This and That - Weekend Edition

Well, as you can see from my lack of posts over the past week, there hasn't been that much to report. But here is a brief rundown.

Friends: On the previous weekend, I spent some time with my wonderful friends. On Friday I met friends for happy hour at Boulder Beer. It was over 90 degrees that day, I think, and on a day like that it's wonderful to have a nice Boulder-brewed beer to cool off. And, of course, the company and conversation was wonderful and a lot of fun. On Sunday, I met other friends at a cool little place in Denver called the Red Trolley. It's a little cafe that sells hot dogs and gelato. I had a bison hot dog and for dessert I had mint chocolate chip gelato. It was so yummy! And again, and of course, the company was lovely and wonderful. That weekend gave me plenty of warm, fuzzy, happy feelings that carried me through this week at work.

Work: Work has been surprisingly slow over this past week. All of my projects are at a stage when they are in someone else's hands. I'm waiting for a lot of work to come back to me or I'm waiting for people to give me important answers or to make important decisions before I can move on with other projects. Until that happens, there isn't much I can do. Although I very much appreciate the calm before the inevitable storm, I have to admit that it is incredibly boring to be at work with absolutely nothing to do. Fortunately over the past few days we've had job interviews and those have taken up enough time in the day to keep me from going crazy.

New Apartment: Things in my new apartment are coming together nicely. Everything is more or less in its place and organized. I still have little piles of papers scattered about, but that's the general status of my apartment. There are always papers or books scattered somewhere on the floor no matter how long I've been living in a place. But, all in all, everything is in order and I am enjoying the new place. The weather has been really hot over the past week—temperatures were in the high 90s and low 100s on some days—but my apartment has stayed cool, as I mentioned in previous posts. The temperature inside didn't go far above 75 degrees. So I'm grateful to not waste energy to run the air conditioner; however, I generally have to turn on a light or two because I don't get much direct sunlight into my new place. The worst part of my new place is living under people and hearing every step they take. And I happen to live under a family with an infant and a toddler, who obviously likes to run, jump, and crash about so much so that my light fixtures and chandeliers often shake and rattle. Apparently these days parents no longer tell their children to not run in the house. Oh well.

Lazy: For the most part, I've been incredibly lazy this weekend. There are several errands I could run or chores I need to do, but I've been feeling just too lazy to do any of them. I'd rather just sit on the couch and read a book or watch a movie. I enjoy being lazy.

Getting Settled

I've been in my new apartment for exactly one week, and so far it has been wonderful. I'm still in the process of unpacking a few things and putting everything where I want it. Then I have to figure out where I want to hang all of my artwork. Now that I have a bigger apartment and more walls, this might actually be difficult. Decisions, decisions, decisions... I also want to buy another bookcase (now that I have the room), but I might hold off on that for a while. After spending $200 on the movers, it might be a good idea to save some money.

Our entire complex is in the process of renovating certain things, and on Tuesday the maintenance crew came in to install new windows and a new sliding door to my balcony. These are double-pane windows, so that means they will be more energy efficient. So this will be much better when winter comes around.

All in all, everything has been great and it is all coming together. I've been doing well and settling quite nicely. I've also been sleeping well, so that's a welcome change!

More later...

New Home

Here I am in my new apartment! Yay! The move yesterday went really well. The movers showed up at about 8:30 in the morning, and it took them only about 30 minutes to load up their truck. Of course, since I moved most of my things myself, all they had to move was the furniture and only about four boxes. It took them longer to move things into my new place, but that is understandable considering I'm on the third floor. But, all totaled, the whole move took only two hours. That made me pretty happy.

Then came the task of unpacking everything and placing everything in its proper place. It's all starting to come together. I'm also in the process of getting used to everything. The dishwasher works perfectly fine. Since all of my dishes were wrapped in newspaper, I thought I'd give it a quick clean in the dishwasher to get all of the icky ink or dust off everything. Earlier in the week I turned on the stove to make sure it was working. It turned out that it wasn't, but the maintenance people came right over yesterday and fixed it. Now everything is fine. This morning I made hash browns and scrambled eggs for breakfast!

The place is wonderful. Last night was beautiful. It was really hot during the day, but things cooled off at night. I had a nice breeze coming through my windows in my bedroom, and I fell asleep right away. I felt pretty rested today, but my body is still a bit sore and tired. Other than a tired, old, and sore body, things are wonderful.

Packing Booze

I've been procrastinating for the longest time on packing my alcohol. But tonight I decided to finally do it. First I put each bottle in those plastic newspaper bags. I double bagged it, of course. Then I wrapped the bottle in newspaper. I then packed the bottles in some boxes and added some extra newspaper for some extra padding. All totaled, my alcohol filled only two small boxes. I'm not sure if I should be proud or ashamed...
+++++
Update: make that three small boxes. I found some more booze.

Moving...Yes, STILL...

I'm sure my loyal reader(s) will be happy once I move so that they won't have to read any more of these posts...

But, yes, I'm still in the process of moving, but I'm making better progress. I'm now forced to move quicker because of having the pressure of an actual "move-in date" when the movers will be here to take the big furniture. Most of my non-essential items and smaller things are already in my new place. I just need to make a few more trips with some of the bigger things. Then all I'll need to do is get things organized for the movers. Then on the day of the move, I'll probably use my bathroom as a storage room for things that I'll be using that morning and packing later--sheets and pillows on my bed, my teddy bear and doggie, the coffee maker, etc. I'm hoping it will be a smooth and quick move...and the smoother and quicker it is, the less it will cost!

And, now that I have a bigger place, I "had" to buy a few more pieces of new furniture. My current computer desk/workstation is really a dining table. Now that I have a dining room, I will be able to use the dining table for actual dining. But that meant that I needed a new computer desk/workstation, so I went out and bought one. It's nothing big and nothing fancy, but it will do the trick. It's all packed in a box and needs to be assembled, but fortunately that made it easier to carry it up the stairs. But, considering it's around 25-30 pounds, I'm pretty impressed that I was able to carry it all the way up by myself! Go me!

Now I just need to find time to assemble the desk. The cable and internet people will be at my apartment the day after I move to set everything up and to install everything. (No, I can't possibly go a day without internet access. I'm a pathetic internet addict, I know!) So the desk and computer have to be ready by Saturday afternoon. Just a little more pressure for me to get things done...

Moving...Yes, Still...

Needless to say, I've been busy. I'm still in the process of moving, but now I have an "official" move date. I've hired movers to take care of the big heavy stuff, and they will be moving my things next Friday on the 14th 18th. (I'm so confused!) I think that I'm going to be glad when that happens, because I just want to be in my new place. I'm getting a little tired of moving a little bit each day. My body is getting tired of it, too! My legs are getting sore, and my back is starting to hurt. Strangely, though, it's not my lower back that is hurting. My upper back right below my shoulder blades is hurting. And it is starting to hurt whenever I move any part of my upper body. I don't think I pulled or strained anything. I think I'm just sore. I suppose I'm lifting the boxes correctly by not straining my lower back, but by using different muscles, I'm sore in different places. Can't win, I suppose...

I need a back rub... :(

Moving...Still...

I was going to move some more stuff today, but when I woke up, I decided I wasn't in the mood to move anything. I was feeling too tired and a little sore. So instead I just packed some more things today, and I'll move it all tomorrow after work. I am making progress, though, so I suppose I can be happy about that. All I can say is that I'm going to be very happy when I'm officially moved in!

Current mood: tired
Current drink: Jack Daniels...straight up

Moving (cont.)...

I just got home after moving another carload of things into my new apartment. While I was at my new apartment, there was a sudden rainstorm, so that interrupted the move a bit. But it was a nice break. I was able to stand outside on my balcony and watch the rain fall, and I didn't get wet. There were a few times when a gust of wind would spray some of the rain into my face, but that actually felt nice after making several trips up and down the stairs. There were even a few rumbles of thunder. So I guess you can say that I experienced my first thunderstorm (although it wasn't a big one) in my new apartment!

Now I'm just taking a little break before I figure out what I need to/want to move next.

Current mood: getting tired
Current music: iTunes on shuffle - Kelly Clarkson "Sober"
Current drink: Barq's root beer

Long Weekend

I finally have a chance to write something today. Things have been busy this week. After a wonderful week off last week to spend time with my family, I was back to work this week. Whenever you take time off from work it always takes a few days to get resettled and to get things back in order. It was a rough week, though, and it was tough to be back after having so much fun the week before. On the first day, I immediately feel the stress and tension come back to my shoulders. Oh well, what are you going to do...

Fortunately, though, this is a short workweek because of the Fourth of July holiday. We got out of the office today at about 1:00 and we have the day off tomorrow. But this probably won't be a weekend for me to relax. I still have a lot of things I need to move into my new apartment. I'm still moving everything myself, and still moving a few carloads each day. In a few weeks, I'll be hiring movers to take care of all of the furniture and other heavy stuff. There is still a lot more I need to do, but I'm making reasonable progress. Since I have a three-day weekend, I'm hoping that I can get a lot accomplished. Hopefully my strength and endurance lasts all weekend!

That's all for now. I'll post more when I have more time...

Moving (cont.)...

With the exception of all of my dictionaries and grammar books, all of my other books are moved into my new apartment. And I'm so tired! However, I'm pretty impressed and proud of myself for moving it all by myself without any help from anyone.

Now I have to figure out what is next...

Moving (cont.)

I had grand plans to wake up early so that I could get a lot done with my move. But then I decided to sleep in this morning. However, I was still able to move a reasonable amount of stuff today. I've only made a few trips to my new place, but most of my books are moved in. I have only about 100 more to go. Yay! I think those can wait for tomorrow. I'm a little tired and I'm hungry. More later...

Moving

Since we have Summer Hours today, I have a chance to write a quick post. Actually, I'll probably be writing a lot of little posts over the next few days, because I've been slacking on my blogging this week.

So far the move is going okay. As I mentioned before, I got the keys to my new place last weekend, and I've been moving a little bit each day. For the most part, I'm moving things that I'm not going to be using anytime soon--winter clothes, extra blankets, books. Damn, I have a lot of books. And books are such a pain to move, too. Since they get heavy really quickly, I've been putting them in small boxes so I don't break my back carrying them. They are light enough, but that also means that I have to make more trips up and down the stairs to get them from my car. It definitely gives my legs a workout! And if my legs and butt don't look good when this is all finished, then I'm going to be really angry! Although, considering I have stick legs, I'm probably going to be disappointed anyway...

So, I've made a little dent in the things that I have to move. Moving the books is really going to take the longest time, because I have so many. I've already moved a respectable amount of books from my "library" but I still have about 200 or 300 more to go. Then it also occurred to me a few nights ago that eventually I'll need to move the contents of my liquor cabinet. That alone could take a week or two!

I still have a lot to do and this will probably be a really busy weekend, but all I can do is keep chipping away at this in stages. Eventually it will all get done!

Current mood: busy
Current music: iTunes shuffle - The Killers "Mr. Brightside"
Current drink: Barq's Root Beer

More on My New Apartment

Today I went to my new apartment complex to sign all of the paperwork and to pick up the keys for my new place. So everything is all settled.

The place looks great. There is brand new carpeting and a fresh coat of paint. It's amazing. Right now I don't quite know what to do with so much more space, and I'm trying to visualize where I'm going to put everything. I'll have a little dining area, which will be nice, because in my current place I don't have any real dining area. I have a "dining" table, but I currently use it as my desk/office space, so now I probably need to buy a real desk (or another table) for my computer and stuff. And since I have more room, I could probably buy another bookcase. I certainly could use one! My balcony is huge and has a nice view. The trees in front are pretty tall and full, so you can't quite see the mountains, but it's still nice. There is plenty of light in the apartment, and it's very bright, and I really like that. I have lots of closet space, and there are lots of cabinets and drawers in the kitchen. And the cabinets in the kitchen are nice because I'll be able to reach the top shelves without standing on a chair or crawling on the counters. (And I don't want to hear any of my friends or family tease me about how short I am!!) The kitchen has a big sink and a dishwasher. The refrigerator/freezer are bigger than what I have right now. And the stove and oven are bigger.

There are only two things that I don't like about the new place. In the bathroom there isn't a shower rod but, instead, there are some strange shower doors. I don't like shower doors as much. Plus, without a shower rod, I won't be able to use my cool Greek-inspired shower curtain, and that makes me sad because that shower curtain is so awesome! It's so me...and, yes, I mean that I'm awesome! I also wish there were some more overhead lights in the place. There are some in the dining room, the kitchen, the bathroom, and my closet area off the bedroom, but there aren't overhead lights in the living room or bedroom. That means that I'll need to buy some lamps. But, other than that, everything else is great.

Apartment

Well, I made my decision and called the apartment complex yesterday. I officially have a new place to live! I turned in my deposit, but because they were so busy at the end of the day, I'll go in next weekend to sign all of the paperwork. Then I'll get my keys for my new place. I'm really excited. And I'm especially excited because I'll get the unit that I wanted. Now I just need to figure out when I'm going to move everything...

Current mood: excited and relieved
Current music: iTunes shuffle - Maroon 5 "If I Never See Your Face Again"
Current drink: coffee

Apartments...again...

Today I had an opportunity to take a look at some specific apartments. Right now there are two units that will be available soon. One is on the first floor, and the other is on the third floor. They are both the same plans and have the same square footage. The first floor apartment would be a north-facing apartment, so it would probably get less light. In the winter things would probably be really dark and cold. The third floor apartment, however, would be south-facing, meaning it would get a lot of light. I prefer natural light and it would be nice to have a balcony in a warm, sunny spot. The third floor would be safer--not that Gunbarrel, despite its name, is the hotbed of crime by any means--and it would be more private and have a nicer view. It's also the top floor, so I wouldn't have anyone stomping around above me. The only negative is that it will be more of a pain to move things up three flights of stairs.

These units will be available in June. My lease in my current place doesn't expire until July. However, this new complex is having a special deal right now where the first month's rent would be free. So the apartment would be available to me for the entire month of June, and I could move in gradually which is really appealing. Then I can hire some movers to deal with all of the big furniture.

This is all very tempting, but I need to make a decision quickly so that I can take advantage of the deal for a free month's rent and take advantage of the nicer apartment.

Current mood: on lifted spirits
Current drink: milk
Current music: iTunes shuffling - Dixie Chicks "Lullaby"

This and That

Work: This has been a long week for some reason. Things suddenly got busy at work again. New books are coming in, so that's a good thing. Although I often complain when things get crazy and when I work 12 or 14-hour days, it is a lot better than having nothing to do all day. Today also starts the first day of our Friday Summer Hours. Every Friday until Memorial Day, we're allowed to leave at 1:00, which I'm pretty excited about. And we have a long weekend this weekend!

Apartments: I just checked my voicemail and there was a message from the manager of the apartment complex that I'm interested in. She said that they would have an opening in the first week in July, but that the apartment was on the first floor. My preference would be to be on the second floor, because I'd rather have a balcony instead of a closed-in patio because it is generally safer. And I was planning on moving later in July, but I suppose having it available to me earlier would give me time to move in gradually. But I'll call to see if I can at least take a look at the unit. Maybe it will be the "perfect" one. Who knows.

Weather: Anyone who has watched the news recently has probably seen that we've had some horrible weather here in Colorado. There was a huge tornado that did a lot of damage. It wasn't anywhere near Boulder but we were under tornado warnings and watches for most of the day, and we did get a lot of rain and some hail.

Current mood: tired
Current music: random iTunes shuffle. Currently Kelly Clarkson "Sober"
Current drink: New Belgium 1554

Apartments...and more...

Apartments: Today I went to the apartment complex in Gunbarrel to drop off my application. In order to put yourself on a waiting list, you have to turn in an application so that they can do a credit check and background check. I passed the credit check, and the background check came back clean. Apparently they didn't check deep enough into my background! Anyway, now that I'm on a waiting list, the manager of the complex will start calling me once she knows when apartments will be free and available. Since I'm applying so early, I'm hoping that I will have a nice pick of the better apartments. But I also don't plan on moving until July, so I still have a lot of time on my hands.

Work: Things have been quiet and slow at work lately, and I'm enjoying it. It feels nice to be able to take a breather, and it's nice to be able to leave the office at 5:00 for a change! I assume, though, that things will eventually pick up again. But it's nice to have a chance to relax even for a little while.

Bananas: I eat bananas because they are good for me and because I like them. The only problem is that I'm kind of allergic to them. I'm eating one right now, and I'm only halfway through it and it's already starting to affect me. Bananas do strange things to my throat and make my throat itch. I still eat them though. As long as my throat doesn't close up, I figure I'll be fine.

This is a random entry, but this is all I have right now...

Current mood: relaxed
Current music: Tori Amos

Apartment Search

Yesterday afternoon I had an appointment to look at an apartment complex in Gunbarrel. I left work early and went straight there. The drive took about 10 minutes (at 3:30 in the afternoon) and it was a little under 4 miles away. And the drive was on a little two lane road through open, grassy, little "country" areas. It was definitely more enjoyable and relaxing than the car-packed, crowded streets through the middle of Boulder.

The woman I met at the complex was very friendly and welcoming. She told me that she broke her tailbone recently and that she wouldn't be able to walk too fast around the complex with me. Then she told me that there was a major water pipe that burst under the complex. The city of Boulder was actually doing some work, and I guess when they turned the water back on, the pressure was too hard and the pipes burst. Or something like that. I was just hoping that it wasn't an omen.

Anyway, she took me on a tour of the place to see a 1 bedroom apartment. We walked through the grounds and things seemed pretty quiet and peaceful. We passed a few people along the way and most of them seemed older (my age or older) and it seemed like there were a few families or couples with very young children. I'm hoping that this is a sign that there aren't too many students in the complex. It's also a dog-friendly complex, so I saw puppies on the balconies and people walking their dogs.

The apartment she showed me was pretty nice. This complex was built in the 1970s, so they are sort of old (like me!), but they are also in the process of renovating things. The 1 bedroom apartment is much larger than what I have now. Right now my apartment is only 500 sq. ft. For some reason I thought it was more than 600. It's not. I measured it. So a 925 sq. ft. apartment would be a nice change. Everything was bigger--bigger living room, dining room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. The unit I looked at was on the second floor and it had a nice balcony. I think I would prefer the second floor with the balcony. The first floor apartments have patios that are enclosed by a fence. They are tall fences so you can't really see over them, and I'd be a little worried that if someone were to try to break in, a tall fence would make a great hiding place. (At least if I were to break into an apartment, I'd use a tall fence as a shield!) But lest my parents get worried, it looked like a very safe complex.

A part of me wishes that the apartments were a little more modern and up-to-date, but it looks like they are working toward that with all of the renovations. But, on the other hand, I would be getting a lot for the price I would be paying if I were to sign a lease at this place. Rent is really going up in Boulder, and there are some places where a studio runs well over $900. In my opinion, a 400 sq. ft. studio apartment shouldn't cost that much.

I took all of the paperwork home with me to think about things before I put my name on a waiting list. Throughout the night, one of my neighbors next to me was screaming at the top of his lungs in his apartment. Then he walked out of his apartment (slamming the door) and started talking to himself and yelling at no one in particular. And then it sounded like the neighbor on the other side of me was continually slamming something into the walls. And trust me, it's not what you might think it is! And she's doing it again, right now, as I type. I really have no idea what she is doing... So these things made me think a little harder about the new apartment complex.

We shall see, as I think about things a little more...

Current mood: glad it's Friday
Current music: Lisa Gerrard (apparently I'm in a Lisa Gerrard phase)
Current drink: Remy Martin VSOP Cognac (obviously I'm always in a Cognac phase...)

Torn...

I'm torn right now. My lease on my apartment expires at the end of July, and I'm torn on whether I should renew my lease or look for a new place. Right now my apartment is in a good location in the middle of Boulder. It's my little cabin, and it's cute and has a certain charm to it. But it is starting to feel like it is getting to small for me. I'd like a bigger kitchen--one with more than one drawer and just a few cabinets. I'd like more than one closet. I'd like a bigger bathroom. In general I just need more space for all of the stuff (mostly books) that I've accumulated over the years.

I looked online and found what look like good places in Gunbarrel, which is just a few miles northeast of Boulder. One place I'm interested in would be more expensive than what I'm paying now, but it will have more amenities. It would be much bigger, and I'd be going from a 600 500 sq. ft. apartment to one that is about 925 sq. ft. There would be a living room, bedroom, and a dining room. There would be a much bigger kitchen with newer appliances. Some apartments have ceiling fans and fireplaces. And it has walk-in closets! It would still be only 4-5 miles from the office. Etc., etc., etc. It sounds pretty tempting. I don't know. I've only looked at it online, so I'd have to see it in person to make a real decision. Maybe I'll make an appointment this week to check things out...

R and R

On Friday I made a vow and promise to myself to not work over the weekend. The hours I have been working lately have been long and exhausting, and I needed a break. And so far I've been successful. I haven't worked at all this weekend, and I haven't even checked my work e-mail.

Instead of working, I've been resting and relaxing for a change. Well, sort of... I've been neglecting my apartment over the past few weeks, so I've been cleaning and organizing. I've been purging or recycling things that I don't need anymore. And I've been stuffing a bag full of things that I'm going to donate to Goodwill. It feels good to cleanse and minimize and downsize around here.

Other than household chores, I've been passing time this weekend by watching football. My interest in these games are somewhat half-hearted because the Broncos didn't make the playoffs, but the games have been pretty good. Sometimes the only thing I don't like about watching sports are the "color commentators" who give the play-by-play commentary. What annoys me is the fact that most of them try to sound more intelligent and articulate than they really are, but they usually just reveal their stupidity instead. Anyone knows that the phrase "no one put much trust in he or his team" is a grammatically incorrect sentence. Or at least people should know that the phrase is incorrect. It's almost as bad as when someone says "between he and I." It's just wrong.

And on the note of being grammar obsessive, many thanks to el Scoho, for bringing this blog to my attention. The GrammarBlog is all about the grammatical errors that surround us in the world. Scoho sent me a link to a specific post in July that dealt with the grammatical errors that can be found in restaurant menus. This is the perfect blog for all the word and grammar nerds and geeks out there.