Are We Done Yet?

Mo' shopping, mo' shopping, mo' shopping. We've now got sheets, a tv, a printer, a vacuum, garbage cans, laundry hamper, broom, sponges, bath mat, glasses, pots and pans, pastel Adirondack chairs, and..and...and...Seriously - have you thought about all the things you need to live day to day? I'm so tired of spending money, but we still need a microwave, an outdoor dining table/chairs, a clothes-drying rack, 8-qt pot, a mattress, and other odds and ends. We also need a new kitty litter box; the one we have is too big and doesn't fit in the space we planned for it. We've had to call each of our credit card companies several times now to tell them that some stranger has not gone off on a shopping spree.

Oh, and we picked up our first piece of street trash. We really liked the use of mirrors around the pool at our temporary home. So when we saw this, we decided to grab it for the mirrored pieces. I think we've done the best we can with the big-box retailers around here. The rest I'll have to get online (or at flea markets). I'll do that after paying down some of our puny balances though, because after not using our cards for so long the creditors actually lowered our credit limits as punishment. Nice.

Time to start assembling. One thing Michael & I have learned after living together for 24 years is that we're great at assembling things together. Just not the same piece of furniture at the same time. While I was trying to get the cable/modem stuff set up for the new tv, Michael tackled the couch, since I'd be sleeping on it later. That encompassed two boxes, and no instructions. After some trial and error, he finally got the thing together and realized that it was sitting awfully low to the ground. Grr. Obviously, the floor model was showing a different set of legs on the thing, and what comes with it is hardly worth the effort. Sigh.

 I had the removable, washable covers on the cushions, but when Michael went to put his section on the main part of the couch, he realized that the couch had to be apart for that. What? He just put the darn thing together! Removable cover my a**. If every time I want to wash the cover, I have to deconstruct and rebuild the couch, (meaning, taking off the arms and everything) that is never going to happen. There is now a sheet over the thing to keep it from getting dirty. Sheesh.

The computer stand came along nicely though. I don't have a desk and I always sit with the laptop in my lap or on a chair or something, which is terrible for the computer's fan and decreases the life of the laptop. It's also hot on the legs. This is very nice.

The chair was a cinch, but we did, in fact, forget the ottoman. Boo.

For my end, nothing was working - the modem or the cable box. I went online, using someone else's unsecured connection, to make sure they were activated and they were. A call into the cable company (at least service is 24/7) showed that for some reason the service had been cut off outside and we'd have to wait for a technician to come out on Monday. Sigh.

I did manage to get the vacuum cleaner put together. That turned out be a rather complicated deal - it's just a frickin' vacuum for Pete's sake. I also have no where to put it.



Then it was putting away dishes, pots/pans, silverware...The good news is that once we brought the kitties over, they adapted to the place as if they'd always lived here. It was kind of weird. I guess when you torture them at the airport for 2 days and transfer them to 4 different places within 3 weeks they start to take it in stride. I'm so proud of them for immediately using their designated scratching rug to do their thing and not the new Berber carpet. Catnip helps.



We finally put a stop to the madness at around 9pm and went out to look for food. We were quite famished. We're not familiar with this neighborhood and are a little turned around, especially in the dark, so were surprised to end up on Duval St. You sure couldn't miss it as the street was closed off and all the motorcycles here for Bike Week were lined up to show off (iPhone photos).

There was a lot of revving and grumbling going on, but neither of us really cared, exhausted and starving. We turned back up toward our place and ran into Luigi's, which we had heard was quite tasty. Another pizza (I know, we have to be the unhealthiest vegetarians you've ever known - ha!  but it's cheap and filling!). Anyway, it was delicious (real mushrooms and spinach, thank you). There are a lot of vegetarian options on the menu and most, if not all, have garlic. How can you go wrong there? They don't serve alcohol, but we just ran across the street and bought a six-pack and brought it over (no, the owner didn't mind).


This morning (it really does stay dark until late in the morning), I let the brats out to see what they thought of the big deck and to see if they could find a way off the thing. If they fall or jump off, they might figure out which set of stairs leads them back to this apartment, but there are 2 doors they have to come through. Not sure how they'd pull that off. Of course, the first thing they did was go under the deck. %#*^%(!  Hey - cats on a warm tin roof!



I cringed every time the metal puckered and popped - our landlord lives below that roof. Then it got really ugly, when Jack went over the peak and slid down the other side. Screech, bang, meow.

Now how are you going to get back, stupid? I waited to see if he'd climb down or up the tree, but he just paced and whined. I went and got a sheet and tossed it down toward him. It took him a minute to figure out what I was doing, but a couple of minutes later he was happily back on our side of the roof (and voluntarily inside). I'm wondering if we're going to be evicted...



I haven't seen Zura in a while. She has this tendency to find hidden spots and then just stay there for hours. If she's made it to the first floor, well then, she's an idiot. Jack's the explorer, but he'll usually stay close to home. Zura hates new stuff, and yet she'll be the first one to wander off and then be all freaked out about it. Shrug.

More stuff to put together today. The first thing we opened had the instruction sheet for the wrong item....