all things me

Last Wednesday I got some papers for my apartment (ah, love the ring of that), among them a material request form. It had different alternatives for kitchen cabinet doors and handles, kitchen tabletop, and bathroom tiles (walls and floor). Not very much, but those are the important things that affect the colours of the whole apartment.

The problem is (yes, of course there is a problem), the deadline for all that was week 22 — way back when I didn’t even know this apartment existed. I tried to contact the architect by email to ask if there is any hope for me to choose the materials any more. I haven’t got a response. Yesterday I mailed the form in the hopes that it makes a difference. I think I’m going to call them on Friday if I haven’t heard from them before that. On Friday I’m going to the bank so I won’t have to leave the house so early; it’s a good time to call.

What I’m afraid of the most is that either the previous reserver or the architects have chosen vanilla-coloured cabinet doors for the kitchen and blue tiles for the whole of bathroom. Finns tend to like blue, I’m afraid, and it’s one of the few colours I really do not appreciate. Seriously. Cabinet doors are easy and inexpensive to switch but bathroom renovation is a major change. So major that I wouldn’t do it — and I would have to live in an apartment with a yucky bathroom. Just like I do now.

It would seem strange that the architect sent me the form if I didn’t have a slightest chance to do anything about it. I would think they would’ve mentioned it and let me know what the final choices are.

Please please please, it can’t be too late.

[Edit: July 5] It wasn’t too late. No blue bathroom or vanilla kitchen for me! Hurrah! [/Edit]

On July 11th, 2004 I switched from Greymatter (after barely a month using it) to WordPress 1.2 “Mingus” which had been released in May of 2004 (had to take a peek in the developer blog on WordPress.org to be sure, but I had a hunch I jumped on the WP wagon¹ with version 1.2).

So, I made the switch on July 11, 2004.
The first anniversary I remembered on July 13. I may’ve been using version 1.3 then, with the amazing theme system.
In 2006 I didn’t mention the anniversary at all! I hope that doesn’t mean the era of the Puppy Love had ended.

Now, it’s three years later and switching to something else has never even occurred to me.

1. On the WordPress wagon: Slang Abstaining from other blogging tools.

I, in my right mind, understand that I will have to pay back this loan.

That’s right. Today I signed papers to hand over my to-be home (in the form of shares) and a nice wad of my monthly money to the bank. I don’t mind though, it’s well worth it. Tomorrow I’m going to close the deal and then all I can do is wait. And hand over the money.

This morning at 8:15 I went to the seller to sign the contract of sale and I got a wonderful binder full of interesting information about my apartment: the balcony will have window glasses (hurraah!!), the TV system is cable, I will have a dishwasher (yay!), etc. etc. After I got the important documents, I headed for the bank. It opens at 10 am but I called the clerk with whom I’ve been doing business and she let me in before 10 (we’d agreed on this yesterday when I went to sign the loan documents). When I was leaving she handed me a house buyer’s gift — a paper bag with two small orange towels.

A bit funny — I sign away my soul they give me towels. Still, I think it’s a really sweet gesture.

Yesterday after I signed the loan papers I got three tickets to the Housing Fair in Hämeenlinna. Wonderful surprise! I’m going there with Grandma (I don’t know who else is coming) anyway so now I don’t need to buy tickets.

This is it. I’m a home owner now.

I signed a new employment contract today. Until now I’ve been on a fixed-term contract and paid by the hour because it has allowed me to study freely; I haven’t had any obligation to work from 9 to 5. But most of the time I do.

Now I had the option of continuing the temporary contract, get a permanent part-time (80% of full-time) job for the next year or a permanent full-time job starting right away. I’ve missed so little work that I decided to opt for the full-time — with benefits. Full-time is quite flexible to everyone as it is, and my boss additionally said they accept the fact that I’ll go to lectures.

I feel at ease now. I know exactly how much I’ll get each month and I’ll have more money for living after the loan instalments. With the current pay it may’ve been quite a scrape — I can’t say because I have no idea how much it costs to live on my own. (I’ll know “soon.”)