I’ve been applying for jobs, well, everywhere, from Denver to Ft. Collins, where I live. (Google it, I can’t be bothered).

I applied for a job in the Denver Tech Center (DTC) and got this from HR:

HR: Isn’t this too long a commute for you?

ME: I am looking to relocate to Denver.

HR: When are you moving?

ME: As soon as someone offers me a job.

I went on to explain that I have to sell my condo before moving, and also that I could probably live with Keith to cut my commute in half, (I lied, LOL) but really, who bit you in the ass before me?

Either accept I’ll make it work, or don’t. Just don’t quiz me on it. Honestly, do you a) want me that bad or b) want to know if I’ll screw you over?

Take a leap of faith, or don’t. But, the longer you go on with this, the less I want to interview with you. Just sayin’.

The prospect of actually having to sell my condo in the near future has caused me to contemplate the rent vs. buy debate.

For myself, if I have to sell this condo, I’ll be renting from now on. Losing a job kind of makes you realize that being flexible about where you can live is a big plus, especially in this job market. I will, however, miss quite a few things about home ownership. I decided I’d post up my thoughts in the hopes that it will help some of you that may be contemplating the rent vs. buy decision.

Rent

I lived in five rented places in the first twelve years I lived here. I’ve rented in both large complexes and in a couple of individually owned places, and both are quite different.

In complexes, you generally have a maintenance staff. If something breaks, you make a call and they show up and fix it. In general, they can come in while you’re at work and take care of it, as you sign a paper giving them permission to do so. I’ve mostly rented in complexes and I can say in my experience I’ve never had a problem with this. I’ve never been missing anything and for the most part you never know they’ve been there, other than the fact that whatever was broken was fixed. In owner rented places, you may have to wait a day or two until the owner can arrange something and you WILL have to be home for the repairman to come in. If you have a job where it’s not easy to take time off work, this can be a problem. And, if you’re really unfortunate (as I was with my first place, holy hell, the stories I could tell) you’ll get some cheap ass lazy landlords who really don’t care that their property is falling down around you and who only fix things once you call the fire department, who then calls the Health Department (if you’ve never had the local head of the Health Department call you at 10pm on a Sunday night, be thankful; be VERY thankful).

My second private owner was a million times better and I had a much better experience with him. I was older and wiser, though, and had had some rental experience under my belt. Oh, and if you know you want to stay somewhere for a long time, offer to sign a two-year lease. Keith turned me on to this and trust me, especially in an iffy rental market, it’s a great idea. The owner is often willing to do this because they won’t have to go looking for a new tenant anytime soon, which saves them a lot. The upside for you is you lock your rent in for two years. Just be sure this is a “nicer” property when you do this – if you’re a poor college student type I would not recommend handing two years of your life over to a slumlord.

Buy

There’s a couple nice things about buying. First of all, you lock your rent in for fifteen to thirty years. If property goes up, you pay the same. My major plus, however, is that if you want to paint the walls fuchsia, you can. Not having to look at regulation white apartment walls is HUGE. Trust me, painting and decorating a room and making it YOURS is a high that’s hard to beat. Plus, there is a feeling of permanence in a purchased property that you don’t get from an apartment. It’s a very secure feeling, and personally I like it.

However, when the housing market tanks and you lose your job, suddenly your house can become an albatross about your neck. If you’re renting, chances are good you can pick up and move fairly easily, whereas if you own, you now have to go through trying to sell your house if you want to change locations. And, if you can’t or don’t sell, it can sometimes really hinder your job search.

So, I’m not going to tell you one is better than the other. I’ve done both, and there’s good and bad regardless what you do. I hope I’ve given you a little insight into the rent vs. buy decision, and that it will help you figure out what’s best for you.

A few tips on interacting with others on Internet message boards:

DO NOT make everything all about you. If you have some sort of disability, I’m sorry, but that doesn’t make you special/unique/entitled, ESPECIALLY if you’re complaining that someone else is acting special/unique/entitled for a different reason. Pot, kettle, black, anyone? Turning every post into why you should be treated as a special snowflake is going to get really old, really fast. Which leads me to…

Don’t whine and cry that people are picking on you if you get called on the above behavior. Either back up your arguments with logic and fact, or shut up. The more you cry and try to point out that everyone else is being a big meany pants, the dumber you look. Quit while you’re ahead.

Don’t start sending PM’s to the people you’re arguing with on the board when it becomes clear you’ve lost. Trust me, if I’ve handed you your ass in front of 100 other people, there is nothing stopping me from posting your whiny bitch PMs out on the board. Oh, yes, I’ll give you a chance to go away quietly first, but you’d better heed me, or yes, I will use you as the entertainment du jour. And, since I know there are at least ten other people you’ve probably tried this on, I’ll encourage them to do it as well. You’ve been warned.

Really, people, is it SO HARD to make an intelligent argument anymore? Is Earth Logic a lost art? A few of you need to take your thin-skinned selves away from the gigabits for awhile. Really, if you’re such a delicate flower, you may just want to stick to the Disney boards. Just sayin’.

We’ve been cleaning out our offices this week, and it’s damn funny to see some of the things people are taking home.

A whole box of business cards? Why? I mean, if you’re going to use the backs for note taking I can maybe see it, but seriously, WTF are you going to do with 400 business cards from a place where you no longer work? I could see keeping one as a souvenir or something but come on.

Handi wipes. You know, those individually packaged wet naps? Yep, coworker had a couple in her desk. I think they’ve been there since 2003. Again, I have no idea why.

I was also just reminded to make sure I take all my pens home. Why? The reason most of them are in my desk is they’re those useless ones vendors give you or some crazy Christmas thing someone passed out at the office. No, I will not be taking those – they’re here because I kept hoping someone would steal them.

I can’t wait to see what else walks out the door in the next three days.

I have four days left before I am officially a statistic.

FOUR DAYS.

There’s a bit of the surreal here, as in, I know on an intellectual level I’m losing my job, but at the same time, it doesn’t feel real.

And frankly, I’m sick and tired of the “we appreciate you applying, but we hired someone else” emails I’ve been getting.

On the one hand, thanks for letting me know. On the other, fuck you. I get it’s not a personal rejection but damn, it sure feels like it is.

Maybe I will start working on my novel. At least the rejection letters would be better written.

Seriously, who knew I was missing this much television?

I canceled my cable MONTHS ago, when I discovered I could get a TiVo and watch Netflix streaming. Now, I have discovered a whole new world of television that I was not getting via basic cable. Just a few of the things I’m watching right now:

Dexter: I LOVE this show. Seasons 1 and 2 were good, but in Season 3 the show REALLY hits its stride, and I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the DVDs to Season 4. But first, I must finish Season 2 of

Damages: This has to be the most complicated show on television. Honestly, just when I think I have it all figured out someone comes along and throws a monkey wrench in the whole thing. It’s one of those shows you have to sit and pay attention to, or ten minutes later you’re going to be saying to yourself, “Wait, wasn’t that the OTHER guy???” Yeah, it’s intense.

Lost: Netflix was kind enough to put the first five seasons on streaming. I’m about a third of the way through Season 1 and I can’t. stop. watching. I just hope it keeps going at this pace – it’s HIGHLY addictive.

Buffy: Again, Netflix put ALL of Buffy on instant play. Keith and I have been watching this and I must say, this is one gem in the Whedonverse I really missed out on. Quirky, funny and some of the best one-liners out there.

And, let’s not forget all the movies you can get. Netflix streaming has tons of them, plus damn near anything you could want on DVD. The nice thing is that they carry a lot of indie films and documentaries, which are things you don’t typically get in movie theaters.

I’m having mixed feelings about my upcoming unemployment, because I think I may turn into a couch potato.