Apartment Sweet Home
Jun. 23rd, 2004 12:34 amIt's amazing what a few photographs can do, tucked safely behind glass in their little protective frames. This afternoon we had plain black shelving units, and tonight we have row after row of memories and smiles. It's funny how a couple of pieces of nostalgia turn a domicile into a home, as if setting the cardboard legs upright lit a hearth or unrolled a welcome mat. Mismatched knick-knacks and random gifts are smattered throughout - sentimental confetti.
Sitting on the couch, we're reminded of trips we've taken together: San Francisco, Disney World, Niagara Falls, Provincetown. Our smiles of love sit side-by-side with my high school graduating class, my junior prom, my crew team, the Four Girls Birthday Party of 2002. Thirty minutes of work and our apartment is immeasurably altered, walls outstretched with symbolic blankets and mugs of cocoa with extra marshmallows.
~//~
We were productive this evening, which means of course that we spent money. I am always hesitant to purchase /anything/ these days due to lack of income, even things we planned to buy before we even moved. (Then again, I thought for sure at least one of us would be employed by July 1.) We went to Target first and picked up a 9-cube organizer in lieu of a bookshelf (an idea ruthlessly stolen from
The Crytal), felt pads for my office chair, and some summer-weight curtains for the living room. A quick stop at Home Depot produced brackets for the curtain rod as well, which means we now have actual curtains up (also a home-making device). We were the picture of gendered domesticity tonight - she played with power tools to install the curtain hardware while I diligently ironed our new panels. After hanging the curtains we put together the bookshelf and began opening the last of the boxes, finding not only photos in frames but also the cats' beloved Doggy Dress 'n Drag.
We also priced lumber at Home Depot so that we can build a platform bed. We are missing
chutup's Space Bed so much that we have earmarked money to purchase our own. However, we haven't been able to find a platform frame that isn't ridiculously expensive, and we think we can make one for under $100. We also managed to find a King Size knock-off memory foam mattress for $489. Score!
(This means we will have an actual guest room in no time flat. Now all we need are jobs to replace some of this liquid money that's pouring out of our bank account.)
Sitting on the couch, we're reminded of trips we've taken together: San Francisco, Disney World, Niagara Falls, Provincetown. Our smiles of love sit side-by-side with my high school graduating class, my junior prom, my crew team, the Four Girls Birthday Party of 2002. Thirty minutes of work and our apartment is immeasurably altered, walls outstretched with symbolic blankets and mugs of cocoa with extra marshmallows.
~//~
We were productive this evening, which means of course that we spent money. I am always hesitant to purchase /anything/ these days due to lack of income, even things we planned to buy before we even moved. (Then again, I thought for sure at least one of us would be employed by July 1.) We went to Target first and picked up a 9-cube organizer in lieu of a bookshelf (an idea ruthlessly stolen from
We also priced lumber at Home Depot so that we can build a platform bed. We are missing
(This means we will have an actual guest room in no time flat. Now all we need are jobs to replace some of this liquid money that's pouring out of our bank account.)
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Date: 2004-06-23 04:54 am (UTC)P.S. - Edward Gorey stationery? You're my hero.
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Date: 2004-06-23 02:10 pm (UTC)I have one more Edward Gorey card. I will save it for another letter to YOU!
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Date: 2004-06-23 11:42 am (UTC)i totally thought this was gonna be a post about you uploading my picture of me, though!
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Date: 2004-06-23 02:09 pm (UTC)HONEST!
p.s. Check craigslist for cheap beds/mattresses. If you don't mind a used one, you can find one for $100 or so and you would just have to rent a truck (or find someone who has a truck).
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Date: 2004-06-23 02:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-23 02:49 pm (UTC)(Our last bed was a used bed and we had no problems.)
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Date: 2004-06-23 02:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-23 02:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-23 02:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-23 02:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-24 02:22 am (UTC)I was thinking about working on it this sunday...(that is if Boston doesn't have the weird no lumber sales on sunday thing that NJ had) because I have an old friend coming to visit me on saturday afternoon....
It is basically just cuts on board no wider than 8" (the others are 2" x 3" by 8' as opposed to 1"x8" x8') and I have a chop saw with a 10" blade still all pretty in it's box to use - you know the one, you carried it up here i think;) I have to arrange pick up of the wood and of 3" and 2" screws....since, alas, I do not however, have a nail gun.
A second drill would come in handy too:)
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Date: 2004-06-24 02:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-24 12:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-24 12:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-24 01:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-23 02:30 pm (UTC)I just liked this phrase. That's all.
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Date: 2004-06-23 02:47 pm (UTC)How are you liking the washer and dryer?
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Date: 2004-06-23 02:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-23 02:56 pm (UTC)