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December 2006 Archive
Sunday,
December 31, 2006
Bold
Move
I'm taking a risk in drinking a 20 oz. Coca-Cola right now. Hoping
the jolt of sugar and caffeine will propel the last of my packing.
Then I can crash.
I am very happy to report, I have tamed The Paper Tiger. I had boxes
and boxes of piles of papers hiding in cabinets and corners.
Now I've got:
• 1 box with all my tax documents in it, reciepts and old orders
• 1 box with every ever-lovin' bill and financial document. I know
I don't need to keep all of them, but I've never learned what I
do
have to save, so it all got saved.
• 4 boxes of papers - articles to read, articles to save, copies
from library books, brochures from art exhibits, etc, etc, etc,
etc. Four et ceteras. I got rid of at least half of it. Hooray!
• 1 box of "art papers" to add to the six plastic scrapbooking containers
bursting at the seams. I.e. Odds and ends papers collected for collage
and other artmaking. I need a few more of the bins to sort more.
Currently they are sorted by (1) warm colors, (2) cool colors, (3)neutrals,
(4)multi/collagey stuff, (5)solid cardstock, (6) travel stuff. This
is great because I've been tinkering with a new project and want
to do a heckuva a lot more collage. This puts me in great stead
that out of all those boxes, that all the art potential stuff has
been collected.
So, I shouldn't have to buy a magazine or any paper (other than
white, "collage base" stuff) for a very, very long time.
Taming the Paper Tiger is a huuuuge
accomplishment for me. It feels great to have a handle on that.
There's still plenty of sorting and filing to do, but I can wrap
my mind around the size and shape of the endeavor. I don't feel
that looming over me anymore.
posted on 12/31/2006 04:23:00 PM
I am sick.
Dammit.
Nothing more than a headcold, just terribly timed.
But right on time. I only get sick once a year. Between the holidays
and my birthday on January 28th. So, it's right on schedule. And
right in time for the move.
I'm off to the drugstore for vitamin C, toilet paper, kleenex,
something for a sore throat.
I've got very little packing to do, so I just have to hunker down
and do it and then rest. And I'm working with 11 hours sleep,
so that ain't bad.
posted on 12/31/2006 10:09:00 AM
Saturday,
December 30, 2006
Aw,
hell. I think I'm getting a sore throat. I drank 2 quarts of OJ
this evening and now water, water and more water. Let's hope I can
drown the germies.
I was packing up stuff under my desk and I found a button face down.
I got a good laugh when I turned it over:
The background is a fake lettuce leaf. My apartment is one big Cabinet
of Wonders.
posted on 12/30/2006 08:53:00 PM
The corner is growing!
I've got my big headphones on listening to Chicago Public Radio
and getting through (nearly) the last of the packing. I'm thinking
if I can do everything but my big, ol' ten foot long desk and computer
stuff, I'll be in good shape. Hopefully have a low key Moving Eve
archiving computer stuff, disassembling the desk.
Unfortunately,
my Mom went back into the hospital yesterday. She's got a good attitude
about it and just wants to get well. I know I haven't said much,
chiefly because this is my blog, not hers. The short story is that
Mom is a tiny woman who was just diagnosed with Crohn's and she's
at an insanely low weight. I'm a hefty gal, but it's scary thought
that my Mom weighs less than half of what I do! Thankfully, my stepdad
Garry is looking out for her and she's getting good care.
posted on 12/30/2006 12:05:00 PM
Friday,
December 29, 2006
Er,
Moving Monday...
When I went to confirm the time change with the new building, they
said they wanted to go back to the original Monday plan.
*shrug*
posted on 12/29/2006 01:08:00 PM
Thursday,
December 28, 2006
Moving
Sunday!
The new building manager asked me if I could move on Sunday to lighten
the freight elevator schedule. Uh, sure. Thankfully five out of
my six helpers can do it.
Today I went to Pier 1 and got this rug:
!!! $129! It's 5 feet by 8 feet. Totally ties together the colors
in my futon (red and red-orange), my overstuffed chair (yellow-green)
and my window seat (all of the above).
!!!
posted on 12/28/2006 07:50:00 PM
Wednesday,
December 27, 2006
Moving
Monday
Gah. I move on Monday. It's going very well, but I'm tired and crabby
at the moment. So, let me try a more positive assessment of the
situation.
I had loads of stuff packed, but it didn't look like I had made
much progress. I realized that I needed more visual cues to help
the progress psychologically sink in.
I chose to stack all the finished boxes in one corner.
It's a good pile of stuff and I'll be able to add to it quickly.
I broke down my futon frame and I've got my bed out of the way for
the last five nights in the old place. I've got the boxes almost
stacked to the ceiling with heavier at the bottom and lighter at
top. I've got some boxes to top off, but I've used 35 "Small" boxes
from Public Storage. 12"x12"x16" 2 Large's and 1 Medium so far.
I've got the pick up more Small boxes tomorrow morning. No idea
how many to buy, but I love that I can return my unused ones.
In other good news, I will have less than one box of food to move!
I've been eating plenty, but plenty was way past it's expiration
date in the cupboards. It was amazing how long I kept boxes of Jello
(I haven't eaten Jello in at least a few years) and other nonsense.
I recommend visiting your forgotten food.
I am really looking forward to starting fresh in the new place.
Tomorrow I think I'll get boxes and then put in a few hours. Then
perhaps a movie for a mental break. More packing in the evening.
I just can't do nonstop work anymore. My hands get sad and wimpy
and my mind gets itchy. But I've learned how to break up days into
several pieces to built in work and rest.
Yesterday, I gave myself the day to enjoy being back in Chicago.
I saw The Good Shepard, which I enjoyed very much. Between seeing
Casino Royale twice, reading Fleming's novel on my trip to Minnesota,
seeing The Good Shepard and just getting Smiley's People from Netflix,
I've got spying on the brain.
I wish I lived a life of intrigue, but I'm an open book.
posted on 12/27/2006 09:18:00 PM
Monday,
December 25, 2006
I'm home safely after my impromptu Minnesota trip!
I'm happy to report my mom got out of the hospital at noon today
and got to share Christmas dinner with us. She's in good spirits
and I hope her road to recovery is relatively smoothly paved.
Other news:
Numo's second birthday is tomorrow.
I move in one week.
My sister Burgundy is a badass.
Burgundy and her hubby Mike are great together.
I'm ready for a hot bath.
posted on 12/25/2006 09:22:00 PM
Wednesday,
December 20, 2006
Okay,
Blogger was hiccuping for awhile there. Fixed. Ergo, Headlines
from The Brandy Gazette
Agerbeck Celebrates Two Successful
Open Houses
My friends rock. I had a great time.
Brandy Moves January 1, Despite
Warnings
Technically, my current lease is up January 31st, giving me a Plan
B, if need be. Plan A = I need to get out of this old, godforsaken
building. I want to start 2007 in my new home.
Mother Hospitalized Since December
5
Yes, Mom is still hospitalized. I'm not going to get into the details.
We don't even have that many details. It's a Cloud of Medical Mystery.
Brandy Braves Holiday Travel Madness
to Minnesota
I really, really hate traveling over the holidays. Really hate it.
But considering Mom's hositalization, I'm going for a short trip.
It'll be good to see my family. I'm hoping the stress of being there
will be less than the stress of worrying from here.
Agerbeck Packing Reveals Insanity
I'm really trying to be uber-organized with my packing. When I was
sorting friggin' beads, I realized I'm in for real problems. I really
like sorting things. Really, really do. Some sorting is good. I've
got to stop at a certain level, before it's completely nutso.
At this very moment, I'm freaking out. I need to tune into the right
music and just start packing boxes like a mofo.
posted on 12/20/2006 12:21:00 PM
Monday,
December 11, 2006
Post
Open House
I had a fantastic Open House yesterday. Great turnout, smiling faces.
I was uber-tired, but it all came together and I think I was halfway
coherent. The four hours fly by and then I'm sitting in a clean,
empty apartment. It's a crazy feeling.
Emily and Jamie's four-year-old son Simon met Numo, my hedgehog.
Simon was cautious, but did get a close up on Numo's wiggly nose,
and later got to pet Numo who had calmed down. Later, Numo was back
in his igloo. I was standing near his cage and Simon was standing
next to it on my futon. Simon said:
"This is...
This is...
This is...
... one sweet hedgehog."
He had to wind up a bit to get the idea out. In the end he was emphatic.
Later, Simon came up to me and asked, "Do you have a camera?" I
was swamped with folks, so later he asked again. I asked, "Do you
have something I should photograph?"
He instantly posed.
(p.s. Simon is wearing the nametag I designed. It says, "my name
is" and below "ask me about.")
posted on 12/11/2006 09:13:00 AM
Saturday,
December 09, 2006
Update:
Saw Casino Royale. Twice. The past two Thursdays. I'm considering
seeing it every Thursday until it leaves the theater. There's a
huge backstory here, but I don't have the time to tell it yet.
Why, yes, I did enjoy Casino Royale.
Packing is progressing well. Just exhausted with 2.5 weeks of sorting
and purging so far. Extremely productive, just tedious. I have reduced
the Paper Tiger by 60% already.
I've got an Open House tomorrow. Totally looking forward to it,
but all the sorting, purging, packing, cleaning, cooking and prepping
has me tuckered out.
Why, yes, I will be sleeping in on Monday.
Along with all this craziness, my mom has been in the hospital since
Wednesday morning. The short story was that my mom has undiagnosed
GI problems. Last I had heard she was tired on doctors. Next news
was that she was down to 88 pounds and in the hospital. Mom is tiny,
105 lbs on a good day.
Why, yes, I do take after my dad in body type.
She's still undiagnosed, but had exploratory surgery Thursday night.
It's wait and see. She's in Minnesota. My sis is nearby in Minnesota
and literally got seven
calls from my mom to bring Dawn dishsoap to her so she could clean
her glasses.
Why, yes, my mom is on painkillers.
I locked myself out of my apartment yesterday while checking my
laundry. Ten minutes before a conference call. First time in my
life. Thankfully, the part-time, temporary manager was in the office.
Why, yes, I am quite tired.
posted on 12/09/2006 08:31:00 PM
Saturday,
December 02, 2006
Boy,
my apartment is a terrible mess. Piles of nonsense everywhere. Bags
and bags of trash have left the apartment, but plenty more to do.
I am making progress. I'm working on the messiest stuff first: Taming
the Paper Tiger and Tackling the Closet of Forgotten Stuff. I've
only got 3 more boxes of papers to go, and that's ALL of the papers.
No hidden boxes. So exciting.
And my closet is transforming. It had been piled with Forgotten
Stuff. I've Freecycled a bunch of stuff, thrown a bunch of junk
away, gave 3 bags of stuff to Salvation Army. Not much more to do
in the closet! So exciting. It's a big walk in closet, with loads
of cabinets. Fortunately, my boxes fit on the upper shelves, so
I can start boxes of the lighter stuff:
I can fit 12 boxes on the shelves. The super thing about this, is
that I can start the boxes that can't be filled yet, and really
collect things in one place. Right now, these are the boxes: Textiles,
Knickknacks and Frames, Taxes, Containers.
Okay, all this moving talk may be boring, but this is what my life
is about right now. It feels great to get my physical house in order.
Truly deep down order. Concurrently, I'm making a list of to put
my virtual home in order and look forward to working on those during
January and February.
posted on 12/02/2006 10:33:00 AM
Friday,
December 01, 2006
After a tasty lunch with a friend, a couple phone conversations,
another friend picking up some magazines I was giving away, this
is the progress. Not too shabby.
posted on 12/01/2006 04:28:00 PM
The first dent of progress.
It's actually pretty easy to clean when I put my mind to it. I'm
organized and have places for most of my stuff to go. Logical places
even. I'm lousy at the maintenence part. It happens rarely and all
at once.
posted on 12/01/2006 10:10:00 AM
The Damn
Desk
It's a snow day here in Chicago. Horizontal snow, blowing wind woke
me up all night. Snow piled up in the windowsills. I'm outfitted
in long underwear and pjs to combat the chill in my corner apartment.
I'm rolling up my sleeves. I'm tackling the desk. Here is the before:
Yes, I told you I'm a slob. And because I'm moving, I've been tossing
stuff on various piles, so it ain't pretty here right now. But really,
honestly, my 10' long desk made from from Ikea's IVAR components
and painted "Let's Go Yellow" is usually a mess.
I've got a day's worth of podcasts and Charlie Rose online to listen
to. Let's see what happens, shall we?
posted on 12/01/2006 09:40:00 AM
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