I forgot to mention one aspect of the house here that is driving me crazy. Those of you that know me well understand that I'm very particular about my TV and audio/video set-up...this being the reason that I had a huge black felt drapery covering the window in our last place. I just can't stand glare on the TV; it's completely unacceptable. Well, I thought that the situation here would be okay. There was only one wall to use for the TV but there was no direct sunlight aimed at it, so it should have been fine. What I failed to factor in is the three foot long, oval glass window pattern built into the front door. It's perfectly nice, looks great from the outside, blah, blah, blah...and it blasts sun right into the center of the TV from where I sit, stranded in my recliner. We shifted the TV a little last night but that just moved the bright glow a little to the left side of the TV. I can see reflected cars and trucks from outside, but this thing is way too bright and really annoying. We have nicknamed it The Eye of Sauron because it is impossible to escape from it.
The doctor's appointment went well on Wednesday. They gave me some exercises to start doing and then I'll return for a follow-up appointment in four weeks. But for now, I'm starting to get around a little bit better. The gas guy came today (finally) so we can start cooking in the kitchen...but there is a problem with the hot water heater that the landlord will have to fix. I really hope that happens tomorrow but I may be dreaming.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Unpacking forever
Sunday was a pretty quiet day. Beth got started on unpacking kitchen stuff with a little help from her grandmother. Jim Bob and Aimee came over too, but didn't really do too much. We finally made some progress on Monday because my Mom came down for the day to help out. She's the perfect person to recruit for a thankless task like this so it was great that she volunteered to help. She spent all day unpacking stuff in the kitchen and putting things away, powering through almost every box in there. And she even brought a lasagna too! Although our gas still isn't turned on, so we can't eat it yet, but still...
I have a doctor's appointment with a general practitioner today. I'm thinking that it will basically be a wasted trip since all I need is a referral to an orthopedic specialist out here, but this is what has to be done, I guess. I hope he'll at least change some of the bandages for me because they are starting to itch a little bit. As for progress, I was sitting in the recliner in the living room the other day and I was able to left my right leg for the first time. I even did it a few times to make sure that it wasn't a fluke--although I'm not sure how much of that I'm even supposed to do yet, if any, so I quit after a few. I don't want to over-exert it or risk straining it or anything. I hope to get some more information about the recovery timetable whenever I'm able to see a specialist out here. But it's not hurting as much and I'm getting around just fine on the crutches. I'm not much help unpacking though. We're nowhere close to done and from the looks of it, it will take quite a while to get everything unpacked and put away.
I have a doctor's appointment with a general practitioner today. I'm thinking that it will basically be a wasted trip since all I need is a referral to an orthopedic specialist out here, but this is what has to be done, I guess. I hope he'll at least change some of the bandages for me because they are starting to itch a little bit. As for progress, I was sitting in the recliner in the living room the other day and I was able to left my right leg for the first time. I even did it a few times to make sure that it wasn't a fluke--although I'm not sure how much of that I'm even supposed to do yet, if any, so I quit after a few. I don't want to over-exert it or risk straining it or anything. I hope to get some more information about the recovery timetable whenever I'm able to see a specialist out here. But it's not hurting as much and I'm getting around just fine on the crutches. I'm not much help unpacking though. We're nowhere close to done and from the looks of it, it will take quite a while to get everything unpacked and put away.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
We're moved in
The movers arrived shortly after 8:30 AM on Saturday and got down to the business of unloading all of our stuff. It was a four man crew--Steve and George from our Arizona team and Curtis and Leon, a couple of local guys on this end. They were all great--very accomodating about putting anything anywhere we asked them to. We also received the lovely news that they found a rat in our garage in Chandler and a black widow spider inside my guitar amp...which Beth is now ready to throw away just on principle. The DirecTV installer here also found a huge, dead rat in an air duct of some sort outside so clearly we're having an exterminator come before we get too settled in.
But the house looks much better now that we've gotten some stuff inside. Beth's grandmother, Na'Nan, was kind enough to buy some nice rugs for the house, which we sorely needed since the whole place has hardwood floors. There's a really nice one in the dining room and a handful of cheaper ones in the living room, master bedroom, and office. And my Mom has a nice rug that she's going to bring down for use in the guest bedroom. Mom will be heading down here on Monday and that will be huge, as she is an unpacking and decorating savant. So that will be nice.
But the best news is simply that I got to sleep in my own bed last night, I have internet access at home again, and the dish and TV are set up, including a new TiVo for the main system that holds up to 70 hours of programming, meaning that the old 30 hour TiVo can go in the bedroom. Given my current condition, 70 hours is probably about what I watch in a week. I was even able to get everything up and running before the first round of the NFL Draft ended. I saw that ASU QB Andrew Walter went to Oakland in the third round, which I know will make my friend Brandon Bown happy.
Anyway, we're in the house. There is a ton of unpacking that needs to be done and I'm going to try to help as much as I can, but I know that it will be a gradual process. I'll try to post some pictures at some point. I hope all of you are having a great weekend.
But the house looks much better now that we've gotten some stuff inside. Beth's grandmother, Na'Nan, was kind enough to buy some nice rugs for the house, which we sorely needed since the whole place has hardwood floors. There's a really nice one in the dining room and a handful of cheaper ones in the living room, master bedroom, and office. And my Mom has a nice rug that she's going to bring down for use in the guest bedroom. Mom will be heading down here on Monday and that will be huge, as she is an unpacking and decorating savant. So that will be nice.
But the best news is simply that I got to sleep in my own bed last night, I have internet access at home again, and the dish and TV are set up, including a new TiVo for the main system that holds up to 70 hours of programming, meaning that the old 30 hour TiVo can go in the bedroom. Given my current condition, 70 hours is probably about what I watch in a week. I was even able to get everything up and running before the first round of the NFL Draft ended. I saw that ASU QB Andrew Walter went to Oakland in the third round, which I know will make my friend Brandon Bown happy.
Anyway, we're in the house. There is a ton of unpacking that needs to be done and I'm going to try to help as much as I can, but I know that it will be a gradual process. I'll try to post some pictures at some point. I hope all of you are having a great weekend.
Friday, April 22, 2005
Little Rock...my new home?!?
We arrived in Little Rock early on Thursday afternoon without incident. Dad and I swung by the new house first to drop off the Focus, then went on to the Hillis residence. Dad quickly got on the road to head home to Memphis...he was clearly pretty fried and ready to be home. I still can't thank him enough for all his help.
After Beth got out of work, we went to our house and I got to see the inside for the first time. To put it mildly, it's a little disappoiting. It's smaller than it appears from pictures, it's located close to a pretty loud street, and it just seems dingy to me. The good things are that it should be okay, space-wise, as it's bigger than our last apartment, and that it is substantially cheaper. And since I won't be able to work for a month or two, that's a pretty big deal. I'm sure I'll feel a lot better about it once we clean up the inside a little and get all of our stuff unpacked, but for now I'm completely underwhelmed. I'm trying not to be too negative about everything but I think my attitude is wearing on Beth a little already. It's tough to be too optimistic with the way things are for me right now.
Good news: the movers called and now it appears that they will arrive on Saturday morning after all. That threw a kink into Beth's plans because she wanted to do some painting and cleaning on Saturday before our furniture arrived but we'll be fine. I'm happy about the idea of having everything set by Saturday afternoon. The Sox play, the Celtics have a playoff game, and it's NFL Draft Day, so clearly I need my system set up!
And to address one of the anonymous comments: I have NEVER owned leather pants--come on, I don't think they make those in a 44 waist. The yellow shades died years ago, although I do have some more subtle green Ray Bans. But I had the cheap black wraparounds going for the trip. And Steph, my Dad really enjoyed "Saturday" so the recommendation was a success.
Off to run some errands. Thanks for the comments and keep them coming!
After Beth got out of work, we went to our house and I got to see the inside for the first time. To put it mildly, it's a little disappoiting. It's smaller than it appears from pictures, it's located close to a pretty loud street, and it just seems dingy to me. The good things are that it should be okay, space-wise, as it's bigger than our last apartment, and that it is substantially cheaper. And since I won't be able to work for a month or two, that's a pretty big deal. I'm sure I'll feel a lot better about it once we clean up the inside a little and get all of our stuff unpacked, but for now I'm completely underwhelmed. I'm trying not to be too negative about everything but I think my attitude is wearing on Beth a little already. It's tough to be too optimistic with the way things are for me right now.
Good news: the movers called and now it appears that they will arrive on Saturday morning after all. That threw a kink into Beth's plans because she wanted to do some painting and cleaning on Saturday before our furniture arrived but we'll be fine. I'm happy about the idea of having everything set by Saturday afternoon. The Sox play, the Celtics have a playoff game, and it's NFL Draft Day, so clearly I need my system set up!
And to address one of the anonymous comments: I have NEVER owned leather pants--come on, I don't think they make those in a 44 waist. The yellow shades died years ago, although I do have some more subtle green Ray Bans. But I had the cheap black wraparounds going for the trip. And Steph, my Dad really enjoyed "Saturday" so the recommendation was a success.
Off to run some errands. Thanks for the comments and keep them coming!
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Checking in from Fort Worth
We left on Tuesday afternoon shortly after 4:30 PM with no hassles. I'm a little bummed that I didn't really get to say goodbye to a couple of people before blowing out of town but that's just the way it had to be. I was very sad as we pulled out of Chandler...I love Arizona and of everywhere I've lived, it's really the place where I feel most comfortable and feel most like "the real me." I could definitely see coming back here to live some day, and I'll most certainly be back to visit. Is it March 2006 yet?
Tuesday was a short night, as we were both tired. We stopped at a janky hotel in Wilcox (I think?), near the Arizona/New Mexico state border. Chalk up night number two in a row of crappy sleep for me. Meanwhile, my driver was up and getting ready by 5:20 AM. He's an early riser. Me...not so much. But he's driving so we're definitely working on his schedule, so we were in the car and on the road by 5:45 AM. The highlight of the morning was definitely the McGriddle sandwich that I scarfed for breakfast. How have I not had one of these before? Absurd. I could practically feel my arteries hardening but it hit the spot.
Through the day, we burned through seven CDs of the audiobook to Ian McEwen's novel "Saturday," about a day in the life of a London neurosurgeon. It's a little dry but well written and entertaining enough. I napped off and on throughout and clearly I didn't miss much. I think that the author went on for a good ten minutes with an in-depth description of the protagonist's fish stew recipe. We saved the last two discs for tomorrow and I'm eager to see how it ends.
I thought that we'd end up stopping early in Abilene but Dad was feeling good and wanted to get to the eastern side of Dallas tonight so that we wouldn't have to deal with AM rush hour traffic there tomorrow. But we ended up calling an audible after a fresh-faced Texas Highway Patrol officer pulled us over, informing us that one of the lights on the tow dolly was out. Honestly, the guy looked about 12. But he let us go with a warning and we decided not to push our luck so we're set up at a Courtesy Inn here in Fort Worth...and with internet access for the first time since we left. Beautiful!
We should arrive in Little Rock tomorrow morning, based on Dad's insane schedule. He's hell bent on getting back to Memphis in time for a good dinner with some good wine with Mom, and man, does he deserve it. He's been absolutely awesome about everything. Me? It looks like happy hour with the Hillises in Little Rock!
Tuesday was a short night, as we were both tired. We stopped at a janky hotel in Wilcox (I think?), near the Arizona/New Mexico state border. Chalk up night number two in a row of crappy sleep for me. Meanwhile, my driver was up and getting ready by 5:20 AM. He's an early riser. Me...not so much. But he's driving so we're definitely working on his schedule, so we were in the car and on the road by 5:45 AM. The highlight of the morning was definitely the McGriddle sandwich that I scarfed for breakfast. How have I not had one of these before? Absurd. I could practically feel my arteries hardening but it hit the spot.
Through the day, we burned through seven CDs of the audiobook to Ian McEwen's novel "Saturday," about a day in the life of a London neurosurgeon. It's a little dry but well written and entertaining enough. I napped off and on throughout and clearly I didn't miss much. I think that the author went on for a good ten minutes with an in-depth description of the protagonist's fish stew recipe. We saved the last two discs for tomorrow and I'm eager to see how it ends.
I thought that we'd end up stopping early in Abilene but Dad was feeling good and wanted to get to the eastern side of Dallas tonight so that we wouldn't have to deal with AM rush hour traffic there tomorrow. But we ended up calling an audible after a fresh-faced Texas Highway Patrol officer pulled us over, informing us that one of the lights on the tow dolly was out. Honestly, the guy looked about 12. But he let us go with a warning and we decided not to push our luck so we're set up at a Courtesy Inn here in Fort Worth...and with internet access for the first time since we left. Beautiful!
We should arrive in Little Rock tomorrow morning, based on Dad's insane schedule. He's hell bent on getting back to Memphis in time for a good dinner with some good wine with Mom, and man, does he deserve it. He's been absolutely awesome about everything. Me? It looks like happy hour with the Hillises in Little Rock!
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Moving Out
Things were clearly going too easily yesterday so today we got a few wrinkles thrown at us. Last night, we checked into the Windmill Inn, a little hotel right down the street. Dad went out, picked up some KFC, and everything was grand...and then my right foot started absolutely killing me. It's a weird pain that I've had off and on for a while (before the knee injury), most often after being on my feet at work for a while. So how does it possibly crop up now? Who knows. And like an idiot, I forgot to bring my pain pills with me last night so I just had to deal with it. Throw in the extra-mushy, very small bed and the end result is that I got maybe two or three hours of sleep if I'm lucky.
I came back to the apartment at around 7:30 this morning and the movers arrived shortly after that. Until today they thought that our stuff would be the only load on the truck, meaning that we'd get to unload in Little Rock on Friday or Saturday, which would be perfect. But today they just found out that they need to pick up another load in Glendale tomorrow and then drop it off in Oklahoma before ours, meaning that now our stuff is scheduled to arrive on Monday. It's not a huge deal but it's definitely an inconvenience, as it guarantees that I'm looking at spending the whole weekend at the in-laws' place in Little Rock, plus I have to get someone (probably Dad, again) to help supervise the unloading on Monday. Have I mentioned that I still haven't even seen where I'm going to live, aside from a few digital pictures?
Dad went to uHaul and picked up the tow dolly early this morning with no problems. He got the Focus rigged up very nicely...and then promptly managed to lock the keys inside the car. I think the confusion came through having two sets of Ford keys that look almost identical, or at least that's his story. So now he's off to the dealership to pick up an extra key before we hit the road, which is fine. He needed something to keep him busy today anyway.
If all goes well, it looks like we should be on the road some time this afternoon. I don't know exactly when, or how far we'll get today, or even where we plan to stop for the night. But the move really will have begun.
I came back to the apartment at around 7:30 this morning and the movers arrived shortly after that. Until today they thought that our stuff would be the only load on the truck, meaning that we'd get to unload in Little Rock on Friday or Saturday, which would be perfect. But today they just found out that they need to pick up another load in Glendale tomorrow and then drop it off in Oklahoma before ours, meaning that now our stuff is scheduled to arrive on Monday. It's not a huge deal but it's definitely an inconvenience, as it guarantees that I'm looking at spending the whole weekend at the in-laws' place in Little Rock, plus I have to get someone (probably Dad, again) to help supervise the unloading on Monday. Have I mentioned that I still haven't even seen where I'm going to live, aside from a few digital pictures?
Dad went to uHaul and picked up the tow dolly early this morning with no problems. He got the Focus rigged up very nicely...and then promptly managed to lock the keys inside the car. I think the confusion came through having two sets of Ford keys that look almost identical, or at least that's his story. So now he's off to the dealership to pick up an extra key before we hit the road, which is fine. He needed something to keep him busy today anyway.
If all goes well, it looks like we should be on the road some time this afternoon. I don't know exactly when, or how far we'll get today, or even where we plan to stop for the night. But the move really will have begun.
Monday, April 18, 2005
Packing Day
I had my final visit with Dr. Seipel here in AZ today and he said that the knee looks good and we are cleared to hit the road. And he gave me another nice Vicodin prescription just in case.
Part of Beth's job package includes full service moving, including packing...beautiful! I hate moving, which I know is strange since I manage to do it so much. But I absolutely hate it and it always stresses me out. Well, not this time! The packers are here as I type this and they are great. It's three guys doing a very meticulous and solid job of packing up all of our junk. Two of them will also be driving the truck to Little Rock, and it sounds like right now they plan to leave sometime on Tuesday afternoon or evening, which means that Dad and I will probably be getting on the road at the same time. We're just playing it by ear right now but it looks like everything could get packed today and we might end up at a Chandler hotel for the night. Tomorrow, Dad picks up the tow dolly from uHaul so we can tow the Focus behind Gus. That should work fine.
The Red Sox won their annual Patriots Day game today, which has an early start due to the Boston Marathon. It sure is weird having a game start at 8 AM local time though. I think I went to a Patriots Day game at Fenway against the Blue Jays back in '82 or '83. Okay, clearly I'm rambling now. I'll post another update soon.
Part of Beth's job package includes full service moving, including packing...beautiful! I hate moving, which I know is strange since I manage to do it so much. But I absolutely hate it and it always stresses me out. Well, not this time! The packers are here as I type this and they are great. It's three guys doing a very meticulous and solid job of packing up all of our junk. Two of them will also be driving the truck to Little Rock, and it sounds like right now they plan to leave sometime on Tuesday afternoon or evening, which means that Dad and I will probably be getting on the road at the same time. We're just playing it by ear right now but it looks like everything could get packed today and we might end up at a Chandler hotel for the night. Tomorrow, Dad picks up the tow dolly from uHaul so we can tow the Focus behind Gus. That should work fine.
The Red Sox won their annual Patriots Day game today, which has an early start due to the Boston Marathon. It sure is weird having a game start at 8 AM local time though. I think I went to a Patriots Day game at Fenway against the Blue Jays back in '82 or '83. Okay, clearly I'm rambling now. I'll post another update soon.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
My last weekend in AZ
Next week I'm moving from Chandler, Arizona to Little Rock, Arkansas. I love it in AZ and I really don't want to leave but my wife got a great job opportunity there so we can't pass it up. One of my former co-workers suggested that I start a blog so my friends in Arizona can keep up with me and stay in touch--thanks for the idea, Stephannie! So here it is.
My Dad drove out to help me with the move since I'm still recovering from knee surgery and I can't move around much yet. He drives a Ford Expedition and today was the first day that I sat in the back seat to see how comfortable the upcoming 1,500 mile trip will be...and it wasn't bad. Beth has a Ford Explorer which is pretty roomy but Dad's car, affectionately named Gus, has about eight extra inches of room, and in this case it's a huge difference.
The packers arrive on Monday to pack up everything we own, so that will be interesting. They have said that they pack absolutely everything so we really haven't packed anything at all...not that I could if I wanted to. Which I don't. =) But it will be interesting to see how this whole process goes, considering that all I can do is sit around, watch, and point at stuff.
I'm getting really bored with sitting around doing nothing. I've read probably half a dozen books over the last month and today I watched four, yes, four baseball games on TV. Now, I'm as lazy as anyone and I don't normally mind sitting around doing nothing but this is definitely pushing it. I'm actually looking forward to getting on the road. Although I'm not really sure why.
My Dad drove out to help me with the move since I'm still recovering from knee surgery and I can't move around much yet. He drives a Ford Expedition and today was the first day that I sat in the back seat to see how comfortable the upcoming 1,500 mile trip will be...and it wasn't bad. Beth has a Ford Explorer which is pretty roomy but Dad's car, affectionately named Gus, has about eight extra inches of room, and in this case it's a huge difference.
The packers arrive on Monday to pack up everything we own, so that will be interesting. They have said that they pack absolutely everything so we really haven't packed anything at all...not that I could if I wanted to. Which I don't. =) But it will be interesting to see how this whole process goes, considering that all I can do is sit around, watch, and point at stuff.
I'm getting really bored with sitting around doing nothing. I've read probably half a dozen books over the last month and today I watched four, yes, four baseball games on TV. Now, I'm as lazy as anyone and I don't normally mind sitting around doing nothing but this is definitely pushing it. I'm actually looking forward to getting on the road. Although I'm not really sure why.
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