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So, we're all moved in to our new apartment, which is fabulous. It's light and airy and there's enough room for my knitting stuff to take over an entire corner of the living room. I have my own "desk" (a table) which is blissfully completely coated in books, two computers, and various useless items like unused rubber bands, game CDs from the 90s, and a broken ceramic wizard waiting to have his staff superglued back into his hand for the third time. It's fantastic. For the first time since September, I'm completely unpacked.
I found all sorts of little treasures while unpacking, such as a book Stef sent me for Christmas, $10 in an old wallet, and a gift certificate to Borders that K la gave me for being a bridesmaid at her wedding nearly two years ago... So I've been reading a ton the last week, which is really nice. For some reason I stopped reading after I qualified, and I never started up again. It's been over a year since I actually finished a book, which is pretty much heresy for me, considering I was the kid who used to get in trouble for reading during recess instead of running around.
Anyway, so this post is really about the most hilarious feature of our new apartment. We have a little balcony (we're on the third floor), and it's got a nice big sliding glass door and a screen and whatnot (and a tiny new basil plant, but that's a subject for another post).
So last night as we were getting ready for bed, Jim said, "I'll go make sure the doorwall is locked."
Me: "The what?"
Jim: "The doorwall! Out to the balcony."
Me: "Oh! You mean the sliding glass door."
Jim: "No, I mean the doorwall."
Me: "What the hell is a doorwall!"
Jim: "The door out to the balcony! It's called a doorwall!"
Me: "That's not a real word; you made that up."
Jim: "Did not! It's called a doorwall! That's what it's called!"
Me: "That's ridiculous. It's called a sliding glass door; it's made out of glass and it slides. There's no such word as 'doorwall.'"
Jim: "It's a door! Set in the wall!"
Me: "All doors are set in walls! You're insane!"
Jim: "I'm going to google it!"
It turns out that people living in the Detroit area of Michigan (and ONLY people living in the Detroit area of Michigan) refer to sliding glass doors as "doorwalls." No one knows why, but apparently it started in the 60s and has taken a firm hold in the area, but hasn't managed to spread elsewhere (possibly because it's a RIDICULOUS term). Jim takes this as proof that "doorwall" is a real and viable term. I take this as proof that MICHIGANDERS ARE INSANE OMG WHAT AM I DOING HERE.
And I thought Michigan lefts were weird....
I found all sorts of little treasures while unpacking, such as a book Stef sent me for Christmas, $10 in an old wallet, and a gift certificate to Borders that K la gave me for being a bridesmaid at her wedding nearly two years ago... So I've been reading a ton the last week, which is really nice. For some reason I stopped reading after I qualified, and I never started up again. It's been over a year since I actually finished a book, which is pretty much heresy for me, considering I was the kid who used to get in trouble for reading during recess instead of running around.
Anyway, so this post is really about the most hilarious feature of our new apartment. We have a little balcony (we're on the third floor), and it's got a nice big sliding glass door and a screen and whatnot (and a tiny new basil plant, but that's a subject for another post).
So last night as we were getting ready for bed, Jim said, "I'll go make sure the doorwall is locked."
Me: "The what?"
Jim: "The doorwall! Out to the balcony."
Me: "Oh! You mean the sliding glass door."
Jim: "No, I mean the doorwall."
Me: "What the hell is a doorwall!"
Jim: "The door out to the balcony! It's called a doorwall!"
Me: "That's not a real word; you made that up."
Jim: "Did not! It's called a doorwall! That's what it's called!"
Me: "That's ridiculous. It's called a sliding glass door; it's made out of glass and it slides. There's no such word as 'doorwall.'"
Jim: "It's a door! Set in the wall!"
Me: "All doors are set in walls! You're insane!"
Jim: "I'm going to google it!"
It turns out that people living in the Detroit area of Michigan (and ONLY people living in the Detroit area of Michigan) refer to sliding glass doors as "doorwalls." No one knows why, but apparently it started in the 60s and has taken a firm hold in the area, but hasn't managed to spread elsewhere (possibly because it's a RIDICULOUS term). Jim takes this as proof that "doorwall" is a real and viable term. I take this as proof that MICHIGANDERS ARE INSANE OMG WHAT AM I DOING HERE.
And I thought Michigan lefts were weird....
(no subject)
Apr. 17th, 2009 10:23 amI had sooo much energy last night. I was really wound up and had a really hard time falling asleep. Finally I moved out to the couch and was out within 5 minutes (how does it do that?? it must be a magical couch).
Before that, my brain was just going and going and going with all the stuff that went on this week.
First, and dorkiest, there was a huuuuge content patch in WoW. We got a whole new dungeon to explore, and Tuesday night we made our first foray into it. It's much, much harder than the last one (yay! a challenge!). And it's a lot of fun. We spent 3 hours Tuesday night messing around and trying to learn the new fights and mechanics... and only got one boss down. Last night we went in there again to try to make more headway... and spent 3 hours practicing on one boss. Never killed him, though we got him to 5% twice and 3% once. It was actually a lot of fun. Everyone in there was excited about the new encounter, and we made noticeable progress in learning the fight, so it didn't feel like we were wasting our time (though I spent about 200 gold on repairs because we died so many times, and I think I used about 8000 arrows).
Second, I need a second jooooob. There is a dearth of legit writing/editing jobs at the moment, for whatever reason, so I think I might start looking at local bookstores/yarn shops. I mean, as long as I'm looking for something part time that I can schedule around the pathology textbook job, it might as well be something that would be pretty flexible. Bonus points if I can read and/or knit while I work!
Third, Jim and I have been tinkering with the idea of moving out. I'll need a second job, and he'll need a first job, but I think we've found a good place to go. Hopefully we can get the financial ducks in order and move into our own place. The place we like is a third floor 1-bedroom that gets a lot of sun in the afternoon and evening, looks out over a dirt road and a bunch of trees, allows cats for no extra money, and was recently renovated (new carpets, appliances, paint, doors, etc). And it's extremely reasonable. Also it's closer to D&D, which means we will only be spending half a million dollars every month in gas instead of a whole million dollars.
And I could have Claire back!!!!!!!!!!!
Back to the nerdy WoW thing... our guild leader and I have had some friction lately, but Tuesday during the first run through the new dungeon we actually had a pretty good talk. It was really cool. Hopefully there will be more of that in the future. I don't think either of us is really entirely sure why we were fighting (I mean, I know what we were fighting about, but it was all stupid), so maybe this is a step back toward being friends. That would be cool.
Also, Jim bought me some yarn. It was on sale for $3 a ball on Knitpicks, so I got enough in black to make another Clapotis for myself. An elegant one I can wear to fancy places like operas and whatnot. Yaaay!
So yeah. Lots of fun stuff going on.
*****
The one sad thing is that I took my blue mug to work on Tuesday. It's the mug I got in college, the smallish blue one that I had in the dorms... it was the first mug I got when I moved out, and I used it all through college as a coffee mug, water mug, tea mug, soy milk mug... I think I even drank rum out of it.
When I got home Tuesday and stepped out of the car, I dropped the mug on the ground. It broke into about 7 or 8 pieces. I tried to superglue it back together... but it was like trying to tape a stained glass window back together. The edges were all jagged, I was missing teeny tiny bits... it was just bad. So I said goodbye to it and threw it away.
I just thought it deserved a public acknowledgment of a mug's life well lived. It was a good mug. I will miss it.
*****
I may have to go home early today (you know, I say that all the time, but I never end up actually going home early...). I'm too hyper to actually get any work done. It's taken me 2 hours to write this (partly because I'm trying to do work) because I can't keep my thoughts coherent for more than about 3 minutes. I don't know what's up with me today!
I like it though.
Before that, my brain was just going and going and going with all the stuff that went on this week.
First, and dorkiest, there was a huuuuge content patch in WoW. We got a whole new dungeon to explore, and Tuesday night we made our first foray into it. It's much, much harder than the last one (yay! a challenge!). And it's a lot of fun. We spent 3 hours Tuesday night messing around and trying to learn the new fights and mechanics... and only got one boss down. Last night we went in there again to try to make more headway... and spent 3 hours practicing on one boss. Never killed him, though we got him to 5% twice and 3% once. It was actually a lot of fun. Everyone in there was excited about the new encounter, and we made noticeable progress in learning the fight, so it didn't feel like we were wasting our time (though I spent about 200 gold on repairs because we died so many times, and I think I used about 8000 arrows).
Second, I need a second jooooob. There is a dearth of legit writing/editing jobs at the moment, for whatever reason, so I think I might start looking at local bookstores/yarn shops. I mean, as long as I'm looking for something part time that I can schedule around the pathology textbook job, it might as well be something that would be pretty flexible. Bonus points if I can read and/or knit while I work!
Third, Jim and I have been tinkering with the idea of moving out. I'll need a second job, and he'll need a first job, but I think we've found a good place to go. Hopefully we can get the financial ducks in order and move into our own place. The place we like is a third floor 1-bedroom that gets a lot of sun in the afternoon and evening, looks out over a dirt road and a bunch of trees, allows cats for no extra money, and was recently renovated (new carpets, appliances, paint, doors, etc). And it's extremely reasonable. Also it's closer to D&D, which means we will only be spending half a million dollars every month in gas instead of a whole million dollars.
And I could have Claire back!!!!!!!!!!!
Back to the nerdy WoW thing... our guild leader and I have had some friction lately, but Tuesday during the first run through the new dungeon we actually had a pretty good talk. It was really cool. Hopefully there will be more of that in the future. I don't think either of us is really entirely sure why we were fighting (I mean, I know what we were fighting about, but it was all stupid), so maybe this is a step back toward being friends. That would be cool.
Also, Jim bought me some yarn. It was on sale for $3 a ball on Knitpicks, so I got enough in black to make another Clapotis for myself. An elegant one I can wear to fancy places like operas and whatnot. Yaaay!
So yeah. Lots of fun stuff going on.
*****
The one sad thing is that I took my blue mug to work on Tuesday. It's the mug I got in college, the smallish blue one that I had in the dorms... it was the first mug I got when I moved out, and I used it all through college as a coffee mug, water mug, tea mug, soy milk mug... I think I even drank rum out of it.
When I got home Tuesday and stepped out of the car, I dropped the mug on the ground. It broke into about 7 or 8 pieces. I tried to superglue it back together... but it was like trying to tape a stained glass window back together. The edges were all jagged, I was missing teeny tiny bits... it was just bad. So I said goodbye to it and threw it away.
I just thought it deserved a public acknowledgment of a mug's life well lived. It was a good mug. I will miss it.
*****
I may have to go home early today (you know, I say that all the time, but I never end up actually going home early...). I'm too hyper to actually get any work done. It's taken me 2 hours to write this (partly because I'm trying to do work) because I can't keep my thoughts coherent for more than about 3 minutes. I don't know what's up with me today!
I like it though.
(no subject)
Aug. 1st, 2008 10:04 pmThe catbeast and I are largely moved. She gave me SEVERAL scares during the actual "moval of the catness" phase. She escaped from the car when I went back to get her litter (damn my stupidity and my lack of a cat carrier and my laziness in putting her harness on her...), and after about five minutes of me standing next to the open car not having ANY idea which direction she'd gone, I saw a flash of orange and chased her through the neighbor's yard and snatched her up neatly when she tried to double back. Mwa ha ha. I'm learning her little escape tricks. ...slowly, apparently.
We managed to make the two-block drive without incident. Weeeee!
Then I got her into the new apartment and occupied myself pouring new litter into her pan (for, like, eighteen seconds!)... and then realized the bathroom window to the roof was open, and I couldn't find her ANYWHERE. Turns out she was in the stairwell hiding, but it took a good ten minutes of me hanging my head out onto the roof clicking for her before she finally trotted up behind me. AUGH. WHY DO I HAVE TO LOVE HER SO MUCH SHE IS INSANE THIS IS WHY I'M NEVER HAVING KIDS.
Anyway. New apartment rocks utterly. New roommates rock utterly. They have awesome taste in music. Only problem so far is that it's on the third floor and third floor apartments are very very hot in the summer.
It'll be so nice in the winter though!
We managed to make the two-block drive without incident. Weeeee!
Then I got her into the new apartment and occupied myself pouring new litter into her pan (for, like, eighteen seconds!)... and then realized the bathroom window to the roof was open, and I couldn't find her ANYWHERE. Turns out she was in the stairwell hiding, but it took a good ten minutes of me hanging my head out onto the roof clicking for her before she finally trotted up behind me. AUGH. WHY DO I HAVE TO LOVE HER SO MUCH SHE IS INSANE THIS IS WHY I'M NEVER HAVING KIDS.
Anyway. New apartment rocks utterly. New roommates rock utterly. They have awesome taste in music. Only problem so far is that it's on the third floor and third floor apartments are very very hot in the summer.
It'll be so nice in the winter though!
Becoming a Connecticut resident....
Aug. 10th, 2007 12:00 amI think my body is protesting again. I've kayaked, played wiffleball, done yoga and pilates, and gone climbing all in the last six days. Every single one of my muscles has been sore at some point this week, and I think I grew some new muscles just so they could be sore this evening. Also, I am a giant walking bruise. Luckily I look good in blue and black.
Climbing was really good tonight, actually. I'm climbing 5.9s (which is like a CA 5.10b/c), and while my endurance and strength are STILL lacking, my technique doesn't seem to be getting any worse. They're opening up a new gym in New Haven at some point this summer (this month...?), and I think once that's open I'll be able to go a lot more often. Not having to drive twenty minutes each way will be nice, and will make a huge difference in how often I can make time to go. http://www.climbthecliffs.com/ (there are some awesome pictures if you click on the News link)
After three weeks of living in someone else's room, I have finally moved into my own room. It's soooo good to have my own space again. Now, if only I could actually unpack... Only three more weeks until we move into the new house... Surely I can continue to live without 98% of my belongings, and without a real sense of home, until then (even though I've been living like this since I went on vacation June 9th). Right? Right???
I went to the DMV this evening to attempt to get a CT driver's license. Their system went down about three minutes before I got there. *sigh* I knew I'd have to go back tomorrow anyway, because I need to get my car tested for emissions before I can register it, but I was kind of hoping to get the licensing out of the way first. The earlier I get that done, the earlier I can get into line to register the car. And hopefully the line won't be too long tomorrow. I'd like to have time to go into lab tomorrow to start ANOTHER western before...
STARDUST! Okay, so I'm a really, really new convert to Neil Gaiman. I read Stardust, like, four months ago. And I still haven't finished Neverwhere. But I absolutely adored Stardust, and I'll probably love the rest of his books as well. And the movie trailer for Stardust looks amazing. A bunch of us are going to see it tomorrow, and then will probably have some sort of drunken revelry afterwards. I am very much looking forward to tomorrow.
After the DMV, that is.
Also, I need new clothes.
Climbing was really good tonight, actually. I'm climbing 5.9s (which is like a CA 5.10b/c), and while my endurance and strength are STILL lacking, my technique doesn't seem to be getting any worse. They're opening up a new gym in New Haven at some point this summer (this month...?), and I think once that's open I'll be able to go a lot more often. Not having to drive twenty minutes each way will be nice, and will make a huge difference in how often I can make time to go. http://www.climbthecliffs.com/ (there are some awesome pictures if you click on the News link)
After three weeks of living in someone else's room, I have finally moved into my own room. It's soooo good to have my own space again. Now, if only I could actually unpack... Only three more weeks until we move into the new house... Surely I can continue to live without 98% of my belongings, and without a real sense of home, until then (even though I've been living like this since I went on vacation June 9th). Right? Right???
I went to the DMV this evening to attempt to get a CT driver's license. Their system went down about three minutes before I got there. *sigh* I knew I'd have to go back tomorrow anyway, because I need to get my car tested for emissions before I can register it, but I was kind of hoping to get the licensing out of the way first. The earlier I get that done, the earlier I can get into line to register the car. And hopefully the line won't be too long tomorrow. I'd like to have time to go into lab tomorrow to start ANOTHER western before...
STARDUST! Okay, so I'm a really, really new convert to Neil Gaiman. I read Stardust, like, four months ago. And I still haven't finished Neverwhere. But I absolutely adored Stardust, and I'll probably love the rest of his books as well. And the movie trailer for Stardust looks amazing. A bunch of us are going to see it tomorrow, and then will probably have some sort of drunken revelry afterwards. I am very much looking forward to tomorrow.
After the DMV, that is.
Also, I need new clothes.
What a week--what a summer.
Travel has completely worn me out. It feels good to be home, even if that home isn't quite the home I'm used to. The last 24 hours, since "home" and "Eliz and Ali's" became the same place, has felt a little surreal. I'm sharing a room here, and it feels a little more like camp or dorms than having an actual apartment. I dunno. Maybe going to lab tomorrow and coming home to this place will help make it feel real.
Yesterday was actually a pretty good day. A ton of people helped me move and clean, and we were actually done by 6 pm, which was a lot sooner than I'd anticipated. I took a long nap afterwards, after which Emily and Ali and I went out for drinks. It was nice to go out and feel social. We drank martinis and came back late and I slept quite well, despite the fact that when I woke up this morning I had absolutely no idea where I was.
And today was good too--mostly I lazed around and read Harry Potter 6. And now people are here and we've watched The Departed and are an hour into Children of Men (which I've seen before, and just don't quite have the energy to pay 100% attention to, since it's a pretty intense movie). I love lazy Sundays.
And now that the last few months have sunk in--my decision not to transfer, and to allow myself to settle in Connecticut--I think I'm 98% happy. I'm really enjoying grad school. Lab is going pretty well, even if I've only been back for a week, and I think I'm going to qualify this fall. I'm not even very scared of it anymore. After so much struggling and such a ridiculously awful year, the okayness of this summer feels almost startling. It's a nice contrast, and I hope that in the next five years I'll be able to keep feeling like I'm okay. Even if I'm not, I'm actually pretty content right now to just enjoy this summer for what it is, and be happy that I'm happy. Life is good for the first time in a long time, and I feel okay about 98% of it. Now, if I just knew how to stop worrying about that last 2%....
I haven't touched my knitting needles in days, but I've decided to make this (another link here). I should really work on the wedding gift instead....
P.S. I also have a thesis project! Hurrah! Ask me about it!
Travel has completely worn me out. It feels good to be home, even if that home isn't quite the home I'm used to. The last 24 hours, since "home" and "Eliz and Ali's" became the same place, has felt a little surreal. I'm sharing a room here, and it feels a little more like camp or dorms than having an actual apartment. I dunno. Maybe going to lab tomorrow and coming home to this place will help make it feel real.
Yesterday was actually a pretty good day. A ton of people helped me move and clean, and we were actually done by 6 pm, which was a lot sooner than I'd anticipated. I took a long nap afterwards, after which Emily and Ali and I went out for drinks. It was nice to go out and feel social. We drank martinis and came back late and I slept quite well, despite the fact that when I woke up this morning I had absolutely no idea where I was.
And today was good too--mostly I lazed around and read Harry Potter 6. And now people are here and we've watched The Departed and are an hour into Children of Men (which I've seen before, and just don't quite have the energy to pay 100% attention to, since it's a pretty intense movie). I love lazy Sundays.
And now that the last few months have sunk in--my decision not to transfer, and to allow myself to settle in Connecticut--I think I'm 98% happy. I'm really enjoying grad school. Lab is going pretty well, even if I've only been back for a week, and I think I'm going to qualify this fall. I'm not even very scared of it anymore. After so much struggling and such a ridiculously awful year, the okayness of this summer feels almost startling. It's a nice contrast, and I hope that in the next five years I'll be able to keep feeling like I'm okay. Even if I'm not, I'm actually pretty content right now to just enjoy this summer for what it is, and be happy that I'm happy. Life is good for the first time in a long time, and I feel okay about 98% of it. Now, if I just knew how to stop worrying about that last 2%....
I haven't touched my knitting needles in days, but I've decided to make this (another link here). I should really work on the wedding gift instead....
P.S. I also have a thesis project! Hurrah! Ask me about it!
Aaaaand... go.
Dec. 16th, 2006 05:45 pmI've been so lax in updating recently. I haven't said anything worthwhile in ages. I'm doing a really bad job of recording this year....
( Long and rambly )
( Long and rambly )
Pictures of my soon-to-be-home
Jun. 3rd, 2006 06:51 pmOkay, I lied. I am too lazy to post pictures, but I'm also bored, and in this case bored wins out. To the pictures!
( My new home )
So there you have it! Welcome to Kara's Life In New Haven, Part One: Geographic Orientation. Stay tuned for such things as Kara Gets Internet and Cable Working, Kara Finds the Best Grocery Store, and Kara Grumbles About The Laundromat Down the Street, all to come within the next two months!
( My new home )
So there you have it! Welcome to Kara's Life In New Haven, Part One: Geographic Orientation. Stay tuned for such things as Kara Gets Internet and Cable Working, Kara Finds the Best Grocery Store, and Kara Grumbles About The Laundromat Down the Street, all to come within the next two months!
(no subject)
Jun. 3rd, 2006 06:32 pmI finally got a place in New Haven! I haven't signed the lease yet, but it's sitting here on my desktop being all mine. I have pictures but I'm too lazy to post them.
It's a one-bedroom apartment on the fourth floor of a townhouse in downtown New Haven. It actually has a smallish second sort of bedroom that could maybe be an office, but they're still charging me like it's a 1BR. It has a bathroom and a kitchen with a gas stove, and the landlord pays heat and hot water so I won't freeze this winter. I can rent a parking space a block away. The Yale bookstore is a block away. The apartment has skylights. Yay!!
So if anyone wants my new address, email me and it's all yours. I'll be moving in July 15.
It's a one-bedroom apartment on the fourth floor of a townhouse in downtown New Haven. It actually has a smallish second sort of bedroom that could maybe be an office, but they're still charging me like it's a 1BR. It has a bathroom and a kitchen with a gas stove, and the landlord pays heat and hot water so I won't freeze this winter. I can rent a parking space a block away. The Yale bookstore is a block away. The apartment has skylights. Yay!!
So if anyone wants my new address, email me and it's all yours. I'll be moving in July 15.
