year one: a few things that living in a 100 year-old house has taught me

Don't put original lampshades in the dishwasher. That there is paint, not tinted glass. It's probably lead paint, too. Mmmmm, lead on my dishes.

That original ceiling light that does nothing for me and would only take 15 minutes to swap out? I will learn to love it. When jostled, century-old electrical wire looks very much like Bucky at the end of Infinity War. (In addition to the normal tools, this six-hour debacle involved superglue, velcro, spackle, a staple gun, a shop vac, and industrial strength duct tape.)

The answer to the question "Christ! What is this wall made of?" is four inches of plaster. As difficult to drill into as it is easy to drill hideous chunks out of.

Do not make eye contact with neighbors. They will want to discuss neighborhood history back to the Roosevelt administration. Teddy Roosevelt.