... but I am doing so on Thursday! We got the apartment in Cambridge that I wrote about a week or so ago. Yes, the one that "doesn't allow pets." For those of you who didn't read the comments posted under that entry, it turns out the place has kind of a "don't ask, don't tell" pet policy. No dogs, but cats, rodents, fish, etc. are OK as long as they're quiet, well-behaved, etc. We have to sign a "pet waiver" and pay a $50 deposit, but the building manager said "basically, if I don't see them, they're not there." So, yay for us! We have place to live. I am now in a major packing frenzy, since I have no help (Kevin is out of that picture due to work), and of course I didn't start packing during my temporary semi-retirement like I told myself I would. My dad is going to help me actually move stuff out of here, and will drive whatever vehicle we end up renting to move said stuff. That's still up in the air, and is really worrying me. We thought we could rent a trailer and haul it with his van, but the van lacks the proper brake light wiring required to haul a trailer legally. A moving van costs twice as much as a trailer. Ack. My head hurts just thinking about it.
Anyway. The apartment is nice, but a little smaller than we really wanted (what isn't a little small in Boston, though?). It has no pantry. =( It's on the third floor of a building with maybe 15 or 18 units... I haven't counted yet. It has off-street parking, which is a bit extra, but much less than a lot of other places I saw! It's worth the few extra dollars a month to not have to worry about moving the car in storms, or on street cleaning day, or having to park a block away or a mile away, depending on what's available at any given time! The building is well-maintained and has a big yard in the back that any and all tenants can use. That was a major selling point. Oh, and it's right next door to a smallish but still nice Whole Foods. Yay! I love Whole Foods! And its Golden Sesame Tofu.
I am going to miss Maine so much. I've never lived away from my family. OK -- I'm not a complete hick -- I've travelled a lot! But this is different. And I don't want to think or write too much about it or I'll get depressed. But I really can't wait to be living with Kevin again!!! We've been doing the long-distance thing for far too long.
If you're a friend from work, or home, or my former life, or whatever, I will be in touch soon with my new coordinates. If you think I've forgotten you, drop me an e-mail and I'll remember you. =) I know my new address already, of course, but the phone will be a few days. God... I haven't had utilities activated for so long, I have no idea what I need to do! Not to mention that with this being a completely different state and all, I don't even know half of the utility companies! Actually, I think I have things pretty well down, since Kev's lived there for almost a year. But is Verizon the official phone company of greater Boston? That's the only one I don't know, since Kev just uses his cel phone. I'm good with cable, gas, and electricity. And that should about cover it!
I think I need to go knit a row or two to unwind. Hmmm... strange. I need to wind yarn up to wind myself down!
Maybe I'm sleepier than I think I feel right now.
I hate moving. Wish me luck. My purple mixer and I can't wait to get settled and start baking again!
5:15 AM: Get sorry ass out of bed to shower and pack for trip to Boston.
6:25 AM: Leave for bus station (in pouring rain).
7:15 AM - 11:15 AM: Snooze on and off during bus trip rather than watch "Sky Captain" for the 479th time this month. Why do they insist on showing that movie on every single trip?!? There are three others in rotation (not that they're any better...)!
11:20 AM: Lose token in turnstile at T station. Those things are $1.25 a pop! Fortunately, nice woman with serious weave and fake talons -- I mean fingernails -- lets me through.
11:45 AM: Arrive at Kev's apartment. No rain here.
1:00 PM: Have lunch with Kev. We get food to go and sit outside in Harvard Square. Weather tries to make up its mind.
2:15 PM: Kev leaves for work. Head to Central Square to take back movie we rented last weekend. Get heartburn from wrap consumed for lunch.
2:30 PM: Need size 10.5 knitting needles. Decide to check out GINORMOUS arts & crafts store in Central Square. Store apparently only stocks 6 or 7 varieties of Lion brand yarn and maybe 4 sizes of knitting needles, all about the size of sewing needles.
2:40 PM: 20 ounces of water consumed with lunch catch up with me. Need. To. Pee.
2:45 PM: Head back to Harvard Square to go to GOOD yarn store for needles.
3:00 PM: Oh, yeah. Today is the day the GOOD yarn store is closed for inventory. Still need to pee.
3:05 PM: Head back to Kev's apartment. Realize Kev has keys. Really need to pee. Did I mention how much I hate public bathrooms?
3:10 PM: Get back on T to go all the way downtown to get keys from Kev.
3:15 PM: Get stuck between man who reeks of cigarette smoke and old woman who looks normal enough but apparently needs to change her Depends Undergarment because she reeks of urine. Damn, I have to pee! Have to sit between these two for three stops, which on the Red Line is forever.
3:35 PM: Give Kev heart attack by showing up at TV station. He thinks house is on fire or something. Get keys.
3:40 PM: Hey! I'm downtown! Go to good arts & crafts store with well-stocked knitting section and buy needles and yarn that I can't afford in colors that match absolutely nothing I own for winter hat I saw online the other day that I absolutely must make right now!
4:30 PM: FINALLY get back to Kev's apartment.
4:31: PEE!
4:32 PM: Have just enough time to blog before going back downtown to meet Kev for his dinner break.
I think this is the longest I've ever gone without posting. 5 days? Maybe not. Maybe it's a tie. Things have been a bit hectic, as you may have guessed. I should (knock on wood) be moving sometime next week. But that's all I'm saying on that subject because I don't want to jinx anything! So, without further ado...
My finished knitty.com "Sound System Snuggler" set! Buttoned...
unbuttoned...
and a closeup of the headphones:
This was so easy and so fun! I learned a couple new stitches along the way, after spending four days trying to learn how to increase stitches just from looking at pictures on the web, but I was rockin' once I figured that out! I did the CD player snuggler in two evenings, and the headphone covers in about an hour last night. I rarely use these headphones, because I have a pair that goes right into my ears and travels much better than these, but these will be great for winter walking -- headphones and earmuffs, all in one. I bet Chester Greenwood (a fellow Mainer -- click on his name for his story!) never saw that one coming! =)
In other news, because I know you're wondering when the hell I'll start writing about food again, all I can say is please be patient, and don't leave me! =( As I said earlier, I should be moving next week. Once I get settled, look out! Well, hopefully I'll be able to get back into the groove fairly quickly. God only knows how long unpacking and sorting and whatnot will take. Wish me luck!
And happy birthday to an old, old friend from high school (with whom I actually lost touch many years ago). He was born on the very first Earth Day, so I always think of him on April 22nd.
I realized a few minutes ago that my supper tonight (mmm... samosas from Quincy Market's Bombay Club!) came in a styrofoam container. Now I feel terrible.
Boy... if there's one thing Boston has, it's yarn stores! There's one in Harvard Square that's really nice, and really expensive. I go in on occasion to fondle things I can't afford. The people who work there seem really nice, though, so I will try to start buying things there once I'm settled and working and can afford yarn!
Today I went to check out another shop Downtown. It's not just a yarn shop -- it's a "buttons, sewing, and craft notions" store. How cool! I used to be so crafty. It was fun to poke around there. And there's a place in Somerville that I really want to check out, too.
I've been going stir crazy not knitting lately, so I decided today that I needed to buy some yarn I can't afford and start a project I've been drooling over for a few weeks: the "sound system snugglers" from knitty.com's archives. I really need to branch out from scarves, and this project seems simple enough for me to handle. I bought some purple and silver eyelash yarn...
... and some good old fashioned Red Heart worsted weight, in black:
Quite the juxtaposition, isn't it? Fancy, glittery, grapity-grapey eyelash yarn and Red Heart. But let's face it: it's a Walkman case. It really doesn't require the fanciest yarn available. The pattern even recommends it! Plus, since I really can't afford yarn right now, I had to go with the moderately/reasonably priced stuff. I got the two skeins of yarn, a set of knitting needles, a package of tapestry needles, and a button for about $16. Not bad, considering the button was $2! Plus, the needles (knitting and tapestry) are both investments in my future, things that I can use again and again. I think I did quite well.
I joined the Stitch-n-Bitch Boston Yahoo! group last night. I will probably do a lot more lurking than posting for the next few weeks, but once I'm settled in the area, I will start posting a bit, and I'll try to go to a meeting or two. There's something happening in greater Boston almost every night of the week! I figure it will kill several birds with the one stone: meeting people in the area, learning more about knitting, and just plain socializing. I don't socialize nearly often enough. I'm just a loner... a homebody... a hermit. I guess a move to the Big City warrants a bit of a change in that habit, does it not?
I can't wait to get started on my snuggler. I'll keep you updated!
PS: I apologize for the crappy pictures. I haven't installed Photoshop on Kev's computer, and I'm lost without it! Plus, I don't think I'll ever get used to the laptop's LCD screen. I can't tell if my purple yarn looks right on here or not! To me, it looks pretty blue. But trust me. It's purple. Even more so than my purple mixer. My poor, neglected purple mixer...
