Laundry-O-Rama

March 14, 2007 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

Our clothes go through a lot of wear. By jove, just this very day, during lunch, a fellow co-worker and I participated in crab-walk contest and in my haste to the finish line, ended up dragging my sweater across the dirty blacktop; now, it looks like my sweater has a black eye. And, no way…

Flooded Toilets and Ants, Oh My!

December 20, 2006 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

When my toilet flooded for the second time in a week yesterday morning at 6:00 A.M, I wanted to argue with it. I wanted to chastise it for being so thoughtless during the holidays. Didn’t it know that I was out late the night before altruistically looking for presents for others? I did not deserve…

Adventures in the Shower

August 2, 2006 | By Kate AuthorMy First Apartment

There’s pretty much nothing I like less than cleaning the bathroom. There’s just too much room for nasty. So usually I do it as infrequently as possible. With two boys and I sharing one aging bathroom, though, it’s reached a severe level of gross on my homeland hygiene monitoring system. Red alert. Mental alarms sound.…

Kate’s Apartment

July 26, 2006 | By Kate AuthorMy First Apartment

Managing your first a apartment is a constant learning experience. I, for example, just learned what mouse poop looks like. My boyfriend, who grew up in the country, pointed it out. “Are you sure those aren’t just really stale Rice Krispies?” I asked, crossing my fingers. I’m not bigoted, but I hate varmints. “Don’t worry,”…

Is This Still Safe to Eat

November 23, 2005 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

If you follow some basic, common-sense rules about handling your edibles you can avoid the nasty effects of food poisoning. These rules are compliments of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. How Long Can I Keep It? Refrigerate all perishable food within two hours, or one hour if the temperature is over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Wrap…

You, Too, Can Be Handy

November 23, 2005 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

Toilet Overflows In this always-pleasant scenario, grab a plunger and place the rubber cup tightly around the hole at the bottom of the toilet bowl and commence pumping. Lift the plunger to see if the water is running out. Pump a few more times. Pour a bucketful of water and see if it runs down.…

Clean Living: Cleaning, laundry and mouse patrol

November 23, 2005 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

Every now and then (preferably on a weekly basis) you need to get into your gym clothes, crank up some Zeppelin on the CD player, and break out the cleaning supplies. If you are semi-incompetent when it comes to cleaning and laundry, this section will give you the basics on how to get the job…