Cats went to Mom's Monday morning. Mom's house is dog-free until Wednesday afternoon. Thanks Mom! Finished packing at 7 pm on Monday night and was ready for the movers at 8:30 am on Tuesday. Packing for a long distance move when my stuff will be in storage for a month was hard.
Tuesday was very stressful and started first thing with one mover verbally abusing the other inside the truck echoing through the whole neighborhood. I mean a steady stream of profane abuse at the other mover for 5 minutes at 8:30 in the morning. I thought this was a very bad start and 15 minutes later the abuser was gone and replacement already there. It took 5 hours to move me into storage in Simi and there were several times that I wanted to stop and cry and thought, what have I done and this is too hard to do by myself, but in the end the movers thought I looked very serene and that I am a good packer. I should be, I've had a lot of practice. One of the movers took my mattress off my hands in lieu of a tip.
We arrived at the storage unit and the office was closed and it took 15 minutes to track someone down and then when the guy showed me the unit I had the movers start unpacking and left to sign the contract. This got the office guy in trouble with his boss, who tried to tell me a story about the cost of getting people out of storage, and I just showed him the hand and let him know that I did not give the office guy any choice and he cost me 15 minutes of paying movers to stand around and it wasn't the office guy's fault and he got nicer.
Then I went back and cleaned the apartment and freaked out that I have too much stuff left over and not all of it is going to fit in the Prius and I am missing my SUV. I had to make a few trips to Mom's with stuff and gave away most of my plants. Leftover stuff that does not fit on the first trip to Dad's is under Mom's exra bed.
After several days of not sleeping well and constant packing and moving, I was ready for my Tuesday night women's coffee night. This will be my last one for a while, but I just really knew I would see most of them again and they will always be part of my life, if not in presence, then in spirit.
Now I am off with the cats and a Prius full of stuff to Dad's near Paso Robles and the Central Coast. Cats liked Mom's, and I am sure they will like Dad's, but they are not going to like the 3 hour car ride.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Still Packing
The entire weekend was consumed by packing. By Saturday night, even though the apartment is half packed, it doesn't look like it because everything is out of the closets and cabinets and the whole apartment is full of stuff. I did that job I hate, which is sort through paperwork, deciding what I no longer need and what I might need over the next month. Long distance moves are hard, in that everything has to be packed, no throwing the fragile stuff in the car at the end. June must be a good month for free boxes from U Haul, I have gone to buy boxes twice and walked away with free ones. I still have most of my boxes from the last move, so mostly I just had to pay for tape.
I sold my house in a short pay two years ago and with a short pay goes short notice, so I had a garage sale in the morning and moved in the afternoon. It was difficult to watch people drive away with half of the things I used to own, but I was lucky to have my brother John there to help me change my attitude and tell me that garage sales are where people pay you to haul away your stuff. I went from a four bedroom house to a two bedroom town home and then to a big one bedroom apartment and got rid of a great deal in both moves, but I am amazed that I still have so much. The house move was a terrible day and I am grateful to be moving this time with a feeling of hope, rather than failure.
Cats go to my Mom's today so the apartment can air out and they will not have to deal with movers tomorrow. Mom's house is dog-free for two days and they will like it there. I'm staying there tonight, so last night was the last night of the stomping upstairs neighbor. Yay!
My Tuesday night woman's coffee group surprised me last night with a going away dinner. I did not have a clue. I called Lani because I could not remember the house number and she says she's standing in front and can't you see me, can't you see me, and I say just give me the number! and then I finally see her, which is hard because of all of the cars in the way, then she tells me to park in the driveway, and I ask about the cars and she tells me all the cars are for a neighbor's barbecue and to hurry up! and come see the pond she built and then there they all were. I cannot even express how much these women mean to me and how grateful I am for their love and support and strength over the last 6 years. It was a great time and I did not cry, but I do not know how I am going to leave these women, except that the more love I feel for them, the more inspired I feel to be true to myself.
I sold my house in a short pay two years ago and with a short pay goes short notice, so I had a garage sale in the morning and moved in the afternoon. It was difficult to watch people drive away with half of the things I used to own, but I was lucky to have my brother John there to help me change my attitude and tell me that garage sales are where people pay you to haul away your stuff. I went from a four bedroom house to a two bedroom town home and then to a big one bedroom apartment and got rid of a great deal in both moves, but I am amazed that I still have so much. The house move was a terrible day and I am grateful to be moving this time with a feeling of hope, rather than failure.
Cats go to my Mom's today so the apartment can air out and they will not have to deal with movers tomorrow. Mom's house is dog-free for two days and they will like it there. I'm staying there tonight, so last night was the last night of the stomping upstairs neighbor. Yay!
My Tuesday night woman's coffee group surprised me last night with a going away dinner. I did not have a clue. I called Lani because I could not remember the house number and she says she's standing in front and can't you see me, can't you see me, and I say just give me the number! and then I finally see her, which is hard because of all of the cars in the way, then she tells me to park in the driveway, and I ask about the cars and she tells me all the cars are for a neighbor's barbecue and to hurry up! and come see the pond she built and then there they all were. I cannot even express how much these women mean to me and how grateful I am for their love and support and strength over the last 6 years. It was a great time and I did not cry, but I do not know how I am going to leave these women, except that the more love I feel for them, the more inspired I feel to be true to myself.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Mover Quote
I received the long distance mover quote today; this is a bit of a setback. The estimate is about $2500, which is more than I expected, but everything is more than I expected now. My move back here from Las Vegas was half that, but then I am moving twice as far. At least storage is cheap. I checked out the unit I reserved and it is $1 plus a $22 administration fee if I can keep it at 30 days. Then it is $169 per month. The local mover from the apartment to storage is $237. I’ll just think about the money I’m saving on rent.
Kathleen, my hairdresser for the last ten years, gave me my last haircut for a while today. It was like saying good bye to a friend. Doesn’t every woman tell her hairdresser everything? While others may come home for Christmas, I may come back just to get highlights.
The doctor gave me a clean bill of health. I went for a check-up while I still have health insurance and I am all good, good cholesterol, no cancer. My check-up was like saying good bye to another friend.
I did not used to say good-bye to people, I used to just slip away one day and leave everyone wondering, so this has been a learning experience for me. I did not realize how many good people I have in my life today. I am excited to move and sorry to leave people and I feel like laughing and crying at the same time.
Kathleen, my hairdresser for the last ten years, gave me my last haircut for a while today. It was like saying good bye to a friend. Doesn’t every woman tell her hairdresser everything? While others may come home for Christmas, I may come back just to get highlights.
The doctor gave me a clean bill of health. I went for a check-up while I still have health insurance and I am all good, good cholesterol, no cancer. My check-up was like saying good bye to another friend.
I did not used to say good-bye to people, I used to just slip away one day and leave everyone wondering, so this has been a learning experience for me. I did not realize how many good people I have in my life today. I am excited to move and sorry to leave people and I feel like laughing and crying at the same time.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Packing
The kitchen is half packed, which is a major feat. Dish pack boxes and unprinted newsprint make this job so much easier. After this was accomplished, I went to make macaroni and cheese to eat all weekend, and realized I packed the recipe. It came out more like macaroni loaf. I also skipped the onion, in deference to my cube partner, Jocelyn, since I was supposed to make this earlier in the week for work lunch, but now I miss that onion.
A three quarters packed apartment is making Cruiser tense, so he will not leave me alone at the computer and has somehow deleted my entire Yahoo in-box. Its not even in the Trash folder. He is really not going to like the drive to Idaho. Spit seems to be taking the whole thing very well. Cruiser and Spit are my cats, someday they want to star in their own video game, but for now they just want to be able to go outside and play.
A three quarters packed apartment is making Cruiser tense, so he will not leave me alone at the computer and has somehow deleted my entire Yahoo in-box. Its not even in the Trash folder. He is really not going to like the drive to Idaho. Spit seems to be taking the whole thing very well. Cruiser and Spit are my cats, someday they want to star in their own video game, but for now they just want to be able to go outside and play.
Yesterday was my last day at work
Yesterday was my last day at work. It seems crazy to have quit a job when so many are unemployed, but I can no longer afford to live in California. In July, County employees begin paying the 3 ½ % of their salary towards their retirement that the County used to pick-up. This is somehow better than layoffs. I am just getting by and have already cut everything out, no credit cards, no shopping, and no cable TV. My lease is up at the end of this month and I could not find a cheap enough place to live, and anything cheaper than where I am was going to be some miserable noisy place I do not want to be. So, my main reason for leaving California is that I cannot afford to live here.
Thank you to everyone who came to my work going away dinner last Wednesday! It was a nice time and I will miss you all, even though I will not miss the job. Special thanks to Jessica, the party planner, and to Jocelyn for my Idaho book. Did you notice that the author of the book relocated from LA to Idaho in 1994?
Only three more days of listening to my frantic neighbor stomp on the ceiling above my head until midnight and my next door neighbor’s barking, whining dog.
The long distance mover came today. Long distance moving is based on weight and miles and cheaper the farther you can schedule in advance. Estimate is due later today.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
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