Moving by Shale May 20, 2016 I have lived in this one-room efficiency apartment for over 11 years, and tho it is embarrassingly un-presentable, with a worn, stained carpet since the day I moved in (A pic I took in 2007 required my Adobe clone to clean up what the carpet cleaner could not) and there was peeling paint in the bathroom, it was comfortable and sufficient and affordable at $525 a month. It was home when I broke my leg and got around on crutches for over a month and I weathered Hurricane Wilma here. It was affordable for that decade, despite periodic increases in rent but last month I was informed that the rent would go up in June from my recently increased $730 to $950 a month. I checked the neighborhood and it seems $1K a month is now the going rate for these small apartments, many of them around the neighborhood owned by some big corporation, probably foreign investors like my own apartment complex. But, I did find a comparable apartment for $850 a month four blocks away. It at least looks much better than this one, which in its present condition is not worth the increase, so I decided to move. I was 59 years old when I last moved in Dec, 2004 and had my family in town, 4 ppl to help me lug all my stuff from one second story apartment to another. Now, I am 71, living alone and have to arrange for someone to help me move the furniture that I can no longer handle alone. (The last time I moved by myself, renting a van and a handtruck was in Feb. 2001 when I was a young 56 years old - and that was a completely exhausting workout). This move came at an inconvenient time for me, having planned to be on a ship crossing the Atlantic for 2 weeks starting in May and having surgery on my hand scheduled for the 27th of May. When I got back on the 16th, I was in a fog from jet lag and possibly a bit depressed but after a couple of days, I got to the task, moving my surgery to the 10th of June and yesterday starting the daunting task of getting boxes to pack all my loose stuff that one accumulates over the decades for transport. Back in April, I pulled a bunch of dishes, mugs and glasses that I will never use living in a one-room apartment and loaded them up for my grandson when he picked me up on May first to take me to the Port. Yesterday I went thru the junk one collects "just in case you EVER need it" and made several trips to the dumpster. However, some of my hoarding habits are coming in handy, such as the large bag of old, worn towels that I kept in case of leaks or spills on the carpet. They are now wrapping my framed art that was hanging on the walls. Oh, and after many cruises I have been given cloth bags with handles that I never had a use for and gave many of them away. Well, they are now ready to carry those framed pictures to the next apartment. For years I have recycled those plastic bags from the grocery store in a larger plastic bag in my utility closet. Sort of embarrassed that I had so many that I would never use. Well yesterday, when I pulled about 60 DVDs from my collection of nearly 700 to discard I found I can stack 30 of them in one of those bags and that is how I plan to pack my entire collection. That may deplete the "useless" hoard of plastic bags. I have shelves lining my apartment, most with DVDs but some with books, both published and binders of my own writings and correspondence over the years. IDK what will become of those, probably a dumpster after my final move on. (However, the sexual writings are to be sent to the Kinsey Institute for archiving.) So, I have waded thru the accumulated dust on books stored here and rediscovered my old porn comics & magazines from the 1980s and '90s, before we got our porn from the Internet. How quaint that we actually sent real mail on paper to Adam & Eve in the upstanding Christian state of Hillsborough, North Carolina to get our VHS porn tapes and magazines The VHS player and tapes have been long gone, but somehow I couldn't part with the printed sex comics and foto magazines. I will take them with me. Like the gas stove and kerosene lamp as backup to an electrical power failure, I will have my emergency backup porn when the Internet or DVD player is not available. Yes, I am bi, was married at the time and I did enjoy het porn mags as well as gay. BTW, Adam & Eve, (PHE, Inc.) is still there, accessible online selling sex toys and videos, but paper print magazines apparently are history.
Do I see Hasselhoff in that last picture? edit- No...I do not. How disappointing. But tell me someone else sees it! lol
Don't know anyone that has a bookshelf with all the pages facing out and not the title. Why is that? Plastic bags are a serious problem in this world. Not into men but that Latin dude with the moustache..
Those are not bound books with the pages facing out. They are Acco fastener binders for articles, essays and correspondence that I have done on certain socio/political issues over decades. I put tags on them so I can tell which subject they cover.
In the midst of all my moving and packing, my old Dell tower died this morning. So, I am typing this with one finger on my travel laptop, hooked precariously to my DSL cable. Oh well, might as well get used to it. IDK how long it will take to hookup my fone, DSL & cable at my new place and had planned to be sitting in the library using their WIFI to stay connected.
I dont own a single DVD or CD, copied them on to hard drive and threw them out ages ago Dont own a single book Dont own a desktop, too much clutter Even threw out most of the kitchen crap long ago as carbs are the tool of satan I of course am not going to post a picture of my apartment, but there is barely anything in it, on purpose, I hate clutter and less clutter makes it easier to clean
I hate clutter too, makes it hard when you live with someone though, he gets all pissy when I try to throw his clutter out. I hate moving because it is really hard work and completely overwhelming, but I love having an excuse to throw out a bunch of clutter and start anew in a so fresh and so clean, clean new place.
i love moving. sure, the act itself is kind of a pain. but i get discontent if things stay the same for too long, and a new place to live is one of the best ways to reset my internal change timer.
I HAVE MOVED (And been too busy to update this thread) June 3, 2016 And it nearly killed me. Overdid the fysical work in this hot & humid SoFlo sun and both me and my younger helper were worn out. In fact, I could hardly move when i got up yesterday and am still hurting today. Moved - First Coffee in New Apt June 2, 2016 But, I am in my new place and starting to put stuff away and get organized. My fone & Internet may be connected on Monday. I did get some pix of the moving process. My project over the next year is to divest myself of most of my clutter (or Archives). I am literally too old to do this any more MOVING DAY JUNE 1, 2016 Moving Day Byron Apt. Looking North Moving Day Byron Apt View from Door Moving - Lifting Boxes Moving - Resting on Boxes I was down in the large backyard, checking out the laundry machines when all of a sudden this dog came running up to me growling viciously. The neighbor appeared and called it off. IDK if it was going to do me harm - other than the adrenaline rush that woulda killed me if I had heart problems. Moving - Vicious Looking Dog
SETTLING INTO MY NEW PLACE June 9, 2016 CARLYLE AVENUE APARTMENT Front of Bldg Back of Bldg A lot of friends have asked me how I am doing in my new apartment. As mentioned before, for 3 days after moving I was unable to do much. Now, I have started arranging my new abode. Got the furniture figured out and starting to think about which pictures to put on the walls. This place is not only laid out differently than the long one-room apartments I have lived in since 1998, but it is also a bit smaller, so not all my artwork will be put up. Sort of like a rotating exhibit at a museum. But I got my memorial pix up of Brenda & Jim and the large pastel of me in my modeling days of the late '80s. Also I have my workspace in order and most of my DVD's arranged in some order. I have gotten rid of about a hundred DVDs and now only have about 600 left, the ones that I enjoy seeing again. Had to go buy a rod for my shower curtain. Ppl tell me that is the norm, but every apartment I've rented in the past had them built in. For the first 4 days it didn't matter because I was so aching I took long hot soaking baths. But finally figured I prefer a quick shower most times so installed the curtain. I also cut my hair for the first time with my new Wahl clippers and in this new bathroom arrangement. It is actually a better layout in some ways. Here are some pix MOVED - JUNE 8, 2016 Work In Progress - at Computer Work In Progress - DVD - Bookshelf Work In Progress - DVD Corner Work In Progress - Memorial Fotos White Dresser Work In Progress - Bathroom with Shower Curtain Rod
Congratulations on being finished. I am sincerely jealous. I spent tonight closing about my bank account (open 9:00PM - 12:00AM for Ramadan). Sold my Jeep. Cancelled my wife's visa. Dealing with an international mover (they suck). Trying to figure out how to cancel my AC but still keep AC until the day I move (it's 45 degrees out during the day). I can't wait until July when the move is done. At least work is putting us up in a decent place - we are losing the tennis courts, but at least I will still have a gym and pool.
It was about 90 degrees F. and very humid when I was moving and the AC stopped working in the apt I was leaving. Literally hell doing strenuous work in that apartment.
LAUNDRY RIPOFF June 15, 2016 Today, I finally got around to doing my laundry. There is one set of machines in a room downstairs and almost double what the machines cost at my old apartment which took 6 quarters for wash and 5 for dry . I loaded the washer put in 7 quarters and pushed the hot wash. When I went down half an hour later it had not started. I had to push the warm wash button and suspect that it really means cold. Got the clothes out and put 8 quarters in the dryer, almost double what my old apt charged. Went down an hour later and the machine had stopped and the clothes were not hot. In fact the denim shorts and bath towel were still damp. The damned machine likely did not go a full hour for twice the cost. I am going to research the cost at the local laundromat and may have to change my laundry day routine biking with a big bag of laundry away from here. Luckily, when I broke my leg I learned all my week's laundry could be stuffed in my largest shoulder bag to hobble up & down the stairs. June 22, 2016 Laundry Day Today I loaded my laundry in a bag and went to the New Wave Laundry on 71st Street, a short bike ride from my apt. It is modern, clean, has WIFI and was not busy on a Wednesday afternoon. The machines don't use quarters, you put money on a card then swipe that in the machine. I got a small load machine that said $2.79 on the LED display but I put it on Hot Water and it went to $3. However, I have cotton clothes and prefer hot water to get all the oils out of the cloth. I sat by the machine reading a paper and the display counted down how much time of the 35 minutes was left. The dryer has 8 minutes free and each 8 minutes more is 30¢ so I put in 60¢ for a total of 24 minutes and the clothes were dry in this big commercial machine. The total cost was $3.60 as opposed to the apartment $3.75 so that as they say, is a wash. But it only took an hour and 15 minutes and the clothes were clean and dry. Looks like I have my new laundry routine lined up for the next 52 weeks.
I must agree with previous posters-- I love getting rid of clutter. The less stuff, the better. Friends are always surprised by the sparse-ness of my home. After people starting thinking I was broke, I got a bit better at having a bit of basic decor, ha. Congrats on the big move, Shale. It's a nice feeling to sit in your new apartment at the end of moving, finally knowing that everything is done and in its rightful place.
Part of it could be genetic. I am tall and prone to being thin and my sister is much stockier. However, it is most likely a balance of fysical activity and diet. I used to enjoy mayonnaise, butter, donuts, pizza, potato chips and many fat laden foods and remained quite thin. Then I hit 40 and eventually noticed an expanding gut. So, I quit all the obvious fattening foods and got the gut to go down a bit. More recently I cut out 2% Fat milk (which is still a lot of fat if you go thru 2 gallons a week like I do). Now it is fat free milk and I lost about 5 pounds after that alone. Then I noticed in April while trying on a Bikini style swim suit for a cruise that I was getting a bit chunky again. http://www.hipforums.com/forum/topic/429821-post-pictures-of-yourself/?p=7885436 The problem was on my bike trips I had the habit of stopping a Dunkin Donuts for a coffee and cupcake or when at the grocery getting a candy bar to eat on the bike ride home. Also, I was into making pancakes for a while, instead of my one egg with grits without butter. The rationale was that the biking and exercise would take care of it, but it didn't, so I cut out those little snack stops and did wear my briefs on the cruise. It is not just what you eat now and then, but eating habits. I continue my discipline of avoiding Dunkin Donuts and have not gone there since April. I suppose that is why I have now dropped another 5 pounds from my weight of 187 and now weigh 182 my goal weight in that pic.
