On Friday, I was able to take advantage of summer half-day Fridays and leave at 2 to hit the Container Store for some sort of storage facility for my collection of shopping bags that I simply cannot part with.
Before, they were stashed in other bags under my table in the kitchen. Then earlier this week, a cockroach the size of Danny DeVito zoomed out of my bathroom, into the kitchen, and behind those bags!
The roach was so big it made rustling sounds as it passed behind the bags, and moved so slowly – relative to that type of vermin – that I was able to contemplate for a moment whether or not to take a picture of it before finally killing it with an old Time Out New York magazine (the cheap issue!). That’s a long of saying I felt I needed to remedy the shopping bag situation.
After much musing at the store, I finally settled on two folding mesh cubes, one large for big bags and one small for little ones. At first I wasn’t 100% sure about them, thinking I needed something with a cover, but after going through the bags and not finding a squirming, hairless nest of baby mice like I’d been imagining, I felt better about my purchases. It also helped to throw about 2/3 of the bags away.
What’s cool about the cubes is that I can fit one inside the other, and also when I’m not using them, they can be folded and stored away without taking up much space.
While I was organizing my kitchen, I thought I’d clean it too. Also did a load of laundry and read quite a bit of The Kite Runner, which by the way is AMAZING. I cry about every five pages.
Saturday my plan was to write a lot, but I didn’t get as much done as I wanted. I wrote a scene for my memoir and had also wanted to start revising a couple of pieces, but I didn’t get that far. Instead I cleaned my bathroom, then walked down to Home Depot for a shower curtain liner.
I also stopped in Sam Flax for some fabric paint and brushes to finish the T-shirts I started in DC last weekend. I found the fabric paint but not the brushes, so I inquired.
“Oh, those are new,” the salesgirl said dismissively. “You’ll only find those in a big store.”
The Sam Flax I went to was pretty darned big by Manhattan standards. “So a regular brush would be okay?” I said.
“It worked for Rembrandt,” she responded.
I wasn’t sure if she was being snide but my gut reaction was feeling wounded. I put back all the fabric paint and decided not to buy the laptop sleeve I was thinking about.
As I walked back uptown, I started to get more and more pissed off. Later that night I dashed off a complaint, saying that I’d probably never shop there again. To their credit, they wrote back pretty quickly, apologizing, wanting details (who, when, where), and giving me a $10 gift card. Sweet! Though I’d have to pick it up at that store. Eep.
Sometimes I don’t know if I’m being sensitive or if someone is really rude. Usually I think the latter, but there are times I doubt myself. I think customer service in NY is pretty sucky overall. When I go out to L.A., I’m amazed at how nice everyone is.
Anyway, I wanted to clear my yucky feeling so I walked up to the Met and took a quick look around. Being in a museum always restores a feeling of peace for me.
By the time I got home it was already 5. I was seeing a movie with YP later so I only had time to clean the bedroom before getting ready. (Cleaning takes such a long frigging time.) We saw Nancy Drew, which was cute and fun. It’s nice to see a girl as an action hero – and an action hero in penny loafers! Her outfits were so adorable. I want every single one.
Sunday I finally was able to get a lot of writing done. I find I get more work done if I’m sitting in a cafe rather than my place with all of its distractions. In the late afternoon I went for a run in the Park. Five miles around the Loop, yay!
This run was much better than my first one, when I pooped out after just a three miles, having not hydrated properly and starting out too fast. This time I made sure to drink a ton of water beforehand, and to begin very slowly. It helped that there was this guy in an ING Marathon shirt in front of me. He was going much faster than I was, but I was able to keep him in my sights. Little did he know he was my rabbit.
The weather couldn’t have been better. Cool and dry. Running in the Park is so much fun. I’m totally doing it again over the days we have off this week.
At home I finished cleaning my place – finally! Now let’s see how little work I can do this week. ;)
I enjoyed the Kite Runner.
I think the remark was a little off to say to a customer. Unless it was comedy day there, then it was fine.