(An older post from lfar.ca)

So I've moved, recently. (As in, yesterday).

I was starving and I decided to make some tortellini for dinner. The noodles are boiling and I go to look for a spoon to stir them. NO SPOONS. NO UTENSILS. Seriously. I checked every drawer and cupboard. Many times- I probably circled the kitchen 4 or 5 times, just not believing that there aren't any utensils. Guys, I even checked the oven because maybe they keep them there? Then I realized there weren't any bowls, either. There were 2 small plates, 8 wine glasses, and 5 shot glasses. And a colander. That is the exact opposite of "just the basics"!

"Welcome to my fancy dinner party. Have some wine. Have two glasses of wine- one for each hand. I've baked us some delicious insert fancy food that requires straining that we can eat from the pot with our fingers. Then do shots." Really- what the heck.

So using the butter knife I found, I both prepared and ate my dinner. I then divulged in two of my guilty pleasures.

First I watched Bridget Jones' Diary. The girl I'm subletting from left all her movies behind and theres a couple of good ones that I can't wait to crack into. I ate ice cream from the tub with a butter knife, and was woo-ed by Mr Darcy along with Bridget once again.

Guilty Pleasure #1: Anything Pride and Prejudice

I then walked to the local grocery store to buy cleaning supplies. My apartment smells a little bit and even though I have my nicely scented vanilla candle to mask any odor, I decided its probably a better idea to get down to the bottom of this and find the smell source. I spent about $30 on cleaning supplies including these awesome disposable scrub cloth things. A+. One thing of note is when choosing between scents, I chose "raspberry" over "scent: antiseptic" even though it was 20cents more for the same volume.

Guilty Pleasure #2: Buying things I know my mother would never ever buy.

Yes, its true. My mom would never buy "good brand" cleaning supplies. My Saturday morning chore was cleaning the bathrooms and oh boy what I would have given for a non bleach cleaner (sometimes my nail beds would start to bleed). And how joyous would it have been not to use regular scented VIM (and smell like that for a couple of days. sniff who smells like a slightly abrasive but will not scratch cleanser? Oh, probably Lisa again).

There were also "after dinner chores" at my house. The oldest kid living at home did dishes, the 2nd did pots, the 3rd cleared and washed the table, and the 4th swept. Now because I'm fourth, I was sweeping from the age of "able to sweep" until my oldest brother moved out, which was went I was what, 13 or so? So I've probably got 10 years of sweeping under my belt. I am a good sweeper. Now- before I bash my mom's frugality too much, I SHOULD mention that one time she bought me an electric vacuum broom. Literally called the Eureka 3000. It was a Christmas gift in grade two. I RECEIVED A BROOM FROM SANTA. Maybe this will help you understand why I get such pleasure from spending money on things like name brand ziploc bags and paper towel that actually dries things.

Well, so today I had planned to take a visit some sort of "bed bath and beyond" store to stock my apartment with supplies. Because though I won't often admit it- I like looking at linens, candle stick sets, and frames. Really, I do. However, this morning as I wiped down all the surfaces with "fresh clean scent" non-bleach name brand cleanser, I noticed something. A dishwasher. I have a dishwasher. And it is full of clean dishes. Wow.

Well... maybe I'll still go to a domestic goods store and buy a porcelain teapot because you never know.