The Young And The Nestless

When my ex-husband and I moved into our new home (you know, a million years ago in my former life), I had the house ready for a party and overnight guests in three days.

Three.

That included buying and setting up new furniture and beds and bedding. I worked non-stop except for the occasional few hours of sleep and eventual shower. I unpacked boxes like a madwoman. I ran to the store for odds and ends half a dozen times each day. I enjoyed -- as I always have -- making the new place feel like "home" and doing so as efficiently as possible.

For whatever hilarious and deluded reasons, I expected to do the same when we got here.

I mean, really. I have natural "homemaking" instincts as it is (plus -- and this will mean something to some of you and seem like nonsense to others -- I am a Cancer), AND I swear I am feeling verrrrrry nest-y. I do not WANT to live out of boxes or bags or half-finished rooms until we "get a feel for them." I want the house done and ready NOW.

Except, OHTHATSRIGHT, all of my energy is going towards making my uterus a warm and cozy home. My body has completely different ideas about how I should be spending my days, and most of them have to do with napping, propping my lower back up with a pillow, eating, and resting some more. Plus peeing all the damn time. Bending over is uncomfortable; bending over 90 million times to unpack boxes is downright painful. I'm not alllowed to move heavy boxes or furniture. I'm also a little emotional, and can't make decisions to save my life.

Thus, I am caught in a perfect storm of not being able to move half our stuff, and not knowing where to put the other half.

Things are going s.l.o.w.l.y.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The day before we moved, I had to go to the doctor's office to get another blood glucose test done. (The entire experience was a comedy of errors, and I left feeling rather grateful that these would not be the people delivering my baby.) While in the lab waiting area for the THIRD time in 24 hours, I couldn't help but notice the peculiar woman sitting across from me.

The woman was suntanned and caucasion, sporting dirty-blond hair in a messy ponytail. She wore a fisherman's sweater and leggings. She was hacking and snorting and had bloodshot eyes and was quite clearly suffering from a bad cold. I'd put her in her late 30s.

She sat with a metal bowl-cup full of...mud? I don't know how else to describe it. It had the consistency of incredibly thick, grainy mustard, except it was dark green and brown. She would add hot water from her thermos to it, then slurp (making disgusting slurping noises) the watery part up with a metal straw and repeat the process. The mud around the edges of the bowl-cup never seemed to get any less thick. I supposed the drink was an herbal concoction, but of what I will never know.



Then I noticed that she had very long -- approximately 2-inch-thick -- fingernails painted matte lavender.



Then the woman, clearly annoyed with the waiting process, leaned over to the older Asian lady sitting next to her, and started complain-muttering in Chinese. And then she got a call on her cell and spoke to whoever was on the other line in Spanish...although you know? It could have been Portuguese now that I think of it.

(See BeachBum's comment - those crazy Brazilians with their waxing and herbs!)

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Moving day was mostly uneventful.

At our apartment in SOMA, I took down the bamboo wall cat barrier we eventually put up to stop the cats from jumping into our neighbor's far more lavish patio. About 30 seconds later, Eddie and Monster had jumped the wall and were comfortably perched on our neighbor's outdoor furnishings.



We left the apartment about the same time as the movers, which I thought would be fine because they were in two huge trucks and we were in faster cars. Except I forgot the pregnancy-pee-rule thing, and had to pull over TWICE in an HOUR-LONG car ride to go. And because I didn't know where I was going exactly and had cats in the car with me, each time I pulled over, Ish had to come with me. So we got to the house about 20 minutes after the movers, who charge by the hour in 15-minute increments. Oops.

The movers were fast and concientious and wonderful. Although I did notice this in the kitchen:



And other than a slight issue with a guest bath, we haven't really had any problems. I am just looking forward to feeling un-buried.


Ish scientifically "measures" how big the space is.
There is no tape measure, mind you.




Sherlock explores the mantel. I believe he finds it acceptable.



Eddie and Leon snuggle in a cat bed that isn't big enough for both of them.
(They don't seem to mind.)


After many hours of unpacking, Ish took me to this cool little shopping plaza. It's fashioned after the Ferry Building in SF, and has lots of little specialty food shops -- produce, chocolate, meats, oysters, even an entire shop of spices. They have a Ritual Coffee (this is an amazing, amazing thing) and a wine and cheese shop. It's really quite lovely, and makes me not-at-all miss SF's foodie-ness.


Cheese. With magical, glorious sunbeams shining down.


Just after sunrise on our first morning here.



This morning, a hot-air balloon landed in the yard across the way.
(The brown thing in the middle of the photo.)


Please note: all these pictures were taken with my iPhone because I haven't unearthed the charger to my real camera yet. But you get the idea.

Comments

  1. I know, I know! What the woman was drinking looks like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimarrao People in the south of Brazil (the ones with German background) drink it. You can google search images for chimarrao and see if it matches!

    Ok, back to reading (might even have more comments).

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  2. maybe she was drinking yerba mate? my personal favorite alternative to coffee. traditionally, you drink it with a metal straw that ends in a spoon-type thingie with little holes in it, (to keep you from slurping up the tea leaves). but if that's what she was drinking, then she had WAY too many tea leaves in her cup.

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  3. Oh yeah, it's all about the foodiness up there. And, of course, the wineyness. Been to Dean and DeLuca yet?

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  4. my verdict is that lavender nails is indeed a vampire. Just a hunch

    also...CHEESE!!! Do a cheese give away on the blog!

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  5. I love cheese. I went to visit my sister in BC for a week. Did nothing but ate cheese and came back 10 lbs heavier. I still love cheese.

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  6. Definitely Mate. They love that stuff in South America. It tastes like weeds. And puppies.

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  7. I love that you took a picture of her! So sly!! Wow that hot air balloon landing soooo close to your new home is, far from boring!! Who know you would get to see that!? Beautiful....glad to see that you are settling in even if it is slowly!

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  8. Such classic cat behavior (the patio, that is)... My cat sends her praises. ;-)

    Also, is that fountain in your yard?! It's beautiful!

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  9. Thank god someone else can't stand boxes. I always move in and unpack in less than 2 days.

    Then I'm bored.

    I haven't seen anyone carrying a thermos in like 20 years.

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  10. To The Anon Whose Comment I Deleted:

    I write dribs and drabs and snippets of my life. Most people understand that I (along with every other blogger) am greater than the sum of my posts. This concept seems to be lost on you.

    You also seem to be dealing with issues of pretension that I simply don't share.

    Wealth, good taste, and class are three entirely different things. I was raised to believe that "class" has everything to do with making others feel comfortable. Wealth can be gained and lost, good taste (while inherent in some) is teachable. Class, however, requires a generosity of spirit.

    You may be financially comfortable and you may have very good taste, but to repeatedly comment anonymously on my blog, tsk-tsking and pooh-poohing my lifestyle is quite classless.

    Further, were you actually secure in your own circumstances, I don't think you'd feel the need to put down mine.

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  11. Oh holy hell, why oh why are people still raining on your parade?

    All I have to say is gorgeous house. Jealous of your view (hot air balloons!) and YUM cheese. That's really all you need.

    Also, my vote on the bizarre woman's drink goes to yerba mate. Very popular in Argentina.

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  12. Yay for you for deleting anon's heinous comments in such a classy way!

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  13. I'm a cancer too...so I'm right with you!! And BTW - I have no idea what anon's email said but they way you replied was pure class!!
    Luv your house!!!

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  14. Good for you! Delete the idiot anons! That said - I hope you have fun settling into your new home. I'm up in the Napa area every other week (boyfriend) and there's a lot to love about the town. The other commenters are right - it is a great foodie town. Enjoy it! I second the recommendation for getting up to Dean and Deluca. Also, if you take a drive up to Calistoga, there's a great little bbq place before you turn to go into town. The whole area is wonderful - enjoy it!

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  15. That fountain is in your BACK YARD??? Holy crap! It's a gorgeous place and I am very happy for you and Ish and your four cats and your baby-in-waiting.

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  16. I am mad jealous of your backyard piazza (the fountain reminds me of Italy!) and dreaming about kicking it there with a nice glass of Sauv Blanc.

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  17. I think you are so lucky. I have many dreams... and you are currently living one of them!

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  18. My boyfriend, organized, and never rarily admitting when he is tired, would have had us unpacked in one weekend. I have learned to live with this insanity.

    I'm with you on the energy limits. I'm 15 weeks now but I still have to pace myself. I try to go to the gym a few times a week but yesterday I skipped so I could clean. Yes, doing both would have been too much. Hah.

    The area you are in now looks really beautiful. I'm such a sucker for hardwood floors.

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  19. Haha - I was just going to comment that Lavender Nails was drinking mate - but about a million other people got there first. Now I'm off to the manicurist, to get my nails done lavender to match my own mate gear. :)
    (Actually, you should try it, it's yummy and a good caffeine alternative. But a plain old tea strainer works just as well.)

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  20. HOLY CRAP! Next time someone talks smack about your new suburban lifestyle just show them a picture of your back yard.

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  21. Boo to the haters. I will base further jealousy of your new house on the following: The back patio and view of the hot air balloon, the beautiful wood floor in the picture of the kitchen, the clean new-ness of the walls etc. in all the photos.

    Also, I LOVE that the 2 cats snuggling in the 2 small bed is right next to AN EMPTY BED. Awesome. Kitties are hilarious.

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  22. hi kristy! ooh, your blog is fun to read! your new place looks so pretty. and yup, that stuff is totally yerba mate! I used to drink it and it made me bounce around the walls a LOT.

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  23. I'm so happy for you :)
    Everything looks so fun... Despite all the boxes. That'll be more fun when you're up for it :)
    You know, when your uterus doesn't have to be QUITE so warm and cozy because your itty bitty has joined us out here

    :D

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  24. You're going to feel SOOOOO good when it all comes together! Can't wait to see how it looks...

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  25. I'd vote for yerba mate too. My husband is from Paraguay and they love the stuff, but it tastes like moldy trees to me.

    I want more baby news. Did you pick a name? (You don't have to share it.

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  26. There will come a time in your pregnancy where the nesting instinct will kick into gear. Along with your already nestiness, you will kick it into turbo and be just fine, so sleep when you feel like it for now. You'll get there.

    And did you say "another" blood glucose test? Please tell me it was just a blood test and not drinking that horribly nasty crap for a second time? Ugh. Hated that.

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  27. You'll probably get the nesting urge just in time to kick start labor. I was cleaning my house in a big way the day before my contractions started.
    Love the house! Wow on the fireplace, the floors, the fountain and the view. Classy!
    And I'm envious of the foodie mall, too.

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  28. Oh, yeah. How'd you do the discrete pics of the lavender lady?

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  29. i am simultaneously horrified and intrigued by mud-drinking woman.

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  30. BE-A-UUUUU-TIFUL view from your back yard. Lucky Duck.

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  31. Oh, I'm so jealous!! That place looks awesome!

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  32. The view from your new backyard is *amazing*! Congrats on the big move...I'm very jealous of living in Napa!

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  33. I used to live in Yountville, backed right up to a field where the balloons would land. Your picture made me miss it so much.

    It was a little freaky, though, when I would be awakened by the whooshing sounds and people laughing in the balloons when they flew a little close to my bedroom window. Those folks are up early!

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