Plans

You are currently browsing articles tagged Plans.

Gimme Shelter

April 11, 2009 in Life | 4 comments

I toured this house yesterday - I liked it.

I toured this house yesterday - I liked it.

The first two years that I lived on my own after college saw three apartments come into my life, each with their own low introductory rates and flexible lease terms.  I was a nomad of sorts- a relatively constant (local) traveler always searching for the lowest rent and shortest lease terms.  After tiring of looking for deals in the suburbs, I decided to finally just move to Portland, where I was spending most of my time anyway.  I set up residence in an apartment in Northwest Portland, where pizza and pubs were plentiful and everything was within walking distance.  A funny thing happened - I stayed in the same place for two and a half years to date.  Now, after having been employed for the last five years, living in Portland for going on three and with no desire to leave  on the horizon, I’ve begun the quest the buy a home.

Several times in the past I’ve been tempted to look for a house to buy - the first attempt came in 2004 when I was put in touch with a mortgage broker who was preparing what was clearly a horrible, foreclosure-baiting loan; complete with wildly adjustable rates and the assurance that it was ok that he was inflating my income…  a lot.  Basically, it was the recipe for what would become the current mortgage crisis.  Nice try, buddy.

About two years ago I made a second feeble attempt, having a friend pre-qualify me through Countrywide…  despite my excellent credit ratings and good income, her then-manager insisted on treating my loan as a sub-prime one with another risky rate - thankfully, my friend told me what was going on - the manager was insisting on this type of loan despite the fact that I was not a sub-prime borrower as it would net more money for the company.  Needless to say, I decided I was happy in my apartment.  Besides, the $140,000 they wanted to give me could purchase nothing in Portland in 2006.

To say that I saw the current mortgage crisis and the subsequent financial downturn coming is strong perhaps, although I could see enough in the future to know that what I was being presented was a raw deal.

Flash forward to 2009 - the lenders of whom I spoke earlier are for the most part out of business, and many of their borrowers are out of homes.  Values are falling, sales are stagnant, and I’ve actually been pre-qualified for a good mortgage.  I’ve actually gone through two homes with my Realtor - the first, although very big and cheap, was also lacking a few key items - for instance, a kitchen.  The latest home is a little more promising - a big, old, fixer in North Portland.  The fixer qualities seem to be mostly cosmetic and well within my abilities, and it’s tough to pass up a big craftsman built in 1908 with a finishable basement.  I’m planning on taking another walk through it but it may soon be offer time.

Plans, Moving, Etc.

March 8, 2006 in Work | No comments

Another month has gone, and a lot of changes have occurred in the life of Chris, most notably, the presence of a new job. I still work in insurance, and with the same company, but have moved from handling bodily injury claims to large property losses. It may be a small move in the grand scheme of things, but I feel better about the work that I do now, which goes a long way towards helping the psyche. Most importantly, I never again have to know the value of three chiropractic visits, four months after a minor auto accident.

(Unless of course I go to law school and become an ambulance chaser, but then of course I would have a personal stake in the matter, which could possibly wipe out my bad feelings of valuing injuries.) After all, I’d have to do something to earn my money and pay off student loans before doing pro-bono civil liberties cases and work on behalf of non-profits…

Which leads us to point #2 – as part of a long-term effort in self-improvement, I have commenced finishing off my efforts to (eventually) get into grad school. I completed one test a few weeks ago, and still have one more to go before I’ll be done with the tests for colleges of education, and I’ve been reviewing my LSAT study book, as I think I probably will end up taking the LSAT this summer/fall. Depending on its outcome, I’ll decide which path I want to take, and will seriously start looking at grad schools towards the end of this year. When I will enroll, and whether or not I can get in are different subjects entirely, but at least school is on the list.

Another change is in where I am living – in late December I moved to Tigard, in a brand new (and considerably less sketchy) apartment, which is closer to work and farther away from the roving bands of near-feral children who patrolled the parking lots of my old complex. Pleasant as the new place may be, I have a feeling my stay will be a short one. I signed a 6-month lease, and seeing as there is absolutely nothing to do in Tigard, I will likely be moving again in June, hopefully to the city. You see, Giovanni recently acquired my dream apartment – a large one bedroom in a classic building, just two blocks from PGE Park – for about the same amount of rent I am currently paying. With baseball season starting up, I desperately wish I lived within walking distance to a ballpark… and pubs, and Powell’s… and by this summer, I aim to be.

This update does not contain a semi-humorous, self-absorbed story about a quasi-adventure I partook in – for this I apologize… that will be coming soon enough. Rather, this update is sort of a self-congratulatory note on what I’ve been able to do in the past two months. You see, in late November, it became fairly clear to me that my life was not headed in a direction where I wanted it to be – namely, 25+ years of corporate servitude to be eventually interrupted by either downsizing or some creative, public, and quite graphic form of suicide (or what I like to call, societal downsizing). I instituted a 4-part plan to put myself where I want to be, or at least in a position where I would be able to choose among several possibilities. I am happy to say that as of this Friday, half of this plan will have already neared completion, and the other half is dependent upon completing the grad school stuff I’ve already discussed. And it only took 25 years to do! Who knows – in another 25, I just might be married, or perhaps, I will be in grad school.

I don’t want my MTV; Sports Musings

October 20, 2005 in Life, Sports | No comments

Fall is here, and in these pre-turn-back-the-clock weeks, daylight is quickly becoming but a fleeting acquaintance, or at least it seems that way from the daily confines of my cubicle. Perhaps it just feels a little more taxing seeing as I’ve recently been staying up far too late on school nights, and have been getting up earlier than normal in my attempts to actually standardize a morning routine for the first time since high school. Really, this was all done in an attempt to improve my bad attitude… at least my early morning bad attitude.

I apparently failed to realize that when one wakes up an hour earlier than normal, it is typically best to avoid going to sleep two hours later than normal… and even better to avoid doing so for a week solid. Needless to say, I’m having trouble focusing right now.

What? You were looking for an interesting update? I know… I know.

As evidenced in my previous post, the past few weeks have brought with them a little actual change, and a lot of ideas for change. Most evident of this is the fact that I am actually seriously considering giving up my cable TV. No, this isn’t a monetary thing (though donations are accepted) or a suicide thing (I’m not giving AWAY my TV), rather, I think I watch too much of it.

The thought here is that if I had less History Channel, college football, and COPS to watch, I might read more about history, get in shape for my impending college football comeback (which begs the question- if I returned to school, would I have NCAA eligibility seeing as I have graduated, but never played a sport? I say yes…) or I could go out and break some laws, in turn completing some sort of divine circle and actually being on one of my favorite shows!

Actually, the reading part and the activity part are probably the greatest impetuses for this idea, though the Ronnie Dobbs-esque celebrity is also alluring. A secondary reason is the simple fact that I am not home very much anymore, and hopefully I will soon live somewhere where there are more entertainment options, allowing less time for simply laying around, and more for culture and personal growth.

Along those lines, last weekend I made a trek to the Portland Art Museum to check out the new Mark Building, view the architectural updates to the old Masonic Temple it is housed in, and of course, view some art. The only hitch was that I know very little about art… though I think I avoided saying things like, “wow, that’s pretty!” I did sense a few looks of utter contempt from hipster art snob wannabes though, (you know, the ultra-skinny, ultra pale guy with dyed, jet-back, ear-length hair, too-tight Interpol tee, black glasses and beret… I hate that guy…) so the trip was definitely worth it.

On the subject of entertainment, I received my half-season Blazer tickets in the mail last week, and went to the first two pre-season games against Seattle and the Clippers. From what I saw, this may be another very long season for the Blazers fan. How could I have been so wrong in my April 15, 2004 post? In that column, next year was the current last year, which was, as we all know, quite ugly. There were some bright spots – Martell Webster looks like he’s for real, and Sebastian Telfair, if he can ever develop a consistent mid-range jump shot, has a chance to be a monster. In the meantime though, I have a feeling I’ll be witnessing a good number of growing pains from my cozy seats in section 305.

Since I’m talking about sports now, I’ll go ahead and make another bold prediction – the Oregon Ducks are going to win out. After a tough loss to USC, they have rebounded, and have begun to show the promise that a roster full of big time recruit was supposed to bring two years ago. Unfortunately, I think they are peaking at precisely the wrong time, and could still conceivably wind up in the Sun Bowl with a record of 10-1. Here’s hoping UCLA loses a few down the stretch.

Really, that pretty much sums up the last few weeks – personal growth, culture, bad basketball, good football, and hopefully this weekend, some good basketball for a change (Blazers/Kings Saturday night) and some more good football (Linfield/Puget Sound Saturday). Look for the next post to be chock full of politics, as I unleash my theories of divine intervention on the GOP and try to find the greater meaning behind this unprecedented hurricane season. (Global warming, anyone? Not so fast…)

One last thing- I just checked my email and found a note from the US Navy Reserve saying they viewed, and liked, my resume. My only question is this: is it strange that when I first saw this notice in my inbox, the first thought in my mind was of the “Royal Nayvee” Monty Python sketch?

The times, they need a-changin’

October 18, 2005 in Life | No comments

I apologize for a very brief foray into my current rant on the state of Pratt… this column will return in its normal form in a day or so, with updates on my activities and other random observations… for the time being, I must first let a little bit out.

I feel a change coming on… perhaps it is the fact that I will be moving somewhere, for some period of time, sometime before the end of December. Or, perhaps it is the fact that the season has finally noticeably changed, or, on the other hand, maybe it is because I am finally beginning to seriously think about the future.

I am suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling that things are going to get a little more interesting in the near future. Then again, this may simply be a strange coagulation of fatigue and boredom… either way, it at least seems new, so I’ll go with it.

So what is really fuelling this sudden resurgence in confidence and enthusiasm you ask? Well, I’m not really sure (I wasn’t lying… ok?) but I do think it has a lot to do with the living situation, and the work situation. First of all, I will be moving in December – this I know for sure. Where I will be moving to, however, is a very good question. As you may have read in the Oregonian (if you’re in the area, that is) housing prices in Portland have rocketed up more than 22% in the last year. My paycheck, however, has remained static. This is not a good equation, especially when trying to convince someone with lots of money to give someone like me enough to buy a house. In other words, House Hunt 2005 has likely reached an unceremonious end. Which, in the end is probably ok, considering point #2…

I have recently discovered I am going nowhere. No, I have not crossed into a new area of laziness where I have simply decided to no longer take part in ANY physical movement, rather, as far as work is concerned, I am going nowhere – and not for lack of trying. Now what does THAT mean? You may once again find yourself asking… I think it means all options are now open, which in a way, is very liberating. I am once again considering the possibility of going back to school, even if it just means looking into a program that would allow me to take night classes for the time being, in an attempt to kick start what may have been a bit of a false start into adulthood. Basically, I know that I can do more with my abilities than I am doing right now – hell, I already have in the past. It is just a matter of doing something about it, which I am now truly attempting.

I do not think that change comes easily, or quickly, but I do feel it is on the horizon. For now, I am resigned to begin looking for a new apartment (since I am tired of hearing both my neighbors’ domestic disputes, and the birds living in the attic above my bedroom), and have a desire to live a little closer to at least something of cultural significance (A&W and Walgreen’s do not count) and also explore options on the career and education front. I am looking into what is available as far as teaching programs are concerned, and while I’m at it, debating whether or not I feel I could make it in law school (assuming I could get in). In the meantime, I will continue writing my book, and wait for tonight’s Powerball jackpot to solve all my problems…

That’s it for today - look back here tomorrow for a more typical update, and hopefully (if I can figure out the technical aspects) a new feature.