Typing a post on my own computer is like sleeping in my own bed. It’s been so long, but I’m finally home. Ahhhh.
We’ve got almost all of the furniture we need. The loft beds are arriving tomorrow, so the boys won’t have to sleep on the floor anymore. We even bought a desk for our computer, and had the internet installed today. It works. We also bought a cheap TV stand from Target, so we wouldn’t have to stick it on a chair, like we’ve done for the last 6 years. The crappy thing is that it is in the living room, and I’m one of those people who is embarrassed about my TV love. We don’t actually get TV, but we rent the good stuff on DVD and watch late at night, while I knit.
I think I’ve got the ants mostly under control. We had the maintenance guy come today and check the air conditioning, which seemed to shut off if we ran the dishwasher. Which is bad, because I don’t think Derek will ever go back to washing all the dishes by hand again, unless I threaten to never cook for him again.
The maintenance dude said we could seal up the crazy panel in our closet where all the smoke from the downstairs neighbors was coming through. Yucky, old, nasty smoke. We’re gonna shrink-wrap the panel to the wall.
I bought a Dyson. I tried two Hoovers, and they both broke the second I took them out of the box. I’m in love with my Dyson. I find myself looking around the apartment, thinking, “What can I vacuum?”
I put all the cool kitchen stuff in the storage with Henrietta. The Kitchen-aid, the Cuisinart, the blender, the unscratched silverware, lots of stuff. My kitchen is too tiny to do any serious cooking. I don’t even have room for all my spices. I threw some away yesterday, because I don’t use things like sambaar powder often enough to justify it taking up prime real estate.
I went to Costco in Cincinnati yesterday, and not only did they not have ANY good bread like the LaBrea sourdough or Prairie Grain Co. whole wheat that they stock in Orem, but they didn’t have the jalapeño-cheese sauce Derek likes. And I got lost on my way there.
But I already have a friend from church, who has invited me to three things in as many days. I live about 10 minutes from TJ’s. I got a library card the other day, and the library is great. The elementary school is fantastic, and it turns out that almost all the 5-year-olds from church are also in the afternoon kindergarten. At least one is in Calvin’s class.
I’m tired, tired, tired, but almost all the boxes are unpacked and put away. Now I can switch from survival mode to creative mode. Or something.
p.s. Derek was here while the guy installed the internet this morning, and the first thing he did was check my blog. When I got out of the shower, he said, “Wow, you’ve got a lot of nice friends.” Thank you all for your comments, advice, sympathy, well-wishes, and kind words.
August 16, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Well wishes? pfft! The best you’ll get from me is sarcasm.
A Dyson vacuum have I secretly coveted for many moons. Our junker still mostly works though, so it’s hard to justify.
Good luck with sealing up against smoke. I lived upstairs from smokers during college, and I’m not sure I can give you much of a positive outlook with my experience, but I think you can make it livable.
Send me your new address, phone number, and other pertinent info… while you’re at it, send that stuff to everyone who needs it
August 16, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Ooooooo, Dyson (Homeresque doughnut moan). I want a Dyson… my dumb vaccum is holing on for dear life, and I will never get a Dyson. Sigh.
And how dang cute is it that the hubby checks your blog FIRST, before anything else he could be checking! CUTE!
Ahhhh! A friend in a new place… I like her already.
August 16, 2007 at 3:57 pm
TJ’s? That’s required!
Oh, you mean Trader Joe’s and not TJ Maxx. Well, both are required for our mutual lives of leisure.
August 16, 2007 at 4:45 pm
Nungnung, all I’ve ever gotten from you is sarcasm, so it’s not like you’re setting a precedent or anything.
Bon, maybe when the renovations are done, you can splurge and get the Dyson. Call it another renovation. Or a necessity. Derek was shocked when I told him (after I bought it) how much it cost, but since I’ve been so happy with it, he has decided it was worth it.
Azucar, TJ Maxx, check. Trader Joe’s, check. Lives of leisure, HA! That one made me fall out of the chair. Leisure, schmesure. Although I haven’t been to TJ Maxx yet, since mostly what I buy there is kitchen stuff, and my new kitchen is half the size of yours. I will have to forgo all purchasing of kitchen tchotchkes and/or useful items. Sigh.
August 16, 2007 at 7:23 pm
Yeah what Azúcar said.
Glad you’re getting settled and that you’re back online. Oh and that those ants are dying one by one hurrah!
August 16, 2007 at 10:03 pm
Wow you do good work…I think I still have some boxes left to unpack after 2 years. And if you have run out of vaccuumable items, I could loan you a few.
Oh you naive girl thinking Cincinatti and Jalapeno Cheese sauce would work together in the same sentence. Well unless you can find a lonely little mexican grocery store somewhere. Otherwise you may have to do what I’ve had to do and learn how to make all your favorite Mexican dishes…or give them up until you move again someday.
August 17, 2007 at 5:10 am
Give them up? Never! The happy thing is that since we lived in Mexico when I was a wee lass, my mom learned the comida Mexicana, so it’s not a problem, except that I’m lazy. As my brother Nungnung can attest. (By the way, Nungnung is Chinese for “soft in the brain.”)
CW, some of those ants are dying by my own hand. Or foot. But it’s getting down to 3 or 4 a day, as opposed to 20 or 30 an hour. Hurray!
August 17, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Wow! So you speak Chinese too? That is admirable, but also a bit unfortunate for your brother because now we all know, well, you know …..
But never mind. I just came across something on the Internet which might enrich your knowledge of the language. A Chinese couple wanted to name their son “@” (They are getting as crazy over there as people are here!). The request was denied, even though the couple told the authorities that the letters ‘a’ and ’t’ can be pronounced in a way that sounds like the phrase “love him” in Chinese.
I think that would have been a nice name. And so much cooler than those Sixties creations like “Moonshine” or “Phoenix” or whatever.
I wonder how long it will take before names like “Bertha” or “Wilbur” will become fashionable again.
August 17, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Haa ha ha ha! No, I don’t speak Chinese, though I always wanted to. And someday, when I don’t have 3 barnacles clinging to me… So my brother is married to a girl whose parents are Taiwanese. I think his screen name actually means soft and/or squishy. He’s not really soft in the brain. He is, after all, my brother.
The thing that bugs me about “@” is that it was originally used to denote an approximate time, and was pronounced like it looks, “around.” Doesn’t that make sense? It has evolved to mean a specific time, or a location, and that makes me a little sad. But I can stand “love him.”
And I could never handle a Bertha. That’s what my mom always called her monthly visitor.
August 17, 2007 at 3:59 pm
Hi Sarah, Glad you’re settling in, that the ants are almost conquered, and the smoke is in “wraps.” We have a Dyson that we love. It actually removes dirt and lint from the floor, unlike the last couple we had. Sorry I wasn’t “nice” enough to comment earlier. LOL Seriously, it’s hard work getting settled into a new place and not feeling lost.
August 17, 2007 at 5:12 pm
How interesting, that use of Bertha. Could we make that a joint research project? In other cultures, she is called “Aunt Sophie”. That threw me such a curve when I first visited Belgium and my future sisters-in-law informed me that they were suffering from that conditiion. I had no clue in the beginning, but watching them made me realize what they were referring to.
Glad for your brother and his brain
But I guess you enjoy teasing him profusely.
August 17, 2007 at 9:16 pm
seriously, this sounds just too familiar seeing how we packed and moved almost exactly one year ago. The school souds AMAZING! The ward sounds great. I’m so relieved for you. My TJ’s is about 25 minutes away. SO JEALOUS.
August 30, 2007 at 9:57 pm
I’m glad you guys are getting settled in! Is it so exciting to be starting life in a new place?! But I’m sad you’re so far away. You were pretty far away before, so I guess it should be no big deal.