Progress on the Home-buying Front

Well, the house we were trying to buy didn't work out.

We had it inspected and learned that it needs serious foundation work, as well as a lot of electrical work and some plumbing. We had hoped to fix it up with a 203k loan, but that won't cover foundation work, and with all the problems the house has, we wouldn't have anything left for cosmetic work or appliances. On top of that, Citibank, which owns the house (a foreclosure) was fighting us every step of the way (asking for much more than the standard amount of earnest money, not giving us much time for inspections, etc.). After a few weeks of alternating between stress and excitement we finally decided it was best to walk away.

We were really disappointed when we began to realize that fixing up this cute 1904 house on a corner lot was a pipe dream, but just as we were coming to a decision we found another house in the neighborhood for sale in our price range. It's a bit more expensive and on a less desirable lot, but it's in a better location (closer in and in easier walking distance of a lot of businesses). We made an offer the day we viewed it and it's been accepted!

We had it inspected last weekend and it will need some work, but nothing like what the last one needed. The 203k loan will cover new windows, roof repairs, exterior paint, and some electrical work. Our biggest worry is that the root of a tree made a hole in one of the walls of the basement. The owner agreed to repair it before closing, but it's looking like the repairs may cost more than the estimate he had gotten, which may mean we'll have to renegotiate. We should be hearing back about the cost sometime today. Some other people have made offers on the house, so we're nervous about the outcome.

If we do get the house we'd like to do more to it in the long term (floors, maybe put an extension where the back deck is, so we can have a bigger kitchen and have basement access from inside the house; maybe eventually finish the attic), but with just some minor work it could be a very livable space for us.

The other piece of the puzzle is coming up with some more money for the down payment. We've spent hundreds of dollars on inspections in the past month, so we're a little shorter than we expected to be at this stage. We've been very good about not eating out or buying anything unnecessary, but it's still been tough to save. Fortunately summer is the busy season for both of our jobs, so we should be able to manage.

We're hoping to close before the end of July and be moved in by the beginning of August.

We've both decided that we really like the neighborhood and will continue looking around there if this house doesn't work out.

My aunt and uncle who've been giving us lots of advice and moral support bought us brunch at Bar Carlo a couple of times. While we were there we ran into a friend of my cousin's who lives nearby and is about to open a new bar on Foster, as well. We've also gotten a good vibe from the neighbors we've met.

My commute to work will still be an easy bus ride (just slightly longer than the ride from our home in Kerns). It will be a big change for Robert, though. We currently live just a mile from where he works, so he can easily walk or ride his bike when the weather's nice on days when he doesn't have to get across town for evening classes. From Fo-Po it's about 4 miles, which he'll have to travel at rush hour. The fastest bus ride is 45 minutes. I don't see him getting up early enough to do that on a regular basis. I think we'll both need to get better bikes if we're going to ride longer distances to work, and that won't be in the budget any time soon.

Getting Around

As the weather has turned drearier and the days have become shorter, my bike-riding motivation has dwindled. Last week I didn't ride at all, which I can blame partially on the fact that I was house sitting in a different neighborhood. I rode only one day a week for the two weeks before that. I'm trying to make a point of riding on days when the weather is particularly bearable, but these are becoming fewer and farther between. I need to work on this. I can feel the lack of exercise slowly eating away at my energy level. Ugh. Vicious circle.

I have, at least, continued to get to work by public transit the vast majority of the time.

House sitting near MLK and Alberta last week afforded me the opportunity to try out some different commuting routes. I took the MAX home one day, not remembering how far Interstate is from MLK over there. It was about a 15 minute walk, which is certainly doable, but not always ideal. After that I took the 6 to and from work, which only takes 5 minutes longer than my commute from home in Kerns. In the past I had only taken the 6 north from inner SE or NE, and hadn't even realized that it went across the river to the heart of downtown. Good to know! I also got to explore the neighborhood a bit on foot. I bought some groceries (produce, fresh bagels, and Cafe Mam beans) at the Alberta Co-op and got coffee (in a completely compostable cup) at Extracto.

Tonight I took the 20 further east than I ever have to attend a GRE study group at the Midland Library on SE 122nd. I rarely go out to that area and think of it as being far away, but it was only a 20 minute bus ride. The 20 runs frequently enough, even in the evening, that it was quite easy and convenient to get there and back from my neighborhood.

The more I use Trimet the more impressed I am with how easy it is to get around, even outside of the downtown area. Now, if only I could count on the buses not passing my stops before their scheduled times, commuting would be very low stress for me most of the time!

Tomorrow I have a new challenge. I work at 4am, but the earliest Trimet could get me to work is after 5. The chances of my motivating myself to ride my bike to work in the rain at 3:30 am are slim. I was thinking about walking, but am not sure how wise it would be to go for a 45 minute walk by myself in the middle of the night. Robert expressed concern about the idea and offered to drop me off if I wake him up when it's time to go. I am still debating whether or not to take him up on it. I probably won't decide until morning.

Trouble with Trimet

This I had my first really bad Trimet commuting experience.

There were a lot of issues this evening (most notably the MAX stopping service during President Obama's arrival at the Oregon Convention Center), but my trouble was long before that came into play.

This morning I used Trimet's Trip Planner, as I often do, to determine which bus I would take to work. There were a 12 and a 19 (about equidistant from me) at the same time. I decided to catch the 19 because it would get me to my destination a few minutes earlier than the 12 would. That is, it would have if I had succeeded in catching it.

I began the two block walk 3 minutes before the bus was due, expecting the it to arrive at my stop about a minute after I got there. When I was a block away I saw the bus blow by the stop on Glisan two minutes before the Trip Planner told me it would arrive, according to the time on my cell phone.

I ran down the residential street of which I had reached the corner, hoping I might be able to beat it to the next stop, but I was not so lucky. I immediately called the Trimet info line (503-238-7433) to find out when the next 19 would arrive at my stop. It was supposed to come in 20 minutes. So much for getting to work early!

As the minutes passed a few more riders arrived at the stop. One man periodically stepped out into the street to watch for our bus. As the scheduled arrival time drew near I wondered if this one would be early like the last, and peered down the street. I could see the previous stop and there was no bus in sight. Two 19s going the other way had already gone by.

After a few more minutes the bus still had not appeared. I called the info line again and it now listed the time of the next bus. I hung up and called back, entering the code for service alerts this time, but the recording informed me that there were no service alerts for my bus line. I could tell the other people at the stop were beginning to become agitated, too.

I called the number one more time and this time entered the code for customer service. After a minute or so on hold I got to talk to a person. I explained to her that my bus had been early and that the next one was now 12 minutes late. She said she didn't know of any delays, but said that she would check. It turned out, she informed me, that the overdue bus had never left the garage!

She was able to tell me the expected arrival time of the next bus and also answered my questions about nearby lines and even offered to call or email my employer to explain why I would be late. I must say I was impressed with the customer service I received from the line (I have not yet gotten a reply from Trimet's Twitter account).

I finally reached my destination nearly an hour later than expected.

I expect public transit to have issues from time to time. I know that some delays are unavoidable. I have, however, noticed that buses, especially in the Kerns neighborhood, often leave (or pass) stops a minute or two early. My roommate, who also frequently commutes by bus, has had the same trouble.

Also, Trimet's failure to put information about the bus that never came on their info line resulted in a number of riders (at least 5 at my stop alone) from finding alternative transportation. I could have gotten where I was going much sooner if I'd known the 19 wasn't coming and had walked a couple of blocks to catch the 12.

I don't mind doing the extra planning it takes to commute without a car, but if I can't get accurate information about when buses are arriving, planning is futile.

I think Trimet is far superior to the public transit in many other cities, but there are some things it really needs to work on.

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Update 10/21 (the next day):

Trimet responded to my tweets this morning. They requested details from me and confirmed that the first bus was, by their clock, 1 minute early, and the second was out of service.

A Sustainable Music Industry?

Since the last time I wrote I have changed jobs, but fortunately for me, my new place of employment is on the same bus route as my old one. It's also only a 20 minute bike ride, though I've only motivated myself to do that once so far.

The hours are less regular, which I actually like. I occasionally have to work early mornings, but often don't work until afternoon. I don't find it too difficult to get up early once or twice a week. The work is fun, too, which makes it much easier!

The job is in promotions for a local company that owns six radio stations and my favorite part involves shooting video of live music performances. Recordings of the music are broadcast on the radio and the video later goes on the website of the station.

On Monday I had the pleasure of working when Guster, whose new album comes out on October 5th, played. Not only did the band play a fantastic live set, but band member Adam Gardner discussed the awesome non-profit organization that he and his wife founded in 2004. Reverb works to make the music industry more sustainable. One of their primary projects is helping musicians to reduce the environmental impact of their tours, including the likes of, Barenaked Ladies, Ben Folds, Red hot Chili Peppers, Bonnie Raitt, Jack Johnson, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Norah Jones, and one of my personal favorites, Andrew Bird. Pretty impressive!

Adjusting to the Working Life

I think I overdid the cycling last week and my right knee has been bothering me since the weekend. I decided I better give it a rest until it feels better, so I haven't ridden my bike at all this week. It's definitely feeling better than it did on Monday, but I think I need to give it at least another day to recover before I start riding again.

My plan has been to take the bus to work every day, but in order to do so I need to leave the house 20 minutes earlier than when I ride my bike. I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping and as a result have really struggled with getting up in the morning. Even once I've had coffee it's been taking me a long time to be able to think clearly and get organized.

Monday I got off to a late start and Robert gave me a ride to work. After work we went to the gym, which is near my office, together, so I caught a ride home with him, too.

Tuesday I barely caught my bus and was so tired that I left some things I needed at home. After checking in with my boss I had to walk back to the bus stop, catch a bus back home and then another back to work, which took an hour! Later in the day they sent me back to the east side for a drug screening (required for all new employees). I took the 20 to MLK and then took the 6 north. By the time I got back to work after the screening I'd been gone for two hours. Having my bike would have saved me a lot of time! After work I had a meeting and then had to figure out how to get home with no money left for bus fare. I was too tired to walk all the way home, but as I was walking by the MAX tracks remembered that I was in the free rail zone (formerly fareless sqaure). I hopped on the blue line and took it to Lloyd Center. I was only about a mile from home, but was too exhausted to walk all the way, so Robert picked me up halfway.

This morning I missed the 12 and Robert took me to work again. I at least took the bus home after work.

Every day I get home from work thinking that I'm going to go to sleep early, but it never seems to happen. I've been in bed by 11 most nights, sometimes earlier, but I haven't fallen asleep before midnight, and usually not until after one. I don't think my transportation track record is going to improve until I start getting more rest and my knee heals.

Now that I've gotten pretty comfortable riding my bike, I much prefer it to commuting by bus (as long as I don't have much to carry). I hope I can start riding again soon.

Food has been another struggle since I started working full time. It's been tough to adjust to not having lots of free time for things like grocery shopping, planning meals, and cooking. For about the first week at my job I was eating out a lot. Robert bought groceries the other night, including a bunch of Higher Taste Breakfast Buzzitos, which I became obsessed with while I was in school. They're pricey, but cheaper than buying a meal at a restaurant, and they're pretty healthy and quite filling, not to mention locally made. Upon my request, he also bought a bunch of fresh fruit. I've been taking some to work with me every day for an afternoon snack. It really helps to keep me from feeling the need to buy food while I'm out.

I've been too tired to cook after work most days, which is really frustrating. Tonight I made smoothies, last night I ate a couple veggie dogs at the Kerns picnic, and Monday I ate leftover fish from the night before. I may end up having cereal for dinner tomorrow, because I think I've eaten just about all the quick and easy to prepare food in the house.

Low-Cost Entertainment and Low-Stress Transportation

Robert made me a copy of his car key over the weekend and I'm pleased to say that the thought of using it hasn't crossed my mind yet.

I was admittedly a bit of a homebody early this week--of course it's easier not to spend money on frivolous things when you stay home, and because most of the things I need to do can be done from home, I haven't had many excuses to go out. It's been relaxing, but I've also been feeling a bit stir crazy. The last couple of days I've been finding some free and cheap things to do around town, all easily accessible without driving.

On Tuesday I spent the day at home, but in the evening I went for a four-mile run around NE and SE Portland. It was a beautiful day, not too hot like last week. It was nice to just get out and experience the area on foot without feeling tempted to stop anyplace for a snack or a drink.

Meanwhile, the Kerns picnic was going on at Oregon Park, just a short walk from my home. I met my friend Tim there in time to catch the second half of Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox, which was projected on a big screen. Afterwards we grabbed a beer at the Laurelthirst Pub where there was free live music.

Yesterday I bought a Trimet day pass and took the 20 downtown. I scored a free sandwich at Lunch 2.o and spent a couple bucks on coffee at Floyd's.

I've been wanting to get some new (as in used, but new to me) clothes for job interviews and such, so I walked over to Buffalo Exchange where I spent two exhausting hours looking for and trying on clothes. I ended up leaving with two items, which cost me $25. I'll have to try some other places another day. I've gotten some recommendations for other shops, most of them not too far from home.

After shopping I was starving. I was tempted to get food downtown, but resisted the temptation and hopped back on the bus. At least I remembered to bring a bottle of water with me.

After making dinner and doing some things around the house I headed back downtown to attend a free show at Berbati's, which my friend Em opened.

I'm amazed at how much less stressful it is to go downtown by bus than by car! I've always thought of my car as something that gave me more freedom, but I'm now realizing how often I avoided going places because I didn't want to deal with driving in traffic or with trying to park. Taking the bus makes it so much easier. It's nice to get to relax and look out the window or to be able to return phone calls and text messages in transit.

A lot of my friends ride their bikes from the east side to downtown. I tried it a couple times a few years ago, but never found a route I felt comfortable with and found the traffic to be pretty intimidating. That's something I'll have to work on. But for now walking and riding the bus are serving me well.

Tonight I'm planning to attend the launch party for a new local publication, which I'm very excited about. Portland Afoot is a guide to getting around the city without a car. I feel very lucky to have yet another great resource to look to as I try to navigate this new lifestyle.

The End of an Era

On Friday my 1990 Volvo 240 wagon, the only car I’ve ever had and the one I drove across the country in when I moved from Ohio to Oregon in 2004, rolled away on the back of a flatbed tow truck, never to return.

We’ve been through a lot together, my car and I. We traveled about 70,000 miles together in 16 states, DC, and Canada. We had many adventures and perhaps just as many misadventures.

But the epoch of the American road trip as we know it is coming to a close. As the ecological consequences of driving become more apparent, gas prices continue to rise, and city traffic worsens, it’s in the back of all drivers’ minds that this can’t go on forever.

For years I’ve known that my transportation habits would eventually need to change, but as long as I had a functioning car, it was easy to put off.

Now a variety of circumstances have joined forces to create a situation in which my continuing to drive is no longer the path of least resistance:

1. A couple years ago my car (while parked outside my home) was hit by a (presumably drunk) driver, leaving it totaled. The culprit fled the scene and my insurance company told me that I could keep the car (which is still totally drivable) and get a little over $100 or I could relinquish it and get $300. I struggled with making a decision and managed to put off doing so until....

2. My registration recently expired and when I went to the DMV I was informed that in order to re-register my car I would first need to obtain a new title that says that my car is totaled. Doing all of this would be costly and involves more bureaucracy than I care to stomach.

3.Last month I graduated from UO and moved back to Portland, where my husband, Robert, remained for the two years I lived in Eugene. This means I no longer have to make the trip between the two cities, which I was doing about twice a month; I now live in a city with good public transit that runs late enough to be useful to me; and on the occasion that I need to go someplace that's not accessible by public transit or I need to move heavy furniture, I can potentially use Robert's car--there's really no reason why we need to have two cars now.

Shortly after getting settled in my new home I enlisted the help of my friend Cora, one of the more serious cyclists I know, in shopping for a decent used bike for no more than $300 (the amount I will get for relinquishing my car).

We started at the Bike Exchange, where I immediately found a red Raleigh hybrid in my size for $175. I rode it around the parking lot and found that it felt just like the Trek mountain bike that I got when I was 14 and rode until it was stolen about 4 years ago. I liked the bike, but simply don't know enough about bikes to be sure whether it was worth the money or if there was anything wrong with it.

The bike passed Cora's test, but I thought we should look at a few more stores before I made a final decision, and the salesman (I think he was the owner, but am not certain) encouraged us to do so, which I appreciated.

Next we went to the Recyclery. We walked in and the man who was working there walked right past us without acknowledging us. We wandered around for a few minutes unsure of how things were organized. I was looking at a Trek when the man snapped at me "that's not for sale!" I backed away from it, kind of shocked.

A moment later Cora called over to him "is this one for sale?" as she pulled a bike off a stand. "

"No," he replied with a hint of irritation in his voice. "If it has a tag, it's not for sale."

"Well, which ones are for sale?" Cora asked.

"Those ones," he answered, gesturing vaguely in the direction of an area of the shop where a cluster of only three bikes stood.

"That man really did not want to sell us a bike," I said to Cora as we left.

We poked our heads into Clever Cycles, but everything there was new and way out of my price range, so we decided to head over to Citybikes, which we had both heard good things about. I became aware almost immediately that nothing there was in my price range either, and none of it looked used (Robert later explained to me that their bikes are "rebuilt", not "used"). We planned to check out one more shop on Belmont, but couldn't remember exactly where it was, and at that point we were getting sick of shopping.

Cora assured me that I would not be making too hasty a decision if I went ahead and bought the Raleigh, so we went back to the Bike Exchange. When we walked into the shop I noticed a sign that said "Cash Only." It was fortuitous that my Eugene sub-letter had only days before paid his rent to me in cash, and I had not gotten around to depositing it in the bank yet. The man gave me a handwritten receipt so that I could bring the bike back for repairs if I had any trouble (they will fix it for free if anything is needed within two weeks of purchase, but do not accept returns). Cora found a bike seat that she wanted, but didn't have any cash. The man was nice enough to let her take it home and come back to pay for it later. He helped us load the bike onto the rack on the back of Cora's car before we headed next door to Taqueria Los Gorditos. Yum.

A bike mechanic who works out of the garage next to one Robert was moving out of was nice enough to take a look at my new purchase for me. He said that it was in good shape and he probably would have sold it for the same price or maybe a little more. He did mention that it looked like the shop hadn't done anything to it and he offered to oil it up for me.

I've been riding it a few days a week for the last two weeks and so far it is serving me well, though I am still getting my bike muscles back. I was also able to buy lights, a new helmet, and a lock without spending more than I'll get for my car (as soon as the paperwork comes in the mail).

In addition to riding my new bike and walking (which I've always enjoyed doing in this city, especially in the summer) I've also been taking Trimet quite a bit. I can easily get downtown on the 12, the 19, or the 20, which only takes about 10 minutes. It's much less stressful than driving and having to look for a parking space. It's also a huge relief to have multiple bus lines in close walking distance from our NE home, so that if I miss one I can just walk a few blocks and hop on another.

Yesterday afternoon I took the 12 the other direction and went to Trader Joe's (my first sans-car grocery shopping trip since I've gotten to Portland).The online schedule said that it would arrive about 4 minutes earlier than the recording on the Trimet info line did. The latter turned out to be correct.

I decided to get a day pass, as I planned to go out again later, and wanted to continue to familiarize myself with the Trimet system.

Once I reached the store, which was surprisingly crowded for 3pm on a weekday, I quickly realized that I would not be able to carry my groceries if I got everything on my list, but I did manage to get most of it and it all fit into the three bags I had brought with me. They were heavy, but I managed to get them home without dropping anything or injuring myself, though I do have a hickey-like mark on my shoulder from one of the straps. I think I will opt not to wear flip flops next time, and maybe try to find a bag with padded straps.

After cooling off and putting my groceries away, I hopped back on the west-bound 12 and got off at 12th and Couch where I transferred to the 70, which I took to 11th and Belmont. I walked a couple blocks west to the Green Dragon for Beer and Blog.

Afterwards I took the 70 north to Multnomah and walked up to the Rose and Thistle to meet my friend Bonnie for a drink. I was feeling pretty dehydrated at that point and immediately ordered a glass of water before deciding on a cocktail. I've got to remember to carry a water bottle with me, especially during a heat wave like this.

Later Robert met us at Thatch, which was fun, but extremely warm and humid. By the time we left, it had cooled down quite a bit outside and Robert and I had a pleasant walk home.

I really enjoyed my first official car-free day, but I know that once I find full time employment and the warm, sunny weather fades getting around will be neither this leisurely nor this comfortable. But I hope that by that time I will be familiar and comfortable enough doing it that I won't be too miserable. I just have to form new habits and right now I truly have the perfect opportunity to do so.