Life 2.1

Does anyone remember this post? It was written after I had just moved to New Orleans and was getting settled in my new place. For those of you not interested in re-reading it, it had to do with how my dishwasher was my archenemy, refusing to work and when it did, it leaked water.

Well, I have spent the weekend getting settled in my own place (!!) and my parents are officially empty-nesters (again). I really don’t think this empty nest thing really registers on their radars since it would seem that every time the “last” kid moves out, another revolves around and moves back in. I’m pretty sure Joe is settled (although I’m also fairly certain that is what they thought about me and look how that turned out) and Ted is still in college, so there’s a pretty good chance he’ll make his way back home but not for another year or two.

Anyway, on Saturday night, I spent a good portion of the non-movable (read: too dark to physically move stuff anymore) hours unpacking. Mostly trying to get my kitchen set up. I pulled out dishes, which were wrapped in my towels and began loading the dishwasher and clothes washer, thinking a clean start would be in order before I load up my cabinets.

I turned the dishwasher on and then retreated to my bedroom to begin unloading there. I returned to the kitchen approximately 20 minutes later to find the Great Flood of 2010. Awesome. Why does this continue to happen to me when I move into a new place? Crimany.

After a few words which shouldn’t be repeated and, as my mother would say, certainly aren’t lady-like, I quickly pulled out more dishware in an effort to get at the towels in which they were wrapped, so as to clean up the water. I looked at the box sitting on top of the counter above the dishwasher and noticed it too had been soaked. As was my phone which was placed next to the box. Even more phenomenal. Lucky for me, my Verizon agent, Cole, convinced me to get the silicone phone cover which proved to literally be a phone-saving device. Crisis averted.

Or so I thought.

I pulled the Cascade from the wet counter top to return it to its home beneath the sink when water came flooding out of the there. Fast-forward through the next flood (no pun intended) of curse words. I began sopping that water up only to look to the other side of my sink and find water beginning to seep to that side where I had strategically placed my iHome so I could listen to music while unpacking. Sigh. Luckily that was saved too.

So more than anything, it was a giant pain in my backside to be cleaning up water in my kitchen when I could have spent that valuable time unpacking the kitchen so as to be able to attempt a meal in there in the near future (that pipedream has yet to happen and I have had the keys since Thursday).

More to come I’m sure. I haven’t called the cable guy yet but on the plus side, I do have jacks in each room so there’s one for the win column.

Hooray for independent living.

No Comments | In: Living the Vine Life | tags: moving. | #

…are on a moving truck en route to California. I’m typing this as I lay on my stomach on the floor of my empty apartment. Which is not, contrary to what I have seen on television, comfortable.

I stayed up all night to finish the packing and when the movers came this morning at 8:30, I was ready to roll. I glanced around the apartment and had a flickering thoughts of all the good times I had here in the Boot, which then turned into “am I doing the right thing?” which was subsequently followed by “I’m doing (and did) this all by myself” which was then all subdued by my venti Starbucks coffee, which fueled me til the late morning when I was almost falling asleep.

But yes, I am doing the right thing for me and it’s not like I’m never coming back to visit, but to my surprise, there was a pang of bittersweet. I didn’t expect that.

I also didn’t expect to tear up a little at this sight:

That is everything I own. Everything. Except a few outfits and my toothbrush. I just watched as my entire life was packed on a truck. Then I went inside and was surrounded by emptiness. Emptiness that needed to be cleaned, which is worse.

So I strapped on my headphones and iPod and got busy with the vacuum.

Then I took a break to write down my feelings of today for two reasons: one, so I wouldn’t forget them (obvi) but also because I was not expecting such bittersweet feelings. I really am shocked.

That’s not to say I’m not excited about going home. I really am. I don’t even mind living at the parentals for a while. I know I’m making the right call by heading west, but I had been so excited about going home that the finality of leaving kinda caught me off guard.

I’m not sure what to make of it, but for now, I will just throw it out there while it’s all fresh in my mind, and continue cleaning my apartment before I go wheels up at 3:25pm Central time tomorrow.

1 Comment | In: Life in the boot-shaped state | tags: moving. | #

My thoughts? It is the worst thing to do on the face of the Earth. I equate it to driving in rush hour traffic in southern California, only worse. Because there is physical exertion and btw, my back hurts. I’m 27. Not fair.

I’m officially over it (packing) but only 97% done. I think I might be developing an allergy to cardboard, specifically in box-form. And packing tape too. I haven’t worn makeup in approximately four days and thankfully my hair is long enough for a ponytail to get it out of my face, except for the day when I was ready to shave my head and start over because it was bugging me so much. I opted for a hat instead, to save myself from earning Britney as a new nickname.

Everything checks out though, as the boxes piled up in my dining-area-turned-staging-area. At final count, there were three boxes from the kitchen and a couple boxes of clothes, all medium-sized boxes, among some other random boxes. And of course, a record-setting eight boxes of scrapbook supplies (three little boxes, two medium boxes, two large boxes and one Cricut box). Oh, and two large boxes of albums, so call it an even 10.

Before I packed the albums, I scanned a couple more, you know, in case my moving truck burst into flames, I have some record of my existence. I also wrote “if you smell smoke, take me first” on the album boxes, just in case the driver needed my help finding them. I’m fixing to bribe him when he comes tomorrow to assure these particular boxes’ safe arrival in Napa.

These new pages include my UCSD Baseball albums and my life as a collegian and the second semester (aka the best semester) of my senior year, and the holidays that fell within those time frames. Those can all be seen here, in their respective categories.

In other news, because I’m not ready to finishing my packing yet I will share this layout, because I’m seriously ready to watch some baseball. I have decided I’m going to retire in Arizona so I can go to Spring Training every year and just sit and watch lots of baseball games all.day.long. I’m pretty sure it will be fabulous. Whilst packing, I turned the spring training games on TV (hooray MLB Network, boo having to return my cable boxes) and I’m so excited for the season. For no particular reason other than I ♥ baseball.

I suppose I should finish this packing up. I’m at that point where, when I have to unpack (eventually), I’m going to open two or three boxes full of a random collection of items and recall this moment, where I just didn’t care anymore and just needed to throw it in a box to get it to CA and didn’t care that the the lamp shades were packed with my dresses.

5 Comments | In: Social Adventures | tags: baseball, moving, spring training. | #

I suppose it’s pretty much common knowledge now, but since the cat is out of the bag… I’m moving back to California!

Yes, my time as a Southerner is ending. A job opportunity came up somewhat quickly and it’s been a whirlwind ever since.

The truth of it all is that I moved out here for one job and, at the end of the day, that job was really the only reason I could justify being so far from my family. Since that job is no more, it doesn’t make sense to miss Christmas and be so far away.

I will say that the people that I have met out here (who are always welcome in Wine Country!) really did make it an awesome experience and they were definitely in the “pro-staying” column but the “pro-California” column was rather long too.

It may or may not have included Taqueria Rosita among the reasons.

I will be moving back to the west coast on March 10 and in the meantime, I have been attempting to pack and sell off items that will not be making the trek back to CA. Packing is by far the least fun part of this whole deal but after March 10 I won’t have to deal with it for a while so hooray for that!

The new position will also be in the wine business, though this time I will be combining lots of various skills into one position that basically translates to running the hospitality department of the winery. I will be handling event and event sales, along with wine club/direct marketing responsibilities and of course, web/social media work.

I’m very excited about the opportunity and also very glad to be back in the pacific time zone.

So. That’s my big news. If it seems like I’m flying under the radar in the next week or so, it’s probably because I fell into a box while packing.

To my New Orleans friends, we will most definitely be planning some sort of evening out prior to my departure and to my CA friends and family, get the butter and garlic tri-tip ready, I’ll be home shortly!

7 Comments | In: Social Adventures | tags: moving. | #