So I guess I was right to be a bit worried about our moving truck. We started waiting with friends Brad & Colin at the new apt at 5pm, but when we'd not seen or heard from them two hours later, we gave up and staked out local pizza options to take back to Colin's place. Jaya, the young woman who lives upstairs gave us a call around 10pm to say that the truck had arrived, but when they opened the back, the truck they'd delivered was empty! Andy made a few calls and got things straightened out. They had made a mistake, and our truck would have left the center in Seattle for California in the morning! They righted their wrong by delivering the right truck at noon the next day. (pictured: Andy waiting for the truck next to our new giant rosemary bush)
Colin was able to take time out of his day again, and thanks mostly to Ken's expert packing on the other end, for which I am so so thankful still, it only took us about 1hr 20 mins to get everything out of the truck and into its designated area in the house. (It also helped not being in a 5th floor Harlem walk-up with a winding staircase that had Spanish rice & cigarette butts all over it. haha.).
Since then, it's already come a long way. We've just about got our little galley kitchen organized to its max, and we've already cooked a meal using only stuff we brought in a dry goods box. The former took a while, but it's solid now, and we're enjoying the gas stove. Bed set up, little living room with couch and rugs; we're probably 90% there, I'd say. I stayed up like a crazy NYer until 5 on Thursday night breaking down boxes and smoothing out newsprint into a reusable stack.
We went to Bastyr Friday to pick up Andy's books, so that he can get a head start and not have to brave the bookstore madness during orientation next week. Here's about 75% of his first-quarter books, many of which he'll use for the year, I guess. When the bookstore guy saw his pile, he said, "oooooh. First-year, eh?"
Ash & Hannah were able to come to spend the evening and sleep over with us Friday. They had also just made the cross-country trek from Ohio, along a very similar route but faster. Hannah is starting a PhD at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver this week, a 5-yr arrangement about which I'm ecstatic, since it's only about 2 hrs away. We took a trek to Pike's Place market,
(see fresh flower pic- $5 for this bouquet. Incredible.)then ambled down the main drag of our neighborhood of Wallingford, and ordered takeout from our new favorite Thai place, and brought it home for a living room picnic and cozy evening in. Funny to try to show somebody around town when you've only been here yourself a week or two, but we had a great time of it. Seeing them again was so easy and so nice: it's wonderful when close friends can go a long time without seeing one another and then upon meeting, get along as if no time had passed at all. Andy was happy audience for our girl talk for a while, and then was content to catch up on some piano, fresh out of its case after a 3 week hiatus. (He didn't forget everything after all. haha.)
I am sad to announce though that when we got up around 6 to take Ash to the airport for her trip back to Cbus, we found that during the night, someone bashed out the back window of Hannah's new Honda Fit with a large rock and took her backpack, containing her laptop and camera, as well as some of her special Ultimate frisbees. Andy and I had no idea she'd left them in the car, but we were all a bit devastated. We've heard nothing but good things about living in this neighborhood, that it's safe and whatnot, but it was a good wake-up call early on. We live across the street from a park, close to the UW campus, and we've definitely seen some homeless people parking vans across the street. But it's super well-lit, and in terms of safety here at home, we also have the advantage of Jaya and Laura living upstairs... Andy took Ash to the airport and I stayed with poor Hannah got right on the phone about getting the glass replaced, and the police came and took a report. She handled it with such grace.
This week is flying by. Saturday we did our first big grocery run to stock the pantry (gulp... we did well getting dried beans and stuff though!) Sunday was filled with more unpacking, and Colin came over to drum and have dinner. He brought fish from the freezer and vegetables from his amazing garden, and we supplied the rice and cooked it all up into a great curry dish. Monday was gloomy and non Labor Day-ish, but we did get a chance to finally explore our Meridian Park, and learned about the Seattle Tilth, who will be having their harvest festival next week, and the Meridian School, a K-5 private school where I had already planned to apply to substitute. They had an open house yesterday, and I enjoyed watching the kids play in the park at the picnic afterward. It was kind of a culture shock: they all seemed so smart, so healthy, so happy and free to play and chase and get their hands muddy. I realized that no matter what, teaching here would be different, and likely easier.
Then yesterday evening, I attended a networking happy hour with Colin, Brad, and our other Homestead friend Dave that happens monthly called Seattle Greendrinks. Free local beer! Bring business cards, and your own drinking vessel! (Colin brought a pyrex measuring cup- good conversation piece I guess. :oP) I made a few good contacts, but mostly it was another opportunity to enjoy our friends. We went after to Bastille, a french restaurant/bar where they've established a rooftop garden. They've been providing us with fresh produce all week: I'm so thankful and it's been completely amazing. Their company, Seattle Urban Farm Co., was featured in the latest issue of the Denison alumni magazine! (Click here for the article!) They've been getting some other good press too: evidently GQ came in May and shot a picture of Colin for a story titled "Grow Your Own: a man's introduction to gardening", and he was voted 14th in a competition to choose the next farmer for the White House. We're proud, and give them their share of teasing too.
Now that the dust has settled, I'll be charging in full force on the job search front. No dice on the internship that I'd interviewed for, but I thought it was a good first sign, anyway. More to come on that and plenty else soon enough! Love to all and thanks for reading. (Maybe I should come up with a ritual closing, like Garrison Keillor! :oD)
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