Mess-ochistic

Part woman, part beast, I think I am a strange breed. My disorder is that I'm a clean freak who can't stand clutter, but have an evil mess-made-in-heaven twin. Either part crazy, or maybe just masochistic, I manage to never feel content with a mess, yet cannot bring myself to clean them up. That said, I think I have finally come to reach small-space-enlightenment. I was reading the latest issue of ReadyMade magazine (one of my all time favorites), and suddenly, clear as day, even spelled out in writing on the "Twelve Steps to Minimal Living" article (I'm a sucker for self-help), was my answer: take 15-30 minutes out of your day and clean. Huh. And all this time I blamed the house. If the house were accepting of apologies, I would owe it a huge one right now.

Part of the depressive nature of rehab, for me, has been living in such tight quarters. I'd have to say poor time management and the talent for never saying no have contributed to part of the stress, but also, my insanity was sparked by constant filth within our living quarters. I've told you about the paper plates, right? The dust buffalo roaming freely through our apartment? We clean the apartment, but yet the mess is with us on a daily basis. There's no growth of any kind, just clutter, but still, it's managed to make my days filled with a feeling of being behind regardless of just having woken. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm heading in that direction.

The issue of ReadyMade I was reading tonight, focuses on small space living, and even though our apartment is really quite spacious, we have far too much crap filling every available crevice. It's a great issue and had many great pointers. Some rather obvious (store vertically rather than horizontally), and some still quite obvious, but new to me (clean 15-30 minutes daily and downsize your shit). Anyway, it's my new plan of action to help make things with the house go smooth. If I start saying no to certain obligations, dust a little here, give a little there, than I'll be far less stressed and far more able to help on the house. Of which I managed in one hour last sunday, insulating. It was quite enjoyable and I think it's by far, the best job for me with regards to the house. It's the most visually satisfying because you see the results immediately (one minute you can see through the two-by-four studs, the next you can't... it's a wall, and it's great), and by far, the cleanest rehab job I've come across yet.

Police Adventures Part I

I went home for lunch, walked in, started making some tomato soup, when Nathan and I ran to the back window after hearing what sounded like a plane crashing into our alley. Turns out it was two police helicopters and what seemed to be an entire police force chasing either one or two people. All we saw was one young man run through the backyard of our house, through the gangway, and across to our neighbors house, before two unmarked cars pulled up with policemen running out. One guy was brought out in handcuffs from behind our neighbors house, and the helicopters hung around for a bit, but we didn't see any other guys arrested. Two cheers for good police work.

Rambles

Went to Oklahoma this weekend and while on the metrolink out to the airport, I met two women who had come to St. Louis for a convention. I asked them what they thought of St. Louis and although they loved the architecture of the buildings, the city to them seemed dead. Union Station and St. Louis Center were the most disappointing to them, and they asked if people in St. Louis ever shopped or went to malls. While I am not a fan of shopping, I have to completely agree with their observations. I do think, however, that Union Station is one of the best opportunities in waiting. St. Louis doesn't have many tourists to begin with, and I despise touristy trinkets in any city I visit, so why is Union Station filled with stores that offer nothing other than junk? Nathan came home laughing the other day, on his way home from a visit there. "Choices Galore" and "Choices Galore 2" are the names of two stores he found to be particularly humorous. I have to agree.

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There's a book by Lawrence LaRose about rehab that I wouldn't mind reading (once we're done with the rehab... as it is now, escaping from the house is a luxary... reading about someone else's would not be). Gutted : Down to the Studs in My House, My Marriage, My Entire Life. Sounds like a great book and I look forward to reading it post-rehab.

What's the rush?

We had a goal of getting into the house by March 15th. In my head, I'd always optimistically planned on March 1st, but we had set March 15th as a fluid goal. Not so much. While I can list all we have left to do (an impossible task up until recently), there is no way we are getting in there by March. Or April. May is more realistic, but I'd now like to set our goal to around June, so to avoid any possibility of disappointment.

Things finished since last update:

• Plumbing rough-in
  
• Passed plumbing inspection
  
• Passed electrical inspection
  
• Alarm wires have been run
  
• Windows are back from the planing mill
  
• Most of the windows have been primed
  
• More woodwork has been stripped
  
• Sent away clawfoot tub to be refinished

Things still left to do (before move-in):

• Design and have Messing build front doors
  
• Repair window sills
  
• Finish stripping woodwork
  
• Put windows in
  
• Insulate
  
• Drywall
  
• Finish electrical (set fixtures)
  
• Finish plumbing (set fixtures)
  
• Refinish cabinets from Habitat, for the kitchen
  
• Buy/make countertops for kitchen
  
• Buy/make countertops for bathroom
  
• Install cabinets
  
• Tile bathroom
  
• Tile kitchen depending on how much money we have left in the loan
  
• Buy and install appliances
  
• Paint
  
• Refinish floors

Things to do after move-in:

• A lot

Side note: I'm not a big drinker, but my new favorite wine is Riff Pinot Grigio. Had it at Kitchen K, loved it, bought a bottle from City Grocers.

Side note number two: I love my City Grocers! I love the fact that there are no giant carts, the people are always so nice and friendly, it's local, it's downtown (close to us), and it's full of foods that I love! I can get Companion bread, Kaldi's coffee, City Grocer's organic free-trade coffee, great wines, and the best yogurt of all-time... Brown Cow Cream on Top Rasberry-White Chocolate. Try it, you'll love it!

Side note number three: My goal by Spring is to ride my bike to work. I want to get comfortable riding in traffic, and need to educate myself a bit more, but that's my goal. Here's to hoping.

 

Fear vs Logic

I'm growing tired of talking about the house for now, and want more to gripe about some other odds and ends that I find increasingly of interest. For one, walking. I love to walk. Not power, mall, feats-of-strength-walking, but rather lack-of-car-walking. Public transportation, metro, to work and back walking. This has been both a source of tension between some, mainly those concerned with my safety and the safety of women in general, but it has also been a topic of discussion among Nathan and I as well (not that he doesn't fit into the first category, but he's more interested in making it work than persuading me otherwise).

Ideally, Nathan and I would only own one car, and that would be used for traveling outside the city, or for hauling our latest project supplies from the hardware store or other. I would of course, in a perfect world, walk the mile and a half distance to work, and take the Metrolink to the grocery store or bank, but unfortunately, the Metrolink is only plausible to take if I drive to it first, and walking for me is out of the question for a multitude of reasons. For one, I am not brave enough to walk in North city for great lengths, without my husband or some burly man whom is classified as a lethal weapon, along side me. The second reason is my father would kill me. Literally.

I have found this to be one of the hardest parts of being married to and becoming an urban pioneer myself. I want to live and if I may quote Ghandi for the moment, "be the change I wish to see in the world," or even within the city of St. Louis, but I do not yet know how. I have wondered if it really would be dangerous for me to walk, ride my bike, or take the bus from where I live to where I need to go, but then I am always confronted with crime statistics and the general media-scare that seems to generate more fear than news itself. I have thought about maybe not walking, but riding my bike instead, but then have witnessed three people within the past two months not only run through stop signs on my way to work, but blaze through them leaving only a cloud of smoke and me dumbfounded with my foot on the brake, behind. I also had a neighbor of mine from where I grew up, ride his bike in the Central West End only to be hit by a car and killed, in addition to know two other people who survived getting hit by cars while riding around the streets of St. Louis. Is it the case where St. Louis drivers are not accustomed to sharing the roads with bikers or pedestrians (I have visited countless other cities where pedestrians flock in such great numbers that cars are forced to stop and wait), or does the fault lie in the street design itself. Or rather, is it that it happens everywhere and all the time, regardless of the city, and I am just plain sacred and making excuses.

Bottom line is I wish so badly to toss our excess cars and to walk, ride, or use public transportation to work, but I am yet able to muster up the courage to do so. I think if I lived in Tower Grove, CWE, or otherwise, I would, but I'm not sure the north side is ready, or rather I am not ready to brave the north side just yet. I am however, really open to hearing others experiences and perhaps even some crime statistics that would help bring myself and others out from under the albatross of driving to work, to the other side and to take that leap our city needs. For now, I'll just be sitting in my car, gathering the courage I need to do just that.