learning curve

(Axel in his pirate pants and my fancy shoes.)

It makes me nervous staying in such a fancy apartment. There are so many breakable things around--glass window panes on all the interior doors, an antique ceramic stove (the kind that was used for heating the house), rickety old wardrobes with frail door pulls, ceramic lamps by the bed, a polished dining table and brocade chairs, brocade floor length curtains, and many, many mirrors. Even though the apartment has only two rooms, at some point while Axel entertains himself someone will have to cut cabbage with the steak knife.

Which is exactly what I was doing when Axel pulled the ceramic, grecian-urn facsimile bedside lamp onto the floor, breaking off one of its feet. At least, I think he broke it. As the previous renters had broken the bathroom window, it's possible they also broke the lamp. In any case, it's now broken and all we have to show for it is some braised cabbage.

The apartment is really lovely, though our unfamiliarity with such classy lodgings is evident. The bathroom, which is as big as Mychal's study at home, has a whirlpool tub half as large as the room. I was pretty excited to give Axel his first bubble bath in it. But we lacked the patience to let the tub fill properly, and turned on the jets too early. Ooops. The entire room was doused. You'd think once would be enough of a lesson... But no, I had to try again, the moment the jets were covered with water. Again we doused the bathroom. (Clean up was rather a challenge, as the place is designed as an efficiency; the only available cleaning supplies are lysol room deodorizer and paper towels, neither of which was very much help.)

Another thing I learned since we arrived is that the market does not cater to early risers. By 8 o'clock this morning, after having entertained Axel since 4am (and quietly, at that, so as not to further piss off the neighbors), we headed out in the sun to the market. Our big plan for the morning was to go to the market and then the neighboring playground, which Axel had noticed the first time we were there, and labeled the "wheel" park. In his mind, the playground is next to "the man cutting fishes," and he threw a huge, public tantrum yesterday evening because it was too late to go to that "wheel" park.

The first time we passed the playground, it was covered with snow, and, after evaluating the situation, Axel decided it was too snowy. So it was with great patience that Axel suffered hours 4am to 8 until the sun had risen enough for us to head out today. The market is about a 15-20 minute walk, just enough, today, for Axel to fall asleep. But not enough, I found out, for the market vendors to set up their stalls. So, with Axel asleep in his stroller, I went up and down the aisles, dodging boxes and dollies in various stages of load/unload, and piecemeal, as stalls opened for business, picked up our daily fare. Axel was still asleep an hour later as we stood in a sunny patch on the snow looking at the playground. Using cookies, I tempted him awake, and he grudgingly got out of his stroller to tromp once around the playground, take a spin and a half on the merry-go-round, and decide he was done.

(Sleepy Axel with cookie on the merry-go-round.)