Our Apartment

Even though we have only been here a few weeks, I have really grown to enjoy our apartment. The location is so convenient we only need to drive the car once a week or so, and since all the utilities are already included, we don't have to stress over things like the lengths of our showers, or the amount of electricity we use, etc.

We have been slowly and deliberately furnishing the apartment, and last week we made perhaps the best addition yet: a dining table and set of four chairs we bought off Craigs list. This may not seem like much, but the dining set was actually an unbelievable find: a large (36" x 60") glass wrought iron table with matching chairs (and thick cushions) in perfect condition from Pier 1. We bought it for $150 from an extremely nice recent divorcee who was moving into the city and wouldn't have room for it anymore. He didn't seem interested in the money and was just happy to get rid of it--he even drove it to our apartment in his Jeep because it wouldn't fit in Seth's car. When we got home I looked up the set on the internet and found the same table and (7) chairs being sold second hand for $1300. I don't know how accurate that posting was, but I could definitely see how this set could normally be very pricey.

It is amazing how the dynamics change when you get a table. Seth, even during his 8 years in North Carolina, never had a table. We would always eat sitting on the floor with a plate in our laps. Now we can actually put our food on something and eat like cultured people! Conveniently, the kitchen is also the best room to pick up wireless, so it has been nice to sit at a table and use the internet. And notably, now that we have chairs, we can put two in the sun-room and make better use of that half of the apartment, while before we would only sit on our futon in the bedroom.

Carrie and Edgar's Wedding in Raleigh

Carrie and Edgar's wedding last week (in North Carolina) was really sweet. The bilingual ceremony was fairly small and packed full of Mexican traditions. Among other unfamiliarities, I noticed some coins being passed around, there was something about a candle, the bride and groom had to kneel in front of a large, colourful, Virgin Mary behind the alter, and my favourite part involved a lasso at the very end. I wish I knew more Mexicans...


For the reception it seemed like Edgar's friends and family really pitched in to run it. There was lots of Latin dancing and music, and as a professional chef Edgar was responsible for the food, which was absolutely amazing--a combo of Mexican and American fare (there were even two cakes), the best dish having to be the lamb enchiladas.

It was great to visit with some high school and uni friends: Carrie, Laura, Bill, Kate, Andy, and especially Bo and Monica. I wish I could see them more often, particularly now that Bo is at NYU and Monica is in St. Paul, but NY City is just a bus ride away, and St. Paul is near Andrew, Jennifer, and Carter, so I am sure I will be able to visit them fairly regularly!

My battle with Dell

Since returning home, I FINALLY have access to my Dell laptop, a Studio 15, I ordered back in July. There was some confusion and much, much frustration over the shipping of the stupid thing, and even though I have it now--three months later--I am still sore over the whole situation. To begin, I ordered it during the peak 'back-to-school' computer season, and they told me it would be shipped within one week. Though I was about to head up north for a few weeks, I would be back down in Raleigh for a few days in mid-August to pick it up.

The annoyances first started when Dell began pushing back the estimated shipment date of the computer. It was delayed nearly two weeks, then when that date approached, again for another two weeks. After the first notification of delay, I wasn't sure if I would be in Raleigh to receive the package, so I changed my shipping address (via an online form) to have it sent to Massachusetts. However, when I was finally notified that the order was shipped, I tracked the location of the package and saw it was actually being sent to Raleigh. I called up Dell and asked them why it was being shipped to Raleigh after I had changed the shipping address. The customer service representative said for security purposes they can only send it to the address designated at the time of purchase. However, she suggested that if the delivery is unsuccessful (meaning DSL tries delivering it three days in a row, and if no one signs for it they eventually send it back to Dell) they would be able to then change the address for me. Unfortunately, I did not get in contact with my parents in time and that afternoon Dad unknowingly picked up my computer from DSL.

Since my computer was delivered to Raleigh and I was in MA, my second option was to fill out a "Pick up and redelivery" form on the Dell website. I filled out the form, requesting to have it redelivered to my current location. Upon submitting my request, the website said Dell would review it and notify me within a few days. I waited several days with no word from Dell and so I resubmitted the form. After another week or so, I again resubmitted the form. No luck. I eventually called customer service (I think I spoke with the same representative), and she said the online "Pick up and redelivery" form was no longer active and since my computer was delivered I was solely responsible for organizing a redelivery and Dell would have nothing to do with it.

I emailed Dell Customer Service, not once, not twice, but five times, asking for help. Here is an excerpt from one of my emails:

...I have two issues I hope Dell will be able to consider.

1) Why could I not have changed my shipment address after ordering the computer? Why did the website lead me to believe it was possible to change the address? If this just happens to be the Dell policy, then Dell could have at least been responsible enough to give me a more accurate estimate of the shipment delivery date (the date was delayed by 3 weeks). I understand that I ordered the computer during a very busy time of year, but it was not appropriate for Dell to delay the shipment date twice, without the option for me to change the shipping address. Dell should realize students go off to college during this time of year and addresses change!

2) Why is the pickup and redelivery service no longer offered? And more importantly, why is it still on the Dell website? I submitted a request three times, never aware the request was not getting through.

I hope Dell sees how this shipment issue has been unethical, that 1) Dell delayed the shipment by 3 weeks 2) I was unable to change my address and 3) the option to Pick-up and Redeliver, which is posted on the Dell website, is not available. After always using IBM computers in the past I decided to try Dell this time--I decided this because of its good reputation. Please help me by picking up and redelivering this computer to my current address.

Thank you,
Michelle Landstrom

However, NONE of my requests were answered--Dell never even bothered to answer my simple questions, like why my online Dell account allowed me to 'change' my shipment address (even though it wasn't actually changed), and why the inactive redelivery form was still posted on their website. I went as far as telling Dell I would return my computer if they did not provide redelivery, but they did not even acknowledge this threat. At this point, three months later, I finally do have my computer, though during this entire time I have had to use my 'on the verge of collapse' laptop I bought second-hand in Canberra. Since I have not received support, much less actual help from Dell's Customer Service (despite my two phone calls and five emails), I suppose complaining via this blog will be my only outlet against them. Ergh.

Home again

On Monday I flew down to Raleigh for my high school/uni friend, Carrie's, wedding this weekend. The flight seemed like such a piece of cake--no checked bags, non-stop, and less than two hours long. I ended up waiting at the airport for longer than the flight. "Easy breezy."

Over the past few days I was able to catch up with Danielle W. and Matt B. (old friends I met in middle school band), and I have even been meeting with Matt for morning runs around Lake Lynn. I still have a few people I would like to visit before I leave, but I'll see how things go.

Autumn

Thanks to Rosh Hashanah and the Jewish orientation of Brandeis, Seth and I spent most of our six-day long holiday at his home in New York. Seth was really excited about going home in Autumn, the first Autumn in many years, but unfortunately the weather was rainy and humid, which destroyed our hopes for traditional cool, crisp weather. Since mid-September, however, the weather had been surprisingly cool and Fall-like (highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s), and the leaves had been starting to turn. (If late-Summer was that chilly, I am a little afraid of what it will be like in January...)

One of the highlights of the trip was celebrating Seth's mom's birthday. Everyone pitched in to make dinner (yes, it takes many people to do what she does on a regular basis) and we all had a good visit. The next day--despite some confusion over tickets--Seth and I went out to Geneva to see the Indigo Girls! This was really great for two reasons: 1) In Australia we hardly went out to see performances--they are all expensive and the good ones are few and far between--so it was fantastic to finally have a dose of culture; 2) The Indigo Girls are one of my favourite groups--this was our third concert (fourth if you include Amy Ray's solo show). The opening act, Kathleen Edwards, was also remarkably talented and definitely well worth seeing.


Here are some pictures from the past few weeks:

~Apple picking with Gina, Mark, Kate, and Adah out in Westford~

~Wild turkey family outside our bedroom window~

~The Big E (the large New England fair in Springfield, MA)~

~Running in Westford~

~Several days in New York~

~The Indigo Girls playing at the Smith Opera House in Geneva, NY~

#13

The past few weeks were really wonderful staying with Gina, Mark, Adah, and Kate, as they were extremely hospitable and open to us. Seth and I tried to help them out around the house by cooking a few nights a week and watching the kids (and dogs) a little, but it was still hard not to feel like we should be doing more for them.

Gina had been great in helping to prepare us for moving into an apartment. We went out to BJs and Lowes last week and this weekend we staked out a bunch of garage sales in the affluent neighborhoods nearby. After living in her quaintly decorated house (cute and cozy, like a model home from "Southern Living" magazine) and observing some of her secrets, she has really gotten me motivated in buying vintage/antique style furniture. It will be really exciting to go to more garage sales once we get settled in, though I am sure dingy old Waltham won't be nearly as good as Westford.

We now completed our 13th move in about 9 months; yesterday we moved our last load out of Mark and Gina's place and spent our first night in our apartment in Waltham. We had spent about a week slowly collecting things and dropping them off on our way to Brandeis in the mornings, trying to reduce the move-in mayhem. We also spent the weekend searching craigslist for furniture and borrowed Gina's minivan to pick it all up and deliver it to our new place.

The apartment is not in a very inspiring neighborhood, but the trade-off is that it is located right behind the northern border of Brandeis--it is only a 10min walk to my classes, and about 15 to Seth's office. There is also a yoga studio and Hannaford's grocery store within walking distance, and Moody St (where all the 'action' is) is about 1-2miles away. The inside of the apartment is pretty neat: all hardwood floors, a large bathroom, a very cool sun-room, and a decent sized kitchen. I think once we get settled in and find some more furniture (like a table, some chairs, and a desk), it will be a great place to relax and get work done.

It is a wonderful feeling to finally be living in our own place--we really haven't had an apartment to ourselves since leaving Chapel Hill two years ago (although living at college in Canberra was close). We got to dig out a few of our old household items (well, the ones we decided to keep), and start to build a collection of things we probably won't have to sell any time soon. There are so many little things about living in a 'permanent' home that are easily overlooked and underappreciated. Some of these things are especially noticeable in the kitchen. For example, I can now buy a large bottle of a good quality sauce or oil and know that I can keep it until it is used up. I won't have to throw it away in a few days/weeks/months if I don't finish it. The neat thing about this is that I can build up a nice variety of kitchen supplies and experiment with ingredients (like exotic rices, grains, spices, etc). Also, now that we don't have to share living space with other people (which usually isn't all that bad) we will be able to 'stock up' on items we know we will need. This will greatly reduce our trips to the grocery store, which we used to have to make several times a week. However, the most significant thing for me, I think, is that this afternoon we will be able to unpack our bags. We packed them when we left Canberra in May, four months ago.

With luck, we won't need to move again until we actually buy a home.

Revolutionary

Seth's birthday was just eight days after mine, so I had some planning to do. Luckily, he decided to take advantage of our location at Westford and wanted to explore the neighboring colonial towns, so after our classes we drove to Lexington (not too far outside Waltham) and went out to Minute Man National Park. We walked along a part of the five mile long Battle Road Trail, which connects Lexington and Concord. The theme of the trail, lined with ripe Concord Grapes, is the battle of April 19,1775, which launched the American Revolution. It was great to get out there and enjoy the beautiful late summer scenery.

Battle Road Trail, Minute Man National Park

Snacking on Concord Grapes along the way

The next destination was Concord, where we briefly stopped at Old Manse, a historic home built by the Emerson family, rented out by Hawthrone, and visited by Thoreau. As the sun was setting we made the most of the remaining daylight and rushed to nearby Sleepy Hollow Cemetery--not to be confused with Washington Irving's Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in NY. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to get a close look, and we pulled a 'busy tourist' move by going strait to Author's Ridge, which contains the burial plots of the Alcotts, Hawthornes, Thoreau, and Emerson.

Historical home at Concord

Extremely tall corn stalks at Old Manse

Concord's very own Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

As it was getting late, we drove to Bedford for dinner at Cafe Luigi, a casual and bustling Italian place. Even being a Thursday night, it was packed with a 30min wait! The food and cute atmosphere, however, definitely made up for it :o)

Kimball Farm ice cream was closed so we missed out on dessert, but when we got back to Westford Gina had surprised Seth with fresh baked gingerbread cupcakes--it was a good thing she did, or he would have been totally out of a birthday cake!

Our guest room in Mark and Gina's basement