Two years ago, I moved to the Christmas tree farm. Sort of. And I started this blog. Sort of.
See, I wasn’t actually able to move in right away, because the quaint cottage I rented turned out to be a shithole, and took about three weeks of hard labor before it was deemed livable. And this blog is actually my second one, started as a companion to the final 30 days of New York City blog, which I integrated into this one when I switched to WordPress. I was such a young and naive blogger then. I put up a link to Dooce, patiently waiting for her to link back, while hyperlinking like crazy all over the rest of the internet.
The idea of anonymity didn’t cross my mind during the first week when the blog was titled “<my real first name> in the city.” It wasn’t until The Daily Tannenbaum started up that I came up with all the nicknames I use today, and I went back and changed all the old names in my archives. I’m sure that if you are really into digging, you could find a place or two where Birmingham, Penelope and SisterAlyson are called by the names on their birth certificates. There are also a couple of posts where I called myself “Noel” before my co-worker convinced me that only men spell it that way, and if I want to be known as a girl, I have to add the “le.”
Ah, good times. It’s refreshing to know that nothing ever really changes in my broken down home. Last night I went to the supermarket after work, and came back to the cottage laden with groceries (in reusable tote bags, which I know Allie will appreciate.) Lately, my back door has been sticky, and over the weekend my dad let it swing open and hit the stopper really hard, which made a scary cracking sound. A quick investigation revealed no serious problem, but I still reminded him to treat this 150 year old structure with kid gloves. Then, last night, in a much similar way, I lost control of the heavy door because of the groceries, and it went slamming into the stopper. Then it fell of the hinges. 
For those of you who don’t live in the area, it was exactly no degrees last night, so forgoing a back door was not an option. After some finagling, I finally got it closed, not solving the problem of how I’m going to open it again. Because I was planning on leaving the house at six in the morning in order to get to free bagels morning at the gym, I had to get the door working. The only option was to call the emergency handyman, who is a nice guy, but no Julio. He came over in a jif, but then spent a full hour re-doing my hinges, sanding my threshold and screwing my door frame. (Wow, that sounds dirty…) You can see the results to the left here, and I’m sure I shouldn’t be worried about the enormous crack that runs all the way to the top of the door. What you can’t see is how freaking cold my home got while the back door was open for the hour he was working on it and the enormous oil bill I’m getting next month because the thermostat is right next to the open door.
Here’s to two more wonderful years!
23 responses so far ↓
stefanie // February 12, 2008 at 2:25 pm
I’ve often wished I’d used an alias from the start, but it seems awfully silly to change it at this point. When I first started reading your blog, I thought your real name was Noelle. Duh. Me = Not too bright sometimes. (Please don’t make that my six-word blog description.)
My alias is slowly fading away, it’s sort of just for fun now. I don’t think it’s always clear that Noelle isn’t my real name…
The Dutchess of Kickball // February 12, 2008 at 2:41 pm
It is amazing how sometimes time flies and then in other instances when your door is wide open for an hour it can drag on so slowly.
So true.
3carnations // February 12, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Oh, why couldn’t it have been a plumbing problem?
Mmmm… Julio over at nighttime…
mickey // February 12, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Happy cottage anniversary! Door or no, it still sounds like such a romantic location there in the cold, on the Christmas tree farm. Shame Julio couldn’t make it.
That’s the thing, it SOUNDS romantic, but there are bitter realities everywhere.
Allie // February 12, 2008 at 3:26 pm
I do appreciate!
Happy Anniversary! Break a pipe or clog something in celebration!
I did notice that the toilet seemed a little slow.
Brando // February 12, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Leaving a door open like that really does make you root for global warming.
Not so much global warming as specific location warming.
-R- // February 12, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Happy sort-of-anniversary!
Sort of thanks!
nancypearlwannabe // February 12, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Maybe you should invite Julio over anyway, just to check that the plumbing is okay in this freezing weather.
Happy cottageversary!
I guess routine check ups never hurt anybody.
Jennifer M. // February 12, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Congratulations and thanks for 2 years of reading fun!
Thanks and you’re welcome.
Aaron // February 13, 2008 at 12:59 am
Happy birthday, Christmas Tree blog!
Hey, our two year (pseudo) blog-iversaries are like, a week apart! Yeah, us! Congrats on two years of awesomeness, and here’s to many more.
I know, I just realized that. We’re twinnies!
Pete // February 13, 2008 at 8:34 am
Congratulations on a great blog. Now that your door is repaired it will open the door to new adventures!
Metaphorically wonderful!
lizgwiz // February 13, 2008 at 11:11 am
Happy blogiversary. You’re a toddler now. Are you going to start screaming and behaving irrationally as part of the “terrible twos”? ‘Cause that might be kind of fun to read, I have to say.
The house I lived in previously (the one that was slowly sinking into the ground) had several doors that were either cranky about closing, or downright refused to do it. They never fell off the hinges, though. Sorry about your heating bill!
Erikka // February 13, 2008 at 11:46 am
Aw man, what a way to ring in a celebratory time. Happy blog-o-versary anyway, Noelle. And home-iversary too.
Erikka // February 13, 2008 at 12:07 pm
ps. i’m going to NYC this week-end and was so thankful for your list of 30 things to do there! my beau and I needed some ideas.
xsquared // February 13, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Happy Blogi-Cotta-Versary!
Anika // February 13, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Happy Anniversary to you and your blog, and to you and your cottage! And cheers to the year ahead . . .
Tara // February 13, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Even with all of the headaches that a home that old brings it still sounds wonderful and perfect to me.
Congrats.
rdl // February 13, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Happy Anniversary!! Yes two more years!!!
Stilettoheights(jenn) // February 14, 2008 at 8:47 am
the perils and joys of living in an old building.
our rented house is 100 years old and in wonderful shape for the most part, sure….it’s freezing and the heating system was not set up to effectively heat a house, and our coffee pot will sometimes blow out a fuse just by hitting start, sometimes it won;t sometimes it will…no rhyme or reason, and no other appliance in use.
anyway enough of that…sorry you had to get your door frame “screwed” so hard there is a crack.
:/
Sobe // February 15, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Aaron outed your real identity to me once and I didn’t believe him. Your secret is safe with my batgirl.
Sobe // February 15, 2008 at 9:39 pm
That was ’safe with me batgirl’
alyndabear // February 17, 2008 at 8:53 am
And what a two years it has been! Congrats
Laurel // February 18, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Happy belated and fake anniversary! Door breakage actually sounds kind of good right now as my wonky prewar nyc heat has my apartment at a sweltering 80 degrees!
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