Great Sexist-pectations...

You know, it's 2008. Not the 1800s, not 1950 but 2008. I know that sexism is alive and well but recently I got smacked upside the head with it. Twice. Not in major, frontline news kinds of ways but the subtle little shitty ways that are so part of everyday life that most people don't even think about them.

The first time was at the bank. Michael and I went in to open new checking and savings accounts and I took the initiative and I told the banker what we wanted. And what did she do? She listed Michael as the primary on our jt checking. Why? Because he's the husband. He's the man and I am the lowly woman who does not get to be listed as the primary on the checking account. And I was so stunned by it that I didn't know what to say. Then she asked me where I worked and when I said I didn't she asked if I was a homemaker. A homemaker? Do people even do that anymore? I am a woman who happens to be a wife who isn't working and that makes me a homemaker? WTF, people?!? Why can't I just be unemployed? Why can't I just be a person who is not currently employed but is looking for a job. Why not ask me if I am a job seeker not a fcking homemaker?

The second time occurs when getting quotes for car and renter's insurance. I called the broker Michael used during grad school and the company with the most competitive quote wants a copy of our marriage certificate because we have different last names and need to prove that we are actually married. Now, this is not the broker's fault. But I did tell her how appallingly sexist this policy is and if the quote weren't so dang competitive, I would have asked for a quote from another company. I wouldn't mind if they applied this policy across to the board. If you insist that all couples provide a copy of their license, then fine. That's fair. But to single out people like us is total crap. And if it weren't for Michael's minor fender bender in the snow last year, I would go somewhere else but we just can't afford it. But, by Ogg, they are going to hear from me.

No more shitwiches...

At least for the time being. So, I realize that my little bloggy post there was cause for concern for some of you--rest assured, things are returning to normal. Many of you were at the wedding and have already heard my tales of woe. For those of you still in the dark, here is the recap:

• Less than 24 hours before closing on the sale of our house, the stupid buyers start freaking out over the crack in the basement that I disclosed in our first contract and had noted that I was taking bids for repair. I had since brought someone in to repair it and he did a damned fine job. However, I did not think to ask for a receipt esp. since I paid in cash. He's an industrial engineer by trade but is retired from that line of business and rehabs houses in the neighborhood now. Great guy. Anyway, butthole buyers keep acting like we're lying and even tho you can see that the concrete in the SE corner is a different color and texture than the rest of the floor, they claim that it wasn't fixed. So our realtor spends the afternoon trying to call in contractors to no avail. Long story short, Michael sends them an email detailing what we had done and includes a diagram. Thurs. am while I am in transit to the east coast the paperwork is signed and we are no longer the owners of that house. I land at O'Hare around lunchtime and treat myself to a cold beer and a sub-optimal portobella sandwich (hey, at least it wasn't a shitwich).
  

• At the same time, I am experiencing extreme frustration with the idiots at Sylvan Learning Ctr in Mt. View. I arranged to have their facility privately proctor my stupid NET exam for nursing school and after dealing with the headache of making said arrangements and taking the test, thought everything was a done deal. I could not have been more wrong. Turns out that somehow the testing company neglected to include the Big Brown return envelope or the idiots at SLC misplaced it when they opened the package. So, I took the test the Friday before last. They call me Wed. am when I am trying to tie up loose ends, finish laundry and pack before my early morning flight on Thurs. They never sent my test back to the testing company for scoring. They wanted me to come bring them a shipping label. I'm confused as to why they aren't using the one that should have been included with the test. The girl I'm talking to is confused. I hang up and call the testing company. The customer service rep says it will be faster if I just go buy a Big Brown envelope and drop it off at the test site. I call back. The girl tells me they have the envelope...they were confused about when I wanted them to mail the test back to the testing company...WTF?!?!? I make the girl promise me that she will personally get in her car and drive the test to the nearest Big Brown Flush it Down drop box or business. I hang up and go back to packing and laundry. I get a call a few hours later from the director of the school of incompetence asking me why I haven't dropped off a mailing envelope for them yet. Seriously? My god, what the fck is going on over there?!? Another long story short, she calls the testing company and gets their UPS shipping acct no. and drops off my test. I get some BS excuse about "I'm really busy...blah, blah, blah." Well, I'm busy, too, and I paid you people $55 to hand me my test and then to take it to fcking UPS after I finished with i. Idiots. SLC is run by incompetent boobs so if you or your future kids needs their services I would consider going somewhere else. Idiots.
  

• So, now the good news. The house sold and after our mortgage, HELOC, realtor and closing fees were paid, the remainder was wired to our checking acct. Woo! Also, I got my test scores Mon. night and they were good enough for the nursing program. I did better on the math section than the reading comp--go figure.
  

• The just plain old news is that I got an email yesterday from the school saying that they have completed the first portion of application review and apps now go forward to the faculty. They have 80 apps for the San Mateo campus and only 48 spots. Keep your fingers crossed that I'm one of the 48. If I don't get into this program I really don't know what to do with myself. I can't keep treading water until I can get in somewhere...sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't have stayed in OH until I finished my degree. Blarg. Anyway, no sense worrying about it now. I should hear sometime in October.
  

So, that's it. No more shitwiches for now. At least not this week.

My luncheon with the Universe...

Me: What should I order...hmmmm....the portobella mushroom with goat cheese and roasted red peppers looks yummy...

Universe: No, I think you should order the shit sandwich platter.

Me: Shit sandwich platter? That doesn't sound tasty at all.

Universe: Waiter? This lovely lady here would like to order the shit sandwich platter. Chop, chop!

Me: Universe, what have I done to piss you off?

(Waiter brings platter of shit sandwiches, places platter in front of me)

Universe: Here, Kelly, have a shit sandwich. They sure are delicious, aren't they?

Me: Nom...nom...no, this is terrible! I would really rather have the portobella...

Universe: No, no, this is so much tastier. Here, have another...

Me: Nom...nom...this sucks...nom..nom...could I at least have the lemon curd tartlet for dessert?

Universe: No, you may have the shit tartlet. Eat up!

I guess the cat's outta the bag...

Well, most of you don't know this but the neighbors do...the sale of our house is pending and we close at the end of the week. We've chosen not to discuss this with anyone other than our parents--mostly for superstitious reasons but also because this is so hard. We love our house (although I had some serious moments of intense dislike while prepping it for sale) and our neighborhood and are so sad that we must turn over the keys to new owners. I hope they love our house as much as we do and hope they don't do anything horrible to it like paint the woodwork.

There was a time when we thought we'd live there until Michael retired from the university. But when the tenure process didn't work out and we found ourselves here in CA, we carried on smartly to do what needed to be done. And now that we're (mostly) settled into our new digs and getting used to our new surroundings...I don't know...it's just hard. I wish I could have picked up our house and our neighborhood and moved it here to CA. It's not even that I'm so attached to Dayton...Michael is, but I'm not so much. But I do miss our friends and the familiarity that comes from having lived someplace for a number of years.

What makes it harder is that the buyers have already called the utility companies to transfer the billing and I can't help but feel annoyed that they're doing this when it's not their house yet. I know it's stupid to feel this way but it's our house until they sign on the dotted lines. Our house. I can't believe other people are going to be living in our house...

I think it's good that we live so far away because that gives us the physical distance to lend us the emotional distance we need. We'll always have fond memories of our time there. Admittedly, it's a relief to sell so quickly in this market and to have gotten a good sale price, at that. It's also nice not to have a rent payment plus mortgage payment every month. Still, I can't help but feel sad. I'm really going to miss that house...

p.s. I found the futon hardware--hurray!

It's Christmas in July!

I know I only just packed all these boxes and boxes of stuff from our house in Dayton but opening them this weekend was like having Christmas in July. Ooh! My fiestaware! The coffee pot! Our bed! Our sheets! The clasps for the dog's crate! Whee!

All of the fun-ness was overshadowed a smidge by the occasional discovery of broken or damaged items. Our headboard has an enormous gouge mark in it and a chunk of wood is missing from the face. The mattress is broken. We can sleep on it for now but it will have to be replaced soon-ish because the springs are already poking out of the side of the fabric. The place where we bought it only has locations as far west as OH and WI...I'm just not sure it can be repaired, anyway. Boo. Also, an entire box of coffee cups has to go in the trash. Some of those cups were favorites...the ugly one from LAX that my friend Karen brought me...the pretty blue and white one Gwen's parents bought me when they took me with them to visit Grg her freshman year at Wesleyan...and the funny "disappearing" Bill of Rights mug from my SIL. Boo. I know they're just coffee cups but I love them. Some favorites survived so there's my silver lining.

The furniture is scuffed and lots of things are wobbly. The top of the ship case broke but Michael will have it all fixed by tonight. Oh, and the paint roller extension bar is squashed flat at a pancake. Not a big deal but if I thought it would be squashed beyond repair I would have just given it to my dad. Still can't find the hardware for the futon...we might need to buy new screws and things...All in all, tho, not too bad. The moving company will be hearing from me tomorrow. The headboard and mattress damage is just to great to overlook and losing the futon hardware is just a plain old pain in the arse.

The house is coming together nicely and we're slowly finding places for all of our things. We don't have nearly enough closet space but we're going to hold on to a few of those plastic tubs and will make use of the space saver bags for linens and clothes. The garage has plenty of space and we should be able to park the car in it shortly. We're still sorting out some stuff but I think we can make it all work. But first, I need to empty out the rest of the stuff in the apartment. More pics soon!

Picture time!

This is the dog trying to beat the heat by digging a hole next to this
lovely bush and then laying in it.


Hello, crazy Jurassic Park-looking plant in the backyard!


This is the dog hiding in the rose bushes because I was inside using the vacuum.
She is such a big baby.


This is Michael's "fierce" face. He does "fierce" better than I do.
Of course, nobody's "fierce" is as good as Gwen's.


Guess where we went?

Move in day!

We're (almost) all moved in--yay! The storage unit is empty and our tiny little house is full of our enormous furniture and the garage is chock full of boxes. The BRs are painted, the floors vacuumed and cleaned and now it's time to put the bed and futon together and start unpacking. Sort of. I bought more contact paper this morning and some cleaner for the cabinets in the kitchen and then I can unpack. I was planning to do that this afternoon but I've been waylaid by our house in Dayton.

Got a call from our realtor re: some stuff that needs to be fixed and now I'm scrambling about trying to call some contractors to fix this stuff for us. All I have to say is that it is an absolute bitch trying to sell your house when you don't live in (or near) it. That house is a 100-year-old monkey on our backs...sigh...but now we have a lovely back yard to enjoy! And a large covered porch! And beautiful weather! And boxes to unpack! Did I mention the back yard?

Still painting...

I'm still painting the 2 bedrooms. Actually, I'm only painting one bedroom as the other is fini. I hope. We did a combo of brush and roller on the trim and I felt that yesterday's rolled parts could use a touch up. I finished the windows this morning but will have to see how they look when I go back this afternoon. Still have to do the doors but will attempt that this afternoon. I will post some pics soon.

Tomorrow is furniture move in day so there is a lot to finish before 7:30 am tomorrow. I still need to finish the trim in the master BR and vacuum and mop the floor with some oil soap. Then, we will be ready. The next couple of days involve cleaning the kitchen cabinets (not sure they've been cleaned in the last 10 years) and putting down new contact paper. Then lots and lots and lots of unpacking. Then? We'll be ready for house guests. Who wants to come for a visit?

Pics of the house!

The kitchen. Appliances look fairly new-ish and I like the floor and laminate on the countertops but I'm not a huge fan of the dark cabinets. A fair bit of cabinet space, tho.

The "dining room" if it can be called that. It's more like the other side of the living room. It will easily accommodate our enormous dining room table and that's the important thing.

Sigh. The bathroom. It is tiny. Look at that tiny little midget toilet. This makes me miss our bathrooms in Dayton like you would not believe. This bathroom has been kept clean and there's no icky mold in the grout so all is not lost. Don't like the shower doors but removing them will be a later project.

Just one shot of the backyard. I'm not sure that you can tell that the planters there are resting inside a water garden sans water. The fountain is off to the left...I'm not sure if it's still functional nor am I terribly interested in the maintenance of a water garden and fountain but maybe next year.

Stay tuned; more pics to come!

Tell me I'm crazy...

Because I must be certifiably insane. Despite all the painting/sanding/cleaning/packing/scrubbing/more painting/painting/painting that I did in the 3 months from job offer to move I find myself wanting to paint. I'm crazy, right?

See, we're moving into a rental house and all the walls are white. White. Ick. Admittedly, the crazy 1970's gold patterned wallpaper in the bathroom was really ugly, but they've since painted those walls white and it's okay in the bathroom and even the kitchen but not elsewhere. And they did take down that hideous dark wood paneled wall in the living room but now, you guessed it, the wall is white. But, we're starting small and there won't be any prep work. We're going to paint the 2 bedrooms in Adobe Straw (by Behr but we're going to find an equivalent in Valspar) and after that, we'll consider doing the living room and dining room later on.

I also want to take down the shower doors and replace with a curved shower rod and a cute shower curtain...not sure if we'll do that right away. I would also like a "tall man" toilet like the ones we purchased for our house in Dayton. After that, some nicer window treatments to cover up the ugly vertical and horizontal blinds that are all over the house and spiffing up some of the landscaping out back will be about it. Really. I swear. I know Michael is reading this and shaking his head (hi, honey!) but it'll be worth it. Right?

Wiped Out...

This will be short because, as you can see by the title, I am wiped out. Got back yesterday from bridesmaid/whirlwind to the beach land and am tirreeeeddddd. I'm missing all of you already but am glad to be back. I have a massive "to do" list to tackle but now, I'm going to lay back down on my couch and read my book.

p.s. I realize I was remiss in mentioning Michael now has a blog: Life, Hope and Vittles. He tells the story of our adventures with Cletus much better than I do.

Adventures in Bicycling...

Now that we're Californians and all, we need to do the California thing and ride our bikes everywhere and, for the ladies, be skinny, tan and blonde. Let me tell you right now: I will be neither tan nor blonde. Skinny wouldn't be bad but I don't think that's in the cards. Anyway.

So, this week, I decided that I would ride my bike, along with Michael, to his office and then I would bike home. This is a 10 mile round trip and while it's mostly flat, it involves plenty of pedaling and racing to intersections to make as many lights as possible. And it's been fun so far (and good exercise) but it can be a little scary at times and I'm still working on my bicycle fierceness. One problem is that I don't have a really "good" bike, not that it's a bad bike, but it's not a California bike. It's not a $600 lightweight, no kickstand, cool-looking bike with helpful foot thingies that keep your feet on the pedals. But it'll do. Michael is going to take it to a bike shop this weekend to have the gears adjusted which will help tremendously.

The bigger issue is my lack of fierceness. I need to be more aggressive around cars when I'm riding. This is hard b/c I am convinced that they will run my ass off the street. Most roads around here have designated bike lanes but in CA, there are legal U-turns so this morning I watched a car make a U-turn and nearly mow down the guy in front of me b/c the driver drove right into the bike lane in order to execute his turn. And where there are no bike lanes, I need to be more aggressive about taking up enough space in the road to keep cars from forcing me off the road and into the gutter. And my husband kindly alerted me to the fact that I need to leave plenty of space between me and parked cars in case a driver opens her car door in front of me. I don't fancy myself the star of some video you'd see on those funniest (stupidest) home video shows where some poor guy gets hit in the nuts or, in my case, I go flying off my bike and do a face plant in the street.

This morning's ride was my last for at least 6 days since I'm taking the red eye tonight for Alissa's and Todd's wedding. That'll give me time to work on my fierce (maybe Gwen will help me with my look) so that when I get back I'll be ready.

The downside to CA...

Well, to be honest, there is more than one downside but today it involves the fact that being this far away means that I can't be proximal to my mother when there's trouble in the family. My mom's cousin and step-sister by marriage is dying of cancer and while they weren't terribly close, it's still a sad time. My mom's family has been through a lot of late and I wish I could be with her during these times. But now that I'm out here, I can't just hop in the car and drive East. Boo.

On top of that, we've started looking for an apartment and the cost of living here is enough to induce an anxiety attack. We've discovered that anything that costs less than $1600/month is almost always a crap hole. And, frankly, the older I get, the less likely I am to lower my standards on things like this and I am not living in a crap hole just to save a couple hundred bucks a month. I told my financial planner as much last night. I also told him I'd rather postpone retirement (why yes, we do have a retirement plan and I highly recommend that you get one) by a few more years than live in squalor. Not that we'd ever live in squalor but you know what I mean. So...it looks like something in the $1800 to $2000 range for us. That is a lot of money. A lot. And, yes, I knew it would be like this and the cost of living in most large cities is about the same but still. The sticker shock. It kills me. Boo. I say boo.

My first week...

Well, it's been a bit more relaxing, to say the least. I spend a decent amount of time surfing the 'nets in an effort to take care of business re: the house or trying to find out where the nearest farmers market/CSA/bookstore/T@rget/etc. are located. Now that we've liberated our bike pump and found the helmets, I can ride my bike to all these wonderful places. I'm also looking out for discounts and deals of events and attractions and I am all about using my triple A card and entertainment book for coupons.

In the afternoon I read, walk the dog, cook dinner, write postcards, watch a little f00d network, unpack a box, you know, the usual stuff. Not too strenuous. Until yesterday.

Yesterday I went a little "weekend warrior" on a Tuesday but I didn't do it on purpose. I've been trying to get back into a regular exercise routine now that I no longer have to paint or pack and move heavy boxes around so yesterday I did some circuit training (why didn't I think this one through?) and then walked 4 miles to meet Michael for lunch. We had lunch at this really yummy vegetarian restaurant (sesame eggplant with brown garlic sauce and rice mmmmmm....) and then I picked up my bike from the storage unit and rode it the 4.5 miles home. Then I carried my bike up 2 flights of stairs. Yeah...I'm a smidge sore this morning. And clearly out of shape. Durr.

So, what have we done that's fun and exciting? Well, we went to the alumni event in the city last Thurs and that was fun. I met 2 people who are not just alumni but are from our beloved Lanky-town. One of them had Grg's dad in school. It was nice to chat with people who are from the same little town as you. We took the train in, which was nice, but the trip home took longer since the train stopped at every station. I, of course, fell asleep on the ride home. Can't do that while you're behind the wheel.

Friday, our trailer arrived and I spent the afternoon supervising the movers as they unloaded our stuff into our storage unit. Unfortunately many of our boxes are smooshed and caving in and the stand to our large oval mirror was broken. Until we unpack everything I won't know how much damage has occured but let's hope it isn't too extensive.

Saturday, we did some digging in our storage unit. I found the boxes with our mail, dry goods, clothes and cleaning supplies. We went back on Monday to unearth the tupperware, dish drainer and bike pump and helmets. My socks and underwear? Still MIA. I have one pair of socks that I wash, like, every other day because I refuse to buy more. They're in that damn storage unit somewhere! Along with my sports bras and tennis clothes. Need to find those, too.

Sunday, we didn't make it to Sonoma because there was N@SCAR race and I wasn't about to go anywhere near that. Instead we went into the city and met up with friends. We went to a museum that, alas, we did not enjoy b/c it housed mostly modern art. I don't like modern art. And let me just say that from now on Costa's girlfriends are NOT allowed to pick the museum anymore. Ever. Had I known we were going to be subjected to modern art, I would not have wasted the money on admission. Then we headed down to the Embarcadero and had coffee before heading home to the pooch.

Haven't decided what our plans are for this weekend but now that we have our bikes we'll probably do some exploring around here. We don't have locks yet (they're on order) so we can't really take them into the city yet unless we're not planning to get off of them to do anything fun. I want to check out the farmer's market, maybe visit the fruit stand and go to the library.

I leave you with this photo of a jackaranda tree from the park next to the "compound." They remind me of a purple version of japanese cherry trees and are absolutely gorgeous when they are at their peak of season. In fact, this picture doesn't do it justice. Maybe that's because it isn't a picture of the whole tree. Or because I took it instead of a real photographer.

Finally in Cali...

And it's about darned time! So, my dear husband met me at the airport with a potted hydrangea (while a bouquet of flowers might have been more romantic all of our vases are currently on the moving truck) in one hand and D0ritos in the other...sigh...he's so sweet. Anyway, we headed home to the dog and then took a picnic lunch to the park adjacent to our apartment. Michael made me dinner and kept refilling my champagne glass until I feel asleep, exhausted, at 7:30 before the Simpsons came on tv.

The rest of the week has been pretty relaxing thus far. We got library cards Tuesday night and I brought home 2 books; I'm starting with the book on Queen Elizabeth. Last night we went to an information session at the nursing school I'm applying to. I found out that the deadline for Jan. 1 admission is July 1st and there is not even enough time to submit the app, ask for and receive 2 letters of reference, have transcripts sent or take the standardized test that has become the bane of my existence. Why, oh, why does it have to be this fcking difficult to finish a second undergraduate degree? Why? So, now I will be on track to apply in November for a June 2009 start date. In the meantime, I'm waiting to hear back from someone, anyone for that matter, in the admissions dept so we can sit down and go over my transcripts to ensure that all previous classes and pre-reqs will transfer. Blarg.

Tonight, we are doing something I hope will be more fun. FandM is having an alumni event in downtown San Fran at 5:30 so I'm about to go put on my face and then go meet Michael so we can take the train in. We might be going up to Sonoma this Sunday for wine tasting but we haven't nailed down the details yet. I'm anticipating many fun adventures will ensue and I'll be sure to share them here. In the meantime, here are some photos of my immediate surroundings:

The Str@ight-Turner Compound. There are gates everywhere. Plus this lovely
parking garage thing-y is nice, too.

A fountain next to the S@feway where we shop--pretty, no?

The dog spends much of her day sleeping under the bed. This bed is not "Tall Man Friendly" and therefore is much lower to the ground than the one we own. You should see her trying to crawl in and out from under it. Silly dog.

It's all about the penis...

So, today's lab exam? All about the penis. Mind you, one of the chapters we're covering on our lab and lecture exams is the reproductive system but, seriously, there were way too many penis questions on the lab exam. Penis, penis, penis. Sure, there was an ovary here and a fallopian tube there and a few kidneys but mostly penis. At least that's what it felt like to me.

Okay, back to studying. I'm hanging out at a little, out-of-the-way cafe whose name rhymes with Banera so I can swipe some free WiFi. I'm eating one of those super yummy shortbread cookies and drinking a big cup of coffee and now it is time to end my penis rant and get back to work. On the penis. Okay, to be fair, there's an acid-base system chapter and lymphatics to review as well, but come on...it's all about the penis today.

Comedy of Errors....

Part one million. Seriously. This will be a v. brief recap as I am sitting in my car in the O. District so I can use some of downtown Dayton's free WiFi (which doesn't go as far as our house, WTF is that about?). Let's just put it this way: I thought we would get more than 2 movers to come load the truck and since I only got 2, it took longer than I thought to get everything on the trailer plus the HaulU rental I needed to get stuff over to my in-laws and a local charity. One of the movers cut his head open (he's okay), it takes forever to get everything loaded up, the phone rings off the hook, I can't remember why I went into the garage/basement/upstairs so I keep wandering around the house and finally around 4 in the afternoon I have to call Michael to bail me out.

The HaulU truck needs to be returned by 7 but the stuff hasn't been delivered and I can't leave the house. FIL extraordinaire shows up to take care of that part but in the meantime, the movers can't figure out how to install the bulkhead and then one of them improperly locks the truck (he locked the lock but didn't lock the doors, fck) and I have to call the trailer co. to come fix it. Ultimately, I have to cancel dinner plans with my neighbors, all so I can stay home to take care of getting rental trucks returned and making sure that no one makes off with our stuff until the trailer guy comes over. And I'm dirty and tired and haven't done a bit of studying for my exams tomorrow.

And then, the badness. I was horribly mean to my husband. I was an asshole (sing it with me...A-S-S-H-O-L-E....I'm an asshole....). I have since apologized (of course) but dang, this is hard.

So, now I'm clean and have done some studying. Going to go back home and study some more and maybe get some shut eye for a few hours. I'm going to sleep on the floor in the house b/c I can't bring myself to pay for a hotel room in which I won't really get any sleep and I can't deal with being around people right now...not even my in-laws. I just have to keep my eyes on the prize. In 23 hours I will be done with my last exam and Thurs am I can start driving to Lankytown. Can't wait. Almost there. Almost....there....

For fcking better or worse...

This move...sigh...I know, more whining about moving. I'm even tired of it but, alas, it's my party and I'll whine if I want to.

So, you stand before your officiant and take your marriage vows alongside your beloved and you say them...and you really do mean them. And sometimes life hands you shit sandwiches and down the hatch they go and here you are reflecting on your wedding vows because those vows are the only thing keeping you from reaching your arm out 2500 miles and ripping your husband's head off. And I know that this rough patch is probably not the worst we'll see during what I hope will be decades of marriage but this fcking sucks. SO MUCH.

And I am very, very tired of this situation. I am tired of being the only one in charge. I am tired of being the one who makes the phone calls and arrangements for sub-contractors, movers, glass crating companies, realtors, more sub-contractors and various cleaning companies. And I know that these are things that only I can do b/c I am the one who is here to let people in, take measurements, write checks, etc. and goodness knows that Michael is helping as much as he can. But. These are the things that make me long for my single days in a one-bedroom apt with my dog. I just want to crawl in a hole and never come out. Instead, however, I'm going to drag my ass to the post office, the UH@ul store, the hardware store, G00dwill and the Upscale Resale store to drop off donations and go to the bank. And then come home and pack my ass off. Blarg. Hate everything.

More cuteness...

This about cheering me up as much as it is subjecting you to more pictures of my dog. She is so. Freaking. Cute. Totally.



My husband is also really freaking cute. I mean, he's very studly and hot. Yeah, studly and hot.

So much to do and not enough time...

So....I leave the state I've called home for the last 5+ years in 10 days. 10 days. 10 DAYS! I am so not ready. Physically ready, that is. I've put off the remainder of the packing in part b/c we had an open house yesterday and we wanted it to still be "staged" but now the furious packing must begin. I'm struggling with this b/c I know that I have 2 smallish suitcases out of which I will live until the 15th and I just don't know what I'm going to need and I can't make myself think that far ahead.

In the meantime, I'm trying to say my goodbyes and that's hard to do. We know we won't be coming back to OH any time soon so unless our friends and family come to see us in Cali we won't be seeing anyone for a long time.

And yet I feel a bit anxious to get the heck out of dodge. I just want to be with my husband and my dog and I no longer care much about anything else. I want to get back to some semblance of "normal" and the only way to do that is to be with my beloved and our mutt. But it's only 10 more days. 10 days. That's going to go by quickly.