New Digs

Me mum wanted to see pictures of my new apartment. I thought i'd save her inbox and let you see, too. I think i'll start with the fireplace. Yes, my new apartment has an honest-to-god fireplace. it has a gas supply, but i can use it regular, too. but that means i have to buy firewood (or travel out of the city to collect it). What you see in figure one is the eastern half of my living room. the front door is on the left, followed by the fireplace (the butterfly is a kite from my sister's family, which i think would fly in a strong wind), then the door to a closet, and finishing with a goofy but comfortable chair.

As we turn to the right, we scan over the back door, leading to the deck, overlooking the pond (with ducks AND geese, and a fountain which i can't see but hear). Turning further, we pass over my essentially vacant living room. I happen to like having my books spread out so. a bookshelf would just confine them and be either rickety or too rich for my blood.

I'll just briefly mention the kitchen, which is functional if unassuming. I need'nt go into detail for want of an over-long post. but it does feature a counter open to the dining area (by which is meant a bit of extra space which really just extends the living room). if i had bar stools, they would go there. i find the placement of the kitchen sink in the middle of that counter to be an afront, but no matter.

I took more pictures than needed. Do you really want to see a picture of the bathtub? In fact, I took photo-documentation of the cleanliness of the entire apartment before i unpacked. Dirt build gradually and i forget what 'clean' is upon move-out. I even have a picture of the inside of the oven. Turning away from the bar, you enter the short hallway, passing the closet containing the half-height, stackable washer and dryer (if even a feature deserved a photo....). I do more, smaller loads of laundry now and can separate colors if i'm feeling domestic.

From there you either turn right into the bathroom or left into the one bedroom. And here we reach the heart of the madder. Lacking a sofa or coffee table or what-not, the bedroom is home to basically my entire existence. This is mainly due to the fact that this bedroom is larger than that of my former abode. Where my last apartment had 1000 sq. ft. spread over two bedrooms, with a large living room, this apartment, while only 600 sq. ft. has only one bedroom and a modest living room. As a result, my own bedroom (the only one i used) is larger.

So what do we find? as you enter, the walk-in (but don't-go-very-far) closet is to the hard left. on that, the western edge of the room, you see my bed-cum-couch, now that i bought a frame for it. The frame came in a very thin, narrow box, tightly packed, and is held together by 18 screws and as many wooden dowels. it was a pleasure to assemble, using the six-step visual instructions. but that is another story (which i unfortunately did not photo-document). The quilt on the bed was made by my sister (a Madam Seamstress, for want of the phrase-- she is not a Master, but a master quilter). It has seen a few years. If you will turn to the right, ignoring the south-facing window (excellent afternoon light), your eyes will come to rest at my office(space). Here you can see the desk from which i pay my bills, the pack-horse laptop, flourbook, and a few other items. The turntable on the left, and the box of LPs in the corner, is my on-going project to convert vinyl to digital (mp3 or mp4). If you send me your records, i will add them to the box, but know that i have set no delivery date for the whole project. On the right, please note the to-go coffee cup. coffee fuels our activities ever and anon. At the extreme right, you will notice the abundant light which the window allows.

That, dear reader, is the sum of my new home. I quite like it. The final note is of the landscape: Front of the building is entry-level. From the parking just outside we enter by way of secure foyer (the buzz-box for such as the pizza man i saw when returning this evening). Entering by key into the middle of the building, there is an atrium open to the floor below and to the balcony of the one above. The entrance to number six is off to the left and at the back of this entry-level. But the land outside slopes down from the parking at the front to the pond at the back, such that all windows of my apartment are a floor about the ground. Thus, i have the best of both worlds: ground-level entrance and second-floor windows (which allow for more light and less burglars, you see). Yes, i like my new home, but for the little ants that smell a bit of oranges when squished.