Messy.
Messy.
If I was looking for a word to describe this weekend, it would be "messy".
Now "hectic", I was expecting hectic. When one is going to be in 3 different states for a 3 day weekend, driving down to ct, then to springfield, then to southern VT, one expects a bit of hectic. But I didn't expect messy.
It started Friday afternoon. I got home, stuffed sleepy meds into Romeo, and while waiting the hour and a half to take affect, I got myself packed up and ready for a long weekend away. Despite the medication and that I waited the time needed to take affect, Romeo got very carsick. Shat twice, drooled heavily the entire 3 hours, and also proceeded to throw up on me.
Somehow made it home. Got woken up in the middle of the night to care for a very sick friend.
Saturday was mostly fun, spending time with family and friends Hung out with Akiko, took a few shots of Viola in the woods. There were no blueberries on the nature trail, but we had heard that the bushes around the lake itself still had a number of berries. So we went out on a neighbor's plontoon boat, and father would steer it towards the bushes on shore and we'd pick as many as we could reach. It was a lot of fun and we got a large number of berries to add to our vanilla pudding pie.
Having returned victorious, I realized I couldn't find my cell phone. I thought I had it in my pocket. It's not around the house, not on the boat, and can't hear it by calling it. So father, his friend, and I sped out to where we were picking berries. (Earlier that day, i had been teasing father on how his boat was a bit overpowered for the lake they lived on. The powerful motor was understandable on some of the large lakes he visited while traveling, but really, on a lake the size as the one they lived on, did he really need to go across it in 2 seconds? I certainly ate my words as we quickly got from home port to the island on the far side where we had been picking blueberries.)
Around the island, the water was quite shallow, and amazingly clear and weed-free. Somehow, we were able to find my cellphone at the bottom of the lake. It powered on, but than immediately off. Glad at least to know it's fate, I have done my best to dry it out and fix it. While it does turn on, I am not able to use it. (the screen turns white) Fortunately, I am currently off-contract, so I should be able to go to a local verizon store and sign up for a new contract and thus get a phone for free and/or cheap. My cell is a few years old and the battery was starting to go anyway. Because it does turn on, I'm feeling hopeful that they will be able to save the data on it, though even if they can't, I think it shouldnt' be too hard to replace the lost information.
Decided to go to VT with Akiko Saturday night. Thought another pair of hands might be useful. We got stuck in a small town in VT for half an hour because of inept traffic control who had no idea how to efficiently move traffic due to the Firework/town event. Finally get to her place, unload the cars, got the tour, and crashed out on the floor.
I'm not sure if it was a dream, or if I really did this, but just as I was falling asleep, I sat up. I was trying to figure things out in my head, and realized that we still needed to do something, or we wouldn't be able to get Akiko moved in/organized or something. Akiko asked what was wrong and I told her how we needed to make certain we had the correct subject headings. At this point, I started to realize it was a dream, but I'm still not sure if it was a dream within a dream (ie, that the whole sitting up part was in a dream as well).
Morning came, I was still pretty exhausted. Movers arrived bright and early. I supervised while Akiko directed, and slowly but surely her new place was filled.
Finally got a hold of J. (we had tentative plans to hang on Sunday). I had IMed N to get their numbers, and finally got hold of J sunday morning.) Left Akiko to her work and headed back down to Springfield area.
The day was spent happily gaming, eating pizza and icecream, and hanging with good friends. In the evening, we made our way to the bridge to watch fireworks. M had a particular shot he wanted to take, and so we let him find his perfect spot and get himself set up. The bridge was a bridge of spiders. It was covered with hundreds if not more giant spiders. Creepy, but they didn't get in our way, other than preventing us from leaning on the railings. We got to watch not only the city fireworks, but the amusement parks, and the scores of local explosions. Much fun. There were also these mysterious balloons being set off near us with some sort of candle or flame, so there were these strange glowing orbs floating in the air. It felt like we were at Hogwarts. Strange but awesome.
Got back to their house and crashed out. Started to wake up a little before six, but didn't need to be up that early. So I started to doze off again when M's (I think it was M's at least) cell alarm went off. Having experience something similar with H's cell alarm a few years ago when he and A visited, i knew it wouldn't stop if I just ignored it. So I got up and turned it off, and I was up at that point so I got dressed and ready for the day and headed off back north to Akiko's.
Akiko didn't hear me at first at the door, but finally heard me when I tried the back door. I got the new tour. She had gotten a fair bit accomplished and was making progress on the unpacking and getting organized. We puttered a little, and then took a small driving tour of the area. She showed me her campus (beautiful!) and so on. We had lunch at a local pub (tasty food, amazing lemondade) and then went to a local mansion/estate park. The grounds were nothing that interesting, but we do enjoy tours of old mansions. And the house was pretty cool, so it was a nice respite from the heat.
Puttered a bit more than went to find an early dinner at friendly's for some icecream-as-dinner. But their power was out. (probably all the air cons in the extreme heat blew something). So we went exploring and found a local icecream shake. Tasty icecream and a bit of chicken cordon bleu bites for dinner, and than I was on the road.
But my weekend of messy wasnt' over yet.
Halfway through my trip home, my car started sounding/feeling funny. Something's not right. I pull over and check, and sure enough I've got a flat tire. I briefly consider changing it myself (I have before) but I have AAA for a reason. Now of course, I still don't have a working cellphone. Fortunately, I stopped near a home, and the people are not only home but willing to let me use their phone. I call AAA, then go back to my car, and sat on the grass and read while waiting. The woman who owned the house came to check on me after a while, and we chatted for a few minutes before the tow truck appeared. He had a bit of a time getting my old tire off, but eventually got the spare on. (Now mind you, I have a loaded car right now, with a desk Akiko doesn't have room for and thought would work for me. Fortunately, the way the desk is, and how we got it into the back of my car, I was able to just nudge it over slightly and be able to open the compartment to the spare and pull it out). The spare is a bit low, so I have to stop at the nearest gas station to fill it with air. The nearest gas station with air happens to be a good ten or so miles down the road.
Somehow, I manage to get home. Only to find my apartment is BRUTALLY hot. I unload half my car, go to set up my computer only to discover I must have left my powercord at M,J, and T's place. I turn on my computer. I've got a little over an hour left of power on it, and nobody's online. I save things and power down. I've got no means of communicating with anyone. Argh.
By this point, I'm hot and I'm starting to feel frustrated. Time for a cool shower and to try to relax some. Shower was colder than anticipated. No hot water. My bedroom is still stuffy, figure I've felt pretty comfortable enough when it's been this hot on the couch. Figure I'll sleep on the couch. Not quite so much. Didn't sleep well.
Stopped at local garage that did my last oil change and state inspection. They dont' think they'll be able to get a new tire today, and it'll cost less anyway if I just go to a tire place. Found a Verizon store, a Midas, and a Borders Book store all in the same plaza so afterwork I'll be heading down to the city to see if I can get nearly everything fixed and set. I'll manage somehow without my computer for a few days and pick up my powercord on my way back down south for CTcon on Thursday evening. Will find out what's up with my hot water when I can make phone calls. I think I've got a plan on how to get things back to working order,
and feeling hopeful that the week can only improve after a start like this.
If I was looking for a word to describe this weekend, it would be "messy".
Now "hectic", I was expecting hectic. When one is going to be in 3 different states for a 3 day weekend, driving down to ct, then to springfield, then to southern VT, one expects a bit of hectic. But I didn't expect messy.
It started Friday afternoon. I got home, stuffed sleepy meds into Romeo, and while waiting the hour and a half to take affect, I got myself packed up and ready for a long weekend away. Despite the medication and that I waited the time needed to take affect, Romeo got very carsick. Shat twice, drooled heavily the entire 3 hours, and also proceeded to throw up on me.
Somehow made it home. Got woken up in the middle of the night to care for a very sick friend.
Saturday was mostly fun, spending time with family and friends Hung out with Akiko, took a few shots of Viola in the woods. There were no blueberries on the nature trail, but we had heard that the bushes around the lake itself still had a number of berries. So we went out on a neighbor's plontoon boat, and father would steer it towards the bushes on shore and we'd pick as many as we could reach. It was a lot of fun and we got a large number of berries to add to our vanilla pudding pie.
Having returned victorious, I realized I couldn't find my cell phone. I thought I had it in my pocket. It's not around the house, not on the boat, and can't hear it by calling it. So father, his friend, and I sped out to where we were picking berries. (Earlier that day, i had been teasing father on how his boat was a bit overpowered for the lake they lived on. The powerful motor was understandable on some of the large lakes he visited while traveling, but really, on a lake the size as the one they lived on, did he really need to go across it in 2 seconds? I certainly ate my words as we quickly got from home port to the island on the far side where we had been picking blueberries.)
Around the island, the water was quite shallow, and amazingly clear and weed-free. Somehow, we were able to find my cellphone at the bottom of the lake. It powered on, but than immediately off. Glad at least to know it's fate, I have done my best to dry it out and fix it. While it does turn on, I am not able to use it. (the screen turns white) Fortunately, I am currently off-contract, so I should be able to go to a local verizon store and sign up for a new contract and thus get a phone for free and/or cheap. My cell is a few years old and the battery was starting to go anyway. Because it does turn on, I'm feeling hopeful that they will be able to save the data on it, though even if they can't, I think it shouldnt' be too hard to replace the lost information.
Decided to go to VT with Akiko Saturday night. Thought another pair of hands might be useful. We got stuck in a small town in VT for half an hour because of inept traffic control who had no idea how to efficiently move traffic due to the Firework/town event. Finally get to her place, unload the cars, got the tour, and crashed out on the floor.
I'm not sure if it was a dream, or if I really did this, but just as I was falling asleep, I sat up. I was trying to figure things out in my head, and realized that we still needed to do something, or we wouldn't be able to get Akiko moved in/organized or something. Akiko asked what was wrong and I told her how we needed to make certain we had the correct subject headings. At this point, I started to realize it was a dream, but I'm still not sure if it was a dream within a dream (ie, that the whole sitting up part was in a dream as well).
Morning came, I was still pretty exhausted. Movers arrived bright and early. I supervised while Akiko directed, and slowly but surely her new place was filled.
Finally got a hold of J. (we had tentative plans to hang on Sunday). I had IMed N to get their numbers, and finally got hold of J sunday morning.) Left Akiko to her work and headed back down to Springfield area.
The day was spent happily gaming, eating pizza and icecream, and hanging with good friends. In the evening, we made our way to the bridge to watch fireworks. M had a particular shot he wanted to take, and so we let him find his perfect spot and get himself set up. The bridge was a bridge of spiders. It was covered with hundreds if not more giant spiders. Creepy, but they didn't get in our way, other than preventing us from leaning on the railings. We got to watch not only the city fireworks, but the amusement parks, and the scores of local explosions. Much fun. There were also these mysterious balloons being set off near us with some sort of candle or flame, so there were these strange glowing orbs floating in the air. It felt like we were at Hogwarts. Strange but awesome.
Got back to their house and crashed out. Started to wake up a little before six, but didn't need to be up that early. So I started to doze off again when M's (I think it was M's at least) cell alarm went off. Having experience something similar with H's cell alarm a few years ago when he and A visited, i knew it wouldn't stop if I just ignored it. So I got up and turned it off, and I was up at that point so I got dressed and ready for the day and headed off back north to Akiko's.
Akiko didn't hear me at first at the door, but finally heard me when I tried the back door. I got the new tour. She had gotten a fair bit accomplished and was making progress on the unpacking and getting organized. We puttered a little, and then took a small driving tour of the area. She showed me her campus (beautiful!) and so on. We had lunch at a local pub (tasty food, amazing lemondade) and then went to a local mansion/estate park. The grounds were nothing that interesting, but we do enjoy tours of old mansions. And the house was pretty cool, so it was a nice respite from the heat.
Puttered a bit more than went to find an early dinner at friendly's for some icecream-as-dinner. But their power was out. (probably all the air cons in the extreme heat blew something). So we went exploring and found a local icecream shake. Tasty icecream and a bit of chicken cordon bleu bites for dinner, and than I was on the road.
But my weekend of messy wasnt' over yet.
Halfway through my trip home, my car started sounding/feeling funny. Something's not right. I pull over and check, and sure enough I've got a flat tire. I briefly consider changing it myself (I have before) but I have AAA for a reason. Now of course, I still don't have a working cellphone. Fortunately, I stopped near a home, and the people are not only home but willing to let me use their phone. I call AAA, then go back to my car, and sat on the grass and read while waiting. The woman who owned the house came to check on me after a while, and we chatted for a few minutes before the tow truck appeared. He had a bit of a time getting my old tire off, but eventually got the spare on. (Now mind you, I have a loaded car right now, with a desk Akiko doesn't have room for and thought would work for me. Fortunately, the way the desk is, and how we got it into the back of my car, I was able to just nudge it over slightly and be able to open the compartment to the spare and pull it out). The spare is a bit low, so I have to stop at the nearest gas station to fill it with air. The nearest gas station with air happens to be a good ten or so miles down the road.
Somehow, I manage to get home. Only to find my apartment is BRUTALLY hot. I unload half my car, go to set up my computer only to discover I must have left my powercord at M,J, and T's place. I turn on my computer. I've got a little over an hour left of power on it, and nobody's online. I save things and power down. I've got no means of communicating with anyone. Argh.
By this point, I'm hot and I'm starting to feel frustrated. Time for a cool shower and to try to relax some. Shower was colder than anticipated. No hot water. My bedroom is still stuffy, figure I've felt pretty comfortable enough when it's been this hot on the couch. Figure I'll sleep on the couch. Not quite so much. Didn't sleep well.
Stopped at local garage that did my last oil change and state inspection. They dont' think they'll be able to get a new tire today, and it'll cost less anyway if I just go to a tire place. Found a Verizon store, a Midas, and a Borders Book store all in the same plaza so afterwork I'll be heading down to the city to see if I can get nearly everything fixed and set. I'll manage somehow without my computer for a few days and pick up my powercord on my way back down south for CTcon on Thursday evening. Will find out what's up with my hot water when I can make phone calls. I think I've got a plan on how to get things back to working order,
and feeling hopeful that the week can only improve after a start like this.