Monthly Archives: June 2012

Another month gone by

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The older I get, the faster the time goes and the less I accomplish. I seem to be stuck in picture selection mode. Bill was here yesterday and put up three pictures and 2 pieces of sculpture (wall-hung types). I am now contemplating placement of five largish photos. Three of them were hung in my last apartment. The other two will have to be framed. Having been a photographer for many years, I have lots of framed photos in different sizes. So, unframe two and reframe two others. Then measure and make tiny x’s on the walls where Bill will drill holes.

I spent a lot of time this week being annoyed about the next building over from my bedroom windows. This building belongs to a large Catholic girls’ high school, mostly housed in a newer building. The building near me is old; my apartment’s previous owner mentioned something about it possibly being torn down. I became aware of work being done there when they started making noise late one afternoon. There are three dumpsters and men were throwing things out of windows and into the dumpsters. It struck me as strange. Usually trash is guided into the dumpsters using tubes coming from the windows. I didn’t give it much thought until the next day when I walked past the building. I looked for a work permit and found none, but I found a sign warning about danger from asbestos. I am not happy about this activity. I think it is being done without proper supervision. I suspect the workmen are in some jeopardy, and possibly I am also. I thought about making someone aware of the potential problems and I will think about it again next week if the work resumes.

I have cable TV here–no choice, it’s a comes-with. I must have close to 100 channels, but strangely enough I find myself watching, if at all, the same stuff I watched when I didn’t have cable. Neither public TV or ABC were available to me without cable, but I don’t think I missed much. Haven’t found anything yet that I want to see. I do watch CNN and MSNBC. I suppose I should be happy with that.

I haven’t been taking any of those very long walks, but I walk at least a mile most days to go to classes either at Pitt or CMU.  This is a great location right in the middle.

Third week

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It looks like it will take another 40 days to get settled. Probably longer; packing actually took me most of a year.

Bill hung a few pictures and installed the shades on Wednesday afternoon. He worked for two hours. I bought the kind you can raise from the bottom and lower from the top, the idea being I could hide the parking lot but still get lots of light and see the view. The bad part about the shades is the dust created by the installation. I spent much of Thursday and Friday cleaning. I’ll have to do it again when the shade for the door arrives. I was foolish not to have ordered it at the same time. I had trouble understanding how it would work. Bill told me you just raise it when you want to go out. I’m not much of an outdoor person; at least not in hot sunshine, so it probably won’t matter.

Sari was here when Bill arrived and helped me get these pictures hung. Remember the wall with the green peacock feathers? This is the wall. Not so dazzling as the feathers, but much easier for me to live with.  So I now have a living-dining room combination. I may replace the table and chairs with something smaller, but I’ve already spent so much money I won’t be ready to do it soon.

While Sari was here she made some other suggestions about moving the furniture. She has a great eye. After I finished most of the dust removal from the living-dining room I started moving furniture. I was going to wait until I enticed a strong, young man to come and help me (ha ha!) but decided I couldn’t wait any longer. With the help of those large coaster things, I think called Move-alls, and lots of hard work, I did the job. Sari suggested switching the rugs, requiring removing the furniture from each and rolling up the rugs. I removed all the shelves and drawers from the two large cabinets, put the Move-alls under them and pushed them off the rug. I had to remove the table and chairs and the coffee table, then figure out where to put all the stuff so I could get the rugs laid again. Anyhow, I survived and I’m very happy with the result. It now feels like an orderly room. Still have to hang the rest of the pictures–next week, I hope.

The point of all this, besides making me feel good, was to be able to put things in the two cabinets. I decided to put the books and pottery I made behind the glass doors. Then I put some of my larger art books on one of the open shelves and freed up some space that was badly needed in the other bookcases. Also moved a few pieces from the built-in shelves, which were much too crowded. After that I was able to get all the books put away, more or less by subject matter, oversize items not included.

When I removed the drawers from the cabinet I found the opera glasses that I hadn’t seen for at least twelve years. I knew I owned them and couldn’t figure out what happened. For years, each time I went to a play or opera I searched for them, finally giving up when I moved to Pittsburgh. I’ve started pulling other drawers hoping to find the MP3 player I haven’t seen for a year or more.

One of the more annoying things, besides the concrete, was the radio. We have three public radio stations here, one classical music, one folk, pop and I don’t know what, and one news. I have for many years awakened to the news on public radio. In most of the apartment I could only get the classical music station. Only in the kitchen and bathroom, both rooms in the inner part of the apartment, was I able to tune in the news station. It’s been bothering me since I moved in. Today I decided to try wrapping the radio in aluminum foil. Voila, it worked and I am a happy woman.

Finally found that book I was reading

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It was exactly where it belonged: on my nightstand, but several other books were piled on top of it. Now if I could just find those earphones. My window shades have arrived and should be installed tomorrow. I never ordered one for the balcony door. It’s awkward, but I think I have to do it.

The chaise is gone. One of my new neighbors came to visit and when I mentioned I was getting rid of it she asked for it. Today, she finally got Bill, the maintenance man, to get it. I’m happy to see it go. Now I just need to move two more pieces of furniture and the picture hanging will begin. I have to figure out where I want each piece and mark the wall. Then Bill will come with his trusty drill. I’ve always done it myself, but with all the concrete here, I am happy to have his help.

Although my workroom is coming along very slowly, it should get much better after the picture hanging. Some of the kitchen cabinets, closets and bookcases need additional attention, and everything needs cleaning. Unfortunately, it’s much dustier here than in my last place.

Kitchen

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It’s all finished except for the picture hanging, which probably won’t happen for awhile. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it myself, preferably, or Bill will have to bring his super drill to put holes in the concrete. Remember what the kitchen looked like when I bought the apartment? You wouldn’t recognize it now. First, all the green is gone. Red is gone, also. Here is my beautiful, new kitchen.

The wall below is calling out for pictures. That’s the next job.


The room behind the infamous wall is mostly set up, again awaiting pictures. It still has five boxes to be moved and emptied. They are waiting for space in the workroom.

The wall I’m not showing you has two bookcases and the five boxes. I felt really good because I was sure I had found all the books and had a couple of empty shelves. Too bad, I found another box. I think I’m finished now; the empty shelves are gone.

You know what I’ve been doing

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I’ve taken time out for classes and yesterday went to the Three Rivers Art Festival and to a film about Chihuly. The rest of the time I’ve been slogging away at the boxes. I think I’m down to about ten boxes, some of which will remain unpacked, but it’s all still very messy and I’m in the catch-22 stage. Remember, before I moved in I brought lots of things from the other apartment, mostly pictures. I put them in closets so they wouldn’t get in the way of the movers. Now I have to put things in the closets but I can’t do that until I remove the pictures; I can’t do that until I can hang them, and I can’t hang them until I can get some of the furniture repositioned. With all of my planning, I didn’t get it right. Now I need two strong me to come and help. Also, I don’t know how difficult all the picture hanging will be because of the concrete walls.

I’ve decided to get rid of my chaise. I’ve been trying to sell it on Craigs list for months, with no results. I now have the Salvation Army coming on June 14. I’ve heard they’re very picky about what they take. I hope this will make the grade. Too bad I moved it. It’s too big for the room.

Perry is supposed to return tomorrow to paint the kitchen. I was originally thinking about a dark orangey-brown, but now I’m thinking about a kind of grayed-blue. I think I’ve made too many decisions; I can’t make up my mind.