Thursday, September 24, 2009

Home at Last

So I'm in my new apartment, as you all may have deduced from the protracted silence on my part.  I just got internet about an hour ago, from the absolute rudest cable guy ever.  (Apparently in exchange for free installation from Cable Vision, you have to run a gauntlet of suspicious questions, veiled insults and misinformation [he said there was no way to get any free channels with an antenna, and basically called me stupid for asking].)   HOWEVER! I have internet now, and that's what matters.  I'll post some pictures of the new place once I'm settled in.  I'm trying out furniture configurations now and it's not going all that well yet.  It's kind of just bed in the middle with furniture lining the walls right now, which hopefully will change when inspiration strikes.  My main goal is just getting unpacked however.  Now, lest you think it went smoothly, I have written out a moving day schedule for you.

MOVING DAY:

8:30 am : Skipping over to the car rental place across the street to sign for my cargo van. Ladida! They agree to hold it there a couple hours for me, for parking convenience, while I finish getting my stuff together.

9:30 am : Not much progress. One of the cats in a carrier, the other hissing and causing major havoc.

10:30 am : We are sporting battle wounds. The cat is still free.

11:00 am : Van has been retrieved and parked in the closest spot, two blocks away. My bf and I start to haul heavy furniture down two flights of stairs and then cart it, pack mule style, to the van.  The local population of crack heads watches curiously.

12:00 am : Starving. Break for lunch.

1:00 pm : Cat is in the carrier! Whohoo!! Yes!  And a parking spot right in front of my building opens up! Life is good.

1:30 pm : Cat got out of the carrier. What the hell? Bf and I have minor emotional breakdown.

2:00 pm : Packing, packing, packing. It becomes clear at this point that one trip is not going to do it.

3:00 pm : We buy a big plastic storage big, drill a few holes in it, and plunk the cat in. Lest she harbors any ideas of further escape, we wrap the entire thing in electrician tape. The offending cat carrier is left on the curb, there to remain in cat free shame until garbage pick up.

4:30 pm : Everything that can fit is packed. However van now hemmed in by neighbor's car. After brief negotiation all is resolved, we pile in (cats and all), and set off on our way.

5:30 pm : Get lost on way to tunnel.

6:00 pm : Can't go through Hudson tunnel to NY because we're driving a "commercial" vehicle. Reroute.

6:30 pm : Where the fuck is the Lincoln Tunnel oh my god this sucks. I start glancing over at boyfriend, prepared to head off breakup/escape attempts.

7:30 pm : All right, we're doing it, almost there. This would be better if traffic were moving, but not complaining.

8:15 pm : Arrive in front of apartment, having briefly detoured to pick up helpful friend, with first load of stuff.

8:30 pm : Bedframe is hopelessly lodged in stairwell.  Neighbors climb over and around it to reach their apartment. Take half hour to extricate it, and then somehow it slides seamlessly down the stairs to easily fit into new basement apartment. Figures.

11:00 pm : Heading out for second trip.  Helpful friend is along for the ride.

12:00 am : Lost, still in Brooklyn. Helpful friend has work in the morning and bails.  We reconvene at bf's place to re-mapquest.

1:00 am : Back in NJ. Ok. Start loading up second load.  Spend half hour cleaning the apartment and room for next room mate.

3:00 am : Back in Brooklyn, unloading again. Tired.

6:15 am : Back in NJ, dropping off rental van.  Exhausted. Bf heads off to work, to try to grab an hour or two of sleep in the break room, and I head off to work a 14 hour Get Out The Vote campaign.

10:00 pm : Arrive in new apartment, cram some salad in my mouth (easiest thing to make) and collapse besides bf in exhausted sleep. Home sweet home!

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