Friday, December 9, 2011

The days keep rolling

Now that I've settled in, taken care of all my school stuff until the semester starts in January, and the weather hasn't done anything bonkers lately, I'm having a hard time finding things to write about. Other then a day earlier this week when all of downeast Maine lost internet access nothing of significance, either internationally or in my apartment has happened. I guess, in a way, that's sort of what living in a place like this is about, the things that happen happen somewhere else while life here just keeps going much like it did in years past. The only difference now is that transportation eats gas not grass and we have these quaint little electronic gadgets to distract us. That is, until those gadgets go out for an entire day and I find myself trying to make a projectile point out of flint so that I might be able to hunt for food and clothing.

It wasn't that bad, it actually gave me some time to write.

So I finally got a desk delivered to me awhile back. I expected, you know, a nice little desk I could keep my laptop on with a couple of drawers so I could attempt some organization. I came home from walking the dog one night to find the box sitting at the bottom of my stairs. Now these are some steep, steep stairs. Luckily they aren't that high, but their angle is pretty extreme. In fact, one thing I find endlessly amusing is that my shower has handholds, probably to conform to some kind of Maine law demanded that apartments be accessible to the handicapped. That's great and all, but I couldn't even get up those stairs with a badly stubbed toe, let alone a condition that required handholds in my shower.

So anyway, this box is at the bottom of my stairs and after giving my dog her post-walk snack I go back down to get it wondering why the FedEx guy didn't just bring it up himself. Well, I figured that out real quick, the desk, unbuilt and in a fairly small box as it was, weighed 123 pounds. I weigh 210.The stairs are steep. I think you can see where this is going.

It was a good thing I was in my snow boots because otherwise I wouldn't have had the traction I needed. I tried dragging it up but cardboard isn't made to hold 123 pounds like that so the box started ripping. I thought about getting some help but the store I live above had closed and everyone was gone and the only other people who live in this building were not at home, and even were everyone there they'd all be small women. Sure, a group of small women could probably help quite a bit, but all together they probably weigh less they I do so I wouldn't want to put them in danger of being crushed by a mail order desk.

I finally planted my feet as firmly as I could and pushed it up the stairs. It took about twenty minutes, and a couple of times it threatened to slide back on me like some kind of lead sleigh with a cargo of ballast and plate armor. But, obviously, I managed to safely get it to the top and drag it to my room and proceeded to build the shit out of it.

Now all I needed was a chair. I popped over to a used furniture store next door and managed to overpay a bit on a shitty little chair that I figured would do until the opportunity to get a better one arose. I realized, a little bit later, that I have two chairs with my kitchen table and, seeing as I live alone, have absolutely no need for both to sit there. It wasn't much money I spent on that chair, but it was enough to do a load of laundry or try that Chinese restaurant that may or may not be edible. And then today a health and human services place down the street closed down and left a bunch of furniture and office goods out for garbage or whoever wanted them, including a bunch of chairs and a dry erase board. I went back after walking the dog but not in time to get the dry erase board, but I did find a great chair that was just perfect for what I needed. Again, I can't figure out why I spent that money.

It's been pretty cold the last couple of days after being near sixties for about a week. The one problem with the weather here, and it's not really a problem with the weather at all, is that it is impossible to predict. Just this week the weather report said it was supposed to snow on Wednesday, but then Wednesday comes around and there's not a cloud in the sky. This weekend was supposed to be sunny and fairly warm, but right now the temperatures are dipping rapidly and there are definite rain (snow?) clouds in the sky.I checked the weather this morning and there was never any mention of clouds. It's almost like I gotta lick my finger and stick it out the window to know what's going on out there.

Well, until school starts I'm just going to spend a lot of time writing I guess. My adviser/instructor has put me in an independent study class with him as the instructor with the goal of finishing a novel so... better get some practice in.

2 comments:

  1. Well, glad to hear you are adjusting. And, sometimes dining chairs aren't good for long bouts at the desk. Perhaps once the year turns over you will make a bunch of friends and you will need the chair when everyone comes over for exotic foods normally unavailable in Machias. And, this has been an odd weather pattern. It warmed up here again this afternoon.

    You are surely welcome for the holidayish period at the end of the month. Hope you are meeting folks. No Maine law about shower handle bars, but if you buy a unit instead of building one they are more or less standard. And, they are handy for hanging stuff on.

    S

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  2. I am laughing my ass off about the desk! Just the vision of lugging it up the stairs...

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