My left eye is bright red. I can't wear my contact lenses, so I've been wearing my glasses -- which have a very old prescription. Consequently, I walked into a wall at a restaurant last night, and today I'm afraid to do any of the things on my to-do list: driving to the gym, going to the grocery store, going to Home Depot. Oh, bother.
My Mom arrives tonight!
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Monday, August 28, 2006
Sarah Marie The Über-Bride
As much as I, um, don't care for this wedding... I must admit - graciously, of course - that I am the über-bride. Why? Because FavoriteBoy and I spent two days in Erie, PA (where the wedding is taking place), and in those two little days, we picked all our flowers, selected our cake, and found the perfect photographer.
Thank you, thank you. Hold the applause.
Thank you, thank you. Hold the applause.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Turning a Disaster Zone Into a Home
I started writing this post on the 17th, but didn't have time to finish it until now:
I don't have an internet connection at my apartment right now, so my lifestyle has taken a drastic change without fast network access to email and Blogger at any time. That's OK. I've been too busy cleaning. I moved into my new apartment on Cabot Street on Sunday morning, right after the early church service. My mattress was delivered by 11:30, by which time I had already disassembled the stove burners and scrubbed all components of the stove top. By 12:30, the counters had been scrubbed twice, and the stainless steel sink had been scoured until it really was stainless.
You see, I have a somewhat unconventional renting situation. The previous tenant, Allison, left that place in terrible condition. Dirt and grime everywhere, along with some "presents" for me - everything she didn't want to take with her. Dead house plants, about fifty beer bottles, and two large bags of trash - plus all the small items lying around that quickly joined those trash bags.
When I first walked into the apartment, the prevailing thought running through my mind was, "Don't. Touch. ANYTHING." Four days, six cleaning products, and nine sponges later, it's almost starting to feel like my very own place. With each passing squeeze and rinse of the sponge, it feels less like Allison's home and more like mine.
So now it's the 23rd, and I've found a chance to return and actually publish this post. The apartment is looking better all the time. FavoriteBoy has been indispensable! He is a hard worker, and very skilled at fixing things and improving things. We've found new faucets for the bathroom sinks (yes, I have two bathrooms in my place!) and new light fixtures for the living room, kitchen, entry area, and bathrooms at Home Depot. FavoriteBoy installs these things while I clean, find places for things, and scrub layers of grime off the walls, windowsills, and cupboard shelves. We're having a great time. I like the place a lot. I'd rather live in a place with character than a cookie-cutter apartment any day. Plus, it's a stand-alone building, so I don't have neighbors to worry about -- which means that I can play my violin, and even give lessons, right there in my apartment. Also, the rent is dirt cheap. I'm so lucky.
FavoriteBoy and I are leaving tonight for PA, where we will be meeting with the florist, the bakery, and the photographer. We return Saturday, and then my Mom is coming to visit on Wednesday for The Great Dress Shopping Expedition! So much to do, so little time... I still think elopement would be a good idea.
I don't have an internet connection at my apartment right now, so my lifestyle has taken a drastic change without fast network access to email and Blogger at any time. That's OK. I've been too busy cleaning. I moved into my new apartment on Cabot Street on Sunday morning, right after the early church service. My mattress was delivered by 11:30, by which time I had already disassembled the stove burners and scrubbed all components of the stove top. By 12:30, the counters had been scrubbed twice, and the stainless steel sink had been scoured until it really was stainless.
You see, I have a somewhat unconventional renting situation. The previous tenant, Allison, left that place in terrible condition. Dirt and grime everywhere, along with some "presents" for me - everything she didn't want to take with her. Dead house plants, about fifty beer bottles, and two large bags of trash - plus all the small items lying around that quickly joined those trash bags.
When I first walked into the apartment, the prevailing thought running through my mind was, "Don't. Touch. ANYTHING." Four days, six cleaning products, and nine sponges later, it's almost starting to feel like my very own place. With each passing squeeze and rinse of the sponge, it feels less like Allison's home and more like mine.
So now it's the 23rd, and I've found a chance to return and actually publish this post. The apartment is looking better all the time. FavoriteBoy has been indispensable! He is a hard worker, and very skilled at fixing things and improving things. We've found new faucets for the bathroom sinks (yes, I have two bathrooms in my place!) and new light fixtures for the living room, kitchen, entry area, and bathrooms at Home Depot. FavoriteBoy installs these things while I clean, find places for things, and scrub layers of grime off the walls, windowsills, and cupboard shelves. We're having a great time. I like the place a lot. I'd rather live in a place with character than a cookie-cutter apartment any day. Plus, it's a stand-alone building, so I don't have neighbors to worry about -- which means that I can play my violin, and even give lessons, right there in my apartment. Also, the rent is dirt cheap. I'm so lucky.
FavoriteBoy and I are leaving tonight for PA, where we will be meeting with the florist, the bakery, and the photographer. We return Saturday, and then my Mom is coming to visit on Wednesday for The Great Dress Shopping Expedition! So much to do, so little time... I still think elopement would be a good idea.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Almost Moved
Well, I've moved almost all of my things over to my new apartment, purchased a vacuum cleaner, mattress, and sheets, and packed the remaining items from the dorm room into my car. I'm about to tuck in for my last night on campus.
Why the sudden splurge of blog posts? I guess because I'm not sure what my internet access will be like for a while - I decided to make the most of the school network while I'm still here.
In other news, my old Wheaton buddy Ethan got married today!
Why the sudden splurge of blog posts? I guess because I'm not sure what my internet access will be like for a while - I decided to make the most of the school network while I'm still here.
In other news, my old Wheaton buddy Ethan got married today!
Shopping
It's Tax Free Weekend here in Massachusetts. I'm celebrating the wonder of this weekend coinciding with my move to my apartment by, well, buying stuff! I never knew that making a place into a home could be so overwhelming. It's the same thing Nathan and I have run into when we try to register for things - how can there be so many options, and how do we know which ones are best? What colors should we get? And now, I'm trying to figure out what to buy now, and what to go without and register for. (By the way, I feel like a beggar registering for gifts. It's weird.)
I just got back from Target, where I bought a laundry hamper, a kitchen trash bin, a set of 12 glasses ($9.00), a dish drying rack, a flatware organizing bin, a toilet brush, a scrub brush, a Brita water filtering system, a paring knife, two small "grab-its," and a can-opener. I also bought FavoriteBoy three big bins to facilitate his own moving process this weekend; he's moving from the summer housing dorm to his on-campus apartment for the fall semester. I brought the bins back to him so he can pack, and now I'm off to either Bed, Bath & Beyond or Linens 'N Things - haven't decided yet - to look for a few kitchen towels, pot holders, a few plates, and a small pot.
I am also anticipating that I will need some type of furniture in my bathrooms (yes, my apartment has two bathrooms!), but that can wait a bit. Along with an ironing board, a bedside lamp, curtains, a mirror cabinet to go above the bathroom sink, a vacuum, a microwave, a baking pan, and a futon or couch.
Mommy? Daddy? Send money now! :-)
I just got back from Target, where I bought a laundry hamper, a kitchen trash bin, a set of 12 glasses ($9.00), a dish drying rack, a flatware organizing bin, a toilet brush, a scrub brush, a Brita water filtering system, a paring knife, two small "grab-its," and a can-opener. I also bought FavoriteBoy three big bins to facilitate his own moving process this weekend; he's moving from the summer housing dorm to his on-campus apartment for the fall semester. I brought the bins back to him so he can pack, and now I'm off to either Bed, Bath & Beyond or Linens 'N Things - haven't decided yet - to look for a few kitchen towels, pot holders, a few plates, and a small pot.
I am also anticipating that I will need some type of furniture in my bathrooms (yes, my apartment has two bathrooms!), but that can wait a bit. Along with an ironing board, a bedside lamp, curtains, a mirror cabinet to go above the bathroom sink, a vacuum, a microwave, a baking pan, and a futon or couch.
Mommy? Daddy? Send money now! :-)
Moving
Moving. Tomorrow. My very own apartment. Whoah.
Rent. Hmm.
Why is everything so expensive?
My car broke down and needed a new engine... that didn't help the financial situation.
And I really needed a new prescription and new contact lenses... okay, that's expensive, too.
Oh, and the bill arrived from the x-ray I had when I thought I had broken my knees. Now that I know they weren't broken, can I just retract that x-ray and disregard the bill, please?
And now that I've graduated and can't be covered on my parents' insurance, I should probably get some health insurance of my own, huh?
You know you're a grown up when all the bills start coming to you instead of to your parents.
(The truth is, I've been paying for my own car insurance, clothing, personal needs, books, music, school supplies, and more for many years. Things just suddenly seem more expensive now that it's all on me.)
Rent. Hmm.
Why is everything so expensive?
My car broke down and needed a new engine... that didn't help the financial situation.
And I really needed a new prescription and new contact lenses... okay, that's expensive, too.
Oh, and the bill arrived from the x-ray I had when I thought I had broken my knees. Now that I know they weren't broken, can I just retract that x-ray and disregard the bill, please?
And now that I've graduated and can't be covered on my parents' insurance, I should probably get some health insurance of my own, huh?
You know you're a grown up when all the bills start coming to you instead of to your parents.
(The truth is, I've been paying for my own car insurance, clothing, personal needs, books, music, school supplies, and more for many years. Things just suddenly seem more expensive now that it's all on me.)
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Communism in Massachusetts
In less than two weeks, I get to move into my new apartment. I'm really excited about it.
Unfortunately, this apartment just happens to be in The Worst State in the Union (sometimes referred to as Massachusetts). There are a number of reasons why living in Massachusetts is far from the optimal situation. One of those reasons had the opportunity to be rectified yesterday by our state legislators. Unfortunately, but not altogether surprisingly, the legislators decided to keep things just as wretched as they currently are, rather than effect change.
The unfortunate situation I'm talking about is the cost and type of car insurance in the state of Massachusetts. All insurance here is No Fault, which basically means I benefit not at all for having a clean driving record, and I am penalized for all the terrible drivers in Boston. I pay an exorbitantly high premium to compensate for the reckless drivers that surround me on my commute each day.
You see, Massachusetts is essentially a Communist state. Unlike the other 49 states in the Union, which thrive on a free market economy and encourage competition, in Massachusetts, our government officials will do anything they can to prevent these circumstances from being allowed. Car insurance rates are sky-high because regulations are such that no insurance company is permitted to offer competetive rates. Consequently, companies like Geico, State Farm, and many others don't even bother to operate here. In fact, while our neighboring states have hundreds of auto insurance companies from which to choose, here in Massachusetts we have about a dozen.
Yesterday, the legislature had the opportunity to rectify the dreadful insurance situation and make a lot of happy citizens, encourage a flourishing economy, and promote healthy competition. Instead, they decided to keep things exactly as they are. Very clever of them. I hate Massachusetts.
Unfortunately, this apartment just happens to be in The Worst State in the Union (sometimes referred to as Massachusetts). There are a number of reasons why living in Massachusetts is far from the optimal situation. One of those reasons had the opportunity to be rectified yesterday by our state legislators. Unfortunately, but not altogether surprisingly, the legislators decided to keep things just as wretched as they currently are, rather than effect change.
The unfortunate situation I'm talking about is the cost and type of car insurance in the state of Massachusetts. All insurance here is No Fault, which basically means I benefit not at all for having a clean driving record, and I am penalized for all the terrible drivers in Boston. I pay an exorbitantly high premium to compensate for the reckless drivers that surround me on my commute each day.
You see, Massachusetts is essentially a Communist state. Unlike the other 49 states in the Union, which thrive on a free market economy and encourage competition, in Massachusetts, our government officials will do anything they can to prevent these circumstances from being allowed. Car insurance rates are sky-high because regulations are such that no insurance company is permitted to offer competetive rates. Consequently, companies like Geico, State Farm, and many others don't even bother to operate here. In fact, while our neighboring states have hundreds of auto insurance companies from which to choose, here in Massachusetts we have about a dozen.
Yesterday, the legislature had the opportunity to rectify the dreadful insurance situation and make a lot of happy citizens, encourage a flourishing economy, and promote healthy competition. Instead, they decided to keep things exactly as they are. Very clever of them. I hate Massachusetts.
Tuesday, August 1, 2006
Strange Hormonal Time
You know you're experiencing a Strange Hormonal Time when you're flipping through television channels while babysitting, and suddenly all the commercial breaks just seem so positively moving that you choke back a sniffle while the woman advertising toothpaste talks. Or when you cry all the way home from work, explaining out loud to absolutely no one that you miss your family, and California, and also, you haven't had Chinese food in altogether too long, and you miss that, too.
When this kind of thing happens to me, I try to be grateful that even though I don't have a Y chromosome, I am blessed with a level-headed fellow who not only has one, but is also capable of being most understanding when I suddenly want to call off the wedding, run away to the Antarctic together, and... can we watch T.V. until that great toothpaste commercial comes back on?
When this kind of thing happens to me, I try to be grateful that even though I don't have a Y chromosome, I am blessed with a level-headed fellow who not only has one, but is also capable of being most understanding when I suddenly want to call off the wedding, run away to the Antarctic together, and... can we watch T.V. until that great toothpaste commercial comes back on?
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