Although all of my "stuff," fits into my new apartment I am faced with a dilema. I still have a lot of stuff.
I got rid of boxes and bags before I moved, but I still found myself with things I haven't been willing to part with, but I'm not in immediate need of.
Like a box of animatronic halloween figurines.
Or a $600 "prizewinner" solo dress from when I was an Irish Step Dancer.
I'm never going to compete as a dancer again. My knee made sure of that. And I don't have a window sill to rest a single glowing, blinking, reaching vampire on never mind several glowing, blinking, reaching vampires.
And it would be no big deal if I had a parent with a huge old attic, or a huge old attic in my own future. But I don't. Mom lives in a condo. I have no grandparents. We just don't have storage options, and I want to be free to make a big move by the end of next summer.
So. One of my goals for this year is to streamline my existence. Those two trunks of costume pieces, the boxes and boxes of art supplies. It's got to go. The hurricane lamp I saved just because it was my mother's, the case of CDs I never listen to (but I might!), every birthday card you ever sent, and even (gasp) some of my shoes.
Then again... the lamp was my mother's. And it might go better in my next place. And I use all those costume pieces... and how can I throw away this box of thank you notes and birthday cards? How heartless!
But seriously. I need to be ruthless about this. I can't stand the sight of all those boxes in the closet. So tell me, gentle friends, can anyone give a good, loving, stable home to a glowing, blinking, reaching vampire?
Showing posts with label moving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moving. Show all posts
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Moving Day
Today is Moving Day. As I type this it is about 1 in the morning and I am scrambling to scrub out my kitchen. I was the first one to move into the apartment two years ago because Laura was still in Chicago and Johnny was at Burning Man. It was two years ago today that I moved all my stuff into the living room and then camped out for a week so I could clean up much the way I'm doing tonight. Circles and cycles and all of that.
I knew I'd be too busy to actually update today so instead I prepared this list for your reading and viewing pleasure.
The Top Five Things I Will Miss the Most About Living In Jamaica Plain
5. Java Jo Coffee House. Located at the end of my street, I never have to travel any farther for a fabulous meal. They have the best iced chai tea lattes in the city. They use healthy and organic ingredients whenever they can. Their turkey avocado sandwiches are heavenly but my favorite breakfast snack is the "I Hate Egg" : cream cheese, bacon and avocado on a toasted bagel. Some days I ate all three meals there. Guys, seriously. Where am I going to eat now?
4. Forest Hills
Cemetery. Located at the opposite end of my street (the dead end leads into the cemetery), this is one of my favorite places in the world. It's not just a cemetery, it's an outdoor art museum and cultural center. Once a year there is a Japanese Lantern Festival that people from all over Boston turn out for.
There is a gorgeous pond in the center, but if you explore hard enough you can also find a waterfall in the newest section of the cemetery. It's slightly hilly, perfect for roller blading around. You may remember from my birthday last year that e.e cummings is buried here. I will miss this secret escape spot.
3. Jamaica Pond and The Arboretum. I may be cheating by listing two favorites here but both Jamaica Pond and the Arboretum are amazing places to go to people watch, forget about city li
fe and enjoy some fresh air any time of year and each one is walking distance from my place. I love sitting by the pond to see if fish will jump out (they do!) or counting turtles along the sides of the path. I love the way the Arboretum smells in the fall when all the trees are changing color, and I can't get over the view of the skyline from the top of Peter's Hill. But my favorite part of the Arboretum is probably the bonsai collection... I could sit there for hours.
2. My Apartment. I can visit Java Jo's and the cemetery. But I can't come back and hang out in my place. Sunning on the porch, sitting on the roof to read or write next to our big Japanese Maple, or having traveling friends stay in our spacious living room, this apartment has worked out really well for almost all our needs. It was an awesome find.
1. And of course, my roommates, Laura Clark and Johnny Blazes. What more can I say? They made the last two years more exciting, memorable and glittery than they otherwise would have been. And although this move has provided us with a chance to pursue new things, I will always look back on the times we shared fondly .
This is Laura. And a seal. The seal doesn't live with us so I won't miss it as much. But I'll still probably miss it a little.
I knew I'd be too busy to actually update today so instead I prepared this list for your reading and viewing pleasure.
The Top Five Things I Will Miss the Most About Living In Jamaica Plain
5. Java Jo Coffee House. Located at the end of my street, I never have to travel any farther for a fabulous meal. They have the best iced chai tea lattes in the city. They use healthy and organic ingredients whenever they can. Their turkey avocado sandwiches are heavenly but my favorite breakfast snack is the "I Hate Egg" : cream cheese, bacon and avocado on a toasted bagel. Some days I ate all three meals there. Guys, seriously. Where am I going to eat now?4. Forest Hills
Cemetery. Located at the opposite end of my street (the dead end leads into the cemetery), this is one of my favorite places in the world. It's not just a cemetery, it's an outdoor art museum and cultural center. Once a year there is a Japanese Lantern Festival that people from all over Boston turn out for.There is a gorgeous pond in the center, but if you explore hard enough you can also find a waterfall in the newest section of the cemetery. It's slightly hilly, perfect for roller blading around. You may remember from my birthday last year that e.e cummings is buried here. I will miss this secret escape spot.
3. Jamaica Pond and The Arboretum. I may be cheating by listing two favorites here but both Jamaica Pond and the Arboretum are amazing places to go to people watch, forget about city li
fe and enjoy some fresh air any time of year and each one is walking distance from my place. I love sitting by the pond to see if fish will jump out (they do!) or counting turtles along the sides of the path. I love the way the Arboretum smells in the fall when all the trees are changing color, and I can't get over the view of the skyline from the top of Peter's Hill. But my favorite part of the Arboretum is probably the bonsai collection... I could sit there for hours.
2. My Apartment. I can visit Java Jo's and the cemetery. But I can't come back and hang out in my place. Sunning on the porch, sitting on the roof to read or write next to our big Japanese Maple, or having traveling friends stay in our spacious living room, this apartment has worked out really well for almost all our needs. It was an awesome find.
1. And of course, my roommates, Laura Clark and Johnny Blazes. What more can I say? They made the last two years more exciting, memorable and glittery than they otherwise would have been. And although this move has provided us with a chance to pursue new things, I will always look back on the times we shared fondly .
This is Laura. And a seal. The seal doesn't live with us so I won't miss it as much. But I'll still probably miss it a little.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Meeting Strangers
One of the best parts of my search for a new apartment and new roommates has been the process of meeting people.
A month ago as Laura and I walked from meeting with five house mates in a gorgeous house in Jamaica Plain I wished aloud that we could just do this for fun without the pressure of having to make a decision.
No one's guards are up when you're interviewing for housemates it seems. Because you both know what the other one wants. And lying won't be productive in the end.
I meet up with these people and then they show me their lives. They invite me into common spaces, tell me about why they chose the artwork they did, how they feel about network television. I get to see the proud gleam in their eyes as they show me their vinyl collections or their deep fryers or their gardens.
I sit on a couch, or a chair or a stool and I sip tea or eat popcorn and rework the creases in my skirt while we laugh and swap stories. Stories about friends, family members, and jobs.
I heard a story about someone having to show his phallus piercing to an air port security officer, I met someone who found her dream job at the Museum of Science. One man riffed for several minutes about why he really insists on seat belts in the car, a throwback to driver's ed school in the 1970s the midwest where he was subjected to watching actual footage of gruesome wrecks. Something his 16 year old self never let 39 year old him forget.
And then I tell stories. I've explained what I do for work and why so many times now that I feel like I'm discovering things about myself all over again. I've developed a new sound byte for myself.
I had been feeling like everything I built up over the past two years was getting lost in the chaos of having to move, but as it turns out it was only misplaced.
I still wish there were a way to go to stranger's houses and listen to their lives just for fun. Without becoming a Jehovah's Witness, that is.
A month ago as Laura and I walked from meeting with five house mates in a gorgeous house in Jamaica Plain I wished aloud that we could just do this for fun without the pressure of having to make a decision.
No one's guards are up when you're interviewing for housemates it seems. Because you both know what the other one wants. And lying won't be productive in the end.
I meet up with these people and then they show me their lives. They invite me into common spaces, tell me about why they chose the artwork they did, how they feel about network television. I get to see the proud gleam in their eyes as they show me their vinyl collections or their deep fryers or their gardens.
I sit on a couch, or a chair or a stool and I sip tea or eat popcorn and rework the creases in my skirt while we laugh and swap stories. Stories about friends, family members, and jobs.
I heard a story about someone having to show his phallus piercing to an air port security officer, I met someone who found her dream job at the Museum of Science. One man riffed for several minutes about why he really insists on seat belts in the car, a throwback to driver's ed school in the 1970s the midwest where he was subjected to watching actual footage of gruesome wrecks. Something his 16 year old self never let 39 year old him forget.
And then I tell stories. I've explained what I do for work and why so many times now that I feel like I'm discovering things about myself all over again. I've developed a new sound byte for myself.
I had been feeling like everything I built up over the past two years was getting lost in the chaos of having to move, but as it turns out it was only misplaced.
I still wish there were a way to go to stranger's houses and listen to their lives just for fun. Without becoming a Jehovah's Witness, that is.
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