How I’m doing on my list of things to do

In January of this year, rather than making a New Years Resolution I was sure not to keep, I made a list of things to do. You can find it here. With one quarter left in the year I am evaluating how I’m doing and when I still need to do.

* see a ballet (going to see the Nutcracker – and the Rockettes, but they don’t count as a ballet)
* go to at least 4 Julliard performances (multiple more in the works)
1. Jan 13 – Chamberfest 2009
2. Apr 6 – Juilliard Orchestra
3. Oct 14 – Juilliard Jazz Ensemble
* snow ski at least once
* visit Boston
* visit DC
* visit San Francisco (Prob going to be 2010)
* Chicago for Easter
* Houston for Memorial Day or 4th of July but actually in March and again for the Tech/Texas football game)
* read at least 10 books (I need to get on this)
1. Atonement by Ian McEwan
2. American Wife by Curtis Steppenfield
3. Outliers by Malcom Gladwell
4. An Intimate Portrait of the First Lady (Laura Bush) (This was a follow up to American Wife, to see how much of it was actually truthful and how much was fiction.)
5. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max
* knit my first pair of socks (one done, one to go)
* knit my first sweater
* participate in the race for the cure
* get below 130 (129 counts)
* be able to do the splits again
* work a job where I don’t feel like I’m recessing
* see the Frick collection
* Go to the MOMA
* Go to the Guggenheim
* Go to Brooklyn for more than taxes (Explored Prospect Park, ty very much!)

Also walked the Brooklyn Bridge, which wasn’t initially on my list, but was added in about March. I think I’m doing pretty well, but I still have a lot to do.

Greenpots

I got an email from Daily Candy today about Greenpots; They are chemical free, enameled cast iron pots that evenly distribute heat.

They have pots, skillets, saucepans, specialty pots, etc. They are all oven safe and I think they’re awesome. How great would the green pepper pot be for a quiche or the pumpkin pot for a pumpkin cake? I want them all!

Ribbon Coat Rack

I am OBSESSED with this ribbon coat rack for £60 by UK company Headsprung. I can actually picture it just inside my door on this big blank wall we have. I really wish it was in the US and cheaper!

Dryer issues in our new apartment

I don’t claim to know a lot about fixing up a house. I don’t claim to know a lot about electronics or appliances, but I do know a little. We moved into a new, bigger apartment about 2 weeks ago in the same building we have been in for a year to accommodate our boyfriends moving in with us. Right now it’s just one – but we’ll see how long it takes for the other to jump on the bandwagon – the wheels are definitely turning.

We have had problems with our dryer since the day we moved in. It doesn’t work. I know enough to know that it gets hot and it spins, so it’s probably not the dryer. I’ve been saying this since the beginning. Regardless, the dryer has been replaced 2 times. My gut feeling is that something was wrong with the exhaust. Maintenance said they replaced the exhaust tube behind the dryer. Now, if we lived in a house, that should basically solve the problem since from there that air goes nowhere else but through the wall and outside. In a high-rise building, however, there are tubes/pipes in the wall that this air is carried through. This is where I’ve been assuming the problem stood. The maintenance team said no way, no how – it should work fine. Well, should and do are different.

On Saturday maintenance came back – again. My roommate’s dad who happened to be in town pointed out an access panel on the wall in the closet above the dryer. Then he opened it up for the maint. guy. Inside of it we found a solid mass of lint and trash.

The maintenance guy acted shocked (come on – it was obvious this had to be in there somewhere) and removed it for us.

Can you see the Gatorade bottle and paper towel tube in there?

Stuff like this causes fires. One would think the maintenance team would be more concerned that this was there. When I made the comment that this could have caused a fire, the maintenance guy told me no, it wouldn’t. He’s obviously (in the words of Jared) an ignoramus. I can’t imagine if a fire had started within the walls because of that stuff. It would have spread so fast as all of the apartments are interconnected. It could have burned the entire building down.

We threw a wet hand towel in there and it dried it in about an hour. Then, for the real test we threw in a whole load of laundry. Still not fixed – wtf?! So, they came back yesterday, cut a hole in the wall and found a piece of insulation the size of the tube blocking it. Now that it has been removed we haven’t yet tried to do laundry. Here’s hoping it’s fixed. What a pain.

Furnishing my new apartment!

I just got a call from the delivery man saying he is ready to drop off my new table and chairs. Our new apt is so much bigger than the old one. I can’t wait to get home tonight and put these together while watching the Bachelorette!!

Yesterday I ordered this rug to go under it. I’m hoping it comes in by Friday. Exciting!

This is My City

New York City sunset snapped from our rooftop. You might recognize that gantry from Cocktail. *grin*

Things I bought for my apartment:

Got this lamp and night stand/accent table for tbf’s side of the bed from Target.

Got this rubber plant from the grocery store. Love it in the corner!

Moving

Sorry for my lack of posting – I am moving down one floor and while it’s easier than moving into a new building and having to get a truck, it’s still not easy. It is especially not easy to move in the evening after work. I was up until 1 last night and went to bed with a pounding headache. This morning it’s still there and I’m trying to keep it from going migraine status. Will try to post more soon, but it will probably be this weekend.

I Heart

This chair (from Harden):

And Paisley:

Pictures from: Top left – fabric swatch from Harden, Top Right – AunyNanny’s Flickr, Bottom Right – Mobilohm’s Flickr, Bottom Center – InBloomDesigns Etsy Shop, Bottom Left – Jen’s Photography Flickr, Center – Coco+Kelley Flickr

I might reconsider how I was planning to decorate my room based on whether I can get this chair in paisley.

New Apartment Means Decorating

So in June I am moving into a new apartment in the same building I am currently living in. It is bigger and it will be cheaper. Yay! This also means I get to decorate and I have been searching the interwebs for ideas. I’ve also been watching a lot of HDTV. On an episode of some home makeover show on there, the designer used a “wall tattoo” that I thought was pretty neat, so I started looking into those.

I found these chandelier wall adhesives for $30 each. I definitely like the idea of having multiple though, and the whole idea behind this is to be cheap. So next, I went on a hunt to find a cute chandelier stencil and that led me to Etsy where I found this:

I still love the idea of putting chandeliers on a wall, but I think I might forgo the idea because the style doesn’t match most of what I already have in my room. It could be a really cute decor idea for the dining area, however.