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It’s All CD’s Fault

I’ve been thinking a lot about my life, and about happiness.  I don’t think that I’m an unhappy person, but I think that I am a sensitive person who feels things very deeply.   So when some upsetting things happen, it often takes a while for me to get over them.

I was sitting last night, and I was thinking about how tough the last few years have been.  I don’t think I’ve handled it all that poorly, considering it all.  It is what it is, and I deal with it.

I was also thinking about the things that made me happy during all the tough times.   I think the happiest I’ve been was when I was first living on Treasure Island.    I had the two best roommates I ever had, MC and CD.  I was a stranger when I moved in with them, but I think I got to be a part of their little clan very quickly.  We truly were mates.    We laughed, played, and drank, but also argued till we were blue in the face, and it was wonderful.  Even when they were being totally annoying, they didn’t really bother me.

I know that if I were still with them today, they’d drag me out of my room, make me drink half my weight in cheap beer, and beat me at darts.    Of course, I can’t go back to them.  Everything changed the day that CD left to go back to school to get his masters.   Now he’s in Iowa.   MC moved in with his girlfriend.  And I moved on, to unpleasant results.

So  you see, it’s all CDs fault.  If he’d never gone back to school, none of this would have happened!   I’m kidding, of course.    I’m happy for him.  I’m happy for MC.   And someday soon, I’ll be happy for my damn self.

Just sayin’.

Lazy Blogstress

I’ve been pretty lax in my posting so far in this new year. It’s pretty lame, I must admit. I had actually wanted to make sure I wrote more this year. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it was a resolution, as I don’t do that, but it is something I feel needs more of my attention. And not just writing the blog, but writing in general. But mostly, I really do just want to break another record with my page views.

I think there are two basic reasons, other than laziness, why I’m not blogging too much right now. Reason #1: I’ve been reading a lot of blogs. There’s so much going on in the world, so much to read, so little time to write. Seriously, check out some of the blogs on my blog roll. They’re awesome, and I’ve been engrossed.

Reason #2: I’m becoming more comfortable in my apartment. It’s starting to feel more like my space, and I’m also adjusting to being on my own again. As I feel more at home in the apartment, I feel like my stuff actually belongs there, so I take it out of the boxes. I’m down to three large boxes and two small. Some people try to tell me that I would feel at home if I would just unpack everything and put it away immediately, but that doesn’t work for me. I would feel awkward with all my books on shelves in a place that wasn’t mine.

So, as I’m adapting, I’m really enjoying the independence and freedom. I feel the old me coming out more. I like spending more time with myself. I come home, make myself something to eat, get into the lounge-wear, pop in a DVD, or turn on Project Runway. (Side note: They should have totally kicked out Ricky this week, not Kevin!) I’m going through my Netflix queue so much faster now. I got “3:10 to Yuma” this afternoon, and watched it right away. Love, love, love Christian Bale.

The down side to all of this is, once I have some independence, I only want more. I am totally slipping into a hermit routine that is just fine by me. I can watch all the Jane Austin movies I want! I got Pride & Prejudice, the good one with Colin Firth, on DVD for Christmas. Why on Earth would I want to leave the house?

But I will. You will see me again. I will venture out of these walls. I promise. No timetable on when it’s going to happen exactly, but yes, I will go out again. There are bands to be seen, after all. I may, however, be intolerably independent, though.

Just sayin’.

In the Dark

You know what sucks?   When the power goes out.    You know what sucks even harder?  When the power goes out, and you’re in a new apartment, and you don’t remember where you put the flashlight, you can barely find the lighter to light the candles, and you’re all alone in a pitch black apartment with nothing to do.

Last night around 7:30, the power went out at The Rock.   I was in the middle of watching last week’s Project Runway episode that I missed.   (That’s a story in and of itself.)   Then all of sudden, everything went out with a flicker.   A moment later, the power came back, and I thought I was back to my SJP enhanced life.   But nnnooooo, it went right back out.   And it stayed out.   FOR THREE HOURS!

Pretty much everything I own needs to be plugged into a functional outlet in order to be entertaining.  The exception is my large collection of books.  (Still in boxes, thank you very much.)   Seriously, though, I don’t know how people managed to read by candlelight.   There was no way.  Of course, the candles I have are much more about wafting froo-froo scents than they are about casting a decent light.

So, I called my mom.  She rattled off a list of possibly entertaining activities for a dark evening.   Make cocoa – I don’t have any cocoa.   Make tea – all my tea is caffeinated, and I didn’t want to be up all night.   Unpack the books – I said entertaining.   Listen to the radio – I don’t have a battery powered radio.    All of her suggestions just reminded me how lame my apartment is.    It was a noble effort on her part, but it really wasn’t too helpful.

The power finally came back on at 10:30.   I got to see a little Sex and the City before I went back to sleep, but alas, they were done rerunning P.R., so hopefully I’ll be able to catch the end later.

Overall, I would say last night was very lame.

Just sayin’.

So Sleepy – Adjustments to New Life

Every night at the new place, The Rock, I sleep a little better. I’m still freaking tired, though, and I am considering taking a nap under my desk. Just a little one. Just a 20 minute power nap.

Things at The Rock are coming along. Last night I enlisted J4 (he lifts heavy things) to come with me to Tar-jay. I managed to pick up an essential item off of The List. I got a serious shelf unit that’s going to serve as my pantry. The kitchen at The Rock is minuscule, to say the least. There’s just one cupboard. I need more space than that, especially as I am planning to be eating in a lot more. Saving money on food is good, ’cause then I can still go out sometimes. (Out? What’s that?)

Anyway, the shelf was supposed to be on sale for $29.99, but unbeknownst to me, only the black was on sale. Not seeing the black on the shelf, but seeing a chrome one, I figured it made no difference. I was a little bit unnerved when it rang up at $59.99 at the register. So, I brought up the difference, the checker called the manager over, determined that it was the wrong one, found someone who confirmed that they had the right one, did I want it?, yes I did, running to go get the right one out of the back. You can see how this quick little run over to Target quickly devolved into chaos. Well, to my joyous surprise, when the correct shelf was finally brought up to the register, the store manager rang me up, and took an additional 10% off. I saved an additional three dollars! Hooray Target!

The List

The move is complete, and the settling in has begun. Every time I’ve moved (4 times in the last 2.5 years), I’ve purged. That’s what everyone always tells you to do. “Moving is a great opportunity to get rid of stuff!” I don’t know whether I really did it because I thought it was smart or because I was just too damn lazy to move all my stuff, but each time I’ve moved, I’ve gotten rid of a lot of stuff. I lived in the same apartment for almost seven years. I had a lot of stuff accumulated. I moved from there to a roommate situation where there was a full kitchen of stuff, to another situation with even more stuff, and then to another situation with still more stuff. Everyone else already had the stuff, so I got rid of mine. Problem is, now that I live alone, I don’t have any stuff.

That’s not exactly accurate. I have plenty of books. But I can’t bake a casserole in a book!

Between the stuff I don’t have, and the particular storage challenges of The Rock, I’ve started compiling a list. Up to this point, the list has existed on a Napoleon Dynamite magnet note pad on my fridge. This afternoon, I started hunting down items from the list on Amazon, and adding them to a special wish list. I don’t have any intention of going out and buying all this stuff new, except where certain size requirements would make it easier to do so. I’m just using Amazon as an electronic means to track my needs. If anyone wanted to get me something for my apartment, I suppose they could track down the wish list, and have it shipped to me. Better yet, though, if any of my friends out there have some of this stuff lying around, and they’ve been meaning to get rid of it . . .

So here’s The List:

pantry shelf unit

step stool/ladder

towel rack with shelf

kitchen garbage can

silverware insert

small frying pan

can opener

dish washing gloves

ironing board hanger

sauce pan with lid

kitchen floor mat/rug

brownie pan (8 inch square Pyrex)

cookie sheet

teakettle

single shelf spice rack

shower caddy

ice cube trays

adjustable garment rack

glass casserole with lid

soup ladle

So, you know, if you’re reading this, and you have something you’d like to donate, please shoot me an email.

Just sayin’.

Move Complete; Unpacking – Not Even Close

Friday night, I got the keys for my new apartment, affectionately known as The Rock. The Rock is a studio apartment. Here’s the first shot of it from the doorway:
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And the reverse angle:
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And the kitchen:

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Saturday was the big move day. J4, Dub, Jimmy, Ruth, Cat, and Kevin pitched in to help me get it done. With two pickups, an SUV, and two cars, we did it in under two hours. It was the least stressful moving experience of my life.

Here’s what it looks like with all the boxes:

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Jimmy shrink wrapped my dresser for transport:

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Then my new bed was delivered yesterday evening by Mancini’s Sleep World:

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I set up my fountain to help me get some zzzzzzzzzzzzz:

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This morning, Comcast came to hook up the cable and internet:

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And I got some things set up in the kitchen:

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But I still have a long way to go. So many boxes, so little motivation.

I’ve been pretty lonely off and on all day. But at least I was able to pick up some Cheerios earlier. Who can be depressed with Cheerios?

Can I Go Home Now?

Oh wait, I am home.  Sort of.   Today is the day that I get my keys.  I’m working from home so that I can continue to pack.

It seems like every time I pack a box, I realize that there’s more stuff that I haven’t packed that I had forgot about.   Stuff like bathroom stuff.    And so, even though I packed two boxes this morning, I’m no closer to where I need to be.

Anyway . . . . this will all be over soon.

And then the unpacking begins.    Oh brother.

Bed . . . Check

 

I went to Mancini’s Sleep World last night. I purchased a bed which will be delivered to my new place on Saturday. Basically, I’m getting there.If anybody in the East Bay Area is looking for a new mattress, let me know, because if I refer you to the guy who sold me my mattress, I can get a free set of sheets.So, I get my keys on Friday, and Saturday is the big push. I’m going to be doing a Target run on Friday evening for sheets and flatware. Glasses, too.Still so much to do, but it’s all coming in line, I think.

The Plow is Coming

So, this Saturday is moving day, and even though most of my things are packed, I still feel vastly unprepared.

I still don’t have a bed. I didn’t know until this afternoon what I’ll be able to pick up the keys for my place on Friday, so I’ve been holding off on getting the mattress so that I know when I can have it delivered.

I have to call PG&E to have the billing for the electric switched over into my name.

I have to call to get an appointment to have the internet hooked up.

I don’t have any forks or spoons.

I think I need a shower curtain.

Aaahhhhh – it’s all too much. I’m totally freaking out.