abigail414's diaryland diary
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Moving On
�You're destined to grow old in beauty, find a shaman, and pleasurably evaporate into the spirit world.�
A friend recently sent that to me in an e:mail, and I am making it a new mantra. I like it.
Unfortunately, unless I evaporate before December 1st, I will need to find a new place to live. My certifiably nuts landlady and I had words, and since she has the power she decided to neither renew my lease nor do month-to-month. She actually said �I am a wealthy woman and would rather have it empty than rent to you�. Ouch.
This was prompted by the third complaint she received by the condo association that the bushes in my courtyard are �above the fascia�. (Had I received condo rules upon renting I would have known they were fascists and planned accordingly). Instead, I said that my trimming every 2 weeks obviously wasn�t enough so she may as well hire someone with a chainsaw. And, I had the nerve to tell her that there was some long-delayed maintenance that needed to be addressed - I know she doesn't have a handyman, so was trying to fix it myself to no avail. And, when she called to tell me of her decision, I further exacerbated the situation by pointing out that the bushes in her other unit were higher than mine, and I have not requested anything beyond basic maintenance of things that were already broke when I got here. She said she didn�t want another �bitchfest�, and I agreed that I, too was tired of her problems such as the 15+ saved messages on my answering machine regarding feeding the stupid ducks (which is against the rules), her personal animal problems, or the investigators trying to find out how to reach her. At some point I may have called her a lunatic landlord.
Obviously, I don�t respond well to arbitrary acts of authority by irrational people (hope I never end up on Bush's bad list). Until yesterday, I have danced lightly and appeasingly around my landlord because I knew she was unstable (as has my real estate agent, neighbors, housesitter, and condo assn). Perhaps I was just tired and wanted to kick myself in the ass - are you staying here or moving? This wouldn�t be so bad if I could rely on her for a good reference for future rentals, which I cannot, or if I was sold on the area as a place to live and felt it was time to buy a home, which I am not. The local culture is entertaining, bizarre, superficial, and intensely consumeristic, as evidenced by the 3 pairs of glittery thong sandals I now own, the new french manicure on my toes, and the number of low-cut tops in my closet - I fear I am getting sucked in. My plan had been to rent month-to-month for the delicious winter here and then start looking for the ideal situation in spring. Nope.
If I do decide to leave the area so I can buy somewhere that feels more compatible (temperate weather, shade trees, more heterosexuals than homosexuals, blue voting block), there are job options all over the state � but probably not as lucrative as my current one. To compensate for the potential income loss, I�m focusing on places with ocean and grapevines which I love, but tend to be in smaller towns with smaller clinics and may unfortunately involve doing (gulp) surgery. I can do spays and neuters and wound drains and skin tumors, but anything fancier would terrify me. And I spend enough time being a scared veterinarian without doing surgery.
One of the positions is in Forestville, just north of Sebastopol in Sonoma county, an area I stated that I want to live in someday. It is a combined traditional and holistic practice, another goal I have stated, and they are interested in talking with me. Be careful what you ask for. I�m also thinking of the central coast because the men from there on yahoo personals look yummy, and have applied to places in Ojai and Santa Maria.
Why not stay here? It is lovely most of the year, and I am developing a nice client base and a few connections around town (how can I leave my hair stylist and massage therapist, and I treat my car dealer's dog so get car problems solved for me). Plus, I am starting to see the myriad of recreational opportunities now that I am more settled and it isn�t 120 degrees. But for 3 months of the year, it is the kind of hot you can�t escape and go stir crazy trapped indoors. The rest of the time it is still lonely, but pleasantly warm so you don�t feel like wearing much clothing and are perennially tan, with your skin getting leathery and aging but feeling good in the process.
A startling alternative would be to buy a place in Idyllwild and commute an hour a day - a crazy idea, but would be fun to live in a cottage on a mountain and become a true eccentric.
OK, it is obvious I haven�t figured this out yet. Time for sleep. Maybe I�ll dream up an answer.
9:57 p.m. - 2006-09-26
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