Tired of living out of boxes

The move to our new place went well but there’s still a pile of unpacking to do, mostly my computer related stuff, ornaments and entertainment. I’ve run out of shelving, unfortunately, so I have to shop around for some cheap deals later today. I also have to get curtains or fabric for the living room window before all the neighbours think we’re exhibitionists.

We’re also still waiting on cabinet doors so most of the kitchen stuff is boxed up and in the way. But, it’s all coming together.

Regular posts should resume soon.

The more things change…

the more things stay the same? Well, sometimes.

The Man and I are changing things up a bit. We’ll still own the same stuff, but where we store it all is changing. We’ve opted on renting a duplex in the city rather than continue paying rent on two apartments. My rent had gone up in April and his was scheduled for a hefty jump in June. Then, there was the fact that my work hours were reduced in May. It made more and more sense to reorganize a few things.

There are other perks beyond financial, of course. He has a hefty vinyl collection and I plan to reboot my Sounds of Sunday series once we get a working turntable.

I’m bringing the bulk of the household stuff in. I’ve always had a well-stocked kitchen and plenty of bedding and towels. Some stuff we’ll be doubled up on (toasters, kettles and microwaves, for example) but he’s offered to chuck most of his “bachelor” kitchen accoutrements in favour of my matching pieces. I’ve always had more than I could realistically expect to use in a week, so it all works out to mutual benefit.

The space is large; two stories plus a partially finished basement. Everything but the basement got refurbished, too. New kitchen cabinets and appliances, new paint, fixtures and flooring besides. It’s very gorgeous. His office space will be upstairs in the smallest of the three bedrooms and the Little Man will get a big bedroom for himself and his toys. He’ll have so much room, he won’t know what area to mess up first. Hopefully, it can all be contained in that area but I’m aware that’s the fanciful notion of a childless person, not the sensible rationalism of a veteran parent. I think some compromising will be in order.

The basement will be multi-purpose; storage and laundry on the one wall and the rest of the space given over to the second TV, comfy chairs, a spare bed, and all the old game systems that are still in use. And whatever toys don’t make it up the stairs again, too. There’s also a nice back yard that will get some good use, and a piece of that might get turned into a garden if we get organized soon enough to plant stuff. I’ve noticed the flowerbed in the front needs some TLC and I might add one more by the driveway where some grass is dead already. The previous tenant parked a car there all winter.

So, yeah. We got the go-ahead to start moving things in this past Monday and Saturday we’ll move the big pieces into the place. For the foreseeable future, my off work time is all about filling, moving, and emptying boxes. I should have everything out of my apartment by Sunday afternoon and do the final cleaning up of the rooms the same day. The space is already rented for June 1 and the caretaker wants to get in to repaint, change the rug and possibly more. It’ll be strange to think of a stranger living in there after 10 years in it myself but I have to be honest and say that duplex feels more and more like home every time I set foot in it.

That’s all for today.

Having a relaxing long weekend

Hence no real posts. Back to Scruples on Tuesday, though. Posting might be sporadic; I’m going to have a busy couple weeks but I’ll explain why later.

I get a kick out of church sign advice

Pithy, no? It’s off a local church sign I drive by once in a while.

I gather it’s a dig at the “no atheists in foxholes” kind of mentality, that notion that people are prone to calling on a higher power only when they’re in the tightest of jams instead of going through life “knowing” they’re covered by God’s security blanket from birth to death.

This analogy is flawed, though.

Unless God is like Google’s driverless car, people still have to do all the steering for themselves. People still exert some control over where they go in life and how they’ll get there.

Plus, a spare tire is a guarantee against the unanticipated. Like the ubiquitous nail in a parking lot, maybe, the random “accident” that would not have happened had one steered a bit more to the left, or parked elsewhere. A spare tire might be looked at by some as a “god send” since it means it’s possible to get the car to a nearby garage instead of paying for expensive towing.

Am I being too literal? Probably. It’s what I do.

Sounds of Monday (something completely different)

The Man’s into music making. Be a dear and go check out his stuff.

Kthnxbye

So, what have I missed?

Everything interesting, no doubt. I go through phases where I want little to do with my computer and lack the gumption to write much of anything or read what others have been writing. Colour me lazy. I don’t mind; it’s a pretty shade of pathetic.

I should know tomorrow what’s going on with my work and if this full time position is officially assigned to someone else. Limbo is kind of a bummer. Hard to know how to plan for a future when you don’t know which one is the one you’ll be getting.

In case I do wind up working elsewhere, I bought a cheap used bicycle on Saturday that I could conceivably ride instead of walking or taking the bus. I rode it a bit the day I got it but haven’t been on it since. My own folks came up to finally meet the Man on Sunday and then we had a bit of an ice storm thing and I’m a sissy when it comes to riding in the snow and wet. If it’s nice after work today I’ll go for a ride, though. I haven’t picked up a helmet or a bell or light yet but I know I ought to get that stuff before I really spend much time around traffic. I don’t want to be one of those kinds of statistics.

I’ll see if I can motivate myself to write more again after this weekend. (I’ll be away with the Man to visit his folks for a few days.) I’m also supposed to be working on a project for my Freethinker group on “Icons, Imagery and Imagination,” a look at pareidolia and other ways believers show off their commitment to a belief system. I have to present it on April 15th. Don’t bother asking how that’s going. I can tell you now that the answer is nowhere. Clearly I need a kick in the proverbial pants.

When life gives you lemons, squeeze the s#%t out of them?

I haven’t been in the mood to update this for a few days. I’ve been mildly stressed out while waiting to hear word about my library job. I’ve been working in a full-time term for more than 3 years and the job posting finally came out to make it permanent. Unfortunately, full time with no evenings and weekends is a coveted kind of job around there so every Tomassina, Dixie and Jane applied for it and, regardless of the interview process, the most senior applicant will wind up with it. That person isn’t me. So, as of May I’ll be back to my half time hours elsewhere. Pros and cons to that, of course. More free time but less money coming to me every month. A lot less. That’s going to be quite the adjustment and that’s quite the understatement.

Maybe it’s a sign I should update my resume and look for alternatives.

Still having home internet trouble

but hopefully I’ll get that sorted after work today and be back to posting more often. Stupid DSL box just blinks as if the phone cord isn’t plugged in. Methinks it’s time to check into wireless.

Grr, Argh, Technology…

My home internet connection had a malfunction yesterday so I’ve had to drag my computer down to the library in order to take advantage of their free wi-fi. Luckily I went with a laptop when I chose a new computer last year, otherwise this would have been quite a tricky endeavor.

Post, post.. need a new post…

Sadly, it’s one of those disorganized mornings where late in bed and yet another silly computer game (this time dinosaurs armed with lasers!!) has sucked up my time so you’ll have to just imagine how great today’s post was and pretend it changed your life for the better.