Moving in

Well, we're moved in to our new place and it's fully furnished.  It already looks much better. While Sean spent the entire weekend assembling furniture, I cleaned the place floor to ceiling. Allegedly, it was cleaned prior to us moving in, but the woman's hair in the shower was evidence to the contrary and I wasn't taking any chances. We have all necessary appliances now. Flats over here don't come with refrigerators, so we purchased one. We also purchased a machine that doubles as a washer and a dryer (these seem to be popular here). Although I took proper measurements of the space alotted in the bathroom for the washer/dryer, I failed to measure the width of the doorway into the bathroom. You can see where this is going. A handyman should be coming shortly to look into shaving 2 mm off of the door frame.

Although there are many good things about our apartment (lots of space, next to the beach, bus stop, nearby cafes and shops), we're also discovering some less positive attributes (in addition to the colors). Part of the benefit of living near the beach is the sea breeze. However, many of the screens have holes in them. As you will read later in this post, I'm neurotic about bugs, so this didn't sit well with me The real estate agent told me that the landlord was not responsible for replacing the screens. In fact, many flats here don't even come with screens. After consulting our friends Paula and Allan and Sean's co-workers, we've learned that this is a load of crap. Sean called him and someone should be at least coming to look at it, but he continues to say that the place isn't even supposed to come with fly screens and the previous tenant left them here. I'm copping somewhat of a resentment over this exchange. Also, we need spark sticks to light the stove and there might be a problem with the hot water in the shower. Coming from where I come from, I'm under the false assumption that for the amount we pay in rent (more than double what we paid in the states), some of these things should be taken care of. I'm learning otherwise. I don't think of myself as a high-maintenence person, but by Sydney standards, I might just be.

I've gone to war against cockroaches that I'm not sure even live here. Everyone keeps saying that cockroaches are a problem in the flats of the Eastern Suburbs and Sydney is infamous for their cockroaches. I've initiated a preemptive strike. I bought a pack of 12 cockroach baits and placed them strategically around the flat. I've also done a fair amount of research on cockroach prevention: do not leave cardboard around, do not buy wicker furniture, etc. Sean thinks I'm paranoid. His assertion is supported by the fact that I have yet to see an actual cockroach in or near our flat. But mark my words, he'll be thanking me in a few months when it becomes cockroach season and our flat remains virtually bug-free and sterile. Hopefully these chemicals aren't too carcinogenic ( I worry more about Daisy, who'll be arriving in late October, than I do about us).