We’re still moving stuff into our new house, but now we’re actually living there. Last Friday we had the cable guy hook up our television and Internet service. We moved our venerable futon bed, set it up in the downstairs bedroom, and that was it.
Time to move in!
Winnie and I have been spending the past week cleaning, fixing, and repainting our new house. You’d think that after a year’s worth of rebuilding our Mississippi house, a little painting would be simple.
But I must say, the painting and relatively minor repairs we’re doing feels like “Deja Vou all over again.”
We took a big step towards settling down in Virginia. Wednesday morning, Feb 28, 2007, we closed on the purchase of a house here in Dale City.
For me, the closing was a typical event of crossed signals, missed connections and general confusion. For our realtor and the other professionals it was an embarrassment of chaos. So I’d have to guess they’re just not used to doing business the “Charest way.”
It’s been an interesting week here in beautiful northern Virginia. We had a snow day, delay in closing on buying our house, and a possible closing date on the house we’re trying to sell down in Mississippi. Valentine’s Day came and went and Chinese New Year, the year of the Pig, is fast approaching.
The months of house-hunting are over, and our life in an apartment are coming to a welcomed end. Yesterday, our offer on a house was accepted!
When we moved to Virginia, we knew we’d need some time to settle in and learn the area. So we opted for renting a small apartment and “camping out” here in the bedroom community of Dale City. I thought we could spend at least six months in the apartment before venturing back into the house buying mode. In reality, after three long months we’re ready to get back into our own home.
And during these months we’ve thoroughly explored the lifestyle of the Urban Pioneer.
It seems no matter where we live, some things are consistent. One of these is the local DMV, the dreaded faceless bureaucracy that controls our basic auto-driving American way of life.
The Virginia Governor’s Office Replies
We have just received a written response from the Governor’s office regarding my complaint with the Dale City DMV.
Once again, the response is a long-winded acknowledgment of nothing.
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