I Heart Peanut Butter

Well I have to say I wasn’t sure what to expect But the nice small office of about 20 is fantastic. The people at Moving.com are friendly and they are overall very happy with there work and coming to work each day.

See at Scholastic we would always try to shelter the new people because we didn’t want to lead people on to the disaster they just signed on to. We would hope after 1 day they would stay and not run away.
But at the new job everyone is going on and on about what a great environment it is, the stress free work environment and everyone respects the management . Truly respects them. My boss is real and honest. Anne is full of energy and full of information.

So they also mentioned today about the very lax dress code…can wear jeans everyday if I like. It is such a DOTcom company. There is a TV room there with a couch , flat screened TV couple chairs….Watched the news at lunch today…

The schedule is flexible and if you need to leave early one day you can make up the time if you like. As long as you are working 40 hours the time you come in and the time you leave is sorta up to you. I still say the earlier the better but thy will be having me work Texas a great deal and working Texas I need to be on Central time… There is a gym in the building so I can also go at lunch with one of the girls and go work out….
I am #5 for sales people and they said the 2nd quarter they will look at bringing in 1 maybe 2 others. I will see how this all goes and if so I may have a couple people that will need to send me over your resume.
sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh wow…..I think happiness is here again.

Real Brief ” How I came to love Sage”
In the early part of 2002 hum maybe 2001. I was living on Madison St. in Denver in the smallest of studio apartments. My old boyfriend had gotten some comp tickets while working at Tower Records ( this was a norm, how I came to go to hundreds of shows) . We had these tickets see Sage Francis at the Bluebird Theater in Denver ( I love this place, it was 1/2 block from where I was living at the time on Madison)
I remember the stupid words we used before we went into the show ” wouldn’t it be phat if it was some sick ass hip hop” well that is what it was. As we crossed the street to the Bluebird I remember hearing the bass coming from the building and the hard hitting beats. I was like “OH YEAH”. That was the beginning of the end for me. I have since then seen Sage about 13 times between shows in Denver, Boulder, Boston and Providence. To anyone who wants good intelligent hip hop, or something that you can say yes I hear ya on….
Check it out.

Monday ….two weeks from now I will be starting my new job.
This is so the year of change.
New home….New Car…..New city….New Job and more dedicated me time. Last night was a bit of fun. Neil hammered away on the interweb and I spent a few hours being crafty and having fun. So see our half bath we decided to do something fun with it, make it a work of art filled with works of art.
So I got prints that where 8×10 made of pics I have taken of Joshua Tree and Arthusa Falls in NH. Used those as the back drop to some cut out prints of Miss Van and Fafi work. I will take pics tonight of them and show ya.
All were put in clear box frames to show the work while making it easy to change them out down the road.

Saturday morning went and meet up with Jen and Pam. Was nice to chat with the ladies for a bit while there kids chatted and played on there own. Jen asked If Neil and I would help with the Start on the Street this year and I would love too. I will do more updates on Start on the Street as it comes along.

If anyone is reading this in the Worcester area and you care to give back. On the 24th of this month there is a ” Adopt a Park” day in Worcester and the target this month is University Park/Crystal Park on Main south from 9am until 12 noon. Please let me know if you would like to know more. I let them know I would try to get some more people to volunteer with me.
The bad weather day would be moved to the 31st.

So I accepted the offer with Moving.com tonight. So very excited yet so wowwwwwwww.
No matter what I have stuck it out at Scholastic but I trully think for my well being and the company it is my time.
I remember Steve the old GM use to say, ” you know when it is your time and when you are not coming in each day thinking you can make a difference.”
Very nervous because I guess I blew the other applicatant out of the water, so I feel there is high standards set for me, but make the high standards. I am not a little girl anymore I am a grown women.

But with the relationships I have formed at Scholastic I hope I do not become just another ex Scholastic Sales rep. Well the new job is across the hall from where Scholastic is moving in the summer. They can’t rid me that soon.

WOW…..

ELDORADO CONDOMINIUMS
14 Ashland StWorcester, MA 01609

So as far as much as I know from the Eldorado Condos.
They are an older condo units so there is less public knowledge and I can go based on what I had seen.
First all I do not think the area they are located is bad at all. Located in the Elm Park neighborhood it does seem to have alot of WPI students in that general area. Situated between Main st and Park Ave you are close to everything. Close to DCU center and not so far from Highland street to enjoy the Boyton and Sole.

The plus is this has been a condo for many years and with that I say established Condo associations and the tweaks have all been worked out by now.
What are the condo fees like?
I would think for that location 135k for a 2bedroom would be a great deal. But with it being an older building you would want to see if the unit has updates. Updates such as kitchen, bathrooms and what major cost will the association come into in the future? New roofs, Plumbing and Heating systems in the building. And how much does the association have in its trust.

I would assume this is the one you are looking at :

Worcester, MA 01609
List Price:
$135,000
Description: This beautiful 2 bedroom unit is available for immediate occupancy. Refinished hardwood floors, freshly painted, brand new appliances. Air-conditioning.. Indoor garage parking space, storage in basement. Two closets in the master bedroom. Art deco bath…ready for your personal touch in a beautiful maintained complex.

From my knowledge this has been on the market for a bit and the kitchen is very outdated, ,lucky the kitchens are small in this unit so the cost to remodel would not be huge. If you wanted to use it as a rental property and wanted to get a good monthly rent for it I would suggest taking a trip to Ikea and purchasing new cabinets and such for about $1,200 to $2,500. The turn on the investment would be better then you think and in the mean time renting them you do not have to worry about expensive cabinets that may get ruined.

The condo fees for this unit are $330 a month which includes heat, hot water, master insurance, garbage and such so that is a great deal in my opinion. I would go take a look at this unit in the mid winter and see if it stays warm. When heat is included you want to make sure they raise the heat past 65 degrees. With a week like this week it could be very cold inside.

The unit is 890 sq feet. So that is the average and for that price point pretty good. But one thing me as someone that loves decor and houses the building was built in 1984. what does that mean for you. The 80′s where BORING. Box houses, box windows, no character, no thought was put into the big housing boom in the 80′s.

There is some newer buildings going up in the area that cost about the same, but you have to factor in cost of any upgrades and such to the unit you do buy if it is an older one.

Sorry this is all I can give, but from my opinion this is what my thoughts are.

P.S.
If and when the City Square is up and running. I think it would increase the value of the units at Eldorado only if the unit has upgrades and updates. Meaning they are putting more housing downtown in the CITY Sq project, what this means for people in close proximate to the downtown area is the housing values will go up in the beginning and then probley even out.
But you would want an modern look to your unit to separate it from the rest.
New Kitchen and Bathroom ( currently has a Art Deco bathroom, meaning it has looked the same since 1984, would like to see the colors and tile used in this bathroom). So as long as you invest in your investment I think you would be ok.

Ever sit and think how fragile the human life is and how easy it is to take away.
Think of the women who dies when the ceiling panel of the Boston tunnel landed on her car, think she left the house thinking that concrete would fall on car and kill her.

I think because my best friends sister is struggling for her life right now, can you imagine how it must be to have to fight. He friend dies at the accident, just like that . One minute they were probley singing along to the music, rehashing the nights events and all of a sudden it was done.

I think about things like that when people who are young are taken away from this earth way to soon, did they really get to make the impact they wanted on this earth. Maybe I will live forever because each day I say ” I am not doing nor have I done what I am meant to” I was brought on this earth to change someones life, but have I done that yet?

How easy that it is to have someone you care for with you each day and then they are gone. I didn’t tell Neil but I am sure he will read this, but one day when the roads were going to be bad, the night before I woke up crying because all I could think of was “what would I do if something happened to him” I think then you realize your love for that person, whether it be friend, lover or family. Maybe that person is all three to you. What happens when you are no longer able to depend on that person for you emotional fullfilness.

So here I sit and pray that Beth’s sister gets better, hoping to get a call from Beth with better news. He family has always been great to me, her sister always sweet. I hope that my prayers can be enough.

As to the human life once more. I think as humans we think we are invincible, that nothing can stop us, but there is so much in life that is bigger then we are. We can not plan our fate, everything is mapped out. But a young persons life to me is never easy to deal with. Every person should be able to live to a ripe age where they have made all of life’s mistakes and now they get to giggle at others who make mistakes….

Anyway that is my thought of the day

To answer a question from “B” .

My idea of the University Park Lofts.

we did go to look at these a few times at different periods of completion.

My thoughts:

1. over priced – even though the original asking prices have dropped since there first asking price list it is not enough to match the current housing prices, the neighborhood or the sq footage you will receive.
2. They are not selling, they have sold 3 units to date, it is never good nor is it easy to get financing for a condo unit where the percentage sold is so low. Not all the units being sold will cause more burden on the buyers if repairs and such need done. I am sure for the 1st year they will be the association and any needed repairs will be done by them. We hope.
3. the upgrades add to much cost….. 10k for a roof deck….extra for additional parking.. you want window ledges, a loft bed or any additional upgrades you will pay.
4. I love the windows. They are stunning…beautiful and you can watch the trains pass with there skill full graffiti. But then again to have 12 windows in a corner unit there is far to much cost to get some type of blinds to keep sun out in the early morning.
5. Small units most are in the 7oo-800 sq foot range. They do not have bedrooms, a true loft feeling if you are a single it may work but for a couple living in Worcester it makes no sense to put yourself in such a small space when you can get a 3 bedroom conversion for the same price.
6. no community room or gym. They figured they would let people decide were they want to work out, but a gym would have been a plus in this building since there is no room to place workout equipment and the gyms in Worcester do not open early enough for a good morning workout.
So those are my thoughts, they are pretty nice looking and the work was done OK.

P.S. while talking housing I hear there was a murder near St John’s Cemetery near the Fremont, they found the body in the park. I am not sure I would feel safe there.

Fremont and University Park are a stones throw from Main South, an area that will take a very long time to improve. I want to see Worcester become great, but they are doing things backwards, get business and industry in the area first and then people will want to live there. The only thing Main South has going is the Artichoke Co OP. People need local coffee shops, neighborhood stores and employment close to enjoy the CITY. Instead of Check cashing businesses

Introducing the family member.

Peanut Butter Cutez

AKA Peanut
Red Tabby Maine Coon..
Skidish because he was not use to people but in the last three days he has warmed up to Neil and I .

Since I am no longer working at the Want Ad today was a day of shopping and cleaning.
Reflecting, deciding what decisions are stupid to make. Thinking. Wow I have been to tired for this for some time. Listen to some Dixie Chicks and clean the house, a blessing I tell you.

Right now my heart goes out t my best friend. Beth is the dearest closest and greatest friend.
2 am on Friday morning her sister was involved in a very serious accident. The driver 21 year old Hope Eddy did not make it, She went thru the windshield and died on impact.

Beth’s sister Amy Lafleur is in Umass right now stumbling the doctors as to why she has not woken up. In the early part of yesterday the catscans cam back that there was no bleeding on the brain. Later in the day they did a catscan on the back of her head, finding there was bleeding, swelling, a tempature of 101 and she had fractured part of neck. She also had broken pelvis, hip and shattered her rib cage.

I am far from a religious person, but if there is someone that makes the final decision on her fate. Please let hger wake up, please let the pain that Beth and her folks are going thru stop.
I hate to see the sadness and worry in my dearest friends eyes and I hate that I can not do anything about it.

For now we wait………………………hopefully good news will follow.