H Mart

 This morning I had my coffee and then set out for an exploratory excursion to the H Mart that is close to the L subway station at 3rd Ave and 14th St--it's three blocks down 3rd Ave. It's a rather petite store as H Marts go, but it was clean and well organized. I didn't even look at all the packaged foods in the aisles. They did not have an accessible rice cooker, so I just picked up a few frozen dumpling and easy prep meals, some banchan, and a box of fried chicken fresh out of the deli. I had one tote bag and everything fit perfectly, including the gai lan. It is not the cheapest perhaps, but now I have some stuff in my freezer. I ate some of the chicken and saved the rest for later. I also took advantage of a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime and ordered the rice cooker I want, on sale, and a rice washer-strainer, and a universal pot lid for all my skillets. Can't cook the frozen gyoza without a pot lid for the sauté pan or the cast iron skillet. I have some trepidation about delivery on Friday, but I will hope for the best. Here's hoping it gets left by the mail boxes.

Found a drawer for all my scarves, but I want to move them to a dresser. I have one drawer filled with knit hats, gloves and woolly scarves for the winter, and a scarf drawer for the fall and winter.  I still have three large dresser drawers that are empty, in the living room. I could just dump all the stuff that is currently in boxes cluttering up my rooms into the drawers and at least it would be out of the way, even if it's an unsatisfactory temporary fix for the storage dilemma. I feel as if I need to rearrange all my clothes so I can more easily remember where things are and I won't have to run around opening all the drawers to find something to wear. 

I cooked some potatoes and kale. Everything is different and it feels a little strange, but I was successful in navigating the awkward prep layout and getting everything ready without dropping anything. I will have to use those prep bowls I bought to transfer stuff from the cutting board to the stovetop in a way I didn't used to have to do when my prep area was right next to the stove, but the sink and drainer are in the way and there's only a small space between the sink and the stove to put the small cutting board on. I'll adapt. Meanwhile, the veggie broth is cooling and I'm glad I have three pyrex containers. I'll need more storage for the fridge and freezer--some more tupperware and some freezer bags. Slowly figuring things out.

Poco a poco

Today I went over to Rosemary's for brunch. It's an easy trip.  We had quiche at La Cantine, her corner shop, and then I went to Hana, the natural food store that is expensive but has the kind of salsa and crackers I want, as well as sushi and decent meat and chicken. And they are apparently open 24 hours! I just got a few things that I could carry in a bag on the subway without being too weighed down. I will probably end up shopping there when my local markets are too depressing. I need to consider carrying my larger, blue purse again so I can tote around a spare reusable bag. I have a dozen bags and totes that keep piling up.

Tomorrow: I think I'll make the trip on the L to h mart to see if I can buy a rice cooker. I think I want the smallest Cuckoo, although the fancier models have their temptations. I'll bring some tote bags!

Wednesday, I will go to Maria's and help her load her car with the stuff she is going to give me: a coffee grinder, an espresso pot, a casserole dish, a food mill and a mini-food processor. Also a rug that belonged to her mother, that I hope will fit in my living room. If not, I'll put it in the bedroom. I'm taking a chance that it will not be too big. I should bring some of my dozens of bags to pack the stuff out in.

Later this week I will try to see a movie at the Metrograph. Maybe The Age of Innocence on Friday at 12:30, a good matinee! 

Currently watching a kdrama that promises to end tragically. I have one more episode to go, and I can't figure out who is going to die. Probably her, not him. 

I moved around a few boxes, unpacked a little bit more. I have to adjust my expectations and do things poco a poco, one object at a time. I put some boxes of shoes under my bed. A later project will be to figure out where I can donate stuff, like a good will or salvation army.

 

More explorations

 It's very hot today. Luckily my place has not heated up too much and the new fan I have is quiet and effective.  I walked a few blocks to check out a cafe that I had hopes for as a meal place, but while they serve good coffee and have good music and beer, the only food they had was a stale chocolatine; they were out of bagels. So not the meal fallback I had hoped for. The little place across the street, Beets Cafe, turned out to be a juice bar, not a restaurant, and while the juice I got is full of vitamins (I'll have it for dinner tonight), the only other food was what looked like empanadas, and I'd rather get mine at Nelly's. Oh, well. Excursions are for information, and I'm learning that my neighborhood does not have good restaurants with the exception of Salud Bar and Grill, at least so far. The Pita Point place never looks open and I'm not wild about Middle Eastern pita sandwiches in general. I should go back to Little Skips East and try their sandwiches. They are only open until 3, though.

I went back to the closer supermarket and got a few things, but it's really a wasteland. No good crackers. No good bread. Really sorry looking meat and poultry, almost no fish to speak of and nothing I would actually buy. I did get an onion, a few potatoes, some cherry tomatoes, garlic, green onions, mango slices, swiss cheese and tortillas for quesadillas (but i forgot to look for salsa), a red bell pepper, some baby carrots for the hummus. 

I will go to h mart in Manhattan tomorrow or Tuesday. I will get some gai lan and banchan. I also need good rice and a rice cooker. 

Still surrounded by open boxes and the task of stowing away all my junk. But the garbage people took my garbage, and at least some of my recycling, and someone snagged the hangers. Inexplicably, the bagged packing paper was left behind. I may need to just put it in a bag for the garbage pickup.

swimming in junk

Unpacking update. Found: some of the sweaters, the pajamas, the mattress cover, some more cushions, the printer, multiple boxes of flotsam and jetsam. Still looking for:  the took kit. I'm sure it's at the bottom of one of the five boxes of junk that I have stalled over unpacking. Pretty sure  my yoga mat is gone forever riding around in the truck. It's going to take some time before I can stow all this stuff away, and some of it may end up in the trash. I put garbage and recycling out for pick up today but it's still out there. I hope, I hope, I hope it gets picked up! I want the system to work.

I slept well in spite of light from the street through my no-curtains windows. The TaskRabbit will come by at 2;30 today and I hope, I hope, I hope he will live up to his advertising and be able to install the curtain rods. My little step-stool is tall enough for me to reach the casement so I'm assuming he'll be taller than me and able to reach it as well. I'm dealing with a severe lack of trust in the universe this morning. The experience with the movers really set me back. I just need to take it one object at a time. I'm at the stage now where I'm not emptying a whole box in one go; I have to take each object out and figure out where it should live. I still have a few drawers left but I'm running into the issue of a lot of small objects that have to go into one deep drawer---it just becomes a junk drawer with a jumble. I have a whole big drawer filled with small notebooks that I have accumulated over the years. I can use them for my morning pages and then toss them out as I go. Goal for today: curtain installation, vanity mirror mounted on dresser, remake the bed with the mattress cover. Anything else will be gravy. One day at a time. Serenity prayer! Higher power, where art thou?

This is a good opportunity for me to work my Alanon program. Maybe I can look for a meeting to go to. I find the NYC page with the listings to be overwhelming. It's well organized but I don't know how to join a zoom meeting by a phone number. I tried reading the instructions I found online and it makes no sense to me. Do I call and then give a password? I looked at it again and just felt so discouraged.  I can still attend Bay Area meetings if I can find one at a time that works. This afternoon I will go to the Dyke March and see if I can meet up with Rosemary at Bryant  Park. Ha! how to find her in thousands of people. 

Unpacking

After all the drama of the move, the actual unloading went smoothly. I have unpacked most of the stuff and managed to find a place for most of it so far. I'm annoyed that they packed some stuff that was clearly marked "Do Not Pack" and I am missing  my sweaters, my pillow, and my mattress cover. I still have a few more boxes to open, and lots of itty bitties and junk to dispose of, but I do have room for all my clothes, and all my books fit--just barely-- on the shelves I have. I will have to look into a way to get rid of books I no longer need or have read and don't want to keep. I could leave books on the subway, I suppose but they'll probably just get thrown in the trash. Aha! a search with My Free Library's map tool show that there is a box just a few blocks away on Marion Street just past Rockaway and by the park.  I will stroll down there and see if it is still around and, if so, I will have a book drop! I need to rearrange the books according to topic, etc, but that will be a project for after I have broken down the last box. I put my recycling and trash out since it's supposed to be picked up tomorrow. I get to see if that works. 

 Rosemary came over with coffee and empanadas and cake from Love, Nelly which we ate in the garden on the bench. She likes my leopard print-adjacent seat covers on my four groovy chairs! Last night I ended up going back to Salud (very friendly!) after trying unsuccessfully to be served at a place just a block away where a 'security' guy wanted to search my purse before he would let me in. The music was awful and the server never came back out to take my order so I just left. Maybe they didn't want an elderly white woman there. It felt like a neighborhood hang-out with hookahs.  I don't need to go there--the excursions are a way of revealing failures as well as successes. 

This afternoon, as a break from unpacking and turning in circles, I went to the little crowded organic deli and got a few basic grocery items: tuna and sardines, some Indian veggie pouches. eggs and milk, kale and green onions, a few pieces of fruit, some yogurt and hummus, some jam and Aidell's sausages. Enough to have some breakfast tomorrow. I need to start cooking and eating at home. I have no silverware, but now I have knives, pots and pans and most utensils, some bowls and plates, glasses and coffee cups, my coffee and tea set-ups, salad bowls. I need to get a rice cooker, and some mixing bowls. Maria is going to give me a coffee grinder and a casserole dish, a mini food processor and a food mill, and a rug that I can put in the living room. I'm sitting in my comfy chair surrounded by half unpacked boxes. I still haven't found my tool kit or the mattress cover, but last night I was able to get to sleep in spite of the light shining from across the street and my uneasiness over lack of privacy. I set up an appointment with a TaskRabbit person to come mount the curtain rods and also to attach the large vanity mirror to the dresser because I don't have tools and I don't want to mess it up. It'll cost me about $100, but the curtain situation is urgent. I need to attach the black-out panels to the curtains with the hooks so that they are ready to hang when my Rabbit gets here at 2:30. If all goes well, I will join Rosemary at the Dyke March that starts at 5 at Bryant Square Park.

yay! the movers are coming!

 Like an ant carrying grains of rice, I've been making small trips to and from the house goods store to get stuff for my new apartment. Today's purchases were a small trash can for the bathroom, a dish drainer, and a pair of kitchen shears. And this morning I finally got confirmation from the driver that my stuff will be delivered tomorrow afternoon! YAY! This whole process has been tedious and nerve-wracking, but the end is in sight! Next comes the unpacking, breaking down boxes, collecting all the wrapping paper. I just hope everything is there and that it is all intact. I'm so good at rolling on to the next reason to be stressed instead of enjoying the small victory.

Today I got the vintage furniture place to deliver a black wire shelving unit for the kitchen. They were supposed to deliver a bed headboard and footboard that were part of the set of furniture I bought last week, but apparently it was left on the street to be picked up and somebody took it before they got it. So I suggested that we apply the $50 I had already paid to the purchase of these shelves I had spotted a few days ago. They were agreeable, so I was there during the afternoon to take delivery. It fits perfectly in the space by the entryway door. I will be able to use it to store the crock pot and other small kitchen appliances, my cookbooks, maybe a plant. This photo has shadows that make it hard to see what the actual shelves are like, but this gives the idea.

Next on the wish list for furniture will be a coffee table and eventually a sofa or sofabed.

The Poster House and No No No

 We made a late afternoon excursion to The Poster House to see two shows: Soviet film posters of the 1920s, and a show about the work of American poster maker Ethel Reed. On a previous excursion there we had both been really impressed with how well the space was used to present the work of Julius Klinger, and this time we were equally impressed with how dynamic the exhibitions were. I know my reciprocity membership should get me in for free, but I forgot to use it. It's near the Flatiron building and Eataly in midtown.

 

Then we walked about ten minutes to a fabulous izakaya-style Japanese restaurant called No No No where we had chawan mushi, yakitori, and really special mushroom dishes. It reminded me of Ippuku in Berkeley. Very good value for the money.

Howl's Moving Castle and The French

 Another warm day, so the thing to do is to go to a matinee in a nice cool theater. I went back to the Metrograph to see Howl's Moving Castle. I had seen it before but I hardly remembered it. I'd forgotten how much it was about war and bombing. I also got a Metrograph membership because it involves access to streaming content as well as a discount for tickets: $10 instead of $17! Only $50 for the year (or $5 a month). 

To inaugurate my streaming, I'm going to watch a William Klein film, a documentary about the French Open, since we just saw a big retrospective of his work at the ICP.

so much to do!

I finally got through to the dispatcher for the moving service and she said my stuff is leaving today and it should take 5-7 days to arrive. The driver will call me 24-48 hours ahead. I will need to have $500 in cash as well as the postal orders for $1500 I already got. I'll need to hit up the ATMs. What a relief! I was beginning to feel a little desperate at how hard it has been to communicate with them. 

So between now and then I will do some cultural excursions. I'll have to look at my reciprocity list!

The Guggenheim has a big show on Kandinsky, as well as a show by Cecilia Vicuña. I see that there is a discount for membership for 65+. If I wait until my birthday to join I get the discount, but I'll have to pay full price for entry until then, and I'm sure to go at least twice.

Also on Museum Mile is El Museo del Barrio at 5th Ave and  104th Street. They're closed M-W and open 11-5 the rest of the week.

The American Folk Art Museum is free! It's by Lincoln Center and is having two exhibitions that put the museum in the context of folk art in general and its past exhibitions in particular. 

The Poster House has two shows I want to see. They are also closed MTW and open 10-6 the rest of the week. They are in one of my reciprocity networks. There is a Japanese restaurant called No No No about 15 minutes walk from there

Added to the list: The Museum of the City of New York and the Jewish Museum.

I want to return to the Noguchi Museum although all their Akari lamps are sold out.

This is just a first pass at the potential cultural excursions!

Lower East Side

 Today's excursion Lower East Side and a movie.

First we went to the Essex Market food hall. Took the L to the M at Myrtle-Wyckoff and rode across the river to the Delancey-Essex station. The Market is right there, and we strolled through all the glossy fruits and vegetables, the cheese and bakery, to the restaurant section where we had pernil with arroz y gandules, and maduros. We also got passion fruit-lychee iced tea, so perfumed and delicious!  

The Internantional Center of Photography Museum is right across the street. Their current exhibition is a retrospective of the work of William Klein, who directed Who Are You, Polly Magoo? and whose photography of the streets and peoples of various cities were arresting and evocative. He also had done a lot with abstraction in painting, photography and book design.

After that, Rosemary went off to Book Club bookstore and cafe/wine bar to work, and I went in the opposite direction to  the Metrograph Cinema for a 2PM showing of Ozu's Equinox Flower. It was his first color film and stars the red teapot. 

Here's a sequence from William Klein's film skewering the fashion world:

Furniture delivery

Today I got the delivery of the second set of furniture I got last Wednesday: a bedroom set by Vaughan Bassett. I looked at some prices on their bedroom sets and they run in the thousands of dollars. I got the whole set for $750: a 5-drawer highboy dresser, two nightstands with two deep drawers each, a low bureau with a huge mirror, and a headboard/footboard bed. The bed wasn't available for delivery today, so the guy said he'd get back to me. I wish I knew what kind of wood it's made out of. The hardware and shape of the mirror are not showing up on their website as something you can buy now, so I'm assuming it's a discontinued line, but I haven't found it on eBay. The closest color is called Amish Cherry. Things I like about the company: their furniture is made in Virginia; they contribute to reforestation; not made or shipped from overseas reduces the carbon footprint. I lucked out because what I was looking at from furniture sites online was all stuff I'd have to put together myself. These pieces are solid and the condition is excellent: no scratches or dings. 

Dinner tonight was tacos de bistec from Los Hermanos just around the corner from Rosemary's place. Three filling tacos (really six because each one comes with two tortillas0 and a lovely tomatillo salsa for $10 (cash only). Once I am in my apartment with my kitchen gear, I will buy their tortillas as well.

BTS Proof and flower festival

 BTS released a three-CD anthology with four new songs, and a bunch of their greatest hits including remixes and demos. The third CD is only available if you buy the hard copy so ARMY all over the world have had to invest in CD players. This time around I did not race to buy it because I'm still camping out at my daughter's and don't trust the mail delivery at my new place yet. I will get it later. 

ARMY was especially excited about the release of "Born Singer" which they had performed years ago, but which wasn't available for streaming until now. It's based on the song Born Sinner by J Cole. I like 'Run BTS' a lot. There's a fan-appreciation ballad "For Youth" that I will probably appreciate more if it's on a streaming playlist.

Today's excursion: a walk on the High Line from Gansevoort Street to the Little Spain market. The plantings are all lush and some stretches are covered by a canopy of leafy trees. First we had a bagel sandwich with sausage and egg and then I left at 9:30 with Rosemary who was on her way to a New Jersey pool party with her friend Noella, whom I met in Japan when we were there. I got off at the end of the L line and walked a few blocks over the the beginning of the High Line, then walked north to Hudson Yards where I was able to use a clean bathroom and an ATM before walking back to check out the L.E.A.F. flower festival. It was like an outdoor version of museums' Bouquet to Arts events, with florists creating flower plinths and pop-up photo op sites.

Pita Point and new furniture

 Yesterday was a super busy day. I went and opened an account at the credit union in the morning. I needed to go the apartment for a piece of mail to prove my residency. Then I stopped for coffee at a nifty cafe-bakery called L'Imprimerie. I'll surely return when I have business at the bank. 

After noon, the vintage shops were open. First I went to a place called Green Village just around the corner from Rosemary's place, run by two small Orthodox Jews. I was a bit overwhelmed at first, but then I discovered a bedroom set that I liked, jammed in with all the stuff around it. I got a tall dresser, a low dresser, a mirror, two nightstands, and the headboard and footboard that were all part of a set, in very good condition and with all the hardware. I paid $725, which included a delivery fee. It will be delivered either Sunday or Tuesday. After that, I slogged my way through the sweaty streets to a place called Reuse America, which is only open on Wed afternoon, where I was able to buy a table and four nifty chairs, and a chest of drawers with a bookcase  unit on top. Those items were delivered today and they look great! I'm so happy. It was intense, making decisions that cost thousands of dollars and that I'm going to live with when I was just trying to see the pieces in the crowded piles of stuff. I went over to the apartment this morning to wait for the delivery. I was a little anxious about the whole process, but now that I have done one successfully, I feel a little more confident about the next delivery and the arrival of the movers. 

Excursion of the day was to have lunch at the closest restaurant, a place called Pita Point that serves Middle Eastern food and bills itself as Glatt Kosher. The owner gave me extra servings of the side veggies with my pita lamb sandwich. Then three guys came in and her broke out a bottle of booze and served them shots. A few minutes later, he started gesturing to me and I finally figured out that he was offering me a shot as well! It was tequila. That's one way to treat your new customers!

Waiting

 Today I had to wait for the gas technician to come turn on my gas for the stove. I was told to wait from 8AM-10PM. I was prepared:  I had a book, two magazines, and my laptop to entertain me while I waited. Lucky for me I also have a bed so I didn't have to sit on the floor the whole time. I watched the rest of season one of The Sopranos and shopped for furniture online. I also ducked out for some empanadas, a latte, and cake at Love, Nelly, the closest source of espresso drinks to my new place!  The gas guys came at around 4PM and quickly solved the problem, made sure the pilot lights were lit, and were super polite and friendly.

I was already at the apartment because a locksmith called me at 6AM (!) to fix one of the locks. There are multiple front doors: the outer front door is next to the mailboxes. It leads to a tiny foyer with another door to the hallway. In the hallway there is a door that leads to the bedroom. I don't intend to use it. There's also stairs to the basement and up to the parlor level. Then there is a door to my entryway that leads to the kitchen. That door has a button lock that was not working, so the landlord hired a locksmith. Luckily the repair was just the replacement of the strike plate, the little metal piece that has a catch hole that the lock tongue has to catch on. It's not the most secure type of lock, but it will keep out casual intruders. 

One thing about hanging out all day is that I got to see what the noise levels are. I can hear the upstairs neighbors walking but it's not too loud. There is some traffic noise, but it's half a block away. I can hear the elevated subway over on Broadway, but it's not too intrusive--like a distant wave. I can close the bedroom door to keep out the noise of the fridge. I can also hear birds in the back garden! I had the back door open for the breeze but there were also flies, boo hoo.

Dinner with Rosemary was happy hour at a neighborhood craft beer bar called Salud with Latin American bar food--plantains and yucca but also sliders and chicken wings, and a very nice kale salad with mango, walnuts, cherry tomatoes and radishes. A nice space with loud but good music--I will definitely return.

Tomorrow I have an appointment to open an account at the Brooklyn Coop Credit Union, but I forgot to put a piece of mail with my new address in my backpack, so I'll have to go back and pick one up from the apartment. Just a quick trip on the L. Then I'll have to go back on the L but get off at Myrtle-Wycoff. If I leave by 8:30, I should have time for the trips and to get some coffee somewhere. The afternoon will be devoted to vintage furniture shopping. Let's hope I can find some stuff I like because this online furniture shopping is not fun.

King's Kolache

 Breakfast was two Czech-Mex kolaches from Kings Kolache. Savory had spicy sausage with cheese, while the sweet was banana Nutella.  I did not know that this is a popular Texas food! Little sweet squares of triple-raised dough with fillings.

Business today was supposed to start with a visit to a vintage furniture place around the corner but they were closed. So on to the post office to get a postal mail check for payment of the final installment of the moving expenses, which I was informed had to be by either postal order or cash. When I tried to use my debit card it was denied. So I was left trying to figure out how to get $1550 in cash from ATMs with my debit card limit. Then I got a call from the credit union asking if I had authorized the transaction and it turned out that they had been alerted because it was over my daily limit (duh). The first person I talked to said she would try to increase my limit but that I might have to call customer services if it didn't go through. So back i went to the post office where just about everyone else--customers and staff-- was speaking Spanish. I tried again, but it was denied again. So back to the phone I went and this time I got a person who was able to authorize my expenditure and then it worked! so now I have the final payment for the movers. I will need to have some more cash on had in case there is a "shuttle fee." Ugh

It's warm today. I went back to R's apartment to get settled down after my daily dose of being on hold with representatives, and decided to try to get a new Medicare Advantage plan. I googled around and clicked on a page that said it would give me quotes, and unwittingly entered into communication with a broker. He reviewed a plan with me and honestly it is cheaper and has more features than my current plan with Kaiser. It's a PPO so I am not bound to one HMO network. The whole transaction took almost an hour, but it was a very thorough review of a plan and its features. I could have shopped around for other plans but I decided to go ahead and sign up for this one because there are open enrollments again when I reach 65 and for the usual end of the year period, so if for some reason I decide to change, I can do that. We also looked around for a primary care physician within a close distance of my house and he helped me find a clinic that turns out to be a very cool community health center. Next on the agenda is to locate the nearest urgent care center within th network in case I need urgent care like stitches or something.

I also made an appointment to open a new account at the Brooklyn Coop Credit Union. Tomorrow I have to be at my apartment from 8AM to 10PM for a gas technician to come fix my gas issue (that there is none even through the account says it is supposed to be on). So I'll bring my laptop, book, and magazines and do some furniture shopping. I need to see if there a doorbell that works, too. With any luck they will not keep me waiting all day and all night, but you never know. While I"m  there, a locksmith will be coming because one of the front door locks isn't working.

I'm checking things off my list! My voter's registration was processed. My replacement credit card arrived. I'm waiting for my meds to arrive by mail. It's all starting to feel real.

Time to shop for furniture!

Bunna Cafe

 Every day, a new excursion.

Today's excursion was to walk from my new apartment to my daughter's place. It took about an hour. Next time I do it I'll take Bushwick instead of Broadway. Broadway has the elevated train over it and a lot of cheap businesses. Bushwick Ave might be less hectic.

Dinner was at the Bunna Cafe, a vegan Ethiopian restuarant. It's not far from Rosemary's place. There was a DJ. We got the feast for two: two scoops of nine different dishes: wonderful mushrooms, collard greens, lentils, chickpeas, kabocha squash, potatoes and carrots, green beans, all simmered and stewed.There was also a delicious kale salad.  I didn't miss the meat although I do love Ethiopian mean dishes. It was a terrific meal in a great atmosphere.

Bunna means coffee, but we didn't have any.I had a hibiscus drink with cognac, ginger juice and lemon. 

Today's accomplishments: got the internet set-up completed which involved chatting with an Optimum agent  to get me account number so I could create an ID so i could change my network name to Leo and make my own password. The gas is not on for the stove, even though I called them earlier in the week and they said it was. But because it was Sunday I'll have to call them tomorrow during business hours. I'll also have to make a call to get my change of address processed for my annuity account. Tomorrow we are going to go to a vintage furniture store around the corner to see what there might be for my place. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by the prospect of shopping for furniture, but Rosemary is excited about it and I can take this one day at a time. My place is welcoming. The new bed feels comfortable. 

The actual packing and experience with the movers was a nightmare. I won't go into the blow-by-blow, but it involved having to change my flight because the movers didn't show up on the day I had contracted for, didn't show up the next day but kept me waiting because they kept saying they'd be there, and then when the did come and packed, the amount they demanded I pay was twice what had been estimated. They also say I have to pay cash or with a postal money order when they deliver it. I guess a visit to the post office is in order. So this is one of the unreasonable fears that actually came true. I feel as if I was scammed but I had no choice but to go through with the move because the alternative was to have them unload the truck. Ugh.

Unreasonable fears

During today's Alanon meeting, it was suggested that one could make list of one's fears.  What am I afraid of? I find myself beset with unreasonable fears.

I'm afraid that somehow or other the apartment I rented will fall through. Checking the facts: I paid the rent, we have the keys, the landlords have been painting and cleaning the back yard. This is a totally unrealistic fear. I have three more days before I take my one-way flight to Brooklyn where my lovely new home will be waiting for me. I'm sure that this fear is just generalized anxiety over this new stage in my life.

I bought a bed and it had to be delivered, but I was afraid that they won't allow me to schedule the delivery for a time that works for me. Checking the facts: either I'll have R. be present for delivery if it has to be within a window in May, or they'll be happy to work with me to do the delivery after I get there. Either way, they will deliver and set it up for me, and I will have a very nice bed to sleep on. Just a week ago I was afraid I wouldn't have a bed, and now I will. UPDATE: a smooth delivery and installation has happened.

I'm afraid of spending all this money for the move: the moving service, the broker's fee, the extra month of rent I have had to pay here, new furniture. Checking the facts: I inherited a sum of money that will pay for all my moving expenses. It's sitting in the bank and it is there to be used. I won't be dipping into my IRA capital or depleting my savings and I'll be able to afford to do things well and right and not take short cuts or worry about how I can't afford it. I am so fortunate that this sum of money is more than enough.

I'm afraid that when I move to my new neighborhood, I will really miss the walks I have been taking here in Berkeley because there won't be all the trees and flowers and plants. Solutions: every day, take a new exploratory walk to see what is the most pleasant route. Find local small parks as destinations. Walk to the library branch that is half an hour away and read the magazines there. Explore the best route to the Botanic Gardens and become a member there. Plan to go there once a week on a flower tour. Let myself miss Berkeley the garden. Enjoy my back yard and make sure I actually use it. Set up a table and get some flowers to plant, starting with Clevelandia sage.  Choose a neighborhood or subway stop to explore each week and branch out. I'll have plenty of exploring to do.

I'm afraid I won't meet people. Solutions: make an effort to meet with Maria and Rosemary and invite them into my new home for potlucks and decorating excursions. Check out Meet-up groups for art or music. Look for group dance lessons at studios. Recognize that I will not be any more isolated there than I am here. Pick up the phone and call Nancy and TJ as usual. Find a way to volunteer. The brutal fact is that I should stay away from in-person activities because of Covid for the time being anyway.

I'm afraid that I am getting less physically able to cope with hauling things back to my apartment. Solution: use delivery services. Get furniture from thrift stores that deliver (I found and bookmarked two in Maps). Buy one of those little shopping carts for groceries and laundry.

 

 

Guo Pei show at the Legion of Honor

I schlepped all the way out to the Legion of Honor today--almost an hour and a half each way on BART and the 38 Geary bus--to see a show of Chinese designer Guo Pei  and her fantastical couture. She has turned to traditional luxury craftspeople for the heavily embroidered textiles. Her couture work is sculptural and ignores the idea of functionality. Each piece was accompanied by accessories and platform shoes with extravagant decoration. One can view her runway collections on YouTube and the best place to see  photos of her work is on Tumblr. Some of the pieces were on display in the galleries, in tandem with the other works of art, and there was also a huge collection of work in a gallery of its own.

This video tour by Your Daily Bree gives a great view of the displays in the galleries:

 

Preparing the move

        Now that I've put all kinds of money down for my new apartment, I need to get ready for the movers to come on June 1. I will get a phone call about five days in advance to review the move and make any adjustments. I'm not going to give in to the temptation to add any furniture. Slowly I'm going through all the drawers and closets to see what I pack and what I leave. The main factor in moving out of a furnished place is that I need to mark clearly what stays and what goes. I just can pack the contents of the closet or the dresser or the bookshelves, but in some cases I need to use post-it notes to indicate which items stay and which ones go. Half the towels are mine and half belong to the unit. Same with blankets, sheets, pillows. I have most of my kitchen needs met by stuff I got from mom's place that my sister saved. As for my dishes and serving ware, I will move the loose items to the top of the kitchen table as a staging area for the movers. There is a fair amount of framed art to pack. I've started taking down stuff like all the magnets and images on my fridge, the smaller paper posters, the smaller framed prints that are not framed with glass. I will need to take some time to pack up all my earrings that are hanging up; maybe I should used tape to attach them together before I pack them in a baggie so they don't get lost in the tangle.

I found about a dozen small bottles of baths salts and bath oils I got from Nancy and mom from hotels, but there's no bathtub in the new place so I should just make a selection and give some to Rosemary. She doesn't have any storage to speak of in her bathroom so I need to remember that.  I wonder if there is a sauna or bathhouse anywhere. I should check Korean neighborhoods.

As I go, I am discovering things that I haven't used or seen in years, and I get to decide if I'm going to donate them (all the craft supplies) or keep them (the go bag for natural disaster prep). In my new home I won't need to worry about wildfires sweeping down from the hills, or earthquakes. I might need to deal with a fire. I'll get renters insurance and repack the go bag when I get there to make it less geared toward camping out homeless in the zombie dystopia, and more about having things for a prolonged stay at a motel or at my daughter's place in case I were to be displaced by a fire. 

Here's some professional moving instructions:

Making it real

I found an apartment in Brooklyn! It's only 20 minutes from my daughter's place on the subway, and was the best place of all the ones I looked at by far. It has an entry way with a storage space, then a huge separate kitchen with tons of counter space and beautiful cupboards, There's room for a large table in the middle of the room, and black and white tile floor. The stove is gas, which I prefer. The bathroom is also the largest I've seen, with black and white tile as well. There's only a shower, no tub, but that's OK with me. There's storage in the bathroom as well. The living room is more like a parlour. It's between the kitchen and the bedroom, but is just right for my reading chair, bookshelves, and a TV. Rosemary says she'll give me her little TV because she wants to get a bigger one. Yay! The bedroom is big enough for a king-size bed and the tenants had two dressers. There are closets with curtains in each of the rooms. I'll have room for bookshelves and clothing storage. There will be a place for my suitcase. It's on the ground floor --no stairs--and the back door gives out on a yard that will be only accessible from my unit. I didn't take a long look at it, but after it's cleaned up there is a bench for seating, and room to garden. The landlady is a creative writing professor, and she and her husband live on the third floor. I didn't ask about the middle floor tenant. Let's hope they're not noisy! 

It's a short walk from the L which is the line that goes right to Rosemary's place, and there is a J stop not far as well. Both the L and the J go to Manhattan. Today Rosemary and I are going to meet at a cafe nearby and take a stroll around to scope out the neighborhood.