In July, first-time teller Kathy Stershic joined us on stage for Screwed: stories of being screwed over, screwing up, or that are just plain screwy, and she now joins us for Video Extras to share more about how she was screwed over by homeownership, being a cross-country landlord, and Florida.
We are happy that Kathy, a self-described political junkie, is living full-time on the East Coast again and here in the DC area. She is an executive-savvy, policy-rich business leader, and dynamic change agent as the Principal Consultant at Dialog Research & Communications.
Do you want to be a first-time teller? We are currently casting for shows in 2016. Browse the show themes and then contact us with your idea for a story. Or, if you’d like to learn more about the art of storytelling and get in some extra preparation, sign up for one of our storytelling workshops in Arlington or Reston.
Mary: What motivated you to step on stage to tell a story?
Kathy: From the very first time I went to see a Better Said Than Done storytelling show, I was hooked. I enjoyed it so much, but didn’t think I could have anything interesting enough to make up a formal story of my own. I had done theater in high school and always loved it, and chorus in college, but nothing since.
Mary: What was most helpful from the Better Said Than Done storytelling workshop as you prepared to tell your first story?
Kathy: Understanding how to structure a story.
Mary: Do you have any advice to others who might be thinking about getting on stage as a first-time teller?
Kathy: Practice! Know it so well that you can have fun with it on stage.
Mary: Before you moved to Northern California, did you enjoy the hot mid-Atlantic summers? Or was that something you only missed in hindsight?
Kathy: I have always loved summer since I was a small child. I moved to California in the mistaken belief that it would be hot weather all the time. In the words of Humphrey Bogart, “I was misinformed.” I bought the L.A./Beach Boys marketing; Northern California is nothing like that.
Mary: My one visit to San Francisco was to attend a wedding in June 1997. I was looking forward to a break from temperatures in the 90s, but I was unprepared for how cool and windy it was. For those who haven’t experienced it for themselves, how would you describe the summers there?
Kathy: Embrace the notion of the “coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco,” because it’s so disappointing when you think it’s going to be hot and summery and it’s not.
Mary: What did you enjoy most about your home in Cory Lakes? Did you get to soak in the sun, delight in the Florida heat, and break out your shorts?
Kathy: It was a beautiful house, and the community was very pretty with lush foliage. We had some nice neighbors. The canal went through the backyard and on the other side was conservation land covered with trees. We could sit out on the lanai at night and listen to cicadas and smoke cigars and drink wine. It was great. I tried to get down there every 2-3 months to keep tabs on the place and get some use out of what we were paying for. I would stay at least a week each time, more if I could.
Mary: Looking at the website for Cory Lakes, I saw mention of “Nuisance Alligator Reporting”. Did you have alligators on your property? (Or just a few snakes in the grass?)
Kathy: ☺ There was a gator that lived on the small island within the conservation land across from us. Once in a while, we’d see him swimming in the canal, but they really are very shy and avoid people. I would not, however, have left a small dog unattended in the backyard. Or a small child for that matter. Gators move really quickly when they see food.
Mary: I visited Florida a good bit as a child because, for a while after we moved to Virginia, my parents rented out the house in Gainesville in which we had lived, and we had relatives in the Miami area. I think I have some idea of “what it means to live in Florida” from my memories and those of my parents. Can you elaborate on what you meant when you said that?
Kathy: A recent Miss America contestant (Miss Florida) said it best when she cheerfully described her home state as, “the weirdest state in the union.” Anything and everything goes. It runs more like a banana republic than part of the US. They don’t care much for laws down there.
Mary: Were homes in North Tampa damaged by Hurricane Katrina?
Kathy: No damage in our area, but there was a lot around the Gulf region. Fears of what future hurricanes might do hit the market. There seemed to have been more of them in that decade than we’ve had of late.
Mary: I read a few articles about the community founder/despot of the neighborhood. When did you first learn of some of his misdeeds and sweetheart deals?
Kathy: I had been noticing some “irregularities” in the neighborhood which I happened to mention to a neighbor. He invited me over to his house for some wine, and laid out the whole sordid affair. I was fairly shocked.
Mary: You mentioned that you used your public relations and communications skills to help residents run for seats on the Community Development District Board of Supervisors. What sort of help did you lend?
Kathy: Writing, editing, canvassing door to door, web site support.
Mary: You shared that, “the wacko Florida energy was really coming to dominate [your] life, sucking [your] cash, raising [your] blood pressure, and slowly driving [you] insane.” What was the absolute worst part of this whole homeownership/landlord experience?
Kathy: How long it dragged on. How much money we lost. How it kept piling on, getting more bizarre.
Mary: After the “eight years of hell,” do you think you would ever own a second property again, as an investment or vacation home?
Kathy: If so, I will choose much more carefully; I now know what to look for.
Mary: Did you get enough hot weather this summer in Northern Virginia?
Kathy: No!!!!! I have years’ worth of thawing out to do.
