Sunday, November 11, 2007

I just want nice things

I put off the last step of our bathroom makeover because I knew it was going to be bad. And it was. The last step was waterproofing everything, which involves a Tub N' Tile waterproof enamel that is so vicious it has to be mixed together before you can use it, and even the directions say you're not supposed to be painting for more than five minutes before taking a break. It took me a couple hours, but I still have a headache and I was, I think, briefly high during the afternoon.

So I decided to get out of the house and see if I could find a kitchen table. I found almost exactly what I was looking for at Linens and Things, but it was $249. I didn't really expect to find what I was looking for at the price I wanted to pay, but I thought I'd browse. I'm so frustrated with my roommates--both of them--since neither of them apparently care about what our apartment looks like. Wandering through the decorating section of Linens and Things didn't help either, with cheezy wall-plaques that said things like "Home Is Where the Heart Is!" I almost bought a bread plate though because it said "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread" like the plate Laura Ingalls Wilder got for her wedding, but it was some cheap metal, not peweter. Someday I'm going to have a nice plate like that, when I have a place where "Home Is Where the Heart Is!" does not look out of the place. I'm trying to decorate our apartment, but our--strike that, MY--budget is so limited there's only so much I can do. The local thrift store has furnished an an abundance of gorgeous museum-grade prints for a dollar or two, but they hang forlornly in an empty dining room. Whenever I ask the guys about potentially helping out, they get a hazy look on their face and become conveniently absent. A feminist article from Bitch noted how whenever men do chores like sweeping or dishes they will come and inform their mates, like they deserve praise. I have discovered this is true, but I don't want to live in an feminist experiment, I just want nice things.

The only option, of course, is to get a job with more hours so I have some extra money. I know this--but oh, that would take so much time away from my redecorating. I ended up getting a candle for the kitchen that smells like spiced pumpkin cookies--and if the roommates come home and ask if I'm baking, I'll just innocently ask "and where would I roll out the dough?"

1 comment:

Laura said...

I have to admitt to you - I really don't care what apartment's look like either, but I did go out and buy two snazzy fresh table cloths when I moved in and rearranged the furniture. Yesterday I heard two of my friends discussing which bowls would "match" thier kitchens and I'm like Guys, we're in the Peace Corps and you guys are decorating!
And I loved my old apartment in Moorhead Minnesota with the collection of mismatched dishes and pastel towels and didn't "go together" but they were nice nonetheless.