We have HEAT!

I was really starting to doubt whether the electrician would come out to fix my heat. Last week, my inspector walked me through the steps to troubleshoot my "broken" heater. When the fan wouldn't turn on (which isn't related to the furnace at all), he concluded that it was an electrical problem. Since the fan and heater were fine during inspection, he figured that the electrician had knocked something loose when he updated the wiring.

I have a home warranty, but the inspector recommended that I try to get the electrician to come back since he knew exactly what he did. Now that was a challenge! The electrician didn't leave a paper trail b/c he had done all the work as a favor to the previous owner.

So I reached out to my agent, to the listing agent, to the former owner, to the electrician. And they eventually did respond--after several warm, cold, and warm nights--that the electrician would email/call and come either Friday or Saturday.

I never heard anything, but thank goodness I was home tonight. It was the first time someone knocked unexpectedly, so I was a little spooked. But it was the electrician!! Now that's a real sign of character. Really, what kind of motivation did he have to come back?

He went at it and found the solution quickly. The internal switch in the furnace is constructed funny with wires all criss-crossed, so he had accidentally disconnected the wire to the switch! And lickety split, I have heat! Yay!!

So this is what home ownership is all about.

Induction Stove

I used my stove for the first time today! An induction stovetop! It was really exciting to see the circle turn bright red, and then get really, really hot. And then stay hot. I guess all stoves stay hot after you turn them off, but it's nice (actually, essential) that this stove has that red button that stays lit as long as the stovetop is hot.

I don't have a dining table yet, so you can see the creative solution! :)

I'm slowly moving into my kitchen. The motivation is definitely getting rid of the clutter and boxes in every corner of the house. The best thing about this house is the kitchen. Tons of cabinet space and really open floorplan. I'll show more photos once it gets more settled in!

Power On!

But Georgia Power not good in my book!

Dark and Hungry, but not Too Cold

I am sitting in the dark, waiting for Georgia Power to come back and turn my power back on. They consciously, that’s right—on purpose—turned off my power earlier today while fulfilling the power disconnection from the previous owners, but failed to start up my service.

Imagine the surprise when I got home and I couldn’t turn my lights on! At least the Georgia Power guy was on the phone was helpful (after I got through all the annoying automatic voice prompts), although powerless. At least he figured out the issue and said someone was coming right away. Only, that was an hour ago.

OK, I just called back, and the woman said that someone would be out here in two hours. This sucks. Plus, I’m still waiting on my heat to get fixed.

While I was waiting on my front doorstep for the power guy, the cheekiest thing happened with the local fauna. A raccoon sauntered over from around my car, and then a second quickly popped his head out from underneath. One dug around my yard, while the other came brazenly close to me, peering out at me expectantly for a handout. Uh-uh! After a few minutes and nothing interesting, they finally left. Grrrrreat.

Presents!

I haven't had a housewarming party (and it's probably at least 3-5 months off, given the state of things and the onset of winter, aka hibernation), but I've already had a few warm tidings of welcome. Haven't met my neighbors yet, but I've gotten a few gift cards for Target, Home Depot, and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. More cards to Home Depot and Lowe's welcome!

Yesterday, Alex and I went to the Chopstix for Charity fundraising gala, sponsored by the National Association of Asian American Professionals' (NAAAP) Atlanta chapter. Now that I'm settling in and getting to know my community, I can see myself getting more involved in this organization, as well as the Decatur community and the refugee community of Clarkston next door.

NAAAP is definitely geared more towards the young professional sector of Atlanta's APIA community, reflected in the evening's semi-formal casino theme, DJs, and live music. The event overall was well-done, and all proceeds go to charity. Alex and I even won raffle prizes each, quite fittingly, golf certificates for him and a complete garden kit from Home Depot for me!

This this is heavy. Big ceramic pot, water hose, gardening tools, tarps, hummingbird feeder and food, birdseed, and Miracle Gro. I'll be thinking all during my hibernation about that partial sun/shady garden and how to make it blossom and grow. I see elephant ears, hydrangeas, rose bushes in the future of my grey one.

Moved in & Spending

And stimulating the economy. Now, send me that federal tax credit, and maybe I'll stimuate some more.

Today was IKEA day. Yes, IKEA. I had thought long ago that moving into my 30s, with my first house, I would also move up in consumerism. You know, less H&M and IKEA, and more Nordstrom's and Pottery Barn (if you can call that moving up, but you get what I mean).

But the allure of IKEA was too great, after having depleted my cash store and feeling rather exuberant in my multiple rooms. IKEA has some really great sturdy and well-contructed finds, but also some flimbsy stuff that's not worth the time or effort.

I have upgraded to a low chest of 6 drawers, graduating from my hanging plasticloth shelves. That's probably by biggest (and heaviest) find for the day, plus a few nice things for the kitchen.

More and more... Day 3 in the house, and it's starting to feel, look, and smell more like my own.

Move-in Day

Not bad, not bad. I rented a 10' moving truck today to move all my big items with some help from friends. Now I have a few boxes, all my clothes, and the food in refrigerator left to go. And oh, these two heavy wooden chairs that'll probably take one trip of its own.

The house is starting to feel a little bit more like my own now that my stuff is filling up the place. The only problem right now is that I can't figure out how to turn on the heater. The gas was turned on today, but I can't figure out how to get the darn thing on. At least today has been warmer than the last week or so.