October 26: I have said in the past that leaving for Europe often felt like Wiley Coyote pursuing the road-runner. Things become so complex and I become so rushed that I feel I have run off a cliff and am pedaling furiously in mid-air, before dropping into the abyss. This time, I have had that feeling on returning from Europe.
I knew this would happen. Before I left I decided that I would move to the new apartment on Friday, October 4. That meant that I had 4 days to pack everything in the apartment, make arrangements to transfer the various cable and telephone systems to the new place, and begin the process of organizing the new digs. On Monday I began packing and was lulled into that false sense that everything was under control. On Tuesday the Rogers cable guy arrived (on time) and started to work. He could only get the basement TV working; the upstairs would require a WIFI connection which was not part of their service. On Wednesday, the guy installing the new blinds arrived. He was done in less than a hour but sadly, the blinds he installed were not the ones we ordered.
That afternoon, I went to Home Depot to search out shelving units and other items for the new place. Kate called my cell phone as I stood in the hardware section with the news that she had been retired early. While it was totally unexpected – I thought at first she was kidding – it’s really a good news / bad news situation. We will certainly need to review the financial implications closely. On the other hand, she is free of the pressure and obligation of a full-time job that she did not entirely enjoy.
Throughout these few days I was expecting some contact from the mover. I had called him in August (from Donzenac, France) and had a verbal commitment to do the move on Friday. But when I finally reached him, he said that he had no record of the appointment to make the move. After stifling my rising panic, we discussed what had to be moved and he concluded that he could “fit it in”, starting at 1 PM.
And indeed they did move everything I owned in about 3 hours: out the back door of the apartment and down the walkway to the new townhouse. Of course, this was just phase one. Kate moved the following week, and we’ve spent the last week sorting through various boxes of things and finding mutually acceptable places for our various possessions. Rogers came back to complete installation of a WIFI system for the TV and internet. We rented a new storage unit and stashed a whole bunch of stuff “on a temporary basis”. Shelves are in. New drapes are on order and the place is starting to feel more like home.
It is said that moving is one of life’s most stressful events. (Job loss is another….) Although it looks simple when I see it described in words, there were certainly times during the last couple of weeks when I felt like Wiley Coyote on the cliff. There have been adjustments (where did we put …?) and many little jobs yet to do. But in the end, Kate and I are in a new place – both as a home and as the beginning of a new stage in our relationship. So far, it’s a very happy place.