Of Fruits And Flies

One of the things I considered essential when condo-shopping was a window over the kitchen sink. If not essential, well, incredibly desirable. So we've got one, and it's big enough to grow a nice respectable tangle of herbs -- tall basil stalks, thyme, oregano, sage and a rosemary tumbleweed. They're beautiful and bring a little of the outside in.

Somewhere along the way, on one of our produce runs, we too brought a little of the outside in -- fruit flies. They took to the oregano in a flash, and soon I was swatting them away from my face in every room of the house. Not a major infestation, but an annoyance. Cam said the way to solve the problem is to break off a section of banana and drop it in a jar, then cover the jar with plastic wrap pierced with holes. The fruit flies zoom in to chow the banana, then can't escape.

The other day I had a nectarine with a little ding in it I need to cut out, so I dropped the bruised bit into a jar, covered it with plastic, popped it with holes and snapped a rubber band around it. It worked like a champ, See all those little guys?



Here's my question. Now what? What am I supposed to do with all the buggies?

And while we're asking questions...



I bought a lime a couple days ago. Where did it go?

Please Mom May I Have Another?

Because we're classy and have an enormous condo, Cam and I eat at the coffee table. We could eat in the breakfast nook, or the formal dining room, but that's absurd (and also more flat out lies. We have neither.). The coffee table's got shelves - a 2x3 grid of cubbies. Winston likes to lie in the one below my plate, per the above picture.


Then, at some point during the meal, he creeps out. Mom? Food? Me? Aren't I cute?


He then spends a lot of time staring at my plate, hoping. This is actually really polite behavior for him - he thinks nothing of standing up on his hind legs and fishing around on the counters for goodies. I'll try for a picture of that next.

Dinner, by the way, was rigatoni in a roasted red pepper & parmesan cream sauce, topped with windowsill basil, zucchini on the side. With homemade chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Not too shabby!

Yummy Jonathan Adler Wishlist

I've recently come out of my cave a little bit by entering contests on a few of my favorite websites. What could it hurt, right? The Pioneer Woman has frequent, insanely awesome giveaways, which I love. Any excuse to visit her site, really. Tangentially, she also has a really simple philosophy about updating her blog: Do it daily, so people never waste their time visiting. Food for thought.

Anyway, it's the giveaway going on over at Decor8 today that sent me straight to my Blogger account. Holly Becker's giving away two Jonathan Adler gift certificates, and to enter the contest, you had to list 2-4 items you'd love to buy there. My typing wrists are resting in a puddle of drool after making my list. Here are my choices.

Pie-in-the-sky selection: chain rug

Slightly closer to earth: meurice mirror

And finally, affordable: helix bath jar


Of course, the likelihood I'll win contests on these fabulously popular sites is slim, but it's so fun to enter!

Holding Down the Fort

Some sun and my man. That's all I'm asking for. It sounds so simple, but sun's been in short supply for weeks, and so has Cam. I still don't have a return date for him. Not soon enough, I can tell you that much.

It's weird, all this time living solo. I've never lived by myself before, and it's something Enna recommended I do at some point. There are certainly things I like about it - the eating with my fingers, the regular gym trips, the healthy food and the much lower alcohol intake. I had a fantastic weekend in Philadelphia with sister & bro-il, not to be beat. I lunched with a dear friend, visited Cam's family, and helped his sister register for her upcoming wedding. I've been out with neighborhood friends, been to two parties and a show, and dined at a new buzzy restaurant. I've taken myself - driven myself, walked myself, metro'd and bussed myself - to each event, and it's been a pleasant reminder of the first couple of years I lived in the city, during graduate school. It's fun to reconnect with it, to enjoy it on foot and on metro.

Other parts of me, however, are suffering. I don't mean the obvious - hugs and affection and laughter and love and conversation and checking-in and partnership. While I've been super productive, my creative impulse, fragile at best, is now dormant once again. I'm taking an online course designed to help me with that, and can barely muster the will to complete the assignments... And I paid for the class. I'm not really sure what to do about that.

Still and all, I'm taking good care of myself and our kitties.

cam and the jay desk: a story of heroism

seriously? having a cam RULES. here's how today went.
6:45 alarm goes off for first time, for me. i snooze.
6:52 awesome coffee grinds and brews itself.
7:06 after hitting the snooze button for the 5th time, i finally get up.
7:10 in the bathroom i hear the alarm go off again. oops i forgot to turn it off. sorry cam!!!
7:32 i bring cam coffee in bed and finally leave.
8:46 place emergency call to cam. "have you left yet? i forgot to bring the camera i freecycled to work. you'll bring it? oh my gosh thanks! see you soon."
8:57 cam arrives, hands me camera with a kiss.
11:30 west elm calls, the desk we ordered is in. come and get it!
3:30 catch cam on his way home from work. "guess what, the desk's in! you'll pick it up? but i have the claim check. you'll come by? you rule. we still have to order the hutch, but maybe i can do it on the phone, but can you try? if you can't i'll go later. you rule."
3:40 cam arrives at my work for second time today. hand cam the claim check. more kiss. my friend at the front desk says, "i'm going to tell your boyfriend you got into someone's truck!" heehee, my boyfriend's driving his dad's truck, so it's ok. but cam'll be glad to know he's looking out.
3:45 cam calls - they won't let him have the desk until i call and authorize. i do so immediately.
3:57 cam calls - "i have the desk and ordered the hutch." sweet!
4:38 cam calls - "the desk is built! see you soon."

seriously? in a cam-less world, i'd have had to bus it home after work, get in my car, drive back into the city, pick up the desk, return home, and probably leave it in the trunk till someone could help me move it into the house. and then i'd have tried to build it, oh, maybe this weekend. instead, none of the guts but all of the glory, i get to go home just once tonight and organize said desk. sometimes life is just too good!

faster horses

oh life is so good. last night i was a first-rate grump, looking forward to an evening of hiding under the covers and riding it out. i got home, grabbed my book and a snack, and settled in, comforted by the knowledge that cam was cooking dinner that night. he got home a bit after i did with our friend matt and called me out of my down duvet cave... he had flowers and a bourbon for me. um, how well does he know me? i watered the flowers and set them out, then retreated again, bourbon in hand, and read for hours while periodically eavesdropping on the boys, who were drinking whiskey and talking mostly about tom t. hall. a little while after matt left the delicious smells coming from the kitchen coaxed me one last time from my cave... whole roasted trout, caught by matt and cleaned by cam, stuffed with lemon slices and sauteed onions and garnished with a slice of jalapeno; modified "stovies," improved with cream and fingerling potatoes, sans meat; and steamed broccoli. needless to say, my dark mood had disappeared completely by then! we really feel like our home's a home now, alive with friends and food and family... and it's such a trip to think that THIS is our new normal, not some lovely vacation...

here it is: the less-good

yeah. remember how i said there'd be less-good days? a man was shot about 3 blocks from my home last night, at 5:30 pm. it doesn't sound random, and doesn't happen much, but that only goes so far to make me feel better about walking home from work tonight...

this must be the place

oh wow! this week has been pretty incredible as cam and i settle into our new home. we painted our hearts out, and now have a beautiful green bedroom, in which now sits, as of 1pm today, the bed. it's enormous and extravagant and i can imagine spending all my waking AND sleeping hours in it. last night we walked to dinner in our neighborhood. do you hear me? walked. it's a delightful restaurant owned by a salvadoran couple - they met while working at a gourmet pizza place in dupont circle, and have now opened their own place just blocks from where we live. the pizza was out of sight, the restaurant was cozy, and the flan was so good we finished our first serving and had to order another. i know there will be days that are less-good, but this, this is why i moved back to the city.

the big time

well, it's official! i'm a homeowner. it was kind of... easy. ok, so making a billion phonecalls and getting my financial ducks in a row and stressing about what my final number needed at closing were kind of sucky (especially that last one... i was so stressed i temporarily turned into a monster. seriously. i think it's over now, though). and now i own a beautiful condo in which i am currently sitting... leggy oak floors everwhere, sparkly dark green granite countertops, shiny stainless and black appliances, two bedrooms, tiny bath. cam and i spent our first night here last night (after the easiest mattress delivery ever, i swear - nice guys, on time, efficient, awesome) on our fancy new mattress with luxurious sheets and down duvet. sure, it was on the floor in a blank room, but it was so cozy! there's a window over the sink in the kitchen... and another in the bathroom... two things i love. we ran the dishwasher with all our new dishes last night, and i've already placed them in the cabinets. i found the most beautiful, perfect, ME shower curtain last night - i know, of all things to get excited about, but really, check it: gorgeous.

oh, and in case i didn't mention it, i bit the bullet and ordered the bed. i can't wait for it to arrive!

ok, time to get painting! right now the whole place is this awful neutral cream, and i hate it. so the ceilings are going to be white, trim white, and color everywhere else. which means... i need to get cracking on the ceiling.

so everyone... come visit!

nesting, and fleeing the nest

whoa. this condo thing is getting serious! $5k has changed hands... with much more to come. my agent has advised me to get the utilities transferred. cam and i have selected a paint color for our bedroom (happy camper, a green). i'm seriously considering a really expensive bed. last weekend, cam and i rocked a series of home store outlets (the crate, the w-s, the pb, the restoration... you know the drill) AND an ikea, all in a matter of hours. we now own things like silverware, a hanging basket for produce, plates, hooks. and yet... friday we return to hatteras, the site of all things wonderful, a return to our cottage on the beach. a respite from faxing and transferring funds and signing documents. we're back monday, and wednesday, if all goes according to plan, i close on my own little piece of DC. our new home. crazy!

yikes!

verbal counter-offer received, my agent's calling to discuss later this evening... exciting!

home sweet home?

i know i've been talking about it for nearly six months now, but there's finally progress to report: i've found a condo i want. it's tiny - about 660 square feet - and it's a ways out of the fun parts of town. but it's on a beautiful, quiet, residential street with tall trees and lots of parking, and it's got something i never imagined: two bedrooms. it's a conversion, so the whole unit's brand new, with granite countertops, oak floors, and black appliances. it's got a full-sized stacked washer and dryer. lots of pretty windows with sills deep enough for winston to sit on. a couple closets. basement storage. cam and i saw it first a couple months ago, together, and both though hmmm... this could be the one. and friday he and i and my agent took my parents by, and they liked it too. it's all started to feel really good, so friday we put together my offer. turns out we didn't have the proper contract, so i haven't actually signed anything yet, but tomorrow at 4:30, i'll get my pen ready and this will enter a much more serious phase. window shopping was fun, but now it's time for action. i can't afford the place, but we're hoping that the volatile market and glut of units on the market will mean i can lowball the hell out of the developer and get in at something i can afford. cross your fingers!

in other news, i've got my assignment for super tuesday: i'm headed to nyc and the giuliani event. should be exciting, since i've pretty much never been to new york... i only wish i was going to have time to see jbd and my cousin and everyone's favorite millionaire...

speedbump

i've been waiting on a little extra cashflow to make a decision on a condo, and it's been put on hold... fingers crossed that it comes through! frustrating.

home sweet home

when i have my new home, i will...
-sleep in a queen sized bed... thanks, cam!
-do jigsaw puzzles
-come up with fantastic pitches surfing wirelessly from my new laptop
-have a dv-r (thanks again)
-paint all the walls, whatever color i want
-go to antique shops and thrift stores to find furniture... modern furniture is far too oversized for whatever petite condo we choose
-really notice that my (current) roommate's the one with all the good kitchen stuff
-have fewer clothes and fewer books
-relinquish my oversized stereo system for a smaller set-up
-finally be able to get a new ipod

i'm going to add more as they come to me... what's been your favorite part of owning a home, or moving in with your loved one?

in a nutshell

i have total writer's block lately. not that what i jot here counts as writing. but anyway, here's an exercise in memory...

20 years ago I...
was nine years old. i don't remember much about it. i guess i was in fourth grade... ok it's coming back now. my hair was the shortest it's ever been, and so many people thought i was a boy i'll never ever do that again. i had a blue chambray shirt with silver studs on the pockets and a khaki skirt that i absolutely loved to wear together... i can still feel the fabric of the shirt, and how good i felt in that outfit. someone still referred to me as a boy, one day when i was wearing that outfit, and it never felt the same after that. it still makes me a little sad to think about. that, and that my grandfather died that year. i was so young i didn't really understand it. i mean, i knew what it meant, but it felt like something i reacted to in the way i felt i should. i loved him a ton, but whatever mourning i've done over his death has been a mellow missing him over the years, more than a tremendous display of emotion at the time.

10 years ago I...
was 19 years old. in college, a sophomore, naive and having the time of my life. i lived in river mill, tried my first cigarette, and dreamed of boys i didn't actually know. i also had my first boyfriend, though i have a hard time calling that since the entire thing was long-distance. i remember him with utmost fondness. we had a shared love of dental hygiene. we broke up when i was in cambridge visiting family, and i can still see him riding away on his bike. yikes. it was actually a huge year. one of my best friends went to prison - real, honest-to-god lock up, and my other grandfather died. that one was a lot harder... it wasn't a surprise, but i was so far from my family when it happened... it was strange.

Five years ago I...
entered my last year of grad school in dc. it was a very intellectual time period where i held down my dream internship and wrote my thesis. i had lots of fantastically smart friends, and graduated.

So far this year, I've...
done more than i can possibly distill. it's been the best ever, full of LOVE more than anything. friends, family, kitty, and the best boyfriend in the world. i even love my job, most of the time.

Yesterday I...
grilled top-notch steaks while cam made a flawless hollandaise to go with the asparagus.

Today I...
haven't done much, but a former crush did call me a "beautiful woman." in less than an hour, cam's picking me up so we can meet my agent and see some more condos.

Tomorrow I'll...
cook up a storm for the halloweiner! and hopefully come up with a halloween costume.

is it truly location, location, location?

an update: saw a ton of condos on wednesday with my lovely real estate agent. she definitely seems to 'get' me, and a lot of the places would be just fine, if not ideal. two really tickle my fancy: one in an awesome location that's very small (and i have two people and a LARGE cat to think about), another in a less-awesome location with more space. hmmmm. any thoughts? a recent first-time-homeowner friend of mine said the conventional wisdom is "whatever you buy, you can't pick it up and move it," so you better like the location. she quickly followed that with c.w. #2: you can't make more space. so, yeah. i have no idea what to do. and there's a third option: wait it out longer, see if more places pop up, and see if i have a bit more $ than i think to play with. it's possible i will. no matter what, i'm not buying anything RIGHT away, but there is a slim possibility next month will be my last paying rent. it blows my mind every time i think about it.

on the prowl

well, it's official... i'm house-hunting. well, to be more accurate, condo-hunting. for two years or more i've been scanning listings, trying to get a grip on the local market and doing a lot of thinking about what i do and don't want. i do want to live somewhere where i can walk to the metro during the day without trepidation, and reasonably but more cautiously at night. i do want a one-bedroom... when i started the search, it was before the market dropped (or, i'd say, normalized), and a studio was the best i could hope for. fortunately, my patience seems to be paying off and now it's not out of the question that i could have a one-bedroom like a civilized person. it'd be nice to live somewhere with some sort of basic exercise room. i'd prefer a gas range. and no condo fees over $300 - that's just bananas. i don't want a place that needs a lot of work, and i don't want to live somewhere where i have to worry about leaving my car in the street.

the time finally came to stop observing and dig in when i saw a property listed that sounded perfect. it's a conversion in a great area, and though i know it'll probably sell out before i get it all together, it was the kick in the pants i needed. to that end, i've been preapproved for my loan, an unsettlingly easy process online with my credit union. and today i meet with the woman i hope will be my agent! i'm pretty pumped.

i've got an interesting and exciting variable in all of this... cam. we're going to move in together (it feels so strange to type that! it's a first for both of us.) once i've got my place. he wants to help financially, and while i'm definitely not going to buy a place i can't pay for 100% solo, it's intriguing to think about how his contributions will ease my financial situation.

and of course, much more intriguing than even that is the thought of combining our lives. we virtually live together now as nomads, crashing at his place or mine, and the thought of erasing all that commuting is like crack. i know the homebuying process is complex, frustrating, and expensive... but i feel like it's going to be worth it in the end. i can't wait to have a place of my own... and then to make it ours.