Okaaay so there's a problem with the flat of dreams. All the high shine parquet floors are oh-so-pretty to look at, but not so great for stopping noise coming from the flat above at 7am, when our neighbour decides to listen to his TV unfeasibly loudly and walk around like a petulant teenager, seemingly stomping with every step. He shall henceforth be known as Stompy and I can't express just how loud the noise from his flat is. Aaaargh.
After our early start, I did the gruelling 15 min stroll to work with Maxy, along blossom-lined streets with nice houses on them, only to feel like I was in a film set on Wall Street in the 80s ('Wall Street', perhaps. Though I was thinking more of 'The Secret Of My Success') when we hit Dupont Circle, as there were just seas of commuters filling the streets. I guess it must be a bit like what working in the City is like in London, but it's certainly never like that in Shepherds Bush, or even Soho, where there's just a few people - many with directional hair and baggy jeans - slowly making their way to work.
With Max safely stowed at the Bureau, I decided to take a long way home because it was sooo sunny and I wanted to track down Safeway, which is apparently the only large supermarket anywhere near us. The whole neighbourhood is just beautiful and I will be sure to post some photos soon. I just couldn't quite believe that this is my life for the next year - getting to wander around sunny streets looking at blossom and enjoying the warm sunshine. Ok, so I know those streets will soon become muggy and heinous, only to then get snowy and slippy, but the point is, it's all extremely pretty.
I found Safeway in a cool little pocket of the neighbourhood, where there's a hardware store and handy things like watch menders, little cafes and shoe menders. I was a bit relieved, as the whole place is so picturesque and has many nice restaurants, but I'd yet to find anywhere actually practical, so this was a good find.
I spent the rest of the day unpacking. I realise that there should've been clues by the time I started packing bag number 4, but we definitely brought way too much stuff. It was exhausting work, but nice to remind myself of the many things we brought and to make the flat look like home. I only wish Max was as fond of the transformation moments on home improvement shows as I am, as it would blow his mind to see the changes our stuff has made to the place.
It's funny, just yesterday, when we were having supper in the faux-Elgin, I was saying to Max how surprised I was not to've felt homesick yet. I've always had really bad homesickness, right up to university, and know so well that kind of lurching feeling in your tummy that you have to suppress in order to just get on with things. But I haven't felt that at all, probably because everyone at home has been so lovely about keeping in touch, and because I've got Max here, and wherever I lay my Max, that's my home (okay, that wasn't meant to sound in any way saucy).
However, unpacking all our things and seeing the trinkets we brought with us to remind us of home - ironically to stop us feeling sad about not being there - actually served to make me feel a bit homesick. Not even the amazing alarm clock that I bought for $20 this morning and lets you wake up to an iPod could cheer me up, though seeing how great the flat looked by the end of the day was nice.
Fortunately the walk to pick Max up from work raised my spirits and reminded me of how lucky I am to be here. There were lots of people milling around Dupont Circle in the evening sunshine and a saxophonist was playing nice music, to make me feel a little like I was in a film. The blossom was beautiful, too. Unnervingly, the sea of commuters Max and I encountered this morning had turned into a sea - nay, an ocean - of exercising people. As I lollopped down the street, full of 10 days worth of huge US diner portions, I passed a million joggers and people with yoga mats slung over their shoulders. I had to console myself with the fact that I can't possibly start exercising until the many other way more important things (um, like arranging photo frames) are done.
I'd had great intentions of cooking Max a nice meal for our first proper evening in our proper flat, but the unpacking kind of got in the way, so we stopped for a deliiiicious meal at an Asian diner between Dupont and here. Mmmm, it was lishy.
Max's first day in the Bureau since his week of shadowing Laura had been a bit stressful yesterday and he came back to the apartment a little dispirited. But today went much better, despite him having way more to do. He seems to've done a week's work in one day, including a by-lined feature, and was really happy with how it all went and feels like he's getting more into his stride.
As we were unlocking the door to our flat after supper, we heard someone locking up upstairs, then thunderous footsteps coming towards us that had the stomach-turning familiarity of Stompy. Even on stairs, he's stompy! He was being pulled along by two enormous dogs, so we didn't have time to do anything other than nod and smile. But certainly relished the peace and quiet once we got into the apartment o' joy.
No comments:
Post a Comment