Hallelujah

Alright, I finally got my satellite! Sixteen dark days after moving I have television again. When I think about all the "Project Runway" marathons, "Judge Judy" reruns, and "Living Lohan" I've missed it makes me sick. Just sick.

Passing the time

Things at my apartment have reached a disasterous stand-still. Unpacking has all but ended because I simply have no place to put anything. Plus, it's too damn hot to do much anyway. So what's a girl to do to fill the hours? I have been exploring my new neighborhood, seeing what's out there. I've been to a farmer's market, went to some garage sales, visited the nearby mall, etc.

I've also been to my local library almost everyday. That's because since I still haven't had my cable installed yet (a long, frustrating story....) I have been checking out lots of movies. Thankfully, this library has a pretty decent selection. And since I have nothing to say about the state of my apartment because things really haven't progressed since I moved in, I thought that I would offer some quick thoughts on the ones I've watched so far. In no particular order:

Slither (2006)
Starring: Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks
A really good B-movie, low-budget horror-comedy. Not very scary, but pretty gross. Who doesn't like some gratuitous blood and guts every now and then? YYY

Thumbsucker (2005)
Starring: Lou Pucci, Tilda Swinton
I'm all for too-cool-for-school indie dramedies, but this one was a little "Look at how quirky I am" for my taste. YY

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Just as good as everyone said it would be. Beautiful, dark, sad, and just a little scary. I can't believe it took me so long to see it. YYYY

Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
Starring: Ryan Gosling
So much better than I thought it was going to be. Watch it when you're feeling low, it's definitely a feel-good movie. There are literally no mean people in it. YYYY

Sicko (2007)
Like Michael Moore has made a movie I haven't liked, and this one is no different. Really disturbing. Maybe I should have looked for an apartment in Canada. YYY

The Simpsons Movie (2007)
I have to say, I was expecting something a little more grand. Plotwise, the movie was basically just a really long, normal episode. But the animation is quite impressive, and of course it is funny. YYY

The Orphanage (2007)
I loved this one because my favorite kind of movie is a really good horror story. If you liked "The Others," you'll probably like this too. But remember, you'll have to do some reading! YYYY

Grindhouse (2007)
Starring: Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Kurt Russell
I actually liked "Planet Terror" more than "Death Proof," which seems to be the opposite of everyone else. Though very different, they are both grisly, bloody, over-the-top, and really cool. YYY

November (2005)
Starring: Courtney Cox-Arquette, James LeGros
Almost unwatchable, and I was trying to be a good sport. Think "Memento" meets "Donnie Darko" meets indie crap. Y

Waitress (2007)
Starring: Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion
Kind of in the same boat as "Lars and the Real Girl." It's adorable. YYY

The Matador (2005)
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear
Not at all what I thought it was going to be. It's different, funny, has a twisty-turvy (in a good way) ending, and part of it is set in Denver. Sweet. YYY

So that's it so far. And I've still got "The Constant Gardener," "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," "28 Weeks Later," "Friends with Money," "21 Grams," and "The Cooler" to go through. How many days until my furniture gets here?

It's a tickity-tack hot tranny mess in here

I'm finally all moved! On Tuesday afternoon, I packed up everything in my Laramie apartment and hauled it the two and a half hours down to Denver. I can't believe that I'm finally in my apartment. It's really exciting but also feels kind of weird.

And I got my Internet hooked up this afternoon so I can finally blog about my moving pains. Actually, the move wasn't that bad. I got a lot of help from my sister and also my aunt and cousin once I got down here. Plus, it didn't hurt that I really don't have that much stuff. My entire life fit into an Explorer and a Civic.

So here are some pictures of what my fab apartment looks like right now. Sad, isn't it? The kitchen looks nice, but the living room is a nightmare and there's nothing to do about the bedroom. But it's hard to even start unpacking some things when you don't have anything to store them in (i.e. furniture). A lot of it is just laziness too, I have a lot of time to kill so I'm trying to pace myself.

I think my next big unpacking project is going to be my closet. It is so huge! I am going to have to get some more clothes and shoes to fill it up with. Maybe I'll tackle that tomorrow.

Well, I look forward to blogging more about this apartment's transformation from a glorified storage unit to a sophisticated urban dwelling!

PS Talk about moving pains--I think I broke my arm!

Aw, she's all grown up!

Even though I've been very busy and excited getting ready for my own new apartment, I had to take the time out to showcase my sister Kaitlin's amazing new apartment. After two years of living in the dorms, she's finally moved into her own place, and it's super cute. It seems like the perfect college apartment. I almost wish I were sticking around longer so that I could come over and visit.

I hope to do more posts once she gets it decorated, but here are some of the details. It's a surprisingly spacious studio apartment with lots of windows and closets. It also has an adorable kitchen nook, exposed brick walls and "vintage" appliances. Very bohemian bourgeoisie. Congrats!

How much more fab can it get?

When I first picked out my new, fabulous apartment in Denver, I was stressed about furniture. Both paying for it and picking it out. Probably even more picking it out than paying for it. That's because I know what I like, but I was pretty sure I would have a hard time finding stuff that I liked that I could afford. I did know that I would probably want to get some furniture that was similar to the pieces in my mother's house. That sounds kind of lame, but my mom is actually a pretty good decorator and we have similar tastes.

Well, my prayers were answered. My mom is moving to the Azores in August, so she is letting me take her furniture! I won't be able to take a lot of it because I have considerably less space, but I am very excited about what I am taking. Some of the pieces, like the antiques, I'll just be holding until she moves back to the States, but that's okay. I'll certainly enjoy it for the time I have it. The furniture includes:

• Loveseat
• Leather chairs
• TV and stand
• Wine rack
• Antique hutch with mirror on back
• Antique spinning wheel
• Living room end-table
• Bookshelf
• Telephone stand
• Butterfly chair and footstool
  

I wish that I had a better picture of my mom's house, but this was the only one I had on my camera (I took it over holiday break of the beautiful Christmas tree I personally decorated). I probably won't be taking any of the furniture in the picture, but gives you an idea of the theme of the decorating. Sadly, I have to wait until the middle of July to get it (....and I'm moving in next week). So it's probably going to look like a crack-head lives there for a month or so. The fabulousness of my apartment is going to take a hit when the only furniture in it is an Aero bed and an old futon. But it's a small price to pay for getting great furniture for free. Thanks Mommy!