*Rasika & C

It was a beautiful day to head into DC for lunch with C, K's friend. Any friend of K's is a friend of mine but as we chatted, I realized that I had met C before. A few years ago, I had a dream that I was meeting someone for the first time at lunch. That she was in a suit and I was not working (which I thought was strange). She had a necklace with a thick silver chain and opal stone. She was talking about Armonk, NY. No wonder we just clicked right away!

Although C has worked in DC for years (she commuted between NY and DC), she recently moved to DC as well and it was great to talk to someone who had the deep inside scoop on DC (farmer's markets and restaurants!) and understood what it was like to leave one's friends and family in NY. It's nice to have friends in DC.

[See my Yelp post for review of Rasika]

The Priority?

That we are able to watch TV from the kitchen, dining room, living room and loft! Sleeper couch came today and it is perfect!

So Long Jersey Girl

Hello, Maryland ----- er, person! Marylandian? I am the proud new owner of a cute Maryland driver's license - 2 photos, crab and little red heart and all. I got a new license and registered to vote in a record 30 minutes. I was watching the news and saw a segment about how you're not allowed to smile when taking the photo. So it looks like a mug shot. M says, that segment was about a different state. Oh. Petunia will also be a Marylander as well. I sent in for her new dog license and to get her microchip changed.

Don't worry, you can take away the Jersey license but you can't take the Jersey out of the girl.

Hello, People Live Here!

Photo of buses that are loud, idle and beep when moving backwards. There are also trucks that take garbage away AND make deliveries. You see, I didn't ask the right question. Sure, the garbage gets taken away mid-morning every other day. But the delivery comes in at 7 AM! So, I will be wearing ear plugs to bed Sunday and Thursday nights in preparation for loud Monday and Friday mornings. The good news is that the rest of the mornings are pretty quiet. Another shout out to noise dampening curtains and loud AC.

Getting There

[in progress]

Every single item in the apartment has been carefully researched, reviewed, compared and debated. It takes at least a week of negotiation to agree on something and often, what we agree upon is the most expensive option. We have single-handedly increased consumer confidence (and spending) in May.

After visiting over 10 stores for the couch, we came back to our first choice. The Oscar leather sleeper sofa and ottoman - yay for Memorial Day Sales! We got it in espresso and it arrives on Tuesday - just in time for M's mom and brother to sleep on. I had originally wanted a black leather couch because I'm not sure how to match things to brown but the nice saleslady said that they haven't gotten black leather couches in over 10 years. I'm so fashion backward.

We also finished our bedroom. The red curtains have a black out liner attached and it has done wonders for dampening the noise of buses and delivery and garbage trucks. The cherry on top will be one of my grandfather's paintings.

The Big Move

[in progress]

Pre-Move

1. Hog-razzlin'
2. Our pool - ready to be open next week! Lease is signed!
3. Peek-a-boo!
4. No photos!
5. Awright, I got my thumb, it's all good.

We're Here

It was a little chaotic. We barely got the car unpacked before the skies broke open. Then Petunia went nuts over Kobe, the ginormous German Shepard M was babysitting. After all the ruckus and trying to keep the dogs from running out when we were running it my stuff, we had a lovely meal. M had gotten us amazing seafood for dinner.

And, a home cooked meal from later in the weekend.

Boudoir shot of Petunia in her new bed! So, yeah, I'm not good at picking out sizes, I had originally gotten a smaller bed that M said was way too small. She was right. Poor Petunia's rear end was hanging off the edge. The medium sized bed was much better and she actually likes it.

The Big Move

See you later childhood home, mom and Dr. Do. About 90% of my crap fit in the car - see black Hyundai Sonata in the driveway but we'll pick it up when we come back on Mother's Day. It all started well.

Until the NJ Turnpike was SHUT DOWN! The whole friggin turnpike was closed and what is normally a 3.5 hour trip turned into a 6 hour ordeal! Petunia was great and for some reason enjoyed sleeping with her face in the water bottle. I did walk her at a rest stop at around 6 PM - good thing since she devoured an entire package of chocolate eggs and pistachios that Dr. Do left on the coffee table. Yeah, she really had to go.

Move for Around $100

Well, I'm all packed and ready to go. I am proud to say that this move has cost me around $100. $88 to rent the car (ok, there is some anxiety that not everything will fit in the car but M assured me that we can get the rest of the stuff on Mother's Day), and $12 or so for trash bags and packing tape. I took boxes from the back of the hardware store and used some of the paper I shredded in place of bubble wrap. Add a couple bucks for gas and there you have it!

Carpe Diem

Ikea runs these "Seize the Day" promotions and this deal was so good it got M out of the house before 11 AM to brave the crowds at Ikea all by herself. She didn't even get lost. Further, Ikea mediated M and my debate over number of place settings. She wanted 4 place settings, I wanted 8, so now, by Ikea's eternal wisdom, we have 6.

Basement, Watch Out

I'm coming after you.

Original By S

I have been using S' 2008 Cherry Blossom photo as my inspiration and to get me through the transition to DC. I somehow missed her 2009 photos and when I opened them today, they blew me away. She got the clearest, bluest day. The blossoms were at their peak and she is just an amazing photographer. I ordered 3 large prints and can't wait to put them up in the new place (cherry blossoms everyday!). Maybe she'll sign them when she visits.

Fairy Sister

My friend S emailed me "Well, I just happen to know of a Dyson that will be looking for a new home around the beginning of July. Any interest in my orphan?"

I wrote to her work email, "I am going to crap myself!"

Yay! The vacuum search is over! Hallelujah!

Springtime for A--, in New Jersey!

[sung to the tune of "Springtime for Hitler]

Forever optimistic, I thought it would be a bright idea to take the E train to Port Authority. Okay. Wrong. So wrong. A cattle car has more room. I was actually wishing I could be taken to a slaughterhouse.

From there, it was the rat race through Port Authority to my bus gate. Push, shove, bad smell, bad shoes, ugh, where's the line, why can't people make a line? Am I going to have to punch someone? I really don't want to punch anyone today.

Finally, the bus arrives and I get the very last seat. That's right, I am sandwiched in the back with 2 people on each side. The good news is that since it was before dinner time, people didn't smell like garlic or alcohol...yet.

And, then...I was released to a bright, warm spring day. The cherries at the top of my block are starting to bloom. The magnolias across the street are on their way. I took a deep breath of clean air, loved how there was not a single person out on my block, and am so excited that springtime for A-- has begun!

[Why so exciting? Today was my last day of work! No more crappy commute!]

Packing

H is helping me move some of my stuff on Wednesday - the problem is packing stuff and getting it to her mom's by Wednesday. I did manage 3 boxes and 3 garbage bags of stuff and I was so exhausted. That is everything from the basement, mom's closet and the closet in the hallway.

Now I just have to pack up what I have in the attic and my room. And I made a revelation - I don't HAVE to fill the garbage bag or the box. Just pack it up to the point that it is comfortable to carry and stuff bedding or towels in the box to stop stuff from moving around. I also got medium sized boxes from the hardware store that are easier to carry than these large boxes mom has in the basement.

It is going to be oodles of fun to move to M's, get my stuff from H and move again to our new apartment. I think I will have to up the amount of stuff I trash.

Get Off My Wusthof!

Ok, that is not as clever as "Leggo My Eggo", but it is the best I can do at midnight. In my mind, there are 3 major home purchases that I should not skimp on. 1, the All-Clads which I have ordered off eBay. 2, my knives. 3, the Dyson DC25 - locked and loaded. I don't mind getting everything else at Ikea. Ok, maybe I'll also get nice sheets.

I found my knives on Craigslist. The guy selling them was REALLY nice. I am highly suspicious of nice people. He offered to make us a knife block or drawer block, advice on how to care for the knives, to sharpen our knives for us anytime, throwing in a sharpening steel and wine opener, and inviting us for wine and tea. Since he was giving us such a great price ($325 for $500 worth of knives), I played along and made sure that M would protect me during the transaction which took place at his HOME (I mean, who does that?).

He and his wife turned out to be really nice and gave us lots of advice - even demonstrated dicing a onion and how to use the sharpening steel. They had my dream kitchen - lots of Le Creuset, All-Clad and knives everywhere. I couldn't help but point out the awesome cookware to M - you see, you see? This is what real people cook with! It's not that expensive considering we would be using it FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES!

Sure, we could get a pretty good deal on eBay but the sets on eBay were always missing something. We got the exact knives we wanted. Nothing more and nothing less. Okay, I do want 4 more steak knives for our 8 piece setting. And M is finally excited about them. She started looking for a wood block to keep them in good condition.

Apartment Stalkers

I am a professed apartment stalker. This is our 5th visit to our future apartment complex. Granted, each visit had a distinct mission and today, it was to see a "Blake" unit. Our Blake (see building photo - it is the top left balcony) won't be available for viewing until May 6, move-in mid-May.

It is a cute apartment. It is smaller than I thought it would be (e.g., minuscule kitchen and bedroom) and I dislike the kitchen counter laminate and track lighting but it will suit us well. I see that my chaise/ love-seat idea is not going to work. I liked the loft, the big closets, and the large soaking tub. I envisioned myself growing flowers and herbs on the balcony.

We went over the terms again and discovered that they are going to waive our security deposit - Petunia still has to pay her pet deposit, tho. The representative has to get back to us on what the terms will be if we sign a 2 year lease. I knew she did not have the authority to tell us. Let the negotiations begin.

Oh, and Maria's Bakery was disappointing. There were not a lot of baked goods and what we did buy was: green bean cake (salty), sponge cake (moldy), egg tart (didn't even bother). Maybe the cooked food is better.

All-Clad, All Mine

I had been writing with this woman from Baltimore for her 10 piece set but it was just impossible to find a time to pick them up, especially during Easter weekend. Then, I read what was in her set and I did not need the casserole. I checked on eBay and found this awesome 9 piece set (free shipping) with a non-stick fry pan. It is exactly what I wanted.

Rice Cooker...Check!

Today was the day I went through my stuff in the basement (I also executed my POA, Living Will, took Petunia to the vet for her spa day and got copies of all her paperwork for the new vet). I had been dreading this for years and just wanted to get it over with today. I have boxes in the basement from college and everything has water damage, mold, dead bugs, poo and unidentifiable yuck. Everything is getting thrown out. Also, last year, I hired an exterminator to put down some mouse glue traps. Let's just say the traps worked.

But, I did score a rice cooker, 4 plates, flatware, rice bowls and my Hello Kitty cup. And spent hours washing them. And I am getting a new rice cooker.

Now, if I can stop dry heaving...