Month: August 2006

When talking to some professionals about what I want to do with the house a couple of them have mentioned resale stuff. For some odd reason this is one of those little things that nearly set me off. I can’t explain it but the mention of resale touches a nerve. Calmly, I say that I intend to stay in this house until offered a dream job (I like my current job and employer) or marriage.
Since I intend to stay in the house for a number of years I don’t want to invest in something for somebody else. When I was posting on the Washington Post Real Estate discussion board I would write that I didn’t see the logic of doing something for the sake of resale if the people intended to stay longer than 5 years. Mainly because whatever you put in will be 5 years older when you sell. Will granite counter tops be the hot thing 5 years from now? Maybe. Remember Corian? I have Corian, but I only picked it because it is more forgiving with dishes than stone. Maybe future owners may want zinc, concrete, recycled glass, I don’t know, and I don’t care.
I live in this house with the idea that once I get rid of the crack head features, it will be the best reflection of Me that I can afford. Resale is the furthest thing from my mind. I figure whoever comes after me will move in and tear down or paint over whatever they don’t like. What I do for the house will be for me. The color and type of floors, the texture of the ceiling, the light fixtures, the tile in the bathroom, layout of the kitchen, all for me. Me. Me. Me.
What I am trying to do for future residents is strengthen the bones of the structure. There are cracks in the wall. Need to get a professional’s opinion of exactly why and what I need to do to remedy them. I would like to be able to sell something that may have 100 or more years in it to go.

No not a mash-up. Just a discussion happening elsewhere.
Frightening tales from condo owners and people in HOAs run badly, make me feel so much better about my fee-simple in the hood. I’m not talking nastygrams about grass 1/4 of an inch too high, I’m talking poor maintenance, low levels of corruption and skyrocketing dues.

|—————————————-|
| THE |
| Regular Yearly Picnic |
| of the |
| Blagden Alley |
| and |
| Naylor Court |
| Peoples |
| |
| Saturday, August 26, 2006 |
| Historical, Brick-Paved |
| Naylor Court |
| 6:00pm-9:00pm |
| (See map in newsletter) |
| |
| THIS IS NOT A DRILL! |
|—————————————-|

The picnic announcement is at

http://www.pro-messenger.com/Blagden/Monthly%20Pages/2006%20Monthly%20Pages/BAN_2006_08_P1.html

Two August newsletter pages are at
http://www.pro-messenger.com/Blagden/Monthly%20Pages/2006%20Monthly%20Pages/BAN_2006_08_P2.html

Noticed plywood over several units. What’s up with that?
My un-educated gut guess is that the owners are trying to sell it and so aren’t filling the units up with new tenants. Of course, there could have been a fire. I don’t know.
So anybody know what’s going on?

There is an annoying point in dieting when after you’ve made incredible progress there is a long period of nothing. No matter what you do, nada. However, you need to keep doing what you are doing so you could possibly progress and not go back. That’s how I’m feeling about the corner.
This week I’ve seen the cops, lights flashing, stopped at the corner. And it has been quieter on the corner than it has been in years past. But I will see the guys hanging out on the corner on occasion. They are not gone. I don’t always expect them to be there, but I’m not surprised if I do see them. I would like to be surprised, but it seems we’re not getting past not surprised.
I am thankful for the progress we’ve made in my little section of the neighborhood. I hope that all of the TC can improve in ways that make it a safer and nicer place.

I noticed him first at the corner of Adelphi Road and East-West Hwy in Hyattsville. He’s Latino with his right leg bending back when normally it should go forward. I felt badly for him. Then a few weeks ago I saw him up on Georgia Ave somewhere in that mass called Silver Spring, with his cup out taking charity. Just yesterday I saw him again, on Connecticut Ave by Farragut North with a orange juice box shaking it at passersby. For a guy with a screwed up leg he does get around.

When I go to IKEA I’m spending more time looking at the little showrooms and paying attention to the square footage. I’m not exactly complaining (complaining is in the ear if the listener) but my place is small and it is not going to get bigger anytime soon. Within the limited space I need to fit in ‘stuff’ for living and not feel cramped. IKEA is space sensitive and I look to this store to show me how to maximize my space.
So I am happy to see there is like an IKEA show, on TV, Canadian TV, but TV none the less, with a website. Space for Living appears to be in its second season, not sure, but I’ve already got some ideas. Sadly, they don’t give square footage.
Credit to IKEA Hacker

I saw this article from a local neighborhood list serv about how gas prices could be the end of the suburban migration pattern. I’m not sure it’s going to happen that fast, but I think it’ll certainly be something on people’s mind when shopping for places to live.

This probably really isn’t news to anyone who decided to live in Shaw. In fact, it was a big part of the reason I personally chose the ‘hood so if I thought of it– well, everyone else probably did too. But the article is a good read arguing for better urban land use.

Three cheers for central location and public transportation.

This was longer but the computer did a bad, bad thing and deleted… well I won’t get into it.
Fifth and O reports the camera has landed and it needs lights.
Also the District section of the Post has something on the “Free Our Library” thing.

Got an email that nearly went into the trash because A)- it went to the att.net address and B)-it was just a website. No explaination or anything. A Mr. Kevin Chapple is running for the ANC 2C02 seat that is currently being held by the colorful Leroy Thorpe.
I must say. Mr. Chapple has a very nice looking website. I don’t know if he has the 25 signatures needed to run and challenge Thorpe but if I were in 2C02, I’d sign it. It would make for an interesting election at the very least.