My Sunday

Our ISP was down all day yesterday, so that's why I couldn't blog. I was going to send an audioblog, but my phone wouldn't co-operate. I actually think the Boy did something to the computer so that I couldn't access the internet, as he wanted us to spend the day cleaning. If you don't know my Boy, then you won't realise how absurd that statement is. He never wants to clean and tries very hard to avoid it. We are still bouncing around the idea of hiring a cleaner, for goodness sakes. But we have cleaned the house yesterday for a visitor... someone we've never met.

Today, between now and 11 AM (as I am sitting her in a camisole and drawers), some valuers are coming by to value the flat. We're remortgaging and there's very little that is more stressful than that -- and I've been through unemployment by me and Boy, a wedding and a transcontinental move and flat purchase, and moving my dogs here in less than three years, so I know about some bloody stress.

We want a valuation of £150,000 ($260K), cos at 90 per cent of that, that will completely cover the original mortgage and our payments will be £250 less a month. However, we will probably not get that. The guy upstairs is selling his place. When we met him on the stair Saturday, he said he was looking for £130K for us. He offered us a look in his flat. But nosey me has looked at the particulars online already. He's listed his flat, same size as ours, as a 3-bedroom. We have one bedroom and a bedroom/study, which is called a boxroom here; a boxroom is a bedroom that has no windows to the outside. So how can he have 3 and we only have 1 and a half? Well, he's on the top floor and in his boxroom, he installed a skylight. So there's a bedroom that we can't have (we're on the third floor here). And the other bedroom? He's made the living room a bedroom and the kitchen/diner into a kitchen/lounge. Very crafty.

So this guy, on paper, has a 3-bed and wants £130K. We have a 1-bed and want £150K. See how your little friends are screwed? Nevertheless, we will push on for it and we cleaned furiously yesterday. I've had multiple guests over, Boy's parents, and 20 people for Thanksgiving -- I still didn't clean has hard as I did for this valuer coming for, what, 10 minutes?
Pray for us. Put healing hands, feet, etc on us. Shoot, I think the Boy would do that, if it meant getting this remortgage.

Other notable Sunday endeavours:

• Watched Arsenal lose to Manchester United. Double boo, cos love Arsenal and hate Man U. The British boys that I watched the game with (an Englishman, Scotsman, and a Northern Irish bloke) thought it was hilarious that an American was vehemently anti-Man Utd. If you don't know, they are the most popular Premiership football team in the US. I don't care. I'm a real fan. I support Leeds, who are Boy's local team, and if you support Leeds, you cannae support Manchester United. It's that simple. Plus Arsenal have Thierry Henry, who is cool, cool, cool.


• As there was no computer to occupy my time, I spent the rest of the evening listening to music (the only thing my computer was good for without the internet connection). It took me back to my days in high school and university, sitting alone in my room and listening to the radio or tapes. (Or 8-tracks! Listen to me -- tapes. Crickey!) And my music choice was reflecting all of it. It was nice just being quiet for one night and I shall endeavour to do it more often.