Baby, it’s hot outside

It’s close to 100 degrees here today and is supposed to be all week. Officially, that’s called a heatwave but is more familiarly known as “Baltimore in the summer.” I haven’t been out today and am majorly enjoying the comfort of central air-conditioning. This was the answer that I gave people who asked me what I was thinking spending summers someplace even hotter and more humid than my regular residence: central air. In my apartment in Manhattan there are two through-the-wall units, one for the bedroom and one in the living room for the rest of the apartment. This means that at night, I either listen to the roar of a jet engine feet from my head or swelter. Daytime is better but still “turn the TV up” loud and spotty as to area. But here, everywhere is cool and fairly quiet. Upstairs is warmer than downstairs but still good at the right thermostat setting, plus I’m mostly up there at night when it’s cooler, anyway.

Another reason I’m home is that my car is in the shop. Yes! Already! I parked it at the train station while on a short trip home and came back to a huge dent in the driver side fender and a door that made crunching sounds when it opened. This car is three weeks old. They gave me a rental but you know what? I want my car. Plus, did I mention? It’s hot out. But this will cost me $250 for… nothing. To make the car look like it did a week ago. And I’m lucky, because Maryland considers a hit and run an “uninsured driver” issue, so my deductible is lower. Otherwise, it might have cost me a thousand dollars for nothing. I know: welcome to car ownership. I also noticed this when I went to fill up this week and the prices had jumped 20 cents a gallon in the past week.

In other news:

My ant problem seems to be totally gone! Hurrah! Instead, I have a leak in the pipe under the basement sink so that there is a small flood when I do laundry. But I am too happy doing laundry without waiting for a machine to care. No, no, I do care. I need to get a plumber in at some point.

Before the heatwave, I had a lovely evening out on the deck which has a built in bench-with-back, surfing the web, which for the first time in a while had a good signal (don’t get me started on the miserable Internet in Baltimore in general and this neighborhood specifically). The mosquitos also had a great time, unfortunately.

Even before that, when the trash pickup was rescheduled due to July 4th, I actually chased the sanitation truck down the street with my can. I guess they came early because they had all that make-up trash to pick up, but I was leaving for New York and could not have my trash sit for two+ weeks. But it had a happy ending and they accepted my trash. Phew. Trash is one of those things, needless to say, which is SO different with houses. With an apartment, you can get it out of your home at any time and never worry about it again. Here, I get one day a week and if I am not around, I am screwed. During the year, when I am generally only here on weekends, I have to take it to Penn Station and dump it there. Luckily, no one seems to blink at big bags of garbage being deposited in a train station.

Furniture update: I have mostly decided what I am doing, it just needs to arrive. Some is from my Dad’s place so that might be a while. I may buy cheap substitutes from Ikea in the meantime, the meantime being until his apartment sells, as some is part of the “staging” for prospective buyers. Some is from Ikea and has to be ordered, as it’s not available at the local store, which is quite small by Ikea standards, I’ve discovered. Some I will tote in my car, mostly because I have a coupon which can’t be used online.

I also have the general colors of each room down, I just need to find the right shades which will be excruciating, but compared to problems you could have, is pretty low on the scale. Thank you for your patience with lack of pictures.

In the last bit of news, my friend Alfa came down to visit this past weekend and I showed her only 50% of what I could have and yet it was still awesome. and delicious. We even saw Hamsterdam. If you would like a similar tour and can put up with a curtainless room and an outdoor “real feel” temperature of 105, come on down! Or up! Or east!

2 thoughts on “Baby, it’s hot outside

  1. Hamsterdam was everything I imagined, and then some!

    And you are a most gracious hostess and fabulous tour guide. Now pick some paint colors, so I have an excuse to come back.

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