christmas - wish list

so christmas is here.... as evidenced by my living room.

now is the time for present shopping and parties galore!

my family has been hounding me for months for my wish list. an initial email went out mid-october, then responses slowly trickled in, until i was the only one who hadn't responded. ever since i moved into my apartment i have known what i wanted... a couch. i have almost nothing to sit on; just a couple of dining chairs and my bed. neither of which are good for cuddling with the boyfriend. (he zonks out easily on the bed.) as much as writing to my entire family with just that one thing isn't that hard of a task, i wanted to put something together to bring the point home.

for weeks i had this idea. i'd google a bit here and there during work or in the evenings at my boyfriend's (i didn't have internet at my place for a long time.) finally i got around to doing it.

i took an image of the couch i wanted from ikea and the initial photo of my living room. i put the living room image into autocad and drew sight lines. then i plopped the image of the couch under the sight lines to get vertical reference lines. i then started to form the edges and lines of the couch.

in adobe illustrator, i opened the living room photo and scaled it to the size i wanted (so that it would show fully in an email.) i then opened the autocad file of the couch (illustrator can open autocad files.) a little copy and paste, and some arrangement of type and i was done!

do you like it? i'm hoping to be able to buy the couch without using any of my own money. cross your fingers!!!

room by room - christmas is here

so i finally got to it. i put up my christmas decorations. namely my christmas tree! now my boyfriend hates fake christmas trees, but i don’t like the smell of real ones. plus i already owned this tree from two years ago.

last year i was too busy to put up my tree, and despite the craziness this year i was determined to put it up.

finally on sunday i got around to putting it up. my boyfriend was hung over from a christmas party the night before, so i took the opportunity to do some chores around my apt.

doesn’t it look snazzy?!?! i was sort of hoping my deer head would have been up by now so it could also get adorned with ornaments, but since the tree is in its spot so i guess it’s okay.

don’t you just love decorating for the holidays?!?

room by room - living room boxes

so a majority of the boxes in my living room were filled with books. this was no surprise. what came as a surprise is how much shelf space all of this would take. i didn’t know what else to do with the books as i was unpacking them so i just lined them up (as i currently have no shelf space).

this is what it turned out to be. eleven feet and 3 inches of books. i can’t believe i have to buy that much shelving. and that’s just the regular reading books, and does not include sketchbooks, oversized art books, magazines, notebooks, cookbooks, and school binders. not to mention all the knickknacks that always find their way onto bookshelves. i’m thinking i’ll just double the length for good measure; at the very least it’ll provide additional space for buying additional books. heehee…

room by room - bathroom debacle

so the tub...

on november 1^st when i signed the lease papers, i mentioned to the building management that the tub was in disrepair. the management was willing to get it refinished and immediately called the building super to notify him that it needed to be done. apparently the super couldn’t do it, so it was decided that the contractor was to do it. a couple of days later i got a call from him asking to set up a time to do it. we agreed to the next day at 9am.

the tub before

not having any furniture, i was still staying with my boyfriend at the time. i had to trek from his place, meet the contractor at 9, and somehow get to work by 10am. no clue how i thought this could be done. i went to meet him anyways, hoping that the tub would take maybe an hour, and i’d only be a half hour late for work. well, i shouldn’t have been worried. we met up (he was on time. surprise!) and all he did was look at the tub. i had hoped that he’d do it that day, so that the two days drying time would end before i even moved anything in. no-go!

i tried to set up a time for him to come back, but he was impossible to schedule any further than a week in advance. all his available times, i wasn’t available. he seemed to think that i didn’t have to work mon-fri 9-5. oh well… finally after several phone calls, and an insane amount of hemming and hawing on his part (including an offer to do it on thanksgiving. yeah right!) we settled on last wednesday. then a few more phone calls we settled on 9am. (worked for me. it ended up being one of my random mornings off. ok so i don't actually work mon-fri 9-5...) finally the day rolled around. the boyfriend and i showered super early so the tub could be dry by 9. the bf went off to work and i settled in for a long wait.

9am nothing. 9:30 i finally called him and he said he’d be there soon. 10am he rolls in with some young guy. he explains what is going to happen, that it’ll smell. and ask him for the 20th time (cuz he always answered in the wrong way) how long it’ll take. he replies for the 20th time with ‘1-2 days’. ‘no’ i explain ‘right now, him doing it, how long will it take?’ finally i get the answer i’ve been looking for… ‘an hour’ he says. well… 2+ hours later the young guy leaves my apt. granted he had to seriously sand the crap out of my tub before even starting.

now my tub is super bright and white. it’s still bumpy though and you can see that it’s thin in places; what really should have happened, was that after the two days of drying time, they should have come back, done another finer sanding, and put done another application of the finish. then the tub would have been perfect. but of course that would have taken two trips and four days. it is lovely though just the way it is.

the tub after

room by room - bathroom

last but not least: my bathroom!

i’d say it’s tiny, but it is pretty normally sized. the tub is longer than normal, but the showerhead is in the center so you only get to use half the tub. wtf!

you can’t really see it in the pictures, but when i moved in the tub was a disaster. the building manager agreed to have the tub refinished. and then there was a whole debacle with a contractor, but i’ll go into that later.

plans for this room are pretty simple…. get matching shower curtains. though i kindda like that one of my current ones is see-through (nearest the window) and that the other is opaque (near the door). though the downside if that the light is blocked to the mirror. i got a rocking tub rack that holds all of my products. the major plan is to figure out how to get the showerhead on either side of the tub, instead of in the center. that and a storage system on the back of the door. currently everything is living in the closet and is inaccessible. and a curtain for the window. mostly so that in the summer i can open the window while showering and no one can see in.

that’s my new apartment and i hope you like it. and that you’re a little jealous. it’s the nicest apartment i’ve lived in and that i’ve seen my friends living in.

room by room - bedroom

another in the series: my bedroom!!!

so it’s super good sized. 12x12. what?!?!

more than enough space for everything. though it doesn’t have a closet. (no worries! there’s one just outside. in the hallway.) plus it has two windows! one of them south-facing. it gets gorgeous light in the morning.

plans for this room include a vanity table with chair. and a big lounge chair with ottoman. to sit and read in (while someone – my boyfriend – watches sports in the living room). and of course my bed. oh i had grand plans for a headboard, but we’ll see how that goes. and paint. this is one of two rooms that i feel paint is a worthwhile investment. i’m going to paint it the same soft green i had in chicago. it was such a soothing color, and it looked great in all lights.

oh… and lamps. this room needs more lamps. all of the rooms do actually. i need more light. and curtains. all of the rooms need window coverings. but i’m planning on making roman shades for the bedroom. and nice sheers for the living room. i think i might make a shower curtain window covering for the bathroom just for some extra coverage. the kitchen will get nothing. but it will get a window cling on the lower part of the window, because the window has clouded up and it just looks bad.

onto the bathroom!

room by room - living room

not that i’ve been ignoring my blog, but i’ve been super busy. plus my computer died. sort of, the power adapter died, which is the same thing.

anyways, i wanted to continue along… showing you my new apartment. here’s the living room!

it’s obviously VERY bare in these pictures. it’s slightly better now that my stuff is out of storage. it now houses my desk, bookshelf, books, and dining table with chairs. though that sounds like a lot and it kind of is; i’m still missing so much. i definitely need a couch (more on that later) and coffee table and maybe a tv with a stand. and book shelves. i have soooo many books. oh god… the boxes of them were over-running the living room!

the plan was to paint paint paint, like everywhere else, but that plan has been reduced significantly. now i am going to suck up the crappy paint color and move on. i think i’ll hang a wall hanging i bought in Chicago on one wall to conceal some of it. a couch is in the works. and coffee table may have to be something i just find on the street. the tv will be purchased: a) when there’s an awesome sale on and b) i have extra dough lying around. that’ll be never. plus i don’t have cable anyways. i barely got the interwebs.

next, the bathroom.

website design

a friend and sort-of boss has asked me if i could help her design a simple website for her freelance business. she didn’t want anything to fancy, more of an electronic business card than an actual website. i have yet to tell her if i’d do it, mostly because i have never designed a website in my life. i made an aborted attempt to spruce up my blog ages ago and haven’t fiddled with html since then.

my boyfriend has assured me that i can do it – that it isn’t that difficult. well… we’ll see.

today i attempted to learn adobe’s dreamweaver. it is definitely a confusing mess to anyone not initiated. and I had a hard time even poking around, but i found an adobe tutorial about creating a basic website, which has proved to be very helpful. especially with content. so i’m on my way to having a design for my own website. (because i figured i shouldn’t charge her for my idiotic attempts.)

currently my stumbling blocks all relate to pictures. i loaded the ones i liked from my portfolio, but they wouldn’t show up. then i tried other random pictures, and they worked. i think my problem has to do with the size of the files. i will resize and try again.

here it is for now.

thanksgiving!

so thanksgiving is over and i am super proud of how i did!

on wednesday i created this email card to send out to all my friends and family. i’ve been so busy recently that i didn’t have time (weeks ago) to make a real card. (i’m still working on my “i’ve moved cards” although i’ve been here for a month!)

anyways, i whipped together this quick image and send to everyone.

i wanted a scared turkey with serene pilgrims in the background. but of course they’re holding an axe so you know what’s going to happen.

by the way one of my favorite things about thanksgiving is that the president, of the united states, pardons, that’s right pardons, two turkeys! hahaha what ridiculousness!?!?! i was joking this morning with my bf that what we don’t see is the handlers bringing the turkeys around the back of the white house for the white house chefs to kill and cook for the white house thanksgiving dinner. gee gads!

second accomplishment is, i think, more significant. i made my grandmother’s pecan pie. what!?! i made my mom’s pie dough (though a little short to make a fancy finish) and my grandmother’s pecan filling. i even got the pecan topping right. it looked so good coming out of the oven that i wanted to dig right in! i couldn’t wait to dig into it on thanksgiving! it’s definitely something that i will be proud to pass onto my children. look how fabulous!

doesn't it look great?!? i’ll share the recipe later.

then on thanksgiving, i did the miraculous... i made a juicy thanksgiving turkey! we used this recipe. it was so easy! pop in the oven. take out at halftime and glaze and then glaze every 30 minutes until the cooking time was over. easy-peazy. didn't it also turn out just lovely?!?

hope you had a happy thanksgiving too!

room by room - kitchen

to follow up the last entry about my entry, my kitchen!

it’s super basic, but is huge and has tons of storage for a nyc apartment.

it is really a galley kitchen with everything on one wall although it is its own room. with two base cabinets and multiple upper cabinets the amount of storage is overwhelming. i own nothing…

the oven is huge as well, and the refrigerator is average. i had to do an extensive cleaning of everything. the former tenant obviously had no urge to clean on their way out.

my plan for this space is fully formed in my head. i plan on painting the currently empty wall a bright fuchsia. on top of that I plan on putting a butcher block counter with four legs close to the entrance, to use as a breakfast bar and additional counter space, and fill the rest of the wall with rubbermade shelving. i know that i think the current storage space is excessive, but i also know i will buy tons of kitchen stuff over time. plus it gives me excellent pantry storage.

this room will probably be done way before any of the others are.

room by room - entry

here’s the photos i’ve been talking about. room by room i will post photos of my new apt. and as i finish room by room, i will post updated photos.

without further adieu… my entry!!!

it’s pretty large and i have great plans for it. i am thinking a sideboard to the right. somewhere to put keys and mail and whatnot. i think i’ll place a rubber mat or sisal runner underneath it in order to have a place to put my shoes when there’s bad weather. i’ll probably need a seat as well. i am leaning towards having a coat tree or rack as well. but i don’t know yet. then the art. lots and lots of art.

and… I almost forgot the best part. a chandelier. i’m thinking a petite crystal (fake probably) chandelier to greet me when i get home. how about it?!?!

i was originally going to paint every room (including ceilings) but i’m starting to think otherwise. paint will have to wait. i’m sort of thinking i’ll do it in select spots.

i can’t wait to get this all sorted!

new apartment… what what?!?

so it’s official! i have moved into my new place! pictures will come soon, but just so you know it’s fabulous. i have yet to decorate anything. and the apt doesn’t even look like this anymore, because i also was able to get all of my stuff out of storage!

first off what you need to know about this place is that it is in the brooklyn neighborhood of lefferts gardens. this neighborhood is mostly caribbean and was once a super exclusive neighborhood so it has tons of adorable single-family homes. otherwise my building is in a great location, with two grocery stores within blocks, several laundromats as well, and is super quiet (a plus in nyc). the building is pretty big with two wings of apartments. there are four apartments per floor in my wing. i of course had to move to the top floor… :(. i’ve met two of my three neighbors, and they are both very nice.

my apartment is just amazing. who knew that such an apartment existed in my budget! i have a pretty large one-bedroom for peanuts. here’s the floorplan that created as soon as i had the keys!

 
the bad thing about having such large of an apartment is that i have no furniture. you can see my piddly amount of furniture in the newer photos. it’s really sort of sad. but i will soon fill it with lots of lovely pieces. and will try to update you as i go. such a fun yet stressful task! in another post i will update with certain ideas i already have.

guess what i did???

what?

i went to the jets game!

my boyfriend has slowly gotten sucked into being a football fan, and even joined a fantasy league this year. (which he is winning. who knew germans could be so good at fantasy football?!) so when he suggested we go to a game, i wasn’t that surprised. but i’m game for anything (almost anything) and was all for the idea. the two of us plus a friend of his, to whom he owed a favor, trekked out to jersey for the game against the san diego chargers. it was definitely an interesting experience. the best part was the game. with an initial touchdown by the chargers (BOO!) and then a decisive win for the jets the whole experience was fun. the stadium was a little too open for my taste. and the food was pathetic. they were running out of things by the end of half time. despite everything, the whole thing was a blast. and it will probably end up being a yearly outing.

something i found at work the other day

wandering around the internet the other day, looking for (i believe)a certain sofa, i found this great shot of a church. definitely moved by it.

reminds me slightly of the los angeles cathedral (same architect) and another one by canon design.

i love church design!

final tally

packing: so u-haul is still in possession of my stuff. but it finally made its way from chicago to new york (if jersey city counts). apparently you have to pay for the shipping before they will ship it. no one told me that! i finally chucked plenty of dough at them. and now my stuff is sitting in a u-haul storage place in jersey city.

graduating: this has been done and out of the way for months now, but of course there's still stuff to deal with. my school hadn't changed my graduation date from may to august, so my student loan companies are trying to weasel money out of me. tons of phone calls, plenty of stress, and a few tears. i am hoping this debacle will be over soon.

job hunting: at this point i have three part-time jobs. autocad work at that design firm. i work there three days a week and get paid WELL. then, material library work two half days a week and sometimes more. they don't pay as well. and finally, i work on and off, a few hours here a few hours there, for a project manager. which is awesome, cuz that's what i want to do.

apartment hunting: you would never believe it, but i'm still looking!!! i ended up subletting a friend's apartment for two months for ridiculously on the cheap. that ended a couple of weeks ago, so now i am living at my boyfriend's place. his itty bitty studio. let's hope i can find a place by november first!

money: money isn't as big of a concern as it was in july. i'm still barely making ends meet. but things are looking up. although it was a slow month. things are starting to firm up more in regards to each of my jobs, so that looks really good.

christian: no progress on the greencard front. only get to wait until they get to his application and send a letter approving it or denying it. who knows! otherwise, living together is good. i hate that his apartment is so small. and that i don't have all my stuff, and half of what i do have is in suitcases. it a bummer, but things are good otherwise. we aren't killing each other.

more information to come!

still working away at my list...

so i am on the other side of the finish line and yet i am still running. on the list to do, there is:

packing: granted i have finished packing and have given my stuff over to u-haul for them to ship. but there are still things to fret about. like the fact that they don't seem to understand that i need the u-box to be moved from chicago to new york. this all began with the fact that the first u-haul lost my box. no clue how they did it, but they completely lost it. and it's huge! then they switched me to a different u-haul location and failed to move any of my information with me. when i got to the second u-haul place they had no clue what was going on. they eventually got me into a box. it occurred to me, as we were leaving, to check to make sure that my moving preferences were attached to my u-box and my account. nope! luckily i went back and had them do it. now i'm in new york and i've called the help line on two different days. the first time the guy on the line told me that the only way to see what was going on with my account was for me to call and for them to check. he said that it was in fact noted on my account that the box needed to be moved. i am calling again today to check for a potential arrival date. so far nothing. they are amazing useless, and not just on the phone, in person too. this service would be great if they can figure out the kinks. like putting on the storage account website a moving tab, where you can check the status of the box. nope, no-go.

graduating: so i have officially graduated!!! i was told a month or so ago that if i passed my summer classes with a 'c' or better i would graduate. i already knew that i had gotten an 'a' for the first class, then i found out on saturday that i got an 'a' for the second one!!! yeah me! i have a master's degree!!!

job hunting: the job hunting isn't really going anywhere. i haven't been on top of applying. bad me! but i did meet with the recruiter face-to-face which started to seem like it was going to tank, but ended up going very well. then jen set me up with a project manager, who needs some assistance with organizing the paperwork for his projects. then she also got me in touch with a design firm that needs autocad help. and bam! i have to potential to have two part-time jobs that could continue to bring in the dough even after i get a real job! ...oh and i worked a few hours at christian's office to keep the dough rolling in.

apartment hunting: so i am currently camping out at nicola's place. it's working out well, because i actually feel weird spending too much time at christian's. i feel weird wasting away the day at his place while he's working hard. it's better for me to waste away the day on my own dime.

money: as i mentioned i worked a couple of hours at christian's office in order to make some money. that wasn't as bad as expected. then also since my moving was cheaper than i expected (the upside to the utter disaster that was my moving process) i am head of the game on the money side. my dad didn't give me the full second installment, but i don't think i'll need it until the full moving amount is deducted. we will see. plus i have all this part-time work so i think i will be okay.

christian: no progress on the greencard. still just sitting here with my fingers crossed.

i have a master's?!?

serious work to be done today. as in my final paper for my master's degree! hurrah! otherwise i spent the day shuttling here and there. and trying to plan something with my brother, only for it to fall through. ugh...

packing: nothing new, other than my roommate gave me a "thanks for being a great roommate" gift. more stuff to pack!

graduating: made some serious progress on my paper today. going to bed now, but i'm hoping to finish it in good time tomorrow.
 
job hunting: another company called to interview me. and i had to tell them i'm available until next week. so that's another company that won't interview me because they can't wait to hire.

apartment hunting: thinking about what the recruiter said yesterday... i'll be able to afford a decent, if not nice, apartment. hurray!

money: transferred everything to my checking account. once that runs out i am officially broke! and i need to start creating an actual timeline of what i've spent. for my dad. so he gives me more money.

christian: not much progress other than the new lawyers are proving to be much more useful than the old lawyer.

good night moon

after a decent day at work, an evening outing and then an attempt at writing my paper, i'm pooped! granted i did watch quite a bit of gidget tonight. but i really can't concentrate on my paper. crossing my fingers i get everything done in good time.

packing: let's see... i brought more stuff home from work, and not the stuff i brought there in the first place. yeah! more stuff to pack! but i did bring home the large staples box for my kitchen stuff. hopefully it works. i forgot to bring home a box for my printer though. oh well... i still have thursday!

graduating: paper schmaper. i worked on it a little bit. maybe half a page. hoping tomorrow i make some serious progress. crossing my fingers i wake up early.

job hunting: i talked to a recruiter today. went really well. going to meet up next week face-to-face to go over my portfolio. i'll need to tweak that... next week. i hope he comes across something for me.

apartment hunting: nothing until i get a job.

money: i still have money coming in from temping. and of course plenty of free meals coming my way. stupid me bought too many groceries for this week.

christian: he's still battling with the greencard and the visa. mostly because the lawyer he's using for the greencard isn't as tough and ingenious as you'd want your lawyer to be in this scenario. still crossing my fingers it all works out.

g'night!

oh and i almost forgot to mention! i finally got to shower... and wash my hair! my hot water has been out since saturday at the earliest. i was really desperate to wash my hair!

easy going

so i have definitely taken it easy the past 24 hours. i went out (for the last time) with my former roomie. i woke up early and took my time with everything today. lunch, some shopping, lots of internet searches, dinner, and prepping for my move. easy.

packing: i started early this morning and did some leftover packing from yesterday. although my biggest issue today was: how do i get two large bottles of booze to new york? you can't ship it, especially usps. apparently it is actually a federal crime to ship alcohol using the federal post. fedex and ups (who i hate) both are obnoxious about sending alcohol, so you really just have to lie to them. committing a crime and/or getting my booze confiscated didn't appeal to me. so i'm going with the obvious solution. pack it with everything else in my u-box. they have nothing on their website about alcohol, besides specialized boxes for wine bottles. so i'm using some techniques i found online to pack it, and it's going in the box. (i bought a styrofoam cooler, typical size, and a small moving box to fit it in. the cooler doesn't quite fit but the bottles can lay on their sides so i'll make it fit.)

graduating: no progress here, but tomorrow looks like it'll be the day.

job hunting: made some leeway here. applied to god-knows how many positions on craigslist. i used my snappy "you need me. i'm awesome." response instead of the stuffy cover letter response. we'll see which one gets a better response. although i already got one, and it was to the stuffy cover letter. this will be interesting. i also contacted the recruiters. i don't hold out much hope, but it might come to something.

apartment hunting: since the sublet is in place, i've given up looking for a permanent place. until i get a job, that is.

money: wierd side effect of moving. everyone wants to go out for one last hurrah! and wants to pay for it. free meals. a horrible reason to get together with my friends, but really it's just a bonus! i'm so poor! it means i don't have to worry about how many people i agree to go out with.

christian: no progress that i know of. though he did have a relaxing weekend hanging out. should i warn him that it'll be his last as a single man? hahaha he'll be able to do trips like the one he did today to fire island, because i don't like the beach enough to travel 3 hours to get there. no thanks. though i think i'll be able to keep him from binging when he goes out with friends. get him to stop at a reasonable hour instead of at 3am. crazy old man!

unexpected consequences

totally weird but it is starting to hit me that i haven't told anyone that i am moving. this past weekend in new york, it occurred to me that i hadn't told one of my best friends. then a couple days ago i remembered another friend. and on tuesday, my last class, it barely occurred to me that that would be my last class ever with those people. today i happened to run into a former roommate and finally told him. and i went to my church for the last time and had to tell all of them. i didn't realize i had some many people to say goodbye to. and to tell that i'm moving back to ny. crazy.

so updates on all fronts:

packing: i made some progress yesterday. finished off my upper bookshelves and the bins under my bed. tomorrow i will hopefully pack my desk, my lower bookshelves, and the living room. i bought more boxes today, and i hope i won't need anymore. we'll see.

graduating: i have made no leeway on the paper. i'll need to hunker down monday or wednesday and do that.

job hunting: also no progress. maybe later tonight or tomorrow, i will crank out a bunch of applications. especially contacting the recruiters.

apartment hunting: the sublet has appeared to have gone through. i will have a roof over my head. hurray! i am still sort of stressed about it, but i am trying to get over it.

money: ...is what i want. what we all want. i have enough to survive. we'll see about that in a couple of weeks.

christian: there's been some progress on that front. things aren't as dire as they once seemed. still have my fingers crossed though.

the end is near

i am moving in 8 days. that's right folks! 8 days!

and i feel so unprepared. the only thing i have arranged is how i'm moving my stuff. that's it. i don't have a job or an apartment. nothing. but my stuff and i will be in new york very soon. i have 8 days, well really 7 days, to pack all my shit. the 8th day my stuff will be put in the pod to be shipped, and i will be on an airplane and in new york by that night. crazy!

so updates on all fronts:

packing: i packed several boxes a couple of weeks ago, when i was trying to be super on top of things. but then i found i needed some of the things i had packed. that ended the packing. but now i have 7 days left to get all my stuff cleaned, organized, and packed. we'll see.

graduating: class is over. tuesday was our last day. but i still have a paper to write. and so far i have nothing. absolutely nothing. what to do? what to do? it's due midnight on thursday.

job hunting: christian's colleague, jen, is being super helpful. she has given out my information to boatloads of interesting firms. and she sent me a list of recruiters/headhunters to contact. i am sure they will be helpful.

apartment hunting: i was sending out a lot of responses to craigslist ads but to no avail. then it occurred to me that without a job and any idea what i will be getting paid signing up for a year lease for an amount i don't know is financial suicide. so i am now back into looking to see if i can sublet christian's friend's apartment.

money: the good thing on this front is that my dad is going to help me out. i was really worried for a while there that i wouldn't even be able to afford moving to new york, let alone all the other expenses. but i will need to be vigilant and make sure to sock away some money to pay him back.

christian: the boyfriend. the issue here is that he is trying to get his greencard. because his visa runs out the end of november. so he's in the midst of applying for a new visa, while his greencard application is being audited. it would be great if the reason i am moving to new york is still there at the end of this year.

so everything appears to be positive and not going too badly, but i am still very stressed about it all. i am crossing my fingers that it turns out well. wish me luck!

plugging away

so things have really up and down lately, but now i'm just trying to stay productive. i don't think i need to 'finish everything now!' but i do need to do something each day.

so today: a) i went to work. in a positive attitude. i even wore make-up! work was slow but i got some stuff done there as well. finished off the media kits and printed a copy of my portfolio.

b) i got a lot of things done in a short period of time. between leaving work at 4pm and getting home at 6, i picked up my paycheck, went to the bank, put more money on my transit pass, went to home depot, and bought moving boxes. done, done, done, and done!

c) i actually made dinner. i bought a roasted chicken for this week, and i thought i should make a risotto to go with it. i finally made it tonight.

i think i deserve a good pat on the back or maybe a high-five. i need to do a lot more things. it occurred to me today at work that i still needed to buy my plane ticket. need to buy it now while the price is good. and i think it will be a good idea to photograph my stuff as i pack it so that i have good photos for insurance purposes. lightbulb!!!

leveling out

so a week ago i was "top tier". well... almost immediately afterward i hit rock bottom. on thursday last week i became incapacitated from stress and some physical symptoms that occurred from it. i was out for all of thursday and friday. saturday i started to rebound, and i was able to get some everyday activities done. but sunday was only worse. i became so stressed out i really couldn't do anything. after a pick-me-up phone call from my boyfriend and then a sweet phone call from my mom, i started to feel better and more in control.

monday was okay. i certainly did not want to go to work after the disaster that was my weekend. but it turned out to be an okay day. we went out to lunch for a co-worker's bday. the highlight was an email from the financial aid office telling me that i needed to approve my summer loan. what?!?! a summer loan. a major cause of my stress was money and how i could afford to move to new york. a loan would take it all away. and since i have already paid off my summer class fees, i figured i could deal with only taking a smidgen of the full amount.

fully believing i was going to take the loan, i called my dad to check to see if he was still willing to chip in a couple hundred to my moving fund. i told him what was going on, and then he offered to loan me the money! one day ago i was totally stressed out because i didn't know where i'd get money from and now i had two sources!!!! ultimately i went with my dad, mostly just because he was so adamant.

having all that weight lifted from my shoulders, i trotted off to u-haul in order to check out one of their "u-box" moving units. although that morning i had forgotten to measure my mattress and to bring a measuring tape. i showed up and it was a mess. i thought it was going to be such a waste of time! but then i ended up with this super friendly salesman. and he answered all of my questions. the box is HUGE! and it holds 2000 lbs. apparently it can hold a studio apartment - bedroom, dining, and living room furniture - without flinching. it doesn't appear to be possible to deliver it to the u-haul closest to my apartment, but i think it'll be okay.

*deep breath* things are coming together. hurray!!!

top tier

since i am currently on top of my game, i feel good. i made myself dinner tonight (after class, no less). i am so organized. i've already unpacked my bag from this weekend, a week ahead of schedule. i looked into how much boxes will cost. my dinners this week will eat up some of my frozen goods, so i don't have to pack them or throw them away. i'm paying bills, going through my receipts and bank statements, and looking around for some dough to save for moving. i think tomorrow i will look into how it will cost me to move myself. it might also be worth it to have christian fly in to help... instead of my mom. i wonder if she will be offended. i'd love for her to come and help. and it's awesome that she was willing to, but i think i might be able to do it less expensively on my own. but that's another day. today i'm good to go. i even started to research my paper topic for the final. so far no luck, but hopefully i end up somewhere. now for bed.

now it begins...

tomorrow i leave for new york, just for the weekend. i am incredibly interested to see how i feel about it now that i've decided to move back. i'm a little worried. the boyfriend and i had a serious discussion right before he left last time; we'll have to pick up from there. but so far we have lots of plans, and none of them include job or apartment hunting. that would be nice. it's looking more and more like i'm going to sublet his friend's place. i'm hoping to meet up with a friend of mine and see if she'd want to room with me.

friday afternoon, i do have to interview for this personal assistant job here in chicago. something extra to help me afford the move. i was supposed to interview today, but he had surgery yesterday (part of the reason he needs an assistant) and was too out of it to interview me. let's hope this works out!

i'm also going to meet up with a woman that the boyfriend has started working with, who also happens to be a pratt interior design grad. she's currently a owner's rep, which i would love to do! so i'm going to get to pick her brain and hear about how she got to where she is. it'll be really interesting.

side note on the moving: real simple mentioned in this month's magazine that if you're moving you should check out the stuff on their website. i will do just that! i can use all the help i can get!

rejection

so i'm still in the midst of a job hunt. looking not only for a full-time job when i move to new york, but also some part-time work to fund the move.

i haven't had much luck in either arena. first, there aren't many positions available for now til the end of july. i have found one prospect. a man will be recovering from foot surgery so he is in need of a personal assistant. i can totally do that. answering phones, returning messages, and organizing god-knows how much information. it's totally up my alley. the weird part is that he wants to skype us in order to interview us. weird. i don't really know what that means. i wonder if i'll be working from home a lot. and that's how we'll communicate. don't know.

the job in new york has been kind of a promising search, except everyone i talk to wants me to call back closer to when i move. one job was as a material librarian, and they are always getting new jobs and thus having new positions. the other job was at a furniture showroom and is a three month position. i don't know how they would have an opening in a month. weird.

the rejection today from the furniture showroom was really emotional. i think it was mostly from not eating. i've been down a lot recently, but that rejection was a blow. it wasn't really even a rejection, and i didn't really want the position. i blame the food or lack there of.

but i'm pressing forward. i applied for several more jobs today, and they were more aligned with what i want to do. so we'll see. it would be great for things to work out.

food

i love food. i believe i have written about this before, but i do. i love food. not in a 'i do nothing but eat. and when i'm not eating i think about eating' kind of way. i'm not as into eating. i love tastes and smells and textures, but the act of eating, of filling my stomach is not the primary goal. i have had enough negative experiences from foods finding their way through my body that it limits my enjoyment from eating. but it has had no effect on my appreciation of food.

i love trying new things. i love being rushed with the smells. i love crumbling, cutting, peeling, and otherwise dismantling food. i love the sight of a pot of water boiling. i love the thought of bacon cooking in the morning, of crisp lettuce on a sandwich, of finishing my 'veggies' so i can have my dessert.

my mother cooked. my grandmother cooked. we cook together. every couple of years we're in the same place at the same time, and we cook. my grandmother does christmas all on her own. no one is allowed in the kitchen. you do not touch the marshmallows on the sweet potatoes. no stealing rolls before they go to the table. any other day of the year, you're allowed to cook in the kitchen, but not that day. not christmas. come to think of it, i don't think i've ever cooked with my grandmother. maybe at my mom's house, but not at her's. my grandmother's kitchen is her territory. i always felt a little daunted by the idea of cooking with someone who is obviously so good at it.

i cooked a lot with my mother, and for her. we were encouraged as children to participate in the production of meals, even if it was the assembling of a salad. it became more meaningful after my parents divorced. my brother and i would prepare meals on occasion (often to get out of doing the dishes). she never forced me to eat things i didn't want to. besides a lima bean here and there. (they're so dry...) once in a blue moon we would go out for german food - her fav, my enemy. she often tried to get us to try things she loved: chorizo, acorn squash, pea soup. to her credit they are all things i love today. besides the occasional exotic food, my mother made simple fare. spaghetti. tacos. chicken pot pie. all things i remember eating a lot of in my youth. i loved pasta, anything italian. my brother liked meat, ribs to be exact, baby back ribs to be further annoying.

we have both moved onto more exotic tastes. my brother even does his own thanksgiving and christmas. last year he made a beef roast. i had crab boil at my mom's. we survived and came out well past the other side. it's nice to have such an appreciation for food. to think that at one time my brother lived off of mcdonald's cheeseburgers and i ate ramen perpetually. i think we turned out well.

silver lining

as the last post sort of implied, i am insanely stressed out. about finding a job, finishing school, finding an apartment, packing, and finally moving. so stressed out that i'm having stress dreams. example: last night i dreamt that i had to rush home from class to go pack. so then i wake up still totally stressed and still tired. the worst...

so today i had to go pick up my paycheck and had a lovely chat with the woman at the temp agency. (i have no idea what her title or position are, so i am going to refrain from calling her the administrative assistant.) she was legitimately excited for the prospect of me moving to new york. and she laughed when i described how stressed out i am. for some reason this wasn't insulting; it was a refreshing break. everyone else i've talked to have been wonderfully empathetic, but i apparently needed someone lighthearted.

so now she has me looking at what i originally thought was 'the light at the end of the tunnel' but i realized that'll apply when i get closer to the move date. what i see now is 'the silver lining'. when i move, when all this stuff is over, i'll be back in new york! i'll get to see all of my friends whenever i want! and best of all i'll get to see my boyfriend whenever i want! thank god! now i almost can't wait! i'm still daunted by all the planning that needs to happen, but nothing beats the silver lining!

my superpower

if i had to define my superpower i would say it the ability to plan, plan, plan. I am an A-1 planner and can plan every detail to the tee. I think of every possible outcome, every possible hitch, and overall the best possible way to do something.

this is currently coming in handy with my upcoming move. i need to find a job, find an apartment, and figure out the cheapest way to get my stuff from here to there.

where am i going you ask? back to brooklyn, ny! i am leaving chicago (insert sad face) and heading back to brooklyn in order to be near the boyfriend. (since he refuses to move here.)

ultimately i am hoping that his connections along with my veracity while enable me to get a job. finding an apartment is easy; finding good roommates or a place without fleas, roaches, or flies is infinitely harder. especially since i'm on the budget from hell.

now the moving... if you've been reading this blog from the start, you already know how amazing i am at planning the packing part of a move. the first time i moved in chicago i was able to fit all of my belongings into the truck and back seat of a 4-door car (a dodge charger, which i fell in love with). this last time i planned every box, with the only upset being that my mattress was too tall for the van i had rented.

this go-around my mother is driving up from georgia to help out. we'll rent the largest trailer u-haul will give us, pack it up, and drive it halfway across the country to brooklyn. this will be a godsend if i can scrape together the money to pay for gas, hotel, and the like. we'll see...

otherwise i haven't even gotten to the packing or the planning of the packing yet. still in the job and apartment-hunting phase. without both i shouldn't really move. wish me luck!

cut it all off, again

so this is what i used to look like...

and this is what i look like now...

nice right?

good night moon

it's amazing how tired i've been this last week. normally when i get home from class i am amped for hours. sometimes staying awake until sunrise, the next day. but this class, plus work, i'm dead by 10pm at the latest. sad but good. god knows this is how it will feel to have a real job and work 40 hours a week. certainly an adjustment. i'm okay with it for now. primarily because it means i have more refreshing sleep, and i wake up reliably on time. i certainly have no energy to do anything else though. i'm looking lovingly at my bed now. oh the sweetness!

good night!

under construction

well, it looks like my meal planning for this week will turn out to be quite great. most of it is based on cold foods, which may not suit the weather; but it will suit my schedule. no cooking involved!

truthfully there was some cooking involved, but it has already been completed. yesterday, after making two distinct trips to the grocery store, i assembled my newly adapted chipotle chicken salad recipe. it's hard to imagine slaving over something and then not getting to eat it when it's done, but that's the basic for cooking anything that will be served cold. you have to wait for it to reach maximum coolness.

the recipe turned out well, but it is missing something. i think i will definitely need to add that adobo sauce next time. and maybe some tomato paste to convert the flavor from mayo to chipotle! hahaha otherwise it's good. started with shredded chicken that was boiled in vegetable broth. i use plain old tap water and a tablespoon of vegetable bouillon from a jar. (it's less salty than the cubed stuff.) chopped onion (i used a yellow one, but i think red might be better. wf onion selection was depressing!), chopped bell pepper (for color and crunchiness), and a cup of corn kernels (frozen, thawed, and patted dry) complete the veggie selection. the "sauce" is equals parts sour cream and mayo, with a tablespoon of cajun seasoning thrown in. all of this came out quite nice. i served some for lunch today on a bed of salad greens. but the flavor needs to be more chipotle then cajun. i think the spice mix is good to get overall flavor but it needs some punchiness!

another good trick that turned out better was the "easy" pasta salad. it's pretty much open containers, mix them together, and you've got pasta salad! i boiled two and a quarter cups of pasta, according to the directions. (i went for small shells here, but longer pastas would work better.) stop the cooking right before it's truly al dente, so a couple of minutes shorter than the recommended cooking time. drain and then place in a cold water bath. drain again. this will keep the pasta al dente, even when the pasta absorbs the dressing. for the dressing on this pasta salad, i used a trick i stole from the internet. i bought a jar of quartered and marinated artichoke hearts. now i'm not a super fan of these things, but the trick called for a whole jar of them INCLUDING the marinade. brilliant right? they are often marinaded in olive oil plus awesome seasonings, why not take advantage of that! plus it isn't over-flavored like most salad dressings, and you don't have to make it yourself! oh but make sure you get the olive oil ones, apparently they are jarring these things in water now, and you don't want that. so in a bowl went the pasta, the marinade, and the artichoke hearts (some of which i had to cut down a little more). i also added a small can of sliced black olives (drained), cherry tomatoes (cut in half lengthwise), one zucchini (cut into 1/8 inch slices then quartered), and six thick slices of salami (you can use any dried sausage. i cut it into small bits). i tossed all of that with a decent helping of black pepper and a generous helping of grated parmesan. oh my was this delicious!!!! i had it at dinner tonight. mmhmm good!

other dinner offerings this week will be: bagels with homemade scallion cream cheese, fried pork cutlets (went excellently with the pasta salad tonight), a helping of some chicken tikka masala that i have in the freezer, and that chipotle chicken salad. not bad right? all of which (besides the masala) can be eaten on-the-go, namely at school. go me! i'll need to write this shit down for later.