the chaise

When it comes to lifestyle I have entered into adulthood at a crawl. No factor has contributed to my stunted growth in this area more than the 'of no fixed address years'. I had about 10 years of not living in one city for more than 8 months at a time. Now that I have lived in Vancouver for four years straight I should have made some progress. But I haven't.

I have made leaps forward only to retreat back to a shabby university student lifestyle. When I moved back to Vancouver I moved into my own apartment; a first for me. Previously I had been living well above my means as I shacked up with my boyfriend in apartments that I contributed nothing more to than my sunny disposition. The apartments we stayed in were in trendy areas, had dishwashers and occasionally even in-suite laundry. On my own, and actually paying rent for the first time, I couldn't quite afford anything so grand. My new apartment was actually called 'the bombshelter'. A 350 sq ft illegal basement suite under a garage it had a skylight into the garden as the sole window. It was a great deal financially and I spent a year there trying to get myself together as I recovered from the end of my amateur athlete career.

A made a leap forward as my next move took me to a top floor apartment with windows that opened in every room. It was a full one bedroom and I no longer risked all of my clothing smelling like chicken because the wardrobe was next to the stove. The entire place was furnished with my ex-boyfriend's furniture and a few pieces from Ikea. I was an adult. What more could I need/want you might ask? My answer: a car. The ultimate luxury.

At 28 years of age my only foray into automobile ownership had been a 76' green VW rabbit that was technically owned by my brother, then another sister and then handed to R and I to get us out to rowing practice. It had holes in the floor, would mold and freeze during the winter, fog up constantly and not start frequently. We loved it. R and I installed a stereo system that was worth more than the car and drove to the lake each day feeling like our 17 year old lives couldn't get much more independent than this. Until one day when I parallel parked facing up on a hill and when the car wouldn't start I pumped the gas pedal so hard it just broke off. Dream over.

So there I was 11 years later and my thoughts turned to the freedom of car ownership. I went for it. I bought a hatchback Honda Civic at the age of 28 and was once again on the road. At this point between the car and the full size with windows apartment I was stretched to the max financially. I ran into a crisis and had to step back. Step way back.

I moved out to the burbs to be closer to my work. I got an apartment with a roommate. I sold all of my ex's furniture. I sold the car.

Car-less I walk to work each day. With only a bedroom to furnish I didn't need to hit up Ikea.

After a year of living my new frugal lifestyle some space opened up in the living room. 'Do you have any plans for that corner?' I asked the roommate. 'Nope.' was the reply. And so I started stepping forward, thinking about what I could furnish that area with. Something that said I am an adult even if I share an apartment with someone I am not in a relationship with, use public transit as my main form of transportation and still don't own a real bed frame. And I found it. A chaise. Not from Ikea. No assembly required.

Of course, instead of paying movers $100 to move it in a colleague with a truck picked it up and moved it for a case of beer. Baby steps.