Breathe

The heat wave has retreated.  It started raining three days ago:  a real, steady, all-day rain, with a wind that drove the drops through the windows and over the sills and into every room in the house.  Every time that happens, it feels like the first time it’s ever happened, anywhere, ever.  Every time that happens, it’s a relief.

Gloria is protesting, convinced that the pressure in her tires is low.  And really it is, since the ambient temperature has lowered by a factor of 30 degrees Fahrenheit or more, which is sufficient to lower the pressure inside the tires by a considerable margin.

I have been in touch with two movers.  They are both accredited BBB businesses.  One has a B+ rating;  the other an A+.  The B+ company, as required by law, sent an estimator to the house who examined everything, had a discussion with me about what could be moved as is and what needed to be packed, gave me a bunch of information, and then provided me with a written non-binding estimate which was both much more than I wanted to spend and exactly what I expected to have to spend.  The A+ company, in defiance of the law, did not offer to send an estimator out.  They requested instead that I send them an e-mail list of what I needed moved, and the owner of the company talked with me about it and the circumstances on the phone.  The information he gave me about what could be moved as is and what needed to be packed more completely matched near exactly with that of the B+ company.  The estimate came in at about half the price, partially because he figured on a lower time to complete the job.  I was not offered a written copy of it.  These circumstances of course, are precisely the circumstances under which all the horror stories start on the Internet.

The time period I am attempting to move in is also apparently the busiest moving time of the year:  end of the summer, end of the month, right before school starts and Labor Day, which further complicates matters.  And I have no way of knowing when I’m going to get the keys.  The super thinks it will probably be this Friday.  Probably.  If not then, he says definitely by the 31st, so I suppose I should try to book the move for then.

Packing continues.  It is, of course, only me packing:  none of my family is available or willing to help, few of my friends are local and able to help, and concerning those few, I already spent their effort and goodwill moving into this place, and figure I better not impinge upon them again, lest I totally piss them off.  I might be able to get it done in the time left available to me.  Maybe.  I have the very small advantage of having thrown out a lot of crap moving in.  It may not be enough to counterbalance the short time period.

I am also running out of groceries.  And clean laundry.

Of course, if I give up and pay double rent for a month, I can take as much time as I like…