Monday, July 5, 2010

Let the Packing Begin!

Ian and I started packing last night, around... 11:00 PM?

First we walked to Ian's office; we're taking a month hiatus from video games until Ian feels he is in a better position with his work and dissertation, and to help me focus on more productive activities, reading and drawing, for example.

We walked to No Thai, picked up summer dinner and iced Thai tea (yum!), walked home, and ate our food while watching Paranormal Activity. Hhheeeehhhh.... Let's just say when we walked outside to the car to go pick up packing boxes after watching this, I needed a flashlight. And Ian's hand.

We started working through our books and I put in Cinderella (yeah Disney!) to destimulate before bed. In general we made the commitment to get rid of half our stuff, but we are making exceptions for our books and kitchenware. We definitely are getting rid of more books than I initially thought we would, I would say a quarter to a third, a good thing as our bookshelves were overflowing. We also eliminated about half our DVDs, several computer games, and even some puzzles (left-over from what anthropologists now refer to as "the puzzle months," Spring 2009, where a certain individual went into a grandma-esque puzzle craze).

 - - - -

Ian and I sadly have to return several things to Crate and Barrel from our registry. For example, on the advice of my mom, we split up our dishes into 8 separate place settings, but we only received three. These are the most beautiful dishes and I am so sad to say goodbye to them, but we can in no way afford the additional place settings at this time. Another one of those things we "want" but do not "need," and we're pushing off to when Ian has a secure job after graduating. While it feels very good to be practicing practicality (try saying that ten times quickly!)... I hate having to return them.

The benefit, I guess, is that we now have more funds available to put towards a new kitchen table, which we really do need, very badly (current kitchen table was purchased used several year ago, we have no kitchen chairs (on loan from a friend), and the table itself is covered in scratches and small icing dots that are impossible to remove, courtesy one of my tastier but ill-planned cookie projects). We found a table at Crate and Barrel which fits into our budget and is perfect for our new, smaller apartment. It's a 'high' dining table (bar height) with a wine rack, storage shelf, and closing cabinet inside. It has folding leaves and will be beautiful tucked inside our small kitchen. It's a piece of furniture that makes sense for the long term too, we can continue to use it as a breakfast table, in an office, or as our prep space / island in our future living situation.

Well, back to work for me. Tally'ho!

2 comments:

  1. Engaging with puzzles has been linked to stress reduction and improved mood, offering a meditative escape from daily routines and technology.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Puzzles come in various types, including jigsaw puzzles, crosswords, Sudoku, and logic puzzles. This diversity caters to different interests and skill levels, ensuring that there's a puzzle suitable for everyone, from children to adults.

    ReplyDelete