I can tolerate LA

... at least for the week I'll be here. I'm on a work trip, but my boss kindly made arrangements for me to come in on Saturday instead of Sunday so that I can recover from the jet lag better as well as spend some time with friends.

I've already gotten to spend some time with T and JP and family. Today, R drives up from San Diego to spend the afternoon. And my friend from NYC happens to be in town for the weekend, celebrating his birthday, so I'll get to see him too! Which is awesome, because I don't think I've seen him since my last trip to NYC in 2001.

The flight out wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and I wasn't quite as tired as expected. Still, the three hour time difference is always a challenge.

May take the bus to work tomorrow. We'll see.

Happy 4th of July!

I'm celebrating by doing very little. I watched three episodes of Kings, then "Last Chance Harvey" and "Role Models". I watched so much TV when I was unemployed, I think I'm going through withdrawl now.

Pie (in photos)

These photos are just to show the lack of room and mess that is my kitchen.

Pie (1)

As you probably know, I love to bake.

I've never made a cake that wasn't lopsided, but I know that's because I don't take the time to make sure the pans are flat, or to use those cake strips or buy better pans. It's one of those situations where I think that, if I really took the time and made the effort the task requires, I could make a decent frosted cake.

However. I cannot make pie crust.

I've tried a dozen times. It's always thick and pasty and hard and won't roll out, or it tears and sticks and blah.

Today, all that changes. Today I will make pie crust dough until I get it right.

(stay tuned)

"Away We Go"

Previews: Funny People, (500) Days of Summer, Julie & Julia, Love Happens, Taking Woodstock

Amazing - trailers for movies (most of which) I'd actually maybe like to see!

I liked "Away We Go" quite a lot. Yes, it had moments of agressively indie quirk, but not too much. And yes, two of the families are over-the-top terrible, but I've known some people who weren't all that far away from those extremes.

Basically, it's the story of two thirty-somethings who don't quite feel like adults, despite the fact that they both have jobs and a baby on the way. They seem a little "under baked" at the beginning - nice enough, generally good people with pleasant natures and a very good relationship, but still kind of waiting for things to start. They consider moving elsewhere - Phoenix, Wisconsin, Montreal, even Miami, sort of - to grow up and start their family (although they never really put it that way).

I think my favorite part was in Wisconsin. Burt, who has spent half the movie being incredibly good natured, flips out at his "cousin" and her attitude about raising a family and her superior attitude and advice. I actually also liked the scene after his job interview, when he visibly psychs himself up before going into the hotel room, not because he wants to lie to Verona or pretend that things aren't what they are, but I think just because that's not the man he wants to be around her. I loved that his character was such a dork, and I loved that he and Verona just fit together so well.

I did, however, spend the entire movie wishing Verona would tie Burt down and cut his hair.

The one that didn't get away

Missed out on a kitchen table left near the dumpster last week. Found this lovely little desk out there today. Didn't hesitate. Wiped it down, tightened the legs, and it's good to go. It has a drawer, which sticks a little, but is workable.

It is a little banged up, and maybe needs a little paint on the top. I might do something funky with it ... or just leave it. I just love it.

ETA: I'm contemplating painting the top surface and front of the drawer a pale green. Thoughts?

Re-cover

Here's the other project I've been working on.

Before ...

The material I like:

With some green (natch):

Slowly coming together ...

Almost done:

Haven't done the arms yet ... not quite sure how I'm going to do that. And note Zoidberg in the lower right corner, looking interested.

Moving, again

My lease is up at the end of July, and I've been talking about moving out of this apartment for ... months. Mostly because, if I didn't have a job, I wouldn't be able to pay my rent. But also because of space/layout issues. The kitchen in my current apartment has very little counter space, one small and one tiny drawer, and only two cabinets more than 8 inches wide. I have a dining room area, but it's full of my desk and computer. And although there is a breakfast nook, the table isn't convenient to sit at, and is usually covered with the kitchen stuff I couldn't find a better place for.

Once it became more likely that I was going to stay in NC, I started spending a bit of time looking around online for a new place. There were some possibilities, but it's always hard to tell what the complex and neighborhood are really going to be like if you don't know anyone who lives there. And even though I could technically live wherever I wanted, I know this area and it's conveniently between friends who live in Raleigh and friends who live in Durham and Chapel Hill.

For the new job, I definitely needed a second bedroom or a den. Ideally, I will set up a dedicated home office and take the deductions on my taxes, but considering the amount of time that I like just hanging out online, I don't know for sure that that's going to happen. I wanted to try to find somewhere that wasn't too expensive, but most decent two bedroom apartments seemed to fall within about $50 of each other.

In the end, I've decided to move into a larger apartment in my current complex. It's not as cheap as some - my current rent is higher than most for a one-bedroom - but (1) most of the fees are being waived, (2) I'm automatically approved based on just the offer letter, and (3) they are having a nice sale right now, and my rent will only go up about $50 - that's for nearly 400 more square feet of space.

Here's the floor plan (ignore the prices listed - that's not what I'm paying). The smaller bedroom will be my office; it's nicely separated from most of the living space. I plan on putting my table in the dining area - and actually having people over to eat! And all the extra space (plus working by myself) means I am more likely to want to have people over in general. Even people from out of town!

I'm excited about the job, although just slightly concerned that I won't get a full payment until August. I should have enough in savings so it won't be a major issue, but things might be a little bit tight at first. I very much want a new cell phone, but that'll wait six weeks. There will be a housewarming in August as well, most likely.

Yay for things working out!