Much of yesterday was devoted to finally watching some of the movies I have saved on my DVR.
The two I watched yesterday were “Sideways” and “Meet the Fockers.”
I wasn’t especially impressed by “Fockers,” but “Sideways” definitely had its moments.
In particular, Paul Giamatti’s performance as a pessimistic, curmudgeonly, drunken, divorced failed writer stood out for me, as it was all too painfully familiar, though also ruefully amusing.
Of course, it’s not as if he were my identical twin, as I no longer drink and was never a wine drinker to begin with.
His performance actually made me want to watch him in the role that is my favorite of his, that of Harvey Pekar in “American Splendor,” but given that I still have six hours’ worth of movies left to watch on my DVR I decided that I wasn’t going to throw another movie in the mix.
Last week I picked up “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” on DVD and have yet to watch that.
I didn’t see the movie when it was in theaters, but I’ve heard it’s okay, and, quite frankly, the cover image featuring Angelina Jolie in that black dress was pretty much impossible to resist.
(I also got the Director’s Cut of “Blade Runner” from the 2 for $11 bin. With the spindle of 25 DVD-Rs I picked up at the same time, it was something of a DVD-intensive trip to Wal-Mart.)
In any case, I did enjoy “Sideways,” and I understand now what the buzz was about.
As for “Fockers,” it just didn’t deliver much in the way of laughs. It seemed like it was trying too hard, and there was nothing engaging enough about it for me to willingly suspend my disbelief and accept the idea that people might actually behave like that.
I will say, though, that in the appearance she made in Playboy concurrent with the theatrical release, “Meet the Fockers” star Teri Polo looked extremely good. So that’s one good thing that came about as a result of the movie.
Somewhere along the line in the course of yesterday I opted to take a nap, and still ended up going to bed fairly early.
So, apart from going for an abbreviated walk and getting lunch from Subway, I didn’t do much at all.
Today I accomplished slightly more.
I met with my realtor and we headed over to the complex where I’m thinking about buying a condo. In fact, we settled on which particular one I would like to buy.
Now, of course, the question becomes whether or not I can.
While it is ridiculously expensive because this is Northern Virginia and that’s just the way things are, it is within the realm of affordability for me – assuming I make a few sacrifices here and there, though luckily I don’t have much of a life so there isn’t much for me to sacrifice – but getting to the point where I’m actually making the monthly payments will, no doubt, be a bumpy ride, and may lead me to just chuck the whole buying idea and start looking for another place to rent.
While I was there I was quietly in sort of a mild state of panic at the enormity of the prospect of buying a place, and I was also distracted by the fact that the sales person, a young woman named Daniela, was extremely cute, I made an appointment to meet again on Friday and get the process started. Getting things started includes writing a check as “earnest money,” which is sort of a deposit to prove that I mean business.
The problem is that my head was too busy spinning, from the panic and from Daniela’s cuteness, for me think to actually ask just how earnest that money is expected to be, which is to say that I have only a vague idea of how big of a check they’re expecting me to write.
I’m fairly certain, however, that whatever the amount it will be more than I’ll be able to raise by Friday, so I think I’m going to have to reschedule that meeting.
Fortunately, the renovations won’t be complete until January, and it looks as though I have a few months before I absolutely have to get out of here, so, as long as I can keep them convinced that I am interested, I to have some time.
As for the condo itself, the square footage is just shy of being two hundred square feet smaller than my current apartment.
However, most of the space in my apartment is sort of wasted anyway, and most of it located in my bedroom.
The condo was basically gutted when I saw it, but I have an idea of what it will look like when finished and it should be nice.
I had looked at another, slightly cheaper one, and while it had granite countertops, which is a definite plus, it was on the first floor, whereas the one I decided to go with is on the second floor. Also, the cheaper unit was facing the highway, which would have led to some noise issues.
To get a third floor unit I’d have to get on a waiting list, as everyone wants the vaulted ceilings.
In an case, here are the features:
Hardwood floor in the kitchen, ceramic tile in the foyer, vinyl tile in the bathroom, carpeting in the bedroom, living room, and dining room.
Wood-burning fireplace, gas heat, electric oven (gas would be better, but oh well), new appliances (fridge, dishwasher, washer and dryer), new cabinets, ceramic tile shower enclosure, new Hunter-Douglas wooden blinds.
Amenities include a fitness center, with a sauna, pool, and tennis court, not that a tennis court matters to me.
Beyond the features of the unit, it is in a good location, and while it’s a longer drive to work from there it’s also slightly more of a straight shot.
Of course, I’m not actually getting my hopes up, as I’m sure something will come along to piss on my dream of being a homeowner, and that may, in fact, be my realtor calling back to tell me how much they want for the earnest money…
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