h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The new year is off to a decent enough start - or *a* start, anyway - so I've decided it's time for another new journal entry.

December and January are rough months in accounting, at least in my area, so I've been overworked and overstressed for several weeks. So much so that I've been falling into bed well before 9PM - even on weekends sometimes! - and sometimes waking at the wee hours and then being tired all day as a result.

On a happier note, progress is being made on the settling-in-to-the-new-place front. We've found an offsite storage unit. It's a 10'X5' unit with corrugated metal walls and rolling door, concrete floor, and chicken wire ceiling, on the fourth floor of one of three buildings at a facility about a mile or so from home. They gave us 24-hour access, so K can keep all of his drum equipment there, and come and go to get it as needed for practices and gigs. This is probably a much better thing than when he used to haul them home in the car - passcode is required to enter the facility, the building's loading dock, and then into the main part of the building itself. Doesn't get much more secure than that - and there is CCTV all over the place, too. We've rented a van for tomorrow morning, and we'll haul over the rest of the storage bins with random books, recorded VHS tapes, and other things we don't need to use frequently. Then we should finally have the space to get the CD tower and record crates in.

We've got the hi-fi upgrade almost complete - just waiting for the receiver (Harmon Kardan) to be delivered early next week. We got an Audio-Technica turntable (they seem to be the Technics knockoff now that Technics has ceased production), a TEAC CD/cassette/USB deck, and a pair of Pioneer floor-standing loudspeakers. Just need a couple cables and we'll be good to go once the record and CD collections are all unloaded.

My in-laws gave us a bed frame for Xmas. At the old place, we had to keep the box spring on the floor, as there wasn't sufficient clearance between the bed and the door for a frame as well. It's nice, having it off the floor. I got a nice new black bedspread and shams, and a pair of eyelet shams and dust ruffle. With the lovely black and colorful batik quilt K's aunt made for us a few years ago, it looks really nice. I'll have photos sometime soon, once all of the unpacking in the back room is done.

Not much else going on, really. K is well, the cats are well, parental units are all fine. Work sucks, per usual (have I mentioned how much I hate my job?), but nothing extraordinary. And someone in this building keeps their heat set SO high, ours hasn't even run for two weeks, and my gas bills are about 30% of what they used to be, if that.

all in all, apart from sucky w**k, that sounds like a great start to the year.

It always nice when you've settled in after moving house. I must admit I'm a tad envious. I've hardly started my pre-moving preparations.

Storage is always a problem. I'm sizing down a bit, so I hope I can find place for my stuff.

Work gets suckier and suckier every day, but this does not surprise me. I shall address that elsewhere, as I may veer into details not suitable for totally public fora.

As for the settling in...

K was taking bins and stuff over to the storage unit on his way to work in the mornings. One bin at a time. I finally had him rent a van and we hauled everything else over in one go. Drums, ladder, bins, etc.

The hi-fi components have all arrived, so we will take the boxes over and keep them for the duration of the warranties. Also I have consolidated some odds and ends into a bin that would be better off there, otherwise we're now ready to order the CD tower. I purchased 10 14X14" record crates over the weekend, which will be delivered tomorrow evening.

Some time ago, I shared on Facebook a photo or two of a black and batik quilt K's aunt had made for us. It's big enough to cover the top of the bed, but the sheets showed. For lack of a counterpane, I bought a solid black duvet cover and pair of shams. I also got an eyelet dust ruffle with two shams, in white. Then we found a really pretty rag looking rug in a variety of colors that coordinate with the quilt. Now, on those rare occasions when we have visitors, instead of shutting the bedroom door, I can just make up the bed (we don't ordinarily bother), and the bedroom will look fab. It's actually my favorite room in the whole apartment.

DQ, I hope you will share progress photos. Your house sounds like it is going to be awesome. I'm a little envious of you, that you are getting a real house!

Oh no, I'm not getting a real house. I've bought a condo, 8th floor by the River. I wouldn't lika to have a real house. Too much fuzz with mowing lawns, tending garden, shovelling snow etc.

A condo is even better, IMO. For the same reasons, really. A townhouse with a HOA would be an agreeable compromise.

Record crates were delivered this afternoon. Now all that's left is the CD tower.

At some point, we'll want another Billy for the back bedroom, for books. And I might get yet another to put in the little corner in the kitchen I use in lieu of a pantry now.

Once we get the CDs unloaded, I will make up the bed, make sure things are reasonably tidy, and upload some photos either to Facebook or someplace I can link to from here (or both). Including some of the nice views from the windows, which at the moment is lightly dusted with snow but the river is no longer frozen over.

Although I must add that I am not sure I could do an 8th floor.

At work, I am on the 10th, but I am OK as the nearest windows are to my back. At my former employer, I was on the 27th, with a wall of windows on my left, and I had to work with the blinds closed all day. The worst was when I worked in the Standard Oil Building (I left in 2002) on the 79th floor. I had them move me to an internal office back then.

At home, though, I'd want to open blinds to let light in and give the plants sunshine. I'd want to put fresh herbs and flowers on the balconies (if applicable). And on an 8th floor, I wouldn't be able to.

I'm not afraid of heights, mind. It's the fall that scares me. While in my late teens, I had An Incident (long story, won't discuss it here). I haven't been able to stand being higher than around third floor since.


Floors are different in Europe from the US, though, no? First floor here is usually the one at or just above ground level (unless the building has a lobby).

we start with Ground floor, the first floor is the next one after that.

In Korea it drove me crazy. They, too, start with what I call the ground floor being 1. Then there is no 4th because it represents death, and no 13th...

Ground floor is the one on the ground, kinda hinted at in the name

When you go up one level you arrive at the first floor, if you've gone up two levels, you arrive at the second floor. It's just you young countries and your uppity ways of doing things different that causes problems

Korea "young country"

See, here's the thing. In my building here, the first floor unit is the one above the garden (basement) unit. One floor above the ground. But in buildings without basements, I often see the ground level floor referred to as the first. Perhaps it's not a hard and fast rule per se.

Basements for us are cellars - below ground level...

Basements are under ground (or mostly so) here in New Jersey, too. The first floor is at ground level.

So where's the ground floor?

It's been made redundant.

So, for the living room we got a sisal- like rug at IKEA, something the cats can't snag if they hook their claws in it, as they do.

Now for this room, we need one roughly the color of cat vomit, apparently.

They never give useful tips like that on all those interior decorating shows.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an interior decorator, but I wasn't encouraged to do so. Mainly because of my descriptive names for colors, such as Chewed Asparagus Green, and Baby Shit Brown. Cat Vomit Beige sounds just as appealing, no?

And on a more serious note, at the old place our bedroom was cramped and cluttered. Now, it's my second-favorite room.