Tour de L' Appartement

When I first walked into our Connecticut apartment I was convinced -- there was no doubt in my mind -- that it was tiny in comparison to our Dallas place. Both Jay and his dad were a little stunned at my assessment. Although our place is not HUGE by any stretch of the imagination, it is, in fact, pleasantly roomy for a one-bedroom apartment. Perhaps it was the emptiness that made it seem smaller.

There are some odd things about our apartment that should be noted:

1. Our refrigerator sounds like it is powered by a hamster.

2. When the wind blows, it messes up our television reception.

3. The faucet water can go from tepid to scalding-the-skin-off-
your-bones hot in mere seconds.

4. Although the apartment came with a built-in coffee maker, we still use our own.

5. The color of the carpet and the trim that is painted to match can best be described as "that mauve/pink brown color that old people are supposed to like."

6. There aren't overhead lights in either the main room or the bedroom. Instead various plugs on various outlets around the rooms are controlled by switches. None of the switch controlled outlets are positioned anywhere near the switches. And only the bottom plugs of the outlets are controlled by the switches. Apparently, electricians are an evil lot.

7. The paper towel holder in the kitchen does not hold your paper towels. Instead it just pretends to hold the paper towels and then drops them as soon as you have filled the sink full of water. For some reason it is about a half inch too wide for any of the paper towels we have bought so far.


Here is the general floor plan for the apartment. I thought it might help when looking at pictures.



We split the large room into two parts. It just seemed like the thing to do.







This is what we call the Living Room. These pictures make it look like we get a lot of light in our apartment. We don't. We're hoping that when the leaves fall off the trees we'll be able to get more light.




This is the remainder of the large room. We refer to it as the Nook Room. The real nook met its demise in a dumpster in Dallas. Mom wasn't willing to give up her seat in the Neon to a bunch of egg crates. If only I had a luggage rack.

See that folding chair? That plus an outdoor, lawnchair cushion is what I sat on most of the way to Connecticut. We expected the Budget truck to have a bench seat. It didn't. So we made one!




This is our very neat and clean bedroom. The CRT monitor (bottom right) actually sits next to a bookshelf which is next to a lamp which is next to the closet. This is as much of the room as I could get in one shot and really didn't think that it deserved two pictures.




I really like the kitchen because it has one long swath of counter next to the refrigerator. This means you can make cookies without balancing the cookie sheet on the side of the sink. Sadly the top cabinets are placed so that it is impossible for me to reach to the back of even the lowest shelf. However, the stove hood is low enough for me to hit my head on it at least once a day.

The blue bins are for recycling and bird seed. We have a recycling dumpster in the parking lot which is very convenient.

The bird in the picture is a titmouse.

I hope you have enjoyed your virtual tour. It probably took longer than an actual tour. On an in-person tour you would get to see the bathroom and the toilet which is way too close to the door.

Check out these booties!

I've been busy knitting some baby booties this past week. They're a gift for one of the mom's at my old preschool in Dallas and have been a really fun and quick project. Especially because I got to use all sorts of knitting tools in their production.



I call these "Gremlin Booties." They're for the cute but slightly unpredictable baby.




Jay refers to these as "Chickadee Booties." Whether or not your baby is bright and cheery, her feet can be. I'm currently making a hat to match. That way you can trap your baby in cheerfulness.




Bootie-making paraphernalia.

If you would like to make some booties of your own, you can get the pattern at Let Me Finish This Row on the Lion Brand Yarn web site.

Emilee Feeds the Birds

My niece Emilee recieves proper sprinkling instructions from Mom.




The next day Emilee tries to solo as a bird feeder. Sadly, the seeds don't get sprinkled so much as dumped in one big pile.




Dissatisfied with her efforts, Emilee tries to rectify the situation by scooping the bird seed back into her bowl and then dumping it out again. She will later resort to picking up small handfuls and throwing them about.

At the age of two, she is already hooked on birds. She even knows the difference between "quack-quacks" and "honk-honks" thanks to Grandpa's tutelage.

You Call This Working Hard?

I recently read a throw-away comment that linked George W. Bush's media posturing with that of Franklin D. Roosevelt's.

This doesn't sit right with me at all. To me it seems that Roosevelt's reluctance to be shown as anything but strong and capable was a direct result of his desire to be both of those things -- not just for himself but for the people he led. Roosevelt's posturing was more about giving the public someone to look to during times of horrendous hardship.

Both during the Great Depression and World War II, the American people were asked to stand in the face of their fears and believe that a better day would come, to believe that they themselves could actively work towards a better future and that the sacrifices required of them were being asked of them by someone who was himself sacrificing for them.

During a time of war and hopelessness Roosevelt presented an image that allowed people to believe in the possibility of peace and prosperity.

How does Bush swaggering about on his ranch even compare to that?

During our time of war and of gut-wrenching fear, it would be nice to know that those who guide our country are working hard to protect us from the things that explode in our dreams. That they are staying late. That they are coming in on weekends. That they are sacrificing of themselves for the betterment of everyone's future.

When does the President deserve a vacation? When does he get to worry about getting enough exercise and staying balanced?

Maybe he doesn't. Maybe that's what being President is all about.

But certainly, not before he stops asking American servicemen and women to put their lives at risk each and every day in a war that he conjured up for them to fight.

The Matrix Extravaganza (With Popcorn and Nachos!)

Ah Existentialism -- The power to choose and to do so wisely.

I'm not sure why I hadn't seen the last of the trilogy until last night. Neither Jay nor I could remember much about Reloaded. It was obvious what needed to be done.

We had to watch the story from beginning to end.

I was honestly surprised that Jay agreed to the endeavor. The third movie might have been postponed until Sunday if I had not pulled out my foolproof Nacho Bribe.

I like the movies a lot as it turns out. Even though the second movie seems to get overwhelmed by the extravagant environment and the unending fight scenes. It does eventually remember that story and plot-advancement are essential qualities in a movie.

The Matrix is easily the most brilliant of the three movies. But the story carries strongly through to the end and the overall meaning of the films keeps evolving until then.

I think the one thing that bothers me most about the second two films is that no one ever addresses the fact that people are walking around with large metal holes in their bodies.

Not because I think that they should be mocked, but because the whole story is driven by the antagonism between man and machine. And here are people walking around with machines in their bodies -- machines that can easily interface with their brains!

New England Pragmatism

"As we now are so you must lie, Therefore in time prepare to die."

This was my favorite epitaph from our recent wander through the near-by cemetery. It managed to be prophetic, creepily morbid and rhyme in only two lines!

Organization Chaos

This week I've been trying to finish the process of moving in. Even though we've technically been moved for over a month, we still have boxes laying about packed or half-unpacked.

Our new apartment is larger than our Dallas abode but it has much less storage space. We've gone from a walk-in closet to a walk-up-to closet. Which means that we've had to procure a lot of new storage and shelving units.

It's progressing and I hope to have pictures of the apartment posted by Monday.

If you want some pictures to puruse in the meantime you can shuffle on over to my Around Connecticut slideshow at flickr.

My virtual environment has not been spared from my organizing binge. It all started when Jay helped me to make a new banner and then I realized that it didn't match the rest of my page. Once I got started making changes it was hard to stop -- new colors, new pictures, and new links.

Want to read the site in French? No problem.

We've also procured a couple more feeders to keep our winged-friends happy. The bird activity in our courtyard area has skyrocketed in the last few days. We still haven't had any customers at the thistle feeder but all the other feeders do a pretty good business.

I'll update the bird photos as soon as I can get them to sit still for their close-ups.

The Titmouse Dimension

This weekend has been full of excitement. Not only were we without power for 5 hours on Friday due to an exploding manhole but on Saturday we were viciously oppressed by the heat and humidity.

Luckily, we were forewarned of the impending oppression by the NBC weatherman and we were able to avoid the worst of it by staying in our air conditioned apartment.

I'm so glad we did because we were able to witness our first avian visitors -- three juvenile tufted titmice.

I have to say that the Tufted Titmouse is one of my favorite birds -- not least of all because of it's absurd name. They are cheeky little birds who aren't afraid to mob owls or pluck dog hair for their nests. According to The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior, they are one of the most loyal feeder birds. It also mentions that the oldest titmouse lived to the age of 13 years and 3 months.

I was rather pleased to learn that our first visitors were such loyal blokes and was determined to greet them with an affable "Titmouse!" on their return visits. If they ever decide to make any return visits, that is.

We have purchased another feeder to be filled with a delectable blend of sunflower seeds -- a favorite of theirs according to Sibley. Hopefully, the gazebo styling of the new feeder will bring them back. Who can resist a green awning?

As of now, we own five bird feeding devices and we've seen a grand total of three birds. Although the spider on our window is enjoying all the insects that the hummingbird feeder attracts.

*Update: Monday was a good day for birds. The titmice lived up to their reputation and visited several times. Although greeting them with cheers kind of makes them fly away. Oh well, I'll have to do my cheering on the inside.

Sadly, George, the titmouse's name has a rather mundane explanation. According to Stan Tekiela in Birds of Oklahoma: Field Guide the "[p]refix 'Tit' comes from a Scandinavian word meaning 'little.' Suffix 'mouse' is derived from the Old English word mase, meaning 'bird.' Simply translated, it is 'a small bird'" (pg. 185).

Walking Misadventures

Lately, my walks around town have been filled with mishaps of one sort or another. This weekend I went with Jay to take some pictures of the river. I didn't fall in this time, because we never actually made it there. Even if we had made it there, pictures would have been impossible because the sleekest digital camera is worthless without a memory card.

I did, however. manage to bruise my knee on a guardrail after picking gorgeous handfuls of blackberries that I couldn't eat. I couldn't eat them because I had decided to brush my teeth before setting out on our walk. Blackberries plus toothpaste residue equals a bitter nastiness.

Not realizing that my walk karma was still in the negative zone, Jay and I set out for a jaunt this evening.

All was going well. . .

and then there was buzzing.

Bees? Wasps? Mosquitoes?

No.

The Biggest, Blackest, Bloodthirstiest Horsefly on the face of the planet.

Jay and I began jumping, jerking, and weaving. Motorists were staring at what appeared to be two crazies on a holiday from the psych ward. I wasn't afraid at first. Horseflies tend to choose Jay over me, so I let him get ahead of me a bit. When it comes to humongoid, biting insects -- there are no allegiances.

My reprieve was only to last seconds. Because this horsefly had learned to multi-task. This cousin-of-Mothra had no problem simultaneously tormenting two people. This Hell-spawned behemoth only gained power from our fruitless attempts at self-defense. "Resistance is futile," was buzzing in our ears.

In a desperate attempt to rid ourselves of the beast, we sprinted for our lives.

Tragically, our legs were no match for horsefly wings.

Not to be outdone, we slammed on the brakes and he flew right by.

Only we had to keep walking on the same sidewalk and he was waiting.

I don't know how we escaped. Maybe one of our flailing limbs actually connected for a stunning blow or perhaps he was merely out for public humiliation this day. Or did the sadistic little bloodsucker deem us unworthy?

Whatever it was, we didn't slow down and we didn't look back.

Exploring the Devil's Hopyard

Chapman Falls

Last weekend we went to Devil's Hopyard to do a bit of exploration and picture taking. Jay had already been on his own but it was the first time for me. (Click on the photo to the right to see some other pictures I took while there.)

Apparently, it's one of those places where people have forgotten the origin of the name, much like the nickname Hoosier.

We had a beautiful day and just when we got hungry, we stumbled upon a berry patch. I know you're not supposed to eat the things you find in the woods but they were too gorgeous to pass up. Jay did the courageous thing and tasted them first to make sure they weren't poisonous.

Do You Know the Way?

There always has to be something about a new place that makes you miss the old one.

In the case of Connecticut vs. Dallas, it's the road system. I know that you may be wondering how anything in Connecticut could be more horrific than driving in bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic on I-635. But when you're sitting on I-635 and you see that you are at exit 12 and you know that your exit -- your gateway to freedom -- is exit 15 then you can say to yourself "Only three more miles."

You know this because Texas, like most other states in the Union (for once), uses a mile-marker based exiting system. Sadly, Connecticut has not seen the wisdom of this method.

So, when you've been driving for something like 13 or 14 hours from Indiana to Connecticut and you pass mile marker 21, there can be no "only-2-more-miles-to-my-exit" elation. Instead, when you pass exit 16 at mile marker 27, you start to get a little angry. And not just because after 14 hours in a car, everything makes you angry. But because you deserve to know how much longer you will be driving along on I-91 without the aid of a fancy GPS system. Who cares if this is the 16th exit since I've entered Connecticut?

Regrettably, the sequentially-numbered exits were only the beginning of our Connecticut road woes.

Once you leave the highway, the hunt for road signs begins. It would seem that large, clearly discernable road signs would somehow mar the New England charm of the place. Because what's more charming than having to turn around several times because you didn't realize you were on Main St., since nowhere was it labeled Main St.?

Recently, we were trying out a new way to Target which involved turning left on 2 Rod Highway. This was the trip where we learned that roads change names frequently. While we were wondering why a road would be named "Hang Dog," we should have realized that on the other side of the street it was also called 2 Rod Highway. We didn't make it to Target in under 10 minutes.

The two times we've gone to Buckland Hills we've been unable to leave it without having to turn around at least once. Partly because the entrance ramp to I-84 is marked only by a One-Way sign, pointing the other way.

Speaking of road signs, this is one of my favorites.


Stop Bush (Dallas, TX)

Serenity Now!

A new Serenity trailer is available at the movie's web site or from QuickTime. I'm giddy with excitement!

I had to get out the Firefly DVD's and revel in the genius that is Joss Whedon (War Stories to be specific). Which reminded me that I haven't kept up with my X-Men reading and that sadly, Rubén and his cache of comic books are no longer a mere 45 minutes away. I miss you, my friend.

Ode to IKEA

Jay and I visited the IKEA store in New Haven today. Normally, I hate shopping. The fluorescent lights and Muzak send spasms of pain up and down my spine.

Why are these people walking so slowly? Why is that woman trying to get me to take a survey? Why is there nothing in my size? Why do they think this crappy music will make me buy more stuff?

In contrast to your average American shopping mall, IKEA is a feast for your senses. The store is divided into two floors. The top floor is mostly devoted to individual showrooms. You get to wander through kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms, and bedrooms all designed in different styles and different price ranges. IKEA is all about the helpfulness. Shopping bags, pencils, maps, and measuring tapes are all available around the store to ease your shopping stress.



Hungry? Why not try some Swedish dishes at our reasonably priced cafeteria?

The lower floor is where you pick up the things that you selected from the showrooms. But before you get to the furniture warehouse, you must first traverse the gauntlet of Extremely Cool Stuff for Next-to-Nothing Prices. This is when having Jay along really helps because he's able to keep things in perspective. Apparently, just because something is only $7.99 and it used to be $34.99, doesn't mean you need it. Did you know that you can make ice cubes in the shapes of arrows?

We did purchase two items for our apartment. A five-shelf bookcase and a small table, both for only $19 a piece. Oh yeah and some licorice boats because nobody makes black licorice like the Swedes.