Real Estate

It's probably not news to you that Oakland isn't our favorite place. True, our neighborhood is super charming and Lucia's school is pretty amazing (aside from the politics). But we've talked about it over the course of the past six-months and really want to move back to the Peninsula. It's where our buddies are. It's where we feel overall more relaxed and the pace and energy over there suits us better. I feel slightly guilty about this, meaning on some level I want to be a champion of a Better Oakland and shake my fist at the politics and ongoing pockets of crime that crop up. But I think being a parent has changed me; I just don't feel like it, and feel like people without kids or who have invested in real estate in Oakland -- that's their fight. Not mine. I'm lucky to have a job with flexibility in terms of what office/hours and where I work. Pete's contract job is now open-ended, which means it could end at any time, but the feedback he's getting from the team is they'll need him through the end of the year at least, and that's a brutal commute (although we're exploring ride shares and other alternatives).

We really want to move. But rent in the Bay Area has increased 15% in the past 6 months. For a lot of different reasons; the amount of foreclosures and short-sales in this part of the country is astounding, so the demand for rentals is there, and boom, there go the prices. The New York Times recently wrote it. The 2-bedroom apartment below us will rent out for $300 more a month than we pay, and that's still in Oakland. Another 2BR apartment on the first floor with a view of cement blocks (we have a view of Lake Merritt) will rent for $100 more than we pay. We've heard horror stories from friends who tried to rent in the areas we are coveting on the Peninsula, only to be the 20th person seeing the place, or having to write a 5-figure check before even seeing the place. I see listings for $2500 for a 2BR (900 square feet) and think, really? Do we really want to pay $1000 more a month to be close to our friends, for less space? 

So we've talked about it, and I think we've reluctantly agreed to stay put for now, until the rental bubble bursts. I also have to admit that I'm very nervous about prescribing to a Grass is Always Greener mentality where I think, if we lived over there (on the Peninsula) it would be so much more blissful in so many ways. But then I find myself negating the pretty blissful parts of our current situation. We go to the Farmer's Market here and I remember the clown who makes balloon animals is half-Norwegian and always remembers Lucia. Or I go for a run (listening to hip-hop, oh the irony) in super plush Piedmont among the million dollar homes, just a few blocks away from our place and think, this isn't so bad. We are making progress on decluttering our place to make it more livable and feel a little less junky. Something about throwing away old stuff helps you embrace the present and future; ever notice that? We are getting a new refrigerator today. It's a very livable place. Is it where I envisioned myself living as I near 40 years old? No. But we're happy, Lucia's thriving and sometimes, I think there's a benefit in actually realizing the good and the bad that comes with any situation. There's definite downsides to living in Oakland. But there's some upsides too. The point is that we're focusing on where we are today, and of course hoping and planning for different circumstances in the future, but embracing all of it, the good and the bad. 

Double Ear Infection

Lucia woke up Wednesday night crying and miserable, saying her ear hurt. Since she seems to have the pain threshold of some super charged Olympic athlete, we knew she likely had an ear infection. So off we went to see Dr. Dan., making sure of course we brought our Dr. Dan little golden book with us, of course. Dr. Dan said her one ear looked really bad and the other didn't look normal. Ten days of antibiotics. He also removed a disgusting amount of wax from her ears. Do they make kid-sized Q-tips? Because that was nasty.


Anyways, after we went to Whole Foods, mostly because we were hungry but also to buy probiotics for her. She chose a raspberry muffin for lunch and looked pretty miserable when I took this.

We came home and watched the three movies she has on her audio cd that plays in the car everyday: Cars, Finding Nemo and Toy Story. Here she is transfixed.

She slept through the night and seemed some better today. Pete is working from home today and she'll likely be on the couch, watching more movies.

Soon

Team Hansen is purging stuff and our reward is a newly cleaned off porch. Pictures coming soon. While we haven't gotten a little table and chairs set yet, tonight Lucia and I sat outside and soaked in the sunshine. And had a ticklefest.

Daddy's Day

Happy Father's day Pete! We love you lots.

That Time We Missed Her School Thing

The rite of passage known as parents missing a school thing happened this week to Team Hansen. I decided to skip the preschool potluck, given the sometimes snarky nature (read: bitchy moms) of these things and well, we've gone to literally every single event they've had, sometimes moving mountains to do so, with little payoff (sometimes) and me enviously watching the other parents who opted to say no. They were having a "transitions ceremony" for the kids who were moving up into a new class, and since her teachers hadn't mentioned it, I figured it was fine to skip. To make matters worse, I got off work a little early and called my mom reveling in the 90 minutes I had between work and when Pete would be home with her; I planned to go for a run, clean, make dinner, take a shower, etc. etc. I was so excited about my free time. Except when Pete picked her up that day, she ran to him and exclaimed, I'M A PINECONE NOW! And it seemed that indeed, she was moving up from the Acorns to the Pinecones.

And we missed it. We missed the little ceremony! Noooooooooooooooo. While I was enjoying my free time, there was my kid, wondering where we were.

And I went into the spiral of despair: terrible working mom forgets kid's event. She actually said to us, "all the other parents were there but you guys weren't."

Stab me in the heart, kid. We apologized profusely and explained that had we known she was moving up, we would have been there for sure. And we were super proud of her for moving up the Pinecones class. Which, may have been a bit of a stretch, Mary kindly pointed out to me as I despaired. It's not like she overcame some struggle or adversity to make it to the Pinecones; the Acorns class simply got too big and she was ready to move up. So awesome, Lucia! We're psyched for you. We're sorry we missed it. We hope you forgive us.