This past weekend was another busy one. We went to Oakley After Hours, which was kind of a let-down. i don't know what I was expecting, but I was a bit underwhelmed. It didn't seem that much different than turnout at Oakley Square when there wasn't an OAH going on. Soo.... The weather was great though. And I ate ice cream, so all is well.
It wasn't what I expected, not that I can articulate what I expected exactly, but it was nice to just be outside and people watch. Just to hang around and take a leisurely look at the town I live in. People seem nice. Lots of young families, it seems. Joggers. Lots of dogs out for walks in the late summer evenings. When you're not occupied with going from point A to point B, you can better take everything all in. I like what I see though. A friend once told me that so few people ever look up in life. And so I often do when I'm looking at a building for the first time. Some of these old touches on buildings, just these tiny embellishments, are a pleasure to see.
We also did some work Saturday, and now have basically finished off the office for now. We've made even more trips to 1/2 Price Books and have another Goodwill Box, and we've thrown away a mountain of old papers. With the help our new friend, Roomba, this room looks so much better.
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| bleh, the original dingy yellow |
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| Suspicious grunge that I washed off the walls |
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| Painted in Manhattan Mist |
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| With a ton of crap from the apartment |
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| Not perfect, but a hundred times better |
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| Looks much nicer from the hallway |
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| And we've made space for our little treasures |
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| Because so much room was taken up by books, even after we've taken four boxes to 1/2 Price. The shelf with the red boxes contains my collection of Post-Apocalyptic Literature. |
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| Now we both have enough space to work! |
We can walk in the office without twisting, hopping, or otherwise contorting, which is a vast improvement. And now a lot of our old books have ceased to gather dust, as we set them free (to 1/2 Price, where they will indubitably not be free) to be loved again. I'm really fond of this space, as I could never work in the old office because my desk was right next to the catbox.
Yesterday we emptied out the apartment, scrubbed it down, and handed over the keys. Originally I had fantasized about letting a cleaning service handle it, but in the end we are much to cheap for that. Taking my last looks at the old place was kind of sad. I loved how the light came into the window in the morning, softly filtered by the tree. Our balcony was loved by our cats, who don't understand why we don't let them out anymore. And it was our first shared home, D and I and Yuuki, and then Max was miraculously returned to us. Two years. Man the rent was expensive. D told me what we spent in total after living there for two years. I can't repeat it. It boggles the mind. But we are finished with the apartment, and its like a weight has lifted. I'm so thankful that that is over.
We ended up being able to conclude the move-out inspection too, because they'd already had the place pre-rented. Which means we probably are off the hook for next month's rent. Which is just perfect. So we are finished with the apartment, and now have no need to ever return there. It's unreal, because this move has been the most prolonged and annoying one I have ever experienced. But being at home is wonderful. Of course now we have a zillion home reno projects to do.
On the way home we went to a local restaurant that we had often passed by. We'd been curious about it because, well, there's a giant pig out front. What's not to like?
It was quiet when we went, although it was about 5pm so it was rather early for the dinner crowd. It was a decent place, low key and reasonably priced, with a piece or two of conversation-inducing pig-inspired artwork. We did like the painting of satan fiddling behind a massive pig about to attack frightened villagers. At least that's what I got out of it. Anyway, it was kind of like City Barbecue though D likes it better. The people behind the counter were nice and patient with us first-timers as we umm-ed and uhhh-ed. The mac and cheese was good, the beans were awesome. The sauce is not my preference. Peppery and smokey, which are good things. I myself like a little more molasses or vinegar. But that's a matter of personal preference. But we had a pretty good experience, and we'll likely go back. :)
And in closing, I have some sort of allergic reaction on my arms and stomach. It's been getting worse and migrating, despite my best attempts to quarantine the spots. I called around to five different physicians this morning, and only two offices accepted new patients, and one of them couldn't get me in until October. But actually the office staff and the doctor were very nice, so its all turned out all right. And I got some steroids to help me fight off my reaction. I'm still super itchy though. Trying to be patient and hoping the steroids finishes off all the red-and-itchiness.
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