A Win

Victory is mine! So, maybe people don't find the perfect apartment after their first trip out -- but I did it on my second try. I haven't really written about the actual getting of the apartment, even though I've known since Friday, because I've been waiting for Tom to see the place. That's right; he trusts me enough to agree to live somewhere I've chosen without even seeing it. BUT. I didn't want to go on and on about how excited I was if he ended up hating it -- a slim chance, but you never know.

We went by this afternoon whilst the landlady was cleaning and preparing to paint. As we turned onto the little one-way street we'll soon call home, Tom was a little nervous. After all, there is a semi-scary apartment building at the entrance to the street. But once you start down the road, you can see that it is lined with miniature houses like ours. I'll admit, even though I tried to prepare him for the small size of the place, he was still surprised. However, he loved the location (don't we all?) and the renovations she's made to the place are dandy. When I went to see the property the first time the tenants still had stuff in there and it was hard for me to be really nosy and grasp the space; I like to stare at a room and visualize how my furniture will look. So this time I had a good long hard look. Also, with this return visit, I've had time to assess what we have at the current apartment so I can really picture what should go where. I turned on the water. Great flow. The bathroom and kitchen are fantastic. Especially the kitchen, very open and in the center of the house. The washing machine is only a couple years old. I'm going to get a big fluffy rug for the downstairs laundry area -- to make it more cozy and less dreary.

We'll be moving in during the last week in May. This is the part that I hate: the moving. I'm hoping that we will be able to make small trips with stuff in our cars on our way to work and then make one BIG move with the furniture. And then comes the cleaning. Cleaning the old place and cleaning up all the random crap that accumulates when you live anywhere longer than 2 weeks. Maybe it will give me a chance to sort through all our mail. Nah, I'll probably just bag it up and complain about it. The only good thing about moving is that you are forced to see what items you've forgotten you had. The items you haven't seen or used since the last time you moved. I'm going to stop talking about it because it's depressing me.

And who wants to be dragged down by the drudgery of moving when they should be thinking about new furniture for the house? I only need two things: a kitchen table and a futon ... and the futon is sort of negotiable. We just would like a crash space for people in the second bedroom if they need it. We sort of want a new tv -- especially in light of the fact that our current one (thanks Tash) may not even fit in our new living room. There is a black bar-height table with two saddle style stools (which I love) for $50 that I am seriously considering. It will go well with our bar stools. They're white, but I think black and white will be cute.

I am so thrilled that everything worked out. We're signing the lease on Tuesday.

By a Hair

I might not have even wanted it, but it doesn't matter, it's gone.

The couple who saw the place before me loved it and scooped up the beloved place right before my very eyes -- as I pulled up to the property. Depressing. But, oh well. It was a bit pricey (@ $1150 per month) and it did have downstairs neighbors. Maybe it's meant to be. And who finds the perfect apartment on their first excursion out? Obviously not me.

But the search must go on. I'm checking out this little beauty today:

As you can see, it has a little backyard (SO cute for widdle Marie) that would be fun for get togethers and whatnot. It is a 2 bedroom teeny house so you have the whole place to yourself. It also has a great location, just off 5th South and is going for the price of $1000 a month. Fingers and toes crossed, please.

The Search

God, looking for an apartment is terrible. No wonder people buy houses and just live there forever. Moving sucks balls. Hard. Today, whilst searching on KSL, I found 2 apartments in great areas with a fantastic price. They are both gone! My lease expires June 1st, barely one measly month away. There are 2 houses on 8th East and 3rd South that look promising ... but they could turn out to be total crap holes. And the dude won't return my calls. He is listed as the seller for both properties -- another sign they could be dumps.

This could be promising. Super great location and only $800 per month.

Oh, but I just talked to Mary Ann and she said that they already have an offer pending.

Blah.

Or what about this? I'm going to see it tomorrow -- but it doesn't have ANY on-site laundry.

I've used a laundromat in my apartment complex and I still hated it.
Once you've been spoiled with your own washer and dryer, you can't go back. 

It would be like using an outhouse.

This, however, is the piece de resistance, the love, the want.

It is $1150 a month and is a tad bit further from downtown than we would like,

but it's a beauty. See:

We'd have a little porch.

And a fabulously new kitchen.

A nice living room with hardwood floors.

A lovely second bedroom.

Double sink bathroom.

Tub and walk-in shower.

Master bedroom with walk-in his and hers closets. Perfect.

We wouldn't have a bike in the bedroom.

I'm having difficulty contacting the tenants so I can actually get IN and see the place. I spoke with the landlord and he seemed like a friendly fellow. Cross your fingers for me. I'm hoping for this one to work out.

Laundry Continued

Well, I wanted to get up early today and finish the laundry. The whites were folded (beautifully, I might add) and put away in their proper place. I slept in my shabby chic sheets and a clean comforter. And all my best intentions were aimed at finishing the laundry today. But it's 10:13 PM and I am running the washing machine -- again -- and fluffing the clothing in the dryer. So, enter plan B. As soon as I am done writing this post I will take the colors out of the dryer and hang up all the shirts (on white hangers in color order) immediately (or immediantely, as some people say) and then I will divvy socks from underwear. Match the socks. Fold the underwear. Put away. It is only due to my love of my closet that I go through this ordeal. I so wish I could throw socks at random into a drawer or hang up clothes willy nilly. But honestly, getting dressed in the morning is hard enough; what to wear what to wear. If the closet is beautified the selection process is decidedly more pleasant.

Sounds simple. I will update you tomorrow on my progress, nay, my COMPLETION.

Parking Wars

I have new neighbors, well, neighbors period. Our apartment complex is just beginning to fill up. We've had blissful quiet and free reign of the area for the last 4 months. Now we have neighbors. And on the one day we have the old car out for the day, they steal our parking space. It's not technically 'ours' but we park there all the time -- it's right outside our door. They live on the other side of us and the distance means that the space shouldn't be theirs. They park this huge, disgusting truck in a space meant for cars. Their little hooky towey thing sticks out into the road. I hate this. So for the last two days I've been stalking the slot in the hopes that I can slip the car back to its home.

Today: VICTORY!

Shortly after 10:30 this morning I just happened to peek out the window before hopping in the shower. I was actually looking to see if the truck was still there, but lo and behold, I saw two people walking past the apartment. These mystery people are said neighbors. I run downstairs and crack open the front door. Yes, they are in fact entering the monstrosity and then driving away. Ah ha. I quickly jump in the car and return it to its established parking spot, where it will sit for the next week, proving to the new neighbors that that parking spot is OURS. Eat our car, people we don't know.

Eeriness

We were talking tonight at work about scary movies or scary stories we had heard. It was harmless -- simple exchanges between us to fill the time. And I thought nothing of it; telling them about frightening books or dreams of my own.

But by the time I arrived home, all the things I had heard were lurking in the back of my mind. I wasn't thinking about them directly. The thoughts would slip past my consciousness and then back into the shadows. Tom was not yet home and the apartment was quiet. Still. I tidied up the bedroom. I walked into the closet to hang up shirts. As I reached up my arms I began to feel creepy and exposed. I turned around and looked out at the empty room. Nothing there, nothing to worry about. I held my breath and steadied myself to walk back out to the room and keep my back to the closet. I bent down to throw out the water bottles by the bed and stared at the dark space known as 'under the bed.' I looked over my shoulder to see the closet. Nothing. I threw away the water bottles and then went into the bathroom to organize the clutter on the counter. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, transfixed. Didn't Bloody Mary come out of mirrors? I thought I heard the front door open and close and ran to the stairs. As I peeked over the railing, waiting to see Tom walking up, I peeked over my shoulder again -- just to make sure nothing was behind me. And no one came up the stairs.

Eventually I turned on the TV in order to drown out my own fears and scary thoughts. I'm an adult, am I not? Shouldn't I be brave and think nothing of trivial things like ghosts or zombies? I've always hated being home alone because I get freaked out by the teeniest thing. And the worst thing is that even now, as a full grown human, I feel like a child, afraid of my own thoughts and imagination.

Chores

I hate undone projects around the house. Whether it's ongoing chores or a one-time thing, I can't stand seeing them lying around, mocking me. I have bursts of ambition (usually the day before I actually need to get the thing done) and when the day comes, I will look for any sort of distraction to keep me from doing it. And I really WANT to do them because I want the house to be nice, but I also want to have fun or take a nap or watch tv or go see a movie or go out to dinner...pretty much anything else. Oh well. Here are some things I'm trying to get done this weekend:

• Unpack books and put on bookshelves
• Take down Christmas tree and decorations
• Put up shelves in the garage and fill them with various crap
• Organize the mail
• Build the table we bought at Ikea a month ago
• Do the dishes
• Clean the bathroom
• Get a car wash

Hopefully nothing interesting (or uninteresting) will keep me from completion.

Sinking In

Our new apartment has a crazy hot water heater. I can fill up the entire bathtub with boiling hot relaxation. I love to dip my feet in, then slowly lower the rest of my person into the steaming water. My toes turn red and then eventually the rest of me is red as well; a lovely shade of pink, like I'm blossoming. I will lean my head back. I will read. I will put one foot out to regulate temperature. I will close my eyes and drift away. I will listen to the rustling echo of turned pages. I will watch myself become gooey like melted chocolate and lose my mind in written words.

Cave People Died at Age 30

Oh my god. We have been without the internet and TV for 5 days. I know that it doesn't seem like a long time, but it is. It is a really fucking long time.

How do people survive without the internet? How do they access their information? How do they look up show times for movies or how late stores are open or how soon that storm is moving in? How do they check their email/facebook/blog? How do they pay their bills? Do their banking? Play games?

Cave people died young. Their lives were really hard because they were always foraging for food and trying to kill mammoths for food and trying not to become food. Also, they did not have TV or internet. So basically: when they weren't trying to stay alive, they were bored witless. No wonder they died so young. Their lives sucked ass. Think about how much more enjoyable their life would have been if they had "Friends" to watch. Or if they could join match.com and find a more compatible mate - one that would not be upset about trying to get the mastodon smell out of the rug.Our life is decidedly "techish" but I'm not one to complain because I'm not dying at the age of 30 and I'm not bored. I don't mind being semi-dependent on technology because I'm also semi-dependent on oxygen - and to me, there is little difference. A contestant on "Survivor" said that they enjoyed their time because they were able to "detox from technology." Okay, what? Technology is in our lives to better it. It does not control us. We control IT. It is a tool for us to use and use to excess if that is what we choose. Sometimes people tell me that they don't like having a cell phone because they hate the feeling that they can always be contacted, bugged, pestered, and so on. And to those people I say: don't answer your phone. It's that simple. We can use tech stuff to make our lives better and when we don't want to use it, we can put it away. I don't feel that it controls our lives, it simply takes us far and away from cavemen. We've evolved and it's fabulous.

Searching

Please help me find the following items for my household:

• garbage cans - perfect in size and shape; non-offensive color; not too pricey (after all, it's for garbage)
• soap dispensers - beautiful and interesting; each shaped differently; color coordinated with its corresponding room
• dishes - red or with hints of red; modern or classic design (makes no difference); not too heavy; microwavable;

I've been searching high and low - but perhaps you have seen something higher or lower that meets these criteria. I want something I love love love but the search is wearing me down.

Sleeping on the Floor

The bed is supposed to be a haven; beautiful bedding complete with piled pillows, blankets, and a comfy mattress. It also helps to have a comfy sleeper next to you. Currently, our box springs and mattress are on the floor. I hate this for many reasons, one being that, while I'm sure there is no difference, I feel like I'm not sleeping as well as I usually do. My neck feels quirky, my back stiff, my shoulders squishy. But the main problem is a twofold problem: I can't put up the bedframe because it is so old we can't move it once it's up and I don't yet know where I want to bed to go so I guess we'll just keep sleeping on the floor until I make up my mind. Hopefully my mind won't get a crick in it...

Burds Nesting

Our new apartment is lovely.
And we're filling it with lovely things:
Our old bed which is my old bed

Classic loveseat

Modern chair
Beautiful soap dispensers
Soothing garbage cans
Method handsoap

Packed pantry
Square plates
Interesting glasses
The best pots and pans
Fuzzy rugs
Glass-handle shower curtain rings
Leafy curtain
Dove soap
Color-coordinated closet
Folded pants
Rows of shoes
Piles of blankets
Burd table
Love

Welcome Home.

Moving In?

So, the apartment that we've been waiting to move into for like 2 months called today and told us that we could move in.

Yay.

Wait, not quite yet. Tom almost wanted to change his mind about taking the new place when he found out that the ONLY internet option available was Qwest. DSL. Lame.

I know that the internet is not the be-all end-all of the world, but it almost is. How can one function without superfast internet? Information at the touch of a button, blogging, movie times, shopping, TV shows, email, chatting, and on and on. How is it possible that parts of the world are not yet operating on lightning fast cable internet? I hate waiting for civilization to be 100% civilized.

We're taking the apartment - it's too good to pass up. But you can now call us "The Slowskys."