(I thought that might get your attention.)

So, I put my house up for sale last week after I found a gorgeous 3-unit Victorian in a great neighborhood in SF. The catch is, the 3-unit building is so "reasonably" priced it's sure to get multiple bids way over the asking price. In other words, their ploy worked. Once you're hooked, the next thing you know you're making rationalizations like "this is like buying three houses in one, each with 3 bedrooms, double parlour, 2 fireplaces, rounded bays, ornate trim..."

Come on (e:peeps)! Doesn't anybody want to go in on this one with me?

So, why not just buy a single family home, you ask? Same reason you can't buy one in Manhattan. Here the footprint where everybody wants to live is bounded by the Ocean and the Bay. Thankfully in San Francisco that just means most buildings are 2-4 unit Victorians, not the more modern skyscrapers common in Manhattan. Sure, there's the occasional multi-million dollar mansion. But that is sadly out of my price range.

The other alternative, condos, are expensive for a variety of complicated reasons. So the best value (just trust me on this) is to buy a building either alone, or with partners for each unit, and go through the lengthy condo conversion process yourself.

Since I can't wait around for a few dozen more of you (e:peeps) to move out here to start an (e:commune), I turned to the usual resource for any deficiency in the Bay area: craigslist.

Oh crap. Somebody's coming to see my house now and I still have to make guacamole for the monthly pot-luck BBQ this afternoon. Much as I would like to skip this party, I've got a lot of explaining to do to all my friends who are royally p!ssed that I'm making life decisions without consulting them first. At least I'll get plenty of chances to fine-tune my story before my weekly phone call with Dad tomorrow. Oh boy.

To be continued...

Wow. That went amazingly well. I didn't get to explain all the details, but most everybody is onboard with the gist of my plan. It's just weird that the more I convince everybody else the less convinced I become myself. I hope I haven't outsmarted myself this time.

p.s. - the first reaction across the board has been to fix me up with the guy I'm partnering with. I just met the guy on Thursday! I'm not that crazy!

I was cleaning out some of my old crap and happened upon a bunch of my old business cards. I forgot everyone in the design group had cards made up for our alternate identities. Ha!

Living off the land.

If the craziest thing happens to you in the forest, and there's no high-speed connection by which you can document it ...

The Joy of Self-Exposure

Ok, obviously this whole p:mobl thing was just a ploy to get me to post. How am I supposed to resist that kind of pressure? (jk!)

(e:Mike) - you can't leave us with a cliffhanger [inlink]mike,359[/inlink] like that for long! I'm dying to know what happens. Maybe you can write in a part for Shana's long-lost cousin, once-removed, last seen heading West but never heard from again. Unbeknownst to her friends and family back home, she has been keeping tabs on them from afar. She hears of Shana's plight, and racked with guilt for abandoning her loved ones in their time of need, decides to make amends and unequivocably show her loyalty by sacrificing the 6 months she has left to live due to a fatal but non-communicable disease that thankfully does not affect any of the organs Shana needs transplanted in order to survive. In a heart-wrenching video enclosed with the bio-packed organs, the cousin professes her love for Shana and the others and assures them she is certain this was meant to be her destiny ever since she and Shana found out they were a perfect match when they registered for the bone marrow donor program when that kid in second grade was diagnosed with leukemia.

It's just one way you could go with it. I'd be happy to moblog the audition in for your consideration. Oh yeah, feel free to harvest some eggs from the dead cousin since obviously Shana's accident left her unable to conceive. That'll give you a few more twists for the next season. haha!

"2-story cottage 4sale"



The catch? The only way to get to the kitchen is to go down that outside staircase. I am not kidding!