Today’s been a really fantastic day- all things considered. I got to work and helped Susan with a lot of Arts Administration things followed up with other work, and before I knew it, it was time to go to lunch with MT, who had driven up from Evansville to see me-we had lunch at Tortilla Flats, she having her favorite Eggplant Burritos while I had Chicken.
After lunch we went shopping, principally for a gift, and then we wandered into Howard’s Bookstore where I accidentally bought Kings and Queens: Queers at the Prom. It looked cute, it’s light weight, sue me. MT picked up a copy of The Little Prince in Latin, her current favorite language. She plans on speaking it on an upcoming tour of Latin America.
After that we hung out for an hour or two, did some shopping, wrapped the gift, and talked, before she headed home and I took some shoes to the repair shop. I don’t know why I waited so long to have the shoes repaired, but the cobbler, who Jay (who is in town!) pointed out to me, is only charging $5-I had feared that it would cost much more.
I was planning to see My Man Godfrey at Bryan Park, but a rain storm has probably canceled the film so I am going to have a few friends over to see the film Mute Witness.
Just call me Dan …
I drive right past Bryan Park every day when I go to work. Of course I think this is a different one that you went to.
On a related note, I got a copy of Will Fellows’ new book, A Passion to Preserve: Gay Men as Keepers of Culture, which has a lot of oral (pun-intended) histories of gay men fixing up blighted neighborhoods, etc.
Interesting observation Jerry. My partner and I have considered buying a 4000+ sq/ft home in our community that was once owned by a Virginia Commonwealth Delegate. It’s in a blighted, but renewing neighborhood.
Damn that house was nice, but I keep asking myself, “What do a couple gay guys need with a 4000 sq/ft. house?”
Not to mention it needs to be repainted outside, will probably need a new roof in a couple years, has no functioning kitchen downstairs, etc. The previous occupant (a doctor) had his offices downstairs and his residence upstairs. Fortunately the plans for what he did to the place are in a box in the attic, so restoring the home to its original configuration would be rather simple.
So right now we’re on the fence, do we buy it and hope the area improves more than it has already or do we get a home elsewhere?
Personally I loved the home, but am not sure if I’d want to take the chance. Though the blight that was on the other side of the tracks is getting renewed. The crack-den projects were emptied out and torn down a couple years ago. They have been replaced with modest single-family homes.
I probably should get the house. It’s $130K right now, but after the other similar houses are re-done it will be easily worth $300K. Guess it’s time to roll the dice.