Movers Day

It's quarter to 8 Tuesday morning.

Last night, I did reach Packing Levels "Sobbing on the Couch From Exhaustion and Pain" and also "Fuck It, Just Throw It Out."

However, I did not reach Levels "Can't Go To Bed, Too Much To Do" or "Movers Are Here Soon and I'm Not Ready," so overall, it's a win.

So although I am very much this:

I will follow this:

Because, this:

Later.

The Friday Before

I opened Blogger as usual today, and there was this notice at the top of the page:

It says that (because of this EU privacy notice thing that you've probably heard about, along with receiving dozens of "We've updated our privacy policy!" emails recently) they have added a notice to my blog about it, but ... I didn't see it? I even tried their suggestion to log in to a .co.uk version of the blog and it wasn't there. But when I flipped back to that window, there was a message at the top about cookies, and what Google does with the data it collects, so I guess that's it.

Technology, man. I can't keep up.

~~~~~
Friday achievements:

• The car is now heading south, and will be there before I get there.
• Though I didn't get to see it put onto the car carrier, which I had been interested to see. Due to nearby roads with no trucks allowed, and narrow streets, I ended up meeting the car carrier a mile or so away, on a street where they were able to park without blocking traffic. Someone drove me back to my house in my car, then she drove it back to put on the carrier. Oh well. I certainly didn't feel strongly enough about seeing it happen to want to walk home after.
• I have a rental car for the rest of my time here. After listening to the Enterprise commercials all season ("Pick Enterprise, we'll pick you up!"), I decided to thank them for their support of hockey, when I finally needed to rent a car.
• The guy from the movers called to confirm we're on for Tuesday. They had originally said 8-9, but he said 8-10, which means I will be a tense wreck from about 7:45 until whenever they get here. Oh well. And then it will be over!
• After I finished the report I was working on, the rest of the work day was quiet. As it should be, right before a holiday weekend.
• I tried to spend the time balancing between "get things done" and "take it easy" so that I wouldn't cripple myself. That's my motto for the rest of the prep time: get it done, but don't kill myself doing it. (The sore spot on my back was acting up today, and trying to send some discomfort up to my neck. Great! Ice pack it is.)
• I'm at the chowder stage of packing, filling boxes with a little of this and some of that and oh hey, throw the other thing in.

And now I'm off to dinner with friends! A good day, overall, even if it did start with my neighbor's blender waking me (is there a stage one can achieve that is beyond liquid? I think that's what they were going for).

This Time Next Week...

...I'll be in Florida, and the deadlines-and-pressure part of the move will be over. Less than a week. Almost there.

This afternoon, I was telling myself, "This time next week, I'll be at the airport" or "on the plane," except I just now realized that today is Thursday, and since I am flying out on Wednesday, none of that is true. And no harm was done, but for someone who has spent as much time as I have today (and in recent days) studying calendars and making plans, it's a little let's-call-it-disconcerting to be off by a day. But at least I wasn't off the other way! That would have been very painful.

Like my back is painful, where the packing effort has aggravated that damned sore spot I got shoveling my car out the last time. Oh, the irony.

I met with the attorney tonight and signed the paperwork for him to take care of the closing for me. It was much less fuss than I thought it would be, and I was out in about 15 minutes. He's very nice, in an I-trust-him-with-this-business way, which I had felt on the phone, but it was good to have confirmed face to face.

I was early for the appointment (what a shocker), so I sat on a bench near his office, in the sun, knitting for a few minutes. The sun felt marvelous, although the cool breeze was a bit more than I wanted. Still, nice to get out in it, and just sit still for a few minutes.

One of the last pieces of furniture I wanted to get rid of was the dresser, and someone came tonight and took it, so that's good. Check! Off the list.

I suppose at some point, I need to decide what I'm doing about dinner...say, before bedtime.

Weather

The weather in MA this spring has been very, very up and down. I present to you the forecast from this morning until I move:

It was over 80 yesterday, but won't hit 70 today. Almost 80 tomorrow, 65 on Thursday. Then 84 on Saturday, 58 on Monday. Up and down, up and down.

Meanwhile, this is the forecast for FL, after I move:

Not just warmer, but so much more consistent! How I am looking forward to both things.

Counting Down, ow

I had already decided that I wasn't going to stay up for the end of the hockey game tonight; if Tampa wins, they go to the finals and I don't need to see them celebrate that, and if Washington wins, there's another game, so either way, eh. But it isn't quite 8 yet, the game hasn't started, and I am already into the sleepy blinks, so at this rate, I'll be lucky to make it to the end of the first period.

I'm honestly still tired and sore from yesterday. I thought that I was pacing myself throughout the day and not overdoing it, but I see by the time stamp on Facebook that it was 5:11 PM when I was complaining about how much my arms and hands hurt, so I guess I didn't really manage that. It's hard, when there's so much to do, and time to do more, to face the fact that the stamina isn't there. Still, I do feel like I'm in good shape*, knock on wood, and I'm not feeling panic when I say that this time next week, I will be looking at the movers coming in the morning. Only time will tell how I feel at that time, of course, but still.
*Not physically, obviously! But in terms of move readiness

Still. So tired wow.

A Good Little Laugh

When you're going a little crazy, say getting ready for a big move, it's good to run across something to make you laugh. And today, when I was ordering a few things online (to be delivered to Florida, woo!), I had to laugh when I saw this:

It's hard to know how to answer that, isn't it? Even aside from the "this items" part.

(As one of my friends said on Facebook, "Obviously you are of age if they want you to do algebra for it.")

I went with yes, since whatever the age of consent for buying Tums is, I'm pretty sure I'm above it.

Friday Night and Bleary

Whoa, am I tired tonight. It's been a long day, a long week, a long month ... times six, really.

I've made good progress this week, both mentally in terms of making peace with the schedule*, and physically in terms of getting things packed, and getting things gone. (Doesn't mean I haven't had emotional lows, as well as highs, but that's the way it goes.) I've had a dozen or more people come by to take things small and large, and every thing someone takes is a thing I don't have to deal with on my own. Particularly handy for the large things, but literally, take that bowl if you want it. One less thing for me.
*No word on whether the buyer's bank actually came through with the promised paperwork, and it's after 7 Friday night. Oh well, I'm moving anyway!

Tonight I went down into the basement to load a few things into my car, old electronics that have been down there for years that I will take to the city yard tomorrow, along with a few bags of styrofoam pieces (they do a special collection for that only a few times a year, so I'm glad I'm not missing it). I plan to get some groceries after that, then I have dinner plans with a group of friends, and afternoon ice cream plans with a friend who can't make dinner. Should be a good day!

For now, though, my hands have decided I am done with lifting and carrying and exertion for the night. I'm going to finish up the toe of a sock, since it's almost done so not too much for the hands, and one more person is coming by to pick up a thing, but then it's early to bed for me.

Under two weeks...

Looking Past

I do have something to look forward to, once this move is over; I learned last weekend that a friend is having a baby, and I am all excited to think about some baby knitting! Sweater? Blanket? Hat? She's not due until October, so warm things will be appreciated; I told her that if she has preferences as to item, color, etcetera, start making suggestions now.

I just got in from the eye doctor, so I'm going to take my slightly dilated eyes off the computer now, and go think happy-baby-knitting thoughts, while watching the hockey game. Go, Capitals.

Six Months Later

It feels like Carlos has been gone forever.

It feels like he just died.

Six months both is and isn't a long time.

I don't cry every day, but I do cry sometimes. I still miss him every day.

~~~~~~~~~~
Moving update: no further news on anything. I am still packing, sorting, giving things away. Feeling peaceful about the progress I've made so far, while not entirely ruling out the possibility of last-minute panic happening. But I am pushing myself now, in hopes of avoiding that later.

Meanwhile, it looks like I can safely pack away the shorts and tank tops, but I might want to keep the sweaters out a bit longer. (Click on the images to see them bigger.)

Oh, New England. You really don't want me to miss you, do you?

Making the Mental Shift

First, read what I wrote this morning:

So, having had my mini breakdown last night after getting the extension news, then taking a unisom and sleeping deeply (with some odd dreams, but at least I slept), I sat down this morning to face the situation. What it boils down to, beyond all the "but it's not fair" whining I want to do, is:

• I need to know, more or less now, if I am moving in two weeks. I have been planning as though I will be, but that's based on the closing date that the buyer set, which I do not feel 100% comfortable assuming will happen.
• I will not know for sure if the mortgage is approved until Friday. Nothing I can do about that.

So! I have decided that I am moving in two weeks, whether or not the closing date does turn out to be 5/31. I am aware that this "decision" is simply my reframing the situation to one that I can live with, but, eh, I can live with that. No matter what they do, I am moving at the end of May. If the closing date pushes out, I will deal with that from Florida.

Now, before you ask, I did check in with the realtor and the attorney and neither of them has a problem with this plan. This may well be because they have more confidence that the 5/31 date will hold up than I do, but I can also live with that.

What I can't live with is spending the week thinking that if the date does get pushed out, I have to change all the plans I have made so far. I certainly want to believe that closing will be 5/31, but let's look at this process so far related to dates.

• The buyer's initial offer suggested a closing date of 5/28. When I asked my realtor if it would be a problem to be closing on Memorial Day, which is a national holiday after all, she said oh no, the banks are closed, we can't do it that day. Right.
• The buyer's offer said that the purchase-and-sale agreement would be signed on April 16th. When I asked on the 16th if it was going to happen, they said oh, but it's Patriot's Day, can we do it tomorrow? Now, Patriot's Day is a state holiday, not federal, but if it mattered to you, maybe look at a calendar and choose a different day.
• The P&S set May 14th as the deadline for the mortgage to be settled, and we all know how that went.

The first two are minor, but add up with the final point to make a troubling pattern in my eyes, so it's hard for me to have a lot of faith.

But so what. I'm moving anyway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And then, at 4 this afternoon, my realtor emailed me that the buyer says her bank is issuing the commitment letter, so it's all on for the 31st (though, I'll believe it when I see it). Seriously, I feel like they should be sending me a box of chocolates to apologize for the last 24 hours. (Dear bankers: I like Sweet Sloops.)

Uncertainty, Extended

All this time, I've been telling myself that at least on May 14th, if not before, I would know if the buyer's mortgage was approved, and wouldn't have to live with the uncertainty after that.

Ha! So funny! So naive!

What, you thought the actual date on the signed purchase and sale agreement meant something? You sweet innocent.

They want to extend it to Friday.

As they managed to tell me, after I emailed the realtor at 3:30 to ask if this was going to happen today, at 5 PM on the day of the deadline. Which is obviously only a deadline to me*.
*Although, my realtor pointed out, the buyer isn't happy either! To which I (mentally) responded, I could not give less of a fuck about the buyer right now.

So. Imagine me switching between this:

And this:

With a few moments of this mixed in:

(I mean, really, though. Am I the only one who takes deadlines seriously? You had a month!)

Maybe By The Time You Read This

Tomorrow, I should* find out if the buyer's mortgage is approved. And if, therefore, I am moving in two weeks and a couple of days.
*I should, and I had BETTER 

Tomorrow.

Under Pressure

I spent January and February getting serious about getting ready to sell the condo.

I spent March getting really, really serious about getting really, really ready. Box it all up, hide it all away. Electrician and plumber and jack-of-all-trades and cleaners.

I spent April going through the process. Spit-and-polish it, photograph it, list it, show it. Review offers. Accept one. Sign purchase-and-sale. Finally, the lender's appraisal.

For the last two and a half weeks, I have been allowed to mess the place up again, and I have done so, sorting and boxing and getting rid of things. Planning and scheduling and deciding endless numbers of things. All the while, waiting and waiting and waiting to find out if the buyer's mortgage would be approved, and the rest of the process would follow the end-of-May timeline.

The deadline for that is May 14th, and (of course, of course) it is going down to the wire. Naturally, it couldn't go through even one day before the deadline.

This is going to be the longest weekend ever.

Mostly Not About Moving

Yay me, I came up with something to write about that is not totally about moving!

It is a little bit about moving, but only because, with my swift and ball winder packed away, I had to come up with another way to wind yarn. Gasp! Back in the dark ages!

The thing is, I don't need another skein of sock yarn ready to go yet, but I got past the heel of the second sock of the current pair recently, and it occurred to me that I might be ready to finish it at a time when yarn winding is not convenient. Like, you know, on the plane. (Honestly, it could be done on a plane ... but not easily.) So since I had a little time, I decided to use it making this:

Into this:

So it would be ready to knit from when the time comes.

Without the swift and ball winder, the easiest way to do it is if you have two similar-size chairs. Arrange them back to back:

And put the yarn around the tops, moving the chairs just apart enough that the yarn stays in place.

I started out by winding the yarn around my thumb, so that it wouldn't make a ball that was too tight:

When I had to put it down, I slipped a pen in the center to hold that for a bit, but eventually slipped it out and kept winding.

All together, it took about half an hour, more than it would take with the usual tools. But it wasn't hard work.

And now, we're ready to go when the time comes.

Me and my handful of yarn.

Getting Here and There

I went into the office today to have a sort-of-farewell lunch with people; I'm not leaving the company, but since I'm leaving the area, it was suggested that it would be "nice" if I could come in one last time, and I thought it was politic to agree. I mean, I like the people! They're nice, and friendly, and asked about the move and how the sale was going, so I got to talk about the topic at the front of my mind all day. The pizza was even good. It's the getting into the city that's annoying/time-consuming/expensive/tiring.

And sometimes creepy, like the guy I saw on the T this morning who (more than once) licked the screen of his smartphone.

Anyway, that aside, it all went fine, but it's a lot more walking than I have done in a day in a long time, and right now my feet and legs hurt so much, it's hard to be the slightest bit sentimental about what was possibly my last day in the actual city of Boston.

I had a snack when I got home, and now I'm thinking that really, I ought to have dinner before I go to bed ... but I will definitely not be up late.

No news on the mortgage approval, obviously, or I would have led with that, but I did get the certificate showing that I'm up-to-date on my condo fees*, which "they" need to have as part of this whole process, and the woman at the car carrier called to let me know that she's working on arranging that, so I shouldn't worry. Which is good to know, as I had it on the list for tomorrow to check in with her, but it's not exactly exciting news, is it?
*It was a little disturbing that the woman who sent it, from the condo's property managers mind you, put the wrong address in the subject line of the email (like, 25 when it's 26). But the cert itself is fine.

And ... that is all she wrote.

You Really Can't

Throughout the process of getting ready to sell and move, I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff. Some was honestly trash, some was donated (either for resale, or for reuse, like old towels to an animal shelter), some went to friends, and for some things, I have made use of a couple of local Facebook groups designed for people to exchange items for free. I'm sure I've mentioned them before but the idea with these groups is that before you buy something, you see if anyone else locally might have one they aren't using (like a bread machine, or an outgrown kids bike), and if you're getting rid of stuff, you can see if there are people nearby who might want it, for free, enough to come get it.

Some of the things I have tried to give away have been hard to get rid of (side tables seem to be dead on the market), and some have had multiple people who want them, and in the latter case, there's no real way to be fair to everyone. And I do want to be fair, as much as possible, although to be honest, my first priority these days is what's easy for me.

A while back, an admin for one of the groups, right after I had given away a bunch of stuff enthusiastically to the first person who asked, posted a gentle (but pointed) group reminder that you don't have to rush to pick someone. Which felt a little personal, though I tried not to be too offended. I mean, sure, that's "not fair" to anyone who wasn't online at just the right time, but then...

More recently, when I offered something up and picked one of the multiple people who wanted it, I got a sad/angry comment from the first person who had commented on it, saying that she was going to talk to the administrators because she never got anything, even when she was the first to comment, and it just wasn't fair*. Which I can sympathize with, but you know, I only have the one of it to give away, I can't make everyone happy. (And no, I didn't reply to her; I'm not diving into that pool, I don't have the energy.)
*When I made this complaint as a kid, my parents would say, "Who ever said life was fair?" or "Fair is where they judge livestock."

What it boils down to, for me, is that these sites can be a great way for me to get rid of something I don't want to deal with myself, or pay to get rid of. If I can't get something down the steps on my own or fit it into my car to take it to Savers, or if it's something I don't think Savers would be able to sell, why not see if someone will come and take it? We both win that way: they get the thing for free, and I get it gone.

And whether I give something to the first person who asks, or pick someone using a random number generator, or chose my downstairs neighbor because hey, that's the easiest for me, well, you can't please everyone.

If It's Tuesday

Another day with no news on the buyer's mortgage approval; I didn't expect it to come through today, but wouldn't it have been a pleasant surprise. The deadline is next Monday, so it really isn't much longer; it's just that from next Monday, it's two weeks until the movers come, so, you know, yikes a bit. But I'm making progress on the packing, getting ready, getting organized. Giving things away: someone came today and took one thing, yesterday something else (different people, I mean; and things I didn't have to carry out). A journey of 1,300 miles, etc.

The Bruins are out of the playoffs as of Sunday, which was sad but not surprising. They just never got themselves together in the second round. We'll see what happens this summer, in terms of who they can (and do) bring back. Given that management put this team together, I have some faith in their ability to keep it going for next year.

I did turn on the Washington-Pittsburgh game when I got home from stitch and bitch last night, but when it went to overtime, I went to bed. I would have liked seeing Washington win it (they are so very overdue for beating Pittsburgh), but at least they did win, and Pittsburgh is out. I just hope that the Caps aren't so excited/relieved/exhausted from this that they get flattened by Tampa in the next round. I've seen that happen with the Bruins in the past, where getting past Montreal was so wonderful that the team kind of fell apart in the next round.

We're getting into the dead part of the playoffs now; only one of the second-round series is going to seven games, Nashville-Winnipeg*, and they don't play until Thursday, so the third round can't start until maybe Saturday, at the earliest, and with only two series at that point, there will be nights with no games to watch. Up to now, I've been spoiled by having a game every night to turn on, but no more.
*Vegas is waiting for the winner of that series; their first year in the league, and they're in the conference finals, it's crazy

All right, time to potter about doing a few more things before bedtime.

Box Tales

One of the decisions I made early on was to buy the majority of the boxes I would use, instead of trying to scavenge them from various sources of free boxes, so that I would have strong boxes in a few uniform sizes. Not that I won't use any others, but for most of them, I wanted to have the same thing. A few months back, someone on a local giveaway group was offering a few boxes that included some Home Depot small and medium boxes, which I was able to get, so that I could see the sizes in person. (Even with measurements given, I find it hard to visualize what that really will look like, and hold.)

Based on this, I decided that I mostly wasn't going to need anything bigger than a medium, and that small would do for most things. And then, I decided after looking at options online, I would also get some extra-small boxes for heavy things like books. Okay, good. I went to HD at some point and got more small boxes, and looked at the other options they had. I bought tape, and some bubble wrap, and got a lot more bubble wrap and other packing material through the giveaway groups, and on we go.

Last week, I decided to go ahead and get some of those XS boxes, and since I was going to be out near a Lowe's one night (which is another big-box home improvement store), I went in there. Much to my surprise, they didn't have them: just small-medium-large, and not the other odd sizes I thought I remembered from HD. But that trip had been a few months ago, so I looked online to see what they listed there, and didn't see XS boxes, and was puzzled.

Yesterday I went into a HD, and behold, XS boxes! Just like that! How did I confuse myself into confusing myself? I still don't know. It was like a sign my dad used to have on his desk, which said, "I made a mistake once. I thought I was wrong."

Happily, the XS boxes hold enough books to feel like they're worth packing, without getting so heavy I can't lift them. I call it a win.

Although I didn't feel like I overdid things yesterday, wow, I was so tired and sore by the end of the day. My back, my hands*, my arms, all informing me that, yeah, I need to take more breaks. And more advil. My back really appreciated the heated mattress pad last night.
*My hands are really the weakest link; they tire much faster than anything else. Stupid arthritis.

Things are getting done. But, man, am I looking forward to being on the other side of this move.

Pacing Myself

It may have rained last night, but it didn't storm enough to wake me, which I appreciate as there were some people outside my windows last night, ah, appreciating the nice weather until a few hours after my bedtime. I just looked at the forecast for tonight and was a bit surprised to see a Gale Warning, but it turns out that's meant for boaters, not for me. Still, despite the weather map, it is looking like rain right now.

Jeez, here I am, talking about the weather. It's hard to come up with anything that isn't move-related! I am still doing the kinds of things I have been doing, sorting and packing and planning; making small bits of progress; waiting for the buyer's mortgage to be approved.

I am hoping for the good Bruins team to show up tonight, and win this game. Just this one, guys! As Brick just said on the pregame show, it's not an elimination game, but if they lose it, it's hard to imagine they can win the next three in a row. (I keep muting the pregame, then turning the sound back on; looking back at the last game is depressing, but I want to hear what's going on... kind of.)

Weather, moving, and the Bruins. Yeah, that's most of what's in my head right now. But if you want something else, here's a question:

When you read a memoir/personal essay kind of book, how important is it to you to have something in common with the writer? 

I'm not sure I would have said it was important to me, but I started a book (related to knitting, actually) where I just can't relate to some parts of the author's personality/experiences, and I found it kind of off-putting.

Well. Thursday.

The Bruins did not live up to my hopes last night.

On the other hand (foot?), I got my sock through the heel flap and around, so at least I had something to show for the angst.

Before:

After (well, I did go on to pick up the stitches, but not much more than that):

It's been another hot day, though so far the thunderstorms in the area have not been close enough to hear. They may come in tonight, so I guess I'll have to close most of the windows before bed. It's been interesting, having them all wide open for the first time this year. (I've opened one now and again, but not usually for long, it hasn't been warm enough.) The fresh air and flowers scents have been marvelous! But all the neighborhood noises (this guy with his endless project involving a nail gun and a power saw; that woman with the crying baby; the other woman screeching at her husband), that's all been a bit much all of a sudden.

I've been nibbling away at the endlessness of moving. I have so many lists and spreadsheets that I almost need a list of lists. So many thing to remember, so many things to consider, so many decisions to make. At one point this morning I realized I could feel the tension raising my shoulders up close to my ears.

It didn't help that for work, I'm doing A Thing that is a whole new type of thing for us to edit (that makes five big new types of things this year, by my count, and their timing could not be worse), and it is:

• Really much more business/tech writing than healthcare. It's entirely new jargon to me (Hadoop? seriously?).
• Crammed full of style errors, lack of commas, UK English, lots of 'quotes' used for "emphasis," on and on.
• Written by more than one person, at least one of whom is, how shall I say it? Far more confident in his command of English than he should be. There are way too many comments along the lines of "I'm not sure what you mean here" and "This is not the right word in this context."

Although I did get a good laugh from when he described data being stored in a way that is "non-rewritable/non-delectable." Other than that, the only good thing about it is that I should be done with it tomorrow. (Actually, one other good thing: at least it is in Word, with track changes, and not PowerPoint or Excel or Adobe.)

And tomorrow is Friday! And I can keep chipping away at the getting of things done. While I pretend that the buyer's mortgage will of course be approved, and the close date will go as scheduled, and I won't have everything upended under me.

I hope, I hope, I hope.

Weather/Whether

The weather has jumped right over spring and hit summer, today and tomorrow; it was close to 90 today, I had all the windows open to revel in the fresh air (it smells so good), and when I ran out for an appointment, it was flip-flops and driving barefoot, fabulous. It's going to chill back down in a day or two, but I am enjoying the hell out of it for now.

The same cannot be said for tonight's Bruins game, which has been a very poor showing by my team so far. It baffles me, how some nights they are virtually untouchable, and other times they can't complete a simple pass without coughing up the puck. Still, it's only one period, and if they can remember how hockey works, there's plenty of time for them to get it together.

I hope they do. I'm not certain whether I can watch two more periods like this.

Another Small Check-Off-the-List

The movers are booked. Assuming the schedule stays as proposed, they'll be here on May 29th, and if not, well, she was very matter-of-fact about moving the date if necessary.

That's the only big news today!