Well everything is packed except for the car stuff, coffee maker, and a lampshade. I have set a personal moving record for being prepared the day before the movers show up. We are going to Liberty Bar and Grill tonight for one last dinner in Hoboken.
Trip itinerary:
May 1: Clarion, PA
May 2: Elmhurst, IL
May 3: Sioux Falls, SD
May 4: Sheridan, WY
May 5: Missoula, MT
May 6: Arrive in Portland
Photos on my Picasa site (link on the right side)
Monday, April 30, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
4/29 Update
Almost everything is packed except for clothes that aren't going in wardrobe boxes and things for the car. Oh and the tv.
Movers are coming on Tuesday morning.
The kitchen is spotless. I only mention this because I have never left a kitchen as clean as this one. We'll have to do some cleaning once the movers are finished.
My route is planned. More on that later.
Emotionally? It has been a rough few days. Yesterday, we found out that one of Elston's buddies fell out of a 9th floor window to her death. Vanessa was a great little dog that loved to stare down squirrels. We saw her most mornings for a quick hello. This is right after another dog we know very well died from cancer. I am a little more emotional than usual since I keep thinking of Elston not seeing Mary again after Tuesday.
I think the reality of everything is starting to set in which isn't helping any of us feel better.
The good news in the midst of this craziness? My nephew is home from Iraq.
Movers are coming on Tuesday morning.
The kitchen is spotless. I only mention this because I have never left a kitchen as clean as this one. We'll have to do some cleaning once the movers are finished.
My route is planned. More on that later.
Emotionally? It has been a rough few days. Yesterday, we found out that one of Elston's buddies fell out of a 9th floor window to her death. Vanessa was a great little dog that loved to stare down squirrels. We saw her most mornings for a quick hello. This is right after another dog we know very well died from cancer. I am a little more emotional than usual since I keep thinking of Elston not seeing Mary again after Tuesday.
I think the reality of everything is starting to set in which isn't helping any of us feel better.
The good news in the midst of this craziness? My nephew is home from Iraq.
Remaining days
I am just going to ignore the dog. There are two sides to every story.
Earlier this week, I decided to take two days to do a few things in the city. Unfortunately, I didn't feel 100% on either of those days. On Wednesday, our landlord showed our apartment early in the morning. After he left, I went back to sleep. Until 2:00 pm. I went into the city and had my last bite to eat at the Shake Shack. I then met a couple former co-workers for drinks and snacks.
I had huge plans for Thursday. After a morning doctor's appointment, I was going to do all sorts of things in the city and have dinner with some more former co-workers. I woke up not feeling so great but thought it would pass. I trudged along in the morning and followed through on the one thing that involved pre-purchased tickets. I went on a tour of the Rockefeller Center. It was supposed to be a tour of the art of the center followed by a visit to the observation deck. I was really excited to see more of the center since I have a book about it and I've read articles over the years talking about its construction. I was disappointed because it was one of the worst tours I've ever gone on. I won't go into why it was so horrible. The observation deck was well worth the irritation because it is really an amazing view. It wasn't crowded and you really get the sense of being in a very open space. Considering my fear of heights, I felt okay. Here are some photos
I then slept for almost 14 hours straight.
Earlier this week, I decided to take two days to do a few things in the city. Unfortunately, I didn't feel 100% on either of those days. On Wednesday, our landlord showed our apartment early in the morning. After he left, I went back to sleep. Until 2:00 pm. I went into the city and had my last bite to eat at the Shake Shack. I then met a couple former co-workers for drinks and snacks.
I had huge plans for Thursday. After a morning doctor's appointment, I was going to do all sorts of things in the city and have dinner with some more former co-workers. I woke up not feeling so great but thought it would pass. I trudged along in the morning and followed through on the one thing that involved pre-purchased tickets. I went on a tour of the Rockefeller Center. It was supposed to be a tour of the art of the center followed by a visit to the observation deck. I was really excited to see more of the center since I have a book about it and I've read articles over the years talking about its construction. I was disappointed because it was one of the worst tours I've ever gone on. I won't go into why it was so horrible. The observation deck was well worth the irritation because it is really an amazing view. It wasn't crowded and you really get the sense of being in a very open space. Considering my fear of heights, I felt okay. Here are some photos
I then slept for almost 14 hours straight.
Friday, April 27, 2007
From the dog
I have hijacked the blog from the human. I am happy there is a thing called spell check because I am still learning this spelling and typing thing.
I hear we are moving again. I am not stupid. First, we move to Oregon. Then we move to this place called New Jersey. I haven't been too impressed. Sure, I've made some friends and stuff. But, I have never liked the lack of green space. I have also had to deal with a lot of shih-tzus. I think they are the ghosts of my humans childhood dogs who have come back to mock me. I won't be sad to see them go. I saw the boxes come back out. I'm not stupid. I've heard them talk about Oregon again. Would the human please make up her mind?
So, today I had to go to the dreaded place. No, not the kennel. I had to go to the place with the humans in white coats. I have a little eye gook so the human freaked out and dragged me there. Now she comes at me with this white stuff and practically rips at my eyeball. Yes, I am prone to exaggeration but it worries me.
My main concern is that the human in the white coat busted me. See, the humans don't like it when I lick my paws. The one human (main human in my life) really doesn't like it. She has been sleeping a lot, so I have been waking her up in the night by licking my paws. She gives me that "look" so I stop. She falls back asleep and I lick again. Another look. I decided to make it more fun by licking the air. The humans were talking about it this morning. Well, the human in the white coat used the word "behavioral" so now they are a little less concerned. I heard her say something about relaxation methods. What is that going to involve? Am I going to have listen to special tapes? Get rid of the shih-tzus and boxes and I'll show you relaxation.
The other thing I heard the white coat human say was "sedative." Huh? Apparently, the human didn't think the drugs from the other moves really worked. They are going to try a stronger drug. What really confused me was the human said the other human (who gives me more treats, carrots, and longer walks) wouldn't be going with us. Okay. She didn't say those exact words. She said it would just be the two of us in the car. Why didn't she say the three of us? I sense something is wrong. But, now I am supposed to be relaxing and will be drugged up. I can barely see with this eye medicine but I see more and more boxes. I think I will just take a "nap" and hatch more plots. I should start licking the boxes. That would really freak them out.
Send ideas.
E, the dog.
I hear we are moving again. I am not stupid. First, we move to Oregon. Then we move to this place called New Jersey. I haven't been too impressed. Sure, I've made some friends and stuff. But, I have never liked the lack of green space. I have also had to deal with a lot of shih-tzus. I think they are the ghosts of my humans childhood dogs who have come back to mock me. I won't be sad to see them go. I saw the boxes come back out. I'm not stupid. I've heard them talk about Oregon again. Would the human please make up her mind?
So, today I had to go to the dreaded place. No, not the kennel. I had to go to the place with the humans in white coats. I have a little eye gook so the human freaked out and dragged me there. Now she comes at me with this white stuff and practically rips at my eyeball. Yes, I am prone to exaggeration but it worries me.
My main concern is that the human in the white coat busted me. See, the humans don't like it when I lick my paws. The one human (main human in my life) really doesn't like it. She has been sleeping a lot, so I have been waking her up in the night by licking my paws. She gives me that "look" so I stop. She falls back asleep and I lick again. Another look. I decided to make it more fun by licking the air. The humans were talking about it this morning. Well, the human in the white coat used the word "behavioral" so now they are a little less concerned. I heard her say something about relaxation methods. What is that going to involve? Am I going to have listen to special tapes? Get rid of the shih-tzus and boxes and I'll show you relaxation.
The other thing I heard the white coat human say was "sedative." Huh? Apparently, the human didn't think the drugs from the other moves really worked. They are going to try a stronger drug. What really confused me was the human said the other human (who gives me more treats, carrots, and longer walks) wouldn't be going with us. Okay. She didn't say those exact words. She said it would just be the two of us in the car. Why didn't she say the three of us? I sense something is wrong. But, now I am supposed to be relaxing and will be drugged up. I can barely see with this eye medicine but I see more and more boxes. I think I will just take a "nap" and hatch more plots. I should start licking the boxes. That would really freak them out.
Send ideas.
E, the dog.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Update
I've packed a lot.
I have selected the CD's for the drive.
The car has been serviced with a new battery, 45k tune-up, and the air conditioning checked out.
The car has also been washed and cleaned out. It was really gross. I finally vacuumed the pine needles that have been in my trunk for the last year.
My knee has been bothering me since Sunday. My knee brace is my new best friend.
Still no word on when they are actually loading my things.
I am taking a mini-break tomorrow afternoon/evening and all day Thursday.
I am super happy that Heroes is back from hiatus.
I am sad that David Halberstam died. I had a goal of reading all of his books so I'll pick that goal up again once I get unpacked.
What is left? Hotels for the trip, rest of kitchen, rest of clothes, all of the wall things, things for the car, and I am sure all of the billion little things that need to be packed. I don't even want to think about the cleaning.
I am really tired.
I have selected the CD's for the drive.
The car has been serviced with a new battery, 45k tune-up, and the air conditioning checked out.
The car has also been washed and cleaned out. It was really gross. I finally vacuumed the pine needles that have been in my trunk for the last year.
My knee has been bothering me since Sunday. My knee brace is my new best friend.
Still no word on when they are actually loading my things.
I am taking a mini-break tomorrow afternoon/evening and all day Thursday.
I am super happy that Heroes is back from hiatus.
I am sad that David Halberstam died. I had a goal of reading all of his books so I'll pick that goal up again once I get unpacked.
What is left? Hotels for the trip, rest of kitchen, rest of clothes, all of the wall things, things for the car, and I am sure all of the billion little things that need to be packed. I don't even want to think about the cleaning.
I am really tired.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Special Day
Since the regular park was closed over the weekend due to retaining wall issues...we've had to walk her in the other park. She likes it because there is more food since it is where people picnic and where there was a scary carnival this weekend. Don't get the wrong idea. This is only a nice picnic spot if you like kids running around screaming horrible things, dirt, concrete, loud music and falling down picnic tables.
On Sunday morning, Elston tried to eat some leftover sheet cake. Mary refers to it as Holy Communion cake. We joked around the rest of the day that Elston was having her First Communion so she became Sister Elston Marie. Later, she tried sampling a hot dog, corn on the cob and chicken bones.
Here she is later pondering our move and her basket of toys.
She is playing disinterested
Wait...hedgehog on the loose!
On Sunday morning, Elston tried to eat some leftover sheet cake. Mary refers to it as Holy Communion cake. We joked around the rest of the day that Elston was having her First Communion so she became Sister Elston Marie. Later, she tried sampling a hot dog, corn on the cob and chicken bones.
Here she is later pondering our move and her basket of toys.
She is playing disinterested
Wait...hedgehog on the loose!
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Post- NY Employment
This is the first Sunday in two years that I don't have a job to go to on a Monday morning. Of course, that joy will only last a little while but I can still enjoy the mini-freedom. The last day of work was fairly emotional. It was really hard to say goodbye to many people who taught me so much about being a manager, inspired me with their ideas and performance, and provided tons of personal and professional support over the last two years. I was really taken aback at all of the comments people made to me and the very generous gifts given to me by my department. It really is a bittersweet move. This job was the hardest to leave (okay former co-workers stop laughing...it is true!).
We went out for drinks after work. As usual it was a very late night but I ended up without a hangover. I guess I learned my lesson from the last going away party I had, so I stopped drinking fairly early on.
Now what? Pick up the packing. The one room that hasn't been touched at all is the kitchen. We are going to start going through it and decide who is taking what.
We went out for drinks after work. As usual it was a very late night but I ended up without a hangover. I guess I learned my lesson from the last going away party I had, so I stopped drinking fairly early on.
Now what? Pick up the packing. The one room that hasn't been touched at all is the kitchen. We are going to start going through it and decide who is taking what.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Not a Regular Thursday
Tomorrow is my last day at my job. It feels really strange. This week has been a tad stressful as I try to wrap everything up. Late nights working on things only serves as a good reminder of what the last two years has been like.
In other news, I have hired movers. I am really glad that decision is behind me so we can finalize the dates. I am still waiting to hear the exact pick-up date. I was told today that I won't know until early next week. The driving plans and contacting the apartment people are on hold until everything is finalized. Actually, I have come up with potential places for each night but I need to put aside for a few more days. A lot of people are wondering when I am leaving, driving through or arriving so I want this settled.
My media rant from the other day? It has only become louder with the airing of all of the videos.
In other news, I have hired movers. I am really glad that decision is behind me so we can finalize the dates. I am still waiting to hear the exact pick-up date. I was told today that I won't know until early next week. The driving plans and contacting the apartment people are on hold until everything is finalized. Actually, I have come up with potential places for each night but I need to put aside for a few more days. A lot of people are wondering when I am leaving, driving through or arriving so I want this settled.
My media rant from the other day? It has only become louder with the airing of all of the videos.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Media
Last night I turned on the tv to learn more about what happened at Virginia Tech. I realized that I should have just gone to a newspaper's website because CNN's Paula Zahn almost drove me to the edge. She was relentless in putting significant blame on Virgina Tech's administration. While it is easy for us to second guess their actions, I found it insulting for her to twist every interview into persistent questioning on the university's actions. I give credit to the students who basically stood up to her by saying that they didn't want to be angry. It just wasn't appropriate to keep going on and on and on when people were clearly not focusing on that issue.
I just turned on the tv again to see how she was presenting the news tonight. I had to quickly turn it off. CNN is covering tonight's vigil. Can't we let this community be together without super annoying journalists asking inane questions. I must have heard Paula and one of her roving reporters refer to their own tears at least 5 times. In 10 minutes that seems like they are losing a bit of perspective.
I was glad to hear Nikki Giovanni's remarks from earlier today. They should just play it on constant loop and shut up the talking heads. I'm sticking to the paper from now on even though I am sure the print journalists have their own issues. At least I don't have to see their offending methods.
I just turned on the tv again to see how she was presenting the news tonight. I had to quickly turn it off. CNN is covering tonight's vigil. Can't we let this community be together without super annoying journalists asking inane questions. I must have heard Paula and one of her roving reporters refer to their own tears at least 5 times. In 10 minutes that seems like they are losing a bit of perspective.
I was glad to hear Nikki Giovanni's remarks from earlier today. They should just play it on constant loop and shut up the talking heads. I'm sticking to the paper from now on even though I am sure the print journalists have their own issues. At least I don't have to see their offending methods.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Floods and Fires
The weather has been crazy. When it started raining, I figured Hoboken would flood because it always seems to flood when it rains. See, Hoboken has been development crazy and the infrastructure hasn't kept pace with all of the many condos. I guess for many years they've always had problems but it has only become worse in the last few years. I live on the palisades and on top of a hill (on the palisade) so I wasn't too worried about any problems.
I kept monitoring the situation in Hoboken as people started reporting and posting photos of flood waters. A four alarm fire started in the early evening. A lot of fire trucks came barreling down our street to help out and I could eventually smell a little smoke. Never a good thing when a lumber company starts burning. When I went to bed, I heard a very large noise and then tons of sirens. I couldn't see anything outside so I went back to bed. Sirens continued. I looked again and I saw flashing lights down the street by a large high rise apartment. I couldn't tell what was going on and it was really late so I went to bed.
I found out this morning that a retaining wall collapsed less than a block from our apartment. It is a wall we go past all of the time and cuts off a major route for us to Hoboken. They evacuated an apartment building and are not sure if any other portions of the wall will collapse. I walked to the light rail. The sewage smell of Hoboken was a little overpowering. The light rail ride was interesting to see all of the cars submerged and our second major route to Hoboken turned into a lake. When we arrived at the Hoboken Terminal, I saw white caps on the Hudson River as high tide came in.
The rest of my trip on the PATH train was uneventful. But, I was worried about my return trip with the rain that fell in the morning. It was fine except not much water had dissipated in Hoboken. What has become a bigger deal is the retaining wall. They ended up cutting off access to our local park (yes, the infamous park where Elston plays with her buddies and I wage war with baseball coaches) and most of the area surrounding the retaining wall. They are working on removing the debris to see if there is anyone underneath. Now there are reports that a retaining wall holding up a parking garage of the large high rise apartment. Crazy. Fortunately, it has stopped raining.
The story on the wall collapse
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=traffic&id=5213380
Photos of Hoboken flooding
http://s168.photobucket.com/albums/u179/jdworley/Hobo%20Flood/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7860531@N06/sets/72157600082536731/
I kept monitoring the situation in Hoboken as people started reporting and posting photos of flood waters. A four alarm fire started in the early evening. A lot of fire trucks came barreling down our street to help out and I could eventually smell a little smoke. Never a good thing when a lumber company starts burning. When I went to bed, I heard a very large noise and then tons of sirens. I couldn't see anything outside so I went back to bed. Sirens continued. I looked again and I saw flashing lights down the street by a large high rise apartment. I couldn't tell what was going on and it was really late so I went to bed.
I found out this morning that a retaining wall collapsed less than a block from our apartment. It is a wall we go past all of the time and cuts off a major route for us to Hoboken. They evacuated an apartment building and are not sure if any other portions of the wall will collapse. I walked to the light rail. The sewage smell of Hoboken was a little overpowering. The light rail ride was interesting to see all of the cars submerged and our second major route to Hoboken turned into a lake. When we arrived at the Hoboken Terminal, I saw white caps on the Hudson River as high tide came in.
The rest of my trip on the PATH train was uneventful. But, I was worried about my return trip with the rain that fell in the morning. It was fine except not much water had dissipated in Hoboken. What has become a bigger deal is the retaining wall. They ended up cutting off access to our local park (yes, the infamous park where Elston plays with her buddies and I wage war with baseball coaches) and most of the area surrounding the retaining wall. They are working on removing the debris to see if there is anyone underneath. Now there are reports that a retaining wall holding up a parking garage of the large high rise apartment. Crazy. Fortunately, it has stopped raining.
The story on the wall collapse
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc
Photos of Hoboken flooding
http://s168.photobucket.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Eventful week
Don Ho and Kurt Vonnegut died.
Don Imus was fired. (Rutgers fans here so we were a little biased on what he said but agree with Stringer's comments on Friday).
Our governor was seriously hurt in a car accident.
The light rail train I normally take was hit by a truck earlier in the week. If I left work at my usual time, I would have been on this train.
A dog was mauled by another dog in our local park. There seems to be some confusion on who did the mauling.
Our mayor is being investigated for a variety of things related to corruption. None of this is a surprise even as he gears up for a state senate race.
One apartment showing, two estimates from movers, an agreement to sign a lease was faxed, taxes were done, and no boxes were packed. Uh, yeah. It is going to be a busy three weeks.
Update: How could I forget the weather. It is really raining hard out there. I wouldn't be surprised to see white caps as the water flows down the street. Fortunately, I live on a hill.
Don Imus was fired. (Rutgers fans here so we were a little biased on what he said but agree with Stringer's comments on Friday).
Our governor was seriously hurt in a car accident.
The light rail train I normally take was hit by a truck earlier in the week. If I left work at my usual time, I would have been on this train.
A dog was mauled by another dog in our local park. There seems to be some confusion on who did the mauling.
Our mayor is being investigated for a variety of things related to corruption. None of this is a surprise even as he gears up for a state senate race.
One apartment showing, two estimates from movers, an agreement to sign a lease was faxed, taxes were done, and no boxes were packed. Uh, yeah. It is going to be a busy three weeks.
Update: How could I forget the weather. It is really raining hard out there. I wouldn't be surprised to see white caps as the water flows down the street. Fortunately, I live on a hill.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Elston
My dog is weird. A few weeks ago, I gave Elston one of the bones that my sister sent her a year ago. My other sister and my nephew were visiting. Our entertainment was watching Elston walk around with the bone in her mouth and bury it in various places. On the second night, we had to stop the fun and games when I noticed blood on one of my blankets. She had roughed up her nose in all of the burying frenzy. Clearly, Elston would run into problems in the wild.
Here are photos of the fun and games.
The best thing is how the bone was how she was carrying the bone in her mouth as she walked around. The second photo shows how it is just barely in her mouth.
Here are photos of the fun and games.
The best thing is how the bone was how she was carrying the bone in her mouth as she walked around. The second photo shows how it is just barely in her mouth.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Unproductive
I've had problems accomplishing anything this week. I don't know if it is the fatigue from traveling last week and stress of finding a place, sadness over everything going on, or just a reaction to everything I need to do but I can't seem to motivate in the evenings. I just want to take a very long nap as soon as I get home. I end up staying late and then struggle to wake up in the mornings. I have to straighten up this place tomorrow night in case they show the apartment later this week and I really need to continue packing. I am definitely losing momentum.
I confirmed everything with the apartment place and they are faxing a lease. I will have all of the estimates from movers by Friday. I am finally starting to let more people know about the move.
This is going to be a really hard 3 weeks.
I confirmed everything with the apartment place and they are faxing a lease. I will have all of the estimates from movers by Friday. I am finally starting to let more people know about the move.
This is going to be a really hard 3 weeks.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
More Traveling Woes
I decided that I am cursed with my recent flights. Each flight is trying to top the other one as the worst flying experience. Clearly, the flying gods are against me. It all started with these flights.
Flight 1 - Newark to Denver. Okay, there really wasn't anything wrong with this flight other than I had very little sleep and my seat was surrounded by high school kids going on a skiing trip.
Flight 2 - Denver to Portland. Another confession - there really wasn't anything wrong with this flight at all. The one annoying thing about the flight was the behavior of the United gate agents in Denver. Holy Cow. United has created all of these status levels (first, business, economy plus, silver, gold, super super duper elite, close to sainthood, regular coach) and they made sure to board each status with very elaborate staging of the pathway that people should take with their boarding passes. Many of us rolled our eyes at their weird rituals.
I started to think that things had turned the corner with my recent flying problems. I was wrong.
Flight 3 - Portland to Washington Dulles. I really don't know where to start. Another early flight. We board. The woman in the aisle across from me came to her seat and immediately started bitching to her husband about the flight attendant (called cyborg from now on) who wouldn't let her sit in one of the empty economy plus seats (the gate agent from Denver would have murdered her with laser eyes if she had attempted that move on her). The next thing I know, the captain comes to talk to her. Apparently, she was quite rude to Cyborg and he wants to know if she is going to be a problem. This woman starts explaining how she needs to do a lot of work and when the person in front of her puts their seat back, she has problems using her laptop. He explains that is why she should request Economy Plus when booking a ticket or checking in. She becomes defensive about how she was never given that option (lies, lies, lies, lies because United asks you when using self check-in if you want to upgrade. At this point, I was regretting not paying the extra cash to get far away from this woman). He wasn't entirely convinced that she was going to be stable and would have to check with Cyborg. I should mention that his instinct should have been to kick her off to save me grief and at this point I had not viewed the flight attendant she tussled with. I only wondered why he had to check with the flight attendant and couldn't make his own decision.
I quickly realized who was the other player in this scenario when the woman not-so-quietly pointed her out to her husband. It put the captain's attitude into perspective but I was surprised that anyone would even mess with her. She was the most robotic and intimidating human being I had ever encountered. Woman stays on flight and annoys me throughout the entire flight.
Our flight is delayed because we don't have any water pressure. No water pressure means no water in the bathroom, coffee or tea. Mechanic comes and tries to fix things. Doesn't work. Portable water and sanitary wipes are delivered. We take off and magically we have water pressure.
Throughout the flight, I am aware that a very strange woman is sitting in the row behind me. She is in the window seat and I am in the aisle seat. She seemed a little off - either drunk or on drugs. Our descent into Dulles was hell. We rocked and swayed a lot. This woman threw up the entire time. She didn't do this quietly. She sounded like she was dying and wanted everyone on the plane to hear. It was bad and it smelled even worse. She wasn't the only one because the flight attendants distributed at least three other trash bags to people. At this point, I had the satisfaction of snapping at the woman next to me in front of the Cyborg who exchanged a creepy smile with me. Grrr...
Flight #4 - Dulles to Newark. Delayed due to wind. No shit. I was supposed to land at 6:30 and I didn't get in until after 8. I missed the first episode of the Sopranos. I will say that the flight ended up being very smooth, the flight attendant was great, and they didn't board us until a reasonable time before we could actually take off.
I really don't enjoy flying anymore.
Flight 1 - Newark to Denver. Okay, there really wasn't anything wrong with this flight other than I had very little sleep and my seat was surrounded by high school kids going on a skiing trip.
Flight 2 - Denver to Portland. Another confession - there really wasn't anything wrong with this flight at all. The one annoying thing about the flight was the behavior of the United gate agents in Denver. Holy Cow. United has created all of these status levels (first, business, economy plus, silver, gold, super super duper elite, close to sainthood, regular coach) and they made sure to board each status with very elaborate staging of the pathway that people should take with their boarding passes. Many of us rolled our eyes at their weird rituals.
I started to think that things had turned the corner with my recent flying problems. I was wrong.
Flight 3 - Portland to Washington Dulles. I really don't know where to start. Another early flight. We board. The woman in the aisle across from me came to her seat and immediately started bitching to her husband about the flight attendant (called cyborg from now on) who wouldn't let her sit in one of the empty economy plus seats (the gate agent from Denver would have murdered her with laser eyes if she had attempted that move on her). The next thing I know, the captain comes to talk to her. Apparently, she was quite rude to Cyborg and he wants to know if she is going to be a problem. This woman starts explaining how she needs to do a lot of work and when the person in front of her puts their seat back, she has problems using her laptop. He explains that is why she should request Economy Plus when booking a ticket or checking in. She becomes defensive about how she was never given that option (lies, lies, lies, lies because United asks you when using self check-in if you want to upgrade. At this point, I was regretting not paying the extra cash to get far away from this woman). He wasn't entirely convinced that she was going to be stable and would have to check with Cyborg. I should mention that his instinct should have been to kick her off to save me grief and at this point I had not viewed the flight attendant she tussled with. I only wondered why he had to check with the flight attendant and couldn't make his own decision.
I quickly realized who was the other player in this scenario when the woman not-so-quietly pointed her out to her husband. It put the captain's attitude into perspective but I was surprised that anyone would even mess with her. She was the most robotic and intimidating human being I had ever encountered. Woman stays on flight and annoys me throughout the entire flight.
Our flight is delayed because we don't have any water pressure. No water pressure means no water in the bathroom, coffee or tea. Mechanic comes and tries to fix things. Doesn't work. Portable water and sanitary wipes are delivered. We take off and magically we have water pressure.
Throughout the flight, I am aware that a very strange woman is sitting in the row behind me. She is in the window seat and I am in the aisle seat. She seemed a little off - either drunk or on drugs. Our descent into Dulles was hell. We rocked and swayed a lot. This woman threw up the entire time. She didn't do this quietly. She sounded like she was dying and wanted everyone on the plane to hear. It was bad and it smelled even worse. She wasn't the only one because the flight attendants distributed at least three other trash bags to people. At this point, I had the satisfaction of snapping at the woman next to me in front of the Cyborg who exchanged a creepy smile with me. Grrr...
Flight #4 - Dulles to Newark. Delayed due to wind. No shit. I was supposed to land at 6:30 and I didn't get in until after 8. I missed the first episode of the Sopranos. I will say that the flight ended up being very smooth, the flight attendant was great, and they didn't board us until a reasonable time before we could actually take off.
I really don't enjoy flying anymore.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Decision
Yesterday was fun. Not really. I received a call on Thursday evening saying that my application for the house had been accepted. I said that I would sign the lease on Friday at 2.
Friday:
I drove past the house and really looked more closely at the neighborhood. The house seemed a little larger from the outside but the neighborhood seemed less appealing. The park was two blocks away but things just appeared dreary. It reminded me a little of my old neighborhood in Eugene but without the nice houses and cute grocery store on the corner. I decided I wasn't too keen on the neighboring houses but could deal with the place for the money. It is in the Rose City Park neighborhood but not in the nicer section of the 'hood.
I drove to the neighborhood of the apartment. I had breakfast and coffee at a cute little bakery within a block of the apartment. I walked around the neighborhood (Hollywood) and fell in love.
I went back to the hotel and called the apartment people. No answer. I left a message explaining the other place and that I was returning to NJ on Sunday. I waited and waited. I tried calling again.
Close to 1, I drove to the apartment. I saw a note on the manager's door saying that he wasn't in for the day since he was helping out another apartment building but to call him if anyone needed anything. I could barely read the numbers so I tried 3 numbers before I hit the correct number. No answer but I had the name of the apartment building. I dashed into the library (more on that later) and found the address of the other building. I arrived there around 1:30.
He said that I had been approved so I went with the apartment. I didn't sign a lease because he wasn't going to be at the building the rest of the day or today. I promised to pay and sign the lease when I arrive. Yes, I am a little nervous about this arrangement so I am going to send him an email confirming everything and offer to send payment if he faxes the lease. I called the house people and told them thanks but I decided to pass.
The catch? I will be living above a library in an apartment called the "Bookmark Apartments". I can't remember which side I have but it is either the 2 bedroom Northeast or Northwest floorplan. It is definitely more money than I wanted to spend but I think it will be a decent place to live for my first year or so in Portland.
Whew.
Friday:
I drove past the house and really looked more closely at the neighborhood. The house seemed a little larger from the outside but the neighborhood seemed less appealing. The park was two blocks away but things just appeared dreary. It reminded me a little of my old neighborhood in Eugene but without the nice houses and cute grocery store on the corner. I decided I wasn't too keen on the neighboring houses but could deal with the place for the money. It is in the Rose City Park neighborhood but not in the nicer section of the 'hood.
I drove to the neighborhood of the apartment. I had breakfast and coffee at a cute little bakery within a block of the apartment. I walked around the neighborhood (Hollywood) and fell in love.
I went back to the hotel and called the apartment people. No answer. I left a message explaining the other place and that I was returning to NJ on Sunday. I waited and waited. I tried calling again.
Close to 1, I drove to the apartment. I saw a note on the manager's door saying that he wasn't in for the day since he was helping out another apartment building but to call him if anyone needed anything. I could barely read the numbers so I tried 3 numbers before I hit the correct number. No answer but I had the name of the apartment building. I dashed into the library (more on that later) and found the address of the other building. I arrived there around 1:30.
He said that I had been approved so I went with the apartment. I didn't sign a lease because he wasn't going to be at the building the rest of the day or today. I promised to pay and sign the lease when I arrive. Yes, I am a little nervous about this arrangement so I am going to send him an email confirming everything and offer to send payment if he faxes the lease. I called the house people and told them thanks but I decided to pass.
The catch? I will be living above a library in an apartment called the "Bookmark Apartments". I can't remember which side I have but it is either the 2 bedroom Northeast or Northwest floorplan. It is definitely more money than I wanted to spend but I think it will be a decent place to live for my first year or so in Portland.
Whew.
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Two Options
I have submitted applications for two places. The first one is a house in a neighborhood that seems okay. It does have a park within close walking distance. The house is really nice and in great condition. It just seems really small. I am not sure where all of my bookcases would go! It does have a yard that I would have to maintain (means buying a lawn mower) but has washer/dryer. My hour would be about an hour with a train/bus ride. I haven't looked into shuttles. So, a cute but small two bedroom house.
The second place is an apartment and costs more money but has more space. It is in a great neighborhood. The commute would be slightly less and involve only one bus. I like the layout of the apartment, has a washer/dryer, lots of light but does cost a little more than I really want to spend. The neighborhood is definitely a bonus.
I have a few more places I want to look at as back-up before dinner tonight with future co-workers.
I feel a little less stressed now that I have two strong possibilities.
The second place is an apartment and costs more money but has more space. It is in a great neighborhood. The commute would be slightly less and involve only one bus. I like the layout of the apartment, has a washer/dryer, lots of light but does cost a little more than I really want to spend. The neighborhood is definitely a bonus.
I have a few more places I want to look at as back-up before dinner tonight with future co-workers.
I feel a little less stressed now that I have two strong possibilities.
OR
Well, I am in Oregon looking for a place. The last few days have been an endurance test with wrapping a few things up at work, trying to spend time with Leslie and Joe, trying to pack some more and planning the apartment hunting.
Yesterday was the long day from hell. I was up at 4 and at the airport by 5:30. I slept almost the entire flight from Newark to Denver which was good because I was surrounded by a spring break trip of kids going on a skiing trip. During my layover, I almost strangled a little boy. I also slept my entire flight from Denver to Portland. I grabbed my bag, dashed into the rental car and dropped my stuff off at the hotel (great view of downtown Portland). I took my list of potential places (30 places) and drove past 20 of them. I have taken most of them off my list after seeing the outside or the neighborhood. I was so exhausted that I stumbled into a McMenamins in the St John's neighborhood for some tots, cheeseburger and a terminator stout. I reviewed the list of places I had viewed and made a list of places to call or email for appointments. I am now down to 21 places after adding a few more places from listings added yesterday. I hope to view at least half of them today.
I keep going back and forth about renting a house or an apartment. I also realized that I was a little impractical in thinking how much time this is going to take over the next few days. I am slightly tense.
But, I did have breakfast with my future boss. It was a pleasant breakfast and we took care of some paperwork stuff. I am having dinner tonight with future co-workers.
I'll try to post pictures once I find a place or potential places.
Yesterday was the long day from hell. I was up at 4 and at the airport by 5:30. I slept almost the entire flight from Newark to Denver which was good because I was surrounded by a spring break trip of kids going on a skiing trip. During my layover, I almost strangled a little boy. I also slept my entire flight from Denver to Portland. I grabbed my bag, dashed into the rental car and dropped my stuff off at the hotel (great view of downtown Portland). I took my list of potential places (30 places) and drove past 20 of them. I have taken most of them off my list after seeing the outside or the neighborhood. I was so exhausted that I stumbled into a McMenamins in the St John's neighborhood for some tots, cheeseburger and a terminator stout. I reviewed the list of places I had viewed and made a list of places to call or email for appointments. I am now down to 21 places after adding a few more places from listings added yesterday. I hope to view at least half of them today.
I keep going back and forth about renting a house or an apartment. I also realized that I was a little impractical in thinking how much time this is going to take over the next few days. I am slightly tense.
But, I did have breakfast with my future boss. It was a pleasant breakfast and we took care of some paperwork stuff. I am having dinner tonight with future co-workers.
I'll try to post pictures once I find a place or potential places.
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