24 January 2007
Meet the Neighbors
Move-in day, around 20:30 I was getting pretty hungry. I figured I'd get dinner, then go over to hallstadt and collect the remainder of my belongings there. I walked to the italian joint at the end of my street. it was my first visit there. I put on my good wool coat, a red tocque (it didn't quite match, but I wanted to wear it). I also wore a fav beat up pair of jeans and green sweater, all just arrived!
as I walked out the door I got hit by the first snowflakes of winter. at the end of january, but still, I was elated to see them. it was nice that it waited for me to be all moved in. it was just dusting down as I walked into the restaurant. the italian owner was on me as I walked through the door, all Prego! Prego! and Bella all over the place. I took a seat and he recommended the Merlot, and a linguine dish.
the restaurant was quiet, i could hear one table in another room. his german wife, and probably a sister or a cousin (italian), and a nephew (italian) were sitting at a table across from me. they Salut'ed with me when my wine came. I read and enjoyed my wine while my dinner was being prepared. While I was waiting, the owner dude noticed it was snowing, so he called his sister in italy. they talked about me a little bit, and then he put me on the phone with her. So I told her it really was snowing, and have a good evening. the cousin at the table across from me laughed, and we all smiled together.
Dinner was great, it was tomatoes and ham and onions over linguine. I had a second glass of wine, toasted with the other table, and started reading again. Then they got another glass of wine, so we toasted again!
I love these people.
After I finished my book (Treasure Island, a first time read for me), I paid the check and was pulling my coat off the rack, when the owner came over and insisted I had a glass of prosecco. I am not one to hesitate too much when alcoholic beverages are being offered. So I drank the bubbly, and toasted my good fortune.
It was late, and I was a bit too tipsy to drive over to hallstadt in the snow, so I just walked home and put my pajamas on.
this morning there was an inch and a half of snow on the ground. I put on my only boots (3" heel) and some of my just-arrived clothes, pleated blue wool skirt and supersoft brand new red sweater, and trucked on into work. it's still coming down pretty good, I think we're up to 4".
tonight I'll go collect the remainder of my things from hallstadt, and haul them up to my new digs. oh, I was ecstatic to sleep in my own bed, and to start getting my self settled in. it's nice to have a home again. it makes me a little less of a vagabond.
I realized yesterday that with the trees bare, I can see the castle from the window in my front hall. they light it up at night. so that's pretty fantastic.
tomorrow I get the internets!
as I walked out the door I got hit by the first snowflakes of winter. at the end of january, but still, I was elated to see them. it was nice that it waited for me to be all moved in. it was just dusting down as I walked into the restaurant. the italian owner was on me as I walked through the door, all Prego! Prego! and Bella all over the place. I took a seat and he recommended the Merlot, and a linguine dish.
the restaurant was quiet, i could hear one table in another room. his german wife, and probably a sister or a cousin (italian), and a nephew (italian) were sitting at a table across from me. they Salut'ed with me when my wine came. I read and enjoyed my wine while my dinner was being prepared. While I was waiting, the owner dude noticed it was snowing, so he called his sister in italy. they talked about me a little bit, and then he put me on the phone with her. So I told her it really was snowing, and have a good evening. the cousin at the table across from me laughed, and we all smiled together.
Dinner was great, it was tomatoes and ham and onions over linguine. I had a second glass of wine, toasted with the other table, and started reading again. Then they got another glass of wine, so we toasted again!
I love these people.
After I finished my book (Treasure Island, a first time read for me), I paid the check and was pulling my coat off the rack, when the owner came over and insisted I had a glass of prosecco. I am not one to hesitate too much when alcoholic beverages are being offered. So I drank the bubbly, and toasted my good fortune.
It was late, and I was a bit too tipsy to drive over to hallstadt in the snow, so I just walked home and put my pajamas on.
this morning there was an inch and a half of snow on the ground. I put on my only boots (3" heel) and some of my just-arrived clothes, pleated blue wool skirt and supersoft brand new red sweater, and trucked on into work. it's still coming down pretty good, I think we're up to 4".
tonight I'll go collect the remainder of my things from hallstadt, and haul them up to my new digs. oh, I was ecstatic to sleep in my own bed, and to start getting my self settled in. it's nice to have a home again. it makes me a little less of a vagabond.
I realized yesterday that with the trees bare, I can see the castle from the window in my front hall. they light it up at night. so that's pretty fantastic.
tomorrow I get the internets!
Red Letter Day!
the best thing happened. I moved in!
I am such a happy girl. in fact, I was overcome a couple times while I was unpacking. I've wanted this for a very long time. After 2 mos of living out of suitcases, chasing down the right paperwork at the City Hall, talking to real estate agents on the phone, slowing down their prattle to an intelligible speed, and seeing countless apartments.. I'm in! My stuff is here! I live here now!!
Now it's all for real.
the 3 movers needed about 3 hours to move the 111 boxes (by their count) and all my furniture up to the 3rd floor apartment. (thank god for the movers, otherwise I would have needed a ground floor apt)
So they're hauling all my junk up, and I'm feeling like I have a tonne of shit, but then it only took three hours with a stop for breakfast. One guy, near the end, looked at me and said, 'bikes, skis, camping equipment, you do it all, dontcha? you must be top-fit!' I told him I'm one busy girl.
almost everything came through unscathed. hell, I unpacked my martini glasses (the most impractical, delicate glassware I own) without a chip, but my eames chair is damaged. I threw out the 20yo handmedown couch i had in detroit, so I'm couchless.
Over the last 2 mos of tumbleweed living i had passionate vivid fantasies about sitting in the eames chair reading a book, with a cold cocktail near at hand. i even bought it a new reading lamp. alas, no. :( this was another moment of almost-tears.
the good news is: my landlord has an antiques shop, and he sells a lot of 50's Modern furniture. he was in my apt to see the moisture between the panes of a window, and noticed the chair. "Pure Design! is it one of the old ones?" so we had a nice little chat about it. i'm sure he's going to be able to recommend someone to restore it for me. plus, i'll probably have the cushions professionally TLC'd. the former owners were none too kind to it.
after the movers left, I unpacked. most of the kitchen things are in their right spots, there are now books on the shelves, and clothes in racks. I have a little list of required furniture, but it'll come soon enough, and really, I'm pretty well set for the moment. Even the spinning wheel came out unscathed. I'm just happy and a half.
in the kitchen i put my cocktail shaker, a couple martini glasses, and swizzle sticks on a shelf with my tiki drinks and classic cocktails recipe books. i'm trying to take it slowly, and love every little minute of it.
my tool box was about the last thing I found. go figure.
I am such a happy girl. in fact, I was overcome a couple times while I was unpacking. I've wanted this for a very long time. After 2 mos of living out of suitcases, chasing down the right paperwork at the City Hall, talking to real estate agents on the phone, slowing down their prattle to an intelligible speed, and seeing countless apartments.. I'm in! My stuff is here! I live here now!!
Now it's all for real.
the 3 movers needed about 3 hours to move the 111 boxes (by their count) and all my furniture up to the 3rd floor apartment. (thank god for the movers, otherwise I would have needed a ground floor apt)
So they're hauling all my junk up, and I'm feeling like I have a tonne of shit, but then it only took three hours with a stop for breakfast. One guy, near the end, looked at me and said, 'bikes, skis, camping equipment, you do it all, dontcha? you must be top-fit!' I told him I'm one busy girl.
almost everything came through unscathed. hell, I unpacked my martini glasses (the most impractical, delicate glassware I own) without a chip, but my eames chair is damaged. I threw out the 20yo handmedown couch i had in detroit, so I'm couchless.
Over the last 2 mos of tumbleweed living i had passionate vivid fantasies about sitting in the eames chair reading a book, with a cold cocktail near at hand. i even bought it a new reading lamp. alas, no. :( this was another moment of almost-tears.
the good news is: my landlord has an antiques shop, and he sells a lot of 50's Modern furniture. he was in my apt to see the moisture between the panes of a window, and noticed the chair. "Pure Design! is it one of the old ones?" so we had a nice little chat about it. i'm sure he's going to be able to recommend someone to restore it for me. plus, i'll probably have the cushions professionally TLC'd. the former owners were none too kind to it.
after the movers left, I unpacked. most of the kitchen things are in their right spots, there are now books on the shelves, and clothes in racks. I have a little list of required furniture, but it'll come soon enough, and really, I'm pretty well set for the moment. Even the spinning wheel came out unscathed. I'm just happy and a half.
in the kitchen i put my cocktail shaker, a couple martini glasses, and swizzle sticks on a shelf with my tiki drinks and classic cocktails recipe books. i'm trying to take it slowly, and love every little minute of it.
my tool box was about the last thing I found. go figure.
22 January 2007
Appliance Delivery and Light Fixture Shopping
First, I took delivery of my new washing machine and refrigerator. what about the dryer? you ask. the helpful saleslady who took care of my on my first visit to the Best Buy (Codename: MediaMarkt) ordered me 2 washing machines and 0 dryers. So I asked the delivery guys to install only one of the washers, and take the other one back to the store. They assented to a point. it turns out I was missing a critical interface piece (that belongs to the house, not the washer itself), so the washer is only mostly installed.
I then made a visit to their store. I explained the washerwasher 0dryer situation to a new saleslady, and she helped me order a dryer.
the area that I'm putting these appliances into is a cubby about one machine wide, and two machines high, right behind the door to my bathroom. that is the only place for it. as you can imagine, I had to make sure the dryer could go on top of washer. well, it turns out the first saleslady sold me a notgreat washing machine, which will move a lot on the spin cycle and might just shake a dryer right off of it. well that was just great news.
at this point I almost cried. standing amongst the refrigerators wearing their Energy Consumption tags I took a deep breath and told myself, "This is nothing. There is a solution and we will find it together. Even if they have to bring the first washer back, and deliver a new one. We will find a solution."
after some brainstorming, we figured out an intermediate piece that would go between the washer and dryer and would help the dryer not jump off. either way, I'm advised to please be at home when I run my first load of doubledecker laundry in case there are any suicide attempts. this I can do. worst case, I think I can rig up a safety harness for the dryer. but serious development of that concept will wait until it's proven necessary.
point of interest: the dryers here don't vent to the outside, instead they have a condensation tank. all the water from the clothing is condensed into the tank, which can then be emptied down the nearest drain.
After my successful visit to MediaMarkt, I test drove another Focus. I'm this close to buying one. I just have to get a couple more papers in order first.
I went to ikea and solved my lighting problem. I also had a yummy salmon dinner in their little Cantina before I went shopping (it helped a lot, especially the raspberry cake). I got ceiling lights for all the rooms, some strategic rugs for bathroom, bedroom and entryway, a reading lamp, and a bedside lamp that looks like a tulip!
No headache, raspberry cake and a tulip lamp. I was going to try to avoid ikea because it's like fast food furniture, but in the end i decided i would take the easy way out and call it a cultural experience. the local germs really do buy a lot of their furnishings there.
extra bonus: i get to drive the autobahn to get there, and it's only about 30 min away. very accessible.
I then made a visit to their store. I explained the washerwasher 0dryer situation to a new saleslady, and she helped me order a dryer.
the area that I'm putting these appliances into is a cubby about one machine wide, and two machines high, right behind the door to my bathroom. that is the only place for it. as you can imagine, I had to make sure the dryer could go on top of washer. well, it turns out the first saleslady sold me a notgreat washing machine, which will move a lot on the spin cycle and might just shake a dryer right off of it. well that was just great news.
at this point I almost cried. standing amongst the refrigerators wearing their Energy Consumption tags I took a deep breath and told myself, "This is nothing. There is a solution and we will find it together. Even if they have to bring the first washer back, and deliver a new one. We will find a solution."
after some brainstorming, we figured out an intermediate piece that would go between the washer and dryer and would help the dryer not jump off. either way, I'm advised to please be at home when I run my first load of doubledecker laundry in case there are any suicide attempts. this I can do. worst case, I think I can rig up a safety harness for the dryer. but serious development of that concept will wait until it's proven necessary.
point of interest: the dryers here don't vent to the outside, instead they have a condensation tank. all the water from the clothing is condensed into the tank, which can then be emptied down the nearest drain.
After my successful visit to MediaMarkt, I test drove another Focus. I'm this close to buying one. I just have to get a couple more papers in order first.
I went to ikea and solved my lighting problem. I also had a yummy salmon dinner in their little Cantina before I went shopping (it helped a lot, especially the raspberry cake). I got ceiling lights for all the rooms, some strategic rugs for bathroom, bedroom and entryway, a reading lamp, and a bedside lamp that looks like a tulip!
No headache, raspberry cake and a tulip lamp. I was going to try to avoid ikea because it's like fast food furniture, but in the end i decided i would take the easy way out and call it a cultural experience. the local germs really do buy a lot of their furnishings there.
extra bonus: i get to drive the autobahn to get there, and it's only about 30 min away. very accessible.
tame adventures in settling in.
Saturday was 2 kinds of adventure: 1. test drive 2. shopping in Bamberg.
The test drive was a diesel focus. over here, the focus is a higher level car than the fusion (which is a jacked up fiesta, and kind of mini-van-y). later this week I'll test drive one with a regular gas engine.
In town I did some unsuccessful shoe-shopping (these girls here must have no meat on their calves at all, a major factor when trying on boots). but I had a good time and got to investigate some of the shoestores.
I was a happy girl as I sat at the foot of a statue eating a slice of pizza and watching the people go by. Nourished, I decided to check out one of the clothiers on the square. Lucky me, I found some great shirts, and a cute little dress.
Thus bolstered, I took up the unpleasant task of light fixture shopping. have you ever been light fixture shopping? this shopping is a special kind of hell for me. the lights in the store all make some kind of high-frequency electrical noise, and you have to crane your neck to look into bright lights, and who knows what kind of lightbulbs are in the demo models anyway? so it's really hard to judge whether it will light your room well or not.
the apartments here are bare boxes. there are a few wires dangling from the ceiling, but nothing remotely like a light fixture.
so I need ceiling lights for the:
entry hall
bathroom
kitchen
living room
bedroom 1
bedroom 2
I went to the department store on the square. all the fixtures were €60+, with some of the ones that I liked being in the €450 range. for the record, €1 is about equal to $1.27 at the moment. so imagine my joy at spending this kind of money on something I'll chuck into the mülleimer after 3 years.
I tried making lists, but I couldn't get the attention of the sales-clerks. I was being slowly overtaken by a pulsing icepick headache. And those light fixtures were ridiculously expensive. I gave up. I went home. I took some ibuprofen, put down the blinds in my bedroom and closed the door. It was dark as a cave and I slept for 2 hours.
here's my new plan: my new washer, dryer and refrigerator are being delivered this afternoon. after they get here I'm going to play hookie and head for the nearest ikea. the website says they have cheap light fixtures (around 20-30€). I bet they've also got cool lamps for less than 450€, and I can check out the couches and schränke (armoires. the buildings here also lack closets).
sounds like a boondoggle!
The test drive was a diesel focus. over here, the focus is a higher level car than the fusion (which is a jacked up fiesta, and kind of mini-van-y). later this week I'll test drive one with a regular gas engine.
In town I did some unsuccessful shoe-shopping (these girls here must have no meat on their calves at all, a major factor when trying on boots). but I had a good time and got to investigate some of the shoestores.
I was a happy girl as I sat at the foot of a statue eating a slice of pizza and watching the people go by. Nourished, I decided to check out one of the clothiers on the square. Lucky me, I found some great shirts, and a cute little dress.
Thus bolstered, I took up the unpleasant task of light fixture shopping. have you ever been light fixture shopping? this shopping is a special kind of hell for me. the lights in the store all make some kind of high-frequency electrical noise, and you have to crane your neck to look into bright lights, and who knows what kind of lightbulbs are in the demo models anyway? so it's really hard to judge whether it will light your room well or not.
the apartments here are bare boxes. there are a few wires dangling from the ceiling, but nothing remotely like a light fixture.
so I need ceiling lights for the:
entry hall
bathroom
kitchen
living room
bedroom 1
bedroom 2
I went to the department store on the square. all the fixtures were €60+, with some of the ones that I liked being in the €450 range. for the record, €1 is about equal to $1.27 at the moment. so imagine my joy at spending this kind of money on something I'll chuck into the mülleimer after 3 years.
I tried making lists, but I couldn't get the attention of the sales-clerks. I was being slowly overtaken by a pulsing icepick headache. And those light fixtures were ridiculously expensive. I gave up. I went home. I took some ibuprofen, put down the blinds in my bedroom and closed the door. It was dark as a cave and I slept for 2 hours.
here's my new plan: my new washer, dryer and refrigerator are being delivered this afternoon. after they get here I'm going to play hookie and head for the nearest ikea. the website says they have cheap light fixtures (around 20-30€). I bet they've also got cool lamps for less than 450€, and I can check out the couches and schränke (armoires. the buildings here also lack closets).
sounds like a boondoggle!
