Apartment renovation update

We're moving back into our apartment this weekend, and God willing, there will be at least one toilet. Both bathrooms now have tile and plumbing, but no actual toilet, sink, or fixtures.

But look!--an actual floor, with no gaping holes or construction stuff piled on it. If you squint you won't notice that there's no bathroom door, the bedroom door has no doorknob, and there's an interesting paint scheme on the closet wall.

In the meantime, life in our temporary studio is just fine. No cable, no TV, but Netflix via mobile tethering works for up to 30 seconds at a time.

Happy Thanksgiving

Have you ever noticed how little kids lull you in by pretending to be all sweet and adorable, then they beat the crap out of you?

Dad, you've gotta see this...

"Are you done eating? Brush your teeth."

"Wait. You've gotta see this Froot Loop."

"Uh-huh, cool."

"Did you see it? It's the weirdest Froot Loop ever."

"Yep. Come on, it's already 8:05."

"You've gotta take a picture!"

Most of the moments and hours and days of our lives are spent just trying to rush to the next one. You can miss your whole life that way.

Here's a picture of a sweet boy that I love, and the weirdest Froot Loop ever.

Ethan asks...

"What would you do if the elevator door opened and there was the ghost of a boy looking at you like this?"

Weekend update

Surprise! Our apartment renovation's not done yet. Two more weeks, in addition to the six weeks we've already been out of our apartment. Our poor little dogs will continue to be boarded. Our evil cat will remain living alone in the construction rubble keeping the mice away.

Here's what it looks like:

Walls, plumbing, and electricity are done; waiting for tile, toilets, sinks, fixtures, washer/dryer, closet shelving, paint, and clean-up. Two more weeks sounds naively optimistic.

Jen is starting to go stir-crazy in our temporary studio apartment, and spying on people in the Dakota turned out to be incredibly boring. God forbid we might actually see Yoko Ono or Roberta Flack undressing. That might scar us for life.

So on Friday night we rented a car, drove to Connecticut, and stayed at a hotel for a little rest and relaxation. On Saturday we dropped Jen off at Target while the boys and I went to the Stamford mall; "Ten Tiny Toes" was a Top Pick in Picture Books at B&N--Jewel's book was not. Ha. High-five.

Yesterday I revised and re-submitted a manuscript while Ethan sat next to me writing his own book. Chocolate milk at the farmer's market on Columbus, "Wreck-It Ralph" with friends, late family dinner at a restaurant, then "home" to our teeny studio on 72nd. Yoko and Roberta Flack probably watched us undress for bed.

Something I never would've said when I was 11

"Wow, that's a fast train! It looks like it's 40 frames per second." --Ethan

Our new apartment

It's ours for the next two weeks anyway, until our new bathrooms are ready.

Four weeks ago we moved into the studio apartment next to ours, but we had to vacate for a new tenant. Luckily, some friends offered us their vacant studio apartment on West 72nd Street, so here we are. We moved in the midst of the hurricane.

The best part is that it directly faces the back of the Dakota. So, like any rational, non-obsessive person, I got the floorplans so I'd know whose apartments I'm spying on.

And may I add that we are just the kind of people you'd want to lend your apartment to.