2010 Holiday Decorations, and a New Addition!

I'm not really great at decorating. (I am, apparently, fabulous at watching The Fresh Prince reruns.) Dressing up the square wall mounted DVD case as a giant giftbox was an idea I still feel I have rights to boast over. Being neither a crafty person nor a fan of Christmas, I think I set the bar with this. I suppose it's been done before but not by me! It took me roughly an hour, I dropped scissors on my feet twice, and it's very "patchwork." 

 Everyone remembers Elkton John, yes?

Now there's "Rack Hudson," or "Antler Lambert," for younger folk.
They hang out together on the shelf above our television.

  

I don't have a lot of space to put random decorations, so these guys are on my bookshelf. They're not my preferred style of decoration but Matt likes things like this. I am amused by the copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula behind them.

Halloween Decorations

 If people click back to earlier posts they might remember the day I bought these lamps. I took a picture then in my delirious joy of having decorative $3 lamps from CVS. We didn't have an apartment yet. Here was the original pic: 

Almost a year later, and they're nestled up next to my Ecto-1. 

I'm not sure if these are easily visible, but the top ice cube is in the shape of a pumpkin, and the lower one is the shape of a skull. These trays were $1 and they brought me joy. I washed them out before using them since they were, after all, from a $1 store. So hopefully they will just bring me joy, and not salmonella.

I was tempted to get this klassy piece, if only for my boyfriend's reaction, but I'm almost certain it would scare our dog. 

I bought these tall-skinny-metal-canister-face-things-with-candle-inside objects last year, too. They've been sitting in a closet until I brought them out. 

The only other decorations I have thus far are some very pathetic window cling things I got at the $1 store with the trays. They're tacky and reminiscent of grade school cat-lady teacher kitsch decor so I'm not going to bother with uploading them. 

I hope to visit a store that might carry better decorations. Ones that might cost so much as $4 within the week. Stay tuned!

Edit 10/11/10 : Happy Columbus Day! Here's what else I picked up today: 

And some additions made:

See? Pumpkins.

Bad Blogger, Bad!

I haven't posted here in a long time because, well, as it turns out, we're not actually that bad at this whole... living together thing.

What's Changed Since My Last Post

I quit my job. It was a long overdue decision; the environment was toxic to say the least, and while I will miss the animals, I certainly won't miss anything else. Quitting a full time double-digit an hour job prompted me to learn how to defer student loans. As it turns out, deferring them is a) not that uncommon and b) not that difficult. Apparently everyone and their brother has done it. Which explains why school is so expensive in the first place. We're contributing to our own vicious cycle. A small part of me that enjoys feeling consistently guilty wonders if my younger friends missed out on financial aid because my older friends won't pay their loans.


I took a part time job in retail again, partially out of desperation and partially as a favor to a friend (my boss). He was kind enough to give me an immediate position, so for the summer I am a retail employee again. I worked with the company from the ages of 17-19, then again from 21-22. I'm not exactly a newbie, despite working in a different location now, but with retail things change so quickly refresher courses are almost always a necessity. Donning the uniform shirt was difficult. I stood in the mirror for a few minutes wondering how I had managed to time-travel seven years back in time. Before college, before a car, before a boyfriend, an apartment, a dog, I had worked here. Now I'm here again. 


Except there's a difference. I feel older. One of my coworkers is a nineteen year old who is, for lack of a better term, intense. For me to call someone else intense is impressive. For me to think someone else needs to "chill" is remarkable. She's been nothing but friendly in her attempts to educate me in the ways of store operations, though. She's not bossy....just wired. Whenever she starts a tangent on the intricacies of displaying printer ink on shelves, part of me wants to grab her shoulders and slowly mouth "CALM...DOWN." Perhaps this is her first "real" job, and she hasn't learned yet that her retail work is, like most everyone's job, low on the scale of Life's Most Important Factors.


I also figure it's because for the better part of two years I was taking care of people's pets. I can only imagine how mothers/daycare workers feel. (I never want to find out, I can just only imagine.) For 24 months, 40+ hours a week, I was watching over peoples' livelihood. Their animals. Their babies. Living, breathing, interactive beings with health requirements, emotional needs, mental processes. I had to keep them safe, happy, and well behaved. Making sure notebooks lay straight on a shelf just doesn't seem as important. 


I got into a car accident. My flip flop got caught under my accelerator (or break?) and I literally could not stop my car. Forced to make the choice between angling my vehicle and clip the gigantic Jeep in front of me or steering around them and coming to a stop by meeting up with a tree or a house, I hit the car. My insurance premium gets evaluated again in January. It's an understatement to say I'm a little concerned about how expensive it's going to get. 


I turned 24 four days before the accident. Quitting my job immediately basically eradicated more than 75% of my everyday stress, and my creativity has flown even more so than when I graduated. If anyone is interested in my art, search 'crissx' on Deviantart. 


Lessons I Have Learned The Hard Way


- The smaller piece of steak always cooks faster than the bigger one. I forget this. All the time.
- A good way not to get sauce EVERYWHERE when cooking it is to cook a lot at once. It bubbles less.
- Don't drive in flip flops. Did I mention that? Oh, sorry.
- Coworking relationship + outside of work friendship = big hairy mess.


Other Updates


Our dog is coming along. Due to the sudden way in which I left my job, the snail-like pace of his separation anxiety training became impossible. We're now trying a more "sink or swim" method, and we leave him up to two hours. There's often lots of barking -- a matter not helped by the fact two other dogs on our floor do the same -- and some small accidents by the door, but nothing else. He doesn't touch any of our things or "go" anywhere but directly in front of the door. 

(Old, old picture....)


My apartment is always clean. At first I thought I could credit myself to this, but then I realized it's probably because Matt and I just don't do much in it. We sit on the couch to read, or draw, or write. The most maintenance required is dusting and Swiffering every few days, because of the dog. 


It's still relatively empty of decor. I've purchased one piece of wall art. 

From Kohls! It's on the far side of the apartment, distant enough from the two vintage Star Wars posters that I'm comfortable describing the SW corner as the 'kiddie wing.' (I kidding. I love them. <3 Matt!)


A Promise


I'm going to try to be better about updating. I've started carrying a 'writing journal' with me almost everywhere, to jot down creative ideas for private writing, public writing, art, comics, etc. Everyone is free to poke me or suggest ideas!

ARTWORK PLEASE!

We put up a single shelf above the television, which did a stupendous job of eating up some of that annoying free space lingering on the wall. Unfortunately this doesn't solve the problem of what to do with the rest of the empty walls.

Ideally I'd like a HUGE piece of artwork to hang just above our heads while we are on the couch. It would be visible as you walked into the apartment and while eating dinner at the dining room table across from living room area. It's hard finding brown-based paintings that don't have tons of green and red in them. Our apartment is most definitely blue and brown --- the only red that peeks through is the red in the vintage Star Wars poster found in one corner. (The Man Corner)

Another obvious option is just purchasing some nice frames and putting photographs up. The problem with this is -- we're just not photograph-loving people. Despite being together for 4 years, I can count the number of pictures I have of Matt and I together (and BOTH look great in) on one hand. I'd have to diet, wait for my skin to clear up, grow my hair out, and wait for upload times just to decorate my apartment. Not going to happen.

Suggestions?

Potpourri? No thanks, stuffed rats, please.

I took Wednesday (AKA day before New Year's Eve) to clean, organize, and prep our living room for our New Year's gathering. It's coming together nicely. Any boxes that couldn't actually go anywhere because we're missing a shelf/dresser/reason to have what is inside the box were shoved into the bedroom. Which is why you are only seeing a picture of our living room. And Matt's knees.

  Artie attended, but refused to sit down. He kept saying he was about to "head out" because he had another "thing" to get to, but he never left, drank all the berry flavored Sierra Mist, and spilled brownie crumbs everywhere. Worst guest ever.

This is the tackiest, corniest X-Mas decoration we had out. It's mine. His name is Elkton John, and I love him. Next to him? Why..

 That's a replica of the Ecto-1 (or Ectomobile) from Ghostbusters. I haven't taken the tape off the doors. Also mine. We're adults here, I swear.

See? Adults. Hard to see in this shot, but the top shelf has two small glowing pinecone flameless "candles" and a rather art deco looking reindeer. Beneath that, a diffuser and a decorative plate (with a lonely candle), and beneath that is ... where I decided to put my handbag... moving along..

Drafty windows are prime real estate for beverages that need to be kept cold.

 

Stuffed rats decorate the uselessly spaced shelves of our DVD cases. I dislike plants, we can't do candles, and I'm not a fan of knickknacks. These were bought at IKEA the same day we got Artie. :)

Sorry for the lack of posting!

Making the Cut

It's really easy to say: "Oh, I am the sort of person who gives/throws away things I don't need. I'm a minimalist. I never keep anything if I haven't used it in a year." Really, person? (Also me, in this scenario.) Well try packing ten years worth of crap. It's an epic battle of what makes the cut and what doesn't.

"MY GRANDMA GAVE THIS TO ME."
"I NEED THIS RANDOM PINK SAND NECKLACE HEART DESIGN THING."
"Oh my God, FLUFFY. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN."
"I can't find the other sock that matches this."
"This half empty bottle of two year old hair gel may still be good."

It just goes on and on.

While the progress of my packing is minimal, the progress on the apartment itself has been spectacular. We've now got assembled sofas, a dresser, and a bookshelf. Not only is our 50" flat screen set up on its own stand, but we have internet, cable, and a phone line. We also have the number one thing that declares an apartment official :

A plant. In fact, this is the plant sitting in what is perhaps the darkest section of the apartment. After taking the pic I conferred with Matt:

"Wouldn't it look nice right here, Matt? Near the fridge?"

"Well, maybe on the windowsill... because... of sunlight.."

"Ohhhh, right."

Note to others: Don't buy me plants.

It was actually rather sweet, unpacking my old books and organizing a kitchen with Matt. We've played house before, but this is the first time either of us have actually lived outside of our respective homes. (The plants don't get watered at my house, either, FYI.) I can't possibly post every adorable conversation Matt and I have already had -- and will have, no doubt -- but he did share with me one of his 'household related dreams,' and I'm going to share it with you now. He shared with me a dream he has in relation to a household object(s) he's always wanted. He bought said object(s), recently, for himself. He special ordered the dream online, because this dream was so very important to him.

Oh goodie, I have a picture:

Matt: I have always dreamed of owning lobster claw oven mitts.

Me: Really? Like, seriously? As in, when you pictured having your own home, this was making the top of the list?
Matt: Yessssss.

Not that I can't be held responsible for silly decorating tactics...

That's Artie. He guards the couch.

Moving the bed in this week with any luck!