dumb personal post

We're already spending tons of money getting ready for the move. Last week we went on a shopping expedition for four "must-have before moving" items.

We bought the incredible sucking machine known as the Oreck XL Ultra, so our lovely new home will continue to be lovely.

Here in NYC, we have beautiful hardwood floors, requiring nothing more than constant sweeping and the occasional Murphy's Oil Soap to look good. But two large, shedding dogs + carpeting = disgusting. Oreck has a 30-day free trial, plus they throw in free shipping, a free canister vacuum and a free lightweight steam iron to entice you to try it.

The vacuum arrived yesterday and it's incredible. We tested it on the dogs' beds, which are as covered in dog hair as the dogs themselves, and we were astounded. It's also very lightweight (that's Oreck's big selling point), which means Allan won't have to do all the vacuuming himself. Yours truly, even with my arthritic hands and shoulder, can vacuum, too.

Next, we bought an Aerobed, so we have something to sleep on after the movers come for our stuff, and before they deliver it all to Port Credit. I think we'll use it for guests instead of buying a futon or sofabed.

We also bought an array of dog beds. We assume finding used couch cushions on the sidewalk is pretty much a New York City phenomenon, and we don't want to take their old mats with us. This will somewhat reduce the fur-on-carpet factor.

And lastly, we bought our first digital camera! Yes, it's true, there were two bloggers left in the world who didn't own a digital camera. We both enjoy taking photographs with our conventional Olympus, and are resistant to gadgetry for its own sake. But posting pics of our new home and environs seems like a good idea, and it would be fun to take pictures of our move and arrival without having to deal with film, telephoto lens, etc.

So we did it. I was, of course, amazed at how easy and inexpensive it was. We got a little Olympus, plus memory and case, for around $175. Well worth it. I will try not to post pictures of my dogs everyday.

Bad mommy that I am, I have been thinking about how much more money we'd have if we weren't spending a small fortune on Buster's eye drops each month. I'm not seriously considering allowing my dog to go blind so I can save money. Just dreaming.

And now, to work. I have completed three of five chapters for the Ancient Civilizations book. (Hurrah!) Today I begin ancient Asia: Harrappa, Mohenjodaro and the Mauryan Empire in ancient India; Shang, Zhou, Q'in and Han in China; Koguryo, Paeke and Silla in Korea; Yayoi and Kofun in Japan; and a focus on silk. I know absolutely nada about these cultures - before I wrote the book outline, I had never heard of them - so it will be even more interesting.