Rosa (meimeigui) did a stream of conscious post the other day and I kinda feel like doing one too. Just lots going on in my head, wanting to vomit it onto LJ. Woo.
The biggest news is that I have set an official moving date. Are you ready?
That’s fewer than three weeks away!!!!!!!!!
Actually, the date had been set for a few weeks, but I wanted to wait until I’d officially resigned from ZB to make the announcement public on here. So, I’m moving to Chicago on St. Patrick’s Day (thank God their parade is 03.15), and I’m counting on it to be full of happy luck.
I resigned from ZB on Thursday, February 28. Everyone knew it was coming, but some people still seemed pretty sad that it was so soon. Most people were anticipating May or June, I think. My last day there is Wednesday, March 12.
I took in a bunch of lotions and body splashes and things that I’d had and never used, or used once and decided I hated them, and put a “free” sign on it in the bathroom. Most of it all is gone now. 🙂 I’m glad that I was able to share them that way rather than throwing them all out or whatever.
Random memory. I remember when I was pregnant with Aidan, and I’d just gotten to the ‘ZERO TO RAVENOUSLY HUNGRY IN TWO SECONDS’ stage. That stage coincided with Chris’s getting saved and wanted to start praying before every meal. I remember getting so annoyed with him for decided to pray and DELAY “pregnant woman satiation” at every single meal. Aidan telling me that I didn’t pray before I ate my cereal was a trigger for that memory. Aidan said I was to say “My-yi-yi thank you Jesus, thank you Mommy, thank you Daddy, thank you Grace, amen.” He still does that my-yi-yi thing before all his prayers. I wonder where that came from.
Today, I went on eBay to check out the prices for toner cartridges, and I found myself looking around for things like Disney pins. I used to buy from this seller named mrdisneypins. He charged $6, shipping included, and I loved getting pins from him. He hasn’t had any available in ages, though. I miss that.
Aidan is looking better and better every day. When I went to pick him up from preschool, he was sitting down to watch a movie and eat popcorn. The teacher said that he’d been hyper all day. After I picked him up, we met with some of my friends from college for dinner at O’Charleys. Remember that red meat craving I had? Yeah, I got it kind of satisfied there. Their prices have gone up and the steak is teeny tiny. Still, it was good.
At the restaurant, Aidan was really out of control. Not really being bad, but being rambunctious. Not listening. Randomly falling out of his chair and being loud. He ate well, though, and he’s been eating ever since. I figure it’s either growing or healing or both. He just finished a bowl of cereal and then asked for a snack!
A lot of people at work asked me about Aidan when I went back yesterday, and that made me emotional. It’s amazing how news travels! Yesterday was kind of a weird day anyway. And I guess when I say yesterday, I mean Thursday, as it’s technically Saturday now.
Aidan’s eating more cereal. :O
We should be in bed. I swear, today was sooo long. The day creeped by. Well, except for the lunch hour, which sped by, as usual. I was very tired, too. Insomnia is trying to sneak in again. I am up until after midnight, and then I sleep for about two or three hours until my bladder wakes me up at about 3am. Then I’m up until about 5:30, and my alarm goes off at 6:31 (it’s actually 6:29, the alarm is two minutes fast). *sigh* I’ve been going on three or four hours of sleep a night.
I’m reading a book that Star gave me called STUPID AND CONTAGIOUS. It’s pretty funny. My experience with THE LUXE left me disappointed–getting stuck with a book that had bad signatures, so I have no idea how it ended. ANOTHER KIND OF COWBOY by Susan Juby was an easy read. For some reason, it took me a long time to pick it up and read it, but once I did, I enjoyed it. I haven’t really fallen in love with anything I’ve read since lisa_schroeder‘s I HEART YOU YOU HAUNT ME, and THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie, but the year’s still young. 🙂
Today, Aidan totally played an April Fool’s joke on me. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that it was only February. He still got me.
I’ve been twittering lately. The posts get shipped over to my Vox rather than here. (http://lilrongal.vox.com)
The packing is… well, it’s coming. It’s overwhelming, actually. I have quite a bit done, but there is still a LOT more to do. I did the bathroom and the linen closet, most of the hall closet, all of the pants I’m not wearing at the moment, plenty of pajamas and all my summer clothing, a good deal of my desk supplies, photo albums, scrapbooks, pictures, shoes, accessories, bags, decorations, books, DVDs, videotapes, board games, etc. etc. I am working on sorting CDs, and I have another laundry basket of media for Half-Price Books. I guess I am making a bit of progress. The hard rooms will be the kitchen and Aidan’s toys, and the rest of the stuff in my room.
Thursday, I went to Meijer and picked up a cat carrier for Lucy:
It’s just the one I’d been thinking about all day. She seems to like it OK. Pretty soon, she’ll have a six-hour or more ride in that thing, so she’d better get used to it!
Aidan’s eating AGAIN.
I also got some more Space Bags, a bin (just because it’s lilac), paper towels, a mop, floor cleaner, and sponges. Now I just need a KICK IN THE BUTT to get this place all packed up, so I’m not rushing on the 15th or something!
I’m a bit nervous about the move. As I posted on the Wedding Blog, I’m most nervous out:
1. Not having my place all packed up in time! I have a lot of stuff, and although I am planning to get rid some of it, it’s still hard to get motivated to do something like packing. AND the bad thing is that I usually get motivated around 10am, while I am at work. By the time I get home, I’m ready to crash on the couch. But that’s the life of the working person. I have to force myself to do it. I do not want to be scrambling two or three days before Andy shows up with the U-Haul. The sorting is going to drive me nuts. I already have a pile of stuff to give to Goodwill, but bags and shoes I don’t use, and clothes I don’t wear is easy. Stuffed animals and certain knick-knacks is what’s going to be hard to part with. Keeping the big picture in mind helps me be more ruthless, though.
2. The drive out to Chicago. Adam will be with me in the car, and we will be able to switch off, which is good. But I have never driven more than 2.5 hours on my own before. And I have driven 3 hours… but 6–7 hours? I’m a bit lot nervous. I think we’re going to split the drive in half, or switch off every couple hours. I plan to make a MOVING playlist for the iPod. Anyone have any recommendations for songs to keep me awake while I am driving? Adam is threatening me with NPR.
3. Learning a new way of life in Chicago. Columbus is not very urban. I drive everywhere. The thought of driving in Chicago scares me a bit. There is almost always loads of traffic, and there are insane cabbies all over the place. And people are MEAN and aggressive. Columbus is full of either right assholes in big vehicles or people who trudge along at speeds well below the posted speed limit. Right now, I am pretty centrally located in Columbus, so I just hop in my car and 5–10 minutes later, I’m where I need to be. My commute to work is about 12 minutes. In Chicago, I am going to have to get used to twice that long, or 3–4 times that long if I’m taking the train or the bus, even if where I need to be is 2 miles from where I live.
I’m excited, of course! 🙂 And very thrilled to be getting away from Mr. Loud TV upstairs, Miss Looney Toon across the hall, Mr. Sex Noise-Workout Man downstairs, and Door Slammer. By the time I’m settled in Chicago, Aidan’s soccer camp will be over and it’ll be time for him to come out and stay with me!! 😀 YAY! I’m gonna miss that little booger in the meantime, though. VERY much.
HEY, I’m looking to get rid of stuff. Big stuff. Any of you locals interested in a 25 inch TV, a futon, an entertainment center, a coffee table, or a desk? If I know you, it’s yours for free or if you want to give me a few bucks for it, that’s cool, too. I’m not taking any of that stuff with me, and I don’t want to deal with the bother of trying to get it picked up or whatever.
ANYONE who has done a big move have any tips for me? I did get some tips from Rosa, and from someone at work… but any more would be very helpful.
Here’ s Aidan’s latest picture. Seriously, he looks really good:
The injuries are still very noticeable, but not like before. All the extra stuff has faded. His stitches come out on Monday! And there is no mistaken the twinkle in his eyes. He’s such a trooper, such a brave little boy.
Note the boxes and bins in the background. Yes, packing has commenced. The receptionist at ZB has hooked me up with a closet full of boxes and packing material, which is a huge help.
I have a bit of a head cold. I’ll work through it, though.
OK, I need to get to bed. I’m finally getting tired. Thank you for letting me dump. Actually, thank you for reading it. 😀