Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Less Than A Week
By this time next week, I’m supposed to be on the road, moving north.
This entire past week has been busy but now that I have a place, I’ve been busting my ass for the past two days.
Yesterday I went out, succumbed, and got a cell phone. Thankfully we can still get the pay as you go plans, no contracts, you put money on it and when it runs out, you put more on there. That’s how I like my phone to be cause I’m not in to talking on the phone. Got a charger for the car, as well.
I also went and got an oil change and of course, as always, there was more that needed to be done. I knew they were going to do this so I made them show me everything. I made them take the serpentine belt out because that little flashlight on it, couldn’t see anything. Took it out and showed me...hmmm...yep, it does have cracks in it. Sigh. Cha-ching for them. Lights over back license plate not working. Show me. They did. Damnit. Wiper blades were bad, I knew that...sigh. Manufacturer recommended tune ups....yep, I am over the mileage for that.....grrrrr....fuck! I was even told, “consult your owner’s guide if you don’t believe us”. Damn thing was in there. GAH! If I was staying here and just using the car to get around town, I would have told them to bite me. But, going 1700 miles to areas I don’t know...rip me off here or rip me off later. And rip me off later is usually far more expensive. But, they didn’t do anything that didn’t actually need to be done. Cha-ching, everyone there is going out to a nice dinner on my dime. Congratulations.
Went and got packing boxes, bubble wrap and tape. Contacted someone to transport the pets. Contacted a freight company to come pick up my stuff. Which, frankly, I’m only paying for the truck and the gas because I get to do all of the work. You see, I have to have everything packed, put on pallets and shrink wrapped. They have to be on the curb. The truck merely comes in, loads them on the truck, drives them up, unloads them off the truck and I’m left with fricken pallets I don’t want nor need. But, at least my stuff is being picked up. And the cost to transport the pets and getting my stuff picked up by a freight company is loads...loads less, cost wise, than if I had chosen, say, U-Haul. Doing it myself was going to be over 2 grand...not including gas. Plus stress of driving a big truck and having a car towing behind it. Yah, too stressful so I have to pack up my own stuff and put it on pallets....not fun but still easier on my mind than the alternative. Or, I could just leave everything, shove the pets in the car and go but that would not be feasible because, uh...yah, cats and dogs in car for three days. Oh I can just imagine the joy. Plus, I don’t have that kind of money to buy everything all over again.
As it is, I have to buy furniture. I won’t have a piece of furniture at all. No bed, no couch, no table, no chairs, nothing. I do know, from personal experience, that places like Goodwill are PICKY when it comes to donated items so I think I might just go on in to one of their stores and shop around. It’s not like some people think...it’s not going to be torn, shredded, pissed on, stained, whatever. They have to be in good condition for the charity to pick it up. But that’s not a priority right now.
Anyway, then I signed the lease and sent it and the checks to the new landlord, via UPS.
All I have to do now is find some pallets, (???), shrink wrap, do tons of laundry, pack up my stuff, enlist the help of some neighbors and get my stuff on the pallets and wrapped up; to sit on the curb, waiting to be picked up.
Tuesday, early, early, I leave. It feels weird because while I’ve wanted to leave for awhile, this wasn’t exactly how I thought I was going to be doing it. Certainly not this fast...but...that’s the way it is.
Only have one last huge hurdle, the biggest one yet, to get over and that’s finding gainful employment.
So...the rest of this week I have to work. I hope those tourists tip me very well because I need every last dime I can find. This is our slow season so...who knows how well that will go.
What I do know is that I’m tired. I’m extremely tired. This city, this place, has worn me out and down. I’m fricken tired, to the core. I don’t even have the energy to get all that excited about this move. I should be..but I’m so damn tired. All I want to do is be there and rest.
Maybe I’ll start to get more excited as the day gets closer. Maybe I’ll find energy in me somewhere when I pull out of here. Maybe when I get out of city limits. Maybe then it will hit me, the reality, that I am done here and that’s it. No more Miami. No more shitty place of employment. No more callous, uncaring people, rudeness, snobbery, snottiness, arrogance and about the worst work ethics I’ve ever come across. There must be something in the water here. It makes no sense to me. These people live in paradise. I guess they don’t appreciate what they have. I did...the nature...I sure did. But the people? I can’t take it anymore. I’m too tired.
