Flashback: Dishes in the Tub

When my sister, Brooke, decided to move to Chicago six years ago, I decided it was time to get an apartment on my own. While having a roommate had its advantages, I felt I was finally old enough to be completely on my own. Right away, I found a beautiful one bedroom place in St. Paul with hardwood floors and a GORGEOUS clawfoot soaking tub. Without consulting any outside opinions, I put down a deposit and agreed to move in the following month.

Being young and inexperienced, I didn't realize all the things one should check for before agreeing to rent (or purchase) a place to live. For starters, I foolishly believed air conditioning on the top floor was not a necessity. When your cat sits in the living room in this position for hours at a time, you know its hot.

But that's not all. After just a few weeks, I learned the other "quirks" the renting agency neglected to tell me:

• The laundry room DID have three washers and three dryers. However, there were no lights in the laundry area and no windows, not to mention only one of each worked on a good day. 

• The water heater was on a boiler system. Hopefully you weren't in a hurry because lukewarm water took a minimum of 8 minutes, hot water at least 10. 

• I couldn't dry my hair and have the bathroom light on without blowing a fuse. Same for the kitchen light and the microwave. 

• And the best part: the kitchen sink didn't have hot water. In order to wash my dishes (because there was no dishwasher) I had to fill up a tupperware basin with water in my bathtub and carry it into the kitchen. 

So this past weekend, when the pipes to the kitchen sink began shooting water all over the basement, I found myself, once again, washing dishes in our bathtub. And having marinara sauce all over your white porcelain tub makes you thankful for plumbers and their ability to be at your house first thing Monday morning.

Despite this setback, we've actually managed to get a TON of painting done. And even though we're far from being finished with decorating, things are starting to finally take shape.