. But it sounds like what happened is, Justin went to Peter's and found the car in the driveway and the house locked. He called the police. It sounds like the police went in and found Peter. Sigh.

[Jibralta]

Back in the summer of 2009, I did a semester abroad in Italy. We started out in Rome for two weeks, stopped off in Naples for a day or two, and then spent the remaining 6 weeks or so in Siena.

Even though we were only in Naples for a brief amount of time, I have a couple really good memories of the place. The first is travelling by metro up to Castel Sant'Elmo, and then walking down the switchback roads through the little neighborhood on the side of the hill to return to the city via Spaccanapoli.

The second memory is of these dogs that I met outside of the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, right as we entered the Galleria on our way back to the hotels (and the bus to Tuscany) that morning. I think this one is my favorite memory.

I guess about 15 students (including myself) had gone to the museum to fill the time between breakfast and our departure to Siena. On the way into the museum, I happened to turn and look back onto the street. I noticed a man and a woman walking down the street with two dogs trotting companionably alongside them. The dogs had no leashes, but they were perfectly heeled and well-behaved. What a pleasant contrast it was to the leash laws that I was used to!

When we got out of the museum an hour or so later, I noticed the same two dogs wandering around the entrance to the Galleria. My classmates strolled by the dogs, but I hung back a bit, looking for the dogs' owners. It didn't take long for me to realize that they were both strays. I beckoned the dogs to me, and gave them each a good scratch. 

After that, the dogs accompanied our group as we made our way back to our hotels. I was delighted. My classmates were delighted. Some of them were also worried about the dogs. One dog was slightly smaller and thinner than the other--some people felt it must be malnourished. So, they bought some snacks from a vendor, and they bought some water. They offered it to the dogs, but the dogs weren't really interested. That made people worry even more.

But then we approached the open expanse of the Piazza Dante. The dogs took notice of the pigeons pecking around on the ground. Any misgivings about the dogs' health vanished as we watched both dogs rocket into the Piazza at top speed, after the birds. The smaller dog flew over a park bench like it was nothing. Pedestrians were startled to see the charging dogs, and groups of pigeons erupting into the air.

And that was the end of or little interlude. The humans went our respective ways to our hotels, and the dogs resumed their tour through Naples. They weren't beggars; they just wanted to hang out. Darling things. ❤️

[maritalbliss86]

That is a great picture!!!

[Seraphim]

5 hours ago, Jibralta said:

I talked to Eddie last night. He didn't have a lot of details. But it sounds like what happened is, Justin went to Peter's and found the car in the driveway and the house locked. He called the police. It sounds like the police went in and found Peter. Sigh.

That is so sad . I am sorry. 

[Seraphim]

Is that you???You are gorgeous!

[Jibralta]

6 minutes ago, Seraphim said:

Is that you???You are gorgeous!

Wow, thank you! Yes, that was me introducing myself to the dogs! My classmate caught me a little off guard when he shot the picture, but I think he captured the happiness of the dogs perfectly.

[Jibralta]

13 minutes ago, Seraphim said:

That is so sad . I am sorry. 

Thanks. It's crazy. Just seems so surreal.

[dias]

You were in Italy and you didn't visit Greece? Athens is an hour flight from Rome. I am disappointed on behalf of your mother! Naples is in the south which is similar to Greece in many ways so you got a bit of taste.

There are so many stray cats in Greece, they are everywhere. From a western viewpoint this is crazy but  personally I don't mind, they are free, what is better than this?lol

Hope you enjoyed your time in Italy! How did you find Italian men?😁

 

 

[Jibralta]

19 minutes ago, dias said:

I am disappointed on behalf of your mother!

Ahahahaha

19 minutes ago, dias said:

Hope you enjoyed your time in Italy! How did you find Italian men?😁

You know it's interesting... the southern Italian men are built differently than the northern Italian men. When I was in Naples, I had recently broken up with a guy I had been dating in the US. All the guys in Naples reminded me of him....sigh.... So, at that point I was feeling rather melancholy.

On the whole, I didn't interact much with many people outside of my classmates. If I was 22, I probably would have been out and about more. But I was 32, and it just wasn't my cup of tea anymore. The most interaction I had with any men happened in the early morning hours, at the coffee shop lol. Yes, they can be flirty. But sweet. Oh, and there was that Moroccan guy in my dorm... he was nice. Oh, and there was the guy I went horseback riding with. That was awesome. But he was Croatian. 

 

[dias]

17 minutes ago, Jibralta said:

You know it's interesting... the southern Italian men are built differently than the northern Italian men.

 

I am not surprised. It's the same in Greece and Spain as well. People's facial features and body types are different in the North vs the South. I guess the main reason is that people mix inevitably with their neighbors. For instance, the part of Italy that borders with France has been influenced by French a lot more than Sicily let's say. The same for the part of Italy that borders with Austria. 

The same goes for Greece, this is why you might have read in my journal that Greeks from the North are the good looking ones (I mean evidently lol)

I think it's the same in most countries. I am pretty sure Texas has more mixed race (American/Mexican) people than North Dakota for example. 

17 minutes ago, Jibralta said:

When I was in Naples, I had recently broken up with a guy I had been dating in the US. All the guys in Naples reminded me of him.... So, at that point I was feeling rather melancholy.

He was Italian-American? 

 

[Jibralta]

3 hours ago, dias said:

He was Italian-American? 

That particular guy was, yes.

3 hours ago, dias said:

I think it's the same in most countries. I am pretty sure Texas has more mixed race (American/Mexican) people than North Dakota for example. 

I think quite a lot of Americans are combinations of European and indigenous people. Many people here brag of Native American roots. The Ancestry tests have yet to catch up on these though. They are more focused on where the written records are. 

3 hours ago, dias said:

The same goes for Greece, this is why you might have read in my journal that Greeks from the North are the good looking ones (I mean evidently lol)

Haha. Well, my mom's family is from Crete, which is pretty south. Her family is quite beautiful (including her)... but they could be the exceptions, lol. 

Anyway, next weekend is Easter, so Χριστός ἀνέστη!

[luminousone]

On 4/27/2021 at 9:38 AM, Jibralta said:

Wow, I just found out that Peter*, the finance guy from my previous job, passed away. This would be the job that I had from 2018 - 2020, where I worked with characters like Catherine, Frank, Shannon, and Jason. 

This was very unexpected. Peter was only in his 50s or 60s. He had been with the company for nearly 40 years, knew all of its ins and outs. He was always there on the weekends, when I'd come in to catch up on stuff. I btched to him all the time about the crap that I was dealing with. He was great to talk to.

I suspect that I have Peter to thank for being laid off last year--I was very grateful for that, believe me! I had been contemplating leaving for weeks. I had actually almost quit at one point. I walked into Peter's office and told him, "I think I'm gonna quit." Peter talked me out of it.**

I had my desk almost completely cleared out at that point, and I'd started sending out my resume to companies on Zip Recruiter. The week before I was laid off, the whole office started working from home because of Covid. I came in on a weekend to grab some stuff with my boyfriend, and (unsurprisingly) Peter was there. I said, "God, Peter, I'm just praying for them to lay me off." And Peter said, "Go to Mark on Monday and tell him that." But I never did. I was annoyed with Mark at that point. 

But then five days later, I got my wish!

---------------------------

*I've sometimes referred to him as "Paul." I can't keep my pseudonyms straight sometimes.

**

 

And next you will be calling him Mary...

[luminousone]

2 minutes ago, luminousone said:

And next you will be calling him Mary...

Oh shoot, I just read that he died. Ignore the joke. Sheesh!

Very sad!

[luminousone]

On 4/28/2021 at 12:11 PM, Jibralta said:

Wow, thank you! Yes, that was me introducing myself to the dogs! My classmate caught me a little off guard when he shot the picture, but I think he captured the happiness of the dogs perfectly.

I love those dog smiles!

[Jibralta]

8 hours ago, luminousone said:

Oh shoot, I just read that he died. Ignore the joke. Sheesh!

LOL it's ok, luminousone! 

Sad, though. That guy was a one of a kind.

[Jibralta]

8 hours ago, luminousone said:

I love those dog smiles!

I know! Aren't they great?

[mylolita]

On 4/28/2021 at 6:33 PM, Jibralta said:

Back in the summer of 2009, I did a semester abroad in Italy. We started out in Rome for two weeks, stopped off in Naples for a day or two, and then spent the remaining 6 weeks or so in Siena.

Even though we were only in Naples for a brief amount of time, I have a couple really good memories of the place. The first is travelling by metro up to Castel Sant'Elmo, and then walking down the switchback roads through the little neighborhood on the side of the hill to return to the city via Spaccanapoli.

The second memory is of these dogs that I met outside of the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, right as we entered the Galleria on our way back to the hotels (and the bus to Tuscany) that morning. I think this one is my favorite memory.

I guess about 15 students (including myself) had gone to the museum to fill the time between breakfast and our departure to Siena. On the way into the museum, I happened to turn and look back onto the street. I noticed a man and a woman walking down the street with two dogs trotting companionably alongside them. The dogs had no leashes, but they were perfectly heeled and well-behaved. What a pleasant contrast it was to the leash laws that I was used to!

When we got out of the museum an hour or so later, I noticed the same two dogs wandering around the entrance to the Galleria. My classmates strolled by the dogs, but I hung back a bit, looking for the dogs' owners. It didn't take long for me to realize that they were both strays. I beckoned the dogs to me, and gave them each a good scratch. 

After that, the dogs accompanied our group as we made our way back to our hotels. I was delighted. My classmates were delighted. Some of them were also worried about the dogs. One dog was slightly smaller and thinner than the other--some people felt it must be malnourished. So, they bought some snacks from a vendor, and they bought some water. They offered it to the dogs, but the dogs weren't really interested. That made people worry even more.

But then we approached the open expanse of the Piazza Dante. The dogs took notice of the pigeons pecking around on the ground. Any misgivings about the dogs' health vanished as we watched both dogs rocket into the Piazza at top speed, after the birds. The smaller dog flew over a park bench like it was nothing. Pedestrians were startled to see the charging dogs, and groups of pigeons erupting into the air.

And that was the end of or little interlude. The humans went our respective ways to our hotels, and the dogs resumed their tour through Naples. They weren't beggars; they just wanted to hang out. Darling things. ❤️

Jibralta, 

 

You have always been a babe and a cutie! I am sorry I think I’ve missed so much but, are you still with Arnie? 
 

Best,

Lo x

[Jibralta]

8 minutes ago, mylolita said:

You have always been a babe and a cutie! I am sorry I think I’ve missed so much but, are you still with Arnie? 

Thank you ❤️

Yes, still going strong! 💕