Moved In Close

HOORAY!!!! I have survived my last trip through Iowa for the time being and managed to move into my dorm without too much trouble!  So far it looks pretty neat.  You know, stuff on the walls, stuff in the drawers, stuff in the closet. Maybe I should get a large picture of Chuck Norris just to make this place feel a little more Italian...

Unsurprisingly, half of my closet is made up of suits.  So that's the best thing about the room. Oh, and the fact that it's a single. that's pretty swell.

Anywho, work week officially starts tomorrow and I can't wait to be reunited with my soul mates.

Themed Thursday 1: If I were a wall, I would be....

Yes, you heard right. It's Thursday, and that means BLOG FOR YOUR LIFE day. Otherwise known as Themed Thursdays. As you well know, I'm in a fight to the finish known as a blog off with Michelle. And you should read that... Because you're smart enough to read, and you deserve to be amused.

But the point is that today, of all days, is a themed day. This means that we write on the same topic, and you (the people) get to form a more concrete opinion about who should be the winner in this gladiatorial battle to the verbal death.

Today's topic:

What is your ideal living room wall?

Well I'm so glad you asked. Like Michelle, I too love a good splash of color. Something warm, inviting, and comfortable. I also adore the idea of a one wall accent, so naturally, my favorite wall in the living room would be that accent wall-do you follow me? So something warm, fun, and can be a highlight of the room without over powering things. And that for me means red. Red? Why red? Well, I'm a Rothko nut, so something about that... and I think it makes a room feel warmer.  That in conjunction that when I read or knit, I'm bound to end up bundled in a blanket, it's only logical that I give myself at least the benefit of the doubt that it's warmer in the room with a red wall.  Something like... This

But forget the strange stick thing, and replace with fun things like pictures! Lots of pictures. If you know me, you know that I love to scrapbook and make all kinds of memory things. So those should definitely replace the birch theme here. They can be on the wall, in funky frames, around the mantle and such in nifty patterns and designs. The other idea that I love (and I'm not sure how this will all carry out yet) is with my love of words. To have maybe some kind of calligraphy of words on the walls. Not the typical-"Family" or "Love" but actual quotations.  Short and sweet, but it could be very cool if done right. I'm just brain storming. 

I'm also thinking lots of things that are home made. Not overly so (no one wants to feel like they've been out done, or under-creative) but things like books, and end tables, and creative arrangements of things that make a place look lived in and homey. Catch my drift?

I'm thinking of the kind of room where I would love to curl up in an over stuffed chair with a book, or my knitting on a cold winter night and stay for hours. And if you feel like the same kind of evening, you just drop on by. We'll have a dandy time knitting or talking, or just laughing until our abs hurt. 

Michelle and I will be there. And we're cool.

Art a la apartment

Chuck Norris? Yup. Right be hind the door.

And across from Mr. Norris

In the dinning room

Next to the couch across from 'Americana'

Not hanging on the wall.. but Art none the less

NAME HER NOW

next to 'Americana'

Paddle found in a cabinet-useful?

Kate working hard on the blog, 'mannequin' and Chinese Checkers.

In the kitchen by the door.

on the table in the kitchen across from the sink and the stove

Next to the window in the kitchen

Kitchen window

lovely yellow cabinets in kitchen

In hallway between bedrooms

Picture in the unused bedroom. Super effective. 

Molly and Erica's room

Molly and Erica's room

Between the beds in my room with Kate

Also in my room

And this one too

Check out the lamp! (random?)

A little deodorant goes a long way

So the furniture doesn’t match the door frames, the collection of prints should never be housed in the same room ever, and the woods that aren’t clashing brown and black-are painted some vibrant color.  It looks like home to me.

Adventures thus far: (in order of appearance)

            KCI airport doesn’t have very good people watching.  When delayed for an hour because of mechanical problems, you find the beauty even in this menial hobby. Bring on the rhinestone-d cowboys, and the middle age moms wearing polka-dotted socks with their flip flops.

            People watching in Charlotte-slightly better. Of course over the course of a 3 hour layover, almost everything is interesting.  Like the fact that it’s a lay over, but there’s no where to take a nap.

                        Sub point to that, a delightful young guy named Michael from Colorado had just returned from Italy while I was waiting in the terminal and he gave me some helpful tips. I’ll let you know how they all turn out, but most of the conversation revolved around this list of vocabulary words that he had found very helpful. Since they were his own notes, he offered them to me, and my lack of Italian-took them. So Michael from CO-if you’re reading this, thanks again!

            On the plane I had the pleasure of playing a rollicking round of musical chairs. Starting point: 28H. [Hum song of choice whilst this is going on] 28H-->28F-->29F STOP Rest….  Rest…. Take off…. Wait for it…. 29F-->29C. WINNER!!! (for those of you curious as to what I was humming while playing, it was definitely "Take On Me" by A-ha.) But alas, since the last move happened mid-flight, my backpack was above that seat and not the new one... Boo....  And all of this because I'm a nice person who would prefer that families sit together on flights that take up to 10 hours. Bonus point? Yes.  So after that I tried to sleep-not even noticing when the brother traded seats with his little sister.  But other than the typical severe back cramps, pretty good.   

           Off the plane and on to find dear Kate. Well not initially as planned-turns out that the baggage claim getting-to involves a train ride. At this point I'm just hoping that Kate did the same thing, and that we will meet each other over luggage.  And low and behold-the peas really do think a like. So after long-time-prease of waiting for baggage we wandered in the direction of what appeared to be an exit. Up the escalators (with only mild problems), down the "straight hallway", no not that one, the other one, keep going, keep going, keep going, down the elevators, through the sprinklers, Check in!  Then on to a bus that was obviously far too big for the streets (seriously... between the stall out and the near fatal incident with the bicyclist--danger Will Robinson).  THEN The apartment. 

            Now there are some things you should know about this apartment. 

1: Even with a key, the door is nearly impossible to open. (nearly is quantified as it's opened once without assistance from Molly's hero) (Notice that she is now Molly and not stbamM)

2: It comes with a Mannequin. 

           Beginning now, there is a contest as to who can come up with the best name for the mannequin. Do not let me down Bethany.

3: There ar art prints from the national gallery all over the place-they do not go together. (pictures of all the art to come)

4: The bathroom has a tiny shower with a loose shower head-ask Kate.

5: There's a Chinese Checker board. I plan on being an expert by the end of this semester.

Pictures to come, and I want all of you to suggest names for the mannequin.