I moved in December. Not far. As a matter of fact, if I were to poke a hole through the corner of my kitchen, I'd be in my old apartment (the one the flying squirrel drove me from just days before Christmas). When I moved, several aspects of my life moved seamlessly: bathroom essentials (same drawers, same vanity, same medicine cabinet), and, for the most part, my kitchen (same cabinets and drawers).
As a creature of habit, this changeover was comforting. I moved the bathroom first and camped in the new place for a few days, knowing that getting ready for work via suitcase would be easy because I had make-up, shampoo, and a hair dryer. I also moved the mud room so I could do laundry without running back and forth during those "squirrely" days.
The kitchen set-up, though, hit a slight snag. One of the cabinets that I use all of the time refused to stay open. At first I thought, "Well, isn't this quirky? Hahaha, so funny." Right?
Except that anyone who knows me at all would be quick to say, "This is not going to end well." And those people are correct.
It starts innocuously. Emptying the dishwasher should not trigger compulsive tendencies. However, I find that I have reached the breaking point of trying to jimmy open the cabinet simply so I can put away glass bowls when, for the umpteenth time, I nearly drop and break the entire stack trying to beat the cabinet from shutting on me.
This is when a brainstorm five months in the making hits me: Switch out the matching cabinet on one side of the stove with the one on the opposite side. After all, that cabinet is full of baking supplies. I don't use it as often as I do the cabinet with bowls and colanders, and I rarely need both hands to grab bread crumbs or cooking spray.
This is also when I have a brainstorm to try jury-rigging the cabinet door with a plastic knife. (It works!) But, by this time, I am all-in. I start with the flour and sugar, switching it from top shelf to top shelf. Then, I move to baking staples, like powdered cocoa, baking soda, and corn starch from the middle shelf, and replace those with the metal and plastic mixing bowls. Lastly, the glass bowls move to the left, and the more-often-used baking items (oil, vanilla, and vinegar) to the right.
I should probably start a betting pool as to how many times I will open the wrong cabinet over the next few months since I lived with this set up for years in my old apartment. So far, though, I am already feeling better knowing that the next time I grab a Pyrex bowl to make pizza dough, I won't bruise a knuckle trying to beat the aggressive cabinet door.
