Chores in LA

I met a woman at the 4th of July party who's daughter recently moved to Oregon. She said her daughter and her husband found out that they could not make things happen, like get a job, until they actually moved there. This reinforced the impression I was already getting, so the focus is now on housing in Boise. So I called a management company on Tuesday that posted some things I liked on craigslist and asked a bunch of questions. The management company did not seem concerned that I did not have a job. Is renter's protection less there, allowing landlords to be more flexible? The consequences of renter's protections in CA has made it harder to rent a place because the landlord can't get you out when you don't pay. Craigslist is great, I have been able to research rents for two months without even picking up the phone. Then I made a reservation to fly out to Boise for two days in two weeks to look at housing and rent a place. I cannot reserve anything more than two weeks in advance, so there is no point in getting there sooner.

Then drove back and forth to LA yesterday to get money and run errands. I stopped at the retirement plan office and signed paperwork to cash out my retirement. (Thank you to Jessica for her advice to just go in the office and not wait for forms in the mail.) I was disconcerted when I asked when I should be concerned if I had not received my check and the rep was vague and then said to call in a month. A month! That gets me into August and is later than I planned. I can't pay the mover or both a deposit and August rent until I have that money. Got the rest of my stuff and my mail from Mom's, deposited by last paycheck in the bank, picked up the dry cleaning, visited with Lani, checked the storage unit, and bought a digital camera. I missed my Tuesday night women's coffee night and visiting with Lani will tide me over.

This is my first digital camera and I really hesitated to spend the money right now, but I need it for my planned new business to shoot reference, and for my blog. I thought about all the money I saved having not bought one before, how John, my photographer brother, recommended this one 1 1/2 years ago (I've waited a long time!) and also found a deal on a refurbished one for me.

So, today's project is to learn how to use the new camera and see if I can determine a better time frame for getting to Boise and if I should postpone my flight a week or two.

When I got home last night in the dark, the coyote ran out of the yard, through the front gate and across the road through my headlights. This is now three days in a row of the coyote in the yard, which Dad has never seen. Coyotes can be symbolic for me, I have had one run alongside my car twice and one across my path on a hike, and all of the times big changes for me followed, so the coyote is making me wonder. His appearance would be different this time, though, because big changes have already started. Or it may be that he's getting into the ferile cat's food in the garage, since to Dad it looks like another animal besides the cat is getting into it.

Right now there appear to be tourists parked on the one lane road in front of Dad's. I think I will go chase them off.