House-sitting Day 1

The first-time house-sitter's tips for other first-time house-sitters:
-Make sure you know how door locks work.
-Introduce yourself to the neighbors before something bad happens
-Pay attention when the house-owners explain to you how to use the TV. It is awkward to call and ask how to play a DVD. I mean, for all they know the cat could be sick but you WANT TO WATCH A MOVIE!



Silence. Almost too much silence. I can hear a ticking clock, the buzzing of the refrigerator, and an occasional sizzle from my warming egg rolls. But otherwise, there is not a sound to accompany my rapid typing. I always said that when I lived alone I would blast music and sing as loud as I want. But for some reason--maybe out of fear, maybe because this silence is such a different sound--I don't want to make much noise.

It is Day 1 of my house-sitting job. My FIRST house-sitting job, as was so apparent to myself and the next-door neighbor this morning as I knocked on her door at 9 am. Only moments before I had walked out the front door to get the mail. Because the cat is ABSOLUTELY NOT ALLOWED OUTSIDE I shut the door behind me. And guess what? The handle has a trick lock. Whether it is locked or not, from the inside the handle moves as if if were unlocked. So I opened the door quite easiy and didn't realize that it was locked. That is, didn't realize it until after I shut it behind me. And of course my phone and keys were inside. After trying to break in on my own (but after two minutes realized it would be impossible) I went over to the neighbors. Turns out they work at night so at 9 in the morning they are just getting to bed. But she was very nice and helped me pry open the screen on a window that I had THANKFULLY opened before I went out.

So yep. Does that make me the worst house-sitter in the world? I'm trying to tell myself it doesn't seeing as I cleaned the kitchen and bathroom floors today. Maybe tomorrow I will get the living and dining rooms done. C (what I am going to call the lady who lives here, and her husband is T) told me that she would pay me for cleaning but I would have done this anyways even if she wasn't. Shoot me now but there is something therapeutic about making something dirty into something clean.

Of course I did spill milk on the kitchen floor after it was clean.

There is a cat here but he is very shy and I have only seen him twice. But I know he's alive and here because his food is gone that I put out for him.