The Case of the Vanishing Contractor

It's been over a week and the contractor is nowhere to be found. He was supposed to be at the house on Monday to work on the middle balcony, but did not show. He's now saying he will work on the house on Tuesday. I really, really don't want to have to deal with a contractor that's MIA. Let's hope he shows up next week. Ugh.

Fence Me In

Next door to the house is a stalled construction site which contains a large hole in the ground surrounded by debris. The fence surrounding it is unstable. So, we have started constructing a fence to remove the hole in the ground and falling fence from view. Phoebe (pictured above) needs to have a secure place to roam, too.

The Upsides to Sinking Your Life's Savings into a House

I haven't been too concerned about the losses in the stock market lately, mainly because most of my life's savings is now in brick and mortar. This is not to say that I'm not doing something risky, especially given the recent collapse of the housing market. And I know that house values in NYC are tied to the fortunes of Wall Street types. For some reason, though, having your house lose value is not the same as watching the numbers in your investment accounts go down. There is a comfortable haze around a house losing its value, despite the fact that the losses may be just as great. Perhaps it's the fact that eventually I, and hopefully some tenants, will still be able to sleep in the house, whether it depreciates in value or not.

Another plus: you don't have to feel like a hypocrite for supporting the young people involved in the Occupy Wall Street protests. "Down with Corporate greed!" you can cheer as you pass by their little tent city in Zuccotti Park, knowing that you no longer own shares in those evil corporate entities headed by the 1% of people who control 42% of the wealth.

Article About the Other Side of Duffield Street in the NY Daily News

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2011/09/20/2011-09-20_duffield_st_becoming_center_for_visitors__travelers.html

Here is an article about the hotels opening on the other side of Duffield Street. I'm on a much quieter block about ten minutes away.

Backyard Cleanup Begins

If you look at the late August "My Big Fat Not So Green Use of Dumpsters" post, you can see a picture of all the debris in the backyard. Above is more recent picture. The cleanup has begun. I'm hoping for a nice vegetable garden, compost bin, and seating area back here.

Strike's Over/Balcony Progress/Another Neighbor Featured on Brownstoner

http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2011/09/building-of-the-day-167-concord-street/#more-68897

My union's strike is over, and I'm back to work. For me, this means a sabbatical and writing a book on philosophical paradoxes. As for the house, the biggest progress comes in the form of a nice big balcony that is being built for the middle apartment.

Also, the house of another neighbor was featured on Brownstoner. See the link above. I love that cottage and the little early hybrid car from the '70s that sits outside it.

My Big Fat Picket Line in Downtown Brooklyn

http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/faculty-at-long-island-u-s-brooklyn-campus-vote-to-strike/35962





This is a bit of an aside from the main topic of this blog, but the fates of the faculty of LIU and my renovation are tied together. My union, the Long Island University Faculty Federation, is now on strike. If you happen to be in the area and would like to show support, stop by 1 University Plaza, Brooklyn NY 11201. It's on the corner of Dekalb Avenue and Flatbush Avenue Extension, across the street from Junior's restaurant and the new DeKalb Market.

The union website is liuff.org
Hope to see you on the line!

Yours in solidarity,
Margaret