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"The Secret of Kells" and other Irish animation highlights go postal.

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For those of you just tuning in …

We moved Roy into the house on Saturday.

It was … fun … ish.

The house needed a good cleaning though. It’s been vacant for a little over a year and with all the construction that we’ve had done and Kevin’s projects that he’s been working on, it was a giant dust storm. (In fact, when I got done cleaning the wood floors – which nearly the entire house is wood floors, I was actually wheezing).

Then Blake helped me move his tubs of clothes over to the house and Kevin went over to his parent’s house with Roy to get the rest of his stuff.

Two truck loads later (no seriously – TWO truck loads), we finally have all of his stuff moved in.

And the place is JUNKED up.

Let me explain.

I know people do what’s necessary to cope with stressful situations. I get that. However, it annoys me to no end that Roy’s caregivers didn’t see, or plan, for the bigger picture. Instead of allowing him to spend money on superficial, spur-of-the-moment and rash desires (I think he has five remote cars, one violin, a drum set and countless video game systems) in order to entertain and appease him into submission, why didn’t Roy’s caregivers start a hope chest for him. Like a bedroom set. Living room furniture. Kitchen gadgets and appliances. Items he could store away in his “hope chest” so that WHEN he moved out (because come on – it HAD to happen one day, one way or another), he would be better equipped to start his new life.

Instead, when we moved him into his house, he had nothing. Nothing. Not even his own bed. And being the middle of the month, and several hundred dollars poorer (not sure where that money went, quite frankly), he’s starting out with the barest of bare essentials.

We ended up buying him a $100 bed frame. It’s rickety and sheer plywood, but it’s a bed. He didn’t have enough money to buy a mattress, so we ended up buying him an air mattress. And he’ll likely have to sleep on it for several months because we’ve already budgeted his money out a few months and he has upcoming expenses that he won’t be able to get out of, unfortunately.

He doesn’t have anyplace to put his clothes, so he’s quite literally living out of plastic tubs, for now. He does have his own TV and plenty of entertainment, OF COURSE, and his own recliner that actually belonged to his mom (Kevin’s grandmother). He also got her dishes and towels, so there’s that.

We bought him super cheap (like you can actually bend it with your hands) cookie sheets, silverware, kitchen gadgets, toaster and pots and pans. (The pots and pans are so small, like almost look like they belong to a doll, but they will work for now since it’s only him). He already had a George Foreman grill and a toaster oven, which he’s okay using. We’re not sure he can handle a full-blown oven yet. And I’m not sure we feel comfortable with him trying. So, he’s not to use the oven, for now.

Of course, the house has a microwave and a fridge, so there’s that.

And that’s pretty much it.

I can assure you, Kevin now has full control of his money and will make every dollar count because Roy is going to need every dime in order to make a life for himself. No more brainless purchases. We counselled Roy and told him when it comes to money, bills first, needs second, wants third. Period. That’s how life works.

So what the heck was the two truck loads of stuff, you ask? Good question. We haven’t had time to go through it yet. But just Kevin’s initial survey? It looks like we will be donating a bunch of stuff to the Goodwill and/or filling a dumpster.

Roy has his dog. Who is 11 years old and not getting around very well. She belonged to his mom (Kevin’s grandmother) and she has several teeth that are rotting away. They made an appointment for her to see a vet the beginning of next month (government payday) and Kevin found out how much that is going to cost: $320 – they will have to put her to sleep and pull several teeth. And they also cautioned that since she’s so old, she may not even survive the procedure. So … Roy has the emotional stress of not knowing if his dog will survive another month or not.

This poor kid (I call him a kid, but he’s 44 [?] – a kid in a man’s body) has been through so much in his lifetime. I found out some pretty shocking news about his birth mom – Roy told me himself. I never knew his family history and I won’t repeat it here. Suffice it to say, NO ONE should have to go through life with the crap that Roy has had to go through. I think that’s another reason Kevin and I are so determined to help him – we just feel sorry for the guy.

I’m a little annoyed with Kevin’s family, to be frank. I feel like everyone is just waiting to write Roy off. No one offered to help move him into his own house, no offers to periodically bring him food – complete silence. (What the hell??) Granted, we have no idea if Roy will be able to handle living on his own, but at least this way, we can say that we tried it. This is a trial run for Roy. We’re hoping he’s able to handle it, and himself, and if/when the time comes that his parents want to move into the house, Roy will be used to living on his own and will prove that he CAN live on his own, so we can move him into a nearby duplex or apartment. If Roy can not live on his own, then we will have to look at a housing program for him. Which, in some ways, may be better for him because at least this way he will have people around him and can make friends.

Roy has lots of acquaintances. He is the most sociable, and likable quite frankly, person that I know. He has no qualms walking up to people and striking up a conversation. (Which is both a good and bad thing). But friends/friends? I’m not sure. He goes to church every Sunday (Kevin has been taking him) and he has friends there. We sort of have a standing joke that people are always saying “Hi Roy!” to him wherever we go. He seems to know EVERYONE. But I don’t know how “close” these “friendships” are, you know? I think people are just being nice to him because of his mental condition. I don’t know that Roy has ever been close to anyone outside of Kevin’s grandmother.

So maybe a home would be good for him in that aspect.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. We’re in trial mode now. We’ll just have to see how he does and hope he doesn’t hurt himself or burn the house down.

Filed under: Life, Roy

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What a weekend!

First, I made a goal I was sure I'd keep on Friday--4000 new words before midnight. Author Paula Yoo joined me and dubbed it "Friday 4k."

Well, I gave up around 1300 words. Epic fail. The chance to go out came up and I took it. And for once, I didn't feel bad about it! Usually, I'd beat myself up over not making my word count goal. But instead, I ended up going out with BFF and doing exactly what was needed for a ridic week.

I worked a little on Saturday and focused on the end incentive--a night out in my neighborhood with awesome friends. It was sooo nice to be in my neighborhood and not have to get on the train after a night out. There are lots of interesting places yet to be explored...

Today, I pulled the plug on the Internet and got serious. For real. I wasn't messing around, LOL. I got 4049 words down today, so I feel good about it. Better than yesterday's measly total!

Tomorrow, I'm going out with the Melissa Walker and Sarah MacLean. Fun!

Also, I've been getting blurb requests lately and I'm flattered, thank you! Please feel free to send me an e-mail and I can give you an address where to send your book. My rule, though, just FYI--I won't blurb a book unless I love it. I think that's what you're supposed to do...right?

AND! I found out through a neighborhood message board that...get ready...there is a stable near my park! Kensington Stables. OMG! I about died. I'm going to email them to see if I can come observe a few lessons, talk to the riders, maybe groom a lesson horse--anything! I'm insanely excited and would love to go and spend even a little time in the horsey environment. The killer? They offer trail rides in the park.

The park I adore.

That's where it's complicated. I had a spinal fusion for super severe scoliosis. So, if I rode a horse and fell, I could break or snap my rods and have to go through a spinal fusion *again* or become paralyzed. High stakes, right? But there are moments, every so often, where I want to risk it, get on a horse and RIDE! This is one of those moments.

People have argued to me that I could ride a "bomb proof" horse and would have nothing to worry about. But IMO, there's no such thing. Accidents happen and no horse is bomb proof. I don't believe it and I've met/ridden dozens of horses and have yet to find a BP horse.

*sighs* Tough decision.

And I also got a super quick rejection today. Sent the query and got a nice note back within hours. It's a mag I've been trying to crack for years and they had just assigned the topic I pitched to someone else. Getting close I think...it's just about timing! But that's a better rejection than "Um, hello. Have you read our mag before? Why are you pitching us something off topic?!" I haven't gotten one of those--I'm just saying that if you have to get a rejection, I got a nice one today.

And now to tackle e-mails from my reader girlies. :) Hope everyone had a fab weekend!

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Yesterday, I got stuck on my YA WIP and needed a break, so I headed to the park. I've only ever been on the edge of it and who knew there were MILES of trails--like, shaded trails with signs so you don't get lost--for exploring and walking. I looove it there! It's rained so much that some of the trails were flooded, so I hopped around puddles (read: lakes) and enjoyed the squirrels, grass and trees. Very pretty.

I love that I can either walk down my fave streets in town or head out to the park if I want to be alone and need quiet. It's cool. I love, love the streetlamps. I wouldn't walk around the park alone at night, but I'll prob try to talk Roy and Kassie into walking around with me one night 'cause I really want to see the street lamps on and it would be fun.

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My computer wouldn’t connect to the wifi at a local café, but I found a great signal on the steps outside a veteran’s memorial. It’s gorgeous outside, so yay! My Internet and cable/DVR is being hooked up on Wednesday and I. Cannot. Wait.

The apartment (!) update:

On Thursday night, Roy and Kassie (the awesome friends) met me at my sublet and helped me move a bunch of stuff over to my new apartment. Roy lugged my insanely heavy suitcase down three flights of stairs after just moving it in the Friday before. Super sweet, huh? So, we got to my apt and while I unboxed/hooked up the TV/DVD player, Roy and Kassie started hanging curtains.

When Roy brought out his drill, there was most def a little-boy like gleam in his eye. Boys and power tools, you know? It even has a name. Mmm hmm. I was like, “OMG. Must not touch or will surely end up in ER.”

There was drilling.

No one was harmed.

And Kassie put up the curtains.

They warmed the apartment instantly and it went from a space to starting to feel like mine. We toasted with champagne and I went back to my sublet for the last night. When I went to sleep, I was thinking about how it was the final night I was going to sleep in someone else’s space without having my own. I was nervous and excited all at the same time.

On Friday morning, my bed arrived from Macy’s. Major excitement—I could finally sleep over in my apt! I ran around all day Friday and moved over the last bit of my stuff, got a few groceries and unpacked. By 10, I was passed out. Best. Night’s. Sleep. Ever.

I think it’s because I finally knew I was in the right neighborhood. I’d been in this general area for a month before moving over to a new side of town for a week during the sublet. I could have stayed there through mid-June, but I got super motivated to get my own place early. I’d missed the neighborhood and wanted to find a place. NYC is huge, yeah, but having friends just streets away and having a great neighborhood makes it feel so much smaller.

I got soo lucky to find this place. (Warning: About to go off track and launch into the “how I found my apt story”) Last Sunday, I was having brunch at a fun café with Kassie and Roy. For about a week before, I’d been using Craigslist to search for an apt and had found another sublet that started in June and would last for a year, but I wasn’t sure if it would definitely work out or not. Roy mentioned that realtors were open even though it was Sunday and because it was a gross, rainy day there might be fewer people walking around to see the realtors.

After brunch, I walked down one of the main avenues that had at least 15 realty places. I went into the first place I saw—a local owned realty company. I told the realtor what I was looking for and what my price range was. He almost started to laugh when I told him what I could afford in the neighborhood I wanted. Then, a look crossed his face and he started shuffling through papers on his desk.

He said someone had just brought him a listing in the neighborhood that I wanted that was JUST over my price range, but he could still show it to me. Maybe the price could be negotiated. I texted Kassie and told her I was going to see a place and told her the address. By chance, she and Roy were minutes away getting coffee and they said they’d stop by for backup.

On the way over, the realtor told me about the place and said it was probably already gone because of the price and location. I crossed my fingers and hoped that it would be nice and available.

The realtor showed me around and told me the details. When Roy and Kassie got there, I was trying to be cool, but I was totally freaking out. I looooved the place and had to get it! I kept making the, “OMG, this place is awesome eyes!” at them every time the realtor looked away. I was such a dork.

At the end of the meeting, I told the realtor I wanted the place and he had to call the landlord to make sure it was still available, try to get the price down, do the official paperwork, etc, etc. I went back to his office and filled out an application.

But it wasn’t mine yet. I decided to keep walking down the main avenue to keep visiting realtors and telling them what I wanted.

I was laughed out of at least five places after that, which Kassie had warned me would happen. I heard:

You want to pay that for this neighborhood?

You have to pay Manhattan prices here.

You’re totally wasting your time.

Hahahaha.

I visited eight or nine more realtors before going back to my sublet. No luck anywhere else. I couldn’t sleep that night because I wanted the apt so much.

I got the call on late Monday morning that everything had been approved and I could get the keys and sign the lease.

In. Freaking. Sane.

If Roy hadn’t said that realtors were open on a Sunday, I would have missed the place. For sure.

(End of the “how I found my apt story”). :)

Last night, Roy and Kassie came over for a housewarming party. They brought a gorgeous plant that I will try super hard not to kill. We ordered out, had drinks and Kassie revealed the night’s movie choices. ‘Cause she knows me *so* well, she picked scary movies. Um, yeah. I have a thing about scary movies—they freak me out! And she knows it. Love her. But she gave me an out—we could also start season one of Buffy, which I’d never seen but had been wanting to.

But nope, I decided to be brave. We started the movie, The Uninvited, which turned out to be more hilarious (in a bad acting/awful dialogue) sort of way. The “scary” movie turned into a mock-fest and we gave up on it after half an hour. Buffy is waaaay better.

The night was a total blast and it felt amazing! The first weekend in my apt is pretty fab and very, very sparkly.

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