pinwheel perfect

Yeah! Some of my quilted pinwheels are turning out really nice. Some have near perfect points. Looking really really good. The larger they are, the easier it is to get it to line up just right. I got all my pinwheels sewn up. Well all of them for now. I'm not sure if I want to add a larger size. Anyway, now I need to sew them into rows. The largest is 5 wide, the next is 7, the smallest is around 10, I forget. I only got to sewing the largest together by the time I had to leave.

Leave to meet Rubie and Nathan at Origami Sushi! Their treat! Whoo! Sushi! And katsu chicken. I borrowed the Prius and met them there. Rubie gave me a lovely purse she no longer wanted. Whoo! After a filling dinner we went and caught the 10pm showing of Inception at Kitsap 8. Movie was about as good as the first time I saw it. And without the surprise of the film, I was able to greater appreciate the visuals and workings of the film.

Wish I could write more about my day. Uhm. It was warm mild. I had toast and chocolate milk. Then soda and an egg salad sandwich for lunch. Spent the time by myself. Finished book 9 of Sookie Stackhouse. Onto book 10, the last one that is out. I wonder what I'll move on to now.

missing kitty

Baaaasiiiiilllll! I want my kitty cat. :(

Mom went to work, Dad worked in the garage.

The coyotes were yipping in the day time. Scary sound.

So I quilted some more. I'm working on a pinwheel quilt with at least three different sizes of pinwheels. I finished sewing the smallest ones (made from 2 1/2" strips) and finished the next size up (3 1/2" strips) as well. Dad made a burger late lunch and that was good. I was almost done cutting the 4 1/2" strips for the larger pinwheels. Some of the points look really good. Takes so much work though! Lots of little cuts and pressing and sewing.

Ma and I watched So You Think You Can Dance. I voted for Billy this time. He did a really good job.

Not a very busy day. Almost finished the 9th Sookie Stackhouse book.

basil 1999?-2010

Last night I heard some strange meows. All today we haven't seen hide nor hair nor morbidly obese stomach of Basil.

I think she is dead. I'll miss her. She wasn't perfect but she was mine.

Rubie and I went up to the girl cave today! After dad made me poached egg on toast with melted cheese of course. Anyway, for her birthday I made her a little quilting cozy for her iPad. Well I designed it and sewed about half of it, in the process I also showed Rubie how to quilt and all that. We patched together scraps, added borders, put in batting to cushion the device, and it all came together quite nicely. I made pretty much an envelope out of two quilting pieces and whipstiched the two together. It fit quite snug. I sewed on a little loop and button and it was complete. With it complete, Rubie and Nathan took off for Tacoma again.

I resumed sewing little triangles for my quilt. Got a batch pressed when it was time to come inside. Had a little chicken and salad dinner.

BAAASSIIIILLLL!! I want my kitty.

perfect film to watch because Nate is going to the dentist tomorrow

Way too hot to work in the girl cave. I'm going to start in on another front piece. Going to do a pinwheel style quilt, with wheels in different sizes. Small ones, big ones. I got over heated and muggy and didn't feel like working more so at 3:30ish I came down for some snacks.

Still tender from the sun. Not going to peel though.

Ma and I went into town for some last minute shopping.

Oh! Happy Birthday Ma!

I drove, to give mom a break from that task. Went to Target. Got an octopus clip for my hair. Went to Old Navy. Got some back to school pants and a shirt. Whoo! Swung by Safeway. Went home.

Didn't have much time to wrap up Rubie's present. We were getting dinner on the lawn table when Nate and Rubie arrived. Chicken, salad, beans, and bread! Followed by cake! Well before cake there were presents. Rubie got a lovely yellow purse with some goodies from Lush and cookies. I'll also help her make an iPad cozy tomorrow (Nathan bought her one). Mum got a Teavana tea leaf thermos thingie and special tea bulbs that bloom and look cool. We all had tea. The tea ball opened up and had a little streamer of tea leaves and looked really neat, and the tea tasted fantastic. Then cake! Mmm.

We followed up the night with Little Shop of Horrors. Good old lovely musical. The video cut out in the last bit, but we know how it ended. Now to sleep. More quilting tomorrow!

pink and squares

Saturday:

Returned to Pulali without Kristen. More driving, but again it was a nice day to do it. Stopped by the Newberry Hill gas station for soda and s'mores chocolate. Mmm. Caught the last half of This American Life. When I arrived, Ma and Pa were getting ready to swim so I donned my swim suit and hobbled down to the beach.

I realized I was pretty swam out from yesterday, but still I went in. Dad scubaed and affixed the buoy and stuff to the thingie underwater. Don't know the specifics, but it keeps the raft from floating away. I considered scubaing myself but lost interest as the day went on. I did snorkel a little bit. Mostly I held down the fort while Ma, Pa, and Celia did the long process of dragging the raft by tiny boat from the shellfish lab launch area. I listened to my audiobook and caught the rays. I felt that familiar feeling of almost getting too much sun, but thankfully the shade took over. I did catch a little bit more outside Celia's cabin. I felt tender but not blistering. As the day went on, I was a little more pink than I planned to become but it was nothing intolerable. I should have tan lines for a month or so. It feels good to get some color in my face, and at the very least my freckles are returning.

Dinner was a remaining hidden dream dinner. Chicken, rice, and broccoli. Quite good. I listened to another chunk of my audio book while looking out at the water. Mom and dad stayed on another night, but me (lacking overnight clothes and having forgot to feed Holly before I left) I decided to drive back. Again, not so bad because I don't drive and the act had not become tedious.

I was pretty exhausted by the time I got back. Fed the doggy. Got the mail. I just became so tired and wiped out that I just climbed into bed and snoozed.

Sunday:

Amazingly, I only snoozed till 8am! I was up! Had some tea and microwaved stuff for breakfast. Did the Internet routine. Called mom to find out where the key for the minibarn was, and then I spent the rest of the day listening to From Dead to Worse, the 8th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. Almost finished with the series! Only two left. I am working on my third quilt: an Amish Shadow style thing. I got seven fat quarters in red orange yellow green blue different blue and purple, and a yard and a bit of black to counter them. I set about cutting them into strips and sewing the strips together and ironing the strips (five to a set) and cutting the strips into triangles (42 total yielded) and cutting the black into triangles and sewing the triangles into squares and ironing the squares flat and arranging the squares into a satisfying pattern and deciding I liked the 6 square x 6 square pattern with a design in the middle and four small squares on the sides and then I sewed it together a bit wrong so the squares on the sides became just triangles going outward instead of squares, but I didn't feel like ripping a ton of seams, but it looks good as is. Mom and Dad came home as I was sewing the last bit of the front piece together. Got that finished, and using the 6 remaining squares I made a little mini thingie, might make another pillow or hot pad or something. So tomorrow I need to round up batting and a back piece and a border. My triangle isn't sewn together perfectly, but it does have a nice colorful look to it. I'm learning. It will take a while to really hone my skill. I've never been a perfectionist. Working all day in the barn gives me a nice sense of peace and accomplishment.

Dinner was pasta and sauce and clams. I've never been big on clams.

I finished watching The Man Who Wasn't There. DEPRESSING! Now to watch True Blood and then sleep. Or stay up later and watch Mad Men...

pulali fun

The places we wanted to go camping were pretty well booked up or iffy when it comes to availability, so we decided to go to Pulali Point instead. An idea struck me and I decided to call Kristen to see if she wanted to join us at Pulali for the day. It would involve me driving her to and from same day and mom and pop would take the truck separately. No biggie though, I barely drive anymore so hitting the road is a fun experience. Filled up the tank to the top and picked her up at her place.

It was a sunny and beautiful day. Perfect for going to the beach and swimming and generally having a good time. I made a mix CD and it was good background music for our chatting on the way to the Olympic Peninsula. I got a little turned around headed to Quilcene, but got there all right. We stopped for an ice cream treat. Kristen and I arrived before Ma and Pa so I used the spare key to unlock the house. We swung by Celia's and said hello.

Then it was swimming time! We got out swimsuits on and our towels and headed for the water. Celia dove in like a champ, I waded in a while and eventually dove, Kristen kept her hair dry the whole day but did dip in a bit. I swam and swam. I wore my crocs, so whenever I swam, I just let them float, and when I went in for a break I picked them up from where ever they had floated to. Liam was even at Pulali! He dove in right away. Faster than Celia. Good little swimmer he is.

Dad and mom arrived and Dad brought down his wooden board with built in port hole. Liam floated on it but wasn't totally interested, so Kristen hopped on and we swam about together. She paddled and I followed. Dad snorkled some starfish and showed them to us. I put my face under the porthole and bonked my nose a little bit. Heheh.

We floated on the paddleboard to Kirie's and waved hello. Dad gave me a tow in the kayak back. Then we got precariously in the kayak. It was the tippy one that I remember Tim and Kirie toppling over in over a decade ago. But we puttered around just fine in it. Whoo! Exhausted that was the end of our water fun. We showered and dressed and with that complete, we had a snacktacular dinner with mom and dad. Brie, rice crackers, Turkish Delight, cherries, pot stickers, oysters, more brie, and other stuff. Whoo! It was a good light spread. Dad told some of my favorite stories.

Kristen and I went over to say hi to Jeanette, Kirie, Mark, and Liam. Kirie showed us her pile of writing and her little literary journal stuff. It was a short visit. I showed off my quilt. We said goodbye and arrived once again at the beach and there was a little fire going and we roasted marshmallows and all that good stuff. Afterwards I showed her some photo albums. At 8 o'clock we departed. At 9:04 we pulled into her driveway. Perfectly an hour! Just right amount of distance to travel for a day on a private beach. Whoo! Love Grandparent's place on the water. So good. I hung around for a bit looking at silly videos on the Internet with her. at 10:30 I said goodbye. I'll call her tomorrow to see if she wants to hang out again on the water, as I'll be headed back.

OH! Here are some pictures of my finished quilt:

finished!! whoo!

No alarm. Slept in. Mmm.

As I type this, behind me my newly finished quilt rests on my bed in all its glory. Quilting is so rewarding.

Anyway, slept in. Had my usual toast and cocoa breakfast. Helped dad split logs like a good Spencer. After that he helped fashion a new pad for my small headphones (the last one fell apart after it dropped in my laksa). With audio book on the go, I set about finishing my quilt! I cut out the batting and the backing and stitched it together. Then I vacuumed the floor and spent half an hour picking out the bits that stuck to the fabric and batting. Then I lay them out on the floor and pinned the sides together. Satisfied, I took the heap down to the lawn and pinned it on the quilting frame and got to knotting. Instead of stitching the massive 5'x5' thing together, I put yarn knots through the layers to hold it together. Put four on each square, in the corners in the country fair squares and in the large triangles in the sawtooth star squares. Paused to eat dinner. Mom told me not to tell an anecdote about her in my blog, but it is really funny. Finished up with the knots at 8:30 and got the excess cut off the side in time for the elimination episode of So You Think You Can Dance. During one commercial break I sewed up the side.

No elimination! Double elimination next week! Exciting!

Then I finished my quilt. Sewing the edge is something I need to work on. The machine was far from perfect with its stitches (I was using the newer Singer, not the older one) and the edge is wavy. Still, it looks so good. I can't wait to make another!

And this has been the most productive I've been all summer. But an emotional rest is good to have.

front: completed!

Finished Definitely Dead, listened to the audio short story Tacky, and started in on All Together Dead.

In other words: I spent another good seven or so straight hours in the girl cave quilting up a storm. Just piecing things together and sewing and pressing the little triangle borders took more time than I expected. This whole country fair quilt has been a really good experience. Learning lots of things about triangles and timing. Got the borders on with out a hitch (well, a little bit of the border will be yellow, not red, as I ran out of fabric, but that won't be too noticeable I think).

Yeah. Dad made hot dogs for dinner and Laksa with shrimp and scallions for dinner. Yum! Mum came home and we watched So You Think You Can Dance. I voted for Lauren. She is really stepping it up.

There is the potential for more camping this weekend, but all I want to do is finish my quilt! I think I'll sew it all together using yarn knots, instead of a stitch. Might add a nice flair, especially if I do it in a red chunky yarn. Mmm hmnn.

back to the barn

Yay! Back to quilting! I love putting together squares and just letting the hours drift buy as I piece things together. Got back to finishing my country fair quilt. Listened to about half of Definitely Dead (I'm just powering through these books) and got all the sawtooth star squares sewn! Some of the points match, some of them not so much. I'm learning. As I went they got better and better. And once they are all put together, it should look pretty awesome. 25 squares! The bobbin thingy got jammed when I started stitching the squares together, so I stopped there. Just as well. Ma came home and we three had dinner.

After that, Ma and I went to Joann's to get some batting and fabric to finish the border on my quilt. I'm excited! It should be finished in the next couple days. Got a nice flannel for the back. If the weather keeps, I can hand quilt on the lawn.

After Joann's ma went to Barnes and Nobel and spent a gift certificate. I got a little book about quilting and making blocks and designing patterns. It has some nice explanations about piecing things together. I want to design some squares. Nerdy squares. Daleks and jammie dodgers.

I was still hungry so we picked up a late take out order of Sushi. So good! I love Origami Sushi.

I can't wait to get up and quilt tomorrow!!

little toot

Set my alarm. I know when we go to Mats Mats, I can't sleep in till whenever like I like to do. Got a really restless night sleep for some reason.

Hashbrowns and cheesy eggs for breakfast! Yay!

I started the new Sookie Stackhouse audiobook on the way into town. Stopped by Target for storage stuff. Ma and I planned to sort through some of Grandma and Grandpa Spencer's second floor things, but removing the trailer out from the disintegrating tugboat ended up being an all day thing.

So we assembled and scooted the big metal hoist. I wasn't so strong and dad did most of the work. We attached a cable to the hoist and put it under the boat and wrenched it and levered it up and upright a little bit. I worked up a little bit of a sweat. Dad worked up a lot of a sweat. Don't know what else to say. It was a lot of heaving and pulling. We did get the trailer out from under it! Took some more time to get it more stable. It was time to go home by the time we were done, so we packed up and parted ways.

Dinner was our last dream dinner (these sort of premade dinners that mom assembled herself at this place). It was scrumptious. There was some hot tubbing and then I made a big bowl of popcorn and we watched 10 Things I Hate About You. That movie gets better every time I watch it.

lease signed, apartment is mine!

I think I forgot to mention that during the mini camping trip, I stuck googly eyes on everything I could think of (within reason). Like the fly swatter, rocks, shells, my phone, tissues, and so on.

Had a good sleep in. Tea and cheerios for breakfast. After that I quilted a couple squares and made a little lumpy something. Listened to Dead as a Doornail. Almost finished.

Tomorrow we are going to Mats Mats.

Today Ma and I went to see Kristen, my new roommate. We had to finally sign the lease and give her a check with rent and deposit and all that. Utilities are all included in the rent, which is a bonus (seeing as how they can stack up). Just have to pay for internet. Kristen is from Kitsap and she is house sitting for her parents, so we stopped by and hammered out the details. I'll probably go over and hang out with her again later on in the week. We are both house bound, all though I have my driver's license.

Getting home, we relaxed for half an hour and then we went to Poulsbo to see the 7:05 showing of Inception! Christopher Nolan's latest movie. Ahh the last chunk of it was so gripping. I was gnawing my fingers. It was suspense piled on suspense. Visually appealing, well acted. As good as I hoped it to be.

On the way home, an owl attacked the car antenna. It swooped out of nowhere and glanced off the corner of the windshield and there was the briefest of scratchings on the roof. We slowed down and turned around and if we had struck and killed the owl, there was no body to be seen anywhere. Really weird.

Anyway, got home late so time for bed. All though I have to watch the new episode of True Blood first...

dismal coast, should have stayed inland

Came home a day early so better get cracking on the writing.

Thursday

As it was a shorter trip, I left my computer at home. Just wanted to enjoy camping. Motorhome was packed up and off we went to Tacoma to pick up Nate and Rubie! We were headed to the coast and towards what we hoped would be sun and beaches. Once we hit Aberdeen, the sky turned gray and would not let up. We stopped for ice cream.

Dismal is a good of word as any to describe Westport, Washington. We drove through on our way to a campground. Just a nothing city. None of the store fronts were appealing.

We stayed at..uhm....a camp ground. Walkable to the beach. We rode our bikes around a bit. Dinner was..food. I'm forgetting a lot. Obviously. Oh! It was hot dogs. I slept in the converted table area, Nate and Rubie slept in the above area that I'm not fond of due to spider and bug reasons.

Friday

Pancakes and bacon for breakfast! And then some kite flying. Or rather attempts at kite flying. Mine stayed up for a couple minutes, before giving up totally. Oh well. We checked out and headed to Westport for some biking along the waterfront. It was a nice mild ride, despite some minor falls and a dropping of a camera (cameras can get fixed though, still it sucked). There were some surfers not surfing.

After a crab, tuna, and sardine filled lunch we road out east ward a few miles to Schafer Park. It was on a river and was pleasant enough. Walked around a bit. Sat around the fire. Read. Rubie was feeling ill and Nathan wasn't too hot to trot either so they called it an early night. I listened to my audio book and kept warm. S'mores were had. Dinner was shish kabobs and steak and potatoes. I failed at making jiffypop.

Saturday

It was sunny for a moment and after bacon and cheesy eggs, we took a hike loop. It was a nice green hike. Since it was obvious the only way to escape the gloom was to head east, we decided to just call it early on the camping. We stopped by the Allyn property. Soooo over grown. We stopped at Seabeck, because it made more sense to drive Nate and Rubie back in the Prius. It was a light unloading, because I think we will go camping again next weekend. Ma took Nathan and Rubie back to Tacoma. I caught up on computer stuff.

Just a little relaxing trip. Not much sun. Oh well.

back in bed

Ohh precious sleep. I was missing a lot by being anxious from packing and all that. Starting to get caught up.

The power was out for a bit. I used the new shampoo I got from Lush. My hair smells great and is oh so soft. Whoo!

Sat on the lawn and read a few chapters from Bonk and soaked up the sun. My thighs are a little pink now.

Dad made me a little sandwich.

Then I took a nap in my bed for a few hours. Then mom was home! Yay!

Chicken and potato dinner followed by So You Think You Can Dance. I voted for Robert. He did really well.

Tomorrow we are going camping for the rest of the week. Yaaay!

goodbye goose hollow

Whooey I had two long days full of packing and errands and stuff. Lets get started.

Monday

Got a haircut! My ends were looking ragged so I got a trim and more layers and blunter bangs. Looks good.

This guy, Kevin nicknamed Gritty for reasons I don't know, asked me out at the end of the year party (he is a friend of a friend) and I sort of forgot about calling him because I got so absorbed with moving and all that. So I called him and said that I'm leaving soon but if he wanted to hang out tonight, that would be cool. And just my luck, he had an extra ticket to see Ariel Pink at Doug Fir tonight! So we would meet for dinner and go to the show and all that. Hurray!

So I did another trip to the storage unit. More stuff in there. Borrowed the vacuum cleaner from the RA and used that. Gave her my Ikea shelf as well, which will be good for storage. She also has claim to my mirror and stand. The time went by really fast, and before I knew it I was ready for dinner.

Gritty/Kevin and I walked to Thai Chili Jam for dinner. I had the larb, he had massuman curry. Both were quite good. It was a nice meal with good chat. We drove over to the other side for the show. Doug Fir is this bar/venue that has Jupiter Hotel attached. It is decorated like a log cabin and has lots of antler motifs. We had a drink and sat outside waiting for his friends Kellan and Paris to show up and join us. They were super cool and into weird facts about pigs. It was a really fun night. We went down right as the first opening act started. They looked like Mormon siblings, the first band I mean. The second band was a little more hip. When Ariel Pink started setting up, we made our way to the front. Actually, we were right at the stage so that was cool. It didn't get too hot with the crowd also. I don't know how to describe the music, but it was an entertaining show. I'm down for new experiences, probably not everyone would be. The lead crowd surfed and I helped. There was one moment when this tall angry girl put another girl in a sort of choke hold, so we helped pry her off. Yikes. But aside from that, yeah! Great evening. I've had a lot of fun in Portland.

Even though I stay up late on regular basis, I was exhausted and just crawled into bed and fell asleep.

Tuesday

Woke up early and got to work. Showered. Put the stuff I needed to take home into the bags and looked at all the other stuff that needed to go to the unit. Rigged up my drawing board and two bags and backpack. Put the in the locker. We to get some July birthday gifts for the girls in the family. Went to Trader Joe's. Had lunch. Did another trip. It is hard travelling with heavy bags. Really got worn down. Got back. Contacted the RA. Gave her my keys. Packed up.

Said goodbye to the apartment. And left.

Got to the train station at the perfect time. I'm taking my bike home with me. It is so pretty. Cidney was on the same train, but I took the chance to nap. Mmm.

Dad picked me up in the truck. Even at nine, the sun was still out.

I picked up this really cool shampoo in bar form at Lush. Kind of got it for myself, but dad gave it a whirl. If he digs it, I'll have to pick him up his own.

Sooo tired. My legs hurt.

for the first time in three years

95% of my stuff is now resting in a 4x7 area in the Pearl District. The other 5% is bedding, and some miscellaneous stuff that is still here. Tomorrow I'll make a couple trips back and forth with the rest of it. The mirror and stand got left behind (I didn't make it obvious enough to be moved) and the three bulb lamp as well. The lamp isn't that important, but I think I have a good spot for the mirror. Well, actually it takes up a lot of space and the stand is quite heavy and there are a few mirrors in the new place. Maybe I should just leave it. Quit fussing.

Went to bed at 4:30, woke up at 9:30 to Katie playing loud music (also: she leaves for a week and the energy bill drops significantly, I'm gone a month and the bill is the highest it has ever been. Wasteful!). Got up, had some oatmeal and tea, went to Safeway to get some beverages for after moving and picked up an energy drink. Which ended up being WAY too much energy. I was bouncing off the walls and had a hard time focusing.

BT and Karen came at noon. We went to the Uhaul place. I said the wrong type of truck and for a second worried when he said they didn't have it, but a quick review of the registration number and all was righted! I was too anxious about driving in the city so BT drove the truck. Phil was waiting for us upon our return, and Daniel W. showed up not short after. BT and I hauled stuff down, the rest hauled stuff into the hallway outside the elevator. Book shelves, dresser, cabinet...it went in. Boxes, boxes, boxes...the truck filled up and there was more to go. So we started the process of going from Goose to storage. BT, Phil, and I went to the storage place. I signed in and we got some flatbed rolling thingies, and started loaning.

I just want to say that Phil is the master at the game of 3D tetris that is storage organization. He was amazing and putting this and that here and there. Things stacked high as could be, against the wall, and even though it kept coming it didn't seem as overwhelming as my room. Of course, I couldn't stack stuff braced against the wall here, like I could in the unit.

Anyway, the truck unloaded fast and that went back to the Goose and Karen's car backed in and unloaded fast. The truck returned not soon after. Truly the longest part was getting it out of the apartment and into the truck.

BT, Karen, and I went to return the truck. Had I known that all I had to do was leave the keys and dolly in the office because the guy had left (the gas station attendant was watching it) then I could have just left Karen and BT to do the drop off and helped Daniel and Phil.

The storage unit was full up at 3:15. We returned at 3:30. I locked it up. Got back to the Goose at 3:45. BT left for his shift at IPRC, Daniel went to order a large pizza, Karen, Phil and I brought down refreshments to the courtyard at the Goose. I went and picked up and paid for the pizza. Then we all sad about relaxing in the shade, eating pizza. WHOO!!!! I can't believe that moving itself took two and a half hours. I was worried we would be pressed for time because the storage place closes at 4 on Sunday.

Mel, Melissa, and Cidney even stopped by the courtyard for some brief chilling and chatting. Daniel left, Karen drove away, MM&C left, Phil left. I relaxed, and then remembered I still owed BT some snackums for today's efforts. I even made a stop at Cupcake Jones, because he deserved a special treat for driving. So we sat at IPRC (Independent Publishing Resource Center) and ate cupcakes and he had the last slice of pizza, and it was really nice. We parted ways after that.

Went back to the apartment. Contacted Mel to see what was shaking. Met the three of them at Mazatlan, but that place is wicked expensive so I didn't order. Played some video games at their place. Cidney, Mel and I caught the Max downtown and went to Ground Kontrol. On the way there we ran into BT as he was entering his studio. We three played some pinball, drank some beer, played Simpsons, and practiced flipping our hair about. Walked back to their apartment, grabbed my bike.

And now after a long day, I am back in my mostly empty room that has a filthy, filthy floor. Need to transport stuff to the storage unit. Borrow a vacuum. Clean the bejeezus out of the apartment.

Katie has gone camping so I guess I won't be seeing her again.

the girl who put boxes away

4:21am. The apartment is pretty much all packed up. I'll be using my 4'x7' space to its full capacity. Wish I could have gotten a little more sleep. And a larger space, but that is what they had at the storage unit. There are not many others close in.

Went downtown and got my storage unit. The guy was really nice. It cost a little less than expected, but I'm not renting a whole month. Like I said, it will be a tight squeeze but I measure the size out on my floor and it appears to fit. It will be stacked really high and impossible to get anything out from the back. I have a plastic contained reserved for the things I put in the unit right before I get on the train. Shampoo. Bedding. That stuff. Also I have a load on laundry to do. Not sure if I'll get the train ticket for Monday or Tuesday. Tuesday seems more likely. Run errands on Monday. Laundry. Storage runs. Clean up my raggedy dirty apartment. Contact the RA. Once I know when I'll be signing out the apartment, that will be the day I get on a train and go home, never to return to this apartment again (most likely, as I won't be in Portland again till after Katie moves out).

After storage, I dropped off clothes at Goodwill. I picked up a pair of shorts as well. Mmm shorts. I swung by the Dollar Store as well. No where near as good a selection as the one in Silverdale, but it still provided me plastic bags, something to drink, googly eyes assortment pack, and some small tubs for small items. Later I realized I grabbed a wrong lid for one of them.

There is a lot of room for small things storage within my shelves and the wooden short cabinet that Cece left behind. I'm not sure if my red shelf will fit. Maybe Karen could take care of it? It is pretty compact.

As motivation, I told myself that if I could get all my boxes into the 4x7 space, all my art in portfolios or cardboard, and get all that remains of my stuff in a pile in the living room, then I could go see The Girl Who Played With Fire, the second film in the Millennium Trilogy based after these books. The first is The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I got my assignment done and caught the 10:15 showing. My arms were wearing and couldn't take any more lifting as it was. It was a really good movie. More character development, not as brutal as the first movie, and a different mystery. Really good. I can't wait to watch the next one. I'm not sure if I should read the books or not. I already know how they end, but you get a different vibe from words over pictures. It was a good break.

But at 12:30 I had to return. And I worked hard getting the rest of my stuff in boxes. There are small things here and there, but I'm not worried.

Noon is when it begins tomorrow. My alarm is set. I'm not sure if I should move the boxes again, or leave them like this. Because like this, the top items will get loaded first and then pulled out last, which would mean they would be put in the unit last. But it will take many, many loads. Well more loads from my apartment to the cars. At the storage place, they have trucks. So we can just unload it all and bring them up. Unloading and putting away will probably be easiest.

I'm tired.

frazzle dazzle

Sorted out some misunderstandings and got the moving plans SORTED.

Noon. Sunday. Uhaul. Move. Move. Finish. Eat pizza. Yay! Hopefully. I have a lot of packing to do between now and then, but thankfully I have...

More plastic tubs! At 2pm I walked to Fred Meyer to check out their selection of tubs. The closer one is smaller, but they should still have some selection. I should have a few, because I'll be putting stuff into storage (probably mostly kitchenware). And they were on sale! I got four 66quart buckets and lugged them down to the PGE park max stop. They were cumbersome to carry, to say the least.

Got a little bit frazzled from the sight of the boxes and what I have left to do, but it got sorted out.

Tomorrow I need to: go to Safeway and pick up plastic bags so all my smaller items are not just sliding about all over the place in boxes. Go to the storage place and get my unit. Go to Goodwill and drop off some stuff. AND THEN FINISH PACKING. I found another cloth portfolio. I'm not sure if I'll have to get some cardboard. My piles of art are not...huge. I'll have some stuffed portfolios to be sure, but...hmmn. Just have to wait and see. It will be busy tomorrow. I got some more boxes finished up today and found more in the recycling.

Also put in the reservation for the Uhaul flatbed truck. So that will be an experience.

I'll be bringing my bike on the train with me, so that will be an experience. Ma and Pa will have to remember to drive the truck to Tacoma.

Also sad about Alex leaving So You Think You Can Dance. He was one of the best dancers and could have won. Dancers are prone to injury though...

Moved on to the fourth Sookie Stackhouse novel: Dead to the World.

putting the hot wing in hotel

The fire alarm started chirping so I had to get batteries. 9V are so expensive!

I got the areas around my bed cleared out. Lots of piles. Lots of clumped dust and discarded sunflower seeds. Also started getting through the piles on the floor. Almost sorted out all the "keep" from the "trash". Now I just need to pile my flat artwork. On Saturday I'll have to take a walking trip and scrounge up more boxes for pans and protecting art.

Netflix instant watch has Hotel Babylon, which is a really charming BBC show about working in a hotel. Had it on in the background while I worked. Got hot wings for dinner. Mmm protein! Need to get some pasta or something.

It was another hot day, but I kept the blinds shut and it stayed passable. I hope it isn't too hot on moving day, but it probably will be.

I haven't tackled the floor of my closet yet. I think that will be the next goal. It is pretty much just art work and miscellaneous clutter now. Joy joy. At least next move should go easier. I don't think I'll stay in the new place for long.

back on track

Sunday. Sunday I am going to rent a Uhaul truck. Sunday I have bribed BT and Phil for moving (and truck driving) help. So I have to have it all packed up by Sunday. Now that I have a deadline, I was fairly productive. I got rid of more of the clutter on my floor. Moved out another book shelf. Threw away tons of garbage. It is getting there. Once I pack up binders, it will get there a little bit more. Right now the things left are pots and pans, binders, some remaining clothes, and lots of miscellaneous things.

I'll see how much stuff I can drop off at the new apartment. Now I know mum and dad are worried that Kristen might charge me for July if I put my stuff there, but I don't think she would honestly. It might be easier, and cheaper, to just pile my boxes up in the corner of the dining room. I'll see what Tabitha says in terms of space, and when I see how much stuff I have collected, then I'll get a better estimate of the space I'll take up. It looks like more stuff than it is, because it isn't properly packed away nice and neat.

Finished Club Dead. Still have so much stuff to pack, but it is getting there. Probably for the best that I'm moving out early because with two people packing, it would get crazy.

It got quite hot today, but not intolerable. Tomorrow it is supposed to get to 98 degrees. I should buy some ice cream.

Met Mel for a beer and dinner at Goose Hollow Inn. I just had a little 10oz pint with my roast beef au jus. It was quite good. We chatted about thesis and packing and moving and other things. It was just a little hangout, but it was nice. Can't spend all day cooped inside listening to vampire stories.

freight elevators are fun!

At five I went to Downtown Self Storage to check out their spot availability. I got to ride in the fun freight elevator! I put a hold on a 5'x7' space, so once I round up help, I'll pay for a month and get moving.

Karen is helping me a little bit on Sunday. Tabitha might be able to, depending on availability. Same with Madeline. So I have one "little bit" confirmed and a couple "maybes" sort of confirmed. I'll post for help on Facebook tomorrow I guess.

Karen was at school so we hung out. Had some sushi at sushi land. I didn't have that much. Then we went to Powell's. Mary Roach's book Bonk was on sale, as was this graphic novel book that Daniel Duford highly recommended. So I picked those up. Ahg damn you Powell's. Then we sat at Hot Lips and had a soda and read. I was a little chatty though and that irked Karen.

On the way back I called Tabitha and I went over to what will be my new apartment! Her bed, which will be my bed till moving out again or something I don't know, is a queen mattress on a futon frame. Whoo, big bed! I'll have to get some sheets and stuff. There is a desk, and I can envision how I'm going to reorganize. I have a lot of shelves that need to go somewhere. There is some space though, in the living room. I don't think it will be an actual problem. It is a really nice apartment. We hung out and chatted for a good long while. It was fun.

Got back around 11ish. I realized that I can pack stuff in the empty drawers of my dresser, and just secure them with plastic wrap and move that separately. So now I have more space to pack into. Hurray!

Didn't make much progress on my packing. And now my moving into storage is delayed, which honestly sucks. I thought I was going to get help earlier in the week but due to misunderstandings of availability (mainly through not full disclosure of amount of availability) it has been pushed further back. I wanted to be out by the 10th. Sometimes I really don't like relying on other people. Though I do appreciate their help.