Home is where the cat is

I'm sure you've all been waiting with baited breath for pictures of my new apartment. Actually, it's more that I've been waiting with baited breath to show you because that means I'm settled in, can resume regularly scheduled activities, and get to go places other than IKEA. The move actually went really smoothly. Turns out, movers are totally worth the money. Our movers not only moved all our stuff up four flights of stairs in only a few hours, but accidentally left the cash we gave them for their troubles (the official payment that is; they didn't neglect to take the tip). If my boyfriend and I weren't the kind of morally sound people who would chase down a moving truck, it might have been the cheapest, most efficient move ever.

But now for the important stuff: apartment photos. I hadn't seen the place post-renovation, until about three days before the move, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that they really had been serious about making things look nice. You can judge for yourself.

Here's a view of the living room. That rug is a stand-in for our real, yet-to-be-acquired living room rug, but everything else is pretty much in place.

This, as you might have guessed, is also the living room. I thought I should include two photos of it so as to answer the question I'm sure was plaguing you: but where did you put the litter box?
I've lived self-sufficiently for about three years, maintained a steady job, paid my bills on time, filed my own taxes, and published three books, but it's having a bathroom with granite counter tops that truly makes me feel like an accomplished adult.

The bedroom, which clearly needs some art on the walls. My boyfriend is getting his collection framed at present, so soon this room will contain at least one tour de force of modern art, which may or may not look like paint splatters to those of us who haven't the wherewithal to appreciate Jackson Pollock. Also, note a friendly face at the lower left hand corner. Dinah is adjusting very well to the move!

Just image the experimental cooking hijinx I can get up to now that I have adequet counter space! It's been over a year since I've lived in an apartment with a microwave. Naturally, popcorn was first on the grocery list.

I know, I know, the living room has been photographed to death. But this one is really about showcasing my new haircut. A nice apartment deserves a kicky, layered 'do to go with it.

Thus concludes the photograph journey through my newest Astorian haven. I hope you like it as much as I do, because I don't think I can afford to ever move again!

2010: A year in pictures

I noticed in the last week many bloggers were tackling a year in review. Mine's a little late, but it's still the first week in January, so I'm hoping my loyal readers will let that slide. I haven't been blogging for a full year, but I can say with pride that I did survive the whole year of 2010. Even more amazingly, I actually took pictures. Rather than go through exactly what I did over the course of the last 365 days, I chose a picture from each month that I feel succinctly captures the whole of my experiences. Well, not really, but I did find 12 pictures, and I think that's good enough.

JanuaryJanuary was the month I boldly returned to Astoria after a four-month stay in the bowels of Brooklyn (for the record, I have nothing against Brooklyn...but this apartment truly was an experience). I also participated in my first (and, to date, only) celebrity ping pong tournament. This here is Mike Myers being super Canadian and ponging against a professional table tennis player. You can't see it that well in this photo, but the pro is playing with his smart phone instead of a paddle. Sadly, I didn't make it past the first round and thus never got to bring my dream of going paddle to paddle against New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz to fruition. But at the very least, I raised a little money for a worthy cause (826NYC).

FebruaryThis was the month I journeyed to Austin to see a close friend's show choir rock out.
Sadly, none of those pictures really came out that well. By default then, my favorite picture of the month was this one. I met a friend at a weird "space-themed" fusion restaurant near Union Square. My friend is more adventurous than I and ordered the tacos with lemon pepper crickets (while I ordered the more conservative shrimp). It was one of the more disgusting spectacles I have seen. Be glad I'm sparing you the photos of her with a thorax and hind leg sticking out of her mouth. Being a wimp, I refused to try it, and just took photos of her meal. Weirdly, I was the one who ended up getting food poisoning from this meal.

MarchNot being content with the level of drunken idiocy that usually accompanies St. Patrick's Day in New York, this year I journeyed with some good friends to Dublin for the spectacle. They pretty much force you to adopt leprechaun hats and "Kiss me, I'm Irish" paraphenalia when you step off the plane (my sister was the only one among us who managed to resist the pull of the tiny green headband hat). This is the not the look I ultimately went with, but I feel this picture more fully captures my experience in Dublin than any of the pictures of me thoughtfully posing in front of writers' birthplaces or the Jameson distillery.

AprilApril was the month I took my very first steps to becoming a tin whistle virtuoso when I signed up for that over the Irish fiddle class I originally wanted (because the tin whistle was cheaper and you can carry it in your purse). I also went to the Bronx to see the New York Botanical Garden orchid show. It was there I discovered my camera could take awesome close-up shots if I was just able to hold it still long enough (this seemingly obvious revelation should make it clear what a photography amateur I am). Thus, this is one of about eighty pictures of orchids I took that day.

MayThis was the month I started blogging. Thus all of the rest of these events, you'll likely be familiar with. This one is from my part in the New York dance parade. This was truly the culmination of my bollywood dance experience, although I guess I could always return to perfect my skill at theatrical dancing. I feel this photo best captures my confusion as I try to keep up with the other dancers. I like to think I'm doing pretty much the same thing they are though. Also, the guy who's butt is nicely centered in this photo was not part of our troop. He was one of the super aggressive swing dancers that kept bopping all up in our dance space.

June
This one is from my June safari to New Jersey. As part of the theme park Great Adventure, there's a safari space that you can drive around in. It came free with our admission to the regular Six Flags theme park where we were able to ride the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world. Really when it comes down to it, what can't you do in New Jersey?

July
In July, I journeyed with my mother to Mexico City to visit some dear friends of ours. This photo isn't actually in Mexico City, but rather a smaller city outside called Pachuca. Pachuca, in addition to having a cute little town center, is the number one seller of pastes in Mexico. Pastes are a traditional pastry filled with delicious meat or beans. They're kind of like empanadas except that the filling isn't cooked before it's wrapped in pastry. I included this picture because I thought I captured that puddle in the foreground quite nicely.

August
August was super hot. That's essentially all I remember about it.

SeptemberIn September, I painted my apartment and got furniture that matched (albeit from IKEA, but it still looks more like a grown-up space than it used to). More importantly, my parent's visited me and we journeyed upstate to experience the joys of excellent food and presidential house tours in Hyde Park. We also toured the gardens of the Vanderbilt estate there. My dad is a far better photographer than I am, and he captured this photo. These beautiful gardens have given me just the incentive I need to spur me on to become fantastically and filthily rich. Dying house plants just can't compare to sprawling square miles of carefully manicured beauty.

OctoberMy second dance parade experience of the year was in the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. I, and a number of others, learned the dance to Michael Jackson's immortal classic "Beat It" and performed it for an eager crowd of thousands along 6th Avenue. Before the parade, me and a couple of friend's posed in our gang member finest. Notice how we all have a far different interpretations of the direction "look badass."

November
I realize I may have posted this exact photo already on my blog, but it's hard to think of a better image to encapsulate all that Thanksgiving stands for (guilt-free gluttony). I was lucky enough to holiday with this bad boy in Dallas this past November. I was also lucky to spend the holiday with my wonderful family; however, they might have more to say about me posting pictures of them freely on the internet. Oh, and I also finished my young adult novel (er, sort of) in November. Here's hoping to getting more of that done and edited in the coming year.

DecemberDecember was a very busy month (but then isn't it always?). This particular December I spent much time in Texas; however, I also managed a weekend trip to the great metropolis that is Pittsburgh, PA. While there, I went to the Phipps Conservatory where they have an expansive tiny village with several trains running through them. Naturally, when you see a tiny village with trains running through it, you must assume the pose of being Godzilla, ready to destroy the tiny town. I was supposed to threaten the passing train with my gigantic god-like fist, but unfortunately, the train is just starting to come into the shot. So instead, I just look like a crazy person.

That's about it for 2010. It's been an excellent year for me and Dinah (although I realized I somehow made it through a post discussing my entire year without bringing her up--an oversight I'm meaning to correct with this parenthetical). Also, I realized that, as of yesterday, I've lived in my wonderful Astoria apartment longer than any apartment I've ever lived in. Once you trick out a place in IKEA furniture, you're there to stay. Happy New Year, readers!

Museums and awkwardness

My blog got a lot of new readers this week. I noticed that my number of hits was easily 5 times that of what it normally is, which at first was rather exciting. Then I put two and two together. I was looking for a new roommate all this week and thus emailing a lot of strangers from craigslist. I remembered that I put the link to my blog in my chat info, meaning that anyone I emailed could read it. My theory was confirmed when everyone who came to see the apartment mentioned having read it. Shortly after meeting with everyone, my roommate told me she thought she'd be able to stay another month, making the whole roommate search kind of a moot point--with the exception of my short-lived fanbase. My roommate suggested she threaten to move out every couple of months or so to help me increase my blog's readership one potential roommate at a time. The only fault with the plan is that then my only readers would be people embittered by my dangling a tantalizing apartment (complete with undeniably adorable cat) in front of them and then pulling it away at the last second. It's probably more a recipe for angry comments then content readership. Ah well, it was nice to be popular while it lasted.

The other day, my friend wanted to go to a "Science Cafe" at the American Museum of Natural History. Basically, it's an event where you can buy overpriced drinks and listen to free lectures about the future of space travel. I had to go home and clean my apartment (for the aforementioned potential roommate visits), so I had already intended to not stay for much of it. In the end, we didn't stay for any of it because my friend and I were yet again reminded of a universal fact that I always manage to forget: events in museums are, without exception, awkward.

Then again, maybe this is only true for me. I can see the appeal of hosting events in museums. They generally contain wide, reasonably open lobbies, are full of conversation pieces, and add an air of grace and formality to any social function. Perhaps it's this exact formality I find off-putting. That or the fact that I am not a born social network-er. Put me in a room with wine, free food, and other would-be science nerds, and I'll inevitably hug the table to crudities and avoid conversation with anyone I didn't come with. A couple of summers ago, when I was staying at my parent's house before moving to New York, a friend and I decided to go to a "singles mixers" at the Houston Museum of Natural History called "Mixers and Elixirs." The free food we were promised with our admission fee turned out to be mini hot dogs and buttered popcorn. My friend and I eased our way amongst a crowd of middle-aged Houstonians, below a hanging brontosaurus, and quickly realized we were likely going to mix with no one. Also, there's no way to elegantly eat a hot dog.

By far the most awkward museum event of my life was at an event at the South African science museum in Cape Town. I went to a public symposium held by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (a group of us were invited because of a hook-up from our Conflict Resolutions professor). The speakers were apparently well known nationally and one of them was a current executive for the ANC. Anyway, the symposium was held in the science museum in a room called the "whale well" because it is an open room spanning several floors with whale skeletons and models hanging from the ceiling. By the time our group got there, all the seating on the floor was taken, so our only option was to lean against the railing. Me and my friends, however, were feeling plucky and innovative and decided to go up to the second floor where we could look down on the conference from above and actually found some seats in what was called the "whale sounds booth." Basically it was a hollow tube with seats in it, in which you could listen to the melodic songs of whales while overlooking the whale well. We decided the relative advantages of sitting down during an hour-long speech were worth listening to whales, so we set up camp there. But once the speakers actually started the whale sound loop chose that exact moment to switch to the loudest possible cacophony of whale noise and everyone (in a room containing several hundred people) turned to look at us. We scurried out of the booth in fits of laughter (mostly out of awkwardness, but really, the moaning and singing of whales at a serious function on the future of South African democracy is quite funny). It also happened later in the evening after the museum people had supposedly turned the sounds off, and we'd cautiously returned to our seats, only to be displaced again by the sounds of whales. Later in the night when we were at the reception to try our hands at mingling with South Africa's conflict resolving elite, we found out that everyone at the symposium thought we'd been pressing a button to make the sounds go off. "Are you the girls making the whale sounds?" was a common question we were asked. And that's why I'm now blackballed from any future Institute for Justice and Reconciliation functions.

When life takes your furniture, re-do your entire living room

I've lived in my current apartment, an Astorian oasis really, for a good nine months now. It's a great location, if a little loud at times, and easily my favorite of the three apartments I've had in Astoria (and four apartments I've had since moving to the city--there was a dark four months when I moved to Brooklyn). The greatest feature of the apartment is a large (and huge by New York standards) living room. The entire space was white and there wasn't any art on the walls, so when I first moved in, I briefly considered painting. The hugeness of the room quickly made me file that in the "to be done much later" category.

When one of my roommates moved out in March, she informed me that a girl who used to live in that apartment actually owned most of the furniture. The girl had been living in India for a year with her boyfriend and would come back and claim the furniture at some point in the future. At this point in time, the room was furnished mostly with decrepit book cases that fell apart when you tried to move them, an entertainment unit the previous roommate had pulled off the street (which looked rather like an entertainment unit that used to live on the street), a frighteningly uncomfortable futon that neither folded down or completely folded back up, a dirty yellow rug (although really that might have been my fault--I can seldom get fully ahead of the cat hair), and a decent coffee table with a weird groove in the wood that crumbs and dirt were always falling into, making keeping it clean nearly impossible. Basically, it was the kind of furniture I personally would bid good riddance were I ever to go to India for any length of time. But to each her own.

When the day finally came when she reclaimed her possessions, my current roommates and I realized we would actually have to replace them with something. We had a clean slate to work with, and it was time to make the apartment our own. This blog post is a chronicle of our budget furnishing process.

Here's the before picture. Apologies for the blurriness and the mess (this photo was taken while I was in the process of moving in). Also, for those readers who have been complaining about a lack of Dinah pictures being blogged lately--you will find she is in pretty much any photo I take while in my apartment. She's a star, that one.

The first thing to go was the back-breaking futon, which left Dinah slightly nonplussed.
She was also none too pleased with the loss of the yellow rug, which she had not yet completely finished covering with her hair. (I realized in my attempt to be artsy, I blurred Dinah a little. But I think I successfully captured her ennui.)

Luckily, by googling "cheap couches" I found this place: http://www.homereserve.com/ which will fed-ex your couch (to be assembled in about 2 hours) in a matter of days. The couch is pretty comfortable, and once Dinah destroys the upholstery, it's very easy to replace. Dinah was relieved.

The rest of the furnishings we acquired at Ikea (the budget furnisher's mother ship). Did you know you can get a coffee table for only $9.99? Of course, it weighs about 2 pounds, and we suspect it is made of balsa wood...but so far it has had no trouble holding up the Ikea lamp we put on it, so I guess it serves its purpose. Right after all the furniture had been taken, we got the bright idea to paint the room while it was empty. Of course, by the time we actually got around to painting, we'd already filled it with furniture again. Oh well, at least we did it. We chose the color "greenbriar beige" which is a lot more fun than it sounds. It adds a lot of warmth to the room without overpowering it. Here's the finished product or "after" picture:

As you can see, I still need to get a little art on the walls. I actually bought a Klimt poster (specifically this one: http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Forest-of-Beech-Trees-c-1903-Posters_i3623132_.htm), but have yet to find a frame I consider cheap enough. At some point I might have to admit defeat and get a custom frame job. Until then, consider the above the "finished" product. I'm pleased with it.