A lot has happened in the last week and I can only imagine that part of it will be written.

Lets first start off with the fact that I will soon be GAINFULLY employed.  Last week I had three job offers, three AMAZING job offers. With pay and benefits I didn’t think would exist for me this soon after graduation. I am finally going to a salary position and not hourly, with a job that will not demand my whole life, doing EXACTLY what I want to be doing. So I get to check off the “Find a Great Job in my field” box on the 2010 Goals I set back in December. I had a very hard decision last week as to what job I would take, the pay came in about the same on all three, so it came down to logistics. I may end up with a Coulda-Shoulda-Woulda but I do believe I went with the best option for me. I can’t explain just how happy I am that I will be working again and for DAMN good money.

Lets see there is a pretty nifty guy in my life right now, he makes me smile a lot and all my friends love him (well the many who have meet him already) We have spent quite a bit of time together and it is really nice. Again my ability to jinx my own life on a regular bases is keeping this low key for now, but this situation has me pretty happy too.

Speaking of which it was GAME NIGHT on Friday and we held the night at Paul’s, so I spent the day over his place cleaning up and going shopping to prepare. Made a trip down to Putnam to see the mammadukes and get my bounty of fresh veggies from the garden. We made food, everyone brought some food and drinks.  My vegan friendly stuffed mushrooms and crab and vegan rangoons where a hit.. We had so much food and lots of drink it was a great night with great friends.

Saturday we crawled out of bed after 10 and got ready to get out of town for the day, the goal was to get to Maine but the traffic was crazy. So instead headed to Portsmouth to drink good beer, do some shopping and try/buy some AMAZING balsamic’s we got a Summer Peach and a Blueberry. It is really fun spending time with someone who enjoys amazing food too.  Followed by us trying to go to Red Hook for there to be a huge festival so we couldn’t even get into the brewery. So headed south a bit to Salisbury Beach, with a blanket, food and cocktails and chilled on the beach for awhile watching the moon in all its glory. To end the evening before some shitty rain appeared we played some games at the arcade and retreated back to Worcester.

Sunday was another low-key day, spent many hours sleeping to try to catch up on the hours of non-sleep I have been getting. Paul and I did some bumming around, shopped a bit and then got ready for what turned into another amazing friend filled night. The original plan was for us all to go to the drive-in, but with bad pairing Kelly decided a cook-out would be a good time. Well Paul had the great idea to bring the projector and with a laptop and a white sheet we had tons of food, 13 people and watched Zombie Land while getting bit by mosquitoes. Outdoor movie night on Kelly’s patio is a pretty awesome night.

The more and more I am involved with people here in Worcester the happier I am, I have a great group of welcoming and intelligent friends who make me love where I am in life even more. Everything is falling into place right now and as I stated back in December 2010 will be my best year ever, with a small hiccup in the middle. I don’t believe I have been as happy in my life as I am currently and that is a pretty big thing.

Next: Get a Car……..the search continues.

Had a conversation the other evening with a gentlemen who has lived in Worcester his whole life. He knows the gritty details that I do not know of the city. The conversation came to gentrification.

I am not sure it is a bad thing, if only because the median household income in Worcester is a pitiful 18k a year. Individuals making this amount of money are not homeowners, they live in a floor in a triple decker. Homeownership produces pride and involvement in the community. So is it bad to have multiple loft or condo conversions that will bring in the 20-30 somethings into a neighborhood that  could use people who are proud of being there.

I know from first hand experience as I owned in the lovely Main South Neighborhood, but that never stopped us from going to the local bar down on Cambridge Street for an Obama Rally, we were involved with the Main South CDC. I felt like I lived there, I felt like I was part of the community. Did I want to see more business in the neighborhood-yes. Did I want the mill on Grand Street to be converted for open loft spaces, coffee shops and retail/office space- Yes.. But I also thought it would have been great to offer dining and retail space to local business people. A really good Cambodian or Thai Restaurant or Soul Food eatery. Keeping the neighborhood alive and growing.

I was asked where I expected all the poor folks to go? Well I think Worcester needs to do a better job on attracting business to Worcester, companies should want to be here. The cost of operating in Worcester versus the Metro West/Boston area is a huge savings. There are what, 13 colleges in this city. There is no shortage of people willing to work, and if a person can make a decent wage close to home, even better.

I was looking on the Gothamist where they linked to an article about the gentrification of The Lower East Side in NYC back in 1984 and here. The story of the Lower East Side/East Village reminds me of the Kelly Sq/Canal District scenario.

I watched Providence change within the time I was younger to current days. I remember when the biggest issues that there was not enough housing in Down-city Providence, now they are auctioning off The Waterplace Condos.I remember when you did not walk or drive on the West End and then it became the Armory District and I moved there.

I remember when Five-Points in Denver was the hood and now it is filled with high end lofts, condos and boutiques.

I get it, but the greed in this country, the constant need for better does make the poor-poorer and the rich-richer. But in the same time in order to draw people to a city, to get the folks of Worcester out of the mentality that Worcester (other than the West Side) will always be the slums. To get everyone on board to better the city, it can change. I personally as a resident of Worcester for 3 years  still feels that Worcester has great potential.

Currently I live downtown, I love living downtown, I love the pigeons outside my window, I love the Common across the way, I love the sound of sirens and people. I am a city gal, just wish there was a little more for me downtown so I wouldn’t ever have to move my car. I have tried out all the small shops and bought groceries at Compare Foods (not a bad selection I might add) but a coffee shop in one of the store fronts of building would be amazing. Does no one realize that there is roughly 400 apartments on my block and more around the corner. You have young professionals, grad students, MCP students, small families. There is a market!!!!

I guess the take-away is that gentrification as a concept is not bad, but it is getting people moving into those neighborhoods and becoming PART of neighborhood instead of never exploring and reaching out. Really get to know your neighbors, they may surprise you.  But honestly with housing prices already high in the established neighborhoods, where are those who are lower-middle class and middle class suppose to get their start? You buy in neighborhoods that are cheaper, and hope to improve them. I understand the implications of doing this, I understand that rents could rise their landlords could sell the property.  In Worcester you are not getting yuppies buying up this space, you are just getting young professionals and empty nester’s. Many of us personally can not afford to live in Boston, so priced into a Worcester housing market. You want to encourage homeownership, the more dollars in Property taxes the more resources that our public schools can have, in turn helping disadvantaged youths have a chance to be able to have an education and give back to their community.

What an fantastic weekend. The first REAL spring weekend of the year involved old friends, new friends, beer drinking, outdoor eating, ghetto carnival attending just to eat fried dough and laugh at the cities finest, music listening, sunshine walks and rooftop fun.

Friday I headed down to Connecticut to have coffee with the mammadukes, we headed over to Victoria Station and sat outside and enjoyed the warm spring air. I stayed in on Friday night if only to get rest for what would become a pretty busy and fun weekend.

Saturday after getting all my “chores” and “errands” complete I went to Connecticut once more to meet up with Jen for lunch and catching up. We ate at 85 Main outside enjoyed the sun. We ate and headed to an old high school friends house, who has three little boys that crack me up. Proceeded to go get my nails done, hang out with my friend Tim who recently moved in next door in the main building. Which lead to beer, rooftop viewing and beers with our other neighbor/friend Gabe.  We are going to slowly overtake the Bancroft While the men were both old and tired I decided to finish the night off at The Dive, listen to music, meet up with some friends who had seen me crossing the street and decided to join me. I was a good girl and nursed 1 beer for 2 1/2 hours, while chatting.  Saturday in my book was a fantabulous day.

*Jen’s Gonna KILL me for this pic

Sunday a new friend and I hung out. We did the Boynton for lunch, two vegans trying to find an open place to eat on Easter Sunday is not much fun.  Lunch was followed by a quick stop at Dr. Gonzos and then a LONG stop at the Abbey for a couple beers. Sat next to a very eccentric middle aged woman who chatted openly with us about sex drive, use of Viagra by her ex husband and her 5 cats.  A bit awkward but funny non the less.  Both a bit stuffed and bloated from a mid-day beer adventure decided it was a good idea to head to the Ghetto Carnival around the corner from my apartment, there is at least a stabbing or shooting or some other form of assault that occurs there most years. But fried dough and people watching was perfect for the sunny 70+ degree day. White Booty shorts by a older mom, fat kids getting sick after a ride, men in head to toe pink linen suits. Good times had by many, but we had to leave.  Once Dustin left I wanted to still be in the middle of everything only because the weather was amazing. So I headed over to the Dive, text Tim and dragged his ass out to have a beer with me.

Overall it was a wonderful weekend, lots of time with friends always makes me happy. Worcester has really grown on me, the people, the places, and I find the charm in so many things.

Now to get this week started and then ended. Suppose to have 70-80 degree temps all week, my allergies are in full bloom. All is good… Happy Monday

How Exciting, on my street and everything!!!!!!!

So the Central Mass Roller Derby will be hosting their First Stitches Needles and Guns a craft festival with over 30 vendors in the Printer’s Building @ 44 Portland Street here in Worcester. I am excited it is only a few doors down from my place. YAY

February 6th 2010 from 10am-3pm

Things have been a bit rocky in the world of University Park Lofts as of late and as a courtesy I am not placing this on the UPL blog. But tonight threw me over the edge a bit, and since when am I reserved and quiet. I will not sit back and watch my life be controlled. Every reason we bought at UPL has been demolished and stomped on over the last couple years but we stuck strong even when I was not sure I could handle anymore. I have come close to leaving alone just in order to be free from the drama that looms over this massive amazing building. The building must be haunted by the workers of the Cromptom & Knowles Mill workers….

So this past month we have known about a developer/investor who has been trying to buy this building for the last year, since the auction. We knew that his other properties while trashy, overgrown with green, and unfinished were mixed use. So part of us dreamt that we could have a gym and art gallery and he would really be buying into the neighborhood, the building and moving forward with the dreams of the owners of this building, while small in numbers we sure have dreams for this neighborhood and our building. Over the last year we have all put our efforts into making the building beautiful. We have art work from an owner in the lobby,landscaping from Neil (and I might add he is real good too) cleaning and mini projects, what the building can afford to do with a cash flow of 7k a month. Neil and Julie have balanced the books and managed the building, made great connections with local contractors. We have had the city council in on some ideas for the neighborhoods. Julie makes it to neighborhood safety meetings because knowledge of the neighborhood is very important.

All this in the last couple years. But at the same time we shut down the last investor/developer who crossed us. While small in numbers we all speak loud, we were able to get the ear of the Telegram , Worcester Magazine, Worcester Business Journal and Banker and Tradesman. The owners of the this building backed the bank when they wanted to have automatic stay from the bankruptcy. We made it so not one person rented here from Brett, because even one renter would have let him keep the building. This one lawyer who was a criminal defense and personal injury specialist could not lie or put one past us, we shut him down, through websites, blog post, newspapers and signs while demonstrating our freedom of speech. We are not someone, just anyone wants to start messing with.

This man- Mr. Jim Levin owns a few hideous buildings in Westboro, Hopkinton and Dudley. They are shanty converted, touched up mills that lack any type of “professional” atmosphere. We know this not from his website of American Mills but because of an owners drive by, inspect and picture taking of the properties. I have seen the pictures and I am not impressed. One of them I know very well as it was a mill 2 towns away from where I grew up and I passed it frequently. It was a working mill until about 6 years ago. This man claims and brags about his HUGE amounts of money he has, please show me where this money was spent. The bragging to other owners and a renter in this building makes me want to hurl. We are young couples, empty nester’s and singles, we could care less about a self proclaiming “millionaire.” Upon conversations with people in this building he has claimed his dissatisfaction with the “rules” of the building, not understanding why were would not allow dogs, well because the only dogs that were going to move into here were pit bulls and out building insurance will not cover the building with pit bulls in the building.

So of course with his complaint about our rules and things he wants differently we started to suspect that he had bigger plans that were not including the few individual unit owners in this building. Today the truth came out, this man has decided to buy 5 units in individual names and not under the LLC, and call a special meeting on the day he closes on the 31st of this month. During this special meeting he will vote himself and 2-3 other individuals he tags to the units as trustees and will officially take over the building. He has plans for the garage, this sorry excuse for a man thinks that he know everything about this building, damn the bank who is selling him this building doesn’t even know, because they do not care about the issues with the building. The fact that the garage door has not been oiled is a flaw from the current trustees- give me a break, the trustees for this building have put more energy than this man ever will into something that is worth so little.

What he doesn’t understand is we all spent WAY too much money when we bought, our mortgage would cover five of his units. We can not just walk away, it will take a lot of work if we want to move. To have someone bully their way into our building is not sitting well with me right now, I am a mess because I know how much energy I will need to devote to this travesty of a new investor. He is shady and not professional.

What do we want: we want someone who for the first 6 months to a year comes, observers, worries about his individual units and then, during a normal election of trustees tries to be a trustee. That would be grand. Instead this stranger is all of a sudden going to have control over the bank account and the day to day happenings of this building. I will not have any of this and I will not take this without a fight.

Things Mr Levin wants to do with this building:

• he hates the idea that we have individual roof deck spaces, he wants to make ONE roof deck for all the units. Sorry Sir, we are not giving up our spot and if we move it will be deeded to someone else.
• Wants the “empty” garage parking spots converted to storage, because he doesn’t believe in garage parking. Are you serious? This is the prime selling feature.
• wants to allow dogs and make it self regulated
• Thinks that the garage flooding is a simple problem and fix that- We would be looking at 100k dollars worth of work, is he donating that to the building?
• Wants to allow college kids live in the building, good bye nice quiet building
• Wants to replace the Elevator motor to improve the sound so he can rent out 508. Who is paying for the new motor? Another Assessment that will end with leans on all the units.

And so many other things over the last couple weeks. The nightmare will begin, I am 100% his goal is to get all of us to let him buy us out. This makes me so sad, this was our first home, whether or not it was a pleasant experience. To have investors coming in and acting as if all we have done and all we hope for doesn’t mean anything. I am sure at the Meet-and-Greet on Monday he will show good face and be pleasant and try to fool us a bit. But I am a very good judge of character and I do not trust this man. I am not a trustee, I am just an owner and I have the right to feel as if my views are being heard. I am just sad that it is all coming to this, the dreams of a full building and cocktail parties and roof get together’s will never transpire. This meeting on Monday will sure to be like the time Brett meet with us to say he would deed the whole roof off to us, if we just corporate and help him keep the building.

I am sure I will have more to come……Off to look at some houses.