Winter Holidays

It's been a while - and still no Betty news. Things have been fairly static here, and what's interesting in life - kayaking, movies, life in general - is reported elsewhere.

I had Thanksgiving with friends in Inwood - two stops away, very convenient on the A train.

Pumpkin House

This house is in the neighborhood, just north of Castle Village. I've seen it several times from the river; it is distinctive.

Pumpkin House, a cantilever house overlooking the Hudson River at 186th street.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/garden/14pumpkin.html

Observation

A neighbor admired Betty's color scheme from the courtyard so much that he stopped by for a closer look. I obliged.

Pasta with SD Tomatoes and Pine Nuts

I've made one of my favorite pasta dishes, one I haven't had in quite a while: pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts. It's remarkably simple once you procure the pine nuts.

Basically, saute some onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes (option) with a small jar of sun dried tomatoes and half a cup of pine nuts. One the onion and garlic is browned, pour in some white wine. Boil half of that off, then add a can or so of chicken brother. Bring to a boil, then down to a simmer for 7 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, boil up some pasta - spaghetti, rigatoni, or something similar. You're supposed to toss the cooked pasta with the entire pan of sauce, but since I'm a singleton. I jar the sauce and mix proportionally.

The final result fits in a large cappuccino mug. I'm convince now to buy actual pasta bowls - for when plates aren't enough. The tomatoes are meaty, and the nuts are very savory.

A Year and Some Months On

I've been in the apartment for a little over a year; after closing in April, I moved by the end of the month in 2011. I thought it would be nice to put up some before and after pictures from before and after.

Here is the entrance, as it is now:

Here's the bedroom at the final inspection. I remember joking with the realtor that there might be a head in the box.

Below are different angles of the room. The fist is looking a bit to the right, and the second is looking back from the bed. I painted the room a darker green, which I think works better with the bed and drapes. Eventually I'll replace the dresser.

The blue I had picked for the other doors; I'm not totally convinced it works well here, but it doesn't hurt. I've got the one nightstand, with a mirror I bought at Anthropologie (on sale), and a little collapsible foot stool for my gym clothes.

I don't iron in my bedroom; I just store the board in there.

The biggest change was the bathroom. Here you can see the old stove, and then the rancid refrigerator. I replaced both, and also painted over the yellow.

I have a galley kitchen; it's basically a kitchen built around a hallway. You can see in the original plans the fridge originally went to the right of the sink, and there was no counter space. Where the fridge is was meant to be a dining nook.

Here's the nook, from a different angle. I repositioned the fridge to the right of where it was, so that I'd reclaim the effect of the hallway opening up into the living room. I put in this narrow "baker's rack" set I got at the container store and then added a couple of extra shelves (including a wine rack, not pictured). Microwave on the shelve below the butcher block. I do all my prep here and then cook on the stove.

Here is the reddish color I chose for the kitchen. It works really well with the golden yellow it abuts in the living room. On the column is a Navajo sand painting, and a photo of a latte I had in Costa Rica.

The living room was just . . .sad. Sad and boring. And lonely. It was a renter's bachelor pad before. Sadly, I hadn't been living too differently much earlier than this.

This is the reverse corner.

And this is looking back towards the kitchen.

Here's the reverse corner again:

When I have a guest over for dinner, I usually seat them by the window. Lately I've taken to eating breakfast there in the mornings. I don't have a great view, but I have a moderately contemplative view.

Here is the living room, looking back towards the kitchen. I have accumulated plenty of stuff. The mister insistes I am entering the subtractive phase. 

The bookshelves were a steal from a neighbor who was upgrading. I also got the table from her for $50. It's sturdy, and has leaves, so it can become bigger if I ever indulge my fantasy of having a dinner party. 

Finally, this area proved to be the most challenging. it's a little nook leading to the bathroom. If you think of my apartment as an L, it's in the interior corner. That's an old-fashioned laundry hamper, which is where I put my towels.

So, here is what I finally did with it color-wise:

Crazy, right? But it keeps a bit with my theme of desert or southwestern colors. On the column here is a set of wood samples from Costa Rica, and on the wall an old sign from an antique store, and a photo of a tank being driven into a river (incorrectly, to be clear).

The Doors

Well, I painted the trim and the doors. There is one door left to do, and then some touchup of the trim. I had my mister over on Saturday and we got most of it done (he helped with the trim; I'd done the doors already.

I like these colors, but I realize they're "Dr Seuss" colors. I started with a desert theme - hence the marigold and deep brown-red. The blue is more saturated than I really wanted. Actually, it's exactly what I wanted, but in retrospect I should have gone line.

In any case, we're almost done with paint. I need to touch up the details. Then, it will be a curtain rod for the remaining un-curtained window, and then perhaps remodeling the bathroom.

Baking Eggs

My latest thing is baking eggs. Using a small baking dish, buttered ad sprinkled with salt, pepper, and paprika. Previously, I would pour milk over, but today I dropped in a light layer of sharp cheddar. Baked at 375 degrees for twenty minutes or so. Magnifique, and much less messy than frying in a pan.

More Painting in January

More painting. Here's the kitchen. I covered over the "Atomic Papaya" with what I really wanted, which is more of a brick-red that contrasts the living room's marigold yellow better.

Here's more of the bedroom, with sample blue on the door. The blue works really well in the rest of the apartment, but I wasn't sure about the bedroom.

Here is the hallway, with the yellow from before, and the new light purple. It's not pink!

Close-up of the door. I want to use this nice gray for the trim. gotta figure out just how much of the trim will get painted.

Winter Painting

Been a while since I posted anything new. This long weekend, I painted my bedroom and hallway.

Thanks to BW for helping me schlep paint back from Home Depot on the A train.

Here is what the room looked like after I moved in: originally a light green paint.

I have never been thrilled with green. However, it grew on me, and I started to think a darker shade might work with my other plans for the apartment.

Here you can see the difference between the old pain and the new, following by a shot of another wall in the room prior to painting

Here are the same walls, once complete. The ble on the door is a test for door color. The color works everywhere else in the apartmtent, but I'm on the fence regarding the interior bedroom doors.

Paint and Photos

I've got more photos hung up on the walls. This weekend, I'm buying paint to paint next weekend, which is a long weekend.

Pictures when I'm done!