| weird psychic moments, and some excitement |
[Mar. 26th, 2009|11:28 am] |
(this is copied from facebook, so apologies for any overlap)
most of the time, Wen and I sleep in separate rooms. But tonight, as I was winding down to go to sleep, I felt an inexplicable urge to go sleep with her instead of in my own room. This was around 10:20. I'd gotten into bed with her, and we'd both settled down to go to sleep. Around 10:35, the noise in the hallway picked up, and then all of a sudden there was a TON of shouting. From what we were able to determine, there was a police raid on several of the apartments in our building. It was all very exciting, and rather noisy (as one might guess having seen occasional snippets of police shows). One difference between actual and fictional police raids is that in an *actual* raid, it seems that most of the cops will stand around in one's front yard, discussing things like baseball. But others will have discussions with one's neighbors in the hallways. Sadly for my nosy, gossipy self, although they were noisy, they weren't using their "drama voices," so we couldn't work out most of what they said.
Snippets that we *did* overhear:
(One neighbor to another, I think): "Viagra?!?! You're young. Why do you need VIAGRA?"
(The final words from the cops, one of them clearly putting his high school Spanish class to good use): "Vamanos a la playa!"
In the midst of the excitement, when they were searching our back yard, Wen had the back door open and was asking them what was going on, and one of the cats escaped. She high tailed it for the open door to the basement (which they were also searching), so I was out back, with cops digging holes in the yard, trying to coax the cat back into the apartment without me going into the basement. (She's safely home, along with the other two.)
So that was tonight's excitement. I'm hoping that this means things will be quieter around here. i feel a little guilty about hoping for that, but then, it's not like I was the one who called the cops, or, for that matter, chose to deal drugs. I just hope they don't think it was me or Wen who called. |
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| Rejoice, my nerdy heart. |
[Feb. 27th, 2009|11:20 pm] |
I went out today and got two large magnetic dry erase boards so that we could put our magnetic poetry collection in the hallway, where it's convenient to use, rather than on the fridge, where it would have been hidden. Wen and I proceeded to spend several hours sorting and putting up the words. (This is an involved process, as we have at least eight full sets of magnetic poetry, probably more.)
We realized that we'd need more space in order to actually *use* the magnetic poetry, so we decided to dedicate one entire wall of our hallway to words, in various forms. The door to my room is already covered with words, since this year I have both the Word-a-Day calendar and the Forgotten English calendar, and I tape up whichever words I want to keep seeing.
In addition to a couple more magnetic dry erase boards for further display of poetry (and to give people room to post some actual poems, rather than just showing the words), we're going to put quotations about reading, writing, and words above the more interactive stuff.
One thing I particularly appreciate is that not only am *I* this nerdy, but I managed to marry someone who thinks this is as cool an idea as I do. |
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| random observations |
[Feb. 20th, 2009|12:30 pm] |
The bodega on our corner is called "Pinkey and Brain." Today I noticed that a tagger in our neighborhood signs "Papa Smurf." People in my neighborhood apparently like '80s and '90s cartoons.
Came into Bread Stuy today, and they are playing '80s music. It's nice to feel like I'm not old, no matter how my body is feeling today.
I have been craving eggs lately, so I looked them up to figure out what's in them that my body needs. Clicked on a link purporting to show eggs' nutritional profile, and instead had a bunch of ads for being an egg donor. I don't think that would quite meet my needs. (Best bet for the egg thing is Iron, vitamin A, and B-complex. I should boil some eggs for lunch.) |
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| Battle of the Boroughs |
[Feb. 9th, 2009|10:02 am] |
Ok. So we had the highly exciting experience yesterday of renting a Budget truck (sadly, not one of the ones with the snarky comments on the side) and then hauling altogether too much furniture. Coming back from the Queens leg of the trip, right around where the Long Island Expressway meets the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, we passed one of the massive, crowded cemeteries in Queens. Wen commented that there was something oddly creepy about a cemetery that was that full. Stuck in traffic, we continued to stare at the cemetery for far longer than was healthy. I joked that I wouldn't want to live in Queens if anyone ever decided to raise an army of the undead. Somehow, this led to a discussion of the battle of the NYC boroughs, with each borough represented by a group characteristic of that borough. (I've discussed this before with someone, but now I can't remember who. Maybe K?)
Obviously, Queens would be represented by the zombies, since there are so many huge cemeteries there.
Staten Island would be represented by mutants (I know, joking about Staten Island landfills is a lame joke, but there it is. Toxic seepage and whatnot.)
Wen pointed out that the Bronx should be represented by human-animal hybrids, what with the zoo being right there.
So then we're left with pirates and ninjas, the group that started off the original discussion of the battle of the boroughs; and we're left with Brooklyn and Manhattan needing representatives.
We decided that pirates should represent Brooklyn, what with all the beaches. And ninjas seem more urban than not, so Manhattan gets the ninjas.
If I had more time, energy, and friends who lived nearby, I would make a little film of the cartoon style battle of the boroughs. Maybe someone with all of those things would want to steal this idea, because I'd love to see it. |
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| What do people think about the "lead law"? |
[Jan. 23rd, 2009|10:27 am] |
I've been surprised not to hear much from people about the new "Lead Law," which outlaws selling products for children under the age of 12 if they have lead or pthalates in them; from what I understand, even people making handmade toys or clothes, or people reselling toys or clothes, would be liable for large fines and/or jail time.
It also apparently applies to children's books, including the ones found in libraries or used bookstores; if the books aren't tested and proved to be free of lead and pthalates, they're not supposed to sell them, or let kids use them.
To me, it seems like using an axe where a scalpel might be a smarter choice. But then, I don't have external children, and I tend not to chew on my toys or clothes. At least most of the time. :)
So, what do people think about this? Have you heard about it? |
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| upscale cambric tea |
[Jan. 15th, 2009|05:40 pm] |
I can't be the only one who has noticed this. Starbucks has this new promotion going on, of "tea lattes." This would be tea, steamed milk, and a shot of syrup.
Granted, the syrup fancies it up a bit, but c'mon. How is this anything more than cambric tea?
Although, as an aside, Laura Ingalls Wilder comes up in most of the mentions of this beverage. I have no memory of her writing about it (although, given how often I read those books while growing up, anything in them must surely have seeped deeply into my brain!) (and which reminds me it's been a good year or more since I read that series... should find them and re-read again, if I could forget that LIW was the one who brought the idea of cambric tea into the popular imagination!) |
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| fast forward illness |
[Jan. 14th, 2009|04:14 pm] |
Ugh. Yesterday, I sat down with my coffee and a pastry before therapy. I felt something a little odd on my lip, then a tingling, and then a cold sore erupted full-blown, when all the warning had been less than five minutes earlier (normally, I get a day or two of warning.)
Today, my body seems in the mood to welcome more virii to the party, and over the course of time required to heat up a french bread pizza in the oven, I went from thinking, "Hm. I might be coming down with something" to having a full-blown, sneezing, watery eyes, achy body, slightly feverish cold.
And, for the record, if you have the opportunity to try "Apple Pie Spice" flavored instant hot cider, this is not the delicious choice from the variety pack. Well, maybe if you like caramel flavoring. We'll have to see whether Wen likes it.
But at least I can be glad that we bought that, since it's a warm, clear beverage, and I really needed one, but wasn't up to walking a block and a half to the grocery store. |
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| Hmmm. |
[Jan. 6th, 2009|08:10 am] |
The thing about having a TV in my room is that now I can watch geeky science shows when I have insomnia (I record them special for that purpose, because oddly, even though we get the science channel, there isn't always a geeky science show on.)
So anyhow. The show I was watching last night featured Terra Cycle, a company that makes products from what would otherwise be thrown away; and instead of just recycling things, part of what they do is clean them and just reuse them, which is cool. What's even cooler is that they have a program where they will donate money to the school or charity of your choice if you send in used cookie wrappers, yogurt containers, and so on.
When I read about this, I thought about all the people I know who work in schools, and thought, "Hm, seems like a good community service project." So I thought I'd share.
Their products seem interesting as well, and I'll check out the garden ones this spring/summer, and report back as to whether they work well. (Who *wouldn't* want a fertilizer called "Worm Poop"?) |
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| Crummy afternoon |
[Dec. 19th, 2008|05:11 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  cranky | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | the rattling of my ceiling fixtures from upstairs' music | ] |
So in addition to all of the other things that have to get replaced due to bugs (beds, all the furniture and electronics from the bedrooms), and the things that have to get replaced because they weren't sturdy enough to survive the move (the futon couch frame, six book cases, the rocking chair), or weren't working well enough to justify moving them (the toaster oven and microwave... the door kept falling off the toaster oven, and the microwave wasn't heating consistently)... as I unpacked, I discovered that stuff shifting in boxes as we moved caused one of the buttons to jam in the coffee maker, and now it's impossible to turn it on. And if they had just used regular screws, I could probably have taken it apart and popped the button back out, but they used some that require their technicians' tools to get open. So now we have to replace the coffee maker, presuming we ever want to drink coffee at home.
And to add to my stress, I retreated to my room to try to wind down and stop feeling so stressed, and the upstairs neighbors have their stereo up so loudly that it's rattling my ceiling fixtures and window. And our prior interactions haven't led me to feel like they would respond anything but nastily if I asked them to turn down the music.
I'm feeling really cranky and discouraged right now. |
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| Neighbors |
[Dec. 19th, 2008|12:38 pm] |
**Sigh**
Wen and I get the feeling the neighbors don't like us, and don't want us here. That's hard. I overheard one of them (not hard--I was standing across the front yard from him) making snarky comments about how we had hired movers, with the assumption that we did this because we have money to burn. We also overheard one (who switched from patois to English, possibly to make sure we could understand) talking about how she can't wait to get out of this building, and how she doesn't like the way the neighborhood is changing.
It's hard. I recognize that by being here, we're contributing to gentrification. The problem is, unless we wanted to pay far more than we could afford, pretty much anywhere we can find that we can afford, we'll be contributing to gentrification. Although I suppose that if we'd figured out how to downsize to a one bedroom, and how to make our bodies able to cope with a 3rd or 4th floor walk-up, we could have found something in an already-gentrified neighborhood for the same amount we're paying now.
And it's also challenging to know exactly how to deal with our landlord, whom I suspect far prefers tenants like us (which is to say, college-educated, white collar, "yuppies" who can afford to pay $1400/month in rent). And it helps more that there are only 2 of us in this apartment, rather than five or six people. So there's the added tension of us appreciating having a landlord and super who are eager to make sure we're happy and comfortable, and suspecting they aren't doing as much for the other residents of the building.
All of which makes me reluctant to complain to the other residents about things like smoking (cigarettes and pot) in the hallway, or playing their music really loudly late at night, or stealing my newspaper (this one I might gripe about if it happens again).
At the same time, it's not really our fault that the neighborhood is changing. The rent was going to be the amount it is, regardless of who is living here. The dozen or so other apartments on our block that are currently being renovated would be renovated whether or not we move in, and they would most likely get rented to people who can also afford to pay $1400+ in rent, whether or not we are here.
So I'm just feeling a little frustrated. I'm also realizing that I'm sad to be leaving our old block, where we lived for so long. I think both Wen and I want to have the friendliness we had there, and keep forgetting that it took a while to build up to that. It wasn't like we moved into the old place, and had everyone talking about how glad they were we moved in. That took time. And it's possible the same thing will happen here. On the other hand, there wasn't the active hostility from our neighbors in the old neighborhood, just basic ordinary indifference.
In the meanwhile, we are gradually working out ways of cramming our stuff into this apartment with no closets, and precious little cupboard space. It doesn't help that we also had to leave behind 7 bookcases at the old apartment. It's one of those situations where the best possible solution would be having a bunch of shelving and furniture custom-built for this apartment. I'm not sure how we'll manage the actual solution, not being carpenters, but I might be able to come up with some viable solutions. We'll see. I think I have enough of the wire rack shelving that we can put up a few more cubes of that; just have to figure out *where*. |
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| Argh. Life is like a hand full of paper cuts. |
[Dec. 5th, 2008|03:57 pm] |
It's been that kind of a day. Trying to catalog books as I pack them, and the website I'm using is slllllooooooowwww. Decide to see whether the problem is the computer I'm using, and do some tweaking that then takes 45 minutes. Kill time by trying to throw together a free website (why? don't ask me why. I have no idea) and the software they have for design is immensely aggravating to use. Take a break from that by going to the post office, and the stamp machine is broken so I have to wait 20 minutes in line to drop of an already-stamped package (2 oz. over the new 13 oz. weight limit) and buy stamps. And they have no holiday stamps, so I wind up with non-holiday stamps for our holiday cards (this is not a big deal, but it's still annoying).
Get home, get fed up with each thing in turn, move on to making phone calls (one of which was easy: thank you Cablevision for continuing to be the least frustrating aspect of this move!), and sit on hold for fifteen minutes with the Social Security office, only to have it hang up on me rather than transfer me to a person.
Argh. Just ARGH.
Edited to add: Decided to try the 800 number to at least change my address. 10 minutes of voice-address system later, that hung up on me, too. What is UP with this?! |
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| Box count |
[Dec. 4th, 2008|07:57 am] |
Anyone who knows us is aware that we have a LOT of books. And those books take up a LOT of space. We got the idea of cataloging our books on Library Thing as they are being packed, and tagging them with a box number, so that if we don't get unpacked immediately, we'll still be able to find books when we want them, without unpacking all of the books and adding to the chaos that is a move.
You can check out our progress by clicking "Tags" along the top border, and seeing which box number is the highest. As of this morning, we're up to 11 boxes of books, and it feels like we haven't made more than a small dent in the total collection. |
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| Exploring the new neighborhood |
[Dec. 1st, 2008|12:46 pm] |
As a reward for packing for two hours this morning, I told myself I could come over to the new neighborhood and test out Bread Stuy. I'm sitting here now. The colors are gorgeous, and reassure me that the warm orangey brown we chose for our dining room will be a great color for a space where we eat.
They have more comfy chairs than any of the coffee shops near the old place (well, padded benches around the sides, and straight back chairs with padded seats, but it's all good). The people here seem really friendly, and there is a good selection of coffee. There is a big Obama/Biden flag hanging on one wall. The food is delicious (at least what I've had so far) and they have a very tempting array of pastries. Yum.
I think I'll go over and ask about the sign in the window about gingerbread making. Not that I'm entirely willing to give up doing gingerbread at home, but still... it's a thought. But I think we'll stick with doing our own. On the other hand, if it's at a good time and not too expensive, it might be a good way for me and Wen to meet our neighbors....
So far, I'm feeling pretty good about this move. If only it weren't necessary to cope with the actual move.... |
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| packing |
[Nov. 29th, 2008|05:49 pm] |
Boy, do I *hate* packing. And as we were working on packing up the craft nook today, we discovered that there had been a mouse (I did kind of know this, but hadn't ever really dug around to explore the damages). So in addition to the packing, there was dealing with figuring out what was salvageable from the boxes the mouse had gotten into. I wish I could remember whether I'd used non-winter holiday stuff last year, so I'd have an idea of whether the mouse was here when we had the cats home, or if it was last summer....
I can't tell if it's reassuring or discouraging to have spent six hours sorting, purging, and packing, and only to have 12 packed boxes to show for it....
Hopefully, other areas of the house will go more quickly (although if I follow through on my current ambitious plan to catalog all of our books on LibraryThing as I pack them, packing the books is going to take a while longer than planned... but the thought of tagging the record of them with which box they're packed in... that makes me feel like we'll be able to *find* things even before we're totally unpacked!) |
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| If I were less honest |
[Nov. 28th, 2008|11:46 pm] |
I would be $100 richer.
**Sigh**
I was at the corner store this morning, and when I went to pay, I noticed a bill on the shelf by my side. Thinking I had dropped some of my own money, I went to pick it up. It was a $100 bill. And being who I am, I immediately told the guy at the counter about it, rather than pocketing the bill.
So, Universe: I bought a lottery ticket right after that. If karma counts for anything, I should at *least* win a dollar, ok? Ideally, the whole $111 million, but I'll settle for a dollar. |
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| dear universe. |
[Nov. 26th, 2008|09:36 am] |
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It might not have come to your notice, but I was not coping well with the stress I already had. Adding MORE stress on top of it... NOT HELPFUL. Not helpful at all. Seriously, ok? |
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mawrter's journal
