Halifax Apartment Update 1

When I arrived in Halifax several days ago I was pleased to learn that the apartment was as prepared and stocked as I had lead to believe. With only a little work I was able to ready my room for my arrival. This mostly entailed unpacking some of my things that had already arrived as well as moving a few things that Neil and Rebecca had been storing in my room.

The largest single project was the re-assembling of my Ikea shelving unit. Prior to my arrival Neil and Rebecca aborted an assembly attempt after two of the parts self-destructed and the rest of the unit lost its structural rigidity. Fortunately to get the shelf up and running all we need to do was square it in a corner, add some included cross braces, fix the location of one of the bolt-screws, and tighten the bolt-screws. In all I think it only took us about 20 minutes to get everything in order. Since that time I have been able to move the unit into my room and start stocking it with my clothing and belongings. I am even thinking about installing a bottle opener on the front, though this would really only be because I don't have anywhere else for the bottle opener.

Since my arrival we have acquired a few things for my room and for the apartment in general. Fortunately these purchases have been limited and largely only from one or two stores.

One of the first purchases was a pillow, which we found in the grocery store on my first night here. So far I am quite pleased with my $5.00 pillow, it seems to be getting the job done (and is certainly doing a better job that my makeshift bed).

Eventually we made our way over to the near-by hardware/house-ware/automotive store and picked up a shelving unit, a rug, a lamp, and some plant related supplies.

We have since used the shelf as a plant storage facility, and it seems to be doing a passable job so far. We have since returned to the store to buy two more such shelves to use as storage facilities for the other plants. One benefit of these units is that they are stackable, meaning that we can use them to take advantage of the light from the living room window more effectively than if we had only short shelves or tables.

The rug and the plant supplies seem to be working, though their value will really become apparent in the longer term rather than immediately. Who can really see plant food working in a day or so? Also, the benefit of standing on a rug while washing dishes likely builds up over time and isn't particularly apparent in the short term.

The lamp has been the most problematic of the purchases. Not only was the above sink installation a little cumbersome, the item seemed to crap out after only about 20 minutes of use. This meant that today we had to make a trip back to the store to exchange the item for a replacement. Sadly, within about twenty minutes of use the new lamp also crapped out (though not before becoming worryingly hot). Hopefully we will find the time to head back to the store tomorrow to get our money back (though I imagine that things will be a bit more complicated as it will be the second iteration).

Hopefully, aside from a bed, I won't have to buy too many more things for the apartment. If this is the case, and I don't need to buy too much more, maybe it will finally feel as though I have stopped bleeding money.