May 09, 2005
Paring Down
On Saturday evening, I received a wonderful surprise by way of Dallas, via the Almost Husband�s disorganized company. It came in the form of my actual Almost Husband, shipped back to New York after only five days. The return, albeit temporary, made my weekend.
What can I do to make your weekend better, to make your workweek feel less crappy? he asked.
Why, take apart the cat scratching post couch!
Recently, I have been trying to pare things down. The reality of us merging households is getting closer. We have a library�s worth of books. He has a/v equipment. And we both have cats. Lots of them. Taking all of this into account, I have realized that much of my extraneous belongings must go. We are both fans of open, clean spaces and at the current moment, even with a giant, pipedream of an apartment, we would still be drowning in crap.
You would think that removing a couch would be a simple procedure. Angle it out of the doorway and then, with two people, maneuver it down the staircase to the trash. Yeah. Right. When I moved in, the movers had to remove my front door to get this love seat inside. Not wanting to face that upheaval (and misalignment of locks) again, we took to the couch with hammer and saw. Three hours later and an almost black eye later, we carted the couch carnage out to the curb, vacuumed and washed the floor, made a drink, and surveyed the new openness of my living room.
I have to tell you, by New York standards, it looks much cuter and a little wider. It could even house a new bookshelf, if I wanted to go that route. But honestly, right now it is all about making the house look sellable. Cute and sellable. And empty. And clean. Because friends, in three months the abode is going on the market. The Almost Husband and Almost Wife will finally be able to seek official cohabitation, four cats and all. I am so excited.
Now I just need a Dyson and a buyer. More about the Dyson and, perhaps, the Unfortunate Pigeon Pooping Incident, tomorrow.
Posted by callalillie at 09:19 AM | Comments (14)
January 03, 2005
Quackers
You know that noise that Donald Duck makes? You know, the one when he gets angry and his whole body erupts into that quacking fit? I think they call it going quackers.
When I get really frustrated, like when people stop in the middle of the sidewalk to talk on their cell phones loudly or I get put on hold for endless hours only to get a machine, I go quackers. Because I am a repressed individual, it all happens inside, though sometimes I throw things, like my big rubber band ball, which nearly missed hitting an intern moments ago.
We are currently experiencing an unusually high call volume. A customer representative will be available to assist you in 20 minutes.
Which is a little better than two weeks ago when I called and was greeted with this message:
We are currently experiencing an unusually high call volume and cannot take your call. Please hang up and call at another time.
Which all basically translates to:
We have your f-wad STAR rebate application somewhere in our office, but we dont' know where it is and really don't want to deal with you or any of the other 8,000 angry, frustrated New Yorkers who have been calling and asking where their g-damn mofo 400 bucks are.
At least now, I am down to the 17-20 minute range.
And then the update:
I'm sorry, I'm just in the call office. I have no idea if they recieved your application. All I can suggest is that you SEND IT AGAIN. [You mean there's no system to check to see if the City recieved my application FOUR MONTHS AGO?] No, I'm sorry, there's no system to do that.
Sometimes, this city makes me go quackers.
Posted by callalillie at 11:18 AM | Comments (12) |
Catching Up
I have been a little remiss in my New Year's reflection, in part because this week flew by, but mostly because I hate the holiday season. When your birthday falls on the New Year, you cannot help but hold your accomplishments/failures up against two screens-- a year of your life and an official year of the world.
The past few days have been a wonderful segway into the New Year, however. But before I annotate the above photos, let me note what I arrived home to last Monday:
- Anyone remember me lamenting the fact that my door locks no longer lined up? Pshaw on the cold weather! Eight billion coop phone calls and emails later, it was discovered that NOBODY's locks were working.
Catalyst: the building next door is being gut renovated. I watched for a few weeks as they created a gigantic sandbox in the neighboring courtyard, evidently digging out their basement. Meanwhile, our ENTIRE BUILDING was SHIFTING. Do not even ask how many times I have called 311 in the past 5 days.
- I STILL have not received my STAR rebate.
- A day or so later, our sewer decided to back up, creating a giant poo-marsh in our basement.
Thankfully or not, the New Year's holiday hindered me from making any further phone calls (once our basement was sucked dry, mind you). Instead, Lex took it upon himself to help me have a better-than-normal birthday (which I did, thank you very much).
He also took the opportunity to convince me that some action needed to be taken in regard to my sleeping quarters, most notably my futon, which has always been a prime nook to me, but then again, I wrap myself into a comforter cocoon and curl into the edge of the bed. Apparently, it is slanted.
Long story short: bought a bed, moved the futon into the living room (now TWO people can lie on the couch at once!), and wound up having to reorganize most of the apartment.
This turned out to be a good thing, despite the minor upheaval, and spurned a whole new push to hang things, like the art I received for Christmas and all of the crap I have collected from subway and railroad track excursions (they can be useful, you know). In fact, I might even get around to framing things this week. Whoo hoo!
Meanwhile, Olive is back to her nutball self, having discovered the joys of the laser pointer. Irving is making strides in male-to-male tolerance, and my basement doesn't smell nearly as stinky as it did the other way.
No one's locks work, though, and I still haven't received my f-wad STAR rebate. Sounds like another call to 311.
Happy New Year!
Posted by callalillie at 04:13 AM | Comments (11) |
October 06, 2004
On the Market?
How does one find out if a property is on the market? Is there some sort of central database somewhere, or does one need to be a sacred real estate agent to access it?
The oddest of odd. Rumor has it that the owners of my neighbor's apartment are selling. The info that we have is appartently out of date, as no phone numbers are correct, etc. What is a lonely coop president with no experience and waning interest to do?
Buy the neighbor's apartment, of course, and knock through the wall to create a nice, big floor through. Yeah. Right.
Posted by callalillie at 03:29 PM | Comments (6) |
September 14, 2004
Alarmed
Does anyone know how to pick a lock? I used to be quite good at it, but my recent attempts with this alarm box have proven at the very least novice. In fact, I think I broke the lock.
The only thing that has ever felt weird about this apartment is that it came with the remnants of an alarm system. It's a small one bedroom apartment in Park Slope-- one of the most gentrified, neighborly, lovey-dovey, squishy feeling neighborhood in Brooklyn...probably even the urban universe. It is on the fourth floor and there is no fire escape (Chris was quite concerned by this...I believe he used the term point of egress).
To summarize: someone would have to be pretty damned determined to break into my apartment. They would need either to climb a tree (which would require getting into the courtyards), lower themselves two stories from the roof, or swing into a window from a neighbor's fire escape.
Despite these criminal impediments, the door and all windows are armed with (now deactivated) sensors and there is a big alarm box collecting dust in my bedroom closet.
I don't get it.
What is more, I can't get the alarm box open to save my life. I'd like to remove all of the wires running through my closet but am unsure of what they are attached to. And I want to tinker. Yeah, that's pretty much why I want to get it open.
Posted by callalillie at 01:00 AM | Comments (13) |
September 08, 2004
Haphazard House Painting
What does one do after a long day at work, laden with a minor stomach bug and a slight case of anxiety that will not allow her to sit still?
Why, paint the apartment doors, silly! Why didn't you think of that?
I've actually been meaning to paint the doors in my apartment for a long time. The bedroom door and closets are all made of cheap wood (if it actually is wood), and the former owner had stained them a very dark mahogany. Don't bet me wrong-- I like a nice off white/white/mahogany contrast...just not in a 550sq. ft. apartment. For the past few months, each time I looked at the doors I felt the rooms getting smaller and smaller.
Since the hardware store around the corner of my office is going under, I took advantage of the 80% discount to buy some paint and brushes. Last night I began the project, full well knowing that I would a) probably need several coats per door, b) probably run out of paint and c)most likely need to spend a few hours removing white paint from the kitten. All came true.
For those of you who have been in my apartment, you will understand that removing the doors from their hinges was out of the question. Still, by the time I went to bed, I'd completed the fronts of three doors-- the hall closet, my bedroom closet, and my bedroom door.
I like it thus far. I am by no means a good house painter, but I seem to have accomplished some form of acceptable coating. The white really does make a difference. Now I just need to figure out how to paint the inside of the bathroom door without standing in the toilet bowl. Some decent, non-downpour morning light would be nice, as well, so that I don't have to completely change screw with the color balance settings of each image in photoshop.
Posted by callalillie at 07:12 AM | Comments (6) |
August 25, 2004
A Question of Perception
So, does one consider herself:
a) Miserably disgusted
b) Faintly nauseated
c) Perhaps a little lucky in regard to location
d) Slightly impressed by his inventiveness
when she wakes to find a pile of Uncle Irving cat vomit in the bathtub?
Posted by callalillie at 04:44 AM | Comments (10)
July 06, 2004
Park Slope Peninsula, Complete
Wow. It is amazing how much of a different 62" of countertop can make. My parents, the saints that they are, drove down from VT on Saturday to put the finishing touches on my kitchen peninsula-- and then drove back home the same day, despite my offering of the apartment to them. I absolutely love the completed kitchen. I was surprised at how easily the peninsula can be used as a breakfast nook. Thank goodness I kept those bar stools around.
The before and middle of this project.
Posted by callalillie at 04:40 AM | Comments (20)
June 14, 2004
Quick Kitchen Update
Reports from Southern Vermont confirm the completion of my stainless steel countertop. Yay! And no, that is not my kitchen, though I wish that it was.
Posted by callalillie at 12:50 PM | Comments (8)
June 13, 2004
Park Slope Peninsula, Part I
Well, better late then never. Here’s a view of my new kitchen peninsula—or the beginnings of it. My father arrived at my apartment on Tuesday morning and, after a few snafus relating to made-to-order cabinets, set to work on installing two base cabinets with top drawers. While I was at work, he lugged a few hundred pounds up and down my fourth floor walkup. When I got home, it was pretty much done.
Of course, this is just Phase I. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find the right corner shelf for the unit, which will extend the peninsula to its full 60”. My father will build it from scratch up in VT, where the stainless steel countertop is being crafted. The back of the unit cannot be installed until the shelf is in, and we need to finish the base. Hopefully everything will be installed in early to mid July, the next time my parents come to visit.
In the meantime, I need to figure out what exactly I’m going to put in the cabinets and drawers. I’ve installed a double trash can holder on glides inside the outermost cabinet; however that’s about as far as I’ve gotten.
Related
The before pictures of my kitchen.
Posted by callalillie at 04:35 PM | Comments (12)
June 07, 2004
Kitchen Prep
I spent Sunday afternoon cleaning and organizing the apartment in preparation for its kitchen facelift. The work will occur in three phases.
Tomorrow, my father will build the island/peninsula base, which will extend out from where the small butcher block cabinet is now. That evening we will take a trip to the great Mecca known as the Hicksville Ikea to pick up the cabinetry, to be installed on Wednesday. I will live with a temporary countertop for a few weeks while I wait for the official stainless steel top to be completed.
My surface space will nearly double in depth-- increasing from 12" to 28" and will jut out about 60", again almost double the length that I currently have. I plan to use one of the two base cabinets as a trash receptacle area (I can't stand having a trash can out in the open) for both regular garbage and recylables. I am also hoping to install an end bookcase to house my cookbooks.
The entire peninsula should sit closer to the main kitchen area so that I can actually turn and use both workspaces for one project, instead of my current situation, where I generally wind up dropping/spilling whatever I am doing en route from one area to the other. The pot rack will have to be raised and recentered. I am very excited yet also a bit nervous, as I have never done construction on a living space that I've actually owned.
Lastly, I will be ordering some new hardware for my cabinets. I have great cabinet space in my kitchen already; however, they are the cheapest kind on the market. While I cannot afford to reface them at this time, I would like to get new handles/knobs, just to spruce them up a bit and provide some continuity between the new construction and the old. My mother has alerted me to myknobs.com, while I love just for its name. I am thinking about stainless steel pulls to match the countertop.
Posted by callalillie at 08:20 AM | Comments (15)
May 08, 2004
Basement
While taking some "evidence" photographs of the disaster that is our basement, I decided to take a break and try and find some beauty in the chaos.
Whomever lived here before us had something to do with the arts, as there is a projector, film splicer, [part of an] enlarger, and a myriad of photo equipment, framed prints, and theater ads from the late 1970's. And a very strange red phone. Does anyone know who the face is?
Posted by callalillie at 01:14 AM | Comments (10)
April 29, 2004
Basement Ethics
Last night, after a pre-Coop Board meeting (read: let’s stop sending 8M emails and talk to one another face to face), we ventured down into our scary basement to check out our boiler.
We’ve been battling with our sponsor to clean out the basement, which contains literal rubble from an apartment renovation in addition to several old tenants’ worth of crap—everything from broken bikes to old shoes, books, and records.
In addition to the rather large water bugs hanging out on the walls, there is also a small room. I’ve been too creeped out to check it out by myself, so last night I enlisted fellow owners to give me strength.
The room, about 12’ x 5’, contains the dusty remains of an entire darkroom. I might not have expressed this in earlier posts, but manual photography was once one of my passions. I can’t afford it, so it’s fallen by the wayside. To find an old enlarger (in pieces), timers, chemical bins, tongs, and other materials was like discovering a vein of gold in an abandoned coal mine. I almost wet myself.
Thus begins the basement ethics saga. All owners (we have two that rent their apartments out) have been informed twice—one two years ago and once last month—that the basement is going to be cleared out. They’ve been given the opportunity to remove their belongings. No one, to this day, has done anything. My downstairs neighbor and I are itching to sift through this darkroom rubble to see if any of it is usable. We even thought about, if any of the machinery still works, setting up the darkroom again.
Is this a case of you snooze, you lose? I’d think that, after two years of not touching the equipment and no move toward removing or protecting it, the tools are free range? Golly I’d hope so.
Posted by callalillie at 07:41 AM | Comments (13)
April 28, 2004
Divert My Valve
Oh brother. My shower is malfunctioning, and it really, really sucks. I think it’s the valve in the mechanism that controls whether the water comes out of the bath or the showerhead. It might also be the actual valves to the hot and cold, as they’re not shutting off all the way, either. No matter what the actual problem is, I have about three holes worth of water coming out of my showerhead, which makes for a very grumpy Callalillie.
If I’m lucky, the above is the problem. Replacing the valves, according to my father, shouldn’t be that hard. It could also be corroded pipes, however, in which case I’m fucked.
The main issue is that I don’t want to call a plumber unless it’s dire. Plumbers cost a lot of money…of which I have very little at the current moment (or any given day). I’ve never felt so retarded about home repair before. I’m good at installing shelves and assembling furniture. I’ve never had to deal with pipes before, however, and they make me nervous.
I also don’t have any of the proper tools. Normally, the prospect of going to a hardware store and buying new tool toys would rock my socks off, but this is so not what I needed this week. I don’t have time to get to a hardware store before 7:00 pm., which means only the big chain stores are actually open, and both Home Depot and Lowes are a bit too far and out of the way for me to get to this week. Furthermore, I don’t know what types of valves and other pipe-related details I might need, as I don’t really know for sure what the problem is, which means that I will most likely need to run back and forth to the hardware store a couple of times during the pipe fixing process.
Did I mention that my office is moving on Friday and that I have to work most of the weekend? When one finds time to fix their diverter valve is beyond me. Meanwhile, I lack a shower. Or at least an effective shower. Right now, it’s serving one main purpose—Irving’s perpetual drinking fountain.
Posted by callalillie at 01:17 PM | Comments (12)
November 18, 2003
IF ALL ELSE FAILS
CREATE YOUR OWN COOP.
My neighbor, who was gracious enough to let the Time Warner man tromp through her back yard yesterday on the quest for my missing broadband, and I have been talking about joining our (non-existent) coop board. Since our building has a sponsor, there is no official tenant board that governs the daily workings and maintenance. I read in my coop book that he had attempted to give up governing rights last year, however could not because of lack of tenant interest.
Well, we're interested. We have a basement filled with old crap and no storage, and would very much like to install some washer and dryers down there. I'd like to landscape our front yard plot, which is badly overgrown. In all, we'd like to spruce the place up a bit...after all, it could only increase the value of our apartments.
I'm a little unsure of how to go about creating a coop board. We're going to try and have a "house meeting" at some point soon to figure out who actually owns and who rents. From there, we're going to submit a letter of interest to the management company and coop attorneys. Then what?
I never thought I'd want to be on a coop board, though the more I think about it, the more sense it makes. Maybe I just want an excuse to pick through the junk in the basement. Who knows. Maybe it's power. Perhaps then, I can reject hopeful buyers based on the pedigree of their schnauzer. But I doubt it.
I wonder if Irving could be on the board.
Posted by callalillie at 08:39 AM | Comments (3) |
November 17, 2003
Calla Goes Broadband
Even Monkey Buddy II is happy that I've finally been hooked up with broadband. It's about time.
Posted by callalillie at 08:21 PM | Comments (3) |
November 14, 2003
Time Warner, Take III
MOFO cable company!
I've taken 2 days off from work so far in an attempt to get my cable modem up and running. The guy finally showed up to install everything yesterday afternoon, only to find that there was something wrong with the actual cable wire...located somewhere in my back yard.
Here's the catch: I have no access to my back yard. No fire escape, no help from the management agency of the building.
The only way to get back there, says both Slope Realty and Time Warner, is to work out something with the tenants of #1B.
So now I need to take another day off from work (unless I want to wait until Saturday, December 6th...the next available weekend date for TW to come)...and convince my downstairs neighbor to do so, as well.
WTF????
Posted by callalillie at 01:55 PM | Comments (2) |
November 13, 2003
HOMELESS BOOKS
I've finally unpacked everything, hung some art, and imported some plants into my new home.
Unfortunately, I have way too many books and no place to put them. This is just a small example of the homeless book crisis.
In other news...
I gots me some mittens! They're exactly what I wanted-- fingerless gloves with mitten tops that slide over them. Where did I get them, you ask?
*Callalillie grows sheepish*
I should profess my love-hate relationship with Abercrombie & Fitch. I want to hate them so badly...and as a company, I do...but some of their stuff is just so goddamn cute.
Posted by callalillie at 08:55 AM | Comments (9) |
November 02, 2003
Back in the Saddle...
...but without the horse (internet)
It's amazing how disconnected from the world one can feel when they lack an internet connection and a television. The TV is less of a concern, but internet...well...let's just say that I'm in my office at 9:30am on a Sunday.
Six days without email was enough. I popped open my accounts to find over 250 spam emails waiting for me, along with a myriad of "why haven't you updated your blog lately?" and "how come you haven't answered my emails yet?" inquiries.
Well, here's the update in brief. Tomorrow, when I'm actually in the office for a reason other than not wanting to deal with 400 emails on a Monday morning, I'll provide more specifics.
The Closing. Far less traumatic than people told me it would be. I think that I signed about eight papers (mostly doubles and triplicates) and wrote four checks in addition to one bank check. The only embarrassing moment was when I lost my motor coordination in the bank, pre-closing, and knocked off the top of the ATM swiper at the teller's counter.
The Move. Perhaps one of the more stressful days of last week. Everything made it to the final destination, though. The movers had to take off my front door to get one of my sofas in. But more about that later.
Irving. After 15 minutes of Irving refusing to allow Cheesbus and me to squash him in his normal cat carrier, we were forced to put him in the rather large, see-through topped retro carrier that I somehow acquired a few years ago. It's far too big for the cat and the clear top frightens the crap out him. So Irving and I rode the subway from Carroll Street to 7th Avenue...he spent the trip swirling around the carrier on his stomach trying to burrow under the towel.
The Apartment. I'm finally fairly settled. I wound up taking the rest of the week off work, mainly because, as a result of the movers taking my front door off and rehanging it, none of my locks aligned correctly. The result, as I discovered on Wednesday evening as I was about to leave to get some food, was that I couldn't lock any of them. A Skutchie visit, father visit, and locksmith visit later, things finally worked out. The results are the images below.
Park Slope. The Slope is weird, but I knew that prior to moving. It's been a bit of a culture shock moving from Cobble Hill-- as much as people want to say that the area has gentrified (which it has), it still has a long way to go before it will rival Park Slope. I was inducted by the Halloween Parade, which I didn't know existed, and will now avoid annually for as long as I live there. It was like Park Slope's version of Mardi Gras for children.
Lesson #1: Old men should not dress in wet suits for Halloween.
Lesson #2: One should not go to the 1st Street Connecticut Muffin between 8:30am and 5:00pm any day of the week, but particularly not during weekday mornings, unless you'd like to wait on a line out the door and be run over by baby carriages and stay-at-home mommies and daddies.
Ahh. Park Slope. 'Tis now my home. And no, Dad, I will not be having a baby in 18 months. I am politely evading this requirement.
The kitchen.
The living room. No, there's no nuclear bomb exploding outside, it's just a lot of morning sun.
More living room.
One corner of my place of slumber.
Lastly, I must express my extreme frustration with Verizon, who told me on the phone that DSL was available at my apartment and then sent me an email reversing their claim. Now I am connection-less in Park Slope, seething, and holding fast to my no-cable ethic. I have no TV, so having to pay for basic cable along with a cable modem collection seems ridiculous, doesn't it?? GROWL.
On the upside, no TV/DSL has allowed me to consume books at a voracious rate. I've read Motherless Brooklyn (Jonathan Lethem) and July, July (Tim O'Brien) over the past 4 days. Now I've moved on to It Must Have Been Something I Ate, by Jeffrey Steingarten.
Wow, I guess that this has been more than a brief update. Internet absence must breed verbal diarrhea.
Posted by callalillie at 10:20 AM | Comments (12) |
October 22, 2003
I Hate...
...banks
...a certain bank that begins with citi
...lawyers (except for you steve, i love you)
...closing dates
...closing dates
...late closing dates
...even later closing dates
...uncertainty
...halloween.
Posted by callalillie at 04:46 PM | Comments (5) |
October 21, 2003
My Weekly Venting
I didn't post yesterday because I was livid and miserable...not to mention holding off on my weekly apartment rant. Not only am I a crazy cat lady, I'm also apartment obesessed. But I guess when you're about to drop thousands of dollars into something, you reserve that right. I have no excuse for the cat fetish, though.
I found out yesterday that there's a 99.9% chance that I will not close this week. Though it will probably only be a difference of a few days, this sent me into a full-blown tizzy, as my anxieties have been riding high these days and I just want this whole mofo process over with.
Apparently, the bank was not finished processing my UCC filing (whatever that is...I can't remember) and I can't close without it done. I shoud probably set the scene:
- I'd just spent the weekend packing the kitchen and living room
- I'd just spent two hours on the phone transferring bills into Cheesebus' name/opening new accounts
- I'd just hired movers for Monday
- My parents were coming into town this weekend to help me move
- The lock on my interest rate ends on Monday, which means that I will probably have to pay a fee or risk re-locking, even though it's not my fault
Suffice it to say, I was not happy when my lawyer brought me the news. I spent most of last week wishing it was this week...now I'm about to do the same thing once more. You'd think that, since ShitiBank has had two months to get this stuff done, it would have happened by now.
Sheesh.
Posted by callalillie at 09:41 AM | Comments (5) |
October 14, 2003
Tiny's Balls & Retro Sets
The Conversion Begins
I'd like to convince myself that this post is really about moving and not Irving, just because it removes me a milistep from seeming like the crazy cat kid that I am.
The conversion has begun, though-- conversion meaning me beginning to round up my stuff for the "big move" and Cheesebus beginning to think about who and what will live in my place.
This weekend, the big step was Cheesebus' new retro-formica table and chair set. Cheesebus had discovered the General Nitemare furniture store on Columbia Street while running and had been salivating over the kitchen set, I'd suspect, for a long time. For those of you who've never been to General Nightmare, it's basically a storefront warehouse stuffed (literally) from ceiling to floor with old furniture that the owner, a quirky guy named Barry Jetter, refurbishes and refinishes. He's got some really nice stuff-- I think that I might go back there next week and buy a coffee table.
But the above paragraph doesn't give you an adequate picture. Spending more than about 2 minutes inside the store will probabaly activate the most latent of asthma-- as Jetter does the refinishing right inside the shop. If you like the smell of wood stain like I do, you'll be in heaven, though you'll still walk out sneezing with a layer of dirt and sawdust about an inch thick all over you.
General Nitemare is "guarded" by Jetter's miniature doberman, Tiny, whose ball sack is about two times the size of his head. Tiny is probably a bit smaller than Irving and follows Jetter everywhere, including up 3 flights of stairs and into our apartment, where he made himself at home during the table/chair delivery by drinking all of the contents of Irving's water bowl and tongue bathing his anus on my off-white couch.
I was dying to take pictures of all of this. Unfortunately, I was too awestruck and amused to root around for my camera.
Nevertheless, Cheesebus' retro-table and chair set arrived, slightly bent, yesterday afternoon. We now have two kitchen tables sitting in the dining room, symbolic of my looming departure. The three of us ate dinner at the table last night-- for the first time, I think, since we moved in nearly 2 years ago.
Oh. And Irving is for some reason absolutely in love with the table and chairs. After emerging from his 4-hour under-the-bed protest of Tiny's presence, he made a bee-line for one of the chairs, where he sat for a good part of the evening.
Posted by callalillie at 09:06 AM | Comments (5) |
October 09, 2003
Snug as Bug in a Rug
How cute are these rugs highlighted in the NYT House & Home section?
I've always been a sucker for adorable home accoutrements, though I don't generally purchase them.
I'm the adult who ogles over the children's rugs in Ikea and Pottery Barn Kids catalogues but never buys, mainly because I have a lot of trouble justifying the $100-$200 expense for something that:
a) you walk on
b) Irving barfs on, and
c) is sickly cute
Let me focus a bit more on reason b) for a moment. There have been times that I've considered seeking treatment for my feline's apparent bulimic tendencies, as there are periods of weeks where the boy just can't seem to keep his regurgitation to a minimum. Hairball or no hairball, Irving’s less-than-graceful purge cycles always end up on a rug. It’s caused me to wonder if he actually seeks the floor covering out as his preferred place of vomit deposit. There’ve been instances when I’ve caught him mid-heave and watched the damn cat purposely trot over to something fibrous.
Sigh. Now that I’ve vented, back to the rugs. I do very much need a new one, as our entire collection of floor coverings have been better non-Irving days. I’m thinking about finding a kid-proof rug that is stain resistant. Such is life when co-habitating with an ever-nauseous feline.
Posted by callalillie at 08:57 AM | Comments (5) |
October 02, 2003
Panty Whisker, RIP
Cheesebus and I erased our favorite chalkboard drawing last night, as not to scare away potential new roommates. The "Tale of the Panty Whisker" is just one of many stories that make me misty when I think about moving. Sniff sniff. I'll miss my Cheesebus.
Posted by callalillie at 07:36 PM | Comments (2) |
September 30, 2003
Shameless Housing Plug
RachelleB's Brooklyn apartment discussion inadvertently encouraged me to make this shameless plug.
You know you want to live in sunny, cute, and fun Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens (off Smith Street). Come on, you know you want quirky downstairs neighbors and an entire top floor of a brownstone...Sound good?
Take over my half of the lease and apartment, available November 1st with renewal of lease in February for another year. Live with the amazing Cheesebus (and learn her real name).
Unfortunately, the only pictures I have are of one of the 2 living rooms...but as you can see, it is sunny and nice (newly renovated). The bedrooms are on the small side, however there are two large living rooms (with a bedroom off each), a kitchen, and full bath. See pictures below*.
*Furniture and cat not included.
Posted by callalillie at 09:05 AM | Comments (5) |
September 16, 2003
Application Approved
Dear Ms. Callalillie,
YourBigBank Inc ("YBB") is pleased to advise you that your application for a first mortgage has been approved ("Commitment"). The loan ("Loan") will be evidenced by a Note and securd by a first lien on the Premise listed above.
BY SIGNING BELOW, I HEREBY AGREE TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS COMMITMENT.
Translation:
Congratulations! You are now six figures in debt ("Poor")! But you are now more than halfway through with the home-buying process, and can soon be referenced as a home owner ("Big Kid").
BY SIGNING BELOW, I HEREBY AGREE TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS COMMITMENT.
:P
Posted by callalillie at 11:51 AM | Comments (6) |
August 27, 2003
Locked In with All-Clad Dreams
Mortgage rate locked in, closing date set.
Now for the 60 day wait.
And the flurry of checks.
Phheww. I think I need a midday drink...
*****
I couldn't sleep last night. Calla's stomach has been in knots for about two weeks now. Unlike most people who just count sheep until they pass out, I spent my non-slumber hours last night determining my dream kitchen. Well, not really my dream kitchen, but embellishing on the kitchen that is just about 75% mine (at this point).
Have I mentioned that all I've ever wanted in an apartment is a nice kitchen? The new one will be nice enough. It will be even nicer with my "."
Once you start browsing you will see my infatuation with All-Clad. I once tried to convince Skutchie to plan a fake marriage with me, just so that I could register for the full All-Clad set.
Can one marry her apartment instead? Being that marriage is nowhere in my future, I'd like people to bless the union with my new life partner, Park Slope Apartment, with a myriad of kitchenware gifts. That doens't sound that bad. After all, Skutchie's new boyfriend is Tivo.
Posted by callalillie at 12:50 PM | Comments (8) |
August 14, 2003
The 1st Check of Many...
Binder placed, contract signed. My pockets hurt.
Posted by callalillie at 04:10 PM | Comments (5) |
August 05, 2003
Happy/Sad/Sweet/Sour
If one can be happy/sad/sweet/sour at the same time, that's how I feel. Life is full of tensions and frictions between youth and age, safety versus change. For the last week I've felt very much on the brink of change...teetering, rocking back and forth on the edge, yet still curling my toes in resistance. This is completely natural when confronted by life changes, big or small. At least it is for me. I'm the queen of "help me/go away" and all things contradictory.
So what is change? There are lots of different kinds. I've been thinking a lot about how some changes, though precipitated by oneself purposely, can feel like they're part of a natural, fast moving progression. This is where I get caught up-- most of the time I have complete control over my decisions, yet once I make them (the big ones), that paralyzing fear sets in and it feels like everything has veered out of control. Hence the curled toes at the tip of the diving board.
So I'm buying an apartment...it seems so little in many ways, yet so big in others. "This is probably one of the biggest decisions of your life," one Dr.S told me yesterday. "Only matched by getting married and/or having children." Thanks Dr.S, that's soothing. Mehhhh.
There are other things that have elicited these push/pull feelings surrounding life change. Work, new challenges. A general feeling that part of my life is moving. Maybe forward, maybe sideways or diagonal. Definitely not backwards, though, which is the direction that I'm used to. Because when I moved backwards, I always knew what I would be working towards once I fell-- where I'd come from! And that felt safe.
Just a little introspectiveness from callalillie....and one last question:
Why is it such a fucking process to buy an apartment in NYC?
Posted by callalillie at 04:47 PM | Comments (8) |
July 26, 2003
On Buying a House & Being a Big Kid
This is the terrace view from an apartment I looked at today in Brooklyn Heights. Yes my fine furry friends, I have begun the dreaded apartment search. But this time it's different. It's the big time...I'm looking to buy.
On one hand, it's hard for me to see very far into the future. All I know is that New York is my home...and I really have no urge whatsoever to leave. I'm not quite sure what I'll be doing in 5 years, who I will know, who I will love, how many whiskers my cat will lose. But, on the other hand, I've always felt much older than I am, deep down. I've always wanted the maximum amount of stability possible in life and hate feeling transient. And what I hate most is being sucked dry by rent and having to move every two years. Now that our landlord has had our building appraised, rumors are flying about them selling it. The thought of having to move into another rental apartment just kills me.
It is time, I'm afraid, to take the plunge and purchase something...and be in debt for at least 30 years of my life. Being that I'm not even 30 yet, it's hard to conceive that I will be in debt for 30 more years! But that is part of life, I guess. It feels very right when I think about owning something. It's finalizing my life here, in a way. And that feels wonderful.
But very, very frightening.
Which leads me to my question...does one who shoulders a big kid mortgage have to act like a big kid? Do I still get to collect cat whiskers? Does this mean I have to start looking for a home in the right school district for my unborn, unconceived future children?
Gahhh! How can one feel so young yet so old at the same time?
Posted by callalillie at 09:28 PM | Comments (6) |