It’s our fourth straight day of rain here in the greater LA area which is an amazing thing. It’s so cold at our house that I need to turn on the heater, but given last weeks debacle with the plumbing, I think I will wait until I cannot wait anymore.
For those of you who did not know, our kitchen sink was clogged two weeks ago. I tried everything...I mean vinegar, baking soda, boiling water, taking the trap off under the sink (Ok, Rodney did that), and finally I resorted to Drano. After an entire bottle of Drano Max Gel, it was running a little better, so I thought I was going to fix this once and for all. Despite my parents explaining to me that I should just talk to the landlord, and this is why you rent so you don’t have to deal with clogged sinks, I was determined to solve the problem myself. So I drove all over town and bought the only bottle of Drano Foaming Cleaner that I could find. I poured it in, and not much happened. I was discouraged, and I resigned myself to calling the landlord. When Rodney came home, however, the sink magically started working better. We flushed water down it, we ran the garbage disposal (with a bucket over it on account of the Drano), and voila’, we had a running sink. Victory! Who says you can’t be your own plumber?
I headed into the bathroom to take a shower after the victorious moment of realizing that I had stuck with my problem and solved it. I pulled back the curtain with a flourish, only to be greeted by two inches of sludge sitting in my bathtub. Apparently pipes are connected. With chunks of gunk pouring out of the overflow valve whenever we turned on a faucet, this was one plumbing problem I felt no compulsion to solve on my own. Needless to say, we got to meet a very nice plumber that night.
But I think I’ll wait on the heater just in case. No need to meet all the repair men in one month.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Wonderful-Crazy Life
I am so happy to be back in LA. Despite the still-problematic kitchen sink and the traffic and the gas prices that are now decidedly above $3.00 a gallon, it feels good to be in a place that we can call home. I am sitting in a coffee shop that I frequent, and I have already been to Trader Joe’s and picked up a bunch of wonderful groceries. While this coffee shop is ok, I do, however, wish that there were a more cozy coffee place, but cozy is not a term that can be used very frequently in the “citburban” areas of LA. Hopefully I can manage to have a cozy house to spend time in. I have dreams of a couch with pillows and the perfect cup of coffee all inside my own space. I have my eyes on the Hario Ceramic Coffee Dripper 02 that I saw in a shop the other day. It is such a beauty.
Last night I went on my first little hike since landing out here. I think one of the things that surprised me the most about LA was the topography. There are hills and mountains everywhere, and while you are still very much in the city, and often your only reward for climbing is a better view of a freeway or a power station, you can still hit a dirt trail and head up into the hills.
There is a place on the road between Rodney’s work and our house, and last night we took a stroll up the hill. It is a great dirt path that wanders through trees and then heads almost straight up to overlook the 2. It was nice to get out a little and when you are on the backside of the hill, it is really quite peaceful.
I guess it is worth noting that no matter where you are, it is important to find spaces that you can carve out for the cultivation of sanity and quiet. Jonathan Kaplan has written a book about this, and I am looking forward to having some time to sit and read it after both midterms and moving are finished. It is called Urban Mindfulness: Cultivating Peace, Presence and Purpose in the Middle of It All. I think the title is just what I am looking for. That, and the ceramic coffee dripper.
But even in places that are not urban, I think it is important to cultivate a life that intentionally creates space for just being. I have tried to do that where ever I have been. Sometimes it involved heading to a monastery for the weekend, and sometimes it was going to get pancakes in a quiet cafe where I could take time to read a book and sometimes it was just a day at home where absolutely no cleaning whatsoever occurred. But more often in my life, things have been crazy, and peace and sanity seemed to be firmly drowning under the driving sentiment of survival. In those times, I am learning that cultivating a sense of quiet in my being is still essential to surviving, even if it involves no pancakes at all. Either way, I often have to seek the space out, and I am looking forward to discovering more places here that allow for me to develop a sense of peace in the middle of my wonderful-crazy life.
Last night I went on my first little hike since landing out here. I think one of the things that surprised me the most about LA was the topography. There are hills and mountains everywhere, and while you are still very much in the city, and often your only reward for climbing is a better view of a freeway or a power station, you can still hit a dirt trail and head up into the hills.
There is a place on the road between Rodney’s work and our house, and last night we took a stroll up the hill. It is a great dirt path that wanders through trees and then heads almost straight up to overlook the 2. It was nice to get out a little and when you are on the backside of the hill, it is really quite peaceful.
I guess it is worth noting that no matter where you are, it is important to find spaces that you can carve out for the cultivation of sanity and quiet. Jonathan Kaplan has written a book about this, and I am looking forward to having some time to sit and read it after both midterms and moving are finished. It is called Urban Mindfulness: Cultivating Peace, Presence and Purpose in the Middle of It All. I think the title is just what I am looking for. That, and the ceramic coffee dripper.
But even in places that are not urban, I think it is important to cultivate a life that intentionally creates space for just being. I have tried to do that where ever I have been. Sometimes it involved heading to a monastery for the weekend, and sometimes it was going to get pancakes in a quiet cafe where I could take time to read a book and sometimes it was just a day at home where absolutely no cleaning whatsoever occurred. But more often in my life, things have been crazy, and peace and sanity seemed to be firmly drowning under the driving sentiment of survival. In those times, I am learning that cultivating a sense of quiet in my being is still essential to surviving, even if it involves no pancakes at all. Either way, I often have to seek the space out, and I am looking forward to discovering more places here that allow for me to develop a sense of peace in the middle of my wonderful-crazy life.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Visiting
Just so you know, this post contains nothing about LA, but it is all part of the story. And sometimes finding our place requires that we go home for a while too.
I’m writing this from 36,000 feet in the air, and despite the hectic pace of the past several days this week has been full of great things. When we pulled into the airport his afternoon to head home from our trip, it dawned on me that I am getting far too comfortable with airports these days, but sometimes you have to leave where you are to see the things that mean the most to you, and airplanes are awfully handy when you live thousands of miles away from those things.
I spent the majority of my week in PA where I got to spend quality time with my brother’s newest little addition. She is precious, just like her brother and sister who entertained me on my trip with Old Maid and a preschool field trip to a farm as well as conversations about the merit of freckles and the need for my six year old nephew to “do something with his hair” because he thinks he “looks like Vincent Van Gogh.”
My time at home also included a trip to Labadie Looms, the place where I first learned to spin yarn, and where my mom and I found more wonderful fibers to spin up. I also ventured out for my first facial,and I have to admit that I had never really seen the appeal ( no pun intended), especially given that my answer to “What is your skincare regimen?” is “Nothing.” But after lying there for 50 minutes with someone massaging wonderful lotions on your face, neck, and arms, the appeal becomes decidedly evident.
I also got to go up to NYC during my time back East to see my brother’s solo act, Via Linota, perform at New York City’s oldest Rock Club, The Bitter End. No matter where you are in the world, there is nothing quite like the energy of NYC, and I love getting to merge into it all. We got to catch up with some friends while we were there and really had a delightful time all around. The food at Arturo’s was great, and the performance was equally exciting.
Later in the week, I left for Boulder where I met up with Rodney. We went back to empty our storage unit and start the process of having all of our belongings moved to LA. It was an interesting day as I watched them unload things I had not seen in a year and a half and some things Rodney had never seen because they were well in the back of that storage unit before we ever got married. Relationship to stuff is a funny thing. I find it both intriguing and stressful. While I loved to see my shoes and books and my keyboard, I also realized that I was now going to have to find a place to put them. But we are just so glad to no longer be storage unit renters. I think that might be one of the more freeing moments I have had in the last year. There is something about having everything in one place that makes it easier to breathe. I can say that now because I am not crawling over boxes in our new house, and I may have a different perspective come Thursday when the truck arrives, but I’ll be sure to let you know if I do.
But Boulder was certainly not all work. We were able to spend time with good friends playing Settlers of Catan, a game I am not sure I really have the focus to master, but one that I think is fun nonetheless. We were also able to make it into Boulder to eat some of our favorite foods at the Boulder Farmer’s Market. If you are in Boulder, you really do owe it to yourself to get both a gyro and Sister’s Pantry Dumplings. They are worth all of the parking headaches, and getting to eat them outside in the cool crisp fall air surrounded by yellow-leaved trees is pretty much perfect.
In the evening we were so thrilled to meet up with a lot of our wonderful friends whom we have missed. We hung out at Southern Sun, and it was so nice to see them and hear what everyone is up to. We felt truly blessed, and after months in a new town, it was such a treat to be surrounded by friendly faces we know well and care so much about. Thanks all.
The weekend ended on a delightful note. With an overcast sky and very fallish weather, we went to Lyons with some dear friends and spent the day brunching, drinking coffee, and kicking around the cute little town. After all of the rushing, a quiet “vacationy” day was just what we need. Many thanks.
So, we are getting ready to descend from 36,000 feet, and I know that when I land, another crazy week awaits as I work on a midterm and get the house ready and have all of our stuff delivered. But it’s good crazy. It’s the crazy that is made up of a life that is full of things like family, friends, learning, employment, and coffee. And that's a good life.
I’m writing this from 36,000 feet in the air, and despite the hectic pace of the past several days this week has been full of great things. When we pulled into the airport his afternoon to head home from our trip, it dawned on me that I am getting far too comfortable with airports these days, but sometimes you have to leave where you are to see the things that mean the most to you, and airplanes are awfully handy when you live thousands of miles away from those things.
I spent the majority of my week in PA where I got to spend quality time with my brother’s newest little addition. She is precious, just like her brother and sister who entertained me on my trip with Old Maid and a preschool field trip to a farm as well as conversations about the merit of freckles and the need for my six year old nephew to “do something with his hair” because he thinks he “looks like Vincent Van Gogh.”
My time at home also included a trip to Labadie Looms, the place where I first learned to spin yarn, and where my mom and I found more wonderful fibers to spin up. I also ventured out for my first facial,and I have to admit that I had never really seen the appeal ( no pun intended), especially given that my answer to “What is your skincare regimen?” is “Nothing.” But after lying there for 50 minutes with someone massaging wonderful lotions on your face, neck, and arms, the appeal becomes decidedly evident.
I also got to go up to NYC during my time back East to see my brother’s solo act, Via Linota, perform at New York City’s oldest Rock Club, The Bitter End. No matter where you are in the world, there is nothing quite like the energy of NYC, and I love getting to merge into it all. We got to catch up with some friends while we were there and really had a delightful time all around. The food at Arturo’s was great, and the performance was equally exciting.
Later in the week, I left for Boulder where I met up with Rodney. We went back to empty our storage unit and start the process of having all of our belongings moved to LA. It was an interesting day as I watched them unload things I had not seen in a year and a half and some things Rodney had never seen because they were well in the back of that storage unit before we ever got married. Relationship to stuff is a funny thing. I find it both intriguing and stressful. While I loved to see my shoes and books and my keyboard, I also realized that I was now going to have to find a place to put them. But we are just so glad to no longer be storage unit renters. I think that might be one of the more freeing moments I have had in the last year. There is something about having everything in one place that makes it easier to breathe. I can say that now because I am not crawling over boxes in our new house, and I may have a different perspective come Thursday when the truck arrives, but I’ll be sure to let you know if I do.
But Boulder was certainly not all work. We were able to spend time with good friends playing Settlers of Catan, a game I am not sure I really have the focus to master, but one that I think is fun nonetheless. We were also able to make it into Boulder to eat some of our favorite foods at the Boulder Farmer’s Market. If you are in Boulder, you really do owe it to yourself to get both a gyro and Sister’s Pantry Dumplings. They are worth all of the parking headaches, and getting to eat them outside in the cool crisp fall air surrounded by yellow-leaved trees is pretty much perfect.
In the evening we were so thrilled to meet up with a lot of our wonderful friends whom we have missed. We hung out at Southern Sun, and it was so nice to see them and hear what everyone is up to. We felt truly blessed, and after months in a new town, it was such a treat to be surrounded by friendly faces we know well and care so much about. Thanks all.
The weekend ended on a delightful note. With an overcast sky and very fallish weather, we went to Lyons with some dear friends and spent the day brunching, drinking coffee, and kicking around the cute little town. After all of the rushing, a quiet “vacationy” day was just what we need. Many thanks.
So, we are getting ready to descend from 36,000 feet, and I know that when I land, another crazy week awaits as I work on a midterm and get the house ready and have all of our stuff delivered. But it’s good crazy. It’s the crazy that is made up of a life that is full of things like family, friends, learning, employment, and coffee. And that's a good life.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Back on the Bike
I remember the first time I saw a spinning class. It was a little room with an open garage door on one side and brick walls all the way around the rest of the room. The spindly little bikes were all being ridden by equally spindly people, and I was terrified. I had no idea what I was doing, and looking like an over-eager hamster for an hour did not sound like my idea of fun or sustainable fitness. After the soreness wore off, however, and as I started going regularly, I found that I loved spinning! I loved the rush of the music, and way that you could ride really hard for a particular amount of time that would eventually end. I loved that I could do it at my own pace, and if I needed to sit down and “recover” (the word spin instructors use that means drink something and calm down so you don’t pass out and fall off that thing), I could. There is very little coordination necessary to start, and I never feel like I used to when I would go to an aerobics class and be falling on and off some hot pink and teal-colored step like an epileptic hamster. And even if you do look a little wobbly, almost every instructor I have ever had has been so nice and encouraging.
Now that we are finally settling in, I decided that it was time to finally get back on the bike. So I signed up at the local spin studio that is only two blocks from my house (Pedal Spin Studio), and I couldn’t be happier. When life is up in the air, and you have trouble making sense of all the craziness, sometimes you need to ride until it all disappears. And even when you get home and the kitchen sink still isn’t draining, you feel better anyway.
Now that we are finally settling in, I decided that it was time to finally get back on the bike. So I signed up at the local spin studio that is only two blocks from my house (Pedal Spin Studio), and I couldn’t be happier. When life is up in the air, and you have trouble making sense of all the craziness, sometimes you need to ride until it all disappears. And even when you get home and the kitchen sink still isn’t draining, you feel better anyway.
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