Unfurnished House: Day 1

We won’t get our storage PODS back until Jan. 6 because of the holidays and high volume of business (I guess a lot of people are moving this month using PODS). So our (rented) townhouse currently houses one queen-sized air mattress (note to self: THANK MOM for perfect, unrequested Christmas gift!!), and some items that came with the house: an ironing board, plastic deck furniture outside, a washer & dryer, and shoe shelving units in the master closets (must tell Mary!!). Until The Day The PODS Come, I’ll be living in an unfurnished house with a dog, the Internet, the stuff we brought in our car, no job, and no cable or rabbit-ear TV.

A.k.a., The Simple Life.

Day 1: Monday, December 29, 2008

Got up with John at 6:30 a.m. (I think). Tried to wake up while John took a lukewarm shower since apparently the water heater wasn’t working properly. Got dressed, knowing I’d have to take Darra outside on a leash soon.

Try to convince John to have a bowl of cereal before going to work, then realize I had spoons but no bowls. John took a breakfast bar to work instead. He fixed the water heater before he left; it had been on the “vacation” setting.

Took Darra outside. Not too chilly, just comfortable with a pullover. She sees a rabbit and tries to take off. Have to re-orient her that it is POTTY time, not PLAY time.

Back inside, the iPod Bose unit is unpacked and the iPod set to the playlist Hymns. It was 7 in the morning, and now that we’re in a townhouse, we have neighbors on both sides of the walls. Have to be volume-conscious.

Want to start unpacking the few kitchen boxes we brought with us in the car, but I’m starving. Start hunt for plastic bowls instead. Jackpot: first box. Eat cereal with skim milk instead of rice milk for the first time in 2 years. Darra watches me, and ignores her own breakfast.

Start unpacking the kitchen boxes, including the ones that John brought from his car. Last night before coming to the house, we had driven to John’s work and got his car that he’d left there before Christmas. It had all his stuff in it that he’d used while renting a basement in Raleigh since the beginning of November (while he commuted, and I stayed in our house in Georgia). Darra climbs into her bed (which I’d put in the kitchen so she’d have a soft place instead of hardwood floors) and stays there looking woeful.

All (few) kitchen boxes unpacked and half put away, I reach a stopping point as I can’t decide exactly where I want things to go. (No sense putting them away only to take it all out and rearrange later.) Even though the kitchen cabinet layout is almost identical to the one in our former house, I still can’t decide where I want things. The cabinets ARE about 6 inches taller, and there are enough minor differences between kitchens that I can’t just use the exact same storage plan. Darra still ignores her breakfast.

Abandon kitchen and decide to take a break. Realize it’s only 8:45 a.m. Feels like afternoon. Put away packing materials from unpacking kitchen boxes with several trips down to basement/garage level where all boxes will end up eventually. Clean up a bit in kitchen. Think about kitchen cabinet arrangement. Rearrange the few cans and items in pantry.

Head upstairs to bedroom, the only place to “sit down” inside the house. Turn on computer and connect to someone else’s wireless network (our wireless will be set up tomorrow). Sorry, Foley network, it’s only for 1 day. Check Facebook. Check email. Email John to see if there are any folding chairs at work for him to borrow and bring home. Email everyone in my Contacts that we have a new address. Go to www.hulu.com to watch 2 episodes of Reba from Season 1. Darra still hasn’t eaten her breakfast.

Put computer away and unpack my suitcase in the master bedroom. Think about what will go in the large, separate his/her walk-in closets. Rearrange the small, unattached cabinets and shoe shelving that came with the house in the closets. Consider unpacking John’s suitcase. Leave it unpacked.

Start to unpack the toiletry bags in the bathroom, stop to go downstairs, get a cleaning washcloth, and come up again to wash out the bathroom drawers and cabinets. Not because they’re unclean; I’m just picky. See black scuff marks on some of the doors up here. Go down 2 flights of stairs to basement level to get Magic Eraser. Come back up and remove black marks. See serious dust on baseboards, top of doorway moulding, and in ridges on doors. DO NOT start cleaning all that. Save it for later. Continue to unpack bathroom stuff until finished.

Step out of bathroom to realize that Darra has taken up residence next to the sliding door in our bedroom that leads to a balcony. She is konked out in the sunlight on the floor. Decide not to go down another flight of stairs to get camera. She’d move anyway.

Look at clock and realize John could be home for lunch soon, and I still don’t have makeup or hair done. Do that. Brain starts thinking about New Year’s Resolutions. Moves to thinking about what we’ll do for Dec. 31 to celebrate. Acknowledge, probably nothing. Darra is still sleeping hard in the sunlight on the floor. Think about walking her, but John will be home soon anyway.

Decide to create blog post of what to do when there’s nothing to do. Write.

Realize it’s past lunchtime. Go to microwave lunch and see a metal rack in the microwave that is in fact part of the microwave, as it rests on built-in pegs. ???! Wonder what in the world is going on there. Remove metal rack and finish with lunch.

Feel very guilty and decide to walk Darra. Explore neighborhood, not as complicated as it initially looked in the dark last night. Close to a lot of other neighborhoods, which is good for walking the dog and running.

Need to go get groceries so we don’t eat out tonight. Must leave Darra for first time, gated in the bathroom, when she’s used to having a doggie door to the outside and therefore free rein in the house.

Go to grocery store, which thank goodness is basically across the street from our neighborhood. No need for complicated directions. It’s similar to Publix. I only buy things from my list, keeping in mind that we’re paying for a mortgage AND rent in January.

Come home just as John is pulling in. We manage to get both cars into the tiny box that is billed as a two-car garage. He brought home chairs from the office, so we won’t have to eat dinner standing up. Darra is ecstatic that we’re home. She finally starts to eat.

John works electronic magic and hooks his computer to the plasma TV that came with the house (which is located in what normal people think of as the dining room). Darra climbs into her bed, again woeful and forlorn. Probably wondering where her couch is. We watch some Reba as I make dinner.

Though it’s dark out, we walk Darra and see how people have arranged their furniture in the front living room that can be seen from the street. A surprising number of people haven’t pulled their curtains or blinds closed yet.

Return to thinking about kitchen. Decide where everything will go. Agree with John’s mom, who said I have more kitchen stuff than she does. Almost done mentally organizing kitchen with items I have to recall from memory, but get tired of it. John goes upstairs to read.

I give up on planning the kitchen. Walk Darra one more time before bed. Some old guy down the street watches to make sure I pick up her poop. Clean up kitchen, run first dishwasher load, clear countertops. Finally decide on kitchen organization. Each cabinet has a post-it note on it with what will eventually go inside. Feels good to be done. Head upstairs to read my book before bed. Surprisingly full day, no boredom.

Unfurnished House: Day 2

Unfurnished House: Day 3

Unfurnished House: Day 4

Unfurnished House: Day 5

Unfurnished House: Day 6

Unfurnished House: Day 7