Fight Fire with Fire

Hear ye, hear ye-  Readership of Od-land.  I am officially, moved in… or out… Either way, I am officially moved.  I am here, courtesy of Panera’s and their free wifi access as I have yet to arrange for internet service in my new abode.  It has been a wild ride so far.  Feel free to laugh as I relate the following events, I personally found several of them rather amusing.  I did so, because I went into this knowing that it would not be smooth sailing.  It usually isn’t, because I am me, and adventure is VERY fond of me.  

I believe, when we last spoke, I was moving into the new apartment the next day.   My parents had suddenly lowered the news onto me that they were not actually going to help me move after all, because apparently we hadn’t been discussing this for the last three weeks.  My father threw a dramatic hissy about being asked to just re-arrange his schedule.  He also stated emphatically in about seven different ways that IF he and his employee came to move in my furniture for me, it would not be until Thursday morning. EARLY Thursday morning, and I had better be back at my parents house to help out when they were ready.  He refused to give me an actual time to be there. He insisted on early because it would be much too hot otherwise. I persuaded Wesley to help me move, although I think I forgot to tell him the apartment was on the third floor until we actually got there.  Here are the events as I remember them.

Wednesday morning Wesley and I packed up the cars and headed towards the apartment.  I still needed to sign my lease and get my keys etc, so I called to let them know I was coming so they could be prepared for my arrival.  They called me back about five minutes later saying that they were actually going to be closed for training until 11:30.  This was a problem since Wesley and I had already been driving for about 15 minutes, and our cars were full of shit.  The man said, never mind, just come on  in.  So we did.  It took a while to get the lease signed, and the keys etc, but once that was done we began to haul my various belongings, in boxes, up the stairs. 

I would like to state that at this point I had been running a fever for about a month.  I am about as congested as one can be.  I am also coughing on a near constant basis.  We took lots of breaks lying on my living room floor so I didn’t die.   Just as we finished and I had cleaned up to take Wesley for the promised meal I received a call from my father telling me that he had gotten all my furniture and they were on their way and we needed to be ready.  This, my friends was at about 2 pm.  The hottest part of the day.  So we postponed the eating, and my furniture was brought up.  I held the door, that was really about as helpful as I could be in that endeavour.  After this it was getting late and Wesley refused to let me feed him.  I made him promise to let me take him out at some point though.   

A bit later, Aristotle arrived via my mother.  I realized when they were about halfway to my apartment the I had brought everything Aristotle needed… except for his food.  This meant that I needed to go to Petsmart.  It had to be petsmart, because it was past closing time for all veterinarian clinics, and my baby boy Has to eat prescription food.  I went to Petsmart, I went to Walmart on my way  back..  I got eggs, milk, yogurt, butter, biscuits in a can…. lovely things.   Came home put them in the fridge.  I then went to take a shower, and realized I had not packed my shower curtain hooks.  The shower curtain yes, the hooks no.  So, I would just take a bath, right?  Nope.  The tub’s plug was malfunctioning, and refusing to stay down.  So instead I blew up the air mattress my parents lent me and went to bed. 

I woke up three times.  Flat on the floor.  The darn thing was leaking.

I woke up in the morning.  I discovered that everything in the fridge was room temperature.  The freezer was fine, but the fridge wasn’t cooling.  I threw out my groceries, called it into the office and went to lunch.  I came back from lunch and found the problem not fixed.  So I called again, and emphasized that I had had to throw out everything in my fridge.  They said they would send someone right over.  They did too!  The men fixed my tub, and the fridge, and when I showed them the outlets I thought were not working were kind enough to grin and show my the lightswitch that controlled those outlets.  The one outlet that really didn’t work they asked if I really needed it.  I replied yes, because its where Aristotle’s night light will go (for the day when I’m gone, not actually at night).  They had to come back and do that today. 

They left, I went to Target.  I needed to get a bed.  I needed to get groceries (again).  I walked in.  I walked down three aisles.  I stopped walking for about 3 seconds, and my shoe broke.  Of course my shoe broke WAY on the other side of the store from Their shoes.  So I shuffled over to their shoe section, found a cheap pair of flip flops, shuffled back over to the registers, bought the shoes, with the girl giving me an incredulous look and asking to see where it broke.  I then went back and finished shopping.  I bought shower curtain hooks.  Apparently the wrong kind, because I also couldn’t get those bastards to close.  I reigned victorious over them after much cussing, however.  I took a shower.  Then I took a bath.  I blew up my new bed.  I said good riddance to the day. 

Today I got up and looked over the inventory sheet I needed to turn in.  It reminded me at the bottom to test the smoke detectors.  That was a long an fearsome battle, but eventually those suckers took what was coming and shut their mouths.  Not before they scared me half to death, and not before they got a good talking to. 

That was a very long entry, and I am sure I left out some bits of the adventure.  If I did, you shall simply have to wait.  The good news is that I am moved in.  My classroom is now boxed up (at least I don’t have to do the heavy lifting on that one) and I am sitting at Panera’s for another 10 minutes before meeting my mother for another free meal.  Free meals are good.  Moving is expensive.  Especially when you have to buy your groceries twice. 

Be well, my dears.  Life is an adventure… enjoy the ride!

PS- I took pictures of the process, but left my camera in the apartment.  I’ll have to take more and then post.  🙂