It has begun

 We have begun moving things to the new flat. :D

One of the bedrooms has been cleaned and has a lock on the door, and we have our own set of keys now.

The landlady's cleaning lady is there and so far, I believe I am going to be doing some cleaning myself.  I saw her cleaning the front door, then went back an hour later and see that the door looks "like it has been cleaned" but not like "it is clean," if you understand the difference.  The baseboards in the living room will be another test.  She hasn't swept and mopped* in there yet, but something tells me, the smudges will stay on the walls and the baseboards will not be cleaned of their 10 years of dust.  We'll see.  She isn't my cleaning lady and I am not paying her, so I don't feel comfortable pointing out how things could be done better.  

A bit of bad news:  Someone tried to break into the apartment and forced one of the windows.  It is one of three** that doesn't have bars, so the owners are going to get some installed there.  I hate living with bars everywhere, but it is the price to pay for having a ground-floor flat.

A bit of I-hope-I-am-wrong news:  I feel like I am coming down with something.  I have had an itchy throat for two days and last night, I woke up coughing.  Today, I feel like I need to lie down because my energy just plummeted.  I have taken essential oils and am right now doing a round on the nebulizer*** in hopes of staving off whatever this is. 

Now is not the time to get sick.

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* All floors are either marble or tile.
** The other two have electric shutters, but the shutters weren't down.  However, those two windows are on the front of the building and anyone up to no good is more likely to be seen forcing an entry there.
*** which is why I have the time to type this up. :P

Enterprising Spirits

 Though it may, to quote rimturse , sound fancy to get a custom-made sofa, let me explain just what it means in Lebanon. :P

Here, they have these stores where, on the top floor, you find insanely expensive Italian brands; and you can find sofas that you only see in magazines, not "real" homes,* things that are 5+ meters long. 

Then on the next floor down, there are "cheaper" but still-super-crazy expensive Italian things,

On the ground floor, you find the fancy expensive things.  BUT!  Just next door, there is a store that partners with the first, only they have almost-Reasonable Italian things on their ground floor, and Lebanese copies in the basement!

However, if you are smart, you will keep looking, going farther afield and you will find a boutique** where they only have Lebanese knock-offs.  And instead of say, $1500 for a Lebanese knock-off corner sofa, you can find one that is even more comfy for $800.***  And, just like in the expensive stores, you can pick your upholstery for the same price.

They had the exact color and cloth we wanted as a floor model in the store, but they didn't want to give us a price for it, despite a tiny bit of damage.  So, we are having one made.  We have other furniture, so it is no big deal to wait for it.


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* not the homes of people I frequent, anyhow. :P
** Named something  that would only be chosen by a non-native English speaker like "Beauty Home."  It is funny how the more extravagant the adjectives, the worse the quality.  You see "Premium" and "Superior" on everything here from crayons and rice to cars and real-estate. 
*** You can get much cheaper in the really "local" stores, but comfort is not going to be au rendezvous, and the quality is also questionable.