Sit n Pee

One thing I have never understood is why men need to stand when they pee at a toilet. They have to lift the seat, and, more often than not, their aim isn't entirely accurate. Even if the stream all goes in the right direction, there's still bits of spray to contend with, which, unless you scrub your toilet and mop your bathroom floor every day, results in disgusting gunk on the rim of the bowl and on the floor by the toilet. Nasty.

And riddle me this: when a man poops, he sits down, doesn't he? And if he's like most human beings, he'll also pee during this process. So if he can pee while sitting to poop, why can't he just sit down to pee ALL the time!?

As far as I'm concerned, barring a medical condition causing an inability to sit, there is NO valid reason to have to stand up to pee in a toilet (note that I'm talking about ordinary household toilets, not urinals, third-world holes in the floor, or the woods).

What does all of this have to do with Germany? Two things:

1. A hilarious sticker that has been in the bathroom of one of our old German friends (they were my parents' classmates at university when I was born) for as long as I can remember:

2. A YouTube video of German comedian Thomas Hermanns poking the website of MAPSU (Mothers Against Peeing Standing Up):




Yes, it's in German, but he reads portions of the (English language) website out loud, so you can get the general gist of it. Or better yet, look up the website yourself ;-)

Mothers Against Peeing Standing Up. Yup, that's a cause I can get behind!

I'm posting every day in October as part of the 31-Day Writing Challenge. Click here to read more about it and to see the rest of my posts this month!

German Houses

While we spent most of our recent trip to Germany doing touristy activities, we took a few days to meet up with old family friends, visiting them in their lovely homes. It was the first time Allan had been to an actual private residence while touring Europe, and we enjoyed seeing the different types of houses, which really aren't all that different from what you'd find in the US.

First up, a 3-story townhome (with basement):

Then we visited friends who live in something akin to an apartment building, except you only have one apartment on each floor. So when you traipse up the stairs to get to your home on the top floor, you actually pass by all your downstairs neighbors' front doors to get to your place.

Then, there was your typical 2000+ square foot stand-alone home with driveway, garage, and big backyard. As you can imagine, that's not typically the norm, especially in more populated areas.
(sorry no photo)

I also hearken back to my last month in Germany. I had done an in-country separation, that is, I elected to remain in the country after I separated from active duty. That meant I could no longer live on post, so I ended up renting a tiny studio apartment in downtown Mannheim. This apartment happened to be "unter dem Dach", or literally: "under the roof". As the name implies, you literally live right underneath the sloping roof, which means that your vertical living space is cut into quite a bit. This photo isn't of my apartment, but it's the closest I could find (and mine was actually smaller than this. I barely had enough room for a futon, a small coffee table, a desk, a couple of chairs, and a tiny kitchenette) that represented how much the ceiling cut into the living space:

One thing I did notice that all the various types of German houses had in common was the kitchen as a separate room. Most of the kitchens we visited were completely enclosed in its own room, with a door to shut it out from the rest of the house. You don't really see that in the US much. Even our own home, which has the kitchen pretty separate from the dining room and living room, is only separated by some low walls, with archways cut into it. There's no door to close. I think I kind of like the idea of having the kitchen as its own separate room. Keep the smells and sounds of cooking away from the rest of the house!

We loved Germany so much we contemplated moving there. Would love to do so while Todd is still young and can go to school and pick up the language very easily, but that might be difficult, job-wise. Maybe we can retire there. Housing is certainly affordable enough-- definitely no worse than what you'd find in So Cal, especially Santa Barbara! We'll see what the future holds...

I'm posting every day in October as part of the 31-Day Writing Challenge. Click here to read more about it and to see the rest of my posts this month!

German Bed and Bedding

As is often the case with most couples, Allan and I have different heat tolerances. This is especially evident at bedtime-- back when we were sharing the same blanket, as most American couples do, it was rather trying. I'd either be too cold or he'd be too hot.

So we hit upon a solution: do blankets German-style, that is: each person has his/her own blanket (or. more accurately, duvet). Allan got a thin one, I got a thick one, and voila! No more problems at bedtime!

Now, the Germans don't just have separate blankets. They also have separate twin-size mattresses pushed together, like so:

Often the two mattresses are enclosed in one big bed frame, like so:

I like having separate beds and separate blankets. When your partner moves around, it's less likely to disturb you, because your shared space isn't as connected (single blanket that will move, single mattress that transmits motion to your side). There's a clearer delineation between your side and my side, which limits bed hogging. And blanket hogging is a thing of the past when you have your own!

I also like the concept of the duvet and duvet cover. Unlike American blankets, which are protected from your skin by flimsy flat sheets, duvets are encased in a cover, much like a pillowcase. When it gets dirty, it's a cinch to pull off the cover and throw it in the wash. And you don't have to worry about all those pesky layers of sheets and blankets getting tangled up. AND it's MUCH easier to make your bed-- fluff out your blanket, fold it neatly, and you're done!

Of course, Allan and I took this concept to the next level with completely separate DOUBLE beds (rather than twin beds) pushed together, creating the effect of one gigantic bed that still doesn't take up all of our master bedroom:

See? Plenty of room for our myriad of stuffed animals! :-D

I'm posting every day in October as part of the 31-Day Writing Challenge. Click here to read more about it and to see the rest of my posts this month!

How To Be German

One of the long-standing jokes amongst our circle of friends is that Allan is more Asian than I am, and I am more European (specifically, German) than he is. He likes Asian cuisine, while my idea of "Asian" is Panda Express.  And I favor meat-and-potatoes type dishes, anyway. He can eat with chopsticks, a feat I have not yet accomplished. I speak German in addition to English, he only speaks English. In other words, I am a Twinkie and he is an egg ;-)

Yesterday my friend Nick shared this article (by way of our friend Ulf) with me: http://venturevillage.eu/how-to-be-german-part-1

I about fell out of my chair laughing at each point, because not only did I wholeheartedly agree, but I could totally relate! Some of my favorites:

(you should be sleeping in a double bed made up of two single mattresses and two single duvets). What it lacks in nocturnal romance, it more than makes up for in practicality... 
Long before Allan and I got separate beds, we had already gotten separate comforters. There was no other way around it, because of our different temperature tolerances. Either he would have been too hot, or I would have been too cold. In keeping with Americans' penchant for luxury and excess, however, we did not get two twin mattresses pushed together. Instead, we got two double beds pushed together, creating the effect of one really gigantic bed. So I can totally related to the practicality of this.

Doesn't it look like one really HUGE bed?

21. Eat German "bread"This and the note on German breakfasts made my mouth water. I remembered the spread of fresh baked bread with butter, a variety of meats and cheeses, as well as sweet spreads like honey and fruit preserves. Oh man. If I had time to eat proper breakfasts in the morning before work, and if I could have access to steaming hot, fresh, Broetchen, I'd be in heaven.

...start accepting the three central tenets of Germanism. The three P’s. Planning, Preparation, Process.
as well as:
Make spreadsheets, charts and lists.
and best of all:
Just because they call it spontaneity, doesn’t mean it can’t be scheduled.

Hee hee. All I can say is: spreadsheets, anyone? ;-)

The language part had me rolling, as well. I won't even copy and paste my favorite parts here, it would consist of most of that section! Suffice it to say that I agree that English can be difficult to pronounce (more exceptions than rules), but relatively easy, grammar-wise. It's the opposite with German: easy to pronounce (just a few rules to follow and you're set), but incredibly difficult grammar, mostly because of the 3 different gender articles.

Germans fear any beverage that doesn’t fizz... Related to this is Apfelsaftschorle.
Truer words were never spoken. Apfelschorle, if you don't know, is apple juice mixed with carbonated water. To me, it's gross. I remember all too well the difficulty I had, trying to order a drink in a German restaurant. There was no such thing as non-carbonated water, and you didn't want to drink the stuff out of the tap. I always had to ask for juice, and even then I had to make sure to emphasize that I wanted JUICE, not Schorle. 

Here, meat is the linchpin of every meal. Being a vegetarian here is probably about as much fun as being blind at the zoo.
I don't think I need to expound on this. All my previous posts about our trips to Brummi's should evidence this well enough. 

19. Do Nothing on Sundays.
This reminds me of when I first came back to the US after serving my 4-year active duty stint in Mannheim with the Army. It was about 10:30pm on a Sunday night, and my mom needed groceries. So we hopped in the car and hit the local supermarket. It was a bit of reverse culture shock. I was not used to anything being open both late at night AND on a Sunday to boot! It was kind of nice knowing that you had at least one "day of rest" every week. Workaholic Americans could take a cue from the Germans in this regard!

There was more in that article (and the subequent parts 2 and 3) that I found hilarious, but these are just the highlights of my absolute favorites. I think Nick can attest to the fact that I was IMing him with a "LOL, OMG, soooo true" reaction at each new paragraph ;-)

So go on and read it. Have a laugh. And see how much you agree :-D

Clean House

Believe it or not, I'm not a particularly sociable person. Whenever we go out to eat with a group of friends, Allan usually ends up doing more of the conversing than I do. So it's rather surprising that I've found myself enjoying entertaining folks at our own home. We've hosted our church's "Four Course Connection" for a couple of years, and have hosted several home karaoke and game nights, both at our previous apartment and in our current home.

I'd always thought that having folks over to our place would be too much work, but it hasn't felt that way at all. It's actually been kinda fun, taking advantage of our spacious living room and huge front deck.

Best of all, it keeps our place in tip-top shape. We try to do house cleaning every week, but sometimes that falls by the wayside, or we just do the bare minimum (like laundry) when we'd rather relax on a lazy Sunday. Expecting company really jump starts a frenzy of thorough cleaning that our house wouldn't ordinarily get, at least not on ay kind of regular basis.

And after we've given the house a thorough once-over, and company has departed? Well, we try to vow to continue to keep it clean (since maintenance is always easier, right?), but in reality, that usually lasts all of... one day. Maybe two ;-)

So, these days, I welcome regular company. Keeps us on our toes, cleaning-wise!

Belated Friday Five: Laundry!

Feeling lazy tonight, since we just got back home from a fun-filled Thanksgiving weekend in LA. So, since I didn't do a Friday Five yesterday, I thought I'd make up for it by doing it today, and keeping it low-key with a relatively simple set:

1. Washing machine: front-loader or top-loader?
2. Detergent: liquid or powder?
3. Rinse cycle: fabric softener or another additive?
4. And then: clothesline or dryer?
5. Do you fold things straight off the line or out of the dryer? What do you iron (or have someone iron for you)?

1.  Front-loader. They seem to clean more thoroughly than top-loaders, so we're die-hard front-loader users. Fortunately, all the communal washers we've used in our years of apartment living, prior to purchasing our own set, have been front-loaders.

2. Liquid. I feel that it dissolves and is distributed more evenly and cleanly than powder.

3. No additives. The only thing I ever add besides detergent is an occasional splash of bleach, when washing the whites. I do throw in a dryer sheet to keep the dryer load static-free, but that's about it.

4. If we had the space for it, I would totally get a clothesline set up and dry my clothes naturally. It saves energy and is much easier on the clothes. Unfortunately, that isn't an option for us, so I make do with dryer use for hardy clothes like undergarments and jeans, and then hang up clothes that I want to preserve longer (such as Todd's school uniforms-- so expensive!) onto clothes racks and from the shower curtain rod.

5. Only if it's regular clothing like shirts and pants that I don't want to wrinkle. Underwear and socks have been known to sit in the hamper for a few days until I find the time to fold them. I typically only iron my cotton dresses, and since I don't wear dresses THAT frequently, I don't wash them that often either, and hence don't have to iron them regularly. Thank goodness! ;-)

How about you?

Wacky Weather

I know a number of people who prefer to have all 4 seasons. Most of these people come from climates where you really do get to experience 4 seasons, from hot summers to cold, snowy winters. Places like Germany. And I suppose, in a sense, I get that. It IS nice to see the seasonal changes. I was born in Germany, and remember enjoying playing in the snow as a little kid. After having grown up in southern, evergreen California, I got to experience autumn in eastern Georgia, where I marveled at the beauty of the trees' leaves turning red, orange, and brown. It was kind of neat to see colors besides green (or bare) for a change. And when I moved to southern Germany shortly thereafter, the first thing I had to learn how to do was drive in the snow.  Then there were the weather extremes: from year-round heat and humidity in Indonesia to below-freezing temps in Minneapolis, Minnesota in December. Plenty of new experiences all around!

There were plenty of things I didn't like about LA weather, either. Like how hot it could get in the summer (I am, mind you, grateful that since we're in a desert area, it's at least a DRY heat. I can't imagine how much worse it would be with humidity). And the Santa Anas that blow through every fall? I absolutely abhor those winds. I would rather take rain and/or snow over wind any day. They say that Santa Anas cause depression, and it doesn't surprise me. I hate the dry, staticky, dusty feeling those winds leave me. Let's not forget all those wildfires that result, as well!

Santa Barbara is much better in that regard, at least. We do get our share of Santa Anas, but at nowhere near the intensity and frequency as in LA. And the weather itself is more even keel. Very mild and little variation in temperature throughout the year. A "hot" summer day would be 80 degrees, and those are rare. Winter in the 60's. Mostly sunny all the time. Occasional rain (some years not nearly enough), and certainly no snow or ice.

Seasonal changes are neat, and keep the years interesting. I actually like the rain and enjoy listening to the pitter-patter while I'm cozy indoors. Snow (without snowstorms, of course) can be fun, though it can be a chore, the way it dirties everything. If I had to live anywhere else, I wouldn't mind living in Germany, where you get four seasons without the extremes of super-hot/humid summers and icy, well-below-freezing temps in winter (I think the coldest I ever experienced was just a few degrees below zero... Celsius!)

But I think at this point I'm pretty happy that we live in a mild, Mediterranean climate. It's not something I would easily trade in, and I consider us very fortunate that we're able to hold down jobs and live in one of the few true paradises in the world.

How about you? What's your ideal climate/place to live?

The Trouble With Remotes

Today's Drabble comic reminded me of a couple of funny television-remote-related anecdotes, as well as some musings. First up, the comic:

Yesterday my boss arrived at work, dug around in her purse for her keys to let herself into the building, and was surprised to see her TV remote in there. That's when she realized that in her morning rush, she'd inadvertently grabbed the remote instead of her cell phone... which happened to be sitting right next to the remote. When she left at quittin' time, she wondered aloud about what kinds of long distance calls her dog must have made in her absence ;-)

The mention of her dog reminded me of Ron and Debbie's late doggie-- Sammy. Apparently one weekend while they were out of town, leaving the dog to his own devices (see, unlike kids, dogs can do well on their own for a few days-- leave them some food and water, and they're good to go!), Sammy accidentally stepped on the remote, turning the TV on. Further actions-- maybe playing with it? -- caused the volume to go up. Way up. It got so loud that not only did it scare poor Sammy, but the neighbors actually called the cops because of the noise! The cops had to break in and turn off the TV. Who knows how long the TV was on before Sammy was rescued from the clutches of the noise pollution! ;-)

We're so attached to our remotes. Makes you wonder how on earth we managed to survive in the days of TVs that had knobs you had to manually turn. I remember growing up watching one of those small B&W models with the... what was it, 13? channels. That was before we moved into our house, and our living room apartment was so small we sat close enough to the TV that sitting up and reaching out to turn the knob wasn't too inconveniencing.

Why is it that when the batteries on a remote run low, we respond by pressing the buttons harder? Do we somehow believe that the weak connection will work better if we exert untold force on the poor buttons?

Amazing, isn't it-- in the span of just a decade or two, we've gone from the non-existence of remote controls to now having to keep track of 3 or 4. Let's see-- the TV, the VCR, the DVD, the stereo, the DirectTV console... yeah, it adds up. No wonder we're so attached to our clickers, we become virtually unable to function without them. Just like Ralph Drabble above :-)

Settling into the house

I finally got around to taking and posting before/after pictures of the house this weekend! You can find the entire set here.

As I mentioned in my brief update post last month, we made some renovations to the house before we actually moved in.

We closed escrow on a Friday, and that afternoon, our agent, Rich, dropped the keys off and we stopped by the house after work, exploring and taking plenty of "before" pictures showcasing all the old, dingy carpet and old bathroom fixtures. Here's a shot of the living room, with views into the adjacent dining room and kitchen:

Saturday the folks from Andros Flooring came by to pull out ALL the carpet in the house, and replace the carpet in all 3 bedrooms with brand new ones. The rest of the floor was left bare. They then delivered the laminate flooring we ordered from them, and stacked them in the living room, ready for my dad and Allan to tackle the next day:

Allan and my dad worked hard for the next 3 days to lay down the flooring. The process was made more difficult by the fact that our house was full of all sorts of odd, angled corners. If you recall the floorplan from my post with the listing photos of the house, you'll see what I mean.

In the meantime, I was left with the task of packing up stuff from our apartment and moving it, piecemeal, to the new house, as well as cleaning up the apartment as I went along. Fortunately, I had my mom to help me with this, and fortunately, Todd being away at school all day freed us up to concentrate on the work.

We hired housecleaners to give the house a thorough cleaning on Tuesday, and on Wednesday the movers came to move all the furniture and larger boxes of things I wasn't able to move myself. Some last bits of cleaning up/moving out, and the apartment was ready for inspection and key turn-in by Thursday. We were moved out of the apartment, but still had plenty more to do at the house, starting with unpacking the endless boxes:

So it took us a few more weeks after that to actually complete the move-in process. There were finishing touches to the floors that needed to be made: reducers and thresholds to install, new baseboards to put in and spackle. Plus, of course, all that unpacking! By the end of May, though, we were fully settled in.

So what's left? Well, the inside is more or less done:

• We sold the original washer and dryer set that came with the house, and installed our own-- remember the service woes we went through with that set?


• We replaced the bathroom faucets, toilet seats, flush mechanisms and showerheads.


• We replaced the chandelier in the dining room with a more practical one that provided enough light for its use as a study, and could be mounted high enough to avoid hitting our heads on it. Yes, I've already managed to cut my head by slamming into the old one :-/


• We are enjoying our big flat-screen TV-- even bought an antenna so we could enjoy a few local stations.


• We bought a cute little bistro set to fill our little breakfast nook in the kitchen. Since the nook faces east, it will be a nice, sunny spot for Todd to enjoy his breakfast in the mornings.


• Tomorrow we're expecting delivery of a small patio set from Osh. Might as well enjoy that big front deck!


• We've been shopping around for a new sofa set. We have an idea of what we like, and plan to hit some more furniture stores in LA this summer-- bigger selections, no doubt.

What about the outside?

Well, as you can see in the above photo, the plants, which have pretty much been neglected for over a year, are in dire need of trimming. There's plenty of weeds that need to be pulled, too. Allan and I took care of many of the big ones last weekend, but there's a ton of especially difficult ones. Plus I wouldn't even begin to know how to trim the plants properly. So, we're going to hire a gardener to take care of the initial work, and then see about some regularly scheduled maintenance.

So, that was a brief sampling of the 60+ photos I've taken of the house, before and after the move. Don't forget to check out my photo album for the rest of the photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=3605072&aid=2669639

Buying a House

I had wanted to post about this earlier, but decided to wait until the dust settled before announcing anything: we're buying a house! :-)

In the middle of February we made an offer on a house, and after two weeks of negotiation, our offer was accepted and we began escrow. Now, two and a half weeks after that, we're pretty much done with most everything that needs to go into it-- inspections complete, appraisal done, loan approved. Sellers wanted some extra time to find a new place to live, so our escrow period isn't officially over until the end of April, but all the legwork is done. We just sit back and wait now.

The house we are buying is a 2005 Hallmark-Southwest manufactured home in the Rancho Goleta Mobile Home park. Yeup, you read that right. We's goin' be trailer trash! :-P

Kidding, of course.

Manufactured homes have come a long way since the day of the "house trailer" that gave mobile homes such a tarnished image.

The park we're going to be living in is a resident-owned co-op. Which means that we don't actually pay space rent to a landlord, but rather own shares of the co-op. Therefore, the park actually screens its residents, running credit and background checks before determining if they'll allow a resident to live there. That goes a long way toward enhancing the safety of the park. The park itself is also very well-maintained-- as with many condos/PUDs, there is a list of rules/regulations and architectural guidelines that ensure a pleasant atmosphere and appearance overall. There is a lake throughout the middle of it, with fishing and boating allowed. There is a swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, clubhouse (w/kitchen and ping-pong table), library and billiards room for residents' enjoyment. It is quiet and tranquil, and only a 20-minute walk to Goleta Beach.

The home we're buying has a huge deck that partly overlooks the lake. It's a decent size-- about 1550 sq ft-- not too big, not too small. Three bedrooms (well, technically two bedrooms and a den). And best of all, it is largely south-facing. That's one of the important features I always look for in a home-- that its main living areas are south-facing. Makes SUCH a difference in not only keeping the place warm in the winter, but brightening the place with lots of natural light.

Here are some photos from the MLS listing. When we close escrow and move in (approximately 6 weeks from now), I plan to take plenty of pictures -- both before and after move-in. And then I will look forward to putting my feet up and not having to move again! In my 10 years of living in Santa Barbara, I've moved a total of 7 times. It gets tiresome, and I'm looking forward to settling down :-)

The front of the house

View of the living room from the front door. Double French doors by the fireplace lead to the den (Allan's room).

Another view of the living room. Dining room is through the archway on the side.

Spacious and sunny kitchen. Just off frame to the right of the dishwasher is a small breakfast nook area.

The large front deck. You can make out some of the lake-front view through the potted plants

View of the lake, clubhouse and pool area. To the left is a footbridge connecting the side of the lake we're on to the other

Floor plan of the house.
This blog scrunches it up a bit too much-- click on it for the full-size view.

So there you have it-- a small sneak preview of the house. Keep in mind that a professional photographer took those shots, so the real deal (as well as my forthcoming photos) will not look nearly as nice. But it gives you an idea :-)

What's in a Dream Home?

Many people (want to) pursue the dream of home ownership. Just how easy that dream is to attain depends on a number of factors, not the least of which is your own personal preference for what you want in a home. I blogged last month about the insane cost of housing in Santa Barbara, and how it drives some people to live 30-40 miles away, either north in Buellton, or south in Ventura, where housing is more affordable.

For the past year or so, Allan and I have been investigating several different options for home ownership, and have been keeping an eye on the market, seeing what kinds of homes sell for what prices. We've visited many open houses and kept tabs on how much those homes ended up selling for, giving us a good idea of whether a given home's price is too high, too low, or just right.

Throughout the course of this, we've started developing our own ideas of what we'd like in a home. And every time we visit a home that has a particular feature I find neat, I add it and prioritize it in my list of things I'd like in a dream home.

So what does my dream home consist of?

At a minimum, 3 bedrooms and 1.5 baths. Size-wise, something in the 1400-1700 sq ft range. Larger homes, I've found, are not only less energy-efficient (too much space to heat/cool!) but also more work to clean.

A laundry room, whether inside the home or in an attached garage. That leaves some condo units around here out of the realm of possibility :-)

Speaking of garages-- a garage isn't so important to me, I'll be happy with a carport connected to the house, as long as I have some shelter to protect me from the elements as I go from my car to the house.

I want a small yard. I'm not a fan of yardwork, and don't really want to have to worry about maintaining a large lawn or trees. But I do want enough of a small plot of land so that I can plant a little vegetable garden. And maybe have space for a clothesline. I would love to not have to use the dryer anymore-- saves energy and saves the clothes!

What about the interior?

We prefer homes that have larger bedrooms and smaller common living spaces. Having a separate living room and family room is a waste of space, in my opinion. We don't entertain much, and so have no need for two separate rooms like that. I'd much rather have that space go into roomier bedrooms, where we can set up nice little niches: a bed, a desk, a recliner of some sort, and voila! Cozy little home office, one for each member of the family :-)

I also like openness in the main living areas of the house. The apartments in Willow Springs are great for that-- the kitchen looks into both the living room and dining room (both of which are connected as well), so that even if I'm puttering around in the kitchen, I can still see the TV when doing dishes, or keep an eye on Todd working at the dining table. So, if possible, I'd prefer such a layout instead of having the kitchen closed and walled off from the living room.

I don't want windows on or around the front door (unless they are up high and small). Too easy for someone to just break in, and if I just want to quietly sneak a look through the burglar hole when someone comes knocking, so I can "screen" the visit, a window would reveal my presence and defeat the purpose of that :-P

Skylights are cool ways to let more natural light into the interior, but my goodness are they an eyesore when they start collecting dirt! No thank you!

Other considerations:

I'm not a fan of two-story homes and would prefer a single-story home if possible, but that's not a deal-breaker, either. I'll happily take a house that is reasonably priced and contains most of the features described above, if its only "flaw" is that it has two floors :-)

One of the things I like about our apartment complex is our proximity to other neighbors. I feel safer knowing that there are other people nearby. Living in an isolated area, or away from the view of most of my neighbors, can be a bit creepy. So I wouldn't want to live in a home that was too isolated from the rest of the neighborhood.

So, there you have it. My own preferences in what I'd like in a home, summed up in a not-so-small nutshell ;-)

What about you? What do you like in a home?

Black Friday... at home!

While hoards of crazy shoppers duke it out in the wee, ungodly hours of the morning to catch Black Friday sales, I opted to sleep in. And sleep in I did! I went to bed relatively late (nearly 2:00am), and didn't get up until about 10:45 this morning. I opened up today's and yesterday's copies of the LA Times and browsed through the fat pile of sales fliers in the Thursday edition, all advertising their Black Friday sales, start times (Wal-Mart at midnight, most other stores at 4:00am) and coupons. There were a few interesting items that caught my fancy, I'll admit. But honestly? Nothing worth the hassle of waking up at ungodly hours and braving traffic and horrendous, self-absorbed crowds. There's nothing I need so badly that I'd be willing to do that for a few pieces of discounted merchandise. Besides, stores have sales all the time, I can be sure to catch good prices on things I need/want anytime during the year.

Some of the best times to shop incredible bargains and avoid crowds? The days immediately following a holiday. I picked up my costume for Halloween next year, at 75% off, a few days after Halloween this year. The days following Christmas are the best time to pick up needed items such as decorations and giftwrap, and store them for use next year. Great bargains on candy can be had the day after Valentine's Day and Halloween. As evidenced by my purchase of Twilight-themed Sweethearts, who cares if there are hearts or ghosts and ghouls on the packaging? Candy and chocolate are all the same inside! And more everyday stuff like clothing? End of the season. I get the nicest sweaters for a couple of dollars apiece just before summer begins, and the cutest shorts, skirts and tank-tops as the weather begins to turn nippy and winter arrives. Even Black Friday can't beat some of those off-season bargains! :-D

So, I've been enjoying a quiet Friday at home. Did a little cleaning, washed the bedding, and settled down on my chaise to do some reading. Figured I'd do a quick post before I got comfortable. Then tonight is dinner with friends at Red Pepper (a terrific, hole-in-the-wall restaurant that serves some of the best Chinese food in all of Santa Barbara-- their onion pancakes are a must-have!) followed by a trip to Old Town Tavern down the street. With any luck, the normal Friday-night crowds will be greatly reduced in number tonight, given that it's the middle of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Tomorrow I head back down to LA to pick up the little man, who got to enjoy his long Thanksgiving break with my parents. Gonna stop by Walmart on the way, and hope that the post-Thanksgiving crowds will have subsided by then. This economy has apparently given rise to many stores extending their Black Friday sales through the rest of the weekend, and even longer, in the hopes of encouraging shoppers to continue to come in and spend!

Which reminds me, it's time I started thinking about Christmas shopping... thank goodness for online purchasing! ;-)

The Crazy Cost of Housing

This past weekend we drove up to Buellton (about 30-40 minutes north) to visit some of our friends from church, who had all moved there around the same time last year. It was a great opportunity to see friends we hadn't seen in a long time, catch up, and get a tour of their houses.

Ah yes-- their lovely, lovely homes.

It's no secret that Santa Barbara is a pretty expensive place to live. We're probably only outdone by a few cities such as San Francisco and New York City. In a way it's understandable-- we live in a pretty nice part of the country, nicer than even SF and NYC. You're never more than a stone's throw away from the beach, and a few miles inland are the mountains. The weather is pretty steady year-round: never too hot, never too cold. Even its public schools are pretty good compared to other districts.

The downside to it is the fact that it IS a relatively small city. For someone who grew up in metropolitan LA, a population of 90K is small. There is no Wal-Mart. No Target. No JC Penney. No big-chain dollar stores. No discount supermarkets. For that we have to travel 40 miles north to Lompoc or 40 miles south to Ventura.

Still, it's a beautiful place to live, and it's easy to see why so many people come up here with the sole intention of studying at UCSB... only to wind up staying here longer (as evidenced by the numerous UCSB license plate frames around).

Makes you wonder, though, how anyone can afford it. Which brings me back to my friends in Buellton. Let's do a little comparison.

Here, $450,000 will get you one of the following:
1) An 1800sf, 3BR/2BA manufactured home in a mobile home park. No garage, just a carport.
2) A 1200sf, 2BR/2BA condo sandwiched between other condos, both on the sides and above or below you. No garage, just covered assigned parking. No different from apartment living, really.
3) An 1100sf, 2BR/1BA duplex home in a PUD. 1-car attached garage and driveway space.
4) A standalone 900sf 1BR/1BA cottage in need of a *lot* of TLC. If there is a garage, it only holds one car and is detached.

But in Buellton? More along the lines of a 2000+ sf single-family home in excellent condition, with a 3-car attached garage.

Crazy, isn't it, how much more your dollar will get you in 2 different cities just 30 miles apart? Crazier still, that Santa Barbara is NOT the most expensive place to live in the US. I don't even want to imagine home prices in the more expensive cities.

So I can definitely see why our friends uprooted. And their 30-40 minute drive into work every day at least entails a wonderfully scenic route with the oceans stretching as far as the eye can see on one side, and the mountains rising majestically on the other side.

Still, I've had my fill of long commutes. UCLA is not that far away from my parents' home, but with legendary rush hour traffic along the 405, they often turned into hour-long, grueling commutes while I attended there. When I worked at Amgen, I drove at least 45 minutes each way from their house to Thousand Oaks. Thank goodness that at least there was no traffic during the times I worked (10am to 7pm). Let's face it-- I've gotten rather spoiled these days in Santa Barbara, where our "commute" to work is a 7-minute... WALK. Even when we move to the new office building, the driving commute will be under 10 minutes.

Someday we hope to pursue the American dream of home ownership. Exorbitant home prices in Santa Barbara aren't helping that endeavor, but we're saving and keeping an eye on the market. Someday...

Time flies when... you have time?

It's hard to believe July is more than halfway over, and that in just another month, Todd will return from his summer with my parents, throwing us back into our everyday routine of work, school, after-school activities, and home. You know-- the stuff that kept us so busy that the weeks would fly by in the blink of an eye.

Ironically, these past several weeks have flown by faster than that. The truly strange thing is that during the week, the days seem to crawl by. It wasn't until summer started that Thursdays would roll around, and I'd mistakenly think it was already Friday. And yet the weeks themselves, as a whole, have gone by in the blink of an eye. There are so many things I wanted to catch up on doing-- mostly reading-- and it feels like I've barely lifted a finger and half the summer's already gone.

I think part of it is because of the activities I've undertaken now that I couldn't before:

-- I joined the gym, and have been going there several times a week. Most of the time, it's after work, and by the time I get done with the class, or the post-swim shower, it's late evening. Dark, even, at times.

-- I started a technical writing class that, on the whole, doesn't occupy a whole lot of time, but is still something that needs to be done now and then.

-- We started a Netflix subscription, and between the mailed DVDs of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" and the instant online streaming of "Bones" (not to mention the regular USA shows piling up in my Hulu queue), well... you can see why I invested in that laptop desk ;-)

-- Myspace renewed my annual karaoke subscription-- keeping the super awesome sale rate I was able to snag last year. What a pleasant surprise! So I figured I should make use of this continued subscription, especially since singing into my computer mic is hard to do when you're not alone!

-- I've been going out with friends a lot. Like a night of karaoke and a concert in the park. Stuff I wouldn't ordinarily be able to do because we've got a kid at home.

The one thing that we've been especially bad about lately is cooking. You'd figure that without a little kid dictating the eating timeline, we'd have more freedom and more time to cook and eat healthfully. But I think we've cooked as many times this past 7 weeks as we ordinarily do in 1 week during the school year. What gives!? Why is it that my first time back at the stove is today, when hubby's out of town and I'm cooking only for myself?

I really think that being out of the routine that Todd normally imposes on us has thrown us off. Sure, there's all the extra activities we're undertaking while we revel in our freedom, but there really is something to be said for knowing exactly what you're going to be doing at what time of the day, every day. Guess it just goes to show that we're really creatures of habit, eh :-P And while I'm still looking forward to enjoying as much of the summer as I can, a small part of me looks forward to the end of it, when order and routine will once again be restored in our household :-) And when that happens, the days AND weeks will both fly by... not just the weeks without the days... because that creates some really odd sensations!

Thoughts on SAHM-hood

A while back I remember having a conversation with some friends, other couples, I'm sure... and the conversation somehow turned to careers after kids. I don't remember whom exactly I spoke with, but I do remember indicating that if I could stay home to be with Todd, I would, and they remarked: "Would you really?" i.e. would you really give up your job if you could afford it, in order to do so? I recall being interrupted by something/someone else before I could answer it, so I guess I could say this blog post delves into that question a bit more.

I admit don't have a whole lot of first-hand experience with being a stay-at-home Mom (aka "SAHM"). But I remember when Todd came to live with us full-time, and I remember disliking putting him into day care all day while we worked. He never really took to his new preschool in SB, and while the morning (preschool) portion was fine, the afternoon (day care) portions were not. He always came home dirty and snot-covered, had frequent accidents, rarely finished even half his lunch, and often played by himself in the corner. When he started kindergarten later that year, things weren't much better on the after-school-care front, and I addressed the stay-at-home vs. working-world question in a blog post during that time: http://heckledtrio.blogspot.com/2009/01/stay-at-home-vs-working-world.html (in fact, re-reading that post just now breaks my heart all over again)

Child care, while being the focal point in the discussion of staying at home vs. working, is not the only issue. I've lost count of how many times we've simply heated up frozen dinners or bought take-out because we were too exhausted at the end of the day to cook healthful food. Even some of the home-cooked meals contained some pre-packaged, processed food in the name of efficiency, especially when Todd's activities kept us out so late, getting dinner ready quickly was time-essential. Not only were we spending more than we liked, but we weren't eating very healthfully as a family. Another issue was just time, itself-- because Allan and I work till at least 5pm most days, any after-school activities would have to occur after that time. I must've called a dozen martial arts studios before finding one that offered kid classes that "late"... which enables Todd to attend, but also brings us home much later afterward... and with much less time to enjoy hanging out as a family before the dinner-shower-go-to-bed rush for the little man is upon us. Everything is always so rushed.

Yesterday I got a chance to experience SAHM-hood to a much larger extent than I ever had, because the day consisted of daily chores and errands, rather than a special day off, spent out somewhere with the boy. I discovered at the last minute that Todd's Spring Break lasted through Monday, and he didn't start school again until today. So I took the day off yesterday to hang out with him.

We hit the library for books to keep him entertained, and went grocery shopping for all sorts of healthful meal ingredients. I cooked lunch from scratch, Allan came home from work at noon, and we all enjoyed a hot meal together at home. I cooked dinner as well, and kept the kitchen clean-- an endless process! The meals seem to blend together into one looong timeframe when you include prep, cooking and washing up afterward. No sooner are you done cleaning up after one meal, than it's time to start prepping for the next. Todd helped me clean the house. I helped him with his homework. I folded laundry, though I didn't get a chance to wash the bedding or do the ironing that I'd planned. By 10:30 pm, after having been on full-throttle for 12 hours with only a 20-minute break in the midst of all of it, I had given up.

It was a busy, busy, busy day-- and I didn't even get to spend as much one-on-one time with Todd as I had anticipated... I was too busy with all the household stuff. I was tired by the end of it, but it was a good sort of tired-- I felt that I'd had a productive day. I found that though I worked pretty hard (a lot harder than sitting in front of a computer all day!) I felt good about it. I liked making sure the family had good things to eat. I enjoyed making the meals and cleaning up and generally making a nice, comfortable home for my two boys.

And I could see why being a SAHM is one of the hardest jobs there ever is! I mean, Allan and I work pretty hard balancing both a job and the daily household chores, but it's different somehow. With a 9-to-5 job, once you quit for the day, you leave the office, you leave your work behind you, you wind down at home and don't have to do work or even think about it. But with a SAHM, that distinction does not exist-- the day continues, the chores continue, and you just don't get that sort of break.

Still... I would have to say that yesterday's activities were rewarding enough that my answer still stays the same: if we could afford to, I would be a SAHM. I think the family as a whole would be a lot less stressed. Not to discount our blessings-- having everything: work, school, after-school, home, all in close proximity to each other, working for a flexible company at jobs that aren't terribly stressful themselves, dividing up the chores evenly so they still get done everyday, etc. We're pretty lucky to be where we are with respect to all those factors, period. But I think my penchant for organization lends itself well to the job of running a household, and merely the effect on Todd for one day was noticeable-- such a happy, relaxed kid! Definitely worth it. Maybe someday...

Living Spaces

In the 8 years I've lived in Santa Barbara, I've moved a total of 7 times (including the initial move upon my arrival). That's roughly one move per year ;-) Since Allan and I have been married, we've moved a total of 5 times:

1. A 350-square-foot studio (brand new)
2. An 800-sq-ft 2BR/1BA apartment in family student housing (built in the '70s)
3. A 450-sq-ft 1BR/1BA apartment in family student housing (built in the '50s)
4. A 750-sq-ft 1BR/1BA apartment built in 2003
5. A 1000-sq-ft 2BR/2BA apartment -- our current one.

So as you can see, our current apartment is the largest place we've lived in to date. I can still remember our cleaning endeavors in the previous apartments. The studio, while being the smallest, was the hardest to maintain because it was so cramped. The next apartment, I only lived in for a total of 10 months, because Todd was born around then, I spent the summer at my parents' house, graduated the following school year, and lived with my parents again while working at Amgen. The third apartment was again small and cramped, especially when Todd began living with us full-time a year after we moved in. The next apartment was a welcome breath of fresh air, but as Todd got bigger and we eventually had to get him his own bed, things started feeling crowded once more. Especially since we couldn't, as we had in all our previous residences, store our extra stuff on the patio.

When we moved into our current apartment, I mused that if we had trouble keeping a 450 and 750 square foot living space clean, how were we going to fare with something even larger? To my surprise, we've been doing better at the upkeep of this place than we have in the others. I realized it's precisely *because* we have so much more space to store things (one of the walk-in closets is large enough to use as a micro-room-- it has a window, you can stick a twin mattress in it, and still have plenty of room to move about and reach all the shelves). Now there is a place for everything, and stuff isn't just stashed willy-nilly into closets, or left lying around because said closets are too full. Because no matter how neatly you arrange things on table and countertops, too much stuff still gives a cluttered, untidy appearance.

I think the other factor is that the apartment IS so much more spacious, it *looks* so much nicer when it's cleaned up (that sounds like a self-evident statement, but I'm comparing our clean 1-BR with the clean 2-BR, there's a difference!) -- even the tiniest bit of clutter is contrasts sharply and turns into such an eyesore, motivating me that much more to tidy up.

Well, so far, I'm enjoying a neat and clean living space. Then again, we've only been living here 3 weeks. Let's see how things fare in the coming months! ;-)

And if you haven't already seen it, I've finally, after 5 moves, managed to take before and after pictures of the apartment:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2436941&id=3605072

All settled in

It's been a few weeks since we moved into the new place, and this weekend we finally got around to cleaning up the last odds and ends. We'd had everything stuffed willy-nilly into closets and lying around unused floor spaces, until a last-minute plan for my parents to come visit us on Saturday threw us into action on Thursday and Friday :-)

We spent most of those 2 days tidying, sorting, organizing, re-arranging, and finally, when everything was put away where it belonged, we were able to do our weekly cleaning of dusting, mopping and vacuuming. The house was spic and span in time for my parents' visit. If they hadn't decided to come up this weekend, we might have found excuses to postpone it even further, especially since a lot of the mess was simply out of sight, tucked away in closets, an unused desk and the balcony outside. But now I feel better that we actually got our butts kicked into gear and just got everything out of the way this weekend. Now we can truly put up our feet and enjoy the new place :-)

The rest of the weekend was pleasant-- Saturday we all ate lunch together and went downtown to the courthouse to climb up to the bell tower and get a grand view of Santa Barbara. The winds had pushed most of the clouds away, so it was a gorgeous, sunny, blue-skied day, and we could see for miles in every direction-- from the ocean to the mountains and all the landmarks in between.

Anyway... yes, we're all settled in now and I'll have to find my camera and take those "after" pictures soon. Hmm... funny that we put everything away neatly and I can't seem to remember where the camera is ;-)

So what motivates you? When you're dragging your heels and procrastinating doing something that you know you should be doing-- what gets you off your duff?

A quiet, simple Thanksgiving

I am exceedingly grateful that Allan's family is very small, and that my family doesn't care about celebrating the holidays. Christmas and Thanksgiving are always very low-key: we meet up with Allan's family, which consists of his sister and her husband (and their dog), his dad, and his mom and stepdad. No myriad of people to keep track of and mingle with. No maniacal kids running around wreaking havoc (one little man can cause enough, thank you!) I remember when I was single, watching movies with such scenes and feeling a twinge of envy that I didn't have a large family like that to gather with. But then I got married and joined in on the Knight family traditions and discovered that I was *really* glad that I would never have to deal with gatherings of that magnitude-- small wonder the holidays are so exhausting for so many.

Then this year, we shrank it even further. As I mentioned in my previous post, we spent this year's Thanksgiving in Santa Barbara-- just the three of us. My boys and me :-)

We started off with a swim in the pool at noon-- the weather was so nice and warm and the pool was heated comfortably, too. Todd and I splashed around in the pool and jacuzzi while Allan played on his laptop in a nearby patio chair. It was also a good way for me to get some much-needed exercise after being under the weather for so long.

For dinner, Allan glazed a ham and made dressing as well as mashed potatoes from red potatoes instead of the traditional Russet. And they came out delicious! Sweet and creamy and, because we couldn't find the potato masher, even more yummy with a few hints of solid pieces in the mix. We finished a bottle of Martinelli's sparkling cider and had sweet potato pie (well, I haven't had my slice yet, I was too full from those delicious potatoes!) Todd's art creations from school adorned the table as centerpieces: a turkey made out of a pine cone and a plain paper cutout.

All in all, the meal was a resounding success-- even Todd seemed to think so-- he ate faster than he usually did :-) And we really liked how the potatoes turned out-- red potatoes are definitely a winner!

Relaxing evenings with family-- whether it's 3 or 8-- such a nice way to ring in the holidays!

The fun with neighbors

I'm listening to my neighbors talk as I type this post. Every single window and door in our apartment is shut tight-- and this is good quality dual pane stuff! Yet it's still not enough to block out the sounds of my neighbors prattling from across the street! If my windows were open, and if they were speaking English, I'm sure I'd catch every word of it.

Nearly 4 years ago we moved into a 1-bedroom apartment in UCSB's family student housing, and had all sorts of fun dealing with noisy upstairs neighbors there. You can read more about it here:

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=28049135&blogId=102838529

(warning: don't read the comments section if you're at all squeamish or prudish :-P)

And now, with our new apartment facing some other buildings across the small lane that winds through our complex, we're greeted with the sights and sounds of one particular family-- partying till late at night. When we first moved in here, we were greeted to the sounds of loud music in the afternoon. We peeked out the window and noted what appeared to be a party on the neighbor's patio, so we figured, no big deal. Parties don't happen every day, and it IS still daytime.

Cue to last night. A Sunday night. A night before a Monday, otherwise known as a weekday, when most people wake up early to go to work and/or school. Regardless of what day of the week, it got really ridiculous when the sounds of their loud booming voices carried on till almost midnight. Fortunately I was still up late last night (especially since I had laundry to wait for), and fortunately my son can sleep through just about anything, so he wasn't disturbed when I had to open the bedroom window for some fresh air.

Tonight they are at it again. What I don't understand is why their immediate neighbors, i.e. the people who actually live in the same building as these people, and share walls with them, haven't complained.

I know this is not the first time I've seen a bunch of folks sitting out on their patio, talking. We always passed by their patio on the way to our old apartment, and so I know this isn't the first time they've carried on raucous conversations outside, disturbing the peace. So why hasn't anyone else put a stop to it yet? My best conjecture is that since it looked like a clown car had vomited its contents into the patio and apartment, all those people must live in the same building, and all converge onto that one on the ground floor every time they want to get together. Because I know I'd be complaining first to the noisy neighbors, then to management, and finally to the police if I lived that close to them and had to be subject to such noise. We're all the way across the street and it's already bad enough. There are quiet hours for a reason, people, and even though it doesn't start until 10pm, have a little courtesy!! Is that too much to ask for these days?

Apparently it is, for some...

It's all relative

Wasn't it Einstein who coined this anecdote to describe relativity: "Sit on a hot stove for a minute and it feels like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour and it feels like a minute"?

We're certainly feeling it now! For a 1-bedroom apartment, 750 square feet is nothing to sneeze at. But no matter what kind of unit, a 750-square-foot living space really isn't all that large, especially for a family of three.

Still, it took moving out and then dragging all the little things out of the apartment, plus cleaning up every nook and cranny (including stuff we don't normally touch during our weekly cleaning!) to make the place seem very, very large indeed. There seems to be a vast array of items to clear out of shelves, closets and cabinets. And the cleaning seems endless.

Nothing quite like clearing out a place completely and scrubbing it from top to bottom, to make it feel so spacious and vast and... endless.

Just a few more days, and it'll all be over, then we can relax... until it comes time to move out of and clean our new, 1000+ square-foot apartment in the distant future-- eep! Really makes me rethink the idea of getting a 2000-square-foot home, when we can barely handle living spaces half that size! ;-P