I spent several days frantically packing to get ready for my move from Colorado to Chicago, 22 hours on the road, and over a week trying to get remotely organized in a house that's literally falling apart. There have been a number of bumps along the road (both figuratively and literally) and I figure I may as well share the stories for anyone interested. And like many of my posts, the interesting bit is just at the end so feel free to skip to it.
The Pack
Day 1 was trying to get some books in order, and that leaked into Day 2 and Day 3, and then somewhere in the whole mess that is a blur in my mind I managed to pack my books, my clothes, my DVDs, my CDs, my furniture, my toys, my toothbrush, my medications, my shampoo/soap/razor/etc., my art and art supplies, my luggage, my computer, my printer, my speakers, my bike, and anything else I could remember to bring. But it didn't all fit in the car.
It seems my father is going to drive out here in August so he should be able to bring the remaining things that wouldn't fit, but that means a few months with only half of my stuff. That's fine, I prioritized, but I'm starting to wonder how it all going to fit in the house I'm currently in, because it's almost too full already with only half of my things.
The Drive
I hate cars, I hate driving in them and riding in them, so spending 22 hours in one was not something I ever wanted to do in the first place and certainly never want to do again. We hit the road at around 7p.m on the 21st and drove through the night and well into the next day. On the beginning of the drive, when I was tired and sore from all the packing, there was about a 300 mile stretch of road that was really windy, so instead of relaxing into the drive I was all tensed up constantly compensating for the shifts in the wind. This made all my muscles turn into knots for the rest of the trip. Bleh. Around the 3-6a.m. period, I was using some Tai Chi techniques to stay awake. Overall, I got about an hour or so of sleep on the drive, and coupled with the fact that I'd been getting less and less sleep the more I'd been packing...
Finally There
...after I arrived I slept 14 hours. Well, first I said hello to my extended family here and we ate some Chicago style deep dish pizza (if it ain't at least 2 inches thick, it ain't Chicago style), then I went to bed and slept forever. The next day I brought my stuff up from the living room to my bedroom and since then I've been gradually working on unpacking while also dealing with a number of issues and seeing my family here.
One Thing After Another
-So I've moved in with my grandmother, and she lives in a hundred year old house. Which is falling apart. A lot.
-A few months ago she was taking a shower and three of the tiles on the shower wall fell off. And then more and more and more until a nearly six foot by four foot area of the wall was reveled. And it wasn't just the tiles, some spots have holes so deep you can see beyond the wood the wall's made of. Any more and the shower would open into the kitchen. I called my mother, a DIY queen, and got instructions for a quick fix. I wound up duct taping a monkey shower curtain to the damaged area, it looks rather funny now.
-So that's all well and good until we come home one night and the power's out on her block. Candles it is then... I suppose that means bed time.
-She doesn't have internet access, so I debated and looked at pros and cons and decided to just buy it myself, even though I can't afford it. I set it up today (hence me being online right now) and hopefully it'll work right and they wont be total jerks. But at least I've got the net now.For the last week and a half I haven't really been able to be on long enough to do anything but modding, so I'm looking forward to catching up on all I've missed.
-There's also the fact that it's a tiny tiny house. I've got a lot of stuff (particularly books) and so trying to fit it all into one little room is a heck of a struggle.
-Not to mention that establishing residency and just getting a driver's license apparently takes just about everything but my first born child.
So all in all, it's been very eventful and I've been very busy... and there's a bit of an issue with my grandmother and me being FtM, but I'll go into that later.
Or should that be a 
? Heck, take your pick.
Welcome to the Midwest, Zen. Guessing you caught some of that big storm front, glad the 'nados' missed you!!
KRAZYKAT [/SIZE]
Originally Posted by Sharon
I grew up here ya' know. 
She's not even trying, my other family here is making an effort to call me 'he' and my male name, and when I correct them they repeat the corrected phrase, but she just calls me 'she' constantly and when I say 'he' she goes and calls me 'she' all over again the next time. 
This is going to be difficult.
Sounds crazy!! Yes, I know after 3 weeks in Thailand, everything can come with seaweed!!
[SIZE="1"]Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl[/SIZE]