Serenity NOW!!!!

The Honeymoon is SOOO Over...

Sadly, as I write, I understand no one may read this entry. You see this evening Nate and I were moved to our second temporary housing location. Our first spot was a one bedroom apartment in a suburb that required a 30-45 minute metro ride to get into the city. Despite these factors, we were moderately happy with the situation: free cable (all hail the BBC), free internet access, easy and secure entry into our quarters. But for some reason, we were asked to move to a different suburb, closer to the city, and into a five bedroom apartment.

I spent the day packing, AGAIN, cleaning the house for the next arrival, AGAIN, washing all the hospitality sheets and towels (hadn’t done that one YET) and in general gearing up for another adventure. When we arrived at the “new” apartment, I couldn’t have been more disappointed. The further I walked through the endless symphony of mazes that are the hallways in a 5-bedroom, 3 bidit (that is, 3 small bathroom-type rooms with only a sink and a bidet), 2 full bath, 2 half bath, and 1 quarter bath (that's a very small room with only a toilet) apartment, I realized what I had potentially signed myself up for in this nomadic lifestyle we have chosen. Large swaths of paint were peeling of the walls, all the paint along the baseboards was peeling, large red stains in several locations on the carpet, and the smell...ohh, the smell. I felt like we had just moved from the Courtyard Marriott to a seedy Super 8 Motel somewhere in Kansas (no offense to my various friends from that great state).

I put Ruby on the floor in what was to be her bedroom. I needed to set up her bed as it was well past her bedtime. I looked back at her and she was coughing, she had already found something here to stick in her mouth. Despite my best efforts to keep my eyes on her, before she feel asleep we repeated this activity three different times. It wasn’t my favorite.
Once she was in bed, I decided it was time to start cleaning. BLEACH, BLEACH, BLEACH. I started in the kitchen. Now, if you have been reading this blog you will remember my absolute joy at the state of the kitchen in the last place, it wasn’t a missionary kitchen. When I looked in the kitchen sink, and I have refrained from taking my blog down this road in the past, but you just need to know, or rather I need to share...as I was saying in the kitchen sink I found several pubic hairs. Just writing that makes me heave, AGAIN.

The bedding they had for us was stained in several spots. Luckily you couldn’t tell exactly what the stains were from. When I shook out the blanket to make the bed two of those heavy, industrial-type staples came flying out. The thought of going to bed tonight makes me want to cry...oh wait I have done that already. Thus, I am finding solace in nursing a Coke (full strengh for this situation, no Diet). Thank goodness I brought along my favorite scented candle from Anthropologie, its gentle aroma and soft light just may be the only thing keeping my sanity intact!

Off to clean the shower, so I can take a shower.