Out for a Bout

As the boxes are stacking up, so is my anxiety. I will be checking out of the blogosphere for a while to finish up the packing and to spend my last moments with family over the holiday. Plus, my laptop is just another item that needs to be packed! 

So to all of you I say…

Merry Christmas!

Stressin

My To-Do list seems to be growing by the day and with Christmas just three days away my time is running out.  Once Christmas Eve hits, things will come to a close and I will be spending stress free time with family before the big move… I hope!  The post-it notes are in full effect now.  I’ve always loved post-its, but since having thyroid cancer my memory is just nonexistent so I use post-its on doors and in my planner to remind me of things.  On my entry door right now I have 5 post-its with notes ranging from “remember storage space boxes” to “cancel cable/internet, gas, electric” to “ remember CD for U.Ken on Saturday.”  Notes that may get added to the door in the next day or two: “Bring: presents, turtle pumpkin pie, laptop for dad”, “email to moving crew of new time”, “fill out paperwork.”  Some of these are notes I usually would post in my planner or in my Outlook as a reminder but since I’m off work until next year, post-its it is!

Packing is going slowly.  I have completely cleared one room and almost cleared two others.  Today I didn’t get much done on the packing front but I did start and finish my Christmas shopping.  Go me!  All presents are now wrapped and in a laundry basket ready to head to my parent’s house on Friday.  Still on the list are many things in addition to packing and today I’m just not feeling so well.  I’m trying to decide if I should head to bed early to make up for the mere 4 hours of sleep last night but I have so many things swirling around in my head to do that my anxiety levels are rising just thinking about wasting time on sleep.  On the top of my To Do list for tomorrow is to cancel my cable/internet so maybe I can look at it as time to finish my DVR clearing project?  I’m doing pretty good so far and have gone from 58 movies on there to just 5!  I’ve seen 4 of the 5 before which to me means its ok to “watch” the movie in the background while the main focus is on packing.  So maybe taking a break to watch the last one I haven’t seen isn’t too bad.  I’m just hoping I feel better after 8 hours of sleep tonight.

If I don’t get some sleep, I think I may soon look very much like this…

And no one wants that now, do they?

I Should Be Packing

Rent (1996 Original Broadway Cast) is blasting, the boxes are strewn all over the floor and organized by size, the few Christmas presents I've had time to buy are "wrapped" in bags, transcripts requested & diplomas found for future employer's records, electric & gas are scheduled for shut-off (not quite ready for the 40mins I will spend with ATT yet)... and I'm on a lunch break.. so I guess its ok to be typing to you all?
Why is is so hard to find the motivation to pack?

And why is it that the spare room (ie: guest room) is the most time consuming, yet most logical place to start?

Sigh... I accumulate so much "stuff" in this room.  Some of it necessary, some it... well not so necessary.  But how do you sort it out and decide what you absolutely do not need to take with you?  Things currently in the "undecided" category include: sleeping bag, air mattress, a rug I've had stashed under the bed, an empty filing cabinet...  The sleeping bag/air mattress make sense to take if I have more than 2 visitors at a time.  The empty filing cabinet? Maybe I should just trash it?  I have a small travel file thingy that my papers more than fit in.  Currently its in use holding my printer but I have other objects that could take that honor.

Slow going it is.  And I'm hoping to plow through 3 rooms before bedtime.  Does the dining room count as a room?  If so, I just need to pack up a painting and that one is "done!" My table/chairs are being sold, I've already packed the clock that needs batteries, and my bar stools go as is.

Ok - my break is over - back to packing!

Bittersweet

**not sure why this didn't post on the 17th like it was supposed to - oh well here it is now!**

It's my last day at work and I was doing ok, was excited even, until I started hearing the following things:

"I was writing you an email but it got too emotional so I decided just to come over here instead!"

"I'm getting in my truck now so I can start bawling."

"I want to say thank you for all your help and support. I have leaned and grown so much within the last couple years"

And then quite possibly the sweetest thing came through and I just lost it:
"You are such a beautiful person inside and out! It is my pleasure to know and have worked with you. You are truly an inspiration to everyone that knows you. Good luck, which I am sure you don’t need because you have God’s favor on your life."

How can you not love working with people like that?  They even brought in my favorite lunch (Taco Bell) and a pink flower cupcake-cake (hope to have a pic of that soon.. hint, hint Cindy!)    I am so going to miss the many very special people that I have worked with over the last 6 (almost) years.

Tonight's agenda?  Going away party take 2 with family & friends.  I am a mess waiting to happen.

Today’s Randomness

It’s been a really awkward day filled with randomness.  My brain is just not processing complete thoughts lately.  It might be because I have so many things swirling around inside or it could just be the approximate 48 oz. of coffee I’ve had today.  Either way here is some of the randomness:

• 48 oz. of coffee plus one banana make for complete and total jittery productiveness.  I must remember this for packing days.
• the waiter at On The Border tonight was totally blitzed.  I think I got drunk breathing in his fumes. Luckily this brought down the jitters a bit… or maybe it was just the beans and rice soaking up the caffeine.
• went to see The Social Network which made me immediately want to check my Facebook.  Hello addiction!
• I leave for Tennessee in just 11 days. ELEVEN. Holy crap!
• it was slightly shocking when I checked DSL availability for my new address and the only thing that came up was dialup information. Panic not dear friends, I found ONE provider to keep me in high speed heaven.
• Speaking of Facebook and the internet…is anyone else tired of the “mommy exclusionists”?  Mom only groups, websites, posts.. they are everywhere.  You also have the moms who seem no longer capable of associating with their non-mom friends.  I may have to save this one for a full on post sometime…
• I am looking forward to coming home to a place that doesn’t smell like the neighbors fish dinner.  Seriously, its gross and my house reeks because of your dinner choice.  Which makes me also think… if the ventilation is that interconnected am I paying to heat and/or cool their apartment?  Could that be why my electric bills were near $200 all summer? Hmmm…
• The Sing Off is quite possibly the best show ever created.  I think I like it even better than Glee… because a) their voices aren’t digitized and/or “studio” sounding they are just real and b) there is more singing less talking.
• Speaking of Glee… have you see the Glee flash mob videos on YouTube? This one recorded in Rome is my favorite.
• And speaking of flash mobs… in the spirit of Christmas you should really watch the Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus.
• And finally speaking of Christmas… its not feeling very Christmassy around here.  Its snowing, its cold, the songs are on the radio, the movies are on TV… but I have no decorations up in my house.  Its just weird. I’m hoping I can drum up some Christmas spirit for our family party this Saturday.

Biscuits

One thing that must be noted about the South?  They know how to bake a mean biscuit!  Seriously even the ones at McD’s tasted better down there.  They were light, fluffy, buttery delightfulness in one tiny little package. 

I’m serious its like they know some sort of magic trick… or… they use inordinate amounts of butter… either way they are delicious.

My plan is to move down there just to steal their secrets.

Weekend Education

While on a recent trip to my soon to be new hometown, I made several discoveries about myself and the many cities between Michigan and Tennessee.

• Ohioans are either very healthy… or very not!  I counted about a bazillion hospitals and medical centers while traveling through this very LoOoOoOn state.
• Sweet tea is my new very bestest friend.
• The Cumberland Mountain area of Virginia is amazingly beautiful when its snowing… but also amazingly scary. Plummeting down tiny, winding, slippery roads is definitely not my idea of a party.
• I am truly a creature of habit – I sat in the same seat for more than 30 hours this weekend.
• Back to Ohio… we passed through a small town that had many houses covered in Christmas lights.  As we passed through the center of town one home in particular stood out – the funeral home.  It was the most decorated building for miles!
• While in Kentucky eating breakfast at McD’s, we met a man who told us he had a daughter who is 38 as well as two others by two other women.  His first wife was 14 when he married her (he was 21 at the time).  He then proceeded to tell me to look him up if I needed anything after I moved and that he was “in the book.”
• …Then he asked if I had a boyfriend.  When I said no he said, “Shoot, if Ah had a girl as pretty as you, Ah’d put a cowbell on ‘Er so Ah’d always know where she was!” True story.
• My mom is hopeless when it comes to sports.  When driving through Cincinnati she asked if the Bears play there.  When I said no the Bengals do, she looked puzzled so I said,  “You know like Bengal Tigers?”  To which she said “So they don’t have a football team?” I guess at least she knows the (Detroit) Tigers don’t play football?
• In Tennessee it seems the motto “If it’s flat we will build it” rang true – even if getting to “it” was nearly impossible. One apartment we looked at had my mom fearing we were driving off a cliff instead of down the driveway.

The trip was truly memorable and also very productive!  I now have a place to live and finally feel like this is all really happening.  I promise after the big move to include many, many pictures of my new abode and state!

And speaking of Christmas lights… take a look at what a town did for one little boy…

Donate to St. Jude’s this holiday

Hello there bloggy world! I'm coming to you live from TN! I haven't forgotten you, but I have been busy finding a place to live down here. More news to come!

Testing mobile blogging 1-2-3

Cleaning Up

In preparation for my big move at the end of the month, I’m doing a lot of cleaning… Cleaning up the rooms as I pack them up… Cleaning out the closets, drawers, storage space, fridge/freezer, cupboards… Tonight’s project?

Cleaning out the DVR.

I started with 81 recordings. I’m not even kidding you.  After deciding I don’t really need to re-watch the current seasons of GLEE, House MD, Fringe… I deleted those. Now I am left with 58 recordings, all of which are movies.  Darn you cable for having free preview weekends! 

Since I recorded all of these I must have wanted to watch them at one time or another right?  So I feel like I have to watch them all before finally turning in my box.  When I get to TN I have decided to go sans cable for a while in an effort to get out and learn my new surroundings, save some cashola, maybe finally get to those bazillion books I have bought but never read, and really… its all about crossing another thing off the 101 list right?!

So back to the project.  I have 58 movies to watch equating approximately 116 hours of cinematic enjoyment.  I would need to spend almost 5 days straight to watch them all.  If I watch just 2 per day, I would need 29 days.  If you notice, my countdown currently displays many less than that… and I will be gone for 4 days this next week trying to find a place to live in TN.  Sooo that puts me down to about 18 days of movie watching time left.  That would be 3 per day. Hmm…

It’s a challenge and I like it!  So first up (or last on the DVR list) is… Living Proof, Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy and Crazy Sexy Cancer.  If I can fit a 4th in before sleep takes over I will add Seven Pounds.  Looks like I’m taking a trip down cancer memory lane tonight!  Just need to grab some pizza, soda and some Kleenex and off we go!

Reality

Today marks exactly 2 weeks until I am done at my current place of employment.  I’ve been there for almost 6 years now and really I have no idea where that time went. It will be a bittersweet goodbye.  I will miss the people I work with but I’m looking forward to the challenges my new employer will bring.

Tonight I have my first going away party and I’m just not sure how I feel about it.  Am I ready to say goodbye?  I guess I don’t know. I’m going to be positive about it and say its not a goodbye but more of a see you soon. Plus I will see these people for the next two weeks still!

It’s starting to sink in now.  I’m leaving everything here behind.  And there isn’t much time left.  I plan on making the most of it!

How Soon We Forget

Well… it happened.

Our first accumulating snowfall of the season is here. Yes, I posted pics of our early dusting on Nov 5th but today’s snowfall is the real deal.  We are talking inches people… 3-5 by midnight plus a lake effect snow advisory. In one word: YUCK.

Now, I know that every year it is coming.  It’s west Michigan for goodness sake!  We get snow from a storm system and then we get the obligatory 2-3 inches extra from the lake effect.  Sooner or later it happens every year without fail.

But yet, many residents of this lovely state miraculously forget that *gasp* the white stuff can be slippery!  Even when that first real snowfall is only an inch or two, its like people have never seen it before.  This morning was no exception.  No less than a dozen accidents were reported at any given moment, the highway was shut down because of a wreck, you saw at least a dozen slide offs in the 25 miles between home and work.  Come on people, think while driving!

The bright spot in the day: sooner than later I will be in TN where the snow days are few!  And?  Our upcoming weekend trip to find me a place to live, the weather is supposed to be in the 50’s!  Now that’s the kind of winter I can handle!