Friday, May 23, 2008

Tagged

So, my sister Tagged me in her blog. Here are the rules...

1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

I already Tagged a few people via my myspace account, so I'll Tag a few more who weren't a part of that calamity.

7 'Fabulous' Facts:

1. I can't hear high frequency sounds in my left ear. This means that I can't hear anything in that ear when people whisper into it. It's embarrassing.
2. I have to eat things in pairs...2 M&Ms, 2 green beans...one on each side of my mouth. Or I feel unbalanced.
3. I'm always cold. Always.
4. I have one double jointed finger.
5. I can't keep any plant alive. Except my bamboo plant, which has been with me since January 1, 2006.
6. I don't wash my hair everyday, but I do wet it in the shower daily.
7. I think my feet are ugly, but I think I have pretty hands.

Christian Girl

Lil Kate

Aaron

The Brother - already Tagged (first by me on myspace, and now by Julia!)

That's all...

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

You down with NYC? Yeah, you know me...


So, I just got back from a fun trip to the East Coast. I love it there. I was back in DC for a conference -- the first trip back since I graduated 4 years ago. Crazy how time flies. I will have to go back more often. It's absolutely one of my favorite places to be.

Then, we went up to visit my old Med School roommate in NYC. Dr. R hasn't changed a bit. :) Still a blast to be around and a total trooper. She had to be at work by 7a every morning, and she was out with us until the wee wee hours. Granted, she lives right next door to the hospital, but she didn't complain once! This is why I love her. Thanks, R for a great time!

We went to Brooklyn to visit our actor friend, Ian...who was back home in Chicago and unable to take us around NYC. Bad timing, right? But, he gave us a list of things to do, which was great. We went to Times Square, the East Village, Chelsea, the Upper West Side, the Seaport, the Met, Central Park...despite the gloomy weather, we had fun. It was my first vacation this year, and it was great to have nothing to do and nowhere to be. Here's one more photo -- The Husband at Central Park...

Friday, May 2, 2008

Sadness

Well, the Husband and I were hit with a rude awakening this week. Despite saving a good deal and being good stewards of our money, we were thwarted in our efforts to by a condo this week.

I had seen #8 (unit #8 of an 8 unit condo) the middle of last week. I loved it. It's kind of like a loft, but has 3 levels to it. A master bedroom downstairs with a huge closet, fire place and little courtyard outside. The main floor was amazing -- beautiful kitchen, living room, another fireplace (does it get that cold in LA??). Then up a few steps to a half-bath (full bath downstairs), and up a few more to the loft. A decent sized open room, but attached and through some French doors was a cute office. The Husband and I went to see it on Tuesday and loved it. We had a quick meeting afterward at Starbucks and got very excited to make an offer. Perhaps it was the caffeine. Nevertheless, I said I'd run the numbers to see what kind of bid we'd need to make. He said he'd call our Mortgage Broker friend to see about a loan.

We have been house hunting for a few months. We started last fall, but quickly abandoned when we realized a) we didn't have enough for a 10% down payment on most of these places and b) the housing market was really starting to tumble. So, I moonlighted (moonlit?) like crazy and we saved a good chunk of change. Enough, we thought, to put down 10% and not be "house poor" -- we'd still have some cash left in case the car broke down, the dishwasher flooded the place, etc. See, we were being financially responsible.

So, the Mortgage Broker (MB) gave us sad news. Within the past 2-3 weeks, the rules changed. No longer can you put 10% down, get a 10% line of Equity and get a loan for 80%. Now, in order to avoid mortgage interest, you have to put 15% down. So, that puts us in the exact spot we were last fall. Barely enough money for a down payment. In fact, I'd have to clean out the change cup in my car to make it. But, then what?? What if my car eats it? What if the washing machine breaks? What if the Husband gets put on hiatus for a few weeks?

So, people have totally screwed us. Thanks to brokers who set up people who shouldn't have been getting mortgages. Thanks to lenders who should know that a shift-manager at Coffee Bean can't afford a $612,000 condo in Hollywood. Thanks to morons who either didn't read their mortgage terms, didn't care to know their mortgage terms or didn't have the foresight to think about what would happen to the terms in a year. Thanks to all of those people, we're out. Again.

Who is going to "bail" us out? All of this talk about giving relief to people who bought over their limits. What about those of us who played by the rules, who were financially responsible? What happens to us? Oh, that's right: we get to wait and save another 8 months, and hope they don't make the minimum down payment 20%.

I guess it's true. Nice guys finish last. People who play by the rules get screwed. I'm trying not to be bitter (it's not working, is it...). I know there's a better time for us to buy, and it'll be soon. At least we're not in debt. At least we can make our monthly bills. At least we are healthy. Blah blah blah. :) I'm blessed, I am. I just want a place of my own already!