Farewell Loft.

I am now officially and entirely moved out of the Loft. And I’m strangely sad about it. Yes, it was MISERABLE to be in there this summer. Yes, I had to walk down the hall and use a seperate key for my bathroom. Yes, my window didn’t open. Yes, I had to cook sitting on the ground. Yes, the closet door didn’t open all the way and wasn’t big enough for my clothes. Yes, the shower hadno head and so sprayed your back with the force of God. Yes, my couch was uncomfortable and you couldn’t see the TV from it. Yes, one could hardly walk around in it. Yes, I had no privacy and lots of study and sleep interruptions because of the paperthin walls and Gary.

But I mean, it was warm and cozy in the winter. I got a LOT of writing done there, overheard a lot of funny conversations, and learned a LOT about living on my own.

Frank and I picked up a rented Honda CR-V at 8:30am and headed over. Unfortunately, parking had filled up FAST and we wound up having to park about half a block down and across a street. This made loading up the car a PAIN. It was a much harder packing job than yesterday because it was a few really big things and then a lot of loose things. Frank is so NOT a morning person (I had NO idea how not a morning person he is until today, haha, but he is scary! ) and the grumpier people around me are, the more cheerier I feel I have to be. Anyway, we were almost done when my landlord (the good one that I like; I’ve written about him before) offered that if I could be out soon, he would “throw four Brazilians up there and let them at it.” I’m supposed to leave my apartment “broom clean” and so was going to have to venture back there tonight to clean everything up. He saved me time and effort, though, and it was highly appreciated.

However, this added a good deal of chaos to what was already chaos, because now i had to make sure I had EVERYTHING, instead of having the security of checking again in the evening when things were slower. I think we got everything, though, and then I turned over my keys and rushed us back to Frank’s so we could once again move EVERYTHING into his basement. PAIN.

It all worked out, thoguh, and what this taught me is that it’s worth it to hire movers, haha. So instead of having to move EVERYTHING again on Tuesday — which I honestly think would kill me, especially because I know also have some furniture that needs to be moved that I”m not strong enoguh to pick up, much less carry up two flights of stairs — I have hired a moving company for $300. That’s a LOT of money for me, but also possibly some of the best money I’ll have ever spent. I’ll need to repack a couple things tomorrow because the fragile boxes are poorly packed, two boxes are breaking, adn there are a lot of open boxes . . . but I’m still very relieved that my part in this whole process is almost over. At least I don’t have to do the actual moving part myself; just some little odds and ends.

In the meantime, I am homeless/staying at Frank’s place. We moved this morning, then slept ALL day, haha, then went to Harvard Square to walk around, listen to some street performers, buy his texts books and some European chocolates, and now I’m waiting for the dinner I cooked to be done. After the stressful move this morning, I realized it’s the 30th, which means it’s our 5-month anniversary. Happy anniversary! Now help me move, lol.

Anyway, farewell to the loft. I’m super excited about the new place, and I think it’s going to be a wonderful year with two of my best girls. The loft was a good first apartment experience for me, but my new bedroom along is about the same size as the entire loft, haha. So while I’m a bit sad to have said goodbye to the loft in such haste this morning (we only had the car for 2.5 hours so we had to hoof it), I’m also very excited to be moving (literally) onto BIGGER (literally) and better things.

Also, big thanks to Fidan for holding onto a cart for me that simply WOULD NOT fit into the car, and HUGE thanks to Frank for helping me move heavy boxes. Welcome to the perks of being a boyfriend, haha.

Farewell, sweet loft. May you serve your next resident as . . . interestingly . . . as you did me.

Moving != Fun

So last night I tore down my big book case and packed all the stuff on there, dropping a shelf on my head and a shelf on my knee in the process. For dinner I ate a sandwich with bread on which I didn’t see any mold but didn’t look too close. Then I started feeling really, really awful so I decided to call it a night and went to bed around midnight.

Around 2am Frank calls me to say goodnight and I basically had a nervous breakdown on the phone. I was so shaky I could hardly hold the NEXT piece of toast I made myself, and was really nauseaus and in a bit of stomach pain. I was crying about the stress of moving and of work and of it being the first evening me and Frank haven’t spent together in a long time and my impending dentist appnt next week (I don’t do so well), and also because I was lying in bed convinced I was getting another ulcer, I could feel it.

Frank being the amazing boyfriend he is took a cab to my apartment at 2:30am to take care of me and calm me down.

I had initially just thought I was, like I said, getting a stress ulcer from the unreal conditions of this move. I have to be out of my apartment by noon on Monday, but I can’t move into the NEW apartment until 10:30am on Tuesday. Meanwhile, I work all day Thursday, Friday, and Monday, and I have an all day class on Saturday. I’m also adamant about NOT paying for boxes because that is stupid and I should not have to pay. Plus, studying for the GRE is kicking my butt because my math skills are GONE to an embarrassing extreme. Plus, there I am in the middle of the night, alone in my completely silent apartment, lonely and alone and taking it apart. Sad^10. Anyway, all of this, I think, could explain why I would have a mental breakdown.

This morning, I woke up to make some toast and saw BIG green mold all over the bread I had eaten from last night. I hadn’t looked closely, so probably I had mold poisoning last night, and that was why I felt so extremely sick – painfully sick, I mean. I’m so ready to live in an apartment where the fridge actually works and the apartment isn’t so hot that food goes bad in three days.

In other news, I have spent ALL day packing, and I am sick of it. I’ll take a load or two to Frank’s basement Friday morning, then finish packing all the last odds and ends Saturday night/Sunday morning, use Frank and possibly Diana to get the rest of my stuff to Frank’s basement, clean Sunday night. Then Tuesday is just going to be a mess and I’m not really sure how that’s going down, because I can’t move the big things (desk, bed, TV stand) by myself, but Frank works all day . . . possibly with the help of Diana and her dad and a U-haul . . . Anyway, crazy. Moving sucks. Ugh.

I still need more boxes, so I’ll go box hunting again tonight when I take the trash out.

Oh, and I will write about my weekend trip to Maryland/DC/Virginia to meet Frank’s family eventually (possibly if I have ANY spare time this weekend . . .) but right now I’m too caught up with moving. Digital photos are up on webshots, but I won’t be able to scan in my polaroids until I can start using the scanners at school (which starts in two weeks).

Also, I’ll have final photos of the loft later . . . sad but happy to be going!

Hurray!

So a few months ago, me and Frank had a conversation that went something like this.

Me: I wish you could register for new apartments, instead of getting married. I don’t want to wait until I’m getting married to get all of the stuff that I need now.
Frank: *playing video games probably; said nothing*
Me: Like a toaster. I need a toaster now, but I don’t want to BUY one if someone will GIVE me one when I’m getting married.
Frank: *continues playing video games*
Me: But what if I never get married, and I die without a toaster?
Frank: Why don’t you just buy one?
Me: No, someone else is supposed to give me one!
Frank: Well if it’s that big a deal, I’ll get you one for Christmas.
Me: Is this your way of telling me you’re never going to marry me?
Frank: . . .

Then yesterday we are in CVS and Frank comes wandering over with a toaster.
Me: What is that?
Frank: A toaster. I’m buying it for you.
Me: Why?
Frank: So you can eat bagels at home.
Me: Oh. Thank you. You’re still going to have to marry me someday, though.

And now I present to you, MY TOASTER:

Okay, the bagels are a bit crunchy. I guess it’s a super-powered toaster and putting it on a level 2 is a bit much. Imagine what a 9 would do! But there’s even a special bagel BUTTON, so that my pieces-of-bread-I-use-as-hot-dog-buns are their own thing apart from my bagels.

quick catch up

More tomorrow. But just to QUICKLY skim over where I’ve been. Had a family reunion in Oklahoma, was home for a week and a half, went on a river camping trip with friends, came back to Boston, celebrated Frank’s birthday, got two jobs, began studying for the GRE. This weekend I’m headed to Maryland with Frank to meet his family and see where he grew up. School starts soon. One of my jobs has already begun; nannying for two little boys. There have been several other parties and outings in between there — Shakespeare in the Common, several good-bye parties for friends, a girl’s night out.

I’m sweating to death because we’re in the 90s up here but apartment buildings don’t have a/c. UGH. Why the hell not? I have a fan and a swamp cooler in the loft, but they just can’t keep up. Frank’s going to buy an a/c unit for his apartment tomorrow. It’s just miserable, and I’m basically sleepy and icky all the time. I’m so ready for cooler weather (not cold! just cooler), as well as to move into the new apartment (next weekend!)

So . . . that’s all for now. This was just a super quick post to get caught up. I’ll post some other odds and ends tomorrow, but I’m trying to get back into blogging without the typical “sorry I haven’t written in so long . . .” post.

But yeah. Sorry I haven’t written in so long. I never blog much during the summer. I’m too busy not being in my apartment.

Random things

Being back in Boston is wonderful — except for the missing Texas, family, and friends part. But the weather is much better, it’s good to be back with the boyfriend, and I’m actually being quite productive.

Last weekend had two daytime adventures. Saturday took Frank to the haymarket, which he had apparently never been to before. If you lovely readers will remember, it’s a giant open air farmer’s market that sells everything from fish to veggies to cheese. For someone who loves food and enjoys spending money impulsively — Frank in a nutshell — it is excellent because prices are ridiculously low. This time our purchases included pineapples for .50, grapes for .99, and four pounds of broccolli for two dollars. It’s made Frank’s and my attempt to eat healthy a BIT better — though other “bad” foods keep somehow slipping in.

Sunday Frank, me, and Richard went to the aquarium which none of us had been to before. Richard had never seen penguins in real life before. I was quite impressed with Frank’s retained knowledge from his fish studies class at Harvard (kay, I don’t remember the actual course name); he served as sort of our personal guide and was able to give us a lot more information than was on the plaques. The aquarium was definitely smaller than Corpus Christi or Monterrey, but I mean, even a bad aquarium is fun, and it wasn’t bad.

This week I have mainly been getting some writing and odd errands done. Not having internet at the apartment severely limits what I do doing the day (I’ve decided not to turn my internet on this month; it’ll save my $65!) but I’m still managing to be productive, and it means I budget my internet time much better. We’ve watched a bunch of movies, gone out a couple of times, but overall pretty lowkey.

Interesting talent alert!: So it is a joke about how I will eat food until right up to the point at which it will kill me. I cut the mold off of cheese or bread, gouge out the mushy parts of fruit, etc. But one thing I DO NOT budge on is milk. If milk smells the slightest bit off, I say no. I have had no many episodes of taking a big gulp of milk that I thought would be fine only to run my tongue along the carpet to get the stale milk taste off.

Well Frank has apparently taken note of this talent, and I am now the high judge of food. If he can’t decide whether it’s good or bad, he brings it to me and says, “Smell.” This all started the other day when, after baking a chocolate cake (I said we were TRYING to eat healthier), he poured us a glass of milk. After downing half the glass in one gulp, he held it out to me and asked, “Does this taste funny?” Sure enough, it was three days past expiration day and WAY funny tasting. Ick. The smell was revolting.

Anyway, that’s all the news for now. I’m procrastinating actually sending anything in to be published, which is what I’m actually supposed to be up to these days. Send good luck, concentration, peppy, and focus vibes my way, please! I have a fiction and a nonfiction piece both ready for submission, a couple poems I might submit, and a couple of fiction pieces that need some reworking but will soon be ready. Oh, and those two ten-minute plays can be submitting, and a one-act that is almost ready. Also, I’ve realized that a full-length play I started a year ago, which I’m a third finished with, would probably do well either as my BFA thesis or publication. So definitely lots of projects to be working on.

like?

My forehead was dominating my face again, so I gave myself bangs.  I like them.  If you don’t, I really don’t want to hear about it. 

Now I am going on a night photography adventure.  And I am probably going to eat ice cream for dinner.  Or fruity pebbles. 

I’m trying to piece together my summer: this month either Ireland, Poland, or Guatemala for ten days.  Possibly a weekend in Canada at the end of May.  MAYBE Greece for a week with Amberlee if her settlement comes through.  Maybe Puerto Rico or Bermuda, or maybe even Spain, in August.  Family reunion in Grove, Oklahoma (very exotic! :p ) and weekend friend trip, probably back to the river again.  At least a couple days in East Texas; I may see about spending a week or two there during the fall (if Mom and I don’t do our two weeks in Argentina) or in the spring as “research” for my BFA thesis.    I’d like to fit one more abroad trip in, since this is possibly my last summer of free flights unless I go to grad school –which I continue to go back and forth on.

what do you do

with 6×150 napkins?  That is 900 napkins.  That are in my apartment right now.  Next to 36 bags of popcorn, 48 bags of peanut M&M’s, and 24 small bottls of cranberry juice.

Diana has another 900 napkins, 10 16.5 oz. bottles of oil, 24 bottles of water, and 48 bags of regular M&M’s.

We will never have to buy napkins for our new apartment.

 

In other news, just had my last class.  I have one more paper to write and one final exam to take, and then I am homefree.  HURRAY.  It has been a stressful end of the semester, to say the least.  My plays went fabulously on Tuesday, and it wasn’t painful at all to watch other people interpret my work.  Mom flew up for the occasion, and it was wonderful to have her here, even if I was either in class, writing papers all night, or napping while she was here.  That was kind of lame.  But we still had fun because that’s what we do together.  And it meant a lot to me that both her, the boy, and a few of my other friedns came out to support my plays.  And mom got to meet the boy when we went to Korean BBQ Monday night — my third time in a month.  Yummy stuff. 

Now . . . now I almost don’t know what to do with myself.  I guess I’ll get started studying for my final exam so I’m not doing it all last minute.  Another beautiful day outside so I’ll probably go running later.  And I need to take my coat to the dry cleaner’s.  Maybe that’s what’s making my apartment smell so bad?  uh oh . . .

lookie!

Boy brought me a flower last night.

Boyfriend win!

this always happens to me

Know what I hate?  When you look really, really cute and your hair is great and your outfit matches and you just need to be seen

but no one is going to see you.

What a waste of looking good.

I think I’m going to make a run to CVS since my potential plans for the evening fell through and . . . well, I SHOULD do more homework.  But let’s me honest, I’m probably just going to burn candles and drink tea and eat food and write.

 

^ does not do the awesomeness that is my hair justice, but you get the idea.

the good news!

People!  It is ENTIRELY possible to make scrambled eggs in the microwave!  Why have I been wasting my time and dirtying my spatulas and frying pan all this time?

I feel like society must have felt when television stopped ending at night and started playing shows 24/7.