A Different Drum

I promised a proper update a few days ago when I didn't have much time.

Things are good here. Perhaps better than in a while. I'm feeling better. Getting outside more. Spending less free time staring at the computer, which, no offense to all you online peoples, is not good for my mental health. Trying to get in a routine to go bicycling at least once a day with Sara. So far, it's hard to start a new habit, but we're working at it.

Meeting neighbors also helps. I went over and bailed out a couple of biz school grad students who don't know one end of the hammer from the other and put together their enterianment cabinet for them. Growin up a farm boy and knowing what a cordless drill is for has it's advantages. They're talking about getting a poker game together, which would be great.

Work still keeping me busy, the new assistant manager we're training is currently near the top of my all time "blonde" list, but hopefully we'll straighten her out.

Muse comes and goes. Problems again with Sara's laptop (GRRR), and it's limited my writing time.

Anyway, hope everybody's doing good!

Oookay. Things I learned today:

1. When enjoying your day off, the day after you put in a 12 hour shift at the store, unloading two differant semi trucks full of merchandise, climbing on your bicycle for the first time in God Knows, might not be the worlds best idea.

2. Riding a bicycle with two flat tires is difficult. It becomes even more difficult going up and down hills.

3. Never expect a gas station air pump to be functioning when you need it to be.

4. The first time you ride a bike in years, your trip should probably NOT consist of very steep hills.

5. You can be sore in places you didn't know you had muscles.

It is a beautiful day today, and I did ride my bike up to the Dartmouth green and met Sara for lunch, but now I hurt. Even more than I did when I woke up. And I'm really annoyed about the whole non-functioning air compresser thing. I don't own a bicycle pump, so I don't know where I can get air for my tires now.

Anyway, I'm sore, and sleepy and this chair is really comfortable. Maybe I'll take a nap.

Well, it’s been a long time since I updated. Here’s a brief summary: I’m really busy.

Sears goes well, I guess. I’m still doing computer training, which is about as exciting as watching cement cure. (Not the quick dry stuff, either, the real, slow cure McCoy). I’ll be finished soon, though, and then I can get out on the floor and get to the real stuff. I’m still really nervous about how I’ll do as a salesman. They really push those “consumer protection plans,” which I like to think of as selling snake oil. Who wants to oil a snake anyway? But I digress. I haven’t got a set schedule yet, but it will likely include weekends. We’ll see how it goes.

Teaching…substituting remains blah. I’ve got some security in the sense that Mascoma Valley will take me every day, but that’s for mainly SPED work, which I find really frustrating. The other downside is that Mascoma isn’t going to have any Social Studies openings this year, so I’m getting popular in the wrong place. I really need a job next year. I can’t do this another year, I’ll go nuts. One bright note, I got my NH license in the mail the other day. Yah! I’m licensed to teach! Have books, will travel.

Speaking of next year, Sara and I are having housing issues. I think I may have mentioned that Dartmouth is tearing down our building at the close of this school year. Well, the new buildings that are going to be available for us to move into are twice the monthly rent. We’re not sure we can afford that, so we’ve been looking into other options. I’d REALLY like to buy a house/condo, because mortgage payments would be cheaper than rent, in many cases. But we probably wouldn’t be able to get a loan if I don’t have a full time teaching job. It’s like a vicious circle.

I’m really slacking of my online life. I haven’t responded to my reviews on PS yet, and I haven’t posted on the message boards in ages. I feel so detached. I’m getting ready to put up a new batch of pictures on Two Roads, which is about the only online productive thing I’ve done lately. Sara and I are going to try to submit to the PS Valentines Day challenge. I’ve started the next chapter of Redefining, and I’m tinkering with Summer in MacPherson’s Valley again. I really want to finish that last, because then I can publish it and be a multimillionaire and devote all my time to writing.

I haven’t had time to transfer the registration on the car yet. Dad’s after me to do that. Had to drive to Salem on Monday to straighten around an issue with Sara’s cell phone. It zapped out for unknown reasons. That was a pain in the proverbial neck. Getting Sara’s name changed is an endless process. Assuming all the rights, duties, and responsibilities of married life is a harder process than one might think. Sometimes, it still feels like we’re only playing.

Other than the above mentioned “bummer” things, married life goes well. I enjoy coming home to Sara, even if it isn’t until 9 pm on nights I work at Sears. I realize of course, all things are relative, and that some people have it a lot worse, so I’m counting my blessings.

Till the next time, my dear friends.

For reasons that are too complicated to get into, I think the countdown for the wedding just went from, "wow, the time is flying by" to "oh God, has it only been another day?"

Sara's in tears, on her birthday no less, she's in Hanover, I'm in Salem. I want nothing more than to drive up there and give her the hug she deserves, but I can't, because I'm working in the morning.

In-laws and out-laws of every shape, kind and color tonight. Anyone want to trade?

Seriously, Sara is just starting grad school, struggling with her first set of assignments, trying to find a new group of friends, is up there all alone, and she didn't need *this* on top of all that, on her birthday no less. She's on the phone with me, sobbing, uncontrollably. The only intelligible word is elope.

Oh, I wish.

That's actually tomorrow. Today would more appropriately be refered to as "loading day'. Loading what, you ask?

A large, commerical Chevy pickup, currently loaded with: Washer, Dryer, Queen size matress and box spring, bed rails, two end tables, coffee table, four kitchen table chairs and the wheeled dolly to unload same.

A HUGE-A$$ white trailer that's wider than the pickup by a signifigant factor and just as long, currently loaded with: sofa, loveseat, kitchen table, recliner, rocking chair, desk chair, large TV, DVD/VCR, componant stereo, several lamps, fans, boxes upon boxes of books, kitchen supplies, cleaning supplies, posters, pictures, games.

Left to pack: Desk, A/C units (2x), computer supplies, Sara's clothes, more boxes of books, more kitchen supplies, more pictures, TV, and other assorted sundries in packing boxes.

Did I mention that I get to drive this behemoth? Adventures in momentum! (Also in REALLY lousy gas milege)

Sara picked up the key to the apartment yesterday. THings are not off to an auspicious start. The blueprint we obtained online is *not* quite accurate. It appears that the original stove in this apartment was one of those smaller, narrow jobs, that has since been replaced. Unfortunetly, the new stove didn't fit in the space alloted to it, apparently, so they put in extra counter space, and put the new stove where the washing machine is *supposed* to go. And if you put the dryer where you're supposed to, where the plug and vent are, the backdoor won't swing open. Go figure. We have a major jigsaw puzzle ahead of us in the kitchen.

That, and the whole place is wall to wall linolium, living room and bedroom included. I see area rugs in our future. They waxed the floor this week too, and the sign on the door said it was supposed to by dry by 9/1...Well, with all the rain and humidity, it wasn't. Sara said she was sticking to the floor, and the smell was awful.

And she couldn't even open a window, because they painted the windows shut, because someone was too lazy to do it right. She had a screwdriver in her car, and managed to pry them open, but then they would only open 4" because there were safty locks on them. How are you supposed to get air? Safty locks are the first thing commin off on Saturday.

But it's ours, and we'll make it work. It's only for a year. I'm begining to understand why the building is scheduled for demolition in June.

Meanwhile, back to packing.