Details of the stressful move and my amazing new apartment!!!
I'm back! And writing from my new place, which is so incredibly cool and seems so big and I just am absolutely in love with it!!! (Except for the kitchen right now, which I'll get to.) I didn't go to work today and instead spent the entire day, starting at 7:30 a.m., unpacking. I went out for about an hour to return one of The German's library books and get some groceries because I've hardly eaten in the past 3 days. And besides the kitchen boxes, most of the rest are unpacked and a lot is put in it's permanent spot. But there is still a ton to do so I'll be up early tomorrow morning as well.
Okay, well I'm just going to go backwards and talk about the apartment first and then talk a little about how the move itself went off. On Thursday morning The German drove the UHaul to my new place for me and headed off to work, and I met the janitor at our prescheduled time of 8:45 to get the keys. And speaking of keys - there are seven keys for this building, two for the two doors to get in the building, two for my own door, one mailbox key, one key to the room with the circuit breakers, and now I can't remember what the last key is for because I think the laundry room key is the same as the front door, but maybe that's the seventh key. Every time I need to get in the front door or my own door I end up trying a couple keys before I find the right one. I need to get color-coded keys, or get certain ones in gold and certain in silver, because it's so frustrating!
Anyway, back to my story: the janitor walked me in my apartment and explained all the keys, and also told me that the people before me had just left - what the fuck!!?? So the place was semi-clean, meaning the floors must have been semi-swept, but all the cupboards were dirty and the floor was still plenty dirty. And this is why I'm grossed out by the kitchen: when I looked in the cupboards I saw dead little worm bodies, the kind that live in flour and such. Ew, ew, ew! I haven't tackled that yet so that's why I haven't unpacked any of my kitchen stuff other than the coffee maker and a couple very basics. But I've cleaned all the surface stuff in the kitchen and also inside the refrigerator and freezer. Sometime tomorrow I'll get to the cupboards and the closet in the dining room.
So anyway, I went out and got a swiffer and both wet and dry pads and I cleaned the floors of the whole place, and I cleaned the bathroom and the surface of the kitchen and inside the built-in dining hutch, and I was starting on some of the windowsills when my moving guys got here. That was yesterday. Today I haven't done much cleaning other than a couple shelves in closets. But the place is looking so good already!!! And it'll keep looking better and better! I just finished hanging up and folding all my clothes so that took care of many boxes.
Oh and my bed is just fabulous!!!! It's so so so comfy, so soft but not bad soft, so cushiony, so high compared to my old thin bed. It's just wonderful! Last night I fell asleep once I laid down for a tiny bit of shut-eye and didn't wake up until my mom was calling me in the morning. So I love it!!!
Okay so the move. First, I didn't go to sleep at all on Tuesday night and instead packed throughout the night, although I admit I took a couple breaks - once to play sudoku for awhile and once to give myself a pedicure. And I kept packing and consolidating more all day on Wednesday until The Queen picked me up at about 2:30 in the afternoon, and we went to pick up the UHaul. When we got back to my place The Meat was already there and the three of us took almost all the boxes down ourselves. They were on a roll and were working so hard! The two of them also got the couch out and were starting on other heavy items despite my protests, but then two of The Queen's sons got there so they helped with some of the heavy stuff. Our little system then was The Meat and I moving stuff out of my apartment and setting it right by the elevator, and one of The Queen's sons would come up and load it all on the elevator and unload it downstairs and then The Queen and the other son would take it out to the UHaul and load it on.
Everything was moving pretty quickly, but it was still stressful for me. I felt bad that The Queen's sons were having to lift heavy stuff, I felt bad about The Meat and The Queen sweating so much, I was worried that they were going to be so sore the next day. Asparagus came when we had most everything down, and he helped with loading a lot of the bigger items in and trying to fit everything. As The Meat told me the next day, when he came out and looked in the truck it was packed kind of badly by The Queen and his sons. As a result, a few items wouldn't fit inside - a console table, side table, and my grill. So we took those back inside and I started stressing internally on how to get them out and to the new place.
By the way, the UHaul truck was really nice. It was a smooth ride and the cab was really nice. It was just crap that I had to pay so much more money and have a totally different contract just because I was going to have the damn thing for over 24 hours. In some ways, the way they run the company is complete crap. But anyway, the truck was good, I just should have gotten the 17' instead of the 14' one. So anyway, The Queen moved the UHaul to the parking lot next to door to me and they all took off. I gave The Queen's sons $30 for helping, and afterward worried that it wasn't enough. Then I went back upstairs and tried to comfort little James and Emmalove who had been in the bathroom and came out to a mostly empty apartment. They were mewing their freaked out mews and creeping all around, my poor babies! And I also went out and got some Fritatten (or Frittaten) soup - my first food of the day.
I couldn't find anyone who could pick up the tables and grill for me, so I eventually called the engineer and he told me I could leave them in the apartment and they would move them to the pump room until I could get them. I was so incredibly thankful. So then I was waiting for The German to come and was trying to consolidate all the crap that I had left over into a couple monster garbage bags. I didn't plan too well because I ended up with a lot of stuff left over. When The German arrived at about 9:30 p.m., he wanted to look inside the truck and he also told me that it was packed really badly. We took out some stuff and he repacked it and was able to get my side table and the garbage bags inside. And then we packed up the babies and got a cab to his place. James and Emma were a little freaked still but adapted well to his place, I think they remember being there before. I took a hot shower and The German cooked up some bruchetta and tea for me, and then we went to bed. It was just after 1 a.m.
Oh yes, after my stress during the move out, which I knew was a hundred times easier than the move in would be, I decided to hire a couple movers to do most of the work the next day. The German ended up getting a referral from a co-worker's wife who used this guy, Luis, regularly for hard gardening and other lifting work, so through her we agreed that Luis and one of his brothers would come at 4:15 the next day and I would pay them $100. I spoke with him on the phone the next morning and he sounded so so nice.
So, Luis and his brother got here right on time and got right to work. The UHaul was parked across the street so when they got stuff down they had to cross the street and then walk along the side of the building and up two flights of curving stairs. They were extremely good workers, and so fucking strong, too! I had one of those utility dollies from UHaul but they only used it for a couple of really heavy items. Everything else they carried the whole way on their backs! Luis's brother (who didn't speak hardly any English but was so sweet) even carried my oversized chair and the very heavy base of the table all by himself on his back! So fucking strong! And so many of my boxes were so incredibly heavy, I am still amazed by their strength. And they both only came up to about my chin in height!
Asparagus got here about halfway through, and he and I (more he) helped carry stuff from the truck to the base of the stairs. Asparagus is also incredibly strong, because he was also carrying those super heavy boxes the whole way, usually over his head or on his shoulder or something. This little move has really made me realize the difference in strength between males and females - because I think I'm pretty strong but have nowhere near the strength of these guys!
So the one bad thing was that Luis and his brother couldn't get my armoire up the stairs because the turns were too narrow. And they tried for forever, and it is a seriously heavy piece of furniture. I felt so bad. But they really, really seemed to try everything. Some of the edges got really scraped up so I'll have to get one of those furniture markers or something to cover it up. They ended up leaving the armoire downstairs and I left a note on it. It's in the covered and locked area so it's safe. I've worried about what to do whenever I thought of it today, but I tried not to think of it because I wanted to concentrate on getting unpacked. And also because I would need someone to help me take it apart and everyone was working, and I also worried about still getting guys to help me take it upstairs. And I don't know how much I could take it apart because my dad put it together in my old place and it had seriously 500 parts to it.
Then Luis called me this afternoon and said he said that he just didn't feel good because of not getting the armoire upstairs. What a good guy, seriously. And he said he would happily come back and try again, either today or tomorrow or whenever. I told him that I'd call him tomorrow and I thanked him profusely. I'm thinking that maybe it could get up the front stairs because I think they are wider and they have more open spaces by the turns. I'm not supposed to move furniture up the front but I'll ask my janitor tomorrow and I think he'll let us try. First though I'm going to get my tape measure and compare some measurements of the two stairs, and also make sure the armoire could fit through the two front doors. And then I'll call Luis. He also said that if that wouldn't work he would help me take it apart a little and then put it back together when he got it upstairs. I really love Luis! And I don't even think he's doing this because I paid him more; he just has a really strong work ethic and a very strong sense of what's right. And by the way, throughout the whole move I kept deciding to pay them more and more because of how hard it was - all the carrying and even carrying up stairs. So when they left I gave them all the money I had - $180. They worked so incredibly hard and were there for a little over two hours or maybe two more like two and a half hours, and they tried so damn hard with the armoire. Still, I'm incredibly happy that Luis said he would come back because otherwise I have no idea how I would get it upstairs.
Oh - and as to the console table and grill that were still at my old place, Freckles and Swedish Meatball were so good to me and they picked them up for me and brought them to the new place! And they got to see my place!! And Asparagus was just incredibly good to me for all his help and lifting, and for leaving work early two days in a row, and for driving the UHaul to the dropoff place for me! And Florida came near the end so she also got to see my place, and then the three of us went to dinner after dropping off the UHaul. And then they drove me to The German's to pick up the babies and they drove me all the way back up to my place with James and Emma - so that saved me a big cab fare! And The Meat and The Queen were so incredible on Wednesday and worked so hard and both of them stayed the whole time, even though The Queen's wife is in the hospital for a treatment and The Meat's son had a tournament baseball game. I was so incredibly honored that they worked so hard for me and were even in good moods while they were working. I really felt loved even as I felt bad for asking all my friends to help me so much. The feeling loved part was really good though!
So anyway, I'm almost all moved in now! Just that motherfucking armoire, and all my worries will be gone! I just really really really really hope that we can get the armoire up the front stairs so we don't have to take it apart at all. And the Comcast guy came around noon today so I have cable and obviously internet again now - yay! Although I've been really good today and hardly done anything at all on the internet and instead was constantly working.
Okay, well that is the incredibly long story. I'm making a bit of a list of the things the janitor needs to fix, and he's getting new blinds and replacing the toilet seat, I think tomorrow. He seems very nice but also a little lazy, but I of course am not one to talk. I feel like I missed something though, but I can't remember what it is. Oh - James and Emma! They are finally settling in now as of tonight. Both of them are sleeping out here in the living room with me instead of in the bedroom and under the bed. And tonight they were finally walking around like they were more comfortable and not jumping at every sound, like the squeaking of the floorboards and such. So I'm a very happy kitten mama that my babies are starting to feel at home!!
I think I'll tape a couple swatches to the walls here in the living room before I go to bed, just so I can see some of the colors up while it's dark outside. I can't wait to get everything organized and put away, and then I can't wait to paint the various rooms and hallway over the next month or so!
Time to tape and then get to bed! Damn this got long!
Okay, well I'm just going to go backwards and talk about the apartment first and then talk a little about how the move itself went off. On Thursday morning The German drove the UHaul to my new place for me and headed off to work, and I met the janitor at our prescheduled time of 8:45 to get the keys. And speaking of keys - there are seven keys for this building, two for the two doors to get in the building, two for my own door, one mailbox key, one key to the room with the circuit breakers, and now I can't remember what the last key is for because I think the laundry room key is the same as the front door, but maybe that's the seventh key. Every time I need to get in the front door or my own door I end up trying a couple keys before I find the right one. I need to get color-coded keys, or get certain ones in gold and certain in silver, because it's so frustrating!
Anyway, back to my story: the janitor walked me in my apartment and explained all the keys, and also told me that the people before me had just left - what the fuck!!?? So the place was semi-clean, meaning the floors must have been semi-swept, but all the cupboards were dirty and the floor was still plenty dirty. And this is why I'm grossed out by the kitchen: when I looked in the cupboards I saw dead little worm bodies, the kind that live in flour and such. Ew, ew, ew! I haven't tackled that yet so that's why I haven't unpacked any of my kitchen stuff other than the coffee maker and a couple very basics. But I've cleaned all the surface stuff in the kitchen and also inside the refrigerator and freezer. Sometime tomorrow I'll get to the cupboards and the closet in the dining room.
So anyway, I went out and got a swiffer and both wet and dry pads and I cleaned the floors of the whole place, and I cleaned the bathroom and the surface of the kitchen and inside the built-in dining hutch, and I was starting on some of the windowsills when my moving guys got here. That was yesterday. Today I haven't done much cleaning other than a couple shelves in closets. But the place is looking so good already!!! And it'll keep looking better and better! I just finished hanging up and folding all my clothes so that took care of many boxes.
Oh and my bed is just fabulous!!!! It's so so so comfy, so soft but not bad soft, so cushiony, so high compared to my old thin bed. It's just wonderful! Last night I fell asleep once I laid down for a tiny bit of shut-eye and didn't wake up until my mom was calling me in the morning. So I love it!!!
Okay so the move. First, I didn't go to sleep at all on Tuesday night and instead packed throughout the night, although I admit I took a couple breaks - once to play sudoku for awhile and once to give myself a pedicure. And I kept packing and consolidating more all day on Wednesday until The Queen picked me up at about 2:30 in the afternoon, and we went to pick up the UHaul. When we got back to my place The Meat was already there and the three of us took almost all the boxes down ourselves. They were on a roll and were working so hard! The two of them also got the couch out and were starting on other heavy items despite my protests, but then two of The Queen's sons got there so they helped with some of the heavy stuff. Our little system then was The Meat and I moving stuff out of my apartment and setting it right by the elevator, and one of The Queen's sons would come up and load it all on the elevator and unload it downstairs and then The Queen and the other son would take it out to the UHaul and load it on.
Everything was moving pretty quickly, but it was still stressful for me. I felt bad that The Queen's sons were having to lift heavy stuff, I felt bad about The Meat and The Queen sweating so much, I was worried that they were going to be so sore the next day. Asparagus came when we had most everything down, and he helped with loading a lot of the bigger items in and trying to fit everything. As The Meat told me the next day, when he came out and looked in the truck it was packed kind of badly by The Queen and his sons. As a result, a few items wouldn't fit inside - a console table, side table, and my grill. So we took those back inside and I started stressing internally on how to get them out and to the new place.
By the way, the UHaul truck was really nice. It was a smooth ride and the cab was really nice. It was just crap that I had to pay so much more money and have a totally different contract just because I was going to have the damn thing for over 24 hours. In some ways, the way they run the company is complete crap. But anyway, the truck was good, I just should have gotten the 17' instead of the 14' one. So anyway, The Queen moved the UHaul to the parking lot next to door to me and they all took off. I gave The Queen's sons $30 for helping, and afterward worried that it wasn't enough. Then I went back upstairs and tried to comfort little James and Emmalove who had been in the bathroom and came out to a mostly empty apartment. They were mewing their freaked out mews and creeping all around, my poor babies! And I also went out and got some Fritatten (or Frittaten) soup - my first food of the day.
I couldn't find anyone who could pick up the tables and grill for me, so I eventually called the engineer and he told me I could leave them in the apartment and they would move them to the pump room until I could get them. I was so incredibly thankful. So then I was waiting for The German to come and was trying to consolidate all the crap that I had left over into a couple monster garbage bags. I didn't plan too well because I ended up with a lot of stuff left over. When The German arrived at about 9:30 p.m., he wanted to look inside the truck and he also told me that it was packed really badly. We took out some stuff and he repacked it and was able to get my side table and the garbage bags inside. And then we packed up the babies and got a cab to his place. James and Emma were a little freaked still but adapted well to his place, I think they remember being there before. I took a hot shower and The German cooked up some bruchetta and tea for me, and then we went to bed. It was just after 1 a.m.
Oh yes, after my stress during the move out, which I knew was a hundred times easier than the move in would be, I decided to hire a couple movers to do most of the work the next day. The German ended up getting a referral from a co-worker's wife who used this guy, Luis, regularly for hard gardening and other lifting work, so through her we agreed that Luis and one of his brothers would come at 4:15 the next day and I would pay them $100. I spoke with him on the phone the next morning and he sounded so so nice.
So, Luis and his brother got here right on time and got right to work. The UHaul was parked across the street so when they got stuff down they had to cross the street and then walk along the side of the building and up two flights of curving stairs. They were extremely good workers, and so fucking strong, too! I had one of those utility dollies from UHaul but they only used it for a couple of really heavy items. Everything else they carried the whole way on their backs! Luis's brother (who didn't speak hardly any English but was so sweet) even carried my oversized chair and the very heavy base of the table all by himself on his back! So fucking strong! And so many of my boxes were so incredibly heavy, I am still amazed by their strength. And they both only came up to about my chin in height!
Asparagus got here about halfway through, and he and I (more he) helped carry stuff from the truck to the base of the stairs. Asparagus is also incredibly strong, because he was also carrying those super heavy boxes the whole way, usually over his head or on his shoulder or something. This little move has really made me realize the difference in strength between males and females - because I think I'm pretty strong but have nowhere near the strength of these guys!
So the one bad thing was that Luis and his brother couldn't get my armoire up the stairs because the turns were too narrow. And they tried for forever, and it is a seriously heavy piece of furniture. I felt so bad. But they really, really seemed to try everything. Some of the edges got really scraped up so I'll have to get one of those furniture markers or something to cover it up. They ended up leaving the armoire downstairs and I left a note on it. It's in the covered and locked area so it's safe. I've worried about what to do whenever I thought of it today, but I tried not to think of it because I wanted to concentrate on getting unpacked. And also because I would need someone to help me take it apart and everyone was working, and I also worried about still getting guys to help me take it upstairs. And I don't know how much I could take it apart because my dad put it together in my old place and it had seriously 500 parts to it.
Then Luis called me this afternoon and said he said that he just didn't feel good because of not getting the armoire upstairs. What a good guy, seriously. And he said he would happily come back and try again, either today or tomorrow or whenever. I told him that I'd call him tomorrow and I thanked him profusely. I'm thinking that maybe it could get up the front stairs because I think they are wider and they have more open spaces by the turns. I'm not supposed to move furniture up the front but I'll ask my janitor tomorrow and I think he'll let us try. First though I'm going to get my tape measure and compare some measurements of the two stairs, and also make sure the armoire could fit through the two front doors. And then I'll call Luis. He also said that if that wouldn't work he would help me take it apart a little and then put it back together when he got it upstairs. I really love Luis! And I don't even think he's doing this because I paid him more; he just has a really strong work ethic and a very strong sense of what's right. And by the way, throughout the whole move I kept deciding to pay them more and more because of how hard it was - all the carrying and even carrying up stairs. So when they left I gave them all the money I had - $180. They worked so incredibly hard and were there for a little over two hours or maybe two more like two and a half hours, and they tried so damn hard with the armoire. Still, I'm incredibly happy that Luis said he would come back because otherwise I have no idea how I would get it upstairs.
Oh - and as to the console table and grill that were still at my old place, Freckles and Swedish Meatball were so good to me and they picked them up for me and brought them to the new place! And they got to see my place!! And Asparagus was just incredibly good to me for all his help and lifting, and for leaving work early two days in a row, and for driving the UHaul to the dropoff place for me! And Florida came near the end so she also got to see my place, and then the three of us went to dinner after dropping off the UHaul. And then they drove me to The German's to pick up the babies and they drove me all the way back up to my place with James and Emma - so that saved me a big cab fare! And The Meat and The Queen were so incredible on Wednesday and worked so hard and both of them stayed the whole time, even though The Queen's wife is in the hospital for a treatment and The Meat's son had a tournament baseball game. I was so incredibly honored that they worked so hard for me and were even in good moods while they were working. I really felt loved even as I felt bad for asking all my friends to help me so much. The feeling loved part was really good though!
So anyway, I'm almost all moved in now! Just that motherfucking armoire, and all my worries will be gone! I just really really really really hope that we can get the armoire up the front stairs so we don't have to take it apart at all. And the Comcast guy came around noon today so I have cable and obviously internet again now - yay! Although I've been really good today and hardly done anything at all on the internet and instead was constantly working.
Okay, well that is the incredibly long story. I'm making a bit of a list of the things the janitor needs to fix, and he's getting new blinds and replacing the toilet seat, I think tomorrow. He seems very nice but also a little lazy, but I of course am not one to talk. I feel like I missed something though, but I can't remember what it is. Oh - James and Emma! They are finally settling in now as of tonight. Both of them are sleeping out here in the living room with me instead of in the bedroom and under the bed. And tonight they were finally walking around like they were more comfortable and not jumping at every sound, like the squeaking of the floorboards and such. So I'm a very happy kitten mama that my babies are starting to feel at home!!
I think I'll tape a couple swatches to the walls here in the living room before I go to bed, just so I can see some of the colors up while it's dark outside. I can't wait to get everything organized and put away, and then I can't wait to paint the various rooms and hallway over the next month or so!
Time to tape and then get to bed! Damn this got long!
