Cleaning My Apartment

Okay, today there’s no time for a trip out anywhere as I have to clean my apartment and it’ll take all day and all of the night to quote Ray Davies. My parents are coming to town tomorrow and my apartment is kind of a wreck. I’ve been so busy with this blog, I haven’t had time to clean it since I started it back in February and it wasn’t in great shape back then! So today’s post will be some before shots and then a trip around my apartment after it’s all cleaned up. Hazel!

Okay, here's the "before" photos. My coffee table area is a real mess. Shit's piled up on it and the ash tray's need cleaning. There's also dustballs underneath and the table needs cleaning. And there's that stupid Beatles Anthology that didn't sell.

Here's a troubled area over in the corner next to my futon. Stacks of crap are everywhere and I need to throw some of this stuff out.

My writing area under my loft bed is a mess and its very dusty.

I don't think I've straightened up this cabinet area in my kitchen in years and it's definitely out of hand.

This part of the kitchen is especially disturbing. There's a buildup of magazines, newspapers and junk that I've ignored for years. Time to clean this shit up.

The appliances in here all need a good going over with some cleanser.

Lots of stuff need to be broke down and put together to take out to the recycling bin.

There's dust on the bookcase.

Dirt on the walls.

The bathroom's not too bad, but it could use a little work and those Amy Winehouse pictures definitely need straightening!

Okay, all my cleaning supplies are in place, time to get to work!

Okay, it's a few hours later and I've cleaned the front room. I'm just starting to tackle the problem area in the kitchen and it's a real mess. That phone book is from 2005 to let you know how long I've let this go.

It's crazy, the more I clean, the more stuff seems to be spilling out here. I've been working over five hours now. Time to get something to eat.

This is what I eat when I don't go somewhere for the blog, a big salad from the corner deli. It's a giant salad of mixed greens, carrots, broccoli, snow peas, pasta and chicken cutlet. This is all I eat on my days I don't eat for the blog to balance things out. Can't be eating cheeseburgers every night. Okay, back to work and then it'll be time for the "after" photos.

Alright, I started this at one in the afternoon and it's now 10:30 PM and I'm all done. Quite a day of work, but its paid off. Check out the front room. Everything's dusted, cleaned and back in order and Gumby is resting comfortably on the futon.

Everything's back in place on my coffee table, one of my favorite things in my apartment. It houses my books, magazines and the little tchotchkes and knick-knacks I've collected through the years.

The problematic corner by my futon is all back to normal and I threw a lot of crap out.

My entertainment center is all dusted, polished and straightened up.

And I polished the bookcase with Murphy Oil Soap and you can see the books shining in the wood.

I cleaned my refrigerator which I've ignored for about a year.

There was about an inch of dust on the top of it and now it's all spic and span. Gumby and crew are happy with the new clean environment.

I got all the dirt off of this wall.

And the kitchen area is spotless. This was the hardest part to clean up. I had let it go for a long time and it was a real wreck.

I cleared and straightened up the top cabinets which were a mess and overflowing with junk. I also hung up the Sloppy Joe's Towel from Key West that Al sent me for Christmas.

The microwave and cooking area is all cleaned up and shining like a new dime.

And I cleared out the problematic area that had piles of magazines, newspapers and junk from years of throwing stuff there and ignoring it. It's so nice to have finally cleared this up.

By the time I got to my writing area I was beat, but still managed to dust it and straighten things up a bit. The bathroom was the last place I needed to clean. As I said earlier, it wasn't too bad, but I managed to straighten Amy's photos and clean it a little bit more. Let's go take a look.

Aaaahhhhhh!

Further Reading: Apartment Ratings, Apartment Therapy and Cleaning My Apartment: The Musical.

Lately I get the funniest feeling,
And the whole thing starts again.

Surprise link, click on it...I dare you

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Bonus Photos From Danny The Freelancer!

Danny noticed that the CBBM mutation from yesterday resembled Ben Quadinaros, the Podracer from Star Wars and sent in this "Separated at Birth" photo comparing the two. They do look alike, but as I had to tell Danny, I had never heard of Ben Quadinaros, as I've never seen any of the Star Wars movies. A fact that amazes a lot of people!

And yesterday's post about the Empire State Building inspired Danny to write in about this King Kong statue he owns. Here's what Danny says about this prized possession: "I bought this  King Kong Statue from a junkie on the L.E.S. in the 80's. It's from the 1976 Dino De Laurentis movie. De Laurentiis had over 100 of these scowling foot and a half statues custom made for cast, crew, movie writers and critics."

"Its on a black wooden base with a brass plaque that reads: “Dino De Laurentiis Presents KING KONG.” Very cool, thanks for sending these in, Danny!

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Bonus Comment Photo From Jaws!

Jaws the Cabbie sent in this photo to illustrate his comment above. Here's what he said in his email: "Here's what I'm gonna need for the things growing behind my toilet." Yikes! Note to self: Never use the bathroom at Jaws' place!