Settling in
Apr. 7th, 2018 11:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maeve66I don't want to post photos until every last box is unpacked and broken down and out of this place. But that's not really all that many boxes. Everything is unpacked except the kitchen stuff (worst of it all, ugh) and some random art supplies and files boxes. I'm waiting for two IKEA deliveries, one of which is storage for the latter. That probably won't happen until sometime in the middle of my work week, boo. My mom will be here, but ... she can't really deal with deliveries. I'm just going to have to hope they bring the stuff, leave it outside, and it doesn't get stolen. Ugh.
It's nice inside. It's nice in the immediate block outside. It's not nice anywhere else in a radius of several miles, honestly.
So far (three days in; not much to judge by) it's fine living with my mother. It's going to be a revolution in how I eat, now that a) I have to feed her; and b) I will have $900 less disposable income a month. Sigh. I made a dinner meal plan for the next week. It's not at all exciting, and definitely involves some frozen meals from Trader Joe's (which means I have to go to Trader Joe's). I also have to sit down and fucking budget, GOD. Given how cheap my rent was, that hasn't been a concern for a long, long time.
My mom and I watched Wadjda tonight -- my second time. It's a movie by a Saudi woman, set in Riyadh, about a rebellious ten year old girl who really, really wants a bike. Her father is being pressured to marry a second wife because Wadjda's mother can't have more children and Wadjda's all she has -- a girl who doesn't even show up on the family tree. It's not a heavy handed film; more a slice of life, except that the principal of the girls' madrassa where Wadjda goes is horrible. It sure makes Riyadh look like a run down, sandy, hot, dusty place. Nothing like the fancy pictures of downtown skyscrapers. There's an interesting sub-subplot about conflict between what are working class Saudi people (well, oil workers and teachers and nurses) and foreign workers like Wadjda's mother's Pakistani driver, who picks up a whole carpool of Saudi women teachers who have a one and a half hour commute.
My mom seemed engaged and into the movie the whole time and commented on plot developments. As RQ said today (my sister), in reminding my mom about doing something -- "You know, your with-it-ness comes and goes in waves." She seems with it, right now.
It's nice inside. It's nice in the immediate block outside. It's not nice anywhere else in a radius of several miles, honestly.
So far (three days in; not much to judge by) it's fine living with my mother. It's going to be a revolution in how I eat, now that a) I have to feed her; and b) I will have $900 less disposable income a month. Sigh. I made a dinner meal plan for the next week. It's not at all exciting, and definitely involves some frozen meals from Trader Joe's (which means I have to go to Trader Joe's). I also have to sit down and fucking budget, GOD. Given how cheap my rent was, that hasn't been a concern for a long, long time.
My mom and I watched Wadjda tonight -- my second time. It's a movie by a Saudi woman, set in Riyadh, about a rebellious ten year old girl who really, really wants a bike. Her father is being pressured to marry a second wife because Wadjda's mother can't have more children and Wadjda's all she has -- a girl who doesn't even show up on the family tree. It's not a heavy handed film; more a slice of life, except that the principal of the girls' madrassa where Wadjda goes is horrible. It sure makes Riyadh look like a run down, sandy, hot, dusty place. Nothing like the fancy pictures of downtown skyscrapers. There's an interesting sub-subplot about conflict between what are working class Saudi people (well, oil workers and teachers and nurses) and foreign workers like Wadjda's mother's Pakistani driver, who picks up a whole carpool of Saudi women teachers who have a one and a half hour commute.
My mom seemed engaged and into the movie the whole time and commented on plot developments. As RQ said today (my sister), in reminding my mom about doing something -- "You know, your with-it-ness comes and goes in waves." She seems with it, right now.
no subject
Date: 2018-04-08 10:29 am (UTC)I'm sorry to hear your mum is having a difficult time, and that you had to give up your Oakland apartment.
I think you are doing the right thing, and hope it all works out.
As my grandmother got older she couldn't read any more, more to do with vision than concentration, and my aunt would read to her before bed. I wonder if having someone there reading to her would help your mum focus long even to follow the story. You mentioned a volunteer who takes her to the library, is that still a thing now that you've both moved? Maybe reading to her could be part of their visits.
no subject
Date: 2018-04-08 10:09 pm (UTC)I'm pretty good at cheap food if you want suggestions.
no subject
Date: 2018-04-09 04:50 am (UTC)If you ever figure out meal planning let me know cuz we suck at it.