Homeownership sucks, and I feel bad for the people who pursue it singlemindedly without ever considering whether it’s something they really want. Writes Steve Almond in Salon: “There is only one problem I can see with the equation of homeownership to patriotic bliss, and that is homeownership itself. How vastly overrated and costly and crazy-making an enterprise it turns out to be.”
I’ve never wanted to own my home, mainly because I hate the thought of being tied down by a mortgage, but also because I just don’t want the shitty hassles of taking care of a home. Also, when I hear about people moving to distant suburbs solely for the purpose of owning a home, I feel nothing but pity.
Every time I skim through Pitchfork posts, I wonder if I should unsubscribe. The reason: I have to scroll through too many fucking posts to find the very few I’m interested in — the same reason I stopped reading Jezebel. Yet I love the few I find — though I haven’t found any lately.
“How much money does a writer need?” asks Keith Gessen in n+1 — then gives some NY figures. “There are four ways to survive as a writer in the US in 2006: the university; journalism; odd jobs; and independent wealth. I have tried the first three. Each has its costs.” What I’m wondering is: How much does a writer need in L.A., where rent is comparatively cheaper? Except I live in Santa Monica –
I dream of living in NYC with its lovely subway system, but maybe I should be pining for Taipei instead. NYC subway takers give the system a C, while Taipei’s customer satisfaction rate tops 94%.
Image courtesy of subversive cross stitch
On the other hand, we want to buy a house so that–among other things–we can have our own vegetable garden, hang up a clothesline so that we can dry clothes somewhere other than our living room, insulate the walls to bring down our energy costs, and collect rainwater.
Comment by KateNonymous — May 24, 2008 @ 12:57 pm
i maintain, however, that the best part of New York is its extreme bikability.
Comment by six — May 25, 2008 @ 1:37 pm