July 14, 2011
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Long Distant House Fire
What’s new? Well, our ABQ house is going to be like new in 4-6 months as we recover from massive fire damage- new roof, new rafters, new drywall, new insulation, new tile, new carpet, new windows, new window treatments, new deck, new fence, new tree, new appliances, new bricks, new … new… new…
We got the call about 9:15 am (our time) on the second- shortly after the UPS guy woke up our neighbors to tell them that flames were coming out of the house next door and they needed to get out of their own houses. He also called the fire department. Forgetting the time difference, I called my ABQ friends to go check on the house and tell me how bad the damages were. One was out of town (and gracious about being woke up around 6:30 in the morning), and the other got the message later that morning and took a camera to the house. We were on the phone with our insurance company before the fire was out and found out that our renter was safely out of town, and then… we began the waiting process. We’re still waiting for reports and have finally been able to ask a couple of contractors to give us some estimates.
Doing this long distance means spending a lot of phone time (and bugging your friends for favors and hoping they won’t get sick of you by the end of the process). We will go out- but we’re waiting until it will do the most good. Just when that will be is anyone’s guess.
There was (is) some grieving over the loss, but then you realize that it’s just a house and it was insured and that no one was hurt. Rebuilding it will take time and it will go back on the market as soon as that’s done- and they promise me you won’t smell a hint of fire when they’re done.
They don’t know what caused the fire- maybe fireworks, maybe a dead plant on the deck exploded into flames, maybe aliens? We just don’t know. The swamp cooler was left on though and it pumped smoke throughout the entire house during the fire causing extensive smoke damage.
Our renter had renter’s insurance and her stuff is already out of the house. She won’t be back so we’re finishing up with her- trying to be fair and honest about it. She has some major expenses from the fire and has lost a lot of her belongings to smoke damage. We are focusing on the good and letting go of the bad as we try to not stress out about things we have no control over from so far away.
Anyway… I’m still around- kind of… working on a new screenplay and learning the ins and outs of writing a rom-com (which means watching lots of rom-coms!). Rom-coms are very different now than they were 10 years ago. They aren’t the classic romantic comedies, more of the raunchy sexy comedies. Love seems to be a lot more brutal in the 2000′s… more cynical and bitter.
Comments (4)
Sorry to hear about the house but glad to know no one was hurt in the fire.
Have you considered, with the popularity of so many networks that show the older stuff, writing a rom com in something like a 60s or 70s show format? Many of the people I talk with and read say they don’t like the new stuff and are looking for something new but old. Just a thought.
i have no desire to write a sex-com so i suspect that mine will be more like one from the 90′s- it doesn’t matter if there’s not a market. i can’t write trash.
Yikes…but life, right? Deal with the junk, let go of the bad, and focus on the good…it’s something.
I recently watched Bridesmaids and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It’s a post-modern romantic comedy, or maybe just a comedy; I don’t know. It was… weirdly self-aware and feminist in a Buffy sort of way. There were poop jokes. Bizarre. Anyway, I was going to comment to give you hugs about your ABQ house. You’re right – insurance is good and it’s just a house.
Life will go on in surprising, interesting, and normal ways. *more hug* See you soon!