PR

I’ve had this particular post planned in my mind for some time because I’m just so proud. It’s about how J and I reached a PR. No, not a running personal record. But we’ve-lived-under-the-same-roof-for-more-than-two-years PR. We have lived here in the same NH barn/house for 2 years and 2 weeks. As in we haven’t had to move in more than 2 glorious years. A definite PR for both of us.

J & I apparently have what they call the 2-year itch. Let me rephrase that, I have the 2-year itch. J has something more like the 6-month-1-year itch. But we have been taking medication (topical) for it and it looks like it’s clearing up. Not only have we lived here for more than 2 years, but if all goes as planned*, we’ll be here another 2 years. In the same damn living space. Imagine that. GASP! You can almost write our address in ink instead of pencil.

Where we live has more pros than cons. Con exhibit A would be Hell’s bells, which are still ringing across the street like the Redcoats are coming. Exhibit B would be that sometimes when we have our windows open, “it sounds like the cars are driving directly into our living room,” as J would say. It’s just that our street has gotten progressively busier since we moved in centuries ago (okay, 2 years). And lastly, this is minor, but seeing that J saves every penny we have, it irks him that our city adopted a pay-as-you-throw policy. I didn’t think we could recycle and compost more than we were, but we’ve managed to get down to 1 bag of garbage every 2 weeks … you know, to save $1.

Some definite pros. First, the fresh garden. It’s not free-picking 24-7. Most of the time, I just sneak into the garden when the landlords are away and swipe a tomato or 2. No I don’t. Okay, yes I do. But sometimes, fresh fruit and veggies just show up on the doorstep. Second of all, ShortShorts came to us a few months ago and said, “I think I’m going to lower your rent.” And I was all, “is that Hungarian for ‘I’m going to raise your rent’ because in America, landlords generally raise the rent each year, not lower it.” Indeed, he lowered it. Must be our charm.

So in any case, we’d like to stay if possible. I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like if we completed our entire tour de NH in ONE living space. Normally we purge our belongings as we move. We’re going to be chock full of crap in 4 years!

And lastly, just for snot and shingles, let’s consider my previous living situations besides my parent’s house (I had no choice in that matter, but as soon as I graduated to adult, I was outta there) …
Esseff Hall at King’s College (PA) … 18 months total
Union Street apartment at King’s … 21 months
Cambridge Avenue house in Phoenix (AZ) … 11 months
Apartment in Mesa … 1 year
Taylor Avenue apartment in Phoenix … 19 months
My sister’s spare bedroom (CT) … 4 months
Holbrook Avenue apartment in Danville (VA) … 16 months
Jefferson Avenue house in Danville … 19 months

That’s a whole lotta moving and shaking, but J’s track record is MUCH worse. In college, the dorm politely asked him to move as far away as possible within the first few months, then he slept on a few couches and finally paid rent using pennies and dimes somewhere. He lived in Phoenix for a grand total of 16 months, during which he lived in 4 different places (including my apartment on Taylor Avenue). He spent a great deal of his 20s driving around the country, so I think maybe he lived in his tent more than anywhere. He didn’t even live in our Danville house for as long as I have because his job required him to live in Alaska for 6 months or so!

If you look closely, you can see Hell's Bells to the left.

* As I post this, our landlord has a realtor appraising this house for sale. They are thinking of moving to Missouri. What? Who wants to move to a state that can’t decide if it’s part of the Midwest or the South? ShortShorts is sick of the snow, which I guess is a good enough reason if I had to spend every waking hour shoveling it off my roof and couldn’t wear my short shorts in the winter. Oh, and it’s cheaper down there. Right now, my salary probably equals what he pays in taxes here (he has a few houses). So who knows what the future brings for us. The bottom line is we still achieved a PR even if we have to move next week!

Labels: