Hurts So Bad

I can barely move my right arm. I certainly can't lift it over my head. We moved on Thanksgiving.

The rush up to the move involved more sanding, painting, spackling, and stripping than you can ever imagine. My right arm hasn't been this sore since I found that stack of vintage Playboys when I was twelve. And again at twelve and a half. And when high-speed Internet was invented.

Our new house was built in the early 1930s, smack dab in the middle of the Great Depression, which is why many of the building materials seem to have been empty matchbooks, old cigarette wrappers, and spit. Still, it has what my Realtor assured me was "character", and I am slowly beginning to understand that character means windows that do not close and a front room that is slowly, but not too slowly, falling off the front of the house. What character does not mean is a phone or broadband connection.

Character also does not mean The Mom, who after spending a mere three nights in our new house, fled to California for a week on "business."

Damn my right arm.

Comments

[BBM]

I'm going to assume that the "stripping" that you referenced was of the home improvement category and not of the other category. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Congrats on surviving the move. Mostly.

[JulieB]

Congrats on your new home!

Now there is no escaping NJ. Heh heh...

From a delinquent poster, id twin girls parent, and fellow reluctant New Jerseyite. :)

[You can call me, 'Sir']

I, too, bought a house with character (~1920s vintage). It took a lot of work, but now the character looks much better and no longer makes people cringe while trying to find a polite way to say that the house has "potential". Rest assured that it's worth the effort and will make you appreciate the house much more deeply when you're finished. Or dead. Either way.

[Badness Jones]

Gah! My sympathies. We live in an old house full of character too. After 3 years we've had to: have a chimney rebuilt, strip wallpaper and paint every room, gut the only bathroom, add a powder room, paint all the original windows (plus the storms and screens), insulate numerous rooms, add a heating vent to the back bedroom, and the list goes on. But hey! The character!

[Whittam]

So, the bad news is that it'll be a ton of work to maintain that old character, the good news is that you'll be in debt for the rest of your life. Congratulations fellow homeowner!

[Tammy]

There's always your left arm!

[Beverly]

Yes it seems you have to watch houses with "character" because it could def. mean falling down around your head.

beverly

[Diane]

New-builds aren't always what they're cracked up to be. Two brief examples from family members: The "new" electric heating system fails to heat as well as the ol' steam heater from my first apartment, a 1950's-era build; and the "Internet-friendly" wiring can barely support painfully slow dial-up, not even close to the DSL it's supposed to handle. Thankfully the one thing that works reliably is the sump pump.

[Tammy from Twinstuff]

You really need a disclaimer before your post to warn us about the content. Example: <<>> reading this post today may make you spew coke through your nose, go into hysterics, and make you fall out of your chair.
I hope your arm will survive the move and The Mom being gone. Good luck! :)

[tuesday]

ssuuuurrre that is how you hurt it. I will go along with it if you are. : )

[sara]

so are you saying that we, as two nearly-forty-year-olds with three kids, should see the bright side in STILL renting & not truly participating in the 'american dream' of being homeowners? thanks for making us feel better about that...

[Heidi]

Oh poor the dad! You are such a rookie. Here is how I handle renovations at my house. Pour yourself a shot of something pricey right now and then repeat. Next call the mom and tell her how lucky you feel to have such a hard working, talented, hot wife. When she comes home from her "exhausting" business trip, greet her in nothing but your tool belt and whisper softly in her ear that you have a friend whose exceptionally talented nanny or housekeeper or handyman is looking for work (your pick). Take it from one who is in character-filled house #3, its time to call in some professional help and save your energy for the stripping... And don't forget to hide all the Home Depot receipts....

[Debbie]

We had new siding and a roof put on our 100+ year old house last year and the siding company nearly crapped themselves when they realized that my son's bedroom, which is on the second floor and overlooks the front porch, was held in place by two two by fours and fairy dust. "Well", we explained, "we knew the entire room sort of sloped down toward the front porch but we just thought it was rustic charm..."

[The Mom]

Heidi--you are my new favorite poster. Actually, my 2nd favorite poster right after my poster of Antonio Banderas wearing only a tool belt.

[Angela]

My sympathies, our house, was supposedly a "new house" as it had undergone extensive renovations....we had to re-do the foundation and put in extra insulation because the pipes froze during our first winter. I hope the renovations end soon and you have time to enjoy your new home.