What's New with DD

Yikes! No posts since May 17th.

House on the market. Yes, Downtown Dad's house is on the market. If we get a contract in time to close and buy a house and close on that before the new school year. That's like, 3 or 4 weeks. The good news, we've had at least 30 showings in 4 weeks. The bad? No offers. Price dropped slightly, so we'll see what happens.

If we do sell, we'll move to the suburbs. Not sure how that will affect my name. Can I still call myself, "Downtown Dad," if I'm not downtown? What a hypocrite.

If we don't sell, we'll do some remodeling for next time around.

Having the house on the market is one of the reasons I haven't been posting. It turns out that having a lot of showings is a lot of work. Keeping the house in show-condition is challenging, but worth it. Again, my challenge is time-management. Thirty to forty-five minutes in the morning. Regular picking up throughout the day. Fifteen to twenty minutes after dinner.

The NHL Stanley Cup playoffs being on and, specifically, the Blackhawks being in the Western Conference Finals certainly challenges my ability to stay on top of my domestic responsibilities. I mean, it's 3 hours that I'm virtually glued to the TV. And, I have to DVR so I can start watching after the kids go to bed so I don't get those built-in 15 minute gaps between periods to get some stuff done.

Excuses, excuses.

The house being on the market and the planning and stress that surrounds that circumstance has been weighing heavily. How much money could we end up with at the end of the sale? What will that buy in the next town? Where in that town do we want to be? Close to "downtown" or close to school? Unfortunately, in the suburbs, it's not both.

Where I live, there is a Jewel-Osco, post office, Walgreen's, and Whole Foods within three blocks. And at least 20 bars and restaurants. Oh, and the kids' school is within that radius.

Suburbia. Suburbia looks overweight. That's what I see, at least, when we go up there. And it's not that I care what people look like. Overweight is not a character assessment. But it is a lifestyle assessment. It is driving the car to get everywhere. People buy these houses with land, but how often do they get out there? Forget about public playgrounds - they should stop wasting money because nobody uses them.

Jeez, Downtown Dad, if you're so cynical about the suburbs, why the F are you moving there?

Because the transition from grade school to high school in CPS is not a smooth one. The chance of JD, specifically, going to high school with any of his city classmates is unlikely. He'll have enough social challenges, even as high-functioning on the Spectrum as he is.

And I don't hate the place. It's where I grew up. It's quiet. There are no gangs and very little crime, otherwise. The educational opportunities are outstanding.

Life could be a lot worse. We stand to make a small profit on our house, where many people have lost their asses. Wife may need to commute for a while, but the train ride is 45 minutes or less and her office is a block from Union Station. Two of my siblings and their families live there; my other sibling lives about thirty minutes and my Mom fifteen. Wife's parents would be closer, one sibling closer, one sibling further.

First things first. Sell the house. The whirlwind will take care of the rest.

One thing I know is that life moves forward, regardless of the path.