Spinning

Where in the world did my days off go? I certainly don’t know.

The first one was spent moving into my apartment - made two trips to WL and one trip to IC to pick up items.  My gas tank is on empty - something that hasn’t happened in quite awhile as I’ve been keeping it up around half a tank.

When I arrived at the unit there was no refrigerator but that came later while I was picking up the TV from my son.  It is nice and new - can’t ask for much more then that.  I almost bought ice cube trays but when I found out I was getting a brand new refrigerator, I decided not to as a new refrigerator almost always comes with ice cube trays.  Well, wrong.  Yes, my new refrigerator in FL did come with two ice cube trays but this one had nada so I will have to grab some sometime.  Not a big deal, mind you, just a little irritated when I got home as I didn’t have anything cold to drink then but such is life.

Got the TV and DVD player hooked up so have been putting on my movies when I need background noise.  I almost got speakers for my computer, having left mine in FL, but I couldn’t remember if my computer had a built in speaker or not.  It doesn’t.  Just means I can’t listen to my music until I get computer speakers which I will do on the 1st.

The maintenance man came over on Wednesday because the toilet water hose was leaking.  He thought he had it fixed but it still leaks a little every time I flush.  I put a rag under it so that takes care of that problem.

Baxter and I have gone for walks twice a day since being there.  He loves going and I love that it gets me out exercising.  We haven’t gone far - though today we did go farther then previously.  Part of it is not knowing my way around town that well but the biggest reason has been the heat.  We didn’t get a walk in tonight before work due to the rainstorm.

Yesterday my nephew and I moved the loveseat and entertainment center my sister gave me.  It is so great to have some furniture in the apartment! The loveseat is almost comfortable enough to sleep on - something I might have to do because my air mattress keeps losing air.  Another sister has a bed in her basement that I might see about using if they can bring it to NL for me as I don’t have a way to transport it.  I’m not in any rush, I can sleep on the floor if I need to for awhile.

Several of the ceramic and glass pieces I sent up from FL were broken.  I was disappointed because I packed them in bubble wrap and everything.  A couple of other pieces were chipped or broken but not so badly that I can’t glue them back together.  Ah the joys of shipping things.

My beautiful skirt that I was looking forward to wearing to my nephew’s wedding next month was left down in FL too.  I was upset to find that out.  But I left a bag in my closet there that I meant to grab - it had all my favorite clothes in it so I should have guess the skirt would be in it too.  Oh well, I will have to find something else to wear.  I’m going to plead with my neighbor down there to send me the bag - she can take the whole bag to the UPS store and they will do all the boxing and shipping. She hates to be put out but I’m hoping she will take pity on me and do it.

I have been asked by work to switch my hours this coming Monday and Tuesday from 7pm-3am to 3pm-11pm because the trainer on that shift needs a hand with the trainee.  I agreed to do so though it means getting off at 7am on Monday morning and having to be back at 3pm the same day.  I will also have to do it the following week.  On Wednesday they are putting out OT requests for the other days as well, I may sign up but changing shifts like that makes sleeping so much harder again.

It continues to rain outside which is good, it means we won’t be doing many traffic stops and, hopefully, the guards will be staying longer at each building.  I really could use a quiet night.

No Service

I get no bars on my wonderful AT&T cell phone here at work.  It can be frustrating when I am waiting for a call to come in because I have to remember to go outside during break to see if any calls came through.  My phone doesn’t even beep or give me any indication at all that a call was received until I go out.

Well, tonight I went out just to see if I had any messages.  I actually did too.  It was my new landlord telling me I could start moving in on Wednesday - possibly Tuesday.  I am suppose to set up a time tomorrow to go to his office to sign my lease and pay whatever rent I will need to pay for the rest of this month.

Because I didn’t get the call last night at 7:30, when he actually called, I can’t get the electric put in my name until Wednesday now.  Had I been able to do it last night, I might have been able to have it on Tuesday.  But that is OK, Wednesday is fine.  I doubt they’ll let me stay there overnight Tuesday night though if electric isn’t in my name.

I have already put in a change of address as well and changed my address with the University.  I am very excited and hope it is a good thing.  Putting down the deposit was such a rushed thing that I still need a few questions answered like - do they pay water/sewer or do I; where are the mailboxes; where is the laundry room; etc.

I am sure I will find out a lot more tomorrow - including what kind of a deposit I have to put down for electric service, etc.  Still, it is nice to know that I will soon have my own space and can finally unpack.

I still won’t have cable till next month so that is kind of a bummer with the new season of Closer starting tonight but oh well.  Can’t have everything.  Guess I can buy those dishes by the end of the week…or the first of the month anyway. 

It will be so good to get Baxter and I back into a routine.  I miss sleeping with the little bugger but couldn’t sleep during the day with him in there because he likes to bark when he hears Kato bark.  He will have to be broken of that barking habit - he rarely ever barked at all in Florida.  I sure do love the little guy.

Early Morning Hours

It is 4 am and I’m just now getting time to write a post. No, we haven’t been that busy - though busier then the last two nights combined - it is more that I’ve been reading the news around the world. I have to say, there is strange shit going on out there.

In Washington, a woman was arrested and faces the death penalty for stabbing a stranger to death then cutting the victim’s baby boy from her womb. It sounds like she wounded the baby in the process but at least it is alive. She tried to pass the baby off as her own but couldn’t quite pull it off.

A Russian woman in St Petersburg killed her husband with a folding couch. They had a couch that folded up to make more room in their apartment. She was angry because he was drunk and still sleeping so she hit the button that automatically folds the couch with him still lying on it. Police said he died instantly. She claims she didn’t know it would kill him.

In Wisconsin a man was charged with 12 felonies for apparently kidnapping two drunk men, tying them up in his house naked, sexually assaulting and torturing them. One of the men managed to escape and got authorities to the house to save the other man. The suspect said he was sorry, he probably shouldn’t have done that.

Two airliners at JFK - one taking off and one landing - almost collided making it the second time in a week that they have had a close call. What does it take for them to change their policy? A mid-air collision?

Hospitals continue to give newborn infants overdoses of heparin - with more babies dying or having close calls due to mistakes by either the nurses or the pharmacy staff. If you remember, Dennis Quad’s twins had a close call when they were born due to the same thing. You would think that, with this happening in several states with the same drug, the hospitals and drug companies would find a way to rectify the problems. Anytime medicine is given to anyone, especially a baby, extra care should be taken to make sure the medicine and dosage is correct.

And finally, in California firefighters were disconcerted when they found that one of the people in their ranks was an impostor. A drunk man managed to get in full fire gear and work with the fire fighters before someone realized he didn’t actually belong there.

Ok, two news stories that warm a person’s heart.  Governor Swartzenegger has announced that firefighters from overseas are coming to California to help fight the fires there.  California and National Guardsmen are exhausted from what experts say is the worst fire season California has had in recorded history.  Firefighters are flying in from “Australia, Canada, Greece, Mexico and New Zealand” according to the article I read.  It makes you wonder, doesn’t it, why the world can’t pull together more for each other on a regular basis? Why does it always take something so extreme?

The second story is one I thought was cute.  In Amsterdam, a newborn Red Panda was rejected by it’s mother and then adopted by a domestic cat.  The cat feeds the panda along with her own four kittens.  Isn’t that sweet? Red Panda’s are much smaller then the black and white panda’s most people think of when they hear the word “Panda.”  The Red Panda is as small as a kitten when born and grows barely bigger then a regular domesticated cat when it is full grown.

Why can’t humans be so quick to overlook differences and embrace others like this cat did this panda?  Both those stories made me smile so decided to share them with you all.

How many?

How many change of addresses will the Post Office let you put in at one time? I have three once I move into my apartment.  Right now I have mail going from Florida to my son’s house and to my sisters.  When I move I’ll have to put one in for Florida, one for my son’s house and one for my sisters just so I can make sure I get all my mail at the new place.  I hope they are OK with that.  The main ones are Florida and my son’s as I don’t get much of anything at my sister’s but my dental cards did come here so will put one in just in case.

Well, I’m up for a few minutes but am seriously thinking about going back to bed till five and then getting up for the night rather then staying up now and trying to get more sleep later.  I took a shower now which I thought would wake me up but then I thought maybe it is better to be sleepy now and then be wide awake when I get up later rather then trying to wake up now for a few hours and then try to go back to sleep…make sense?  I just hate feeling like I’ve wasted away the day.

I will be happy when I get on the 7pm to 3am shift so that I can regulate my sleep better.  Then I should get to my apartment by 3:20 am and take Baxter out for potty for ten minutes then be in bed by 3:30am and sleep till noon or so.  I don’t know why it is so hard to regulate my sleep on the 11pm-7am shift but it is.

At Work

I have been at work for 2 1/2 hours now.  I have 1 1/2 hours to go before I can go back to my sister’s house.  They did not need me to be here from 3am-7am so I don’t know what the scheduler was thinking.  I know she thought I needed to get an additional 4 hours in somewhere but really…3- 7 am? How crazy is that???

I spent the first hour reading other people’s blogs - something I don’t seem to have time for these days.  I always read my family’s blogs but often don’t get to check out the blogs of those people I have links to on my blogroll.  So tonight I checked out everyone’s and made a few comments.

Then, having read those, I decided to write a note to my friends down in Florida.  Took me pretty much of the next hour to write them a two page letter.  This last half hour I spent reading my junk mail.  Such an exciting time.

I am going to have to be more inventive to come up with something for the remainder of the time.  I did get my uniforms when I came in to work today - they are too long in the legs.  I told her a 32″ length but they must be 34″ as I keep falling over them.  The rest of the stuff fits fine.  It was good to get the jacket because I had forgotten to bring one and it is chilly in here tonight.

It is starting to get light outside - it is my favorite time at work, watching the city awaken.  Hope to be in bed here shortly. 

I did check out fares to Florida earlier.  It would cost $560 or so to fly two people there.  I don’t have the money to buy tickets now so am hoping the price doesn’t skyrocket between now and when I do.  I might just have to go down by myself.

Sunny Sunday

It is Sunday morning and the sun is out, the birds are singing, and a quiet breeze is blowing along.  I have no idea what to do with this day other then maybe go into town and walk around the mall or something.  I need to get a present and stuff but hate the idea of driving way out to the mall most days.  Today I think I could probably hit Sycamore Mall as they have a Benjamin Franklin which would have some stuff but not baby stuff like I need.  Maybe I’ll have to hit Coral Ridge Mall but I really don’t want to.

I imagine I’ll be spending a lot of time at the mall once I move to North Liberty.  Face it, what is there to do in NL? Nothing.  So I’ll run down the street to the mall to walk around and hang out - probably especially at Barnes and Noble.  I’ll probably go to the theater there if I go because who wants to drive all the way across town to the newer ones? If I went with someone else then that would be one thing but not by myself.  Who knows if I’ll ever get back to a point when I can afford to go to movies by myself.  I suppose I will eventually.

There is a Pier One there too but I probably won’t see it much.  I know there are other stores on the other side of the interstate like Kohl’s, Super Walmart and a Petco so will probably spend time at them as well.  I could ride my bike down there…if I ever get a bike.

I will not be that far from the Reservior either so can take the dogs for a walk there once and awhile.  I’m sure NL has some sort of park around.  No where has the dog friendly parks that Sarasota had.

End of the Day

Well, this day went very fast - I just can’t believe it. How could it go like the wind? I swear it is just amazing.

I visited my puppy again today - he is so adorable! I’ve been trying to think up a good name for him but have been struggling with it.  I was thinking “Jonesy” after the cat in Alein but damn, what kind of a complex would that give him if he knew he was named after a cat?

I’m also thinking of calling him “Norman”…don’t ask me why but it came to me and I kind of like it.  Course, I also thought of “yuri”, “chester”, “charlie” and “brenner”.  So hard to come up with a name when he doesn’t fit any of the other names I had previously picked out for a dog - like “jules”.  I don’t know - guess the answer will come to me eventually.

I am in the mood to write but don’t have my stuff available to me to write on.  My stories are in my computer which sits in my car - sure hope it works alright when I do go to set it up.  Of course, I won’t have anything to set it on once I move to my own place anyway.  I’m going to go around curbside shopping after I get moved because people are always throwing stuff out to their curbs. I’ll also check the second hand shops.

Well, everyone came in from outside so I guess I will work at visiting some now.  The movie I was waiting to watch is coming on now but it is too gorry for the kids so I’ll have to catch it some other time.  Oh well, no big deal - I wouldn’t get to see it all anyway.  Probably give me nightmares since it is about werewolves.

Movies

Last born

Tan puppy

White puppy

FIrst Born

Went to see “Hancock” today with my son.  We had a great time and the movie was funny.  I wouldn’t say it was Will’s best movie by far but it was good and I love him so enjoyed it a lot.  Of course I had the most fun because I was with my son who so rarely seems to have time to do anything with his old mom.  What is that about? My sister’s kids talk to her everyday about but mine can go weeks without seeing me - he does call though so that is good.

I can’t say much about the movie because others haven’t seen it but I did laugh pretty hard through most of it.  I can only go to one movie a month unless, of course, I go to the one in WL which is a lot cheaper then IC - I’m glad we went to Hancock instead of Wanted even though I want to see that one as well.  But I needed to laugh so Hancock was the better choice.  I love Angelina so imagine her movie is good too but probably not laughable. 

We just finished watching “Wild Hogs” here at my sister’s house.  I had not seen it before though had often said I wanted to see it eventually.  I laughed so hard in it that I had a couple of coughing fits.  Man, some movies really are silly. 

My sister is busy making preparations for tomorrow’s cookout.  She always does more of the holidays then anyone else.  Someday I hope to have a house so I can take my turn at having everyone over to grill out or eat turkey. 

I spent a lot of time today playing with the puppies at my son’s house.  They are so adorable! I’m including pictures of each one.  They are so much cutier in person but oh well.  I’m suppose to get the tan one but she has six people who want puppies and only four puppies so someone will be disappointed.  I told them I would not take one if they knew someone else who would take good care of it.

Monday and Wyoming

Today should have been the day we arrived in Jackson Hole Wyoming to pick up the key to our cabin.  I have never regretted not going on a vacation as much as I regret this one.  This one feels like a little bit of hope inside me has withered and died because I didn’t go see the mountains.  Not going took something away from me that I can’t even describe.

I dreamt again last night that I owned a cabin in Montana.  Of course, never having seen Montana except in movies, my dream was limited to those scraps of knowledge.  I wish I could win the lottery because buying a cabin in Montana, Colorado, or Wyoming is something I would definitely But alas, that is hardly likely.

Today I am looking at apartments for rent that allow a dog.  Now, I could give up my dog and find a nicer apartment however, Baxter keeps me sane and gets me exercising.  It is hard to come home late at night and not have anyone there.  Baxter always greets me at the door, is very excited I’m home, and then sits beside me on the couch while I watch tv or whatever - when I go to bed, he curls up next to me to sleep.  I don’t want to be alone again.

I believe there are nice apartments out there that allow dogs, I just have to find them.  He is just a little guy so I find it hard to believe he isn’t acceptable.  Of course, looking for an apartment is not what I’d like to be doing - I’d like to be looking for a house to buy.  But if I hang on to the condo a while longer then I can’t buy a house up here…it is just plain monetary fact.

Oh the challenges of life.  There are more apartments open next month since the lease year here goes August to the end of July but I don’t want to wait.  I’m sure my sister would let me stay with them another month but I hate being a burden to others or making them feel uncomfortable in their own home.  Besides, I need to get moving forward on getting settled or I will go insane.

The Hunt Continues

I started looking at apartments for rent in the paper yesterday.  There are so many available that it gives me a headache trying to keep them all seperate.  Wish the paper would list them based on who allows pets and who doesn’t…would make my life a lot easier. 

I’m seriously thinking about Broadway Condos dispite their being on the edge of a high crime area.  Really have to see the apartment to be sure but from what I remember of them, they were nice.  However, for a hundred dollars or so more a month, I could get an apartment with a washer/dryer hookups in the unit.  This has it’s rewards and so I’m thinking about that as well.  The apartments I like best so far are on Benton Street but there seems to be conflicting information on what the monthly rent rate is and whether they allow pets because in one paper it says it is $550 a month and allows pets, then in another it says it is $595 a month and doesn’t.  Will call them on Monday to see which ad is correct.

I will also contact a few other property management companies on Monday to see what they have.  Like I said, there are so many apartments in the paper that it makes my head swim.  I keep reading them wondering which one would work best for Baxter and me.  It is such a delimma.  Some ads don’t tell where the apartment is but rather tells you to call them to find out.  I don’t like those ads because it feels like they are wasting my time.