You writers reading this will completely understand. If you’re not a writer, you might find it a little strange.

My characters are looking for a new house. She wants a house with the same 40s charm her current house just north of Alamo Heights has. He wants to stay in the same school district so his (their) daughter doesn’t have to change high schools. The school is in a newer area of San Antonio than her house is in.

I’m researching what might work when hubby calls. I explain what I’m doing, and once he understands I’m looking for an older house in the John Jay school district, and it has to be pre-1994 (the older the better for my characters). He pulls out a map and remembers he dated someone years (decades) ago who lived in that area, and her house was from the 30s. Really? Cool. He gives me the street name, and I triangulate on it in Yahoo! Maps and switch to hybrid mode.

After we get off the phone, I search for a San Antonio real estate site, plug in the school district, the zip code, and the neighborhood. There was one house that was old enough (one street over from hubby’s old girlfriend’s place). My characters loved the house, but it was too small. They looked at two others — also too small. Then they found this place. It’s a little newer than Nikki wanted, but she’s warmed up to it. From what I remember from walking that neighborhood in the early 80s, it’s close to two major traffic roads, but it’s only a couple of blocks from the high school, and those two roads give easy access to shopping. It’s close to where Jeff works, and it’s easy access for Nikki to get to her work. And there’s room for the dogs. What high schooler wouldn’t like that swimming pool, and what newly married couple wouldn’t go for that hot tub on the enclosed patio? It’s perfect. Oh, yeah, and isn’t that a great kitchen for the early 90s? (Try to think back…) Too bad the people selling it for real haven’t come across a couple like my characters yet, but maybe it will happen for them.

OK. Back to work.