Archive for July, 2007
The call came last Friday morning: a stork sighting in Vancouver, the first such event in our family. I made hasty provisions for my ‘opens’ over the weekend, my wife and I caught the next ferry, and at two the next morning we welcomed an as-yet-unnamed baby girl into the world. Dimples, jet black hair, perfectly formed — love at first sight. Our first grandchild (and, we’re told, quite likely the last; apparently there’s a fair bit of effort involved in these things).
This event has, of course, been in the offing for some while, and one of the concerns over that time has been for the reaction of the family dog, a rambunctious German Shorthaired Pointer who’s been the unrivaled center of attention since his arrival almost a year ago. Like all the rest of his family he’s a Cancer, thus emotional and resistant to change. Loving and protective for sure, but also capable of putting an adult flat on his back by way of greeting. This spectre in mind, a plan on how best to make this introduction was in place. The newborn’s bonnet was sent on home in advance of the young lady and offered up to him to smell. Then the arrival of the mother bearing assurances of his ongoing place in the family constellation — albeit down a peg.
And then the baby. And all lives changed, for both man and beast.
It’s been going on for some hundred thousand generations now, this stepping aside as each new rung is added to the human ladder. Definitely not a new idea…but if you haven’t experienced it firsthand I can tell you there’s nothing quite like it. As I held her for the first time I felt that special connection with both past and future, and an understanding of my small place in it. And reassured, somehow, that this latest link will find the will and resources to be the strongest and best link yet.
When I revised my website recently my wife asked if there would be any family pictures on it. I said no. Because no one cares.
Well, perhaps just this once.
July 23rd, 2007
Here’s a fun list of common phrases found in real estate ads – and decoded, what they might really mean…
UNIQUE CITY HOME – used to be a warehouse
DARING DESIGN – is still a warehouse
HI-TECH/CONTEMPORARY – lots of steel shelving with little holes
SOPHISTICATED CITY CHARM – next to a noisy bar
OLD WORLD CHARM – has some woodwork; needs cleaning
CONTEMPORARY FEELING – has no woodwork; needs cleaning
PRESTIGIOUS – overly expensive
SECURITY SYSTEM – neighbor has dog
NEEDS TLC – major structural damage
NEUTRAL DÉCOR – no Elvis murals
LOWER LEVEL FAMILY ROOM – ping pong table in basement
UPDATED KITCHEN – plumber has fixed the sink
July 25th, 2007
It was built by the Knights of the Teutonic Order in 1212, and now it can be yours. Archduke Dominic Habsburg and his family have put the fabled Dracula’s Castle on the market. Bran Castle has tremendous historical significance to Transylvania, both real and mythical. It goes back to author Bram Stoker who used the site as his inspiration for the setting of his classic 1897 novel, Dracula.
No price was announced, but the predicted sale is in the order of $135 million. It currently draws some 450 thousand visitors annually, so there should be some revenue possibilities there…
Qualified buyers only, please.
July 26th, 2007
You’ve seen the ads in the real estate journals: “Basement ready for your development ideas…” wink, wink.
Illegal suites have been around since just after the earth cooled. They exist by the thousands as people have to live somewhere — and, by choice or necessity, a great many of them live in other people’s basements.
They’re known by a variety of euphemisms : mortgage helper, nanny suite, ‘additional accommodation’ in Realtorspeak. And after years of turning a more or less blind eye, Victoria has made them legal with the stroke of a City Hall pen. Both tenant and landlord may sleep more soundly now.
Let’s hope that other adjacent municipalities soon follow suite…er, suit.
July 27th, 2007
If this real estate thing doesn’t work out I’m thinking of becoming a butler. Apparently there’s a global shortage as the number of millionaires grows, and they can command up to $150,000. More in New York or London.
That’s good money for folding napkins and organizing wine cellars. And the required attributes appear transferrable from real estate: attentive, a good listener, and able to grasp something the first time as apparently millionaires don’t like having to repeat themselves.
And I saw ‘Remains of the Day’, and can raise a supercilious eyebrow when I have to
.
July 29th, 2007
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