February 2008

1. moved
2. started new job
3. turned into a large comatose semi-erect robot

Am v. tired. Spending all off time sleeping, or assembling/organizing/unpacking in my sleep.

Back later.

ETA: last trip to old apartment completed. Now must get energy to unload car.

Tomorrow is my LAST DAY putting up with the supervisor.

I can hardly restrain my joy.

Today someone said I didn’t have to look so happy about leaving them… I was thisclose to telling her OH YES I DO BECAUSE I SO AM.

And then, I have to cram loads of stuff in the car and go to start new job Thursday, and come back Saturday to finish cleaning out stuff. This was not the tidiest move ever.

My pets and most of my things are in another town tonight, in my new apartment.

I’m surrounded by open carpet.

We finish the move this coming weekend.

Three days of the old job left. It will be difficult to be cordial to the supervisor. She’s been even colder since I gave notice, and it’s hard not to snicker when I walk by her open door….

Boxes: yes!
Apartment on hold: yes!
Storage for unneeded appliances: yes!
Box carriers: yes!
Day of move set: yes!
Packed: mostly. two days of jamming things into boxes and clearing closets/cupboards. five empty boxes left.
Utilities set up: yes, except for phone
Truck reserved: yes!
Trip to Goodwill: one done! may arrange pickup for fridge
Trips to dumpster: many
Pets freaked out: 4, still
Forwarding/address changes: waiting for next week.
DMV printout: done! weirdly, it took ten minutes.

Boxes: yes!
Apartment on hold: yes!
Storage for unneeded appliances: yes!
Box carriers: yes!
Day of move set: yes!
Packed: no.
Utilities set up: no.
Truck reserved: yes!
Trip to Goodwill: possibly today
Trips to dumpster: many
Pets freaked out: 4
Forwarding/address changes: not yet
DMV printout: good grief, when will I get to do that?

Busy week ahead. Batten down the hatches.

But more tired.

I’ve started saying good bye to some of the kids I’ve been working with.

Who knew 12 year old boys were such drama queens?

Things to do in the next two week:
1. give stuff away
1.5. work
2. pack the rest
2.5. work some more
3. reserve: truck, phone/utilities, apartment
3.5. keep working; fill out forms
3.75. get: fingerprinted, drug tested, examined by m.d., forms to fill in
4. pack truck
5. collapse
6. drive truck
7. unload truck and turn it in
8. feed friend pizza and beer, eat pizza and beer, collapse
9. drive back to old job; work for three more days, cleaning old apartment in the evenings and camping on the floor
10. drive to new apartment; buy groceries
11. start new job

I hate moving with a passion, but I’ve had a lot of practice.

I have been offered a new job.

I’m busily cleaning out the apartment, as in, all the things I have not used in a year or more are going into a pile in the garage.

I considered selling some things, and I may yet throw a collection(s) of various games and software on ebay…. But I’m thinking many of these items served me for a while and retired to closets, and that we only ever pay for the use of them, and part of being responsible is to be conscious of when it’s time to let things go so someone else who needs them can use them. So many items are going to head for donation sites, to be exchanged for receipts.

My old PC/digital camera already have a home - a friend who still has Windows ME (!!!!!) will be adopting them once I reformat the hard drive and install fresh versions of the software.

Lots and lots of old craft stuff is heading out of the apartment, or being set aside for re-use in new projects. And I have dusted off the sewing machine - I just ordered a quilt kit to make a backpacking quilt. The mummy bag I have is not as warm as advertised, and the zipper getting stuck wigs me out in the morning - I’m somewhat claustrophobic, and add that to having to pee and not being able to get out of the bag? Panic city.

Yes, I’m still planning to move. I have another job interview on the twenty-second. I have quotes from moving companies, of the do-it-yourself and four-guys-with-tools sort of job. I lean toward four guys with tools dismantling the washer/dryer and wheeling out the refrigerator. Being able to load the pets and electronics in the car and let the guys lock the garage door when they’re done and ready to roll has a certain appeal.

Now I’m going over to visit the puppies, order pizza, and watch movies for the house sitting part of the day. I have half a crocheted vest to re-do.

This is called “keeping busy so the supervisor made of fail won’t drive me crazy.” Supervisor is currently vacationing out of the country. Must be nice. Of course, the few of us who are not in her “in” group did not receive advance notice of this, so any needs we have in the way of supervision get left for next week….

I am also planning a backpacking trip next week - a three day weekend coming up.

Me: QUIT LICKING THINGS!

Cat: licklicklicklicklicklicklicklicklicklicklicklicklicklicklicklicklicklick

Me: drives over to petsit puppies for friend

Puppies: barkyaplickbarklicklickbark peeeeeeeeeeeee barkbarkbarkbark

Me: ARG! I want to go camping now. Without things that lick!

The cat has progressed to licking everything within a two inch radius of her - my pants, her butt, a chair leg, whatever. The Pomeranian pups are sort of like bedroom slippers with springy legs for racing about and little teeth for nibbling. They might stay still for a two second petting session in between trying to get back at the orange tabby for being bigger than they are, and racing around like rabbits on speed.

It took far too many pills to make it through today. Migraine meds, more migraine meds, sinus meds, and plain ol’ headache pills because of fear of too many migraine meds.

Plus, I had to stop in and have a nail removed from my tire - it was

this close

to the sidewall and I had a bit of anxiety due to not knowing how much a new pair of tires for this car would be. But they were able to plug it for ten bucks.

Therapy with my Wednesday clients tends to go well, which is good; otherwise it would have been one of those hellish twilight zone days that ends with me under my desk in little knots.

So after examining all the options - packable presses, pots and so forth - I get an H20!jo and bring it home. Thinking, well, I have a 16 oz wide mouth Nalgene that would work spiffy with this. That would be plenty of coffee/tea to get me going in the morning when I’m backpacking, or on those mornings when running the coffee maker isn’t possible - throw in grounds, pour hot water, close the top and let it brew while I’m doing other things.

Like so many other things in my life lately, it didn’t work out - the mouth of the Nalgene isn’t wide enough to let even the bottom of the mesh basket through. So I get to go shopping again. Hopefully there are bottles with wider mouths that aren’t 32 ozs - I’d be vibrating up the trail with that much coffee in my veins.