A Search For A New Apartment.
It’s an end of an era: for the past 6 years, I’ve called my apartment in Crown Heights, Brooklyn my home. Now, with our lease ending at the end of July, Morgan, Brian, and myself are parting separate ways.
Today, my real estate agent friend Brett showed me a few apartments in the Crown Heights area — just a few blocks from my current place. I saw three of them, but I wasn’t impressed. He suddenly received a call from his manager about a new, yet-to-be listed apartment in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. The building lies directly north of the Crown Heights border, a couple blocks from Atlantic Avenue and 8 blocks from my apartment. Brett called its current tenants, and they allowed us to see the 1-bedroom unit on such a short notice.
As soon as I stepped in, I knew this was the place for me: exposed bricks, a spacious living room with an alcove I could use as a studio, a bedroom larger than mine, a dishwasher, and — what sealed the deal — my own private backyard.
After leaving the apartment, I immediately submitted a deposit. Yes, it’ll take a lot of work (and money) to get the place to my liking, but I’ll make it work. Check out the pictures:
See you in August, New Home!
The Purge.
With the help of Gino, I managed to purge 7 garbage bags of clothes, paper files, and miscellaneous items from my bedroom. I figured it was time to have a more adult bedroom, and that meant getting rid of a lot of things that I didn’t need or use anymore. I took down the polaroids that adorned my wall, got rid of the old dog toys Nico doesn’t play with anymore, and tossed out/donated old furniture that doesn’t suit my style anymore.
In fact, I bought a nice headboard (adults have headboards, right?), and decided to make new furniture out of reclaimed wood, steel pipes, and old lockers that best match my vintage aesthetic. Yeah, I’m twee as hell, but making a brand new, smaller computer desk and side-by-side nightstands out of lockers also allowed me to delve into my creative side. I even bought some of Gino’s old floor lamps to place on the side of my bed.
Above the headboard, I decided to gather some of my old wall decorations and paint the frames white; the light color contrasts with the brick wall. I also wanted to have a pagan-esque altar, so I went to the local botanica and bought some relevant candles.
I love the look and feel of my new room: it’s more open (both in feeling and physically), and is completely in synch with design sensibilities and identity.
8-Bit Social Awkwardness.
Happy Birthday, Monica: You Can Shove It Up Your Ass!
For Monica’s birthday, I decided to make a puppet of her. She does, after all, have a round enough head that’s very similar to a puppet’s.
I found a video tutorial on YouTube and a simple pattern for the head online (I enlarged the pattern to fit an 8.5″ by 11″ sheet of paper). I went to Michael’s to buy some flexible foam for the puppet’s basic shape, the same kind of foam used in patio cushions. The hair was made of yarn — with three, detachable (with Velcro) extensions that would correspond with whatever color she dyed her hair. She’s a big fan of fur, so I purchased a yard of fake, white fur for the collar (and to hide any mistakes I made on the head). For the skin and clothes, I made a trip to Manhattan’s Garment District and bought some wool at a fabric store that was going out of business. I used some googly eyes I had laying around, as well as any additional cloth I had from previous sewing projects. I even crafted a small paintbrush and an essential oil bottle out of felt, because if there’s anything anyone knows about Monica she loves painting and essential oils. Overall, a lot of hot glue and minor stitching was used to piece everything together.
It’s not much and I wish I documented the process more, but here are some photos of the development and the final product. I have to admit, though, that it turned out pretty well for my first puppet:
I presented Monica her gift at her surprise party at Beast of Bourbon in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. I’m pretty sure she enjoyed it, and Gino and I are talking about making a series of videos starring the puppet.
