I've been a leetle disappointed with some of the Craigslist people. I've had no problem recycling empty moving boxes on CL before.
So far, of the 9 people who contacted me about the boxes before I took down the ad Saturday afternoon, the very first people to respond were the only ones to show up when they said they were coming. And they didn't take many.
The second caller told me Tuesday he'd pick up boxes Thursday morning, so I put off three other callers. When he didn't show, I called the next two people on my list. One said she'd come Friday night or Saturday, but never showed, either.
I called the next woman on the list and said they had a day to pick up boxes. I got a call back from her husband Saturday morning, who said they desperately needed the boxes--don't give them away! But we were at the house until 6:30 pm and he didn't show up.
When we got home from our Saturday evening jaunt to SLC, there was a minivan in our driveway and two women flattening boxes. I have no idea which callers they were and at this point, I didn't much care. They took most of the boxes we had on the front porch.
I'll empty a few more boxes today, call the next person and give them my new spiel: there are 4 other people on my list. You have one day to pick up any boxes you want. If you don't show up, I call the next person. You snooze, you lose.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Weekend Update
Slept in Saturday--my first time in several weeks. Did some in-house puttering, laundry, tidying, finishing a murder mystery, fielding calls about our empty moving boxes. Mike worked outside draining the pond/watering the front lawn. 15 joined her cousins for a day at Lagoon; we dog sat for their newly acquired big shaggy poodle, Bob Dog.
Mike had bought tickets to the SLC soccer team, but we got too late a start to redeem them before kickoff. We stopped at my office to check SLC movie times but realized if we went to a later show, 15 would have no way of getting in the house. So we drove back to Ogden, picked up Thai takeout, went home and watched 3:10 to Yuma.
About an hour into the movie, we see flashing lights on the street outside. Uncle Matt got pulled over right in front of our house for running a stop sign a few blocks back. He ended up with a warning; as soon as the cops drove off, we poured out of the house to rib Matt and find out how Lagoon day went. 15 had a lot of fun. Magic Mountain is still her favorite, though.
We found out it was stake conference Sunday, so we're blowing it off. I guess we'll get around to attending the new ward eventually. The people there were fairly disinterested in Mike when he went and we're toying with the idea of attending a Spanish ward instead. That might mean walking THREE blocks to the building instead of two.
Mike had bought tickets to the SLC soccer team, but we got too late a start to redeem them before kickoff. We stopped at my office to check SLC movie times but realized if we went to a later show, 15 would have no way of getting in the house. So we drove back to Ogden, picked up Thai takeout, went home and watched 3:10 to Yuma.
About an hour into the movie, we see flashing lights on the street outside. Uncle Matt got pulled over right in front of our house for running a stop sign a few blocks back. He ended up with a warning; as soon as the cops drove off, we poured out of the house to rib Matt and find out how Lagoon day went. 15 had a lot of fun. Magic Mountain is still her favorite, though.
We found out it was stake conference Sunday, so we're blowing it off. I guess we'll get around to attending the new ward eventually. The people there were fairly disinterested in Mike when he went and we're toying with the idea of attending a Spanish ward instead. That might mean walking THREE blocks to the building instead of two.
Friday, June 20, 2008
The long road to Ogden
It was a long drive, but we made it to Ogden safe and (relatively) sound late last Thursday.
Our adventures came mostly at the end of the trip--a motel that failed to
honor our reservation for a pet-friendly room. An aggressive semi truck
that HAD to pass Mike as the passing lane was ending, forcing Mike and
an oncoming vehicle onto the shoulders. A boneheaded pickup driver who
gunned it to pull out into traffic; this threw one of his dogs out of
the truck and onto the road, where we all slammed on our brakes to
avoid hitting the poor animal. Took the guy over a mile to realize and
turn around.
When we got inside the house, the upstairs reeked of natural gas. We slept downstairs and had a tech come out the next morning. He found one leak--the improperly hooked up dryer--but there was a second one somewhere between the meter and some hookup in the house. We don't know where it is, but the tech assured us it's small.
Some furniture was damaged during the trip--a broken buffet leg, broken trim
on an antique piece and scratches all across the stainless steel fridge. So far, all the china and breakables are in their original condition.
The people all arrived intact, if a little short tempered after 3 days on the road together. 15 was a great help wrangling the kitties and we had some nice conversations along the way. It's been fun getting to know her as her own person. She'll be with us until early July. The two oldest stepkids flew out for the weekend to help with the unpacking and 17 will join us for the July 4 weekend.
Monday I spent my first day in the office getting acquainted with the computer
system and looking at the task of organizing 100+ symposium sessions for the preliminary program.
I'll post pictures of the house & pond once we have more unpacked. Turns out 2 koi were left behind and we have a HUGE bullfrog in residence. We had a BBQ on Father's Day and it's a great house for entertaining.
Alas, we're still dealing with surprises. Yesterday's was a flooded cellar
and 6 broken sprinkler heads and 2 broken lines (now repaired). Mike's
draining the pond to replace burned out underwater lights. I'm pulling
weeds and finding places for unpacked things to live. Over the weekend,
I plan to try out the public transit and see what my commute is like by
train. And we'll probably hit a soccer game tomorrow night.
Our adventures came mostly at the end of the trip--a motel that failed to
honor our reservation for a pet-friendly room. An aggressive semi truck
that HAD to pass Mike as the passing lane was ending, forcing Mike and
an oncoming vehicle onto the shoulders. A boneheaded pickup driver who
gunned it to pull out into traffic; this threw one of his dogs out of
the truck and onto the road, where we all slammed on our brakes to
avoid hitting the poor animal. Took the guy over a mile to realize and
turn around.
When we got inside the house, the upstairs reeked of natural gas. We slept downstairs and had a tech come out the next morning. He found one leak--the improperly hooked up dryer--but there was a second one somewhere between the meter and some hookup in the house. We don't know where it is, but the tech assured us it's small.
Some furniture was damaged during the trip--a broken buffet leg, broken trim
on an antique piece and scratches all across the stainless steel fridge. So far, all the china and breakables are in their original condition.
The people all arrived intact, if a little short tempered after 3 days on the road together. 15 was a great help wrangling the kitties and we had some nice conversations along the way. It's been fun getting to know her as her own person. She'll be with us until early July. The two oldest stepkids flew out for the weekend to help with the unpacking and 17 will join us for the July 4 weekend.
Monday I spent my first day in the office getting acquainted with the computer
system and looking at the task of organizing 100+ symposium sessions for the preliminary program.
I'll post pictures of the house & pond once we have more unpacked. Turns out 2 koi were left behind and we have a HUGE bullfrog in residence. We had a BBQ on Father's Day and it's a great house for entertaining.
Alas, we're still dealing with surprises. Yesterday's was a flooded cellar
and 6 broken sprinkler heads and 2 broken lines (now repaired). Mike's
draining the pond to replace burned out underwater lights. I'm pulling
weeds and finding places for unpacked things to live. Over the weekend,
I plan to try out the public transit and see what my commute is like by
train. And we'll probably hit a soccer game tomorrow night.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
No Room at Days Inn--for Our Pets
We pulled into Albuquerque around 11:30 pm. When Mike went to check in to the pet-friendly room we reserved and had already paid for, he was informed that all the pet-friendly rooms were full.
The owners of this particular Days Inn, he was told, would fine us $250 if we tried to sneak the pets in. Hard to sneak 3 cat carriers, a large hooded litter box and a 5 pound container of kibble past security cameras.
This meant our cats would have to stay in the minivan overnight. Had I been there at check in, I would have demanded Days Inn find us another hotel in the neighborhood since it was their screw up. The $10 off our bill wasn't enough to placate me.
So going forward, I plan to write letters of complaint to the chain and to the owners and hereafter institute a lifetime boycott of all Days Inns. Care to join me?
The owners of this particular Days Inn, he was told, would fine us $250 if we tried to sneak the pets in. Hard to sneak 3 cat carriers, a large hooded litter box and a 5 pound container of kibble past security cameras.
This meant our cats would have to stay in the minivan overnight. Had I been there at check in, I would have demanded Days Inn find us another hotel in the neighborhood since it was their screw up. The $10 off our bill wasn't enough to placate me.
So going forward, I plan to write letters of complaint to the chain and to the owners and hereafter institute a lifetime boycott of all Days Inns. Care to join me?
Friday, June 06, 2008
The Crazy Has Begun
What a week!
Monday: I had a friend come over to help pack. We got a few boxes done, but mostly we talked.
Tuesday: lunch out with the co-workers at City Cafe. I will miss the avocado stuffed with Texas style chicken salad. Worked late.
Wednesday: worked late, picked up some stuff at Target and got home in time to make Enrichment night reminder calls.
Thursday: Morning: baby shower for one of the office's work study students. Loads of food and baby goods. Afternoon: the office send off. Supervisor told the assembled co-workers & friends I'd done a phenomenal job--I was kind but relentless and I'd never raised my voice when things got frustrating (well, not in public, anyway). More divine food and great company. Evening: Enrichment night with me presenting on 72 hour kits/preparedness. Very tired.
Friday: Last round of meetings, lunch out with supervisor and my successor, more desk-clearing tasks. Picked up Exit checklist at HR. Had planned for this to be my last day, but will go in Monday to handle a few loose ends and check out.
Stopped by co-worker's house where she'd been unpacking boxes all day. I took about 25 of them off her hands and may get more this weekend if needed. Nice timing! Dinner out with Mike at City Cafe.
Box packing has begun in earnest. Mike snuck up behind me and scared me so badly that I burst into tears. Something to do with stress, maybe? He apologized profusely and eventually I started laughing. We've agreed he's not going to do that again while we're packing/moving.
Saturday: Church folk coming over to help pack. Hope that will keep some of the chaos at bay. Sort of.
Monday: I had a friend come over to help pack. We got a few boxes done, but mostly we talked.
Tuesday: lunch out with the co-workers at City Cafe. I will miss the avocado stuffed with Texas style chicken salad. Worked late.
Wednesday: worked late, picked up some stuff at Target and got home in time to make Enrichment night reminder calls.
Thursday: Morning: baby shower for one of the office's work study students. Loads of food and baby goods. Afternoon: the office send off. Supervisor told the assembled co-workers & friends I'd done a phenomenal job--I was kind but relentless and I'd never raised my voice when things got frustrating (well, not in public, anyway). More divine food and great company. Evening: Enrichment night with me presenting on 72 hour kits/preparedness. Very tired.
Friday: Last round of meetings, lunch out with supervisor and my successor, more desk-clearing tasks. Picked up Exit checklist at HR. Had planned for this to be my last day, but will go in Monday to handle a few loose ends and check out.
Stopped by co-worker's house where she'd been unpacking boxes all day. I took about 25 of them off her hands and may get more this weekend if needed. Nice timing! Dinner out with Mike at City Cafe.
Box packing has begun in earnest. Mike snuck up behind me and scared me so badly that I burst into tears. Something to do with stress, maybe? He apologized profusely and eventually I started laughing. We've agreed he's not going to do that again while we're packing/moving.
Saturday: Church folk coming over to help pack. Hope that will keep some of the chaos at bay. Sort of.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Last Requests
There were two things I wanted to do before leaving the RGV: take a canoe trip down the Rio Grande and have dinner at Tupinamba in Reynosa.
Given all the work we've had to do on weekends, the canoe trip was unlikely to happen. However, the Monday we got back from the last graduation, we decided to dine south of the border.
We parked at the city lot close to the bridge, paid the 50 cent pedestrian toll each and walked across the bridge.
Scott of www.dallasfood.org had recommended Tupinamba back when we first moved to the RGV. I'd eaten Tupinamba's delicious food at the McAllen International Food Festival last year, but hadn't made it to the restaurant itself.
We followed Scott's instructions to veer slightly right off the main square, dodging local drivers as we crossed the street. We went one block too far to the left and ended up approaching the restaurant from the back. (Note: Tupinamba is on the same block as Carl's Jr. on the main square). I turned around saw a pair of blue ornamented iron doors, looked up and saw the restaurant's name. Voila!
There were about four groups of diners when we arrived. We perused the menu and on Scott's recommendation ordered queso divorciado (melted cheese with a meat sauce), empanadas, carne Tampiquena for Mike and cabrito for me.
I'd meant to order a different kind of empanada, but we didn't see the ones Scott recommended on the menu. The kind we ended up with I suspect were goat organ meat--possibly brains. My culinary Spanish wasn't precise enough to tell. They were pretty good.
I ordered a cabrito shoulder, which was gamey and flavorful. In hindsight, I wondered if the thigh/dark meat would have been more tender. Anyhoo, we chowed down and enjoyed the experience.
Here's me with my goat shoulder. Mmmmmm. And outside the restaurant.
We had to go through border security on the way back--show ID, open my purse for inspection and explain what we were doing in Mexico. Just eating goat!
Given all the work we've had to do on weekends, the canoe trip was unlikely to happen. However, the Monday we got back from the last graduation, we decided to dine south of the border.
We parked at the city lot close to the bridge, paid the 50 cent pedestrian toll each and walked across the bridge.
Scott of www.dallasfood.org had recommended Tupinamba back when we first moved to the RGV. I'd eaten Tupinamba's delicious food at the McAllen International Food Festival last year, but hadn't made it to the restaurant itself.
We followed Scott's instructions to veer slightly right off the main square, dodging local drivers as we crossed the street. We went one block too far to the left and ended up approaching the restaurant from the back. (Note: Tupinamba is on the same block as Carl's Jr. on the main square). I turned around saw a pair of blue ornamented iron doors, looked up and saw the restaurant's name. Voila!
There were about four groups of diners when we arrived. We perused the menu and on Scott's recommendation ordered queso divorciado (melted cheese with a meat sauce), empanadas, carne Tampiquena for Mike and cabrito for me.
I'd meant to order a different kind of empanada, but we didn't see the ones Scott recommended on the menu. The kind we ended up with I suspect were goat organ meat--possibly brains. My culinary Spanish wasn't precise enough to tell. They were pretty good.
I ordered a cabrito shoulder, which was gamey and flavorful. In hindsight, I wondered if the thigh/dark meat would have been more tender. Anyhoo, we chowed down and enjoyed the experience.
Here's me with my goat shoulder. Mmmmmm. And outside the restaurant.
We had to go through border security on the way back--show ID, open my purse for inspection and explain what we were doing in Mexico. Just eating goat!
Bloomin'
Before the last open house, we did a bit of landscaping in the front yard. Added 3 Texas firebushes, hot pink pentas and purple lantana to the front bed (all drought tolerant) and put in 3 large agapanthus interspersed with Spanish lavender on the other side of the walkway.
Our real estate agent was impressed we'd done it ourselves--well, with some consulting help from the landscape guy at Waugh's Nursery.
We still have a couple of orange blossom jasmine to plant, but otherwise we're done.
Our real estate agent was impressed we'd done it ourselves--well, with some consulting help from the landscape guy at Waugh's Nursery.
We still have a couple of orange blossom jasmine to plant, but otherwise we're done.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
