Ramble Ramble

Hi there bloggy land, did you miss me?? I missed you all, although frankly we were so busy over the past week I could barely think about what to have for dinner, much less posting on a blog. Seriously, whose idea was it to have an art show, and move on the same weekend?

N.C.’s show on Thursday was pretty cool–lots of amazing art, plus got to add the following celebrity sightings to my list: Jason Biggs, Chelsea Handler, and yes, the one and only Mr. Belding (quite the nostalgia trip that one)!  If you want to check out some awesome TV themed artwork, you can see all the show pieces here.

Of course, the big news this weekend was the move. And of course, we were still packing things up on Friday night. Is it just me, or are those last few boxes when you’re packing up your life almost impossible to get finished? Anywho, after a late nights on Thursday (art) and Friday (packing), we were up bright and early on Saturday for the official move.

Now, being that I’m almost 5 months pregnant, I wasn’t allowed to do much lifting–mostly of the “here, carry these pillows” variety. So instead, I spent the day at the new place unpacking and waiting for the cable guy to show up. Oh, and trying to keep the cat from freaking out too much (yeah, not so successful at that one. I think he found every hiding spot in the house).

I definitely got the easy end of the bargain, but even still, at the end of the day my feet hurt so bad I felt like crying every time I had to stand up. And lets not forget also that we’ve moved to a place that has 2 stories, which means stairs. Which means that I went up and down those stairs about 900 times on Saturday. Yeah, hi there thighs. Ugh, I’m out of shape as it is, spending the day climbing stairs was perhaps the last thing my legs were expecting from me.

But all in all, the move went smoothly, we’re completely functionally unpacked (except N.C.’s studio), and even have some things up on the walls. We are going to need some furniture–we just cannot make do without a full sized bookcase anymore–and some other little things, as is usually the case when you move into a new place, but we’re loving the new space.

Once we get a little more settled, I’ll take some pictures of my favorite parts of the house and post them here. For now though, I feel as though a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders–we’re in a place that has enough room for us to grow into, we love the neighborhood, we love the location, and most importantly, we love the place. It feels like home.

This week is going to be crazy–a whirlwind of activity if you will. This upcoming weekend marks the move to the new place, N.C. has a show in LA on Thursday and sometime between now and then we need to 1) finish our taxes and 2) finish packing. Oh and of course, there are the requisite work deadlines and issues. I’m definitely feeling the pressure.

As such, I’m taking a mini-blog break. I know, I know, you’ll miss my ever so frequent posting (lately I’ve been averaging, what, twice a week? How will you survive without me?), but it’s just a week. Once we’re through this move, I’ve got tons to write about and share with you all, but I’m giving myself permission to take a full-blown break from the blog. I may still pop up on Twitter, but I’ll be back to the blog next Monday and hopefully I’ll get back into a more frequent ( & more interesting!) posting habit.

See you on the flip side!

P.S. But don’t think I won’t be reading–my Google Reader is my favorite break time treat!

One of the things I’m finding interesting about this move coming up is the lack of incentive I seem to have about packing. Normally when we move I find myself more easily coerced into packing up all of our stuff than I have been this time. We move into our new place in 2 weeks, and we haven’t really even delved into the depths of packing that needs to happen.

But this morning, I think I figured out why I’ve been so blase about the logistics of this move. See, this is the first move in quite a while that isn’t a major, multi-state endeavor. Instead of moving across the country, we’re moving about 10 minutes away. Instead of having to make sure that our belongings will survive many hours, days, weeks in boxes….I’ve got to motivate myself to even put some of it IN boxes.

Our last move? New Jersey to California. 2800 miles.

The one before that? Connecticut to New Jersey. About 60 miles (While not far in mileage,most of my belongings had been in boxes for 6 months at this point, so an additional 3-4 hours on New Jersey, New York and Connecticut roadways was just the ending point.)

Before that? Arizona to Connecticut. 2500 miles.

This move? 11 miles.

Add to that the fact that we already have access to the property to drop things off, and I’m finding it hard to worry too much about packing the way I normally would. Why bother, when I could just fill the car up with armfuls of stuff and unload it about 8 minutes later? Why worry about over-zealously padding our dishes and glassware and knickknacks when the trip is literally just down the street?

Of course, that’s not the best approach, I know. We’re grown ups, and have grown up things that need to be moved cautiously and carefully. I would cry if our things got broken, damaged or mashed. I also realize that it’s a little easier for people to lift boxes that house your life rather than armloads of stuff (talk about a long moving day!). But I am finding it difficult to motivate myself to pack more than one or two boxes at a time.

Anyone want to come over and help me pack?

Thank you so much to everyone who has sent congratulations and well wishes about my little announcement the other day! I was originally planning on thanking you all personally (via email), but until this mythical energy burst that’s supposed to occur in the 2nd trimester, I’m finding it hard to commit to much more than I’m already doing. But, honestly, your well wishes and congratulations give me a giant smile and mean a ton!

So what have I been doing? Well, there’s the requisite tax preparation (blech), which I hope to wrap up this week. Taxes with a freelancer in the family? Not so much fun for the unorganized like us.

But beyond that, the main thing we’ve been doing has been–getting ready to move! That’s right we finally found, and secured, a new place. One that makes me very happy just thinking about. One that I can’t wait to move into (3 weeks!) because I’m so thrilled!

So today’s list will be a list of some of the best things about our new place:

1. Obviously, one of the reasons we’re looking to move is because we want more space for the new addition coming our way. We currently live in a 2 bedroom apartment, and with N.C. being a freelancer, we really can’t stand to lose the office that currently takes up that second bedroom. The new place? 3 bedrooms and an extra 500 square feet.
2. The new place has a kitchen where we will both be able to work and move around without bumping into each other every other second. N.C. and I generally work together in the kitchen, so there’s lots of “watch out” and “behind you” and “aaaahhhhhh, careful!”’s going on. Now, we’ll be able to share without worrying about turning around into a burning pan quite so often.
3. The new place has both a deck and a patio, for ample outdoor area. We’ll be able to move the grill back outside and actually (gasp!) use it!
4. The new place is a townhome. Which means we’re not sharing a floor, a ceiling, and will only be sharing one wall with neighbors. It also means that most of the community is populated by folks who own their townhomes, which can help with things like community and respect for others.
5. The one key downside to the new place is that N.C. will be giving up his studio space in the gallery. We’ll be sad to let that go, but the townhouse has a 3rd bedroom that will be used as an office and drawing studio, along with a one car garage that will be used for a painting studio. It’s not exactly an even exchange, but at least we found a place that will give N.C. enough room to continue his work.
6. So our new place? 10 minutes to the beach. That’s right. Somehow we found a beautiful, homey place to RENT within our budget that is within minutes to the beach. Clearly, we have lucked out.

Obviously, I’m over the moon about this new place. I realize fully that it will have its own issues, quirks, and problems. But the move out of an apartment and into something a little more homey has me so excited that I think I’ll be able to deal with those things as they come up. Maybe with some lemonade out on the patio. Or after a quick jaunt down to the beach for a walk. Or even, even just in the new living room with sunlight pouring in the windows with a kitty in my lap while I watch tv. That sounds good too.

As always, if you want more listy goodness, go check out Anna’s place:

N.C. and I are looking for a new place to live, which means the dreaded hunt for available rentals. I already mentioned my disdain for Craigslist lately, but after spending Sunday driving around looking at neighborhoods and a few properties, I’ve got some words for would be landlords.

1. There is a line between “I’m sorry for the mess, we’re busy packing” and “Oh dear god, did something in that pile of clothes just move?”
2. If your ad says open house from 1-3, maybe you should go ahead and stick with those hours.
3. It’s fantastic when a house has character. I’m all for character. But there is a point at which character is just code for “bat-shit insane features you will hate”.
4. If your property hasn’t been updated since 1942, why on God’s green earth do you think you can command market value? I actually saw a sign over one stove warning against using the stove due to the age. Ummmm, what?
5. I understand the reasons for saying no pets to a renter, I really do, but if there’s no need to be nasty if we just ask the question.
6. I know as a landlord, you have a right to be wary of folks before they prove themselves as renters. But you maybe don’t need to be a total douchebag before we even say hello. I’ll gladly take my deposit elsewhere.
7. If your list of rules for the property is longer than the ad describing it, and somewhat arbitrary (i.e. no rock music is ever to be played on the property, no more than 5 people allowed on the property at one time), understand that some people are going to think you’re crazy.
8. Remember, in lots of cases, you’re dealing with grown-ups. I understand renters can screw with your property, but honestly, some of us are just looking for a place to call home.

If you want to read some more lists (that may not even be as bitter as mine!), check out abdpbt: