Birthday recap and progress report

[rolanni]

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes. They're very much appreciated, and I did have a lovely day, with much more of a celebration than anticipated.

Yesterday started out cool and cloudy, which is actually my favorite sort of day. Later, it gave into its damper nature and rained, but that was OK, too.

We had appointments to view two houses. One is probably Exactly the Sort of House we, at our advanced and advancing ages Ought Really to Move Into. It was quite a nice house, and had everything on The List, saving a sun room/screened porch, but those lacks could probably be more-or-less easily addressed. It did not make me stand up and cheer, but...newish roof, two car garage, and a nice big, sunny window for the cats all count, too.

The other house. . .

The other house and I were Immediately Sympatico, while, at the same time, I Knew Quite Clearly that it was Completely Unsuitable for us, at our advanced & advancing etc. It was what I think of as an Artists' House, and artistic people were clearly living there. As I said to Steve, If we were already living in this house, I would see no reason to move. As it was, I kinda wanted to sit on the stairs and have a soda and talk to the people who did live there.

After house-viewing, we went to lunch at Jin Yuan on Temple Street and so to home where we split a piece of carrot cake and some vanilla ice cream and retired to the living room to read. Steve was reading Dragon in Exile on the couch, and I was in the blue recliner with Dancer of the Sixth (in which I seem to see Influence, but that may just be me). I would like to report that all three Coon Cats visited me on the recliner and hung out a bit while I read. Mozart and Trooper sort of draped themselves across my lap, but Sprite insisted that she squeeze between me and the arm of the chair, before she purred herself into an intense sleep, from which she only roused when I got up to tend to business. I am In Awe of both her ability to squish, and her purring expertise.

Today, I have a few chores on the list, but I believe I will finish reading my book while Steve finishes up Dragon. . . And then we shall see.

The contest to win a free Carousel Sun audiobook is now closed. I will, as promised, be making the awards this weekend. Thank you all for playing!

I also have some news from Don Blyly at Uncle Hugo's SF Bookstore in Minneapolis, which I will report in another post.

Hope everybody has a great Friday!

Comments

house

[nfurman.livejournal.com]

Voting for Artistic house. Life is too short not to love where you live.... Just sayin' :) And happy belated birthday.
Hitting mine in 2 days :)

[catherine kelleher (from livejournal.com)]

I'm glad you had a nice birthday, I too like grey and somewhat rainy days. Living in the desert means they are a rare treat though. And I vote for the sensible house, and then you making it into a rockin artsy fartsy expression of your awesomeness!

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking this is the way to go. All that "clutter" that so offendeth our agent, for instance, could, in other eyes, be seen as the quirkiness of artists.

[jilltanith.livejournal.com]

If you can afford it, go for the Sympatico House. Not only does it have a built-in Name, it's less likely to drown you in regrets for the loss of the Cat Farm.

[romsfuulynn.livejournal.com]

Can the Artistic House be made to work if you can't manage stairs? My inclination is to say that you need to love your house.

The two most crucial things to my mind are:
1. Stairs - can stair lifts be installled. Do the stairs have hand rails or can they be installed? Stair lifts (the little chairs that you ride up and down stairs in) can be what saves you. (Also ramps, but they are much more obtrusive - need a 1 to 12 ratio and stops.)
2. Bathrooms - can they be made accessible. A shower in which you can put rails and a seat. (Walk in bathtubs are expensive - $6000-8000. But a handheld showerhead, a seat, and rails to get you in and out will take you a long way.)
Likewise the toilet although those are almost always easier to adapt

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

The thing that I had liked initially about the Artistic House is that, if one of us were ill, they could manage on just the first floor: Double living room, kitchen, master bedroom with bath -- all on the first floor. Bath with two offices upstairs. So, we could live downstairs and "go to work" upstairs.

The stairs are the deal-breaker, sadly. I have *no* head for heights, and while the bank would insist that we-or-they install a rail in order to get financing, they're very short treads that are difficult for me, now.

There were a couple of other issues -- minor for people in their, say, mid-30s, but more than that for people in their 60s -- that made the Artistic House a pass. For us.

VERY cool house, tho.

[starrcat.livejournal.com]

I love Dancer of the Sixth. I have yet to find another book by her - do you by any chance know of any?

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

That was one of the books I got off your list on FB. I was off of reading SF for most of the 90s and I missed some good stuff.

As for Ms. Crean. . .She wasn't, as far as I remember, a SFWA member, and it really doesn't look like she published any other books under that name.

Del Rey Discoveries didn't always make it out into the larger publishing world after their Discovery. If I recall correctly the percentage was something less than 50/50.

Del Rey Discoveries

[barb-in-md.livejournal.com]

Oh those Del Rey books were my auto-buys in SF for several years in the '90s. I loved almost every one of them (including Dancer of the Sixth). Any you are right- few of the authors had long careers--which is too bad. Carol Severance was my favorite.

[starrcat.livejournal.com]

That explains it! I didn't realize you had gotten it from me.

I would have loved to have read more by her.

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

Hope you can get that ideal place nailed down before winter. Having to move in the winter sucks.