Of kitchens and cooking

In weightloss, they say the last 10 lbs. are the hardest to lose. I feel like this metaphor could also apply to my kitchen - the last three things are the hardest to get done.

I attempted to cook an actual meal there last weekend with pretty disastrous results. My microwave is still precariously placed on my stool. So every time I opened my fridge I would hit the microwave with my butt, almost tipping it over. Then I had to slide past it, and every time I pulled a pot off the stove my left elbow and the microwave were on a collision course. My arm has been sore all week. I've given up on the thought of cooking an actual meal until the microwave is properly installed.

Last week I ran into my non-Super who told me the new shorter cabinet for above my stove was in. I was excited - would I actually have a finished apartment soon? The contractor was supposed to show a week ago Wednesday but didn't. What a jerk.

So I was thrilled when on Thursday night the real Super told me that the contractor was coming Friday to finish my kitchen. Finally! It was girls' night out so I didn't make it home until pretty late. I was half-expecting to walk in and see no difference. When I walked in my microwave was still on my stool, and I figured the contractor was a no-show again. Drunk and suddenly grumpy, I just went to bed.

This morning I actually looked in the kitchen, and there has been some progress. The shorter cabinet is installed over my stove but the microwave is not. Instead, there is a HUGE gaping hole in the wall. The Super had stuck some steel wool in there which was nice of him. He knows how scared I am of the mouse (who by the way, maybe dead somewhere in my apartment. That'll make for a fun search in about two weeks). I hope they're coming back to plaster the hole and put up the microwave - and soon.

The new hole.

Also, my middle cabinet now had glass doors instead of the wood doors. All I can say is yuck. First of all, the glass is see-through, instead of a diffused look I was expecting. My friend J liked the look a lot but it's not my taste. Secondly, the old wood doors had been flush with my other cabinets but these doors are not quite. Since it looks like the contractor is halfway done, I'm hoping this will be fixed. I'm really hoping he doesn't think he's done because I had a nice surprise in my backyard - trash, my old over-the stove cabinet and some pipes sitting outside on my chairs. Argh. They better be coming back!

The clear glass doors.

There was also some good news. My Super had been over two nights before to help me set up mouse traps. I told him about the light in my backyard not working, and this morning I noticed he had installed a new light! That made me very happy. I can finally chill outside at night. It wasn't all a loss. In the meantime, I'm planning a small project on the other side of the kitchen galley - a homemade extra counter top with narrow cabinets. If I can pull it off, it's going to look very cool. I have to practice my jigsaw skills first.

The poor microwave - still sitting
on my stool 7 weeks after moving in.

I was hungry, so I decided to warm up some oatmeal in the microwave. As you can see in the photo it wasn't plugged in. I opened the door and the tray had been messed with - I think maybe they tried to install it? But the news got worse - I plugged it in and nothing happened. It didn't come on, nothing. Shit. Did they break my microwave?!? There aren't even words.

Logic set in, and tried another outlet. No dice. Finally I realized the circuit breaker switch must have flipped. Sure enough, it just needed to be reset. What a relief - no microwave would have been a true apartment disaster.