Another day, another flat. Yes, we're flathunting again. What? Yes, again. Why? We're sick of handing over an obscene amount of rent every month so someone we have only met twice. Might as well pay the money to the big bad banks and have something to show for it at the end of 30 years. So we are preparing to get up to our eyeballs in debt and take out our very first mortgage. I took a lot of convincing, and Erik, my parents, my cousin and his wife all had to work on me for a couple of months before my completely risk-averse self finally came around to the idea that a mortgage is more like a couple of dumbbells tied onto your arms with cord than a ball and chain with a rusty lock whose key has been thrown into the Atlantic. I hate debt, I hate owing people money, especially to mean people who would think nothing of throwing Erik and I onto the street if we can't meet the payments, and are really not very smart, considering they caused the current global financial crisis and are the proponents of the current credit freeze that is making life so difficult for individuals and small business to make it through the recession. At least we are buying in a recession, not in the property bubble of the previous years. With properties losing up to 60% of their value, I think I would be committed to an institution with severe depression right now if I had bought a house this time last year.
But who wants to talk about the recession? Oh, nobody, that's what I thought. Onto happier things. My mate Joanna came to visit me for a whole week! It was great catching up and being able to hang around with an Aussie for a change! While I toddled off to work every day she slept in and took in the sights, in the afternoons we got together and had some lovely walks and dinners (and of course, non-stop chats). The bonus of her visit is that she found a warehouse of a store that I really like, SkunkFunk (Basque brand!) with really cheap stuff about five minutes from my house! Thanks Janna, I will never be able to make it up to you! The only pity is that they don't have any clothes suitable for work, because the trousers I have been using are about two or three sizes too big for me and I just can't deny any longer that they look ridiculous. I look like "Bozo the Clown Goes to the Office". Tomorrow morning I am getting up early and hitting H&M and Zara and getting some pants that stay up. And maybe some shoes (I have been wearing the same pair to work for the last three months. Thanks to Erik's mum, who gave them to me).
The credit card will get a bit of a workout, which should make it super fit thanks to the exercise I gave it the other day on the clickair website. I am planning a trip to Poland in August, two wonderful weeks in this close, but strangely quite unknown land.
