The Long Blog

Well, I'm more or less settled in and thought it was time for an update! So much has happened in the 9 days since my last post....

Last Saturday, I spent the day running around Edmonton, getting a bunch of last minute things done. One of which was getting a haircut - I loved my stylist and I hate the thought of trying to find a new one who knows what do with my thick wavy hair that does not like humidity. That night, I went to BPs on Whyte for one last gathering. Most of my friends managed to make it and I spent the night chatting away. It was really great seeing everyone before I left, although I was so tired from packing that I went home not long after midnight.

Sunday was full of last minute packing and taking apart furniture to have it all ready to go in the morning. Dad and I went out for supper on Whyte as I had a craving for Julio's nachos. Yummmm. We also went for a walk through my old neighbourhood before heading home.

Monday morning, I woke up at 430am, ready and raring to go. We couldn't pick up the truck until 8am so there wasn't a lot I could do at that point!! The loading up went really well, as Rob, Lori and Baby M came over to help. Baby M was so cute. He walked up and down the hallways with us as we took down carts of boxes for my Dad and Rob to load. I honestly didn't know how it was all going to fit into a 16 foot truck but somehow my dad figured it out. I can't imagine what he would have done if I had kept the ancient couch!

We were ready to go about 1230, and after a few almost tearful hugs and the stuffing of one cat into a cage, we were on the road. We had lots of healthy and unhealthy snacks for the road - sandwiches, fruit, cold pop, water, licorice. What it is about road trips that give me the munchies?? Fuzz cried for a little over an hour, mostly while we drove out of the city. He didn't take long to settle down after we got on the highway, but he was clearly sulking. He sat right at the back of his box with this attitude of "If you're going to ignore me, I'm going to ignore you too". Our first stop was in Hinton, after about 3.5 hours on the road. Just a quick washroom break and a diesel fill up. The weather started getting crazy after that and we went through some very very very heavy rain. After another 3 hours or so, we stopped in Blue River just to get out of the truck and use the washroom again (must.stop.drinking.liquid). As we were driving out of there, a lightning storm started up. It was amazing, although quite freaky. We actually saw a lightning bolt strike the side of the mountain and start a fire. We would have called it in, but no cell service of course. From there, the weather got even crazier. Even heavier rain and large hail. It was so bad at one point that we couldn't even see the front of the truck and my dad had to pull over. It looked like the road was flooding out in spots. Once we got going again, we drove through a section that had had so much hail, it looked like it snowed. We pulled into Kamloops around 10pm Alberta time, so roughly 9 hours of driving. Fuzz started crying when we got back into the city, I think because of the stop and go motions of the truck. We got diesel so we wouldn't need it in the morning and it took two tries to find a vacant hotel. We stayed over night at the Best Western and Fuzz was very excited to get out of his cage. He explored the room for a bit and settled in pretty well. The next morning I was up by 5am BC time. We had decided to have breakfast at the hotel's restaurant before leaving and it didn't even open until 6, so once again I was awake too early! After breakfast, we went back to our room and I was surprised by how easily Fuzz went back into his cage. He clearly didn't like it, but he hardly fought at all. Once back in the truck, he didn't cry for the first half hour and then he got really cranky. He kept crying and sticking his paw out the bars at the front, which he hadn't done at all the day before. At one point when I leaned down to check on him, I realized the floor was really hot. We were going through a really mountainous area and the engine was obviously working too hard. For the next 4 hours, I kept his cage on my lap. We drove straight through to the Lower Mainland and my new apartment!

The first thing I did when I got here was find a good place to put Fuzz's litter box and let him out inside the laundry room. After that, I actually got a look around. It's a really nice place - 1083 square feet, 2 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms, a breakfast nook, a galley kitchen and a long living room/dining room with a gas fireplace. Only problem - smells like cat pee. The previous renters clearly had pets with problems. The first time my dad viewed the apartment, the carpets were being cleaned so it smelled like rug cleaner. The second time they were painting. Not much I can do really, although I've spent the last few days using stain remover, odour remover and carpet deodorizer. I think I've weakened it, or perhaps I'm just adapting. If I invite people over for supper, I'll just make really strong smelling food to drown it out :)

The unloading went great as one of my uncles helped us. 6 days later, everything but my china is unpacked and that will be finished tonight. My dad's helped me with a bunch of things like putting my furniture back together, hanging pictures and extra shelves, and a few little fix-its. My landlord is away for a few weeks so I haven't met him yet.

I've also explored my neighbourhood and it looks really great - lots of shopping and restaurants within walking distance. I've found the bank, the library and the gym (although I haven't joined yet, it's on the list of things to do this week). I took the bus to my new job to make sure I know how to get there. Long ride, but not really that bad. I like to read anyway.

I've already seen my friends a couple of times - Rod and Fancy stopped by Wednesday night to check out the new place. There was a party at Shivauna's house Friday night so I got to see the girls and meet some of her friends. My sister came too. Saturday I had dinner at my parents' house and my sister and I went to see Snakes on the Plane. Honestly, it was the most entertaining movie I have seen in a long time. Five stars. Worth every penny. I'm mildly scared of snakes, although I wouldn't freak out if I saw one here since we basically only have garter snakes. So I jumped about a million times during the movie, screaming and laughing at the same time. I highly highly recommend seeing it - no, it's not a classic in sense of Gone With The Wind, but I think it will definitely be a cult classic along the lines of Rocky Horror Picture Show.

My new job starts in the morning! Nervous. I think it will be what makes this move feel real though. It doesn't yet. Sure, I'm in my own place, but it feels a bit like a vacation still. I have this feeling of "i'll be going home soon". I'm sure I won't by 5pm tomorrow though!