On The Road — Page 72

A Frantic Little Dance

October 10, 2014 at 9:34 am by Claudia

Did I tell you I got locked out of my bathroom the other day?

It was Tuesday afternoon, right after I had made a run to Target and Trader Joe’s for food and rugs. By the time I got back to the apartment building, I had to go to the bathroom. Badly. But in the meantime, I had to unload the car and make three trips to the building with my packages, then move the packages near the elevators, then try to hold the elevator door open so I could move all those bags inside the elevator.

Still had to go to the bathroom.

At one point, I enlisted the help of one of the maintenance men to hold the elevator door for me, so that I could grab the last couple of bags. I didn’t want to inadvertently send the elevator up and on its way to an unknown floor without me.

Fast forward to my arrival on my floor. Again: hold the elevator door with my foot, unload all the bags. Then move the bags to right outside my apartment door. Unlock the door, move all the bags inside the door. Say hi to Scout. Head to bathroom, because by this time, I really had to go.

The door, which I had shut earlier in the day in order to keep Scout from slipping on the floor while I was out, was locked.

Oh no.

I tried a few more times. Locked. By this time, I was doing a frantic little dance and wondering what the heck I was going to do. I ran out the door, thinking that maybe the guy from maintenance was still downstairs. As I headed to the elevators, amazingly, there he was, on my floor. I begged him for help.

When we got inside the apartment, he looked at the doorknob and said we needed some sort of wire, about 3 inches long, which he would push into that little hole on the knob to eventually release the locking mechanism. Well, I’m in theater housing, with just the basic necessities. I opened drawers. I looked in closets, I even tried to straighten out the wire on one of my pierced earrings. Nothing worked.

By this time, I was in danger. You know that feeling.

Finally, he suggested a wire hanger and I found one in the closet. It looked rocky for a while there, as he tried to straighten the wire enough to get it through the hole, but he finally managed to release the lock.

A voice was screaming in my head, “Thank you, now get out so I can go!”

But I thanked him profusely and walked him to the door.

Then I ran into the bathroom.

Scout just watched all this with the sort of bemused air of a dog who has seen her parents do all sorts of weird things.

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I can’t take a walk in the park with Scout without bringing back something. A leaf, a pinecone, an acorn. I did the same thing last year.

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I hunt and gather and everything is placed in the middle of the dining room table. An unintentional vignette (because you know I like to arrange things but I’m not really a vignette sort of person.) I do love the colors of those oak leaves.

I’m missing autumn at home. I should be raking leaves right about now. I was going to go back home on Monday for an appointment, but I just can’t bear the thought of it. I haven’t really had a day off in about two weeks. And that would increase to three weeks without a day off if I headed home. So I’m staying here with my little girl. We’re going to take some nice walks. Maybe I’ll run a few errands. But we aren’t going to drive for four hours, that’s for sure.

Remember my recent post about blogging and the New York Times article centering on Young House Love (the Petersiks)? They’ve decided to stop blogging. Read the post here. I’ll miss them and their wonderfully honest presence on the Web, but I admire them for the bravery of their decision.

New post up at Just Let Me Finish This Page. It’s a review of Personal by Lee Child. Stop by!

Happy Friday.

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Crane Watching

October 9, 2014 at 8:11 am by Claudia

This is happening right outside my window:

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This massive crane, which was assembled a couple of days ago, is getting ready to place those cooling units on top of the building next door.

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Ummm….cranes make me nervous. I hope the operator of the crane is really, really good at his job.

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Lowering the hook (my totally-ignorant-about-these-things name for it.)

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Getting ready to attach the units. What if the darn crane swings in the wrong direction?

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Wait a minute. In the three minutes I spent on the computer, the two units are gone. Surely they couldn’t have placed them on top of the building yet?

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Moving yet another piece.

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Oh, I see. The crane took the units off the trailers and moved them even closer to where I am currently residing.

Clearly, I’m fascinated and a wee bit horrified by it all. This would be a good time to remind myself that I have notes to write up before today’s rehearsal. I have work to do.

But the beep-beep-beep of the crane moving and the thought that those units will soon be hoisted in the air right next to my window leaves me a bit edgy.

Scout, after getting me up especially early to take care of business, is sleeping through the whole thing.

Happy Thursday.

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Rug-a-rama

October 8, 2014 at 7:34 am by Claudia

First off, Scout is much calmer, much more the girl I usually see every day. Thank goodness.

Part of that is due to getting used to this new space, to seeing me leave and come back (Mom isn’t going to abandon me) and, ta-dah! some more rugs. I had some coaching sessions in the morning yesterday and a note session with the cast and the director, after which I ran back here, walked Scout, gave her some food, and took off for Target.

I was at my most efficient because I wanted to get back before rush hour and an impending storm. Target. Trader Joe’s. Back in a little over an hour. There was no time to explore other options; my schedule is full, and this break in the day was an unexpected gift. The rest of the week involves lots of run-throughs and my presence will be required.

After thinking and worrying and studying the whole thing, I decided two long, inexpensive runners would do the trick in the long hallway. That way I could use the green mats which had previously been scattered up and down the hallway in the kitchen. And maybe a rug for in front of/under the dining room table – the area where Scout likes to explore, then slip and fall down. Budget is always a concern for us, as it is for most everyone, so I wanted to get rugs that we could use at home, if necessary. Remember, we have hardwood floors at home and they are becoming more slippery for Scout as she ages, so I can see the runners being used in the kitchen.

I’m happy to say that Dame Scout is a much happier doggie. In fact, she is going to be your tour guide:

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I was going to get a solid color, but there was nothing available that I liked. However, a little aqua in a sort of Pennsylvania Dutch Hex pattern is very sweet. Do you agree, Scout?

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Sans Scout.

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A green mat trail to the water dish.

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The Wall. This is the not-so-pretty solution to a forbidden, slippery area of the room. That red rug will work perfectly just inside our kitchen door.

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Take that, Scout the Explorer!

The flowers from TJ’s are in a plastic pitcher found in the cupboards. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

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This rug was already here. And you can see a glimpse of the one in front of the sofa, supplied by company management. And Scout’s quilt, of course. She fell asleep on the quilt last night.

Excuse Scout while she dines.

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See? Happier. More secure. Worth it.

There are about 6 more rugs than I would prefer in this space but Miss Scout’s safety and security is the most important thing here in Hartford. Once I realized she was adjusting to her new pathways, my shoulders dropped.

Then I got that feeling I get when I’ve settled into a new space. Same feeling I had when I moved into a tiny studio apartment in Philadelphia as I was just about to start graduate school. There was only one window – a small one at that – in that space. It looked out onto a back alley. But when I got my things in there and turned on the lamps and everything was in place, I had my own little shelter, my own little nest. That feeling has repeated itself in my life whenever I’ve moved into a new space, whether it was a studio apartment (and there were many), a bedroom in a house, a dorm room, a rental house, a hotel suite, our little cottage, or temporary company housing. If I can add little or big touches that make the space more personal, regardless of the size or location, then I’m a happy camper.

Now it feels like our little haven away from home. Now we’re back to the good part of our adventure.

New post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page.

Happy Wednesday.

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A Frantic Little Dance

Crane Watching

Rug-a-rama

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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