Desires that Ruin Yr Life

I am obsessed with real estate listings. I'm talking CRAZY obsessed. Like spending half a day on the sofa without moving, trolling various MLS websites obsessed. Did you know that you can buy a humongous mansion in Birmingham, Alabama, for about the same price as a studio apartment in Chicago? Madness! Or that you can buy 40 acres of totally magnificent desert-y property outside of Marfa, TX (new arts commune) for like, 20 grand but that a 2 bedroom, heinous ranch home in Portland costs $260,000? One can actually buy a really nice house for a nice price in these communities: Omaha, Milwaukee, St. Paul, Iowa City, Ann Arbor & Austin. Don't even think about it in places like Seattle or San Francisco. Even my hometown of Eugene, Oregon is getting to be a little unreasonable. I guess it is just that I really get in a nesty way this time of year. I want to hunker down in a house, with a fireplace and a good book (er, tv show) and bake some muffins or something. I want an upstairs with creaky floorboards and lots of bookcases. I want to feel safe and cozy and like I'm HOME. I also want to be able to knock out a wall or paint the bathroom a garish shade of whatever-the-hell-I-want. I know I will have my own home one day, when I decide where it is I want to live and I don't have a life partner in graduate school. I will furnish it with loving care and prepare large meals on Sundays. Also I will finally have a washing machine. Now it is time for some rental-cocoa.