A plea for help…
Hello all my wonderful amazing friends!
(yes I am sucking up) 
Due to our recent move back to Ottawa, and our new house not being ready until December or January, we are in a bit of a quandary. We have been living with MC’s parents for about a week now, and it really isn’t working for us. The biggest issues are due to living in the middle of nowhere… between the gas and the parking, MC and I are wasting a lot of money (i.e. over $300 a month) that needs to be saved for the down payment on the house (not to mention MC losing almost 2 hours of her day traveling). On top of that, the internet connection here in Bourget is incredibly bad, so I’m unable to do some of my work (I need a fast connection for work, to do video conferencing daily). There are a number of other pressing issues that are making this a difficult experience for us.
So here it is; We need help. We really need to have a place to stay that is OC transpo and high-speed internet accessible. We can alternate between where we stay, so if you could put us up for one or two months, it would help us out tremendously. We would be happy to give you $300 each month, pay for the high-speed internet, and help out with cleaning and chores. All we need is a room for our bed and a place for my computer.
So… if you can help, please let us know!
A7
[note: this post will be moved to the personal category in a few days]
May 26th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Hi Andy and MC,
I’m checking in to see what is new….I can’t believe that the weekend is over already. Going back and forth from Vernon and Orleans has kept Alfredo and I on our toes so we are very much looking forward to the days when we will only need to care for one home. Don’t get me wrong, it’s cool having 2 houses, but all of the recent activity leaves so little time left just to hang out and relax.
I’m sorry to hear that your challenges are becoming an issue with respect to accommodations. I understand completely. And I would jump at the chance to host you guys in a heart beat. Here is my situation and I will leave it to you to respond….
It’s just really unfortunate that my house is being torn apart as we speak with the contractors working in all the bedrooms and the kitchen / living room area, forcing Keisha and I to take refuge at Alfredo’s place these days. So I hear you when you talk about commute time and gas expenses. It’s for these reasons really why we are not moving into his place because, otherwise, we love it there! The latest I heard is that the repairs may now take 3 weeks and with Alfredo’s place on the market, it’s really a big juggling act. We want his place to sell, but at the same time, if it sells before the repairs are done, we will have to be put up in a hotel for the duration of the renovation time. It’s been stressful, having to be so paranoid about with keeping our presence at a minimum at his place for showings (and the worry about coordinating schedules so that Keisha is not left there by herself during these appointments). It’s definitely been an exercise in detail, as every time we leave his house, it has to be in a perfectly staged state.
In the meantime, we keep checking in at my place too during the week and staying on weekends to clean and to make sure that the lizards are okay - they and all of my plants have been moved to the basement area - the only place not being worked on - and to check in on the contractor’s progress, which is, so far, not as fast as I would like. At this point, with all that has happened in the last 6 months, I just want the contrators to do good work, to be completed on time (with a little luck) and to vacate out as Fred and I are just itching and on stand by, waiting to finish the work by painting the rooms and putting in new crown molding and baseboards. As the deck needs replacing as well (the wood is rotting out), we’ll be tearing that out and re-doing the backyard this summer. So all this to say that, with the ice damming issue that arose because of this exceptionally brutal Winter and the intent to sell in the future, I am very anxious to have my house back together and even better than before. But I must say that even though it has been a very stressful time for us and despite my complaints, I embrace this busy-ness whole heartedly and am actually very excited about the progress that we, Alfredo and I, have made between getting his house ready and making mine over - it’s been an incredibly productive time for us. I never imagined that I would be so involved with home renovation projects so soon, but I love these challenges that Alfredo and I are tackling because we are learning new skills, making over my house totally to our liking and adding value to it for resale. It’s so amazing to see the transformation. We saw this with Alfredo’s house with the staging process and now the work continues with mine. It truly is a labour of love for us and we are very much looking forward to seeing the fruits of our labour.
So back to your dilemma….Here is what I can offer. If you still have a requirement by the time all of my repairs have been completed, please let me know and we can see what can be arranged. I am not sure how quickly you are looking to make a move, but I sensed the urgency in your post. My main concern is that, amidst all of the work to be done in my place after the contractors leave, I’m not sure that it would be an ideal situation to escape to considering your current issues if you are looking for a calm and peaceful environment. My desire would be that my home be very hospitable and comfortable for you. But if you didn’t mind the inconvenience and hussle and bussle that comes with home renovations, you would certainly be welcome to stay with us. As Fred and I are possibly looking (depending on certain factors) to move next Spring / Summer, we are targetting the completion of the renos for this Fall so that we can relax during the Fall / Winter and enjoy the results of our work before we sell. So this Summer will come with a lot of activity and noise to get us there. And we hope to be done on time and within budget.
On a side note, I have to say that Alfredo has totally realized how much a Boston can burrow into your heart and has now conceded that these little pups really do eventually become a bit of an obsession.
But honestly, who could resist these sweet, little, lovable, puppy clowns? In the same breath, despite my intense desire to adopt another dog, my attempts to convince Alfredo that we “need” a Boxer or Boston companion for Keisha Bear has been overshadowed at the moment by all of the home renovation stuff. However, this is not a total road block as Keisha will be hosting another canine roommate this summer as Alfredo’s family is taking a one month vacation in Italy. Fila, their female Basenji mix, will be living with us during that time. This should prove to be very interesting indeed as they are both Alpha females and very strong on dominance. Alfredo will be very much outnumbered with all of the estrogen in the house! It should be fun (and funny) to witness.
Anyhow, my offer is definitely there for you. Whether or not it meets your timeline and suitability is another question. I know I enjoyed having you, MC, over on those few occasions when you still worked in Gloucester (prior to moving to T.O.) and I lived on Meadowbrook Road. I just wish my offer came with a more timely availability, with more appealing and hospitable circumstances for you. In any case, I’ll be sure to look out for more updates. Keep us posted in the meantime!
Love Tina
May 26th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Hey Tina,
Thank you so much for the offer. As much as my request sounds “urgent”, it’s more of a “we’ll take what we can get” situation. Work hasn’t been too busy lately, so they haven’t noticed my bad internet situation. I just need to have things in place in case they start asking why I’m not online. The last thing I need is to lose my job over this.
So your offer would be more than adequate. I know that you want to be as accommodating as possible… that’s in your nature.
But you really don’t have to worry about that so much. If we did stay with you, I would be more than happy to help with renovations. You know I like making things look nice. 
And an extra pair of hands never hurts.
We should try to arrange a time to get together and we can chat more about it then. Maybe you can come see us in Bourget sometime soon.
I’ll let you and MC work out the meeting details.
See you soon, and thanks again.
A7
May 29th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Hi Andy,
Sounds good. I will be in touch with MC. This week is quite hectic with the showings and going back and forth from my place to Alfredo’s, but we’ll set up a date so that we can go over the details. With each day, I get a better sense of how far along the contractors are with respect to the work being done at my place. I’ll keep you posted!
Talk to you later!
Tina