Tag Archives: moving

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New Home, New Chapter

A Lot Going On:

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog. It isn’t just that I’ve ignored it, I have, but it’s also because I’ve had other pressing issues on my mind. I’m not one to turn to social media for opinions about what I consider to be personal issues. I’m used to keeping very exclusive counsel, which tends to be none other than myself. 

So, though I’m still dealing with my private issues, I’ve found enough mental capacity to talk about stuff I can air publicly. And I’ve got a lot to talk about.

First and foremost, after a year of waiting, I’m finally in my new house! I’ve been in it about a month now, and I’ve got a lot to do. But here it is.

Casa de Vern

It’s nothing grand, just a small 3-bedroom, 2-bath home that’s a tad under 1500 square feet. Perfect size for a guy looking to keep life simple. 

The problem with moving into a new house (or any house that’s new to you) is that you have to somehow make that space your own. That’s what I’m up against. I gotta figure out what furniture to buy, what colors to paint the walls, what bed and mattress to get, and on and on. Of course, me being me, I want my new house to have some smarts, but I don’t want my private life a hackable password away from being on the Internet. So, I have to pay closer attention to the smart devices I intend to put in my house.

Giving My House Some Brains:

Today’s builders, in an attempt to offer buyers “smart home” options, really don’t give buyers much choice. At least that’s true for us on the cheaper end of the buying spectrum. That tends to mean that the devices they offer aren’t privacy-oriented. For instance, my supposedly smart thermostat from Honeywell will only function in a smart way if I connect it to the Internet and create an account on some server. I can do things manually, of course, and that’s how I’ve set it up, but the damned thing keeps popping up an alert screen begging me to connect it to the Internet and an account so that I may enjoy the benefits of controlling the temperature in my house while I’m not in it. 

Again, I’m all about a smart home, but why do I have to create an account for every device I install? My garage door opener wants an account, my doorbell wants an account. Heck, even stuff that’s not smart begs me to create an account so that I can activate my 60-day warranty. As you may well have guessed by now, all of these accounts are just ways for these companies to gather information about you and your buying habits. It’s not like I have anything worth hiding, and I’m not a conspiracy theorist who believes some dark and nefarious entity is using my data to mind-control me into buying more Chinese-made stuff. (I don’t need mind control, I just need a free afternoon, my Amazon account, and a credit card.) It’s just that it’s MY data, my privacy. It’s not something I want to just throw around the web and hope no bad player takes notice of it. 

So, to minimize my exposure as much as possible, I minimize the number of accounts I create and I use Apple products. 

Before you Android and Windows fanboys start yelling, let me say that, while Apple products can and do fall prey to hacking and other such nefarious activities, it’s been shown time and again that Apple’s focus on security and privacy exceeds what is available on Windows and Android systems. 

The problem, however, is that, because Windows and Android systems try to put gee-whiz technology in the hands of the general public quickly while being less concerned about privacy (see Alexa’s ability to do far more than what the current implementation of Apple’s Siri can do, but also note that Siri tries to keep your requests and data local and in your control), there are more smart devices available for those systems than for Apple’s HomeKit smart system. Luckily, that’s changing.

A new standard for smart systems, called MATTER, looks to unify smart systems and the devices they support. Apple has wisely started supporting the MATTER standard. Now, instead of having to download an app and create an account to install and set up a smart device, you simply scan a QR code on the MATTER-compatible device. HomeKit, Alexa, Google Home, or other smart systems that support MATTER will recognize the device and integrate it into your system automagically. You can then interact with that system to set up the device’s features and functions. Truth is, currently some features and functions are only accessible through the device-exclusive apps, but that’s changing as the MATTER standard evolves.

A MATTER Smart Plug. Couldn’t be easier.

For example, smart camera doorbells offer advanced features like face recognition, activity zone alerts, and more. Those advanced features that are currently not accessible through HomeKit, Google Home, or Alexa, which only offer access to basic functions, like an alert when someone rings the doorbell. If you want to use the more advanced features, then you must download the device’s app and create an account. As I’ve said, MATTER fixes that, or will fix it. The MATTER standard for camera doorbells will be in the next release. With all of the more advanced features, it is a bit harder to work up a standard for more complicated smart equipment.

Anyway, it’s happening.

BTW: Reach out if you’re thinking about giving your house some brains. I may have a few suggestions for you that might help make that move easier.

Projects, Projects, More Projects:

Back to my new house.

Another task one must complete to make a house a home is to decorate. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no good at decorating. The décor in my last house might be called ‘Modern Man-Cave’. I painted the walls colors that I liked and put in furniture that appealed to me. The place was clean, spartan, yet comfortable, at least to me it was. And I guess that’s what’s important. Now, however, I want a bit more than clean and comfortable. 

If you’ve read some of my earlier posts, then you may remember me talking about following the Mid-Century Modern design ethic, and while I was tucked away in that tiny apartment waiting for this house to be built, I bought a few items that I thought would work well once I moved into my newly completed house. 

It turns out that the pieces I bought, a credenza and two chairs, do indeed follow the Mid-Century Modern design, but the chairs are a bit too big for the space they were intended for. Even so, it’s starting to come together, albeit slowly. That’s okay; I’m in no rush.

Since moving in, I’ve bought a nice dark brown leather couch, a small black coffee table, and a cool, small, black swivel chair. I had only bought one chair because I wasn’t sure I’d like it. Now that it’s here and definitely fits the space, I want to buy another, but the price has increased by about $200. I suppose I have the current administration’s tariff policy to thank for that. Now I need to wait to see if it will ever go on sale. 

Every day I try to check an item off the very long list of things I need to do. One project I recently completed turned out great. 

At 14 feet by 16 feet, the large bedroom is easily the largest room in the house. With a nice-sized walk-in closet and a large bathroom with a large bathtub, tiled shower, and a closeted toilet, the bedroom is more like a suite. 

I wanted to do something interesting for this bedroom, to elevate it to a sanctuary yet remain in keeping with my minimalist Mid-Century Modern ideology. While browsing design articles and sites, I saw a dining room that had a floral mural on one of its walls. The wallpaper mural set the tone for the whole room, and that gave me the idea to try to find something like it that might work in my bedroom. It took a while, but I settled on a foggy early morning forest scene. It took me, and it took a friend, and me an afternoon to put it up. I’m quite happy with the results.

Wallpaper mural looks like I can walk into my wall.

Now I’ve got to paint the other walls, put up window treatment, find a suitable area rug, set up the bed, and so on. It may never be completely finished, but it has a great start. Once I get the room further along, I’ll post more photos.

More on my new house adventures in a bit.

Stay tuned.

Vern

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The Move So Far…

I’m sitting in an iHop, waiting for my breakfast. It’s 9:32 am on July 4th. I think it’s about time to update my status of my move to South Carolina.

Back when I started this new chapter I knew there would be challenges. I’ve been around the block a few times and change and challenges are not new to me. Events in the past only prepares you for the notion that there will be challenges in the future, however, not what those challenges will be. 

Greenville’s iconic bridge over the Reedy Falls

On the face of it, my move to South Carolina has been largely uneventful. That’s primarily due to my friends, Brian and Francis in South Carolina and Sara in Florida. They have provided lodging for me and storage for my stuff. And the days leading up to my departure was filled with special memories thanks to Marcia. No words can express the depth of my appreciation and gratitude to these my rare and wonderful friends. I hope I can repay their kindness and generosity in kind in the future, once I am settled.

Speaking of getting settled: I now have a studio apartment, have registered my car and changed my driver’s license. For all intents and purposes ( incense and porpoises) I’m now a South Carolina resident. 

(Yay!!)

On the house buying front, I’ve selected a lot, picked out interior and exterior colors and options and I’ll go under contract next week. Unfortunately it’ll take 10 months or more to complete the house, which is why I’ve rented the apartment. 

Knowing that I’ll be in this tiny apartment for a while, I’ve decided to make it as comfortable as I can without breaking the bank. The challenge of fitting out an apartment with an eye on my future house, and my newfound design choices, and frugality mindset have kept me busy. Every major piece of furniture I buy for the apartment will be used in the house. So, careful consideration is a must. 

Oddly, I’m finding my choices for seating and storage to be a bit tougher than one would expect. I’ve visited local furniture shops looking for chairs or small sofas and shelving. Only one store had anything of interest for seating, but the cost was more than I was willing to pay. And I could find no shelves that fit both my sense of style and my budget.

One purchase I’m proud of is a table that I found in Costco, of all places. The table is glass topped and height adjustable, both features are key to maximizing what little space I have in my apartment.

Adjustable height, glass topped table from Tresanti

The glass top makes cleaning a breeze. I can use the table for dining and food prep, and I can seat 4 people comfortably if the need arises. Not that I’m expecting to host intimate soirées in my little studio, but ya neva kno.

When I’m not using it as part of my kitchen I can use the table as it was intended, as a workstation. The height adjustable feature is great because I like to work at my MacBook and iPad while standing. Again, the glass top can be easily cleaned so dinner doesn’t gunk up my keyboards.

The table was a bit pricey at US$250.00, but, in keeping with my frugality mindset, it’s a high quality piece and I’ll own it and use it for a long time.

Another purchase that I’m happy with is my bedding. My house will have a primary bedroom and two smaller bedrooms. I intend to fit out the primary bedroom with a king sized bed, but one of the smaller bedrooms will have a queen sized bed. That is what I bought for use in my apartment. The mattress came from Costco, one of those foam mattresses in a box. I have slept on lower quality foam mattresses before and found them to surprisingly comfortable. This one is from Novaform and it’s so comfortable that I have no trouble falling to sleep on it. 

And my chairs have arrived! 

While shopping around for seating the would fit comfortably in my tiny studio I stopped in a local furniture store that caters to more affluent customers. The sales person, let’s call him Biff, scoffed when I told him I liked Mid Century Modern style of furnishings. “Oh! You mean that 80s looking stuff with the wood and avocado plush pillows?” He asked in a mockingly annoying tone.

No, Biff, I mean clean lines, no overstuffed upholstery, and neutral colors. And no motion furniture! In my world a chair is just a comfortable place to sit, relax, read, think. I don’t want it to be a bed, or vibrate, hold my cup, or heat my back. If I want to put my feet up I’ll grab an ottoman, which can serve as extra seating if needs be.

My Mid Century Modern chairs

But that’s me. I’ll confess to enjoying a sofa once that happened to be able to recline. Even so, I still don’t want that type of furniture. The chairs I bought are more inline with my style senses. They are wooden framed with sturdy wooden arms. The upholstery is not overly stuffed and very comfortable. The material is grey denim which can be easily removed and washed. I intend to get the upholstery redone in leather later, but for now, these are perfect. 

I still have a few items yet to get; a decent shelving unit, headboard for my bed, and a credenza. Each item will eventually be used in my house and I have narrowed down my choices for each. Once everything is in place I’ll give you a video tour.

And so, my move to South Carolina continues to unfold. The journey so far has been exciting and challenging in unexpected ways. I’ve also met some nice people. My family has commented on how fast things are developing. In my mind, however, things aren’t moving fast enough. I like to keep it moving because when I stop moving things get quiet. And when things get quiet I start to feel the emotions that are often associated with changes of this magnitude. Those emotions are not always positive. 

For instance, I could do so much and I was surrounded by a great group of people in Florida. One person in particular and I hung out a lot together. I miss that. I miss them. I miss that person. A lot. 

It will take time for me to get immersed in my new environment and those feelings, I’m sure, will diminish, but never disappear. I just need to keep moving forward.

Stay tuned.

Vern

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Frugality: A Matter of Perspective

I recently read an article by Darnell Mayberry, whose finance focused articles can be found on Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, in which he discusses his newfound frugality mindset. Mr. Mayberry recalls how his grandparent’s tightfisted nature was a call for childhood secret missions to the corner store for sweets instead of whatever the grandparents offered that was stored, unappetizingly, in the garage. Now, much older and, apparently, much wiser, Mr. Mayberry is focusing on obtaining and nurturing a mindset similar to his grandparent’s where spending less is forefront. (And, hopefully, does not involve snacks kept in a garage.)

To that end Mr. Mayberry has stopped frivolous spending on unneeded items, has reduced his consumption of alcohol and cigarettes (certainly a good thing), and has even gone so far as to stop carrying cash and will occasionally, and purposefully, leave his credit card at home.

Mr. Mayberry says he’s at the start of his journey, but he is determined to become more frugal while avoiding the stereotype of becoming a stingy old miser.

I feel ya, Darnell.  

I firmly believe that our association with money is shaped by our childhood experiences with it, mindsets that sometimes needs readjusting. In my case it was the lack of money and my family’s inability to afford even the basic necessities of life (food, clothing, sometimes water and heat) that has long shaped my spending habits, both for good and ill. To help with my family’s financial situation, I started ‘hustling’ at a young age. 

Hustling can mean different things to different people, but basically it means to do whatever you can to earn a buck. Obviously that can mean doing dishonest things, but in my case, my hustles were honest, I bagged groceries at a local market and loaded them into cars for tips. I usually got about 25 cents for the full service. In the early 60’s, 25 cents went a long ways and on good Saturdays I could go home with $15 to $30 dollars! Not bad for a day’s work. 

What hustling doesn’t teach you is the true value of money. In my young mind, money was necessary to live and I could get money by hustling. So, whenever I needed extra cash I’d figure out a way to get it. That often meant getting jobs doing whatever. Almost nothing was beneath me. I’ve chauffeured pizzas, flipped burgers, sold electronics, worked on a sod farm, and more to fill the gaps in what I earned versus what I spent. It occurred to me, even back then, that there had to be a better way, that focusing on spending less was also a viable option for minimizing my financial woes. But I was dealing with other issues in life at the time and  hustling was often the most expedient way to address my financial needs. It was what I knew and it worked.

Like Darnell Mayberry, I’m older and somewhat wiser now. I know that there are better ways to deal with finances. For instance; if I need to buy a large-ticket item like a TV or couch, I will search endlessly to understand the pros and cons of the item then decide on and purchase the best I can afford. This is something that an astute student of poverty learns. People of meager means will often buy the least expensive item, which are often poorly made. They wind up having to buy the same item again and again and, in the long run, wind up spending more.

Buying something that may cost more initially, but is made well, is actually the best and most frugal solution. To a person of meager means spending more in the short term to avoid spending a lot more in the long term can seem counterintuitive. Other extenuating factors may influence the decision to buy cheaply. Sometimes it just can’t be helped. An immediate need must be addressed so you do what you have to do to address it. Still, the concept of buying better to avoid buying again is a solid one.

The road to a frugal lifestyle is still relatively new to me, and, like Mr. Mayberry, I’m just beginning to walk that road. This path is chosen more out of necessity rather than adhering to advice and lessons learned over the years. 

My move to South Carolina, for instance, was prompted by the fact that my limited and very fixed income could not sustain my current lifestyle in Florida. It’s not that I live extravagantly, far from it. But what I do enjoy doing, being around friends, eating out on occasion, traveling, and maintaining my home was becoming cost prohibitive. Taxes and insurance have and to continue to increased to the point where even living the life of a miser would eventually be unsustainable. I needed to do something. Moving to a more financially friendly environment is the first step. I also need to adopt a more realistic approach to how I handle what income I do have. So, I’ve started looking around for ideas, which is how I stumbled upon Mr. Mayberry’s article, and how his perspective and mine seemed to sync.

So, what is my current view of frugality and how will it affect my life moving forward?

I’m glad you asked.

As I mentioned earlier, and as Mr. Mayberry has said, living like a miser should not be the goal. Clutching every penny is not a mindset that is even remotely appealing to me. I just need to see money as a very limited resource, one that, if carefully monitored and used, can keep me going until the road I’m on ends. To carry the road analogy further; I need to travel in “economy mode” not “sport mode”. That doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the journey, it just means I need to waste less while moving along. Or, as Mr. Mayberry puts it, “Rather than buying any old thing based on emotion and price, I’m now letting utility and value be my guiding principles.”

But it isn’t just “utility and value” that should guide me because they, by themeselves, are boring. I believe that there also needs to be a sense of purpose, or maybe style, something that makes the journey interesting, even fun. Neither style or purpose fully relates what I think is needed, but it points me in the right direction.

A good opportunity to explore this will be when I find a house to buy after my move to South Carolina. Currently I have no furniture. There’s a reason for that which I won’t go into, but the lack of furniture was on purpose, it allows me to really look at what style I want to be surrounded by. After doing a lot of research I’ve found that I’m most attracted to a style called Mid Century Modern, which is typified by functional furnishings with clean lines, natural materials and solid colors.   

Mid Century Modern Living Room. (Photo courtesy of home-designing.com)

While focusing on utility and value, but with an eye on style and comfort, I intend to turn my future abode into a Mid Century Modern home. I also  intend to document the process here, but all that is a bit premature. There’s a lot that needs to happen before I get to that stage. I just thought it would be a good idea to explore this here, to set the stage, as it were.

More to come. Stay tuned.

Vern

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Pieces and Parts

I left home when I was 17. It seems I’ve been traveling ever since. 

The truth is that, while I am prone to moving around, I’ve been in one place for the largest portion of my life. That place is Orlando, Florida. I’ve been here close to 30 years! As I think about it, I find that it’s hard for me to reconcile the fact that so much time has passed, and so much has changed.

When I came to Orlando I was married, working on building my career in IT, and saw being here as another adventure. Things pretty much worked out along those lines. Fast forward 25+ years and I am now divorced, retired, and getting ready for another adventure. I’m moving to South Carolina.

Some may see this new chapter as an ill-considered decision, but a lot of thought went into it. I knew I would leave Florida eventually, well before I knew where I would wind up. I was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. To paraphrase a lyric from Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘The Boxer’; four seasons, deciduous trees, hilly landscapes, and cooler weather are a breed in me, a need in me. There are other factors that pushed me into deciding to move, but, if I’m honest with myself, I knew it was always going to happen.

When I first started looking around for places I might land my first consideration was in the Appalachians, specifically south-western Virginia. My parents and my grandparents came from that area and I thought it might not be a bad idea to get back to my roots, learn more about my family’s history. While in the Peace Corps I had thought that maybe I should expand my search. While I love nature and being outdoors, I am an urban kid at heart and there are only small to medium sized towns in that part of the country. 

I then considered Johnson City, Tennessee. It’s certainly big enough with a nice size university in town, guaranteeing a level of diversity and urban flavor that I like while being close to many state and national parks. And that area has a thriving music scene fed by its proximity to Bristol, Tennessee and Nashville. 

But I had a chance to stay with some friends who live near Greenville, South Carolina. Each time I visited my friends showed me more of what Greenville had to offer, which turns out to be quite a lot. Like Johnson City, Greenville is close to one of our country’s original music generating cities. The area chock full of talented artists and musicians. It’s near many state and national parks and only a few hours from beaches, for when I feel the need to see the ocean. The weather is mild, varied and, most of all, the area has four distinct seasons. And I can afford to live there. What’s not to like?

Even though Orlando has never felt like home to me it is a place that I’ve come to love. If you spend 25+ years in a place there’s bound to be something about it that becomes a part of who you are. That’s really what happened to me. I’ve enjoyed the beaches here, and the storms. When the weather is nice it can be really nice. Most of all, I’ve enjoyed the people I’ve met while here. Most of them I knew from my job, but lately, many are people I’ve met who share a common love of music, among other things. These are people I can truly call my friends. As I pack up my belongings and prepare to leave the house I’ve owned for 10 years, my heart aches as the many, many memories drift through my mind.

One of my friends wrote a poem to commemorate my leaving. It so inspired me to write one too. So, to my many wonderful friends, a poem:

Pieces
By Vern Seward

I like to think that I’m a wandering man
Never satisfied to stay
To leave my footprints in foreign sands
And relish foreign days.

But truth be told, where ever I go,
Whatever sights I behold
I leave behind a part of me,
A little bit of my soul.

And yet my soul is not undone,
It’s bigger than before
For each bit that I leave behind
Is replaced by even more.

For in whatever place I be
It’s the people whom I meet
That makes each place a memory,
That makes my soul complete.

And when I leave for other sights,
For places yet to discover,
I take the bits of soul they gave,
Which helps mine to recover.

Now, to those I leave behind
Please know that I take with me
The bits of you that are so fine,
Pieces that will sustain me.

Be well.

Stay tuned.

Vern