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November 2006 ArchiveThursday, November 30, 2006A Thousand Bizarro BonusesInstead of seeing sorting, purging, packing and moving as tedious, I'm choosing to treat it as an adventure, full of surprises. Here is a piece of a photo I had once put in a plastic keychain as a necklace. It's a man on the bleachers next to the Giant Cabbages at the County Fair in Fairbanks in 1991. The theme was The Days of Swine and Roses. I was there with my fellow Earthwatch scholarship receipients after two weeks on the tundra studying ground squirrels.  No, I'm not making that up. And the photo isn't doctored. posted on 11/30/2006 12:54:00 PM Monday, November 27, 2006My Life in 17"x12"x12" BlocksMy packing strategy is do all the sorting, purging now, not when I move in. I've got a clear floor plan of the new apartment a few measurements and 5 weeks. The Uberplanner in me is pleased as punch. The Obsessive in me is going to be happy. I will be tired. I'm starting with 25 Small/Book boxes from Public Storage, plus two Medium sized ones and one Large. I have absolutely no idea how many boxes I need. I just figured: 1. Splurge on new, uniform boxes. 2. Buy the book sized so that the books of papers or books will be heavy but not impossible. 3. The uniform size will make my spatial savvy brain very happy. Only 2.5 days into packing, here's the score:
posted on 11/27/2006 01:08:00 PM Hey, I got the apartment!  posted on 11/27/2006 11:22:00 AM Sunday, November 26, 2006The Big Move.Wow. Okay. I'm moving. Here's the scoop. I got a lease renewal under the door of my 425 sq ft apartment. The cost was going up while the problems with my old building build. I've been in this building ten years, and in this apartment for eight. I was feeling it was the end of an era. Once the thought of moving entered my head, it stuck. I've got a phenomenal view, but I was tired of fuses blown, changing managers (we're on #5 and he's only temporary and rarely in the office), hot water turned off for repairs, poor water pressure, freaky neighbors, poor security. Blah, blah, blah. I absolutely love my neighborhood. So I wasn't going to move very far. Actually, I had my eye on a place across the street... This has all happened quickly: 11/20: Talk to my manager about my being up in the air about the lease. He says diplomatic things but I am done with this place. 11/21: Talk to Kent (my ex) about moving. He says, "MOVE!!" He's advice means loads because he lived in this building a loooong time too, so he is in the know. 11/22: After much thinking about this inevitable change, I realize I should see my options in the building that would be my first choice. I see lots of tiiiny studios, but one one bedroom that I charms me. The management of that building is 100x better than mine. Loads of perks to balance out higher rent. 11/23-24: During my Thanksgiving travels, I spend lots of time thinking about a one-bedroom I was shown. Talk to my friends, they are excited for me. I worry, because I haven't applied for an apartment in really a decade, since I moved into this building. I'm uber responsible, but I don't know how stringent they are. 11/25: In the morning, now back in Chicago, I apply for the one bedroom. The manager I've been talking to makes this seem like a done deal. I hope she's right. Since I am self-employed, I did bring in a copy of tax info that had last year's total income, so I don't look like risky tenant. It's looking good. I don't worry about not getting it. I can figure out Plan B if Plan A is a bust. Besides, my lease is up Jan 1, not Dec 1. I can't tell you how fabulous it would be to have a one bedroom apartment. Currently, I have a large studio and it's constantly a mess. Yeah, I'm a messy person. Quite messy. But as my ex-boyfriend Kent says, "You're not too many cats messy, you're too many ideas messy." An apartment always upturned with projects. I really, truly clean all of it once a year (for the holidays) and rarely have guests over. The idea is to use the bedroom as a workroom and office. Sleep on my futon in the living room. It is absolutely delicious to think of having a door to close between work and relaxation. I plan to make a "Loosetooth.com World Headquarters" sign on the door. I've got 5 weeks to pack. Thankfully, money is just fine, so I've got the time. My challenge is to do all of the cleaning and purging of old stuff before I move. Really pare down. I've tried to do that the last few years, but it felt too overwhelming. Like the "soil" of clutter in my apartment had been packed down too far to make a dent. Beside super socializing, I had a tedious but productive weekend. After Jim helped me get boxes, I went for the suckiest task first - Taming the Paper Tiger. I've got a great idea for filing all my source files. BUT I hadn't spent much time sorting through all the boxes of papers tucked around in corners. I chewed through four boxes of papers on Saturday, three more today. As a result, I've got that all down to one 17"x12"x12" box that's 80% full. I know there's two more boxes to go. And some current piles around. I really hope there isn't any more lurking in the big walk-in closet. Keep your fingers crossed for me that I got my first choice apartment! posted on 11/26/2006 09:31:00 PM Tuesday, November 21, 2006Rest in Peace, Robert Altman. I knew he wasn't immortal, but this news makes me very sad. I "discovered" Altman with Short Cuts, which I really enjoyed. Subsequently, whenever I watched an Altman movie I'd never be wowed, but nearly always very charmed. Hearing him talk about his process, I think I really enjoyed witnessing the movie as a document of the process more than a stellar product. And I say that with the utmost respect and affection.posted on 11/21/2006 12:11:00 PM Wednesday, November 08, 2006Okay, now that that is out of my system...At 2:00 I packed up my outgoing mail and my gym stuff. Heading to the mailbox, I realized how gorgeous it was outside. Bright, shiny light. Great temperature. I headed back home and dropped off my gym stuff. Went back outside for a walk along the lake (Michigan, that is.) Moseyed along the sand for about two hours. Here are some pics.  Blowing sand  My pinchers holding blue pinchers. (The henna on my hands will be explained soon from earlier adventures.)   Huh   So nice I rolled up my pant legs. Sat on a bench and enjoyed the view:     A berry-laden tree on the way home. Coming from Minnesota Agate Hunters, I've taken up  I've been on nonstop adventures since mid-August. I feel so buried under unwritten blog posts. I'm working on getting caught up! Also beginning to set myself up for a podcast so I can talk instead of typing. Keep an eye out. Go take a walk. posted on 11/08/2006 05:08:00 PM You Keep Getting the Same Lesson Until You Learn It Within the last couple months, I regaled you all with a story of eating Tom Kha soup on an empty stomach then hurling it. Remember those halcyon days? Well, I just barfed the egg nog. What a knob I am. Remember, Brandy. After exertion, water. Water. Water. Water. Not high calorie, rich liquids. Water. It bears repeating. Water. posted on 11/08/2006 04:33:00 PM I just guzzled a half a quart of Light Holiday Eggnog. Not good to purchase one of my favorite beverages and a ravenously empty stomach after a two hour mosey. It was darn good. Tis the season. More in a moment. posted on 11/08/2006 04:22:00 PM |
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