Dysmey Post Archive > Pages for 2002 > Early June 2002 Edition
It is official: I will be moving into the house of my sister Tina next month, while she is off on a teaching sabbatical in Bloomington. This is like my occasional housesittings except this will last a whole year.
Not since my college days have I lived in my own place. It brings challenges I have not faced in a long time (and some I never met).
Administrivia. I will need to tell the following about my change of address:
Cats. I will care for Tina's three wacky cats. That means I must budget for cat food, kitty litter (my Sam's Club membership comes in use after all) and at least one visit to the vet.
Food. I will have to buy my own food. I will have to cut back on how much I eat, but I need to do that anyway.
Furniture. Tina will leave the couch, fridge, stove, washer and dryer. She will also leave her waterbed. She is taking, selling or storing the rest.
I will bring my dresser, bookcases, and the armchair. Tina already has a closet, so I won't need a wardrobe (large clothes cabinet for rooms without closets). I will also need a vacuum cleaner to sweep off the carpets and furniture.
Neighbors. Tina has only two neighbors. One owns the rest of the block where Tina's house is. (A block in Fairmount has room for eight houses.) The other lives across the street. I will need to be introduced to both.
Utilities.I will be paying for juice, gas, and water/sewage/trash-pickup as well as rent.
My sister says that I need pay only rent and juice, but I do not see how she can pay the other utilities (esp. water/sewage) on her future salary.
My sister uses incandescent bulbs in most of her lamps. These will have to go in favor of energy-saving mini-fluorescents.
It is possible to transfer my DSL from my current number to my sister's number; I will need to give a week's notice and make sure her line is good. That will mean my folks will need to buy their own DSL or go back to dial-up.
I will have to abandon cable television as an unnecessary expense. Abayo, Iron Chef! I will have to see what I can get her old antenna to work; if not, I will need to buy a new one. There's nothing worth watching on TV anymore, so this is not a pressing matter.
Yard. Padre mows the lawn for Tina and will probably do so for me. If not, I will have to get an old-style push mower (the kind without a motor). The front yard is a garden, and that will need to be tended—and replanted after next winter.
The back yard needs a new clothesline, as the original was knocked out by a falling tree. There is also a rusting swing set; that will have to go.