013: Mind me, remind me

Right now I have too many thoughts to reasonably convey. It is just about 1 AM. I'm not really sleepy but I am tired, if that makes sense.

November 2020 was a long month. Every day of it felt like a week. Every week felt like years. It began with us getting the keys to our new place. We laid on the floor, we painted swatches. We examined the quirks and flaws and did our best to determine what needed to be done.

We had Ross open up that wall and paint the place. There was some messy back and forth. We had to make a weird trip out to Dulux paints to colormatch the ones we had selected from Benjamin Moore. We got our wiring done. We went back and forth with the flooring guy, learning a little too late that the vinyl we wanted for the downstairs is discontinued. We had to hustle back to Oakville, covertly, to try some new samples to get one we liked.

We packed, with some urgency. Mel had her big test to study for and needed as many of the books etc in the house cleared away for the online proctoring, which was quite strict last time. This time it was apparently quite chill.

I sourced us a storage locker from oir landlord, free of charge. It was super necessary because the place was filling up with boxes rapidly and it was becoming a nuisance, and we still ended up in a  rowded way. At first when I saw what Mel's parenfs had given us along with the Easy Pak kit we picked up from Uhaul, I thought we had way too many boxes. But we needed more, plenty more, especially small ones. You never have enough small boxes. I already knew this and yet pushing myself further was tough.

There was an election. Joe Biden won. It was stressful at first, then excitig, especially a week later when it had finally been cinched up. Whether you like Biden or not, it certainly was great to see Trump lose, even if that basically just means America is only in a holding pattern unless the Dems take the Senate (Jeezes please, Georgia!)

A lot of harm has already been done.

Alex Trebek died that same weekend. You know, at one point in 2019 I had wanted to try to go on Jeopardy in 2020. If only.

Jess annoinced she's pregnant. Lots of shifting sands at work. I went out for the PM Job. Didn't get second interview due to lack of leadership experience. Which is fine, and true. I even called it out myself in my interview. I even say all the time, I don't see myself as a manager of people. But you've got to try - you know, they don't really like it if you don't. But I am a little salty about it all because when am I supposed to get leadership experience? And I feel so rejected, even if I was openly saying I didn't hope I got the job, I was only applying to play the game. Well. It was a good experience and I'm enjoying retirement.

The interview was the same week we moved, last week. Mel had hoped we could be finished packing and just do cleaning when the movers arrived. I said I didn't expect it would work like that

We had packed up stuff in Mel's bedroom at her parents place, from the wedding or from when we last moved. It was a tough day, lots of reliving old times, much of which dates back to pir last move. That's what happens. I happened to be in a poor mood thst day though so the act of doing it all weight on me.

I broke up with my NaNoWriMo project at about 15k words citing the fact that when I did have time to write, I didn't feel like it and didn't want to force it. But I have written a lot since then, albeit rarely in that project.

The same weekend we went to Dulux, and dropped off cans at the food bank, and Joe Biden won the election, we saw Tony and Lori at Kensington Market for a seafood lunch. It was a nice outing.

The weeks leading up to the move bled significance. You start to get graduation goggles. Everything is the last time. We had a particularly emotional farewell with Sue and the fine folks at Kibo Sushi, who kept us fed and happy all through the Pandemic. I took long looks out our window... three years and I never stopped appreciating the view.

Moving day was a long one as we had much to do, trying to clean as we cinched up the last items. We called dad to make an early run of protexted items. Bringing stuff down, just as I had arrived at the concierge desk to ask for the trolley, someone else was there and another guy behind me who tried to cut in first. I asserted myaelf over him but when the concierge tod me the dolly was out andcI should ask the West tower, the other guy zipped ovef, ahead of me to get it. The East dolly was availabld only a momwnt later  but still, dick move.

We packed up our remaining dishes, fridge and cleaning products as the Miracle Movers did their thing. I was very happy with their job overall, great service at a good price.

The rest of the night, once we arrived in Burlington, was a fun little event. Mel's parents had been secured as our home base team.

Our first weekend was spent shopping. We went to Canadian Tire for various home needs, but ended up having to wait for our Christmas Tree, which we ordered for delivery from the last location that had an unlit tree. Sunday we did our first big grocery shop at the new place and went back to Oakville to drop stuff off at Mel's parents and pick up some of what was left for us (they were out.) I set up the TV and Internet on Saturday but the TiVo hasn't arrived yet so we used the laptop to watch our old service. Monday and tuesday I worked at my temporary kitchen desk.

The work continues. We have definitely discovered further quirks and flaws that need to be addressed but it is all in progress. The floor is being put down today and tomorrow on the main floor - an exhausting process even though I only had to move some stuff. (Although I did also have to remove the toilet, a tough job.)

I kept replaying the history of all my moves in my head.. Even though I was feeling so melancholy about leaving, you always forget how easy it is for a new place to become home. Certainly for me after my first movd in 2000. No, it is not our "little home in the sky" as Mel reminded me we once called it (and thst produced a whinper in me, I'll admit) but it is very much our house

Pardon the typos. This one has been wrotten over a few days (nights) on my phone

It goes on.

Keep on rockin

Scotto