Found a flat!
Posted by Nick Johnson | Filed under personal
I've found a flat, and I moved in this weekend. It's a single apartment in a '60s apartment block right in town, which is certainly convenient, and the rent is really low. It's fairly large for a single apartment, consisting of a sizeable entryway, a bathroom, bedroom, small kitchen, large lounge, and study.The catch? The decor is hideous. As far as we can tell, some time in the 80s, the owners decided they wanted to redecorate, and couldn't decide between three different, conflicting, styles. So they used all 3, usually in different parts of the apartment, but sometimes together. The result is something you're likely to remember for a long time. There's a _big_ emphasis on border prints, and quite a lot of patterned wallpaper.
The owners are intending to re-rent or sell it in the new year, and Hayley and I are hoping we can convince them to let us redecorate. Initial attempts ("We'll repaint if you pay for the paint!") have met with "don't bother" responses, but I'm actually prepared to pay for the supplies - it shouldn't take much - in order to be able to redecorate. Strangely, I'm actually looking forward to doing it, too.
In the meantime, we're doing what we can: I've started hanging up what little art I have (I have some nice prints I got in Vancouver, and a nice pencil drawing I got at the seattle comic con that I need to get framed), and we're taking down what we can that can be replaced (including a couple of hideous lightshades). More significantly, Hayley and I went out and got some canvases today, and she's currently penciling in a Girl Genius design on one of the larger ones. I'm really looking forward to seeing them hanging up. The largest one we're reserving for an anime collage, with parts from a number of different anime series, which we'll paint together - assuming I don't make a mess of it, at least.
Since this is my first (unfurnished) place of my own, I've had a whole heap of stuff to buy. I've got a fair bit done, but there's still a whole lot left to get. We've got plates, cups, bowls, cutlery, kitchen supplies, most of those sort of basics. I picked up a Vacuum cleaner - cheap, but not the cheapest, so hopefully it won't fall apart - and got a Fridge for a bargain $600NZ. It's new, but ever so slightly shop-damaged.
Also, on Saturday, we picked up a two-seater beanbag sofa from Beanbags and Beyond, in town, then ordered a taxi. You really don't realise just how big it is until you try and cram it into the back seat of a Taxi, and still fit Hayley without threatening suffocation. We did get it home without incident, and it's extremely comfortable.
To finish off Saturday evening, we sat on the new beanbag sofa in the study, ate takeaway indian food, drank sparkling grape juice, and watched the Dark Crystal.
A brief update about work: Going great. I'm enjoying myself much of the time, and the work is generally interesting. I love working with GIS and mapping. I have the unsettling feeling that my boss disapproves of just about everything I do, though. I'm probably wrong - I felt similarly when I first started at Niche and had no performance reviews or anything. Hopefully my 3 month review will prove me wrong, if nothing does sooner. Previous Post Next Post