Happy As a Bivalve Mollusk

[mallorys_camera]

Mister Task-Bunny built my desk in record time at a most affordable price, & now I am as a certain fabled mollusk!!! (No amount of etymological research, by the way, can unearth the origin of that peculiar simile “happy as a clam!”)

Here is the fainting couch portion of the Patrizia-torium—



And here is the strictly utilitarian part of the room with bed and workspace:



The desk goes up & down depending upon whether I’d rather sit or stand. And unless I’m in a relationship, I prefer single to double beds. Just feels cozier.

There are still 100,000 boxes to unpack, of course. But hey! Progress has been made. Yesterday, there were 150,000.

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It is just so pretty here! The clouds look like painted opera backdrops:



I’m a bit worried about the garden, which Iggy jimmy-rigged to some kind of self-regulated irrigation setup:



It’s not clear to me that the irrigation system ever switches on, and we are back to having hot, hot days.

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John bailed on hanging out today—he’d warned me in advance there was a good chance he might.

So, Mister Task-Bunny and Jeremy at Computer Hut in New Paltz (where I will shortly be driving to recycle the—ulp—10 decrepit laptops I have accumulated over the past 20 years) will likely be the only humans I talk to today.

So far, in this new place, the introvert portion of my personality has been dominant. I’ve been content by myself. Sly Mabel likes to find hidey places, but Molly has been almost doglike in the constancy of her attention—though her conversation lacks variety: She seems only to want to talk about the long-dead leader of China’s Glorious Revolution, Mao! Mao!

The chickens are excellent company, too.

But sooner or later, the extrovert portion of me is gonna crave stimulation.

How does one make new friends in a new place anyhow?

After Max was born, most of my long-term girlfriends didn’t want to hang out with me anywmore ‘cause they weren’t into breeding. They didn’t drop me exactly, but it was clear to me that my preoccupations were no longer their preoccupations.

I got very lonely.

I got so lonely, in fact, that I actually printed up a bunch of posters like the ones you use for missing pets, taped them to telephone poles: Hi! Wouldn’t you like to be MY FRIEND?

I actually got one response: Judy Jacobson! We stayed close till I moved the fam from Oakland to Monterey. And remain FB friends to this day.

But I don’t think that particular strategy would work these days.

And MeetUp is a pain in the ass.

Comments

[bleodswean]

The local art museum committee.

[mallorys_camera]

The local art museum is part of the local university, SUNY New Paltz. Not sure how one gets a foot through that door.

But the local library, def! 😀

[rebeccmeister]

Hooray, new Patrizia-torium! I know nothing about interior decorating, but methinks you need a focal painting for the fainting couch area. Perhaps this is on the to-do list and just not yet accomplished.

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You 100% MUST take over the local garden. Chicken manure is fantastic fertilizer in the long run, but it does need to age awhile.

Why do people feel like they need something more complicated than simple drip hose, or even drip hose made by punching holes in regular hose?

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One checks the calendar, here, for potential events:

https://www.eltinglibrary.org/

(admittedly slim, but perhaps investigating Friends of the Library gives you a chance to figure out how to improve the offerings and attract people to better events? Hit or miss, depending on the current politics of the organizational entity, but this is what one must do.)

One also checks to see if the people at SUNY New Paltz ever hold interesting events or lecture series.

Doesn't one also go over to Manny's Art Supply? Do they have a community bulletin board? Find other places with community bulletin boards. Investigate offerings, and post. I tend to love local coffeeshops for this.

[mallorys_camera]

I think the focal point in the fainting couch area is the window. Because all those masks! 😀 (Hey! I love them, & I had to hang them somewhere.) But I do need a wonderful piece of art for the area over my desk.

SUNY New Paltz has something called the Lifetime Learning Institute with classes in things like swing dance and "The Banality of Evil & The Reemergence of Antisemitism in the United States." I'll definitely sign up for a few in the fall.

[smokingboot]

This looks like a wonderful space. Chickens and pussycats, beautiful skies and gardens...

My suspicion is that you'll find the way to local friendship pretty fast once you feel ready to venture. You are extremely personable!

[mallorys_camera]

I am personable, aren't I? It's that Libra ascendent! 😀

[asakiyume]

Ditto this! Also agree you need to take that garden in hand.

[mallorys_camera]

I've done some weeding. Iggy's irrigation setup doesn't seem to be working, so I'm gonna try to persuade him to turn watering over to me. When I next run into him. 😀

[lethe1]

Your new place looks good, both inside and out!

(I notice the kiskas made themselves scarce for the photos.)

Molly has been almost doglike in the constancy of her attention—though her conversation lacks variety: She seems only to want to talk about the long-dead leader of China’s Glorious Revolution, Mao! Mao!

Hahaha!

[mallorys_camera]

The kiskas wouldn't come out at all when Brian dropped by. They're not shy with me anymore (though they're not particularly cuddly cats), so I forget how shy they can be around other people.