Monday was the one year anniversary of M’s passing. J and I went up to SF to visit S. She was meeting up with some people at the neighborhood bar, so selfishly, I was dreading a repeat of the 5-hr. drinking session with hoards of people… Luckily, the bar was super quiet with only about five people at our table. We chatted for a bit. M’s best friend scrolled through some pictures and reminisced. I honestly can’t believe it’s been a year. Time just keeps speeding on by.

S appeared well. Like I’ve said before, it’s nearly impossible to really know. Even in rare vulnerable moments, she’s incredibly composed. I often wonder where she derives this strength… so many times I see compassion, forgiveness, and gratitude in her where others might instead display anger, blame, and resentment.

She took the day off and went for a hike with some friends. After about 40 minutes at the bar, J and I headed back to her apartment. She’s redecorating again with fresh paint, new curtains, new outdoor loungers, a cool new coffee table. Like her sisters, she has a real knack for interior decorating. She also recently got a new car, swapping her super old SUV for a very adorable Cooper Mini convertible. That backseat is hella small, but what a fun and energetic ride! Her work is going very well. She continues to move up and travel a ton. I can’t believe the holiday shopping season is upon us again…

S’s life sounds really busy. I wonder how she has so much energy and positivity? Isn’t she tired? What can I learn from her to apply to my life, you know? I’m in a bit of a funk bc I feel like I’m less useful these days, esp since I’m no longer a part of a team or workplace. That said, I don’t miss the office politics and the whole autopilot of doing unimportant crap. I dunno, just need to get that license and get cranking.

My parents just got back from a six-day jaunt in the mountains via a Chinese-run tour bus service. Their itinerary started in Denver, CO and went through WY, SD, ID, and UT. Dad recruited his best friend and his wife from Ohio, so hopefully the four of them had a blast. Meanwhile, I did succeed in getting that pest control guy to credit dad the $70 charge. It took a few calls and texts, but I remained calm and basically reiterated that if traps were removed last July 2015 and no additional work/visits were done since, it really didn’t feel right to be charged for no services rendered. Another small victory for OnStar.

As for my real estate agent, things are kinda weird now. Somehow bumping heads over the August offer just didn’t sit well with either of us. I was also disappointed to discover last week that the house wasn’t posted on various platforms where it was supposed to appear. Back in July when the house was first listed, I’d received automated email/text notifications saying that the house was posted/advertised to several social media platforms. Then, when I checked FB, Twitter, Craigslist, etc. last week, I didn’t see it. WTF, people?!? The point of a project management system is to remind you to complete the tasks, not just check the box without actually doing the work! So I worked with the admin to make sure the house was posted at least on CL. But even after all that, the third open house last weekend yielded only one couple. I suppose that jives with what the experts say: open houses aren’t that helpful anymore bc most buyers do all their research online. Still, it’s hard for me to totally adopt that philosophy when our townhome in Reston sold via open house as did my grandmother’s house in Rockville. Different locales, different audiences maybe.

That’s the other thing: Walkersville seems like a whole other world. Based on my newbie research, there are like a disproportionate number of foreclosures in Walkersville. Argh! I guess the good news is that the open house couple is interested. They are in the process of getting qualified, so we’ll see if they submit an offer. Last week the previously interested couple came back (about 3 weeks later) with basically a repeat of their old offer. I thought that was odd, so I countered with my old offer thinking they were re-starting negotiations. I guess I should have gone back giving up more, but my agent didn’t provide any commentary, so my bad. We’ll see how things go the next few weeks. I dunno. It’s awkward not being on the same page. Live and learn, I guess.