after a blogging hiatus, i return-fresh from apartment-moving, furniture-hunting (and assembling), etc. these little details seem to have been taking over the last few weeks/months of my life. after living with a group of of nightmare roommates, and in a series of unsatisfactory shared houses, i have arrived! to my very first ever own (well, rented) apartment-exciting, overwhelming, you know, the usual. having my own bathroom, though, is a luxury in and of itself and is so worth it-have never not shared a bathroom (even at home), so that is just a wonderful, delightful new experience. yes, i know, i'm easy to please and it is those simple things in life that are sometimes the most satisfying.
the apartment does have some pitfalls. although it is in an almost brand-new building, it is right next to a loud construction site and so i am awakened every morning (yes, even 7 am on Sundays) by jackhammers, cement mixers, etc., which are so loud they sound as if they are in the apartment. also getting packages is an extremely complicated hassle-no one to pick them up, i have to wait around, etc. and some of the apartment's inner furnishings are a bit cheaply done-like the towel rack that is not nailed closely enough to the wall and is always falling down, my bedroom door that doesn't shut all the way, the constantly flickering light in the laundry room that the landlord promised he would change when i first moved in over a month ago...well, you get the idea. overall, it's satisfactory, but for the price i am paying, it should be outstanding. i live in a really expensive area by the virtue of refusing to own a car, so i am in prime real estate territory. it's decent, but should be, well, much more than that, to put it mildly, considering that my yearly rent is more than my stipend...
the good parts: it is close enough to walk to my department, the library, and the grocery store; it has air conditioning (a MUST in this heat/humidity) and it's own laundry room (again, a first for me-having always lived in apartment buildings with communal laundry rooms); and generally it's a nice space, although the view leaves much to be desired (it's of the back of another building which has become the construction site). today the furniture delivery man blurted aloud, as soon as he entered the living room, your view sucks! thanks....at least it's somewhat sunny. anyway, i am probably spending too much time cleaning, grocery shopping, and furniture/houseware shopping, but that's life. will update with more pictures, etc., once it's all set up, but suffice it to say today i installed some chairs that look just like these:
i am also going for the matching table (no, i am not getting the originals-too costly):
the apartment is going to have a totally mod, retro look-all white, plastic, laminate, glass, and colors-lots of colors, but especially red. i have been trolling ebay and other discount furniture stores, thrift shops, etc., for 1960s modern furniture (or reproductions). each piece is really important to me-i want the apartment to have a unified, but not stiff, look-i would like it to be young, modern, fun, and cheerful, but not ridiculously kitschy. the next items on my list are a desk (seriously necessary!), bookshelves (ditto!), a dining table. the last thing i need, though, is extra clutter-i want things to be streamlined and in somewhat creative disorder but cramming the place with too many items is not acceptable. this is why it has to be done slowly and carefully.
anyway, that's what's on my mind these days-furniture and also food. have been doing some cooking, not as much as i would have liked, since i lack in the kitchen utensils department, but it, too, is coming along, slowly.
