Week 7 2026
To be honest, I don't feel particularly motivated to write a ton this evening. Matter of fact, I've been dragging my feet this entire three day weekend. It was Valentines Day weekend, Presidents Day, and Lunar New Year within these couple days.
This week has been a weird week for me emotionally. It's Lunar New Year tomorrow and I've never done so much (angry) cleaning in my life. Being Chinese with an extra Chinese wife means I have to do more chores than I normally have to. Kathleen has been cleaning way earlier and together we still have a ton of shit to clean. Now apparently it's bad superstition to clean ON Lunar New Year as you will 'clean away good luck'. Well fucking guess what, how the fuck are we NOT supposed to clean when you just learn that you have a fucking mold problem in your bedroom?! If I were to follow these Chinese traditions I guess its better to suffer from a lung infection than to clean away all this good luck mold.
Ignorance is bliss. If Kathleen had never done all this New Year cleaning I would have never known about this. Funny how life is...right after she revealed to me the extent of moisture and mold in the room, my nose hasn't felt the same since. I've been blowing snot wads all evening AND I wore a fucking mask to sleep last night.
I guess this is what happens when you purchase a house in 2021 when the interest rates were at historic lows and fucking buyers are so desperate that they'll accept purchasing a home from a shitty house flipper with no contingencies. Man, fuck you
Aside from the home we reside in, this is the fourth or fifth straight week of cleaning out my (investment) home in San Leandro. I'm dragging and dragging my feet through this but I'm slowly getting progress in getting it cleaned out for new renters for this new uncharted territory in my life as a small time landlord.
Everytime I come to visit and clean, some inconsiderate piece of shit hood fuck keeps blocking a part of my driveway. EVERY. FUCKING. TIME. LIKE HOW THE FUCK DO YOU THINK THIS IS NORMAL. I don't understand how people can be so GOD damn inconsiderate, like how stupid can you be, you would rather park in somebody's driveway to save your bitch ass some time and spend a couple hundred bucks and a couple hours of your ruined day to get your fucking car out of the tow yard? Dude seriously what the fuck?
ANYWAY, I schedule in my planner to visit and clean every Wednesday. Before I make the drive from El Cerrito, I pop an adderall for the squirt of motivation just to make the 30 minute drive down and stare at my corners of my house, paralyzed with indecision as to what will I do with every trivial thing that I left back at that house from the life I lived before I moved. My sentimentality problem prevents me from throwing away pretty much everything (more like anything) and this is the source of what's delaying my ability to rent the house out.
The silver lining over the difficulties of being an amateur landlord is the relationship that's been building between my dad and I as well as the relationship that I have with my wife. I've always hated working with my dad in the past because all he does is bark orders at me and he does a terrible job of teaching or explaining what the fuck he's doing. Not only that, whenever he would 'fix' anything, he just ended up breaking it more or ruining the final product of what's fixed. He comes from a generation of men who would violently hit the side of the TV for better broadcasting signal. This time around however it's become more interesting to me to see his thought process in how he manages to clean and fix properties. Maybe it's his age that's making him more soft and patient but it helps lessen my anxiety around him when working. Kathleen on the other hand, is a far superior organizer and executor because she doesn't have any emotional attachment to this place. In the past two days with her help I have gotten more progress than I've done alone in the past three weeks. The fact that everything is covered and dust and grime make it really easy for her to look at something say 'ew' and just toss.
At the end of this cleaning chapter and once the house is cash-flowing again, I'd like to take everyone to a nice dinner... and take care of the mold problem in El Cerrito.
One last cheerful thought before I close out, just to practice some gratitude. Last Friday, after a tough week at work, I typically like to order tacos on pay-day even though I'm supposed to constantly watch what I'm consuming. This particular night I stopped by my favorite local taqueria, Tacos El Tucan. By this time of the night my adderall and coffee have worn off so it's just me seeking stimulation again. I walk up to the cashier in my black scrubs to order two Al Pastor tacos (my fuckin favorite). The cashier, though masked, seemed very cheerful and asked me if I was just starting my shift or just got off my shift. I told her I just got off and coming here was a treat to myself for a hard earned night. She smiled with her eyes and thanked me for my service in healthcare and is well aware that we're short-staffed. I appreciated her comment and was very grateful. Anyway I ordered and paid for my two tacos but I saw a sign for their new item, carnitas. OF course I had to try a new item so in typical Ryan fashion, I jumped back in line, apologized to the same cashier and told her that I'd also like to order a single carnitas taco. She asked her staff if they still had carnitas, I saw her punching some random shit in the computer, and then she asked me if I would like a complimentary can of coke or would I just like a free tacos. Gleefully, I opted for the free taco because I'm not trying to drink more calories. Searching through my empty ass pockets, I didn't have any extra money to tip! Shame Ryan Shame. She told me it was okay and she gave me my order along with the free taco. I shamefully but happily thanked her profusely and told her she just made my night. I was so stoked, but even better, driving home, I hit all green lights and made it back home so fast the tacos were still hot. I suppose it was all meant to be!
Alright I'm signing off, I hope this week is warmer, easier, and full of happy surprises.