Category Archives: Life

Calculating square footage

Posted in Bumpboobs, Canada, Finding Home, Life, moving to canada, Uncategorized by

Lately Zsolt and I have been calculating the square footage of our lives, or rather, our belongings. I’m  in the bad habit of associating my possessions with my ‘life’, which actually can’t be further from the truth. Yesterday we were watching videos of what’s left in the tsunami ruined areas of Japan – you know, the ones where people pick through the damage and hope to find something salvageable? And I thought, yes it’s stressful to move, but what if it was a choice between your goods or your life? What would sheets, pots, and books matter then? I find it’s a bad habit to tightly associate life with possessions. Because, as we’ve seen, everything can be lost in a moment.

Anyhow, it’s something I’m trying to remember.  I would trade everything except the people I love to be guaranteed absolute health. . . and I bet people suffering from the terror of war and natural disasters would do something similar for a little peace of mind.

So, Zsolt and I were calculating the square footage of our possessions the other day, trying to decide whether we can ship our paintings via a tea box or special carton. A tea box  (apparently standard shipping size) would be less expensive. Therefore, we had to revisit grade nine math. Funny how what used to be so easy eventually becomes so easily forgotten. Thank goodness for Wikipedia providing easy to access formulas.

Anyhow, the painting – without the frame – will fit into the tea carton.

Things are starting to look up in the world of moving. We found a company with reasonable prices, and while I’m suspect of the incredibly good deal they offer, I won’t say no. Don’t say no. Gotta say yes . . . Our plan is to order X number of boxes, fill them up with whatever matters most, and sell/give the rest away.

What matters most? Sentimental things go first: the photos, the fridge decorations, the albums, and Christmas ornaments. Next come the clothes: there’s an entire closet of stuff to pick through, but we have time for purging. After that it’s about the kitchen: my pots and pans, everything else can be left. And finally it’s computer related goodies: games, dvds, the computer, the screen (maybe) . . .

Too bad food cannot be easily shipped into Canada. I’d love to bring home some beautiful paprika and kobasz from Hungary. Oh well.

Step one in the moving adventure: find a company for shipping.

Check!

So that’s quite a relief.

Sunday night rambles

Posted in Bumpboobs, Life by

This weekend was great – excellent – wonderful – tiring! Yesterday morning (and early afternoon) was all about cleaning. We tidied, then scrubbed, then dusted, then vacuumed, then basked the in glory of an attractive apartment. One highlight was the ‘opening of the windows’, which means stripping away the sealant we applied last October (our windows are terrible. They’re double glazed, but not installed properly so the cold wind just pushes through).

Life has been full of small, enjoyable activities like reading events, cleaning,  hanging with Zsolt,  meeting with friends, an laughing till I cried. It’s been lovely.  Driving home today from our downtown excursion (I set off with ‘new jeans’ as  goal, but didn’t find anything great. Zsolt, however, landed some nice trousers.) we passed the hospital where I had my MRI. It was strange, all in a flash it felt as though we were going there again. I felt what it was like to walk through the entrance, to put on the gown, and wait for the scan. In the snap of a finger, I remembered.

Maybe that’s how it’ll be. Life will pass quickly as ever, with post-traumatic memory snaps.

Things to do this week:

1) Write. (as always!)

2) Measure my mattress to send away for a shipping quote.

3) Look up discount flights. Zsolt and I are thinking of going on a mini-break during the first or second week of August.

4) Go through closet and get rid of an optimistic 50% of clothing.

This past weekend has been a lovely holiday from life. But Monday’s coming (Monday’s here?) and therefore it’s back to work. And that’s is all I have to say. Just a quick Sunday night update for Lulu, who is probably checking and thinking, ‘it’s been a few days since Catherine has written.’

Not anymore! Bonne journée!

CAtherine

Living in a crazy mess

Posted in After treatment, Bumpboobs, Chemotherapy, Finding Home, Life, Treatment by

At the very end of Edible Woman there is a scene where she bakes a cake. Her entire apartment is catastrophic with mess, mould and disarray. Instead of cleaning the place, she buys new ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, etc), a new baking tray, new cake moulds, new measuring cups – new everything, and she bakes her lady cake. And somehow in that mess, once the cake is iced and ready, somehow she finds a little freedom from the madness.

This is how I feel in my apartment. For the past three days I’ve had one slipper missing, so have been walking around the flat with double layer socks on my right foot, and a moccasin slipper on my left. There is a constant pile of dishes across the counter, and the mite protection sheet of my bed (which last week I washed) has been sitting on the sofa waiting for me to strip the mattress – in the meanwhile it’s attracted my handbag, backpack, toque, apron, headphones, sweater, jeans, trackpants, running shoes, jacket, blanket, scarf and shall. The floor needs a good vacuum. The bedroom needs to be tidied . . .  the bathroom is okay, so at least there is that.

Anyhow, it’s a little crazy here. Zsolt in the meanwhile is at his computer totally absorbed into this thesis (because if he wasn’t, I’d never get away with leaving my things everywhere). I’m counting down the hours to his submission because: 1) It’s an incredible achievement and I’m bursting with pride over my brilliant man and 2) I miss having the dishes washed every morning.

Honestly, between Zsolt and I – he is the better housekeeper. Lately we’ve been taking turns. During chemo he did the tidying. During thesis I’d do the tidying . . . but now we’re both managing projects (radiotherapy recover and thesis polishing) at the same time.

Here is a good question: how do people with children manage? I really, really admire all the mothers and fathers who somehow produce a liveable household for their family. I cannot understand how you do it, which makes your results all the more impressive.

So – waiting for that moment of clarity now. Maybe it’ll come in the form of moving boxes, charity shop donations, and the inevitable vacating of this property. Who knows? Hopefully, eventually, I’ll at least find my other slipper.