The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

The Good:
Well, I'm in the new place. I've got some semblance of a routine going and I've actually cleared one couch off enough to sit on it. Last night, I even figured out that one of the "dead" switches turns an outlet on and off, so now I have a lamp that I can control from the front door. Oh! And the gas stove works....turns out it was just user error that kept me from making the Papa Murphy's pizza I bought for that first night.

Laney is a happy happy cat. I can't decide if it's the week long head start she had that makes her feel ownership over the place, or the subtraction of Tyson from her life...but she's a happy and outgoing and bossy cat. Last night, Blue was in my bedroom and wouldn't come when I called him. I made my voice stern as I commanded, "Blue come here now." He just looked at me nervously. I looked over to the right, and lying right by the path Blue would have to take to exit the bedroom, was Laney. It seems every time he would approach her, she would growl. I laughed. I guess we know who runs the house now.

I'm slowly clearing out the boxes that littered my house. I have a friend from college days coming to stay with me on Saturday, and the goal is for her to be able to navigate the place without having to move boxes around to get comfortable. I'm not sure I'll hit that goal, but I'll sure try. Last night was a HUGE step forward as I put together the new bathroom étagère and was actually able to get the bathroom stuff into the bathroom and up off the floor. This lead to one couch being cleared off, and actually being able to wear makeup to work today.

My boss's wife originally told me that one of the bonuses to the place I would live (that counterbalances the small space) is that I'm so close to Butler University. Even though I was already well acquainted with the campus, I thought she was just blowing me shit. Until I started walking the dogs. Seriously - WHOLE new respect for my alma mater. Now that I'm not just going from the house to class or class to class, and I'm roaming around the gardens and mall....it's gorgeous! I mean, I knew this, but I didn't KNOW this. Blue, Casey and I found a nifty little loop that takes us about 30 minutes in the morning and begins with a nice walk through Holcomb Gardens and ends with about 40 stairs back up to campus from the canal. Shady, picturesque, safe....seriously. SO worth my location. Maybe this will help me get over the sting of the ridiculous tuition I paid for four years and I'll start donating. Maybe.

The dogs are okay with sleeping in the (cool) basement. Why? Because...

The Bad:
Well, I don't have air conditioning, and I don't yet have screens in the newly painted windows. This is a HUGE BOO!!! While the mornings and evenings have actually been pleasant outside, my place has been stifling with no breeze and, um, no breeze. Ugh. Last night Blue literally melted off the couch and onto the hardwood floor. There is no other description for how he slowly slid to the floor. I would have laughed if I hadn't been trying to remain perfectly still in an effort to cool off. I took a poll, and all the animals decided that I should demand screens today or threaten bodily harm. Done.

There is no way to anticipate everything I need to get the house set up. I'm taking things one box at a time. I stumble across bathroom stuff and have no where to put it? Must purchase étagère. Too many books and nowhere to put a bookshelf? Must buy two Rubbermaid 18 gallon tubs. (and then go back for a third...) I'm currently facing random kitchen crap with nowhere to put it. (I don't have a junk drawer? Seriously? Who built a house with no junk drawer in the kitchen??) I'm thinking a rolling set of Rubbermaid drawers to put potholders/junk/spices in. That will be my purchase tonight and should help get rid of three or four more boxes. I will also get more wall anchors (the correct size this time) and screws to actually try and get pictures hung on the walls....

The Ugly:
The basement and I are still not good friends. However, I put all extra lamps down there, so we've reached an uneasy truce. Still. Large spiders that crunch when I kill them? (While sobbing "Ewwwwwww....ew, ew, ew" mind you) Not cool. I'm going to eventually need a dehumidifier, and have you SEEN how much those suckers cost? Ugh.

Oh, and while the washer and dryer are (finally) hooked up and functional, the washer will only wash with hot water. Odd you say? Why yes. Yes it is odd. You might think that perhaps the cold water that feeds the washer is not turned on. Well, I thought of that, and attempted to remedy the situation, only to find that the cold water doesn't actually have a valve to turn it on and off. Only a sad little stump that is apparently turned to the "off" position. Okay - pliers. Negative Houston. Okay - landlord. Plumber visiting tomorrow. I hope it's easily fixable because the laundry situation is becoming dire. (Oh, and here's a tip - don't try to shower after running an empty load in the washer that turns out to be full of hot water. Just a tip.)

While moving stuff into the place, and on death's doorstep, (cause of death - heatstroke) I took it upon myself to wonder why on earth the ceiling fan wasn't making much of a breeze. I mean, it was on high, and it's only about a foot and a half above my head... So Sunday night I stopped the fan to take a look at what might be wrong. Maybe it's going the wrong direction? A direction change yielded nothing. Upon closer inspection, it appears that the fan is jacked up my friends. Jacked. Up. It's like someone put the fan together from extra parts from about five other fans. The pieces all match, but three blades are angled to the left, and three blades are angled to the right - oh, and they're placed in alternating order. This means that the blades are effectively fighting themselves and not really creating any air flow at all. (This is also why it rocks maniacally from side to side when on high....but that's a whole other story.) I would normally just shake my head and laugh at this, but coupled with the lack of screens, it was enough to make me curse the previous tenant and demand reimbursement for the new brackets I purchased to "fix" the jacked up fan. The "fan fixing" experiment is going to be tonight. I'll keep you posted.

The "ride my bike to work" experiment was postponed to next week. There are just too many errands I'm running in the afternoons to pick up random crap to finish the apartment to justify riding my bike. (Although I'm sure I would look ridiculous with Rubbermaid containers strapped to my back. Worth considering, no?) I use that as the reason for the postponement, but in reality, it's the two flat tires that derailed my lofty goals. I'll get those fixed and get back to you.

I'm actually having quite a bit of fun getting settled in, jacked up fan or no. I just wish I could have all this fun while, you know, not working and stuff. After getting home, changing, walking the dogs, and then getting a bite to eat, there is woefully little time in the evenings to get crap put away. Still, progress is sometimes slow, and at least it's noticeable, right? I promise I'll get pictures up here when I'm not embarrassed of the state of my living quarters. (and, you know, when I get internet capabilities set up.)

Stay tuned for the update next week about the "mowing the lawn" experiment.