Twist of Lemon

No fancy graphic I don’t have access from this machine, well maybe I can get a random one up here. Anyway we have the stuff in the apartment and the house is ready for showing. I have my garb ready for my first day of work [minus my nice black belt because it can't be found and an old one will work I guess] and am going to bed in a minute. I will be leaving at least an hour before I have to get to work, because I don’t know my commute time yet. Wish me well!

Well it has been a busy, tiring, crappy week. I was out sick on Sunday and most of Monday. We had the carpet installed on Monday, as well as some linoleum. that went fairly well but took them from 8 AM to 2 PM, during which time I got nothing accomplished. My Dad showed up on Tuesday and has been the best help in the world! He says sometimes he is going slowly, but he packed my entire kitchen and has helped fix up things around the house as well as kept me going when I would have just crawled into a corner to start crying. But most of the place is packed up, now it just remains to move everything down to the garage and basement. Tomorrow I will repaint the spare room and finish up a few little fixits. Dad is now worn out, and I am not too far behind. Brian caught the virus I had and has been out for a few days. I think it was a food borne virus and he probably caught it while it was aerosol during my upchuck phase on Saturday. We have high hopes he will be in shape on Saturday to help me pack and unpack the U-haul. We wont be taking much more than a couch, a bed, food, kitchen implements and clothes to the temporary spot. Anyone who would like to help us move it out of the U-haul and into the apartment Saturday afternoon would be greatly appreciated! And possibly even fed and liquored up!

Something you don’t want when you are preparing to move, food poisoning, but I will come back to that in a bit. Friday was a great day. My last day at work was busy, but I made it through alright. It was gratifying to be the recipient of a great many well wishes for my future. I am going to miss a lot of people from there, if not the job itself. Friday night Tanya ended her Minnesota trip with a short visit to the folks in Rochester. It was great to get to see her, as well as Mara and Karla. It seemed rather short though, as we had to be in Minneapolis the next morning at 10 AM to look for an apartment. We decided to go with one at the Gates at Carlson Center. Right before we signed the paperwork we went out to lunch with the gal giving us the apartment tour at place called El Azteca. Remember this as it becomes important later on in our story. So we were done by early afternoon and decided to go on over to our friend Shari’s place since she was hasting a McGuyver party that evening. Both Brian and I were worn out, so he took a little nap over at Mary’s apartment at the beginning of the party, and once he was awake, I took a little nap. Brian woke me up around 10 PM for us to head on home.

Once we got into the car I mentioned that I was feeling a little queasy, but thought I would be ok for the drive. Then we got a little further down the road and I thought we should stop at our normal gas stop in Invergrove Heights so I could use the facilities. After that i thought I would be fine, but let Brain know that I would warn him if I needed him to pull the car over for any reason. I don’t know how much further we got down the road before I was frantically letting him know that we needed to pull over to the side of the road NOW! According to Brain he was in the left hand lane, and had to floor the accelerator in order to pass some guy pacing him in the right, so he could whip into the right lane and pull over to the side. All I can remember is what seemed like five liters of fluids coming out of my mouth at a very high velocity…twice. Brain was a champ, at one point trying to clean me up with some napkins we had handy, that is until I told him “not yet.” The only positive thing I have to say about the whole vomiting experience was that I felt about 300% better after it, but that still left me feeling about 600% worse than normal. I spent Sunday in bed and the bathroom, I now weigh seven pounds less than I did on Friday and the first thing I was able to eat since Saturday night was at about 10 PM Sunday.

We are having carpeting installed this morning, and the Junk-B-Gone guys have already been by to pick up some old nasty furniture for the dump. I have already reserved a U-haul for the minor amount of furniture we are moving into the new apartment. Once the carpet installers are gone I will go get some boxes. Dad is coming down in the morning to help me pack things up, and hopefully this Sunday will be the only set back for the move.

Another day another dollar or something.  Training the new guy at work is not going very well as the only things I have left to train him on are computer based and he doesn’t have computer access yet.  Only four days left to go at the sinking ship.  I heard today that the company is going through layoffs at other sites, and was considering laying off staff at the Rochester site.  Couldn’t pick a better time to leave I guess.  There are many people I will be sorry to leave behind, but there are also a few that deserve to be let go.

The second of the two Realtor choices came by today.  I think I will have a difficult choice to make, since they both seem very good. Both have also mentioned that the market down here has started to warm up, with the new residents coming in to work at Mayo.  I will be getting new carpeting in the house next Monday, and new linoleum in the basement [to cover some nasty orange looking stuff].  Neutral colors! Neutral colors!  Gotta get someone to clean the drive of snow, and I need to trim the shrubbery!  Stuff to do, stuff to do!  I’m late!  I’m late!

Well the first Realtor stopped by this morning, he just took a look around so he can find some comparable houses to give an idea of how high to price the house. I wasn’t really ready for company, but the house wasn’t in too much disorder. Then he mentioned that maybe we should look to not only replace the living room carpet [as we had planned] but to also replace the carpet on the stairs as well as the ugly bit of orange linoleum at the base of the stairs. He also mentioned that I would probably want to clear the entire driveway of snow. So I have called a couple places to get estimates of how much it will cost to remove the snow for me, and I called to get an estimate of how much it would cost to have a housecleaning service come in for one big cleaning. I don’t know how much the flooring is going to cost, but hopefully we can afford it and it will make a difference in the sale.

What else did I do today? Glad you asked! Absolutely nothing. I feel terribly overwhelmed with all that needs to be done. Things to clean, trash to be removed, items to be packed, problems to be fixed. And I feel fat and ugly. So I slept. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

So here is a picture of Mercury playing with my Dad while he is staying with my parents. Looks like he is having a good time. I really appreciate how great my parents have been helping Brian and me out with the whole move. I cannot express how much less stress I have knowing Mercury is happy and healthy and getting all sorts of attention while we try and sell the house. If you are reading this, thanks Mom and Dad!

Well it has been another day of phone calls and plans.  It seems that I have convinced the new company of my need for temporary housing and they suggested a stay at an extended stay suites.  Well I think that would cost too much money, and I thought an apartment would be a cheaper and better alternative.  So after a discussion with the relocation people [as I am now AUTHORIZED!! woot!] they can help us find an apartment for free [as they get a finders fee].  So the company is going to increase the spending money they are giving me for the move, and we will be finding an apartment for March 1st.  The first of the two Realtors they are sending over will be looking at the house on Monday.  So this weekend will be all about cleaning up for the Realtor.  And the pets are doing well, Brian went to see the cats, and my folks gave me an update about the dog.  Mercury is slowly learning to adapt to the new digs, and the folks are slowly learning to interpret his various looks and noises.  I have spent a good amount of time on the phone tonight catching up with friends.  Fran is packing to move house this weekend to another apartment with her pup Oscar.  Melby called and waxed rhapsodical about her new glasses.  Mary has made tentative celebratory plans, and my friend Nancy from work is slowly getting better after her surgery.  I feel completely updated and happy.  Cheers folks!

Well I had a very stressful day today.  Everything that could go wrong at work did, and I found out I was mistaken on some of my relocation package options.  Stress all around today.  The new company is doing a great job trying to help, for which I am very appreciative.  I also want to send a shout out to my folks, and to Jessica and Gabe, all of them for being such a great help in watching our furry guys.  Sounds like they are adjusting fairly well to their temporary digs.  And thanks to Mary and Fran for keeping me company by phone while I took that very stressful drive with the cats up to the Cities and back.

So tonight I am cleaning the house and keeping the TV on for company.

It is so quiet in the house now that Brain has taken Mercury to stay with my folks.  I know many people don’t think of Italian greyhounds as being very cuddly, but damn can that dog snuggle up and make you feel loved.  I miss him and it has only been two hours.  I think I miss him more since I know it will be quite a few weeks before he is back living with us again.  Tuesday night I bring the cats up to stay with Jessica and Gabe.  Then it will feel even lonelier in the house.

I am going to miss this house.  Like Brain said tonight, this was the first place we had that we were able to really make a home.  But I have to believe that we can make the next house feel as much of a home as this one has been.