Thursday, August 5, 2010

Space, the Final Frontier

My cats hate it here. They hate me. They have managed to wedge themselves between the top of the fridge and a decorative molding and hide themselves and they do not come out. I have finally figured out that they are hiding from all the exposed open space of my empty apartment, which makes them very nervous. However, they come out as soon as it is night and I have turned off all the lights (which I didn't the first night) and they do not seem scared at all, so I figure it is that they either can't see how big and open the space is or they are trusting in the cover of night to conceal them. Whichever it is, they are very lively and affectionate and not afraid at all, which is causing difficulties with the family members who accompanied me and want to sleep, and are not used to cats traversing them in the middle of the night. Don't ask about how the cats, family, and hotel rooms went together. It was bad.

The good news is that I have way more space than I know what to do with here. The bad news is that I don't have the money to really fill it. But I am having fun decorating at least mentally, planning out things and color schemes.

The other bad news is that my stuff is not getting here until at least next week. There was some type of problem getting the cube sent out from California? Oh really? I am not amused. I have to do a bunch of errands like get the electricity in my name and other stuff today, and I may go buy a tv and sign up for cable as well as internet, just because otherwise I have nothing to do in my empty apartment. (I'm currently going to a chain cafe place for breakfast and internet and that is where I am writing this blog post right now. Otherwise I'm sneaking bits of internet access from my phone, which is not really working.) Of course, I might not be able to get them in this weekend either, hence the tv and at least some access to network channels.

Also, my back really hurts. My sleeping bag and air mattress is not doing it for me, alas. The air mattress was new, a Christmas gift from my cousin, and I was so excited about it. I wonder if this means I am too old and soft and wimpy for camping any more. That would suck --- there are new places to camp here and I have hopes of finding people to go camping with me.

Ok, changing topics and going back to the space-i-ness, I also have space for washer dryer hookups, which I am in a dither about. I usually am in a dither about decoration and house planning plans, but it is a pleasurable dither. Do I go buy some washer dryer stuff? They are expensive, even if they are not the nice energy-saving top of the line. Do I rent them? There's a place around here called rent-a-center, which I had never seen in CA, but I wonder if it's like layaway or other rental schemes that are basically scams and you end up paying way more than the cost of the stuff. Do I just find some local laundromats and do like I have been in my old place? There don't seem to be any really close, but on the other hand, I kinda like the idea of not being responsible for washers and dryers breaking and leaking all over the place and whatnot. I don't know. Advise me.

Oh, and I got the two-bedroom place! Actually, I got a two-bedroom that is far off to the edge of town and under the airport flight path. But that just means that the rent is in my perfect budget range and gives me two bedrooms. I have big plans for that upcoming office space, people. Big wonderful plans. If, that is, my stuff ever gets here.

9 comments:

squadratomagico said...

I'd advise looking on craigslist for a used washer drier that can be delivered, and then selling it to the next tenant eventually. I did this a while back, and it worked out beautifully: I paid about $200 up front, the seller delivered them and hooked them up; I had convenient laundry for a year and then I sold them for the same cost to the next tenant.

Good luck getting everything set up!

Liberal Arts Lady said...

Rent-a-center is not worth it. I'd vote buy, and if you're buying the old-fashioned kind it's only a few hundred dollars. But then, being able to do my laundry at home is something I'm particularly willing to pay for.

Belle said...

re: bed. get yourself a foam mattress pad, double/triple it until your bed gets there and you'll have lovely sleeping. Meanwhile, get the cats a box to live/hide in. They'll get past hate very quickly, then deny it ever happened. You know cats.

Washer/dryer: craigs list, definitely. Avoid rental centers; super scam. Does your new uni have a e-bulletin board? Check there for stuff too. If you were handy, I'd give you my couch!

Dame Eleanor Hull said...

Absolutely what Belle said (especially re cats---in two weeks they will always have loved the new place). Having your own w/d is marvelous and will spoil you for laundromats forever. But don't buy new. I hope you enjoy all your space! Make the most of it while you have it, because in a few years you may find yourself crowded out by books (and cats) wondering what happened to your space. Uh, not that I speak from experience or anything. ;-)

Fie upon this quiet life! said...

If there's no Craig's list site for your area, you might try going to a thrift store or St. Vincent de Paul or something like that and see if they have a washer/drier you can buy for cheap. Those places usually have delivery (for a price). Then you can resell the w/d to the next tenant or have it hauled back to the thrift store.

When we moved to our current house, we were going from 800 square feet to 1600 square feet. I was on a rampage to fill this place up. Now? We're bursting at the seams and can't even give away all this damn furniture. There's something really delightful about having more space. Sit with it for a while before you fill it up.

Hope you're doing well!

Musey_Me said...

Sears offers a layaway option on appliances. While not as fast as buying used, this may offer you some appealing. Recently, they and HomeDepot/Lowes have also been running X months same as cash on their credit card for appliances. Might be another option.

Cats - they come around. Soon they will adore the open space - more room for running, for laying in sunbeams, etc. We moved 4 with us and they all had a few rough days, but even the oldest were perfectly content very quickly.

Bardiac said...

I have no advice. Sorry.

But, isn't it interesting what "comes with" a rental place in some parts of the country, and what doesn't?

When I lived in the lower midwest, none of the places I rented came with a refrigerator. That seems just weird to me. (I had to wait a couple months to buy one, but once you've done it, living without a refrigerator isn't that hard.)

Dr. Koshary said...

Congrats on the new place? Do we get to see pictures of this charmingly large space soon?

Dr. Koshary said...

Ahem...that should read:

"Congrats on the new place!"

It's Friday. I need alcohol. What do you expect from me?