Adventures in Gastronomy

Well, THAT house will not be OUR home. After much deliberation, Randy and I decided against purchasing that home in Arlington. Shockingly, we came ‘thisclose’ to putting in an offer.

After visiting it twice during the open house on Monday, then returning again Monday night, we continuously went back and forth. At times Randy was ready to place and offer but I was reluctant. Then once he finally swayed me into being for it, he got cold feet. Then I swayed him, he swayed me, I swayed him. If we were on a dance floor that would be one thing, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case.

Then, after some number crunching (even creating dummy tax returns to see the financial benefits) we concluded that a) we both loved the space itself and b) we could afford the place for a year or so if one of us lost a job.

We told Ed, my friend and our broker, to come by last night to sign the papers.

After some small talk, we told Ed our offer price and discussed a list of improvements we’d want done prior to moving in. He even pulled out the paperwork to sinch (cynch? synch? cinch?) the deal. Then either Randy or I (I can’t recall who) asked Ed what he thought of the place…and whether he could see us in it.

And, most suprisingly for a real estate broker, he hesitated. He did say he could see us in it, but also admitted that other stuff is going to come onto the market in the next few months that would probably be a better fit. Specifically, a condo or home that provided a place for Randy to grill (which this place lacked) and a place closer to convenient public transit for me.

So, he slipped his papers back into his folder and the purchase is on hold.

Of course, if the owner drops the price to an unbeatable level, we’d jump at the chance again (I can’t repeat how much we love the actual space). But for now, the search goes on.

March 20th, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 3 Comments

Sigh.

So Randy and I returned to that home in Arlington again last night (our third visit in two days). We were surprised that after the crowds attending Sunday’s open house nobody made an offer. We looked at a property last week that went under agreement just hours after we toured it.

Anyway, we both still love the space. All three bedrooms on the top floor are huge (bigger than any bedroom I’ve ever had). The main living floor also has decent sized rooms (huge kitchen). The remodel was done very nicely, maintaining nearly all of the original detail and charm, yet the kitchen was completely gutted and the bathrooms (particularly the lower level one) were stunning.

However, our leisurely stroll this time around also allowed us to notice flaws that we either didn’t pick up on during our rushed initial trips, or flaws that became more pronounced the second time around. For example:

• one exterior wall has different colored siding than the rest (not drastically different, but noticeable).
• the wood on some of the kitchen cabinets is darker on a few doors (and the cabinets in the pantry are completely different altogether).
• the floors squeak and footsteps are loud. That means we’d have to worry about our downstairs neighbors hearing every step we take in the kitchen, dining room, living room, and guest room.
• The enclosed back deck is completely useless space. Opening it up would again would be pricey, and without the deck, Randy is unable to grill easily (since he uses the BBQ at least 2-3 nights/week year round.

Still, all of those things aren’t deal breakers. Hell, they could ultimately beal deal makers since it could help us negotiate a lower price.

What could be a dealbreaker, however, is that it doesn’t technically meet the three main requirements I’m wanting to move in the first place:

1. Location. Though it’s no further from the subway than we are currently, it’s also no closer. However there are bus routes at either end of the street that get to subway stations within 5-15 minutes (one of the bus routes even goes right to my office door). There are also shops and restaurants (and a movie theatre) at the end of the block. So, I guess we achieved this goal by 50%.
2. Central air. For some reason, the developer idn’t convert the system to include central air (which is odd since he put in a whole new furnace). We could add it on our own…but again, pricey.
3. Two bathrooms. This is the one goal this property reached 100%.

Randy had his own set of necessities, too: parking (preferably garage) and grill space. This place has the former and lacks the latter.

Anyway, everything is about compromise. And I know that it’s damn near impossible to find a place that offers everything you want (particularly in your price range). But, basically, this property only provides each of us with half of our requirements. Talking with our broker (and from looking online over the past few years) we’ve found that identical quality properties within a few blocks of a subway station will cost us $100,000 or more.

In the end, Randy has said that this was the nicest property he’d ever viewed while looking to buy and that he’d take it (though, perhaps lowballing an offer). Then he said the decision is ultimately up to me! (oh, the pressure)!

March 17th, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 3 Comments

We had a pretty good weekend. Saturday night was game night (nothing unusual there…or was there?) with Chris and Pete. Good times, always.

On Saturday, Randy and I went about running errands in the gorgeous spring-like (finally) weather. He even managed to get me to go to the gym (the weather really must have put me in a good mood). That night, we had a wee birthday party for two of our friends, Mickey and Mark. Along with the cake, we had dinner and played a game we’d purchased earlier that day: Apples to Apples.

Then Sunday came and my goal was to do nothing except look at a few open-houses (as we continued our search to see what’s out there). And, boy oh boy, was there something out there! We both fell in love with a two-story condo that felt like a single family house. It was 1,800 square feet (HUGE) with 3 bedrooms (one would be an office, one a guest room, one a master bedroom), 2 bathrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, and another family room (or could be used as another bedroom or office or library). It was the top two floors so it had no neighbors above us or beside us, and it received lots of natural light. There was a deck out front and an enclosed one out back (ideally, it would be open…but you can’t have everything). There was also a large garage and big back yard (two things Randy likes).

The basement was enormous, clean, and dry…so great for storage. Oh, and from the master bedroom, you could see pieces of Boston’s skyline (the Back Bay Hancock and Prudential towers). Of course, they would likely disappear when the trees sprout leaves. but just being able to the city makes it feel closer to the city.

And although not in Cambridge or Somerville, it was still nearly the same distance to the subway as our current place. However, it was equidistant to TWO subway stations (Alewife and Davis) and there are bus lines at each end of the block that would take me directly to a subway station. In fact, one of those busses would drop me off at the door to my office. Compare this to my current commute where I have to walk 5-7 minutes just to get to the nearest bus (and then transfer to subway, etc…).

So, although we wouldn’t be any closer to the city than we are now, it would be easier to get to the city. Plus, it’s closer to transit, restaurants, markets, and even a movie theatre (all at the end of the street).

Anyway, the open house was swarming with people so I suspect a decision would need to be made fast. ARGH -decisions, decisions. Oh, and since it’s a two family, the lower level is available, too (1,300 square feet with 2 bedrooms, living room, dining room, brand-new kitchen, front and back decks). Anybody interested? It’d be great to have neighbors who are friends!

**The photo above is not the property for sale…it’s one from my village when I was a kid (though, I wouldn’t mind living there, either).

March 16th, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 4 Comments

What a bizarre day yesterday was. Everything seemed normal while at work. Then Randy and I headed out to check out some local condos that are for sale. In case I’ve not mentioned it, we’re thinking of finding a new place. Even before I moved into his condo, we discussed eventually buying a place of our own together. Part of this was to have our names on the mortgage together, but other important factors came into play;

• Size/layout of the condo. The current one has the master bedroom in the middle of the house so if one person is trying to sleep, it’s inevitable that you hear the other person in any room he’s in (kitchen, bath, guestroom/office, dining room, and living room).
• Second bathroom. We both have to get up/prep for work at the same time and sharing one bathroom can occasionally be problematic (which is pathetic considering my childhood home at 4 people and 1 bathroom). But, dammit, I’m getting older and enjoy certain small luxuries.
• Location. Out current place is at least a mile to the nearest subway stop. It’s also a 10+ minute walk to the nearest “conveniences” (shops, restaurants, etc…) and 20 minutes to any major hub of activity. With me not having a car, it can be pretty damn inconvenient when it’s cold, snowy, rainy, or hot (pretty much, I’d say).

Anyway, it was always been our plan to eventually move. But a few months ago our upstairs neighbors told us that they were going to have a baby. I think that was what made us realize is really was time to start the process. Neither Randy nor I want kids, nor are we particularly fond of the noises they’re prone to make…a lot…during the first few years.  We can already hear them walking around with just two of them, I can’t imagine what it will sound like with 3AM crying and, heaven forbid, a year or so from now when a toddler starts walking.

So, yesterday we viewed our first few properties. I absolutely loved the first one. Top floor (no neighbor noise!), 2 bed, 2 bath, gut-renovated with central air, slightly larger than our current place. The location couldn’t be beat, either…a 2 minute walk in either direction to Davis Square subway (red line subway, 87, 88, 96 bus) or Mass Ave (77 bus). It was also on a one way street gets no traffic. There were three downsides: one parking space (but no garage), laundry was in basement, and price was higher than we’d want to pay for it (though still in our price range).

The second property was crap…but the location/setting was cute (for Cambridge, it actually felt rural – with a big yard and red barn to view out back).

The third property was nearly as nice as the first one. It was even larger, spread out over two floors, but had no AC, tandem parking (ugh), and wasn’t so conveniently located. Two hours later the broker told us it had since received an offer. Oh well.

Anyway, That was my afternoon…traipsing though other people’s homes.

Then, last night, Randy and I were watching New Adventures of Old Christine when I started fast-forwarding thru the commercials and yelped (literally, I yelped) at what I thought I saw. “That’s Matt’s mom!,” I screamed (Matt is my ex of 10 years). Randy looked at me as if I was insane since it was just during a nano-second fastforward freeze that I saw her face, but I rewound and played the whole commercial. Lo and behold, there was his mother in a commercial for Mutual of Omaha insurance company. She was talking (in her Texas accent) about leaving Texas and moving to San Francisco to be with her son. BIZARRE! My exes mom is in a national TV campaign.

Then I got an email from my old college room mate this his cousin (Megan Corkrey) is on the current American Idol.

Life is strange.

March 12th, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 1 Comment

I read an Associated Press article this morning about a nationwide survey that took place in January that determined the happiest states in the country and the least happy states. Results were somewhat surprising in that Utah came in as the happiest state, with Hawaii coming in second. At the other end of the spectrum, were states like West Virginia (dead last) and Kentucky.

And despite all the grumblings you hear locally about people being unhappy with Massachusetts (too expensive, too liberal), our own little commonwealth ranked #8. Woo hoo – we made the top 10 (and there’s yet another reason for our residents to be happy).

Now, I’m not trying to get all political on your ass, but the survey did show that the least happy states tended to be the southern states (states that tend to be “red”, or Republican). I suppose a small part of that could be the timing of the survey (January…just as Obama was being sworn in to office), but the survey took into account numerous other factors (physical health, mental health, work quality, healthy behavior) and considering the southern states have the highest percentages of obesity and heart problems, as well as greater poverty, it does make sense that they’d score lower.

The results even allow you to view statistics by congressional district. It’s interesting that even within the state of Massachusetts, the coastal areas rated happier/healthier than the western half of the state. And of southern states, coastal ones (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia) received the highest ratings. Perhaps there’s also a correlation with the ocean.

MMMM – nice sandy beaches, crashing waves, cooling breezes.

Anyway, here’s the link: http://www.ahiphiwire.org/wellbeing (just click ‘generate report’) to see the map.

March 11th, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 1 Comment

It’s Monday, it’s snowing, I’m in the office.

But the trip was great. I can’t recall exactly where I left off, but after the busy first few days of driving to the ruins and exploring them (Chichen Itza and Coba) we arrived in Playa del Carmen for the rest of the trip. Our intention was to stay the last day/night in Cancun, but we enjoyed Playa so much we changed our hotel reservation and stayed.

Which provided us with one more uninterrupted beach day.

We also started meeting new people toward the end of the trip. We met another gay couple staying in our hotel while on the beach. They were from NYC and we ended up getting together with them for a few dinners and breakfast (since breakfast is served at the hotel). On our last night (Saturday) we met another gay couple (also from NYC).

Truth be told, our hotel was probably 50% gay (the former owner was gay so it still attracts a large gay crowd). And what a charming hotel it was. It was apparently two separated hotels mixed into one. Typical of the area, it’s a courtyard style building that goes from one block to the next. The rooms are mostly along the perimeter and face the courtyards or street. Ours was actually a building in the courtyard. It was all very plush and tropical. In addition to the two ground level pools, there were three sun decks on various roofs of the buildings.

Randy and I both discussed this and we had such a great time, that Playa del Carmen is definitely a destination that we’d want to return to again. Airfare was cheap ($75 each way, plus tax), it’s not too far (jus over 4.5 hours direct, 7 hours or so with connections), lodging was very reasonable, and food and (for Randy) alcohol were really cheap. Although simple continental breakfast came with the rooms, for just over $2 you could get an omelete. Every afternoon they had 2-for-1 drinks (Randy and his Mojitos again).

We tried various options at the beach and enjoyed them all. The first day we walked a bit far to a secluded area (peaceful, but windy). The second day we packed ourselves in the crowded section (mmm – people watching). The last two days were sprung for “Beach Club” membership at Kool Beach Club. For 70 pesos ($4.66) you got a VERY comfy 3-4 inch mattress on a wood frame with a large beach umbrella. It also came with 2 free bottles of water. In addition, servers will bring you food and drinks…and in the background a DJ plays ambient music on a sound system. There is also a pool and bathrooms.

It just made it so relaxing (albeit crowded). The days we went to the beach club we lasted at the beach all day (whereas the other days on the sand we’d get uncomfortable and head back earlier). Oh, and for any straight readers out there, Playa del Carmen’s beaches are topless.

It truly is rare that Randy and I are willing to return to a place (we both always want to try new things). In all the travel that we’ve done, the only places we’ve both agreed we’d like to return to are Buenos Aires and Prague. And Playa is leaps and bounds ahead of Key West, our most recent trip. It has better beaches, a better atmosphere, better prices, and a charming shopping/dining street (unlike Key West’s horrible, typical “Main Street, USA” of Duvall Street).

We have a few remaining pesos…and we can’t wait to use them.

March 9th, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 1 Comment

It’s late and I’m tired. I’ve also managed to catch a goddamn cold during my vacation! Still, the weather is great. Life has become a pleasant pattern of eat, beach, eat, walk, eat, shop, sleep.

Too tired to write much more at the moment, but I did manage to post a select number of photos online (finally). You can check them out here: http://picasaweb.google.com/snarl71/YucatanPeninsulaMexico# or go to the “Karl’s International Photos” link on the bottom right and find the “Yucatan Peninsula” album.

I’ll write more later.

March 5th, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: Comments Off on Mexico, Part II

I…am…beat.

We packed in a lot of sightseeing in the first few days of the trip so that we could relax on the beach the last 5 days. And, man, did we cram a lot in.

First things first, we arrived nearly an hour late after delays departing JFK airport. After going through immigration, customs, and car rental, we didn’t arrive at the hotel until about 11PM. The place wasn’t bad, and appeared to have a lovely pool/courtyard. Unfortunately, we had to get up early to make the drive to Chichen Itza and never got to enjoy it.

Two+ hours later, we arrived at our 2nd hotel where we checked in and dropped off our luggage. The place was VERY simple (essentially each room was a concrete cube in the jungle). In fact, although there were windows in the bedroom area, the bathroom had openings in the conrete, but no glass…just screens). The screens still didn’t stop an enormous spider from paying us a visit.

The property also had two pools (one was built over a cenote with cool rock formations and caves). There was also a restaurant. For $35, we got a room, free wifi, access to two pools (that we didn’t use), and free breakfast (large fresh fruit plate, drink, eggs and ham, bread)…oh, and the spider I mentioned earlier.

OK, back to the purpose of the drive…Chichen Itza. What once was a city built over 1,000 years ago is now a large expanse of ruins. Some have been restored, others have been left in a state of decay. It was cloudy the day we arrived so the photos came out blah. We returned later that evening for their light show (essentially illuminating each major structure while telling the history of the ruins (in Spanish).

We then returned to the hotel and had dinner: 2 beers, glass of wine, marguerita, cheeseburger, fries, soup, chicken entree, dessert, and tea, all of under $25 total.

We were exhausted and went to bed shortly after dinner. We woke up early this morning, said hello to Mr. Spider, then had breakfast before venturing back to Chichen Itza (Randy wanted pictures with the sun shining).

Then we drove 1.5 hours or so to the ruins called Coba (after getting completely lost in Valladolid). The Coba ruins are unrestored and are definitely what you could call “ruins”. I believe this locale is older than Chichen Itza, and it’s most definitely larger. After centuries of neglect, the jungle has encroached and completely covered many of the ruins. Most of the buildings are separated by fairly significant distances (1 kilometer or more)

However, the big advantage of Coba (over Chichen Itza) is that you’re allowed to climb the ruins. Even better, the tallest pyramid in the northern Yucatan Peninsula is in Coba. The view from the top isn’t exactly spectacular (all you see is plush green jungle as far as the eye can see, plust one other smaller pyramid), but it’s an exciting climb all the same since the pyramid is crumbling and you feel as if you’re going to fall. It’s incredibly steep and all that is there to assist you is a rope laying on the steps.

After Coba, Randy wanted to go to one additional set of ruins (Tulum). Unfortunately, I felt ruined myself after all of that driving, hiking, and climbing (and neglecting to eat) so we just drove to Playa del Carmen…our main destination for the trip (5 days/nights).

And that’s when I encountered complaints on Facebook and by email that I’d not posted any photos yet. So, I’ve posted one above…soon enough, I’ll post more in my online photo-album. But it’s time for bed.

Hasta la manana!

March 3rd, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 1 Comment

For the first time in 2009 I rode my scooter to work. I did start it once in early January as I was shoveling the driveway, but otherwise it has sat untouched for nearly three months.

And it was pissed for being neglected. It took me more than 10 minutes just to get it started. And then I let it run for another 10 minutes or so before venturing out into the street. But it worked. I made it to work safely and efficiently, dodging Yugo sized potholes everywhere.

That’s the big concern…pot holes. Some are the size of the scooter tire and if you go over one, it could flip you right over. Fortunately, it’s now day light when I go to work and when I return from work so I should at least be able to see them…and hopefully avoid them.

And by the time we get back from Mexico, the U.S. will already have participated in Daylight Savings Time (the night of March 7th). So, even MORE light in the evening. WOO HOO!

February 27th, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 2 Comments

Just two more days until we head off to Mexico. We finished laundry last night so I began the packing process (it takes me a few days to evaluate my needs, make changes, etc…). This is going to be an 8 day trip so I need to pack more than I usually do (we won’t have a washing machine and I hear laundromats are pricey and hard to come by down there).

Randy’s actually packing his “big” suitcase (which will help). I’m hoping to check my beach umbella, too. The latest weather report shows sunny every day but Sunday (how ironic). Still, there’s only a 30% chance of showers even on that day. If that’s the worst weather we’ll have, I won’t complain.

Of course, Sunday is also the day we’ll be visiting the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. At least the clowds might prevent the sun from making me miserable. I’m already borrowing Chris’ Gilligan hat to protect my face, ears, and neck. So, you’ve been warned that I will look mighty goofy in the Chichen Itza photos. No laughing!

February 26th, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: Comments Off on Plan, Plain, Plane