I stayed up late taking pictures just for you guys! I finally took a picture of my bed. The pictures make my room look smaller than it is. I don't have the bed centered so there's more room to the left of the bed. I don't know what to do with that stiff little fabric bag yet. It was clearanced and I thought it might bring out the aqua in the sheet. I have to repaint the white boxes and paint the cd crate things.

back from the trip

So I am happy to be back from the conference. I like seeing new places and getting to shop and go to museums but I am really happy to sleep in my own bed. I met a whole bunch of people I won't remember and listened to a whole bunch of presentations that I won't remember. But I had fun right before I left. I walked from the hotel to Georgetown and walked around and shopped. I didn't get anything except a sudoku book to work on for the flight back but there was plenty to look at. I rode the metro to the national mall and went to the smithsonian air and space museum. It was fun to look at things but museums always make ask more questions and the answers are never on the plaques. By the time I get home I don't remember what I wanted to know more about so I don't do any research. It was really windy in DC. I don't want anyone to think that I have turned into a weather wimp ... you shoulda seen me my cheeks were all red and my legs turned red from the wind through my jeans. I spent too much time walking around outside in the cold. My left calf and the balls of my right foot are really sore. It's past my bed time so i'll post again later

I went to see brokeback mountain last night. It was the first time I have ever gone to the movies alone. I really need to make some friends out here. It's really hard to make friends when you don't like people that much. People keep saying to me, "I think I recognize you, did you go to ____ or do you hang out at ____." I'm like "uh no, I don't even know what that is."

I am going to be in Rosslyn, VA next week for the IHPRPT meeting. I don't know if I can explain what that is so I’m not going to try. There are going to be a ton of people there and my bosses have already told me that they are going to try to overload me with introductions. As if I can even remember the names of the people I work with directly.

I really have to use this weekend productively. I have a lot of cleaning left to do and I have to shop. I want to get the place to a point where I can take some pictures. Right now it is so messy that I would be embarrassed to post pictures. Here's a pic of my desk with my new monitor.

The movers came!

There is a mountain of empty boxes in the middle of my living room. It's a good thing I don't have much furniture because it makes it easy to to put stuff everywhere! I didn't really think about what I was going to do with all these boxes. I guess i'll have to break them down and maybe there's a recycling place near by.

Now that I have dishes and pots and pans and glasses, I felt ready to do some real grocery shopping. I bought a whole ton of food. I can't wait to do my first load of dishes ... man I'm a nerd.

It is so easy to blog it up with a desk. I don't have to sit on the floor on a couple of pillow shams! I don't have to sleep on an inflatable bed ... but I do have to sleep in a sleeping bag because I didn't go sheet shopping today. Alright I have to get back to work. I have a mound of clothes in the closet that have to be delt with ... clothes yer goin' down!

first day of work

So my first day was uneventful. I just filled out a bunch of stuff and drove around. Talked a whole bunch and met like three new people. I am advertising for justin's blog on mine cause he has updated it. Check it out!

Spoils

This is what I got shopping yesterday and today. Look at the pants they have two sets of buttons on the sides to make them like sailor pants.
The elastic on those shoes really does match but the flash makes it look strange.
These are my new dkny's.

Liked these so much i bought two ... black and gray. The gray isn't really that dark.
This was hard to find. I think it's a lot cuter than you would expect from sag harbor (old lady brand). The light is bouncing around on it funny. It's just kinda shiny black
This is the suit. It looks darker in the photo than it is. It's very plain but I'll find a really bright shirt to wear under it.

More on my apartment

Now that i am a little more settled in, I'll tell you all a little more about my apartment. The kitchen is really pretty nice. The counters and sink aren't scratched up and the dishwasher and stove/oven are big and all of the appliances are clean. The only problem is the ant infestation. I used some raid yesterday and the day before. I haven't seen any in the kitchen today but i saw a few in the living room. It creeps me out to use raid near where i'll be preparing food. I'll have to scrub up before I make anything. Someone sprays outside the apartment every couple of days and he'll spray inside next tuesday if I ask. My dining room is completely empty because i don't have any furniture yet.

The carpets througout are new. I already tracked in some plant crap by the front door. I have a coat closet but it's across the room from the door. The gas fireplace is cute. I haven't seen it on and I may not light it because I don't want to mess with the gas. There's a mantle and mirror. I already put a bunch of prints and paintings justin made and framed for me on the mantle. There's a sliding glass door to the patio. I could probably fit a couple chairs out there. Like I said before I have my computer on the floor because I don't have my desk yet and I am sitting on a pillow sham so I don't get rug burn.

I am sleeping on an inflatable bed and will be for a while after I get the queen from the movers because I don't have any queen size bedding! Unless I get sick of the inflatable and use the sleeping bag. The bedroom is a nice size and I am thinking of using two of the wooden boxes dad built as nightstands. The closet is a huge walk in with sturdy poles and shelves.

The bathroom is fine. The tub has doors and you can see yourself taking a shower in the medicine cabinet ... weird. I keep forgetting to open the medicine cabinet door so that doesn't happen. The fixtures are new and the counter has enough room for me. The shower head is above my head (yay) and it has a couple of settings including some that pulse. I think i am going to stick something on the shower doors to add color. I don't like that the fan turns on when the light is on because it's pretty loud. The thermostat, in the main room, hums too.

There are night security people in the complex and the whole thing is gated. I have a garage door opener that opens the main gate. My apartment has a security system that is wired to the door and windows. The mail box is in front of the tennis court that is in front of the pool in front of the office. The office has laundry machines that you can use a money card with and they have a collection of dvd's and vhs that you can borrow for a night.

Well that was long ... later!

Moved in ... sorta

My arrival in sunny California was anything but. Almost right after crossing the Arizona border it started to sprinkle. By the time we got to Palmdale it was a full blown storm. And I do mean full blown. There was no more rain than a normal storm in Ohio but there was more wind. Justin and I were shopping for a new monitor in office max and the wind was so strong it was shaking the roof and plaster was falling all over the store. The locals were all acting like it was the storm of the century. Someone working at circuit city was so excited, she was happy to run after the flying garbage can in the parking lot. When the storm was letting up yesterday patches kept blowing over head so it would be sunny one minute and pouring the next.

It was sunny and warmer than I am used to for January today. I moved into my new apartment. It almost feels appropriate to call it new because everything is very clean and feels new. I have a gas fireplace a large closet and a kitchen that is fine for the cooking I will be attempting. I’m on the second floor and I have a little patio I can go out onto. The movers haven’t come yet so my computer is on the ground and I will be sleeping on an air mattress. But the important things are here, no not food, no not anywhere to sit, I have the internet and cable tv! I’ll post with more info tomorrow.

I don’t have time to pick out which pictures to post so you will have to settle for pictures of the kitchen.