Settling In

Well, I've been back in Coeur d'Alene for a week now, and it still feels rather like I'm just visiting. I think by this time next week it might feel slightly more permanent, since that will mark two weeks, which is longer than I've been here since I've been married. Michael and his dad arrived safely last Sunday morning around 5:00. Since then I've gone to a baby shower, a Christmas party, and a girls' night out. That's the most socializing I've done in over six months! Ah, it's nice to be amongst friends and family again. For the girls' night we went to the movie, The Holiday. Very good, I recommend it highly. I was thinking about it, and I can't actually recall the last time I went to a movie with a bunch of friends. It's been quite a while, though. Of that there is no doubt. Right now we're house sitting for a family from church. They're spending the holiday in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (Mexico at Christmas? Sure, it's nice to be in warm weather, but Christmas just isn't complete without snow). So, we're watching the house and taking care of their two schnauzers, Schautzi and Misha. They're goofy little dogs. Schautzi's old and rather deaf, so she just kind of hangs out most of the time as long as she gets fed, petted, and let out when she needs to she's fine. Misha is still a bit of a puppy and she was rather depressed when we first got there on Thursday. She wouldn't come out of her kennel until Michael actually pulled her out, then she refused to eat for a little while. She did come around rather quickly, though, which is good. Now she won't leave us alone for a second. She's constantly jumping up and begging for attention. It's the most fun when they've just come back in from running around in the snow and their both soaked. Misha will jump up on your legs, or jump on the couch and crawl all over you, smelly, wet, and all. I've never had a dog before, so this is a new thing for me. They're fun, though, and we're glad for the excuse to not live with parents for at least a little while, as we will be living with them plenty soon enough. I keep having to remind myself that we're staying and I won't have to leave in a few more days. What a nice thing to have to do.

"The course of true love never did run smooth"

And neither did the course of moving. I'm here at my parents' house, but it wasn't easy getting here. Thursday morning we got up bright and early and walked about two miles to a place called Bee Zee Auto to pick up our Penske truck. Michael had called on Wednesday to let them know we would be getting there about 10:00 to pick it up. We arrived promptly at 9:58 by my watch. We told the first guy we saw why we were there and he referred us to another guy. We told him we were there for the truck, whereupon he disappeared behind a door for about five minutes. When he came back he said, "Do you need the truck right now?" We kind of looked at him, then each other, and Michael said, "Well, yeah. That's why we're here. We called yesterday." We were then told that only one person handles the Penske rentals (the owner) and he wasn't expected for another hour. So, we went to IHOP for breakfast, and Michael called the Penske customer service line. We got in touch with someone in the office in Braintree, which is the next city south of Quincy, who said that when we got back to the place he could register the rental over the phone, then fax the paperwork to be signed. So, we finished eating, went back to find that the owner had still not arrived, even though the designated hour had elapsed. Michael called the Penske guy who did all the stuff and faxed it. We heard the fax machine ring shortly after Michael got off the phone. After waiting for another 15 minutes or so, the guy told us that the fax machine was in the locked office and only the owner (who still had not arrived) had a key. Michael called the guy in Braintree yet again, explained the situation and the guy said someone from there would come help us out. At this point it was about 11:15, and we were expecting the guy from Comcast to come pick up our DVR between 11:00 and 2:00 and we also had people coming to help us move around noon. I left to take the T back to the house in hopes of beating everyone there (we hadn't realized when we walked to the place that it was past the next T station). By the time I got back to the apartment it was 11:45 and Michael had already gotten the truck and got there less than ten minutes later. The Comcast guy did try to come while we were gone, but Michael was able to call him back and he came back about half an hour later to pick the box up, so that wasn't too bad. The movers got there a little late (which was really okay) and we got everything loaded up in under two hours. The rest of the day went pretty well. We went and got Mike from the airport. His flight went without a hitch. He took us out to dinner, then we went back to the apartment to clean and do all the last minute packing. After very little sleep, we all got up at 4:00 am and the taxi picked me up at 4:30. When I got to the airport, I got to wait in what I thought at the time to be the longest line in America. I didn't actually wait through the entire line, because at 5:15 they started calling for passengers on the 6:20 flight to Chicago to come to the front to be checked in (I was supposed to fly from Boston to Chicago to Seattle to Spokane and get in around 4:00 PST). I got checked in, went through security, bought myself a book (The Devil Wears Prada) and waited for about 15 minutes to board. When I got to Chicago my Seattle flight wasn't on the monitors, nor did I have a gate number listed on my boarding pass. I finally found someone to ask, they looked up my flight and informed me it was canceled. At O'Hare airport they have "Rebooking Centers" in the terminal, so I had to go there and call an 800 number to get rebooked on a different flight. I was put on the 4:40 pm American Airlines flight to LA, then the 8:50 pm Alaska Airlines flight to Spokane, arriving at 11:35 pm. The fun part was that it was only about 10:00 am. Also, I had to leave security and go talk to a ticketing agent to have paper tickets reissued. The American Airlines person could only give me the tickets for my flight to LA and told me to go talk to Alaska Airlines to get my boarding pass to Spokane. When I got to their counter there were two agents helping another man, but when they saw me they said "We're closed." I quickly explained my situation and one of them told me to just get the boarding pass in LA. I guess I looked pathetic enough, because one of them decided to help me after all. I figured it would only take maybe five minutes to get it taken care of, but they were apparently confused, because it took them about a half an hour and then I ended up with the wrong thing (I didn't find that out until I was trying to board my flight from LA to Spokane, but we'll get to that later). I went through security again (for the second time that day) and hung out at the airport for about eight hours. Fun stuff, let me tell you. At one point I realized that the book I had purchased in Boston was not going to last me all day, so I bought another book (Angels and Demons by Dan Brown). This was good thinking on my part, as the first book gave out less than halfway through my Chicago to LA flight. Let me just pause a moment to say that LAX is the stupidest airport in the Free World, and perhaps even in all the world. I have honestly been in better airports in third world countries. The airport consists of several different buildings that are not at all connected, so if you have to change airlines, you have to leave security, go outside and walk to the next building. When I arrived at LAX at about 7:45 (remember, my next flight was supposed to board at 8:20) I followed the gate numbers down, trying to get from the mid-40s to gate 31. The gates ended at 40 and I was faced with the security checkpoint. Confused, I looked around and then asked someone how to get to gate 31. He explained that I would have to leave the building and walk to the building two away. Now, airport buildings are not small and I had already been lugging around my heavy violin and a carry on bag (which wasn't particularly light either) for 18 hours. I then had to go outside, walk for ten minutes or so, and get in another ridiculously long line to go back through security. By the time I got to the metal detector it was 8:15 and I was kind of freaking out. Then, I got searched. Fabulous. After that minor ordeal I arrived at the scheduled gate to be met with the announcement that my 8:50 flight had been delayed until 11:15 with an expected arrival in Spokane of 1:30. Let me just reiterate: 11:15 and 1:30. I had left my apartment at 4:30 am EST. They nice woman had just unknowingly informed me that my trip was going to take more than 24 hours to be completed. I sat down on the floor, called my parents and had a meltdown. A complete meltdown. Fortunately, it was not delayed any further. I got something to eat and read, played Sudoku, and called my mother-in-law, successfully passing the nearly three hours I had to spend in LAX. After waiting in line to board the flight, the gate agent told me that my boarding pass wasn't good enough and that I had to go talk to the person at the desk. I must've looked like I was about to freak out again because she reassured me, "No, it's okay, you're okay, I just need something else. When you're done don't wait in line again, just come straight back to me." So, I did and I did get on the flight. I actually managed to sleep some, being completely wiped out. I have never been so relieved to get somewhere as I was when I walked off the plane in Spokane and met my parents just outside of security. My luggage even made it with me, which was pleasantly shocking. We got home around 3:00 am and I got to bed about 4:00 am. Michael and his dad should be arriving in the wee hours of the morning, and things seem to be going well for them. We already have a crew lined up (I think) to unload the truck tomorrow afternoon. It's good to be back at last.

Packing, For Real This Time

Well, we're leaving the day after tomorrow and the apartment still looks like something blew up. This is largely due to the fact that I haven't felt it necessary to actually put papers and things in the trash, since I'll have to clean tomorrow anyway. Also, I have spent much of the day packing while Michael has been lounging on the couch. Still hurting. Pray for the drive, it won't be much fun for him. My father-in-law arrives tomorrow afternoon around 5:00. We have confirmed our people to come for tomorrow and load our stuff into the truck. One nice thing about moving with a truck versus shipping everything is that when you run out of boxes you can always grab a duffel bag, or, when those run out, a trash bag and stick everything in them that hasn't been stuck somewhere else. Most things are in boxes, but I decided I didn't need to go get anymore boxes, that what we had would be enough, and failing that I could improvise. And improvise I have. I did purchase some bubble wrap for framed photos and dishes, but ran out of bubble wrap before I ran out of fragile things. So, there are several mugs and plates wrapped in towels. Our remaining bowls and plates are packed in a small trash can. It was going to come with us anyway, might as well put something in it. Other things, such as cleaning supplies, I'm sure will go in the other trash can once it is emptied. That will be among the last things to be loaded, as I will need said cleaning supplies to clean the apartment. I complain about having to do all these things myself and Michael not being able to help, but really, I don't want his help. I'd just get frustrated with him. I'm a control freak, what can I say? Also, he did do a good bit of packing prior to hurting himself, so all I really had to do was pack the kitchen stuff and throw the last bits in the back room into a box. The only things that aren't packed yet are our electronic things, as we are still making use of them. Tomorrow morning I predict a frenzy of unplugging and wrapping up extension cords and various other things in preparation for our imminent departure. In approximately 31 hours I will be taking off from Boston Logan Airport. I still can't believe that I will be leaving. Even though I've spent most of the day packing, it hasn't sunk in that I will soon leave this apartment and not come back. I'm still excited about being home, it just doesn't seem real. Of course, it never does. Not until it's actually happened.

The Boston Public Garden

Today was somewhat more eventful than yesterday. Michael seems to be doing a little better, though nowhere near his normal self. I had some errands to run today and some Christmas shopping to do. I got some Boston ornaments to distribute to our family and a few other things. Also, I finished the rest of the Freedom Trail. Unfortunately the USS Constitution was closed (I don't know why) and the Bunker Hill Monument was having some construction done around it, and was fenced off. I got to see it and took some good photos, but couldn't go right up to it. After that I went and got Michael's stuff from the Four Seasons. His last day was supposed to be today, but due to his neck problems he hasn't been to work since Saturday. He still had a few things in his locker, so I went and got them for him and gave them his doctor's note. I also got to walk through the Boston Common and the Public Garden for the last time before we leave. The Common has Christmas lights in the trees, and the Frog Pond is open for ice skating. The Public Garden is a little sad looking with all the trees bare, no flowers, no swan boats or ducks on the duck pond. The pond was actually iced over, even though it was in the 40s. I remember the first time I saw the Public Garden when we came to visit Boston last year. It was September and the leaves hadn't started turning yet. I remember seeing it out the taxi window on our way to the hotel and thinking it was gorgeous.

All the weeping willows around the pond...I like sitting on the bench and reading. This year there were swans nesting on the bank of the pond.

It's a lovely place in the spring and summer. In the winter it's just sad. But, as I will be leaving in three days, I thought it would be nice to bid farewell to one of my favorite spots in Boston.

Pain and Packing Woes

After yesterday's slothfulness, today was slightly more eventful. I did a little more packing today, though not nearly as much as I should have. Instead, I spent the day taking care of Michael. He's still hurting a lot. We went to the doctor this afternoon. He got some new drugs, which was nice since the old ones have expired. The doctor, however, left something to be desired. She didn't really explain much, didn't even introduce herself, rambled unintelligibly for a while, then left. So, Michael will not be going to work tomorrow, either, on what was supposed to be his last day of work. I, on the other hand, really need to get to it. Luckily, there's really not that much that needs to be packed. I just hate packing, so I don't want to do it. Plus, I've had to do way too much packing in the last year, much of it by myself. Now, I have to finish the packing by myself because Michael can't really do anything. We're hoping and praying that he'll be feeling better by Thursday so that he can drive the truck on Friday. Only four more days until we leave, and at that point all the packing will be done. I can't wait.

In Defense of My Blog

I have recently come under some criticism for not posting on my blog religiously every day. Let me explain. When I started my blog it was National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo for short). While I was not an official participant, having started partway through November, I decided to keep my blog in the spirit of NaBloPoMo and post daily for the rest of November. We have now moved into December. Thus, I have so far missed two days (gasp!) of posting this month. Two days! Everyone deserves a break, particularly when nothing worth writing about has happened. One or two of my loyal readers (whom, by the way, I love dearly) seem to think that my brain is teeming with witty anecdotes and clever stories. Sadly, disappointingly, this is not always the case. My defense? I did nothing yesterday! The question in response? "So, are you going to post twice as much today?" "Don't count on it," was my reply. "Besides my post the day before yesterday was long with all those pictures." He scoffed at my mere four pictures of penguins. I would just like to note that there are twelve pictures altogether (it's an aquarium, after all...they have fish and other creatures, too). I would also like to note that I spent quite a while on that post, though I didn't write a lot. It takes quite a bit of time to upload twelve photos and arrange them to my satisfaction. You try it and see how long it take you. So, for the curious, here is what I have been doing for the past day and a half. Yesterday I woke up around 10:00 am and spent the morning with my husband. He managed to tweak his neck somehow, but went to work anyway, because they really needed him. I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening watching TV, packing, reading, and doing dishes. At midnight I met Michael at the T station so I could carry his backpack for him, as he was in intense pain. We also stopped and got some food from CVS on the way home. Then we went to bed. This morning I woke up around 10:00 again, finished the book I was reading, got up and watched A Knight's Tale and The Princess Diaries on television. This was interspersed with helping Michael do things like sit up or have a drink of water. He's still hurting really badly. Fortunately, we still have the pain pills and muscle relaxers that he was prescribed the last time this happened. He's been taking those since he got home last night, and is currently napping on the couch. Those drugs sure can knock you out. Anyway, that is the excitement that has been my life since Friday. Thrilling, isn't it? Highly worthy of writing about, don't you think? (Yeah, I didn't really think so, either.) Fortunately, we only have five more days until we leave. Unfortunately, Michael's hurting and there's still packing to do. Does anyone want to come do it for me?

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Holy monkeys, is it cold out today! It is currently 19 with a windchill factor of 4. When I left this morning to go to work, it was 1. I was all bundled up with my wool coat and fleece accessories, which I am again thankful for. Even so, my earlobes were peaking out from the edge of my cap, and by the time I got to the T they were so cold I thought they might fall off! Obviously they didn't, but still, they were extremely cold. Poor little earlobes. Thus began my last day of work. It was mostly uneventful. I went through my drawers and threw away all the random stuff that needed to be tossed and organized the rest for the next person, whoever that may be. They still haven't found a replacement for me. One of my (now former) co-workers has his birthday today, so the boss-lady took him and me out for lunch. We went to the steakhouse around the corner from the office. It was nice and I got to have prime rib. Mmmm. An hour or so later we had cake for the guy's birthday, and it was really good. There's a little bakery across the street, and that's where they got the cake. After that, I just finished cleaning up and organizing a bit, played sudoku a couple times, and got ready to go. My boss assured me a couple of times that she'd give me a good reference for my next job if I need it. That's nice, at least. I was a bit hesitant to use her, for fear of what she would say. There's no telling with her, sometimes. But she said three or four times to definitely use her as a reference and gave me her business card, just to make sure I don't forget her contact information (as if I would. I had to say the phone number a million times over the last four months). One of the guys told me that I had to email him updates. So, I guess I'll be missed, at least by a few people. I'll definitely be missed on Monday when there's no one to answer the phones! (Perhaps I shouldn't be so gleeful about that. I can't help it, though. It cracks me up.) The boss isn't too concerned. "They'll just have to answer the phones for the month of December until I can find someone else," she said. "It's just a few weeks, and I want to find the right person. I don't want to rush into anything." Ha ha...good luck to them. Anyway, it's back to the lovely warmth of blankets and my book. One week from today and I'll be home!

Penguins!

As promised you can all see the photos I took of penguins and other aquatic animals at the New England Aquarium on Sunday. Above is a picture of some Rockhopper penguins enjoying the sprinklers on their rocks.



This is one penguin enjoying the sprinkler. They use the sprinklers to clean off the "rocks" (they're fiberglass) periodically. Apparently the penguins enjoy standing in the spray. I can relate...I enjoy taking showers as well.



These are African penguins. Aren't they cute!



This is a Little Blue penguin swimming around. They apparently only go up on their rocks early in the mornings and at dusk. During the day they spend all their time in the water. This prevented me from getting as good of a picture of a Little Blue as the others because we were there in the middle of the day.



This is Myrtle. She is a Giant Green Sea Turtle, is about 70 years old, and weighs around 600 lbs. There are a few other turtles in the Giant Ocean Tank (as well as about 600 fish and four or five sharks), but they're a different variety and nowhere near as big.

Here are some more interesting creatures of the deep.

Tropical fish tank.


Mandarin Fish


Scuttlefish


Starfish and Sea Anemone


Lion Fish


Sea Dragon (from the back)

Well, I hope you all enjoy the photos! I have some more, but these are by far the best. Only 1 more day left at work and 8 days until I leave!

Thoughts On Moving

Well, I'm sitting in my living room and it sounds like there is a washing machine strapped to the ceiling of the apartment below mine. A washing machine with an unbalanced load. I think it might actually be the ceiling fan, because when I was going up the stairs the door to the apartment below had a wet paint sign on it. The ceiling fan might help speed the drying process. Nevertheless, it's a bit annoying and the TV doesn't really drown it out. I'm comforted by two things: a) I can't hear it in the bedroom, therefore it won't prevent me from going to sleep, and b) I'm leaving in 9 days and won't have to deal with any emanations from dwellings below mine, as none shall exist. Since we are rapidly approaching the big Day, I've been thinking more about moving, and comparing this move with the last one. For one thing, I'm way more excited about moving back to Coeur d'Alene than I was about moving here. It seems kind of strange to me for this to be the case. When I wasn't accepted into graduate school for this fall we considered moving back there, but I didn't really want to because I was afraid I'd feel like a failure. I already felt like a failure and that seemed like it would just be admitting defeat and taking two giant steps backwards. It no longer feels like that. Also, when I left Abilene I was sad. I had friends in Abilene. Granted, most of them had moved away already because they had graduated, but I still had a few people that I did stuff with. Also, I enjoyed what I was doing for that semester that I wasn't in school. I got to teach private lessons and I helped out at two school orchestra programs. I was actually doing something I had studied to do. Now? Not so much. Leaving here isn't very sad. I know two other people in the entire city that I might actually ever do anything with, but we don't see each other ever, and, though we've known each other forever, it's always been an effortless friendship. We didn't have to try to see each other, we just did in the course of our normal lives. Now, here, we have to try and neither of us do so. That's kind of sad, I guess, but it happens. Other than that, I'm not leaving anyone behind here that I might actually miss. I don't like my job, and haven't for a while. Instead, I'm going back to where I have friends. I have family. I have people that currently miss me, and whom I also miss, and I am incredibly excited to be able to see them again. I will get to see my dad on his birthday. That hasn't happened since 2001. I will get to see my mother-in-law on her birthday, which has never happened. We can throw Michael a birthday party this year, and actually invite friends. It'll be so nice.

D - 10 days and Counting

We're now in the official countdown mode. Only 10 days left until we leave. And only three days left of work. I could stand it if it were Friday already, though. Today has been slightly less boring than usual...I actually had a few things to do today. (But, Jessica, I hear you say, if you have things to do, then why are you blogging at work? The answer, dear friend, is that I had stuff to do, and it is done.) My boss yesterday was acting all sad that this is my last week. Oh, puh-lease. Just a few weeks ago she was all ready to fire me, and now she's sad I'm leaving? Give me a break. It just confirms my earlier diagnosis that she is chemically imbalanced. Also, she's a racist. A girl came in last week and interviewed with a recruiter who thought she'd be a great candidate for my position. So, she had her take some computer skills tests while we waited for the boss-lady to arrive. When she got here, she took one look at the girl, didn't even look at her resume, then went up to her office. She called down to me a minute or so later to tell me she wasn't going to meet with this person. She didn't "have the right image." What, you ask, was wrong with her image? Nothing as far as I could tell. If anything, she looked more polished than I did that day. She was wearing a suit, a nice top, her hair was pulled back - I've never worn a suit to work. Occasionally a blazer, but not a suit. I don't even have one. The difference? She was black. You do the math. This makes me yet more glad that I am leaving.

On a happier note, Michael heard from the Post Falls PD today about the dispatch job. It looks like he has a very good chance of that working out. The person in charge just got his application yesterday and called him today, and he is supposed to call as soon as he gets into town to set up an interview. I can only hope that I get something good quickly. (The key word is "good." I don't want a crappy job like the one I currently have. I would actually like to do something where I might be able to use the skills that I've spent so much time and money developing. Wouldn't that be nice?) Anyway, only about an hour left of work today, so I will update everyone later on the things that require updates.

Birthday

Today was my birthday. I am now 24 years old. Today Michael and I went to the New England Aquarium. They have a penguin exhibit there, which is currently their main attraction. In it they have three species of penguins, the African penguin, the Rockhopper penguin, and the Little Blue penguin. I took quite a few pictures, which I will post at a later date. Let me just say, for now, that I have a wonderful husband who buys me fun stuff on my birthday. I like gift shops way too much for my own good, and, today, my desires were lovingly indulged. After the aquarium we headed to the Cheesecake Factory, where we stuffed ourselves with Hungarian Goulash, then ordered cheesecake to go. I got the Godiva chocolate kind, which is extremely rich. I only ate about half of it, but that leaves half of my birthday cheesecake for tomorrow! We ate at about 4:00 and it's now 11:30 and I'm still full. I suppose this makes up for my lack of gorging myself on Thanksgiving. Well, I must go to bed, as it is rather late and I still do have to go to work tomorrow. However, it is my last week of work, and, as my brother put it, what better birthday present could I ask for?

Bafflement

There are things in this world I will never understand. Racism, blind hatred, random acts of violence, politics, mullets, and why it takes CVS two hours to fill my prescription. I understand that they are occasionally rather busy, but two hours to fill a birth control prescription? It comes from the manufacturer in a little foil package all ready to go. All they have to do is slap a sticker on it, put it in a little paper bag, and staple it closed. I understand that the automated thing allows an hour for the prescription to be filled. It's computerized and has no way of knowing how busy the pharmacy is, so it automatically allows an hour. That's fine. But in order to use the automated system, you have to have the prescription number, which apparently got thrown out in the last four weeks. So, I ended up speaking with someone in the actual pharmacy. I called at about 5:15 and asked for it to be ready at 6:30, thinking that and hour and 15 minutes should be more than enough time, to which she replied, "Oh, it'll take at least two hours." I just don't understand how a process that should take five minutes, tops, can take two hours. When I finally went, there were no other customers anywhere even near the pharmacy counter. Why, exactly, does it take two hours to put a ready made thing in a paper bag with a pre-printed label? I just don't get it.

Happy Friday

We've reached the two week mark. I actually left work early today. My stomach's been hurting all week, and today it was hurting really bad. Not much was going on, and the boss lady was out of the office today, so I didn't feel too badly about leaving early. Only one more week of work left, and then I am home free. Literally. We still have a good bit of packing to do. I keep putting it off. I'm planning on packing the kitchen next weekend. I will need to go by the liquor store and get some boxes and go get some more bubble wrap. FedEx did a nice job of breaking most of my dishes. I'd like the few that remain to make it to Idaho intact. So, I am looking forward to a rather leisurely weekend of doing not much. Sunday we're going to go do something, since it will be my birthday. Yesterday my brother turned 27 and in two days I will turn 24. Well, back to lying on the couch watching CSI reruns on SpikeTV.