Yes, it's true. I'm still alive.
Sorry that it's been so bloody long since I last updated, but things have been ultra crazy during the month of November, and not in a good way. I'll start with the move, shall I?
My mother and I decided, after years of having the rent go up, the building conditions go down, and the neighbourhood deteriorating to the point where in September there was a police standoff not a mile from us, that we were going to move. So, October we spent looking for a new place with an eye on moving on Hallowe'en.
Well, on the Thanksgiving weekend (in Canada that's October, my American Friends), we found a place that was very promising. It was a three bedroom upper duplex in a nice house in a lovely neighbourhood. The landlord and his wife seemed like great people when we met them, and the place had potential, even though it needed a lot of work.
The tenants that were living there were moving out more than two weeks before our move in date, and the landlord told us of his many plans for improvement on the place. He was going to replace the filthy kitchen counters, fix up the bathroom, and clean the place, including painting the walls.
On the Sunday afternoon, as we got the truck there and started unloading, we found that the toilet, instead of being in the bathroom where one would expect to find it, it was in the kitchen. Needless to say, it wasn't usable.
In addition, he had ripped out and moved the tub, instead of just adding the backsplash like he had told us. So, we didn't have a toilet or a shower.
Also, he had called to let us know that the place wasn't finished, but all that he said that hadn't been done was the painting.
Well, there was no painting done, or cleaning, or repairs, or anything that had been promised. There was dust so thick on the kitchen ceiling fan that it had fur. There were no racks in the oven, and when the landlord brought them back, he handed them to my mother covered in overn cleaner, as if it was her job to scrub them. We had no backsplash on the tub for a week, so not only could we not shower, we couldn't even have a bath.
The toilet was hooked up on the Monday, but we remained brushing our teeth in the kitchen sink till Friday when the bathroom sink worked. It wasn't until that Friday that we could even take a bath, and it was more than two weeks until he put the shower together. The walls were not only not painted, but not even washed. They were absolutely filthy. The carpets were also similarly filthy.
Thank Goddess that we didn't sign a lease. It was clear from the first Thursday after we moved in when I came home and he had racked the leaves, but he hadn't bothered to put together a place for us to bathe, that we had to move out.
So, we didn't unpack, and lived out of boxes while we searched for a new home. And what a home we found.
Our new apartment is in a lovely old building not a block from the Red River. We're in a third story walk up, with three bedrooms. The place has hardwood floors throughout, high ceilings, crown molding, beautiful windows. There is a fake fireplace in the living room, and a pass through in the kitchen. A pedestal sink and a claw footed bathtub adorn the bathroom, and we have a terrace out the back. I just love it.
But moving twice in a month sure can be taxing.
So we're up to our elbows in boxes and still struggling to unpack. Slowly, but surely, it's getting there.
Of course, during the midst of this, I decided that I needed to put my pen where my mouth is and become an author. I just had to go and sign up for NaNoWriMo, and all I have to say is this.
At 11:09 Central time on November the 30th, I reached 50 107 words and became a NaNoWriMo winner.
Of course, I am only halfway through the book. But I am still working on it.
I took a week off to work on the apartment and other things, but starting Friday I plan to put back on the creative hat and work on the book again. As well, I seem to now be able to write 5000 words on an average day, so look for all of my other works to have a big leap ahead in storyline sometime soon.
RyianaT is being a doll and betaing my NaNo novel, so as I get it edited and corrected, I will be posting it on my writing blog and letting you read it. You'll have something to look forward to after Christmas, as that is when my writing blog will be putting in an appearance.
The one thing that truly came of my NaNo experience was the fact that I now have writing as a daily part of my life. Even when I'm not putting pen to paper, I find myself with ideas and dialogue swimming around in my head, so that it will all be ready to flow when I sit down to write. It really is an exciting time for me!
Well, I miss talking to you guys SO much, and I have so many more thing to say, but I believe I'll leave it here tonight, and talk to you all soon!
I've missed you.
Ariemum
Posted by Arieanna at 10:06 PM
