Day 296--New Digs
One thing I don't think I've really mentioned at any point is how awesome my new apartment is. When we were in grad school, Sam and I lived in what we thought at the time was a pretty great place. I actually felt lucky to live there. I thought it had everything you could ask for--it was in a great area (Lincoln Park), it had a built-in hutch (for dishes) and am awesome claw-foot tub. Now, four years later, after living in (much) nicer places in Urbana, I realize that the old place in Lincoln Park had amenities best described as "what you could legally expect." It had running water. It had wall-mounted gas heaters that did, technically, work. It had locks on the doors. Come to find out, after a few years, that many people thought our apartment was a bit of a dump. The claw foot tub scared people, to the point that some out of town guests opted not to shower, rather than get in the tub. The hutch was overrated. It was drafty. Everyone understood that we were in grad school, and this was what we could afford. But no one really thought it was a nice apartment.
So this all is to explain why, when she first walked in to my new apartment back in August, Mom's reaction was simple: "Oh." It was an "Oh" of relief and a bit of surprise. I think there was a fear that I was moving to an apartment like the old one in Lincoln Park. Fortunately, that isn't the case. The new place is a two-bedroom, two-bath with central air and heat, washer and dryer, and a patio out back. I've converted the front bedroom to an office, and as soon as I get the futon for it, a guest bedroom. My bedroom is in back, with a sliding door leading to the patio. I think my favorite aspect is that the slats of the hardwood floor are diagonal, something I've never seen before. I've spent a lot of time over the last 8 weekends trying to get things settled around the apartment. I've put together a small filing cabinet, and hung a bunch of pictures. Yesterday, I hung a curtain rod over the head of my bed and draped my collection of soccer scarves over it, creating a headboard of sorts. I was skeptical of the idea at first (it was my parents'), but it looks great. In the end, now, it feels like home. Now, if I can just get my boxes of physics books out to Elmhurst, it won't feel like such a cluttered home.
So this all is to explain why, when she first walked in to my new apartment back in August, Mom's reaction was simple: "Oh." It was an "Oh" of relief and a bit of surprise. I think there was a fear that I was moving to an apartment like the old one in Lincoln Park. Fortunately, that isn't the case. The new place is a two-bedroom, two-bath with central air and heat, washer and dryer, and a patio out back. I've converted the front bedroom to an office, and as soon as I get the futon for it, a guest bedroom. My bedroom is in back, with a sliding door leading to the patio. I think my favorite aspect is that the slats of the hardwood floor are diagonal, something I've never seen before. I've spent a lot of time over the last 8 weekends trying to get things settled around the apartment. I've put together a small filing cabinet, and hung a bunch of pictures. Yesterday, I hung a curtain rod over the head of my bed and draped my collection of soccer scarves over it, creating a headboard of sorts. I was skeptical of the idea at first (it was my parents'), but it looks great. In the end, now, it feels like home. Now, if I can just get my boxes of physics books out to Elmhurst, it won't feel like such a cluttered home.