I'm Not Spring Cleaning This Year

You guys, I'm not spring cleaning this year. 

(GASP!)

With hopes of moving in two months, there just really isn't a point to scrub down the window sills and refridgerator drawers. Instead? I'm going to try and get rid of as much stuff as possible.

The last time I moved was in 2009. To be honest, the thought of doing it again makes my palms start to sweat with anxiety. I have so many other things going on right now and I honestly don't even think it's humanly possible to pack up such a small apartment while two people are still trying to coexist. Like, where the hell will we stack the boxes? On the fire escape?!

It is already an obstacle course just to walk from the bedroom to the toilet room. 8 times out of 10, my giant-of-a-boyfriend runs into something and knocks it over. He's been sick and has been pulling out different meds from the medicine cabinet which interrupts the Jenga-esque stacking strategy inside. So now? You open the cabinet and things literally shoot out at you. Come to think of it, the same thing happens with our makeshift cupboard in the kitchen that holds everything from wrapping paper to my yoga mat to extra light bulbs to dish towels to an endless supply of lint rollers I've collected in my Christmas stocking over the years. And without fail, the shower caddy that hangs from the shower head (that has to hold everything since our tub is too small to have any other surface areas) crashes forward at least once mid-shower and I'm always dodging my razor that comes flying down. Oh, and yesterday? I hung my dry cleaning on one of the over-the-door hooks after almost tripping while trying to carry it up the steps and apparently? It was too heavy. "Um. What was THAT?" Oh just the hook device snapping in half and everything falling down. It's like a war zone, people. A freaking war zone.

Not to mention, I painted a big ol' painting this weekend (will share photos later this week) at an event and it's like, "Well. We have no wall space for that." I'm thinking of shipping it to my mother if I can figure out how to even do that.

The only thing I can think of that will help this situation and decrease my stress in this pre-move time? Purging. Starting this weekend (or whenever I have a spare moment), I'm going to go drawer by drawer, hook by hook, cabinet by cabinet, and sell/donate/throw out everything I don't need.

With William Morris in mind who said, "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.", I want to strip my collection of things down to the basics. As hard as it can be sometimes to get rid of items you convince yourself you might need (when your inner voice is like, "You never knowww when you would need all 17 old & tattered Vera Bradley bags!"), it feels so good to downsize. It makes you appreciate the nice things you do have, you know?

Ladies, did you know the shelf-life of all your makeup? (I didn't!) Maybe I'll start with that. Is anyone else out there itching to purge? I'd love to hear!

until next time,

g

Peaks & Pits

If it's okay with you, I'd like to discuss some peaks & pits of the past few days.

Let's start with the good, shall we?

I thoroughly enjoy being that obnoxious promoter of love on Valentine's Day.

Some guy showed up to my office and performed a magic trick :)

I received some incredible Sabon products - this scrub is amazing!

I got to catch up with my good friend/old roommate! We went to Stanton Social - hadn't been there in years, but boy is it good. Pssst...if you go, make sure you order the french onion soup dumplings and the pierogies. Also, the Brooklyn Lemonade is divine.

We had so much fun celebrating her birthday! Come back soon, miss Hollis...already miss you :(

Another girlfriend & I took the hour-long bus ride (so easy!) from Manhattan to the magical land of Woodbury Common outlets. With my color-coded map in tow, we made a run for it :) So many stores...so many crazy deals...such a great friend/shopping companion...my kinda heaven!

success!

Yes, we scored the back seat on the return trip :)

a DVF find...60% off!

I got home and Patrick & I met my dad at his favorite Thai restaurant for dinner. We celebrated his 63rd birthday; the two of them discussed their favorite athletes of all time and I gave him some artwork (not much has changed since I was a kid) and these two books (1 & 2). I loved seeing him and our dinner together made for a fun little night :) 

As you can see from my Nike Fuelband, however, it was a long and busy day. And it felt extra long due to the fact that I didn't sleep at all the night before. Why? Well, let's move on to Chapter numero dos, "the pits"...

  

Ladies & gentlemen, we have a mouse problem. Scratch that...a mice problem. I have never been so on edge, so tired, so disgusted, and so terrified in all my life. I am not good with rodents (exhibit A, B, C & D), but this was something out of a friggin' nightmare. Thankfully, Patrick was here as he's a little bit braver than I... although, not by much. And after this weekend, we've both been traumatized. At one point on Saturday (during the day...nocturnal-schmurnal!), Patrick was watching one pop its head out of the stovetop while I looked over and saw one run across my hangers in my closet. [Insert deafening shrieks and a sprint to the highest surface. Gag!] They ran all around the tiny rooms, standing atop the hockey-puck-esque traps we put out as if to laugh at our lame attempt to catch them. This little lady was not a happy camper. Poor Patrick missed going to a basketball game in NJ that night because he stayed with me to deal with the exterminator we hired (thanks for nothing, landlord). His name was Robert and he was a total Godsend. I asked him 47 questions starting with, "Are you afraid of mice? No? GOOD!" He set out glue traps (awful, but apparently the most effective), sealed up possible entry points, sprinkled poison, and wished us good luck. No lie...3 minutes after Robert left? We caught one. For the next two nights, we slept with the lights and TV on gasping at any strange noise. Keep in mind...with thin walls, multiple neighbors, multiple ultrasonic mouse repellers I purchased out of pure desperation, and an old building...there are a lot of strange noises. Hence the exhaustion. As of this morning, we've caught three. That's right. Three blind icky mice.

Ugggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

We are seriously considering adopting a kitten. (Slash finding a new apartment...)

Here's hoping we are done with this calamity. And fingers crossed any other critters get the memo that our home isn't very fun. I just wanna walk to the bathroom without wearing ginormous rubber boots, carrying a broom, and making Patrick come with. Is that too much to ask?

Anyways, I hope your weekend had just as many peaks and not as many pits :)

p.s. I hope you like my new blog header!

until next time,

g

Super Mario

With a heavy heart, I share the news that my superintendent, Mario, has passed away. He was the most loving little man. If you've been following along from the start, you might know how much he's done for me over these past 3 years. I wouldn't have been able to live by myself had it not been for him; he took care of me in so many ways. His kindness was the only reason I got this apartment in the first place. He helped me move in, he installed my air conditioner, he showed me what tools I needed to have for myself, he picked up my phone calls in the middle of the night when I would whisper, "there's a mouse. whatdoido?", he fixed my closet rod when it came crashing down...and he teased me about my shopping habits, he re-did an entire wall in my kitchen to prevent any critters getting in, he re-caulked my bathtub just because he wanted to, and he'd greet me on the sidewalk every single day with a, "G'morning, Virginia!" and a warm smile. More importantly, he was the reason I felt safe for all that time living alone. He was a God-send in my life... and I am so sad I will never have the chance to say that to him.

I came home to this wreath hanging outside tonight. The amount of people stopping by and saying, "you knew Mario, too? What a guy..." is incredibly moving. A woman who I had never met was taking pictures of the wreath and said she lives a few buildings down. She started crying and said she never knew Mario's name, but always saw him walking his dog and they would chat about their pets. I brought her inside and shared the funeral details with her. We stood there and just looked at each other and she grabbed my hand and said, "Thank you for being so kind. Life is so precious. Don't forget that." And with that, I broke. A stranger's kindness. It was the same feeling I felt the first day I met Mario and he showed me my new home -- a home and a building that has Mario's handiwork and love all in & around it. It's the kind of love that might feel small compared to other relationships and facets in life, but it's also the kind of love that has a great and lasting impact. 

Mario always replied to me with, "Alright sweetheart." I hope he knows it was he who had the biggest, sweetest heart of all. 

We will miss you very much, Super Mario. Thank you.

until next time,

g

In the Kitchen

As you know, cooking has always been a challenge for moi, the little lady. It's even more of a challenge now that I have to feed the giant-with-the-bottomless-stomach that moved in. ("What? A smoothie won't suffice? A cheese sandwich? A peanut butter sandwich? An avocado? Whatdoya mean that's not a real dinner?") I have to give it to him, though - he's been cooking up a storm lately. And I'm not complaining! However, each time we make something we're always saying, "if only we had..." We barely have the basics, folks. As in no pan that has a top. (Hello, hot liquid splatter!) As in none of the dishes actually match. As in zero adult-sized plates. As in we-have-no-counter-space. It's kind of like cooking in one of those Little Tikes kitchen playsets where there are fake buttons, rubber hamburgers, and knives that cut wooden carrots that are adhered with velcro. The thing is, there is no room for any of the supplies we actually need. My dad visited this weekend and asked if he could bring up my grandmother's set of silver flatware, expecting that we would actually use it. Um, our drawer barely fits our 4 forks from Bed Bath & Beyond thankyouverymuch. Perhaps there is a full-size kitchen in my future and perhaps I will learn what one actually does in a full-size kitchen aside from using it as an art room. But for now? I'm having fun watching Patrick cook improvising and imagining what I would buy if there was room. I bet you have room. Have you ever heard of the little San Francisco shop, Pot + Pantry? Lookie here.

(and shop here!)

until next time,

g

How to Kill a Moth

...

"Well...I think he had a heart attack," Patrick gravely claimed after he swatted the broom at the moth. By the way, I bought that broom days before this happened. Guys, it's my very first full-size broom! Alas, my diploma for graduating to adulthood must be lost in the mail.

There are moments such as the one above that make me grin with a pout and shake my head. Out of our lengthy history with ups and downs and all that we've been through, it's these kind of moments that we are sharing for the first time right now. ...Like tackling dirty dishes as a team and debating whether or not hot water really kills germs. (He says it doesn't which is crazy-talk and would nullify everything I know about cleaning.) Or when he doesn't really know what to make of his kooky sentimental girlfriend when I cry over everything from a thank-you note to a sappy commercial to nothing at all. (Men don't understand the crying-just-because phenomenon which is, like, so silly.) Or when I stubbed my toe in the dark on something he put on the floor and screamed obscenities until my thumb accidentally hit the appropriate buttons on my iPhone that made Jason Mraz start singing 93 Million Miles and neither of us had any idea what the heck was going on so we just laughed uncontrollably. Or the myriad of times when I inquire about something's whereabouts like how a new box of tissues "jumped" into the shower. Or, ya know, when I watched as he and the big blue broom followed the tiny brown moth as it fluttered around the apartment. 

And who am I kidding? I'm no angel. In this time of "bonding" we'll call it, there have been plenty of moments where we have peered at the other with a look of, "really?!"

Like this.

I don't know about him - he could be plotting his escape as I type - but as high as my eyebrows jump in disbelief at his antics, I still think he's pretty great. Is that love? Maybe. ;)

Oh, and for the record? The moth regained consciousness from his heart attack and I caught it and squished it in my little hand. In other words, the Hart attacked. (Had to.) And  that, my friends, is how to kill a moth.

until next time,

g

The New Setup

i've shared pictures of the apartment before (here & here!), 

but now i wanted to show you some of the changes we've

made (still a work in progress) since patrick moved down.

...

we got a new mirror...

even though the old one didn't shatter when this happened, 

the frame felt wobbly & we didn't want to take any chances. 

and yes, i let patrick hang the new one. :)

p.s. where i sit right now...colorful & cluttered. my kind of inspiration. :)

...

we didn't end up going on our day trip today due to the weather, 

but we did go kayaking in the Hudson (it's free!). 

aside from getting kicked out when the lightning and downpour came, 

it sure was a pretty sight to be paddling and watching 

the cruise ships head towards the Statue of Liberty. 

the vision of me, on the other hand, after walking all the way home through the rain? 

not so pretty. ;)

 i'm off now to help make dinner. 

it's sloppy joes & corn on the cob night over here. 

xo!

until next time,

g

Things Come Crashing Down

Patrick has brought it to my attention that I am, at times, pretty reckless - a surprising self realization given that I am normally obnoxiously meticulous, ever striving for perfection. When it comes to certain projects like the recent ones around the apartment, I suppose I take a Buddy-the-Elf-running-and-jumping-on-the-Christmas-tree-to-attach-the-star approach and just attack without proper preparation or care. "Eh, I'll eyeball it", I think. A couple lamps might have crashed after not moving the cords and there might have been a few extra holes in the walls. Nothing that a magical tub of spackling goop can't fix! But then the 4:00AM wake-up call happened. Ya know, when the giant antique heavy a$$ mirror came crashing down to the floor. Awakened from separate nightmares to a noise that was as loud as a friggin bomb explosion, we shot up in such a panic that it took hours to calm back down. We heard our neighbors walking around probably deafened by the cacophonous boom on the 2nd floor. Oddly enough, the mirror part didn't crack at all (?!) so at least we don't have to worry about any bad luck trailing us for seven years... However, I will admit that I - the reckless little lady - hung that mirror. 

my bad.

Looking at the wimpy nail that couldn't withstand the weight, I realize my mistake. Why is this? Why am I so careless when I am so not in other areas of my life? Maybe that's it. I think and dwell and prepare and make lists and practice and do over and do over again and think about whether my do-over-again is sufficient. I am a planner, attempting to mentally file way too many business and personal agendas...and I am a juggler, ever wanting the perfect balance between the many different facets of my life. And I'll be the first to admit that I tend to drive myself a little crazy with all the thoughts that go into those efforts. So when I see a mirror that needs to be hung on the wall, I just don't want to wonder if the nail is strong enough and I don't want to measure if it's exactly centered and I don't want to analyze the situation like I do everything else. There's no room in my little head. So I hang it up like I'm a member of a NASCAR pit crew. Get in, get out, move on.

And yes, I realize this method isn't workinggg. But what can I say? It's exhilarating. I might swing around that power drill of mine like I'm a prepubescent boy with a Nerf gun. I might start making a giant mess without putting down paper towels. (I also might be driving my boyfriend crazy.) But you know what? That carefree side of mine? The one that realizes situations that don't matter quite as much? The one that just eyeballs it? Well, I kind of appreciate its technique. We all have, what we believe to be, weaker traits in our personality - bad habits, things we don't want everyone to know, and things we beat ourselves up for not doing better.

In an effort to celebrate our less perfect sides, here are five of my own vices :: 

1. Cooking is not in my repertoire. I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing. Also, I'm afraid of sharp knives.

2. I am zero percent athletic. The only individual sport in which I thrived was elementary dodgeball. Only because I hid in the corner.

3. If I'm having a really, really, really bad day I buy items to make brownies and eat the batter. Raw. All of it.* (*see #1)

4. I hit the snooze button up to 5 times. And it takes me over an hour to become human each morning. 

5. I am reckless when it comes to household projects. And I hang heavy a$$ mirrors on itty bitty nails. And I don't foresee any problems. Until, ya know, things come crashing down. 

until next time,

g

The Past Week

...

yup. sometimes you just have-ta.

Essie's "Clambake" = summer staple.

apples & cherries make a great little snack.

look who it is!

you gotta love when your flight lands more than 30 minutes early.

it's taken years for me to figure out this little helpful hint, but when 

flying out of NYC, fly as early as possible. trust me.

suit shoppin'.

p.s. men sizes are weird, no?

summer fun with patrick & his sisters. 

have you ever seen prettier freckles? me neither!

redwhite&blue.

watching the fireworks.

btw, did you hear about San Diego's firework show 

accidentally going off all at once? oops!

(watch here.)

moving day!

patrick & his youngest brother = my moving pawtnuhs

i just now figured out their obsession with saying "mountain dew" all weekend.

 have you seen this skit with jimmy fallon and channing tatum? 

if not, it will make your day.

well hello.

we might have reenacted the end of this commercial 

while driving over the Brooklyn Bridge. :)

shopping at IKEA is overwhelming...

it's also apparently a task that is rather difficult for couples.

(exhibit A & B)

we could have been exhibit C, but we didn't have the camera rolling. ;)

ready, set, build!

and eventually...

after all the heavy lifting 

and power drilling 

and reading instructions incorrectly

and accidentally hitting my fingers with the hammer, 

this is what i craved.

rainbow sherbet & water. lots & lots of water. 

it was a tiring but successful few days. and even though there is still a lot to be done around the apartment before it is complete, it already feels like a brand new home. and boy do i love it... after we get the last few pieces, i will try and share some photos of the new setup. in the meantime, i am shrugging my shoulders at the untidy piles and smiling about our first Wednesday sushi dinner date tonight. the mess can wait. :)

"All great changes are preceded by chaos." - Deepak Chopra

until next time,

g

Apartment News

Folks, my apartment decision is finally official! (hallelujah!)

As Carrie Bradshaw once said, "finding the perfect apartment in New York City is like finding the perfect mate." There are so many things to consider - what borough, brownstone versus high rise, walkup versus doorman, floor level, layout, size of rooms, age of appliances, storage space, neighborhood, the superintendent / landlord management, distance from the nearest subway, length of commute to work, proximity to life's essentials, and last but not least - price!

I saw one apartment that was nice minus the fact that it had a mini-fridge - you know the kind you had in your college dorm room your freshman year that you wouldn't mind forgetting? At least that was better than an apartment setup I saw a few years ago that required you to put your feet inside the bathtub if you were sitting on the commode...

Another? No stove. None at all. "The little lady cooks on her stove all the time!" said no one ever. But still, I'm an "adult." For heaven's sake, I can't be the girl without a stove!

Some apartments require first month's and last month's rent for security plus up to a 15% broker fee - to which I quickly say uh-yeah-no-thanks. At the end of the day, it really comes down to $ and how much you're really willing to fork over. According to this article from earlier this month, rent in Manhattan has hit record highs; the affordable vacancies are seriously slim pickins. I kept hearing different statistics and opinions that said, "if you're happy where you are - don't move!"

I actually looked at a couple available apartments in my building, but alas, their extra space did not equal five flights of stairs and an arm & a leg more a month.

So, long story (and a long few months) short, I am staying put. I honestly couldn't find anything I loved more than where I live now. Am I disappointed? A little bit. Of course I loved the idea of starting completely fresh with a brand new place. I longed (and still do) for a living room and a coffee table and maybe even a pantry. One day, I think. On the bright side, I am honestly relieved. I don't have to deal with the headache of moving ('cause Lord knows I don't have time for that right now) and paying some ridiculous amount in order to do so. Plus! I'm still over-the-moon, hands-in-the-air excited.
Why?!! Because that's not the only news...

Not only am I staying put, but I'm getting a roommate!

I suppose it's time he have a name on here. :)

Please meet Patrick ::

After what feels like a century of doing the long distance dance, we are finally going to be able to see each other every day. I haven't even allowed myself to fully accept that this is all happening since it doesn't even seem real! Thinking back to everything we've been through to get to this point, seen in my mind like one big fast forward of page after page of highs and lows, honestly leaves me in teary disbelief. His length of stay is still TBD, depending on his injury rehab and career, but we know we should have at least the summer together. :)

I'm sorry if this is TMI on the sappy meter, but in the course of our history, we have had countless "dream dates." A dream date is when one person says "let's go to Maui" or "let's go camping" and you end your phone call by saying you'll meet the other one there in your dreams. That's all you get. A make-believe notion of spending time with that person...a statement that gives you a glimmer of something to look forward to with hopes of ending the phone call with a smile. 

Compared to the smile I have now at the thought of real-life dates, whenever I want? Lemme tell ya...it puts that old smile to shame.

I'm excited, too.

I know - you're probably like,

"Back.the.bus.up. How are you going to fit in your apartment?"

More on that soon. :)

until next time,

g