dispatches from muscat: settling in, part two

i'm starting all over again. settling in. 7 weeks after i first arrived in this rather spectacular country, i have packed up house, graciously thanking meredith and co. for their kindest of hospitalities ... and moved. ladies and gentlemen, i am in the midst of the adventure known as setting up house.

this meant lots of shopping -- wee! unfortunately, at lulus. oh boy, you already know the craziness that is lulus (and their parking lot), so i was less than thrilled to realize that i had spend the majority of this last week-and-a-half at that horribly wonderful place. but the good news is that i have things! for my apartment! cheap things! and experiencing lovely little idiosyncrasies of this place ... like how i broke a hose on my water boiler in the bathroom as i was trying to put up a shower curtain rod (the landlord STILL hasn't gotten back to me about a plumber ... alas. it's friday, after all ...) or how my furniture arrived 1.5 days late because the delivery truck broke down

ok. i'll stop. i know you want to see photos.

shelves! the one in the middle and the one on the right came WITH NO INSTRUCTIONS. i had to put them together with the sole help of a picture on the box. be proud. ladies and gentlemen, the benefits of a william & mary education: the ability to construct shelves without instructions.

it took me forever to find a comforter that wasn't plastered with brightly colored flowers or prints. thank you, home center for this lovely duvet and duvet cover.

the majlis. i need a rug. rugs, much like comforters, come in very intricate patterns. i'm still on the hunt for a low-key one. i don't know if that will happen. le sigh. and i need a drill to put up my blinds. this is one of the few moments in life where i mused about "needing a man" ... who else would drill holes in the wall and fix my plumbing? :o)

yes, i have a bathtub. time to invest in lush bath bombs!

then i started to decorate. the one on the left is near the front door. makes me giggle and so i leave my apartment with a smile on my face (and if my neighbor is in the hallway at the same time, he greets me with a bemused look.)

my life's savior during this whole process. with my lack of satellite tv (i'm experimenting without a tv for this year ... i'll have to catch up on grey's anatomy over christmas.), my iPod has become my best friend. also helps in the car when both english stations aren't up to par that hour.