On dishwashers (the challenges of married life)

Many people have asked me, "How's married life?" I LOVE being married. I am someone who waited excitedly her whole life to find a partner and am thrilled to have Kelvin with whom to share well, everything. As most of you know, however, it is clear that marriage is definitely about compromise and adjusting to living with another person, which we are both still learning to do! It comes with many challenges which we are definitely realizing and confronting amidst this whole move-in process.

One of them was what to do with the "duplicates" of stuff we have. Having lived in separate residences in Sacramento, we weren't forced to do a whole lot of the "weeding out" of duplicate items prior to our move. It was upon unpacking the boxes that I realized that we do have lots of doubles of quite a few household items-- pots, knives, microwaves, ironing boards, irons, comforters, cleaning supplies, office stationery, TVs (we have three in our house right now-- his, mine, and a free one Phi gave me a long time ago!), VCRs (yes, K and I might be the only two people left on this earth who have VCRs; we must be made for one another!), several books (some ones we were given in residency, along with the classic The Alchemist and Three Cups of Tea) as well as enough "travel" toiletries [and other toiletries, for that matter!] to last us our whole married life.

We do NOT have two dishwashers. I am getting to that.

We have paradoxically been requiring near daily trips to Target, the hardware store, or Ross to get the necessities for the house, while, at the same time, I have been totally frustrated (and disgusted, too) with how much "stuff" we have, and, at times, have entered "jettison" mode. Which prompts conversations like these:

T: So we have two microwaves. Which one should we use? What should we do with the other one?
K: We should use mine, of course. It's smaller and newer.
T: Maybe we should use the "older" one first, in case it breaks or, you know, to "wear it out" first and sell the other one...
K: That makes no sense. We should use the "good" one.
T: So should I get rid of the other one (mine)?
K: No; let's just store it in the garage...
T: For what? (and thinking, "Oh gosh. Please don't let us become those hoarders who have piled up junk and cat feces everywhere" [I have been watching a bit too much cable])
K: Just in case... you know, if this one (his) breaks...
T: So we're using the "bad" one as the backup? I think that makes no sense. We should just get rid of it. It's silly to have two microwaves.

So currently, we are using his sleek newer microwave and my old, reliable Amana Radaranage (which has served me well ever since college!) is for sale on Craigslist... And, if it doesn't sell, I am pretty sure a needy Humboldt State Student would gladly take it if we gave it away (and I would gladly get rid of it).

Au revoir, Radarange (well, once sold)



A similar discussion happened with the irons, with a slightly different outcome:
T: Which one should we use?
K: Mine.
T: Why? When's the last time you ironed?!
K: That's not the point. Mine's newer.
T: Again, why should we use the newer one? Why not use the older one (the one with which I, the only ironer in this household, am familiar?). I'm not opposed to saving the other one, as it doesn't take up much space.

I won that one but I think only because I have been the one unpacking the office, bathroom, and organizing the bedroom. His iron is in the office closet in its original box (which I'm thinking hasn't even been opened)... [On a slight tangent, I have to mention that it is very endearing that Kelvin likes to hold on to all the "original" boxes of most household things (especially electronics), which actually makes organization and finding things in closet storage much easier (if you have the space to keep the empty boxes)].

Okay, so here is the scoop on dishwashers:

I LOVE dishwashers. I have not had the luxury of a dishwasher in my residence (my parents' house excepted) for over a decade. I can't remember if my first rental house in MN had one. In any case, I think they are super. I hate hand-washing dishes, I hate looking at the stuffed dish-drying rack that gets full and can't accommodate other items needing to be washed, and I hate the residue that I feel that is left on silverware that is not sparkled and heat-dried. I feel like dishwashers are efficient and get things (overall) more clean.

Kelvin does not feel the same way. In fact, I learned this past year while dating him that (pardon the generalization) a lot of Asian people do not use dishwashers like the rest of us do. They often use them not to wash dishes, but often as drying racks. I searched Google today to check out whether this was a real phenomenon, and came across this amusing article on a blog (which is rather hilarious to read now, as having married a Vietnamese guy, I now consider myself part of an "Asian" family) by a guy named Peter called "Stuff Asian People Like."

The article opens with "Asian people are generally regarded as technologically advanced, and that is true. However, there is one machine an Asian will never use: The dishwasher."

The article discusses the reasons why Asians won't use the dishwasher which really boil down to:
a) In areas of Asia which are underdeveloped, homes simply do not have dishwashers, and therefore many immigrant families just never had them part of their kitchen culture.
b) Asians are prideful and don't "trust" the dishwasher (among other appliances) to clean the dishes (perhaps using the dishwasher also makes one appear lazy?).
c) Asians are thrifty and using a machine to wash the dishes may use more water, time, and power than one's own hands.
d) Dishes are easier to access when left sink-side.

In the past few days of being "home," I have noticed that I use the dishwasher almost exclusively (except obviously for wooden things and some pots and plastics), while Kelvin (actually the main dish-washer when I cook) always hand-washes the dishes. Unfortunately, this means that we only need to run the dishwasher every three to four days (which would be even less frequent if we were out of the house and working), which means that the food (even when pre-rinsed off the dishes) sometimes dries to a point where it doesn't completely come off (K: "See!! The dishwasher DOESN'T get the dishes cleaner!). This has led me to the conclusion that I don't think one of us can play zone, and the other man-to-man, if you get the analogy... I think we either need to both use the dishwasher, or both hand-wash the dishes, because things come up like:

K: Where is... my cutting board? (or x, y, or z)?
T: I used it last night... did you check the dishwasher?
K: Oh no; I would not have thought to check there...
(pause)
K: Is it clean?
T: No, it's not clean. It's in the dishwasher, which has not been run, because it's dirty. Clean dishes belong in the drying rack or on the shelf.
(We don't currently have a "Dishes are clean/dirty" sign, so it can be a bit confusing, but I have been trying to unload freshly washed dishes right away to eliminate some of the uncertainty.)

So what should we do? Kelvin has never used a dishwasher, so I don't think he has the "knack" for knowing what is and what is not dishwasher-safe. It seems like such a waste to not use an applicance that we have the luxury of having (should we hand-wash our laundry, too?) and I really despise unloading the dishwasher (definitely one of my most hated tasks). But is it worth it to try to get my husband to use it (with the risks of sacrificing some kitchenware [which, actually, would not be all that bad of a thing-- we have TOO MUCH!]), or is it better for me to just simplify things, suck it up, and hand-wash dishes like in the olden days.... Thoughts?

As much as I have mentioned our "differences of opinion" on this post, they are really just illustrative of the challenges of marriage that we will have to endure our whole lives, and, in my opinion, definitely worth the sacrifice of not always having it my way. Even if we don't use my microwave, iron, we toss my guidebooks, and I hand-wash dishes for the rest of my years, I still choose marriage over the lack of discussions that come with living the single life...

Home Improvement

Slowly, our house is becoming a home. It has been quite a project. I definitely underestimated much work it is to furbish, organize, decorate, and clean a house (and definitely underappreciated others' efforts at maintaining their homes); however, I don't think either Kelvin or I could ever go back to living the apartment life (no crowded cities in our future!). Kelvin and I have been up assembling or fixing furniture, unpacking boxes, and cleaning until as late as 1 a.m. some nights (about 4 hours past my bedtime!). While initially it didn't seem that we were making many dents in our seeming mountain of boxes, we are now past the "framing" stage (i.e. ensuring we have the shelves, drawers, and cupboards into which we can put everything) and now are able to actually put things away, which has made our progress (thankfully!) seem more rapid. It is exhausting, but the "settling in" is now starting to feel a bit more satisfying.


I don't consider either K or myself particularly "handy" people. I am fairly useless with troubleshooting most electronics (including Mac computers!) or repairing "stuff" around the house, and we are both pretty impatient, getting frustrated easily and wanting things to be fixed with the snap of a finger. However, I think we have both really stepped it up. Kelvin bought a power drill, and was a master at ensuring that all of the windows (and door-less closets) of our house got curtainrods and curtains up, which was no small task when you see how many windows we have (this house has amazing natural lighting!)! He and I have both been busy assembling shelves and furniture-- I was very proud of myself for putting together two dresser-type nightstands but am a bit daunted by the thought of putting together a desk that is currently en route. My futon, which has been used as a bed for the past 8 years (!), and which was deemed "broken" by the movers ("Do you really want us to pack this?" "Yes!"), is now back to a state of as good as new! It was missing a few screws, washers, and nuts which had become loose and fallen out, but it only took me a few mental photos, a trip to the hardware store for replacement parts (quite fun now that I'm into "home improvement"!), and about a half-hour of my time with a screwdriver and Allen wrench to get it fixed!

And then there was the painting. One of the bedrooms of the house was formerly a child's room and was painted this awful, awful shade of lime green. Now, the owner of this house (or maybe it was the child who chose the color?...) apparently either must be color blind, or really likes ugly shades of green, because, in addition to this awful bedroom, we also have a closet and half of an office which are a light green/chartreuse-like color and an upstairs bathroom painted in light green. I could tolerate the small amount of the chartreuse and have gotten used to the pastel-like shade in the bathroom (there are actually a lot of bathroom accessories in that color!); however, I could NOT live with the lime-green bedroom, even though only two of the walls were painted that color (again, an interesting color scheme).

Despite Kelvin's efforts to convince me that he "doesn't mind" the color (in the room that was to be the "man cave,"), that we (i.e. I) wouldn't be spending that much time in that room, and, again, that this is NOT our house but a rental, I still decided to paint it (after we cleared it with the owner). Having lived in on-campus or rental apartments for the past 12 years, the last time I painted was probably about fifteen years ago when my family moved back into our house in McLean (and I was reminded by my dad today that either my sister or I was rather sloppy with the rollers, leaving drippy parts on several walls!). Obviously, I am by no means a pro, but I don't really mind painting; using the roller is rather satisfying to me. I was very worried about making sure I bought all the required supplies in one fell swoop (I HATE having to go back to the store for things, esp. amidst a messy job like painting), but the staff at the Arcata ACE hardware store were very helpful, and yesterday was the day!

Before:
(Serena, you can NOT tell me that this would look good with light yellow, or really any color, for that matter)



During (the priming stage... it was soooo satisfying to see that green go away):


After:



Now, between the prep (clearing out stuff, masking tape, etc.) and painting (primer, then a light beige/neutral topcoat), this became a full-day activity for me, but, in my opinion, was so worth it. I now no longer gasp when I enter that room and would not be embarrassed to have guests stay there :).

So, we are on our way to completing Home Improvement 101; we will be well prepared when we buy a house someday!

Vegas Getaway

(No, this is not Paris!)

Our house is far from unpacked and there are many things to be assembled and still some fairly major renovations that need to be done (even though it is a rental, I see painting in my future...). I feel that we have been constantly on the move this summer and haven't slept in the same bed for more than three consecutive nights in over a month. However, still being "on vacation," and being a big fan of deals, Kelvin really wanted to take advantage of a Southwest steal of weekday airfare and take me to Las Vegas for a couple of days. Despite being mildly stressed, possessing the wanderlust that I do, how could I object? It definitely has been a break from moving, which is definitely physically and emotionally exhausting.

The last (and only, I believe) time I was in Vegas was with my parents and sister, about fifteen years ago (gosh, that makes me feel old!). I remember that we stayed at Bally's, enjoyed fabulous buffets (I recall liking the Flamingo's food the best), and visited Caesar's Palace where I recall buying a little bear in a toga outfit; however, being too young at that time to really get into any trouble, I probably hadn't experienced Vegas to its "fullest." So it was about time I went back:)

Kelvin counted that he's been to Vegas around seven times, most recently this past May for his bachelor party. He admits that he's not a huge fan of Sin City, but definitely does enjoy the food and the shows, and he was eager to show me (" the newbie") around! With me not being a smoker (though many areas are now smoke-free), a heavy drinker, a gambler, a bright lights/glitz/city-person, a dancer, a lie-by-the-pool-and-bake person, nor good at staying out late (i.e. my eyes close spontaneously around 10 p.m.), one would think that I would not enjoy Vegas at all. However, it is the contrary-- I actually find this city quite delightful.

Here are few reasons why Vegas is a fun place to visit:

1. The food
You probably know that both Kelvin and I really enjoy eating. I actually think that, more than nice weather/nice scenery/interesting sights, good food is one of the must-haves for a vacation to be enjoyable, which is part of why we had such a wonderful time on our recent trip to Asia. Las Vegas has fabulous food. The choices are just unbelievable. Kelvin knew about this deal called "Buffet of Buffets," which is not ideal if you are trying to watch your figure; however, it is of exceptional value as, for about $45, you are allowed unlimited entry to 7 different hotel buffets for any 24-hour period (individual buffets, on average, cost you $15-30 per person, per meal). We milked the deal for four meals, hitting up Carnival World at Rio, Le Village at the Paris, Spice Market at Planet Hollywood, and Flavors at Harrah's. All places were great-- we had our fill of seafood (buffets are worth it for the bottomless snow crab legs alone!), Asian delights (the Rio buffet even makes pho to order!), crepes (Le Village was quite charming for breakfast!), Mediterranean food (one of my favorites), as well as desserts (gelato and cotton candy... could I ask for more?!). In addition, we were blown away by the frozen (hot) chocolate at Serendipity's (by Caesar's Palace), which is really like a cup of heaven. It is good this was only a two-day trip; otherwise, I would probably have some issues with clothes fitting...



Frozen white chocolate


Spun sugar... one of my favorites...



2. The hotels
"The strip" (Las Vegas Blvd) is just stacked with interesting hotels. I love how compact everything is. We stayed at the MGM Grand which was extremely comfortable; we had a king-sized bed, very clean and modern room, access to multiple pools, and several in-house shows; however, I must say that some of the other hotels have a bit more character. I loved the atmospherere of The Paris, with its huge Notre Dame arch and Eiffel Tower structures outside, and the cobblestone streets and cafes lining the indoor alleyways... we really felt like we were in the City of Love (on "The List" of places to go in the near future). The Venetian even has gondolas which pass through the inside of the hotel (which is truly the spitting image of Venice!) to the next-door Palazzo (!); Caesar's Palace has a "Forum" of shops and a mock Trevi Fountain! I remember the Luxor from our past trip which, now having been to Egypt, is even more interesting (I think the strip just needs a Greek- themed hotel/casino called "The Acropolis" or something!). There is nowhere in the world quite like Vegas!

I know that many of you have been to Las Vegas and probably find the architecture overdone and cheesy, but, for some reason, I really find the modeled buildings, travel-themes, and opulence of it all very awe-inspiring. It is also truly amazing how self-contained (i.e. like mini-cities) these hotels are. I heard a woman remark, upon exiting The Rio, "Wow! It's so hot! I haven't been outside in three days!" I think that the next time we visit, I'd like to stay at one of the more "themed" hotel-and-casinos. I also want to ride the rollercoaster above New York, New York, but K hates rollercoasters... sigh.

Our hotel (somehow I missed the big lion outside which is on a different corner)




The Venetian




NY, NY


The Paris


Caesar's Palace


(I plan to take him to the real Trevi fountain someday...)


K was in heaven (world's largest H&M which opened in December)



3. The shows
Despite my having a hard time staying awake at "late" shows, we caught two different performances in Vegas. The first was Ka, by Cirque du Soleil, which was a well done dance and acrobatics show. The second was "Jersey Boys" at the Palazzo, which was a hilarious and very entertaining musical about the history of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (one of the best musicals I've ever seen-- with audience members singing and tapping along to the familiar 60s tunes!). I could spend weeks in Vegas just attending shows :)

4. The weather
Las Vegas is in the desert. Sacramento is sort of in the desert, but not to such an extreme. Some people (i.e. Kelvin) don't like hot weather-- he is looking forward to moving to Arcata, where the SUMMER HIGH is about 66 degrees (on average). I, however, LOVE the heat. I loved the weather in Sacramento where it could be 70 degrees at night and 100 in the daytime. It was 110 in Las Vegas on Wednesday (about 95 even at 9 p.m.!), and I just loved walking outside from the 50-degree air-conditioned hotels (where I was always wearing 1-2 extra layers) to the dry desert heat (and not the reverse, like most people!). My frizzy hair has never looked so smooth (flat). Oh, how did I survive Minnesota.... (and how am I going to survive Humboldt county)?!

5. The service
You get fantastic service everywhere here! Other than maybe in Bali, I have never had such excellent service from any personnel. Everyone, from the rental car shuttle drivers, to people who checked us in at the hotel, to the servers at the restaurant, to the valet guys, were so, so kind and helpful. (I didn't know that one could valet a car... for free; in fact, I'm not sure I have ever valeted [sp?] my car before...). K also tells me that (apart for tipping), drinks are free for you while you are at a poker table, for instance (hard for me to believe! Unconfirmed this trip). In any case, I will miss not being pampered :)

So... did we gamble? Kelvin did not. For signing up for a Vegas Rewards card to get the discount on buffets, I got a $5 coupon to be used exclusively for gambling at Caesar's palace.... and then put in $10 of my own to try the penny slots, which is about as adventurous as I am willing to be (not a gambler, I have to limit myself to games that are based on pure luck). I bounced a bit between machines and, unfortunately, accidentally got on a dollar-slot machine which wiped away about half of my allotted gambling money; however, while I did not end up in the positive, it was entertaining for a bit. Since I actually cashed out the change from the $5 coupon, I only spent (and lost) $9.65 on gambling this trip :) And I wasn't too tempted to even try the slot machines in the airport!!!



Las Vegas was our last trip of the summer ( :( ) . It is now back to reality-- 60-degree weather and lots of unpacking. Work starts in just one week!

East Coast Quake?!

How strange that an earthquake struck the East Coast yesterday! Kelvin and I were in the airport getting ready to board our flight to Las Vegas (more on the trip later) when we heard that the 5.8-magnitude quake had stuck my former coast, with the epicenter just 40 miles northwest of my old college town of Richmond, Virginia. Apparently the last quake of such great magnitude in that area was around 1897, although there have been smaller quakes throughout this century that have rattled the eastern seaboard (felt mainly just by people immediately over the epicenters).

My parents, who live in McLean, VA, a D.C. suburb, said that they felt 30-40 seconds of shaking, with some vases toppling over (but luckily not breaking), and two very apprehensive dogs, but otherwise had no loss of power and are all well. I didn't know that quakes (of the same magnitude) are more easily "felt" on the east coast, due to older and colder rock that apparently doesn't absorb seismic waves as well.

I recall witnessing a fairly major earthquake in Southern California in the early 1990s-- I think I slept through the 7.4, but was awake for the 6.5-magnitude aftershock, and I definitely still remember lamps swinging in our hotel room! It is interesting (but probably fortunate) that I haven't felt any major quakes since moving to CA in 2007.

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake also struck northern Peru today-- man, those tectonic plates are active!

I wonder when the next one will hit us on the west (best) U.S. coast...

Five weddings (and a funeral)

(photo by Michelle/Andy)



This has been a busy summer! Between finishing residency, our own wedding, studying for/taking boards, going on our honeymoon, house-hunting, and moving, we have not had too much down time (and our start date of September 1 is rapidly approaching!). I also just realized that in the span of exactly 3 months, we have attended five weddings (and sadly, one funeral, too-- K's great uncle for which we traveled to San Jose), most recently the wedding of Kristin and Caesar in Livermore this past weekend!

Here are some wedding photo recaps:

May 22 – Tim and Kya (Walnut Creek, CA)

May 29- Kimie and Vin (Diamond Bar, CA)

July 2- Our wedding! (Carmichael and Clarksburg, CA) -- we are very excited to have gotten our photo files from Huy Phan!

July 9- Joe and Brittinee (Enumclaw, WA)

August 20 (Kristin and Caesar)- Livermore, CA

We were privileged to be able to attend Kristin and Caesar’s wedding this past Saturday. We made the 6-or-so- hour drive from Arcata on the same day, with some spare time to join Serena/Brad and a few other friends of Kristin's (in town for the wedding) for a little wine-tasting before the ceremony. It was a beautiful day for a wedding—cloudless and about 82 degrees (enviably about 20-degrees cooler than the weather on our own wedding date!). They had a lovely outdoor ceremony at the Poppy Ridge Golf Course, followed by an amazing reception with great food, great music, and special family tributes to the happy couple, including touching toasts and an amazingly choreographed cousins' dance to Bruno Mars' "Marry You." Enjoy these snapshots of their special day (with special credit to Michelle and Andy for the super camera and beautiful black and white photo above).

Kelvin with the groom, pre-ceremony

Here comes the bride!

The ceremony

Married!

Unity sand

Cocktail hour had SUSHI! (but we had time to take a few photos)

Me with Helena

Cute cards with seed paper!

Origami tree

Their beautiful cake which, unlike ours, was entirely edible!

Us with the gorgeous bride!

First dance

Father-daughter dance

Cake-cutting

UCD group shot!

With that, we have a little break from weddings (and, with hope, from funerals).

And, for a little humor (from my sister's facebook page)...

From a card or something (?) "I hate when old people poke me at weddings, point and whisper, 'You're next.' So I've started doing the same thing to them at funerals."

Not another pot (a.k.a the pain of moving)

Our move is going fairly smoothly, all things considered. The packing company packed both Kelvin and my apartments (8 hours total) on Monday, which was quite amazing. As I think I mentioned previously, I had never used professional "movers" for any of my adult moves in the past, and assembling, packing, and hauling boxes is all too familiar to me for all the moves in the last 10 years or so (once per year while at college, 3 times in Minnesota, but luckily just this once to and from residency). Having 2-3 people actually wrap, pack, and haul stuff (with a DOLLY!) to a large truck was such a blessing (and even more so because it was paid for). And having them also drive the stuff up [not easy on some of the curvy roads between Sacramento and Arcata], haul boxes, reassemble the furniture, and unpack box contents today (even if it was just into the living area) was just as sweet. It was quite lonely in our big house without stuff for 2 nights (the air mattress on the floor was not that comfortable and we neglected to think to bring a chair), but it is all okay now, and the company was fantastic. I don't think I will EVER move without a packing company again. In my opinion, the time, hassle, and exhaustion is just not worth it (and I would go quite a long way to save money).

So... not having the sole responsibility of packing like in previous years, the realization hit me more today (while unpacking) that I have soooo much stuff. Too much stuff. It is really unbelievable. It really actually makes me feel rather guilty (for having the movers have to move all of my junk), as well as sad because it makes me feel so materialistic. I mean, how many pots and dishes and how many clothes do we really need (one mover did note that he thought K might have more clothes than I do, though, which made my day :)). Currently moving from a 1-bedroom apartment (with K from a studio, although I had "stuff" for probably a 2+ BR!), I can't even imagine what it would be like to have to move a whole house full of "stuff," accumulated over many years. It really makes one seriously consider a) never moving again and b) never buying another thing (as well as getting rid of 80% of what one does have), as demonstrated by this photo:




When the movers unloaded today, I basically spent the day in the kitchen, being the inventory- checker of the numbered boxes to make sure all the items arrived, and then trying to find space for the gazillions of kitchen items and appliances that I somehow have (which are far out of proportion to both the extent and quality of my cooking). Just when I thought I had "got it all," ANOTHER kitchen box would arrive. We registered for some nice china and a few pan-replacements, but a lot of this stuff isn't even new (and you know that Kelvin, who is a great dishwasher but noncooker, hardly contributed any kitchen stuff... so it is actually mine!!). Oof da.

Luckily, the house we are renting is very spacious, with lots of cabinet and drawer space in the kitchen, closet shelving in all 3 bedrooms, space under the staircase, and a garage to boot. We are very spoiled. Especially including our anticipated furniture purchases (progress... I ordered a desk today!), we really can't downsize in the next move (unless we get rid of lots of "stuff"). I just hope (but doubt) that the next move may be our last. I have always enjoyed living in different locations and the richness of experience that comes with moving around the country (or world); however, I now feel much more like "settling down." How glorious it would be to just own a house, stay in it, and never move again...

Someday, I guess.
But until then, I am vowing to be better about jettisoning "stuff" and refraining from any more shopping (especially pots).

Furniture and Tears

The summer is just flying by; I cannot believe that it is already mid-August and September (i.e. the start of work for us!) is near...

This week has been BUSY!!! Since being back from Asia, we have felt like we've had many tasks at hand....

First, furniture shopping. I would just like to say that I am immensely blessed to have a husband that tolerates shopping... of all kinds; in fact, he seems to enjoy shopping more than I do. I tend to lose patience and steam, as well as get frustrated by prices. We have been busy browsing furniture for our house in Arcata, which (at a three-bedroom) is much larger than either of our former living spaces (or anywhere we have lived in recent years). We definitely don't have the furniture currently to fill a house, and, in the throes of a recent wedding and honeymoon and two months without income, we now have the added future dread of dropping thousands of dollars on furniture. Both of us are very frugal people (Kelvin likes a deal almost more than I do, believe it or not!), and so the thought of spending a few thousand dollars on a "great" sofa sectional, when we could maybe get a "decent" one for half the price, is rather shocking; however we do know that we should get "quality" stuff that lasts and look at this as an "investment." But it is still so difficult. Our order of business is something like this: 1. sofa/sectional, 2. office desk (my Ikea desk which I've had since HS is now headed to its grave), 3. coffee table, 4. TV (time for larger than a 21-inch!), 5. dining table + chairs (for all the guests we hope we'll have! '). We're going to need miscellaneous shelves, bedside tables, and lamps, but those definitely are lower-priority.

Shopping is more work than buying, for sure. In the past 4 days or so, we have spent many, many hours browsing in stores including Ikea, Costco, Office Max, Target, Crate and Barrel, and Pottery Barn, as well as the local Antique Faire today (my first time!) [other suggestions/options are welcome!)]; however, the only thing we have bought is a bookshelf on super sale from Office Max. We would theoretically like to buy furniture now, as the movers are coming (finally! They had a hard time committing to a move date!) tomorrow, and it would be great for them to haul the big stuff now (rather than us trying to figure if we could squeeze furniture, disassembled, into either of our Toyotas). However, we don't really have anywhere currently to store furniture. Secondly, when we were in Arcata in July, we had to sign on the rental house so quickly that we didn't have time to go back and measure the rooms' dimensions and our memory is, at this point, a little fuzzy about some intricacies of the layout, so we are hesitant to make any major furniture purchases until we return there.

While there is a Costco in Eureka, there are not any chain furniture stores for at least 100 miles from where we are living. There seem to be some small local furniture places, but we haven't had any time in Humboldt County yet to check them out yet; therefore, while we felt the need to "shop down here now," we have held out on buying anything. While we are thrilled to have (through Kelvin's scholarship) a company packing and moving for us (a luxury that I have not had as an adult!), their coming so late is really cutting down our time for unpacking, settling in, and making purchase decisions. Despite how much I hate actually boxing up stuff and the whole "moving" process (I wonder if I will ever be in one place longer than four years!), there is still some part of me that doesn't actually believe that people are going to pack up my stuff for me, so I spent the better part of today organizing and boxing up the majority of things in my place.

Moving does not get easier. But it feels the same every time. As the pictures came off the walls and my belongings went into cardboard, with sappy country music on Pandora in the background, I started feeling nostalgic and missing Sacramento already. While we are sort of "moving" tomorrow/Tuesday, we are bouncing back to central Cal (Sac is not northern Cal compared to Arcata!) next weekend (with a short Vegas jaunt) and won't be up in Arcata "for good" until the last week in August, so I don't have to say goodbyes just yet. But it is still sad.

And, speaking of sad (while really unrelated to any topic above), I shed my share of quite a few tears this week at a couple of very powerful films which you definitely should see (I am a sucker for civil-rights-type stories):

1. The Help, based on the Kathryn Stockett novel of the same name, about the relationships between black maids and their Southern employers in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi
2. The Great Debaters, a drama based on the true story of a 1935 black college's debate team and their challenges and triumphs against schools across the country

With that, it is back to packing... and eating /(rescuing) freezer leftovers...