Owner's manual

After doing a bit of cooking, kitchen cleaning and sorting downstairs, I wandered back up to the loft to watch Mission Impossible 3 on the desktop computer (Eh. Good thing I could watch it free with Amazon Prime).

Incapable of just sitting to watch, I either start to twitch, or fall asleep. As long as I was at the desk, I could start putting tabs on the myriad hanging files created for the massive amount of paperwork related to the condo purchase.

The previous owners left me a great deal of ... paper. Hiding in the trunk of my car is the robe box from Boston Store that holds condo association correspondence from the last fifteen years - in my trunk still from last August, when I thought the sale was falling through and I needed to return them.

In the built in bookcase upstairs on move-in day, I found another, six inch stack of files and paperwork. To get it out of the way, I tucked in a few hanging files and closed the drawer.

Those files are a treasure trove of history of the condo and the appliances. The previous owners saved almost everything. I have both receipts and owner's manuals for pretty much every appliance in the place - furnace, air conditioner, dishwasher, microwave, range, washer and dryer, refrigerator, ceiling fan and fireplace. Even the little instruction booklet for the thermostat is tucked in one of the files.

It's helpful to know the age of the appliances, as I plan when things will need to be replaced, and whether or not it is worth it to put the old ones on Craig's list.

The planning is the tricky part - so many things I would like to do, not so much because the place needs a lot of work (most of what I'd like to do is cosmetic) but to make it more mine. Well, and to clear up some "what were they thinking?" spots (there is a strange alcove in the loft, which, with the simple addition of sliding doors across the front, will make an awesome closet).

At any rate, I'm grateful for the manuals and the information; it makes life a bit easier.